tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36188314221193603362024-03-14T08:16:37.563-07:00Michele and RussellThe life & times of Michele & Russell.MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-17963012959608447702011-11-16T13:34:00.000-08:002011-11-16T13:34:30.851-08:00Christmas Decoration Workshop - Hand felted baubles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD5Ya6yZ6DXLkWdVeQ837jy1LFVorLWsNP3ZgJmw-z46CN99CFMfZiWvi272IpJc0Jah6EvT1QVlK9nlirLqVlbiUxhM32hJuB4QwJWucBSLHjG9lLcHu6nJkq2cWbkEK9SOLX0Am_InT/s1600/Christmas+baubles+by+Michele+English.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD5Ya6yZ6DXLkWdVeQ837jy1LFVorLWsNP3ZgJmw-z46CN99CFMfZiWvi272IpJc0Jah6EvT1QVlK9nlirLqVlbiUxhM32hJuB4QwJWucBSLHjG9lLcHu6nJkq2cWbkEK9SOLX0Am_InT/s320/Christmas+baubles+by+Michele+English.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 28pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Christmas decoration workshop<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;">With Michele English<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;">Saturday 3<sup>rd</sup> December 2011, </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;">10:00 – 14:30</span><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "AR BLANCA"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Get in the festive spirit! During this fun one day workshop you will design and create your own hand felted and embroidered Christmas decorations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6CefWaoIkqyB87rwyImUHH1MGpJ1ZraEQ61JHGTM1_sVmZckKmymS3DO52z0v6vLhSIcqXTTstzIzK-X30B4sNheWKF3bsPB7jrKjRcY-onCqKWbpK-1aw7UFhnM414jQl5J-pm4sPBI/s1600/Christmas+bauble+by+Michele+English.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6CefWaoIkqyB87rwyImUHH1MGpJ1ZraEQ61JHGTM1_sVmZckKmymS3DO52z0v6vLhSIcqXTTstzIzK-X30B4sNheWKF3bsPB7jrKjRcY-onCqKWbpK-1aw7UFhnM414jQl5J-pm4sPBI/s200/Christmas+bauble+by+Michele+English.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this hands-on workshop, starting with beautiful merino wool fibres (straight from the sheep!) you will learn the ancient and traditional method of felt making.<span style="color: #c00000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You will then use your newly acquired skills to make a hand felted Christmas bauble and a Christmas Robin to adorn your tree or give as a beautiful handmade gift. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There will be a selection of buttons, beads, ribbons and machine embroidered fabric for you to use to embellish your decorations. If you have any special buttons of bits of fabric/lace etc which you would like to incorporate then bring them along and Michele will help you to use them in your design.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only limit is your imagination!</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christmas felted bauble kits will be available to purchase on the day so you can carry on your Christmas creativity at home or as a gift for a loved one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tea, Coffee and mince pies will be provided for breaks or after the workshop if you don't want to stop!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lunch not included: Bring a packed lunch (lunch 12 - 12.30)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Location: Benham Gallery, Cuckoo Farm Studios, Boxted Road, Colchester. CO4 5HH</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">£20.00 per pers</span><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">o</span><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">n <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">(BOOKING ESSENTIAL)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"> <o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"> </o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype><v:shape alt="Christmas Felt Decoration.jpg" id="Picture_x0020_0" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 131.25pt; margin-left: 393pt; margin-top: 14.75pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 130.5pt; z-index: -1;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <v:imagedata o:title="Christmas Felt Decoration" src="file:///C:\Users\Michele\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"> </v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span style="font-family: "Copperplate Gothic Bold","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">(Discounts available for booking more than one place)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To book please send a cheque made payable to 'Michele English' to the following address:</span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Michele English<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Studio 29<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cuckoo Farm Studios<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boxted Road<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Colchester<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CO4 5HH<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To pay via PayPal please visit </span></span><a href="http://www.micheleenglish.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.micheleenglish.co.uk</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Or e-mail </span></span><a href="mailto:me@micheleenglish.co.uk"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">me@micheleenglish.co.uk</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> call 07595 999643 to request an invoice<o:p></o:p></span></span>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-79261286787301555322011-11-03T15:54:00.000-07:002011-11-03T15:54:34.329-07:00Huge Consequences<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZs-ZYKpPzB5dVAFj-ckup8KrFWUTpOz7I_OQlTHUu3DXDeFpEJE3C9kOT1RI_acngwyfOB0WoxYfMDJMBh2Yi3oY9rpTdYy-zLgckT02PbytVwL-E_AVs09pGmsAty9loJPbkFSOgpch/s1600/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZs-ZYKpPzB5dVAFj-ckup8KrFWUTpOz7I_OQlTHUu3DXDeFpEJE3C9kOT1RI_acngwyfOB0WoxYfMDJMBh2Yi3oY9rpTdYy-zLgckT02PbytVwL-E_AVs09pGmsAty9loJPbkFSOgpch/s320/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wYjzcQAvhKMqZ5lXAa9gLyMRxz4ZQsNFVR4vLbtHZEXG70i3d22Kdk559XmKcTQxrblTxK46imfOJpWrrbNF7c3R2WWDxTp7zGlzUmvxdMXIOPx1QNbk3zgohmDdt3gp23w5aIMe6PG3/s1600/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wYjzcQAvhKMqZ5lXAa9gLyMRxz4ZQsNFVR4vLbtHZEXG70i3d22Kdk559XmKcTQxrblTxK46imfOJpWrrbNF7c3R2WWDxTp7zGlzUmvxdMXIOPx1QNbk3zgohmDdt3gp23w5aIMe6PG3/s320/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+063.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAIPXkyBzCZDDrLH7DwiLE8zN7kkPlV1vCtZ5OvStMRdUlL1x08SX0dnNGAFMp6-vqE_U_P2FSYYvhebK5-9_CvjRIQrlXvTa7Gdlk8RHSiLO83i1_Z5-oHabQ4EDFmSVXZSSIE_qXpTN/s1600/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAIPXkyBzCZDDrLH7DwiLE8zN7kkPlV1vCtZ5OvStMRdUlL1x08SX0dnNGAFMp6-vqE_U_P2FSYYvhebK5-9_CvjRIQrlXvTa7Gdlk8RHSiLO83i1_Z5-oHabQ4EDFmSVXZSSIE_qXpTN/s320/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvr21nYxNrZyG4rcW5OZCDafzTbajFpAZsCPyjts3wStLcffwj2tYPqD9F0dOLs97hx_pIXtrbdF5S1BfpfLruqeS3epWs3cTGQO-LSDoLyW3yTrmH8E3NU5-w2yIjlpDt04zI5rI44mD/s1600/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvr21nYxNrZyG4rcW5OZCDafzTbajFpAZsCPyjts3wStLcffwj2tYPqD9F0dOLs97hx_pIXtrbdF5S1BfpfLruqeS3epWs3cTGQO-LSDoLyW3yTrmH8E3NU5-w2yIjlpDt04zI5rI44mD/s320/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+081.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8OYVXlE-HULZOSxk2jyTAVjHHHFUsv3sWPshWSUbbjk5UidceuRbSkrb8cW5oQwlYWneUMPjXXlMrfAaLIZJAm5n_OvaUoNx3zRvh2JaQqf2KL7h0IbZepiQpntyA7RWQFw5nUYpMjBy/s1600/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8OYVXlE-HULZOSxk2jyTAVjHHHFUsv3sWPshWSUbbjk5UidceuRbSkrb8cW5oQwlYWneUMPjXXlMrfAaLIZJAm5n_OvaUoNx3zRvh2JaQqf2KL7h0IbZepiQpntyA7RWQFw5nUYpMjBy/s320/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+080.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">HUGE CONSEQUENCES </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2011</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Papie<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">́</span>r m<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">â</span>che over wood and wire structure, decoupage, gouache.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This piece was created for the 2011 “Big Draw” event held at 15 Queen Street for which the theme was “Fantastic Creatures”.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It consists of a pre-built structure painted all over in white by the artist which was then given over to attendees of the event to paint and embellish freely.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The inspiration and title for the piece comes from the well known parlour game “consequences” (as the structure was still being finished on the morning of the event we were calling it “There may be consequences” up until the last minute!).