Still at the coast and surfing.....the internet!

We have now been here at the coast for 2 and a half weeks which is the longest time we've spent here in ages and ages.....I feel that I just can't be bothered to go home and think Brian probably feels the same way!  But we plan on going home on Tuesday morning as we really have a lot of things that need doing, such as vet visits, bank etc.....we can't really put them off any longer!!

This morning I have been sitting on the deck in the shade surfing the internet and I just bought a Simply Vanilla Blythe with a view to customising her.  I've been looking at her for ages, probably for almost a year, since she was released.....and finally saw one for a price that I couldn't resist....so she should be coming from Hong Kong very soon. 

Like most dolly collectors, my interest in different dolls in my collection waxes and wanes.  At the moment I am very much into my Blythe girls, particularly Heather, my Prima Dolly Heather Sky who I brought to the coast with me.  She is my favourite of my 6 Blythes, probably because 1) she is tanned and I love tanned dolls and 2) she has the same name as my lovely Yellow Labrador Heather, who sadly had to be put to sleep on the 10th June 2009 at the age of 15 1/2 years.  I would imagine that people think I just kept the name Heather because I either have no imagination or couldn't be bothered to think up a new name for her, but no, it is because of my late dog Heather, that this particular Blythe keeps her factory name!  You couldn't find a sweeter dog or a sweeter Blythe, in my humble opinion! ;)

So whilst we've  been here I have been sewing for Heather.  I made her a new dress the other day and I used some fabric that was given to me many years ago by a lovely dolly friend of mine called Kati Janae.  I shall never forget the day that fabric arrived.  The postman came to the house with an enormous box, and for the life of me I didn't know what it was as I wasn't expecting anything.  But when I opened it....well my goodness, it was like all my Christmas's and birthdays came at once!  It was filled with all sorts of gorgeous fabric, patterns, buttons and trims, yarn, and sitting on top of all this was the cutest little Silvia Natterer doll!!  I almost cried with happiness at such a lovely present!!!  So....I used some of this fabric, finally, as I'd been saving it ... and Heather is the perfect recipient!! Here she is modelling her new 'frock'!!!

Speaking of dolly friends, it amazes me sometimes what wonderful and special friends I have made through this hobby....such lovely people who, the majority of which I have never met or am unlikely to ever do so, and yet I love them to bits and would really miss them if they weren't around!  I am blessed!

A stroll around Nerja...

Today we drove to Nerja for a stroll and some lunch.  The weather was, as usual, beautifully hot and sunny....perhaps a little too hot for strolling though!  Lunch was a bit of a disappointment though as the service in the restaurant we chose, left a lot to be desired and my pasta was rubbery and tasteless!  And the garlic bread was so hard you could have used it as a brick!!

As usual we visited the British sweet shop and bought some 'pick and mix'.....but most of my favourites weren't available.....white chocolate mice, pink candy shrimps, white chocolate buttons with coloured dots on....to name just a few!  But Brian was happy to find that they had Aniseed balls!! 

I took Heather Sky, my cute little Blythe girl with us and managed to take a few photos of her!  I say 'managed' because I find it a real challenge to take a doll out of my bag and photograph it in full view of passers by.....I feel such an idiot.  I so wish I was one of those people who didn't give a damn about what others think but sadly I'm not.  So to get a few quick photos was great for me!!!  I even had a story all made up in my head about how if anyone asked me what I was doing, so I would tell them that it was for my 'grandaughter' ... luckily  no-one said a word!!!! 

Here are a couple of my 'quick' photos!!

Heather chooses from the Pick and Mix!

Strolling along the Balcon de Europa...even Heather looks a bit 'furtive' in this photo!!!

 This sea breeze does nothing for my hair!

So laid back as to be almost horizontal!

