Dolly's Dreamings

Making the most of our membership

We have been National Trust members for a long long time but this year we haven't been to many properties - just local ones. It was a glorious day yesterday so we headed out to make the most of our membership in Somerset.

 

We had never been to Barrington Court before so that was first stop and I can highly recommend it - it is stunning.

 

 

 

 

The gardens were fabulous.  I loved all of the walls and secret doors leading to yet another garden - just fabulous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like all properties, it was sow ell presented and cared for. I loved the radio in the kitchen garden where you could sit and listen to the history of the garden. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved seeing the next generation of National Trust members at their own mini-sized tables

 

 

 

 

The house itself was amazing. It was empty but that made the work that had gone into it all the more amazing. Bought by Colonel Lyle in the early 1900's as a derelict wreck, he restored it with original panelling from all over the world, true to the period of the building. Seeing the panelled rooms with so much carving and inlaid work, linen folds and detail, you couldn't believe it wasn't always there. Even the magnificent staircase was brought in, from a Scottish castle. It was incredible and very beautiful

 

We enjoyed a lovely picnic and ice cream then went for visits to Tintinghull Gardens, where we had been before.

 

It was a riot of lavender but was very busy as an Austrian coach tour were there

 

 

We met this little chap - just a baby, and we waited for ages until he gained his confidence to move off the path so we could pass

 

 

 

Finally we went to Montacute, again where we have visited before, and again the gardens were beautiful and of course, the perfect weather helped too

 

 

Montacute is over 40% glass - amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

A glorious very English day out.

 

I have new scrapping to share today made with a new collection by Dawn Inskip called Footprint in the sand which is awesome

 

 

This is the final of three pages of our trip to Bamburgh

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• sunshine
• National Trust membership
• beautiful gardens
• days out together

 

 

 

 

 

A sudden moment of courage

We decided at the last minute to head off to Wimborne Folk Festival. We haven't been for a couple of years and it was a nice day so it seemed like a fun thing to do.

Parking is always an issue but we scored the perfect spot for us and headed into the town. Wimborne is the next town along from us and we love it. It is very old and very quaint and the folk festival is always lovely. It seemed busier than ever this year with more dance groups, more stalls, more to see and do. And all for free.

We watched a few of the different dance groups

 

 

 

 

 

I have been on a mission to declutter the house of books. I must have a hundred paper backs not read yet. I have been working through them, clearing huge numbers this year, so what did I buy - 4 books. No will power.

 

I was also amazingly brave for me. I am usually a watcher and too lacking in confidence to do things. So it was amazing when we stopped at a folk band tent(they were very very good) and they asked if anyone wanted to come and join in and play an instrument with them. I have no idea what possessed me but I immediately shouted 'yes I would like to'. I almost looked round to see who had said it and Nigel's face was a picture. He started looking for his wife as clearly the woman he was with was someone else completely.

They asked what I'd like to play and offered a banjo and a mandolin (I was expecting a drum or tambourine to be honest!!!) and I opted for a mandolin as I have never even held one.

 

I only had to play a few simple chords but it took me back to when I used to play the guitar (and I remembered why my fingers were always so calloused) It was great fun and I was actually proud of myself - not for the playing but for the courage to have a go.

 

 

 

I even scrapped the event - how quick was that!

 

 

 

I have another page to share. It is a companion page to the one of me at Bamburgh Beach and was made for the template challenge at Pickleberrypop

 

 

Remember if you take part int he challenges you can win yourself a super kit, just for taking part. The page above uses the Dita B Collection i shared yesterday and also the new Pickled Pairs collection. 

Check ou the mojo challenges here

Today I am thankful for

• the bad tummy upset I had last night having vanished completely (I think it was just a change of food. My insides really are very messed up)
• a fun time at the folk festival
• courage

 

and some cute cat pictures to brighten your Saturday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pleasantly busy day

Today I have been at a lovely garden party at a friend's house who is the founder of Live, Love Laugh Ladies clubs. She was raising money for Diverse Abilities which is a local charity.

There were a lot of ladies there and I had a stall alongside many others. It was nice to meet everyone, chat, buy some lush goodies and enjoy the cake! And hopefully Michelle raised a lot of money for the charity. My stall looked OK and I sold well today, so win win all round.