</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The project was designed to mimic the form of the consequences game in that the parts of the piece were presented in three separate rooms at 15 Queen Street and only when assembled at the end of the evening could the whole be seen.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although the project was primarily envisaged as an easy access group project the form of the piece includes quite a lot of symbolism tied in with the theme of the event and the organisers have asked me to provide some information on this.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The piece is totem like in form and construction. Totems were often undertaken as group projects by a tribe(as is the case here) and were usually surmounted by the eagle or raven. Here the bird is the owl, the symbol of Athena (patroness of arts and crafts) who is often depicted taking this form or with an owl companion. The tribal feel was carried through much of the piece evidenced by the long neck and limbs and the full belly and breast reminiscent of the Earth Mother common to many belief systems from tribes in Africa, the near and middle East, Europe and the Americas.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The bottom section of the piece is roughly based on the legs of a fawn with ideas of Pan and Dionysus but also hint at the “Bal des Ardents” a fascinating event from the court of the French king Charles VI (hence the 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> Century codpiece on the sculpture). Said to be the first masquerade, the Bal started as a prank and ended in disaster and intrigue. Continuing the masquerade theme a Venetian style Zanni mask was made to fit the head of the piece but was not decorated by the attendees of the event and so has not been included in the final assembly.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Russell Clement</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXM8TSnczgQD67kRui0oFuQJrg_GK1fGmm93McWktOsikUT6kJT7Pa4TzcHHceLqTjjoXwQG9AEGpWtajG6s9lGjWN_jUSS39EThd7XIUl5K9VRVLPR2zsiBhKt5YKP1NLqPfS6XMbNsO/s1600/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXM8TSnczgQD67kRui0oFuQJrg_GK1fGmm93McWktOsikUT6kJT7Pa4TzcHHceLqTjjoXwQG9AEGpWtajG6s9lGjWN_jUSS39EThd7XIUl5K9VRVLPR2zsiBhKt5YKP1NLqPfS6XMbNsO/s320/The+big+draw+Oct+2011+095.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-58275716792907672932011-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:002011-10-17T09:47:13.394-07:00The big draw - Colchester<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Russell & Michele will be hosting an activity at the following event...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1bjAZ58kksY_vvkpSFJGqQJrIdNOpnmehXfajCRLdUePaOuj8bibG2usn_QebFHZRlMmjgjaD-X_1RPQGKRDYGmLUfX0XiUaCCYyP_Mn_yl-TJ1SjX2TLGFDMp7Co6ML_74dNJypxJJ9/s1600/FCBD2011poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1bjAZ58kksY_vvkpSFJGqQJrIdNOpnmehXfajCRLdUePaOuj8bibG2usn_QebFHZRlMmjgjaD-X_1RPQGKRDYGmLUfX0XiUaCCYyP_Mn_yl-TJ1SjX2TLGFDMp7Co6ML_74dNJypxJJ9/s640/FCBD2011poster.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-44080199355588187062011-08-12T11:04:00.000-07:002011-08-12T11:04:21.160-07:00End of show party at Layer Marney towerRussell cooked up some delicious canapes and exciting non-alcoholic drinks for the Embroiderers' Guild 'End of show' celebration. <br />
Russell is the Colne & Colchester branch's secret weapon in adding an extra bit of taste to an already extremely skilled and fascinating exhibition! The members of the Embroiderers' Guild have a diverse range of skills with years and years of practise making them an invaluable bank of knowledge to anyone wishing to develop or diverse in their textile skills. I am a 'new girl' in the group having joined just last yea. Everyone is happy to teach and share skills and I have benefited from this already!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5R1KUj4dgdX-Bh8BkGUXUgWI9dSkkMshY86KS7nFG1vAvPHfuqMnKP6O_F8SOnk-mYiX-3s8FENl5XFEiL1FIxGJ2ZIHzTQIRUDhseOflQxYTlxdc6lXBORapuj1hb50lnHCQkYjXWli/s1600/Michele+English+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5R1KUj4dgdX-Bh8BkGUXUgWI9dSkkMshY86KS7nFG1vAvPHfuqMnKP6O_F8SOnk-mYiX-3s8FENl5XFEiL1FIxGJ2ZIHzTQIRUDhseOflQxYTlxdc6lXBORapuj1hb50lnHCQkYjXWli/s320/Michele+English+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell setting up the canapes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-J_uRb2jkStX_NB6rHxtveKPiaLu2nnSbkIOXoKNNZHd7-nOQi_pxNr4WgMWqeAW6pR6Cyi4ZongEsbyAkaMkzhnUf4Irh6A7w7WSRqOugSuHwphrnKL-hGrI5cQty8juKpxbSZZaStb/s1600/Michele+English+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-J_uRb2jkStX_NB6rHxtveKPiaLu2nnSbkIOXoKNNZHd7-nOQi_pxNr4WgMWqeAW6pR6Cyi4ZongEsbyAkaMkzhnUf4Irh6A7w7WSRqOugSuHwphrnKL-hGrI5cQty8juKpxbSZZaStb/s320/Michele+English+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloody Mary with basil oil (non-alcoholic)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1layqzbzX-loIOY73AmKygQok7L5JdzEyOlCwzzta3EevMP0QpaRzhjzcsOP_WrMrHSp99KAd-P5j5a2EDCiIvs57Cbv7MqwiNMc5rtTzTr7ZYg1kq9aukmRpc4h6fdxQF6DZKcsdYqSd/s1600/Michele+English+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1layqzbzX-loIOY73AmKygQok7L5JdzEyOlCwzzta3EevMP0QpaRzhjzcsOP_WrMrHSp99KAd-P5j5a2EDCiIvs57Cbv7MqwiNMc5rtTzTr7ZYg1kq9aukmRpc4h6fdxQF6DZKcsdYqSd/s320/Michele+English+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's ready and caters for vegetarians and vegans</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yo_oJmc-MdRZjSN2JKA5Q1Ljbdm4boaAc7kgv-dXl0vZIBYs64FBgJtSLZ743RaAmMxg0mJD6IoyOnmSSTUFz7Kfn_rfJuBzYDtuMlHyOldZWV0-vBdOIcM1Opq2wxS9smvNezQUb8R8/s1600/Michele+English+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yo_oJmc-MdRZjSN2JKA5Q1Ljbdm4boaAc7kgv-dXl0vZIBYs64FBgJtSLZ743RaAmMxg0mJD6IoyOnmSSTUFz7Kfn_rfJuBzYDtuMlHyOldZWV0-vBdOIcM1Opq2wxS9smvNezQUb8R8/s200/Michele+English+023.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqEd9V_ETBbaYb8HDr4d795XyGafPuhHkjo3I6hP2Cp9dH9blrO4eP1qofFuIT7S-ozmloLTQRkfzc52GO6DIg7ZuWSwgZ_kjKlx5trjr4ifUAgzL-tdJ1gtytbmkd9_uGYvKSg1q0uQD/s1600/Michele+English+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqEd9V_ETBbaYb8HDr4d795XyGafPuhHkjo3I6hP2Cp9dH9blrO4eP1qofFuIT7S-ozmloLTQRkfzc52GO6DIg7ZuWSwgZ_kjKlx5trjr4ifUAgzL-tdJ1gtytbmkd9_uGYvKSg1q0uQD/s200/Michele+English+021.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was enjoyed by all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thanks Russell!</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From Michele. x</div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-43298789931432614592011-08-01T11:15:00.000-07:002011-08-01T11:15:59.612-07:00Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition at Layer Marney Tower OPENYesterday we spent the day helping to put up the Colne & Colchester Embroiderers' Guild exhibition at Layer Marney tower. The exhibition is on from 1st to 10th August 2011. For more info please visit:<br />
<a href="http://colchester-embroiderers-gui.blogspot.com/2011/08/layer-marney-tower-exhibition-1st-10th.html">http://colchester-embroiderers-gui.blogspot.com/2011/08/layer-marney-tower-exhibition-1st-10th.html</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of the work on display including Michele's Tudor influenced corset</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer Marney Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tRV_SBeBd_s0ELAJ-tqe4jgbQWbjT9xqSC51fC6tUN8G1T2nWGOchSC9sxxO5Xn8GAW43gBwRPkaPeNDOJkRYfbCtJe9_brknAT_uat8gX8_mTy6Q3707Nga2w9zFHtwQeVcM7UhHEzG/s1600/Knot+Garden+at+Layer+Marney+tower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tRV_SBeBd_s0ELAJ-tqe4jgbQWbjT9xqSC51fC6tUN8G1T2nWGOchSC9sxxO5Xn8GAW43gBwRPkaPeNDOJkRYfbCtJe9_brknAT_uat8gX8_mTy6Q3707Nga2w9zFHtwQeVcM7UhHEzG/s320/Knot+Garden+at+Layer+Marney+tower.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The knot garden at Layer Marney Tower that inspired Michele's corset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4hMBvsmnUBwZ-irdam_7Y4W_WIv-y7Uob_RjZ-WSNnYFHP3j0ppSI9nBjkbQVdrNmPiE-9ux1oCPvawA6rLfZoYWgBMQ43i7YF6fV7YrRb7jMHw8qFwCXpn7K1xa9AY782e-HqMrkKv8/s1600/Tea+break+at+Layer+Marney+tower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4hMBvsmnUBwZ-irdam_7Y4W_WIv-y7Uob_RjZ-WSNnYFHP3j0ppSI9nBjkbQVdrNmPiE-9ux1oCPvawA6rLfZoYWgBMQ43i7YF6fV7YrRb7jMHw8qFwCXpn7K1xa9AY782e-HqMrkKv8/s320/Tea+break+at+Layer+Marney+tower.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea break!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-48936307548325923402011-07-03T13:01:00.000-07:002011-07-03T13:03:46.432-07:00Race for Life 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UWQhTiWrtmVMxbXKw6bimG9Vf8jF4xdN0jZyEGn2ggi-iixMgrWHUAQjbTZMHfxPOH4VgqezJdOqh_enj2glzvO30QZc-11A2IJDhEPmKaYLeAXW0E8U39T5nfo_MTAMr1DUON5OK9m1/s1600/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UWQhTiWrtmVMxbXKw6bimG9Vf8jF4xdN0jZyEGn2ggi-iixMgrWHUAQjbTZMHfxPOH4VgqezJdOqh_enj2glzvO30QZc-11A2IJDhEPmKaYLeAXW0E8U39T5nfo_MTAMr1DUON5OK9m1/s200/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%25283%2529.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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Today was the Colchester Race for life. Russell has been helping me train over the last couple of months and today managed my goal which was under 30 mins. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZFcPqODPLxihri3xhna8MIo4-qG8KPMkVafE5vBKLL-Uzad6jQdT8_efIjwfVI-HqeXfYYRIahmHYDSC5L7S21NDr6rQh6rA3YBwgka8yoO-fW2xPyHyC9R2C4_ScTgRxs_XJCMuXXUy/s1600/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%252818%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZFcPqODPLxihri3xhna8MIo4-qG8KPMkVafE5vBKLL-Uzad6jQdT8_efIjwfVI-HqeXfYYRIahmHYDSC5L7S21NDr6rQh6rA3YBwgka8yoO-fW2xPyHyC9R2C4_ScTgRxs_XJCMuXXUy/s400/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%252818%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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I ran the 5K race in 27 minutes and 7 seconds! <strong>Hooray.</strong><br />
