Much to share!

Happy Monday..well for me it is anyway.  It has been a blistering hot weekend and my time has been spent caring for animals; geese, ducks, hens, chicks and dogs in heat they just aren't used to.  I have been making hourely water runs and when it got really hot, I had to hosepipe our black labrador and any other dog I could catch.  We have three, but the poor black dog's coat just absorbs heat and he really suffers in when it is warm.

It amazes me that my dogs will jump into huge, muddy, smelly bog puddles and our duck pond and even put their heads under to fetch things, but as soon as they see the dog shampoo come out they run for cover!

I managed to wet Roly the lab who, once he realised he wasn't hot any more, loved it.  I soaked the old border terrier who ran around like a teenage pup afterwards.  But where oh where was my neurotic, o.c.d. Jack russell/bordercollie rescue dog?  Where was Paris?  Paris is a rescue dog who thinks she is part dog: part meerkat; part cat and mainly human!  She is smellier and stinkier than the boy dogs and was in def. need of a bath!

I looked everywhere!  In hen houses, in the goose house, under cars, under trees, in the hedgerows.
No Paris.
Desperately hot and bothered and full of hayfever, I gave up.
Made a cup of tea, had an anti-histamine and went into the sitting room for a well deserved sit down.

Who do you think was there?

"Please Mommy, I don't smell that bad!"

Little monster; she isn't even allowed in the living room let alone the sofa!

I am going to sneak a piccies of the family on now, taken at my son's 13th birthday party.

These are my children: Deven (18), Zara (24) and Xander (13)

This is going to be the last picture I get of all three of them together for a while.  My daughter lives here in her own house.  My youngest starts high school in September after a wonderful home-schooled childhood and my 18 year old has left to live in the UK to find work.  I am heart broken but equally am very proud of him for wanting to find his way in the world.

He has done his Junior Cert (eq. GCSE) but should be taking his Leavers Cert next year (eq A Level).  However he is really unhappy at school. It is not a good school by any description: in fact I haven't got one good word to say for it. My son is 18: has Crohn's Disease, can drink, drive, vote and marry but has to wear a school uniform and get letters from his parents if he is absent.  It is a ridiculous system which does Irish children no good what so ever: it keeps them children for far too long and so real life comes as a huge shock to them. In the Uk there are colleges, more vocational courses and far more opportunities for him.

In his words, what is the point of the Leaver's cert?  He has no desire to go to university (called college here) and his school is so bad, he isn't guaranteed a decent pass anyway.  In all the time he was off school with my undergoing treatments and then his illness, the school didn't phone up once: not once to see how he was.

Compare this to the school my youngest will be going to who have already phoned up to see how they can make his transistion from home school to formal education easier and to find out what kind of person he is? Amazing.

So my son is staying with his uncle for six weeks and is looking for work.  If he doesn't manage it then he will return and finish school. 

Part of me wants him to come back but most of me is really proud of my son who is turning into a responsible young man who wants to make his mark in the world.

Now, enough of this sentimentality!

Craft!  Where is the Craft!

Well, remember the sample books I got from the fabric shop in Castlerea?

I made a start on the children's book.

This will be a Quilted pirate wall hanging perfect for a little boy's room.

I also put together two pressies: I have a friend and a mother in law who are moving house.

Not to sure which aspects I will quilt...will make a start today and see how it goes.  These three took all day to cut and piece and then arrange...am I very slow or is this normal?

I am also giving crewel embroidery a go for my Needlework Masters SAL

Jury is out on this one: I started it during Poirot last night..mmmmm Ah well: the challenge is to try new things so this is def. new for me!

On a slightly different note, remember the Pink Key finishes made by Elisa and Cathy?

Well, these amazing ladies are willing to sell these finishes to raise money for my trek (see last post).  Would they make a nice gift for someone?  If you are interested, please email me on stitcheranon@yahoo.com.  Make an offer..please include a few euros for postage which I will forward on to Elisa or Cathy and they will post directly to you xxx

Right: wall hangings to make.  Have a lovely week everyone.  See you again soon!