Rum Sunday

I've had a very busy bank holiday weekend. It feels like we spent hardly any time at home. On Sunday, the good folk of Ramsey turned out to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic. The occasion is marked and organised by the Royal Naval Association. (RNA). We are always joined by representatives from the islands Royal British Legion, the coastguards always send a contingent as do Llandudno coastguards. There are always representatives from the Chester RNA and this year the numbers were swelled by a contingent from Runcorn and another from Trafford. In total there were nine standards carried during the parade and ceremony. My Tony was one of those standard bearers.

 The war memorial and it's small gardens have had a bit of a redo, it looks good and the town band no longer have to stand on the grass,

  Once a wreath had been laid on the war memorial and all of the ceremonial stuff was completed, we retired to our meeting hall, where there was speeches and a couple of presentations,  and of course the toast to the Queen, Navy style. Yep! That's how Rum Sunday got it's name!

 Then the party really got started. And the coastguards really know how to party. 

A karaoke had been set up  The coastguards hogged the limelight they were singing and drinking and dancing the whole afternoon.

 At five o'clock the karaoke had to go and we got kicked out of the hall. But that didn't stop the party, we just moved to the pub next door!! And then the pub down the road, and then another one after that, where we found more Karaoke!!

 I think I finally got home at about 1 am. 

Now you know why I didn't have time for crafting.

Another walk?

There isn't a huge amount of crafty things to show off here at the moment, so I'll take you on another walk. You seem to like those. I have to say I also enjoy seeing pictures of other places too. 

These were taken last week, when it was still blowing a hooley. I set out wandering over the bridge and around the harbour. Doesn't it look calm? My DS Joe has been working hard, he saved all his money and bought himself a little boat. He was out sailing in her over the weekend. 

My oldest son Jonathan (Jiffy) went with him. They are both competent seamen, having sailed for many hours with their Grandfather. 

And Jiffy works on the Ramsey Jak.  That little red fishing boat. The whole fleet was in the harbour the day I walked, as I said, it was blowing some. Look at those flags, all stretched out in the wind.

It looks so serene here, with the swans asleep on the sand bar. 

 But once I got around the corner and looked out to sea, oh boy!! The waves were rolling in, pushed hard by a northerly wind. It was cold too.

 I walked away from the harbour and along the prom. 

 I could see the mountain top again, though not quite as clear this time.

 Once I'd had enough of a battering by the wind I turned inland, cutting alongside the rugby pitch and into the park. In just a few days time, even this family park will be over run by bikers. 

 I dropped down off the road and took the foot path along side the lake. It was lovely to get out of the wind, see how calm the lake is?

 The daises and buttercups put on a pretty display. 

 I came across the groundsman at the other end of the lake, preparing to cut the grass, and the flowers.

This poor tree was taking a battering from the wind. There were many cones down underneath it.

 Once I left the park, there were workmen digging holes in my road home, but that's OK, my detour gets you another picture of the lake and the sea beyond. 

Did I promise more colour?

 I did didn't I? I'm sorry, I failed. I got a big basket of scraps out and started, then I ripped it out and started again on plan B. Then ripped it out, then started again...... By plan F enough was enough! I took it all upstairs again and came back down with blue! Plan G has formed though, and I may revisit the colourful use of scraps. Meanwhile, in the blue and white corner, I had a wonderful time.

These pretty little coasters are to be a gift for a pal, she doesn't even have a puter never mind a blog, so it's safe to show them off here. I love how these have turned out and will probably make more in the future.

 Staying with the blue theme. (I'm so much happier with a limited palette). I have made a start on another afghan. I noticed that some of the larger squares on the Great British Granny seemed to tilt and here it is happening again.  Off I went to Googleooogle it and came up here. :-)  I did wonder if that might be the cure. I intend to make this one very big. I have 4x400g balls of yarn to use up.

We have a very busy weekend ahead with functions every day/night, starting tonight! I'll try to remember to take the camera along and use it. 

Wednesdays Walk.

Every time I start to feel a bit fed up or bored Janice suggests I should go for a walk, and take along my camera. :-) I can take a hint. 

It was a beautiful day yesterday and I seriously considered sitting out in the sun with my Kindle, I thought I could just read maybe one or two chapters, then come in, but I know me, half a book later and I would be wondering why I'm burning, our yard is pretty sheltered, but yesterday was a great laundry day, there was enough of a breeze in there to lead me astray. So on went the shoes and out for a walk it was. Not a huge walk really, a bit of a hike up the hill with the traffic, turn left along a quieter road and turn left again at the top of this hill. It doesn't look like it here, but going up this hill is a killer! I went down under the trees. It was very pretty with lots of birds singing.

 The bluebells and their white cousins like to grow in the shade under the trees, they are late this year due to the snow that was lying on the ground only a few short weeks ago.

