I was only gone an hour!!

Anybody want a dog?


We have four going free to good homes. They are very sweet ...



But can get a bit boisterous.




*** I am, of course, not serious. I shan't be getting rid of the dogs. I will probably have to get rid of that Chesterfield, though. Anyone want half a sofa? ***

A dog's life

I think most of the country has had awful weather this week. Here, it has been humid and wet which means that the weeds have taken over. I was going to take a picture of the triffids but it's too depressing.
Add to that a pretty big University assignment, a puppy with an ear infection (have you ever tried squirting drops into a puppy's ear? It's not easy!) and 10 stitches, and a new bathroom to organise and it has been pretty exhausting around here.


Some of us have found better places to snooze than others!

Playing out

We had the Cookiemonster spayed last week, hence the lack of blogging activity as I'm on 24 hour stitches duty. She is doing well, and the stitches come out on Monday.
In the meantime, here are the 3 young dogs playing a game of tug last week (pre stitches).
See you soon!

Fat Quarter Friday - "Doggy loggy bags" bag

Hurray! The Fat Quarter Fridays are back! (Admittedly, this one is a little tardy but is is still Friday)

This week's FQF tutorial is another things you didn't know you needed to make yourself. Has anyone else noticed how many crafty bloggers are also animal owners? Most of us, I think. Anyway, when you take 4 dogs to the beach as we did this week (leaving the camera in the car and therefore having NO pictures of the puppy's first paddle. durrrr!) you need a few "loggy bags". For the uninitiated, that means plastic bags to put your dog's poo in.

When you own a dog, every coat pocket, handbag, glove compartment and picnic basket has a stash of bags - until you have a clear out, and then discover that you don't have any in the particular coat you are wearing at the time your dog does a big poo in the middle of the street, and it can be a bit of a pain. So, here is the Marmadaisy "doggy loggy bag" bag. It is based loosely on my carrier bag holders. Please don't copy this design to sell or reproduce, although of course you are more than welcome to make them to use or give away.

(can you tell from this picture that we also use these particular kinds of bags to put treats in when we go for walks?)

You will need:

A strip of fabric 32x26cm

18cm elastic

10cm 1 inch ribbon

A 1 inch thumb clip

To put it together:

Fold the fabric in half, and sew the side seam. Use a zig-zag stitch or overlocker to neaten the raw edges.

Fold over the bottom edge 1cm, press. Then fold over 2cm, press, and sew a channel close to the folded edge - leave a small gap at one end to thread your elastic through.

Secure one end of the elastic to a safety pin, and thread through the channel, knotting the two ends together. Use the tip of some scissors to poke the knot through the hole you left.

Turn inside out. Thread the ribbon through a thump clip, and drop inside the pocket (so it will be on the outside when turned right side out). Pin in the centre and then sew the top seam. Then match the side seams to the top seam, and sew a line 2cm in from the point, to make a flat corner.

Zig zag or overlock the edge again. Then turn the right way around.

You now have a clip at the top, and a gathered elasticated bottom to shove bags in, and quickly pull them out when needed. This is great because usually this is done one-handed (as you have the dog's lead in the other hand).

When not in use it can be stored with your dog's lead, so you never forget!

Top 10 tips for getting rid of slugs.

Picture courtesy of this site.

I have been asked about how to deal with slugs in the vegetable garden. Now, I don't profess to be an expert but I have never EVER encountered so many slugs as I have living here. So, thanks for the query, and here is my answer.

The best advice I can give is kill the buggers!

Seriously, there are several options, depending on how drastic/ organic you want to be.

1. Eggs shells. Crushed egg shells all around your tender greens is supposed to stop the slugs from getting to them, because they don't like the sharpness. Personally, this has never worked for me but then Welsh slugs may be particularly hardy.

2. Copper. Apparently, slugs don't like the feeling of copper either. It's a bit like putting a battery on your tongue - so they say. A barrier of copper around your pots or plants stops them. Again, I have had limited success here.

