I am having such fun playing around with my blog design - always a bit risky in case I mess up the whole thing!!  Anyway, I thought I'd go with the red bubbles today!  In some way they remind me of Joseph's Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat...the show was fantastic...love the music, energy and colour.  Jack insists on calling it, Joseph's  Amazing Technological......(!), and when I rang up the box office in a mild panic last week because I had lost the tickets, I said we are booked in to see Jacob's Ladder!!  There was a long pause...and I think the poor woman on the other end of the phone assumed I had finally flipped!!!  Today (Sunday whatever my computer says) is another lovely sunny day.  I have just had to check the tide timetable because my dear husband has decided he would like to baptise people in the sea!!  Things never change:  we have photos over the years of him in swimming pools, rivers and the like...hey ho! Jack is still fast asleep, so I am now summoning up the energy to play football, swing ball and to go scootering.  Have a nice day!

It wasn't that I pressed a wrong button...there is a fault on my computer and it has to go in to hospital for a few days at the end of next week.  Fortunately it's still under guarantee, because it needs almost £400 worth of repair!!  I'm not too impressed, but I guess it's just one of those things.  At least it will be like a brand new computer again!!  In the meantime, I think I have worked out  another way to do my blog....fingers crossed.  Here are some pics taken in my garden on Thursday.  I got it into my head to paint an old spinning wheel, that has been standing in a corner for years.  I've breathed new life into it! It doesn't actually work - but looks nice.  Today we are off to see "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat".  I saw the play years ago and enjoyed it.  We are taking Jack, and I think (hope) he'll love it!

Luckily I'm going for a tutorial on my apple mac this morning, because for some strange reason the photographs I was going to show you today won't upload on to my computer.  I must have pressed some button or other...it's all a bit of a mystery to me, and I am eternally grateful when the thing actually works!! Never mind...these scrumptious felt rolls are in sale at - you've guessed it - the Threshing Barn.....and then I have added some pics from the sunny Canary Islands. Mind you, the weather here has been similar to that of the Canary Islands - make the most of it....I'm sure Brighton will be all of a buzz today - let's hope I can get computer working.  I must now go and sort out some knitting to do on the train journey!

SUNNY DAYS AND DIRTY HANDS

As you can see, the dogs that board at Emma's have a hard life!!  Another brilliant, sunny day, which we enjoyed on the Downs.  I simply couldn't resist showing you the pics of the dirty hands at the workshop on Sunday......works of art in themselves! 

Unfortunately when you do a workshop at The Threshing Barn you have to stop for delicious food...it was a real effort...but we didn't complain!!  How Janet manages all this I don't know, she is a real star!!  She then introduced us to a gorgeous little three day old lamb - who was duly christened cupcake!  Enjoy the sun today - I'm off meeting Emma and then a friend....we'll have good walks over the downs and on the beach.  Sometimes life can be very hard.......by the way - yet another background to my blog, which I think reflects the fantastic weather we are having.

I've had such a brilliant weekend and driven over 600 miles!! Of course the weather was fantastic and I managed to get in a couple of fabulous country walks in between seeing dear friends and family.  And, last but not least - the workshop on Sunday was so enjoyable and everyone seemed to have a good time splashing around ... and amazing work was produced.  The Threshing Barn is an amazing place...I LOVE it - and everywhere you look there is something to inspire you...even in the loo!!  More tomorrow...it's good to be home (and as you can see, I have returned my blog to black!!)

Clearly I was in a green mood yesterday......again a fantastic, sunny day, so I just couldn't resist getting outside and doing some dyeing.  I had a medical screening in the afternoon and the  radiographer was most concerned about the greenish looking bruise on my arm!!  I explained and put her mind at rest.  She probably thought ..."mad woman"!!  Anyway, I'm off to Derbyshire in a couple of hours - staying with family in Oxford en route.  I shall have a great time meeting up with old friends and a couple of sons!!  Oh yes - I shall also spend Sunday (hopefully) enthusing others to splash around with paint...so, have a good weekend and I shall be back next week.

