Spring its on the way

I hope that you are all off to a good start to the New Year and long may it continue.
It was not quite so here as I came into contact with two viruses which laid me low for two weeks. However I feel the energy returning and am planning various jobs to be done, always a good sign.
The latest knitting project and fund raiser, is the Nativity scene Mary, Joseph, Jesus, two wise men, a sheep and a donkey have been made so far. The figures are 20 cm tall, the animals less. There are three more figures to make and three more sheep. It has been fun. I will show them when they are stuffed.
A pattern found on About.com for crocheted interlinked wedding rings with Irish roses, ment that I just had to find some fine yarn and have a go. I have always loved working fine lace so have started the rings and roses and plan to make them into anniversary cards.
Christmas cards are to be made throughout this year, as the right theme comes to mind.
Spring is on its way and the garden is in flower, witch hazel, aconites, hellebore, myrtle, primroses . The rose given to me last August has flowered all through the poor weather we have had and is a welcome sight to come home to each day at the front door.
May spring be close to you also.

New Year Resolutions

New Year Resolution time.

The first to get fit, second to make fund raising projects all the year long.
Both have been started as I have purchased a treadmill and started the supply of items for fund raising.
These decorations were made last night using left over supplies of various yarns, beads and cords.
I have three venues to supply my work to.
Our grandsons school, a voluntary project I am involved in and the bowls club.
Over the year I hope to have completed many items and will keep you up to date with them.
Any ideas you may have and wish to share, would be appreciated, I can be contacted on
http://bowledoverandout@blogspot.com

May I leave you now with a poem which I enjoy, it is by James Elroy Flecker

To A Poet A Thousand Years Hence

I who am dead a thousand years,
And wrote this sweet archaic song,
Send you my words for messengers
The way I shall not pass along.

I care not if you bridge the seas,
Or ride secure the cruel sky,
Or build consummate palaces
Of metal or of masonry.

But have you wine and music still,
And statues and a bright- eyed love,
And foolish thoughts of good and ill,
And prayers to them who sit above?

How shall we conquer? Like a wind
That falls at eve our fancies blow,
And old Maeonides the blind
Said it three thousand years ago.

O friend unseen, unborn, unknown,
Student of our sweet English tongue,
Read out my words at night alone:
I was a poet, I was young.

Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.

Saving Wildlife and the Environment

There has been a trial on in the area where I live, to lower the amount of plastic bags being used by the public when shopping. Evidence is there that the message has been heard by the local public.
The damage to the environment by these bags, is wide spread and although some manufactures claim that their bags are bio degradable, the degraded dust still contains toxic waste particles.

I can not help thinking of the song "One Way or Another I'm Going to Get You"

I have found a site which is attempting to encourage us to greater awareness of our own part in saving the environment and would ask that you visit the site to see if you can find a way of adopting their message and their Bags of course. Please visit

morsbags.com

While looking at the site I wondered if fund raising projects, say for schools, could would benefit by selling the bags, what would we not do for our children and their future.

Still recycling

Our Local Authority has announced that no body does it better, regarding recycling, than them. They give us a gift each year, we are allowed to over fill the bins after the Christmas week without penalty.
With that and the season in mind, I continue to bring news of sites which may assist you to clear space for all the new goodies you may receive this Christmas.

Recycle clothing
whatsmineisyours.com

Or add to your winter wardrobe by

peopletree.co.uk

and
adili.com

So lets see you all happy that you have cleared space, even if it was only to fill it again from another site. Merry Christmas to you all.

Santa came to town

I received this pattern last week from the Knitters and Crocheters Guild and thought that they would be fun to make, they become addictive though and I could not stop.
Anyone who fancied could lengthen the hangers and wear them as ear rings or add a fastener and wear them as a broach.
I like small projects at this time of the year, they fill in odd moments when I am at home and sitting still.

