Steam cleaning

We recently bought a Morphy Richards steam cleaner, which has already been used around the house and proven to be very good. I decided to use it today to clean the covers of two settees. Previously this has involved removing the covers, washing and drying them one at a time and then ironing them all.. at least a 2day event.
However, the results of an hour's work with the covers in place was impressive to say the least fantastic.. and even more time to spend on my hobbies..yippee! !

Return to normal

Dave and I returned from our mini holiday to Torre del Mar on Monday. It was the last day of our daughter's and her fiancé s holiday here so we  went out for a pizza. It was supposed to be childrens day for the feria which used to be an afternoon event but it continued until 1am.. with a much reduced noise level. We were up early on Tuesday to wave the travellers off and we are eating all the bits left in the fridge now.
Here are a few photos of the promenade in Torre.

Mini holiday.

Dave and I are having a mini holiday in a nearby resort called Torre del Mar. We are in the hotel Mainaike which is near the beach as the feria is on in Competa and our daughter and her fiancé are enjoying it while we are here
I have been making a shrug for myself with some egyptian cotton which is very fine.  Here is a photo of it so far. ..

Depending on the way you look at it, it is either hexagons or stars.

Shrug making

I have made my daughter a crochet shrug which I began to make on Monday. It is now finished and looks lovely It was easier  to make than I thought. The pattern is one from Sirdar crochet booklet cotton crochet 376 codeB

Summer has arrived at last

Many thanks to everyone who has dropped by to read my blog and share in the experiences of our life and hobbies in Competa.
The current count is over 19.000 wow...♡
Here in Competa, the weather has been a bit strange, cooler than normal, as it has also been in other parts of the world.
This has meant cooler nights than normal too, but gradually, over the last fortnight, the final blanket has been relegated to the chair in the bedroom (handy if needed) and the bedroom window is open (with the mosquito blind in place).
I have been happily sitting in the light breeze in the shade on the terrace during the afternoon, whilst on alternative days quilting, crocheting and painting, and still managed to get a bit of a tan, whilst sipping cold lemon tea...
Dave and I are both looking forward to spending some time with our daughter and her Fiance.

Commission completed

Thanks to Pete and Megan, who asked me to paint a set of three watercolours for an anniversary present to fit into a frame they had bought, I have enjoyed myself yet again.
The required size was smaller than I am used to, but I am glad to say they were very pleased with the results, and so was I, and they are shown here by their kind permission,
Thank you both

Tablet cover

I have been making a padded cover for my samsung tablet.
It has been designed to fit inside a case so is a snug fit.
I am pleased with the result, and will now be able to carry it safely.
It just needs a button sewing in position to close it.

Raspberry jam

Today, following a request from my daughter, I have been making raspberry jam.
I had to use frozen raspberries and cook them slowly, reducing the liquid too

Then I added the same amount of sugar and some lemon juice and boiled the jam to setting point.

I sterilized some jam jars for 2 minutes in the microwave and filled the hot jars with jam.

They are now cooling on the bench. I have heard several of the lids`popping' which means that the jars have sealed properly.
They will have a label attached when cooled.
I hope my daughter appreciates that the temperature was in the 30's