Here we are still at the coast and as the title says, I'm so laid back I feel I'm almost horizontal!  I have finally finished my book, The Shell Seekers, and have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I came to the conclusion that I can't possibly have read it before unless I'm losing my marbles....oh well, I guess anything is possible!  And now I have the task of deciding what to read next.....oh boy my life is full of decisions! LOL

I have actually done a few things, such as Thursday we drove to Marbella, collecting Brendan and Virginia from Fuengriola on the way, they have been down there for a week staying at her parents piso.  There is a large shopping centre in Marbella called La Cañada and they have a Marks and Spencers there!!!!  It's not been open long and isn't a very big store but big enough for me to buy my bras....can't beat an M&S bra for confort!!!  Spanish bras just leave everything either squished like two oranges ready to juice or dangling like fat sardines in a net! LOL!  So from now on I will wait until I go there to buy them!

I also bought a pretty new swimsuit in the sale, it was 75% off....so I had to snap it up!  Even if the neckline does plunge a little further than I had anticipated!  Shame I haven't got a cleavage because it would look really nice if I did!

Oh and some cinnamon and raisin bagels.....Lovely!  I guess at a push I could stuff the front of the swimsuit with a couple of bagels!!! Ahhhh problem solved!

Relaxing and reading....

I have been really lax with my blog over the last few days!!! 

Saturday afternoon we were invited to a party as one of the neighbours have family over from the UK and wanted us to join them for their sons birthday celebrations.  It was a great mix of English and Spanish neighbours, plenty of great food and lots of singing and chatting.  I hadn't really wanted to go but it ended up being a really pleasant afternoon and evening, so I was glad that we had made the effort to attend.  It is lovely that we can rely on the weather and have parties outside without worrying that we're going to be rained off.  I can remember so many occasions in the UK where we would plan something only for it having to be cancelled at the last minute because of rain, or a barbeque which ended up with everyone squeezing into the lounge to avoid the bad weather.  It certainly puts a damper on peoples enthusiasm!! 

I laugh when I recall how any conversation about 'potential plans' used to start  "....if the weather is nice at the weekend, perhaps we can do so and so!!" only for it to rain and we had to put it off for another day!  I have to say that I do not miss those things about the UK!!! 

Apart from that, I have done a bit of dolly sewing, but mostly I have been reading.  I finished yet another Janet Evanovich book this morning and this afternoon I started on a book that I'm sure I've read but it was such a long time ago that nothing seems familiar.  It is called The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher and so far I am enjoying it!  

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside....

Here we are at the coast again, having driven down this afternoon.  It is lovely, beautifully sunny with a light sea breeze....and a lot cooler than at home, where it was 39C in the shade at midday!!

Had to laugh with my neighbour down here, she is a cuddly Spanish lady of middle age and she is great fun!  She usually wears the tiniest of bikinis without a care in the world, I so love her confidence....I wish I had a fraction of it....though I admit that I wouldn't wear a bikini these days, I just haven't got the figure!!  Anyway, she was making me die laughing, telling me how she and her hubby have had a bit of an argument over her choice of swimwear, he complained that she should be wearing something more fitting for her age....it's hard to tell because of her 'young' outlook on life, but I guess she is in her 60s.  So today she went out and bought herself an even smaller bikini....I expect I will see it tomorrow! 

She also tells me that she is going to teach me to dance the Flamenco....oh boy, she hasn't realised that I have two left feet!!

Christa, my step-daughter, sent some lovely photos of Jake, her 16 month old baby.....he is such a cute and cuddly boy, we love him to bits!  I'm sure she won't mind me sharing a couple of the photos on here:

The lovely boy and his proud parents, Deryk and Christa

Typical boy!! Actually I think he may have been trying to imitate his grandpa here, they both have beards!!

It is so rare that I like photos of myself, in fact I can't even remember the last time I actually felt comfy sharing a photo with me in it, but I really liked this one of me, Jake and Brian.....poor boy getting squished by his abuela and grandpa!!!!  This photo was taken in October 2010 when Jake came to visit us here in Spain.

