Category Archives: Award

Norfolk November Skies and a Rosy Glow…

Hello! I can’t believe it’s taken so long to get back here for a catch up. I must say the new look for the blog is really growing on me now, and it seems to sit much better on a phone or tablet.

Last weekend Two Rivers Trail Christmas Fair was AMAZING! We couldn’t believe how many people came, there were cars parked all over the village, with people having to walk for half a mile to get to us! The Planet Penny Stall looked like this…

..although I don’t think many people managed to stand back to have a look at anything! If you would like to see more, all the photos I took of the day are over on the Two Rivers Trail website where you can see some of the beautiful things from other members of the Trail.

I actually thought I would have a quiet week catching up with things, but it’s been anything but, and so busy I’ve struggled to find time to even get out for a walk with poor little Higgins…

He’s not impressed!

So in the spirit of a breath of fresh air, here’s yesterday’s walk which took place when the sun came out after a miserable gloomy start, and the wonderful Norfolk November skies came into their own.

You don’t get long after lunch for walk at this time of the year, do you? It does mean being treated to a wonderful view of the sunset as we head back home. Note the mud! Glorious isn’t it?

Ending just after we arrived back in a wonderful rosy glow.

And talking of a ‘Rosy Glow’ I’m going into boastful mother mode again, Last night elder son Thomas won a second award for one of his children’s books, The Pets you Get at the Brilliant Book Awards! Proud? You bet I am!

Adrian Reynolds, the illustrator, you may well have met before with the Harry and the Dinosaurs stories, which have been made into a popular TV series.

Since I often turn up here with a book review I have no compunction at all in recommending ‘The Pets you Get’ as an excellent buy for Christmas!

And now, I have a ‘cunning plan’ for December on the blog so I’m off to see if I can make it work! And it’s December tomorrow so I better get going…

see you then…x

My Planet Penny Facebook Face

I’ve had a Facebook Page for Planet Penny for a while now, and very slowly the ‘likes’ have mounted up. It’s been very long winded, so when I reached the magic 200 I had a ‘giveaway’, and one lucky person has just won a needlefelt pin cushion in a little drawstring bag.

( I think I need to make more of an effort with Facebook, so if you’ve got any tips I’d love to hear about them, and if you want to ‘like’ me, I need all the friends I can get! ) But for now I’m heading off towards 300, and then I’ll do the ‘giveaway’ thing all over again!

Anyway, having a little gift to parcel up made my own surprise package in the post very useful indeed. I have recently been awarded Fave Blog Status by the Dotcomgiftshop which is quite an honour in itself, and I was also sent a selection of gift ribbons from their Mothers day gifts range as a present.

Perfect timing!

And hugely useful to me as not only is Mother’s Day fast approaching, but my mum actually has a birthday at the beginning of March, as does my son, my niece and most of ‘Rabbit’s friends and relations’!

so I’m very well stocked for all the gift wrapping, all I have to do is make the pressies!

A Blog Award

I’ve just been nominated for an award! Isn’t that fabulous? Thank you SO much, TillymintBoutique…

It’s to be awarded to blogs with fewer than 200 followers, and I don’t actually know many followers I have, as WordPress doesn’t work like Blogger. (I’ve recently started using Bloglovin’ which works really well, so if you would actually like to officially follow me, the button is up on the left hand side bar! Ed. to add: and now I’ve found a subscribers widget too! )

The rules are simple:

– Show thanks to the blogger who awarded you by linking back to their blog…
– Post your top 5 blogs and let them know by leaving a comment on their blogs…
– Post the award on your blog!

…and I have chosen five ‘young’ blogs to pass on to you all…

They are, in no particular order:

Daisies Divine for knitting and sewing
Moobaacluck an artist and illustrator with a great range of hand painted goodies.. I’m after some painted bunting!
PickleLily making and baking in Somerset
Knitsofacto knitting and crochet and gorgeous photography
Faith knitting and crochet and the most adorable puppy!

Do visit them and say hello, there’s lots to see!

