Hedgehog planters

I walked up to the studio this morning, wore the Sketchers as I am still trying to get the joints used to them! Sandy was pleased I was willing to clean and fill the pots as they were very much in need of it as half term was busy last week. Then I got the two hedgehog planters out that I had bought at the pottery camp. They are bigger than I had remembered.

I had put a bit of base coat on the face of one of them, and then I covered them both with the skin tone as a base coat. They are finished, such as they are, I have mixed the colours so it is always going to be a surprise.

Sandy was happy to get in the picture!
I walked back via the cliff top, it was very cold and very grey, and the wind was catching the waves which I always think is lovely.

Sandy has been sorting through old sample pieces and I have back two of the plates I did when I was experimenting with Sharpie pens.

I have parcels to wrap as I have managed to sell some items on Ebay. Four people have paid up already so I can get parcels dispatched tomorrow.
I watched George Gently on catch up this afternoon, didn't know I would need the tissues, and he is DEAD!
The sky was watery but pretty earlier.

I am due to give blood tomorrow afternoon so hopefully my iron level will be acceptable.

This morning I walked up to the Parish House to meet Tina, so that we could head off to Hornsea. Tina had meetings this morning and this evening and I was going to make a start on stripping the downstairs loo as it is not in good order and is not on the list to be decorated. Took a couple of pictures of the buildings near the Parish House.

The toilet at Hornsea is cold, has painted woodchip paper which is coming off in places, and is generally not at all welcoming.

Some work in progress, the first wall, which had been newly plastered, stripped quite easily, round the corner was another matter, and it didn't help that the paper was covered with gloss paint!

After a couple of hours or so I made a drink and went and sat in the garden, chilly but lovely. The views from where I sat.

Tina and I had a snack when she got home, the carpet fitter had been to estimate for a couple of rooms so we went to the shop to look at carpet, big rooms and very expensive quotes!
We did a bit together in the toilet and Darren called in after work to drop some stuff off.
We went to have some dinner before Tina's evening meeting and I carried on for a while in the toilet.
I worked until about 8.15 pm, the wall I was working on was a nightmare even though a lovely chap had brought a steamer in for me to use, the main problem was the gloss paint, as I had to try and scrape some away so that the steam could penetrate. This is as far as I got before I started to clear up.

The entrance hall walls are painted now, as are the walls in the living room. We made good choices if I do say so myself!

In the kitchen two fabulous tea light burners had been left on the side. I love them, so cleaned them up and have put them in one of the kitchen cupboards that will be mine!

Tina was back at the house just before 9 pm and we were home soon after 10 pm, a long day and I am a bit achy now, but feel like it was a worthwhile effort.

Table top flop!!

This morning the wind was very rough, the rain was coming on and off, but luckily Darren and I carried the box and two large bags of stuff to the bowling centre for the table top sale. We set up, thought we were going to sell the poppy picture straight away as a lady seemed very interested, had a cup of tea and waited for the fun to begin. It didn't! Darren left after a couple of hours to get on with some chores at home and by then we had taken £2, so nowhere near even the cost of being there.

There weren't many customers the whole time, and most of them were club members who were supporting their friends. It seemed like a good idea at the time as many things do. Did eventually comer the cost of the table and almost the cost of our sausage sandwiches and tea, then came back with a box and two heavy bags!
Tina had her last service at St Columba today and they gave her some lovely flowers and chocolates too. I have the flowers up here as Tina is away quite a lot of this coming week, but she will enjoy them when she joins me for a cup of tea which she does quite often.

Lovely flowers and I am pleased with how I have arranged them as they weren't in a container you keep them in.

We had dinner together earlier and I will join them after Strictly results to see if Lewis becomes F1 champion tonight.
A lot of fireworks going off, that is three nights on the trot now, goodness knows what it will be like next weekend!

Silly tea cosy and coffin!

This morning I went over to the bowls centre to check that our table is still booked for tomorrow, had a coffee while I was there and watched some bowls. It was busy and they looked like they were having fun. On the way out there was a fundraising stall and I spotted a little teapot with the most bizarre cosy! It was priced at £1.50 and the little pot is brand new, the cosy just makes me smile....

After that, I walked up to the bay, didn't stop as it was very cold, the wind was really strong as well. The clouds were interesting and very different from one end of the bay to the other.

Tina is a bit better, but not really eating properly yet, so Darren and I had dinner at Sainsbury's when we went to get a bit of shopping, we can some cans of soup for Tina.
Darren has been sorting some bits out for tomorrow and came up to me with a little coffin box whcih he thought I could decorate to sell as it is almost Halloween. I hunted out the burner, luckily I hadn't packed it, and set about making the coffin suitably decorated.

I uncovered the poppy picture ad decided to varnish that as well, another oops moment as the felt pen pen spread. I decided to carry on and make it seem like my intention. Looks okay, someone may buy it!

It has been cloudy and rough this afternoon, really rough still, but when I looked out it was suddenly a great sunset.

