Sweet Sixteen

On the 25th of this month, my youngest, AJ turned 16

Sixteen is a big thing to me and I think for our generation and even more so the generation before but it doesn't appear to have the same impact for AJ's generation. Or maybe it is just my son's laid back attitude to life in general

He didn't want any fuss or big party, mind you neither did the other two kids

This is the card I made him

I concentrated on texture and a strong graphic element, nothing too girlie or themed

AJ opted for a quiet meal at home ( Chicken New Yorker, followed by Carrot cake) and then met his mates for a couple of hours afterwards

We had worries when we first moved here, that at the age of fifteen and at a critical point in his academic career, AJ might struggle. But he has settled well and has lots of new friends, he is happy and very chilled and loving the new surroundings.

Love and sweet sixteen kisses

Tracey

xxx

7 On Sunday

I have been asked why we moved to Cornwall

This is why !

1. St Mawes on Tuesday

2. Bathing in the glorious sunshine

3. Our first visit to Crinnis beach which is right on our doorstep

4. Midweek the beaches are virtually deserted

5. I have never known two dogs happier than when they are playing in the surf

6. Clear blue waters, clean sand and winter sunshine

7. One very soggy but very happy Bruce

Out of the past 7 days, we have enjoyed four days at the beach

Yes I have a little ironing to catch up on and the house hasn't been dusted yet this week, but do I care ?- hell no, the cleaning will get done on a day when we are limited by the weather. We wanted to move somewhere we could enjoy the outdoors. The coast has called me for years and I know we have done the right thing when I can see Neil and the dogs on the beach, not a care in the world !

Love and blissful beach days

Tracey

xxx

Get Well Soon

Ooops, one of my lovely friends recently took a tumble and has hurt her foot

We were talking on the phone and even though she really wasn't feeling too good she managed to make me laugh, so I just had to make her a more comical card rather than the general 'get well soon' type

The tortoise was made using a variety of punches, I had great fun trying to work out how to make him look like an actual tortoise

Get well soon - you know who you are - love you xxx

Love and little mishaps

Tracey

xxx

St Mawes

ST Mawes is a small fishing village at the end of the Roseland Peninsula, opposite Falmouth on the South coast of Cornwall, approximately 30 minutes (by car) east of where we live

We have passed sign posts many a time as we have travelled to and from Truro and promised ourselves a little trip there once the weather picked up

Tuesday was glorious and so we packed the beach towels, dogs and a picnic into the car and off we set

St Mawes is positioned within the gulf stream and basks in mild weather all year round, during the summer it is often a Mediterranean climate, which explains why there are some stunning gardens in the area

We headed straight to the harbour so the dogs could have a run on the beach

This is the view from where you enter St Mawes

We started out on Idles Beach

It didn't take the dogs long to dive in, Bruce is already swimming ( that little dot where Molly is heading)

I wandered off down the beach to explore the rockpools, Molly was not far behind, ears flapping, tail wagging and stick in mouth ready to play

I love this photo of Bruce, checking that his little sister is not far behind, he is a very elegant and strong swimmer, hardly making any splashes when he is in the water, Molly on the other hand, starts off like she is drowning with seemingly more legs than an octopus, she eventually settles into a lovely little doggy paddle but Bruce is always mindful that she is ok.

After our playtime on the beach we explored the town and took a wander along the harbourside.

St Mawes is a beautiful little village, well maintained and very clean. There was lots of painting going on, many of the seafront properties, mostly little fisherman's cottages have been painted ice-cream colours - so pretty, and then there was this stunning thatched cottage, up for sale at a cool £750,000 - but honestly the view it had was priceless

Strolling passed the thatched cottage and continuing around the harbour we found the perfect little sun trap to settle down, take a breather and enjoy our picnic. With views out over the harbour and out to sea, the sun on our faces it was the perfect end to an absolutely beautiful day.

I just love the way Molly is catching the rays, eyes closed, sniffing the clean sea air and drying out nicely.

Love and sandy paws

Tracey

xxx

7 on Sunday

Our week in photos

1. My lovely friend at work Margaret has been knitting squares to make dog blankets for one of the local vets, we get lots of oddments of wool at the shop so I have joined in and have started making some myself, I am not as quick as Margaret but it keeps my fingers busy while I am watching the telly

2. Our poor little patch of lawn has taken a battering this winter. Before we moved in, it had been allowed to grow too long and we nearly lost it all after the first mow. Add to that, the incessant drizzle and frequent downpours plus two energetic and sometimes rather silly dogs skidding about, the lawn looked more like a quagmire. I took it in hand this week ( between showers of course), mowed it close, raked it and reseeded it, I am hoping with a little TLC we can nurse it back to some kind of health

3. We had some paint left over from decorating our hall - we adore the colour so have decided to use the rest up in our bedroom, it matches our bedding perfectly. I have been prepping the walls and have now got the first coat on, it is already looking much cosier than the magnolia

4. The long evenings have been perfect for catching up on one of my favourite TV shows. I absolutely love Dickensian. The bringing together of Dickens' best loved and iconic characters, all living together in 19th century London has been a triumph. Their lives and stories intertwined, is, in my opinion utterly genius. All the characters have been brought to life with such a talented cast and every episode has been full of drama and intrigue as well as a good dose of humour - love it

5. Our first beach day of the year, a very chilly day but nice and dry. Molly and Bruce ran and ran and ran, in and out of the surf, catching balls and sticks or in Molly's case anything that moved ( as in mouthfuls of ebbing and flowing seaweed)

6. Puppy training. I have been taking Molly to puppy training for a few weeks now and to be honest the distraction of the other dogs usually makes me wonder why I bother. Molly has no attention span at the best of times and just wants to run and play and generally mess about. But ....... we turned a corner this week and it just seemed to click. I think she is getting a little more used to the other dogs and settled down much better, we still have a long way to go and we are never going to be auditioning for Britain's Got Talent, but we are much better with some of the tasks

7. We have been enjoying making a daily smoothie, Neil and I both look out for bargains on the fruit and veg each day as we pop out for the newspaper and whizz up our finds for our daily juice.

Love and all the little things

Tracey

xxx

Happy birthday Katie

On the 16th of this month, my lovely niece Katie turned 18

There is a couple of milestones this year  - AJ is 16 in a few days too, it doesn't seem two minutes since they were all playing together as toddlers

This is the card I made for Katie

It's an 8in x 8in card and I made the cake by hand, using punches to create the fancy cake stand, the banner is a die cut

Love and birthday kisses

Tracey

xxx

Spit Beach - February 2016

We had a break in the rain yesterday so decided to make the first visit of the year to our nearest beach - Spit Beach which is a 15 minute walk from our house

It was still pretty chilly so it was no surprise to find the beach deserted

Guess who was especially happy to run around in the sand and surf, Molly actually looked like she was grinning the whole time we were there

It was just after lunch time but the light was extraordinary, the cloud cluttered sky sporadically broke to allow the sun to dazzle the waves

We made the most of the full length of the beach and the dogs explored every nook and cranny, always mindful of where the next tossed ball or stick was coming from

A brave and bedraggled Bruce patiently waiting for the ball to be tossed back into the seaweed strewn surf

Crystal clear rock pools

Gazing out to sea, man and dog, at one with nature, tired, a little cold but completely content on the crisp Cornish coast.

Love and salty kisses

Tracey

xxx