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It was a wonderful atmosphere - I was so nervous as I have never taken part in a race before but am so glad I did!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A Massive THANK YOU to all those who sponsored me and have helped towards the fight to beat cancer!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4GHU2qICXLSdid3aogYgGfp81JFCjAcuuBgUYV3vMBPwggSdKhxMzYrfQ2nvLN6ZtQRXY-Vo7BEKjtl2yt1AclnPxghmPQfdKXMlNFxm8rYRbl566uHMv6FfUC19geUSuTDAmCql9UoW/s1600/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%252820%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4GHU2qICXLSdid3aogYgGfp81JFCjAcuuBgUYV3vMBPwggSdKhxMzYrfQ2nvLN6ZtQRXY-Vo7BEKjtl2yt1AclnPxghmPQfdKXMlNFxm8rYRbl566uHMv6FfUC19geUSuTDAmCql9UoW/s320/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%252820%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cDFnCPyFT5yvg3amekY8vyiq1FeC0xVTx9VmfakOUOU12cLLPGm5Q0y-KOMcUQLHmdNJeTX5lwyFZaF-sY_jLFl1GjppK0hQYp727ZY9QKysJ3dMYupr6nyms6YQYfwpJq_RtQo-EIpU/s1600/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%252821%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cDFnCPyFT5yvg3amekY8vyiq1FeC0xVTx9VmfakOUOU12cLLPGm5Q0y-KOMcUQLHmdNJeTX5lwyFZaF-sY_jLFl1GjppK0hQYp727ZY9QKysJ3dMYupr6nyms6YQYfwpJq_RtQo-EIpU/s320/Michele+English+Race+for+Life+July+2011+%252821%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The celebratory Pizza & Salad feast with Pimm's to follow!</div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-17593759803913744042011-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:002011-06-19T11:54:26.529-07:00Easter weekend in Lyme Regis, Dorset<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We spent the weekend in Lyme Regis at Easter and it was beautiful. We had heard about the fossils and that it is called the 'Jurassic coast' but we were not prepared to see the amazing sights we did! You literally walk over hundreds of fossils as you walk along the beach.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY385ZJxM23Up1xPMQUT1OGl3-RBDSXWnZATh-m8sREyT1CGkNl4_7YzTErJrwRA_7Z1Wq5r3I_Wde0t3mW5cFnpOmImYxfx23d4Z3QkEF-i-pDqOh37IT4hHy8TI5B0lKNLya_D7pIlW/s1600/DSCF0530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY385ZJxM23Up1xPMQUT1OGl3-RBDSXWnZATh-m8sREyT1CGkNl4_7YzTErJrwRA_7Z1Wq5r3I_Wde0t3mW5cFnpOmImYxfx23d4Z3QkEF-i-pDqOh37IT4hHy8TI5B0lKNLya_D7pIlW/s200/DSCF0530.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYa9ScUxx4SfbP0esJtjjypBv6loZlWUa9gOSYjrp7DIFBZpaMe8vBqp71T9bb9_rQoP6-xHGIiOhmFWkk4j9ImN7Y6tMqnQ1YPVDex7mDIDxoCllqtQBXY3qfsIrIqylVYlteDVbsgpT/s1600/DSCF0550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYa9ScUxx4SfbP0esJtjjypBv6loZlWUa9gOSYjrp7DIFBZpaMe8vBqp71T9bb9_rQoP6-xHGIiOhmFWkk4j9ImN7Y6tMqnQ1YPVDex7mDIDxoCllqtQBXY3qfsIrIqylVYlteDVbsgpT/s200/DSCF0550.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4b6MYG9o1E6-QSOKZje7ie1WPOm7Oi2uuQRb17KdQRPlWopmit7VzNJPaj3A0UapQzq8fLBviHcWu52S1h02DEnRDj-dkvedWgHawEKyqrCr3tJBJ0PadLr0H6b8CCd7ueJziZcOMtVC/s1600/DSCF0539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4b6MYG9o1E6-QSOKZje7ie1WPOm7Oi2uuQRb17KdQRPlWopmit7VzNJPaj3A0UapQzq8fLBviHcWu52S1h02DEnRDj-dkvedWgHawEKyqrCr3tJBJ0PadLr0H6b8CCd7ueJziZcOMtVC/s200/DSCF0539.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAA9U6vaj9sN1WmRLNRqwQoCHVyI4XMoRtmeUUPzwR9pMTHgy1OT5b4wI_vbAxuHMVbgFABykPMo331O3Ed-HtHyplBZvKbvPG3zakn15CBPundqDyqG8LpBrMMg4LBhcs7KLnmJUbL9O/s1600/DSCF0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAA9U6vaj9sN1WmRLNRqwQoCHVyI4XMoRtmeUUPzwR9pMTHgy1OT5b4wI_vbAxuHMVbgFABykPMo331O3Ed-HtHyplBZvKbvPG3zakn15CBPundqDyqG8LpBrMMg4LBhcs7KLnmJUbL9O/s320/DSCF0542.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are easy to find in the rocks but will not last.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We tried breaking some rocks open to find fossils but were unsuccessful, all we found were fossils like the one above but they crumble away. We decided to go on a fossil tour. On the tour we learnt that we were looking in wrong kind of rock. We were looking in 'soft' rock or 'mud stone'. The fossils in this rock are crushed and leave only an imprint. The entire rock will eventually turn to dust if you try to take it home and put it on the shelf! We heard stories about fossils that had been found at Lyme Regis, including some very exciting and recent finds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LsQxAUG-w9fPPlD_X7MlQJGvdre8of-WzesgHsKm_XvCaUiWB8i9XXr4Nz3NUSifCWzoQISmzlG3J9DzgryVjdj8JT0AItmI_aPcgKoJkp5aAugNTgE6neNotlvg-k2o7jPHcGg-4zxQ/s1600/DSCF0571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LsQxAUG-w9fPPlD_X7MlQJGvdre8of-WzesgHsKm_XvCaUiWB8i9XXr4Nz3NUSifCWzoQISmzlG3J9DzgryVjdj8JT0AItmI_aPcgKoJkp5aAugNTgE6neNotlvg-k2o7jPHcGg-4zxQ/s320/DSCF0571.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fossil tour - learning how to look for the right rocks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpwDZQQR43f83xFbevPYjGUQISeGZT0FadjW3k44LIn3xCUIZuQ81oOETKNS0psZONq_FcFNVP0c4dljvQtbWTYiDRksqPistOiGzPLMV2S_sznIu8TsU_pSSjHARcB6wYMrtcXy1ewgQ/s1600/DSCF0572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpwDZQQR43f83xFbevPYjGUQISeGZT0FadjW3k44LIn3xCUIZuQ81oOETKNS0psZONq_FcFNVP0c4dljvQtbWTYiDRksqPistOiGzPLMV2S_sznIu8TsU_pSSjHARcB6wYMrtcXy1ewgQ/s400/DSCF0572.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fossils found on the tour.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The next day after the fossil tour we went fossil hunting again with our new knowledge and this time we were successful! The first stone Russell broke open had a lovely fossil that we found out, when we took it to be cleaned up, that is was a rare type called 'Caenisites'. I also found some small ones called ' Cymbites' and a larger one called 'Arnioceras'. It was great fun and amazing how much we learnt on the tour about the rocks. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdJJwBS7BZQn-i8Sno5cqaPV2xUbYEeOec8-3lZP8VKBMsoiqgvG18hVrpbaTa4B04aR6xsxU6YItHF2icVFtVGDXt7WS1edrY-F9cOkF5lZMl0mXUbDJGrF7HhEeuMtMJLpNJj-G7lRH/s1600/DSCF0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdJJwBS7BZQn-i8Sno5cqaPV2xUbYEeOec8-3lZP8VKBMsoiqgvG18hVrpbaTa4B04aR6xsxU6YItHF2icVFtVGDXt7WS1edrY-F9cOkF5lZMl0mXUbDJGrF7HhEeuMtMJLpNJj-G7lRH/s400/DSCF0594.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell with the first fossil he found (first rock he hit after the tour).</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The next day Russell when Mackerel fishing on a local boat while I spent the day laying on the beach with my crochet and a book! It is an unusual beach to lay on as in the background you hear the noise of hammers on stone and everyone that comes to the beach brings a hammer and gloves instead of a bucket and spade!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-RADox-xhtVmXJidqdD2HoBvw1X_XQLk_tWhmqqJzmKrRiInWaBxBOntAc0slQDnGefAuI1joqYfkl-9rtejJB2Z38fmyadLU2DMsLZgNMZ7RhM9GXwmDSt2JpP_xmQFMVQphK-TYV-2/s1600/DSCF0608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-RADox-xhtVmXJidqdD2HoBvw1X_XQLk_tWhmqqJzmKrRiInWaBxBOntAc0slQDnGefAuI1joqYfkl-9rtejJB2Z38fmyadLU2DMsLZgNMZ7RhM9GXwmDSt2JpP_xmQFMVQphK-TYV-2/s200/DSCF0608.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Russell when Mackerel fishing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GZQpiE62RUTQ9rI6Ayct6D9oM6p86L80Z_S2PgzRco1i-9d8wpiB4ytIlYDEA6Hl_57qAh_ZKCMgn3uvssXRDqhuMGpoq4lqYsiNYJUB-ZTh_9Rt0DNRbRINFbNFUGrDrmJW3HrOYBR3/s1600/DSCF0601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GZQpiE62RUTQ9rI6Ayct6D9oM6p86L80Z_S2PgzRco1i-9d8wpiB4ytIlYDEA6Hl_57qAh_ZKCMgn3uvssXRDqhuMGpoq4lqYsiNYJUB-ZTh_9Rt0DNRbRINFbNFUGrDrmJW3HrOYBR3/s200/DSCF0601.