Meet the beautiful Mia

While I am down here in Hampshire, I might as well drive another forty miles and visit fellow blogger John from Don't Unplug Your Hub, he lives somewhere near Bognor. He has recently adopted a rescue German Shepherd called Mia. Carol came with me to keep me company, and we were both looking forward to meeting the new pooch.

John very kindly laid on sandwiches and drinks for us when we arrived, and we had a good old natter catching up with all the news. After a heavy shower we went a walk around his village. Mia has only been living with him for ten days, but already she is showing signs of settling in. She was previously being kept in a small flat, which wasn't at all suitable. Now she has lots of room to play outside in the big garden, and she goes on long walks with John. She has certainly found the right forever home with him, they are going to make a great team.  

Don't you think she is beautiful? She is very intelligent and listens to every word John says.

Just one more snap. Just as I stopped to get a pic of this cottage with a thatch roof, a face appeared at the window and the lady of the house gave me a cheery wave. I bet they get used to people snapping their pretty cottage.

It was lovely to see John again. Another big meal tonight, Carol has certainly filled me up these last few days. Tomorrow I head back up north, so I'll catch you when I land. Have a nice weekend. Toodle pip.

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Visit to Mid Hants Railway

Hello, I've had a fandabidozi day riding up and down on the chuff chuffs. I love playing around on steam trains. The Mid Hants Railway is also known as the Watercress Line, it runs from Alton to Alresford, passing through Medstead and Ropley. You buy a day ticket and can ride up and down all day, getting on and off at whichever stations take your fancy. We spent time at all four of them, exploring, and chatting to people. Everyone was in a happy mood, all enjoying their day out.

For two days the theme has been a WWII Christmas, with civilian and military re-enactors returning home from the war. There was song and dance and Christmas merriment.

This is our train now waiting to depart from Alton Station.    

 

Love the sound of the rush of steam.

There's a good fire going in the cab, and the crew were just tucking into their fried breakfast before they moved off.

Tickets please. The inspector doing his rounds.

A picture from the train window as we were stopped at Ropley. We went all the way to Alresford first, then stopped at the other stations on the way back.

This was our loco which has been detached from the carriages, run a short distance up the line, changed track, and is now coming back to be reattached to the other end, for the return journey.

There was a lot going on at Alresford Station. Lots of enthusiasts were dressed in period costume, and these were really getting into the spirit of the occasion by dancing along to the big band music which was playing..

Some had come in their military vehicles.

 A group of soldiers were gathered on the platform.

And burst into a rendition of war time songs. Even Sir Winston Churchill joined in.

 'Ello 'ello, what's all this 'ear then. An English bobby on the beat.

More re-enacters in forties costumes.

The railway is mostly run by volunteers, and everyone we spoke to was happy to answer our questions. The signalman invited us into his box and explained how everything worked. His enthusiasm for his work was evident, he told us he had worked for forty years as an engineer on the railways, so knew all about the mechanics of it. He could fix things if it went wrong.  

His signal box was immaculately kept, freshly painted and clean. Everything that happens is recorded in the log book on the desk.

 There are two machines with keys in them. In one machine they have a red circle on the end.....

and in the other they have a green triangle. These keys are passed to the train drivers as they pass through the station. It's a system which ensures the safety of the trains. It sounded quite a complicated system to learn.

These are for changing the points and signals.

Here is the signal man getting ready to exchange the keys with the train driver. They are in a sort of leather handbag thing with a steel handle, which can easily looped over the arm or grabbed while the train is moving. 

At Ropley we had time for a look around the back of the station to see the stock in the yard.

We hopped off at Medstead for an hour to look round.

There is Carol looking for the train.

We had time to get a hot drink in the buffet while we waited for the train. There are old style posters everywhere taking us back in time.

It was a fabulous day out, I'm glad that Carol organised this for us. The railway has a web site, if you want to know more you can read about it here. They have lots of exciting events throughout the year, some of them are very popular and have to be booked well in advance. It is a charity and all the money goes into the preservation of the trains and stations. It's a great day out.

Tomorrow is a trip to see John from Don't unplug your hub. He has a new dog you know, a German Shepherd called Mia. I'm looking forward to seeing them both. Toodle pip.

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Meet Molly and Cassie

How has your Boxing day been. We have been so lucky, we have electricity here, but only two miles away they are in darkness. No street lights, no traffic lights, people are sitting in the dark and not able to cook their meals. Thousands of people have had a terrible Christmas, it's so sad.

Today we have been looking after these two beautiful girls, meet Cassie on the left, and Molly on the right. They are sisters.  

The table is being laid for lunch, and they are waiting patiently to see if there will be a few morsels coming their way.

This is the second walk of the day, it was a lovely sunny afternoon. We got in the car and drove a couple of miles to Alice Holt Forest, which is four miles south of Farnham, where we could walk along paths through the trees. There are different trails to choose from depending on how far you want to walk. We walked the family cycle trail which is three miles long. Alice Holt is managed by the Forestry Commission, you can read all about it here.

The girls needed their under carriages washed and towel dried when we got back, before they were allowed in the house. Now the table is laid for dinner, and they look longingly at Carol hoping she gives them a treat. They are so well behaved, and so gorgeous.

 Now it's time for a lay down, we've had such a busy day, two long walks and lots of playtime.

Now waiting for daddy to come and collect us, we've had a lovely day.

Forgot to mention yesterday, Carol absolutely loved the pressie, but it wasn't a big surprise, because she had seen it here first. Oh bother, never thought of that, because she only reads bits of the blog occasionally. Never mind, she is chuffed.

