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Category Archives: Sunday Sevens


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Sunday Sevens #105

Extra hour in bed? Who’re they kidding? I woke up at the usual time and couldn’t get back to sleep so decided to get up anyway and get more done, starting with this week’s Sunday Sevens. Visit Nat over at Threads & Bobbins to find out more.

1. The knitted baby shawl is finished and I’ve started to sew it all together which is a loooong job.


2. See the proximity of the goal? I’ve decided that, if I make The Boys clean off the zillion football imprints on the French Windows, they might be more careful about where they kick it.


3. The Boys have been brilliantly behaved this half term, so I treated them to a pub lunch. They played with their Match Attax whilst waiting for their meals. Just look at that expression when faced with defeat!


4. No.1 Son was working from home on Thursday when my sister came down for the day, so we snuck out on our own for an hour and had coffee in Divine Wines. This is the front of the shop and there are several tiny rooms out the back where you can sit to eat and drink. It’s really lovely.


5. Without a doubt, the highlight of my week was Date Night, when Mr H-L surprised me with tickets to see a talk by one of my heroes, Architectural Historian, Dan Cruickshank, in Sturminster Newton. He signed both books and was more than happy to pose for a photograph. What an incredibly charming man, such a gentleman and exactly as he appears on TV.


6. Arghh, what a mess! We decided to bite the bullet and clear out the office which has become a bit of a dumping ground. I say ‘we’, but Mr H-L actually suggested that he mowed the lawn whilst I did the office, thinking it would take us each an hour.

Nine hours later and we weren’t even half way through! Guess what we’ll be doing again all day today?


7. Before you ask, no, I didn’t take this photo, but it serves to illustrate the beautifully haunting call of a Tawny Owl that woke me up at 2am this morning. It was so loud outside our open bedroom window, that I think it must have been perched on the ridge of our stone shed just a few feet away.


Finally, just a quick reminder that midnight tomorrow on 31st October is the last chance to sign up for this year’s Stitching Santa, so if you haven’t sent me your details yet, you’d better be quick!

That’s it for this week folks – hope you all have a great weekend!


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Sunday Sevens #104

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing what you did in the previous week in photo format. Visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins to find out more.

1. No, it’s no longer in the dining room – I’m sat on it in the lounge, but this is the photo I took when we took delivery of our ‘new’ sofa, another eBay bargain. I’ve also ordered a brand new one to go with it which should be here in about six weeks. Can’t wait to get rid of the two corner sofas that we’ve had for the last ten years!

2. Here is Mr H-L looking very slim in his suit just before he left for an interview in Amsterdam. Over two stones lighter in less than two months – he got the job, too!

3. A change of artwork in the window next to the Post Office in our local town.

4. Mr H-L with our granddaughter in the cardigan I knitted her for her first birthday.

5. A bit of a cheat project – a pre-printed advent calendar panel that I put together and quilted, also for our granddaughter.

6. No.2 Son is now responsible for ironing his own clothes!

7. He won the school Conker competition later that same day – must’ve dazzled the competition with his perfectly pressed school uniform!

8. Popped out for a quick drink to celebrate Mr H-L’s job offer. The pub had their fire blazing and, even though its not really cold enough yet, fires are always so welcoming and cosy, aren’t they?

9. On Saturday we said The Boys could choose where they wanted to go for lunch. Did they choose McDonald’s or KFC? No. They instantly said ‘Tambourino Gold’, which is an Italian restaurant in Sherborne. We had lobster which was a tad pricier than a Happy Meal.

10. Friends came round for supper earlier in the week which resulted in a late night and a lie in. We woke up late and went downstairs to find them washing up the mess from the previous evening. Oops – not what good hosts should do! I did cook them a full English afterwards, though.

11. No.1 Son and his girlfriend all dressed up for a football Hallowe’en do. We promised to drop them off and pick them up which meant staying up until nearly midnight – something we rarely manage these days!


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Sunday Sevens #103

Sunday Sevens is on time this week, with only eight photos, too, largely due to not having a phone to take snaps when out and about, but let’s not drag all THAT up again…….!

Visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins to find out more and how you can join in.

1. The daisies are now all starched and holding their shape beautifully, so just the chain to finish now before I can hang it on the dresser.


2. I was watching Phil Spencer’s Secret Agent programme in the week and the ‘before’ picture showed the exact same Axminster carpet that we have as a rug in our lounge! They were advised to rip it up because it looks like a pub carpet, but it works as a rug on our oak floor. Isn’t it funny how the same carpet can present so differently according to how you decorate?


3. This little girl finished her pyjamas on Thursday and has worn them every night since – she even went home in them after posing for this photo!


4. I couldn’t resist these cute Robin fat quarters. As you might have guessed by now, I LOVE Robins and these will make something Christmassy. 


5. It’s impossible to get a decent photo of your dog enthusiastically tearing open her birthday present, but here is Tess on her third birthday with Fifi looking on enviously in the background.


6. My favourite kind of parcel! A bag arrived from Wool Warehouse with yarn for my next commission. I WILL finish the shawl first – only 55 more pattern repeats out of 120 to go.


7. I have a new phone! Exactly the same as the ‘old’ one and Mr H-L is now banned from touching it. Hopefully, there will be some photos outside of the house next week now I have a phone again.

8. While I’ve been writing this post, I managed to burn the cake that was in the oven – oops!


A reminder that Stitching Santa 2016 is now open for sign up until 30th October – click on this link to find out more.


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Sunday Sevens #102

Time for another Sunday Sevens as organised by Nat at Threads & Bobbins . Not that we’ve heard much from Nat lately – where are you Nat, we miss you?

  1.  Working on the lacy border for the Baby shawl commission that I’ve been slogging away at for a few months. Baby was due yesterday and I’ve run out of time! Trouble is, I get a numb bum if I sit for more than two hours at a time, so I can’t knit it any faster.

2. Whilst I’m still in my Summer linens and flip flops, I’m looking ahead to more typical Autumn weather and thinking about what to wear on the chillier days to come. I’m making the main view in orange and brown Ponte Roma – very seasonal colours. It’s actually a dress which looks like a skirt and top and I reckon it’ll get a lot of wear as it’s as comfortable as a tracksuit but MUCH smarter for everyday use. In fact, I’ve already got plans for a second one in different colours.

3. I finally got around to buying some spray starch for all those crocheted daisies that I made back in July. What a difference it makes. These are going to be a garland for my upcycled oak dresser.

4. As you probably know, I cook a LOT, so should be pretty good by now. However, cakes are not my forté – they always taste great….but look rubbish. Not this time! I used this Carrot Cake  recipe and followed it to the letter and it actually rose!

5. I doubled up on the icing so that I could put some in the middle, too, and topped it off with the grated zest of an orange.

6. Here’s what’s left of it on the far right after a friend hosted a very successful charity MacMillan Coffee Morning during which over £200 was raised!

7. My iPhone 5s is currently residing in a bag of rice. Why? Dear husband left it in his trouser pocket and it went through a wash cycle. I think it’s too far gone to dry out in a bag of rice. I’ve got 18 months left on the contract and no phone so you can imagine how cross I was. Anyone got a spare one…..?!

8. No.1 Son took a snap of the harvest lunch (as I no longer have a camera phone…). It was taken at the end when people had started to leave  so you’ll have to believe me when I say the hall was full and it was a lovely atmosphere.

9. And finally……#stitchingsanta 2016 has started! Click on this link to sign up and take part this year.

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Sunday Sevens #101

Time for another Sunday Sevens as thought up by Nat at Threads & Bobbins – click here to find out more and how you can join in, too.

  1. The Boys both won their football matches quite convincingly this weekend. No.2 Son’s team won 9-0 and he scored a hat trick. No.3 Son’s team won 5-2.

2. I treated myself to this mug by Wrendale Designs – I love this particular range and I’m hoping this is the first in a collection that will fill the hooks on my newly renovated dresser. Might have to put them on my Christmas list though, as they’re a bit of a luxury at ten pounds each.

