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21. 

    Helen Hawkins-Ainsley
    Member

    Hi Brenda

    At least I have enough of the conservatory to sit in & stitch in the sunshine. Why is the weekend forecast for clouds, when it has been so nice & sunny all week? Maybe I need to change my working week!!

    I didn't know you got different types of topsoil for different parts of the garden. I can imagine the conversation about that one.

    I'm looking forward to the Sewing Bee as well - I think Joe Lycett is so funny, especially when he tries to nick stuff from the store or contestants.

    I have found some really old kits called a Floral Garden that Jane designed a long time ago. Thy are not very big so I think I can do all 3 on one piece of fabric & then frame them as my substitute Swindon project.

    Posted 4 years ago #
22. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Hello Helen,
    I obviously didn't explain myself very well re the topsoil. It's not that there are different types, it's to do with the purpose for which it is being used. With the Government keep banging on about what is or is not essential, it is apparent that if people are asking for deliveries to their homes of whatever; if it's 'ssential' then it's okay to go ahead, The supplier of our topsoil therefore is covering his back by asking if we want it for vegetable planting (apparently it's okay for people to go and work on their allotments - it's considered 'essential' if they are growing vegetables - bit of the old war ethic - and Dig for Victory - but if you talking of growing flowers, it's not considered essential; so our topsoil supplier won't supply if we just want it for putting on a flower bed.

    Have you got the situation now?....do try and keep up dear......

    Oh - pleased to see then that you can sit and stitch in your conservatory despite it not being finished yet...let's hope it's not too long before it does reach a conclusion. Probably not considered 'essential' that you might want to sit and enjoy yourself !!

    Couldn't agree more about Joe Lycett, I think he really suits the programme so I'm glad to see he will be the presenter again for the next series.

    Lovely day today so we've been outside quite a lot working in the garden soaking up the sunshine.

    Hope you and Mick are all right...... and how about the 'girls' - do you still have those.......

    Posted 4 years ago #
23. 

    Helen Hawkins-Ainsley
    Member

    Hi Brenda
    I'm with you now about the soil.
    We are both fine. I put the trike back on the road at the start of March & am going to put it back on a SORN tomorrow. No point giving money to the Government if we're not allowed to go out on it.
    We have 3 girls. They're not bothered by all of this - still laying when they want to & still demanding to be fed. At least nothing goes to waste in our house.

    Posted 4 years ago #
24. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    What complete rubbish about the topsoil! Who's going to know, unless you tell them, whether its going to be used for veg. or for flowers. And you can eat some flowers anyway. So amazed I managed to get my veg. seed before all this started, so the onions are in, the beans, tomatoes, peppers, and courgettes were started this morning, and the potatoes are busily shooting away, before I put them in on Good Friday. (My dad always told me that his father told him that potatoes should only be planted on that day, so that's what I do.)
    Great to hear from you again Helen. Hope the conservatory doesn't suffer from having its build interrupted.
    Totally agree with you about not giving the government extra money - might have to do a SORN on the van, as we won't be able to use it for a while. Are they giving everybody an extension on road tax, like they are doing on MOT's? Nice if they did.
    I'm another one who is looking forward to seeing the Sewing Bee back. Can't imagine anybody but Joe Lycett comparing it. He really makes the programme.
    Hope everybody on the site is okay, healthy and not climbing the walls too much. Just sew ladies, is a good stressbuster (or so they tell me.)

    Posted 4 years ago #
25. 

    Helen Hawkins-Ainsley
    Member

    Hi Barbara
    Good to hear from you

    I've just done the SORN. Do the van as I doubt they will give an extension. The MOT one is only due to garages shutting for the duration.

    The extension is watertight & secure, just can't do any decorating so everything is still a bit dusty. Mick was hoping to do the patio area in front of the extension, but can't get the decking. Apparently DIY & gardening aren't essential activities - I think they are for the well being of a lot of people.

    I seem to be one of the few people still working. As I work from home most of the time & the company I work for produce packaging for the food & pharmaceutical industries, so they are still working. However as all of my weekend events up to the end of May have been cancelled I'm getting some more stitching time than I had before, but not as much as I'd like.

    I'm already missing not seeing everyone at the weekend

    Posted 4 years ago #
26. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Hello girls - Oh - you could get a bit miffed about this 'what is and what isn't' essential....... bit like dear ol' Boris telling all the hairdressers to close. Honest to God - what are we girls supposed to do when we need a haircut?? Men might not need a hairdresser, but very shortly I shall look like an entrant for Crufts - a shaggy dog breed of some sort - maybe an afghan hound......shaggy, but with elegant legs (oh well, a girl can dream.....)

    I've told my friend down the road to expect me to turn up at any time on her doorstep with a pair of shears in my hand.....it will be past the time for scissors to do a decent job very shortly, so drastic measures may need to be taken.......

    I think we shall all be thinking about next weekend and what might have been ......... It's a pity we didn't say to Andrea 'thank you for the refund, keep £20 of it and send us the Swindon project as a replacement'....we could at least have all sat at home stitching the same thing to give us a sense of 'community'......

    Posted 4 years ago #
27. 

    Helen Hawkins-Ainsley
    Member

    Brenda, I'll swap hair with you. Mine's not been cut for over a year, but at least I have some these days. I have a friend who owns a salon & she is going crazy having to stay at home.

    I'd like to see what the project would have been for this weekend. I have created my own - just need to get a piece of fabric out of the stash

    Posted 4 years ago #
28. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Darling Helen, I'm so sorry...bit insensitive of me to talk about hair - when I should have remembered that yours doesn't always do what you would like it to..... lots of hugs and kisses from me for being so thoughtless...... Mind you, I wouldn't care if you were boss-eyed, knock-knee'd and had two heads - I only see the person, not the packaging...

