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This week I have been entertaining my 2 lovely girls, Freya and Nella. There has been a lot of washing up but plenty of helpers to deal with it. I made some genuine Scottish tablet which turned out perfectly but you can feel your teeth rotting!

I had another go at working out the best way of constructing a puff quilt and have decided that French seams are the answer. 

At work I reconstructed a table runner for B990 using Q-Matic. I also tried using its own built in jumbo stitches to embellish the project which I found ...

Do I miss proper snow? – certainly not;) There has been severe winter weather in Aberdeenshire since New Year’s Day and I can imagine how wet it will be in my workshop when that all melts. We had a mere sprinkling of snow in Tavistock and rather icy roads for a few days. A gritter lorry actually tipped over on the edge of Dartmoor, which is ironic. We had a red storm warning at the end of the week but it really landed in Southern Cornwall. In bed in my stone cottage I hardly noticed it ...

A few days of warmth have been followed by a really cold snap. The deer have been here several days looking for food. I think it is fine for them to eat the vines and weeds out of the hosta garden.

This gal did her part.

Three of them moved through, and I wish they’d stay a bit longer and finish off the weed removal. But, it is hard to find good help these days.

In the birdhouse, I thought I saw a bird sitting in the opening with its head looking around. I realized after taking several photos ...

A hot bowl of soup is a perfect meal on a cold winter day. Normally, when I have a ham bone to use, I make my White Bean Soup. But My Sweet Babboo didn’t want beans this time. I had a bag of potatoes in the pantry, and potato soup sounded good.

Start with a ham bone that has meat still on it. Add any leftover scraps to the pot too.

Here’s the recipe.
1 medium yellow or white onion
1 ham bone with meat, extra scraps of ham
2 cups water 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ...

Good morning, my friends. It was another day of not-much-accomplished, but we had a really nice evening with our friends. They'd invited us for a "Friendsgiving" turkey on Thursday (tomorrow). But then my friend, Deb, was using a dry brine on the turkey, and it looked as if it needed to be eaten sooner. And, no problem. We don't have much of anything going on, so we're flexible. And dinner was wonderful. We haven't seen our friends since March of 2024, and so it was good to catch up. My contribution was this Thanksgiving Slaw. (I ...

Good morning, my friends. It was another day of not-much-accomplished, but we had a really nice evening with our friends. They'd invited us for a "Friendsgiving" turkey on Thursday (tomorrow). But then my friend, Deb, was using a dry brine on the turkey, and it looked as if it needed to be eaten sooner. And, no problem. We don't have much of anything going on, so we're flexible. And dinner was wonderful. We haven't seen our friends since March of 2024, and so it was good to catch up. My contribution was this Thanksgiving Slaw. (I ...

If I was going to continue with last week‘s theme on Christmas hosting I might mention that it’s annoying to arrive somewhere and find there is no food in the house and nowhere to sleep. Fortunately I found a mattress and some bedding and made myself a little nest up on a landing. 

It is very frustrating to realise how much of my stuff is still here in Aberdeenshire but I don’t have room for it in Devon. 

I am trying to work out how I am going to fit a couple of boxes, 2 adult children ...

Good morning, my friends. This will be a quick post today since yesterday's comings and goings were pretty dull. Of course, I did my morning's slow stitching. This is Tiny Treasure #34. It has French knots, stem stitch, straight stitch, and lazy daisies.

Good morning, my friends. This will be a quick post today since yesterday's comings and goings were pretty dull. Of course, I did my morning's slow stitching. This is Tiny Treasure #34. It has French knots, stem stitch, straight stitch, and lazy daisies.

Good morning, my friends. We're in the waning days of the year with Christmas just around the corner. Today I'll need to get serious about preparing for our trip. Yesterday, I spent some time checking the lists I'd made to see what's already packed and what still needs packing. (Some things live in the RV full time, but I sometimes need refills or updates.) Today I'll start doing some of the cook-ahead items, starting with the Frozen Breakfast Burritos. They're good any time, but they're especially nice when we're driving from one ...

