Category Archives: Life in General

Spring Cleaning…

…not my favourite thing! However if I’m going to let an unspecified number of people visit the studio over the next three weekends I need to give some impression of organisation and cleanliness. There’s also got to be room for my partner in crime and her creative accoutrements. So that’s what I’ve been doing over the last few days, and I think I’ve got there. I have a floor! And shelves! I’d nearly forgotten what they looked like!

It’s been a little tricky because the studio assistant has been having a whale of a time stealing interesting little bits and pieces and running away…a lot faster than I can chase him!

There has been some creativity going on, which I’ll be photographing very soon, as a result of some interesting shopping a few days ago…

The planet Penny flock is growing…

I’ll be back very soon, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with a little film, it really is a dog’s life!

Oh my gosh, it’s April…

…and I haven’t been here for AGES! so sorry, it’s always the way isn’t it? There’s either nothing going on and all the time in the world to write about it, or all sorts of interesting stuff happens and there’s no time to spare AT ALL!

Hope every one is enjoying enjoying a little sunshine at last, although it’s certainly been chilly here in North Norfolk. I love this time of year, especially that fleeting moment when the trees are dressed in tiny vivid green leaves but the tracery of branches is still visible against the blue sky. Full of promise for the months to come.

I have at last managed to spend a bit of time in the garden but it’s mostly been spent making cunning plans to keep the small four legged one out of the veg patch.

He,of course is convinced of his helpfulness.

If you’ve been visiting for a while, you will remember the veg garden crisis last year, when Higgins was a pup.

So I’ve been plotting ways of keeping him off the raised beds.

The trouble is, he has taken to using them as a way of increasing his stature in the world when shouting at passing tractors and bicycles and hurtles down the garden before leaping into the middle of the bed. I was happy when we found a dear little picket fence with just the right dimensions to enclose the bed…

Higgins was elsewhere when we put it up, and arrived to inspect it just as we finished.

He trotted round and round the outside on top of the sleeper…

…grizzling about being thwarted, and getting faster and faster until suddenly BOING! he went straight up in the air, and came down in the middle of the bed…where he was stuck…!

Like Tigger, his bottom is most definitely made out of springs….

So, no seeds sown yet, just more plotting…

I was wondering about a trampoline?

In the meantime, I’m trying to identify a mysterious plant which appeared uninvited under the polytunnel once it got warm and cosy. Maybe you can help?

I’ll be really grateful if someone can tell me what it is. I hope it’s not edible ‘cos I’ve pull it all up!

I’ll be back very soon to share some exciting news, until then…

xxx

Home Again…

Hello, I’m back…and in one piece although at times it was touch and go! We had a wonderful few days, the sky was blue…

the snow was deep…

the company great fun and the food, oh dear the food….!!! And the drink! Still, lots of time now to get back to the diet.. eventually. Slightly tricky when I sent the dear husband out to buy salad when we got home and he came back with pork pies, extra creamy potato salad and two sorts of icecream. Oh, for some ‘Won’t Power’!

Skiing was a little tricky, the brain was willing but the body said ‘Who Me?’ and my knees said ‘No Way!’ And I had to wear these boots…

I mean…Orange?

But a few days in brilliant sunshine was exactly what the spirit needed, especially reflected off snow covered mountains.

and I must share the joys of Austrian bedmaking…

I never knew a duvet could be so much fun!

At home, we found that in less than a week the daffodils and forsythia had come into the bloom and although it’s still cold, Spring is really beginning to ‘bust out all over’.

And Higgins came home. He had a lovely time with his friend Ellie and he was SO fed up to be back with just boring old humans to entertain him. A massive sulk resulted…

He’s just about forgiven us now though, and was very happy this morning as Tim had a 5am start so Higgins was able to take over the warm bit in the bed, a rare treat.

And now the fun is over I have to get to work with the dye and the felting needle. I must step away from the computer and get going… Back soon xxx

Flying Pigs…

Thursday was a mild and springlike day, a relief after days of icyness and gloom. The door was open so Higgins could rush in and out of the garden and boss the birds about, and the sun retired in a blaze of glory.

Things are getting a bit busy here on Planet Penny as I get my head around the Open Studios in a few months time. The brochure entry has been proof read, and the form filled in for a place in the Open Studios Exhibition in the Forum in Norwich. It’s quite a feat getting back into the habit of sorting paper work and being organised after being out of the workplace for so long.

Now I can share an exciting secret with you that I have been sitting on for a couple of weeks! Those of you who have been following Planet Penny for a while will know that I have been popping off the Holt twice a year to the Pick’n’Mix Makers’ Market (and spending far too much money!). The very first time I went I was so impressed with the whole ethos of the thing. The organisers, Lisa of Bobobun, and Teena of Kitschen Pink had managed to go beyond the ‘Craft Market’ which has become so devalued over the years and had got together a really broad mix of artists and makers of beautiful things and put them into a charming Church Hall with a great retro feel. One day, I thought when I went to the first one, one day I’ll get myself organised enough to apply to take part in this.

