Sunday 8 November. My Rememberance Day

Standing slightly apart from the group gathered around the war memorial I gazed at the mist shrouded hills. The reds, russets and oranges of the autumn were highlighted by the first frost of the year, rimming with silver the bare purple branches of silver birch, glowing in the early morning sun. The sky above them was a clear and brilliant blue. A thin mist still hung about the dark water of the loch in which was reflected a mirror image of the hills and trees.

A slight but sharp breeze stirred the fallen leaves and worked its chilly way down the collars of the small gathering. I pulled the collar of my long black wool coat higher up around my ears and then buried my hands further in to my pockets, curling my fingers in to the palms of my hands in an effort warm them wishing I’d had time to find my gloves.

The haunting sound of the bagpipes, husky with cold, floated across the loch, almost unbearably moving in this beautiful silent setting. I had tried to hold back the tears that now ran down my cheeks and in to the neck of my jumper but the sound of the Reveille had been my undoing. I swallowed hard round the lump that had formed in my throat.

The solemn laying of the wreaths. Four were carried across the grass to be placed at the foot of the engraved stone pillar by residents of the village. An old lady who had served in the WRNS, her back bent with age held the arm of a younger gentleman. They placed the wreath together and stood heads bent for a moment before returning to their place. The Reverend Douglas Bell had spoken movingly during the brief service. How we were to remember not just those that had fallen in the two world wars but also in present day conflicts.

I stared hard at the hills in front of me and thought. Thankful that my RAF Officer brother had returned home from his various tours of active service in the war zones of Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq, safely and in one piece. Now working for a civilian company in Angola he won’t be called to the atrocities in Afghanistan. I felt guilty for my feelings of grateful relief, a feeling shared I know by my mother, who was standing behind me.

Then with the last notes of the pipes ringing through the hills we stood in silence. Not a sound could be heard. It was as though the birds knew when not to sing. The small flock of brown and black curly horned sheep in the field behind us stood grouped together on a slight rise as though they too were remembering rather than just cold and curious. Clouds of breath hung in front of the small congregation mirroring the mist that cloaked the base of the hills and fogged the surface of the loch.

With a final prayer and blessing Reverend Bell ended the service and moved away from the memorial to greet the congregation as we started to make our way down to the church for morning service.

Relieved to see a few other pink rimmed eyes amongst the ladies, I blew my nose hard and then smiled a hello at my neighbours.

More anon
CKx

Dam Beavers

It is a beautiful day here, the sun making the colours of the autumn leaves and dead bracken glow richly. It wasn’t raining and although cold, not freezing, perfect autumn dog walking weather and I happily set off in the car for a hike with the dogs. I have to write a 3000 word piece for one of my writing courses with the deadline on Sunday. I am struggling a bit as to what to write so as I often think or ‘write’ in my head when out with the dogs decided that we needed a good long walk. I had originally thought I would go to Crinan Ferry (I have blogged about walking here several times in the past) as I need some Razor shells for a craft project, I changed my mind and decided we would head for Loch Coille Bharr (pronounced Coyee Varr). It has been many years since I walked all the way around this loch. I regularly walk part of it but not all the way around. At this time of year the number of visitors and cyclists has dropped and I thought that we would have a good undisturbed trek around the water. The dogs weren’t going to complain and neither was my waistline.

For some time there has been a walk closed sign on the Forestry gate due, I know, although it doesn’t say so, to flooding caused by beavers building a dam.

The sign has been changed to one that says that there is flooding at the Dubh (pronounced Doo) Loch and if you are trying to ‘walk the circuit you may have difficulties at this point’. I, foolishly as it turns out, thought that may be the flooding had gone down or some bridging had been built or that the beaver dam had been removed, and the three dogs and I headed off.


I had forgotten the camera so you will have to take my word for it but it was beautiful out today. The sun shone through the bare branches, highlighting great oak trees magnificent in their skeletal glory. The brown and russets of fallen leaves underfoot didn’t crunch as it was too wet but the wet made each leaf look as though it had been painted with glossy varnish. Occasionally the wind would stir the branches of a silver birch causing the few remaining leaves to flutter down like large snowflakes. We walked past the ruined mill where the race was doing just that; the water racing along, foaming white at the edges. The tumbled down buildings of the abandoned township at Kilmory Oib stood out starkly grey in the nest of deep orange red of wet dead bracken that surrounds them. The dogs were having a high old time, ears and tails flying as they chased each other and the wind, oblivious to the mud that I would need to hose off before they got back in to the house.

