As promised here is the next art-to-wear creation which is still in progress.....it gives you an idea of what is coming and I thought I'd make the most of having my residential model!!  I'm still hopping, but sitting around has enabled me to get on with creating!!

At last I've got someone to model my felted knit jacket.....doesn't my granddaughter make a fabulous model?  Oh to be young........anyway I have also nearly finished another jacket so will get Becky to model it tomorrow.  It isn't finished or felted, but will give you an idea of what is to come!   

My new friends....the crutches that give me a certain amount of freedom!!  At least I was able to sit on the beach yesterday and do a bit of hobbling around with the kids.  Today I have decided to be more sensible and rest...but I will knit and weave..........

I sat in the garden with my foot up and did tapestry weaving as you can see,  It takes for ever but I do enjoy the slow process...today I am going to swing (on my crutches) down to the pier  where I shall enjoy the sun and have an ice cream!  My family will then come and join their sad Granny...!!!!

Hanks of dyed yarn and some fleece ready to spin (when my foot is back in action!)  Today I have managed to hobble a bit without crutches which is v. exciting for me....I was told it could take weeks to heal but I shall prove medics wrong!!  However I shall be sensible and plan to knit, read and do some tapestry weaving.  Every cloud has a silver lining....I shall sit around without feeling guilty!  Enjoy the sunshine x

I suppose it was inevitable that it would happen one day....and yesterday it did!  I tripped over a dog and have wrecked my foot.  The pain was unbelievable.  Hospital thought I had a cracked a bone but I have torn and ripped ligaments.  So now I'm swinging around on crutches.  Walking and spinning out of the question but at least I will be able to knit!  Here is my latest attempt at designing....maybe I shall now be able to get on with it....

Sunflowers always make me smile....these are growing in our neighbour's garden, so I just had to take a picture yesterday.  And.......the conservatory is now with us!!  It feels as though our downstairs' space has been doubled.  Quite amazing!  Still a lot to do to finish it off, but we are well on the way now.  Dogs and cats are intrigued and last night the children were having a high old time circling the house - because of the extra doorway.  All good fun!

I'm getting into biking!!  Am really enjoying cruising along the coast on my daughter's bike.....I can see I'll have to get one.  It's also good to get away from the building works going on here...this morning the sound of the drill into the brickwork reminded me of the dentist....ughhhh!!!

We're getting there!  It's been so exciting to see the new structure going up.  Of course there's no glass in the windows yet  -  it was so funny this morning.  One of the dogs waited patiently while I opened the doors.....little did he know that he could have walked right through!!  So far we are really pleased with the whole thing.  I was rather apprehensive, thinking that a conservatory would make me feel blocked in - but it has had  the opposite effect. The outside space now seems much larger...it will give us so much more living space downstairs.  Tomorrow a large window in the sitting room is being removed and a door is going to be put in its place.  By the time we've finished, this place will be like a little palace!!

Amidst the chaos of builders and kids I snatched some dyeing time yesterday.  It all looks rather brown here, but actually there are some rather good shades of pink and green.  I'm also spinning away so will hopefully soon have a good stash of creative yarn.  I have ordered a jumbo flyer because I should like to have a go at creating some bulky art yarns.  I've never used a large flyer before - so should be interesting.  By the way I went for a bike ride last night along the sea front. It was brilliant - I haven't ridden a bike for years....but I hate to say it - I had strange pains in my right knee in the night!

We spent the day at Portsmouth yesterday and really enjoyed time on The Victory - Nelson's ship.  The children were most interested to see the actual spot where Nelson fell.....their imaginations were going 19 to the dozen!!  There was so much to see - and the good news is the tickets for entry are valid for a year!!  I'm sure another visit is on the cards....

Freedom ceremony: How sad is this??  Yesterday we went to the local pet shop and while we were there saw piles of plastic boxes full of live bait - waiting to be torn apart by snakes etc.  Emma felt so sorry for these hapless creatures so she bought a box of crickets in order to free them!!  So off we went up to the downs and there held a freedom ceremony!!  O>K>  Maybe they won't have survived long, but at least they would have had a few moments of pleasure......

Circles seem to be today's theme, ending up with a varied assortment of offspring in the local park!!  A friend found these round basket plates in a local charity shop, so I was trying them out for display....I think I need a lesson in displaying textiles!!  I never know how to do it.....!!  The sun didn't appear yesterday - but is shining this morning.  Enjoy it!

Why do I love spinning?  I ask myself this question a lot, and the only answer I come up with is that the slowness of it, the feel of the fibre and the rhythmic movement all add up to a wonderfully relaxing and calming pastime.  It certainly doesn't make sense in any financial or productive terms - but spinning somehow enables me to tap in to the history of women through the ages who have sat at their wheels.  I guess weaving has a similar effect on people but spinning does it for me!

After yesterday's'un-pretty' pictures I thought I would treat you to these two beauties.  My friend has a very small garden - but it looks amazing.  She is extremely clever with plants and flowers and most things (including this rose bush)grow in tubs.  I think I shall learn a lot from her!!

Not a pretty sight but this is our garden at the moment.  The conservatory/extension is underway.  It's a little tricky trying to keep the dogs off newly laid cement....maybe little paw prints will be set in stone for years to come!!  We have been looking for interesting finds under the rubble - but nothing so far.....Needless to say, I'm not being very creative at the moment - but my time will come!  Have a good day!