Confessions

My name is Katie and I am a poor example of a blogger.  It has been over a month since I last posted.  I had so much to tell a month ago with visiting the Showground, Sports day and then Sickness (dum dum duuuum).  It started with Michael getting sick- hand, foot and mouth amongst other things followed by me getting ill with a Gastric flu type bug right before we were due to go to Prague  to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.   It was a 24 hour jobby so although weak, we went away leaving the sprogs with lovely (brave) family members.  Mikey's sickness and my bug ended the 1 year breast feeding fest a little too abruptly for my body resulting in a bout of mastitis.  Not to be deterred, I had a lovely sojourn with my good friends at my Father in Law's caravan in beautiful Bewdley.  That brings us up to date with yesterday's hat festival here in Malvvern.  I have hundreds of pictures from this month so here are just a few.

This was an outfit I hastily made a few years back for my eldest daughter for a jubilee party.  Fast forward a couple of years and it's still going and here is worn by my middle  lady for the commencement of the World Cup.  Needless to say, she hasn't worn it since this day!


On the same day as the other pic was taken, we collected wild flowers for Nanny from the park.

These are pictures taken from the 3 Counties Show which was fab!  There was a tent devoted to forgotten skills- weavers, spinners, rope tying people, whittlers of wood and others I can't recall now.

The girls had their face painted and the  lady was  brilliant.   I especially loved the dragon.

Pictures of a Prague skyline taken from the palace.  No photo can do the view justice though.

 Outside view

 Inside view!  Just stunning

Charles Bridge from Lesser town

 Lesser Town from the foot of Charles Bridge

 Stalls from a flea market

 Had to get a pic of these Tone Finnager creations!

 One end of Wenceslas Square

 The other end of Wenceslas Square 

 An average market stall selling tourist trinkets in the daily market.

 The restaurant we ate in at  St Nicholas square

 The food- delicious!!!

From Prague to sunny Malvern Hat festival.  Me and the girls with a lovely Community Officer who allowed the girls to 'decorate' her hat.

 Some paraders

Girls enjoying the activities 

 This was my creative efforts.  I'd been  on pinterest and  thought a bonnet may be achievable so set to work the night before sketching a basic idea and cutting out the concentric circles with the big shot and then old fashioned drawing around a plate for the bigger ones.  I was interrupted by my teething baby which meant that I only came to do all of the sewing on the morning of the parade.  I began around 10:15 and finished just after 11:30.  My machine is a bit sticky on the zig zag stitch so I gave up on the top band (which is now already fraying so I will have to go over it.  I had hoped to have brooches  and corsage embellishments but just ran out of time.  I will complete it and perhaps keep hold of it for an Easter parade in the future.  I really am  pleased with it and am happy I managed to make something as it has been ages!
Here's a side on view.  Other than the pink lace (which I bought in France on a market 2  years  ago) all of the fabric was from charity shops or the car boot.  My sister bought me the Cath Kidston binding tape which really finished it off for me.  Lastly, here's a pic of me in it.  I did get a lot of amused looks throughout the day but I figure, it's just a bit  of fun and I want the kids to get into the frivolity and celebratory spirit so why not?