Horas non numero nisi serenas

I ONLY COUNT THE HAPPY HOURS

May you have lots of them.
Happy New Year from Soggibottom

Baby sitting kittens

No one said the visit to Surrey involved babysitting.

Bet it snores!
(they both snore).

Soggibottom visitors - blogged

Cat litter is cool above my beautiful feet

Oh, we like this pressie.

Thanks Mark and Becka

Magnetic poetry
www.magneticpoetry.com

Whiskers ate my sofa

SEASONS GREETINGS

Have a great Christmas and New Year

Tony, Michele, AMIEE, Frank, Hannah, Mew, Sneaks and Fluffs.

Three penquins and a couple of bears

Have to get this in or it will be too late.
Nearly at the end of the Christmas theme now.
As you can see I spent ages on this cake.
All of ten minutes icing it.
To all those who have made beautiful Christmas cakes and spent ages icing them.
GOOD FOR YOU.........
Aren't you pleased you had the time!

Amie eats hers off the floor anyway!!!!!

Inside at last

They left me outside all year, in a pot, watered me when they thought of it.
Neglected...... and they expect me to look good on the shortest day of the year.
I might not be a big tree.... but I FEEL GOOD!

Amie Soto Blossom's point of view

"They" watch some strange things on DVD...........
Not an elf or Santa in sight........................................

We have lights

Really pleased that we have put up the lights.
The tree is in the window but the Soggibottom bear had to be moved to the smaller window (your left).
Within two minutes of moving the bear from his normal seat, it seemed unbelievable a lady walked by to the park (with her beautiful dog) and asked where the bear was.
I think that he doesn't get noticed
Aw nice!

Most Cavalier King Charles Snore TWO

On the door

Made by hand.
Put up by hand.
There is the hand
(in the middle holding the camera)

House bear elf

Bear time again. This bear only comes out at Christmas.

Tony, Amie and I love all the comments that have been left on the blog over the year, this seems a good time to say hello to all that have clicked and thanks for taking interest.

We love to see your flags on the world map and love all the left messages, a big thanks.

We really do have a lot of under 12's that click on here, so don't forget no swearing please, not even with a few letters left out.

Soggibottom blog really is for everyone. Big ones and little ones.

Thanks
Michele, Tony and Amie Soto Blossom x

December Sunset at Soggibottom

The Christmas tree on top of the Church Spire.

The view we see from the cottage window when the leaves have left the trees.

One year this tree was adorned with red lights and heard they had a lot of complaints!

Born to be Wild

Forgotten tree

Yep!
It's a Christmas tree.
I know what it is, you know what it is, this poor little tree has been in a box for a whole year in the attic.
We brought it last year to go in the window. Then decided that we wanted our real one back. So went and brought a real one. (in a pot and it is still growing waiting to come inside I must add)

This little tree was relegated to an upstairs window. Never really displayed to it's best.
SAD.....
It's now out in the kitchen window, and it is still not displayed as it should be. THERE SHOULD BE A " be kind to fake Christmas trees" poster on it.

So here it is on the blog...............waiting for everyone else to see. FAME... well as famous as you can get if you happen to be an artificial Christmas tree....... suppose. Thinking of a name........... suggestions?

No naughty ones please as I know kids read this...... Michele

HI KIDS!
( big ones as well as little ones)

Too much conversation

between friends is just GOSSIP !

Pleased that Frank is in.
Last night, we watched as he stalked around the front of the cottage while it was pouring with rain. Thinking aw poor Frank.... Tony went downstairs, to let him in. Frank being Frank did come in, but before the front door could be closed he had gone out the back door cat flap again.
Give up.............. Frank has always got to have the last word !!!!!!!!

Becca Welch ART

Art from Becca Welch on Soggibottom Wall

I know I shouldn't use the blog as an email. But it's good to share art.
Just in case Becca was wondering where in the cottage we have put her new artwork.
It's here.

Since Amie is again Black and Sparkly white she fits in with the black and white theme too.

Cleanliness is next to Dogliness

Two perky penquins

Now, what did you think we were on about?
Two
Perky Penquins

The lights are on

BUT

Two turtle doves

They are here, you have to look closely into the middle of the tree.

