ATTICUS AND HEDGES

 

Atticus is relieved to finally be changed out of the Santa suit ! Yes I know it's the last day of February but in truth if this set had not arrived in the post from Michelle, he'd probably still be in it !

Atticus is standing near all the bits of branches from our neighbours hedge !

Our neighbour reduced his hedge height a few years back and all was well , however his  gardeners 

complained that they couldn't reach the top!! Don't think they had heard of ladders or attachments or even scaffold boards ! Finally last year his new gardeners gave him a price to reduce it down again and he and us have been waiting ever since for it to happen ! In that time it's now about seven foot above the original cut back and like a row of mini trees on top of the hedge.

Paul's been nagging him on and off, the gardener's been making excuses so finally , the neighbour came round to borrow our chainsaw !

So Paul told him he'd give him a hand as we didn't want him hurting himself by trying to do it on his own.

This is what just two pieces look like that came down on our side ! And they were too heavy for Paul to move without cutting for some branches.

and of course they managed to break a love clay pot that had tulip bulbs just starting to appear ! 

So a gap is appearing, they stopped for a few hours and for Paul to have a look at the chainsaw which had started playing up.

So about ten foot done , although needs tidying up once all down. The tall green in the centre is his hedge the other side, which is nothing to do with us and he'll need to chase up his gardeners about .

So just another seventy foot to go !! And that's after we cut the hedge back to the fence line to put up our fence a few years back ! Maybe his gardeners will turn up?  Mm I doubt it, well not until they can say, sorry there are birds nesting so we'll have to wait !

and this is my flower garden !  Mutter mutter !

"Come on mum it will be worth it in the end " say Atticus " let's go have a cuppa, you know it will make it all seem better "

KNIT ONE PURL ONE !

 So you may remember I decided to make up some goodie bags for this tenth and final Chat n Snap event that will take place in October.

Well having done a deal with my sister Michelle, to make me lots of  lovely cardigans for the dolls, I decided to make some hats to add to the bags. Michelle's been making me twelve at a time and sending them to me and I gave her a target of forty but gave myself a total of fifty. 

Now don't panic ! Bea at the top of the page is wearing a prototype I'm trying using a pattern for a larger doll, needs a tweak or three first ! 

I now have thirty six cardigans in a lovely range of colours. 

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Now we've seen all the ones made so far, I've picked another three shades of lilac, two blues and a peach.

Some of the hats I've made.

Now it is supposed to be one cardie and one hat. But of course that would be too easy. Now I have fifty hats , I find I cannot just put any old colour hat in with any old colour cardigan. 

So I've been seeing which hats go better with which cardigans.

starting to see which goes with which.

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a little change here and there, can you spot them? 

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So there a couple of cardigans that I don't have hats to completement with at the moment and another six cardigans will arrive next month, so may need another couple. However I do have lots of hats already made and plans for more, plus plenty of wool to look through to hopefully find a few matches.

IT'S THE FIFTH SO DOLL PHOTO DAY

 Yes already month number two ! At least we are heading towards warmer ? weather somewhere in the not too distance future.

Let's get this party started . . .

Over in Gregoropolis. . . . Love is in the air. . . so sweet bonding over a ice cream sundae.

 

These little Kish dolls, belonging to Gill, are looking curious about what's going on.

Over at RoRoPo,  Julchen and Ruben are inspecting the flowers and dreaming of Spring! 

Here in the village only Angel and Bea were prepared to go outside for  a quick photo shoot, although 

they have informed me I need to spruce the area up a bit, if I'm not willing to go further down the garden!

From Michelle we have three of her boys looking nice and warm in their winter clothes.

Some of her Ruby Red dolls also looking lovely and cosy.

Thank you to everyone sending in a photo or two of their dolls. Still time to add one of yours, just send it in.

Dee

CHATTING AND SNAPPING NUMBER TEN!

 

So the last Chat n Snap will be held this year on the 25th October. Lots of chatting gets done along with lots of snapping of dolls, dolls clothing, shoes and furniture etc. Raffle tickets are sold and there is always a lovely donated spread of prizes to chose from, if your number is called.

Sales tables run by our talented Sasha creatives.

My lovely friend and daughters are there to offer drinks and food and to assist to make the whole thing run smoothly, along with the long suffering husband Paul, who does all the heavy work and makes the items I need for the display.

It's the cheapest event in the Sasha doll calendar, so book early so you don't miss it.

A FEBRUARY SUNDAY SO SOON!

 On yes we are already in February! I know ! But at least it means we are getting closer to Spring.

Now I forgot to share something last Sunday and you may need to know this because it's probably happening to you too!

One room in this house we have never properly decorated is our bedroom. When we moved in the room was papered and painted in a deep coral bordering on O r a n g e ! Yes I know, it had to go, so I stripped the whole room and just washed down the walls and painted them in a colour called Mocha and so they have stayed that way while all around the house changes have happened and other walls decorated.

So we have started work finally, now it's coming up to having lived here twenty years ! So you saw the wallpapers I have been considering but I'm planning on seeing what my originally purchased  wallpaper from 19 years back, looks like before I give up on using it. 

So spying ! Yes being spied on , is what I'm sharing with you. Now last week once we'd gone up to bed, we were discussing the decoration of the room and we are intending to add some panelling behind the bed which stands in front of the back window. I was telling Paul about maybe using a deep pink on the panelling, he didn't disagree. 

Now the next day when I looked at my emails I found this

EXACTLY! in my emails , one from Farrow and Ball of deep pink panelling behind a bed!! How did they send me this the day after we'd talked about it ? 

Well that evening I had plugged my iphone in to charge on the other side of the bedroom! So it proves that your phones are listening in !! So now you have been warned ! 

Meanwhile I'm into knitting Hattie's hats for the Chat n Snap ! I had decided I could only use the 4ply wool I already had.

Most of which appears to be blues, with a touch of green and a few others. Well I did knit up a few of the plain colours. They are nice enough. 

But I have to say I do like /prefer the multi colour ones just a little more. 

So I have to confess I have bought a couple of balls of sock wool to bring in a few more colourways, I know I know, so much for not spending any money and using up wool I already have! 

However Hattie may have a small stall at the Chat n Snap to sell a few.

Speak of which I must announce it and start getting in some ticket money, so I have an idea if any one will actually be turning up this year, for the tenth and very last one !

To that end I have taken a couple of photo's for the announcement , so will probably do so tonight or tomorrow.

Today's or should I say tonight's ? Headliner is Sapphire. She kindly agreed to brave the quickly cooling evening air for a very mini photo shoot. 

On the doll front not much , apart hat knitting and wool buying has been happening, although I did pay off for one of my layaway dolls and will pay for the second in the next couple of weeks, all being well.

Then I will try not to buy any more dolls etc for the rest of this quarter !! See I don't say year or six months because I know even a quarter will be pushing it ! It's always as if the doll gods look down and nudge each other saying " Did she just say she's not buying any more dolls? " " Yes" " Really ? " " yes " " oh foolish woman, let's see what we can tempted her with !"

They see it as a challenge  and they know they can win !

So it will be the fifth in a couple of day, so get those doll photos sent in, all dolls welcome, not just Sasha's.

Now I found some wispy yarn, so I'm off to knit a Hattie Hat in it to see how it comes out. Have a lovely happy healthy week ahead.

Dee