Chilly but busy

There was a heavy frost and it was a cold start to the day but I walked up to Freeport as usual. It is always cold in the pottery, a big space with stone floors. I helped Rob fill all the paint pots and help unload the car when Caroline arrived and then labelled up some of the food items. That done we worked on putting a new display in the main window. The clay items have been bisque fired. The items that the mother and son made at the workshop with me have turned out okay which is a relief.

And my little house and the coil brown have turned out okay as well.

I walked home as well today, the wind was still pretty chilly but it was a bright day. I dropped my rucksack indoors and went to the shop while I was in my outdoor clothes. 

I packed away the sweet jigsaw and have sorted out the edge pieces of the new one.

Not feeling at my best, I have felt tired today and now chilled as well. Sketched one of the plants on the new arrangement as it is next to where I sit!

The light makes it look like dark paper, it isn’t!

May be gong to visit the pottery again tomorrow as mine and Darren’s pieces are in the kiln.

Wet and windy

It has been a pretty dismal weather day today, rain or drizzle most of the day and a chilly wind. I had a couple of short trips out, one to post a letter quite early and a bit later to the banking hub. I went out into the front garden to do some cutting back for about half an hour a the garden bin is emptied tomorrow. 

I said a couple of days ago that I would post a picture of Tina’s pottery painting, I may be collecting mine and Darren’s tomorrow, fingers crossed.

When I was changing things in the sitting room yesterday I decided that a doorstop I got for Christmas would be the centre piece of my ‘fungi table’.

I spent quite a bit of the day on the jigsaw which is now finished as I knew the second subscription puzzle was on the way.

The new puzzle arrived and it is a really lovely image.

I caught up with the first episode of The Traitors, still a couple more to catch up on.

Tina got some flowers at Christmas and they were my sketch subject today.

Pottery day tomorrow.

No snow here

It was wet here this morning, the wind driving the rain into the back porch. There was snow in Peterborough though.

I did go to the local shop but didn’t venture out after that, it has been a pretty miserable day. I packed the jigsaw away and started the one that Anya gave me for Christmas as the new subscription one is on its way.

This is a fun one as well and 500 pieces.

I have been shifting some furniture around and have rearranged the plants. Have used the new plant stand and moved the jardinières too. I think they look much better and home they enjoy their new position.

An indoor sketch today.

The new series of Throw Down starts this evening.

Pottery and jigsaw

I did the usual Saturday morning trip to the shop then walked up to the pottery as I had a message to say the families painted items weee ready for collection. I have sent pics of them to the family. Tina’s was ready as well, will take a picture of hers tomorrow. Mine and Darren’s aren’t ready yet as we didn’t finish them until Tuesday.

I had a cuppa with Caroline and when she to offered to take me home I asked her to drop me off at the care home instead. I spent an hour or so with Lesley who wasn’t feeling too well today and then I walked home. I was going to have a walk to sketch but Tonia had just come back and wanted to go to Boyes so we walked to Mondo, had a drink and I did a sketch there.

I have finished the jigsaw which is good as Anya said the next one is on its way!

Rosie and Hattie went away for new year and they bought me back a cute little gift.

No plans for this evening except a bit of tv.

Visit day

This morning I went to see Bel, she had enjoyed Christmas having dinner with her neighbours who keep an eye on her and talk to her every day. She also got some nice gifts, mostly edible, but she is disciplined and limits herself to two chocolates a day. Sadly I don’t have that sort of discipline, when they are opened they are begging to be eaten! I walked long to Number Nine to give them the money for Tina’s calendar. I saw Hayley and she said she would put it with the other money as it is for a men’s mental health charity. The calendar is partly naked men!

Before lunchI started sorting through my wrapping paper. I have enough Christmas wrapping paper to last the next few years, I should have checked before I bought any more! After lunch I walked to Jeans via the sea front. I took a couple of the waves as I love it when they is an off shore wind as the spray looks like horses manes. Didn’t catch it too well.

I had taken a picture of the folly earlier.

Jean was in fairly good spirits but is still having a lot of pain in her back and is frustrated not be be well enough to go to church. Terry showed me some of his drawings, he is a very talented man.

I have spent some time on the jigsaw, which is taking shape, a tricky one, but in a good way.

I picked up some sewed on my walk a couple of days ago so that was the sketch subject!

May try to get to the pottery tomorrow as the families painted pieces are ready.

Maybe next time!

We were supposed to take Pandora back to the vets this morning. Pandora seemed to sense something was up and didn’t sit with me but settled under the radiator on the landing. Tina was trying to coax her out when she heard me coming upstairs with the box! She shot off and hid under the bed in the spare room. Tina decided it was a lost cause and phoned the vet to say we weren’t bringing her in. As we were ready to go out early we decided to go to Bridlington old town. Mainly one street with interesting buildings and a few shops, but not many open today.

This dummy was in a shop window.

We had a light breakfast in the Victorian Tea House and explored the two floors of antiques above the cafe. I bought a folding cake/plant stand. It seems stable enough for a couple of plants and the weekend job will be rearranging my sitting room.

This puffin behind bars was on our way back to the car.

As was the church.

This afternoon I went for a walk, it was lovely but very cold. Sea and sketch the result!

I have been doing bits to the jigsaw, slow progress, but progress.

We had a power cut earlier, lasted about half an hour, luckily all is well for watching the second part of Vera this evening.

Happy new year

This morning I did some chores and decided it was time to do something about the stained carpet after I had thrown a full mug on chai latte over it! I had been putting it off as I wasn’t quite sure how I could get down that low to really work on it. I have tested the ‘you can’t kneel on a replacement knee’, and found in my case it is depressingly true! Regardless I went to the shops and found a bottle of carpet cleaner for manual use. A while ago I bought a stool frame and made a cushion for it. I haven’t really got room for it in my room so it has been on the landing. I used that to sit on as it is sturdy and lower than the chairs. The cleaner wasn’t expensive and I had my doubts.

Made a good job of staining the carpet didn’t I?

The next pic is just after I had done it and the carpet was still damp, now it is dry it has worked pretty well.

It was a bit dull and damp out but I went for a walk to the beach. Fair few people were doing the same.

Saw this, perhaps they though the poo fairy would bin it for them!

There were a couple more bags left by a groyne.

I did a sketch of the cliffs today.

I have one more photo from the family visit sent to me today.

This afternoon I started de Christmasing wrote a few letters. After tea I decided to go and post them as it may be icy in the morning. Tina said someone had see the northern lights at Mappleton so to look north! I went into the park away from lights and did a night shot which has a five second exposure. The sky was pitch black to the naked eye but I could see it colouring on the screen so did another one zoomed in a bit. May not be the northern lights but quite funky!

Decisions tonight, Vera and the new series of The traitors are on at the same time. Better go and make a cuppa!