Poppie

Getting our brown collie/labrador cross began a new chapter in life. She was born in Crowborough near Lewes. She came to live with us from an 8 week old puppy. These were exciting times because even though I had grown up with cats and dogs I had never had one of my own. We named her Poppie because we collected her from her breeder on poppy day in November 2006. I have treasured memories of that time and realised how special it was to have a dog in the home! There will be more words about this special dog coming soon!

Our Cat Lulu

Lulu was a beautiful female white tabby cat. We adopted her as a kitten from our local RSPCA shelter. She was quite shy but had a very sweet nature. I especially remember her hiding and sleeping under the work top in the kitechen next to the radiator. She enjoyed going outside in the garden and sitting on the fences. We had her for 16 years and 6 months until very sadly she had to be put to sleep because she had cancer. We don't like to think of that part. It is best to think of the wonderful times she shared her life with us. There is now a beautiful pure white rose bush which is thriving in the back garden. We muss you Lulu! ❤

Our cat Pebble

This part of life was very exciting. When I was pregnant with our 3rd daughter we decided to try and find a cat to love and care for. One of the RSPCA shelters had the perfect beautiful brown tabby cat that we adopted. She was such a character she would watch the birds on the roof from inside the house and make funny noises at them. She slept everywhere in the house, but one of her favourite places to rest was on top of the boiler. I always wondered if it was too hot up there. But I am sure Pebble would have worked that out. We didn't have a cat flap at the time, but the back door was always open so that she could come inside whenever she wanted. Such happy memories and such a beautiful cat with a lovely nature.

Pet Rabbit

After adopting two guinea pigs our family of five decided to go to our local RSPCA Animal shelter to see if they had any rabbits that needed homes. When we arrived they had quite a few to choose from. It was going to be a fun experience for us all, and our first rabbit, so I thought. What I didn't expect was that the rabbit always wanted to escape from his shelter placed outside in the garden. He would dig a tunnel in order to get out! This actually became an issue. So sadly he had to be taken back to the RSPCA. After this unhappy experience we never adopted a rabbit again.

Embroidery

Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to stitch thread or yarn. This can be very relaxing and a fun passtime to work on. The beautiful coloured silk threads or yarn can be mixed and matched together in order to bring beautiful craftwork pieces to life. Here I can create animals, flowers, houses, landscapes, pets, trees, the sky and endless other designs using an array of delightful embroidery stitches.

Tapestry

I am not sure now when I discovered tapestry. But what I can say is how enjoyable a hobby this was! I made lots of these, all in quite large designs. I have a lot of happy holiday memories about working on them. Amongst my collection is a bluebell wood, many floral arrangements and images of wild animals. I have been and still find myself being drawn to nature and its beauty! Do you agree?

Mathematics and Dressmaker

Being naturally good at maths has definetely been beneficial. Some of the skills learnt can absolutely be used when tackling dressmaking. Making clothes from scratch has been a great passtime, together with learning various hand sewing stitches and techniques. Being ablt to use a sewing machine has created the skills needed to be a successful dressmaker, seamstress and tailor.