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the boat</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">In the evening we had a BBQ on the beach and Russell cooked up his Mackerel.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8XAO7pq-odRwqZNrfx8MNT3rwVXp2hEsJ-a7ugXrXwo5cVXIpyruskbH5xXOcNzgM4HK9wTIjuNUv4YrTaIozSWy2I9hmFyWCxv79krpkjDkPkRt_TwDYQwecppyy4whTdnD5UMez5Rs/s1600/DSCF0538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8XAO7pq-odRwqZNrfx8MNT3rwVXp2hEsJ-a7ugXrXwo5cVXIpyruskbH5xXOcNzgM4HK9wTIjuNUv4YrTaIozSWy2I9hmFyWCxv79krpkjDkPkRt_TwDYQwecppyy4whTdnD5UMez5Rs/s320/DSCF0538.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Fossil hunting in Lyme Regis.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyl74mZktUswG8mIpEAx4V4TYDkt2fL4pdw4MynigWgPJQMUQIlp1lAXnSjlS3WmvP6S3Fd6J98OGwhlDFXyz2WbT2nAWW1Yg0Ggy8t3GW-6fkX0fABWjOwAhu_nY8ADfuyHzQIfUSFxW/s1600/DSCF0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyl74mZktUswG8mIpEAx4V4TYDkt2fL4pdw4MynigWgPJQMUQIlp1lAXnSjlS3WmvP6S3Fd6J98OGwhlDFXyz2WbT2nAWW1Yg0Ggy8t3GW-6fkX0fABWjOwAhu_nY8ADfuyHzQIfUSFxW/s320/DSCF0613.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what I had my eye on all weekend!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> There was a lovely candy stripe cafe along the seafront with pretty teapots, Cath Kidstone and Poppy Treffry cups and cupcake shape sugar bowls. I fell in love with it, the staff were friendly and the food was as good as it looked. I couldn't wait to try one of their Ice cream sundaes. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">It was even better that it sounded on the poster!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi398_7P-zxLclRDIXHSRUrY_za4P40kdmFhGzrdqOLurc36VGy1Z2qOgjwdFuMj29bIQU8vRQenJ_ToG3DgxOl0m5QzB0IG9dkuz3hYsvmKZ_GFbJdaNtak1g_vcatKpO7-onsmEq1SHTI/s1600/DSCF0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi398_7P-zxLclRDIXHSRUrY_za4P40kdmFhGzrdqOLurc36VGy1Z2qOgjwdFuMj29bIQU8vRQenJ_ToG3DgxOl0m5QzB0IG9dkuz3hYsvmKZ_GFbJdaNtak1g_vcatKpO7-onsmEq1SHTI/s200/DSCF0628.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally got my 'Easter Sundae' on the last day<br />
It was DELICIOUS! The sauce was made from melted 'cream eggs'!</td></tr>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We absolutely loved Lyme Regis and can't wait to go back! </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span>by Michele.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-59924412231438184472011-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:002011-04-28T14:47:07.417-07:00Bug Hotel ColchesterMessy gardens with piles of junk are great for wildlife but we keep clearing them up! As we have been tidying up our garden and replanting the beds we thought we had better keep the wildlife happy too, as we want them to hang around! We want the ladybirds to eat the aphids and the bees to <span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">pollinate</span> the plants.<br />
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So we built a 'bug hotel' from recycled materials (the junk we cleared up from the garden!). The main structure was a shelving unit we didn't need any more. We added dividers to make the compartments small (it was just two big shelves originally)<br />
Read more about bug hotels and see the wildlife trust bug hotel at <a href="http://www.ulsterwildlifetrust.org/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=1DDB167F-AA18-4FF6-84CE-DB0F21572D03&mode=link">ulsterwildlifetrust - BUG HOTEL</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMffOWc-ufOEUK-dknXV46CJeW8tNKBZU1UR5j6FIoraPlVhCNUIQhJaCuh59NxKpqhDN0t15Yhq2UD2Mj5Ko3Xi893juMuDydh8ENvHWpxd92nr01hxM-gIrXCihcZq2nR_Rk08irepJG/s1600/bug+hotel+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMffOWc-ufOEUK-dknXV46CJeW8tNKBZU1UR5j6FIoraPlVhCNUIQhJaCuh59NxKpqhDN0t15Yhq2UD2Mj5Ko3Xi893juMuDydh8ENvHWpxd92nr01hxM-gIrXCihcZq2nR_Rk08irepJG/s320/bug+hotel+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the Bug Hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHWFv704NFTinQjdBJeMc0Gx_ISWALp2v8sjjWnWboc0HclgfO2-6_T5dSU-W9zXgNg4w-0yaUMVA0WzAQBo5SZK0QRhVu6ywbAW30MaZ7oLD6DNn4OHIi9zHjqG_L32S0aDkmu2W0Pzz/s1600/bug+hotel+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHWFv704NFTinQjdBJeMc0Gx_ISWALp2v8sjjWnWboc0HclgfO2-6_T5dSU-W9zXgNg4w-0yaUMVA0WzAQBo5SZK0QRhVu6ywbAW30MaZ7oLD6DNn4OHIi9zHjqG_L32S0aDkmu2W0Pzz/s320/bug+hotel+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We added wire to the back to hold in the snugly bedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lSIyGdShAFc-GvlLobd30i4vikRer0vOMuZgKjIMDtObXPX_zShhZVlI5wZC6BdJUfhF2hpTDJiWauwFePF0CT25pwyhiFIsVaG3fZ943KpMLQ6090uoldbYvi4u7-884qkOBHsTEqgM/s1600/bug+hotel+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lSIyGdShAFc-GvlLobd30i4vikRer0vOMuZgKjIMDtObXPX_zShhZVlI5wZC6BdJUfhF2hpTDJiWauwFePF0CT25pwyhiFIsVaG3fZ943KpMLQ6090uoldbYvi4u7-884qkOBHsTEqgM/s320/bug+hotel+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The junk we found in the garden to use in the bug hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We made a panel with lots of little holes that an insect just can't resist going through to a snugly bed.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9N6rR4lFHzLSAe0rA4Q2JaGgDamlK26Lo3Kwxo-5i3qmbBNbUnZp3ASfXU5RNUaTqo-ZWCpQAmhO660-KTXHR2XtjcYfVBk5xdZGCyrQEi1v1hJivwXYdMcj5enDvaNGAP0E5TGq4owI/s1600/bug+hotel+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9N6rR4lFHzLSAe0rA4Q2JaGgDamlK26Lo3Kwxo-5i3qmbBNbUnZp3ASfXU5RNUaTqo-ZWCpQAmhO660-KTXHR2XtjcYfVBk5xdZGCyrQEi1v1hJivwXYdMcj5enDvaNGAP0E5TGq4owI/s200/bug+hotel+005.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To create a grid to make out holes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgne5_TMvoqazfV_H86Y0HFlu8VsORwj-QCW-j5CxUIq6i-uf5BAlg6s6x_0uAsgT0ZVjgMx7mR0Fri6vZx7jDUY9NE17UUELsb6OUrBNiIG4TUiXVi8vldVrN_b5GtKsTDRjHK9oTV9Ddn/s1600/bug+hotel+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgne5_TMvoqazfV_H86Y0HFlu8VsORwj-QCW-j5CxUIq6i-uf5BAlg6s6x_0uAsgT0ZVjgMx7mR0Fri6vZx7jDUY9NE17UUELsb6OUrBNiIG4TUiXVi8vldVrN_b5GtKsTDRjHK9oTV9Ddn/s200/bug+hotel+006.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drilling the holes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDXc-Ls7oVw6lVqQEIf23J4XCL0V1AGdndrZs8JYpbBmmlwElAgf3Usn6VeYmEMcznYHqWupNc1vQnGP1b4XHwaX8kdJXdUo_BkUDjof0XAxdB7haHod4YZvIXLjSPJGkAT_D5EYmu_eZ/s1600/bug+hotel+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDXc-Ls7oVw6lVqQEIf23J4XCL0V1AGdndrZs8JYpbBmmlwElAgf3Usn6VeYmEMcznYHqWupNc1vQnGP1b4XHwaX8kdJXdUo_BkUDjof0XAxdB7haHod4YZvIXLjSPJGkAT_D5EYmu_eZ/s200/bug+hotel+009.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuff the section with straw, paper etc</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJP28APxnMqrUTLA1nQp1wb-qgnVtmZ4PUBpY01H0P82daPFVvp2bOVFstbMSX2pkyqZ3R_Z0BDMiTBGyzg2t6roU1yseJzcguYDxl1-qVzqUH0bcJS1czIkKZYwLZ4L36ITFL9Ibr3gz/s1600/bug+hotel+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJP28APxnMqrUTLA1nQp1wb-qgnVtmZ4PUBpY01H0P82daPFVvp2bOVFstbMSX2pkyqZ3R_Z0BDMiTBGyzg2t6roU1yseJzcguYDxl1-qVzqUH0bcJS1czIkKZYwLZ4L36ITFL9Ibr3gz/s200/bug+hotel+010.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We painted it black and screwed the panel on</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3K-JeqsHpYhk9yG16vP4tCnAeCP9Emq_3-z3hD8wtOw_CnjOrSBsAJRWVkF4cM4SF7f7G5nF6V1mIV7yRHohDU478soYjfqE2v406tWG8t22uXJRisLlSBXwbb5mbkQnbu4ZqWRr21hr/s1600/bug+hotel+003.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3K-JeqsHpYhk9yG16vP4tCnAeCP9Emq_3-z3hD8wtOw_CnjOrSBsAJRWVkF4cM4SF7f7G5nF6V1mIV7yRHohDU478soYjfqE2v406tWG8t22uXJRisLlSBXwbb5mbkQnbu4ZqWRr21hr/s200/bug+hotel+003.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">We stuffed cans with moss but actually this wasn't very good as the birds pinched it for their nests, so if you use moss tuck it away where the birds can't get it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zTZJ-pvH8q9QsLElFsWqBmLXb6nZiqVre6R_wRUx5pe9WwoVa5KBGYLXxZbeLFo08vD4Zr4zD6-Rxv4uYzliWUDLEYHxPzZlNeAUrAmEVs3f032CgeXCQIB0dT3jRq4phKh68o5nO3rE/s1600/bug+hotel+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zTZJ-pvH8q9QsLElFsWqBmLXb6nZiqVre6R_wRUx5pe9WwoVa5KBGYLXxZbeLFo08vD4Zr4zD6-Rxv4uYzliWUDLEYHxPzZlNeAUrAmEVs3f032CgeXCQIB0dT3jRq4phKh68o5nO3rE/s400/bug+hotel+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bug Hotel, Colchester.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
