Dolly's Dreamings

Lovely going out days

We have had a couple of trips out again.

Yesterday we headed off to the Forest for a picnic. We ended up at Burley and sat on the grass in the sunshine before wandering round the shops and enjoying he vintage cars that had gathered for a mini informal rally

 

 

 

 

 

This morning we went to Compton Acres and it was one of our nicest visits there with not a cloud to be seen and so much colour. The Japanese garden looked glorious as the acers and azaleas were gorgeous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Sunday and Monday were lovely. Saturday evening however, was a bit worrying. Not as worrying for us as it was for many. We had a big heath fire, biggest in years, over a little way from us and very very close to some houses. We could see the fire from where we were but we were safe. The fire brigade are utterly amazing. No houses were lost and they had it under control in just over 3 hours. But it is worrying when it happens. These are NOT my photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the aftermath. So much damage to wildlife. It is nesting season for the ground nesting birds on the heath. we would have lost reptiles (we have all 6 UK native varieties on the heath and it is why it is protected land) and the foxes, rabbits, deer and badger would have babies too.

 

 

 

I am thankful we were safe and that although people had to be evacuated and roads closed no one was hurt and no human homes were destroyed.

 

I have some new scrapping to share largely from he fabulous DAF crop running all weekend but also combining with Scrap a Sketch and Scrap Squad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• everyone being safe after the fire
• our emergency services
• lovely days out
• challenges

 

 

 

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

 

 

Summer snap challenge

This isn't a proper blog post as such today but a post where I will add my pictures as I go through the summer for the new snap challenge posted for the next two months

 

 

 I will add the pictures as I go through the next few weeks

 

1 your new avatar

Still needs resizing to use but this is it

 

2 a drain cover

This is an important one right now as we are on fire watch. The fire engines fill here at the bottom of our drive. Let's hope they don't have to in the coming weeks!

 

3 spire or steeple

Called - The Spire - this church is now a coffee shop and meeting rooms.

 

4 windmill

 

5 soft top

 

6 a crescent

I will try and do better - very poor photo of a crescent moon Monday night

7 whiskers

8 in a jar

 

 

9 tesselations

 

10 bags

one day I will have a Radley bag

 

11 naughty but nice

My lavender scone at the lavender farm on 20th July 

 

12 a rose
20th July at Lavender farm nursery - a rose called Judi Dench

 

13 in the air   Our town has blue flag beaches aplenty - so proud

 

Poole quayfireworks 2nd August 

 

14 entrance

The folly entrance I want for our garden - Lavendar farm 20th July

15 match

No sport here - but these two girls singing at the vintage fair in Poole matched

 

16 stamp

 

17 cornet

Will probably take a better one - but couldn't resist this

 

 

 

18 four candles

19 the letter 'O'

Until I find something better - old car - the one my parents had when I was tiny

20 crooked

I need to speak to the cemetery as my Mom and Dad's headstone is definitely very crooked now

 

 

Old buildings on the quay most certainly crooked

 

Subtitutions
A red, white & blue

B numbers

C wedding

D summer

 Us at the beach - summer

 

In other news - went to see The Bookshop today in a bid to keep coll. Well I was cool and the sleep was very welcome. Whereas I rated Patrick a 5 this was barely a 2.

 

January snap challenge 2018

There is a new snap challenge at UKS for January and February and I think - I think - I am done with the photo part of the challenge

 

1   a bell

 This is St Alban's Church in Bournemouth where we got married - I took the bell as a close up too

 

 

 

 

2   a gate

I opted for the gate at the level crossing in town. I love that the fact the high street is bisected by train tracks makes Poole kind of unique

 

3  circles

There were so many circles - it's a bug hotel

 

4  two legs and four legs

Nigel and his boy

 

5  something warm

 

Fiki wrapped up for his afternoon nap - most definitely warm!

 

6  stones or rocks

 

The beach - Friar's Cliff

 

7  breakfast

Couldn't resist this one

 

8  a letter box

I know technically it is a post box - but it IS a box you put letters in and I liked that it was a double

 

9  you

Mmm - two of these - a kind of sensible one and definitely daft one

 

 

 

10  after dark

Present from Pauline - enjoyed after dark last week

 

 

11  something sweet

 

Starbucks of course. His is sweet - mine is sour

 

12  upside down

Struggled with this so did one of the spares too. Kind of upside down as it is me on the floor in a very odd shaped shadow

13  round about

Planting in the round

 

14  up above

 

the sky was so blue I couldn't resist it

15  something you made

One of many this month

 

16  words

This is the book I have just finished - if you haven't read it then do - it is superb

 

17  a delivery

A ridiculous delivery - a huge box for a tiny tiny battery for my car remote

 

18  shiny

This shiny little angel sits on my printer and has for years - made by a good friend - Mrs Friend... she stands less than 1.5 cm and is quilled

 

19  stripes

Well - he is a spotty leaopard but has tiger legs

 

 

20  out of a window

taken out of the car window as we drove by sandbanks

 

A the letter 'B'

B something oldBeach huts today

 

Christchurch castle - approximately 1200 years old

 

C family

Lovely family visit this month

D a quiet moment

Hatchpond down the road - a quiet moment of refelection

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• new plants for the garden - and already planted!!!
• a lovely day out
• a sneaky Prezzo
• finishing a challenge

and finally - I meant to share these the other day as I loved them. Minnie Mouse finally got her star on Hollywood Boulevard last week and Nigela nd I loved watching the ceremony

These were some still of the event from the internet and yes - I will scrap tham just for me ... Rocking the dots!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Photo Snap Challenge

UKS are running the snap challenge again this summer - thanks Sue and Elaine.