A poem...

I saw this poem on a blog and remembered reading it somewhere before....probably a circular email from a friend of mine in the US who often sends me poems like this....Anyway, I enjoyed it a second time around so thought I'd share here:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

-Jenny Joseph

Hot Fuzz....

Today was another package day....(I went on a bit of a spending spree recently!) and I received two packages of things I bought on Etsy.  I can rarely get on to Etsy when we are here at home, I have no idea why it is, but the photos won't come up and then it just times out....so when I was down at the coast recently I got on there and got a bit carried away!  Anyway, one of the packages contained a cute heart patterned dress and hair bow by Dolly Molly.  It is very pretty and I think my little Noel (Blythe Nicky Lad) looks really cute in it.....I also tried it on my Mini Riz and thought she looked gorgeous in it too, but it is too small around her bustline but it did give me an idea of how much I need to adjust my Blythe patterns to fit Riz.  I do believe that I actually have this very same pattern, which is really handy!

This afternoon Brendan asked me if I'd like to watch a film with him.  Usually his choice of films and mine don't really match that well, LOL, but he said he was going to watch Hot Fuzz.....I didn't have a clue, basically never heard of it but he said it contained Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who were also in the film Paul, which was the story of a little Alien guy.  Well I enjoyed that one a lot!

So Hot Fuzz it was and I really enjoyed it, it was very funny, every bit as much so as Paul!!  I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of watching it!

Another very hot day, windy too but the wind is like a hairdryer!!

Hair today, gone tomorrow!

Today I had a hair appointment at 4.30pm....so I got there a little early at 4.15 thinking it would be better to get it over and done with!!  Thank goodness I took my ebook with me though as my hairdresser obviously works on Spanish time and didn't get started on me until well gone 5.30pm!!!

But to make up for lost time, she practically scalped me!  I tell you, that hedgehog above has a whole lot more hair than me and certainly a lot less spiky.....talk about butch!  I won't be able to go out for a month!!!!

Oh well, hopefully it will be cooler tonight as last night I just could not sleep it was sooooo hot....if it wasn't for creepy crawlies, I might have taken a chair out onto the terrace and just slept there!

Yaaay, dolly package day!

Got the boring stuff out of the way first, which had to be food shopping. If there is one thing I hate it is food shopping. What a boring thankless task it is! You enter the supermarket, grab a trolley and off you go...avoiding all the lovely but expensive and fattening things.....add the essentials to the trolley....go back, add a few of the naughty things too....off you go, another aisle, then back to the 'temptation' aisle and put the 'naughties' back......once the trolley is filled with all sorts of boring stuff, you go to the checkout. Load the whole lot on to the conveyor belt....try not to be tempted by the 'special offers' that the girl is so desparate to sell me! (Actually, I have gone from being one of those people that would buy the 'specials' just to shut them up, to actually NOT buying them because of the 'hard sell'....even if I do actually want that 'wonder cleaner' or bunch of bananas!!!!

Anyway, once you've done all the loading on to the belt, so you put it all back in the trolley again, then into bags, then into the car, then out of the car, then in to the fridge/larder/freezer.....and lo and behold, out it all comes again to be prepared and eaten. Then the whole thing starts all over again the following week!

There have got to be better ways of spending our time, wouldn't you say?!!!

After that, things did look up! I got two packages from Thailand. One package was two pairs of the cutest Puki Fee/Lati Yellow sandals.....they also fit my Secretdoll Persons too, which is just as well, as Kobi immediately grabbed a pair for herself and of course had to dirty another dress as she insisted on changing her outfit to match them!

The other package was some 'supplies' that I bought on Etsy on one of the very few occasions that I could access that d*rn site. Six different coloured lengths of small pom pom edging, a packet of multicoloured dolly belt buckles and finally a little pack of tiny tiny buttons! I'm going to have good fun with these, probably making things for my Blythe girls!

