50th Birthday Party

Hi.I have been a bad blogger neglecting my blog not good enough,time ust seems to run away and before you know it a couple of months have passed,so lets up date with whats been going on. This is my daughter-in-law with my handsome grandson Ellis i held a 50th birthday party for my best friend,we popped up a few gazebos as we thought it would be raining and it was all morning until everyone arrived at 3p.m and then the sun came out for the rest of the day and no one used them but at least they were there.Almost every one of the 60 people adults and children came so it was a real family day and every one seem to have fun.The food was a joint effort between a few of us so the made it less stressfull.

This is Ellis trying to remember how to do the sack race, his Dad helped him with the last one.they did cheat a little but i don't think anyone minded.

This is just a few of Hazel's friends,the others were on the lawn joining in a little sports day for the kids but a lot of the adults joined in as well.

My daughter-in-law made the cake for Hazel,Hazel just loves tennis during the 2 weeks of Wibledon you never get a word out of her as she is glued to the t.v,next year we are hoping to visit my brother who stays just outside London and try and watch a game,so fingers cro This was the gazebos all set up but no one used them until the end of the day.

This is my friend Hazel on the left my self in the middle and Hazel's sister Jen.I used to look after Jen when she was a baby i always loved babies while i was growing up.

This is Hazel and Jen this was supposed to be at the start of the blog,so you can see i am out of practice.Hope to get back to blogging more often,i still love to read everyones blogs and keep up with you all.My next post will be on my 20years service with the practice,so keep an eye open.~take care~Kate~

Busy.Busy.

Sorry for lack of posts,but i have been so busy looking after my mum who had a bad fall a broke her ribs,then a bad chest infection,she is now on the mend thank goodness and i think this lovely sunshine is helping.Also what spare time i do have i love to spend as much time with this handsome little boy, i can't beleive he will be 2 soon he is such a joy to spend time with, he loves to walk and be outdoors what ever the weather,he is just starting to say lots of words and he enjoys looking at his books i love reading to him.

For the past couple of weeks the car boot sale has not been good but last week it was great,i bought this table for a couple of pounds hopefully if the weather stays dry i will get it painted.The orange cake tins were 50p the red cake tin was a £1 and the little kitchen utensils were 30p for the lot.

Of course i can never come home without books,again they were 30p 10p and 50p,the chicken cookbook is going south to my brother and his wife,every time i ask what he is having for tea or dinner its usually chicken or salmon so i am always on the lookout for these sort of books.It looks like its going to be another warm and sunny day here in the North East so Sundays car boot sale should be a good one,fingers crossed.

Here are a few more bargains from last week,the beads are going to my friend who makes her own jewellery,again every thing was between 30pfor the bells 50p -£2 for the jewellery the cd /radio again was £2.00.I also bought a huge bag of tennis balls for the dogs.

And yet more books,all Enid Blyton they were 10p each.So all in all a great haul.Lets hope tomorrow will be as good,i am now of to watch the final of Britains got Talent.Hope you all have a great weekend.~Kate~

Braided Rug and Car Boot Finds

Was in Tescos last night and came across this pink braided rug for £5.99 and i thought i have to have this,i came home and checked out the latest catalogue to see if they came in different colours bad sadly no,they did have girls red checked bedding its so sweet check it out.

This is my latest addition a cross silkie cockerel he has settled in well with the girls,he came free from our local ads paper.One of the girls is moulting so not laying as well but hopefully it will be back to 2 a day soon.

My rhubarb is growing quite well ,its always late in the North East,i love to make jam and crumbles,but this year i am hoping to find news ways with the rhubarb so any recipes would be welcome.

On mothers day i recieved flowers cards and this recipe book,we usually go out but my mum has had a bad fall and cracked her ribs so my time has been taken up looking after her,today she came for a visit but i had to take her home after lunchtime i think it was maybe just a little to early for her to be out and about.

And of course on Sunday it was my happy day bargain hunting, and look at these goodies,the baskets were £2.00 and the picture 50p, i had to try and be good but as you will see by the next few pictures i was not.

My friend who was with me egged me on to buy this lovely hand bag for £3.oo.The next 2 items i didn't need much encouragement as you will see i just love baskets the older the better,the first one is for the cats and the other is a childrens cycle basket,my excuse is its for Ellis,(honest Diane).

