The Last of January and a Thoughtful Son.

January is now behind us and February is already here.  Can somebody enlighten me please as to how that happened so fast?!

A highlight of the last few days of January for me was Afternoon Tea at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester with my lovely cousin, Sylvia.   Of course, Afternoon Tea for Two at The Hilton is a big treat and this treat was a Christmas gift to Sylvia from her ever so thoughtful son, James. 

We had window seats and this was our far reaching view over the city of Manchester as we ate, drank and chatted the afternoon away.  And boy, can we chat – we never get stuck for something to chat about.  Ever!

As dusk sneakily fell lights began to twinkle all over the city but with forecast imminent heavy falls of snow on the horizon we had to call it a day and head for the train.  However, we did make time for a glass of champagne to round off the afternoon.  Very civilized.

A quick visit to the ladies room on the way out raised a smile.  Sylvia took one look at the window graphics and quipped “don’t jump, love” before my mind had even processed what the picture was all about. She’s quick like that.  :-)  

So, what a lovely present Afternoon Tea for Two at The Hilton was!  We had a good time didn’t we, Syl?  Even dashing back through the city streets in the rain dodging the traffic was fun!

 

Now other bits and bobs now from the last of January.

I finished my patchwork table topper and I’m very happy with it.  It’s sitting on my dining room table and it makes me happy every time I see it.

George has stayed with us again.  I like this Instagram pic of him.  Relaxed and happy looking plugged into his tablet.

Another picture I snapped with my iPhone.  This time during a game of good old-fashioned draughts we played together.  We played a bit of Scrabble too.  That set of draughts is what you might call vintage now.  I’ve had it since well before I got married. 

I habitually peep my head between the curtains to look at the night sky before I get ready for bed.  This particular night the snow had begun to fall and everywhere looked so calm and peaceful I decided to capture the scene for posterity.  And with that I’ll sign off.

TTFN,

Needles and Pins

In December, after many years of intending one day to make a patchwork quilt I finally took the plunge and made one, albeit a small one.

And here it is my first attempt ever at patchwork quilting.  A Christmas table topper.  I had hoped to finish it in time for Christmas but didn’t quite manage it.  I’m really quite pleased with it and can see plenty more of this in my future for certain.

I indulged in a bit of knitting before Christmas too.

 

This side of Christmas I’ve been having a lot of fun sewing.  I made this simple slip-in cover for my Kindle and little zipped pouch to hold my knitting and crochet bits and pieces.  I’ve also made a couple of patchwork tote bags but I can’t get a good picture of them for love nor money so will not be putting them on show here.

 

Oh, and I’ve turned a king size duvet cover into a double sized one with two matching pillowcases.  That was very satisfying because there’s also plenty of material left over to use in a quilting project of some description.

And finally this crochet blanket is finished apart from the blocking.  So, what to do next is the question.  I’ll come up with something that’s for sure.

Until next time,