Dolly's Dreamings

Good News

I am hesitant to write this because we are not completely out of the woods yet but we can see the light now.

Indy and Koda had blood test number 3 yesterday and the results were good. There were a couple of things a little lower than perfect but wow - I was dreading they would be showing symptoms in their blood of low neutrophils etc but they were fine. The vet, who again said they were lovely and really special Bengals, said they were the bloods of healthy cats.

No one knows yet how long is truly safe but he feels that after 7 weeks it is looking good and I can stop panicking.

I feel I will still have one final test in a month but I am so relieved. I also feel a bit of survivor guilt as there are so many people lost their beloved fur babies to pancytopenia. Thank you all of you who have sent messages of support and comfort whilst we have been so worried

 

 

Pictures of my boys this afternoon - yup on top of cupboards as usual

 

 

 

 

We put up my art exhibition pieces today. I am so proud to have 14 pictures in the gallery - plus my usual plaques etc - and they look lovely hung.

 

 

 

I have a few pages to share today as well

 

 

The photo of us was taken yesterday and was scrapped yesterday - even I was impressed by that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the favourite pages I have made in quite a while - just love it

 

 

and two digital pages from the Pickleberrypop Boomerang Sale.

This is Holiday Pictures kit by Lara's Digi World

 

 

and this amazing bundle is a third of the usual price and only under $12 so it is amazing  Phi Phi Island also by Lara's Digi World

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• The cats being OK and the support I have had from so many people
• the chance to exhibit my work (I am NOT expecting to sell any)

 

 

We have power

It's been a tricky few days again as we were back on the immersion heater again, but today our boiler man came out and it was, hopefully a simple fix. The good news is the heat came on and all the power didn't blow. Bonus

 

We spent a longtime in the garden today just cutting and tidying.

I have also done - no surprise - a bit of scrapping and a lot more cardmaking

 

I was quite pleased with this one as it has texture paste and mulberry paper and that's a lot for me

 

 

 

I made this one today as well

 

 

and this was using the monthly mojo template at PBP

 

and finally and opening one - yes I am behind and still only on March for the annual pages

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a tidy garden
• healthy kittens - please think of us tomorrow as they have another blood test and we hope their numbers have remained stable

 

 

 

 

 

A busy few days

It's been busy on the scrapping front here as I have been trying to complete the last few challenges and also buy prepping pages for all the great Lolly Bags for Pickleberrypop's birthday celebrations next week.

In between there has been walking and enjoying and even new glasses.

 

So without further ado some scrapping pages

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and I also made 29 cards for the sale next week! Told you I had been busy.

 

Yesterday we went down to Poole Quay to see Golden Horizons in port - the tallest sailing ship in the world and it was truly massive. Huge

We couldn't get close but the picture shows the size though it is poor quality. The boat circled in red is the cross channel ferry that goes to France and you can see it is dwarfed by the visiting boat. Interestingly the boat in the front circled in green is Tom Cruise's boat tipple seven which was also in Poole

 

 

 

It was fun to see.

This is her under sail - isn't she incredible

and this is her coming into the harbour. Not my photo

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Good scrapping time
• nice walks
• new glasses
• healthy boys - blood tests next week.

 

Have a great weekend everyone and I'm not even moaning that we have no hot water again - long story - too boring!!!

 

 

 

A mini book of the beach

I have had great fun this month playing long with all sorts of challenges and there was a great one of a mini book hosted by the terrific Cal Summers.

It was too good not to make

 

I decided to make a mini book of our trips to Dorset beaches this year. Obviously not all of them - we go a lot - at least once a week. But just a few highlights.

Picture overload I am sorry.

 

This is the cover and the book stood up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have only completed one side of the accordion book so far as it is for the whole year and we haven't had the other months yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It whiled away a very nice Sunday

 

I also have these pages to share

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• lovely sunshine but less heat
• a lovely walk
• Boyz

 

And I leave you with these clever graphic designs

 

 

A birthday and a heatwave

I haven't blogged for a few days because - well, I have been hot. Seriously hot.

We are so not geared up for heat here.

 

Thankfully, although we haven't had the rain that was promised, we have less heat.

 

I have also had a birthday since I last blogged and I have some very silly birthday photos to share. I was spoilt with lots of birthday wishes and gifts and had a lovely meal out too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such fun

 

I did a bit of painting

 

 

And a bit of scrapping

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely birthday
• paintings for the exhibition all framed
• gorgeous fur babies (still haven't had their next blood test as it was cancelled due to the vets having COVID)
• filter fun

 

 

Living through a heat wave

So the last couple of days we have hit 30 degrees here. Now I know a lot of my American friends will be saying OK well that's not so hot.

 

Please imagine life in the UK. We are people who love to discuss the weather. We are either hot or cold or wet or dry and we talk about it - a lot. And then add in to the mix that we are not used to high temperatures and WE LIVE IN A BARBARIC COUNTRY WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING ... yes that's right. No air con. We have very much enjoyed our drives - it's cool in the car because it has AIR CON. We are living in permanent gloom with blinds drawn to keep out the sun and we are done with it.

The boyz are hot and flollopy and we have taken to mixing extra water in with their food.

