Extreme Felting

The Extreme Knitter has now added Extreme Felter to her list of nicknames. I treated her to a one day felting workshop for her birthday as she has always wanted to try it.

The course was held at a cottage studio in Hatton, Warwick with six other beginners.

When I collected her she was pleased as punch with her felted figure of Ruby. I was amazed at the likeness and at her first attempt. I’m really proud of her because she seems to be able to turn her hand to anything.

She wants to book another workshop that will hone her detailing skills.

The course is run by Sophie Wheatley from “All things felt and beautiful”  07706279252

e mail :  sophie@feltandbeautiful.co.uk

All things felt and beautiful

I was told that not only was the course inspiring and enjoyable, but it was complemented by a magnificent meal and desert. You would have thought I’d have had a doggy bag.

Unfortunately this photo doesn’t do justice to the texture of the figure that can be seen in real life.

Hearing the Sound of Smell

I’m getting to point in my life when getting up in the morning takes on a routine of consuming various life enhancing tablets and adding bits of technology before the day could start.

My latest add on is a pair of hearing aids that I’m gradually getting used to.

I was listening to a lady on the radio when we were away in Malvern last weekend extolling the amazing benefits of hearing aids and how she could hear all the different bird songs since she started wearing them.

It is correct that using them opens up a whole vista of sounds that you didn’t realise had faded away from your life.

I had a similar revelation to the lady on the radio, but mine was not hearing the sweet bird song.

I put my hearing aids in today and heard Ruby Fart for the first time. I had known that she has Farted all the five years she has been with us, because she used to sit on my lap look up at me and then move away to another seat leaving me with the telltale stink.

I have never heard her before and just presumed that she did SBDs (silent but deadly).

The wonders of modern technology.

 

 

High on a hill

At last we were travelling again after a long lay off. The Malvern Hills in Worcestershire being our weekend destination.

Campsites that are open this time of year are few and far between, so we opted for the Camping and Caravan Club site at Blackmore.

We arrived on the Friday afternoon and settled in. Club sites can be a little regimented, but this one has a lot of grass pitches that make it seem more natural. Ruby was treated to a good walk on the campsite dog walk and we spent the afternoon reading and listening to the radio then settled down for a quiet night in the campervan. The meatballs made an appearance for our evening meal along with my customary Bacardi & coke.

I know it seems like we eat nothing but meatballs in a homemade tomato sauce, but we only have them on our first camping night because it is a easy meal that can be prepared at home to make life easy. There can be weeks or months between our trips, so it was 2 months ago when we last dined on meatballs.

Saturday morning started slowly with a full English breakfast then we set off to Great Malvern and parked in Waitrose to take advantage of 2 hours free car parking. After a wander around the town taking in the farmers market we returned to Waitrose and purchased goodies for our evening meal.

Farmers Market Great Malvern

The Extreme Knitter having a meaningful  discussion with some geezer called Elgar who wrote a few party tunes. 

Ag a do & the Birdy song I think.

We drove towards British Camp situated at the southern end of the Malvern Hills where we had sandwiches for lunch whilst parked in the visitors car park.

Suitably fuelled we tackled the long steep pathways up to British Camp that are the remaining earthworks of an Iron Age fort built about the 2^nd Century BC.

Getting nearer to the top of British Camp

The walks around Malvern are hilly and it had an impact on us all. The three of us had chicken for the evening meal and promptly collapsed for the night totally shattered.

Sunday morning and we were leaving the campsite heading for home. We decided to take the pretty way home firstly calling into Upton on Severn.

The Dog poo Fairy

These vintage wreckers have stood for sometime at this garage in Upton.

Pershore was our final stop off before we finally headed home.

Adrenaline Knitters

Today was the extreme knitter’s birthday and for a short period of time I have become her toy boy again.

In amongst her presents this year was a set of Cath Kidson racing knitting needles. Sleek, colour coded, lightweight anodised aluminium needles built for the more demanding speed knitter.

These are the equivalent of go faster stripes on the family saloon car.

When the extreme knitter gets into a comfortable knitting rhythm the needles become a flailing blur and the rapid clickity click is no more than white noise.

Life can be tiring living with an adrenaline seeking knitter.