House-Elf Doings 

From the rose garden we walked into a park on the site of Lumps Fort (Victorian).

Canoe Lake. We shared an icecream.

 This was meant to be a photo of Squeak having the cone. She’s a bit quick!

I like her smile in this photo.

Southsea pier and lake with swan boats.

 Oriental poppy.

Herbaceus border. What a lovely view for these houses.

 This statue overlooks the lake.

The silhouette is beautiful. Applique angel?

Serene face with a dove.

 Further west towards Portsmouth is Clarence Pier with a fun fair.

Spitbank Fort is out in the Solent to help guard Portsmouth harbour.

You can hire it for your own personal party.

Ok quickly take shelter at the pier.

Just look at the grey of the sky! We take shelter as it thunders and lightenings around us.

I felt so sorry for these poor pigeons. Have you ever seen anything so bedraggled?  

 

So back to here and now. We watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics. What a spectacle! 

Word must’ve reached them that we were having the wettest Summer on record, so they turned up in blue wellies and umbrellas. I had to laugh. 

Wonderful sense of humour! Well done Croatia!

Squeak showing that her nose isn’t quite long enough even for a greyhound. She couldn’t see a thing!

Now you know that I don’t like give-away tourism: where total strangers turn up on your blog just so they have a chance of getting something for nothing, and then you don’t see them again. Well I’ve just had my 100 blog post on this blog, so those who commented will all get a little something from me as soon as I’ve sorted GRWE makings. 

Ulla

Annik-Snor

Tracy

Stephanie,

Terri

Siri

I have everyone’s address apart from Siri’s. Can you email it to me please Siri?

Lets settle down to a cup of tea and a slice of mincemeat cake. I’d like to pick your brains.

The bandanas for GRWE have been overlocked.

 I have these bits left plus my stash. The squares are 5″ charm size. 

Any ideas on what you think would sell on a fete stall with these greyhound themed charms and the left over greyhound fabrics?

Other doings here included taking out a tree (stump by conifer for the boys to deal with) and filling the car twice over with prunings. The wheeley bin is full too from doing the back garden.

I couldn’t resist picking up the knitting needles for this 50% Alpaca 50% Silk blend of yarn with Tracy sent. Here is half of the scarf from a free on-line pattern. You wouldn’t believe how soft it is.

Please share your ideas with me about the fabric. What would you buy at a dog show/ fete? What would you like to see at such a place but wouldn’t normally?

Royal Marines Museum Portsmouth

 More beach huts

 But they are a different design

and across the road from the beach.

We carried on walking west from Eastney to Southsea. These beach huts reminded me of Licorice Allsorts sweets.

Southsea Pier

Close up.

But we are going here- Southsea Rose Garden.

It was sheltered behind brick walls with a pegoda all round the edges.

With the roses in formal beds

 arranged according to colour.

Some roses climbed the pegoda pillars

and others were in the beds.

Clematis also climbed the pegoda pillars

But it looked good with the roses.

 There was a small Japanese garden to one side.

Click to read  how this stone was a gift from a Japanese city to Portsmouth.

A last look in the rose garden.

So I promised to share what else had been happening here. 

Daughter made herself a floor cushion for uni inSeptember.

 She made Spinnaker Tower from ribbon and machine applique.

With a button back.

I’ve designed a new uni quilt to be made from these fabrics to go with her. It is on the list to be made.

 First though I need to put a border on Fairies.

I seem to be defying physics- my scraps hamper hasn’t gone down in spite of all those squares. 

Detail of the fabric at the top and bottom. I bought it in Amsterdam over a year ago.

Detail of how the fairy stitcheries look with the scrap squares.

This is my haul from Empress Mills. I needed browns, the bones is already cut to be GRWE bandanas.  wonderful Laurel Burch trees, a batik and some plains. The 2.5″ jelly roll will be a Christmas present to me.
Have I made enough excuses yet? I feel I ought to sit on the naughty step with all the fabric I have been buying. 

Just look what arrived this afternoon from Tracy of Prana Light!

A recycled jotter, 2 gorgeous teas, hand cream, tape, decorative sticky tapes, and 100g of alpaca/silk knitting yarn.

They were just little extras to go in the parcel with a set of elderflower jewellery.For much better pictures please see Tracy’s link.

I had the idea and she made them real with white glass flowers silver and peridot. I hope she shares them on her blog as she took some wonderful photographs. I can’t do them justice. Thank you so much Tracy! She has a shop here. There is a sale on so please take a look.

 Other goings on here- 7 tea towels with greyhound borders for GRWE.

A heap of bandanas waiting to be overlocked for GRWE.

Below are the event details.
 Now I am settling down with some North Pole blocks and handsewing. 

The weather has been sticky hot as if it ought to thunder but wont. YUK! I think I preferred the rain. 
I know there is just no pleasing some people. 🙂

11 August 11am

Summer Fair – Frodsham Community Centre

This is the first of our big events.  We’ll be having a dog show, an agility arena and hopefully a demonstration from the Warrington Wires Flyball team.  We’ll also be having trade stalls including Geek Chic jewellery, Pet Food, Photography, GRWE merchandise, Bird Food, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and loads more.  It’s a great, fun day out and again a great chance to meet other greyhound owners.  There’ll be a raffle, tombola, book stall, DVD stall, homemade, yummy cakes and refreshments.