I'm happy!!

Today, although I got up early enough, I didn't get showered and dressed until gone 1pm as I was feeling incredibly lazy! I decided I would make a start on my Flickr account, deleting all the photos of dolls that left here ages ago, so now I've reduced by Photostream by about 30 pages! So many dolls have come and gone over the last few years, that my friend referred to my doll room as a 'revolving door' of dollies. The thing is, I feel that BJDs are expensive and if I suddenly realise that I've not paid any attention to a doll for months on end and have no real desire to do so, then the time has come for them to go. They cost too much money to just sit on a shelf looking pretty and gathering dust. So I try to keep those that I really enjoy or those who I just can't imagine being without!! Of course I still have managed to accumulate over 30 BJD's!!!! But it is better than it was!

So once the Photostream was whittled down a bit, I got ready and went to Virginia's parents' cake shop....Virginia is my son Brendan's lovely girlfriend. Her parents were going to a wedding and asked if Brendan would join them at the shop because they were wary of leaving two girls on their own with the shop open until late this evening. I know that Virginia and her sister, Rocio, are more or less 'all grown up' but I could see her parents point. Our town is very safe, thankfully with a very low crime rate, but better to be safe than sorry. However, the wedding clashed with my son's favourite football team, West Ham Utd, playing their first match of the season so I volunteered to go to the cake shop instead!!! Their mum was delighted as she thought it would give the girls the perfect opportunity to practice their English!

So today I had my lunch with Virginia and Rocio, two lovely girls, and Virgy made a great lasagna from scratch....then we watched Sex in the City. It's the first ever episode of that show that I've watched and I quite enjoyed it. I think I might ask Brian to download some episodes for me to watch sometime!

Well I came away from the cake shop with four cakes....oooops! But they insisted...HONEST!!!

And here I am back on the laptop again. I've just ordered two wigs and some of those silicone wig caps from Facets by Marcia. I like ordering from Facets as Marcia never fleeces us 'foreigners' for postage and she always posts soooo quickly that packages from her have been known to arrive in as little as 4 days from the US! Plus she's a super nice friendly person too! So hopefully my Puki Fees, Luna and Ante, will have nice new wigs soon.

So no photos today......and it's another hot one, forgot to mention that. And 40C plus in Sevilla today too!

Another hot day....

Yesterday we woke to a dull day and I hoped it would be a bit cooler, but no such luck....by 10am the sun was burning through and it was already more than 30C in the shade.....so I decided to do a bit of sewing.



When I get a new doll I like to make an outfit particularly for that doll so that he/she has something new to wear when they arrive. Of course Gabie arrived when we were at the coast and although I did make her something before she arrived, I ended up giving that to another one of my little Lati's, Lea, so Gabie had to borrow from the other tinies when she got here. So yesterday I made her a cute white outfit, a knee length dress and matching knickerbockers....I had intended doing a bit of embroidery on the bodice of the dress as it is linen and easy to sew on, but as with all the best intentions......so she got a little ladybug button instead. Oh well, she's happy!!!

Today is another hot day and I've not done anything more strenuous than a bit of tidying up in my doll/sewing room, dusting the shelves and re-arranging things. Later I took more dolly photos ..... what makes you think I'm addicted to my dolly hobby? LOL! Anyway, this time it was the turn of the Secretdoll Persons again....I'm really enjoying the tinies at the moment. I'm now down to just two MSD sized dolls, one Super Dollfie and my Dollstown Ganga with the 7 year body.....the rest of my dolls are small, and that suits me fine!

Dolly day....

After breakfast in a bar with our friends Magdalena and Joaquin, I spent my morning doing 'dolly' things. I changed my Mini Fee Rheia's eyes for some lovely lavender glass ones from Latidoll, they look gorgeous......she is such a pretty doll. I think if I could choose to look like any doll it would be her, she is sooo exotic!!