</div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-3762930955765157372011-02-13T10:45:00.000-08:002011-02-13T10:45:18.158-08:00Warhorse weekend in London<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Nelsons ship in a bottle is the current display on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar square. Read more: <a href="http://www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/around/4th_plinth.jsp">http://www.london.gov.uk/trafalgarsquare/around/4th_plinth.jsp</a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4dTeBk9yXMsZ_4yx0WLN14TNEEqogFO8srxrVhImfhHT4oOgE9avfTTJUooDrcoK2Vndh4EmOniffgO7QNEyqgsEBLI5ysNSuZITdIedZTHd28XdtzsTHA2HAcw7nsdW976QzRJRGnZI/s1600/War+Horse+%252875%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4dTeBk9yXMsZ_4yx0WLN14TNEEqogFO8srxrVhImfhHT4oOgE9avfTTJUooDrcoK2Vndh4EmOniffgO7QNEyqgsEBLI5ysNSuZITdIedZTHd28XdtzsTHA2HAcw7nsdW976QzRJRGnZI/s320/War+Horse+%252875%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Ship in a Bottle at Trafalgar square<br />
<br />
*****<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFYcF-e33AShjRPMhO5AaioyO-IPZsG86cpQKVXVUCKOB76afSMz515iB3EmDpFcuwcYKDkt6T-L-RQR8cEk2WqCS9pvZTrZ15qGdAyOexxGmD47kM9nI6Fn861BS8o1rITiwLCzATJwd/s1600/War+Horse+%252850%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFYcF-e33AShjRPMhO5AaioyO-IPZsG86cpQKVXVUCKOB76afSMz515iB3EmDpFcuwcYKDkt6T-L-RQR8cEk2WqCS9pvZTrZ15qGdAyOexxGmD47kM9nI6Fn861BS8o1rITiwLCzATJwd/s200/War+Horse+%252850%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warhorse cast and goose</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZDfWql8liUZkMqWjNspcJdrwdMaw_i4jVjKjFbpHQyVCq79ms16r0Ic8VSNjmvkWd0fRScQ2gwnhPClyJfu_Za3PLK6K6IgrkEr44PMsXzSuJe-1QDv0tsS5mA9fq8CHQAe1s7A3h5Nl/s1600/War+Horse+%252848%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZDfWql8liUZkMqWjNspcJdrwdMaw_i4jVjKjFbpHQyVCq79ms16r0Ic8VSNjmvkWd0fRScQ2gwnhPClyJfu_Za3PLK6K6IgrkEr44PMsXzSuJe-1QDv0tsS5mA9fq8CHQAe1s7A3h5Nl/s200/War+Horse+%252848%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Warhorses</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK5PkdB5F6UfQURRjIDX7RtTFndhChIM_Rixt5pJmzu3_LKAWY1MLbOJyJOZ-1AAle_K1jZkBoey6P9tfULUWb5g4-hx_HMnIowAmEXhcj-M5JPxdTBKx43I6oMcQa3u2koEsZgMUptbQ/s1600/War+Horse+%252847%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK5PkdB5F6UfQURRjIDX7RtTFndhChIM_Rixt5pJmzu3_LKAWY1MLbOJyJOZ-1AAle_K1jZkBoey6P9tfULUWb5g4-hx_HMnIowAmEXhcj-M5JPxdTBKx43I6oMcQa3u2koEsZgMUptbQ/s400/War+Horse+%252847%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warhorse</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It is worth going to see Warhorse just to see the horses. The way they move is so natural - it really is captivating. The horses really convey emotions thanks to the actors controlling them.</div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaWd9OGmZ8RNoORSmZfz56Xw2Mmw2iEEn_fEQ_fI2qQ_2o-CheIbFKB3JY16PV7WXwYvW43BEiIrwVDkFK4H7nkbBvh8IWbosd8vW-hoXLlPX1zNhXqfoyyYp426cuS1y2D3H8jj0V5BU/s1600/War+Horse+%252843%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaWd9OGmZ8RNoORSmZfz56Xw2Mmw2iEEn_fEQ_fI2qQ_2o-CheIbFKB3JY16PV7WXwYvW43BEiIrwVDkFK4H7nkbBvh8IWbosd8vW-hoXLlPX1zNhXqfoyyYp426cuS1y2D3H8jj0V5BU/s200/War+Horse+%252843%2529.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
Michele and Russell at The Warhorse show<br />
<br />
The theater is really small and intimate which is very nice. You are really not far from the stage where ever you sit and the cast come in to the audience.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://warhorselondon.nationaltheatre.org.uk/">http://warhorselondon.nationaltheatre.org.uk/</a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*****<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We also visited the British Museum while we were in London - it is not far from the Warhorse theater. The museum is vast and you really can't see much of in one visit!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslN5nG4DGLMfi9Sti5fIGrYHepVkBJLv7B7PMN0OF6oiUAhOJgActvSO-Xm29y8hsAenBNGF5ywMrbo6cIUb7z3SB7jMB0LhdMWmMPjyYspSmDdGFpcKkgWn61c0tRwycqcCRzzaL5hyI/s1600/War+Horse+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslN5nG4DGLMfi9Sti5fIGrYHepVkBJLv7B7PMN0OF6oiUAhOJgActvSO-Xm29y8hsAenBNGF5ywMrbo6cIUb7z3SB7jMB0LhdMWmMPjyYspSmDdGFpcKkgWn61c0tRwycqcCRzzaL5hyI/s400/War+Horse+%25289%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rosetta Stone</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This is fascinating - the carving alone is worth a look (so tiny and so neat) but the story to go with it makes it even more worth the trip... <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/t/the_rosetta_stone.aspx">http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/t/the_rosetta_stone.aspx</a></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyF8BLKBjxCZ6Fb5FuJmjEPtDesHYsnq_Mhf7FPL6V0fKbxlVPypTQlQtd0R-AyOhpuj1sgWRAZYXxh3tbNnQGUeqWmhLT0gXk854uZ3Q0F-7NVlNmvL-D6Ao5-OmMOmOpGIV-j8y88K9/s1600/War+Horse+%252832%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyF8BLKBjxCZ6Fb5FuJmjEPtDesHYsnq_Mhf7FPL6V0fKbxlVPypTQlQtd0R-AyOhpuj1sgWRAZYXxh3tbNnQGUeqWmhLT0gXk854uZ3Q0F-7NVlNmvL-D6Ao5-OmMOmOpGIV-j8y88K9/s200/War+Horse+%252832%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell at The British Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-16003422910336454472011-02-08T05:30:00.001-08:002011-02-08T05:30:51.701-08:00Festival of needlesMichele loves her needles..<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRuWxn4hw9WUici0Ur90CPo_nSn11nA1WnKdwQobFwsCY1YYEC86prF3LzgOcWGdjmHQmZP0yI5Al70x3Iv7n77tMaqPbaDsMUI8MkuWP7c1GRvk8eMsGETuJfmmWnrXBp08C4rPw06u8/s1600/festival+of+needles.+pin+cushion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRuWxn4hw9WUici0Ur90CPo_nSn11nA1WnKdwQobFwsCY1YYEC86prF3LzgOcWGdjmHQmZP0yI5Al70x3Iv7n77tMaqPbaDsMUI8MkuWP7c1GRvk8eMsGETuJfmmWnrXBp08C4rPw06u8/s400/festival+of+needles.+pin+cushion.JPG" width="365" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cactus pin cushion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Read about the celebration <a href="http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/forum/topics/festival-of-needles?commentId=2105845%3AComment%3A221840">http://stitchinfingers.ning.com/forum/topics/festival-of-needles?commentId=2105845%3AComment%3A221840</a>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-85511462934841213192011-01-30T05:21:00.000-08:002011-01-30T05:22:12.196-08:00A Sunny Sunday in January...We made the most of the first Sunny Sunday in January with a delicious Beach Brunch in West Mersea.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2GbH0jjYbLFBgArAHSnC5sJCDF6VLhfgiXAw-E4qb1f3iLa_MpeenPijjqKauB0htrY6zk5IShYosR_TB_u7Sp3p-_D96fGU5M1vMdH1xMq_QPU65LJ3QkEOqSK2ieeo5axbDN9NwIae/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2GbH0jjYbLFBgArAHSnC5sJCDF6VLhfgiXAw-E4qb1f3iLa_MpeenPijjqKauB0htrY6zk5IShYosR_TB_u7Sp3p-_D96fGU5M1vMdH1xMq_QPU65LJ3QkEOqSK2ieeo5axbDN9NwIae/s400/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Russell cooked up Mini-Portobello Mushrooms with garlic and parsley in olive oil over our camp stove. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Equipment: Chopping board, knife, tea towel, flask of hot water, camp plates, camp stove, cutlery</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">You need: Salt, portobell<span style="background-color: yellow;">o</span> mushrooms, garlic cloves, fresh parsley and olive oil.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dd91XI2EPvkvpDbx2PED8azF16BMsPabwc9kToQce0PWa9sJsjuiZymrMa00PG4XbSFHuHYOraW1g3xN8x_uiylncsnV16-4edne5kxAY6Y-PTvd0PDCBEwTYuZ2ZMXU5uu0lzYJ5XCO/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dd91XI2EPvkvpDbx2PED8azF16BMsPabwc9kToQce0PWa9sJsjuiZymrMa00PG4XbSFHuHYOraW1g3xN8x_uiylncsnV16-4edne5kxAY6Y-PTvd0PDCBEwTYuZ2ZMXU5uu0lzYJ5XCO/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+005.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVmqX5e44rewkhf4U8KKrOj38xU8uh5Ya_xdoEYoTsD05Cmp6MjC-2WbfnR-hJGLqthWBCkwUyDAcf6vBwcty8MAu7nkANLQB3dlbHmYDYgG5dbIXbyIiv-q5JDiNBUR2AHtKtTtLc75z/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVmqX5e44rewkhf4U8KKrOj38xU8uh5Ya_xdoEYoTsD05Cmp6MjC-2WbfnR-hJGLqthWBCkwUyDAcf6vBwcty8MAu7nkANLQB3dlbHmYDYgG5dbIXbyIiv-q5JDiNBUR2AHtKtTtLc75z/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+001.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid99dQom83OqlHgdHUxzNUUih8emYBM8OIaZJqUB6xUrWqlR8Sx5rm4YSZJXFRmBNyR2RPPvzjDwwEUlGiQE9g9GUNSnuCmBcS6fEl53rmMYGDW7-2B-iQkhzHJ6NBhBONiUKz447_sWED/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 38px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 88px;"><br />
