Blustery and wet. so ........inside today.

I did intend to get up and go outside to take some early photos of the sunrise and the moon .......except my plan was scuppered by the weather. the weather which is pox ridden. Yorkshire wet and windy.
So we are finishing this long suffering loft conversion. Basically....it has taken us ten whole years to get this flooring down after clearing all the junk we amassed from our van business A man with a van. The van is long gone. We had it towed away because part of the engine blew up. The junk we kept because we thought we "could do something with it. it might come in usefull" kind of junk remained.

We took it all to the tip. including the bed in that room. We have no one who would want to come and stay........there are very few people from former lives and places that still talk to me now. The last of past friends dumped me when I got my cancer diagnosis. Stated that I was a liar and refused to answer emails. so that was the last of "the Bath friends" to bite the dust. This one cancelled coming to this wedding at the last minute as well, so  it is no loss...though I do resent being told I have lied about cancer. If I was going lie....and I suppose some might! It would be about something far more exotic.
so!!!! WHY DID WE have a spare bed any way. No idea now I think about it. so we took that to the tip along with the computer desk and a very lot of Christmas decorations. Did I really need a tree with no stand or pole to put all the branches on? well I obviously thought that I might....as there were four big boxes of fake tree blocking the door. so tip with all that!

once this was done.....we have a big usable space.
What am I going to do with it? well we are making it into a play room. My dolls house and parts of my doll collection and Lee's gaming toys are going up here after the skirting boards and architraves are fitted......
As the weather is so bad there is no excuse today.

These patterns are gorgeous. I just bought them from Etsy. Sasha Pokrass designed them.....

Fabrics I have ordered from Ebay....velvet and mohair. Thought I would try something different. These are all jointed animals and I have ordered all that as well......

really looking forward to getting on with all these later today.


first..........brave the weather and walk Monza the dog. First things first!!!!!

Yeasterday I bought this giraffe print fur too in Harrogate from my fave fabric shop

I did get up early. I really did intend to go out. There was little point as it turned out. Never fear, I did not waste time a got out a roll of bin liners and stuffed them with all Lee's old clothes.

Lee has a lot of old clothes. They have a hard life do garments in his life. usually ending with lumps of fabric missing and covered in grease or paint. or even engine oil which is impossible stuff.

these filled four bin liners and was practically everything he owned. really needs to shop now......

 So here are some photos from the other week........

The last day of January. So lets get to it all then.

Tools and fabric. tha's what we went for.

 Up and out early I was this morning.My first for this year!  The light has started to arrive at a reasonable time. Just about 7am which is far more acceptable. I was also up to my old tricks of pyjamas hidden under boots and coat. These new pyjamas have not had an outing to the Tarn yet as I got them for Christmas.

 The weather and dark mornings have meant that I was to damn lazy to go out in the cold to take photos. So this pair of fluffy animal pyjamas had there first morning outing,  they are complete with ears and sparkly fur top and spotty trousers so looked a treat with my white yeti fur boots and coat.

 The old guy who sits outside the boat house told me that I was too late for the best sun rise as half an hour ago it was stupendous. Must try harder and be out earlier tomorrow.

 I left Lee and Monza in bed and let myself out of the back door. It was not really too cold......I planned this last night. It is my day off. this week I have been at work for 44 hours. This is purely for the money as Lees birthday is coming up in February and I want us to actually go out to lunch.

 This would be actually "do it" as opposed to standing in the street looking at the menu and saying "we will go there one day!"
So this morning some quicky photos. No hanging around and going back to bed! up out and then home for tea.....

 Put on proper street clothes and then walk Monza on the way to Harrogate to go fabric shopping and tool shopping respectively.

 Monza was so excited that I was actually there and nearly knocked me over and jumped on me before I could get me boots on to take him out. Getting as far as the car took twice as long for a short trip as it should as Monza kept running around and around me and as a result I could not got anywhere ......

We walked Monza in the old grave yard first until people started to appear ....it seems like months since I last walked him. It is in fact a week. only a week. And it feels like months since I had a day off too. ......I am going to be careful not to over do the work thing....yes I know!!!!!but it will all be worth it.

 We parked up the Fonz car and left Monza dozing in the back and headed off to the charity shops and the tool shop for Lee.......

 The tool shop.....well what can one say!? it is full of tools and stuff that men get excited about. This one certainly did.

Inside we found a coping saw...which is just about the only tool he has not already got........so that the skirting boards can be made for the long suffering loft.

After much contemplation and arguing over what he was to buy.........yep! we spotted this shop a few weeks ago and decided to make a special outing to go here and then in true Lee fashion he would not pay the prices on the tickets.......