3. I have a few commissions already for Christmas and this is my favourite so far – four kids’ bobble hats. I’ve made a sample in cream complete with the fabulous pom pom, which I love. The commissioned hats will have faux fur bobbles though, as preferred by my client.

4. Sewing lessons are still going strong – this is one of my Thursday after school groups.

5. Looking ahead to this year’s #stitchingsanta, I have been collecting goodies as and when I see them and thought that one (or both) of these books would be good for the knitting one. Just one pound each in our local charity shop, I’m sorely tempted to keep them for myself…..

6. I also picked up this cute little pot which will be perfect for all those patés that I make.

7. Talking of cooking, this is a new favourite of my ever-hungry family – a sausage plait. Delicious hot or, even better, cold in lunch boxes to make a change from sandwiches.

8. Jam making began in earnest this week and I am so glad I invested in this gadget a few years ago. It’s a vegetable mill and takes the effort out of removing seeds from blackberries.

9. Batch one is labelled and in the store cupboard. This jar went to the chap who, very generously, put his surplus apples out on his wall for you to help yourself.

10. Friday evening promised to be one of the last opportunities to have a picnic, so 11 adults and 19 children met in the park for cricket and a picnic tea. I took a platter of paella, still piping hot from the oven. Yum!

11. No.3 Son finished his corduroy trousers in time for the Autumn chill which has just arrived.

12. I made a very successful batch of Yorkshire puddings. Sadly, they don’t always rise as well as this.

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13. Mr H-L has dropped two stones without really trying, annoying though that might sound. He now has two brand new suits costing £400 each which fall round his ankles at the slightest tug. What a waste!

14. We went to our dear friends’ house for a lamb roast on Saturday – what a great night that was!

15. I can’t finish without showing you their inventive solution to the toilet problem. With fifty guests and only one toilet, our host came up with this idea for a homemade urinal, situated around the side of the shed. A water bottle (the kind you get in offices) trimmed and attached to a pipe which led into a tray full of cat litter to soak up the liquid and any nasty smells – genius! There was even a privacy screen, battery powered light and alcohol handwash, too.


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Sunday Sevens #100

Sunday Sevens is here again and guess what – I’ve kept it to seven photos for the first time in forever! Not that we haven’t done loads, just that I keep forgetting to take photos. No pub pics either this week; we had a lovely walk to the pub yesterday in the sunshine, but I forgot to take the mobile with me.

If you want to find out more and how you can join in, visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins.

1. This gorgeous, faded roses fabric was on sale at £5 per metre, down from £16. It is 2.5m wide, too, so I bought all of it – 3m for £15! It’s curtain weight fabric and is destined for the redecoration of the smallest bedroom, which hasn’t been decorated in ten years and needs a facelift.

2. As part of our ‘get the house ready for sale’ effort, we had a clear out of the wall-to-wall bookshelves in our lounge. I offered this lot to the school for their Christmas fair as it’s all in good condition, but they don’t seem to want it as no one has got back to me. Oh well – charity shop it is then.

3. I forgot to show you this book that I couldn’t resist buying last week. It’s just lovely – and there’s more space on the bookshelves now, so there was no reason not to buy it:)


4. Can you believe this? Spotted in a pub in Sherborne on 5th SEPTEMBER!

5. Hmm, not very picturesque perhaps, but an important part of our week. We had a heavy downpour and rain was pouring through the light fitting in the not yet finished sun room. A quick inspection of the single storey roof revealed two broken tiles. Easily fixed before any damage was done, thank goodness.

6. Progress so far on the quilt-as-you-go squares. Each square will be quilted the same, but the design doesn’t show up as clearly on the patterned fabrics as it does on this spotty one.

7. A sweet pic of the dogs to finish with. Wow, they do need a haircut. Time to get the scissors out again….


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Sunday Sevens #99

This week’s Sunday Sevens is a couple of week’s worth as I haven’t had chance to get near a computer before now.

