A few spots to finish off half term ..

Well, that's another weeks holiday over with ... or is it ?

Boo came out in spots this afternoon which look suspiciously like 'Chicken Pops' spots. Yikes !
But hopefully, if confirmed by any blistering overnight/ by the doctor tomorrow then 2nd time around won't be as horrible for her.

She has been grumpy for a few days and has had the snots which haven't really come to a full blown cold ~ isn't that another sign ?


Still, we managed to fit in a lovely birthday party for Boo's little friend 'Moo' yesterday. It was held at the same fab tennis club that Boo had her party. Only difference was the extra warm sunshine. It was a lovely afternoon and as you can see Boo had her giant feet on ~ essential equipment for a sports party ...
1. Good for kicking a football
2. Good for running fast
3. Perfect for skipping
4. And great for comedy photo's


This is Master G, Moo's older brother. He adores Archie and here they are deep in 'Boy Talk'. How cute is this photo ?



We've spent a busy last day of hols gardening and doing lots of outside stuff. We planted our Grape vines ~ and we've even got some baby grapes growing. And that little cutesy purple plant at the bottom is an Aubretia. Boo chose it herself and bought it out of her £1.00 a week pocket money. She also wanted a new watering can but she hadn't acrued enough pocket money so we did a deal and she's got it on tick :)

You may be thinking £1.00 a week is a tad tight but she's only 5 and like a lot of kids, I suspect, she has started to ask for 'something' wherever we go. It might only be a pencil or a colouring book but the habit started to settle so decided that if she had her own 'little bit of money' she could learn the very basics of the value of money.


Our lovely smelly Jasminoids ...

The Pergoda, finally finished. It's been fab sat underneath it in the shade today. The birds like to poo on the top of it though ...



Boo's 'done deal' watering can. How much much did Boo & Archie have this afternoon ? A brilliant way of keeping Archie cool. The neighbours may have been a bit annoyed as there was a lot of shouting, screaming, laughing and barking. I didn't worry too much though as through the morning we'd had to contend with a chain saw, several lawn mowers, a car engine running for ages, a strimmer and some sort of vacuum machinery. Hey Ho ...

No Chicken Pop spots as yet.


More water, more laughing and LOTS more barking ...
Still no Chicken Pop spots.


The eventual prize .. a schnozzle full of water and .... Oh, and a spot.
Happy Olidays :`)

Half Term Happiness

This week has been full on ... lots of fun and activities and a bit of work too. Nice Combo.
I had a commission for another Dog Lead Hanger with the request that it was 'Greens'. Green isn't my favourite colour unless it's attached to a tree or plants of the final furlong at Newbury Racecourse :)
But, I do quite like this version, especially the dotty fabric.


Bank Holiday saw us at a friends house for Sunday Lunch. Four adults, three kids and a dog ... Phew !
It was great fun and very what I call 'Home from Home' I've know my friend for over 30 years so it's more a case of taking my slippers and 'slobbing'.


We are all on Slimming World and so pudding was SW 'Eton Mess'. You'd never know, truly YUMMY. Here I am mixing in the meringues. Yum ! Yum !


And here I am being told off for not 'folding' in the meringues' properly. Oops !


Mr Boo having a little sunshine, it was quite warm so I insisted he put his sunhat on. Very becoming I thought.
After lunch the kids got a bit frisky, NO correction, they were becoming a pain in the bum, so we decided to take Archie for a little walk ... Hmmm, little walk ?

We ended up tromping through the woods, over the M3 motorway bridge, through more woods whereupon we met a lady in white linen trousers and stillettos ... Why ? Very bizarre indeed, round the bend, down a lane and eventually we came upon a pub. Yeeesssssssss ....
Fantastic !!!!

So we all sat in the pub garden and had a glass of pop, Archie had a bucket of water and a nice rest was had by all. The only downside was that we had to walk back ...

A lovely day, lovely lunch AND we walked it off. Perfect !

A bit of Girly'ness and a Giant Dog Nose ...

