A few...

...bits and pieces I've listed on my Etsy Shop over the last week or so... I must leave myself a note...show off!!









The lime and lipstick red ones were made after I received my journal...I just love those colours.

A new day...

...and a new signing. It's not a new player, you understand, but our youngest first team player turns seventeen today, and has decided to sign his professional contract with us. By all accounts there were some Premier League clubs interested, but Jonjo Shelvey has signed for Charlton. He certainly is a potential great talent, having shown signs of a maturity of play beyond his years, but his talent will be built on and developed, and we can hope he will grow with us for quite sometime. It's exciting to see a young talent start his career...

Also...

...a very happy birthday to our youngest son.

It's his birthday today, and as he's got a few days off work I'm taking him out for lunch. Not quite sure where we'll go as his partner can't get her boss to give her more than an hour...ce la vie!

This coming...

...Saturday, my team are away at Swansea, who were unlucky last night against Premier League opposition Fulham in the FA cup. They led until the 77th minute, then two goals in four minutes were scored against them.

Having drawn at the weekend against Barnsley away, we travel to south Wales to a team that have shown skill and determination to get them to a position just outside the play off zone, and it's very tight on points there, so a win against us...you see the position! Letting two goals in to lose, could just have put salt on their tails (is that a mixed metaphor?) and I'm sure they'll look at us knowing in their hearts they can "do" us, but their manager will be working with his head... I hope we sneak under the radar of both...and astound the pundits and gain a glorious victory! Really any kind of victory will suffice, but a glorious one...would just be the cherry.

Last weekend didn't go well for us...yes, we drew, but those teams around us won! Southampton got three vital points, as did Watford...meaning we're five points from the team above us, and still eight points from safety. Whatever happens this Saturday, we need those teams to lose. We can only cheer our team, but the heart would be a little warmer if things fell our way for once.

I know what...

...I should be doing, I should be making beads, but it's impossible! Even if I could concentrate they'd go wrong, and I'd be picking holes in them after. It's best not to even start!

It's a week since we had the call saying the garden was too small, but our persistent offerers had been in asking again about things. After all the too-ing and fro-ing between us and the agents, both ours and those in Norfolk, they were told the facts, they're not getting it for nowt and this is the present value taking in all the reductions we and Norfolk have made!

I was fine all the time I knew they were away, but they should be back, and I can't see any reason if the answer is a blunt no, why delay in letting everyone know. If it's a yes, or maybe...the same goes. We're the perfect little chain...they're in rented having sold a year ago, we know what we want, where we want isn't being lived in, and what she wants is totally empty...we are all waiting for them. I had the Norfolk agent phone yesterday, hoping...I told him, he'd be the second person I'd phone...after my husband, I promise.

But if all fails and it is a no, our agent came and took some fresh photos, after the decorating we needed to revamp the details...and it's all up on site, and much better for it.

I've even read all the blogs I love today...now I'll discover something else to do...and how many cups of tea can you drink?

Whoopee...

...2!

I've been included in another Treasury on Etsy...



My marmalade spacers were selected by Juny...a huge thank you so much! :)

In another...

...blog I follow, the writer gives what he calls "The Gellies". He's an avid traveller, and a follower of the same team as me. But, his Gellies awards made me smile, and gave me food for thought.

He gives shower gel ratings to several hotels he's visited during the previous year. From the unspectacular to the wow! Comments as to why, and links are included...

It made me think of the best I've come across, which was a Bed and Breakfast establishment in Kings Lynn Norfolk. The Bank House was wonderful, and I discovered it purely by chance. My husband had gone sailing for a week and we were taking the tentative steps of looking around Norfolk with the view to move. This, was maybe about three years ago. I went to Norfolk for a few days, turned up in Lynn with no accommodation booked. We tend to use the Tourist Information offices...we even did that in the US, and it's never failed us yet. There were a couple, but I preferred to stay in the town, and settled upon The Bank House...I couldn't have done better. It was simply the best...a cliche, but true. So good I took my husband back the following year.

I thought I'd show what I mean...so following the link...I've discovered it's changed, whether that's the owner too, I don't know, but it's now Bankhouse Hotel with a chef and all. When I visited it didn't cater for dinner or lunches, and there was no terrace, and the family who ran it lived there, now it has all that, and a drinks licence. It did have the most wonderful rooms (which you can't see on their site now), and lots of shower gel (it says Molton Brown)...plus!

Things move on...but, I think I'd like to try it again...only in the cause of investigation, you understand!

Oh, and for anyone viewing from Canada...Lynn is where Captain Vancouver came from.

At last...

...the journal I wanted to show off. It's gorgeous...so very soft, with a combination of two of my favourite colours

I bought it from the very talented and friendly Moonbindery (find her on Etsy), this journal is as beautiful in reality as it looks in the photos.







My journal is made with thin, buttery soft, lipstick red deerskin, and a vintage lime green accent button. It has a unique, hand stitched binding.

It is made with a Medieval style binding and has an exposed stitching in green on outer spine.

Thank you for such a wonderful work of art.

What a...

...day!!