    Yes, I too would have liked to see the project we would have been doing. Maybe though they will keep it under wraps and it will then become the project for Leicester instead.

    In the meantime I am working on the Strawberry Sweete Bag item. I'm sewing beads round the hardanger sections at the moment, following which I will be able to make it up as a bag.....and then...drum roll....it will be another UFO finished......Yay!!

    The topsoil arrived yesterday - all now wheel-barrowed from the front of the house to the back, spread out, raked over ......and ready to receive.....er...Vegetables!!

    As for your hairdresser friend, talking seriously for a moment, she is probably typical of the small businesses who will suffer most from loss of earnings. The Government's talking now of 'no money' for these people until June......well, they have stopped earning NOW so what are they supposed to do for money until then...... God, this whole situation is such a nightmare isn't it.......

    Posted 4 years ago #
29. 

    Helen Hawkins-Ainsley
    Member

    Brenda, don't worry about the hair. I just ignore it these days.

    I'm in the process of creating a second mouse house for all the winter & Christmas mice from Just Nan.

    I like bits from both of the Sweete Bags so might have to design one of my own some day

    I Hope you end up with a nice crop of "vegetables" in the front garden

    Posted 4 years ago #
30. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    Brenda, totally agree with the comments about the hairdressers. Mine was telling me, just before she got shut down, that she can just about afford to live, but if she can't pay the rent on the shop, then the whole thing will have to be shut. Blasted government don't seem to understand the whole situation. My pilates teacher is in a different situation. Because she runs her own limited company, all of which has had to shut down because of the lurgy, then she won't be eligible for any of the government help, so she is having to put all of her classes on the internet, and hope to goodness that everybody keeps on doing her classes, so she'll be able to get an income to tide her over, until we can all go to physical classes again. Complicated isn't it?
    I think I was quite lucky to get my veg. seeds when I did. Took my life in my hands this morning and went to Sainsbury's and they don't have any seeds for any type of veg. left at all.
    I've done nothing but UFO's since September - finishing off the Millennium sampler belonging to a lady in the village - complete nightmare, as she started off with a knot, and didn't put all her crosses the same way. Then finished my Leicester sampler, and now finishing a UFO, my mum started 15 years ago, and I haven't touched for 5 years since she gave it to me! I'll be glad to get started on something of my own.
    So, how did you manage to get hold of the topsoil Brenda? Did you tell porkies and tell him it was for veg? If so, hope you've got all your seeds ready for planting.

    Posted 4 years ago #
31. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Hello girls,
    Topsoil Barbara - well Geoff went searching on Google for suppliers and found one locally who did it. He rang them, ordered some and paid for it online, so when they came to deliver it, it was a case of we stayed indoors, they backed up the drive, dumped it and drove straight off. They were very good. Geoff had asked them to come well up the drive with it - we didn't want it half on the drive and half on the road because our neighbours are at right angles to us so it could have been difficult for them to get out of their drive. The whole thing only took about 7 minutes and we kept to the social distancing rule because we'd paid before they came, so we stayed inside. They'd checked whether we wanted it for vegetables - as that is considered 'essential' (where flowers are not apparently). I have to agree with Helen's comments on this issue of 'essential' though, as I too cannot see the harm in people wanting DIY stuff - if doing something like wallpapering stops people from going bonkers whilst confined to the house - surely that is 'essential' !!

    Barbara ! - well done on finishing the Millennium sampler for the lady in the village. Trying to remember - I think it was at Leicester when you showed it to me - there was so much to do on it, so you've done really well to put it right and complete it. Impressed!! I too am trying to finish off some UFOs and can totally identify with your wish to start on something of your own. My wish is slightly different, as all my UFOs are my own anyway, but my wish would be to be able to start something completely new. Well, nothing to stop me really, but the sensible part of my brain (there is a little bit in my head somewhere) tells me that UFOs should come first.......

    Going off tangent a bit.....there was a really horrible big black spider on the ceiling in the kitchen when I got up this morning. At 10 to 7 I hadn't really got my brain in gear, but anyway I did a bit of precarious standing on a stool (to reach the ceiling) with a jam jar in my hand to catch him in. So big, it made me shudder. I captured him and put him outside. Geoff said 'wonder why that was in the house this early in the year' - he was the type that you don't usually see until the back end...... so I said 'he must have been self-isolating' Ha, ha, ha - well, I thought it was funny anyway..... if you don't want to laugh you don't have to.....

    Posted 4 years ago #
32. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    Brenda, I did like your spider story, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have been anywhere near as brave as you to get it into a jam jar and put it outside. Total arachnophobia I'm afraid.
    So, I raised a glass tonight to the cross stich guild, and hope that we'll be able to meet up again sometime soon. I'll keep up with the UFO's and with any luck I'll be able to start something new in the very near future.
    Hope everybody keeps safe, well and healthy and I wish everybody well for the future.

    Posted 4 years ago #
33. 

    Helen Hawkins-Ainsley
    Member

    Barbara, I'd be with you on the spider issue except that Mick is worse than you so I have to put them out for him.

    Believe it or not I'm actually working this weekend!! I do some contracting work alongside my normal job and they decided to give me a large piece of work to do this week.

    I did start my "Swindon" project last night & hope to do some more later. Mick says that instead of putting "Swindon" at the bottom as I usually do it should say "Virtual Swindon".

    Hope you all have a good weekend stitching

    Posted 4 years ago #

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