Well the first Sunday roast in our new home went off exceedingly well even if I do say so myself. The oven performed miracles and everyone enjoyed themselves

Rob suggested I made profiteroles for sweet as they are always extremely popular and over the years have been like my signature dish - how posh was that comment! Whenever asked what they wanted the family always wanted them and if I offered to take food anywhere it was always the same request. Trust me they are not easy to transport in a car!!!

















Anyway they rose beautifully and cooked well in the gas oven so I breathed a sigh of relief
and below the finished plateful.
















After the meal there was not one scrap left!!!!
















Well as we started to sit down for dinner who thought she was guest of honour! No prizes for guessing that it was the most mischievous cat ever! She was sent packing very quickly.














Caroline and Nic arrived with this beautiful vase as a New Home Pressie - it matches a smaller version that I had had as a Mothers Day gift last year. Then lo and behold my sister arrived bearing these beautiful flowers so they just happened to fit the vase beautifully.

It was a great day. Rob and I were privy to a sneak preview of Nic & Caroline's wedding rings and they are so pretty - well perhaps I should not describe Nic's as pretty!!

So all in all it was a fabulous day - thank you to all my wonderful family I am so lucky to have you all xxxx

Oh I just had to share this - look at my new toy, it is soo lovely to use - I am really really lucky
to have this having just moved house. The throat on it is wonderful for quilting and there are lots and lots of lovely stitches and it is very smooth - I could just go on and on but wont!!!
















I am busy quilting my very large Barn Raising Quilt on my new machine so it is earning its keep already.

Whilst we were on holiday I worried I would get bored on some of the coach journeys so I took some handsewing with me - and produced this lovely baby toy - the poor gentleman sitting across the aisle on the coach was wonderful he kept picking up all the bits I managed to drop on a regular basis. I only managed to make one as the scenery was so wonderful it kept distracting me.

Well tomorrow we have all four children and respective partners coming for the first sunday roast at our new home. Yeh I am so looking forward to it - the only slight worry is that my new oven is a gas oven and this is the first major cooking session in it. Oh well it will be fine I am sure. Rob has put together all our ikea purchases from last weekend so now we are getting really organised. My sewing room is slowly taking shape and I am hopeful of getting it all set up in the next week or so.

Yeh I have actually finished a quilt - this was made out of a jelly roll for the centre 'Fandango' by Moda then I decided to cut up a layer cake for the border - it is lovely and bright and cheerful - not sure where it will go now it is done - but it was fun to make!!!

The remainder of the layer cake and part of a plain brown jelly roll has made a second quilt and in my normal fashion haven't taken a photo of that just yet - though it is believe it or not finished.

We are having a workshop at Art and Stitch on 16th April with this quilt so should be a fun day.






















I have been quilting my very large King Size 'Barn Raising Quilt' and am only a fraction of the way through it but it is coming along nicely. I have borrowed Barbara's new Janome Horizon and oh it is so wonderful - so wonderful that in fact I have ordered one for me he he a new toy coming - what fun¬!!!!!

Well my hundreth post is looming and I shall have to try and put my head together for a good giveaway - so am going to go and try and get the grey matter into gear.

Well Poppy has settled into her new home - she loves lying through the banister rails and then attacks anyone who walks past.!!!!

After a trip to Ikea Poppy was supervising the fitting together of the kitchen stools! She was totally convinced that Rob needed extra help and guidance.

Anyway she approved of the finished article and tested it out straight away!!!! There are two but she had lost interest by the time the second one was being put together.

We had a super day at Ikea - took Rob's 82 year old Mum for her first visit - she loved it especially the swedish apple cake and vanilla cream!!!

The one room in the house that I need to attack is my sewing room and I shall find some time soon I hope!!!

Some more photos of our holiday in Austria and Switzerland - I took about 235 pictures and I am reluctant to dump any of them as they are all good in their own way!!

This was in a beautiful park in Innsbruck by the Palace - poor horse - they did not have many takers for the carriage ride I am afraid.















This cable car was above Innsbruck and where the Olympics had been held - of the ski jump looked absolutely terrifying - how on earth they can launch themselves from it I cannot comprehend!
















More photos of the Oberalp Express - this was where we changed engines for the steep climb.

Unfortunately some of the pictures from inside the train as we were going along have reflections in - it was the most beautiful sunny day and the train was really really warm. But the views and scenery were totally awe inspiring.

Well the house move went amazingly well - we had key release at 12-0-clock and the removals firm had gone by 3-0-clock, so we were able to go and get Poppy and start to get organised.
We are in love with the house and the space, the garden is lovely as Nic said roll on the Barbecue's.

Poppy is confused by the empty fish tank as they were all taken back to the Water Zoo to and we shall reset this one up with cold water fish and then the new Marine tank will be set up in due course.

















Caroline & Nic have made all their wedding invitations and sent them out - they are lovely even though of course I am very biased! There is the most lovely verse inside from the file 'When Harry Met Sally'. They are so very happy and fizzing over, they have created their own website www.forourwedding.co.uk and Nic is starting a blog. Caroline has bought the most wonderful shoes - she will tower above me when we walk down the Aisle - and no before anyone says anything I am not wearing heels that high!!!!

So as we said yesterday, July will soon be upon us - as time flies so quickly. They are not having a bespoke wedding cake they are having "Mum's Cakes" . Nic's Mum also a Pam, and I are going to make fruit cake, maderia cake, chocolate cake, lemon cake & cup cakes and they have found a lovely cake display to hire to display them. Nic and Caroline will make one cake themselves for the top of the display which will have a bride and groom sitting on it. What a wonderfully different idea!! Oh it is soo exciting and I am so proud of them.

A fabulous holiday - Rob and I spent last week in Austria and Switzerland on an Alpine Winter Holiday - it was wonderful - words cannot describe the views and the places.

Just a few pictures - I took well over two hundred photos and so it is difficult to condense down to a few just to share with you.






We went on the Alpine Glacier Express in Switzerland and this is just one view from the panoramic train carriage - it was wonderful
















Trees just covered in snow as we travelled in a cable car


















Oh look at this lovely cup of tea in the most friendly of little restaurants in Innsbrook - we also had goulash soup and apple strudel yum yum!!!

















What a lovely view this was in Bregenz
















Another cable car this time descending

We were lucky to have super people on the coach journey with us and it made for a lovely holiday. Oh wow the wool shops in Austria and Switzerland are out of this world, we found a couple of dressmaking fabric shops and it was like going into a little piece of heaven. There was a lovely patchwork shop but they did not have anything specifically Swiss they were all Kona Bay, Stoffe & Moda - home from home!!!!!

Then we found an Aquatic shop with some wonderful fish and Marine fish layouts and as that is Rob's next project we are having a Marine Tank with live rock and corals and wonderful fish so we got some good ideas from this centre.

Oh also the train layout in the shed looks like it might be being changed to an Alpine scene - from our bedroom window in Switzerland there was the most beautiful scene with of course a railway coming out of a tunnel before our very eyes - so our 1940's layout looks to be beached and an Alpine one on the way!!!!!


The wood carvings were fabulous and I should have put a picture of them on, but will just save that for later.

So now I am back - the house move is happening on Friday and we are all packed in boxes - have to keep moving or I might get put in one!!!! Poppy did not enjoy her stay at the cattery this time and has lost some weight but we can sort that out for her quite quickly I am sure!!!

Well Caroline's wedding invitations are out she has made them all and they look lovely - more about this on a later blog.

Must dash as I am trying to finish quilting a quilt and am nearly there - so once that is done I shall take some photos to share.