birthday girl

Hello lovely family and friends!

Yesterday was my official birthday but as our family couldn't make it yesterday we had a get together a couple of weekends ago... so I kind of have two birthdays to share with you.

I hope you have a drink and something that can stand in for birthday cake... ready?

Here we go...

Son, daughter, son-in-law, Little Miss and Young Master got up early and traveled down to Somerset so that they could accompany us to church. Little Miss declared the best part was going up the front to help hold a bucket (and no, I can't remember story as I was entranced my grand children)!

We had lunch and cake...!...

...and presents :-)

This was a joint pressie; a photo taken by my lovely talented daughter of her children sitting outside a cafe drinking apple juice. Clever son suggested that they had it printed on to a stretched canvas for me and it's now proudly on display in the sitting room.

I LOVE it so much :-)

It is so perfectly posed yet not posed at all.

And it has a wonderful retro/vintagey quality about it don't you think?

Yummy! A double batch gluten and dairy free lemon drizzle cake made lovingly by my daughter... this was taken before the candles were added.

Luckily for me there was enough left over to freeze 12 slices :-)

Lunch was followed by a trip to the station in Minehead to see Thomas and friends and then on to Blenheim Gardens cafè for a drink and play...

It was such a lovely day :-)

And then we come to yesterday...

Lots of lovely phone calls, texts and facebook messages, parcels, gifts and cards... I felt very blessed (still do :-))

Lovely Husband, Bertie and I went out for the day first visiting Heddon Valley...

...with a gorgeous walk down to Heddon's Mouth. It is a wide and well maintained path that slopes downhill gently making it suitable for all ages.  (see here)

Followed by a picnic lunch and a walk around Arlington Court gardens and grounds (see here). I have no photos of this as I was well and truly overwhelmed by this time. Luckily we had a blanket with us and I was able to rest and recuperate in the shade. It's an Aspie thing (Asperger) where my brain can no longer deal with all the sensory information it was being bombarded with. It's not a problem as long as I'm with someone like Lovely Husband who understands the urgent need for quiet and rest.

We traveled back home over our beautiful, colourful Exmoor to a scrumptious dinner and bubbly in the garden...

Perfect!

There is still a present to come but I'll tell you about that a week our two after has arrived...I shall say no more for now.

Yes tis me with the short hair...I've had it like this for nearly a year now but i do really like the photo of me at the top on side...I will update it one day :-)

Thank you for sharing my birthdays with me :-)

Ttfn

Tracey xxx

I've been nominated....

Hello lovely followers and readers,

I'm a bit lost for words as I've been nominated for the Liebster Award

Thank you so much 

Jill over at Emerald Cottage 

You've made my day :-)

Do go and visit Jill as she shares posts bursting with warmth, sunshine and humour;

Jill always sets me a-giggling :-)

As Jill explains the award so well I won't go into that...

But there are a few things I have to do...

The first is to share 11 random facts about myself

so let me get started...this is not going to be easy!

1. I'm forever collecting random things

- corks, supermarket netting, metal, crockery shards, sea glass, buttons, driftwood, books, ...

2. My earliest memory is from when I was 2 years old and my family were staying at my grandparents house in Chessington....

I was in the bath and mum was washing my hair....

I was screaming my head off....

Nana came in and offered me an old penny if only i would be quiet...

I wasn't!

My poor mum tried every which way she could to wash my hair but it always resulted in screams from me...

Poor mum!

I don't remember why I didn't like it and I cannot remember the sensory experience  of it except for bright light and deep shadows.

Now I know I have Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, it is highly likely i was having sensory  perceptual overload. It's a bit like asking too much of a computer and it has a wobbly, then crashes.

3. As a child I was very fearful of walking over a bridge or looking under one!

My mum use to get me to stand on the foot plate of my brother's pushchair, told me to hold tight and to close my eyes. 

Thank you Mum :-) xxx

I now understand that it's not a fear as such but the movement of the water, the shadows and light giving a sensory overload.  I can still feel this at times.

4. I bought my Pipy Wendy spinning wheel when I was 18. 

I now have two, the second being one of Majacraft's early  Suzie...it doesn't have the

New Zealand clematis flower motif on the handle or drive wheel.

