Not All Rhino Are What They Seem

Last weekend I wandered along the river and found these beauties:
Charity




On the way, I wandered through the park and discovered that there was more to this white rhino than it had seemed, when I had first spotted him on my first safari walk.

Because, on meeting him face to face, it became obvious to me that he was not just a white rhino

but also a black rhino! Very clever. 2 for the price of one. I love a good bargain, don't you?

Last full week of school year 365

The school holidays are fast approaching and the days of late starts, lazy days, creative days are just around the corner. really looking forward to it.
192/365 Sunday found this beautiful rhino around the corner on my walk to church!

193/365 Monday Abbie turned up to use tinternet and share yummy cherry pie

194/365 Tuesday Some days you just have to have a cuppa and chocolate

195/365 Wednesday Paperwork recycling

196/365 Thursday Maybe the girlie chicks might like me to make something with these?

197/365 Friday Last day for the children. Scrapbook papers in the sales purchased for the summer holiday ahead.

198/365 Saturday A nice walk along the river, continuing on my urban safari

Denim

I have been thinking about the word DENIM and all it conjours up in my mind this week, in response to the prompt over at the sunday creative.
The opportuity for me to link in this week on her blog directly is now too late, but here is my creative bit in honour of the word: "denim"
Denim.
Jeans,
Comfy,
Casual,
Lazy days, holidays, relaxing days, working days, painting days,
Any days, most days.
Cropped, grunge, baggy, bootleg, bootcut, flares, drainpipe, ripped.
s-t-r-e-t-c-h.
Navy blue, dark blue, light blue, any blue.
White denim, black denim, pink denim, sparkly denim - any denim - I've had them all.
Skinny fit,
Tight fit,
Any fit,
Might fit,
Don't fit,
Won't fit.
Ripped jeans, torn jeans, frayed jeans, worn jeans.
Slouch look,
Grunge look,
Baggy look,
Ridiculous look,
Don't look (builder's bum)
Designer look.
Boyfriend?
That would be nice!
Please look.
Nice jeans, bargain jeans, comfy jeans, well worn jeans, his jeans, worn out jeans. Favourite jeans,
lovely jeans.
Levi, wrangler, high street, my street, your street.
My jeans, your jeans, I love my jeans.
Denim.
Jeans.
Forever in blue jeans.

A week of 365

Sunday 185/365 Wimbledon Final.Traditional strawberries whilst watching it on the telly!

Monday 186/365 The Rhino Hunt begins!

Tuesday 187/365 Tudur is not the only one who is tired!

Wednesday 188/365 couldn't help laughing about my heavy handbag.

Thursday 189/365 I think we have all come to a halt with this book, despite the title and sub-heading of chapter 8 seems to say it all.

Friday 190/365 Been looking for this one, apparently hiding at the gym!

Saturday 191/365 A well earned rest after helping Abbie and Tim move house.

The Rhino Hunt Begins

I went for a loooong walk earlier this week in search of a few of the 62 rhino that landed in our city on Monday and the quest to find the 116 mini rhino that arrived with them.
I have found about 18 large rhino this week and 1 mini rhino.
Rhino Mania is around my city until September as part of our summer festival and is called Wild in Art.
The larger rhino's seem to be sponsored by local businesses and done by artists and the mini ones are done by primary school children in the area.

A few months ago, we had a small plain white one arrive that I signed for when it was delivered, complete with a compiled welcome pack containing rhino art ideas, instructions and information on rhino's in the wild where I work. It was quickly donned it in a cowboy hat and blanket and it stood in our entrance way for weeks to say hello to. He was then duly painted and varnished before being collected to join all the other rhino to appear this week in and around the city.
Somewhere.
Waiting to be discovered and hunted.
I decided to wander and meander, to enjoy the discovery and surprise and to just happen upon a few, rather than download the map of where they all are.
I will gradually begin to post the rhino for you to see and enjoy, as I discover and photograph them.
The one I spotted whilst driving on Monday Morning on my way to work:

After spotting the first on the roundabout on Monday morning, this White rhino was my first walking discovery in my local park on my Rhino Hunt. I think he is very grand.

Rhino clock is outside tourist information. I love these colours and the clock on his back looks cool.

Romana Rhino was proudly, perhaps ceremoniously, stood in the amphitheatre. The amphitheatre wall is due to be painted by a muralist to give the illusion of the finished amphitheatre.

I found this one in the Roman Garden.

More to show soon.

