Dolly's Dreamings

Someone stole the sun

After the glorious days we have had this week I guess it was inevitable that someone would steal the sun eventually.

Today has been one of England's typical cold wet grey days - Bill Bryson's tupperware days.

 

However I had a lovely time. I met a friend in town for coffeee and catch up which was lovely and then did a little shopping. I hadn't intended to shop but as I walked past Saltrock they had a sale on and it would have been rude not to go in.

I was looking for a heavier weight zipped hoodie anyway and £25 instead of £59.00 for a gorgeous furry lined hoodie seemed a good deal to me. I also bought a really super quality top down from £45 to £12.50. Then I had a bonus. As I was paying they said I had earned a free t shirt. Any t shirt int eh store. Free as I had spent over £30. So Nigel got lucky too.

I do like Saltrock stuff. Almost as good quality as FatFace and when it is that cheap what is not to like.

 

I also did a little scrapping, doing the weekly on UKS.

I found it quite hard as is was to use just a colour from the photo - just one colour.

 

It is an 8 x 8 page as it is for the Treasure Trails album which is a smaller size. We do love our treasure trails and this was one from July last year to the Tarrants. It serves as a reminder that the simple things are often the best. I can't remember when I last made daisy chains and it was such fun. And it was a happy sunny picture for a grey day.

 

Today I am thankful for

• company of an old friend
• sale bargains
• the beautiful lessons we can learn from the world around us

 

And I have a video to share today - just because I saw a skein of geese yesterday and we stopped and watched them and it reminded me of the motivational lesson we can all learn from the geese.

In my favourite park we have loads of Canada geese and I know they cause a fair number of issues but I always, always stop and admire them and watch them because of this message. We could learn so much!

Enjoy the video x

 

 

Treasures in the Tarrants

Today dawned warm (OK so other people may say hot but we have just come back from 93 degrees so 73 is just warm) and sunny and so we decided to get back into the English groove by doing a treasure hunt. We do love them and it was a glorious day. Packing my new picnic hamper we headed off to the Tarrants, a series of beautiful villages in our home county of Dorset. It was nice to go out and remember what we love about England.

The treasure trails always take us to many churches, often very old, and this one at Tarrant Crawford was ancient and beautiful with old frescoes.

 

 

We stopped to admire the beautiful fields of grain and maize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was also a perfect day for making daisy chains and being utterly stupid!

 

 

 

and acting our shoe sizes not our ages

 

 

I was sad when we had to investigate the churchyard at Tarrant Keynstone. I had just been telling Nigel about visiting here before in 1984 or 1985 to go to the house of a colleague – Judith. She had invited lots of staff over when we broke up from school to go and have afternoon tea after picking strawberries in a nearby field. Nigel remembered me going round to his house after with the fresh strawberries. I was saddened to see the headstone below in the churchyard. Judith had passed away in 2003. I hadn’t appreciated she was more than 20 years older than me when I worked with her but she was still awfully young to have passed away.

 

 

 

 

 

I have been scrapping but sadly it is new stuff I cannot share at this point!

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely English day out
• laughter
• a picnic

 

Wednesday 15^th July

The forecast said it would be cloudy in the morning … it lied … but we were not worried as we had a shopping day planned. Shopping for us is like going to another theme park. Even if we don’t buy much we love looking.

We headed first to Hobby Lobby – always worth a visit. Apart from the craft stuff, I could happily furnish a lot of my home from there and the only sadness is that much is too big to get home. They had amazing offers on wall art and pictures and stuff … much of which we loved.

I did buy some craft supplies but the biggest haul was in felt. Sheets of felt – better quality and larger sheets than at home – were 4 for $1 (approx. 18p a sheet) making them way cheaper than at home where they are 50p a sheet. Boy did I buy a lot of felt.

We went to other stores too like Beales, Walmart (don’t knock it – we bought pool shoes at $4 each, more flip flops, some trainers and lovely cool towels to keep us cool in the parks and me in bed when I get home!) We also went to Joann and to Michaels. I had printed coupons for both before I left (yes I am a savvy shopper) and I also had a $50 gift card for Joann that Mike had sent me. I bought some lovely fabric things at Joann and then an amazing load of stuff at Michaels. I always leave Michaels feeling the police are going to arrest me for theft. The prices are so cheap anyway, much of what I bought was on sale plus I had a 25% off coupon off the whole lot. I couldn’t believe what I bought for less than £70 including 3 new albums, a mess of paper, Tim Holtz dies and stamps and inks, sizzix dies, punches, stamps and flowers and washi tape.

Sadly I felt poorly whilst shopping though. Travel often doesn’t agree with me and my insides get easily upset by stress and by a change of diet and I had terrible tummy cramps. We went back to our room for a while then went to Epcot as we had various things we wanted to do. We rode Spaceship earth, always one of my favourites, and then had dinner in the Electric Umbrella.