Spring is definitely in the air!! I celebrated a gorgeous day yesterday by having a bit of spinning time in the garden.  It was fabulous and a promise of warmer days to come - yipee!! You may also notice I have changed the colour of this blog - partly because I have got confused with the 'design' section, but largely because I think it is more spring like.......Tomorrow I'm up to Staffordshire to take a day's workshop at The Threshing Barn.  This is a fabulous place if you like all thing fibre....a beautiful old working farm in the moorlands, run by a very zippy lady called Janet (who has a penchant for changing her hair colour!!!)  Take a look at their website.  Have a nice day (as they say in the U.S.)

You needn't take any notice of this entry because I am still playing around with the different blog settings.  As I haven't been able to restore things to their former glory - I thought I would just see what else I can do.....

I have done something to my blog programme - no idea what...so I'm not quite sure what I'm doing this morning.  Anyway - hopefully this will work.  Happy Birthday Jazmine   who is 5 years old today.. She is such a crazy cocker spaniel...I keep hoping she'll calm down.  As you can see, she really loves it when our knitting group meets in our home......she doesn't actually knit - but she likes to get in on the act!!

I'm back in business and spent a happy hour in the sunshine yesterday sorting out my wool for dyeing...I can't wait to get started and see what colours I can come up with. My exciting news is that my new website is now up and running. I shall have to get my Etsy Shop organised and need to upload more things on to it. I have only really played with it before. I think I had beginners luck and a couple of years ago I had two sales within the first week!! I subsequently forgot how to add new items, but I am now cracking it! Anyway, please take a look on: www.fibrefrenzi.co.uk

I just loved this building and kept going back to take more photographs....the colours and Moroccan shapes were stunning and I can see quilt designs, knitting shapes and much more. By the end of the week my mind was saturated with oranges, blues and pinks.....I don't get quite the same inspiration back in Bexhill - but everywhere has something different and I do love England....which reminds me I must get my dogs (who have now returned from their holiday at Emma's) out into the woods. The sun is shining and the birds are singing (hope I warm up today - I was freezing all day yesterday!!)

Well, we're back and what a fantastic time we had! It was a bit of a shock last night though, returning to a dark, cold and wet evening - having left glorious summer weather a few hours before! Still. that's how it goes........I haven't unpacked yet, but thought I would treat you to this palm tree. I did a little bit of painting whilst away but only about two stitches of knitting....I was too busy eating, swimming and sleeping. We reckon we got more than an extra night's worth of sleep...amazing! By the way, my dog crazy daughter has just started blogging. I have added her to my favourite blog list, so take a look. This week features my own two hounds who have been having a holiday with her.

We're off to the sunshine.....back in a week ..........bye

Two days ago I took myself to Costa with notebook and pen, and over a delicious latte I organised my life.....like a spring clean of the brain!! It was really weird because when I looked through my notes, I noticed that I had done exactly the same thing on 7th November, and had made plans up to 7th March (which was the actual day I was reading it! ) It was satisfying to tick off all the projects that I had completed!! You must think I'm very anal (or organised in layman's terms!!) but I suppose this goes back to my teaching days. I am programmed to work in third yearly blocks (i.e. terms). Well, it seems to work, because in the last couple of days I have sorted things through - planned future workshops and had a general spring clean of house and arty stuff (thanks to my friend Naomi who helped me out). So now I'm almost ready to take off to the Canary Islands tomorrow...

Canvas is quite an interesting material to work with. It is extremely tough and yet is behaves very nicely with the sewing machine. Perhaps I should go in to production and make painted deckchairs!! I am quite pleased with this folder, and already I'm finding it useful. I have added a couple of pockets so have been able to put samples of labels, bags etc inside. I have also inserted my painted folders . But above all - I really loved making it - so I'm sure I'll be doing more.