Chinese food in Madeira

 Hi,

Yes we found a wonderful Chinese Restaurant in Madeira,  the picture above was the decoration inside the restaurant.  It was one of the best meals we have had in a Chinese restaurant,  in fact we had an other meal on our last night,  I took the photos on my Mobile,  they seem to have come out well.  amazing what did we do without mobile phones?

Now heres a question for Wendy,   she often has food on her blog,  she has a very interesting blog so why not pay her a visit here is the link
So can anyone guess what this was....................


Answers on the next post.


                                        Hugs
                                    Margaret

CD Sunday Challenge - four legs and a tail

Hi,
I did not think I would make this challenge but here is my card, I hope you like it,  the colours have come out a but wishy washy but I think its still OK as the photo goes.
The image is from Furry friends squeeze cards CD by Digi Crafts,  I did not use it as a squeeze card,  I used the image and them decoupaged it onto the card.  The backing paper is from a CD but I cant remember which one,  i have been re-organising myself into a new craft room and I found this piece,  it went well with the image and I think it might be from La Pash.
I kept the card simple adding a ribbon down the side and corner peel off s and two purple heart gems.
Its a lovely day here and they are arriving for the Glastonbury, hope they remember some sun tan lotion,  the sun is hot today.   We saw a lot on Tuesday  arriving  when I went to the dentist in Castle Cary those who arrive early had to camp outside the gates until the site opened on Wednesday morning.    It will of course rain and rain is forecasted for friday and Sunday,  It would not be Glastonbury without some rain.  The site is already the size of Bath,   having lived nearer to the festival I know the roads will be busy for miles around.  Once they get inside most stay inside,  there's always some problem or other on the site they have own mini hospital and police station, fire station, with buses bring them from Castle Cary station to the site and then taking them back to the station when its finished,  the days of walking and hitch-hiking have long gone. Lets hope this year goes off better without the usual  births and deaths,  this might be rural Somerset but its amazing what goes on at the festival and its not all music. After the festival it will take six weeks for the site to go back to being a farm.
Hope you are having a nice day,  and the sun is shining where ever you are in the world.
                              Hugs
                          Margaret

My Amaryllis

Hi,

I have a lots of photos of Madeira to organise before I can put them on my blog,  plus yesterday we went to the Parchment Show in Bristol which I also have a lot of photos to show,  so in the meantime here's what we came home to,  this Amaryllis never flowered last year,  in fact in January it look dead along with his mate who both got put out on the patio ready to throw away when the weather improved.   Around late April, when I was sorting  the patio and cleaning up from the winter ready for the summer,  I saw the pot and what looked like a green shoot.  He had been out in all winds and frost, rain etc,.  It was brought in and told if you don't flower you are joining your mate in the garden bin.

Well I got three leaves and he was unceremoniously reminded if you don't flower or do something you are going out,  and then I saw a flower bud.   It grow and when we went on holiday I thought we might miss the flower but no he waited and here he is in flower to welcome us home.  Better late than never he should have flowered just after christmas,

I think I might keep him for a while longer?

                                Hugs

                            Margaret

Pinterest Challenge for June, 17/25 motif challenge

Hi,
As you know Suzanne and I have been challenging each other to find something on Pinterest that we could do,
Here is my June item,  I found this pattern done as a bracelet,  actually the pattern is Kersti's Floral Tatted Bookmark,  I did not have the right size beads that would sit in the ring these are a little large for my liking but they have worked well by sitting on the ring. I used Lizbeth thread no 20 in Summer Fun.  I am pleased how the bracelet worked out all I have to do now is add the  bracelet clips.
I hope you like my item for June. I am sure Suzanne will come up with something brilliant.
Hope you have a lovely weekend
                                       Hugs
                                    Margaret

Huggins the Hippo

 Hi,

Two Hippos both knitted with double knitting wool,   I am sorry I don't have the labels as the wool has been in the draw for a while,  the grey has white flecks in and the other is a shaded blue with sections of multicolours.
The pattern is by Fuff and Fuzz,  its a lovely pattern and they are easy to knit.   I did embroidered the eyes and nose as they are quite small.
                                 Hugs
                             Margaret

A Royal Wave. 16/25 Motif challenge

Hi,
These have been made from the Lizbeth thread called Royal Wave no 20.
The top picture shows them as a group,
This pendent is a pattern from Tatting with Rings by Jon Yusoff,  the pattern is called Teratai.
The butterfly is from Mary Konior Tatting Patterns book.

