Sunday Sevens #133

August 30, 2017 by sewchet 27 Comments

Breaking the “rules” once again by posting on a Wednesday, here is this week’s Sunday Sevens. If you’re new to the concept, take a look at Nat’s blog, Threads & Bobbins, where you can find out all about it and how to join in.

1. Although I am no longer officially a Photographer, I was asked to photograph a friend’s granddaughter’s first birthday “Cake Smash”. Such a little sweetie, she doesn’t like getting her fingers dirty, which defeats the object somewhat – although she did put her whole face in it at one point!

2. At the birthday party afterwards in the local Village Hall, afternoon tea was laid on for about forty guests. Whilst plain white china was the order of the day, my friend presented hubby and I with our own ‘proper’ cups and saucers. I’m not sure what that says about us!!!

3. This was the official birthday cake – how amazing?

4. A rainy day when The Boys had friends around resulted in a good game of the perennial favourite, Monopoly.

5. Another rainy day keeping us inside gave me chance to make some Rhubarb and Ginger jam for the store cupboard.

6. We offered to snake-sit for a month whilst a friend is on holiday.

Look away now if you have Ophidiophobia…

7. A week in, and Flash shed his skin. One for ‘show and tell’ when they go back to school next week.

8. I had to crochet an extension to Fifi’s recently knitted coat. A flap at the rear to stop her licking her wound.

9. I incorporated a hole for her tail and it does the job to a point. We just have to remember to undo the flap when she goes out for a wee!

10. Off on holiday!

Of course, the downside to having less-than-sensible cars is that we need to take both of them when going camping in order to fit everything in.

It’s a compromise I’m happy to make:)

11. Home for the next four days.

12. A typical morning – Mum cooks breakfast whilst The Boys and Dad play cricket in their pyjamas.

13. Cafetière of coffee and tin replica bone china plates – who says you can’t camp in style?

14. The Dogs LOVE camping too.

15. Exmoor means lots of good walking to work up an appetite for those inevitable cream teas.

16. We forgot to take the dog carrier I made a while back but, luckily, there was a bric-a-brac stall in a nearby church that had one for sale for just £3.50.

17. Whenever Fifi started lagging behind, we could just pop her in the carrier for a while – perfect!

Trouble is, it took twice as long to walk anywhere as everyone just wanted to stop and cuddle her…

18. She also curled up on my handbag and stole a quick nap each time we stopped for a tea break.

19. Happily, our recent decision to go gluten-free didn’t impact us much when we ate out. So many more places are allergy aware in recent years that we had no problem finding something on every menu. This lemon drizzle cake was as good as a normal one.

20. And with local clotted cream on, it tasted even better!

21. We had lunch at a National Trust cottage in the middle of nowhere….

22. ….and even they offered GF bread and cakes, so no one missed out.

23. Another National Trust property which, although I’ve passed many a time, I didn’t realise was a shop as well.

24. Full to the brim with Exmoor-crafted goodies – I was in there ages chatting to the chap who leases it from the Trust.

25. Do you want to see what I bought?

This is a high-pitched dog whistle crafted from the antlers of an Exmoor Red Deer.

Fifi is almost totally deaf, but I was hoping that the pitch would be high enough for her to hear, the idea being that I could attract her attention if I needed to. She responds to basic sign language and will follow a finger to wherever it is pointed – if I can get her attention in the first place.