Alpacas

These little dears are adorable, Alpacas.  They can be found in South America, such countries as Chile, Peru and Bolivia.  Their wool is extremely durable and soft.

As a preteen I remember I had a beautiful alpaca wool coat.  It was green, with a Peter Pan collar, very large sixties buttons. pleats part way across the back, with a slung belt across the top of the pleats, secured by a large matching buttons on either side.  I loved that coat.

They did have some scarves for sale, $70.00, so soft.

The lady who owned them said that they are inexpensive to keep.  She can feed 12 on $2.50 per day, hay and I didn't ask what else they eat.

They make the most darling little baa type sound, not loud and not like a sheep.

We did enjoy touching and looking at them.

Christy

The Le Creuset Pot, an American Tale of Bank Home Foreclosure

So many readers said, 'what a find, how could anyone throw that beautiful pot out.'  I think this little blue pot represents a tragic tale of what has happened in American over the last few years and that is Bank Home Foreclosure.
When I came across the Le Creuset Casserole Dish, it was sitting right on top of all the trash, or I would never have seen it. I couldn't believe it.  I took the top off and there inside was what was left of a chicken cacciatore dinner, not bad at all.


I think the family made their last dinner in their house in their favourite pot before they had to leave.  I think their house was foreclosed on by the bank.


Millions of Americans have lost their homes over the last few years over the whole Home Mortgage Debacle.  Banks lending money to people who they knew would never be able to pay, or if just one thing happened in their life like loosing a job it would be all over for them. The banks couldn't give money away quick enough, greedily getting their commission up front and selling a package of mortgages on.

The banks were given millions of tax payers money, to bail them out, but basically home owners were left to fend for themselves.


This is the tragic tale that I think that little blue pot would tell.


Christy

Pennsylvania Pumpkin Patch

Aren't those peanut pumpkins wild?  I have never seen them before.

Christy

Blurb, Scotland and The Isle of Skye Engagement Calendars and Journal

Well as of November 1st you will be able to buy my two 2011 Scotland and The Isle of Skye Engagement Calendars/Diaries.  Also my Isle of Skye writing journal.

The photographs were all taken while on my visit to the Scottish Highlands and The Isle of Skye.  We had such beautiful weather, I think it rained every week, summer 2009 except the week we were there.  I had such fun putting them together except for a few glitches on Blurb their software being a little counter intuitive when it came to presets and fonts, but I did send them a note about it.

I hope you enjoy viewing them.  One is 80 pages with panoramic photos of Scotland and The Isle of Skye, the other is 160 pages with photos just of The Isle of Skye, the journal also is just photos of The Isle of Skye.

Enjoy and if you so desire please feel free to order a copy.

Christy

Biking the Skyline Drive, VA

The Boy getting his bike ready and wearing the new biking shoes he bought.  Unfortunately he forgot to take the shoes and therefore could not ride his bike and had to borrow his friend's father's bike and his friend's father used his friend's bike and his friend did not bike. Did you understand all that?  I don't think the friend minded too much.  But it was a shame. 

Some photos he took in the Shenandoah Park, VA

Christy

Biking Boy

Update on biking boy.  He had a great time. In the end though with the saga of forgetting his cleat biking shoes.  He landed up borrowing a friends bike, with flat bar handles and carrying a bag of what Rob said was 10 lbs of stuff.  You have to understand that this is a boy where one ounce makes a difference to him.  So he completed just over 20 miles of mountain road biking, mostly ascent.  So more experience and practice on mountain road cycling, and another time he'll finish the course with all the old guys in their forties.

Christy

Favourtie Finds of the Year

Sophie at Her Library Adventures posted a favourite finds of the year.  So here are mine.

I found this lovely crochet blanket at the Impact Thrift Shop.

This was out for the trash man, a Creuset dutch oven, which I cleaned up. I couldn't believe that someone would throw this away. It's so nice and I've always wanted one.

On Ebay, when I wasn't even looking I found the exact manual for my 1950 Husqvarna. Not such a common sewing machine over here in the States. I bought the sewing machine in a yard sale a couple of years before.

Christy

Project for this Weekend to Sew One Cushion Slip Cover

The project is to sew one bottom cushion slip cover for the above sofa.  Totally finished with piping and zips.  I've never made slip covers before.  I do have the one lot of fabric cut out, so must, must not procrastinate and get this done.

I have the Chinese tapestry fabric which matches up with the above chair, which I must admit to having professionally upholstered.

The sofa above was given to me about five years ago.  It is soo comfortable.  It came out of a house on the Main Line, a very affluent area and was given to a friend and when they moved back to the Scotland, they gave the sofa to me.

So I am bound and determined to keep it and to tie it in with a matching slip cover.  You can see the two fabrics above.  I do not have enough of the tapestry so bought the white material from Jomar, the crazy miss match store with great sewing buys.  $1.50 per yard.  I bought the whole bolt, because you will not get another one.  Just love that store.  Plus I bought four zips at .50 cents each.

My plan is to do the four cushions in the Chinese tapestry, with off white piping and to do the balance of the sofa in the off white fabric with Chinese fabric piping.  That's the plan for now, it may change.

Slap me on the hand if I do not get it done.

Christy

Shenandoah National Park Bike Ride, Virginia 104 Miles

This is where Boosul Boy is today.  He's biking a 104 mile road route through the Shenandoah National Park area.  He's there with several different families.  It looks like they have great Autumn weather for it about 54 f right now going up to 70f and not raining.  The trees should be spectacular.  He leaves from Front Royal, which; name might have originated from the French, meaning the British Front, or border of their territory.  All the way to Waynesboro.

He has been looking forward to the ride for a while, and making preparations.  I feel so bad for him because he forgot his special clip biking shoes, which he had just bought along with the special pedals which he bought on Ebay from Israel.  So he gets all the way there and realises he doesn't have them. Unfortunately I had left for work and wasn't there to check around as all mum's do and see that he had everything.  It's 250 miles from our house.  His dad felt so bad for him that he was going to drive there with them, but Rob had decided to just buy regular pedals and cycle that way.  It is a disappointment, but I hope it all works out.  And that he takes lots of photos and has a great ride.

Christy

P.S.  Boosul is a Romany Gypsy word for Beautiful

Bread from the Bank

Once a month we go to a food bank and pick up one bag of groceries.  Sometimes they also have bread and sometimes not.  This month was particularly good, look at all the lovely breads hubby came home with, plus there was a Tuscan loaf and a bag of bagels. Even when he was working I would never have spent this much money on a loaf of bread.  So we've rather been enjoying them.  A couple I froze the others we kept to eat now.

Christy

Back Door Wood Holder

Well here we are into Fall at they say in North America.  I was discussing this use of the word Fall for Autumn with older friends from South Africa.  Who when they first left S. Africa, settled in BC, Canada and then relocated to PA.  In British Columbia and Pennsylvania there are a lot of trees and it is a falling of the leaves.

This morning is wet and it has been quite a bit after a drought of a summer.  Well I wanted to show you my new wood holder; which sits by the back door.  Just the trick to keep the wood off the ground and covered, although it seems we may have to put wood on top of the cover to hold it down on windy days.  Not too expensive either in Big Lots.  We have already had several fires.

Christy

Moss in the Morning

The front of our house faces N.N.W., so doesn't get too much sun, therefore lots of lichen and moss grow on the trees and around the bricks and shrubbery.

This is a patch of moss growing under the rhododendron bush.

I love moss so velvety, with depth to it and gossamer dreams.

Christy

Keep Calm and Drink Tea

A gift from a friend.  Yes I do drink a lot of tea to keep me calm.

Christy