At first you could be forgiven for thinking, beavers?  Beaver damage?  What damage?  What beavers? There aren’t many immediately obvious signs that they are in residence here. It might be difficult to say which trees had been brought down by the weather or the beaver. However three quarters of the way around the loch the path is flooded and I don’t mean by a little bit. It is impassable. The flooding has been caused by a beaver family which, released in May this year in Loch Coille Bharr have decided that they prefer feeding in the Dubh Loch and so have built a dam which has stopped the water from the Dubh Loch draining into Loch Coille Bharr, allowing them easy access between the two lochs.

When I saw that the two of the dogs were swimming and our not short wolfhound was an inch off swimming and I didn’t have a canoe tucked handily under my arm or an inflatable raft in my back pocket, neither was I in waders or wearing diving gear, I had to turn back. Most frustrating, extremely annoying and I wasn’t able think of anything to write for Sunday just an angry rant for a blog.


At this point there is a LOT of beaver damage. Broken down undergrowth clearly show their pathways, bits of chewed vegetation float on the surface of the water and where the dogs and I stirred up that which had sunk you could see great chips of wood and branches with chobbled ends.

Many of the nearby trees have been cut down, the stumps clearly showing gnawing marks in the white flesh of the tree.

Dubh Loch is part of a Special Area of Conservation which means it is strictly protected and raising the level of the loch could cause problems for some of the aquatic vegetation in the loch. ‘Man’ would be prosecuted for causing this type of disturbance however it seems as though an alien species is allowed to and go unchallenged and undisturbed.


This walk has been designated the ‘Beaver Detective Walk’. There are irritating patronisingly worded finger posts telling you what to look out for, in terms that is quite insulting to even the vaguely intelligent. Rather ironic therefore that it has been closed by the very animal it claims to promote.

Dubh Loch is part of a Special Area of Conservation which means it is strictly protected and raising the level of the loch could cause problems for some of the aquatic vegetation in the loch. ‘Man’ would be prosecuted for causing this type of disturbance however it seems as though an alien species is allowed to and go unchallenged and undisturbed.


This walk has been designated the ‘Beaver Detective Walk’. There are irritating patronisingly worded finger posts telling you what to look out for, in terms that is quite insulting to even the vaguely intelligent. Rather ironic therefore that it has been closed by the very animal it claims to promote.

There are a group of ‘antis’ meeting with a broadsheet newspaper journalist tomorrow, he is interested in speaking to the ‘contrarian’ voices regarding the introduction of the beaver to Argyll. I think he will find that we won’t be mincing our words and will be giving it to him straight. These animals have been imposed on a landscape that had never seen beavers before; they are possibly the wrong genetic type of beaver being Scandinavian not European beaver. The views of local people were ignored and the bureaucrats of Holyrood, SWT, SNH, and others have ridden roughshod over local opinion and feeling. Up to date information released by these organisations is limited, the blog associated to the project hasn’t had anything to say about them since the middle of September. The ‘Experts’ who told us that the beavers would behave in such a manner seem to have been talking out of their hats or at least didn’t tell the beavers what they were supposed to be doing. They have left the trial site, are causing damage to private landowners land. One escapee swam through brackish sea water when we were told that they didn’t like salt water.
The whole exercise is ill thought out, ill conceived and ill judged. It really makes me feel quite sick.

With my feathers well and truly ruffled and rather hot under the collar in more ways than one we had to retrace our steps. Phrases ran through my head and nothing to do with my ‘real’ writing but I feel a bit better now having got some of it off my chest. I got home two and a half hours later feeling very hungry, my breakfast porridge having long ago been consumed, and more than ready for a soup and fruit lunch. I don’t know about the dogs needing to lie down and sleep this afternoon I wouldn’t mind a nap myself!

More anon
CKx

For more information, do check out another blog I am involved in at www.ScottishBeaver.blogspot.com Jane Allan from Seafield, Achnamara has written some brilliant pieces, and it is thanks to her that I have some photographs for this blog!

Sew, Sow and so on

I have plans a foot to do a lot of sewing though I have a lot of writing to do for two courses with a submission by the end of the month, I find I desperately NEED to do some sewing. 

