WOYWW 741 Crochet, drawing,

Hi all, 

My chevron blanket goes on and on; it’s remarkably easy to grow. I’ve just checked how many strips I’ve done, so far 8, of 9 specified by the pattern, but I’ll do 10, lengthening them all to 2m and see how wide that is when I join them.  I’ve just measured them all and added tags so I know how much I need to add. They currently vary between 143 and 197cm. It very easy to stretch them when measuring, as it’s a form of ribbing, hence the divergence. 

I’ve been getting back into drawing and am planning to join a drawing class in September. I saw a painting of a hare in France and have just done this drawing of it. I was playing with a nice water-soluble 8B sketching pencil from Derwent. 

Thanks so much to those of you who’ve bought my novel. It would be great if you could leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads, please. (You don’t have to have  bought the book from them to leave one.)

My novel is now on Amazon as a paperback and Kindle ebook in the UK: A Sense for Silver

It’s not shown as available yet elsewhere; the vagaries of what gets published here and in other countries seems a very arcane mystery. 

Signed copies of the paperback are also still available from me via lmcollis@icloud(dot)com

On Monday we ventured over to Thanet for the Home Service gig as part of the Broadstairs Folk festival. 

John Tams is no longer with them but they’ve recruited the excellent Bob Fox from County Durham. He did very well, especially as it was his first gig with them. They still have a superb brass section with a cornet, trombone, saxes and flute. Good job there was no tuba, Jan, or we’d have been blown out of our seats🤣, as we were only a few rows from the front. 

We were both in colourful mode, me in my Bees knees Zuri and Brian in a Frida Kahlo shirt I’d bought him. 

We also discovered a lovely restaurant, the Little Sicilian, in York St., to which we’ll happily return. 

Gracie and Bella are as gorgeous as ever, but were waiting for us to come home as we were out after bedtime 🙀😾

And finally…

This one’s my favourite:

And an extra one. This is probably AI-generated but I like it anyway..,

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts x

Novels, readings and catcrochet

Hi all,

I’m back for our weekly blog hop courtesy of Miss Julia at the Stamping Ground. 

Bella is taking full advantage of International Cat Day to keep warm with my chevron crochet. It’s cold and rainy here in Kent - where’s summer gone? 

I think it’s nearly cold enough to start joining the strips together but I’m still unsure how long I want it to be. The pattern’s length of 150cm isn’t long enough for my bed. 

Thanks for your good wishes for my aunt. She says she’s improving and is still staying with my cousin. 

The best news I’ve had is that my novel is now published and on Amazon in the UK and France but not the USA so far. The ebook will be on there soon:

A Sense for Silver by Lynne Collis. It’s been scary, especially when some data entry error at Amazon said it wouldn’t be available for 3-7 months! That’s now been corrected, phew! 

Anyone who’s received a copy from me can add a review on Amazon and Goodreads- it would be great if you could do so please. 

On Sunday I took part in an event as part of the campaign to Save Folkestone library, recently closed by the council. We all read library- themed stories and poems 

It was held at the Folkestone Bookshop in Tontine St. It’s a really lovely bookshop, with reading spaces, free tea, coffee and squash. It’s a great space for teenagers - there was a group playing Scrabble  in the back room while we were reading. And they’re selling my book, too! 

Gracie says every day is cat day. 

And finally…

Take care all and happy WOYWW!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xxx

WOYWW 739 Travels and travails

Hi all, I’ve done a bit of crochet this week while sampling the delights of Great Western trains’ travel to and from Exeter. My chevron blanket strips are rolled here to show the colours: 

I understand the unions striking / banning overtime when prices are so high but I seem to have chosen the wrong trains -crush loaded and stopping at every lamppost. Ah well, it was better than driving. 

I went down for a memorial do for my cousin’s husband. That was emotional but my discovery of Tarquins Pink Grapefruit & Elderflower gin, which doesn’t trigger my headaches, helped. However, my aunt went home to walk her dog and collapsed, fortunately right outside a fire service 1st responder’s house. She got taken into hospital and I stayed with her all night. They’re still not sure if it’s angina and/or vertigo. Saturday passed in a blur, we went out for a very good lunch on Sunday and I came home on Monday. By lunchtime, she was back in hospital with another fall, and out again later. She’s staying with my cousin in the hope that she’ll feel better soon. 

Now where’s that gin? 😉

Belly and Gracie were very glad to see me home. Bella’s wound is better but we’re keeping them in at night for now. 

Brian and I had lunch in the Goods Shed in Canterbury between dentist and hospital appointments. It’s a lovely place, full of brilliant food stalls with a restaurant on the mezzanine. It’s next door to Canterbury West station. 

And finally…

Take care and happy WOYWW!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xxx

Books and parcels

Hi all, not much crafting has gone on this week as I've received the paperbacks of my new novel and have been selling them. It's really exciting!

I had to give my occupation this week and could say 'Retired Chartered engineer and published author!'

It won't be available online on such as Amazon for another month but I've had a stand at Lyminge Farmers' and Artisan market and have been packing up books that I've sold by post. Lots of parcels!

PRIZE DRAW! 

I had a mystery box competition - you can see little silver boxes on the stall above. I'll hold the same here: If you guess what's in them (it's the same for both) you can win a signed copy of my novel.