 

This is my post recording my entries for July and August 2017

 

1 a dome

Blandford church

 

2 a hanging basket

 

 

 

and a second in my home town

 

3 something sticky

 

The dessert at the wedding - sticky and very very delicious

 

4 something smaller than your thumb

 

I cannot believe we did this - We bought new cat food and mixed it. No matter what we tried they would not eat the dark circles. They wouldn't touch them. We had to give in and sit and sort the cat food into yes and no! Spoilt or what!

 

5 a set of three

3 circular windows and three matching cottages - both in Milton Abbas

 

 

and three cockles - on all of our lampposts

6 anything noisy

speedway

 

7 on a bench

 

My man being best man

 

 

and Blandford

8 an apple

 

Had to be my iPad

 

9 an object you would never part with

My troll bead cross which we had re-made to do what I wanted it to do - I wear it every day

 

10 a street sign beginning with the letter S

 

I was going to take a road street sign but liked this as it has Swanage and Sandbanks on

 

11 a reflection other than in a mirror

I may replace this . It is a photo of a painting I finished yesterday with a reflection of the bridge at Stourhead

 

12 stitches

 

Scrapbook stitching - of course

 

and a picture I sewed in crewel work  in 1991 that is framed and in our home (and it was in the window of a gallery for a long time! )

 

 

13 something tall

Knoll House Studland

 

14 anything containing the letter Z

what else!!!

15 feathers

 

The little sparrow who joined us at the lavender farm

 

16 peace and quiet

 

a living statue in Poole

 

 

and the cats - quiet at last 

 

17 something with a tail

The maid of Honour's little baby mermaid

18 a wall

 

 

19 two wheels

 

20 something surprising!

They designed the cake together - Jim had no idea Gemma had added the rocket!

 

 

and a Selfie - well a sort of selfie

 

And your A-D Substitutes list
A a new frock

Had to include this ... GEMMA'S NEW DRESS!!!

 

 

B a summer celebration

C the colour yellow

D a menu

 

 

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You can always find the positives

Sometimes there are things in life you don't like and, whilst it may not ALWAYS be possible, you can often turn it round and make that negative a positive.

Now I don't like paying extra for a green garden waste bin.

It's not the money I mind - it's £38 a year I think. I just wish they would include it int he council tax bill. Yes I know that wouldn't be fair on people who don't have a garden but presumably they could include it int he council tax bands that do. That way I wouldn't SEE the money - it's just part of the service we pay for. It is the paying EXTRA that I don't like. I guess we are very lucky int his area as we have just three bins - I know some places have more. We have a general waste bin, a recycling bin (we are actually very good at recycling) and a paid for green garden waste bin. And woe betide you if you use them incorrectly. We are incredibly lucky with our recycling as it all goes in one bin, tins, cans, paper, card, cartons, the lot. No sorting - so we count ourselves blessed. It's a bit of a challenge that our general waste bin has moved to fortnightly like the recycling. I am dreading it int he summer. One of the main things we throw in there is litter waste. Our cats are indoors and they use litter trays and it's not a pleasant sort of rubbish!

Anyway I digress. Turning a negative into a positive.

Our green bin collection starts this week (they don't collect for a few months in the winter as I guess they assume everyone is like us and avoids the gardening when it is cold or wet) and so we were motivated to get out in the garden ad fill the bin! If we hadn't paid the extra we probably wouldn't have bothered. So thank you council - you made us clear a load of dead leaves and pine needles and reveal soil again! Positive into negatives.

I am, however, struggling a little more to find the positives int he billions of pine needles that fall. We love our pine trees but oh my - everywhere is covered. The lawn is barely visible and they do the grass harm. I am surprised there are any needles left on the trees.

 

Spring is in the air though and the birds are singing their hearts out morning and late afternoon - and eating us out of house and home again.

 

I am pleased that I finished the photography challenge on UKS and the pages that went with it. There were three challenge pages to complete.

A page with multiple pictures from the challenge

 

 

a page following a  sketch that was posted and using at least one of the winter snap pictures

 

 

 

 and a page using the picture of yourself that was part of the challenge  (a photo taken this week)

 

I chose to scrap a page using that picture about loving my life. I was very nervous this time last year. I had handed in my notice and hoped I was doingt he right thing. I was getting ready to be part of the interview process for my successor and worrying that I had made a mistake.

