Sunday 12 October 2014

Better late than never!

Have you ever stopped to think how reliant we have become on computers and in particular the internet?  Back 20 years ago, I can remember saying to my husband "What on earth do we want a computer for?". Last weekend we had a few days in Chepstow at a    B & B in the middle of the countryside.


I got prepared beforehand writing a post ready to publish in time for Handmade Monday only to realise the internet connection was virtually non existent!  I really don't like to say this but I was completely lost without it (Shhh! Don't tell anyone I just admitted to that!) and equally disappointed not to be able to join in with Handmade Monday!! So, I know none of you will be able to resist the temptation to find out what you missed out on (cough, cough!) and also, the 'ta dah' moment at the end of this post wont make much sense unless you read it, so pleeeaaase, humour me, just pop back and have a quick shifty at what should've been last week!

We arrived in Chepstow in beautiful autumn sunshine and after stopping for a bite to eat, had a stroll along the river .......


and up onto the bridge .....


with a view of Chepstow Castle


This was Taffy's first outing for a while and he was eager to explore the castle and his welsh connections!


Be careful Taffy, it's a long way down .....


Question: What are you up to Taffy?
Answer: Climbing the oldest castle door in Europe!


Time for a little Morris Dancing and a well earned pint!


And just enough time at the end of the day for a short visit to Tintern Abbey.


Taffy and his friend Chester have got up to quite a bit of mischief in the past.  You can read all about their escapades in these previous posts.


And to the final part of this post, the finished mandala ... my ta-dah moment! This was a very cheerful project with plenty of variation on each round, just enough to keep you interested but not too difficult.  You can read all about the inspiration for this mandala and find the links to the free pattern in my previous post.



 I need a new crochet project now - any ideas? 
Thanks for reading peeps. 
x

34 comments:

  1. I love the mandala! What are you going to do with it? Looks like Taffy had fun in Chepstow, I particularly like the photo of him watching the Morris Dancers, beer in hand! x

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    1. I need to make a hoop for it, then I thought I would hang it up in my craft room. I had a job to stop Taffy joining the Morris Dancers!!!!

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  2. Wow, how jealous am I of your wonderful photography talents?! I just loved this blog post and adorable pictures, thanks so much for making me smile x

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  3. Lovely mandala, very bright. Taffy is sweet and obviously enjoyed himself at Chepstow.

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  4. Aww your finished mandala is beautiful!! Love the pics of Taffy on his adventures too :) x

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  5. Wow, what a lovely break, good to see Taffy back. Will look forward to many more outings, love the Mandala xxx

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  6. Beautiful creation - so colourful. I love the photos of Chepstow Castle. It looks like you had a lovely weekend.

    For new Crochet projects I've got a crafty friend who's started up this blog that looks good. http://www.kernowdesigns.co.uk/

    See you after half term - you get a few more week's of peace from me :P

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    1. Thank you Lucy. I shall pop over and check out your friend's blog. See you soon :)

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  7. Well, Taffy - what a time you've had! I love Tintern Abbey but haven't ever explored Chepstow as we're always en route to west Wales but it looks as though it's worth a trip of its own. Lovely colourful crochet - reminds me of a rainbow.

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    1. Yes Chepstow was lovely to while a couple of hours away in the sunshine. The rainbow colours of the Mandala are really cheerful.

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  8. Heh heh I love Morris Dancing! Just left a comment on the last post - your Mandala is stunning!

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    1. Thank you. It was fun to make and I was really pleased with the way it turned out.

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  9. OMG that Mandala is to die for, totally stunning, and I love the colours xxx
    Fabulous holiday pictures! It looks a beautiful place to visit, the Abbey looks amazing!
    I know what you mean about technology, i broke my phone and was only without it for 3 days but i felt like i'd lost a limb!! Terrible!!

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    1. Hehe :) I don't know what we'd do without all this technology now.

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  10. It looks like you had a fabulous time. Your photos are amazing. I love you mandala; the colors are lovely as is the yarn you chose. Have a wonderful week.

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  11. Beautiful mandala!! Nice to know that you had a great time :)
    It is sometimes good to be away from Internet, then only we can fully enjoy and the cameras are always there to record and share later.

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  12. Your finished mandala is beautiful, and I can see you had a fabulous time when you were away.

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  13. It looks like you've had a lovely time away and lots of wonderful sunshine too. Hope Taffy took along some sun cream. Your mandala is beautiful, what amazing colours. Can't wait to see what you create next.
    Ali xx

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    1. Hehe! He did take his wellies off because the sun was out :)

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  14. Gosh, you look like you had the last bit of lovely weather. What a beautiful place to visit. The mandala is beautiful, and I know what you mean about the internet. My son say he will not come away with us if there is no internet, and what he doesn't realize is that I want it just as much.

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    1. It's quite alarming how we can't survive without it any more!

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  15. Taffy is so cute :) Looks like you (and he) had a lovely time in Chepstow.
    I love the colours in your mandala, really bright and fun!
    I found you whilst blog hopping, it would be lovely to see you over on my blog at emeraldcottage.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. I shall return the favour. Thanks for popping by :) Glad you liked what you saw :)

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  16. Oh ye gads, you gave me vertigo perching that poor bear on the edge of a high parapet, you are lucky he was not a gonner. It reminds me of a blog I read once where a school project an aunt was entrusted to take a paper 'Flat Stanley' for a walk and write a story with photographs. Flat Stanley posed a little too long on a fence and got eaten by a goat. http://firefliesandtunacans.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/flat-stanley-visits-aunt-amy-or-would.html
    Please take care with Taffy. Can you imagine the panic if he fell?

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    1. Hehe! It was a calculated risk. I knew if he fell off I could go down and fetch him. He does bounce!!!! Lol!

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  17. Hi, I'm so happy I found your blog! I love your mandala...the colours are amazing and your photos of Chepstow are beautiful.
    I looked back on your Chester and Taffy posts they are brilliant.....they really made me smile....I can't get over the size of Chester....he's HUUUGE. and beautifully made.
    I'm your latest follower and I'm adding you to my blog roll :0)
    Jacquie x

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    1. Welcome Jacquie :) I'm so pleased you found me. I have been enjoying your posts about Yarndale and Yorkshire recently. Thank you for adding me to your blog roll, I am following you via bloglovin so I can keep up to date with what you are doing.

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I really appreciate all the lovely comments you leave so thank you for taking precious time to do this.