Italian coffee and pastries

This morning the house was surveyed! The House buying process is moving along.
To celebrate we went to the Italian deli.

Work presents!

Roz & Marek's wedding!!

Nails and pizza

Today we had pizza and wine at Ellie's and we did fancy nails!
Wine after work Wednesday!

Lost kitten

Tonight we have a house guest. It invited itself in and I had to save it from Marley.
No chip, no collar.
I was going to just let it go, but black cats don't fare well in the dark by busy roads so he's sleeping in the trap downstairs.

Or is supposed to be sleeping! Kittens cry really loudly!

I've contacted cats in Distress to see what I should do with the kitten. I posted my captive to social media and followed up all the suggestions but didn't find it's owner anywhere.
Hopefully someone recognizes him!

Signs for Roz and Marek's wedding

Marley supervised

House buying update

Our solicitors letters came on Saturday!
We're still waiting for the confirmation that our mortgage has been accepted, but it all seems to be moving along!

Marley approved this step by rolling on it.

Ray's Birthday

Saturday sewing

Today I went to my parents house, my Dad was on a brewery tour so we did some sewing!
We went to magpie in the morning for zips, but I found 3m of fabric for £6!
My mum helped me to draw up a pattern to make it into a maxi evening dress. 😁

Sunday sewing

I finally got round to doing all my repairs... 3 pairs of leggings, 1 pair of gym trousers and some PJ bottoms live to fight another day. I'm psyching myself up to make a red cocktail length shift dress but I don't want to make new bobbins because I'm feeling lazy.
I can sew red silk in black cotton with no interfacing or lining (because I only have emerald green lining fabric?!) and it'll look fine, right? 😂 #firstworldproblems

As an asside, I can see why Marley loves watching people parallel parking. It's mesmerising. The jeopardy!

I also think that the view from my sitting room window looks like a seaside town. And I am slightly disappointed it isn't.

I guess the question is: is is really dressmaking if you haven't used half the items from your kitchen?

So, that's a copy of a copy of a pattern onto greaseproof paper and onwards!

I ran out of red thread 30 minutes after the shops closed and with the dress 2/3 finished! I'll have another go tomorrow!

Lap- sitter

Marley sat on a cushion on my lap for 8 whole minutes. This is a new record.

Train swap

Yesterday on my way to work on Tuesday it was crazy!
The front of the outlet center was full of cranes and low loaders and workmen in orange.
And barriers everywhere!
This is why:

The Hinton Manor 7819 was pulled out of the front of the shopping centre after ten years greeting shoppers and was replaced by its sister train, the 7821 Ditcheat Manor, which was moved from Steam Museum.

In turn STEAM welcomed the Edwardian 2818 which was brought down from the National Railway Museum in York, having been built on the site of the GWR more than a century ago.

Tina Cumpstey, centre manager at the McAruthurGlen Designer Outlet Village, told the Advertiser: “We’ve been working for well over a year in conversation with Severn Valley, West Somerset Valley, STEAM and of course MacArthur Glen.

“That was a little bit nerve racking because they are large panes of glass.

“it’s all been down to the planning, the team have done a brilliant job.”

“When Severn Valley contacted me to say they needed their train back the first question was I need a replacement because it’s so important for the heritage of the centre and for Swindon to replace the trains.

“We recognise that it’s a spectacle. I was very keen not to do it overnight because I wanted people to see it so people could come out and enjoy it.
The Hinton Manor 7819, weighing approximately 50 tonnes, was loaded onto a lorry by engineers in the morning, and will return to Severn Valley Railway where it is hoped to be restored and will go back into service on the 16-mile heritage line running along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster.

Oliver Macdermitt, aged six, who came from Royal Wootton Bassett and waited with his mum to watch the train leave, told the Advertiser: “I like the cab at the back the most, where the driver sits. The best bit is when they go really fast.”

Train enthusiast Ian Galloway, 79, from Cape Town South Africa was there to see the spectacle with his daughter Aileen while visiting friends in Wantage. “It’s just amazing to see this incredible railway history,” said Ian.

“I’ve got models of GWR trains at home, you name them I’ve got them. I could spend hours here, it’s not something you see every day. People in Swindon are very privileged to have this all around them. We don’t have much train preservation in my country.”

Paddle boarding the lower lode loop with Kirstie and Phil

We were super lucky with the weather today! It was supposed to be rainy today but as you can see we had awesome weather!

Paddle boarding on the Thames

SJ organised a paddle boarding adventure for us today.
She picked up my board and I after work and grove us to Letchlade. We had a paddle along the Thames to the Trout. Had some chippies and then we paddled back again.

I forgot the screw that fixes my boards bottom fin on so to avoid losing it I didn't use it.
That made any control over my direction of travel more or less impossible.
I just drifted all over the Thames getting in the way.