Life at the Gables

Posts

One from the Archive

- September 25, 2020

I'm still wishing we could have gone on our "Big" holiday this year for our 25th Wedding Anniversary, but sadly it was not to be. Here instead is our holiday to Vernon, France in 2011.
Ten Things - September - September 10, 2011 I completely missed August's Ten Things as I hadn't long been back from holiday so this month I thought I'd share a little of my trip with you.

:: Bayeux Cathedral

:: Bayeux War Cemetery - all these boys died on D Day - 6 June 1944

:: Monet's Lily pond - Giverny

:: Downtown Vernon

:: Strawberry tart from my favourite shop in Vernon. Patisserie Rose.

:: Evreux Cathedral

:: Memorial on Omaha beach, Normandy

:: My boy outside Notre Dame, Paris

:: The above mentioned Notre Dame

:: and finally my favourite.....The locals of Vernon all sat facing away from the river Seine!!

Midweek Minion

- September 23, 2020

The Black Pearl

- September 21, 2020

In 2013 the 'Black Pearl' was launched on the beach at New Brighton. She was built by local artists Frank Lund and Major Mace and is maintained by a small group of locals who have even had to help rebuild the ship twice; first when it was destroyed by Winter storms and again when it was set alight by yobs just six months later.She has been a much loved ship to young and old alike, has seen many a budding pirate walk the plank and has encountered many storms. Unfortunately one storm in March 2020 saw her ship-wrecked beyond repair.

As before there are plans afoot to rebuild her. Watch this space.

TV Shows you never thought you'd watch

- September 18, 2020

Forged in FireEach week, four of the best blade smiths in America put both their skills and reputations on the line. The competition is fierce. In the first two rounds, contestants face-off, forging blades they hope can withstand the judges’ gruelling tests. Only two smiths will be left standing and continue on to the final round where they’ll have four days at their home forge to create an historic blade. It takes a certain mix of brains and brawn to be crowned the Forged in Fire champion and take home a cheque for $10,000.At first I thought this as something hubby would watch by himself, but I actually quite like seeing how they make things out of old tools and farm machinery. I now know my 1080 steel from my Damascus!! Mortimer and Whitehouse - Gone FishingAfter one had a triple heart bypass and the other suffered heart problems comedians and lifelong friends Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse share their personal and hilarious life experiences while travelling around the UK fishin…

One Photo - Twenty Words

- September 16, 2020

Was I miles away in my own thoughts or staring at the locals on the prom. We will never know.

The Demelza Blanket

- September 14, 2020

My friend asked, recently, if I would make a blanket for her to give to her mum as a Christmas Present. Luckily, I had just finished a blanket and was wondering what to start next so said yes straight away.

She chose the wool and the order arrived in just a few days. I didn’t want to just do stripes soI chose a pattern from Ravelry called The Demelza Blanket by Catherine Bligh, that looked complicated (but not too complicated) and I loved that it was a mixture of stripes and granny squares.

Next, I had to work out which colours would go best together and which size hook to use to get the most out of the wool and make the blanket as big as possible.

In between bouts of tennis elbow I crocheted like mad and had the blanket finished in five weeks.

It was all finished off with a faux leather label from a company I found on Etsy. It came all the way from Lithuania and added that finishing touch it needed.