Autumn Reading..Volunteering

Hi Everyone,

Goodness is it really September, where did the time go? I am still here and getting into my normal routine for Autumn, searching outs books to read as the days and nights get colder!


I have also been doing some volunteer work for the last few month at a local Maritime Museum, helping with childrens craft activities and watching the museum floor. Its been a really great couple of months, I am there on Tuesdays now as the children have gone back to school and I am to start in the little gift/coffee shop soon. I will share some more photos of the shop and museum in another post..

Autumn Reading..

Here are the autumn theme books I have just brought back from the library...

Frill Kill - Laura Childs I have just begun reading this book, so far I am enjoying it. I also read The Jasmine Moon Murder by the same author.

I always like to read books set around halloween at this time of year.. here is the synopsis from FantasticFiction.com

'This Halloween, the bestselling mystery author makes New Orleans even spookier than usual. Carmela's friend Ava is having a Halloween bash at her scrapbooking store, and she hires a sexy Tarot reader named Giovanni to work the crowd. What he doesn't foretell is that on her way home Carmela will find the body of a beautiful model behind a Dumpster, and be attacked herself. But he's the one who appears to save her-or was he already there? '

And this one that I dont know a lot about but the cover looks enticing..ha,ha Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun - Kathleen Bacus

'After being stalked by a psycho dunk-tank clown, Tressa Jayne Turner takes a break from reporting until a reclusive and rather strange best-selling writer arrives in town.'

What books are you reading at the moment? Or do you have a Autumn/Halloween favourite...

See you again soon

Priscilla x

Strawberries and Garden...

Hi Everyone, I am sorry its been so long since I last posted. I am having trouble viewing blogs, the pc pauses then crashes, I don't understand it, I work from a lap top and my parents just got a new pc and it does it on theirs too..... must be vista? So I just havnt been on as often as usual, ......... but I wanted to let you all know I am still here and share some pretty photos! ha,ha

I have been growing Strawberries.... which I have never grown before..... I had them outside to begin with until something ate 3 of the berries! So brought them inside my parents porch.

I have tasted about 5 but ooohh they do have a bitter bite to them! Still fun though....ha,ha

Parents Garden....

I wanted to show you this beautiful tree my parents have growing in their garden, I have no idea what its called......... When I was at school I had a boyfriend called David, his dad gave my mum a cutting of the tree......... and ever since we named the bush 'Davids Dads Tree'....... we still call it that now, it kinda stuck!


Close up of the flowers...... Do you have any idea what the tree could be?

Neighbours Flowers..........over the garden gate

These beautiful Peony blooms are not mine or my parents, they are my parents neighbours! This is the dividing fence, so we get to enjoy them too.......

I hope you have enjoyed the little garden tours....... Have a wonderful week

See you again soon

Priscilla x

Witchie Cross Stitch progress...

I spent a lot of this week making progress on Witchie Renabest. I have posted over on my Spooky Stitchers Sal too, but just in case you missed me there I am posting here also. I am loving working with the colours in this cross stitch, maybe because they are such bright halloweeny colours!

I finished working on the back stitch and have started on the French knots, which I have not done many of before and finding quite fun to do!

French Knots are on Witchie's eyes, shoes and bubbling over the cauldron...... I have just started the brewing bubbles

I love stitching Autumn/Halloween pieces...What are your favourite themes to stitch?

Hope you are all having a lovely week,

see you soon

Priscilla x

Books and Halloween Stitching...

Hi Everyone, The weather has been quite hot here in the uk for the last couple of weeks, and I have been out in the garden and doing a lot of reading and working on some long ago started cross stitch. You may remember the pile of books I had planned to read? well I took my time and have just finished the last on the list Hubble Bubble -Christina Jones

A very light, feel good book, with magical recipes (but do not get this book expecting to re-create the recipes, some of the ingredients are poisonous!) great characters and romance. I must admit I am not always a huge fan of romance themed books, but with the magical twist it was more enjoyable. This author creates a wonderful cozy village and a set of unusual kooky characters! I do think her second book Seeing Stars is a better read though and a much better story, but I say give them a try if you see them......
Hubble Bubble
Seeing Stars

Like I say I have also been doing some stitching on a project I started a while ago, Witchie Renabest by twisted threads.I am currently working on the back stitching, and hope to make it into a pillow for halloween. To share my love of Halloween and stitching Autumn themed pieces I joined a Halloween SAL, its great to see others work, and meet other people with a love for Halloween stitching, take a look here at Spooky Stitchers Sal

What I am reading now....

I have just started reading The Heretic's daughter - Kathleen kent. I have always been interested in the history of the Salem Witch trials, and this book is fiction set around that time. Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier, a character within the book. So I hope it will be a good read!

