A great week.

Yes, a really great week. This could be a long post. I don't know where to start! The beginning would be a good place. But first let me warn you, what makes a great week for me doesn't involve anything very exciting. At least not to most people, exciting to me of course and that's why is was a great week! But if you're after stories of A list celebs and rock stars then click away, you'll not find any of that malarky here just tales of a week at the seaside, a couple of bloggy awards, a swap and such like. Good stuff!

Last Saturday we went to Salcombe to stay in the Seaside House for the week. We spent as much time as we could at the beach but it was a little too chilly and windy to stay all day long, we aren't that hardcore. What do you think of my mad pink trolley? I get some funny looks carting that around but it saves my back and many trips to and fro from the pop pop boat or the car. See that cream blob in the foreground?  My crochet bag, of course.

Mini being good as gold as per usual. Snuggled up in the Phil and Teds pushchair.
He is in there somewhere, you can just see his face.

I took my crochet bag everywhere. I thought I'd get a heap done but I was a little over optimistic. I only got ten rows of my Nemesis Blanket done and I didn't do any of my Shawl of Dreams. The reasons being I had very little time to hook during the day as the boys were very busy and needed assistance with the important job of being Busy Little Boys and in the evening I had two (maybe three, probably three) glasses of wine. Having been off the sauce for an age I have no tolerance and was too pickled to crochet. What a lush! Also Mr C wasn't with us the whole week so I was flying parentally solo for 3 days. Not only that when I did get myself all sorted for a crochet-a-thon I couldn't remember how I started off my flower granny square. I couldn't remember how many chains and doubles I started with. This shawl has got to be perfect, I've been daydreaming about it for far too long to bugger it up so I decided to pack it away till I could get reunited with my scribbled notes. It was a blessing really as I'm having colour wobbles, not sure the vibrant pink is going to work out.....we'll see.

All in all the week was spent pleasantly, a little bit of shopping, plenty of food and wine (never going to squeeze into my dress in two weeks for my step sisters wedding. Gulp) and a lot of sand castles and hole digging. The hours my Biggun's spent in the cold water, the miles they ran going to and fro from the sea to the hole with buckets and pales, the giggles, the tumbles. It's a proper childhood, it's how it should be and I'm so pleased we are able to give them all these experiences and memories.

Filling up

 The trek back with a "Bery Heaby" bucket

Almost there

Very important work this! Come on!

Yes, Very Important Busy Work.

 Nearly done

 We will difinitely fill it this time

Oh?!

We need more, off we go, don't give up!

And so it went on for hours.

If only I had one eye to crochet with and one to watch them, within seconds they'd be out of sight and they looked just like all the other kids on the beach. Even though it wasn't jam packed it was easy to lose sight of my Cuckoos. 

A week at the seaside and I've come over all nautical, funny how I seem to dress very differently in Salcombe. At home I'm much more likely to be found in a dress (fronk). 

❣

Before I went away, in fact weeks ago now, I commented on a swap that Rachel of Contented had blogged about, I said how I admired her swapping prowess. She always seemed to do a good job, I feared I'd put together a rubbish parcel and that's what held me back. Well, Rachel said "Lets do one". So we did. It was much more fun than I even thought it might be. It did take me weeks and weeks to do. Firstly to think of what to make and send and then it took me even longer to execute my plans. But Rachel was so patient with me, bless her. Here's what I sent minus the galaxy chocolate as it didn't look pretty in my arrangement.

We'd agreed to send five items, 2 handmade and 3 little bought items. Then it was up to us if we wanted to add any extras. I made the coat hanger and strawberry pin cushion hangy thing and I sent some fabrics out of a sample book that I was given by an interior designers ex boyfriend (mother's brother's cat...) but for some reason I can't upload the photo's of them. They keep coming up as "server rejected", very odd.

Here's what Rachel sent me. All very thoughtful and gorgeous.  

I am beyond thrilled with everything.  It's like she had been spying on me.  This week I have said the following "I need a new lipbalm, I'm running out...I could do with a cute bag to hold my balls of yarn when I'm crocheting as they keep flying about...I must get a little note pad and put it in my nappy bag". Honestly, no word of a lie! Not only that I was secretly really, really hoping the sneaky peek she gave of my swap gift on her blog was a mug rug and it is!!!! And I keep thinking about her embroidered inches and so I am cock a hoop with the card! Gosh she is good at this swap thing. The Easter banner is great too so I will be putting that up ASAP. She included my boys and sent some chocolate eggs (which were wrapped in tissue paper making it very easy for them to get into, perfect) and had a sweet little wooden gift tag shaped like an egg but the photo will not load no matter what I do. Did you see that the bag is reversable and has cuckoo clock fabric lining? Neat touch, hey?