 If you don't win, you can wait for Amazon or order a signed copy from me for £10 plus postage (In the UK that's £3.45). You can email me on lmcollis@icloud[dot]com for details or message me on Facebook via LynneCollisBooks.

There's a social media phenomenon called unboxing, where you send a nice package to reviewers and they video opening the box as well as reviewing the book. 

My book is nicely wrapped in silver tissue, plus there's my postcard bookmark with a copy of Granny Boswell's Apricot and Almond bara brith and the cover of my novel. And there's a little silver box in each promotional box with the mystery item in each. I couldn't find boxes small enough and then realised I could make them from origami paper., DOH! So, a bit of crafting at least!

I meant to show you last week the pressie LLJ and family bought us for our 40th wedding anniversary. 

It's this gorgeous dragon lovespoon: 

I've got to go to Exeter on Thursday for a memorial event for my cousin's husband, so I'll take my crochet on the train with me. 

B is staying home as Bella has been in the wars. We think a black cat that's been invading the house to eat their food got into a fight with her when we were away. We had someone feeding her but at night they were here alone. She's a nasty bite on her back and has been on antibiotics all week. The little love just eats the antibiotic tablet from my hand!

We'll try again with the chip coded catflap once I get home, but that's slow work with Gracie, who didn't like it last time we tried.

And finally

take care and happy WOYWW

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 737 Back again!

Hello all, I’m glad to be back! We’ve had a couple of weeks in Burgundy, which was lovely till the dreaded heatwave caught up with us in Cluny. That’s triggered my asthma so I’ve been coughing and wheezing ever since, while rushing Bella to and from the vets. 

She had a couple of nasty bites on her back. I’d guess it’s from the black cat that’s been raiding their food bowls. 

She hated the vet’s cone and I ordered one off A- which was far too big. I spent all the Wimbly final hand-sewing it to make it smaller. (Yay King Carlos!) I wanted to make the stitches really small do she couldn’t trap her claws in them. 

 

I’ve also started crocheting my chevron blanket again. I took it to France but never got it out, it was so hot. 

We went to France to celebrate our goddaughter’s birthday and had a great week in Beaujolais. 

We celebrated our Ruby wedding anniversary chez Georges Blanc in Vonnas (great food!)

And visited Cluny, a really interesting old town, despite the hot weather.  

And finally…

Anyway, that’s us up to date. 

I’m off to visit everyone’s work desks c/o 

Julia at The Stamping Ground while I wait for an exciting delivery, which I’ll tell you about next week!

Take care and happy WOYWW!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 733 Proofreading, fishes and cats

Hi all,

sorry I missed last week; Gracie makes such a fuss going to the vets for her annual jab that it left us quite rung out. 

I was up to some quiet crocheting and here's where I'm up to with my chevron blanket. It's easy doing the strips, which are 1.5m long, but I'll leave it to cooler weather before joining them up! 

I also made some earrings and a necklace to go with a new dress I bought from Zuri, a fairtrade business using African fabrics. I wear it with a navy short sleeved t shirt. The beads were less bright blue and red than they seemsed on the websites but I still like them.

I've been head down proofreading as well. The first time I found 75 errors, even though I've been through the manuscript so many times, then when it came back 50 more. My last check had it down to 3 errors and today they were all done and I approved the final manuscript.

I approved my cover today as well. Yes, it has the reflection of the Eiffel Tower in it, but even my French friends said it was needed to identify Paris.

It will be three weeks before it is printed. Exciting times! I've started setting up the web page and social media but they're not ready yet.

 The book will be sold on Amazon UK and USA, as both an ebook and a paperback, and will be in some Waterstones. I'll let you know!

We'll be away for a couple of Wednesdays, from next week, but I'll be back when I can. Gracie and Bella won't be impressed. You can see how worried they are here: 

And finally,

Take care and happy WOYWW

hugs

Lynnecrafts xxx

WOYWW 731 presents and deliveries

Hi all, Here’s my latest ATC happy post, from Neet. Glad you’re feeling a bit better, Neet and thanks for the lovely ATCs. xxx

 It’s been a busy old week since my last blog but not much crafting. It was my birthday on Monday and because restaurants aren’t open on Mondays round here, we went to the Duck at Pett Bottom on Saturday, and had a lovely meal, including coffee in the garden after. 

We were wondering if Ian Fleming, whose aunt used to own it, might have done a Potteries Bond, with James saying ‘Ey up Duck’? It’s funny because my mother was a Bond, Janet Bond, and they used to call her 003 and a half when she was working in Stoke (she was five foot nothing.)

Sunday we went out for pistachio ice cream and almond croissants. 

They have lots of flavours at Massimo’s, our Italian Gelateria. Which would you choose?

Monday was my birthday and here’s Gracie admiring my Blue John bracelet from himself. 

Jan and family sent me some gorgeous yarn stitch markers with literary cats and Japanese themes, featured here with a gorgeous card from them made by our Diana Taylor of Velvet Moth studio. 

On Monday we went out for afternoon tea at Perry Court farm. Their cheese scones are the lightest I’ve ever tasted. 

Then yesterday I had to go and have my photo taken for my novel. I hate having it done but he was a nice and very professional photographer. I will get the images we chose on Thursday. 

Bella’s been enjoying the dry weather and we had some remarkable visitors the other evening. 

I don’t know if you can see them, as it was difficult to get a good shot, but we think they were cranes. Maybe out for a delivery?😉

And finally…

Take care and happy WOYWW!

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xxx