This shop stocks a lot of tools......and these lovely metal signs. I got this one of a Monza dog. It cost an arm and a leg. Lee paid for it at the same time as his saw. once out on the pavement he lit up a ciggy and said " I need a smoke after that....."

On we went around the charity shops. I saw a few things....Like Bruce Springsteen vinyl of "the River"....a Bad company album and some Clannad..too. Bruce Sprinsteen was a fave for a while . The album was my ex husbands "thing" he adored that song the river. I think it had more to do with his first wife than me. Looking back, everything always came before me.......not just  his first two wives..... any way I did not buy any of it so the damn thing does not need to haunt me in these days now.

I saw a pink fluffy jumper in one shop. £10.00. Well this is Harrogate.......and decided it was nice...but I would not be paying that much for it today. besides I think it would have made me look like a stuffed toy....

Which brings me on to the visit to the fabulous fabric shop......

 Which is just next to this old fashioned butchers........Pheasants!!!!you can tell you in a posh area when the butchers sell pheasant.

 And so to the fabric shop. I had come armed with my latest pattern purchases from Etsy,,,,,,
and settled on one piece of fabric to make a stuffed giraffe doll. ....was tempted to buy more, but I did not!!!!

So back to the car where Monza dog was waiting and home eating our lunch of chocolate eclairs on the way.

 We did find some DVDs I did not already have.....50p each......and note "FAME" !!!!!!

1980!!!!!! Alan Parker!!!! hell's teeth that is a blast from the past. First year of my degree course in Bristol.

I even had the record of this.....The street scene! all dancing on cars and what not.

Baby, look at me

And tell me what you see
You ain't seen the best of me yet
Give me time
I'll make you forget the rest


I 'm gonna live for ever.... Well way back then I never thought about it much. we didn't did we. !!??

 On the way to Harrogate....past the Stray.

 We drove the long scenic route to Harrogate. It is only twenty minutes away.....but there is road works on every route.......

did I watch FAME!? no. but I will tomorrow  after we have been to Kirkstall to the new big charity shop.

Sparkle beach.

 Sparkle Beach 1995.
Sounds lovely to me. It is January in West Yorkshire and we have total none beach weather today. That would be the kind of weather I associate with a Greek island's beach mind you. If you live in West Yorkshire and are heading off to Whitby for the weekend it is perfect windswept weather for walking on the beach with your dog whilst the waves crash romantically round the shore. sounds good. Though I happen to know that it will be freezing cold and walking sideways alot due to the power of the wind
Any way....these are the dolls I found in a charity shop this week.

 Two identical Sparkle beach Barbie dolls complete with jewellery and sparkle blue bikinis............A dentist Barbie with just one shoe and I think possibly one of the spring petal Barbies from Avon.

They all came in a big bag with clothes and some clones and other bits of useless stuff for £10.00. 

I have not had time to wash or sort them out at all. Work have given me some hours and I have grabbed them with the idea in my head that Lee and I can spend it all on his birthday in February. You know going out for lunch and shopping. We could never aford any such stuff. now we can....so that is where we will be

 "out to lunch"

This is how these girls looked new. ........

And Barbie dentist from 1997. Slightly weird this one. 1997? a while before Monster high. Um.....yep. definitely a strange one.

The doll I found has all her uniform but mercifully no patient and chair. ......might change her clothes. not sure about this one at all.

This Friday I have a few hours before I have to go. Basically I am not around until Tuesday......

we have finished the landing carpets and hung pictures etc. the loft remains a pain in the back end. I have searched and failed to find a mattress I am willing to pay money for......so radical idea. Get rid of the bed!!! problem solved!!! more space too.
We have no one who likes us enough to come and stay...apart from that Monza does not like humans much better than us. So get rid of the bed and put the dolls house and Bratz collection of dolls up there.

A Doll room.

 landing done.

 up I am now. Taking Monza for his walk. Lee has instructions to go to the DIY shop and finish the loft and then my doll collection will be moving house next week!!!!!!

The carpet.

Yesterday was the mattress meeting it's end at the tip.. Today it is the carpet fitting  for the loft stairs. I am up at 4.30am to paint said stairs pink. That is that they are already pink. I just have to repaint some of the bits I messed up when painting the walls white.. Up early I am as I want to go to Otley as well.
The phone rang yesterday with more work for me. I will not be here that much again this week......

The weather noise woke me up. as I painted bits and padded around making tea . wind. a very lot of wind chucking around a very lot of water.

We cancelled the Otley trip and got on with putting carpets on the stairs instead. Not very interesting for a blog .

 Good job we stayed at home as my new rug arrived.....

