miss marie's miscellany

To the Lighthouse

 On Sunday I found myself looking across to the beach I was standing on in my last post.

 

I went over to the Wirral to see my brother and sister-in-law and we went for a windy and bracing stroll on the sea front. There's no beach over here at this point of the coast, but there's a long walkway, next to the sea wall.

 

All along this side of the Wirral Peninsula were once many lighthouses in Liverpool's history as a thriving port. They would guide the ships safely into the harbour and stop them running aground on the reefs close to the shore. With advance of technology, they are no longer in use, but some of them survive as historic buildings.

Just a stone's throw from the sea is Leasowe Lighthouse, looked after by a trust who open to the public on certain Sundays; luckily this was one of them. The trust have done a fantastic job of restoring this once derelict building, last used as a lighthouse in the 1900s, unoccupied since the 1930s. Apparently when they began work, the pigeon droppings reached the second floor........what a delightful cleaning job that must have been. Anyway. we climbed up the spiral staircase to the top.

The view;  the windows caused reflection and I only had a few minutes to snap, but it gives a good impression of the panorama, and how good a view the lighthouse keeper would have had of all the ships approaching. Flags identifying every ship were raised at each lighthouse on the approach into Liverpool so the staff at the harbour were advised of the imminent arrival of each particular ship and could be ready for the changeover of cargo and crew.

You can just see the plaque stating the year of construction as 1763, it's stood the test of time and the elements incredibly well. And the 130 stairs have worked off some of those lovely Easter goodies!

 
 

On the beach

Down in Liverpool for the weekend, and no trip is complete without a visit to the beach. There's something liberating about being by the sea, feeling the sea air hit your face and walking on the sand. 

 

This was Friday evening, an after-dinner walk. The sky was an mixture of pale and delicate pinks and greys
 

 

Watching the sky turn gold

 

then ink blot clouds become darker.

 

Till the sky was deep blue as night fell.
 
 
 
 
 

Happy Easter

Wishing you a happy and peaceful Easter. 

 

March collage

Time for another monthly round-up, is it just me or has March flown past? 

Good stuff; lots of crochet, as well as my recent reveals you can see some new stuff in the photos which I've been trying out and will post about soon, getting started in the garden and some lovely flowers beginning to show themselves, my trip to Aye Write and Creative Stitches 2010, the best green boots ever, so comfortable.......and my giveaway (which I very stupidly forgot to photograph; Jenny did a great job for me!)

Bad stuff; yet more snow at the start of this week......I'm not going moan about it too much but I've really had it with the white stuff, enough is enough! Let's hope April will bring more clement and seasonal weather!

 

 Have a good (and prank-free) day :-)
 

Spring is sprung

Despite the weather forecasters predicting snow this week (?!) the garden is starting spring into action with much greenery and flowers-in-waiting to be seen. In fact, on closer inspection, I find several flowers out already, primulas and azaleas. I went round snapping away yesterday, none of these were anywhere to be seen a couple of weeks ago, and how welcome it is to see daffodils just ready to open their yellow faces to the sun and azaleas with pink frothy petals already in bloom.

 

I've found this winter hard going, so cold and unforgiving, and it cheers my spirits to see all this new growth, time to look forward to lighter and brighter, warmer and sunnier days.  (I hope !) .

Granny blue

I finished my latest cushion cover, a companion to the one I made a couple of weeks ago. This is a green, blue and white colour combo, I think I was inspired by the blue skies and spring greens around me when I started making it.

 

For the other side, I decided to make 9 small squares, using different combinations of the colours in 3 variations. And they were very quick to crochet up, just a couple of days to complete.

 

I used some blue buttons for the fastening, attached to rows of half trebles. I chose the buttons because of their colour, but when I looked the photo below, I realised the square buttons echo the clusters of treble stitches in the granny squares. A happy coincidence.

 

The wools I used were predominantly Sirdar;  the light and dark blue and the lighter green are Countrystyle DK, the greyish blue is Click DK and the white is Snuggly. The slightly darker green is Rowan DK. I like the cool palette  of colours, fresh and light, serene and peaceful. 

Here it is next to Granny Apple Blossom

Looking pretty side by side, bringing a hint of spring inside too :-) 

 
 
 

Colour my Wednesday

It's a grey, wet day here; I need some colour today. I bought these roses yesterday, just from the supermarket; they're such an unusual two-colour variety, I couldn't resist them

 

Velvety peach and deep deep red, lovely!

I'm liking this succulent houseplant I picked up in IKEA today, it was only when I photographed it that I realised the ends of the leaves were so pinky-purple. Purple and green, my favourites :-)

I started another granny square cushion cover in a cooler palette than I've chosen previously. Just for a change.....blue and green with bright white.

The front

And the back, so far. Eventually, there will be 9 squares in total.  

And I'm still making hexagons for the never-ending blanket. I got a bit bored with making these before Christmas, and put it aside for a while. And once all that snow fell, the blanket -so- far was pressed into service; it's been keeping cold feet cosy in bed for a couple of months. I kept adding hexagons here and there, sewing them on before getting into bed...... and this is how it looks today.

 
 I'm not sure when I'll get this finished, but onward and upward, I'm going to make a concerted effort to fill in the spaces so it is a proper rectangle next time I show it here! 

We have a winner!

I'm very happy to announce that the winner of my little giveaway is Jenny of My Life in Flip Flops.  The  first comment I ever received here was left by Jenny, so I think it's fitting that she receives the goodie bag. ( Jenny, I will be emailing you later to get your address.) Thanks to everyone who put their names into the hat, I wish you could all be winners! It really makes my day hearing from you all, it's great to have met so many lovely people out there in blogland :-)

 

Hope your Monday is turning out to be a good day, wherever you are and whatever you're doing :-)
 

Sunny afternoon

Today is the Vernal Equinox, when the day and night are the same length. Officially, the first day of spring. And right on cue it's been a lovely day here, perfect for a spot of gardening. And a bit of relaxing too. 

After quite a bit of digging,weeding and clearing, things are starting to unfurl, raise their heads in to the sunlight and grow.....at last!

It's been a long time coming, with such a long, cold winter, but finally the colour everyone needs is starting to burst through. Good for the soul.

And after all that toil, a chance to enjoy some warmth outside. Lovely to sit with the sun on your face, coffee and mini chocolate brownies and a bit of hooking!

 

Have a great weekend :-)

Giveaway

Time really does fly, when you're enjoying yourself!  I can't quite believe it, but my blog is one year old today. On this auspicious occasion, I thought I'd do a giveaway to say thank you to all you lovely people who visit and comment here.  I have a little goodie bag full of presents, something flowery crocheted by me, and a variety of pretty treats.  If you would like to be the lucky winner of a glamourous collection of mystery gifts, just leave a comment here before midnight on Sunday (21st ) to get your name in the hat!

 

Looking forward to hearing from you all :-)