 I tried very hard to capture the pretty green canopy over my head.

 At the bottom of the hill you go around a corner and this is the sight that greets you. The imaginatively named White bridge. It crosses the Sulby River.

 Down stream flows back to town and the harbour, it flows along side the Poyll Dooey Nature reserve, I've taken you in there before.

 Upstream the river goes inland to the village of Sulby. It is joined along the way by many other streams and beyond Sulby it has it's origins in the hills. (That's for another walk.)

Before you get that far though, just around the corner is the Isle of Man film studio. 

 And closer still are the ducks. They all came running toward me when I stopped, no doubt hoping for a hand out.

 Once over the river I stayed on the road  and walked under the trees again. I saw beds of wild garlic,

 which like the bluebells loves to grow in the shade of trees.

 I turned off the road onto a foot path and the first thing that greeted me was Forget me nots.

 They were growing amid the stinging nettles.

 Further along I saw these flowers, I only know them as snow in summer, you can see why.

 This foot path used to be a railway line, running from Ramsey to Peel, it's now mostly foot path, there are one or two areas that can no longer be accessed. Here it runs behind a housing estate and some of the home owners whose property backs onto it have taken to keeping their area tidy.

 Others don't. :-)

 You know it's a good day on the Isle of Man when you can clearly see the masts at the top of the mountain. Our one mountain is called Snaefell. You can take an electric tram ride to the top, there is a restaurant/cafe to buy refreshments the two masts have all manner of technology strapped to them. 

 TT week must be coming, there is new very grippy road surface laid all the way from Fairfield avenue to Parliament Square.

And the DoI (Department of Idiots er Infrastructure ) are still tinkering 10 days before the first road closures and practices.

I hope you enjoyed walking with me. I'll try to remember to take the camera along more often.

Finished

I put the final rounds on yesterday and last night. I love how this one finished up and I'm happy to have it completed, it's very warm.

 Not quite big enough for our bed, but that's ok, as I said yesterday, this one is for snuggling on the sofa.

 And just because I can, after many years of living in apartments.........

An outdoor photo!! My creation on the washing line. 

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Of the two projects I had lined up, I've gone with the scrappy option. Nothing to see yet, just a basket of yarn scraps. Though in true Loulou style i did change my mind and rip out the first three hours or hooking to do something a little different! LOL

I promise there will be a lot more colours in the next post.

I'm still here............

And still keeping myself fairly busy, as evidenced in this first picture, see it's laundry day!!  I wish the sun would shine and I could get it all out on the line though. Looking out through the windows I reckon the sun will be hard pressed to show herself today, so the bumble dryer it is!

 Enough with the domestics and on to the lovely stuff. My Great British Granny crochet throw is almost done. Phew! It really is very warm sitting under that little lot!! 100% pure new wool in Aran weight is not the thing to be under at this time of year, (Even if the sun is not shining). It looks a bit small here on our bed, but that's not it's intended use. This one is for snuggling on the sofa on cold evenings.  I plan just a few rounds of the good old granny around the whole thing, then I'll call it done.

I specifically called it the Great British Granny because all of the yarn used is from rare breeds of British sheep.The brown in the center of this block is Manx Loaghtan. Obviously the local breed here on the island.

 The other two yarns I used are from one breed, the Jacob. I love the cream and sadly no matter what I do, I just can't get a nice photo of the marl, which is in the canter of this panel.

 The sixteen larger Granny squares which make up the main body of the throw are all finished and joined as I went with the cream yarn. They are then surrounded by small alternating cream and marl squares which were joined as I went using the Loaghtan. I have enough of the yarns left to do a round each of marl then cream. 

If I'm really lucky I'll have enough of the three yarns left to whip up a matching cushion cover.

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You know me, well I'm sure we're all the same, a finish means a start, no matter what else is simmering away elsewhere. LOL

I have two other crochet projects planned, neither one of which could be called small! I've also spent a lot of time lurking in some of the embroidery groups on flickr and my clicky finger made me buy a couple of books for embroidery inspiration............

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My newly found social life continues to have me in a whirl. We seem to spend more time out than in at the weekends! Next weekend will be no different. On Sunday the local Royal Naval Association will commemorate The Battle of The Atlantic. There will be a wreath laying ceremony at the local cenotaph. Followed by the usual gathering known locally as rum Sunday!!  I think the sun barely reaches the yardarms before the bottles are opened. There are lots of visitors for the day, British Legion Groups and other Royal Naval groups from around the island, not to mention groups from Chester, Llandudno, and other places which are traditionally linked to the island by the sea.  Of course the visitors don't just come for the day, they are here for the whole weekend. As Tony is the Vice Chairman for the Naval Association, we have to join in with all of the social gatherings. 

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Just thinking about that makes me tired, I think I'll make a cuppa and hook a couple of rounds on my granny.