5. I started to learn to sew and embroider when I was 6.

6. I use to make most of my children's clothes but this stopped when I came back to the U.K. 

7. I was a nurse...for two years.

8. I focus on detail and don't see or find it very hard to see the bigger picture ...it's an Aspie thing :-) 

I love close up photography

9. I love singing.

10. I couldn't live without my Christian faith... She/He has got me through some very difficult times.

11. I'm very grateful :-).... but I have to work at it...!

*************

I shall endeavour to answer Jill's 11 questions now :-)

Are you ready?

Not sure I am!

Here goes...

1. What is my favorite craft activity?

Ah... at the moment it is crochet.

2. What was the last project I finished?

Good question Jill...there's certainly plenty of WIP's

It took a couple of minutes to compute...

Ah...it was my red and white crochet bag that is currently holding my latest WIP - the green Drops Lace.

3. What would be my ideal crafted gift to receive?

That's a hard one....hmm...something handmade by a friend or family member...

Actually I don't mind what it is if it it's made with their precious time and their love for me.  It would be treasured my whole life through and passed on to my children and grandchildren.

Some treasures I already have....

This lovely card arrived by post this morning from the lovely
Mandy at Blue bell Lane Crafts ...Just in case I was missing my pigeon friend.
Thanks so much Mandy, you are a darling, it was such a lovely surprise xx

Here are a couple more items my lovely cousin has gifted me...

And a cushion from my beloved auntie and cousin...

Plus a couple from my lovely mum...

....isn't it stunning?

4. What is my favourite season?

All of them for different reasons...

Spring because...well, it's spring! Full of promise of new life, rejuvenation, warmer weather, ...a wonderful time for gardening, the joy of scents.... it's not too hot.

Summer because Lovely Husband is home from school for eight whole weeks.

Autumn because I've had enough of the heat of summer, I love autumn colours and they are the colours that personally suit me best.  Walking / kicking through piles of heaped crackly leaves. Collecting colourful leaves and conkers to display inside. Jars full of jams, chutneys and preserves ...and the freezer packed full too. Having a fire in the Rayburn all day and the resulting coziness of our cottage.

Winter because it always reminds me that I'll be thankful for the arrival of snowdrops and crocus followed by the onset of spring. Having the Rayburn alight all day and night; lighting the wood burner...

It's either spring or autumn... :-)

5. What is my favourite craft-related-non-blog website?

I don't think there is a number one favourite but I would say most places that can give me a colour fix. If I have to choose I'll say Pinterest.

I can be found here. 

6. Which crafty activity have I never done but would like to try?

I have enjoyed wet felting in the past and I'm going to have a play at needle felting as my lovely son bought me the essentials for Christmas.

7. What was the last magazine I bought?

Simply Crochet Issue 18

8. What was the last book I read?

'Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Different Sensory Experiences Different Perceptual Worlds' by Olga Bogdashina (about the author); published by
Jessica Kingsley Publishers

The book can be purchased here.

It is an excellent book and anyone who loves, cares for, or who is on the spectrum would benefit from reading it.  It has helped me a lot and has given me a greater understanding of myself together with giving me a language to describe experiences and more confidence say what I need/feel.  It's not a 'how to' book but it's full of insight and intellectual understanding.

I intend to add another page at some point to this blog of the helpful books / web pages i have read. I have thought about writing a separate blog about autism but I would find it too confusing.

9. What did I want to be when I was little?

A hairdresser like my mum :-)

10. What is my favourite thing about blogging?

I spend a great deal of time on my own and I love the friendships and the sense of community that I'm finding in the blogosphere.  I would name you all but I would worry I'd unintentionally leave people out.

11. How did I choose the name of my blog?

It took me ages, well, months :-)

I wanted a name that is easy to say, memorable and says something about my interests. I would quite like a second line that rhymes with the first but haven't come up with anything that's not too twee. 

So there we are :-)

The next step of this award will be on the following post.

Bye for now my lovelies...oh....

..if you haven't already, now's a good time to go check out 

Jill's wonderful blog!

Err.... I forgot to mention I can be rather bossy....just sometimes :-)

Ttfn xxxxxxxxx

Tracey

 Thank you so much for all your lovely sweet comments on my last post.

I welcome your comments and they make my day :-)