INTARSIA? OH YES, OF COURSE!

My new knitting project:-
3 cushion covers for Kate. She'd found the pattern in a magazine just before we went on holiday and I thought they looked very patriotic and challenging. In red, white and blue, one of them has the motif of a Union Jack on the front. [at this stage, no scanner, no picture, imagination only I'm afraid]
Anyway I was quite keen to get started so wanted to get the wool asap. My local shop, the Cheap Shop is in Tiptree and is a real Aladdin's cave if you're after something in the arts, craft, material, wool etc line. I chose my wool, thought I'd treat myself to a pair of bamboo knitting needles and took it all to the counter to check with the woman that I had all the correct stuff for my new project.
The woman glanced from the wool to the pattern. "Yes, it's all fine" she said, then questioned, "You'll be doing the motifs with intarsia then?"
"Oh, yes" I replied confidently, trying to see on the pattern what exactly she was talking about as well as thinking, "Oh god, what the hell is that?"
It was no good. As she started to tell me I'd need to buy bobbins, yes BOBBINS!!!!!!! [I don't sew, remember] I decided I had to come clean and tell her I hadn't got a clue what intarsia was.
Good job the woman had patience, half an hour later I left the shop with the pattern, wool, needles, BOBBINS and somewhere in my brain the know how to complete my project to perfection.
So far I've knitted the back of one and a half cushion covers - they're just 86rows of stocking stitch. It's early days.

SUNSHINE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

We've just returned from our holiday in the South of France. We stayed in a little apartment in a place called Beausoleil. This is just a short walk from Monte Carlo, down 538 steps to be precise. This we did quite often during our stay but I think we made our return by foot, gasping for breathe only four times. Thankfully there was an excellent bus service and taxi service.

I loved this couple sitting on the bench, looking out over the jardin exotique. This wasn't on our planned list of things to see and do while in Monaco but we made the decision to go there on our last day and we're so pleased we did.

The garden was perched on the edge of "the rock" and the pathway meandered down through amazing cacti and eurphorbia.

As well as chilling out on the beach and reading a library of books we also visited some really nice little villages perched high up on the cliffs. Eze was one of them and the picture below is the view from the garden right at the very top, again full of cacti.

One cannot go to Monte Carlo and fail to visit the Casino, well that's what I told Michael. The next photo of the fountain outside Michael took and I think he's captured it really well.

We played the slot machines just twice, luckily going in with a little bit of money and coming out with a little bit more. Result!!!!

We sat with hundreds of others at the Cafe de Paris waiting for someone famous to brush shoulders with but came to the conclusion that they were all on holiday somewhere else. Lots of nice cars, Michael reckons someone's obviously doing a good deal on Bentley convertables at the moment and thousands of scooters which roar up the road and come at you from all directions.

We had a great holiday, there was so much to see and do, yet we were still able to relax and unwind. I chose the last two pictures because on this particular day we visited the little village of St Agnes. Again this was another perched village high up looking down over Menton, Monaco and beyond. Right at the very top there was the most beautiful little garden, not only was it so peaceful but the smell of thyme and lavender was amazing. I couldn't believe the vegetables that were growing and took this picture of the cabbages.

The local guy from Menton who tended the garden gave us so much information about the area and following his recommendation we walked back down and had lunch in a local restaurant. It was our only four course meal of our holiday and the food, all homemade was delicious.

We really should have done another quick climb up the garden path afterwards to rid ourselves of excess calories.

A LETTER FROM THE QUEEN AND A WEEKEND IN ALDEBURGH

Mum and Dad had a smashing day on Thursday. They celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary at home with family and friends. The card from the Queen arrived in the morning and this took its place with about thirty other cards on the mantel piece.
There was lots of chat and reminiscing over a buffet lunch.

On Friday we left for a weekend in aldeburgh. We stayed in a lovely old house 5 mins from the sea. It was lovely for us all to spend some time together. Charlotte and Jessica loved sailing their little yachts on the boating lake even though Jessica was keen to jump in for a swim.
On Saturday we all went to southwold, we had lunch on the pier and had a few laughs in the bizarre amusements. The children and Michael then played on the sand while we took in the sunshine.
The whole weekend was great. Mum and Dad thoroughly enjoyed it as we all did.

Now Michael and I are sitting in the car waiting for our ferry. South of France here we come!

TESTING TESTING!

I thought I'd give it a try this morning and write my blog via my iPhone. As I'm laying here I must hastily add that Michael has left the building to go to work. I think he'd confiscate my phone if he knew that there was yet another string to it's bow. Maybe it is annoying that I check my messages, email, the weather, the news and perhaps have the occasional game of solitaire while I drink my morning cuppa but no different to reading a book, in my mind.
Enough of my ramblings, I think I've mastered it. Not sure if you can add pictures yet from the iPhone. I'll have to do more research.

LOOK WHO'S CELEBRATING THEIR DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEK.

Well, here they are, my Mum and Dad.

My Mum will go nuts if she knows I've put this picture on the internet. It was bad enough last week when I arranged for the local newspaper to call on them. She was adamant that she wasn't going to have her photo taken for the paper and obviously not best pleased with me. It's always my fault! However when I called there afterwards she spent the whole time praising the reporter, probably gave him enough information to fill the paper from cover to cover and loved having her photo taken.

So there she was worrying about a few thousand people seeing her in the local paper and now she's on show to the whole world. We won't tell her!

I took this photo on a day trip to Aldeburgh a couple of years ago. They enjoyed it so much that we're taking them there for the weekend, along with the grandchildren and great grandchildren to celebrate their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.

On Thursday, the actual date of their wedding we've arranged a get together with all their family - sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews. Fingers crossed the sun is going to shine and a good time will be had by all.

DEBBIE BLISS ENTRELAC BLANKET

This is it!

The finished article. This is knitted in a very pale greeny colour.

It is a square, sorry if the picture makes it look alittle lopsided.

AND in the end, I enjoyed knitting it!
SOCKS NEXT

REGIME STILL GOING STRONG!

I thought as I hadn't written anything for a while I should give a quick update on my exercise regime.
I swum my 3rd mile of the week this morning and at long last the needle on the scales is moving in the right direction. I took this photo yesterday morning on my walk, this time of the canal. [You must be bored silly by now of my endless flow of photos of the river.]

I'm really pleased with my progress, I feel much better and even think I look like I've lost a few pounds. Therefore can you imagine my face when my mother commented earlier this week, how big my arms are and that they're much bigger than hers! God bless her, she always knows how to wind me up.
I have had a fairly quiet couple of weeks, pottering around in the garden and doing those jobs that you never get round to doing in the house. I have actually enjoyed it and I'm really, really, really pleased to say that the entrelac blanket is near completion. I'm just half way through knitting the 56 triangles that go round the border. Do you think I'm counting?