An Amazon parcel arrived and flicking through these books (a present to me from me) has made creative juices run.

Aren't these duckes great? 

Very pretty and serene though I suspect if I try to recreate then I'll end up with the ugly duckling.

I really like these fabric boxes, they look so pretty but useful too.

Along with getting my sewing machine and also an embroidery sewing machine that dad found at the tip sitting on top of a washing machine, back from the menders I am itching to have a play. Saturday saw me in Glasgow at John Lewis’s buying quilt wadding after I was inspired by the second programme on the Talking Threads series by the machine embroidery that Gilda Baron was doing.

Finally finishing off my Puffin tapestry means that a new project can be started legitimately, but what to do?

Paarp paarp - (blowing my trumpet!)

I am really pleased with it. 

And if I say so myself I like the grass, flowers, rocks.

The grass effect I achieved by using two contrasting green yarns together.

(As it turned out to be square ~ I thought it was oblong, as I didn’t see the whole thing ‘til it was off its frame ~ I think I will turn it in to a cushion.)

I knitted a hat for dads birthday last week,

The ‘brim’ is knitted ~ a 25 stitch wide length sewn together at the back

and the crown was made by knitting 10 meters of cord on a knitting dolly and then stitching it together. Unfortunately it itches too much for him to wear it so it has come back for me to line.

I have made a start on a hat for B’s birthday at the end of the week. He liked the one I made for dad so much he wants one too.

Although today is thoroughly wet and nasty, a really dreich day, in the last couple of days when it has been fine and dare I say it, sunny, I have been doing some ‘sowing’. We will be moving house sometime in the next six months – not sure when or where yet so a nail biting time. I have started packing up the garden, tidying it for the autumn and digging up a few of the plants I have planted this year but want to take with us. I have made two herb beds using old fish boxes I had found on the beach and lugged home. I had runner beans growing in earlier in the year but now they are over the rotten slugs finished them off for me I have packed in some herbs. And others have gone in to big tubs which also had beans in. I have put a handful or two of bulbs in to each tub to come up in the spring, in case I don’t have a proper garden I will still have proper spring flowers.

Last weekend was the weekend of the Grand Sale. Enough I said of carting all these boxes from one place to another. Not enough had gone on to eBay and whilst I was quite happy to donate stuff to the charity shops I thought I would see if I could get something for some of it. It isn’t all ours B&mine I mean, some of it was stock left over from when B&I had a shop and coffee shop and gallery, some of it belonged to my brother and there were bits I that belonged to M&D once and many boxes of books. So I hired the village hall spent Friday afternoon and evening driving up and down the road delivering boxes and laying it all out.

Here, just before the doors opened, I think dad and B were checking out what was there in case it needed to come home again!

Mum down at the other end of the hall sorting price tags out for the crafts, jams and jellies and sheets of wrapping paper.

Whilst it perhaps wasn’t quite as busy or successful as I had hoped I still shifted a fair amount of stuff. Monday saw me to-ing and fro-ing to Lochgilphead in three different cars offloading boxes hither and yon. We made donations of books to both the hospitals and the MS centre, and bric-brac and books to the Bosnia shop and then bric and brac clothes and books to the Red Cross shop.
I had also pledged 10% of the takings to the British Kidney Patients Association and also Stobhill Kidney Patients Association. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have an empty garage at last!

Then a trip to the tip with the recycling saw me coming back home with this great tin trunk someone had chucked out.

Needs a clean and a bit of a bash with a hammer to sort out the lid then it will be great.

B really doesn’t ‘get it’, as I had just recently bought this trunk

from the Bosnia shop. Well with a house move in the offing and not knowing where we are going storage is paramount – for my sewing and crafting kit anyway!

It only has one handle but a piece of rope will sort that out, And the locks don’t work ~ but hey I’m not going travelling with it.

Don’t you just love it’s stripy insides? Again a bit of TLC required then bingo some more storage – for £4 and a bit of elbow grease!

