19th January 2024 Mailer

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Hooked on Crochet by Janice McFarlane

Over the years Ive shared my love of crochet and projects I have embarked on which I sell at craft fairs. As I have a Spring Craft fair in April I thought I would crochet the ultimate wallet for crocheters along with all the accessories I would look for as a beginner or even a seasoned crocheter. It did take a bit of working out but in the end I was really pleased with the results. I included a set of crochet hooks, stitch markers, sewing needles, tape measure, needle threader, pen, pencil, notebook, scissors and pins. A full crochet kit which I would love to receive.

cup1276520_905 by Janice McFarlane

cup1277056_905 by Janice McFarlane

Rude Awakening by Vicki Avcin

The other night our security cameras alerted us to movement on the back camera. Half hour after midnight, it went off and gave us a rude awakening as we were sound asleep. I looked at the video and it started off looking like the camera was being moved or someone trying to take it off then we see what looked like a pair of legs in the darkness. We bounded out of bed, hubby grabbed the torch and we went looking to see if we could see anyone. Mind you we were still half asleep, hearts pounding and ready to take on whoever it was. We couldnt see anyone in the yard, so turned on the back light and hubby went out to look at the camera. What he found was a big stick insect sitting on the camera. He moved the insect (they dont bite) and put it on the kitchen window well away from the cameras. In the morning it was still there and we concluded that the legs were the two little leg looking things called cercus at the bottom of its body. The movement of its body on the camera was what we thought was someone trying to move the camera. We had a laugh about it in the morning when we looked again when we were actually awake.

This weeks designs are Easter themed. A set of cute bunnies for the designers or cardmaker to print and cut and a cute gnome Easter topper.

cup1201665_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup1205466_543 by Vicki Avcin

Feeding the Birds by Hilary McGourty

At this time of year, it is not just my husband my dog and myself that I cook for, but I also cook for our little feathered friends that come to the garden every day. For years now we have fed the birds (oh and squirrels, mice and hedgehogs – yes, they all have their own feeding station) and I dread to think of the countless pennies that have been spent on them, although to be fair every single penny has been worth it. Two years ago, I decided to make my own suet balls using lard, seed and peanut butter. Last year I decided to add crushed up digestive biscuits to give them that extra boost, after all who wants to diet in this weather so why cant the birds have a little treat too. Our birds love them. Making the balls was actually too messy not to mention wasteful as it would go all over the floor when I was trying to mould them so I opted to make suet cupcakes instead which actually fit perfectly in the suet cages. Our birds cant get enough of them and it actually saves us a bit of money. One block of lard usually costs about 60p and I generally buy store own brand peanut butter although this week I had to buy the expensive stuff as I couldnt get the cheaper version. These suet cupcakes are therefore not just suet cupcakes, they are luxury suet cupcakes. All in all, after adding the biscuits and seed they cost us about £1.10 to make a batch of 8 or 10 depending on how big I make them. Together with the cupcakes we have peanuts, seed, sunflower hearts, kibbled peanuts, coconut suet shells and of course lots of water. Our garden is like a nature reserve some days and it costs us a small fortune, but I wouldnt change it for the world.

cup1277050_118824 by Hilary McGourty

cup1273116_118824 by Hilary McGourty

Its a hard life! by Sue Way

Our two Golden Retrievers, Billy and Sam, lead a wonderful life with us. We dont worry about them when we go out because they immediately rush upstairs to sleep on our bed. When we return home, theyll slowly make their way to the top of the stairs to check out whats happening before running down and welcoming us with excitement. Although it can get a bit cramped when Billy decides to join us on the bed at 4 am, his cuddles are quite comforting though and we soon fall back asleep.

cup1276530_38 by Sue Way

cup1274538_38 by Sue Way