 

Yesterday I did the first page for the new Magical Scrapbook class Shimelle is running #magicalscrapbook

It took me well out of my comfort zone as it was about using a big picture (I am fine with that) and also a whole mess of stickers in the white space area. THAT was well out of my comfort zone - even Shimelle herself recognised I stretched myself there. I was, however, pleased with the page and can't believe I hadn't scrapped the photo for the 2015 album before (I think I might have scrapped it digitally but no a paper version)

 

 

 

I am looking forward to seeing how this class progresses. Heck it is Shimelle and Disney - what's not to like!

 

Don't forget the Pickle Barrel is open at the moment too - great 6 pack bargains to be found so go over and check them out.

 

I have another pickle barrel page to share, this time using All The Best by Tiramisu Designs

 

The photos are from the Falkirk Wheel which we visited because Nigel had seen it on TV and was keen to see this feat of engineering. I was not! I was prepared to go because he wanted to but was not keen. It was terrific. An amazing feat of engineering and a beautiful trip with a lovely canal ride. Well worth visiting.

 

 

 

And this page was made using Inner Peace by Created by Jill which is just gorgeous

 

 

 

The photo was taken early one morning at Jenny lake in Grand Teton National Park. We were the only people there and it was utterly beautiful.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a good crafting day
• meeting interesting people - just nice to chat
• some new health drinks to try

 

 

 

 

New releases

Dawn has several new things out today but I wanted to share one of them with you today - I will add the others tomorrow or Sunday.

 

This is a stunning collection called The Deep

There are lots of parts to this - from stunning illustrations like this

 

 

 

 

to fabulous overlays

 

 

and these treasures

 

 

Go and check them out - they are lush goodies and perfect for summer pages.

 

This is a page I made with the collection

 

 

The pictures were from our 2012 trip to Discovery Cove - one I will never forget. It was the second time we had been but the first time Nigel had felt brave enough to do the dolphin swim and he loved it.

 

 

I also made this page with it - a very different trip - Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day
• Time together to scrap and relax
• Making memories - we do it every single day - we just have to let them happen.

 

 

 

Pooped

It felt good this morning to be up and dressed and a part of the human race again.

It didn't feel quite so good by lunchtime when I was exhausted, starting to ache everywhere again and the throat and headache were back.

Sadly I bailed out at 1.30, knowing I needed to conserve some energy and health for the next 4 full on days.

I think getting older means I don't bounce back so well.

 

No new scrapping today of course, I have slept my afternoon away , but I did make this using Beach Trip Kit by Created by Jill at Pickleberrypop

 

 

The photos were of us paddling in a very cold North Sea at Bamburgh Beach in 2013.

 

Today I am thankful for

• getting up and dressed
• surviving half a day - a whole day to build up to tomorrow

 

 

 

and just becasue they were cute - some catty resolutions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Voyage

I guess it is THAT time of year when everyone's thoughts turn to holidays. I know mine do.

Last year we didn't get to go to our beloved America. We did a 'stay-cation' and holidayed in the UK.

 

I would like to say I was sad and miserable and wished we had gone abroad - but the bottom line is I don't. I loved it. I loved being int he UK. I loved that it was still a road trip. I loved that we saw so many wonderful places and I loved that we were accessible and if the cats had needed us we were never more than 7 hours away.

And with sights like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what was not to like.  It was fab but this year - well I am afraid we are lookimg forward to a 'proper' American holiday in a 'proper' country - America.

Yes this year it is Florida all the way and we will be in heaven.

 

Anyway I digress.

Today I wanted to make a hybrid bon voyage card for someone going away on holiday and so this is what I came up with

 

Looks a bit flat like that but it is very dimensional

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used Orange Cream and Cabanas by Jumpstart Designs at Pickleberrypop - just the perfect collection for a bon voyage card

 

Today I am thankful for

• The fun of making different things
• so many holidays we have been blessed to enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the rain rain rain came down down down

Wow

we have just had a rain storm worthy of Florida.

It has been threatening all day and it finally arrived. Thankfully before we had made the effort to go out and water the garden.

 

We popped out this morning to look for sun safe clothing. No joy really. We are so not sun aware in this country. I bought two very unsuitable tops and figure I will wait till we get there.

