Turned lamp with ice cream.

The wood stack has been growing over the past few weeks.
One by one round blocks have come in from the shed to form a stack that's got bigger and bigger.

A mix of Ceder, Pine and Ash wood.

 My husband's a clever guy, I don't do wood or anything with electricity.
A while ago I saw a lamp very similar to this, it was very expensive and very designer...
This one is a one off too, made in Soggibottom's garden shed... All the wood shavings have gone back into our garden, nothing wasted.
I might however be banned from watching house make over TV programmes during the day.
There is already an order for another lamp..

Tony excels at fetching ice cream on the beach too as well as turning a photo into reality. 

I'll leave you with the photo's from our beach visit last Thursday. They were too good not to share.

Freya has eye's like a hawk, even when full of sand because of her digging habit. 

In case anyone is wondering, the ice cream van was a four wheel drive and made it's way effortlessly along the beach. 

Have a great weekend.

CATCHING UP

I've been missing for a whole week, but there are so many things to do at the moment, I know, straight away I am forgiven. I still haven't caught up with blogger from when our internet connection was NIL a few weeks ago.
Thank you so much for all your good wishes for our daughter Karina, who is now out of hospital.
I would love to say on the road to recovery, but recovery is always a long  way off, or so it seems after an operation. I believe the hardest part is always the second part of the deal.. time to heal.

The best thing about Karina, she always keeps her sense of humor no matter how much she hurts.
Please don't ask me what is on her head, I won't tell you...
She won't know I've posted this photo, so all is well. At least for now, when she feels better and see's it, that might be different. FOR NOW I'M SAFE. This show's Karina at her best even though she felt at her worst.
We relayed all your good wishes when we visited last Sunday. THANKS SO MUCH GUYS...

I'm not sure if I mentioned  in my post about CMT (MARIE TOOTH CHARCOT DISEASE). Kiann our grand daughter who is 12 also has the gene. Kiann is doing a sponsored Olympic challenge at school. I told her that I would mention her on Soggibottom if she posed for me. The more of the right kind of exercise Kiann has, might hold back CMT. Using her muscles in the right way will help.

I've switched to Stonehenge. If you've been following Soggibottom's blog (Soggibottom is the name of our cottage, not my nickname )...... we always pass Stonehenge on our way to see Karina and the rest of our mob. Last Sunday was no different, people milling around like sheep. If you want to visit the standing stones, just to remind you that now there is a fee of £15 for the privilege...... How British Heritage who now own the site can actually justify this charge is beyond me. Gone are the days of wandering around the stones free of charge.
One of us remembers cooking breakfast right in the middle of the stones on an early morning in the Summer on their way to Cornwall for a holiday.  
It always seems wrong to me to charge to get up close.I know there are so many out there who ask me will I take a photo of them when we pass. DONE, sheep too.

It was our daughter in law's birthday during the week. I know Becca enjoyed her birthday cake on Sunday. She will also forgive me for not blogging on her special day.

We also had strawberries and cherries.

Coming back to the cottage, it sometimes seems very quiet after a busy Sunday.

Stonehenge a two hour drive away.

Harlyn Bay in Cornwall, a mere one hour and 20 minutes in the Winter, in the Summer slightly longer, but the 90 miles is worth the trip... it's not run by British Heritage and is dog friendly.

Even when it rains.
When it rains we head down further into Cornwall to have a cup of tea with my aunt.

Along the coastal route.

So much for Summer this year.

The postman called this afternoon, ( that has got to be worth another story) there was a package, an ALL HALLOWS present...
Looking out of the cottage window, it's probably about right for our weather. How could I not put Melanie's gift, right beside my pumpkin plant between showers. (forgive the weeds, with all the rain we have had the weeds are a bumper crop this year). Melanie is always a great source of inspiration... the trouble is, I can never keep up with her. Would love to, but never can. I know when I am beaten.

I would also like to link my other English friend on Blogger, Caroline. We called in to see her and Stacie very, very quickly on Sunday.... is it believable the two of us could say so much in such a short time.
I'll leave that to your imagination.

As for Freya Rose Blossom... HERE she is... She might not be able to get her paws around the keys until tomorrow, she has had a busy week...

