Bobble hats.

 This is the Two Brothers Blankets Joey hat. I got the pattern free in return for a pledge to make at least one for a cancer unit. The dark blue one went to the Macmillan support centre at the hospital that treated my husband.

I just happened to have a lucky dip selection of three skeins of Caron Simply Soft, the same yarn used in the pattern, they were all different weights and I have some oddments left - maybe a striped Joey next.
I made the pompom with my new Rico pompom maker, which sadly snapped in the bag and I've had it a while and can't remember where I bought it, or the other sizes.

T (or water) on Tuesday, it's a dogs life!

Tuesday again, and time for T for Tuesday at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place. Once again I have failed to go round and comment, I really meant to but my time gets eaten up every day.
So this is the drinking fountain for the dogs (this is instead of a cup of tea), which filters the water as it works. Sooty has to drink filtered water anyway, doesn't drink enough and with a normal bowl and his beard that collects muck the water needs changing several times a day so this one makes a lot of sense and he likes it.

Here's a video of it in action.

I did some gardening, mainly weeding and Luna helped along with two friendly robins. I want to get this Acer out of the pot but I fear it will take a hammer to do it, and I dug a hole but I don't think it is going to work as it is hardcore underneath as it is under our whole garden.

Luna inspecting the pile of soil.

Luna helping dig the hole a bit deeper!

I forgot to show this little guy last week, I found him on the lawn and he is a young goldfinch. I picked him up and put him on the empty bird bath thinking he would be safer there, but no parents around and he didn't move. Then I tried putting him in the hedge, but he just clung on with his head against the wire and his eyes closed. So I put him in a box and gave him a drink, seemed thirsty. Still not able to fly, so I rang three numbers before the RSPCA said they would come and collect him, which they did later on the Sunday evening that I found him. I realised afterward he was hurt, and his beak was bleeding.

This Jackdaw is one of the reasons that I am getting through 2kg of dried mealworms in less than a month, despite rationing them to half a feeder a day - which is emptied in a couple of hours! I'm right out now though, and the price has gone up twice.

Starlings love meal worms and arrive with the whole family to gobble them up. 

The robin got a look in, the jackdaw and magpies go off with beaks full of them to eat on next door's chimney.

Trapped by rain in the greenhouse Luna decided to sample the bamboo.

I've been trying out some new dog food, the dogs love it. I think it will be quite expensive but if it sorts out Sooty's problems it will be worth it, another bladderstone operation would be awful for him.

It's blurry, I keep forgetting Luna can reach!

I make up the next day's food the night before, these two think they should have it right away!

I bought a new gadget from Groupon, to chop, chip, slice and dice without cutting more chunks off my fingers. First thing I did was cut myself on it! I used to to chop onion, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes for my breakfast omelette, but this is the extra washing up from it!

Everything beautifully sliced, diced and chopped.

The Omelette.

This is the top I have been working on, all ready to sew together and crochet edgings now. The pattern is from Two Brothers and is called Sadie's Shells. I had some balls of King Cole Giza cotton to use, still have some in other colours. This took about 3 and a half balls.

Finally, not the right blog, I won some flowers made by Samaflora which are so pretty and come with a lavender bag. 

In case you are interested the review comparing knitting/crochet organiser bags is in the post before this one, as well as a then and now photo of me in that cardigan!

Confessions of a bad blogger again (T for Tuesday too)!

 I haven't blogged on here since January I just realised so this could be a loooong post!

 I don't think anyone ever "gets over" watching a loved one get sick and die however one has to make the most of the rest of one's life, or give up and die too! I have two small grand children to love and who visit from time to time, can't be moping round weeping all the time.
So I tried to get myself back paper crafting, I bought a new desk unit with lots of storage and I got Quirky Crafts Challenge blog up and running again with new team members, thought it would get me crafting again and using my new unit. Then in Jan my dad was diagnosed with terminal malignant melanoma (skin cancer), the same cancer that killed my husband. The worst part for me was taking him to appointments at the same hospital department with the same medical staff and hearing the same words.
Dad was looking after Mum as she had spinal surgery a year ago and is still not as mobile as she would like to be, then he collapsed and a few weeks later he died. So you can see why blogging has not been my top priority. The ordeal continues as we deal with various matters, and I have had to help Mum get to the bank and other places, as well as helping Mother in Law who had a number of falls.

I have continued to crochet when I can, and when I asked my nearly 5 year old grandson if he thought his sister would like this rabbit from an Easter Supplement with Simply Crochet magazine he said "can I have one too?".
I was using up some odd balls of King Cole Cottonsoft for the bunnies, Edward bunny was armless on Easter Sunday, but had arms by the end of the day. Kenny left him here so I could dress him, and I had to improvise as no boy bunny outfit was provided in the patterns. I used the duck's wellies, made the bloomers into shorts with no scalloped edging and used the bodice of the dress then lengthened it and widened it to fit the bunny shape. I just love the little crocheted tails which poke out of the bloomers/shorts!

Girl bunny was renamed Esme, originally Esmeralda which is a mouthful for an 18 month old!

I had started this top before the bunnies, it was a Two Brother's Blanket crochet along and I have done much more but it isn't finished. I stopped to do bunnys and missed the CAL deadline.

To start the top I stopped the Simply Crochet blanket CAL, better get back and finish it as the next mag must have the joining instructions and I am way behind!

This was a freebie notebook with a heart to crochet with Simply Crochet.

This was a Chinese mug and infuser I bought in an auction to help Cyprus doggies, the infuser and lid arrived in one piece. I was offered a replacement but I declined and said let the dogs have the money.

I was really pleased to find this mug on Amazon, I have used very big bone china mugs for a long time - just for me, everyone else uses normal sized ones when they visit! This mug holds 600ml, which is a pint or more, and is nicer quality than the other one I have that I couldn't find anywhere. There are many designs, this dog one is missing Schnauzers in any form, it has dogs inside and all around, info on dogs but that isn't the main reason I bought it. It was the cheapest one at around £15 (the fact I am a dog lover helps). It is full of fruit tea here and so it is perfect for T on Tuesday at Elizabeth and Bleubeard's place.

I made a toddler poncho from some patterns I sort of won, but had to pay for. I didn't realise I would have to pay or I might not have entered the draw. I felt I should go ahead once I realised, and I got 200 patterns for £11.99 but they are all babies and toddler patterns so limited use.

Poncho is huge, well the neck is, here modelled by a nearly 5 year old!

Luna has been here over 4 months now, hard to believe and she has come on so much. Sooty is still scared of her when she plays - she is a bit rough, and he is nearly 13 years old - but I am seeing signs of progress. He likes to get in his den under my computer desk when I am in here, and Luna joined him a few times. If I pushed back my chair to look or snap a photo he shot out of there like a rocket! He wouldn't try and push past her and he wasn't staying there with her, but this week she has been in there first and he has been jostling to push by and get in besides her! 

She is still wary to scared of some men, she has got used to most traffic and is perfectly house trained. She likes apples but not pears, and sometimes will eat carrot but not often, she would rather have a chunk of banana.

People keep telling me she has grown, I don't know if she has her back is the same length but she has put on nearly 3kg since she got here and the vet assures me she is just right still, so it must have gone somewhere!

She also got a certificate of achievement for staying for two minutes at dog training, they both love going to that each week.

 Walking in the fields, she loves to have a run and boy is she fast! She will come back when she runs off after another dog, but I am always on tenterhooks wondering if she will!

We went to our first ever dog show for both dogs, just a fun one and I had to take them both into the ring. Luna got a rosette for 6th best rescue dog. She was exhausted because we walked there and back again as well.

 I could go on, but this post is over long already!