1. No.2 Son had an Inset day, so we took him out for lunch early on in the week.

2. We were given a brace of partridges by a friend and we cooked them with apples in cider – yum!

3. A BIG parcel of fabric arrived from Minerva Crafts – happy mail indeed.

4. I made a crocheted bauble for my yarn Stitching Santa parcel…..

5. ……and stitched a reindeer one for my sewing parcel.

6. I’ve managed quite a bit of sewing for myself this week, starting off with a little purse for my small cross-body bag as my normal one is far too big to fit in.

7. I made this full length sequinned gown for a special day out on Tuesday.

8. I also made a coat to go with it but, as it’s my project for the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network this month, I can’t show you just yet.

9. Saturday was workshop day where a group of children made their own Christmas presents for their family. They even wrapped them up before going home, so they were ready to put straight under the tree.

10. The advent calendar I made a few years ago was brought down from the loft and dusted down. It’s an activity calendar where we do something together every night during advent.

11. New pyjamas have become a bit of a tradition in the run up to Christmas.

12. Mr H-L had some great cards for his birthday – this one was my favourite.

13. I managed to track down THAT suit in his size!!!

He hopped out of bed immediately to try it on, hence the lack of shirt.

Trouble was, ‘his size’ still didn’t fit and there isn’t a larger one available:(

14. The Dogs had great fun shredding all the wrapping paper that had been discarded on the bed.

15. One last present was some champagne saucers that we’ve been trying to find ever since we used some in a hotel on Valentines Day. They’re by LSA but have been discontinued, so I was pleased to come across some old stock in ‘Vinegar Hill’ in Bath.

Very Poirot-esque, and has put us in the mood for our day trip on the Orient Express on Tuesday, for which the sequinned dress was made. More photos on that next week, so ‘bye for now!

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing, in theory, seven photos of your life outside the blog, giving you chance to get to know the blogger a bit more. Anyone can join in so please feel free to do your own!

1. Progress report on No.1 Son’s first week in his new home.

Here he is ironically proudly displaying his ‘beautiful’ dining room in its ‘before’ state. Note the textured wallpaper, polystyrene ceiling tiles, floral curtains and clashing Seventies carpet.

2. After ripping up the carpet, they didn’t find the expected concrete floor, oh no. Underneath the carpet was a laminate floor, underneath which lay TWO layers of vinyl flooring from who-knows-when.

3. Finally, underneath all that they discovered these wonderful flagstones. Trying to work out if they’re original to the 1900 house is a tricky one. This could have been the original kitchen, in which case flags are quite likely. The other floor coverings must date back to at least the 1930’s which rules out these being concrete reproduction flags. However, you might expect floorboards like those in the adjoining living room, so it’s a bit of a mystery. Can anyone help? I suppose a conversation with the neighbours is the best route.

4. Back home, Mr H-L and I went to our local garden centre and had tea while we were there. You can’t escape the fact that Christmas is nearly here.

5. I’ve been feeling rubbish all week, culminating today on another sofa/pyjama day whilst The Boys are at football. An irritating cough has robbed me of sleep and gradually developed into a full blown cold complete with catarrh and a thumping head – and now labyrinthitis has kicked in, which basically makes my eyes think I am drunk without the joy of so much of a drop of wine passing my lips.

On the plus side (thinking positively always makes you feel less self-pitying!) I have kept my hands busy.

I cast on these Hermione Everyday socks.

6. I’ve enjoyed seeing the pattern develop and have just finished the heel flap ready to turn the heel.

7. An unexpected bonus was the fact that the yarn was a perfect match to a shawl that I was making where I lost Yarn Chicken half way through the cast off row, believe it or not. It was hand dyed yarn so I have struggled without success all year to find a suitable match. Now it’s done and just needs blocking.

8. This is going to be a crocheted pin cushion for my Yarny Stitching Santa, for a lady who also sews,

9. And there was this Topsy-Turvy doll of course, shown here with our granddaughter who seems to approve of my efforts.

10. Feeling just a tad indulgent about casting on those pink socks for myself whilst still not having made all the Christmas gifts on my list, I cast on another pair, this time for a man in the family.

11. Yesterday, I took my daughter to Bath for our annual Christmas shopping expedition. We haven’t missed a year since she was three years old – she’s twenty-six now!

We started the day in style, arriving early and having a good breakfast in The Pump Room. Don’t you just love the silver coffee pot?

12. We saw this suit and thought of Mr H-L. I would have bought it if they had it in his size. I showed him the photo later and he loved it – as I knew he would.

13. Mr H-L was visiting his daughters in Hove, one of whose girlfriends works in a greyhound stadium. He was asked to present the trophy to one of the winning dogs.

That’s about it for this week folks so, from a snot-soaked sofa in Somerset – ‘bye for now!