To find out more about Sunday Sevens, visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins.

1. The Boys were desperately in need of a haircut……

2. This was the ‘before’!

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3. All No.3’s curls have gone! N0.3 wanted me to cut his hair ‘long’.

4. The Boys are eating the crackling, which I cut off the pork belly before cooking what is possibly the tastiest meal ever.

5. I managed to get around to making a friend’s curtains which she has been waiting for for ages.

6. No.1 Son also wanted a haircut before we all went camping. I did the ‘Mad Woman Let Loose With A Pair Of Scissors’ impression.

7. I whipped up some simple bunting for the tents using some scraps out of my ‘less than 4″ square scrap bag’. Come on, I know I’m not the only one who can’t bear to throw away even the tiniest piece of fabric.

8. Talking of camping, No.1 Son went a day earlier and took both the tents as there wouldn’t be enough room in my little car (Mr H-L’s big car was in the garage). At the last minute, the garage rang to say they’d fixed the Merc. Bonus!

9. Camping with all three sons and N0.1’s girlfriend.

10. Everyone needs a bit of bunting on their tents. And homemade picnic rug and crocheted blankets.

11. Standard camping breakfast – sausages!

12. Family selfie at Hurlstone Point overlooking Porlock Bay.

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13.  The Boys chose their own fabric for their sewing lesson projects.

14. Hanson’s fabric warehouse in Sturminster Newton was in the midst of putting up all manner of things outside their shop for Yarnbombing Day.

15. The nearby open spaces were also duly adorned with knitted and crocheted works of art. The Boys couldn’t resist touching everything.

16. I’m still working steadily on the knitted baby shawl. At this point I think I was two thirds of the way in with 60 hours under my belt and over 70,000 stitches to date.

17. The Boys went back to school, everyone went back to work and I went to the café all on my own for a bit of peace and quiet and well earned coffee and cake.

And…..relax!


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Sunday Sevens #98

We’re down to one car at the moment – the Mercedes is in the garage and may be on it’s way to the scrapyard in the sky as it may not be economical to fix.  Mr H-L has been using my car for work as I don’t need it in the holidays, but this means we don’t get out at all as there is very limited public transport.

What I’m trying to say, is that there are no pub photos in this week’s Sunday Sevens, and no Exmoor landscapes – just us at home, doing stuff.

  1. Progress is slow but steady on the baby shawl I’m knitting. At this point I was one third of the way through and the statistics were; 35 hours, 560 rows and 40,324 stitches.

2. I held two full day workshops this week. Just look at the concentration on her face!

3. The students love choosing their own combination of fabrics to make their creations unique. It started with piles of neatly folded fabric but, within seconds of excited rummaging, descended into this chaotic heap!

4. I found time to design and make a school bag for No.2 Son. He declared that he was too old to use the standard school “babyish” book bags so chose the fabrics for a more grown up version.

I’ll write up a quick ‘how to’ when I get time.

5. Talking of school, we made a rare trip to town to buy new school shoes and The Boys spent the whole time going up and down the escalators. They’re not used to such exciting entertainment in the country!

6. WHY are school shoes so expensive? £100 for two pairs of shoes and a pair of daps – criminal.

7. While we were in Yeovil, we popped into the outdoor pursuits shop and managed to snap up another gas burner, gas cannisters and a new lamp, all at half price, ready for camping next week.

8. I treated myself to six tin plates, all copies of original royal china. Who said you can’t dine in style just because you’re camping?

9. Being at home all week meant more baking than usual was done. The Boys wore their self-made butcher’s aprons and had great fun making chocolate cornflake crunchies.

10. Licking the spoons is always the best bit, isn’t it?

11. Finally – HOW can sleeping like this be comfortable?!

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing glimpses of your life outside of the blog. To find out how you can join in, too, visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins.


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Sunday Sevens #97

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series to give a glimpse of life outside the blog. To find out more, visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins.

