Hello, my friends. I’ve called this What’s on your workdesk Tuesday afternoon – because I know I won’t have the opportunity to write this post any later than now… It’s been one of those weeks! A dear couple from church are coming for dinner and a game of QUIRKLE this evening. Nothing odd in that, I hear you say – except that – now wait for the kindness in this!!! – they are bringing the complete meal! Ready cooked. All John and I have to do is sit and eat it. That is just so incredibly kind and thoughtful, as they understand that John would really struggle to go to their home at the moment. We will enjoy. Also this week we have had to call Stannah the stair lift people out twice… Poor John got half way up stairs the other evening when it simply stopped. Had to alternate turning off with the key, pressing start, turning off the key, pressing start… in order to get up stairs. Two new batteries later… and then the same happened again last evening. So, two more new batteries, a new circuit board, and a new charger unit later – he has yet to try it out this time – lying on the bed in the heat and trying to catch up with some sleep before the battle of wits which is quirkle!

So, what exactly IS on my desk this Tuesday afternoon? Not a lot different from last week….

So, here goes. My latest pergamano magazine, some Pollyanna Pickering bits it would have been rude NOT to buy the other day on a Create and Craft programme, Mrs D’s box of dies – which I must shortly get back to her house – the same cross stitch piece as last week – the eagle eyed of you will see a slight increase in the amount done – on the bed of the big shot are some plastic wallets. I decided it was time to be ruthless with my cross stitch patterns (collected over the last 30+ years). I hardened my heart and went through three folders of patterns (still got about 4 more to do!), and these are those I have chosen to keep. A VERY small pile. They will probably sit there on my desk, berating me for the loss of their friends, until I sort the rest and file just the few. The local charity shop is going to have an enormous shock when I take the rejects down there! Beyond that is a knitting pattern I might just try soon, then the desktop picture on the computer is of a small waterfall at Martin Mere.

Now, the shot so many of you asked for… those tie backs! I even had this picture ready for you last week – then forgot to post it. I really AM losing the plot!

I realise the first shot isn’t that special, just shows the context as it were… The two bowls in the centre of the window sill are filled with heart shaped stones found by our grandchildren down on the beach here. The bowls are handmade silk paper shaped over a pudding bowl, and painted by yours truly with silk paints. The second picture is actually clearer. So, one set of two are up, the second set sit to await me getting out the drill, rawl plugs, and hooks, sewing needle and thread. Yes, the second pair of curtains currently aren’t hemmed. Well, you have to allow them to hang, don’t you???

Also this week I have achieved another jigsaw – I so love doing them, and the Olympics have given me the perfect excuse to sit down. (I confess to having sat up to watch the Murray final, but that is the only really late session I have had.) The other excuse was that John had an infection and I went down with the most horrendous coldy, fluey, thing I think I have ever had. For two pins I would have simply curled up in bed for three days – but you can’t do that when you are the only carer, so I simply slowed right down and did as little as I could get away with!!! It really was the cutest picture…

So, there we go my friends. That is us here in North Wales. We are awaiting a phone call to say the hospital has a bed for John so he can have intravenous antibiotics – a necessary evil, which will hopefully relieve the necessity of emergency admissions. But he needs a bed… and they are about as rare as hens’ teeth on the chest ward…

Take care my friends. I really appreciate your visits and comments. I even managed to visit everyone last week – couldn’t comment on quite all of them – sorry for those of you who missed out.

God bless.

Margaret

Good morning, my friends. I do trust this finds you well. Without further ado – my desk – what you are all here to see…

On here today you can see Mrs D’s box of dies, still; a cross stitch piece I am endeavouring to do, magnifier – the only way I can do it these days! – and a scrapbook. At the back of the desk are cotton buds, and some letters I hope to have time to do something with, and a little picture frame for a piece of needle felting. Not a great deal of activity this week! One thing we have done is have a day out. John felt well enough last Saturday to head off, so we went to Blackwater Country Park near Holyhead. It was so beautiful – a sunny day but not too hot, and we went for a walk around the lake…

There are paths right up the cliffs and along the sea edge – but those were difficult for the scooter, so we just stayed on the level. It meant we didn’t see the choughs, gannets, hen harrier, etc., but it was a great time out.

So, because of the lack of activity on the desk throughout the week, I thought I would show you the contents of the scrapbook sitting there on the desk – be warned, fair readers, this is now becoming a picture heavy post – so don’t feel obliged to read any further if you are simply here for WOYWW. I shan’t take offence, don’t fret…

I put this all together for John for our Ruby anniversary – I’m not really one for scrapbooking, but despite them probably being highly unorthodox as scrapbook pages, I enjoyed the experience. So, here goes

Our wedding day

Our first daughter

Our second daughter – and yes, there is an incredible amount of red hair around!

Joy’s wedding

Ruth’s wedding

A terrible image of the grandchildren opening their Christmas presents some few years ago! Sorry – forgot to take it out of its wallet!!

We are Christmasaholics in our family!!!, so couldn’t resist doing a page with this lovely candle arrangements to show what Christmas means to us.

And finally, you will be relieved to know, a page about my maternal grandparents, Ethel and William. Married soon after William was honourably discharged from serving in WW1. These two people are the reason behind all the red hair! Both my grandmother and my grandfather were ginger!!

Well, my friends, if you have got this far, you deserve at least a gold star, if not a gold medal. Congratulations.

That’s it from us, take care of yourselves and may God bless you.

Margaret

Hello my friends. It’s good to be here today, and I trust this finds you well. Where do the weeks go to? It seems only yesterday I was apologising for missing around 7 weeks – and here we are, already a fortnight later than that!!!

So, without further ado – my desk. In all its glory of trying to make the (shhh!) last few Christmas cards.

On the desk you see the start of those Christmas cards, the Big Shot, Mrs D’s box of dies (still), my computer with its desktop of a teasel picture I took last year. On the top shelf, on the green lid, you can just about see a little weensy gingerbread house. Made from the new Tonic die it is exquisite – but I confess to have found it quite fiddly to make. However, we will persevere as I feel a few Christmas presents coming to mind…

Yesterday, our younger daughter celebrated her 40th birthday. She and her family are on holiday on Mull at present, and celebrated this auspicious occasion by spending Monday on the Isle of Iona and Tuesday by taking a boat to Staffa. Green-eyed jealousy reared its head – as they are two places John and I would have loved to visit. For non-Brits, do try “googling” these two lovely Scottish Islands. Her card…

Also this week I have made some tiebacks for the kitchen diner windows. You have to understand that we do nothing in a hurry here… The alterations and decorations were done two and a half years ago now – and then, of course, it took us a long time to choose the curtain fabric… Then even longer to actually MAKE the curtains (in fairness to myself, John was extremely ill last year…), then I needed to think how to make them look their best. Many years ago I wove silk flowers into a long strand and made the tiebacks for our lounge curtains from them. It didn’t look quite right as I sought to do the same again… so… this is what I have finally come up with.

Needless to say, I can’t put them up yet – as I have discovered I have run out of rings… Talk about inefficient! However, they are now done, so that is one little item off the enormous to-do list for 2016.

So, that is us this week. Slowly plodding on day to day. Taking life as it comes with John’s health.

If you have never played along with WOYWW why not try it – take a shot of your arty space, and go to dear Julia’s at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.co.uk/ She does an amazing job of keeping us all in order. Well done, Julia.

Take care, my friends. God bless.

Margaret