Linking up with Natalie at Threads & Bobbins, Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing a snapshot of life outside the blog.

1. All 34 Granny Squares are finished and starting to be crocheted together. This is going to be a gift to my yarny recipient in the Stitching Santa.

2. This cross stitch I found in a charity shop might possibly end up being reinvented into a gift for one of my Stitching Santa partners.

3. There’s a new Tailor in town! A Savile Row Tailor, no less, which is big news for Wincanton. We spent half an hour chatting to him about his work. I feel a bespoke suit coming on for Mr H-L….

4. Afterwards, a quick spot of lunch at a local pub. Even though we shared this pudding, we still couldn’t eat it all.

5. Thursday night, hubby cooked Singapore Green Banana Curry whilst I was teaching. The smell was utterly distracting.

6. Friday was a trip to Bath with a couple of girlfriends. First stop was a light breakfast in The Pump Room, serenaded once again but this time ‘just’ by a pianist on the rather spectacular Steinway grand piano.

7. Choosing a sofa in sofa.com!

8. While they played silly buggers, I collected a ‘few’ samples of velvet. Should come in handy for covering buttons and the like.

9. We had a seriously good two course lunch at Thai Basil for just £7.95 a head, including Jasmine tea!

10. Although I prefer more colour, I had to admit that the silver theme in Brissi was very Christmassy.

11. On Saturday, we helped No.1 Son move into his first home with his girlfriend – in Wales:(

10. The mother in me prioritised a cosy bed to fall into after a long day humping furniture about, so the first thing I did was to organise putting the bed up, finding all the bedlinen and some makeshift bedside tables on which to put some lamps.

12. In the meantime, The Boys helped their brother by ripping up the sixty-year old carpets to reveal original floorboards in every room but one.

13. His face says it all when this gorgeous Victorian tiled floor was uncovered in the hallway!

14. Even more original features were found – every single door in the house had been covered over in the Fifties and he was lucky enough to discover that all the Victorian four-panelled doors were intact underneath.

15. On the two-hour journey home to Somerset, No.3 Son fell asleep. This photo was snapped just as his thumb fell out of his mouth. Cute!

16. Sunday morning saw me taking No.2 Son to Yeovil to spend his pocket money on Christmas decorations to decorate his corner of the dorm, as there was a bit of a competition going on at school. Thank goodness for Poundland!

See you next week folks!

Late with my Sunday Sevens this week – seven or so photos showing my week outside the blog.

1. Blue skies aplenty this past week meant getting out and about a fair bit. It has turned chilly enough for Fifi to need her coat on walks now.

2. We popped over to Frome for a couple of hours to check out Catherine Hill. Marmalade Yarns had a very inviting door don’t you think?

3. Inside, Mr H-L sat patiently whilst I stroked some skeins of hand dyed yarn.

4. I bought a skein of ‘Sparkling Cyanide’ to make some socks for myself in the New Year. Quite an apt purchase after our visit to the cinema last week to see ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ on its opening night.

5. These six balls of yarn from my stash are set to become a handmade gift for my yarn partner in this year’s Stitching Santa.

6. Here’s how it’s shaping up so far – a stack of Granny squares!

7. Another little handmade gift for my sewing partner, too. Just a glimpse here – more to follow in a separate blog post.

8. A handy charity shop purchase, brand new and unopened. It will be worn out by the second of January, no doubt…..!

9. Coffee with The Dogs in At The Chapel, Bruton, after a walk locally. Fifi shivers if she sits on a tiled or stone floor, so she inevitably ends up cosied up on my lap:)

10. A friend and I spent Friday morning visiting a few craft/vintage fairs. We popped into FMLY where they were doing ‘Fizz Friday’ and had a glass of Prosecco thrust in our hands no sooner than walking through the door!

11. We had a fab lunch afterwards at the Roth Bar And Grill in Hauser and Wirth.

12. I ran the refreshments stand at our village Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday. Lots of festive stalls to enjoy.

13. This lovely lady who lives in our village sells wool from her small flock of Zwartbles sheep. Their fleece is chocolate brown so remains undyed and in its natural state.

14. Of course I HAD to buy a skein for my Stitching Santa yarn partner! That’s most of my budget spent so I will have to be creative in order to put together a decent parcel now.

15. After the craft fair, my sister and I dashed down to Southampton where my niece is at University. It was her birthday so we went out for a meal and stayed overnight in local accommodation. It was 2am before we knew it – unheard of for us country folk where the pubs shut at eleven!

16. Sunday was spent Christmas shopping in Southampton with my sister, followed by a pub supper on the way home by which time the late night had caught up with us and we were seriously flagging.

17. Hubby sent me this lovely photo of No.3 Son being treated to breakfast out whilst I was away. He ate the lot!!

18. The biggest and best news of the week though, has to be that my dear little Fifi made it to her fifteenth birthday on Thursday. A milestone we never expected her to reach as she has had several touch-and-go moments over the last twelve months.