1. Spotted this lovely filet crochet window dressing in a village local to us. I nearly got killed standing in the middle of the road determined to get close enough for a decent photo.


2. Remember this cushion that a student made with me?


3. She won ‘Best In Section’ at her village fete!


4. Love this photo of The Boys with their cousins at Stourton, Wiltshire.


5. A friend asked if I could lend her some vintage China – I didn’t realise I had so much and this isn’t all of it!


6. Another painting project – this is going to be transformed into a sink unit for our en suite.


7. We met up with some friends who were camping on Exmoor. It was 12 degrees at 1pm on 11th August so those crocheted blankets came in handy as we huddled around the fire!


8. The kids still went swimming in the freezing river though!


9. Glorious Exmoor. We will run a b+b there one day.


10. Our camping trip is coming up and my old hoodie has had it, so a new one is under construction. I loathe hoodies for their lack of any aesthetically appealing features, but they are a necessary evil if you want to stay warm when camping.

See what you think – I’ll blog about it later in the week.


11. I made a top for a little girls American Girl doll with the scraps, which led to a whole wardrobe of clothes being created. More photos to follow.


12. Gave hubby a much needed haircut.


That’s it for this week!


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Sunday Sevens #96

Having been SO busy these last few weeks, I couldn’t possibly fit in everything we’ve done, so here’s a heavily edited version of events, albeit in rather more than seven photos again.

Linking up with Natalie at Threads & Bobbins for Sunday Sevens – a weekly blog series showing what you do outside the blog. Click on the link to find out more.

1. I went to my first ever Baby Shower, an event that has reached the UK from foreign climes apparently, and is gaining popularity with youngsters rapidly. My crocheted pram blanket was well received by the mother-to-be.


2. We went to Exmoor to view some more b+bs on the hottest day of the year. A really good Summer day in England is 23 degrees centigrade, so we were sweltering in the heat.

3. Mr H-L didn’t need much persuasion to stop for a nice cold pint in The Beggar’s Roost in North Devon.


4. The following day, Mr H-L and I had a day out locally and went to three pubs in one day – a record for us!

Breakfast was at the Roth Bar and Grill…..

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5. Lunch was at At The Chapel…..

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(This made us smile!)

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7. ….and afternoon tea was taken at The Three Horseshoes Inn.

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8. A group of students were filming down by the river, so we stayed and watched for a while.

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9. Arty snap of The Boys playing Top Trumps.

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10. The new girls were just settling in nicely (can you tell?) when this one strayed too far and was killed by a passing car:(

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11. No.2 Son declared that he needed some short sleeved T-shirts for our imminent holiday in Cornwall. I cut up a couple of Mr H-L’s old ones that were destined for recyling and combined the good bits to make him a new one. A bit Frankenstein perhaps, but he’s pleased with it.

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12. A lovely few days were spent in Cornwall with family in their holiday cottage near Newquay. As luck would have it, the tickets we bought for the Eden Project last year were valid for twelve months, so we snuck in again on Day 364 for free!

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13. We even sniffed out the bar in the tropical dome!

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14. Days were spent on the beach…..

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15. …..evenings were spent on the beach.

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16. A romantic one of us watching the sun go down as The Boys frollicked in the surf.image

17. Ha ha!

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18. Crisps and a pint in The Shipwrights Inn, Padstow.

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19. Back home, family had arrived from France to stay for a few days and some friends popped in spontaneously, so I quickly rustled up an impromptu meal for thirteen!

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20. Another day, another family visit, this time our granddaughter with her mum and dad. We took the kids for a walk and ended up in a playground where dogs aren’t allowed, so tied them up outside at the railings.

Just look at that sad puppy face!

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21. Mum and daughter flat out later that afternoon. Must have been all that fresh air (and the ice cream!)

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Well, that doesn’t cover half of it, but better to put a few photos up rather than miss another week, I thought.

I’ll try to find time to do a separate post covering all the sewing workshops for those of you who have been following the sewing school (www.thestitchacademy.com).

Hope you’re making the most of the Summer holidays, too!

HSave