THE 2011 TOMATO CHALLENGE AND LARRY THE CAT AT NO 10

Thanks for every email I've had asking what I am going to do with my win from Cindy a few weeks ago. I promise all is in hand and I'm taking great care with my new project.
Obviously not finished yet.




Chatting on Sunday to Caroline from Uniqart we decided to have a tomato challenge.

For me it's a good idea, it means I take more care than usual with the seeds I plant, and remember to water things instead of giving them the tender care of neglect.

I love to see baskets hanging around the garden during the Summer, I'm not so good at remembering to water them.


Not sure if my tomato plants will look as good as this, but it's worth a go.


Seeds, seed compost, pot, and a warm light window sill. No greenhouse or posh stuff needed to grow a tomato plant. YOU DO NEED TO WATER SOMETIMES THOUGH....


Not intending to cheat, I planted two kinds.
Gardener's delight and yellow Tumbling Tom.
I'll keep you updated as the weeks go by how they are growing (or not).

I'll leave the tomato challenge button so you can travel over to Caroline's blog to keep a beady eye on the one's that Caroline has planted.
You are very welcome to join us, or help with judging when picking time comes around.



It was good to hear about Larry the now ex Battersea dogs and cat home cat.
Larry has the plum job of helping out at No 10 Downing Street. I caught a picture of Larry for you, I was far to slow to catch the other picture of a rat running past the door step.


I'm sure Larry is going to a famous puss.


I was going to offer Frank to help out, as he is very patriotic.
Not sure if any passing head of state would appreciate a rat being forcefully dragged through no 10's cat flap by Frank...................Do they have a cat flap ?

Roses and good friends

I wondered how long it would be before Amie shared her new bed in front of the fire. I think it took a few hours before Mew found it. Amie and Mew share nearly everything, except Amie's cookies and at the moment Amie's most treasured possession, her bone given to her by Chops, our daughter's pup.


When the postman calls, I always know, he tends to bang the cottage gate shut. LOUDLY !
A kind of postman's knock.

I can't moan at him, he tends to bring me such great gifts through the posts.
The above quilt hanging is a belated Christmas present from Allie.......

I know when making something, you tend to put your heart and soul into making what ever it is your doing to make it perfect. This is... really perfect. Lots of love .......... goes into making something so Perfect.

Allie even has a bee on here, around the cottage garden there are bee boxes. At one time there even used to be a hammock... I have a Torbay palm too. No crab though. I have to go a couple of miles down the road, by the seashore to find them.
I think the boat might be to remind me, as if I need reminding, not to ever travel by boat ..... THANK YOU ALLIE ................... treasure, you and this perfect gift.



It's about time this blog had some colour on it....

This morning, there was the BANG again... ah ! postman's knock....

I have recently joined a very new blog.... Houseelf Doings.... you will love it....
This lady not only has flair, but she is very good at archaeological digs.
If I dig anything up in the garden around the cottage, I always know who to ask about it.

Another beautifully quilted square, made with love. I have to add here, to please Houseelf Doings that the square was designed by Stephanie of Loft Creations.

THANK YOU HOUSEELF DOINGS.



Digging time in the garden isn't far off.
Soggibottom is somewhere over the hill. I'm sure I have taken this view before !

There are many days during the year I stop and think how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place in the world.

It might seem a bit bleak in early Spring, but I know why I live here. I love the seasons of the changing year.... no place better to be in Spring than Devon.
I just love living here.
This is only the start of the year, early Spring.



LAMBS.......
To be truthful, these are the one's that arrived just before Christmas. But to me, a lamb is a lamb. If it's fluffy, has four legs then it obviously needs feeding.


Valentines day on Monday.
I have been asked by a water nymph I know to say "he is a romantic at heart".



As for Amie and Mew.... Mew won.


Amie was lifted up into her normal place, to dream the day away.....


I'm going to be away from blogging for a few days.
Too many things to catch up with.

Hope you all have a fantastic Valentines day.
If you want a rose, then you can borrow one of mine.
BUT I WANT IT BACK ... x x x

Any time, I'm in no hurry.

Gold dust dogs and a close shave

When they said we were going out in the car this morning, I thought it a bit strange.


It wasn't just see the catkins that was for sure, we saw them yesterday.


I went to the poodle parlour, the lady who trims my locks does have a poodle.
I'm now sleek and fluff free. No more fluffy slippers, no more long ears and no more feather's on my legs. GONE, I'm BALD !


They tried to bribe me with cookies. I call it a bribe after the deed has been done.
I ate the cookies anyway.


DO I look like a dog that can be bribed to you ?


They also had to buy me a new fluffy bed to go in front of the fire...


Why ?
BECAUSE I AM WORTH IT !

Love Ames x x x

Baby stuff and quilting goodies

I haven't been completely idle over the last few weeks.

This is for one of my friends who is having her first grandchild.
Although my knitting tends to be purl one knit one drop one. I also made a boy version, just incase, she could have one of each, TWINS... it has been known.


Strange day today, we have them sometimes at the cottage.
I'm not sure if Frank is waiting for the postman here or waiting for Ginger to appear from the other side of the bridge....


Sometimes when the postman comes, bless him he brings such good things from my friends.

I won a one day giveaway from CINDY about a week ago.