Happy Birthday Fifi, and here’s to the next one!

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing a glimpse of your life outside the blog. 

1. One misty morning earlier this week, we spotted these three deer grazing in the field directly behind our house. They don’t normally venture quite this close, so it was a treat to see them.

2. Pumpkins were everywhere on Hallowe’en.

3. Midweek, we took No.2 Son shopping for his birthday. He’s got to ‘that age’ where he only wants money or clothes. And they can only be black or grey. 

4. Fifi started flagging after two miles, so it was just as well we took her carrier on this particular walk.
5. This is her dog’s-eye view. Not bad really, and she’s quite happy to travel this way.

6. Big breakfast for our big boy on the morning of his 12th birthday.

7. In the evening we all went to see ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ at the cinema. Beforehand, we had a fabulous meal at Caribbean Corner in Yeovil, where Ava, the owner, smothered the birthday boy in kisses!

8. No.3 Son picked up his certificates and medals after his Latin and Ballroom dancing class.

9. Whilst No.2 Son was playing football in Poole, I took his little brother out for a smoothie in nearby Bournemouth where the counter was covered with foreign currency notes. 

10. He was fascinated to find a $750,000 note from Zimbabwe!

11. We had a couple of hours before No.1 Son had to go back to school after a two week half term, so we tried The Real Greek in Bournemouth which was delicious. Sharing mezés proved ideal so we could have a bit of everything.

12. Crafting wise, the third and penultimate row has been added to my Eastern Jewels blanket, although I’m tempted to add an extra row to make it bigger.

13. I couldn’t resist this small remnant of fabric in a charity shop featuring a Black Lab called “Rover”.

14. The last metre of pink faux sheepskin on the shop roll found its way into my bag and I made another tote. I’ll probably put his one in my Folksy shop.

That’s it for this week. Tomorrow will be spent drawing Stitching Santa partners out of a hat which will be followed, I suspect, by lots of blog stalking and consequent making/gathering of things to include in the parcels – and I can’t wait!

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog post whereby you show seven-ish photos of your week outside the blog. Anyone can join in at any time.

1. Last Sunday, No.2 Son had a football match in Weymouth – it was a beautiful day so we all went.

Afterwards, we decided to park up by the harbour and go and have fish and chips for lunch.

2. It turns out a ‘fish burger’ consisted of no  less than a whole battered cod fillet in a bun! How he managed to eat it all AND the chips  is beyond me. Must have been all the energy he burned off scoring a hat trick in the match:)

3.  No.2 Son plays rugby for his school so Mr H-L went to watch him midweek.

4. No.3 Son had an inset day on Friday so finished early for the half term. Mr H-L and I took him out to a lovely tea shop nearby where we had coffee and cake.

5. I’ve been trying to find ways of using the left over fabric from the coat I made last week and have been pretty pleased with what I’ve managed to do with it. All are to be Christmas presents, some of which are destined for my Stitching Santa parcel.

Any guesses as to what this might be?

6. Or this?

7. I’m making good progress with the Eastern Jewels blanket. It’s quite addictive as no two octagons are the same so there’s no getting bored whatsoever. I’ve seen some finished ones on Instagram already, and they look amazing.

The kit seems to be sold out at most stockists, but I bought mine here.

8. Oops, the photos aren’t in order as this was on Thursday – hubby took me out for lunch at The Old Inn in Holton.

9. No.2 Son came back from boarding school for half term and his little brother is THRILLED to have his playmate back!

10. Last night we had friends around for supper with a nice bottle of Laurent Perrier to celebrate his new job.

11. I made individual Tiramisinis for pudding and they were amazing – definitely one to do again!

12. Sunday morning saw hubby shampooing the carpet in the back bedroom before zipping off to football with No.3 Son again, so that’s the rest of the day sorted – putting everything back in when the carpet is dry.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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Originally thought up by Nat at Threads & Bobbins, Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing seven photos of life outside the blog.

1. Tess and I went for a lovely walk in the warm Autumn sunshine.

2. We passed this caravan that had just been dumped at the side of the road. I was sorely tempted to tow it home and do it up, but it looked to be beyond repair.

3. Spare egg whites were used up to make a pavlova for tea.

4. All that sugar was tempered with a good old healthy stir fry.

5. Creative-wise this week, I made this lovely lilac coat from some faux sheepskin that I fell in love with. I’ll do a blog post as soon as hubby has taken some pictures of me wearing it.

6. A bit late as I could have done with this handy little tool while making three pairs of socks recently, but I bought this Kitchener stitch aid from Rosie’s Moments on Etsy.

7. Mr H-L and I went out for lunch as he was starving after fasting for a hospital check up.

8. You may recall that I met fellow blogger MaRRose on a trip to Amsterdam last year. She was writing a book at the time which has since been published and now I have my own copy!