3. Beer. Bury deep dishes in the soil, up to the rim and half fill with beer. The slugs will be lured into the pot, but will be too drunk to climb back out again and will drown. I haven't tried this one because it seems like a waste of beer that I could drink, but I guess it's not such a bad way to go.

4. Raised beds. These help a lot actually. We built up our vegetable beds with timber and then filled with our own compost. The slugs find it more difficult to get in. But this is a lot of work and you will still get some slug damage from determined pests.

5. Companion planting. Plant things that slugs LOVE to eat close to - but not right next to- your greens. Hostas are good for this. The idea is that the slugs will eat the other plants and not your veggies. On the other hand, you might just encourage lots of slugs to come to your 'all you can eat garden buffet'!

6. Hedgehogs. These are great for gardens because they eat slugs and other creepies. Encourage them into your garden by leaving piles of leaves/ twigs for them to hide in, and put out food at night (pet food, meat scraps, peanut butter or muesli, NOT bread and milk). Of course, you should not leave food lying out during the day as this will encourage flies. The other problem with leaving food is that you might inadvertently attract unwanted pests like rats and foxes.

7. Poison. I must admit that, although I try to be organic, I DO use slug pellets. Quite a lot. We just get so many slugs it's impossible to control them otherwise. Follow instructions carefully, usually you are safe to sprinkle pretty liberally around greens but take special care that they don't become lodged in salad leaves etc. They are usually bright blue and contain a chemical which makes them highly un-appealing to domestic pets, but there is always a chance that your dog/cat/child will have a little nibble and that is not good news. Also, if you are trying to get hedgehogs into the garden, you don't want them eating slugs that have poison in their system. Tricky one.

9. Sprinkle salt on them when you see them. Of course, this means that you have to actually be vigilant and also that you have to pick up dessicated slug bits. It might also adversely affect your soil balance.

8. By hand. This is probably the best way to dispose of slugs, IMO, although it's pretty gross. I used this method when we were over run in the conservatory a couple of years ago - seriously, it was so bad the cat wouldn't go near them! Slugs like it best on warm, damp evenings. Usually dusk is the best time when the ground is still warm (and when there has been recent rainfall). Go out with a torch and scoop them up by hand (wear gloves, because slug slime is particularly nasty), putting them into a bucket filled with water and LOADS of salt. Like, a cup of salt to 2 litres of water. Then, tip the slug-water away somewhere safe. You need to put enough salt in to kill them otherwise they crawl out again. Repeat for several evenings. Slugs are experts at hiding during the day, you must do this at night.

9. Get rid of eggs. Slugs lay frothy frog-spawny type eggs. Get rid of it if you see it.

10. Ducks. At the end of your growing season, let a couple of ducks rummage around in your vegetable garden. They will clear up old vegetable debris and any hiding slugs and snails. Of course, they will also eat anything else you leave around so move your prize flowers. Also, take care to remove any potentially poisonous plants (eg foxglove, lupins).

Incidentally, never plant potatoes in soil that has been very recently fertilised with manure, as this ecourages keeled slugs (the kind that live underground and lurk inside your potatoes, blurgh).

So, there you have it. I'd love to hear any other suggestions.

Giveaway is coming up soon (ish).

A tale of two Cookies

First of all, Happy Birthday to my friend Marie. Pop over to PTC and wish her many happy returns.



Secondly, nobody could protect this Cookie after she climbed out of a tiny hole in the fence (she's just not growing fast enough Grrr) and had a fun time rolling in everything she could find in the fields. She did NOT smell good enough to eat when she came in.





She smells slightly better now, although eau de wetdog isn't exactly great either.

Fat Quarter Friday is taking a very small break as I have exams. I thought I could do both, but I can't so there! But do check back as I will be drawing a winner from last week's tutorial to win some yummy coconut soap (made by me).