So can you imagine my great surprise and excitement when, a couple of weeks ago , I had an email out of the blue from the lovely Lisa inviting me to take part in the next Market on June 11th!!!!! WOW! So, no more knitting and crocheting for a while, I shall be needlefelting like fury, watch out for sparks! I’m gradually building up sketches and ideas for the little woolly creatures who live on Planet Penny so I thought I’d ask, what do you think? If you were wandering through the fluffy undergrowth on PP, what would you expect to see? I’ll be gradually adding my creations to the Folksy Shop and obviously showing them to you here first so it would be lovely if you were to join in. I’ll have a think about how I could award a prize or something.

Where do the Flying Pigs come in? Well when the children were young, and they would promise to do something as asked, something monumental, like tidying their bedrooms, or sorting their laundry, Tim would mutter under his breath, ‘Hmm, and Pigs might fly!’ And I like the idea of a Flying Pig! Also, it’s also a really good analogy for realising the seemingly impossible dream…

…and they are flying in from all directions!

And finally, I will be taking part in this Exhibition, Little Bird at the Dukes Theatre Gallery, Lancaster. 22 March-17 April 2011 which is for a really good cause which you can read about here. And this is the little bird who will be flying up to Lancaster very soon…

Oh dear…as I have been sitting here typing away, the little burst of spring-like weather has become grey and overcast, and the Weatherman on ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ has just assured me that ‘Winter hasn’t done with us yet’ . I’d better wake Higgins up and suggest a little walk, he won’t be pleased. He’s such a ‘fair weather’ dog!

I’m looking forward to reading your suggestions!

Back soon….x

Splash of Colour – February

I’m joining in with Silver Pebble’s Splash of Colour again, this is the last one. Hopefully by the time we get to March there’ll be lots of spring colour to enjoy outside Blogland.

I’ve made a montage of Planet Penny images which brought some colour during January. I hope you will enjoy seeing them again.

Don’t forget to pop over to Silver Pebble to see Emma’s colourful offering!

Trotting along briskly…

…to catch up! So much has been going on lately that it’s been hard to find a minute to stop off for a chat. Added to which, the light has been lousy as far as photography goes. We haven’t had a lot of snow in Norfolk, just bitter winds, hard frost and grey skies. I know how inconvenient and downright scary all those great dumps of snow have been for lots of you up and down the country, but the ten-year-old in me did hanker after a couple of days of winter wonderland, a snowman and a few snowballs! And you’ll be pleased to know I did stop moaning about the mud once everything was frozen solid!

I would have liked to have joined in the Advent countdown theme which lots of bloggers are doing, but never mind, I will share with you my grown up Advent calendar made for me by my dear daughter-in-law. I was so touched when I received it. I think because I’ve always made things other people are maybe a bit hesitant to make things for me so something hand-made especially with me in mind is always a treasure. Especially from Celia, who is inexplicably convinced she’s not crafty, and I know she is! And she’s just proved it…

So far I have found an exquisite little seashell, pearlescent and pink, a mermaid’s fingernail? Origami stars, some miniature press studs, a Christmas stocking drawn by four-year-old Benjy, and a Fruitella sweetie which I’m probably going to pop in my mouth at any moment! It’s going to part of my Christmas for many years to come (minus the edible bits of course!)

The Christmas Fair at our Village Hall went off nicely yesterday, and the Knit and Stitch Stall was laden with lovely things.

We did have that horrendous pricing issue of course. Hands up all you makers who know exactly what I mean. Some of us were hoping to sell our things at a reasonably realistic price given materials and time and make a donation to the Hall funds. Others were happy to sell things for whatever price they could to make funds for the hall and not take things home again. Both perfectly laudable intentions, but very hard to marry up at the same venue when people were bringing beautiful things which obviously took hours to make in lovely fabrics but wanted to sell them for £1.50, making everything else look very expensive. It’s so hard, I feel it undervalues the time people put into things, and it also means that all the craftspeople out there trying to make a living are somehow expected to count the enjoyment they have from their craft as part of the reward for their efforts, and to charge low prices to reflect this.

This discussion has been going on for ages so I’m not expecting to solve it here, but every now and then I have a little rant! I’ll stop now…and we did make enough for a good donation for the hall!

I’ve been making more robins, teeny weeny ones, this time.

I’m putting them in the Folksy shop very, very soon. I’ve also got a jar of felt beads which have been accumulating over the weeks waiting for me to turn them into jewelery, I’ll show you those next time…

We have a new furry friend! It’s Clovis, the French Cat. Well, Norman Cat really I suppose…Le Chat Normand?

Clovis has trailed behind his migrating family because of jabs and rules and regulations, and although he’s got as far as the UK he has to wait until a house has been found where he can join them. (Landlord’s rules and regulations this time.) In the meantime he’s found a comfortable post as a Lady’s Companion, aka my Mama.

My Mother has been petless for quite a while, and as her mobility has decreased she has resisted the family suggestions of a kitten to keep her company. Higgins make regular visits to keep her amused but is far too demanding to stay with her without his retinue of staff in attendance. So a plot was hatched to give her some daily amusement, and Clovis a mission in life, as an entertainer.

He burst from his travelling box and went into full cute mode, a blur of activity…

Higgins has no idea about the competition yet. It didn’t seem fair on Clovis to present him with a small dog at this stage of settling in, especially one with a cold nose….

TEENY TINY ROBINS ARE NOW LISTED ON FOLKSY…see link at the top of the page