I’ll be back very soon with this week’s Reasons to be Cheerful. I hope you’ve been looking for them amongst the January gloom so you are ready to join in!

See you soon x

This Way…or That Way?

I’m rather hoping with your help I can find out a little something I’ve pondered on off and on for years. Nothing major, just a little curiosity.

I think I’ve mentioned the Knit and Stitch Group I started a couple of years ago in our little village. It started off at my place, outgrew the parking spaces, moved to the larger home of another member and out grew that and we’ve ended up in our new, quite swish, straw bale Village Hall. If you look at the picture on the link you can see the round Meeting Room where we now get together every month. Last night we had the best attendance yet!

We didn’t want to limit to a ‘Stitch and Bitch’ type knitting group, we embrace stitches of all sorts, knitting and crochet, needlepoint and cross stitch, patchwork and applique. We are pretty cosy in our round room, and very nearly lift the roof off with our nattering – in fact last night the Yoga teacher had to put her head round the door to shush us so they could get into their ‘cool down’ zone…. woops!

We had a crochet class last night as quite a few members were keen to learn, or brush up their skills and this is where my question comes in. I have taught knitting over the years, and although I am left handed I knit in just the same way as right handed people so it’s never been a problem. But crochet is a different matter. I just don’t do it like anyone else I know. I was taught by my left-handed grandmother, I don’t know who taught her. So it was left to Claire the Crochet Queen to impart her knowledge to the group. However, I have found that if someone struggles with the conventional method, my way seems to work. My solitary pupil was going great guns the unconventional way by the end of the evening. The thing is, it doesn’t actually look any different to the ‘real thing’ and seems so much more logical.

So, I’d love to know if anyone else does it my way..is anyone else weird like me?!

This is the ‘proper’ way…

…the left hand holds the work and the left index finger feeds the yarn round the hook.

For the life of me I can’t do that , I get in such a tangle. Inexplicably my grandmother’s ‘left-handed’ way does everything with the right hand, holding the yarn as in knitting…

I can’t be the only one, can I?

I love to find out!

And we had a new member last night, the lovely Gabriella Buckingham, who blogs here, sells here, and learns to crochet in a straw bale building!

Aah, I’ve spotted a small dog, hinting that it must be time for , whisper it, w.a.l.k.i.e.s. and by the look of the gathering clouds, I’d better do it quickly…

Looking forward to your comments!

P.S. I’ve just found out I’ve been nominated for the Dorset Cereals Little Blog Award! It would be SO lovely if you could vote for me, there’s a voting button at the top of the right hand side bar. Thank you so much x

Blog Award

I have very kindly been given this award by Hayley of Pink Fluffy Warrior, thank you very much Hayley! I now have to nominate five other blogs which is not an easy task. I know some people are not keen on these so don’t feel obliged to take part, but it is good way of highlighting some lovely places to visit in Blogland.

All you have to do is.
Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog.
Copy and paste the award on your blog.
Pass the award on to 5 other blogs, and leave a comment on their blog.

So my nominees are:

1. Penelope of L is for Love

2. Julie of Swedish House

3. Emma of Silver Pebble

4. Celia of Purple Podded Peas

5. Lisa of Bobobun

Do pop over to visit them and stop to say hello. You’ll find a very eclectic mix of new bloggy friends!

Blog Award

The lovely Teje of Nero’s Post and Patch has given me an Award! Thank you so much Teje, one day we must get Nero and Higgins together, that would be an achievement! As part of the award I must reveal seven secret things about myself which has set me thinking. So I will continue to think as I decide who I can pass the award on to which is really hard. Hard because I read so many blogs, and there are so many talented and versatile people out there who have become blogging friends, and I can only choose three, only three?

So, with difficulty I will choose, without further ado…..

Penelope at L is for Love, Julie at Swedish House and Lisa at Bobobun for their versatility and alround fabulousness!

Now these secrets..Hmm, I do have secrets but most of them are really quite boring…

Who know ALL the goss….?

Ah! I know! Higgins! he knows all my darkest secrets…

If you click here, he will tell you everything…