More anon

CKx


PS Sorry a bit more Paarrrp Paarrrup Parpaty parp as on Friday I went to the dentist for the first time in years. Not because I am worried about going quite the contrary, but I haven’t had any problems and just haven’t got round to it. It’s taken something like 5 or 6 months on the waiting list to see her but never mind I was in and out in under ten minutes! No problems, no fillings, a wee bit of a scale and polish to be done and advice to use a softer tooth brush. What I thought might be a hole is just a sensitive bit from over brushing! I am dead chuffed and still at 39 have no fillings! Paarrp Parrpty Trumpety trumpet!
CKx

Milly-Molly-Mandy Memories

When walking the dogs round the bay in the rain the other day I spied a bush with small black fruits on it. Couldn’t think what it was initially and it had me pondering for some time. Finally came to the conclusion that the very spiny spiky bush was a Blackthorn therefore the shiny bluish black fruits were sloes. Now I love Sloe gin, don’t have it often (enough!), only at Christmas. I have made a blackcurrant equivalent but there is nothing as gloriously warming and glistening jewel like in the light of a fire than a glass of Sloe gin. I knew I had to go and pick some but have been thwarted by the weather this last week or so. The thought of doing battle against wet bracken even for the end result was just too much to contemplate. Today the sun is shining and the bracken brown and dry so I grabbed a cotton bag on my way out with the dogs to see what I could forage.

Whilst I was there climbing through bracken that was 10 or 12 foot high (I am Not exaggerating) and reaching carefully through the spikes to get the sloes I regretted not thinking to bring a curved handled walking stick with which to pull the higher branches down. I was reminded of the blackberry expedition chapter in the Milly-Molly-Mandy books where our heroine goes off in search of blackberries with little-friend-Susan.

“… Milly-Molly-Mandy and little-friend-Susan set out with big baskets (to hold the blackberries) and hooked sticks (to pull the brambles nearer) and stout boots (to keep the prickles off) and old frocks (lest the thorns should catch).”

Now I certainly wasn’t in a dress old or otherwise but I did have boots on and my ‘basket’ was a long handled cotton bag which I hung around my neck (like a nose bag) so that I could use both hands to pull the branches down and pick the berries.

There weren’t as many as I had hoped but I managed to collect a pound and a quarter with which to make this delicious tipple. They are now rinsed off and in the freezer (so that the skins split when you pour the gin on them release all the juice, saves pricking each one with a pin) then an equal amount of sugar is added and the whole lot covered with a generous quantity of gin (or vodka) shaken daily the sugar will dissolve and the gin darken from pale pink to deepest ruby.
Strain,
bottle,
pour,
drink,
enjoy!
Preferably in front of a real fire with the lamps turn low and the Christmas tree lights on……….
(also good over ice cream for a really decadent pud!)

Picking these got me in a Milly-Molly-Mandy avenue of remembrance. Does anyone else remember these books about a little girl in a pink and white striped dress and her friends Susan and Billy Blunt and Toby the dog? They were written and illustrated by Joyce Lancaster Brisley and first published in January 1928. Reading the frontispiece of the oldest copy it says that the stories and most of the illustrations first appeared in the Children’s Page of “The Christian Science Monitor”. I don’t think I have noticed that before.

Mums copy, printed in May 1949, is a little orange hard back that has long lost its jacket.

I was given the other stories in paper back

And as you can see I still have the books as well as the memories. I have a certain number of children’s books whittled down now to a favourite few that I just cannot let go, ‘Tales from End Cottage’ and ‘Wind on the Moon’, and all the Malcolm Saville Lone Pine series and Swallows and Amazons adventures. Just a small collection but a collection that somehow make me feel safe and comfortable and so they live on a shelf in my sewing room, making me smile should I come across them.

Mum’s copy of the Milly-Molly-Mandy-Stories has colour pictures – coloured in by a naughty but very talented little girl, she stayed within the lines with her paint brush.

MMM got up to all sorts of things many I wanted to emulate. She gets her own little room tucked in up under the eaves of the house, they have a picnic in a tree house and go on an exciting car journey. She was accidentally shut in her bedroom and dropped a little basket on a rope out of the window which was filled by the various members of her family with small treats. She makes her mother a patchwork tea cosy feather stitching the pieces together – I wonder if this sowed the seed of my fabric and embroidery passions. They eat ‘Potato lids’ something I was always trying to get mum to make but asking too late in the day for the potatoes to be baked. She knits a little hat for a friends baby and made little sailor girls out of folded paper. And of course she goes Blackberrying.

MMM & LFS setting off on the blackberry picking expedition where they didn’t get any blackberries but did rescue a rabbit.

