A New Camera

Today I received my birthday present from my husband.  My actual birthday was in March but I didn't know what I wanted until recently.  As I have been struggling so much with pain I wanted a lighter camera to use when out and about.  After a fair bit of research by both myself and my husband we settled on the Panasonic TZ70

I couldn't wait to charge up the battery so I could start having a play with it.  Fortunately it didn't take too long to charge.

I just used the basic setting to start off with.

My dahlias are looking fabulous

I'm not sure what this moth is...currently trying to look it up in one of my identification books.

Dalmatian beans.

Some zoom shots:

Some macro shots:

Wrapping it up.

Some shots inside the Cavy Shed:

Dallas

Dundee

Some shots taken inside the house: 

So far I am really pleased with it.  I am looking forward to trying out all the different functions and settings.

Furniture Restoration

Pain has plagued me more than usual this week, it started on Sunday and was so bad I took some painkillers, something I don't ordinarily do as they don't actually do anything for the pain, just make it easier to sleep as they make me groggy...but I woke the following morning not only pain but with a really bad headache/migraine, nausea and grogginess as a result of the painkillers, so never again as I felt so bad.  

By Wednesday I decided enough was enough and if I was going to be in pain, I might as well be in pain for a good reason!  So I embarked on a renovation project.

We had this old set of drawers that were going to be given away, but I decided that as they were made of actual wood I wood sand it down and possibly paint it.

I set to with my trusty Mouse Sander bought many years ago and although my whole right hand was numb for about half an hour after each use...it did wear off.

Once I had sanded the top, I wasn't sure I would paint it though as the grain was quite nice, although difficult to tell in this photo.

The drawer fronts were equally nice.

The sides were more problematic as they wouldn't sand down very well, so I took a paint stripper to them and then worried that I might have wrecked it!  The sides are more of a hardboard type wood.  I can't recall off hand what the proper name for it was.  However, once I had cleared the stripper off the wood, washed, let it dry and then sanded it down it actually didn't look too bad.  The test would be when I came to wax them which is what I had decided to do with the top.

I started with the drawer fronts...

The sides turned out not to bad after all!

The top was good as well. 

I moved it into the room.

The top.  It isn't as patchy as it looks, I think it is the light - as I took these photos at almost 6pm this evening.  I will have to take some in proper daylight.

In situ.

I was going to change the knobs, but the new ones I bought didn't fit it so the originals will have to remain for now.

I may need to do another coat of wax at some stage, but will leave it a few days to see.

All in all, at least now I can think, yes I am sore, but I actually achieved something and as such I am also really pleased with my first ever project of this type.

Sewing on Sunday - Hexagons!

A few years back I took part in the 'Incy Hexagon Flower Swap'.  I am not sure if it is still running now, but each month we would sew a couple of hexagon flowers for someone on the swap list that we were paired with and they would sew some in return.  We had a colour base for them to work through and mine was blue and yellow...although I also have some pink and purple flowers, so perhaps I had both colour schemes selected?  I can't remember now. I know I had to pull out after a couple of years unfortunately.

  

I thought I would have a look at just how many flowers I had.

50 hexagons!  The result of approximately 25 months worth of participation.  

All the flowers together - not even big enough for a lap quilt...

Just the blues and yellows.  I do like just these two colour combinations a lot and in hindsight would have preferred all my flowers to be blues and yellows.  At some stage I hope to continue working on this project, whether on my own, or if it is still running, I need to find out.

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I also have another tin of hexagons that were given to me and thought these were the same size - but they aren't they are smaller.  I will make these up for a doll quilt.  I didn't like the way these hexagons have been sewn together as there didn't seem to be any real pattern to it so have unpicked some of them and am now resewing them together.  

Various colours

I have left some of the groups of three that were sewn together as is for now and am starting to sew flowers.  I have been working out the colour combinations as seen in the above photo - random, but within a loose colour scheme.  So far two are finished, the yellows and the purples to the right of the picture. 

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I have even smaller hexagons - and with these I have started to make a doll pram quilt for dolls.  I need to finish this as it isn't actually that far off being finished. It now needs hexagons and half hexagons for round the edges, but I am still in the  'planning' stage of this one.

Here are the three different sizes.  

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Lastly I found some more hexagons and they are bigger again.  This time they are all purples. I can't remember what I was planning to make with these.   I have a feeling I have another lot as well that were given to me that are even bigger still, but I am not hunting them out at the moment. This is more than enough to keep me busy for a while. 

The four sizes side by side.  

Of course the question is what to start with...

I will work on the hexagons just a bit bigger than the pram quilt ones... I have a couple of doll beds that need quilts, so will hopefully get at least one quilt made and finished.  I wonder if it is too ambitious to aim to have it finished by the end of the month?!

Cavies on Grass and a Little Fun.

It is always nice when the weather is brighter and warmer and the guinea pigs can get out on the grass.

Bailey and Felix

Jeremy (Jay) and Sylvester

Dundee and Dallas

Henry feeds the guinea pigs...

He gives them a piece of cucumber.

Dundee comes back for more!