Nothing much to tell you other than 'I'm a bit fed up'.
Archibalds training has gone tits up (sorry about my use of descriptives) this week. He's such a teenage boy, all defiant and a right ole' pain in the arse. I took him out for his straining this morning and all he wanted to do was run around the field tracking all the bunny scent.
Recall was rubbish, his sit and stay was rubbish, he is DEAF to the command SIT, retrieving his dummy was an excuse to run around the sodding field and have a jolly and his heelwork was more like next county work i.e. he couldn't get far enough away from my heel ! But, he did have a decent poo !!

Lord give me strength ... I know that Springers will test the most patient of saints, I know the breed is not the easiest to train and I know that being a boy just adds to the mix but ....
I'm no bloody saint !
D'you here me Archibald ? I AM NOT A SAINT AND MY PATIENCE IS NOT ENDLESS.

OK, count to 10 and relax, take a step back and don't get cross. Have half a KitKat ~ cos they are only 5 sins of Slimming World, put the radio on and sew.

Sew, here is my stress busting activity. Just a little glimpse eh ? Very pink, very girly and very summery. I think I am quite calm now. I've also got a lovely commission to start so I'll have plenty of de-stressing sewing to get on with.

Look at him ... how could I get frustrated with him you ask ? Easily actually.


"What about a leaf mum? Peace offering? No ? It's a nice dried up scrunchy one that'll make a lovely mess on the lounge carpet when I bring it in and shred it"
Aghhhhhhhhh ....

Hmmm .... Anyone want a delinquent Spaniel? Only joking. Time and maturity will help and I just have to persevere with the training.
I do love you Archie but boy you are hard work.

Let's Go Fly A Kite ...

Just a quickie post today as I've been a tad busy.
Blimey O' Reily, how windy was it today ? Not the best conditions for training an uber, extra energetic, loony, stubborn, teenage Springer Spaniel who, at the moment, is none too keen on doing as he's told.


At 8 months old, Archibald has just started cocking his leg ~ or should I say 'attempting to have a wee whilst doing a cartwheel'. He hasn't quite mastered this cocking of the old leg business just yet as he gets himself into the most over-exaggerated positions and looks like he's performing some clever gymnastic move. Bless him, his hormones are raging and so, just like a teenager, he thinks he knows best ... I think not !

So, with those two factors in mind i.e. the wind and a headstrong young pup, I've made a new hanging textile picture.
Dotty Dog is having rather a lot of fun with his kite on a windy day. Look at those ears flapping around, must be quite blowy out there.

I don't like the description 'hanging textile picture' but can't think of another suitable name at present ... So, if anyone can suggest another which suits my style of applique work, that'd be fantabulous :)

HaPpY BiRthDaY Mr BoO ...

Mr Boo is another year older but still younger than me Grrrrrrr ... Looking Good Mr Boo, those eyes still do it for me. Aren't they the most loveliest, twinkly, sparkly eyeballs ? And a beautiful bright Hazel colour too. They compliment my 'puddle' colour eyes beautifully.

So, to celebrate, the three of us went out for Sunday Lunch at a nice Country Pub and stuffed ourselves silly. We pushed the boat out and even had starters. It was a very yummy dinner indeedy.

Because we pigged out (and supposed to be on Slimmers World ~ yes, it really does work) we all went to the Country Park for a walk in the afternoon. I did a bit of training with Archie in an adjacent field and Mr Boo and Boo went on the swings for a bit. Mr Boo Loves the swings, I think more so than the slide he! he!

Archie and I have 3 more Gundog Training sessions before we take our Grade 1 test and to put it bluntly, I'm not holding out much hope.
Let me explain ...

HEEL: The handler is required to walk his dog on a loose lead from the line to the 15 yard sit marker. Maximum 10 points for the heel.
~ Archie pulls like a train. Loose lead is not in his vocab as yet. He's got better but he's still rubbish at it. In too much of a hurry to get somewhere.

SIT: The handler is required to sit the dog at the 15 yard marker with one command, remove the lead, and to return to the line without the dog. . Maximum 10 points for the sit
~ Do 3 sit commands count ? No ? Oh well, that'll be a fail then ...

STAY: The dog must remain seated for 30 seconds. The handler is allowed to give the dog one ‘stay’ reminder either before returning to the line, or from the line if he wishes to do so. Maximum 10 points for the stay.
~ Ha! Ha! If it's windy, double Ha! Ha! with knobs on ...