 So did all the new canvas photos I ordered and we got down the landing carpets as well as the stairs.....

 We just whacked it down with a staple gun........

 I then put back and reorganised the Monster high doll collection.....

 put up the new canvas pictures....I took all these photos......

 staple guns are a wonderful invention. love them.

 put up the new junk shop finds.......

 painted and ready by the time the light started to come up at about 8am.....

 So that is the carpet on the stairs and landing! that is done now too. So hopefully the loft carpet can be finished and then it is done.

Then I can use my time to make dolls and teddys and what not and have more interesting days off!!

Endeavour.

Tuesday. My day off. This was first spent taking an old huge mattress to the tip. This was good, as it cleared a huge space.....but a bit boring for a day off where I like to go off somewhere to take some photos and poke around some junk shops. All was not lost however.

On the way back from the tip we called into the  charity shop in Yeadon. Believe it or not I wanted another mattress for the loft bedroom....they had plenty. But not at a price I was willing to pay. So I checked around and found this John Freeman print.

Whitby it is.

 John Freeman is an artist who lives and works in Whitby. He came from Doncaster in 1969 and opened his studio in the market place on the east side of Whitby. It has been there as long as I can remember. So when I saw the Print in the junk shop yesterday I knew exactly what and who I was looking at. I asked how much for The John Freeman and another Meadow Sutcliffe photo in a frame?.

£10.00 for the Freeman and £3.00 for the Sutcliffe. was the reply. UMMM ! I said. I will just take the Sutcliffe then I think. .....So the lady in charge let me have them both for a tenner. Too much? yes possibly, and more than I like to pay. Lee paid by electronic zapping of the computerised do dah and the pain was not so bad.
So now I have a John Freeman print of the Endeavour replica coming into Whitby harbour. Not bad ......
His main and most prolific inspiration is Whitby and North Yorkshire, but mostly Whitby. He works in watercolour. and this is the medium of the print I found .

Other pictures of this great ship at Whitby.

This replica in these pictures by John Freeman was built in Australia from original plans of Captain Cook's ship.

 Maritime museum Australia

HM Bark Endeavour replica which was commanded by Lieutenant James Cook when he charted New Zealand and discovered the eastern coast of Australia. the idea to recreate this vessel was for the marine museum in Australia. in the 1980s. originally funded by the Bond Corporation and to be gifted to the nation. They ran into financial trouble and so did the next Yoshiya Cororation who stepped in. volunteers maintained the incomplete vessel until The HM Endevour foundation was founded as a charitable trust in 1991. This ship was launched in 1993 and completed in 1994.after sea trials the replica sailed from Fremantle to Sydney arriving in 1994 then in 1995 recreated Captain Cook's voyage  along the coast of Australia and New Zealand before circumnavigating the world.

 Here are some photos I took of the statue of Captain Cook on my last visit to Whitby with ladies who are related to the families who owned Bagdale hall and the old Chomley Mansion on the cliff by the Abbey ruins......Their ancestors  Quakers and emigrated to the new world..

 james cook (1728-1779)  was born in Marton near Middlesborough and later apprenticed to a small draper in Staithes. here he fell in love with the sea and the rest is history as they say.  This times are remembered in Captain Cook and Staithes heritage centre. Later he moved to Whitby and became a trainee with a local shipping firm.The house he lodged in with his master is still in Grape Lane and is now a museum to him as well. He joined the Royal navy and was rapidly promoted to command.
Both his famous ships were built in Whitby. The Resolution and the Endeavour.

James Cook was introduced to the Walker family. John Walker and his brother Henry were Quaker ship owners engaged in the coal trade. The Quakers were strong in this part of the world and known for their simple life style, business acumen, public spirit and hospitality. James Cook lodged with the walker family when not at sea.The walker family ships were workaday "cats" trading to London and across the North sea. Cook began life as a sailor in 1747 carring a cargo of coal to London.The ship was called the Freelove. and he also took part in rigging and fitting out a new ship  called  the Three brothers. He signed on  during this time and became part of a voyage to the Baltic and St Petersburg in the Mary. In 1752  he became mate and joined another of the walkers ships called the Friendship, sailing in her for three years. By 1755 he was offered the command of the ship.
In 1755 James Cook left Whitby and joined the Royal Navy. He served on HMS Eagle for two years.
He remained friends with the Walker family and they continued to support him in his career.

James Cook also married a Quaker called Elizabeth Batts of Shadwell in 1762. This lady had close links to the walker brothers business links in London. I do not know if James Cook became a Quaker also. I think it very likely.

So this find of a John Freeman print of the endevour replica at Whitby is to go on the wall in the bedroom. very lovely it looks too.