Cindy must have her own carrier pigeon because this arrived very quickly.
Ten fat quarters of heavenly quilting material. As well as so many other goodies, I was amazed how much was in the box. It seemed never ending.
When I post any thing, it is normally stuffed into a cat food box... Cindy has put me to shame, and I have seen the error of my ways.

A VERY BIG THANK YOU CINDY....
CINDY has a really beautiful dog, but then I would say that about her dog and not about her wonderful quilting blog..... you can visit HERE .



Other than the great gift from Cindy today,
Frank looks slightly worried here.


This is his fluffy play toy, I really need to get my own feather duster for the cottage cobwebs.


Done the normal supermarket shop.... hum.......


Would have lost the car in the car park if it hadn't have had monkey and the Devon sticker in the windows. I should love it when we change our car.
But it takes me ages to find it in the supermarket car park.
I am still looking for the old one... confused... ?

So pleased to see Monkey. He is swinging from the side window AH BLESS !


If we had a car like this, then I couldn't have made a mistake, this a Ford V8 Pilot.
Not sure, if it's 40's or 50's.
I have to say very classically here, they don't make them like they used too.


Thought you would like to see Tudor Cottage in the village, I wasn't driving, so I tend to snap away merrily in the passenger seat. It was a dull day here today.


There are Catkins out along the back roads from the cottage...
NO !
I'm really surprised. To me, they mean memories of school and the nature table. They don't have nature tables at school anymore, do they ?


Wild snowdrops.


Busy day, at least it was for us, not for Mew.
Have a good week, we are playing with water in the cottage tomorrow.
Well, lets say one of us is.
If we need a boat I will let you know.

Blue Amber and fossils

I promised Sue of Sooz jewels that I would send a her a photo of some blue Amber. Or at least blog about it.

To say that the blue amber in the photo is old is a bit of an understatement, so lets just say I have had it for a quite a few years.

There's a good test to see if Amber really is amber or if it is plastic.
Take a large glass and keep adding salt until the salt no longer dissolves. Add the amber.
If the amber floats, it's true amber, if it sinks then maybe it's not....

Or you could burn a slight part of the amber with something like a soldering iron. If it gives an acid smell then it's plastic, real amber should smell sweet.
The amber above had the salt test. Passed, before I forget to tell you.



We aren't avid fossil hunters, no puns here about the two old fossils living in Soggibottom Cottage.


Although on a warm day walking along the Jurassic Coast in East Devon or Dorset, fossil hunting can keep us amused for hours.
The best place to look for fossils is at the grey cliff base. Sometimes you have to have nifty feet as the cliff tends to fall.
Stay safe and stick closer to the waters edge.


We even have help.


Not always the right stones, but you never know. They could be !


Thanks Sandee. Sandee has passed on A stylish blogger Award to Soggibottom.
Wish I were Stylish Sandee, before I say anymore I'll accept the award quickly.

Thank you Sandee.

You can meet Sandee Here at Sandee's ramblings.
Most of my photo's of Stonehenge are for Sandee. Sandee also has a sketch book challenge going on over at her blog........I can't draw, but there are many of you out there who can.

As I have accepted this award I also have to say seven things about myself.... nearly every award has a catch.

I have never crossed the equator, although I have swam within 100 miles of it.

I would prefer to swim than sail and have been known to jump from a moving boat, just to get off quickly.

I have swam with Sharks and Barracuda's. Not from choice ( I never knew they were there).

Haven't eaten meat for over 25 years.

Have an undying love for anything that has four legs, furry, skinny, fat or thin, fluffy or smooth.

I never watch animal related films where the "animal" gets it next.

I once kept Angora rabbits.

That wasn't as bad as I thought.............

Now to pass on the award to 15 newly found bloggers and let them know about it....

This is a great chance for me to tell you of a few of the new blogs (new to me) that I have found... not always animal related. :-)

HOWEVER.... if you would like this award, take it. You only need to click and save.

In no particular order.........

Rouky

House Elf

Through the eye's of Tweedles

Bark and About

Sew Cindy

Remington

Loveing for a Living.

Silver Nik Nats

The Blessed Hearth

Slightly Shabby

Ten Lives and Second Chances

The Chronicle of the Woos

A stitch in time saves nine

Tales from the mouse house.

Mama Bugs Photos

There are many many more I would love to add here, but I'm sure the list will keep you busy for a while. I forgot to add about the amber mine in my list... there will be another time.

Fanks from Ames

A big thank you to everyone who sent Amie Soto Blossom Birthday Wishes.

If you follow Amie on Facebook, you have already seen some of her birthday photo's.

You will also know that if Amie really could talk, she would lisp slightly because of her missing teeth. If Amie hasn't got around to saying "fanks" to everyone, it's probably because she fell asleep at the keyboard. Forgive her.


Amie is off to the hairdressers in the week.
To make her look smarter than the average Cavalier ?
Some hope, as she still prefers mud puddles to clean water paddling. I think the saying is that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.


She had her birthday tea with Frank and Mew.


Fishies, what else, followed by a sneaky lick of the other empty dishes.


Even ice cream.


Around the cottage it has been a fairly quiet. For the first time in weeks we've been able to go and survey our garden. Lots of bulbs coming up, unbelievable to see after the hard Winter. For all those that still have snow, take heart. Spring isn't far away.


Tidying up the garden is going to take a few weeks. We could really do with an extra paw of two.


Frank was going to help, but decided not to get HIS paws dirty....