</a>He then toasted a couple of slices of bread by holding them over the flames. Tipped the mushrooms and juice on the bread and it tasted like the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. It was really cold on the beach but the sun was so lovely to see and we huddled behind a bush - it didn't feel cold with the hot food to eat!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTJAxSkUB0tTaYQUsmLhQyw3BfswvE0KiReC5QhOzNSF0W468uuJa5m0jS0hpOS9GULThmAPEIA_cfudx9rNWJ-p-JLzXhYg6GiKnJNuVzZ7qQrhAnOVE0ggHfEXkGiFVLk70_C_GSl0_/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+9.1.11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTJAxSkUB0tTaYQUsmLhQyw3BfswvE0KiReC5QhOzNSF0W468uuJa5m0jS0hpOS9GULThmAPEIA_cfudx9rNWJ-p-JLzXhYg6GiKnJNuVzZ7qQrhAnOVE0ggHfEXkGiFVLk70_C_GSl0_/s320/Beach+Brunch+jan+9.1.11.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Being out in the sun is so good for your spirits!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Then for dessert!!!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">You need: Chocolate sticks, flask of hot water, milk, sweet bread or pastry</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Equipment: Sauce pan, cups, flask</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">When we went to Brussels in December we brought back some hot chocolate sticks...</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iPGLg_c7Kpc5D7FFZN-ki0NSbGMtUUMCbpfSTOUEBd-G7Q3jAOKd8VT4Pzdp65DfmJDryg9TPYT6qAZb-IQar9CjrYSaVo4Jxs6rix8PbC1iq4k5lE1IlHMaxMhXagHaB4Tp378q52pS/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iPGLg_c7Kpc5D7FFZN-ki0NSbGMtUUMCbpfSTOUEBd-G7Q3jAOKd8VT4Pzdp65DfmJDryg9TPYT6qAZb-IQar9CjrYSaVo4Jxs6rix8PbC1iq4k5lE1IlHMaxMhXagHaB4Tp378q52pS/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+014.JPG" width="200" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(It is basically really high quality chocolate on a stick)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Russell heated some full fat Jersey milk in a pan on the camp stove, while this was heating he tipped the hot water from the flask into the cups (just to warm them up). We then tipped the water away (using it to wash the plates) and put the chocolate sticks in the cups...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_UdO6C83zABdaReOQwLmxjV2qbl_0mgVufITWflAckFGfmIbLSMT-Tb6FHtWmr1ZPqnxnHN9e8MPfXGZJkQPLQZ4oFK1hRT0kFEDH9YAiRrlYVuVFLv_PPXYORd12ZjCjE2N0-v7N_6j/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_UdO6C83zABdaReOQwLmxjV2qbl_0mgVufITWflAckFGfmIbLSMT-Tb6FHtWmr1ZPqnxnHN9e8MPfXGZJkQPLQZ4oFK1hRT0kFEDH9YAiRrlYVuVFLv_PPXYORd12ZjCjE2N0-v7N_6j/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+015.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YaVlPxudRffLmaoqqIEr97AxRzCwR7_v12BLcBI_VU0vKb9Sze_GOwe1El85JT1s9ESrlLrdnZ_n2KJ013IU95YvV68vHatwwn7hdSJM2FP6fiIIztKXh2ci1uAPsSCvd3LBwYVuX0u8/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YaVlPxudRffLmaoqqIEr97AxRzCwR7_v12BLcBI_VU0vKb9Sze_GOwe1El85JT1s9ESrlLrdnZ_n2KJ013IU95YvV68vHatwwn7hdSJM2FP6fiIIztKXh2ci1uAPsSCvd3LBwYVuX0u8/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+017.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Then Russell tipped the hot milk into the cups on top of the chocolate. It took a while to melt - just keep stirring...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurxjWu5WO12iPxHHEQm0BFTkjhfUZwygLS4DkcLV2RHuofig1ODX-H4R8vBCtxR8WjXkCGpGHpI3_SSztq8WnWAf-Wtl0o6pNdIxevMx98jvNe5vZCWolcBG_gzPu_kmu5tPBLkJ6JLPa/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurxjWu5WO12iPxHHEQm0BFTkjhfUZwygLS4DkcLV2RHuofig1ODX-H4R8vBCtxR8WjXkCGpGHpI3_SSztq8WnWAf-Wtl0o6pNdIxevMx98jvNe5vZCWolcBG_gzPu_kmu5tPBLkJ6JLPa/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+019.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk_I7Jcg3EUz-ynAUyQcDbCur5eM3WWVZAyvfOSwtQ-09Xq-MaWpZsGvaV5s73ubqdNe2OBl8JWkfqVWimeE7vgUvqETPujwWddUdJon44ac2g2eB7xY7t7u1U2ole4n2ddvI1WAf9ZiO/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk_I7Jcg3EUz-ynAUyQcDbCur5eM3WWVZAyvfOSwtQ-09Xq-MaWpZsGvaV5s73ubqdNe2OBl8JWkfqVWimeE7vgUvqETPujwWddUdJon44ac2g2eB7xY7t7u1U2ole4n2ddvI1WAf9ZiO/s200/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+011.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">..until all the chocolate melts into the milk.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We had some Pandoro which is like Brioche to go with the hot chocolate.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM3nQzENxeP7NIXlWQKHkULcwBtcRso9ZErybpY5HucCNFaF68DCJmCkaUye19LxGm7e7ncSATdj7qHlTtdrlEgYdA220aZqFWZikqbS1Wgn7NfjwCn0GSVSyR0S-GTgppOsuwBTgSUFb/s1600/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuM3nQzENxeP7NIXlWQKHkULcwBtcRso9ZErybpY5HucCNFaF68DCJmCkaUye19LxGm7e7ncSATdj7qHlTtdrlEgYdA220aZqFWZikqbS1Wgn7NfjwCn0GSVSyR0S-GTgppOsuwBTgSUFb/s320/Beach+Brunch+jan+11+023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>DELICIOUS!!!</strong></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-43352175348255361462011-01-07T06:59:00.000-08:002011-01-07T06:59:30.191-08:00WIN interior design on madeby-me.co.uk<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>WIN A 'Concept Board' worth £49.50 from</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>'Champagne & Roses' Online Interior Design </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />
<strong></strong></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInJmzKCxbvTqWzSGQjqz7SWAKAkJhtfPC-WG-B-WR2YkB0-k0L5SQ5OgWLkyiBBT1t9bBqmJnpzWixI194JGqYR1VerazR5T6b5p5zAawyTt9KoKk2M_KA7IrBML-pWuAAWajAtQNuwoS/s1600/paintbrush.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInJmzKCxbvTqWzSGQjqz7SWAKAkJhtfPC-WG-B-WR2YkB0-k0L5SQ5OgWLkyiBBT1t9bBqmJnpzWixI194JGqYR1VerazR5T6b5p5zAawyTt9KoKk2M_KA7IrBML-pWuAAWajAtQNuwoS/s1600/paintbrush.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Concept board is aimed to set the guidelines, with colour, styling and the perceived ambience of the room. These boards are inspirational allowing you to forge ahead. An aid to the creative process. The perfect path for times when you can't deceide which way to go. Boards when used through out a residence are created to link appropriate rooms, each with another ,whilst retaining individual inspiration and identity. </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will confer with you via email to develop an understanding of your design concept.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boards posted within 7 days of initial consultation.We send these insirational concept boards by recorded delivery to ensure they get to you. </span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>To be in with a chance of winning this great prize </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>simply send your name and address to: </strong><a href="mailto:competitions@madeby-me.co.uk"><strong>competitions@madeby-me.co.uk</strong></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Please mark the subject as 'concept board'</strong></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Closing date: 10th February 2011</span></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size: large;"></span>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-45202635668782505902011-01-06T06:35:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:35:18.813-08:00Napkin competition winner...<strong>CONGRATULATIONS</strong> TO 'NEIL WRAGG'<br />
The winner of our recent competition, winning a set of hand-printed napkins from madeby-me.<br />
Here is his entry photograph and story - we love it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&view=all&subj=147513255291838&pid=5317239&id=789123397&oid=147513255291838" id="myphotolink" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img id="myphoto" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1153.snc4/149565_1698407540835_1257290603_31957947_2342575_n.jpg" style="float: left; height: 193px; margin: 12px 12px 12px 0px; width: 257px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<em>I carved this chain from a piece of Mahogany I rescued from our last house. It has three links for the three of us in our family, mum, dad and our son joined by a heart. The top and bottom links are split to represent us as husband and wife as well as father and mother.</em><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">'Neil Wragg'</div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-14384496384444560062010-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:002010-12-21T12:41:37.064-08:00Brussels Christmas Market<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;">We had a lovely weekend in Brussels it was a Winter wonderland!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9urIOhwkjtoMS1rGNcqw76mV0Ua134cnxtIL9jC7tA2OzAowQsULjqjJORjU-RJMCgwVg3KuC8omlhfi-iFzjAfmrpR0mzwMqjxnhekOlAptubwfu0bqDgZm1k_BoeXeU-9EOxSl6a5t/s1600/Brussels+dec+2010+105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: blue;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9urIOhwkjtoMS1rGNcqw76mV0Ua134cnxtIL9jC7tA2OzAowQsULjqjJORjU-RJMCgwVg3KuC8omlhfi-iFzjAfmrpR0mzwMqjxnhekOlAptubwfu0bqDgZm1k_BoeXeU-9EOxSl6a5t/s320/Brussels+dec+2010+105.