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow because we have a little train journey planned. Toodle pip. 

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Christmas cheer.

And a Merry Christmas to all my frugalers, from your Queen of Mean, Ilona. I am speaking to you today from my southern residence, in the heart of the beautiful Hampshire countryside. My journey down yesterday was without incidence, as the adverse weather which was widely reported, never materialised. In fact the sun was shining down on me giving me a lovely warm glow of wellbeing.

Now what were you doing on Christmas morning? Nursing a throbbing head perhaps. Opening your presents around the tree? Or stuffing your face with a great British breakfast? Me? None of those. After a bowl of Frosties topped with a banana, it was straight to work for me. I have to earn my keep you see. Carol is feeding me up with all kinds of posh grub, so I offered to clear the fallen leaves from her driveway in return, it's the least I can do. So here I am, sweeping away.......   

 and bagging it up. Eleven bags in total.

 Carol has lunch ready for me. Looking good. Cheers.

That was earlier, now it's time for dinner, and collapsing in front of the tele with a glass of wine. Can't beat it. Tomorrow we are dog sitting. Two border collies are being dropped off in the morning, so there will be walkies and lots of fun and games.
I hope you are having a lovely time. Toodle pip.

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Choose your card

We are nearly there, Christmas is upon us once more. I haven't spent any money on it, don't feel the need to. I've posted a few cards through doors, cards I had left over from years ago, might as well use them up, daft not to. I bought a cheap bottle of sherry, that's been supped. A glass a night and it soon goes. I can buy a bottle of sherry any time of year, might get another one next June. Not keen on Christmas cake, or mince pies, and I hate Christmas pud, won't buy any.

I did think about putting some baubles on the bush outside my front door. Got them out of the cupboard, hung a red one up, that looks nice, I'll leave it at that. I have some of those candle type lights, seven in a row, those that look like a bridge that you put in the front window. I found them in the skip a few weeks ago that I posted about. They look nice on top of the cupboard, I will leave them there until next Christmas. No reason why you can't have them on all the year round. Might save a bit on the electricity.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I picked out a couple of home made cards, and couldn't decide which one to put on here, so I've scanned both of them. By posting them here it's going to save me the cost of sending a card out to all my lovely readers, you can view them here they are free to you. I will be giving them to people, might as well get good use of them. For those of a religious leaning, here is my photo of a monument in our churchyard.   

For anyone else, here is a pusscat card. You can choose whichever one you like.

I'm going to be busy for the next couple of days, hopefully on the move if the weather is not too bad, so I'll catch up with you when I have time. The netbook is travelling with me, so I might pop in. I hope you all enjoy your Christmas, and all your preparations go according to plan. Thank you for visiting my blog, sees you soon. Toodle pip.

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Carol, don't read this :o))

Carol, my very bestest friend, if you are reading this you shouldn't be, so go away or the surprise will be spoilt, ha ha. Anyone else can look now. I am going to be visiting Carol over the festive period, so I thought I would make her a pressie, rather than worrying over what to buy her. It would be hopeless trying to find anything anyway, she can well afford to buy whatever she wants for herself, she doesn't need any tat I might pick up at the shops.

Me and Carol go way back, about 55 years in fact. We were friends at junior school and people thought we were sisters because we looked alike. We chose completely different career paths. She had the brains to further her education and carve out a career in company finance, whereas I chose the practical hands on type of work. Another difference is that she has been married and I have not. We do have one thing in common though, we both chose not to have children.

There have been long periods of time when we have got on with our own lives, but always coming together through phone calls, emails, and meeting up a couple of times a year. Today we lead completely different lifestyles. She still works and has an active social life with lots of friends, I have a more sedate outlook, bimbling along, doing my own thing, with a few good friends. She is part of a big family, I have a very small family. When we come together it's like I see her every day, we chatter ten to the dozen and have lots of laughs. So I am looking forward to a jolly time this festive holiday.   

So, you saw a snippet of the pressie I was making, here is the finished article. There is no plan, no pattern, things are just made up as I go along. Ideas pop into my head and I think, I wonder if that would work, or what would that look like. I bought some pieces of colourful felt about a year ago from the Hospice Shop. Thank goodness she has only five letters in her name. I don't think I would have attempted Stephanie or Elizabeth. My first idea was that the letters should have a gusset and would be freestanding, but I didn't have enough time to sew all those seams. So I decided on cutting two of each, sewing them together with a blanket stitch, and stuffing them. Then mount them on a fabric background.   

I made all the letters first, then I gathered a few materials. Plain green fabric, a piece of sponge which just happened to be the right size, a roll end of some stiff window blind fabric, and some floral fabric. As it was I didn't use the floral, I changed my mind.

I needed some stuffing, and I remembered I had bought a white crochet shawl for 50p from a clearance sale, the shop was closing down. It is nice and soft, and I thought it would come in useful for something. I removed the tassels and chopped them up.

Here are a few close ups. Small pink beads in the centre of the flowers, and some even smaller red beads dotted around. I stitched the letters on to the pale green fabric and the stiff backing, before I added the sponge, and lastly stitched the back on.

 

On the back I attached two brass rings for the hanger.

The white cord all around the edge I seem to remember, came from a gift of flowers in a bag, that someone gave me for my 60th birthday. Something else that has come in useful. It took ages to stitch it all on.

 

I hope she likes it.

Enjoy your weekend. Toodle pip.

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