 

Outdoor shops really ought not to be called outdoors as the sun is outdoors. Ah well.

I have spent most of the day working but did manage to make this page.

 

 

It uses one of the Pickle Barrel collections, which you can now buy as the complete collection. It is buy Indigo designs and I promise you win't be disappointed. The photo is one from our UK tour last year. That seems so long ago now.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a bit of a lie in
• catching up

 

 

and the final few street art pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catch up day

I had a fab day yesterday - and really needed that - but today has been a day of catch up. Hard work but nice to be able to start the week clean and ready.

 

I start the week with my stitches being removed and whilst I know that will be fine I am dreading the fact the stitches are covered with steri strips that have not come off and show no sign of coming off.

 

I hope it doesn't hurt or pull the stitches or open the wound. Yikes! Wish me luck. It may be a long job.

 

I have another pickle barrel page to share though.

 

This time I used Sun and Sand by Indigo designs. It was such a lovely soft collection - I adored working with it.

 

 

I made a page of Nigel and I paddling away in the North Sea at Bamburch just over a year ago. Where ever does the time go

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• jobs well done
• readiness for another week.

 

 

 

and thank you Mike for these

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bumper post

I have missed a couple of days blogging over the last month - totally unlike me as I like to blog every day - It keeps me sane in a crazy world.

So I figured a bumper day today with not one but two pages and a bit of a waffle and a challenge too.

The sun shone today and so we headed out to explore the Wheels festival at Bournemouth.

It was kind of fun I guess, but not really our cup of tea. The cars were not that fabulous – I mean we have Beaulieu on our doorstep. The seafront was crowded and neither of us are fans of the slow shuffle kind of walking. Not even keen on that in Disney let alone on Bournemouth prom.

So ice cream quaffed we headed back home for some R and R and a bit of scrapping.

I don’t plan on sharing the page I made today – ever. No-one else needs to see the photos charting the progress and the healing.  It records my journey over the past month – and yes it has been a month almost to the day since my life changed. The journey isn’t even so much about what happened but about how it changed me … for the better. I have made my blog into a daily gratitude for the past three years now but I plan on more gratitude and less fuss and pessimism. I feel I had a very near miss (I pray it IS a near miss and the second round of surgery will not show up anything horrible) and that near miss is for a reason … to show me just how much I have to be thankful for each and every day. And it is a lesson I plan on paying a great deal of attention to.

So I have a couple of pages  I made a while ago but didn’t share which is from our UK tour.

It features a picture of Nigel sitting by Loch Achray in the Trossachs and is, of course, a digital page.

 

 

 

 

I also share a page made for my 2013 album and because it is for an annual album it is an 8 ½ “ x 11” as that is my preferred size for regular annual work.

It showcases the lovely autumn colours we saw in Bourton-on-the-water.

 

 

 

And finally another digital page – this time of Emily just because it is happy

 

 

Now I have an interesting poem to share - if it works.

I snaffled it on Facebook today and I think it is brilliant ... I hope you have fun with it. As an English teacher I really enjoyed it

 

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.

After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he’d prefer six months of hard labor to reading six lines aloud.

 

Today I am thankful

• For learning a really important lesson ... OK soit was a painful lesson but a really important one.
• Granola bars ...Tesco were out but Marks and Spencer are fab
• The busiest bird feeding station ever. We have a fanmily of tits on there - there were 6 at one time, plus a pair of robins, endless dunnocks, more tits, woodpeckers, pigeons and magpies, a family of blackbirds, all eating us out of house and home and worth every penny.

 

 

 

 

Splish splash

No blogging yesterday as I wasn't in a very blogging sort of place.  I am still not quite there.

But I do have a page to share today which was actually made for a challenge a while ago and never got shared.

It is another for the UK tour album

 

 

I know the challenge was to use blue and I think it was to use a sketch and 2 square photos and it was certainly to use stars.

 

The pictures were taken on Bamburgh beach whilst we paddled in the North Sea.

 

 

 

The beach huts and sign were a little set of stamps I bought reduced from somewhere but I forget where.

 

I have a hard day tomorrow so any thoughts and prayers tomorrow morning would be good as I have a hospital visit.

There might be no blog tomorrow as a result.

Today I am thankful for

• prompt treatment
• a super caring husband
• friendship
• the power of prayer