As Freya would say... :-) LUV'S X

soggibottom -- HOW TO MAKE A DOLL's WIG and Free rag doll pattern

You might remember the rag dolls I posted a few years ago..
I've been asked so many times "how do you".
In this case a doll's wig for the Soggibottom  rag doll..
So everyone knows what I am babbling on about, it was quite a while since I made the post about the rag dolls,  it might be easier if I give you a link to the pattern


rag doll pattern  <------- click  

The dolls wig is easy, nothing hard to do, I never do hard, so if I can do it, so can you.

This particular doll is intended for a little girl that has yet to be born in our family. I've been clearing out cupboards and used her Dad's old jeans (I found another pair) that he left here on his last visit. THEY WERE OLD and had holes at the knee's, not wearable, but perfect for me to re use. I can't believe that I had overlooked them before....Mark and Becca will probably have a pink fit to see this, so before I am deeply in trouble, I had better come clean, our eldest son Steven is going to be a proud father.

Most of the questions I receive about this particular pattern are about the chin... Follow the notches and you can't go wrong, just make sure you have the doll's chin gusset lined up properly and it's up the right way.

I start the doll by sewing her (or his) face. I pencil draw the face first, then embroider the rest.

Attaching the chin, the right way up with notches matching.
Then sew the front body of the doll to the lower seam of the chin.

Having already sewn the back giving it a center sewing line.
Attach the front of the doll right side down to the back of the doll which should be right side up...sew around the sewing line matching notches. Sew around to the shoulders on both sides.

Still with me ?
Turn the doll inside out

It should look something like this.
I admit, not to good to look at, but by the time you have sewn the arms together, turned them inside out and made sure they are filled with good quality stuffing, added them to the doll, she begins to take shape.
.
Turn the doll inside out again to add the arms, put the stuffed arms inside the body and match them to the notches on the seam line of the body..... Then sew from shoulder to the bottom of the body.
Still with me ?

Turn the doll inside out again and you should have the head, body and arms attached. The legs I add after I have firmly stuffed the head and the body...

THE DOLL'S WIG.. She starts to look better after the wig, I promise.

I've used this particular felted and sewn wool, that our village wool shop stocks. You can use similar yarn or thick wool. Or be really inventive and give your doll a wig made of strands of cut material, that's the best of using the basic's of a pattern, you can adapt it to your own style and special colours.
I happen to like this doll made in denim.

I normally wind strands of wool around a book.

Back stitch along one end of the book where your wool is,  back stitching the wool not the book...

Cut the bottom.

You should have the start of your dolls wig. Back stitches holding it all together. I use two short and two long basic wigs for one doll. The short one's are for the doll's fringe.

Attach the short wig to the front of the dolls head. Then back stitch through the wool and the dolls head.
Don't worry, she doesn't feel a thing.

Follow the back seam of the back of the doll's head and again, stitch and attach the long wig through the wool and doll's head by back stitches.

I told you she would look better after her hair.

You might need to trim the wool around her fringe slightly, but that's it. EASY STUFF...
She just needs some clothes.

Frankie de tabby watching you make the wig ... is a one off extra you won't find Frank around in any shop
.

Like wise, Freya Rose Blossom, but you can find Freya at her blog CATFLAP CAVALIER..

Hope this answers most of the questions about the rag doll, but as always, if you have any questions or need any help.. you know where I am........ 

Shiny CAR

OH YO... wheels are back !
AND IT'S CLEAN !

Train left the rails......

It's been one of those weeks, when you feel your particular train might have left the rails.
This is a photo taken along a path bordering the train line beside the river Ex here in South Devon.

There are passing points that you can actually cross the line to the other side.... I have to admit, I'm not quick enough or brave enough to show you the view from the other side.

This is blurred but hopefully you get the gist, here is our little car being hauled away by two happy go lucky guys.

We had quite a few cars over the little bridge to the cottage last week. It even brought nosey Frankie de tabby out from hiding underneath the bird feeders. WE KNOW WHERE HE HIDES... SO DO THE BIRDS ON THE BIRD FEEDERS......

This is nothing like our little car....
There must have been an inch to spare as it came over the bridge.

This isn't our car either, but definitely a better size to come over the bridge.

This leafy lane wasn't meant for a car...

Probably meant for a carriage and horses from Powderham Castle.

So peaceful that even the deer in the park sit there and watch the world pass them by.

Or smell the roses in the hedge.

I know there was something we were meant to do with boxes and Freya's Catflap Cavalier tomorrow, but shame on me, I seem to have lost the link....

The new week starts here.

Freya is, as always out and about at the Catflap Cavalier.