miss marie's miscellany

New to me

There's been a little retail therapy going on here. A girl needs some new things for spring!

Firstly some new boots, which I've been eying up here for a while - now they're mine!

 

I think it was love at first sight!

And this bag was too good to miss; ideal for all my wool and crochet bits and pieces.

 

Shades of Cath Kidston, but it was a snip from Primark for £6 (and thanks to Lucy at The Antidote for the tip-off). I have managed to get an enormous amount of wool, notebook, 3 little pouches with hooks, pins, needles etc, and the latest WIP in here and there's still room for more. Brilliant!
 
 

Bits and pieces

An interesting piece at the BBC about the growing trend towards 'make do and mend' and the increase in sewing machine sales since the recession.

Continuing my William Boyd theme, I found this article written by him in the Guardian, an A-Z of A how parks have inspired novelists.

I went to see 'Julie and Julia' and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci who were superb (Oscar-winning performances maybe?). If, like me, you have a little touch of the autumn blues, this film will cheer you up, I can vouch for that!

My new shoes; I bought these in purple, my favourite colour at the moment. They look lovely, are comfortable too, they make me a good 2" taller and I feel like the bees knees when I wear them! What more can you ask for in footwear?

A trip to the theatre last night to see this powerful production of  'The House of Bernarda Alba'. I wasn't sure if moving the setting to present-day Glasgow would work, but it did, very dramatically with some great performances from the all-female cast.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

New book

I had time at my lunch break to pop into Waterstones and browse. My main objective was to get my hands on the latest William Boyd novel, Ordinary Thunderstorms.

 I am a big fan of this wonderful writer and have read almost all his books. I was totally gripped by Restless, his taut espionage thriller, which I read last year when on holiday, and Any Human Heart, his novel told in autobiographical form, is one of my all time favourite books; wonderfully crafted stories which keeps you enthralled from cover to cover. His collection of non-fiction writing,  Bamboo,  is an Aladdin's cave of glittering jewels to dip in and out of, essays,reviews and pieces of journalism on a fascinating  and diverse range of subjects. I can't recommend his books highly enough!  A few weeks ago I watched Mark Lawson interview William Boyd on BBC4, and enjoyed hearing his  thoughts and reflections on life as a writer, screenwriter and director, and listening to WB read from his books. (No longer available on BBC iPlayer, but if it's repeated,  it's well worth viewing).  William Boyd has his own website which is well worth a look, for a comprehensive overview of his books and films. I'm looking forward to getting lost in the pages of this new book, although strangely, I can't bring myself to start reading it yet, as once I do that, I'll have to finish it, and I don't want to! I love the feeling of great expectation, when you know you're really going to enjoy reading a book, and it will stay with you for ages. I'm going to prolong the suspense for a little while longer and then I'd better get reading! 

Woolly weekend

Yesterday  I went with friends to John Lewis for a Rowan yarn show. We enjoyed a slideshow of the latest designs, had a feel of some of the newest yarns and knitted them too,  and saw (and tried on)some of the designs made up. There were patterns books to look at and free tea and coffee and delicious Danish pastries. We all got a Rowan magazine, 2 patterns and a 10% off voucher for purchases of Rowan goods, and all this was FREE. Excellent value, I'd say! Well worth checking out your nearest JL store as they have lots of these on all over the UK. It was a great way to spend the afternoon, away from the hustle and bustle of the retail-crazed Saturday shoppers and nice to meet other yarn lovers too.

A browse in the wool department was necessary afterwards, of course.  I picked up some bargains in their sale corner. Here they are

These will be used in my hexagon blanket project, more of that below!

And I couldn't resist these pretty buttons

So, as I'm in a woolly frame of mind, I thought I'd show you my crochet hexagon blanket. I'm still miles away from being finished, in fact, I think this will go on well into the winter months. It's the joining up which has taken ages, although it's been great seeing it coming together. I'm liking how it looks, and it already feels cosy.

Soft greens, pinks, purple, and blue with a little black and brown and random splashes of red, yellow and orange.

I think I need to make another 150 or so hexagons, so I'd better go and get crocheting! 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend, whatever you're up to!

Busy bee

I've been busy for the last few days, so not much time for posting. In between real money-paying work, I've been toiling away in the garden, getting the grass cut and doing lots of  weeding. A bit of drama.......yesterday afternoon whilst gardening, I was stung on my forearm by a bee and had quite a bad delayed reaction to it. I didn't think anything of it at the time, made sure the sting was gone and cleaned it up. But I had a concert last night and by the end of it my arm was much more sore and swollen (perhaps holding one's arm up in a cello playing position for several hours wasn't helpful? Unavoidable though!)

Yuk! The white pasty flesh doesn't make it look any better. Note to self; a light fake tan might not go amiss! Anyway, medicine has been taken and ice-packs and lotions applied and I'm well on the mend now, thankfully. But do watch out for those bees! 

On a more positive note, I have managed some crocheting, a new project. I bought some new wool and together with a few bits from my stash, decided on this colour scheme.

And I sat for a while this morning making these

Which will turn into something cushiony for the bedroom, I think.

And I had to show my new shoes.....

They do seem to tone in with my crochet very well. I've had my eye on these for a while, and now the weather is more summery, I feel I can justify the purchase!

And just to keep the purple harmony going, here's a lovely rhododendron from the garden...... looking good!

Wishing you a happy weekend! 

Cheer up!

It's still pouring with rain, so I thought a bit of retail therapy might hit the spot, and dispel the wet weather blues. The cupboard was bare, so a trip to the supermarket was necessary. But a left turn at the door took me to the aisles of non-comestibles. Lots of goodies!

A new magazine with this free Cath Kidston bag and magazine.

It is described as a washbag but I think I'm going to use it as a  crochet/sewing bits and bobs bag

Some things to put in the bag (the row counter was only 37p, bargain! )

There was a brilliant selection of crafty things and stationery

Some things for the garden

A new t-shirt

A  lovely V&A card 

That was my haul and I'm enjoying all of them already......sitting reading the magazine with a cuppa wearing my new top.  The Cath K bag contains bits and bobs for crochet on the move, and I'll plant the peony when it stops raining.

I'll leave you with crochet progress, more squares for a new cushion cover. 

 

And my spring clematis is finally blossoming

which is good enough reason to be cheerful.

i heart hearts

After a little retail therapy the other day, I arrived home with 2 heart shaped items. 2 more heart shaped items to add to several already in my possession. I am drawn to the heart shape. Apart from its romantic connotations, it's such a pleasing and beautiful form, curved and voluptuous. It can be sewn, crocheted, baked, eaten, drawn and even planted in the garden.

I loved this when I spied it on the shelves. Great for all my potions and lotions.

And this little box too.  

Heart-warming!

Gorgeous green 2

Ivy covered arch in the park

 

Put the kettle on

 

Swoon.... it was love at first sight!

Parisian interlude

I went to Paris last week! My trip was only for 3 days but I managed to pack in as much as possible.

 

Some of the most famous sights

Some window shopping. Old perfume bottles

Delectable cakes

These candles are so colourful

Some interesting architecture

La Defense arch

 Sculpture in the Tuileries

 

Bridge over the Seine

 

Dali exhibition

 

 

Shopping in Galeries Lafayette

 

What a wonderful city!