 

Big week for my blog too, my blog which I enjoy so much, that has brought me lots of happiness and blog buddies. I adore having this place to chat to other like minded crafty souls and to diarise (?) my life, it's had a profound effect on me. It keeps my spirits up, something that is vital for me, especially having just had a baby as I'm terrified I'll get that manky Post Natal Depression again. So on top of all those positives for me, it seems my blog is being enjoyed by others too, wow that feels great. It got two bloggy awards AND was featured on two fantbulous blogs.

Firstly I received this award from Nicole, dear Nicole, from Must Be Destiny who has left so many joyful comments for me. She is a truly sweet lady and I am soooooo coveting her star spangled banner crochet blanket WiP (have you done much more to it love?) The rules say I have to reveal 7 unknown facts about myself and pass it on.

1. I have lived in Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall and Avon (when it was Avon) so I am a true South Westoner.

2. I had clicky hips when I was born and wore a brace.

3. I'm scared of the dentist, even though I used to have a crush on him, as I haven't had anything done to my teeth and I feel it's only a matter of time. 

4. I am frightened of dark, deep water and once freaked out when swimming in very shallow water because there was a shadow in front of me...it was the shadow of my head! How silly!!

5. I modelled for the 1990's re do of the Nancy Drew paperbacks.

6. I have 5 pairs of fancy pants shoes but live in my 10 year old loafers from next and my £1 flip flops from Asda.

7. I have written my name in teeny weeny writing on a walls in each room of my home. Written where you can't see it. I've done that for as long as I can remember. We moved house so many times when I was little, it became my way of settling in to a new home. But please don't tell my sons, I bellow at them for writing on the walls.

I'm going to pass this award on to my great friend, one of My Girls, Gem who has started a new blog all about her charity shop finds. Treasures from the Cherry Tree. Her other blog which I have linked to before and is in my side bar is a compliation of her column, she's a journalist as well as a mum, wife, proof reader, part time job holder, breast feeding support councellor, school volunteer and charity shop addict!  I don't know how she does it all. She's a top friend too and is Mini Cuckoo's godmother. I'd pass on an award to her in spite of her being my mate because her blog, although very new is already a great read.

Second award came from Coco Rose. Vanessa has a B E A U T I F U L  blog, takes amazing photos, makes everything look so gorgeous. I want her to come and make over my home, be my personal shopper and make us a shed load of Rocky Road. 12 new followers arrived here in just four hours after she linked to me so I reckon if you're reading this you probably already know her.  Her flickr photo stream makes Mini Cuckoos 3am feed bearable.  I'm going to pass this on to Haken en meer which is a blog I have yet to read as it's in a different language and I haven't done a google translate yet but, oh my goodness, her photo's and crochet are marvellous.

So hard to choose just a few blogs as there are several I am enjoying hugely.

Also this week Tangled Happy featured my Bobble Stitch Tutorial. Hello to my new buddies who hopped over from there.  Tangled Happy is a treasure trove of crochet tutorials, it has made my to do/wish list become unmanagable in a very exciting, happy way. So be warned, you are in danger if you pop over there, in danger of losing several hours surfing the archives and in danger of having a big yarn shopping accident!

Finally, I was really chuffed when Rachel from Maybe Matilda got in touch to say she was in the middle of making a baby blanket using my Bobble Stitch Tutorial. You must go over there and see her completed blanket (unless that's where you've come from!) Uber gorgeous. Tres, tres jolie, I love it. Great choice of colour.

So all in all a great week. Before we'd gone away I'd almost managed to reply to all who have left me comments, I was about to start going through my followers, check out their blogs and say "Hullo!"  I've made so many blog buddies this week and received some lush comments. I'm delighted by it all and if I didn't have such busy children I'd be visiting you all individually. But I must live my real life so I can fill my blog with the goings on in Cuckoo Land. So do excuse me if I don't drop by for an age.

xxx




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