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Grand place</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfVROxOp7j7_l0lyYhsdYjmsphM7P4nYFLWpt-JfHk2JLOFfyvWuZfRoBveGv96CxfAXMVF5c4oatHm1uQpP2P1Rks8Yio69bYLLv397jCbbJ_BAhRgVcQKmv2CGnlfgcnhRomUVpqGoF/s1600/Brussels+dec+2010+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfVROxOp7j7_l0lyYhsdYjmsphM7P4nYFLWpt-JfHk2JLOFfyvWuZfRoBveGv96CxfAXMVF5c4oatHm1uQpP2P1Rks8Yio69bYLLv397jCbbJ_BAhRgVcQKmv2CGnlfgcnhRomUVpqGoF/s320/Brussels+dec+2010+028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Atonium</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-35512499604506839882010-12-03T11:08:00.000-08:002010-12-03T11:09:51.899-08:00The vintage style mini-hats are on their way...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Vintage style mini hat collection is on its way take a look at </span><a href="http://www.hatsbyhand.blogspot/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.hatsbyhand.blogspot</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for pics! It's a new blog just for my pictures of my hand made hats. No ads, now wordy blog posts - just pictures!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExN9_c9Bogy9x_BJDY9b8RSUl4rL7vhmOqN5h48jlQX7rFqVBETnq0B0q9_8XV7GBY0T_RYaL0s6SVn8XON9k5-Vpy4yiIrtZJmKThp9D8GpYnA_HHVEK0RktwTo8qFXCcSItTmvQ8mXL/s1600/Making+the+vintage+style+hats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExN9_c9Bogy9x_BJDY9b8RSUl4rL7vhmOqN5h48jlQX7rFqVBETnq0B0q9_8XV7GBY0T_RYaL0s6SVn8XON9k5-Vpy4yiIrtZJmKThp9D8GpYnA_HHVEK0RktwTo8qFXCcSItTmvQ8mXL/s200/Making+the+vintage+style+hats.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And don't forget only a few days left of the Napkin competition...</span><a href="http://madeby-me.co.uk/WIN.aspx"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://madeby-me.co.uk/WIN.aspx</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Michele.</span></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-30089946134482854742010-11-22T03:39:00.000-08:002010-11-22T03:39:27.114-08:00Stir-up Sunday & Sloe gin tasting no.1 ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LycdIslXkF_eMqjK0Jga8c8yJC-zE8wI2ObmAuUz9l69e0RSuHBrsjkDYqM1PvQc5R38ao97_60iVHtKEeS3FCiPYyjF3z79kLPLD2_pwSTvmCgT57cjyGARpDF0AdIZ_B4MAEiVkn3e/s1600/stir+up+sunday+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LycdIslXkF_eMqjK0Jga8c8yJC-zE8wI2ObmAuUz9l69e0RSuHBrsjkDYqM1PvQc5R38ao97_60iVHtKEeS3FCiPYyjF3z79kLPLD2_pwSTvmCgT57cjyGARpDF0AdIZ_B4MAEiVkn3e/s200/stir+up+sunday+002.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Sunday 21st was not only Stir-up Sunday but also one month since the start of the 'Sloe gin experiment 2010', which means it was time for the first tasting. </div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If you didn't make your Christmas pudding but still want to you can find the recipe at</div><a href="http://madeby-me.co.uk/StirupSunday.aspx">http://madeby-me.co.uk/StirupSunday.aspx</a><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UQaksD4NvqMDz_v9ENbTDKVAza0ZyjvLLIpu3FGaTgj6_tgC3JAbwBq7LeyeJRCZUaPzfw8KntwTBsTu1YmVUlqcwg3Q7E9i3-FYCYS_72jDfjfsM-_41Xm6BK6XwUIzIguadw0jgeoc/s1600/stir+up+sunday+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UQaksD4NvqMDz_v9ENbTDKVAza0ZyjvLLIpu3FGaTgj6_tgC3JAbwBq7LeyeJRCZUaPzfw8KntwTBsTu1YmVUlqcwg3Q7E9i3-FYCYS_72jDfjfsM-_41Xm6BK6XwUIzIguadw0jgeoc/s200/stir+up+sunday+004.JPG" width="200" /></a>The tasting went like this:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Firstly Michele set out four glasses labeled A - D so Russell didn't know which was which...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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Then Russell tasted the four gins and recorded his notes. Michele also wanted in on the action - purely for scientific research - you can see the results here:<br />
<a href="http://madeby-me.co.uk/TheGreatSloeGinExperiment2010.aspx">http://madeby-me.co.uk/TheGreatSloeGinExperiment2010.aspx</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRTwMAGKhyphenhyphenNx-JMhh4uzb4Uc4Xfq29wEReksU178xFslIvgw6wJcxdjnIYK_bknqRMH4-E6ZvvGQvIyfXh_oevGOUg9E-F_F69-37CbT-BlIAkmhKZ4jjXzlzoZkw1dMtM51UEA0hBX78/s1600/stir+up+sunday+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRTwMAGKhyphenhyphenNx-JMhh4uzb4Uc4Xfq29wEReksU178xFslIvgw6wJcxdjnIYK_bknqRMH4-E6ZvvGQvIyfXh_oevGOUg9E-F_F69-37CbT-BlIAkmhKZ4jjXzlzoZkw1dMtM51UEA0hBX78/s400/stir+up+sunday+019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-14794881695837277832010-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:002010-11-23T06:12:23.017-08:00Stir-up SundayThis Sunday 21st is Stir-up Sunday. For a delicious recipe and method by Russell Clement visit <a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/StirupSunday.aspx">http://micheleenglish.co.uk/StirupSunday.aspx</a>, pudding bowls listed to the right.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/StirupSunday.aspx"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_Js07HoRV6z8jirp4BqYRnfZ67eOy_tuQuVQrxicY5Y3n5t1osuS-yitsq7Zs9NeWnCoVq5Jii2UuTRFzInkqeguz9JJXaxXI_SfrNq0LPSzMBNVtI2C9s2Deai0kVA5uWHVBKervbew/s320/xmas+pud+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-2686557841325062342010-11-11T06:52:00.000-08:002010-11-11T06:52:59.302-08:00The perfect Christmas gift, exactly what they want!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Show appreciation for individuality, give a unique hat with</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>'Michele English's' Hat Vouchers</strong></span></div><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>1. Hat Gift Voucher £you Choose</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A hat gift voucher can be used for our ‘design it yourself’ hats, our bespoke hats for sale or a Hat design voucher.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>2. Hat Design Voucher £15.00 </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This voucher entitles your recipient to have a hat designed for them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>3. Hat Design Voucher plus Hat Voucher £15.00 + You choose</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As above plus you can specify an amount that you wish to spend towards the final hat produced.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>4. ‘Invoice me’ Hat Design Voucher</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This option is suitable if you want to pay for your recipient’s hat but do not want to specify an amount.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>'Hat voucher' gift packaging also available </strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/GiftVouchers.aspx"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Kbzz1VsDWzTa05WL4jYQldGx7x8uNQ7usnAyL1ybKf7jnXRpamNYaGfnd3OjPItCkptClQZGjYdyoep3iy75F87SUPGDeZuGo2w_9HhxIGHswqZgCZHcNgjPnquv9zK49tC0sowyXpkS/s320/hat+gift+box+004.JPG" width="307" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more details 'Click' the picture </span></div><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Gift packaging contains:</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Voucher (as applicable)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Mini felted hat </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Tape measure</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Instructions</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• all packaged in a lovely gift box</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.madeby-me.co.uk/">www.madeby-me.co.uk</a> (gift vouchers)</span></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-50564759619940348332010-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:002010-11-08T10:10:21.027-08:00Win a set of Napkins<div class="separator" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBha5C5YjR5-8PFctdQwU5rr2zUBA7L4XOSoy2uooRet7N8wWZyh4P6inENq8qtaNER_dpcNmYe5PKViHO19Ewd1fGV2tOdpmHTTlGiPrbgGxMVW_rzo0GtQ8dezV-KD27Fg7AO-p3fyO6/s320/napkins+for+comp.jpg" width="237" /></div><br />
Liked the Napkins at The Cheerful Soul? They were so popular we are now selling them in our online shop<br />
<a href="http://www.madeby-me.co.uk/">http://www.madeby-me.co.uk/</a> but before you buy any here is your chance to win them...<br />
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Win a set of 8 Hand screen printed napkins. Perfect for a Dinner Party! <br />
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Click the link below to find out how...<br />
<a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/WIN.aspx">http://micheleenglish.co.uk/WIN.aspx</a>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-35137226776724765832010-11-04T09:14:00.000-07:002010-11-04T09:14:22.071-07:00Order your winter hat...<span style="color: #073763;"></span><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">All hats are unique - its up to you just how unique!</span></strong><br />
