Ahoy there...

I have been hither and thither over the last few days.

Trips to my parents...

... and Sunday lunchtime cinema to see Despicable Me 2, at last; and then today we went to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

It was really excellent.  We got there super-early and were able to go into the new Mary Rose Museum as soon as it opened, avoiding the queues and crowds completely.  It was so good to see the wreck and artefacts in the new building, and to bore the kids with the tale of how I remembered it being pulled from the seabed when I was just a bit older than them!

We went round HMS Victory and HMS Warrior and had a go in a helicopter simulator.  There was a picnic, and ice-cream and then we finished the day off with a wander round Gunwharf Quays.

There may have been shopping, with White Stuff, Cath Kidston and Paperchase all within 100yds of each other, it certainly was not my fault!

So there has been very little sewing, but maybe tomorrow I will be able to show you something; although, if my To Do list is anything to go by, it may well just be name tags and Rainbow badges!

Now I need to rest my achy feet and take a look in my Inbox...wish me luck x

Up Periscope!

I know, I know, another day without anything material to show you for your trouble, because today we swapped our annual jaunt up the Spinnaker Tower for a quick trip across the harbour and a visit to the Royal Navy Submarine Museum instead...

It was actually quite fun!  Fortunately the claustrophobia was kept at bay by all the electric fans placed along the length of HMS Alliance and the continual knocking on the hull by the restoration team outside - no mistaking we were on dry land at any point.

There were hands-on fun and games for the kids including a Horrible Science of Submarines exhibition - definitely worth trading in your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for!

We obviously had to have a quick scoot round Gunwharf Quay afterwards and pop into Cath Kidston, where I bought a small suitcase (I am still on holiday, after all!), but it was getting dark and rainy by the time we got home, so no photo today, sorry.

And finally, a thank you to Susan and Trudi for sending me pics to prove my Sizzix Quilt made it to FoQs - I am not going to let Mr Random choose between you - but I will get a little something made for you both, just bear with me until I find my sewing mojo - I hid it along with the spare keys and other valuables before we went away, and I can't for the life of me remember which drawer I put them all in!

Bee brave...

Yesterday we enjoyed what is becoming an annual family trip to the Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quays; it's less than an hour away, but always seems like a big treat.

There was obligatory glass-floor walking, and looking out to sea, a nice cuppa with a view, then shopping and Pizza Express.

Apologies, my feet look filthy and just a little bit weird!

I came away with a White Stuff skirt and a spotty Cath Kidston rain-mac in the sales, but didn't spend too much, as I was saving myself for the journey home.

A 2 minute detour took us right to The Eternal Maker.  Fancy that!

So the crew remained in the car, whilst I literally made a beeline for the 3 fabrics I wanted, scrumdiddlyumptious Melody Miller, Ruby Star Spring, in the Springtime colourway and some, da da daaah Aurifil thread!

It was a good excuse to catch up with the lovely Anna, recovering slowing from the manic FoQ, and although I could have stayed for hours, the sad little faces in the car made this a mission and no time for browsing, just a birthday voucher and only a teensy bit more spent, honest.

Anyway I didn't drop working Wednesdays from September for nothing - I think I have just filled my calendar with 'things to do and places to go alone'!

The fabrics are destined for the Noodlehead 241 bag which I bought yesterday too - I am yet to decide if I'll use the big bee as the main panel - reaction from the family wasn't even mixed - but I love it!

Shine on, you crazy diamond...

Well the sun has kept shining and we spent a lovely day in Portsmouth, with a look round Gunwharf Quay and a long-awaited trip up the Spinnaker Tower.

It looked quite a long way up, and a long way down, but we are hardened tower 'climbers' and the children have happily crawled and walked the glass floors of the Auckland Sky Tower, so this was a breeze!

The dots at the bottom are the tables outside the cafe below. With clear blue skys we could see over to the Isle of Wight, along the coast and inland, and made promises of trips to HMS Victory below another day.

...and here's a treat for you ladies!!

I managed to find a super pack of 5 pairs of baby socks for £2 in the Next outlet store, so I am looking forward to trying to make some mini owls.

No sewing tonight, it was a very long day.