More dollshouse updates....

Another dolls house update. The first two rooms I did were in the basement, and I've learned a lot since I did them, so I've made some changes. I've put a new carpet down in the study/games room, painted the ceiling (which I'd forgotten to do!), and put coving and skirting board in. Just needs some curtains and a fire now. Then I can get more furniture. I'm thinking of a snooker or pool table, and maybe a bar in the corner.

I've also done some painting in the scullery/servants area, and have started putting things in - I like the way this room is developing. The poodle was bought by Lily, our grandaughter, so it has to have pride of place!

 I've started experimenting with furniture in the living room trying different colours and styles. Think I'm going to stick with the darker wood, so the lighter wood dresser may have to go.

And I'm starting to dress the Dining Room. At the moment the table is set for afternoon tea, but there seems to be a couple of bottles of wine on the side table!

 So, the bottom half of the house is decorated:

The bathroom is done, but has no furniture yet. Just got a hall and three bedrooms to go.

Dancing in Evesham

Another weekend camping - at a Morris weekend in Evesham. The forecast was pretty bad,so we decided to go minimalist, Normally I like my mod cons when camping, but this time we decided to leave most stuff at home, and just take our small tent and a kettle! This tent goes up in about 5 mins and comes down in the same time, and we thought if it really was rainy and windy it would be easier to manage. We were camping on the Meadow in Evesham, right by the River Avon which was dangerously high when we got there having driven through torrential rain. A local helpfully told us it would it would flood the other way, first.  So, tent pitched, we managed a sit outside and a civilised g and t before setting off to a local Indian for a curry. I was tying to follow a major upgrade going on at work and needed to keep my phone charged, so managed to sneak it into a plug in the restaurant. Stuart decided to wait until we got to the pub, and in the middle of an England football game managed to unplug the projector showing the game...

Evening spent in the gazebao, and a reasonably early night. Saturday wasn't too bad when we set off on our coach tours, and we managed to get some dancing in, between the showers.

The rain did stop us dancing outside at lunchtime and we had to be inventive and do a small dance in the pub.

In the afternoon we went to The Fleece, a beautiful national Trust pub, and when we got there it was throwing it down, so we sheltered with everyone else under a very wet gazebo.

But eventually it brightened up and we got to dance. In the evening we went for a chinese meal, and then sat in the gazebo again.

Sunday morning the sun was shining, and there were plenty of rowers out.

after a full cooked breakfast in the rowing club we got the small tent down, and gathered by the bandstand for dancing and then a procession. There were some serious hats on display.

And some interesting characters

The procession went up into town, where we all danced in the  market square, and then the showers started. We managed to doge them for our first dance spot, but our last dance was by the church, and as we started, the heavens opened, and we danced in the pouring rain. Got drenched. But, we got a round of applause!
Great weekend.

Never Seconds, the blog that got shut down

It's not often I post things on both work and personal blogs, or use my christinesreallycross label on posts, but in this case I'm going to make an exception!

This April, 9 year old Martha Payne of Western Scotland started a blog about her school lunches called Never Seconds, documenting her school lunches and how bad they were. It quickly became popular and led to the dinners becoming markedly better (apparently fruit and salad "had always been available"). The blog got taken up by many people including Jamie Oliver, and started getting attention from around the world with people sending her pictures of their lunches. Eventually, she set up a donation page to raise money for dinners in Africa - she's raised over £2000. So far, so good.

Until yesterday, when the local council banned her from taking her camera into school and shut down her blog. I wonder if they thought that would be the end of it and she would quietly go away?  Well some people just don't understand social media do they? So far the story is trending on twitter, it's been on the BBC this morning on the Today programme, bloggers have taken up the story, and the @argyllandbute twitter account has been inundated with complaints.

Rory Cellan-Jones the BBC technology correspondent has written a wonderfully ironic piece about it and social media here.

How stupid have this council been, and how soon will they respond I wonder?  or will they just keep their heads down and hope it goes away?

EDIT  So, Argyle and Bute Council have finally responded and issued a press statement here. No apology, no retraction,  no "we're really sorry we got it wrong". No explanation other than they don't like criticism. So, because they don't like criticism, and they obviously don't understand or get social media, they've decided the best way forward is to shut a 9 year old girl up. Idiots!

Camping at Golden Valley

Friday. Arrived Golden Valley campsite mid afternoon. One of our favourite sites - lots to do. Put tent up and gradually rest of party arrived - 4 tents and two camper vans. Total of 17 from pensioners to a four year old.  Had a large bunch of flowers delivered just before we left so took them with me - made tent look very posh. Sent Stuart out in car to forage for food and he came back with fish and chips. Ate in gazebo, washed down with some gin, wine and beer. Some music from various instruments and we got to see Paul's jubilee socks!