 This bracelet is from a new book I brought called Shabby Chic Tatting  by Rozella F Linden,  I do like this book,   the pattern was called Ribbon and Flowers lace,  I was going to make several flowers to go on top of the flowers in the pattern giving it a 3d effect but in the end I just did the middle one.  I used gold seed beads around the last row and  a pearl in the middle on the middle flower.
There are some lovely patterns in this great book,  and there are some beginner patterns  plus a few for the more advanced tatters.

Hugs

Margaret

Test Tatting

Hi,

I was delighted to be test tatting this wonderful pattern for Robin  its called Polaris,  I found the pattern a dream,  its a beautiful snowflake.  I used Lizbeth thread no 20,  Robin will be putting this pattern in her Esty shop and here is a link to her blog .
Do pop over to her blog she has some beautiful designs
                                           Hugs
                                        Margaret

A new visitor to my Garden

Hi
This is the first of some scheduled posts by the time you read this we will be flying to Madeira.
Its the first time we are had a grey squirrel to my garden,   He seems to be enjoying the nuts we put out for the birds,  then helped himself to the bowl of water for the sparrows, and then inspected the patio before disappearing up the garden.

Hope you have a lovely weekend
                                       Hugs
                                    Margaret

Broughton Castle

Hi,
WE went to see Broughton Castle over the last bank holiday,  we went with Vernon's sister Dee and I must say this was a lovely day, not only was the weather good but this is the most fascinating place to visit.
I brought a book on the place so some of this is from the book "In about 1300 Sir John de Broughton built his manor house in a sheltered site at the junction of three streams and surrounded it with a substantial moat" Originally it was just a hall which you can see in the pictures,
The history of this place is vast and too much to write on here,  "William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England bought the house in 1377 and has been in continuous ownership of the same family"   "In 1554 Richard Fiennes completed major reconstruction and raised the roof to accommodate two floors above the great hall"

 At the top of these steps was a chapel and the stain glass window which is in the next picture,  the chapel is a rare example of a 14th century private chapel which they don't allow anyone to walk on the floor as its so old.

I saw this beautiful piece of needlework I am sorry its not as clear as I would have liked but it was a beautiful piece of work.

The Bury Lodge Room,  this wallpaper is by Zuber of Alsace and dates from 1840.

The Kings Chamber,  the wallpaper is hand painted and dates back to 1800,   "The bed is constructed in Oak and was made specifically for this room in 1992 by Robin Furlong"

The kings chamber Over mantel,   this plaster work represents a scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses Book VIII.  the image is the same s that found on a drawing "Dance of the Dryads" executed in 1551.  It is known that chimney pieces of a similar style were made for Henry VIII at Nonsuch Palace.  ( Nonsuch Place does not exist any more I grow up near to where the palace would have been,  in recent year Time Team did find the palace,  it would have been a very grand place situated near Epsom, Surrey)

 Another picture of the wallpaper

 This fan was beautiful it has not come out as well as I would have like but the embroidery and work making it is beautiful a true master piece

The gardens from the upper room called the Council chamber  it is believed to be the room in 1629 -1642 gathered to plan their opposition to the kings government,  this room is at the top of the building and any thing said in there cannot be heard anywhere in the palace.

The gardens, in 1900 they had 114 gardeners today they have one.

The black swan on the moat

T

   one side of the moat,

Another side of the moat with the landscape fields and Long Horn cattle grazing.

Close up of the cattle



I hope you enjoy the tour around the Castle,  although its called a castle is more like a manor house,  well worth a visit but do check the times of opening as they do not open every day.

"Ride a Cock Horse the local legend has it that the famous nursery rhyme "Ride a cock horse to Banbury cross to see a Fiennes lady ride on a white horse" as opposed to see a fine lady"

The Explorer and Author Sit Randolph Finnes and his brother Ralph are direct descendants from family,
It has been used as a film location in productions of Shakespeare in Love 1998,   The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show with Diana Rigg 1975,  The Scarlet Pimpernel 1982.  Three men and a Little Lady 1990,The madness of King George 1994,  and most recent Jane Eyre 2011
I hope you enjoyed this post,  if you get a chance to visit do, its is a fascinating place
                                             Hugs
                                         Margaret