We bought them a cool mat yesterday. Indy reluctantly agreed to try it - Koda preferred the box

 

 

But Indy likes ice lollies apparently

 

 

 

I have done a little new scrapping though - with lots of fans

I was pleased with his one - lots of painting of flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and these are new releases at Pickleberrypop today

 

 

Beautiful collection by Chunlin Designs

 

 

 

Credits

Sandy Toes BBD Bundle by Heartstrings Scrap Art

 

 

 

Credits

Down by the River BBD bundle by Heather T

 

 

 

 

Credits

Tropical Daydreams BBD Bundle by TirAmisu Designs

 

 

Do check out the Berry Big Deals.

 

Today I am thankful for

fans

air-conditioned cars

the heat wave almost over

 

 

It's summer

The weather is glorious - seriously glorious - and we have been making the most of it.

Yesterday we headed to Kingston lacy for a lovely walk. We couldn't believe it as we were the only people there for the first half an hour. I think maybe it was quieter as people thought it didn't open until 10.30 and also it is not a colourful time of year It was very green but there were no snowdrops or daffodils or camelias or rhodos and so it was - well green. The house looked fab with no one around though

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were going o go to another National Trust property an hour and a half away but as Kingston Lacy had just been green we decided not to and, as I am a water girl at heart, we had a lovely walk around Lymington, the coastal path, the salt marshes and the marina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We planned a nice quiet afternoon but the nosepiece of my glasses broke and so we went into town to get it fixed and I did something I have been meaning to do for a long time - I ordered new glasses - two pair. My current glasses go back to 2016 so they have done well worn every day for pretty much 6 years.

 

I haven;t done a great deal of scrapping that I can share yet but I did make this little tag book 

 

This was made with a stunning template from Chunlin Designs

 

 

This was Today's offering

 

and this was yesterdays

 

and just because they are awesome - the BOYZ ... my tiny tired tigers

 

Not quite sure how Koda is comfortable like that

 

 

and look at those eyes

 

 

and that yawn

 

 

 

 

and those teeth!!  (and yes they are spotted inside their mouths too!

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful opticians
• days out
• sunshine
• our boyz

 

 

Summer is here

So summer arrived today and rumour has it that it might be here for a while! Yey

 

We headed off to the beach early in the morning as we know once the schools break up we will avoid it like the plague. It was beautiful and very very quiet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do love living where I do - very very lucky

 

I have new scrapping to share

This collection by Lara

 

 

 

 

 

 

and that was with this by Palvinka Designs

 

This was a page for a challenge over at PBP

 

 

This was a challenge at DAF - I made a whole background using bleeding tissue paper, hated it and cut it into small squares

 

and this was a Scrap Squad challenge

 

Thank you lesley for alerting me to Felix issues. I did know as I belong to many cat websites but I will post here as well. As Lesley said there are a lot of cats reporting sickness and diarrhoea as a result of using the new 'improved As Good As It Looks Felix. They are not dying like with the foods my babies were on causing pancytopenia, but they are getting sick and lots of people have complained to Purina. I just find the whole pet food things very worrying.

Today I am thankful for

• Living near the sea
• a beautiful walk and paddle
• the boys continuing to be well
• washing dried on the line

 

 

Techy challenge and other challenges

Well today has been a bit of a techy challenge. I appear to have inadvertently made a change to photoshop that I am unable to undo and I have no idea why - or indeed how I did it. I have tried everything and think my only option is the uninstall and reinstall which is a right pain.

In addition my printer has decided that it will print some photos the right colour and others not!

Glorious - no rhyme or reason for it

 

However I have completed a couple more challenges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one I was really pleased with

 

 

 

 

 

and this one was one I never thought I would manage. It was a DAF challenge to use 107 items from a list. I usually avoid these challenges as I won't make pages just for the sake of it and it really isn't my style to pile loads of stuff on, so I promised myself I would try and see how many I could get whilst retaining my style of some white space.

 

I thought I might manage between 30 and 50 - I got 87. Bear in mind you can double up so green and sparkle and confetti and stars are the sparkly green tiny stars  which covers four thingsbut i am still chuffed I did it.

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• I pretty much managed to keep my temper with the computer. Well almost.
• I saw some decorated post boxes
• Nigel isn't a football fan and isn't at all bothered watching he match

 

 

Fabulous day and keeping up with challenges

We had a fabulous day yesterday. Ant and Elly were down camping in Dorset and we were able to meet up with them at Lyme Regis for the day. Having 'seen' them every week at the family quiz night since April 2021 it was wonderful to see the real 3D versions. It's been a long time.

We had a lovely time on the beach, in cafes and a superb lunch. It was a super super day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I have some scrapping to share - made for various challenges at UKS, Scrap Squad and DAF

 

 

 

 

This one took ages - the background is a cut file and then I coloured some of the chevrons that were cut out with red ink and I hand stitched all round the frame - in chain stitch!!!

 

 

 

 

and for this I cut into Vikki Boutin Colour Story!

 

 

 

 

 and I am not sure but I don't think I shared these - apologies if I did

 

A Bekonscot train page

 

 

 a yummy dessert

 

The view whilst eating said dessert - including more bleeding tissue paper

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the boys continuing to be well
• a lovely special pizza for tea
• an amazing day out yesterday