MMM who never seems to get older, is always having a very jolly, very innocent time with her friends and family, Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, Uncle, Aunt who all live in 'The Nice White Cottage with the Thatched Roof'.

A map of the village is printed on the fly leaf showing the houses and all the characters that populate MMMs life, Mr Smale the grocer, Mrs Hubble at the Bakers, The Big House where Mrs Green and Jessamine live

When we had chickens a few years back they were called Milly, Molly, Mandy, and Susan! Now to put memory lane away, I won’t stop to re-re-re-re-re-read them all…. Just now anyway as dinner is waiting to be made and I need to do something

With the last of the cooking apples, I think Eves pudding tonight or perhaps a pie or maybe a crumble I wonder if there are any blackberries left a the top of the lane excuse me whilst I collect my big baskets (to hold the blackberries) and hooked sticks (to pull the brambles nearer) and stout boots (to keep the prickles off) and old frocks (lest the thorns should catch).

More anon
CKx

Play Away Days

After a week of being thoroughly out of sorts and nothing going right, a catalogue of small ctastrophes, and inspite of a nice evening out with B and my folks to the Screen Machine to see Harry Potter I was feeling very cross for no particular reason, however I am now feeling a lot better and thinking that perhaps things could get done and finished. I never get to the end of my to do lists but I have done some of them this morning. One reason for my improved temper is that I had two days playing away from home this weekend. Sunday saw K from Crear & I going through to Stirling to the Craft Trade Fair at the Albert Hall. When we arrived after our three hour car journey we decided to fortify ourselves with large toasted BLT’s and hand cut chips whilst we looked through the programme to see who we ought to pin point then decided that we were in no hurry and would see everyone. It wasn’t unfortunately quite as good as we had hoped. One stand gave us some inspiration, several others (I won’t name and shame) gave us some raised eyebrows as we wondered WHY? But then we found Jane at Snapdragon and all was forgiven. I had found out about the Fair from Jane’s blog as she said she was going to it. Her stand looked professional and individual and had a charmingly homespun sense that makes her work such a delight. So nice chat with Jane about what could be done and how she was getting on. I do hope she went home with her order book bulging satisfactorily.

After a wander around the Thistles shopping mall – my idea of hell although it was useful as I was able to get a new sim card and mobile phone to replace the one I lost last week, just one of the mishaps in my catalogue of disasters’ that made up my bad week. We then decided to head back home. Stopping off at Drymen (no wet men here! That was my naive joke to my then new boyfriend - now husb so he forgave me – the first time I came across this small village. It is actually pronounced Drimn so he didn’t get it at first! Oh my Englishness!) We had a look around the Pottery and a gallery then back on the road, calling in at the Mansefield Gallery http://www.mansefieldstudios.com/ in Arrochar which for me was probably the highlight of a slightly fruitless day. It is a lovely space with gorgeous things in. Tom’s beautiful ceramics are paired perfectly with Isle of Skye soaps and bath goodies or marmalades in beautifully presented gift boxes or stashed in satisfying stacks in the glass fronted cupboards. Also on display were elegant shawls knitted by Yungi and tartan gifts by the Tartan Company http://www.thetartancompany.co.uk/ . It is fabulous and well worth a visit should you ever find yourself in this neck of the world. I had a lovely chat with Toms wife who very kindly gave K & I some complimentary tickets to the Country Living Fair in November so we are looking forward to going to that.

(You may have seen Tom and his wife a couple of years ago on “Location, Location, Location” when Kirsty & Phil found the couple a big house – for renting out and a little house which they have now extended - for living in, stables for Toms ceramics studio and space for the gallery. http://www.mansefieldhouse.com/ )

Monday dawned grey and rainy – and you know what …. It didn’t matter! Mum and Dad and I (unfortunately B didn’t feel up to coming) went to the Cowal peninsular for its Open Studios Event. www.cowalopenstudios.co.uk/

I don’t mind wet weather (just as well living where we do!) and strongly believe in the saying – there’s no such thing as bad weather only the wrong clothes. So suitably suited and booted we set off down the side of Loch Fyne

Which was a symphony in greys – I think rather beautiful.

To catch the Ferry to Portavaddie

(This isn't the ferry but a view from it!)

It was rather like being on holiday as we always had at least one ferry journey when we came up to Scotland for our annual fortnight under canvas.

Dad & I fooling about, which mum found most amusing!