The garden is being prepared for potatoes and vegetables,so i will keep you all up to date on how its going.Well thats all for today,hope everyone is enjoying the spring sunshine.~Kate~

A Few pictures of my car boot finds and ginger boy

This is my ginger boy,you can usually find him here every morning after he has been out all night he comes in has his breakfast then he sleeps there following the sun along the top of the sofa,then he has his supper and away out for the night,this is just one of my cats i must try and take pictures of the rest of them.He is a great hunter and is never far from the house his only fault is he is not to keen on my neighbours cat but i think Sooty feels the same.

The car boot sale has started to become really good again for bargains.I bought the herb pot for £1 some of the glaze is missing but i thought once there is plants in it know one would notice it.The metal pail and the chicken grain ladle was £2 i have been looking for one of these for awhile now,my friends laugh at me i keep telling them if you look hard enough each week it will be there,i overheard a lady saying to her friend there is everything to found here even the kitchen sink and i looked round and there was one so we started to laugh and they were right.

The old mixing bowl was £1.50 and the blue/white enamel pie dish was 50p and the pressure cooker was a find at £3.50 i have just started to use the pressure cooker again as it saves so much time and money,i bought one new from Argos at christmas time and it was not cheap,so i am glad to have came across this one it is in good condition.

This ottoman was £3.50 i passed it 3 times and i thought if it is still there when i go back it is comming home with me, and this bolster was another find it was £4.00 the lady selling it had loads and loads of lovely fresh linen,towels tablecloths,and bedding but by this time my purse was empty.

I know what you must be thinking sledges,but they were only £1 each when it snowed the shops were sold out and the ones you could buy were expensive so better to be prepared i say.My friend asked me to look out for a basket for the kids toys again they were £2.00 each then a bag of wool.Soi had a great day on Sunday and everything was a bargain.The chickens are laying well i am hoping to buy a few more this weekend.A friend has asked if they could plant potatoes in my garden as they don't have space,they will share the harvest with me i am just pleased to see the ground used,i just wish i had more time for the garden as the soil is really good for all vegetables,hopefully my fruits trees i have bought will bare fruit this year so i will keep you posted.Hope you are all having a good week so far.Take care~Kate~

Good Start To The Week So Far.

My week started of really well, i had a good day at the car boot sale my first visit this year on Sunday.Monday i was given this sweet hen house with a run and 2 hens.They have been good girls laid 2 eggs every day since they have arrived,they will have to stay in a run as i have foxes that are around most days, i have let my hens out before and mr fox has had his tea,so they will have to be kept in a secure run.

The heart wreath with chickens and small heart i found at my local garden centre along with this heart plant stake.

This is a couple of my finds at the car boot sale on Sunday,a noahs ark and shapes to go on a fridge, my little grandson will love these.

Today my Home Farmer magazine arrived , its full of ideas for gardeners,allotment holders,small farmers.chicken lovers, cooks and full of household tips ,its well worth a look.

And heres the eggs the girls laid,a cheese dish from a charity shop and a fabric chicken that was a present for last years birthday.As you can see i really do love chickens,i could do a whole posting on chickens all shapes and sizes.I picked up the book from the charity shop and the chicken breakfast set for Ellis i found at the boot sale on sunday,my best find this week was a cream wooden rocking chair for a friend, that has been wanting for some time now and i only paid £5.00 for it and as my mum was waiting for me to pick her and all my finds up someone came and offered her £20 for it but she said no bless her,so my friend was really pleased,i will post a picture of it later.Hope the rest of the week goes well as the start of it.Take care~Kate~

Few pictures

My daughter-in-law was bridesmaid at her best school friends wedding in January ,it was a freezing cold day little Ellis had to wear a warm jumper with outfit.He wore the same tartan as his dad he was so sweet(i would say that)he was good in church his dad kept him quiet by feeding him pancakes,i looked after him while they went on to the wedding party and i picked them up the next day.

This is my 2 of my kitties i have 8, most of them live outside except when its snowing a lot and this day it was,so i discovered this 2 all snuggled up on my bed.The patchwork is actually a duvet cover i bought from e-bay,it was a quilt top but they must have decided to make a duvet cover i just love all the colours and it is all hand stitched i lie in bed and night and try to imagine where all the patches have came from the items of clothing,i think there are pieces from curtains, mens shirts , and ladies dresses, i bet they have a lot of history.I love old quilts i must take a few pictures of all the quilts i have collected ,one day i will have a post about that.