Strictly is on now and I have Casualty as well this evening. Another bonus, the clocks go back tonight.

Oops, headless street entertainer!

I pottered indoors this morning, I knew Tina was due home at some point and I wanted to be in when she arrived. Apart from that my knee was extremely painful today so resting it a bit seemed a good idea. When Tina got home she wasn't at all well and had been sick on her journey home. She bathed and went off to officiate at a funeral, but had been really quite poorly since she came home. I hope that some rest, when she has stopped the sickness, will find her feeling much better tomorrow.
I caught the bus into town as I wanted to get supplies in for Monday and the wood chip paper stripping. There was a great street entertainer, pipe player, and I was so fixed on getting his feathery costume, and struggling with the light, that I managed to miss his head out, very rare that I make that sort of error, but will post it anyway. I always put something in the collection if I take a photo, that seems the only fair thing to do.

I got the items I needed and caught the bus home. We are good to go now!

I also bought some spray with bleach in, the neighbours probably think I have lost the plot, I went outside and sprayed along the bottom of the wall and slightly onto the pavement to try and discourage the dogs messing outside out house! 
I made sure that Tina was okay and there was nothing I could do for her then spent the afternoon pricing some items for the table top sale on Sunday. I went down to meet Darren when he got home, to make him a drink and tell him Tina wasn't well.
Took one picture of the sky leaning out of the window.

When I was out I wore the Sketchers again, the ankle felt pretty good today, but both knees were painful, the right one extremely so. I have been wearing the wedged sandals for months and the Sketchers are more or less flat. So now I think I have put the knees out of kilter. They have settled a bit and the ankle has become painful again, as many steps back as forward it seems.

Tina had a meeting first thing, then, providing the delivery  I was expecting was due in the afternoon we planned to go out and have a late breakfast before she set off to meet up with a friend and go to another friends licencing. She will be back tomorrow morning. I had notification that the mahonia would be delivered between one and two pm, and the Ringtons man was due between one and three, so we were good to go! We went to Irton Garden Centre and had an enjoyable late breakfast. We had a look round, were going to check out greenhouses but they don't stock them at this time of year! Did get a couple of bargains though, both substantially reduced, a tray with pigs on and a hanging plant holder, that will be good at the new place for a dangling plant to keep it away from Blue!

Tina left soon after we returned and I wrote a couple of letters while I waited for the deliveries. I had received a parcel this morning with belated birthday gifts from the twins, Michelle and Julie. Michelle had picked some pretty earrings,

and Julie, who has been trying her hand at glass painting had decorated a jar for me to use as I tea light holder.

I was delighted with both gifts, a lovely surprise. 
The standard mahonia arrived, I was a little disappointed at first as it was smaller that it had appeared in the brochure. But looking closely at the leaves it is in very good condition, and it will grow.

When the Ringtons man had been I set off to walk to the studio. When Tina and I went to the garden centre I had worn my Stretcher trainer type shoes. She had ordered me some extra long laces about a week ago so that I could have them looser and still be able to tie them! It had been very painful using the shoehorn but they hadn't felt too bad. I loosened them up even more, took the support off and walked up to the studio. By the time I had walked home the underneath of my foot was hurting, but the Stretchers are flatter than the sandals I have been wearing. But on the whole it has made me cautiously optimistic that I can work out a solution. I painted the last squirrel, very quickly, and then helped Donna do some clearing away as she had been busy. The photo is not a good  representation because of the light, this squirrel is predominately white!

Walking home at about 5 pm I took some pictures of the sky. the leaf in the first two is weirdly like a bird!

The tea light is still burning. Darren is at his club, and at the moment the cats are out, I have called them a couple of times. So just going to relax with a cuppa now.

Potatoes anyone?

This morning I went out with Tina to the Rainbow Centre as they had a sack of potatoes that needed peeling and piles of other fruit and veg as well from the harvest services. I peeled the sack and a supermarket sized bag, we had bit saucepans and parboiled them. There was another pot on the stove when I took this.

I also peeled some apples and when everything was cool helped to bag it up to go in the freezer. We were using probably the biggest colander I have ever seen!

My knee was complaining a bit by the time we had cleared away but I took a slow walk down to the market and went to try a cafe called Seafood Social which donates profits to the Rainbow Centre, very good food and reasonably priced, they were busy so had to wait for a while, but that was fine as I wanted to have a bit of a rest.

The refurbished market is really lovely now, with some great little shops along the upper level.

The Stephen Joseph theatre had a great display cabinet downstairs.

I did buy some veg and then set off to walk through the town to the bus stop, saw some small fair trade rag rugs as I passed a quirky shop and such a reasonable price that I bought one.

I caught the bus home and haven't done a great deal this afternoon, had a relaxing bath which was lovely. Went downstairs to take a picture of Tina as she wants an up to date one to send to her new parish I think (I am sure she will correct me if I have that wrong!)

As it happens the sky was looking good at the time, the third one was taken leaning out of the window upstairs.

I have bids on one of the items I put on Ebay yesterday, so fingers crossed.