Delftware from Amsterdam

As you will see we have been to Amsterdam and bought five diffrent KLM miniature huisjes.
My total collection is fourteen and it will cost at least another £1,500 to complete it.
I was informed by a resident that brides and grooms in Amsterdam, are given a replica of the palace by Bols. What a nice gift.
There are now 88 huisjes in the collection, the latest is a replica of "'t Lootsje", the former Amsterdam tasting room of the leading genever manufacturer, Lucas Bols.
A complete collection of the huisjescan be viewed at Bols' headquarters in Amsterdam.
For admission details visit www.houseofbols.com.

More Christmas Cards

This was the first batch of Christmas cards that I made, the carpet is full of glitter which twinkles when the light is switched on.
There will be more cards made in the next few days.
I had planned to make lace cards this year, time just ran away. Could be that next years cards will be made earlier.

Christmas Cards

Well now mac's niece made me feel quite guilty about lack of crafting over the last few weeks.
There are projects on the go here, although I have had a spell of reading.
However I have taken a leaf out of her book and made some Christmas cards, not 130 though I am full of admiration for her.
These are made with a tree cut out, filled with 'makower uk' printed material which has been padded to give an embossed effect.
I bought the material to make our grandson an advent calendar using these small pictures as the pockets for the basic large tree shape background.
In my voluntary work I travel to villages and have found some very nice craft shops. As a consequence my craft shelves are filling up with future projects.
I have more cards which I will show in the next entry.

Sri Lanka Wedding Elephant

This is a picture of a ceremonial elephant, believed to bring good fortune, at a wedding in Sri Lanka.
The elephant was kept in the grounds of the Kani Lanka Hotel and Spa for four days, to cover several weddings that took place there.
It takes four hours a day to bath the elephant in the river close by, to wash and hydrate it as well as keep it cool.
They are very short sighted, however have amazing hearing.
We never found out where it was kept while it stayed there and there was no noise made at any time.
You just walked about the grounds and turning a corner came across the elephant.
There were many wild life species to see while we were there and would guess that there are a good amount more that we did not see, owing to their ability to hide or blend in well with the scenery.
We had a lovely holiday and our memories will stay with us for a long time.
I will post more soon.

Environmental Caring

Today is Blogger's day when we discuss issues close to our hearts, mine is concerning the environment.

You may have noticed that many blogger's have been discussing recycling for some time now, posting various web addresses to enable you to clear items from your home which you no longer need, there by preventing over burdening the land fill sites.
If you have ever used E Bay or Free cycle you will have been helping the environment, others and yourself as the saying goes 'your trash is someones treasure'.

Compost making and Wormeries are also a topic of discussion as by recycling garden and kitchen waste you will have the benefit of improving your garden's soil and productivity.
Local Authorities recycle Christmas Trees as well as the green waste that is collected fortnightly in some areas.

My concern is to do with a substance we are unable to live without. WATER. Think of what it would mean to you, if there was a water shortage and we were all rationed on the water we could use.
In some third world countries they have two wells in the garden one for clothes washing and household cleaning, the other for personal care. This is collected rain water.
What do we do with our rain water, fill the pond, water the plants.
The Eden project recycles rain water to service its Public Toilets.


Reflect on the following.

The amount of water wasted through a dripping tap. If you are unable to afford to fix the tap at least save the water and use it for every day usage.

Over filling a kettle with water you will not use, you will not have to wait as long for the kettle to boil if there is less in it. You will also spend less on electricity.
You can also buy an element that you place in a cup to boil for one cup use.

Wash your hair separately to showering, it uses more water through a power shower.

If you do not have a loo with a double size flush facility and wish to lower the amount lost by
each flush. Fill one or two empty plastic 500 mil bottles with water and place these in the cistern. They will lower the amount of water used.
Do not use a brick particles of the brick breaking off damage the cisterns working.

Use a hand spray of water to rinse the windows not a bucket of water.

I am sure that many of you know of more ways to save water please feel free to respond to me and I will make sure that I incorporate your methods as well as my own in the efforts to save this valuable commodity