The picture below is a few more of my birthdays gifts,my friend pooky whom i met through the CS forum, gave me this lovely candle stick i just love the colour of it, and the little clothes pegs and the scented sachets all my favourite scents and the little birds nest for easter.The mohair bear was hand made by my prim friend Diane.The jars with thread and buttons are just for show.

I was so lucky on my birthday to have such warm and kind friends,the Grandma Memory box was also from Pooky as was the Willow girl i now have a few of these i love them.The cat sewing box was from another friend and the picture album was another gift from a prim friend.Well thats all for now hope you enjoy the pictures Take care~Kate~

My Christmas and birthday gifts i received

This is what it was like here this morning at 7.30a.m.It snowed yesterday from 5.30 until 2.30p.m,then it was all slushy,but during the night the frost came down and at 7.30 a.m. it started snowing is still snowing and its now 10.00 a.m so i am house bound for the day so i thought i would show you pictures of the lovley presents i received from my prim friend Diane from Wherefoxglovesgrow.blogspot.for my christmas and birthday which was on the 3rd of Feb.

Diane sprayed the basket gathered the cones and made the hearts and the pears i had been wanting pears after seeing them in Rondells home.

These are just a few of the goodies for my birthday a couple of panels to sew and a jar of pot cinnamon and spices for christmas. and heart tea light holders sory the pictures are not that clear.

I just love the heart holder i am going use that to hold picrures of my grandson,and i hope to find a nice house plant to go in the wire basket.Diane found the bells and tree in a christmas shop before christmas.Diane and i buy prim itmes when we find them as they are so hard to find here.

The halloween cat came from the states,Diane also mead the pear and i also love wooden bobbins.The little boxes are so cute i just love them to.

Diane sewed the cushions,made the sheep garland and the halloween stocking.

The green cat came from the states and she made the one with the red check dress, i can't wait to display all of my goodies at halloween time.

The cat was also handmade.I have been so lucky this christmas and birthday,i will post more pictures of other goodies i received from friends and family, i am so grateful to everyone who has taken time to make and put a lot of thought into all my gifts.Thak you to all my friends.Well i am of to shovel the snow from the steps.And i might even post again later.Take care~Kate~

Happy Birthday Rabbie Burns ~250years~

Today is Robbie Burns birthday all over Scotland last night and today we are celebrating the birth of Robbie Burns if you log on to Robertburns.org you well see lots of interesting facts about him and there will be translations of his work,even i struggle to understand the dialect.lol.Last night a couple of my friends went to a Burns supper, it was arranged by a local group of Scottish Country dancing ladies that a friend has joined.We were greeted with drinks and nibbles, then we sat down at our table the lights went out and this is a picture of the piper piping in the haggis he went round the tables twice.Then there was toasts to the haggis after that we all got haggis,neeps,tatties,and for the first time there was baked beans to have with the haggis so i decided to give it a try and i really enjoyed it,after that we had scottish cheddar cheese oatcakes, Tunnocks caramel wafers and teackes cakes that are famous here in Scotland, and after eight mints,and of course a few people toasted with good old whisky i don't drink so i toasted with water.A few people did some more recitals then it was down to the scottish country dancing it was a great night,sorry i don't have more pictures but my camera batteries went dead,a lady is going to send me pictures that she has taken so i will post them when they come.Hope you will log on the Robbie Burns site and see why we celebrate.~Take Care Kate~

Happy New Year From Scotland

Wishing you all a very Happy And Healthy 2009.My friends and i attended a hogmany party at our local hotel.This is the very first time we have done this we are usually found staying at home watching the New Year on the T.V,so we decided to book this back in the summer.It started at 6.30pm and went on until 1.00 a.m we had a great time ,this is a picture of the lady piper piping in the New Year, i did try and get more pictures but my camera was not working very well.

This is a picture of my friend and husband bringing 2009.

This is Hazel trying to work out how to blow up these balloons,every one had at least 3 each per person so you can imagine the fun that was had by all.As soon as the band started every one was on the floor dancing the Gay Gordons,Dashing White sargent,strip the willow and of course an eightsome reel.I was quite surprised we managed to do all the dances and not have sore feet the next day.The company was great everyone joined in and danced with other couples,so we are booking again soon.I will be posting pictures of my christmas, i know late as usual,i had the flu twice in December then had to go to the doctors on the 30th december as i had sinus problems and thank goodness he prescribed anitboitics.This is just a short post.Hope you are all well and looking forward to 2009.Take care~Kate~