Dolly's Dreamings

Prison Visiting

Headlines are not always what they seem!

 

Yesterday we went to do something we have wanted to do for ages and just never got round to. We went to do a tour of Shepton Mallet Prison. And I highly recommend it.

The jail - which goes back to the 1600's, has a fascinating history. It housed its first inmates in 1625 and saw so many changes in its long history, including becoming the county jail, the place for executions, an American military prison, the place where the national document archive was housed, a category C prison for those service life sentences and it finally closed as a prison in 2013. You can read all about THE HISTORY OF THE PRISON HERE

Our tour guide was excellent and the two hour tour passed in a flash.  We learnt so much about how inhumane the prisons were, how they had hard labour and were totally separated from each other, wearing hoods whenever they were with other prisoners. We learnt about the executions, both by hanging and firing squad and also about the long drop building which became standard in the mid 1800's as a 'more humane' way of execution. The good executions could take a man from the condemned cell next to the long drop, tie his ankles and place the noose and then drop all in 7 seconds! We learnt about it being the second most haunted place in the country and we spent time in the cells, both old (1600's) and new (victorian) We learned about the many things filmed there and it was all fascinating.

The levels had been build up over the years - this is Nigel crawling out of one of the 1600 period cells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our prison tour we broke out of jail and went to meet our wonderful godson and his wife at a local pub for a superb lunch and a lovely catch up. The food was fab - the company even better. My goodness you should have seen the desserts

 

 

 

Today we went to see the snowdrops at Kingston Lacy. Thankfully we arrived early as by the time we left it was VERY busy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful couple of days
• our godson and wife - they are a blessing in our lives

 

Glorious Days

This week has been utterly gorgeous - the sun has shone and it has raised the freezing temperatures a little and my goodness it has been cold. We hit -3 this morning. But I will take the cold over the heat any day and I have loved the weather.

We have enjoyed a few trips out and about.

I share these in the knowledge that several readers have commented they like to see where we have been and it gives them ideas of where to go!

 

The sun hadn't burnt off the early mist at Hamworthy park

 

 

 

I love that ethereal look on the water.

Yesterday we went out for our first meal out in 3 months and it was such a treat. We knew the quiet time and were the only people in the restaurant

 

 

 

Looks like a nice G and T doesn't it - just water. I swear

 

 

Yummy

 

Today we drove out to the Isle of Purbeck (I have a good friend from Swanage who get's mad when I say the Purbecks!) and it was glorious

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a little scrapping to share too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and there are a few boy photos too

 

 

 

 

and my 3 boys all together

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• lovely days out
• sunshine and frost
• my three boys

 

 

A New Forest Treasure Trail

It has been utterly glorious here (the calm before the cold apparently) and so we headed off to do another treasure trail - this time in Lyndhurst in the New Forest.

It was an easy trail - we found everything but once again we love how it makes you look at things.

 

The Church of St Michael and All Angels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were beautifully carved angels in the nave roof and a famous fresco on the reredos. It is also the church where Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell) is buried. She was the Alice of Alice in Wonderland.

 

 

 

 

The trail also took us right past a gorgeous old fashioned sweetie shop - well it had to be done. I couldn't take a photo and not buy anything - that would have been plain rude

 

 

 

And you can't have the forest without the New Forest ponies and the trees

 

 

 

 

We had a lovely day.

 

I have some new scrapping to share

This from our Mudeford walk last week

 

 

This from our beach walk last week

 

 

These two were for Peartree Cut File challenges

 

 

This is the year I have set myself a target of learning to draw with coloured pencils. This is my first full picture that I am part way through

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day out
• fun together
• sweeties

 

 

Sunflower heaven

It is no secret that sunflowers are my favourite flowers of all ... even better than poppies ... and so to see the sunflower farm today and enjoy so many varieties was awesome

 

Cue photo overload ... sorry, not sorry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and so many beautiful bees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and we went and saw some of the cruise ships back where they belong instead of Poole Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely lovely day
• sunflowers and sunshine
• bees - no world without them

 

 

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

 

 

Bekonscot

We went for a day out today - we are going to try and do a day out each week as a little treat.

Today we headed to Berkshire and Bekonscot Model Railway and Village. It was a place Nigel went to often as a child and we have been once in 2016 but decided another trip was in order. We go because we love miniatures - hence the doll house of course - and Nigel loves model trains.

I think if we hadn't bought the tickets in advance we may have missed going as I really didn't feel well. we had a curry last night and it seems to have disagreed with me. But I coped and the village was very quiet and very pretty.

Way too many photos to go through but here are a few I have selected

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apologies for the photo overload and the fact I am way too tired to do anything else.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day out
• boyz to come home to

 

Take your wife to work day

Today turned out differently than planned. Nigel had to go to work in the Purbecks and so I cancelled art so I could go with him and help him and we had a fab fab time. The traffic was horrendous - a bank holiday week went he schools are off and people have just come out of lockdown is NOT the day to travel to the Isle of Purbeck really but heck. It was glorious weather and we did the jobs and had a fabulous time.

