Crafty in the Med

I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Much of a muchness



It has been a tedious last two weeks with boring incidents which I'm not going to go into because they aren't the most exciting things to talk about....lets just say if I were to take notes about my last two weeks. They would probably look like this
  • health ,swollen painful legs,ER from 11am to 6pm ....DVT scare,only a scare ,injections for 30 days,trying to fit in work with daily visit to nurse for injections, no service at weekends except ER,looking for someone,found,injections covered for weekend, thank you daughter of a friend, seven days later still painful but better,support stockings fall down,looking forward to having a leg back!
  •  


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Is it something I said?


Lost 4 of my followers... or rather they have left me and it can't be what I've said more like because I haven't and don't say much.... Let it be known I would like to but it seems this is the way it is going to be for the present dear bloggers . I lurk and read lots though :-)



R.I.P to Paco de Lucia ...fabulous guitarist

Listen to this ...

wonderful!!!!!    Concierto of Aranjuez!!!!



Bit more stash busting . Bear Beanie for another great niece! Although I have tweaked here and there the basic pattern is from Janet Carrillo "damn it Janet, let’s crochet!" found here







Latest PuddyNews!  Orange has gone to Holland to his new forever home. He is a very lucky lad because he is in the best of homes...a vet's home!!!    

I'll be broadcasting details of a new puddy cat looking for a loving forever home pretty soon.
I have loads to choose from!  

OK Updating .........Josh my March cat is now displayed here at the top of my page. Good luck Josh.....with all the lovely bloggers out there in blogland I am sure you'll find a fantastic family soon :-)


Amanda :-)





Friday 14 February 2014

It had to be today!


Today is the right day for it I told myself!

I am going to tell you what I received from my swap partner....ok no groaning,or mumbling about it being another display of swap goodies....no swapping over to facebook now ...bear with me and admire the generosity of my Send a little Love swap partner; PJ at The Snail Garden

Hosted by  Tracy at Mad about Bags.

 First of all I have to tell you it was I like what you like from the very start. Quite canny really!!!
PJ collects jugs...I collect jugs....PJ loves cats....me too!   She is a button fanatic.....you guessed right me too! ......and so it goes on!!! 
She loves crochet too!
She is in fact a fantastic crocheter just look here and I think you will agree with me!



You just know the goodies are going to be scrumptious when this sort of loveliness spills out of the parcel or rather spilled out of this:

and then see this 


I literally gave a sigh when I saw these gorgeously wrapped gifts ....all shapes and sizes! I felt like rubbing my hands together like Fagin in Oliver Twist (do you know what I mean??)
I just knew I was going to enjoy unwrapping these parcels!!

and I was right

look......

 I'm going to leave you to comment as I am quite speechless!
and this 
sparkling heart bookmarker

and buttons .... heart buttons!!
some chocolate which rapidly disappeared ....a lovely pouch....and some delicate rose soap :-)





A hanging heart!



I so heart all of this!


Heavan....I am so lucky!!!

Thank you so much PJ .....very very generous!


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You may have noticed I have changed the comment settings here to registered OpenID .....I'm trying it out for the time being because I have been inundated with Annoymous comments....spam comments. I'm talking about receiving 20 to 30 a day. I'm fed up of it so I hope by changing my settings I will get rid of it!!!

and finally:


Bless his heart Sr P didn't forget!

Happy Valentine's Day


Amanda :-)





 

Thursday 6 February 2014

Lets tidy things up a little!


Thank you!....... you lovely people out there for ALL your kind comments on my previous post.
Our home feels strange without him and it will be so for some while now. Sr P is sad too as he loved that cat.
Nevertheless  he is out of pain now and I like to think he is somewhere where he's young again,... bright eyed,sleek coat ....... moving with feline grace ...somewhere...where tantalizing smells lead him on, prancing into grass greener than green;vivaciously chasing everything that twitches or flutters! :-)

Asturias,Spain
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Did I forget to tell you?....I think I did!
I am participating in the Send a little Love Swap hosted by Tracy at Mad about Bags.


I am pleased to tell you my Swap partner PJ at The Snail Garden has received the parcel safely that I sent her and would you believe it within three days ....incredible...isn't it....makes me feel just a little (I did say a little )bit bad about my criticizing the postal service on my previous post here.





Right now ........I've had a little reminder from one of my bloggy friends that she (her icon) has disappeared from my lovely followers blogroll hence she thought I had deleted her all together.
Actually I have a feeling I could have done that when I was moving things around on my blog a few weeks back or it could be Ghostly Blogger up to its fiendish tricks just to annoy me. However I have a feeling it is really more "Mea Culpa".      Still I have to thank my bloggy friend for this reminder because I have noticed that there is a  follower who is now back and active again and she isn't on my blogroll either so I'm going to be tidying it up over the next few days.
Should you not see your icon there on my blogroll please do not hesitate to yell out loud to me and tell me to get it back on there!!!  Don't be shy now I won't be miffed about it.
My blogroll is the way I keep track of you all ..... I find it the easiest way . If you have another way of doing that and it is quick and easy please do tell me....... don't keep it to yourself 'cos I want to know. :-)







I feel a bit of a GIVEAWAY coming on .....I didn't do one to celebrate 200 followers so that can be the excuse!!!   I think we need some Waiting for Spring cheering up and I hope this will help a little.

Will have to give it some thought and I might even share some of my yarn stash with you....or not....that would mean looming spaces in my stash.....hmmmmm.....will have to think about that too!!

So....keep an eye open peeps!!!


Welcome to my new follower The Vintage Kitten......thank you so much for visiting :-)


Be good now!!

Amanda :-)


Tuesday 4 February 2014

Goodbye dear one!!!

Saying Good-bye to a dear friend today



 ……. we have had 19 years of fun and many happy moments with Willie but after two weeks of illness and seeing him get weaker and weaker we have decided he must go now….it is his time!













BORN 1995

Sunday 2 February 2014

Linda I've been good!

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food"
so George Bernard Shaw said
Not quite sure about that!!

However while I'm on the topic of food I am at this very minute cooking a mix veg omelette which consists of:


Courgettes,aubergines,mushrooms and pine nuts
and  "Voila"    


Homemade chicken soup for starters  and the omelette for seconds .....lunch sorted ...phew!!!

Well that was lunchtime and after having a little bit of a siesta I'm back :-)


Now you may remember a few posts back here  I mentioned I had discovered a new Katia wool shop very near to where I lived and was hoping to get to visit it soon .....and well I did.....and the friendliest people run it.  





Mercedes the owner of the Katia shop


A Husband and wife (Mercedes) team and lo and behold the husband had lived in London for awhile and speaks some English ....perfect.  
Afternoon tuition and chats which I hope to attend one day
 By the way Linda at Linda's Crafty Corner I visited the shop before I joined your 



 so these two balls of lovely I bought beforehand.....honest!. 

sorry pic is a bit fuzzy ....quick snapshot using the mobile!


This yarn is called Katia Bombon and it is incredibly soft and spongy! 

I am being very good you see Linda;really good considering  the Katia shop has a sale on now and I haven't even been near the place ....... although I really would like to!!!

I have been stash busting as well and I just have to display these two makes which are finally finished,on Linda's Feb stash busting party page.


A Beanie for daughter NΒΊ 1 and



A waistcoat for my granddaughter. 
Cookie chose this pattern herself from one found on the Drops webpage. It looks much much nicer on than in this photo. 



Have a great weekend all!!!


Amanda :-)