I've been tagged!

Recently I was tagged by the lovely Josie-Kitten. 

If you love knitting and all things woolly you must pop over there and take a look. It's an amazing riot of colour and snuggliness!

For the tag she's left us 12 questions .... many of them knitting related. 

Now, it must be said, I don't knit. 

I can knit, but I don't feel the need for it in my life right now. So, some of these questions are going to have some very poor answers .....

1. What is your greatest knitting achievement to date?

When my children were small, I used to knit for them, and I liked putting pictures on their jumpers.... I'm sure there's a special term for that.

2. Is there a knitting skill you'd like to learn?

I can knit to an adequate standard for my needs, but I cannot crochet for the life of me. I can't hold the hook properly, and I can't follow a pattern.

3. Who is your favourite knitting designer? 

Pass

4. What is your favourite easy knit to make as  a gift?

If I had to give a knitted item as a present, I would buy something (shock, horror!!!) However, I did make my mum a tea cosy shaped like a christmas pudding last year, does that count?

5. What is your favourite film?

I love Breakfast at Tiffany's, West Side Story, Dr. Zhivago, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Sound of Music, The Railway Children ... do I have to just pick one? 

O.K. then,  Dr Zhivago for the sheer epic scale and romance of it, and Omar Sharif's deep brown eyes!!!

6. What is your favourite season?

Anything but Winter! 

I'm liking it right now, actually. I love the newness of Spring. I love it when a day surprises you with a warmth that you have forgotten about. I get excited by the first sight of daffodils, and the unfurling of green buds on branches, and don't get me started on lambs!!!! I think it's all about the promise that from now on it can only get better!

7. What is your number one tip for new bloggers?

Be yourself..... and just post when you feel like it, otherwise it can easily become an extra chore. 

Don't worry about followers, just write for yourself .... nice people will find you, and some will go on to be friends.

8. What was the first thing you ever knitted?

Probably a long thing with holes. I remember knitting in Primary school with ball of red stringy stuff .... when I ran out of yarn, I just unravelled it and started again. I don't recall that it ever became anything! I knitted a pot holder for my mum, and used to make clothes for my Sindy doll.

9. What's your favourite comfort meal?

If I'm feeling poorly, I will choose a boiled egg all mashed up with butter, and toast soldiers! It takes me right back to my childhood.

10. Do you prefer circular needles or Dpns? 

Oh, sorry, definitely a pass on this one, I wouldn't know where to begin with either!

11. What posters did you have on your wall as a teenager?

Davy Jones from the Monkees, 

Pete Duel from the TV show "Alias Smith and Jones", 

 Marty Kristian from the New Seekers. 

12. Bath or shower?

Shower on work days .... baths at weekends and holidays! I do love a good long bubble bath!

Now I have to leave 12 questions for you.

Why did you start blogging?

How did you choose your blog name?

What book are you reading right now?

What is your favourite city break?

If you could be somewhere else right now, where would it be?

What is your favourite TV show from your childhood?

What was your favourite lesson at school?

Dog or a cat?

What is your favourite crafty pastime?

What can't you live without?

What's your signature dish?

 Describe yourself in three adjectives.


I'm supposed to tag twelve bloggers, but I'm just going to leave this open for anyone who would like to join in. You're all very welcome!

Pretty Things ....

In London last weekend we were tempted by some very pretty things .....

How lovely is this scarf? My daughter bought it for me for Mother's Day.

I seem to collect bracelets, and wear one most days. This one was just begging to come home with me.

This sweet little brooch was a bargain from a vintage stall in Angel.

I've been searching for orange beads for my 'fake' Pandora bracelet (bought in Turkey last year), so I was delighted when we spotted these in Camden Market.

This shop had fairy lights in every colour of the rainbow, we were spoilt for choice.....

...in the end I chose a set of creamy white flowers to go round my tiny dresser in the conservatory.

And of course, no round up of pretty things could be complete without bunches of daffodils. 