RECALL: The handler will be required to recall the dog from the line by voice or whistle without undue delay and to replace his lead without fuss. Maximum 10 points for the recall.
~ This shouldn't pose too much of a problem unless Archie decides to bugger about and go off on a jolly around the field ~ Hmm, highly likely !

RETRIEVE NO 1 A single marked retrieve on land and in clear view at 15 yards. Maximum points 20

RETRIEVE NO 2 A single marked retrieve on land and in clear view at 20 yards. Maximum points 20

~ Archie's retrieving is very good apart from the fact he:
a) screams and barks when he see's the dummy because he's so excited.
b) will perform a perfect retrieve but then fanny about with it in his mouth and not recall back to me.

Bless him, he's actually a lot better than he sounds and has come a long way BUT we still have a long way to go. The other 6 dogs all have their problems too so I think we are all nervous about the test. That said, my trainer has told me that Archie is a cracking little dog, has a lot of potential BUT has issues. He's still only 8 months old, his male hormones are raging AND he's a Springer Spaniel.
Say no more.


I still love him though ... even though he's lying next to me excreting the most foul smelling farts you can imagine. Whatever it was, it was flippin rotten !


Boo & I had a bit of fun clambering up this muddy steep. Of course Boo fell over and ended up covered in mud, but then I wouldn't expect anything less from her.

Mind you it was pretty steep and very slippery ...


Boo on the Giant Wooden Snail sculpture ...


Mr Boo got a fab new camera for his birthday and so we brought it a long for a test drive this afternoon. I love buttercups.

Don't you think Archie looks like a zombie dog in this picture ? His eyes are incredible, we call him wolfy eyes. He's waiting for his next command ~ doesn't mean to say he'll comply though.

Our gorgeous 'munchie scrunchie' Boo, having fun in the park. Boy was it windy today.We are all bathed and hairwashed and just off to bed for a story. Nighty Night. I can escape the putrid farts now, yay !

The Princess has Pea'd Again ....

Af'Noon from a wet and windy Berkshire ... Yuk ! It's orrible today. Archibald and I did our training this morning in the rain - I should have taken a boat ! He was a very good boy and we made the training fun. I've had problems with his recall when other dogs and people are around i.e. he bolts toward them and becomes completely deaf to my voice or whistle.

So, on the advice of a Gundog trainer I've been running around a field of long wet grass, changing direction every few yards. This makes Arhcie keep his eye on me because he doesn't know where I will go next so he follows me. Going on a normal walk generally means walking in a straight line (even if you are doing a 'round' walk') so the dog always knows where you are ~ not a problem if you have a dog that is not interested in chasing bunnies, deer, people, balls, bikes or other dogs !

But once Archie spots another dog or person he just wants to go up and say hello, jump about a bit and play. This is not a good idea if:

a) he is muddy and jumps up at someone with pristine clean clothes just out for a Sunday stroll
b) a small child
c) a dog who doesn't want to interact/ play with other dogs
d) someone scared of dogs

A solid recall will save a dogs life one day. It's paramount that we get this right. He was attacked by a Rottweiler last week. So, apart from the basics of heelwork, sit and wait and the stop whistle, the recall is my mission at the moment.

Because I have been so embroiled in training Archie it's meant that I haven't spent as much time in my studio. I'm in danger of becoming extremely dull as apparantly according to Mr. Boo, the Gundog training is all I talk about. But, in my defense, it's my way of thinking out loud and working things through my mind because it's frustrating, tiring and bloody hard work ~ especially when you have a 'Kevin the Teenager' Springer Spaniel who is extremely willful and stubborn.

Having said that my little man is doing OK, it's early days and he's still a puppy. He still needs to enjoy his puppyhood but he MUST learn the basics whether he likes it or not !

OK, so before we embark on our 2nd training session of the day (we have to practice for two 20 minute sessions each day) I want to show you my new 'Princess and the Pea' mini art quilt.

Isn't she 'pwetty' ? (don't tell anyone but she looks like a moose from the front)

I'm revamping my website to include payment facilities so she'll be bound for that at some point. I make them on commission so if anyone is interested please just drop me an email.
Rapunzel is in the pipeline too but her hair isn't long enough yet :)

Oh bugger, it's still raining so that'll be another pair of troo's for the wash later then.