A great Christmas gift!! buy a <strong>voucher</strong> for someone to get their own hat made, just for them as they want it!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSEYgK1YnAf7ilKMPdbM43zQxwgfwZ1Tolof2gfQfJvWQ1LDPa6PCVUNQ0atbWh2QuPPDyqWso_UEGgpambzz-rUtudNJRKv3uBjc70YefP_NC4v6bYMohvkbdxOGeSwnoLepFAO6C1pk/s1600/Natural+white+hat+with+pink+flower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSEYgK1YnAf7ilKMPdbM43zQxwgfwZ1Tolof2gfQfJvWQ1LDPa6PCVUNQ0atbWh2QuPPDyqWso_UEGgpambzz-rUtudNJRKv3uBjc70YefP_NC4v6bYMohvkbdxOGeSwnoLepFAO6C1pk/s200/Natural+white+hat+with+pink+flower.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage style</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>For real luxury and warmth go for Angora wool from these little fellows<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PxW-s8_jyUi8cymMr-rAAvEzU8SSvq9JogQkKBIrooFF4ofKTnuEmzDUfezlmwC_UOQGxoUrTlpO_F_OBd-C_EncYSUkr2dMc4Dpuy0WN3rGAIJOD2lwNoqxQyHs_lpDwUnlbg-7i6I0/s1600/baby+angora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PxW-s8_jyUi8cymMr-rAAvEzU8SSvq9JogQkKBIrooFF4ofKTnuEmzDUfezlmwC_UOQGxoUrTlpO_F_OBd-C_EncYSUkr2dMc4Dpuy0WN3rGAIJOD2lwNoqxQyHs_lpDwUnlbg-7i6I0/s1600/baby+angora.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No bunnies are hurt in the making of an Angora hat!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfBTpGosM7OaguwsOVWhP1c40e9Pu1gdotTefB_ZND-E9ChSqGs-qH4ONohfgOW8PFE_a1QXLMcW3ooIfSUiZCOZ4LGUgTilo7WsLJUYVY4T1qQRTrIadm0n5N9kevSURHJFJ-kmqB78P/s1600/ANGORA+WHITE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfBTpGosM7OaguwsOVWhP1c40e9Pu1gdotTefB_ZND-E9ChSqGs-qH4ONohfgOW8PFE_a1QXLMcW3ooIfSUiZCOZ4LGUgTilo7WsLJUYVY4T1qQRTrIadm0n5N9kevSURHJFJ-kmqB78P/s200/ANGORA+WHITE.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angora wool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Visit <a href="http://www.hatsbyhand.moonfruit.com/">http://www.hatsbyhand.moonfruit.com/</a> or <a href="http://www.madeby-me.co.uk/">http://www.madeby-me.co.uk/</a> to find out more...MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-70070723699969425532010-10-25T10:26:00.000-07:002010-10-25T10:31:10.523-07:00"Micheles" Pumpkin (for her not by her)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/MichelesPumpkin.aspx"><img border="0" height="211" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaF7IlNHUnwqSJ_Q8j84XP3kz34gsse1W3jglERNtLVfXEebQBZ6TQbpfbVIcOC837aethUOXDy5PW3bFXAVbQFwsbfyc3NckbD2KiiElt1ypVy6s307IN_Ack83UN9CuGW8HKihwOymn/s320/DSCF2608.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This is not a recipe for the faint of heart. Not because of any complexities in the method – it is simplicity itself to make – but because it is a beast of a meal. We allow it only one outing a year, which has made it a bit of an occasion and so for the last few years at least we have made it for our Halloween supper.<br />
It makes a great informal party or family dish, try it for your Halloween supper too - click on the picture for the recipe.MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-67974439978651936652010-10-20T08:47:00.000-07:002010-10-20T08:47:30.370-07:00The Great Slow Gin Experiment 2010I only posted my Sloe gin recipe yesterday but already I have had a lot of interest about my experiment so I thought I would broaden it out a bit. I am asking anyone out there who is interested, to perform their own experiment and then we can collate all our data and see if there could be anything to the whole prick the sloes/freeze the sloes debate!<br />
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Click on the picture of sloe gin which is a link which will take you to our website where you can view and print some guidelines for conducting your own delicious experiment.<br />
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Follow the Blog where we will be uploading our results and you can share your results with us.<br />
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I think we could all be candidates for the 2010 Nobel prize for alcohol based research.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/TheGreatSloeGinExperiment2010.aspx"><img border="0" ex="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvEe2CAdbjnSG-pwPOZ9Nwhbvg4XSCvvsYLBlOPkCNlaF5oJMPkS62novBFS19Oo95K_FPJeqzV0IW4Fd8AnsDBo22bZeSX20ncEso6cXfyySkBJXZ4q4NI7xty5ZqF7oqODCJsAoLLAd/s200/sloe+gin+(54).JPG" width="160" /></a></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-2145424229011399122010-10-19T07:19:00.000-07:002010-10-19T07:19:18.145-07:00Sloe GinSloe Gin<br />
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Making sloe gin is one of my favourite autumn rituals and an informal marker in my calendar. It is the first thing I do towards Christmas (we usually give a few bottles as gifts) and it comes at a time of year when we first start lighting our wood burner in the evenings and the nights draw in. Wrapping up on a bright October day and hitting the hedgerows is a satisfying way to spend an afternoon and if you take a small flask of last year’s brew you don’t even feel the cold!<br />
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Check out my recipe by clicking the sloes below...<br />
Russell.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/Russellsrecipes.aspx"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQg2cvwKXqQQhz1XgWCulNiX3P8IwkKZs82itExEuAxPWWpYFd5Ju2tozKEceD0fuRoAGE66BoN3dp_ZBYz1uOcjWZFky-JDwGZW34Po_HFtRfCKmrytxQaUTBgAvbu_V0_d6B2cy5J1Sa/s320/sloe+gin+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-24611336753463244342010-10-13T03:13:00.000-07:002010-10-13T03:13:44.748-07:00Russells Recipe Page<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Russell is setting up a recipe page on www.micheleenglish.co.uk.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://micheleenglish.co.uk/Russellsrecipes.aspx"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtJfAN38HMkJg5XkwkyBfYZI3lWiUZ7UvS363tHawMy0tkNx9BNb6RILqyDXfaopIiNJPnYT6ykiSDqrR53GRig6WCzysf33rIQi0C0f5AZ912-XnXyDWt1zBQpF8Yc7SSEguaEJTCqno/s320/MOWKEY+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His first recipe will be Sloe Gin - if you don't like Gin, you will still love this! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Home made Sloe Gin makes a lovely for</strong> <strong>Christmas present</strong>.</span></div>MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618831422119360336.post-71161405060922724302010-10-08T04:31:00.000-07:002010-10-14T09:21:09.617-07:00The Knitting and Stitching show, Alexandra Palace<em>(CHECK BACK I WILL ADD THE PICTURES LATER)</em><br />
Yesterday was my trip to the Knitting and Stitching show, Alexandra Palace, London with my Mum.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAgWxR3eW-GHMMT5g0tbsqhBb8d1suVXKtv9mSUmBYqrXanaYHIcYOe4AkgtCnqq6yCWyL9nP74d3neSfvVZd6m0REYauoRFFBFLlB2SGLyfKFhzkGwxtJZafAEIOMkk7raOy_jOGJELi/s1600/bus+stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAgWxR3eW-GHMMT5g0tbsqhBb8d1suVXKtv9mSUmBYqrXanaYHIcYOe4AkgtCnqq6yCWyL9nP74d3neSfvVZd6m0REYauoRFFBFLlB2SGLyfKFhzkGwxtJZafAEIOMkk7raOy_jOGJELi/s320/bus+stop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is the upholstered bus stop outside Alexandra Palace - it was such a lovely greeting to the show!<br />
Inside it just got more exciting with textile artists displaying their work and hundreds of stands selling really well priced bits and pieces for your knitting and stitching projects. There were things for beginners and the more advanced in every sector of textiles.<br />
I have never seen so many women in one building before, it really was amazing.<br />
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<strong>If you visiting the Knitting and Stitching show this weekend...</strong><br />
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There really is no point queueing for the ladies, we used the men's as there were none about - but perhaps get someone to keep guard on the door just in case!<br />
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Make sure you take lip balm and eye drops if you have them. The air conditioning is really harsh, it is hot inside and very drying. The stall holders were having the same trouble so I don't think it was just us.<br />
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It's best to either take a pack lunch that you can eat outside in the inside picnic area or book in the tea rooms if you are splashing out. The breakfast served until 11.30am is only £5.00 per person - it is better to do this and sit in a nice surrounding away from the hustle and bustle than get tea inside the exhibition. <br />
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If you need some fresh air go outside and into the Phoenix bar for a drink - I think they do food to but not sure what.<br />
Have fun,<br />
Michele.MICHELE ENGLISHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04481491016523056634noreply@blogger.com0