 

 

 

 

 

We used our fast pass for Soaring -  which was great but I cannot see why the lines are so very very long all day. We had planned to stay and see the fireworks but I was feeling too poorly to stay so we returned for an earlier night.

The gentle rhythm of holiday life.

The holidays have a lovely gentle routine to them.

You wake up when you want ... well OK so that is not strictly true. We wake up when Fiki wants and we can stand the crying no longer.

He has got a little better since we finished work. He knows that on work days the alarm goes off at 6am and so his alarm (I wish we could find it because we would smash it to pieces) goes off about 5.15 am so he is at the door in good time to wake us at least half an hour before the alarm does.

The trouble is he doesn't get weekends.

His 'clock' is 5,15 no matter what the day.

However, by a couple of weeks into the holiday he has started to learn that we ignore him for longer and then are days when we can even sleep until 7 before we cave and let him in. Seriously - until 7!

 

The nice thing, though, is not getting up when you wake up. Well, nice for me. Nigel gets up when we wake as he feeds the beasts and then feeds us.

 

I know I am blessed ... apart from when we are away I have had breakfast in bed for pretty much my entire life.  When I was little my Dad liked peace and quiet to have a cup of tea and a cigarette without Mom and I around so he would feed us both to keep us out of the way first thing. When I was growing up my day started with Daddy whistling 'charlie charlie lash up your hammock' I would then shower and get back into bed and he's bring my cereal.  Four years at University were a real eye opener I can tell you!

 

Now Nigel does the same. Ok so he doesn't whistle ... he is not a morning person ... but I shower and he brings porridge back for both of us. Yes ... I am spoilt.

Anyway I digress. A nice rythm of lazing in bed readingt he paper then a little walk, a frap, a little scrapping, a little reading, a little chilling.

You get the picture.

If I ever retire .... if .... I think I will become a slob in record time. Nigel tells me I won't, I will get bored. The jury is out!

 

Another page for the treasure trails album. This time from the gift trail Jakki bought us - the Puddles trail. This one is of Briantspuddle.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• gentle days
• being spoilt
• Fiki occasionally making it to 7 am

 

and been surfing on Bored Panda again This time some really funny clothing labels. I am so glad I live in a world where people have a sense of humour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another day another trail

I always seem to get a lot done on a Wednesday as Nigel often works on Wednesdays even in the holidays so I am usually home alone.

That sounds awful but actually it is quite nice. I would hate it if it were all of the time, but the odd day is good.  For the first 24 years of our married life I spent a lot of time on my own. I had 16 weeks holiday a year as a teacher and Nigel had 4 and for 2 of those we were usually away - our usual vacation time of the beginning of August. So I got pretty used to being on my own in the days he was working. BUT, it's amazing how quickly you can get used to NOT being alone. Now he is home pretty much all the time I treasure the time we are together and the odd day means I just get on quietly on my own and actually do way more than when we are both off as we distract each other terribly.

 

Anyway I digress.

I made a couple of pages whilst he was out and this is one of them.

 

 

This was a view we really loved, even when we were there, and one of those times when the photo came out just like you hoped it would.

It was again on the Cranbourne treasure trail, this time from Gussage All Saints.

 

 

I used my favourite camera stamp but this is the first time I have stamped it in pink.

 

Today I am thankful for

• the fact Nigel is home pretty much whenever I am - I don't take that for granted.
• time to get on

 

And finally - some more of the sand sculptures as there were too many to share yesterday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasure Trails catch up

I have decided whilst I am off that I am going to try and catch up on some of the things I have started but just not got my act together with. Obviously, as I missed doing my blog yesterday, being organised and returning to blogging every day is not one of the things I have addressed!!!

I want to try and catch up with the Treasure Trails album first and so this is an attempt to do that.I decided it would be part album part photo album so the pages are all going to be very simple.

OK - that sounds like an excuse ... but it is really what I want to do.

I chose an 8 x 8 album as I have a few of those just lying around and also, as it is photo album based that size will work better for me.

 

This was one from the trail we did around Cranborne Chase and was from Gussage St Michael which is a village we have never ever visited.

 

In the church there was the most awesome blossom tree which was huge and which was full of bees.

When we were in the church we also saw a huge bumble bee dying quietly int he church. I had read that you could revive them with sugar solution but, needless to say, we don't carry sugar solution with us when we are out in the countryside, so we found a flyer and used it to pick him up and put him outside near the blossom. Hopefully he would have been OK.

 

So another page for the very slowly developing album.

 

Today I am thankful for

• having the time to get on and do things I haven't had time to do as I have been working.

 

and yes - I have had time to surf and found some amazing sand sculptures today. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did

 

 

 

 

 

 

A brief moment

I guess writing this today counts as my brief respite.

It is most certainly silly season at work with so much to do in so little time.

It will be like this until the end of term now, but then at least I will get to relax for a while in the summer.

I always say teachers are pushed to the limit before they get their holiday.