Shimelle's new class

I am joining in with this new online class, as recommended by my friend Rachel over at my slightly crazy world. Rachel has done a few before and she raves about it. She is also very talented so I thought I too can learn and would enjoy it a lot.It is a class run by Shimelle. check it out here. It started on Monday but I didn't seem to have had the prompt. Presumably a technical glitch. I got it last night! Yippee. Meanwhile, I have been going on a bit of tour.
These have appeared all over our city. Overnight it seems.
This was the first one I spotted on Monday morning.

The rhino hunt has begun.

Creative Night With Luci

It was my turn to be creative on Thursday Night with the girls. I had forgotten, of course, so it all felt like a bit of a rush to get things out the bag in time. Thankfully, one of the girls reminded me and as I had months ago given it some thought, I just needed to find the materials around the house for what I needed.
Here are a few kind of step by step ideas, if you wish to make your own hearts to hang. Hang in kitchens, decorations, hang in wardrobes, great gifts.

You need:
1x heart shape to use as a template. (I did half a heart shape and cut out the material folded in half to ensure it was symmetrical- the easy way. Use squared paper/graph paper or tracing paper or just paper for your heart pattern shape. If you can't draw a heart then print one out to cut out.
You could do circle/hexagonal shapes - or triangles (these would make funky Christmas trees!) The size of heart is up to you. Too small is fiddly to sew, if you haven't gone round curved edges/corners much before on a machine - and awkward to turn inside out at the end!
(Our hearts were about 20cms x 20cms square pieces of fabric to start.)
2x pieces of fabric in colours of your choice, a bit of ribbon, some wadding/quilting to pad out your heart and a piece of lining/plain cheap cotton fabric to sew onto the top/bottom side of your quilting so it doesn't all get mashed up in your sewing machine. (How many times have I done that before when quilting things? Too many. I learned the hard way, believe me!) You may wish to have some fancy bits to add like buttons or sequins or sew on a tag saying "with love", which I made from printed ribbon.
you might also want some smelly stuff like pot pourri, dried lavender, herbs or scented sachets if you like.

1. cut out your 3x pieces of fabric and your 1x piece of wadding.

2. pin your piece of ribbon folded upside down vertically down the inside of one of your heart shapes. You will stitch this in place as you sew it together. If the fabric is patterned you put the ribbon on the "pretty side", as we called it, facing up. (the official term would be right side facing)

3. place the other really "pretty fabric" upside down on top of this piece, so both "pretty sides" are facing each other with the ribbon in between. Like a sandwich!
4. place on top the wadding/quilting shape
5. place on top of this the piece of lining/plain cotton fabric.
6. pin it all in place

7. carefully sew around most of the edge of your shape, leaving a small hem, so it doesn't fray. You will need to leave a gap open(it is easiest to use most of one of the straight edges. Trust me, I know!)
8. Turn it inside out and pour in some smelly stuff, if you like.
9. Turn in the remaining edge and hand sew (a simple over sew stitch) to seal it together.
10. add buttons or whatever and keep it or give your heart away.


Have fun and eat yummy cake!
Tudur had fun choosing his fabric


and we ate yummy cake!
Enjoy x

The Art House Day

Today I went to see my friend Fiona's art at an exhibition held here
I went with my friend and I was thankful it has been such a beautiful day, to be in an open top sports car (even if my hair now has a whole new meaning to the 1980's style of "back-combing" - remember the scene in Bridget Jones?)
We annoyed the sat nav, as one of the anticipated roads was closed and it kept trying to re-route us, asking us to do a legal U-turn and to repeatedly turn left. We ignored it many times, follwed the diversion signs until we got confused with several diversion sign options in differing directions and finally did a big de-tour. Eventually the sat nav said (rather firmly we thought): "go straight ahead until further instruction." We just giggled.
The house was amazing, as was the art and the rather delicious champagne. We were even amazed at the dog who jigged the door handle several times, before cleverly letting himself in. Sadly, the dog was quickly put on a lead and taken back outside and whilst we each chose our favourite top three pieces of art, we didn't actually buy any.
Not today, anyway.

Updating 365

Tuesday 180/365 Another cosy night in!

Wednesday 181/365 Sports Day

Thursday 182/365 Creative Night with Luci begins with these lovely fabrics

Friday 183/365 Fruit bowl replenished. Yummy.

Saturday 184/365 Went to look at some Art! A Lovely Day!

365 update

Monday 179/365 scrapbooking with friends night. 2 more pages done. Yippee

Sunday 178/365 I know ironing is mad in such hot weather, but all the winter clothes are stored away and all the summer clothes are ironed and out on display in the wardrobe, ready to wear. Yeah!

Saturday 177/365 Food in the garden and time to relax

The weekend. Time to watch Wimbledon. Friday 176/365

Thursday 175/365 Cake! Farewell Anna!