Everyone loves a bargain

Good evening

How was your day? Mine was good - loads done in the house - amazing how much mess we can make over a weekend, especially when we weren't here for one day! Had to refill the cake & biscuit tins too for packed lunches & after-school nibbles - Floss your ginger biscuits are still very popular :)

On my way to visit my sister & niece this afternoon, I nipped into the charity shops - dropped off a bag of clothes to one and picked up a fantastic bargain in another - 7 vintage ladybird books, all in brilliant condition for just 50p each!!

I already have a copy of Elves from my childhood but that is very fragile & well read - this one hardly looks like its been read at all, which I find quite sad. The others were also in brilliant condition - quite my lucky day :)

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Up, up and away

Hello

Wow, thank you to all who've entered my birthday giveaway - you've given me the kickstart I needed and a pretty pile of pressies is starting to build up ;) and I'm sure a few more will be added over the next week or so.

In answer to the anniversary question - yes we are doing something special. My MIL is coming here for the weekend to supervise the boys (not babysit but just check they don't burn the house down!!) and MrVV & I are off to Brighton for a couple of nights :) Planning a mix of walking on the Downs, meals out and shopping (I believe there's a CK in town somewhere ;) ).

Yesterday we headed out for the day as a family. MrVV brass band were playing @ Henham Steam Rally and we were lucky enough to have free passes for the rest of the family too. My MIL came along with us too.

When we arrived at the Rally, MrVV went off to set up and the rest of us wandered off. As we were walking around we spotted a helicopter giving pleasure rides. Conversation turned to how much fun that would be and next thing I know, MIL had booked (and paid) for myself, her and the boys to have a flight!

Little son & I (MIL is hidden beside me) just before we took off - surprisingly there were no nerves!

Big son got to sit in the co-pilot seat - he absolutely loved this. Apparently we were 1000 feet off the ground and doing a speed of 130mph! It made him chuckle to see the pilot had a sat-nav!!

The view of the Steam Rally

Surrounding countryside

Walberswick with Southwold Harbour

Southwold & Reydon

It was just the most amazing experience - we all loved it. Something we all want to do again.

There was so much to see and do yesterday. We managed to cram loads into our time there. The boys went water zorbing (again) - sadly this time little sons zorb sprung a leak! and he got soaked from the waist down - luckily we found a stall selling trousers & socks.

There was also a vintage fairground there - we all went on the dodgems. This time I braved little son's driving - lets just say I think he gets his driving skills (or lack of them) from his Mum ;) MIL & I opted out of the big-wheel but the boys went on;

Of course no trip to the fair is complete without candyfloss (apparently);

Today has been one of domestic chores, baking and homework - hopefully I'll fit some knitting time in later.

See you later in the week.

xxx Vicki xxx

Vintage Vicki is one today :) - giveaway time

Happy birthday to my blog - can't believe its been a year since I sat in front of the computer and wondered what to write and whether anyone would read it.

Thank you to everyone who follows, reads and comments (and those that do all 3) on here. Despite my lack of responses sometimes, I do read every comment and visit as many of your blogs as I possibly can.

Well it wouldn't be a birthday in blogland without a giveaway :) Well this is a giveaway with a twist - lets just say there will be pressies for the lucky winner but as of this moment, I'm not sure what (though it will most likely include a little knitted gingerbread house) as this date has rather crept up on me!!

Anyhow, if you'd like to enter - leave a comment, please. If you'd like to use my button and add it to your blog that would be fantastic too.

I'll leave this giveaway open till 29th September - another special date. Its our 20th wedding anniversary that day!!

xxx Vicki xxx

Knitted toys and new clothes :)

Good evening

Well its officially Autumn - have given in and started wearing socks and layers. The cooler weather is also keeping me indoors slightly more, so inbetween domestic chores and filing, I've been finishing some projects off this week.  Remember my collection of knitted but not finished toys I got from my Grandma? Well I've now finished 3 of them;

I've also finished my lacy scarf - its very snuggly and warm. I've also ordered the same yarn in a gorgeous purple too;

I had decided at the end of last winter that this winter I wanted a new winter coat - something that wasn't black. I've been keeping an eye on ebay for a while, I knew what I wanted - a Boden cord coat. 2nd hand these have been fetching silly money so I was surprised and delighted to find a new one on there the other day in my size and colourway for a reasonable buy-it-now price. I left dinner to 'cook longer' whilst I hit the necessary buttons ;)  The postie brought it yesterday and I'm delighted with it;

I did my shift yesterday in the charity shop and you'll be surprised to hear that no bargains came home with me :( However a quick visit to another shop this afternoon when I was really only supposed to be visiting the next door shop for a new bike tyre, turned up the perfect Vicki dress - it will be great with a long sleeved t-shirt under it for this cooler weather;

I have been busy this week cutting out and sewing but I can't share that with you as its all destined for the swaps I'm taking part in ;)

Right - just a short visit tonight as I'll be back tomorrow with a birthday giveaway . My lovely little blog (well I think so) is one tomorrow :)

xxx Vicki xxx

Heritage Day Out Sunday

Good evening - hows your weekend been?