After that I took some photos of my new Secretdoll Person 8 who arrived yesterday, she was part of a trade (as I think I mentioned previously) and although I'd not originally planned having more than one Person, I think the two of them look cute together. I really like her default auburn wig, it really does suit her!

Here are the two of them together, Percy (Person 21) on the left and the yet to be named, Person 8, on the right.

Today Secretdoll announced that they are releasing a new Person doll at the weekend, it is to be called Person 15.....I hope that I don't like her, because really, more than 2 Person dolls would be a real handfull!!!! LOL!

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig!

This morning we left the coast and came home....we'd been gone just over two weeks, which is the longest we've been away in ages. The house had that sort of 'neglected' dusty feel to it when we came in, which is surprising because my son, Brendan, has been here most of the time! But the Andalucian dust just gets in everywhere! We're surrounded by olive groves which are dusty and several neighbours have building work going on, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that we have dust! Thankfully though, the kitchen was nice and clean as I'd warned Brendan that it had better be just as I'd left it! I did NOT want to come home to a sink full of dirty dishes and grease splattered work surfaces.....and bless him, it was absolutely fine....but there was a very unappealing smell when I opened the dishwasher which makes me think it hadn't been used much whilst we were away!

And I also wondered why there were a pair of dirty boxer shorts and one rolled up sock in the hallway!!!!

It was also a great dolly day as my little Secretdoll Person 8 arrived this evening from the Netherlands. She is a trade that I did with my friend Natasja, and I'm really really delighted with her. She and Percy will become firm friends, I'm sure!!! Photos tomorrow hopefully!

So now I have told myself "no more dolls" unless of course I sell or trade someone. But to be honest, I really do feel happy with my dolly collection as it stands at the moment, I don't have any desire to go looking for someone else! In fact, I'm proud to say that I haven't looked in the DoA marketplace for ages (OK 2 weeks!!!!)

I feel as if I've not written on here in ages, when it is really only a few days or so....We're still down here at the coast and I've got soooo chilled out, well I'm almost vertical with 'laid-back-ness'!!! I just made that word up, but it suits me perfectly. However, tomorrow we're going home, reluctantly, but the car needs to be serviced tomorrow afternoon for its road-worthiness test later in the week. I expect we'll be back down here again next week though.



So what have I been doing whilst not writing on here? Well I have been swimming in the sea, sunbathing on the beach and generally relaxing. I am brown as a berry from all my time in the sun, and my hair really needs cutting, it is gone very blond and streaky. I know I always said I wanted to be a Beach Bum, but I think the hair is taking it just a bit TOO far!



I finished another book last night on my Kindle, it was called Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich, another glimpse into the crazy life of Stephanie Plum the Bounty Hunter. This afternoon I started on Ms Evanovich's latest in the series, which is called Smokin' Seventeen....it is already proving to be up to her usual laugh out loud standard!



Yesterday I made three Lati Yellow sized dresses and today I attempted to knit a Blythe cardigan. That didn't come to anything as by the 4th row I already had gained stitches......I really am soooo knitting challenged, it is so frustrating. Why is it that I can't follow a knitting pattern? What part of my brain cannot function correctly when reading a simple set of knitting instructions? Answers on a postcard please to the usual address! Thank goodness for friends like Maisiedoats who can knit things for me!!!



Yesterday I also took some photos of my Lati Yellows, Puki Fees and Persephone, my Secretdoll Person 21.....here is a group shot of my Lati family, minus Lati Green Lea who didn't come to the beach with us:

I find it very difficult to photograph groups of dolls....especially small little dolls like these as they tend to not want to sit still for long! LOL ;)

Aside from dolly thingies, I bought a pretty cotton sarong for just 3 euros in the sale....can't beat that for a bargain!

Apart from that, nothing much else to write today, so I shall sign off for now!

Hugs to any dolly friends who take the time to read my ramblings!