At Last...

I have a finish, only a little one, but it's a finish - WOO HOO!  

It's been ages, well years, since I've mounted a finish into a greetings card, but this was a must do for my daughter-in-law Nic's birthday.  A few years ago Nic celebrated her 30th, with a 1920s themed party, so when I saw this (which I think was a year or so ago now, in issue 71 of the Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine), I had to buy it, knowing she would love it!  This is just one of six designs by Lesley Teare from the magazine - I'm sure I'll be stitching one or two more for Nic in the future, even though I did find the fractional stitches a bit trying - I really do hate them! 

Well, I don't know where the time goes, but I'm back again here in a very hot Dubai, but keeping a lot cooler indoors with the AC then I was at home in the UK!  I was home for almost six weeks, and spent lots of lovely time with my Mum, and seeing my sister Sarah.  We didn't get to see a lot of Jason and Matthew, due to them both being very busy with work and other commitments, but had a great time when we did get together, and we'll be seeing them again very soon, because they're both, with Nic, coming out to stay in October.  We're all very excited and can't wait, we’re going to have so much fun!

I’m just about caught up with housework now, and looking forward to catching up with my stitching!  There was a fair bit more dust here then I was expecting to find on my return, mostly due I think to having to keep the AC on so that the villa kept cool for the two weeks that Colin was back in the UK with me.  It's surprising how dusty it gets when you’re not here to keep on top of it, quite a contrast to what I found when I returned home after being away for six months, but then I suppose I am living in a bit of a sandpit here...lol!

I'm really hoping to be blogging again soon with another little finish.  I have plenty of stitched pieces just waiting to be made up, some still waiting from way back, so perhaps I might just dig one or two of those out, and do a really quick finish with them!

Bye for now, hope to be back soon, and thank you for stopping by!  :o)

I've been spoilt!

Well actually Colin has spoilt me several times since I've joined him here in Dubai, but this weekend he bought me this beautiful FreyWille bangle while we were out shopping at one of the malls.  I've loved FreyWille jewellery for ages and was very excited to find a FreyWille shop when I arrived here, and to be able to actually see them in real life and get to try on the different styles.  It was difficult to choose one as they are all so lovely, but in the end I decided that as I wanted to be able to wear it a lot, a style with lots of colours would be a good choice and would go with most things.  I couldn't believe I was carrying my own back home with me at the end of the day, it was a totally unexpected surprise!  Could it be a pressie because he's going to miss me when I leave him next weekend to come home to the UK for a visit, or perhaps it's because he's looking forward to a bit of piece and quiet for a few weeks until he comes home to join me…lol!

I'm Still Here!

This is just a quickie to say that I'm still around!  I should have blogged sooner but have been very busy settling into our little villa here in Dubai.  It took us a lot longer to find one that we would be happy to rent during our stay here, but we got there eventually, and now after all the scrubbing, cleaning and shopping, the villa is beginning to feel more homely!  The only things we brought with us were our personal belongings, most of which was my stash…lol, so we've had to start from scratch, buying not only furniture but also pots, pans, towels, bedding, you name it, everything but the kitchen sink…lol, and trying not to go too much over the budget that Colin's company has allowed us.  Thank goodness for Ikea, which is where we bought the majority of the furniture.  We've had to be sensible, because apart from a few nice things we've already bought, and others that I'm sure we will be tempted to buy in the future, we're not planning on bringing anything back to the UK with us when we eventually do return home.  With almost all the shopping for the villa finished I'm now ready to hit the huge Malls here and do some serious shopping for me...lol!

With so much going on I've find it difficult to get back into my stitching, but I have recently picked up my needle again.  I've only done a little though, so have no finishes yet to share, and it's probably going to be a while longer too before I do, as I'm popping back home to the UK for a visit soon. DH is going to join me after 4 weeks and then we'll return back here to Dubai together at the end of August.  It's getting far too hot here in Dubai this time of the year so time to get away for a break!

As I have no stitchy pictures to share I thought you might like to see a few of my home here.

This is where I'm now sat blogging.  The empty space on the desk is where I was planning to keep my sewing machine set up.  That was until DH needed somewhere to spread out and set up the company laptop when he's working from home, so I've decided to keep my sewing machine safely out of his way and bring it out only when needed.

This is where I'm hoping to sit and get plenty of stitching done.  Excuse the light shade over the dining table, it was left by the landlord and is awful and will be replaced once I've found something that looks right with the ceiling fan that we've had fitted in the lounge area.

What we look on to from our bedroom balcony.

Thank you for popping by, and if you're a regular visitor thank you for returning and not forgetting me!  :o)

A Happy, Happy Day!

Or I should say, a happy, happy two days!  If you're a regular visitor to my blog, then you may remember me mentioning in this earlier post, that our eldest son Jason was marrying his beautiful fiancée Nicola on the 3rd December.  Well there were actually two weddings.  On the Friday we had the legal ceremony at the registry office in Hay-on-Wye, which was before the big day on the 3rd, a Humanist ceremony held at Nic's family home in Herefordshire.  A couple of weeks ago Jase sent me two DVDs full of beautiful photos, and I've chosen just a few of the happy day to share with you.

Mr and Mrs (Jason and Nic)

Jason and Nic with Colin and myself

The room where the ceremony took place

End of the ceremony

Jason with his brother Matthew

Wedding cake with Jason, Nic and Chota topper

The end of a fantastic day

This will probably be the last time for a while that I will find time to blog.  Colin's arriving home on Friday to help with the final preparations for our move to Dubai, so it's going to be a very busy time for us in the coming weeks, with the move and setting up a new home!  I've sorted all my stash ready for the removers to come and safely pack, and long to get back into some serious stitching when I'm finally settled in Dubai.  Until I'm back blogging again, take care and thank you for popping by.  :o)

Friends Count

A little gift for my friend (and hairdresser) Sue for her birthday, which is in a couple of weeks.  She doesn't use a computer so I know I won't spoil the surprise by posting this now.  Sue has been my hairdresser for 30 years, so when I move to Dubai in a few weeks time I'm going to really miss our monthly girlie chats while she does my hair! 

The design is 'Friends Count', a freebie from The Victoria Sampler which can be found on the website.  I've used the listed DMC threads and 28ct cream Cashel linen and finished it as a bookmark, but the design can also be finished framed by omitting the Nun's Stitch edging.  

This is the second time now that I've stitched this for a friend and I expect it won't be the last - I think it's a lovely gift to give, and as well as being enjoyable to stitch, it stitches up nice and quickly too!  :o)

A Stitch In Time

I love my Radley umbrella!  I've had it for a while now, but thought I'd show it off today anyway.  Isn't it just the perfect brollie for a stitcher!  I don't think I'll be having a lot of use for it when I'm in Dubai - I wouldn't even be able to use it here today in Plymouth either, with this wind and driving rain we're having!  :o)