Good morning, my friends. We're in the waning days of the year with Christmas just around the corner. Today I'll need to get serious about preparing for our trip. Yesterday, I spent some time checking the lists I'd made to see what's already packed and what still needs packing. (Some things live in the RV full time, but I sometimes need refills or updates.) Today I'll start doing some of the cook-ahead items, starting with the Frozen Breakfast Burritos. They're good any time, but they're especially nice when we're driving from one ...

It has been a wonderful holiday week, with a slower pace, more time with friends, and the last of the shopping. Settle in with a cuppa for a long and picture heavy post. The gifts are under the tree, and the stocking stuffers are hidden for when Santa comes on Christmas eve. Handmade cards were sent, and Christmas cookies baked and frosted to enjoy at leisure. Tuesday night, we had dinner with friends and went to the Lake Julian Festival of Lights show.

This is a small show, in comparison to others. But we love it simply because it is ...

This morning, Patrick went to Safeway and moms. He went to help mom move her clothes from the dresser to the spare room. She's getting a new bedroom set, a little at a time. 

While Patrick was gone, I boiled potatoes to make the family Lefsa recipe. I noticed our recipe is a little different from what is out there. I think mom and dad added to their recipe over the years, but I had the one I got from mom back in the 1970's. 

When Patrick got home, he helped me with cooking the Lefsa. I found ...

Good morning, my friends. We're back to our dark skies and drenching rains today. I'm worrying about you folks up in Washington. We have a trip planned in your area for next fall. I'm hopeful we won't have to change our plans after all the flooding y'all have experienced. That's a long time from now. Hopefully, it can all be set right between now and then. And if you're one of the folks whose home I saw with water up to the eaves...well, you have my sympathy. Having to change our plans ...

Good morning, my friends. We're back to our dark skies and drenching rains today. I'm worrying about you folks up in Washington. We have a trip planned in your area for next fall. I'm hopeful we won't have to change our plans after all the flooding y'all have experienced. That's a long time from now. Hopefully, it can all be set right between now and then. And if you're one of the folks whose home I saw with water up to the eaves...well, you have my sympathy. Having to change our plans ...

My work week was a lot of admin, mostly streamlining the sewing machine inventory. During the evenings I put together 2 basic patchwork projects for Nella’s Christmas – a hot water bottle cover and laptop sleeve. They were not fancy, just rectangles with flaps and walking foot quilted with a wiggly stitch but both will do their job perfectly well.

I spent more in Lidl on chocolate, nuts and bubble bath than I usually do on my whole month’s groceries but I have pretty much finished my gift buying. I “just” have to wrap it all and stuff it ...

This is such a fun time of year. Putting up decorations, listening to favorite holiday tunes in the car and while puttering around the house. My Sweet Babboo put up green garland and holiday bells on the veranda this year. We don’t do much because no one comes up here. These decorations we can see in the daytime as we come and go for errands and events.

Cloudy and rainy days were good for bird watching. Here, a titmouse is happy to have a meal.

The goldfinches are wearing their winter drab colors. Here one is sharing the bounty ...

This morning, I was up and getting my sugar cookie receipt to work on the dough. It needed to be in for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. 

Woke to being told of the flood in the area. The area by us, exit 76 on I5, was closed because of the water over the road. It calmed down some, but I canceled my appointment with physical therapy. Thought there would be water over the road to get into town to see him. Patrick and I went into town to get a few things at Safeway, and it didn't ...

I don’t know why I am surprised every December by how quickly Christmas looms. I was feeling some dread that I had not done any Christmas shopping or making and could not see how I could fit it in. Additionally, it is Fergus’s birthday 2 weeks before Christmas and I just have not got the funds to send something amazing, especially as I won’t be there and he is doing his last big gig of the year at Oran Mor in Glasgow’s West End on his actual birthday! He had expressed an interest in a cross-body ...

Good morning, my friends. Oh my...it is so dark outside. We're expecting lots of rain over the next several days. There could be around 4 inches in our area with minor flooding concerns in some places. Here on our hill, we're not at all worried about flooding. Sadly, however, Mike discovered the drainage pipes leading away from our downspouts are clogged with pine needles that cannot be dislodged with any equipment we have. We're going to have to call a plumber to snake those out. That should be a nice tidy plumbing bill. When it comes ...