A year on from them I LOVE my life.

 

 

 

We don't so anything earth-shatteringly wonderful but it is all just lovely. We go for long walks, we laugh, we enjoy lie ins with the daily paper, I scrap, I volunteer, I go to art classes. It is just a lovely life and so much less stressful. I am away from some people's negativity, surrounded by smiles and positivity and sharing my life with my best friend. No-one knows how much time we have so making the most of every moment and smiling your way through the days is key.

 

 

 

 

It was a very cathartic and happy page to scrap.

 

Barb you asked if we were really that close to the Hollywood sign. I did use a zoom but not a massive one. We were very close - the closest you can get legally!

 

Today I am thankful for

• a cleared garden - well in part
• our wonderful refuse collectors. Complain about the time scale or the cost if you must but they do a jolly good job and are always very helpful and friendly and it's not a very nice job.
• my retirement life - I love it  Nigel was worried I would fin it hard to get used to but I took to it like a duck to water. I was ready for the change, ready to lose the stress, the angst, the worry, the pressure, the accountability. 29 years as a Head  - been there, done that. Loving just being a nobody!

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous walk again

Yesterday I had a wonderful walk with my bestie by the river.

 

We also went to a cute little quirky cafe for lunch and I had the biggest hot chocolate I have ever seen

 

 

Today I went for a wonderful walk along the Stour with Nigel - It was really mild today

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't take my proper camera and the zoom on the phone is rubbish but we had the binoculars and were watching egrets and cormorants.

 

You can just make out the egret in the bottom of the picture and there were 6 cormorants in the tree.

 

 

 

 

I even tried a picture through the binoculars!

 

 

Note to self - take the camera next time!

 

I have finished my Photo challenge too - started on 1st January and you can see the complete post here

 

http://dollysdreamings.typepad.com/dollys_dreamings/2017/01/winter-snap-challenge-.html

 

I even managed the picture of me - the light was nice LOL

 

 

I now just have to scrap the pictures and claim my points!

 

I have scrapped one of the challenge pages - a multiple picture page

 

 

 

I also have new scrapping to share from Dawn who is again involved in the M3 collection for February. I worked with her add ons

 

Illustrations add on M3 February by Dawn Inskip

 

Comicals add on M3 February by Dawn Inskip

 

Journal cards and papers add on M3 February by Dawn Inskip

 

The adds on were all wonderful but I adored the comicals

 

 

and this is what I made with the add ons Dawn created

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely long walk
• bird-watching
• completion

 

Winter snap challenge

There is a new snap challenge on UKS

I will update this post as I take the pictures through the next two months

PHOTOS  NOW COMPLETE

Here’s your 1-20 list …
1. a clock at 12

 

I can't tell you how many times I remembered this at any time other than 12!!!

 

2. green or red or gold

 

This was one of the wreaths on the Bournemouth wheel we visited today

 

3. a shop window

I may take another for this but I loved the lion in the shop window in Burley 3.1.17

 

4. winter trees

Lovely drive and walk through the New Forest this morning - frosty and cold and beautiful 3.1.17

 

5. baking

OK so let's face it - this is the closest I was ever likely to get to baking - the cheat baking shelves in Tesco

 

6. shadows, reflections or a silhouette

 

The silhouette of a lamp at Sandbanks

 

and because there were fab reflections today another one for this category

 

7. lights

street lights and god's light

8. chocolate to eat or drink

The last Christmas chocolate

 

 

and the hot chocolate to defeat all hot chocolates

 

9. a bridge

my favourite little bridge just down from our house on the heath

 

10. a cone

Sick to death of these road works on the main road into Poole

 

11. the holly and the ivy (one or both)

The ivy that is the bane of my life - we hack it back so often. A little is pretty but it takes over so quickly

 

12. anything frozen, icy, glistening

 

This is the lichen on my wall in the frost this morning - it was so pretty considering it was something so small and so simple. Beauty everywhere if you but look! 3.1.17

 

 

13. lambs, snowdrops or any sign of spring

 

A frozen bud on my camellia - probably means it won't flower!

 

 

and crocuses taken 17th Feb

 

14. foot prints, crunching

 

15. bedtime

 well nothings aid it had to be MY bedtime. The cats love their bunk beds int he winter - literally on top of the radiator

 

16. cosy socks or mittens or hats or scarves

 Nigel thinks I am very anal as I fold my socks - and yes - I have a fair few Disney socks!

 

17. a hand-addressed letter

 NIGEL HAPPENED TO HAVE TO DO THIS TODAY!

18. a house number the same as your birthday

I couldn't manage this - the only ones I saw meant walking up people's drives. 

19. a cobweb

 

 

20. a street busker, playing

You can never find a busker when you want one

And your A-D Substitutes list

As I missed two I had to use two from the substitute list

A a favourite from Christmas

I loved my new Johanna Basford book and pencil case

B film or book

C your handbag

D hands

and finally a selfie taken 17.2 17

 

 

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