This reminded me of being at Art College where I was in the University Women’s Sailing Team. We sailed in weather like this all the time – I loved it, the adrenalin generated by big waves and wind when you’re in a little boat is something else! I’m not a fair weather sailor – that is quite boring in comparison!

Then it was on to Cowal and off to Tighnabruach for the first of the exhibitions. Phillipa Elliot was showing some interesting photography at the Kames Hotel http://www.philippaelliott.com./

Ann Hewitt is self taught and has only been painting since they moved up here seven years ago. She was showing some really nice work http://www.artforanimals.co.uk/ I especially loved this fat bottomed pair.

Entitled When the Ploughing is Done

The Tighnabruach Gallery was closed for lunch so we went and had ours too. Eyes as always open for a bargain I spotted a little second hand shop popped in for a nose and came out four pounds lighter with four large balls of wool (three of which have already been knitted up in to a scarf for a birthday present) some linens and a lovely knitted rafia bag with flowers embroidered on it.

Then it was on to Otter Ferry to see NicolaWilkes www.nicolawilks.com/ who was sharing her studio space with Susan Smith www.susansmithart.co.uk/

We met Nicola last year and mum and dad have become friends and met up a couple of times since then. They chatted whilst I made friends with Toulouse. I have lost my heart to Toulouse.

Well wouldn’t you?

She has a couple of friendly spaniels too but it was this lovely little fellow I really wanted to take home with me.

Not normally a small dog person – don’t forget we have a wolfhound – but I have added Wire-haired Dachshunds to my wish list for sometime in the future

We called in to see John Kingsley www.jkingsley.com/ and Jaqueline www.jacquelineorr.com/ who were showing together, but we didn’t like very much – house was nice though with a lovely loo!

Then we stopped at the Creggans Inn www.creggans-inn.co.uk/ to look at the exhibition there. They are very supportive of the event and had turned over their large drawing room over to the exhibition. Examples of everyone’s work were hung in a semi domestic setting; this meant that you could easily imagine a piece hanging on your wall at home. Testament to this theory were the number of red 'sold' spots on the frames.

Then up the road to Cairndow where we met Peter and Sarah Sumsion – also friends from last year. They don’t unfortunately have a website and I’ve no pictures of their work Peter paints and Sarah is a weaver and does some beautifully intricate work on the various looms in her workshop.

Then it was an hour and half drive home for dinner which had been cooking in the slow-cooker all day and so as ready when we arrived. B came up and joined us and finally I got back home really quite tired at ten o’clock.

It's taken me a week to get this posted! I'm fully recovered now.

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CKx

Was this a warning for the speed of the Squirrels??

A nice surprise

Arrived in the post yesterday and immediately ended up on a hat I was going shopping in. It was a very blustery rainy day yesterday so it was on with a woolly poncho and a dark blue wool felt hat. Just as we were leaving I spotted the post – paused to open it and found that the PFG who has been crocheting flowers recently had honoured me with her first crocheted flower brooch, and a lovely card too. The flower was just the perfect thing to adorn my hat, and I wore it out straight away despite B asking if I have joined the French Revolution - MEN!!

In pretty 'opal fruit' oranges with a white centre finished off with a jolly button.  In such soft wools and I think cottons I spent some time just holding it!

Such a lovely surprise & I was am so flattered and touched and completely coincidentally something is headed south for her!

Rothesay thought it was pretty good too or perhaps he was contemplating it for a bed, assessing it for comfort? Watch out chum there is a pin in there!

Just a short blog today …. phone calls to make, things to do and just for once it isn’t the ironing, but does include booking tickets online to see Harry Potter at the Screen Machine (that’s not the title of film you understand… it’s the venue! A travelling cinema that comes around every three months or so) in Lochgilphead tomorrow night – if they aren’t sold out already…..

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CKx

Coming to a blog near you .....

Announcing the launch of my new blog shop

CALICO KATE ORIGINALS.

After much Umming and Ahhhing as well as some pondering and wondering and seeking of opinion I have finally decided to have a ‘blog shop’ rather than a website. It was quick – ish; free - always a consideration; easily updated and allows me to witter on about each item.

It can be found here:

http://www.calicokateoriginals.blogspot.com/

Cushions today up cards tomorrow and more coming ever so soon.

Please do let me know what you think, and thank you for taking a look.

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CKx