I watch you sleeping ...

This is the name of a CD I bought when Boo was a baby, I think it was an M&S compilation of Lullabys. Five years on and we are still playing it at night time. We alternate the music but at the moment it's this CD.
Last night we cuddled up in our Dutailer Rocker and read and chatted and counted to 100 - several times. Did you know that after 109 comes a 'millety fillety?'. That's a very big number you know.

It brings all those cuddly wuddly moments flooding back. I would sit in my Dutailer Rocker, Boo in arms, looking up at me all bossed eyed and smelling of babies. What special, special memories.
Back to last night. We'd finished our stories and Boo asked if she could snuggle up in the Dutailer until she fell asleep.


Having glanced at her bed, I agreed. I wanted a bath and weighed up getting in all those warm bubbles to read my book against trying to reason why Boo couldn't fall asleep in the chair. Would there be a reasonable reason why she couldn't. Not really.
The chair won by miles !

How many soft toys ? She'd propped them all up against a pillow so she 'couldn't possibly' disturb them all.


Once she'd dropped off I put her back into her bed, surrounded by her favourite bedtime chums. I sat in the chair and just 'watched my baby sleeping' ~ just for a little while.

Sometimes you have to just slow down, take in the moment and indulge. Our little ones grow up so quickly, before we know it there will be signs on the door saying 'Keep Out'. There will be no more cuddles in bed, no more special story times and no more sitting in the chair watching them sleeping. Just a roll over and a fart no doubt ...

For now I am going to make the most of these very special moments.
I'm going to try not to rush to get down the stairs in time to catch Coronation Street or slump on the sofa with a magazine or wash up or load the washing machine or jump on the pooter.


I popped into town to get my bonce cut today ~ a tad short (husband said it 'Was er neat', how very diplomatic eh?)
It'll grow. I just won't be able to wear combat troos, a T-shirt and heavy boots for a bit, if you get me drift :)
Whilst there I popped into John Lewis to stroke their range of Amy Butler and new Cath Kidson fabrics. And look what jumped into my shopping bag. Just a bit of each, enough for a few more Princess mattresses.

Nearly finished ...

Boo & I are just off to bed now, the bubble bath and book can wait for a bit.

Princesses, Peas, Hefty Thighs and a bit of Fox Poo

Little girls are such an inspiration aren't they ? And especially so when they are 5 years old. Boo likes a bit of pink, she loves fairies and she's partial to a Disney Princess or two. She also loves getting wet and muddy, clambering over things she shouldn't, tromping through the woods, digging in the mud and Lightening McQueen.

I love the fact that she enjoys the rufty tufty activities as well as the more girly things - makes for a very rounded little person I think.
Anyhow, Boo was obviously in a 'Pink' mood as she'd asked me to make another Princess And The Pea' picture. It's my most favourite, bestest fairytale and I could spend all day picking out fabrics for her mattresses.

This one will be for sale when I have finished it but I'll have to make Boo one at some point.

I want to get some prints of my applique work but haven't had much success in finding out how to go about it. Any help and advice on this front would be gratefuly accepted.















Saturday saw week two of Archie and mines Grade 1 Gundog Training. He did very well and we are both learning together. He did disgrace himself though before we'd even started the training by rolling in Fox poo, nice!
This was the sight that greeted me when we got home. Boo and Mr Boo having a 'Relax Party' outside her playhouse. It's a lovely sunny spot and there they were sat in the sunshine putting the world to tights.
I got told off for not wiping my feet before I sat down, cheeky littlt moo eh ?

Note to self: Must get round to giving Boo's house a lick of paint or varnish ...





















My handsome boy! How gorgeous is he ? He's actually saying in this picture ...
"I love you mum, I really love you"

































D'you know, I forgot to brush my hair on the morning of the training. Does it look obvious ?
I was running a bit late and completely forgot. Nothing a bit of finger combing can't sort out ...
It's not a fashion show. We are in a windy field next to the M4 so I wasn't too bothered.

Blimey, my thighs look 'HUGE' in the photo, they aren't in real life, must be the way I am sat. I was so hot and bothered I just slouched in the chair.
Another note to self: Don't slouch in chairs ...