Check out more info and video clip at Barnes and Noble...The Heretic's Daughter

Well I will leave you all for now, in a couple of hour I am off to our church hall to help my drama company in the first night of their play. I am not in this one, but will be taking part in a one night 'Murder Mystery Evening' Next Saturday!

Talk again soon

Priscilla x

Back from Luxor Egypt!!

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well! I missed you all!! We had a wonderful two week away, in the first week the weather reached 38 c, which is hotter than Ive ever known it!!!

This is the front of our Hotel , luxor street have lights everywhere! Enlarge any images for a closer look, below is the view from our balcony to the Nile and the Valley of the Kings.....

Balloon rides....4.30 am the balloons take off, we were up early most mornings to beat he heat, the temp reached 30 C by 9.00am !! This is the hottest year we have known....

Here are a few more photos , we have been to the same hotel for 6 year and in that time made quite a few Egyptian friends, our horse and carriage driver is called Salah, he always invites us for a meal and to meet his family, hope you enjoy the photos! Below is a photo of Bartta, Mum, me and their son Shazlaey.

Here is the meal Bartta made, Chicken, mint salad, home made bread, rice, true Egyptian food....

Salah and his sons and my Dad....

Dendera Temple Ceiling - We took a trip to the temple, the engravings were amazing, a lot of the blue paint still remains..... I love this photo my mum took!

Luxor street....... this is the scene around most of luxor, old buildings, people, donkeys and daily life, it is a relaxing place to visit and hasn't changed over time, we love it there, I hope you have enjoyed viewing a snapshot of our holiday, there is so much to show and tell I could make this post very long!!! ha,ha I may add some more photos in another post,

See you all again soon

Priscilla x

Knitting !!! learning a new craft...

Hi everyone, I have been such a bad blogger of late. Its so long since my last post.....I just wanted to drop in and let you know I am still around before I go away for two weeks on the 15th April to Luxor Egypt!!! I cant wait.... we have been before but it never gets old!

Does anyone remember me saying I wanted to learn to knit? Last year I got a few books and tried to learn myself but it didn't happen, this year I am doing a lot better! lol

I have a friend who loves to knit and she offered to teach me and another lady, so we have met up for tea, nibbles lots of chatter and some knitting! Joan gave me some needles as she has many spare and a small ball of wool and we began with the knit stitch. I have done basic knitting as a child with my grandma, but its a long time ago.

Another thing which I didn't have last year was YOU TUBE. It has many beginner videos of knitting, how to cast on, knit, purl, and many more http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=knitting&aq=f go check out the links if you fancy learning too!

So armed with my new found skill and a want to create anything! lol I went to my local wool shop and came home with these gorgeous wools........ oh and some more needles!

Enjoy the knitting basics video...

If you already knit or want some amazing FREE PATTERNS visit this web site!http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory.php

I am going to begin with this dishcloth pattern to practice the stitches, Knit and Purl. I have noticed dish cloths seem to be the simpler projects! Although I think

I am going to practice the stitches some more before I start the cloth.

Here is the patternhttp://www.blackrayne.com/pages/batty.html

and a link to many, many more dish cloths! http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php

And here is my knitting! With my fav teddy 'Toffee'. All knit stitches, I said it would have to be a coaster, but I may try make it into a mobile phone pouch.

Hope you all have a wonderful week, see you again soon!

Priscilla x

Spring from my Window...

Spring in my Kitchen... I am just loving the scent from these hyacinths, I am amazed how scented they are, the scent fills the kitchen and drifts into my living room! Please do not think for a moment that I am crazy for keeping the pumpkin out, it is my little nod towards fairy tales and love for Theatre........ the little frog and pumpkin remind me of ..........Cinderella.

And of course my long time blogging friends might remember I did play the 'frog prince' last year!!! ha,ha and the frog was a sweet gift from my mum.

Crocus - 'a touch of colour among the grey' I love to see these little flowers pop up in spring, the signs of things to come, these are just outside my front door.

'Chicken Run' - well almost! this is the view from my kitchen window,my neighbours to the right own horses, chickens, goats, a cat, and a cockerel ! and they are forever escaping their fences over the garden into my garden..... and so I grabbed the camera and took a photo!

Last week I looked out of the window to see the horse that should of been down on the bottom field right behind my fence! shame I didn't have time to get the camera, I didn't want it to get onto the road and dashed out to call the owner, no one was home but fortunately a neighbour to the left who visits the horse and family led it back to the field! Still I do think a photo would of been good, It was just looking at me through the window! h,ha

The Cat......
I hope you are all having a good start to the week, I am spending more time cross stitching. I hope to make my 'Spring Fairy' into a pillow soon, and my mum has almost finished the Thomas Kinkade stitch, I will share some photos soon.....

Bye for now

Priscilla x