But two fat woodies might be a better description

Front Door Wreath

I love making our front door wreath every Christmas.
This one is just waiting to go outside.
Why do I make ours every year?

Because there is only one like it.

Wrong Blog?

Christmas already?

Early posting

Found this picture lurking away, and couldn't resist putting it on here as early posting.
It is the little old red letter box down the road and it is used. So come on get your Christmas Cards out.

A positive attitude may not solve anything, but will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Let the stress begin

Stressed, hyper active animals.

FREE knitted flower pattern

It's a Free one, no payment, sharing.....enjoy........

Easy flower pattern.

You can use any yarn, I used alpaca, on the white flower above and 100% wool on all the rest, but any yarn will do. Thicker yarn will give a larger flower, knitted on larger needles and thinner yarn knitted on smaller needles will give you a smaller flower.

I used metric 3.5mm (U.S. 4.....I think!)
the pattern below is for one petal of the flower.

You need 6 petals,

Cast on 3 stitches and knit one row.
Knit 1 stitch, then knit into the front, back and front of the next st. Knit the last st.
Should have 5 st.
Knit a row
Knit two st. knit into front, back and front of the next st. Knit two sts.
Should have 7 sts.
Knit a row
Knit three st. Knit into front, back and front of the next st. Knit three sts.
Should have 9 sts.
Knit 5 rows.
Knit one stitch, then ssk. (slip 2 stitches one at a time on to the right hand needle and knit these two stitches together) Knit 3 , Knit 2 together, Knit one st. You have 7 sts. left (or should have).
Knit 3 rows.
Knit 1, ssk, knit 1, k2 tog, k1. You now have 5 sts.
Knit 3 rows.
Knit 1, slip 2 sts together, knit 1 then pass the slipped sts over the last sts, knit last stitch.
You now have 3 sts.
Knit 1 row.
Slip 2 stitches together, knit 1 st. and past the 2 slip ones over.
Thread yarn through the remaining stitch and fasten off.

There you are easy and clear as mud. Well hope not and hope I have explained how to knit a petal. Now you just have to sew them together. Let your imagination run riot.
I used the flower to put on Tillys cardy and Kiann's hat, but if you put a safety pin at the back of the petal, they are great to spruce up your other winter woolies.

Best of all they don't take long to do.

Christmas Turkey

I like turkey at Christmas.
Sometimes at Easter, with luck.
It will last us for days.
Served in various ways.
And it's bigger than chicken or duck

Maldives OR South Devon Beach

Low tide on Bathala Island.


Or low tide on Paignton beach


Is there a choice ?

Shades and there are shades

A beam and a pine cone , is this light up or is it hanging down?

Cats in the Winter

What do cats dream of?

Cat's greatest gift

Frank lends you his presence. That should be enough.

Trying to get Frank in at night time from the front of the cottage is a challenge he looks forward too. The word HAM or the sound of the fridge door does it every time.

Frank loves the game of calling him in. When he has been fed from the fridge and the lights turned off for the night. He disappears out of the back door cat flap.

The moral:- Be generous to your cat, remember it is always better to give than to receive.
Ask the cat on the receiving end!

Bearing up ready for Christmas

The three teds above are all made from original material and old time patterns.
With growlers, without growlers.

"special" bears all need a "special" home.

Soggibottom Bears are all around the world...you just need to look...

For everyone who has emailed me and moaned that I haven't put on enough bears........ here you are............. Michele.

Ways to cross the River Dart

There are a few ways into Dartmouth.

The easy way for us is to take the ferry. But not this one.
Unless the higher ferry is out of action.
This is the one that has been known to come loose from where it shouldn't be loose. This is the one that sometimes goes wandering down to the sea in the distance.
Maybe the reason we try and take the higher ferry and not just because Amie has a better view

Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Dartmouth first.

They left from Dartmouth first.
This is the quayside below. It still has a cobbled walkway.


Today Dartmouth was extremely quiet. Hardly any one with a camera except us.
Huge absence of tourists.


Dartmouth might have changed since the Pilgrim Fathers sailed, but the view of the entrance to the River Dart, methinks hasn't changed that much.

View looking out to sea from the river.