Saturday. A lazy start. Big communal breakfast with everyone cooking something different. Walk along canal towpath, then round Codnor park reservoir. Saw coots, moorhens, swans, irises, bullrushes.

 Lunch in the Moulders Arms, Riddings, commonly called The Thack because of its thatched roof. Arrived late, about 1340, and were followed in by another party of 16. Its a small pub, and they were a bit put out by the numbers, but managed to feed us (but not the later party...).
Then a gentle walk back across fields, past the Midland Railway centre to the campsite.

We think we saw an orchid but we're not sure.

Then it was pimmsoclock.

Followed by a BBQ. Followed by toasted marshmallows, kids playing, and more music and drinks in the gazebo. Some played pool in the bar.

Sunday. Rain. Lots of it. Set off early to walk to Midland Railway Centre. Got there in time for coffee, and caught the steam train which had bunting in it. Sat on it for an hour, this is the view from the window as we crossed the reservoir

had a jubilee chocolate,

 then got off where we'd got on, and walked to the Butterley Park pub, about 20 minutes away. Still raining. Had lunch. Enormous deserts were purchased and demolished.

 I dried my shoes under the hand drier in the loos, they were so wet. Back out in the rain for another walk across a different field to catch the train at Butterley.

I had trench foot by then. Back on steam train.

 Still raining. Had bottle of wine on train to cheer us up.
Back to campsite, and got dry, changed. Whiskey mac to warm us up. Then a fondue evening in gazebo. Cheese fondue with bread and crudites, followed by chocolate fondue with marshmallow, grapes, strawberries and bananas. All was great till Beka broke the cheese fondue. As soon as small kids were in bed and bigger ones were playing pool again we huddled in friends camper van with heating on to warm up. Still raining.

 Monday. Sunshine. Yay! Another big communal breakfast, then some of men set off for walk. Rest of us stayed on campsite. Kids played on playground, and bouncy castle,

 and Alice and Maya had a go on giant plastic balls on the pool.

Pint in site cafe. Some had a ride on the train that goes round the site.
Some of girls decided to walk to Dolls House shop (I wanted to go and persuaded them to come with me). Across a field. With mud, cows, calves and a very frisky bull! Lots of mud. 5 year old Maya put her foot (which only had crocs on) in a giant, oozing cowpat. Then fell over and put her hands in it. Then got it on her hair. Cow poo everywhere, and no wet wipes, tissues etc. Stoically she carried on to the shop, where she was stood in a sink and washed. I had to wash other little one 4 year old Lily, who also had mud, but luckily no poo, everywhere.
Then a walk to Butterley Park again for a very civilised girls late lunch, complete with sharing platters and wine.
Back to campsite for hedgerow cocktails. Elderflower cordial, prosecco and sloe gin. Gorgeous.


Another BBQ.

 Sat outside then with drinks, and got told off at 0130 for making too much noise. Oops. I blame Dylan's purple joke.

Tuesday. Up earlyish. Slow pack up. Discovered pool of water between our footprint and tent groundsheet. Debated how we were going to get everything back in car.  finally everyone off about 12 for traditional trip to Denby Visitor Centre for coffee, lunch and retail therapy.

A great weekend, despite the rain and mud. Great company, and a great site. We'll be back again next year.

Hallways and staircases

Bit of a Dolls house update. I posted last time that I was worried about finishing it and starting again. Well, I've already started altering two rooms, but they were the first I'd done so I think I'm allowed some changes of mind!

Also done some work on the halls. There's 3 of them in the house, and quite fiddly. There's no decoration at all when you put the house together, just plywood and MDF - here's a couple of the rooms (ground floor hall and kitchen)

So, everything has to be done from scratch and one of the biggest mistakes I made was putting the whole house together and securing it with big screws and glue, without thinking of how easy it was going to be to decorate. I'd even fastened the stairs to the wall. So, when attempting this first hallway I decided to wallpaper very carefully and trim it round each step. Not easy. I also decided to put some wood paneling in, which I've cut to shape and varnished. Finished off with some coving, a nice light and some wide stair-carpet to hide the odd ragged paper edge. Not bad is it? I even paneled under the stairs.

However, trimming the wallpaper had scarred me for life, so when doing the second one, I managed to prise the staircase off the wall with a knife, without it coming to pieces. That meant I could paper the wall, and then stick the staircase back on. So much easier! No paneling in this one, different wallpaper and a skirting board, but same stair-carpet and flooring.

I think they look quite good together. You can see them better in this picture, and also how the other rooms are coming along. The music room now has a piano and a harp, and the living room is starting to acquire furniture. Still experimenting with colours, woods and layouts in that one.

