So much for having...

...a restful week off work.

After dashing around getting the car serviced and then a trip to KwikFit to get a tyre sorted, I decided to take myself off to Wat Tyler park late Monday afternoon to see if it was any cooler (the park is near the river Thames) but if anything, the heat was still building.

There was a bit of a breeze so I went for a walk with my camera...

...beautiful blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Isn't it strange that a 180 turn showed the sky to be a very different shade...

 ...but still lovely to look at.

The Wat Tyler park is on the site of one of the many munition factories that were based along the Thames (easy access for transport by water) but is now a site where a number of historic buildings have been relocated.

The visitor centre has been built in the style of one of the munitions buildings and is located next to what appears to be a large village green...

 ...there are cottages and stables...

 ...surrounding the green and at certain times of the year some are open to the public...

...Blunt's Cottage is often used for story telling during the Halloween ghost walks...

...as you can see, Basildon Council acquired this property for the grand sum of 50p when Stansted airport needed it to be moved so they could expand.
The 'green' was originally the site of a number of munitions sheds...

 ...making things like dynamite.
Just across the road from the 'green' is the mini railway line that runs around the site...

...believe it or not, this is actually called "Holly Cottage station" as it is one of the stops where visitors can get off the train to have a wander.

I have a lot more photos to show you from my wander so do pop back for the rest...............................................................

Someone was not...

...very impressed.

After the initial excitement of a 'family invasion', my Sister's dog Lexi decided she was not amused...

...there were far too many people & animals in 'her' house for comfort...

...and I think you can tell by her expression that she wasn't impressed.

On August Bank Holiday weekend my niece & partner were planning to visit but unfortunately they broke-down on the motorway and ended up being towed home. So when they announced that they were going to make another attempt on the 10th September - it was everything crossed in hope there wouldn't be any mishaps.

It was the first long journey in their 'new' car (yes, it was cheaper to source a replacement) and they had their 3 dogs with them as there wasn't anyone who could keep an eye on them for the day.

My Sister lives in a two bedroomed, mid-terrace house and she has 2 cats and a dog.

As the animals don't 'play nice' together there were segregated zones - one cat in the back bedroom, the 3 visiting dogs in the front bedroom, the other cat in her cage and Lexi in the lounge. It certainly made for a fun time with taking the dogs for walks as Lexi couldn't understand why she couldn't go with the other 3 and then she got very vocal when they came back. A challenging day on the animal front but lovely to see my niece without any major mishaps.

You'll be pleased to know they got home safely even if it did take an hour longer than it should have due to road-works. Ho hum.......................................

"Knit & Natter"...

...got off to a flying start last Thursday.

I had 9 people turn up and a couple stayed the whole 2 hours of the lunch period. Other folk dropped in for their normal lunch time so we had folk coming & going during the 2 hours.

There was a good and friendly atmosphere with folk chatting and sharing their experience or 'lack of'.

There were also two fellas amongst the mix - one is an experienced knitter (he and his wife knit toys for charity) and the other is a fan of crochet (he made some fabulous holly & other Christmas bits to decorate his jumper for the "Crimbo jumper competition" last Christmas).

Three ladies wanted to learn how to crochet so our fella with the crochet skills set about showing them how to make granny squares - there were a few un-ravelling moments but by the end of their stay each of the 3 were well on their way to completing their first squares.

Folk were asked how often they would like the group to meet as I said I know that some would not be able to attend every get together. Everyone said that they would like to meet once a fortnight to start with and we would see how we go from there.

So the first thing I did when I got back to my desk was to book a room for two weeks time.

It was agreed that we would alternate between Thursdays & Tuesdays as we have a lot of part-time staff in the building and this would open up the availability of the group to as many as possible.

Surprisingly, I actually got some knitting done and another phone sock is well on the way to being completed...............................................................

Gosh the nights...

...are starting to draw in quickly.

It's early September, temperatures are still hot & humid but it is getting dark pretty early.

I don't know about you but dark evenings feel like you should be snuggled in front of a fire with the curtains closed and some knitting or crochet on your lap whilst enjoying some TV.

Well you can forget the fire - with this humid weather we are already yo-yoing between 'comfortable' and 'melting'. However, the knitting is present & correct.

The weather men have been threatening that this Winter will be harsh as we have had a very warm Summer so I've made a start on the scarves for Christmas presents...

 ...this "Fleece" yarn by Robin is so soft and snuggly - I just wish it came in a wider range of colours...

...just one ball will make a nice cosy scarf and as size 6mm needles are used, it knits up very quickly.

Today, we have our first get together of the "Knit & Natter" group at lunchtime - I hope all goes well.

(Can't cross my fingers otherwise I wont be able to knit LOL)...........................................

A day for...

...colouring.

As Autumn approaches, the Saturdays workshops at Pinnacles have started again. Andy (Pearson) has a number of workshops lined up that encourage you to get ready for Christmas. This weekend was "Seasonal colouring".

It was only a small 'class' but that was great because there was no waiting around because everyone wanted to use the same stamps.

This cheery Snowman is one of the new Sweet Dixie clear stamps...

 ..."Cute Snowman" SDCDA6079. I have this stamp myself but hadn't yet inked it up.
This was stamped using the new Creative Expressions stamp set...

 ..."Mr and Mrs Claus". There are lots of elements to this set and plenty to play with.
Another new set from Creative Expressions includes this fun chap...

...he is from "Make Gnome Mistake" - isn't he just perfect for a bit of Christmas fun.
This chap was from the same set but I rather rushed him...

...and I'm not so happy with the way he turned out. However, the set of stamps has plenty of other bits & pieces to play around with...

 ...and I will certainly be having a 'play' with those mushrooms. I also think those boots sticking out of the chimney on the other set...

...are just crying out to be used.

All my colouring was completed using Copics.

It was a lovely day sitting colouring in - very restful. Thank you Andy for letting us have a 'play' and get to know more "3 pen shade combos".

My friend Hilary & I made a day of it at usual. We started with coffee & toast before class. Went back to the café at lunchtime for homemade Chicken & Mushroom pie. Then finished off the day with a Tiptree fruit juice - the new English Apple is fabulous.

I don't think you can beat a lovely day of crafting with friends......................................................

Just take a look...

...at this lot.

(Sorry about the lighting)

This huge parcel was left with a neighbour by our Postie...

 ...I couldn't believe how big it was.
Inside the brown paper...

 ...was two padded envelopes keeping this lot safe & sound during transit...

...what a fabulous variety of beautiful cards. Not just for Christmas but for many different occasions.

These were sent to me by the lovely Shaz Silverwolf, to help with the RNLI fundraising.

Shaz was visiting Lunch Lady Jan and saw the goodies LLJ was sending me so she offered to send me some cards - SOME!!! - there are loads. So many in fact that I will have to take them into work in two phases.

Thank you so much Shaz, they are lovely and I'm sure they will boost our total ever closer to the £1000 that we are now aiming at (currently just short of £700).

Now to try and fit one of those padded envelopes into my bag so that I can actually carry it LOL........................................................

Do you fancy...

...getting your knitting needles out?

Why not have a go at making your own "Phone Sock".

You will need: -
1 pair 4mm needles
1 pair 3.25mm needles
Double Knitting yarn

With the 4mm needles, cast on 38 stitches.
In Stocking stitch knit 30 rows

You can adjust the length by knitting more or fewer rows to suit your requirements.

Change to the 3.25 needles and knit in K1, P1 rib for 2inches.
Cast off rib-wise.

Sew up by bringing the side seams together - wrong side facing out.
Stitch across the bottom and up the side seam as far as the rib.
Turn the sock right-side out and continue to stitch the seam of the ribbed part.
Fasten off.

You can then decorate your sock in any way that you fancy.

I adapted a pattern that I found in the Search Press book as I wanted to knit the sock in one piece.

If you decide to have a play, do let me know so that I can come and "visit" and see what you made....................................................................