Party Rings and Olympic Rings

The summer holidays are passing at a fair pace and I think we are beginning to adjust to the fact that my youngest baby has now left primary school. He was very sad about it and I felt so emotional and stunned that all those years had passed so quickly. My home-loving son seemed to change over night once the holidays began- going off to the park to meet his friends with my old mobile phone "in case of emergencies" (though it turns out now he asks me to text him when I want him to come home!) and deciding that girls are actually not too bad once you spend time with them. He may need gently reining back in at some point, but for now he is enjoying his new-found independence.

His Year 6 teacher and support staff have been brilliant and have really encouraged the children to grow and blossom into young people who are ready to meet the challenges that their new schools will offer them.

I made them some cute felt biscuits as a token of our appreciation. These were featured in an issue of Mollie Makes magazine some time ago. I made mine into keyrings.

Felt biscuits are the only kind I am allowing myself at the moment- I am trying to get fitter. At school, I played a little hockey, but mostly I hated sport. I was never very coordinated and Sports Day was an annual source of humiliation. My lovely(?) PE teacher used to bring me out to the front to demonstrate how not to perform shot put, javelin or discus throwing!! I'm just not put together right for running!  However, I love walking miles, Pilates and swimming (in my own splashy way!)  I have to say though, how inspiring I am finding the Olympics. I can appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into developing a body that can produce such power and achieve such amazing feats. It makes me want to challenge myself to try something new. I might be tempted to dust off my bike. Or maybe, it might just be possible for me to teach myself to run, slowly, a step at a time.... after dark!!!

Beauty and the Beast

  BEAUTY

My beautiful girl en route for her High School Prom. I was so proud- she is such a good girl, has worked so hard for her exams and I am so glad she could enjoy this special evening with her lovely friends. (better photos when I get hold of Mr Dotty's CD)

BEAST

Curved Ball

So many events have come and gone and I haven't written about them. I have still been popping by all my favourite blogs to find out what wonderful things you have been up to and sometimes creeping out to comment. I have so much going on in my head, so many questions and so many spinning plates to deal with. The ones that have slipped from my grasp have been my favourite things- blogging, Etsy and my Ten Plus creative work. The fact is, my heart has not been in it. My family have been thrown a curved ball and it is taking some time to understand how to proceed, one step at a time.

My Dad has been diagnosed with stomach cancer, which has spread to his liver and lower spine. He may be about to begin chemotherapy, but this will be to control the cancer rather than cure it. He is a devout Catholic and my parents' strong faith in God is helping them to take a day at a time and accept all that is happening to them.

This has come into the mix of busy family life, GCSEs, school prom, my youngest child almost leaving primary school, going away on a residential trip and desperately wanting me to be there for his school production, leavers assembly etc. Life carries on, but so many things have been put into perspective!

I know you have all had times when life throws difficult situations at you and my heart goes out to you. Please pray for my parents and extended family as we get through this.

I don't like to my blog to be all sadness, so here are a few glimpses of the other things that have been going on;

Sam built a shelter in the garden in the Whit holidays and loved being in there planning secret missions!

My daughter made a pig for her friend's Birthday:)

Jubilee street party in Manchester.

This makes me smile- Alfie looks so livid and refused to move with the "cone of shame" on his head! He had a sore foot, a minor thing, but he wouldn't stop licking it. The cone lasted a day! We had to pull his bed out of his crate because he couldn't fit in with the cone on his head. After a night of him crying I had to get up at 4.30am to settle him, coneless, on the sofa. After that I gave up and taped a sock to his leg which made him hop as though I had splinted his leg :-D

Love to you all and hope to have better news soon x

A Brief Encounter and a Proposal

Mr Dotty and I spent a happy Sunday afternoon at the glorious Stockport Plaza watching Brief Encounter (his favourite film) which was divine on the big screen. Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, illicit meetings, clipped vowels and oh my...those eyes! In the interval I noticed a couple in front of the stage and realised that the man was getting down on one knee to propose!!! Judging by the lady's reaction and the fact that champagne was consumed, I'm pretty sure she said "Yes" ! It was a lovely, romantic moment.

Afterwards we settled in the tea room for afternoon tea- what could be better! We had a wonderful afternoon, such a great event to raise money for Christie's hospital

Schnauzer Saturday

Saturday was a good day! We started with a mooch around the Artisan Market in Wilmslow, buying some yummy food. We treated Alfie to his favourite Gourmet Dog Biscuits, bought the most delicious pies from Orchard Pigs and amazing scones.

Later on we drove over to Dovedale for the National Schnauzer Walk organised by the lovely people from the schnauzer forum. We got a bit lost on the way, the ABS warning light came in on the car- I don't think the car liked all the twisty hills and consequent braking!-and the youngest child, who usually has an iron stomach, got carsick! Thankfully we arrived on time and I was in schnauzer heaven. The car park was ringing with the sound of nearly 40 schnauzers "chatting away"! It was so funny :D

Alfie was so ecstatic to have all these friends to meet and play with.

The stepping stones were negotiated in various ways, some leapt across and others were carried- dogs, that is, not owners! I don't think anyone fell in. Alfie is a wimp when it comes to water and usually tries to act as a health and safety officer, yapping at any human or dog who tries to paddle and tries to pull them out! Needless to say he thought we were slightly mad to suggest crossing the water and he had to be carried!!!

After this, Mr Dotty scoffed his pie, which was pork and black pudding and  apparently scrumptious- a brave move, I thought, for a man surrounded by dogs.

Here are some of the group. I'm the one with pink hair and Alfie is the one who is facing the wrong way and showing his bum!

We went home tired and happy and I REALLY want a second schnauzer:)

I think we are in for a lovely week weather-wise so I think lots of walks will be on the agenda, which I hope will also give me time to try and come to terms with some difficult family news we had yesterday.

What are you up to this week?

Hotch-Potch and Speechless

Words fail me today!

A few piccies instead...

I am very excited about tomorrow-it is going to be a good day! In the morning, I'm having my hair coloured (ok that part is a bit boring, sitting still for ages! There are only so many Hello magazines I can stomach), meeting two lovely friends in the afternoon, then in the evening Mr Dotty and I will be rubbing shoulders with some arty types! I had a piece selected for the Open Contemporary Art Exhibition at Stockport Art Gallery and I can't wait to see all the wonderful art.

Sneak preview of my mixed media piece, "Home from Home 2". I am always very grateful for how well received these pictures of Skye cottages seem to be.

I have been busy working towards my next exhibition with the Ten Plus Textiles Group. This is a quilt I made four years ago for an exhibition at Little Moreton Hall, a stunning tudor house in Congleton.

The "strips 'n Curves" technique by Louisa L. Smith is quite challenging. I created a fabric by piecing together black and white strips, then cut these up to make the patchwork- lots of seams to match up!. I quilted it very simply with circles. It is quite striking, but I'm afraid I found it...well, dull!

So, my brains were wracked for ideas on how to recycle it (or is that "upcycle"?) I'm beginning to explore the shapes of leafless trees.

I love the ones in Skye- short and gnarly, and leaning against the harsh elements.

So, I appliqued a bold, bright, bare tree onto the quilt. The curves of the branches echo the curves of the patchwork and the tree looks as though it is offering up the moon. I requilted it with orange thread-it was originally blue- and added some black satin stitch circles to draw the eye. Then I had great fun handstitching and voila!

I don't want to reveal the whole thing just yet as it is going to be on show in October.

Right, off into the kitchen to make the second Christmas cake of the year! *smiles smuggly*