Friday, November 10, 2023

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.





7 comments:

  1. That walk along the beach looks beautiful, and sounds as though it was just what the doctor ordered, cuppa and all :)
    Love that shawl - that is stunning!!
    Your cats certainly keep you warm these cooler evening - young Leo looks like quite a character!
    Great buying for the winter clothes - hope you get the legs altered before the cold hits...
    Your boxes sound pretty much like the 'Samaritan" Operation Christmas Boxes we pack to go to the impoverished children in the Pacific Islands... and our wee church generally packs 60 boxes as we too collect 'goodies' for them over the year - particularly in the sales.
    Fabulous cloud photos! I enjoyed the memes this week
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  2. Summer-clothes in November, awww, so lucky you! And the ater looks beautiful!
    Happy pics of you two sure make me smile big.
    Yippee to the steps, also. I threw mine away when it broke. Sometimes I wonder... "how many..."?
    Leo is the wisest and cutest.
    WOW on your crochet ! And the bear!!! Aww... Reminds me... I asked my colleague(/friend?) K to crochet my mini-Lion, must ask if she found time for that.
    Great fruitbowl! The rare times I go to my company I find similar. And can you believe it... some colleagues are not fond of this, others consider this a normal thing. This is a super-service, I think!
    Beautiful 'Tiger stripes'.
    LOL on your funnies - have a great Friday and weekend, hugs

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  3. I am sorry to be so late visiting, Kate. I waited as long as I could this morning, but I had to leave before you posted. At least I got to the rest of the Friday group before I had to leave.

    What an amazing walk on the beach. Love that white shawl. You looked very pleased with your pot of tea, too.

    Had to laugh at Leo on you. They do want to be up close, don't they? Bleubeard is more standoffish than Squiggles when it comes to snuggling, but Bleubeard is social and Squiggles hides when he hears someone coming.

    What a wonderful thing you are doing for those children. Love the pooh bear. I'm sure some child will appreciate it. It's too bad some children get nothing at Christmas, so you are doing a great thing with your group.

    That colorful shawl is stunning. I love the colors and it's good that it was a stash buster, too.

    Great fruit bowl. Yes, pears and bananas are the first to go bad, but so do peaches when they are in season.

    Loved those sky shots. Never saw a sunset like that before. It's spectacular.

    I hope you have a fabulous weekend and week ahead, dear. Again, sorry to be so late visiting.

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  4. I'm very late visiting this week....I had another busy day yesterday and went to see our grandaughter Lulu in her school performance of Grease last night...she was brilliant so lots more memories made.
    I love your new clothes and your fruit collection looks so inviting.
    Hugs,
    Annie x

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  5. Hi Kate, Sorry I'm so late this week but after taking the dogs to the groomers it was very sunny coming home and I think it got to my head and by the time we were home I had a migraine and went to bed for the rest of the day but I'm here now. Pleased you've had a good week. Leo looks really comfy in his new bed. Pleased someone will be able to make use of the old furniture and your crochet is perfection. Nice new clothes too and loving the funnies. Wishing you a happy weekend, Hugs Angela xXx

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  6. Oh that was a great read, your walk along the beach looks wonderful, those blue skies and I always love how the sunshine looks on the water- very envious, our blue skies are currently few and far between. The pot of tea looks fabulous and I could definitely polish that off. Loving the photos of the cats, giggled at the idea of them fighting for your lap each evening to get comfy and loving the shot of the repurposed dog bed. Your shawl is stunning and I adore the colours, the pattern is seriously pretty too, as always rather envious of your wonderful skills. The Winnie the Pooh is super sweet and knowing how critical food banks I'm sure the individual who receives it will be so very pleased. Your fruit bowl looks fabulous, we've topped ours up tonight and I managed to get some sweet clems. I'm glad you managed to get some items picked up from the market, loving the colours of the tops. The sky shots of lovely too. I hope you have a lovely Sunday and week ahead.

    Hugs

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  7. Congratulations on your car passing its ITV! That must be a relief.
    I love your psychedelic Landscape shawl. It's beautiful! And little Pooh Bear is gorgeous.
    Yes, the weather has been nice here too. I'm catching up on my washing. (I had guests before and during my absense) . Good that you have been able to do so many steps.
    I love seeing your cats and reading about them. They are lovely, but it. ust be awkward sometimes always to have one or more cats on your lap. Graham used to complain that whenever he sat down, the cat would jump on his lap. He couldn't do a thing.
    Have you got your new furniture yet? I'm looking forward to seeing photos once you have everything in its place.
    Oh, your outfits are really lovely. Warm colours.
    Well, I'm late again, but better late then never,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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