What else can cheer you up so easily?

For a few pence you can have instant sunshine in the house!

What shall we do on Wednesday?

We haven't managed our Wednesday date nights for a few weeks .... a combination of school inspections, parents' evenings and decorators in our house .... and we've really missed them.

So, yesterday, we were glad to stop off at Liverpool's Maritime Museum on our way home from work.

 We had heard there was an exhibition of photographs from the Toxteth Riots which took place in Liverpool thirty years ago. We can both remember how frightening it was at that time, and although we were nowhere near where the riots took place, there was a real fear that the rioting could spread to other parts of the city.

Sadly, the 'exhibition' turned out to be two boards on a wall inside the Slavery Gallery, and was almost insignificant, so we were very disappointed. 

 While we were there we had a little look around the Slavery Gallery itself. There has been a Slavery Gallery in the Maritime Museum for years and years, and it used to be an excellent portrayal of Liverpool's shameful part in the Slave Trade. Recently, it has been revamped and moved to a different floor. It seems much larger, but we found it really dull, with far too much to read, and nothing to engage the visitor, or create an empathy. What a a missed opportunity!

They must have spent millions on the upgrade, and on the newly opened Museum of Liverpool, also at the waterfront..... but they're not exciting at all. In fact I haven't heard one good review about the Museum of Liverpool .... even the children in school say it's boring, but the old Museum of Liverpool Life, which it replaced, was a wonderful place for a school visit.

I read yesterday, that the Liverpool Museums may have to start charging admission fees again ... but unless they up their game, people will only pay once and will never return!

 Moan over .... here's a few things that caught my eye as we looked round.

As ever, I'm drawn to brightly coloured things that are cheerful!!!

A Postcard from London

On Saturday I met up with my daughter in London. She's still working down there, and although she can't wait to come back 'North', she has found her feet, and has learnt to navigate the underground like a local! She couldn't wait to show some of the new places she's found on her travels.

Our first stop was a lovely little corner of Angel, which had some delightful vintage shops and stalls.

This lovely chair caught my eye, with 2012 being Jubilee year. 

My daughter bought some dainty china cups and saucers here, for the house she hasn't got yet, but plans to have 'one day'. 

We both love old suitcases ....

... and this little fellow desperately needs a child to love him.

We loved this vintage clothing shop too, but everything was quite expensive.

Next we headed across to Camden Town, where the market stretches for miles around the canal side.

It was the warmest day of the year so far, and we were able to eat outside all day. 

I can't begin to describe this place .... it has hundreds and hundreds of workshops, studios, stalls, shops and cafes selling an amazing range of designer goods, vintage items, jewellery, furnishings, antiques and no end of pretty, pretty things. 

I've never seen anywhere quite like it in my life.

We spent hours there, and a fair bit of money too .... it was just wonderful. Every time we thought we'd come to the end, we found another aisle, or hidden corner, and we'd sigh with pleasure again.

The strangest part was The Stables, originally used for the horses who worked the old canal barges, there were huge bronze statues of horses everywhere ....

The colours in this Indian shop were stunning

We loves the fact that almost every stall was individual, and catered for every taste. 

There is a bewildering choice of food stalls, from around the world, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Moroccan

 We eventually settled on Mexican .... but there are no photos of my Chicken Fajitas, because I was so hungry, it vanished before I remembered my camera!!!!

Normally, I don't like trailing around the shops, and I HATE crowded places, but I just loved this place.

All too soon, it was time to get back to Euston .... saying goodbye to my daughter is the hardest thing I have to do. It makes me tearful every time!

March's List!

Hi there!
I've enjoyed looking at everyone's entries for February. There's some wonderful photographs out there. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to comment on them all. It's been a mad week at work, with a dreaded Ofsted inspection! All over now, thank goodness!

Here's the Scavenger List for March as promised:

morning
buttons
square
kitchen
theatre
street name
fancy
landmark
fashion
words
city
half a face

Happy Hunting!