Getting set to start painting...I'd given up making beads for the day. Then going to take the photos I wanted later, the phone rang...my agent! Estate agent...anyway, the people who viewed Monday, loved the house, but the garden wasn't big enough. Right! Okay! 100ft width of garden wasn't large enough... I won't be cynical here! But, she'd had a visit from my persistent under offerers...and she'd pushed them to a tentative up...which set the whole agent talking to agent in flow. Leaving us waiting to hear back from these persistent persons to see if they'll match what we want, and me phoning my agent this morning for re-marketing purposes. I earned my lunch yesterday dealing with two professional negotiators! So I'm out this evening to see the Benjamin Button film, with Brad Pitt...I'm sorry, but I like him...always have! ;)

Then this morning I check into Etsy for a look see, and I've been included in a treasury. It made my smile go from ear to ear...and at last I've worked out how to copy it here!!



And wow!!! It works!!! Thank you to Felicity Crew for including me in her beautiful calming treasury. I think it's a very pretty treasury too....I think it featured on the front page!

I must say sorry to someone I promised I'd be showing her work...it is coming, but events this week have rather swept me along.

We won...

...and are now into the London Cup semi finals. No, not the mens team, but the women's team. They beat Tower Hamlets 4 - 0 on Sunday at Victoria Park, Hackney.
In the semi's they will either face Kent Magpies or Millwall. A great boost for the women's team.

Our U18's also had a good result when they drew with Arsenal Academy 2 - 2. You only have to look at some of the youngsters we've turned out, and you can see how good our young players are. Trouble is, some think the grass is greener elsewhere!

With the first team...and I know six points doesn't a season make, but...just maybe we might...with a heavy dose of luck...just scrape enough points to stay in the Championship. To do that, we need to win against those around us, and we meet several of those in the closing stages of the season, at home. Hey! I'm trying to be optimistic here...reality can come later!

Anyway, time for the paint brush now!

A mistake...

...about the fire! And a drastic one. It was a home which went up in smoke. I thought erroneously that because I could see the engines the fire must be just on the bend near me, but there must have been more down the road around the corner I couldn't see. A large thatched house has only it's lower walls and doors left. Devastating to the family who lovingly renovated it over the last few years, and were living there...they had children, and I've heard they all escaped.

Thatched houses are beautiful to look at, but if they catch fire...(the one next to us did about thirteen or so years ago, struck by a lightning ball), the roof, if the fire brigade can't get the roof off, falls into the house, making it so much worse. Fireman try to hook it off, dragging it away from the fire, and therefore saving the upper storey as much as possible...the house I saw this morning, had no upper storey left...it is a shell. Heartbreaking... I hope they can rebuild and restore it. You wouldn't know that it happened next door now, they rebuilt it in the traditional manner, and it doesn't look any different to the original.

A brighter thing, my eldest son and daughter in law have taken their two sons to France for the day, it being half term here. My grandsons (they're ten and six) have been learning French and wanted to try their skills, so they've gone off on the ferry to Calais. I'm not sure what the French will make of them, but both they and the boys will have fun, of that I have no doubt. My eldest grandson now tells me he wants to learn Mandarin too...a friend at school Mum teaches Mandarin to executives...and I think he wants to gossip with his friend so no one can understand them!

Okay...

...it's definite! I really shouldn't plan my days! Having told someone I would be making beads and then decorating today, and then starting the making, I get a phone call from the estate agent, someone would like to come to view! Okaaayyy...when? Panic hits. Not 'til 3:30 this afternoon. Yay! Time to put things away, and tidy up the decorating...just leaving the explaining of odds and ends around...

They duly arrived a little late, and seemed to like the house, the fact we having planning permission in place, we have wildlife coming into the garden, etc....now it's a waiting game again...not that they've sold, but they have to move as his job's now here, and not where they're moving from. Just do they like this over what else they've seen? A waiting game again...

Someone must...

...have wished hard. My team won yesterday! And played well. The final score was 2 - 0...and we should have had more, but I'll settle for two. We didn't play so wide with a different midfield formation, but it worked, with our French midfielder Therry Racon being the best, he's unfortunately been out injured most of the season...but, you could see what we've been missing, a superb player, and he scored our first....a wow of a goal. Nicky Bailey also played well, even though he had a penalty in the second half well saved, and hit a shot high, but he came back and scored our second goal. Our front combination of Dickson and Kandol were a handful, full of speed and strength...and caused the Argyle defence no end of issues.

I hope a sense of satisfaction went through the team, after that performance they deserve that few minutes. After the final whistle the team joined the supporters in applauding each other, with Rob Elliott giving us a "Chrissy moment", and although he didn't get on the field, Matt Holland went to every player and shook his hand and gave him one of those man hugs...a player I've always liked, and a man I have total respect for.

Now we have to take that to Oakwell...Barnsley next weekend...a different kettle of fish, but another game we need to win, lets hope they can take yesterdays win forward to back to back wins.