Note to self I do need to STOP taking pictures of Corfe now"!!

 

 

 

Our lunchtime picnic spot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news Koda is much better today. Bad day yesterday and we have no idea why. He didn't want to get out of his bed in the morning, half-heartedly ate his breakfast and threw it up - was very unhappy and quiet. By the evening he was fine and we have no idea what caused it. We felt so sorry for him.

New scrapping to share

Our timid little baby Koda

 

 

Me being daft

 

 

Koda again

Today I am thankful for

• Nigel having such lovely jobs
• Dorset
• Koda being well again

 

 

A little bit of normal

It is taking a  while but life is slowly slowly getting back to being a little tiny bit normal.

Yesterday we went for a walk to Longham Lakes which was lovely and then - shock of shocks - we went out to eat, to a restaurant. First time since September. We went to pizza express and went at 3.00 pm as we figured we would be the only ones as it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. We were the only ones in their outside area. It was warm enough and oh my goodness the pizza was delicious. Let's be honest- it is just nice to have something you haven't cooked yourself.

I was going to take a photo as I was so excited but I was so excited when the food came I forgot!!! It was THAT good.

 

 

Then today we went to Lyme Regis - still in our own county. I have only been twice and so it felt new and like we were on holiday. We had a lovely walk and then - shock of shocks - we had lunch on the beach at a cafe - and yes - forgot to take that too!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The remains of dinner!!

 

 

 

 

and a little scrapping for ATDML using the new Vicki Boutin Colour Study which is way way brighter than I would normally use but I kind of like it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• little bits of normal - for the first time this week we ate out (twice) and I didn't wash the shopping!
• beautiful places and perfect company
• Nigel getting his second jab tomorrow

 

Busy being out ... and news

I am struggling to be at home alone at the moment. We have never had a catless house and I miss Kira and Fiki so much, so I have been going out to work with Nigel. It is usual

Yesterday we were in Weymouth - just for a ten-minute job, but it afforded us a nice if blustery walk along the seafront at Weymouth, a town I love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we worked in Ringwood and Christchurch briefly which did afford us a walk at Mudeford where the waves were wonderful to watch

 

 

 

We also have news to share - it has been terribly hard being catless - we are people who have a lot of love to give and we need fur babies to shower with love. Nothing will ever replace our beloved Kira and Fiki, just as they never replaced any of our other cats, but we do need babies to love and so whilst it has been a long time in the planning, these two will come to us next week to start their life with us in their furr-ever home.

 

 

yes they are absolutely adorable and we are already smitten.

 

Today I am thankful for

• Nigel being patient with me
• being by the ocean which always makes me feel better
• the kindness of friends
• new babies to love
• plans coming gradually to fruition

 

 

There was a strange light in the sky!

The weather has been grim lately and so today was a real joy. I had seen the forecast was

We headed out early to call in and get yet more food for Kira. I haven't updated on her recently but it has all been a bit of battle of late. The thyroid is under control but we were struggling to get her to eat. She seems unable to chew anymore - and we have had her teeth, tongue, throat etc all checked. So we have had to find a range of soft pate foods she will eat. That has been a challenge and she will eat something one day then not touch it the next. Add very spoilt to her list of conditions I think! We seem now to have a formula that works and she has anti-nausea meds as the kidney disease can make them nauseous too. In addition, she had dementia and I think she is having little fits too. She is often very disorientated and looks confused. It all sounds awful but she looks the picture of health, still purrs and plays and cuddles and so we think she is as good as she can be. We don't want any more treatment other than her routine meds. We just want her to be as happy as possible for as long as possible.

We then went for a lovely walk at Kingston Lacey in the sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was beautiful and a lovely long walk.

Yesterday I painted a picture to make some Christmas cards

Card 1

Card 2

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful reassuring vet
• every day we have with Kira
• a beautiful walk

 

A fair bit of scrapping

It's been quite a scrappy month this month and I am cracking on with both the annual album and the Coast to Coast (now running to 4 d rings as there was a lot to record on this holiday of a lifetime)

 

It's been great fun and I have also done a whole mess of fussy cutting, cutting up papers I would never use so I have bits I can add to pages.

 

This was fun and used fussy cut leaves - a lot!

 

 I also used coloured rub ons and my gold posca pen

 

 

 

This was a scrap squad sketch  I just loved.

 

 

This was for the pink week at For The Love of Pretty paper

 

 

 

We baked our Christmas cake yesterday - I do like a long time to be able to feed it brandy

 

 

 

 

Both the last one and this one use cut files from pear Tree Cut Files - her work is amazing and I am building up quite a collection

 

 

and we felt a mask picture just had to be done - it is sadly our way of life now

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• lovely scrappy times
• patience - it has been tested of late
• rainbows - you wouldn't have them without this seemingly endless rain

 

 

Just some great designs and adverts

 

 

 

 

 shared space done well

 

 

 

 

 

kick buttons on an elevator

 

 enabling you to see what ruins would have looked like