FINALLY FINISHED!! Siberian Gold Tigers - Day 56....plus a wee break.

56 Days and it's finally finished!

This is Siberian Gold and it's from Anchor and it's a commission piece I've had in my possession for about 6 months.

I've actually only spent 56 days stitching it in that time and each day has been a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 14.

I hated the first page but loved every stitch after that.

Now it's done, I will be sorry to see it go, but I'll be pleased to be able to concentrate on my own stitching.

In addition to finishing this design over the weekend, I also did some more on my Tilton Crafts design So Lonely. It still doesn't look like much, but at least progress is being made! That's also almost 200 stitches!

So, what else did we do since my last blog entry?

Well, on Thursday we had a trip to York.

We discovered we could get a train from Grantham (about an hour from our house) and be in York in an hour too! Which gives Nigel a nice break from driving too!

So, off we trotted to Grantham train station. Admittedly getting up at 5.45am to be able to get the train was not my idea of fun!

 

An hour later and we were in York!

York's a lovely train station. Very clean and modern with a touch of the London feel.

Don't worry...I'm not going to bore you with 'holiday snaps'. We spent the day wandering around the city; which if you've never been, is a beautiful place to visit!

We found a stitching shop of some importance too!

People who read my blog know I'm a firm fan of the Able Stretcher frame, well the UK owner of the design is based in York...The Viking Loom.

And here I am outside (I HATE this picture! LOL!)

After a fair amount of time in there - during which Nigel bought some patchwork squares... - we continued our wanderings.

We found the Abbey which is lovely:

 I even managed to get Nigel to pose for a picture and he managed to sneak another of me:

As the day wore on we both started to feel like old me. Aching feet, aching backs, too hot, too thirsty! LOL! Still it was a lovely day and we really enjoyed ourselves. Nigel was especially pleased at only having to drive a little bit all day!

The following day, while I was busy trying to finish the tigers, Nigel was hard at work creating this little masterpiece!

A companion piece to the other Downtown Abbey Cushion, this is the sequel!

Fully patchworked with flower/fabric buttons and framed with a delicate blue edging.

And, now we're up to date.

Hope you enjoyed this entry.

HAPPY STITCHING!

My Independence Day....including Today's Stitchy Haul!

2 years ago today I stopped smoking. I'd been a smoker for 30 years and I still can't believe I stopped. But, I'm so glad I did!

Giving up smoking truly gained ME independence!

So, for my second anniversary my partner took me out for the day to celebrate.

Our first stop was a nearby town by the name of Bourne (in Lincolnshire) and our first stop was the craft shop: The Crafty Patch.

(Facebook page: The Crafty Patch)

This lovely little shop is a dying breed - the independently run business catering to craft lovers. She stocks a very good range of Cross Stitch Kits along with masses of other craft related stock - especially wool.

Definitely worth a browse if you're in the neighbourhood.

Bourne itself is also a very nice market town, with some great shops and eateries.

Also, a good range of charity shops.

My logic told me that if there was a craft shop in the town then some of that craft would find it's way to the local charity shops.

I'm very glad to say I was correct.

Here's what I got today:

(No my cat - the lovely Isis - didn't come with the stash)

As you can see I got a lap stand/hoop. A miniature scroll frame for those pesky small projects. An artists canvas - to have a go at mounting a design. And last, but not least, a Thomas Kinkade cross stitch kit - which looks to be complete.

The entire stash cost only £8. Bargain!

After Bourne we headed over to one of our favourite places in the whole of the UK. Stamford. A couple of years ago Stamford was voted most desirable place to live in the UK! As a result property prices soared.

Still, one day we would love to live there - we may even be able to if our house sells soon!

So, we arrived, parked and strolled into town - making sure to cross the main river:

Once in the town we, once again, remembered why we wanted to live there.

The lovely sandstone buildings lining the streets:

We spent a good hour strolling around the shops. In and out of the various charity shops too (resulting a very healthy CD haul I have to admit!).

Before finally stopping at a lovely Italian restaurant for my anniversary lunch.

Pizza for Nigel and Mushroom Tagliatele for me. Yum!

Nigel couldn't resist the urge to scour the cake shop for something to have later.

 

While I waited nearby - clearly having had far too much cake over recent years!

Eventually, we strolled back to the car (stopping in more shops and an antique centre along the way). We paused for a while on the lovely bridge to take in our surroundings:

Re-visiting Stamford firmly established in our minds why we want to live there. In addition to it's beautiful architecture and surroundings it has a thriving community, vibrant town centre and a wonderful atmosphere. It also has a Morrisons (our favourite supermarket) and a Dominos Pizza (our favourite pizza!) what more could we want?

The property prices to drop just enough so we can afford to live there!

....And so it begins....

Ok. Here goes.

Totally new to blogging. Thought I'd give it a go. Why? Because, sometimes I think I might actually have something to say that people will find interesting.

I called my blog 'The Eclectic Bloke's Blog' because I've got a lot of interests and there was no way I could define my blog with one word and still make it sound interesting. Besides, I've always loved the word eclectic.

So, what do you need (or want) to know about me?

I'm male and in my forties - or my mid-life crisis some would say; and I have a lot of interests.

What you won't see on my blog is the any of the following (so if these interest you leave now!): football or pretty much any other sport (except some tennis). Details of pubs, clubs or restaurants (I might be lying about that last one occasionally).

What you WILL find is my thoughts on:
Books - I read a lot and all the time so I may post my thoughts and feelings on what I'm reading.
Films/TV - I collect DVD and Blu-ray so I may post reviews on what I watch.
Places I've Been - I like to post about new places I go. Not in boring detail though!
Cross Stitch - Counted CS is one of my main hobbies; and, according to some, something of a rarity among men. Although, if facebook is anything to go by, that is changing. I will probably be posting pictures of my current progress and photos of my finished projects.
Writing - I'm a budding writer (aren't we all at one point or another) so I may post short stories or poems. All will be copyrighted so hands off!

So, now you know what my blog is all about. Hopefully you'll find something you like! Happy reading!