9. Fifi sleeps on our bed every night but didn’t want to get up one morning so I had to make the bed around her!

10. Tess isn’t so spoiled and sleeps downstairs in a proper dog box. She still likes to be close by whenever possible though, and here she is sat on a cushion straddling two armchairs in an effort to be as close to me as she can get whilst I crochet.

11. No.2 Son came home from boarding school this weekend and was happy to give both dogs plenty of attention. Rolling straight on to their backs for a tummy tickle, you can almost feel the contentment they’re emanating.

12. Friday night was carnival night in our local town, albeit with fewer floats than ever before.

13. The Boys wrapped up warm just in case, but it was a very mild night.

14. More crocheting in the car whilst No.2 son played football.

15. This is how the Eastern Jewels blanket is shaping up so far.

I’m religiously crocheting/weaving the ends in as I go so I’m not left with a monumental task at the end. In fact, I’m even crocheting each block together as I go so I can see quick progress!

Finally, for anyone that hasn’t yet spotted it, sign up for this year’s Stitching Santa is open until 31st October.

To join in or to find out more, click on the link.

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing seven or so photos of what you’ve been up to.

1. Got this far with the poncho only to be stumped. A quick bit of research discovered that there are errors in the pattern but Bergere de France won’t respond to any of my emails!

2. Frustrating, but at least it meant I got to finish the third pair of Christmas-present socks at last. Finding the right place to join each ball of yarn is always a challenge, but I’m pretty pleased with the pattern matching.

3. This Westie was also finished off and sent to its new owner in Australia……

4. …..and an old needlepoint was upcycled into this cushion cover.

5. We had the dentist on Tuesday which meant taking No.2 Son out of school for a couple of hours. He doesn’t come home now until half term which is four weeks away, so it was really lovely to snatch a bit of time with him, even if it was only in the car and on the dentist’s chair!

Doesn’t he look tall? Can’t believe his little brother will be big enough to join him next year….

6. Apart from sock-knitting, dog-knitting, poncho-knitting and upcycling an old needlepoint, I squeezed in some jam-making this week, using what must be the last of the season’s rhubarb.

7. The dresser shelves are looking pleasingly replenished now, with an extra eleven jars of Rhubarb & Ginger.

8. I did find time to sit down and enjoy my favourite magazine when it landed on the doormat, though. Does anyone else buy The English Home? 

9. I stumbled across this giveaway on IG but couldn’t resist ordering the kit immediately.

10. Lots of places had sold out, but I managed to buy one from Black Sheep Wools and it arrived the very next day.

11. I’ve done two hexagons already and, whilst I love it, I have to say that the picture is a bit misleading as it is overexposed – the actual colours are quite a bit darker in real life. These are the two on the top left.

12. We had lunch at out favourite local hotel.

13. Mr H-L brought me up breakfast in bed at 10am this morning……

14. Which is where I am right now writing my Sunday Sevens.

Looking at the French windows out onto the balcony, I’ve just noticed an absolute plague of ladybirds.

Isn’t that supposed to mean we’re in for an Indian Summer??!




Sunday Sevens comes to you on a Monday this week, with twice as many photos as the title would suggest. 

1. The week started well with some Happy Mail.

2. The grey yarn is for this cabled poncho-with-sleeves…..

3. ….and the cream yarn is for a West Highland Terrier from the book ‘Best In Show’.

4. This was Mr H-L’s office for the week, a villa in Portugal for a week of company meetings by the pool.

5. Which meant I had to take No.3 Son to football training. It was almost too dark to knit in the car by 7pm.

6. The landscapers were back to finish up with a retaining wall on the driveway.

7. The barn in the field behind us has been sold and will soon become a bungalow or, as is the preferred term nowadays, a ‘single storey dwelling’! Luckily, no further development will be allowed so our view will remain largely unchanged.

8. Ellie The Elephant has been finished and now also has a wardrobe full of clothes.

9. These cakes were my contribution to the huge Macmillan Coffee Morning in aid of Cancer Support.

10. The Year 6 children ran the event. Here is No.3 Son doing his best to sell my cakes – I had to buy one back for him before they all sold!

11. This little fella nearly got put out with the recycling as he was hiding in the bin.

12. A Harvest Supper was held in the village hall on Saturday night. Not much has gone on events-wise in the hall since I stepped down after eight years on the committee, so this church-run event was a welcome get together for the villagers. The village hall is the sole venue for entertainment in the village – if it doesn’t happen here, it doesn’t happen at all.

13. No’s 1&3 Sons joined us (plus girlfriend), but No.2 Son was missed:(

14. We’re still spoiling Fifi – here she is wrapped up in hubby’s T-shirt, curled up on our bed for the night. She seems to be OK at the moment, fingers crossed.

Hope you all had a good week, too:)