Friends Part II

Thanks for all the comments and emails supporting the petition against that disgusting lunatic. I'm sorry if anyone was upset by it, I know it will prey on my mind for a long time.

Anyway, on to something much happier -the puppy that we rescued recently is settling in very nicely, thank you very much!

I hope everyone made a sun hat last week, just in time for this glorious weather! :) This week's FQF is a really quick and easy one. I also want to show you my WIP knitting tomorrow. I'll spend more time at the computer when it starts raining which I'm sure it will before long.

Petition - prevent serious animal cruelty in the name of Art

I would like to be serious for a minute. I'll warn you now that this post might be upsetting.

Last year, an "artist" (Guillermo Habacuc Vargas) took a dog from the street and tied him up in a display in an art gallery, where the visitors and gallery staff all watched him starve to death.

Now, I'm all for freedom of artistic speech but I am absolutely horrified at the level of apathy and cruelty. Not only that, but he has been invited to repeat this cruel treatment again this year.

Warning: the following link has some pretty upsetting pictures, but if you feel able to please go here to sign a petition to prevent this atrocity.

As someone who has rescued several animals I'm so shocked and disgusted, I just can't even find the words!

Friends

When you're the new dog in the pack, it can be very daunting.

Especially if you're very small.

When everybody else is the best of friends.

It can feel like they are ganging up on you.

It can be hard to know where your place is.

But eventually your worst tormentors ....

...become your fiercest protectors.

Say "hello" to Cookie!

OK, so this is what is EVEN MORE exciting than a boat!


Traditionally, Mr Marmadaisy receives his birthday present from me about three months before his actual birthday (August). While we were out shopping yesterday, we spotted a poster in the farm shop advertising rescue dogs. I phoned about a specific one who had already been rehomed, but they suggested another dog who might suit.

We went to see her yesterday and , of course, Mr Marmadaisy loved her straight away. So, this is Mr Marmadaisy's very early birthday present! This morning off we went to buy a new bed, bowl, lead, puppy food etc.

We have called her Cookie. Don't ask me what kind of dog she is. Apparently, she has some boxer in her but she's a bit of a mix.

She is four months old.

We all love her.

Fun things

I just had to post this picture of the delicious purple sprouting broccoli that we have just had out of the garden. I almost gave up on this a few weeks ago - I planted it this time last year and was expecting it to sprout over Christmas. I'm so glad I persevered though. Yum!

Remember this post about the boats? Well, luckily we had our offer accepted and we should be the proud owners mid-week, I will post pictures when we collect it. In the meantime, of course, I needed deck shoes. Here are the ones I picked up locally for the bargain price of £7.


Not very inspiring, although I loved the colour.
This is what they look like now.

When we were at school, my friend Marie and I used to always funk up our shoes with ribbons and such. Funny, I had forgotten all about it until I bought these. (BTW, Get well soon Marie!)

I'm still playing with my new camera so please forgive any wobbly photos.

The most exciting news ...... I'll leave until tomorrow. It's a lot of fun!

The best sliced thing since ....

First of all I'd like to welcome all the new people who have found me through Sew Mama Sew. Thank you for coming, I hope you like my blog and visit me again.

My second thank you goes to Florence and Julia for the tips about Buttonberry. I really needed to make a new throw for our bed but couldn't face a whole heap of cutting out (I have never really made friends with my rotary cutter).

The answer .... sliced fabric!

OK so my design isn't exactly ground breaking but I figured it's an easy enough one that I can do as and when.

What (who) I'm not so pleased with is this spotty dog:

Who has done this to my lovely scarf which I have worn once:

With it being such a loose knit I'm hoping I can fix it without it being too noticeable

Have a great weekend everyone!

More pins for the pin board

I have made myself a set of pins for my new pin board, using Hero Art stamps and shrink plastic.

I made a pin cushion from this tutorial to put them in.



