Are you sitting comfortably- it may be a long one.

Well hello and welcome ,to a blustery day on the South Coast. I have some goodies to show you and the exchange I was taking part in and also bits and bobs too.
Where do I start - well who will come with me and run beside the sea!?


It will not be sand between your toes on this the "Chesil Beach", which stretches for 17miles from Portland (in the distance) to West Bay ,they do say you can tell where you are by the size of the pebbles ,going from Large at Portland to small at the other end. Why I am saying this,well this week I went to photograph the house where I grew up (almost the house where I was born) I spent my growing up years in this cottage and various relatives lived in the same street. This is on the Isle of Portland ,although it has a road joining it to Weymouth now, at one time it was only joined to the mainland by the Chesil Bank,that was before my time.
So here is the street I grew up in, looking from top to bottom.

It doesn't look very steep ,but believe me it is when you have to walk up it to get to Fortuneswell ,which used to be a quaint little shopping street but now has an air of neglect about it. There used to be a haberdashery shop at the top of our street, and the Misses Jarman served everyone with courtesy, and what a treasure trove this little shop was ,with wooden drawers holding the most delectable things for a needlewoman or even a little girl who wanted a printed cross stitch traycloth so she could do one like her mum.
Ah memories. In one street we had 2 haberdashers ,an ironmongers the infamous sweetie shop , fishmongers ,2 butchers greengrocers and lots of old fashioned shops.Jammy Read owned the toy shop ,I have not the faintest idea why he was called that. They all displayed goods for sale and for gazing at if you had not got any pocket money left from the week before.Not that I would have bought a fish (oh no) but hot roasted peanuts were a favourite.
Anyway we shall be here all day at this rate.
As you can see the sea is not far away but living on a slope we were pretty safe ,the people is Chiswell not being quite so, as before the sea wall was built the sea came over fairly regularly in the winter . I used to lie in my bed and be lulled to sleep by the sound of the pebbles being drawn back by the sea .Loved stormy nights but was always a little concerned the sea may come higher than the street below us. This is a picture of the cottage where I grew up taken this week. I do have one of me outside the front door when I am about 12 I think if I can find it I may let you see.

My bedroom window is just above the porch and I always had a fancy for climbing out in the night and having an adventure - too much Enid Blyton I think.

The building in the front of the picture I believe when the house was built was used for smoking fish, my dad used to keep his lobster pots etc in there it always smelt of tar and rope. I could quite easily live here again, in fact I said to Martin I would love to see inside and maybe do a house swap -you can imagine the answer to that one.

Anyway I shall share some more pics that we took that day later.
I expect you have had enough by now. So on to some stitchy pics. I took part in Laineys Teatime/Picnic exchange and I have been itching to show you the goodies I had from Teresa at Heartfelt stitches in the U.S.

Look at all these sweet little packages all with little quotes about tea and teatime on them. Have you espied him yet ? Look again if not and you will see the teeniest crocheted sheep on the envelope. Do you want to look inside - hee hee shall I keep you in suspenders!Oh all right then here we go prepare to be jealous !!

2 Little gold teaspoons,with tea pot on one and teacup and saucer on the other.
A little tea book full of snippets about tea.

An absolutely me notebook ,just loved the colours and the pic on the front. I have put all the tea comments in it.

A sweet little sheep for me to stitch.

A coaster for my tea cup.

Something for when hunger or just a chocolate fix strikes.

Certainly spoilt but the best is saved until last here was my stitched item, if you read this Teresa you must be thrilled to have made this ladies day.

The inside.

Even the little fob that Teresa has mailed me to say it was her first attempt at that ,has a little teapot on the end . I was absolutely dancing(WELL ALMOST) round the room. A very generous lady doing her first exchange and everything so perfect.She personalised it with my name on the back and a little cross stitched sheep. Thankyou so much Teresa.To Lainey who organises these exchanges a big thankyou to you too , just signed up for the next one ,if you fancy it too go along to Stitched with Love Exchanges.
How much more shall I tell you this time perhaps I will show you what I stitched for Vicki L in the U.S. I won't bore you with items sent just the stitched item hmmm.
This Lizzie Kate design I made into a wet wipes holder ,perfect I thought for wiping sticky fingers after a picnic cake.The back picture I left the wipes sticking out to show what it was,but they do fit in there nicely.


Oh ok I will give you peak at sent goodies.

Vicki loves cats so I sent her a Kelmscott needleminder with a cat on. A packet of 'posh'paper serviettes, a piece of Sassys fabby in dusk as she likes purple, some dinky dye threads in various colours, a hanger for her wall.
I am never sure if I send enough or if I do it right but I haven't had a complaint from Lainey yet, she vets what you are sending before it is sent ,or at least I think that is what she does lol.

Well my dears I think that is enough for today ,I have been managing to stitch a little but not a lot to show you. I would like to say Bless you all for your comments last time and for the healing thoughts, I am feeling better hope it continues to stay away for a while. Ollie still is limping very badly ,with everyone asking what is wrong when we take him out. I think he needs some canvas boots,but don't think he would keep them on.
I will try and catch up again soon , hope you have not been too bored by the memories - I can show you more if you like -in fact 2pics to share before I go ,again of Portland now going to be famous for its Sailing in the Olympics next year.

This is the arch under Rufus Castle leading to Church Ope Cove where smugglers used to bring in their ill gotten gains.Built in Henry 8ths reign to protect the bay.
Lastly a pic of the new part of Portland.

So bye for now , take good care of you and yours and I shall be back again very soon with updates.
Hugs n stuff
Barb.