Had quite a decent one here - lots of pottering yesterday with a big cooking session yesterday afternoon - managed to rope both boys into helping with that :) Also nipped to see my little nephew who is 6 today - what a very excited little person he was - I suspect he will have woken his parents up early this morning.

Today dawned bright & sunny as we'd hoped. We wanted to take advantage of a freebie - Heritage Open Days - this happens each year - lots of places open their doors to the public for free. Some places are open all the while whilst others are only open this weekend. We had looked through the list of places in Suffolk and settled on somewhere we've meant to visit for a long while but never got round to - West Stow Anglo Saxon Village near Bury St Edmunds.

The village is set into some beautiful countryside which you can visit at any time for free - the advantage today was the Village & Museum were also free to visit.

The houses have been recreated using the original post holes & styled by using archaeological evidence found on the site. There are several different buildings on the site - houses, a weavers room and a meeting hall - these are all slightly different as they've been built at different times as theories have changed.

They've also recreated the rest of the village - I just loved the gardens with their heritage varieties of veg and also the Saxon scarecrow!!

The museum was very interesting - lots of treasures that had been found on the site and also in the surrounding area. I wish I'd been able to take pics of the needles & weaving equipment. There were plenty of hands-on items too. The boys despite their sometimes 'we're too old to do stuff like that' attitude were keen to try the replica helmet on;

As well as visiting the village we followed several of the trails around the park and along the River Lark;

I tried so hard to get a picture of the damselflies - they were just too quick for me!!

On the last part of the walk as we were heading back to the car - little sons legs 'got tired' - so kind of his brother to give him a lift!!

Right - its that time on a Sunday - school stuff to iron and Countryfile to watch.

See you later in the week - there's a 1st birthday to celebrate ;)

xxx Vicki xxx

The joy of.............

.....peeling onions!

Had to peel loads of these the other day to make chutney. My poor tomatoes were starting to go mouldy on the vines so I picked the ones that were still ok and turned them into chutney.  Reading back to one of my first blog posts I made last year, I had problems ripening my tomatoes last summer too. Am beginning to think I need to sort out a mini-greenhouse for next year!!

Anyhow all the effort & tears was worthwhile - we've now 6 jars of green tomato chutney to keep us going through the next 12 months;

I have been a busy little Vicki this past week - working a couple of days for MrVV - oh the joys of typing pages of figures into the computer.  I  have also been trying to make a start on some of the swaps I am taking part in - if you haven't already - look at my sidebar - think there are 2 swaps that don't close till the weekend?

I spent Wednesday afternoon as a volunteer in a local charity shop - something I shall be doing each week. It was rather fun - a real mix of ages.

As the weather has been mixed this week, I've started knitting a scarf for myself. When I was @ Latitude in July, I picked up a couple of balls of Debbie Bliss Eco Organic cotton from the knitting stall. I liked the colour and thought it would come in useful.  Last week when my very clever knitting sister came round I showed them to her & asked her advice on what I could knit that was simple? She had a rummage through my needles & handed me 2 ones of different size. Knitting like that produces a simple lacy pattern - I'm rather pleased with it;

One ball used up and I've made a start on the 2nd one - just enough yarn to produce the perfect size scarf :)

Thank you for all the positive comments on the gingerbread house in the last post - hopefully there will be some of those available to buy very soon ;)

Until next time

xxx Vicki xxx

Times flies by too fast.....

Where has this past week gone?

Seems it started in a whirl of back to school stuff - labelling, haircuts, bag packing and of course the setting of alarms for far too early in the morning.

Think both boys are quite happy to be back - new timetables to learn and friends to catch up with. The first lots of homework have been brought home too - the less popular side of returning to school.

Fortunately it was only a 2 day week last week and the weekend came round very quickly.

Saturday was a lovely day - the boys & I headed out for a walk armed with lots of tubs in case we found anything to forage ;)  We did - more blackberries to add to my collection in the freezer - some will end up as jam and others added to crumbles over the winter months;

We also found sloes - which will end up as sloe gin;

There seemed so many berries in the lane - far more than last year;

Am sure the wildlife will appreciate these when the cooler weather kicks in.

On Sunday, 3 of us headed to Aldeburgh for a walk - big son opted instead to do some gardening for me, in exchange for a long uninterrupted gaming session in the afternoon.  It was a lovely morning - very quiet - I think we beat the daytrippers. We headed along the sea wall towards the martello tower;

River one side;

Very calm sea the other;

Little son spent some time searching for lucky stones & also ones that might be good for skimming;

After all that and before the kitchen called for a mammoth baking session, I found time to finish a couple of makes;

A raggydoll for a niece for her birthday later this month.

A knitted gingerbread house (Mk 1) - think I shall be making a few more of these over the coming weeks.

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx