Friday Smiles 2023 # Week 45

Another fun week has gone by in a flash so here are some of my highlights.

Starting with Sunday when I suggested we make the most of a beautiful morning and take a stroll along Mojacar sea-front. The sun was out, making the sea sparkle, and it was just the right temperature to feel comfortable in  summer clothes still.

We never remember to take a selfie together, but I did catch this one of Chris.

We walked along about two-thirds of the coast, and then stopped for some refreshment at a lovely bar. I ordered "Té ingles" and was brought a pot of hot water and a box of PG tips tea-bags, plus a small jug of cold milk and a huge tea cup. Much better service than I usually get, and just perfect for me.

Refreshed, we walked back to the car and I found I had done over 8,000 steps. My daily target is 5,000 so I was very pleased with that.

Some areas around here experienced dangerously high winds and a fair amount of rain early on in the week, but we escaped most of it with just a few showers in the evenings. Though I did need to double peg the sheets on the washing line so that they didn't end up in our neighbours garden.

So, with the evenings drawing in, I find myself making our tea earlier and settling down to watch TV sooner, and the cats are happy with this. Leo has taken to jumping on me as soon as I sit down. He has a 'wise' little face, quite different from the other cats, and a way of looking at me that demands my full attention for head rubs, and cuddles. He objects to me doing my crochet, and either puts a paw on my hook to stop me, or chews my yarn!

Sometimes Tango joins him, though he is not as agile as he used to be for jumping up, and often choses to creep off into a quiet corner to sleep. 

Two cats are my limit and Tolly is not one to share, but occasionally he gets there first, which is equally overwhelming because he insists on sitting right up high in my chest. He is a big boy so I cannot see round him, and he is too heavy, but he never stays for long.

One day when I realised I had only managed about four stitches all evening, I went to the garage and found Foxy's old bed. (I only kept it because it will fit in the washing machine. Kim's was too big so we threw it out). I put Leo on it and he immediately settled down and didn't move all evening. Now it is his go-to bed.

At the start of October I wrote about us ordering some new furniture and we are hoping it will be ready in another week or so, so we needed to make some space for it. When the new ones are delivered, they will take the old ones away, but they will only be discarded and I thought my big recliner was too good for this. So I contacted my friend who works with the Lions Charity in Vera and asked if they could use it. They were very pleased to accept it and on Monday two strong men pulled up in the Lions van and loaded it on. So for now there is a big space in the sitting room which is an ideal spot for Leo's bed...for now anyway. The slogan on the side of the van says "In collaboration with the Lions of Vera and district, and their Platinum supporters." It is used mainly for the Vera food bank but occasionally it does furniture collection too.

And I have managed to get some crochet done. For one I have finished the shawl I was making before I went on holiday. It was a 'stash buster' using only wool I had in my store. It is done in Tunisian entrelac crochet, meaning each little block is worked individually but is worked into the previous one from the row below, so there are not loads of ends to weave in. There is one strand at the end of each row, but these are hidden inside a double border. The pattern was called Landscapes and the colours represent the sea and sky, the green hills on the campo, and the lilac and purple for the wild flowers.

I also had a bit of fun making this tiny Pooh Bear. These little critters are very fiddly to do, but I saw the pattern and wanted to have a go. 

I have donated him to a lady at our sewing group who is co-ordinating carrier bags of small gifts for all the children of the families who use the food bank we support. There are over a hundred of them, with ages ranging from a few months to around fifteen. We have collected items throughout the year with several of us knitting or crocheting soft toys, hats and gloves, while the sewers have made wash bags and filled them with flannel, soap, toothbrush and tooth paste, and cases filled with crayons and pencils. We have added hair accessories and small stocking-filler type toys that we have bought, and we also bought new paper carriers which one lady has brightened up with cut out characters cut from cheap wrapping paper. It is good to be able support these children who otherwise might not have anything to open on Christmas day.

My fruitbowl sits on the kitchen table and I go to it for my snacks during the day. It changes at this time of year, and now citrus fruits are the most readily available. But I did get one more lot of plums which I love to eat raw, and there are still a few grapes around. Pears and bananas ripen very quickly so they have to be eaten first, and I also bought one pomegranate, or granada as they are known here.

Today there was a small artisan market at the local camp site that I wanted to go to. Unfortunately it was the only day our mechanic could service our car and take it for its ITV (MOT) test.  The camp site is just too far for us to walk so in the end I booked a taxi. It is the first time I have used one since we came here fifteen years ago. But it was worth it as the lady I have bought clothes from before, had a stall there and I was able to buy the brown trousers I wanted. I have never been able to find any that are a comfortable fit before but these feel just right. I also bought a soft wool and viscose mix tiered dress in teal. (It is a much prettier colour than it looks in the picture and is a good style for me). Then I was tempted by a couple of very reasonably priced tops and bought a soft knitted purple one, and a cotton orange one, both of which go well with the brown trousers. Take no notice of the trouser legs. One has been pinned up to where I need to shorten them. So it was good morning's outing. I am almost hoping to need warmer clothes soon!

After I finished writing this last night, our mechanic friend rang to say our car had passed its test which was a relief. It is showing signs of age but hopefully it will see us through our last few years of driving.

Then I went outside to gaze at the 'Tiger stripes' in the sky while they lasted.

Now I will finish with two memes I saw this week. It would be cruel to call the first one a funny, but I did give a rueful smile when I saw it, though I am sure the car owner is not smiling! 

The other one caught my eye because I am busy making Christmas decorations, and my cards are all done.

So now I will publish this at Annie's Friday Smiles, and I hope you will join me there.