I lay in bed last night and thought of loads of things that I want to make now. Some are from tutes I've seen, and some I need to make up. I think it's because I've got the first essay looming and I want to do some serious avoidance.

It's been a bit frosty here. I have seen another lamb though (it must have been born yeserday, it was brand new this morning). Unfortunately, the spawn seems to have got a bit freezy. I don't know if that will kill them off or not ...

The first Spring lamb

Is Spring on its way? I think so ...






They were in the field next to our house. I didn't want to get too close so they are super-zoomed in.

Spawn!

I've never had a pond with frog spawn in it before. I'm rather amazed.

Reasons to be cheerful (1,2,3)

Marie was just commenting on how weird it is when you hear about the same thing from different sources at the same time, and asking where people find their inspiration. Which is weird, because today I have read this, this and this - that last link made me think of my own childhood, as did this.

So, I am combining two posts in one: reasons to be cheerful, and what inspires me.

I have my health
My Mum told me today that my Aunty (who lost her husband just before Christmas) has just been told that she is almsot blind in one eye, due to diabetes. There is nothing they can do, but she is at the hospital today where they are going to see if they can save the other eye.

It is such a glorious day today, and I am fit enough to go out and enjoy the view, and do some dead heading.




I often get my ideas whilst I'm going about my daily chores. Cleaning the stable is great thinking time for me, because I can just go on auto-pilot, and I don't have phones and computers and TV to distract me. I used to take my ipod out with me, but I think I prefer just to be quiet, the rythmic sound of the brush along concrete is strangely soothing (once you get over the smell, that is).
They say "necessity is the mother if invention", and often I end up making things that I need.



I live in a beautiful place

I love where I live. Nobody bothers me. I can be as weird as I want. I read a piece in the paper a couple of years ago that said Wales was full of English drop-out and misfits. At the time, I was quite offended. But, where else can I wear trousers like this?

I'm often inspired by things around me. Sometimes I see the colour of a flower against slate, or bark, or grass, and come up with a new combination of colour or texture that I would never have thought of.





There is still time

A lot of the posts today talked about time moving so quickly, that moments are gone before you have even registered that they're there. The pace of life here is so much slower than anywhere else I've lived. And yes, when you're late for an appointment it's very annoying to get stuck behind someone who stops their car at a junction for a chat with a passer by. But, for the most part, being forced to slow down means that you make time for life's minutae. I don't have a tumble dryer, and during the Winter it's a pain because the clothes hang on the airer above the Aga and I have to take them down before I cook. I could have a dryer, if I wanted, and that would make the task so much quicker and easier. But then that might make me forget that, when the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day, it's so much more delicious to dry them in the fresh air.



I'm so grateful that I still have the people who love me in my life, and it's not too late. They inspire me to make things because part of the joy of creating something is to give it, knowing that you are giving a little piece of yourself. Try getting that in John Lewis.



Mr Marmadaisy and I often talk about how great it is to be a dog. You don't worry about how you look, how fat/thin you are, whether you have the latest gadget, or the best clothes, or what will happen next year, next month, this afternoon. When you're a dog, you live every moment. You find pleasure in sitting next to the person you love. In putting your head out of the car window just for fun. In finding a pine cone on the ground that is almost like a ball, but not quite. In not being afraid to give the world a great big sniff, or too bashful to find out what exactly is in there.

Yesterday I realised that Charlie was missing from the garden. And when you live surrounded by fields of sheep and farmers who shoot wandering dogs, that is not a good thing. After frantically searching the surrounding land, I got in my car and drove the streets hoping to spot him. Heartbroken, I got home half an hour later, resigned to the fact that with literally miles of countryside and a 2 hour headstart he could be anywhere, and just hoping he found his way home. Luckily, a friendly neighbour had recognised him, brought him home, and was waiting for me when I got back.



I wasn't actually that cross. We all need to break free once in a while.

Finally, I will be grateful when blogger fixes the spellcheck.