Anyway I digress. I have a very simple new page to share which is for my 8" x 8" Treasure trails album. This album isn't meant to be anything complex - just a simple record of the trails we have done.

 

This is the start of the Tolpuddle section.

 

 

I  had forgotten I had the little postcard stamp which makes for a cute journalling block for this size of album.

 

Today I am thankful for

• getting through the day
• my little cats - always so pleased to see me
• my neck feeling much much better today

 

 

Super Sunday

I did the rest of my work this morning then we headed out for a frap.

I also wanted to get a new pair of trainers - the same as my new pair of trainers of course. They were just so comfy ... shame to miss a spare!

We drove back along Hengistbury Head and Southbourne and the beach - as you can see - was jam packed!

 

 

and we did see these gorgeous wild flowers. A hedgerow full of poppies and Marguerites and cornflowers and dandelions. Just beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a new page to share made for the weekly challenge on UKS. I am afraid at the moment it is digi scrapping only. No time to get paper out sadly.

 

 

Nigel on a treasure trail ... looking closely for a clue!

 

Do pop over and see what the girls create on the Great Scheme of Things blog this week. The scheme is below. Maybe it will inspire you to have a go.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• nature - it's so beautiful sometimes and I'd rather see wildflowers than all of the manicured gardens.

 

 

 

We are our own doctors

So, having struggled with what the doctor wouldn't diagnose as a verruca, struggled when the chiropodist said it probably was a verruca and having been told they usually go after a year.

After having had it for almost three years and suddenly feeling it painful I finally gave in.

Yesterday I bought freezing stuff. Nothing doing. It steamed and froze and didn't hurt and didn't blister.

I went to the doctors today who said yes - it is a verucca - no there is nothing we can do. Nothing. Just leave it. Get a chiropodist to file it down if the skin thickens. There is no treatment that works. They say in the surgery you only have ten minutes maximum. I was in and out in two. 'What is the problem? Oh yes, that is a verucca. Yes it looks like it might be painful where it is. No there is absolutely nothing we can do at all what so ever. Is there anything else I can help you with today?'

Almost like I could conjure up another ailment she might have a better chance of solving.

No everything else is fine thank you. I was hoping, as a doctor, skilled in all sorts of things medical, you might have had a clue how to solve a little think like a verruca but clearly I was wrong. Apologies for bothering you and I will try really hard to come up with a 'proper' illness that you can deal with next time!

Sorry - do I sound a tad frustrated. I love walking. I need to walk. A now it is blinking painful.

Pesky little thing. I have dug at it with scissors and scalpels over the years, I have tried to freeze it and am now back to bazooka and hoping the chiropodist will be more helpful when I next see her.

Meanwhile I plan on nuking it with everything I can lay my hand on because one way or another the blasted thing is going.

Some simple scrapping today - this one another for the treasure trails album and from the Puddles trail the other day.

 

 

The album is an 8 x 8 and so it is very rewarding to be able to print and use a picture running the entire height of the page.

 

I made the flowers with my new Tim Holtz flower dies - a little gift to myself for half term!

 

 

I love that the flowers are much smaller than many I make which means they are not too lumpy for scrapbook pages.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a book I wanted from the library - I still can't get over how fabulous libraries are. Free books. On hand. To bring home.
• Nigel - my verruca isn't in an easily accessible part of my foot. He is GOOD at applying Bazuka.

 

In the footsteps of martyrs

It has been a glorious day today - in every sense.

The forecast was good then they changed it to Ok-ish and it turned out to be glorious.

 

A couple of weeks ago Jakki bought us a Treasure Trails of The Puddles. (for those of you who don't know the Puddles are a series of villages in Dorset - Tolpuddle, Puddletown, Briantspuddle and Affpuddle.

The most famous of course is Tolpuddle, home of the first unionists, the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

The tail began at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum

 

 

 

We had such fun meandering through villages, enjoying the cottages and the country gardens and the sunshine and solving all of the clues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely day, lovely pictures and so very relaxing.

 

I also have to share the photo I took in bed this morning. Nigel brought up breakfast and two glasses of water. Kira has several babies and one is always fetched to join us for breakfast and today - well today baby was clearly thirsty. It is her ugliest baby - a shapeless bit of catnip filled fur fabric and funnily enough Nigel didn't fancy his water much!

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful happy sunny day
• Dorset - a wonderful county
• The gift from a friend and of a friend - thank you Jakki

 

Away but 'here'

I am still away - hence no blogging yesterday - and I am sure I am having a lovely time ... well I hope so.

However, I do have some new work to share.

This was made Monday for the UKS challenge this week and is another for our Treasure Trails album.

 

This was a trail we did at Cranborne and was Knowlton Church  and earthworks

We had driven past this masterpiece of History and never noticed it. It's history is fascinating and it leant itself to be scrapped in black and white

 

 

Today I am sure I am thankful for many things ... I am just not sure, yet, what they may be.