Life is a BEACH!!!

Its that time of year when I get the need to feel the sand between my toes, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the salty taste of the sea air and the relaxed feel of beach life. Due to our incredibly wet summer we have not had much of a chance to get to the beach this year. This time last year I think I was on the beach at every opportunity from long days followed by long drives home with sleepy children, weekends away in the camper and just under two glorious week away at the sea side in the van...you open up the doors of the van and the beach is your front garden...Oh Bless. Sadly not so much this year.
I have some great memories of last year, We entered a sand castle competition and actually won, well we came joint third, I think they must have been very indecisive or exceptionally nice judges. We had a ball making our croc! As you can see the children managed to say out of the sea long enough. We won a cream tea at a local beach restaurant...Yum Yum!!!
So here is our Bongo, Oh this was another special memory, this was the previous summer. A beach I spent many of my childhood holidays on. Infact I remember going as a blossoming teenager with all the teenage worries, to think many years later I am on it with my own children. Sadly the hotel I stayed in with my family is no longer there, how things change!!! Its a beach you can drive on to, it was early evening and within an hour the other cars had gone, it was just us with this wonderful beach to ourselves. We pulled out the BBQ and wrapped ourselves up in blankets and watched the sun go down, I remember knitting until the light faded...Magical.
So the reason for this rather sentimental post is it is holiday time, I am in the throws of organising and cleaning the camper van, packing the first aid kit and trying to finish my holiday quilt in time to take with me. The house needs to be cleaned for the house sitter, someone has to look after the rest of the family, Archie Bunny, Charlie and Lola the GPs.
Then I will be taking my summer blog break. I will be to and throw so I might squeeze a post in now and then, but I will be back to the daily blogging early September, I have a giveaway in mind, I need to free my house of the little mice I have been knitting and the buttons I am addicted to producing!!!
Talking of knitting I have my summer projects to take with me, plus some threads, hoop and linen a couple of good books and of course my camera. Before I say farewell I wanted to thank the ever lovely Little Cotton Rabbits for the Rockin' Girl Blog award. I will pass it on when I am back on the blog, in the mean time, I am a little blown away by this, I am not really a winner of sorts so to have won two awards in one week is amazing. Me a Rockin' Girl, who would have thought. Thanks. Enjoy the rest of the summer holidays assuming you mark your days by the school year!!! I think a lot of blogs are quite at the moment due to the great weather and the kids being at home, think how much inspiration we will all have in September when we read all the wonderful news and creative activities that have been done over the summer...Good Health everyone...

WIP...Nearly finished my Linda quilt, just on the binding, the knitted tank top has only one sleeve edge to finish, my big quilt is in the process of all being joined together with sashes and boarders, various bits of embroidery being experimented with. I am also still trying to teach myself to crochet!!!

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Children's summer learning project of Linen and cotton...well is slow and steady, we have visited a mill about cotton production and how children used to work in the trade, we have frayed, chopped, ripped cotton, the sewing machine is still of interest to my oldest, The big success of this project was tie dying Tee's using cold water dye and elastic bands. The post man provided us with the bands..reduce reuse and recycle