RIP Rocco

I thought something was wrong last night when we got back from Amsterdam and only one cat came to meet us. Normally both appear, stretching and trying to look neglected and hungry, but failing miserably. Then Stuart saw the answer phone light blinking, and we listened to a message from the City Council asking us if we could phone them back as they had some news about our cat, and "it wasn't good". Rocco didn't appear all night, so I knew what I was going to be told, and sure enough, a very lovely lady from Streetforce told me this morning that Rocco had been found dead on the road on Monday morning, just at the back of where we live. Luckily he was tagged, so they could identify him and us.

Normally I'm a bit of a tough old boot, but this has really upset me. Rocco was definitely my cat, had a real personality, and was really affectionate. I even had him as the wallpaper on my iPhone, and had been known to blog about him!




So, now the difficult decision of do we get another? I've had at least one cat, (and up to 5), for as long as I can remember. Always rescue cats, and they have nearly all died of old age. Just recently though we've not had good luck with them, losing 4 cats in the last few years. Lucy of kidney failure, Ollie of cancer, Neo unexplained found dead in our neighbours garden, and now Rocco run over. Not sure what to do now. But, give me a while, and I can see myself off to the cat shelter.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cold weekend in Goathland

This weekend we went to Goathland with a group of friends and family for a weekend camping, and to a day of traditional sword dancing.

Friday - set off mid afternoon, in rain. Got to campsite in Goathland which was down a mile long lane, full of potholes which were full of water so you couldn't see them.  The camping field was very muddy, but we got to our spot eventually. Didn't think we'd get out again if it carried on raining all weekend, but owner of site offered to pull us out if we got stuck! Got very cold putting tent up which had wet, steel poles - my fingers were so cold I couldn't hold anything, and when I tried to warm them they hurt even more. I used to call it "Hotaches" as a kid and haven't had it for ages.  So, we had to have a glass of whiskey mac before we carried on.

Eventually tent was up, all indoor stuff erected (I camp with a lot of home comforts - wardrobe, fridge, electric light, huge airbed), and we sat down for another whiskey mac. Purely for medicinal purposes.

Then it was a trek down the lane to the pub - The Goathland Hotel - or the Aidensfield Arms if you watch Heartbeat. Everything in Goathland is targeted at the Heartbeat market...

A good meal, and a few drinks, and we came back again to sit in our friends awning of their newly acquired VW camper van. It had stopped raining, and wasn't too cold. But worse was to come...

Saturday was sword dancing day, organised by the local team, the Goathland Plough Stots. It was raining when we woke up, so I got up late. Then it hailed while we were having breakfast. Not a good start. Eventually made it into the village where we saw the Plough Stots, together with their young team.

Then up to the shops where a rare treat was in store - the Papa Stour Sword dancers, from Shetland, who had never danced in England before.

 Our local team and friends Handworth were also dancing.


Then down to the station which was Hogsmeade in the first Harry Potter film, and some steam trains - it was a special steam weekend.

 A sandwich on the platform, and back to the pub for a drink before we set off to walk to Beck Hole. Lovely walk, and the pub when you get there  - the Birch Hall Inn - is worth it. Tiny, old fashioned, good beer, and a favourite with word dancers.


Gradually all of the dancers arrived from their various locations, and it was great to see so many traditional teams together- our two Sheffield ones, Grenoside

 and Handsworth.

 Goathland Plough Stots the local team and of course Papa Stour. Even Snark, the tea total rapper team were there.

Quite a crowd had gathered - great atmosphere.

About an hours walk back to the campsite, and as the sun was out we had a BBQ - lovely to sit in the sun. But of course, the sun gradually went, and it got colder. Sitting in the awning later wrapped in blankets, it was very cold. So, lots of sleepy juice, (Spanish Brandy", and off to bed. in the night I got up to see that we were camped in a winter wonderland where everything was white with frost - even the tent was covered in ice! Luckily inside the tent and our bed was warm and cosy.


Next morning we were up early to catch a steam train to Whitby, but were slightly delayed making the bacon butties as the olive oil had set solid.


Steam train to Whitby,where the first thing we saw was that the Scoresby Monument was no more - blown down a few weeks earlier.

Off to Sanders yard for coffee and cake, then a mooch round the lovely shops on the East Side whilst the kids went off to play indoor crazy golf and bowling.  I found a dolls house shop - bonus!


Lunch was Fish and Chips (of course) in Mr Chips - very civilised. Then a wander over the west side - Whitby is definitely one of my favourite places

 - then up to West Cliff for a game of outdoor crazy golf.

Pint in the Elsinore, and back to the station for the train back. Dinner in the Goathland Hotel, and back to the campsite. This time, as we knew it would be cold again, we got sealed in the the tent with the heater on early - much better, even though there was another frost.


Lovely sunny Monday morning, and a communal breakfast - everyone cooking something, and a slow pack up. Great to see steam trains so close to the campsite

Home via the crooked Billet at Towton for lunch.  A great weekend, despite the weather. We heard when we got back it ad been colder than at Christmas, yet nothing would persuade us to camp in December!