Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 44

It has been a mixed week but there is still plenty to smile about. We are both a bit bogged down with bad colds, but we had to get to another hospital appointment on Monday which was almost another full day out. But since then we have mostly stayed at home so I have had lots of time to play with my new 'toy' that Chris bought me as a combined birthday and Christmas present. I said I would show it this week so here it is.

Yes it is another laser cutter engraver. I know there wasn't a lot wrong with the one I  had but it did have some limitations. This one takes up a lot less space, it is entirely enclosed with its own air assist and extractor fan, so there are less cables and extras like a pump to clutter up the work space. And most importantly, this one includes a printer module which is a new asset. The laser module in the photo (the little grey box) is held in place by magnets, so it is easy to exchange it for the inkjet module, print an image, then change it back and cut it out. That is a real game-changer. Also the bar coming out across the lid is a camera that enables you to position the cut line exactly over the printed image, and also to work accurately on small pieces of wood etc. It is advertised as being safe to cut paper and card which I was always hesitant to even try on my other machine as there is a risk of it catching fire! This one incorporates a fire alarm which is a bonus though you are told to never leave it unattended when in use.

So this week I have tried printing on paper, with one pass and then with two passes, printed on wood though they advise coating the wood first so that the ink doesn't seep into the grain and as yet I have not got the right medium for this, cutting out wood and paper which both worked beautifully once I got the settings right! I tried some intricate cutting with paper and wood, and also engraved a robin and then cut it out on plywood, and also a flat engraving on a small wood slice that I bought from The Works, just to try the positioning tool on small items. As you can see, I didn't always get it right, but I am certainly more confident to use it now and I am pleased with the results so far. It uses different software, so it is a bit of a learning curve, but I am getting there.

The print on paper which I cut right, (top left photo), and two others I did later, have all been used on Christmas cards.

A few weeks ago I showed you some poppies I had crochet for a Remebrance day project. The ladies organising it are now stitching all the poppies onto the net which will be draped from the top floor office of the Guild Hall in the market square, right down to the front wall. I like to think that 12 of these are the ones I made. Our sewing group promised to contribute a hundred flowers and we did make at least that many. They have sewed on 2,000 so far with many more to go. I think it will look really good.

Last week Angela metioned that they had an unusual number of magpies around them. Well we don't see many magpies but we have loads of jackdaws. They are omnivores eating both insects and berries etc, but after the rain they flock to the park and appear to be hunting for worms. Of course when I approach to take a photo of them, they all fly off, but are soon back again. (Our house is the one on the back right of the photo so you can see what a great view of the park we have, even without venturing outside).

This morning I needed to go across to the pharmacy to collect my prescription, so I arranged to meet my grand-daughter Emma on Red Square for a cup of tea. She had my grandson Reuben with her as it is half-term holiday here. There are four cafés on the square each with their own area of indoor and outdoor seating, and it is a popular spot for meeting up with friends and family. As we sat chatting my daughter-in-law Ella came past with her two little girls Aisling and Niamh, so she joined us for a chat.

While we chatted Reuben and Aisling amused themselves collecting ladybirds which seemed to like the black bollards around the square, then they discoverd sycamore seeds and made helicopters, and finally they had a climb on the statue of the shepherd which my own boys climbed on when it was first put there many years ago. (Aisling is wearing a dress she had just borrowed from the cloths rail at the library).

Although Reuben's mum Emma, and Aisling are actually cousins, the two little ones are growing up together. The generations get a bit muddled in our family. (e.g. There is a twelve year gap between Emma's dad and Ella's husband even though they are brothers). But I love having these impromtu meet up between family members, and it is one of the best things about returning to UK.

And that is enough rambling for one day. Have a good week everyone.

Friday Smiles 2026 #Week 43

Well, following on from last weeks post about Fin's travelling send-off and my birthday high tea treat, we have had a very busy time, and then a few 'basic' days for us to catch our breath and return to our usual routine. Hence I did some very late visiting to you, but hopefully all will be back to normal now. 

As I suggested last week, all five of our boys came together to celebrate our birthdays with us on Thursday. This was actually Chris' 80th birthday. Tom arrived from Denmark at lunchtime, and Jim and Jo came up on the train from London the day before and were staying in a local B&B. They popped over to see us that afternoon as we guessed (rightly) that there wouldn't be much opportunity for real chat once we all got together.

Mike had booked us in at the Indian restaurant for early evening, and Ben and Ant drove over from Leominster to meet us there. The boys helped me order as I have not been to many Indian restaurants am not familiar with all the dishes.

Anyway we had an excellent meal and then all walked up to a nearby bar - which I also hadn't visited for nigh on twenty five years. It was an open mike night and the front bar was full of singers and their friends, but there was a cosy back room that we took over. I had to get my obligitory photo of our six boys. I like to update it each time we all get together.

Then Chris and I were roped in and Ant took more photos for us. It was a great evening.I love that all my boys are such good friends as well as brothers, and that they all do their best to get together to make a special day for us.

On Friday I had a blood test early morning, and then we both had our Covid vaccinations. (We had flu ones at the start of the week). In the evening I went to choir practice and Tom and dad walked into town to meet Mike and one of Tom's school friends in a local bar. (Dad and Mike used to run this bar a good few years ago).When we first moved to Oswestry it had the highest number of bars per capita of population , in the country. Many have now closed, but there are still plenty to choose from! I met them there after choir but we didn't stay late.

Saturday was bright and sunny so again Tom had us walking into town with him and we went to a café at the front of the market where they sell German sausages and chips. He had arranged to see Mike there and his partner Lucy was with him. So we sat there and chatted for a while and then Chris and I went home, but it was nice to be able to sit outside in the sun for an hour or so.

Later that afternoon Tom came home and brought our grand-daughter Emma home. They were both grinning and the reason soon became clear when Mike, (who is Emma's dad), came in with a little birthday cake with several lit candles on it. Saturday was actually my birthday so they came to me first to blow out the candles while they sang Happy Birthday to me. Then they were all lit and we sang again to Chris, and then lit a third time so we sang to Tom who's birthday was on Monday. (Photo from Tom's family chat group post). Tom had bought lots of snacky foods that he doesn't get in Denmark, so we helped him eat them all for our tea. 

Finally Jonathan's wife Ella and little Aisling came to the door on Sunday with flowers and a card for me. So we somehow managed to make our birthdays last for over a week, and had lots of great family time through out it all.

Tom left us Sunday lunchtime to get a train to Manchester, and then a plane back home. So gradually we have settled down and enjoyed a quiet week with lots of reading, crochet time and TV. 

I have a very excititng birthday and Christmas combined present, but I think this post is long enough so I will tell you all about that next week.