We are still bottom, with a three point gap between us and Southampton. We have played the same number of games and have the same goal difference...they lost yesterday, as did Norwich, which keeps the lower part of the division huddled together...Watford and Barnsley have two games in hand, Norwich have played one more, Notts Forest lost yesterday and have played the same number as us...they're nine points above us in nineteenth position...I think the clubs still in trouble are from 35 points down to us on 25...with Derby being best placed on 35 from 30 games, below them are Argyle with 35 from 32....

We have to keep winning and to concentrate on our games...we have no leaway left.

Also, it seemed strange yesterday...my husband had to go into work in the morning, with the hope of getting to the game, but...nope...I watched on my own. We did have a nice evening though quiet.

The night was interesting too...without opening my eyes I could see flashing lights. I have no idea what time, but it was dark...very dark, and the thought that it was too late for gritters...then sometime later I was woken by a heavy lorry slowly driving past...my eyes flicked open and the clock read 4:19. I have a little window at my eye level which gives a view down the road...and there, I could see three lorries...peering closer, I could see they were fire engines, and could see a spiral of smoke. I haven't gone to check but I think the old barns and workshops caught fire. Luckily no one was in them, they're all closed up. After watching the fireman wandering around for an hour, I must admit I did close my eyes again.

Now I'm going to do some painting...I hope everyone had a lovely St Valentines Day....whatever you did...mine was special.

If someone...

...wants to give me a good Valentines today, then please wish for my team to win. If that happened they'd be a lot of happy hearts floating around the Valley later.

We play the Pilgrims...Plymouth Argyle...who are doing nearly as poorly as we are. A win won't help our position, but if Southampton lose we will be three points closer...but then they do have a game in hand on us. I AM looking for the positives, promise! Every time I find one...I find some reason it might not work.

Anyway...a Happy St Valentines Day to all...even if you don't go for the commercialism of it...you can still make it a special day.

Well...

...yesterday was fun!

After the snow comes the rain...and floods. Well not floods exactly, but very large puddles...the type that go across the road and if you drive too fast at...you stop! I've lived here too long to do something daft like that, but plenty did. After several years you get to know the dips in the road, and where that lying water will be. The stream across my garden was high, but not near flooding, so I left that to its own devices and went out. There was the usual large puddle down the road, but you could get through that, and the water running off the fields were a torrent, with the melting snow and the following rain, the ground was just too sodden...the next village though was a different story and the centre was flooded, as usual. The ditches that run into "my" stream, which is really the river Stort, just can't cope and always flood when there's excessive water...I don't know if anyone got caught this year. I'm guessing so... Travelling around you could see the fields looking like lakes early on, but by evening most of the local ones were more like fields again, though my husbands train was delayed with flooding causing the signals to fail at Roydon, near Harlow...but that is a known water meadow...and luckily not built on yet!

A lot of areas were a lot worse off than here...I hope they're all safe now.

My journey yesterday? To Elveden Estate with my daughter in law, she'd never been and had a day off work. We wondered if we'd get caught by the rain, but it was a beautifully sunny day...anyway, if you live close and have never been, do go. It is a nice calming place, with a good restaurant, nice and pretty shops around a courtyard...and friendly staff. I came away with some toffee cookies for my husband and a handmade chocolate bar for my daughter in law, as she'd bought things for her two boys and my son, but left herself out. We had a fun day...

Now today I must make some beads...and maybe get some decorating done.

It seems strange...

...sitting at home when a home game should've been played, but it was postponed Friday morning. Water lying on the pitch and the promise of freezing overnight made the decision easy for d'Urso. Whether the Cardiff fans are happy about it or not, who knows...Bristol City fans are at Norwich this afternoon, and Derby fans are at Plymouth...QPR at Nottingham...seems they all made it. Maybe he knew we just needed a weekend off, as supporters!

I also read that PP is looking at bringing some more loanees in after the loan system swings back into action on Monday. A comment on the official website says he missed a couple at the last moment, and he's now looking to make either them or something similar in the coming week. Another case of "watch this space"!

The house...

of the hotel where we stayed.

Littlecote House is where Henry VIII wooed Jane Seymour as it was owned by a member of her family. The main hotel is purpose built and behind the main house. You can also stay in the house, it has several beautiful rooms...if you don't mind company, as most of the houses ghosts reside in them.

The estate is open to the public on a day basis. The gardens also having a Roman Orpheus mosaic on view, though at present it is covered.

A few days...

...away!

Monday came and so did the snow. Being booked to go away with my mother, I put everything in the car, including extra blankets, water, sandwiches and a shovel...I drive a mini. We set off. The longest part of the journey was my normal twenty minute journey to the local town, it took me an hour and a half. I stayed off the motorway (M25 north) and travelled via Hertford, Hatfield, St Albans to Hemel Hempstead, then headed south to the M25...which was clear and only had light traffic on it, along the M4 past Reading and Newbury...I had no problems, just driving carefully. The lanes near the hotel were a little dicy, but no different to those I have at home. As long as you are sensible, and don't do daft things, then you should be safe...unless an idiot comes at you!

Now I have over a foot of snow all over the garden, and the lane I can see from here is a tad icy, but traffic is moving, just slowly and carefully.

(photo's of hotel to follow)