Spring Bank Holiday

Hello there - on the Saturday of Spring Bank Holiday weekend (it's like winter today) we did our usual parkrun first thing.

We had a friend going to abseil down the Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth later that day.  We didn't tell her but myself, H and a couple of friends decided we would go over to Portsmouth and support her.

So after lunch we caught the catamaran from Ryde Pier head to Portsmouth - the Spinnaker Tower is just a short walk from Portsmouth Harbour station which is where we dock

The Spinnaker Tower is a 170-metre (560ft) landmark tower in Portsmouth and its construction started in 2001 and was completed in 2005 at a cost of £35 million

We found our friend Coral hanging around down at the bottom of the tower waiting for her slot

(look at that smile and no nerves whatsoever)

It was a totally different matter for me (I do not like heights)

I had a wander round looking at the hustle and bustle going on whilst Coral went for her briefing

These beautiful violas growing in tubs outside the pub!!

Coral came out of the little platform at the top of the picture and here she is half way down

she is nearly down with feet back on firm ground!!

All done -"can I do it again?" were her first words - one crazy lovely (still smiling) lady!!

Coral volunteered to do the abseil as she was supporting St Catherine's School in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight as this is a non-maintained residential special school for children and young people aged seven to nineteen years who have speech, language and communication needs.  Many students have multiple conditions and a range of abilities are supported.

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY

Bank holiday Monday took us off on a journey to East Cowes to visit Osborne House.  Hubby and I are members of English Heritage and this is our favourite place to visit on the island.  "It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" said Queen Victoria of Osborne House, her palatial holiday home on the Isle of Wight

Come for a stroll around with us on this not very warm or sunny Bank Holiday Monday

front view of the main house

rear view of the main house - look at those lions standing guard

 lovely ornate well kept flower beds

a variety of statues in the garden

look at the lovely neat edge on the grass as we walked down the path to the beach

Queen Victoria's beach

Queen Victoria's seated alcove at the beach

Queen Victoria's bathing machine (changing room)

I sat in this deck chair to eat my picnic lunch and drink my hot chocolate looking out across the Solent and enjoying the peace and quiet that Osborne House offers. 

A family came and sat to eat their picnic lunch near us and I noticed the ladies crocheted bag,

so I asked if she would mind if I took a photo of her bag - isn't it lovely?

We wandered up to the walled garden - but unfortunately the batteries in my camera ran out and I didn't have any spares with me!  The next time we have a lovely sunny day we will visit again and I'll make sure I have fresh batteries and some spares with me to share more of Osborne House and its beauty with you.

Thanks for popping by

xx Joy xx

socks * socks * socks

Hello there - For Christmas 2013 I was given a ball of sock yarn as I wanted to knit some socks.  I found myself a pattern and off I went, knitting these on four needles and in a rib pattern in a self colouring sock wool.  Well I knitted about four inches of these socks, round and round and didn't like them at all.  They got thrown into my knitting/crochet basket and that is where they stayed until three weeks ago when Christine Perry from here Winwick Mum started an online sockalong. 

I rescued the said socks from Christmas 2013 from my basket and unpicked them.  Once I had unpicked them -

I turned a chair upside down on the kitchen worktop and wound the yarn around the legs of the chair

when the wool comes off the chair legs it looks like this, as it has been knitted for 18 months (I put a this pic on my facebook page - my friend Tracy saw this and started to hyperventilate) - "trust me Tracy" - I said

next - my old copper kettle goes on the hob and the wool gets held over the steam from the kettle (being careful not to scold your arm) and turn the skein around and the wrinkles drop out

see Tracy - "I said trust me" - said wool as good as new!

next - you need a pair of hands (hubby) to hold your skein so that the wool can be wound into a ball

all ready to go - we can now start our socks

cast on and away we go - round and round

OOOOOhhh look at that self patterning wool

OOOOOhhh - two socks (you wind the yarn into the two balls starting with the same pattern) to keep your two sock patterns even once knitting - I think I managed it pretty well

keep knitting round and round and then you have to do the single panel for the heel

you continue to follow the pattern and then shape the toes and hey presto you have a pair of your very own hand knitted socks - look at those!!

Christine has done the best sockalong tutorial in three sections to show you how to make a pair (or many more pairs) of socks

I have spotty socks

I have Dopey socks

I have trainer socks for running - with L (left foot) and R (right foot) on them

I have long socks for running with sheep and smiley faces on

but none of them are as lovely as these hand made by Joy beauties!!!

I LOVE * LOVE * LOVE * THEM

OOOOOhhh - and I have some more

OOOOOhhh and more

well that's at least three pairs

just turning the heel on sock three

sock three finished

 It would appear that there are three "work in progress" here.  Whoops!!!  That's all for now and I think the cosy blanket is on the back burner for the time being and the socks are to the fore

Thanks for popping by and I hope you like my socks and may be tempted to make yourself a pair or two!

Xx Joy Xx

PS  There is also, as well as the cosy blanket "work in progress" another one

OOOOOOhhhh - I  am very excited about this "work in progress"