In case you are wondering

How my zoo fared during my holidays : well, great, thanks . They were wonderfully cared for by cat-sitters who adored them.
So here they are again:

                                                            One lazy happy Jojo

                                           

                                              One very happy stewing/baking Tiffany

And here are Fluffy and Tiffany together, next to me on the sofa :-)

It is rather funny, actually, since Fluffy has never been too happy to have another cat too near.But who could resist such a lovely little girl ?

Meet Edwina

My new housemaid!
She is a bit past "best by"date , and a   lovely kit by Sherri Colvin . I put her (plus a  gent that I don't know yet who he will be ) together day before yesterday and I dressed her yesterday. This evening draped her skirt and apron. She is due to get some towels or so in her hands , as soon as I have got them . Baby wipes seem to work well, so will go out and buy them on Friday and see whether it will work.
I added a belly and a  big bum, as her face was rather fat :-) Gent got some extra sculpey body, too. Arms and legs were padded ( kind of quilt padding , cut into strips).

.
I gave her stockings and shoes ( even buckles on her shoes) and a crocheted collar.I will have to look whether I can still find some sombre ebony medaillon in my stash , containing locks of her parents'hair or so...

OK here are the shoes :

and here is Edwina herself ! Right now down in the kitchen , but I think I am going to send her to the bathroom , it is quiet there, anyway.

The story of the Berninapass and the little red train

I do not want to keep this lovely little story from you .
I found it on a tablet, first of a series , that was set up two years ago, when the Rhätische Bahn ( the local railwayline, that operates with red trains) celebrated its100 th anniversary. The series explains about the building of the many bridges and tunnels , needed to get over and through the Alps, plus the maintenance of the lines, which is not a piece of cake, either.

Here is the translation of this first tablet:

A long time ago, when God created the high mountains from His hands, He said: "Now I am a bit tired, but before I am going to rest a bit on my cloud-home,I want to finish the creation of this world in a good way.So in the middle of these mountains I will create a lovely place.It will be sweeter than honey, a place with the name "Bernina",where all people will be reminded of My work.I will always be between these snow covered mountains. I want the sun to shine on these tops before all other mountains, and that the sunshine will only disappear after it has got dark in Poschiavo.I want the color of sky to be like that of mine eyes, that the air is as clean and clear like after a september storm, and that the smell of resin from the trees will mingle with that from the high valleys of Arosa. I want  the sound of the bells of the cows in the pastures mingling with the prayers of the people, who walk the paths and search for peace here, in the mountains. I want this place, which will one day be named Bernina, to be magical and full of consolation for those, who are tired from work and thinking. And when they are sitting next to a brook and hear the murmurs of the crystal clear water, they hear My words and it will be, as if were they sitting on My knees".

He had just spoken the word, and it happened! Immediately the mountains of Bernina stood up.And the Lord said : "that is good, but I am not yet really happy. When the time has come,a little good-natured little red dragon will take the people through this place and show them My beautiful creation"
Then he yawned and withdrew .

And in 1910 happened what He wanted: "Il trennino rosso del Bernina"was born.

( Ezio Maifrè, Tirano)

Home from holidays again...

And finally uploaded my pictures. Photobucket kept breaking down or so, but finally I got the pics into my album, Here are some of them :

This was the view at sunset when sitting on my terrace outside the apartment where I have been staying during the last years. Wonderful, isn't it ?

The famous "Montebellocurve "at the Bernina pass, where one has a  glorious view of the Morteratsch glacier.
( and yup, a  storm is breeding here)

Lei da Silvaplana Sils , near St Moritz. The river that connects them ( there are four lakes in a  row ) is the young Inn, which will flow into the Danube.

The beaurtiful green valley around Bergün , along the Albula pass.It was a  great hike.

And, finally ( for here) the Dischmatal , near Davos, where I hiked, too, I still feel my knees buckle....:-)

The whole lot is hanging out here ( in my photobucket album)

And some weeks later...

Here it is again. I was away on holidays and had brought the little carpet with me. As you can see, only the fourth outer border needs to be stitched now. I had started out too far from the corner ( no fault of Nicola, mine entirely, I am afraid, but I am rather bad at starting from the centre), so got slightly into trouble.
still, I love it. It is also easy to work on, with many small motives that just seem sto cry out "just do me before you go to sleep", so that you keep going, and it is not frogging-prone, either.
Pics of the holidays ( or  a link thereto ) to follow later, I am fighting with Photobucket right now and it is nearly steaming in an attept to swallow all those megabites :-)

Happily stitching again

On a nice little carpet ( kit I bought from Nicola Mascall at the Arnhem fair).  I first set op the borders , to make them meet, using the patterns in them, then set up everything in the centrefield and I am now in the process of doing background. To avoid boredom, I change between borders and centrefield all the time. Actually, there are so many motifs that I don't have much chance getting bored !

This is where I am now, after about 6 weeks .

( I scanned it, so it is not much of a  pic, but you get the idea :-) )

More dolls !

After my last post a conspiracy was formed against this little helpless victim and I received a   mail from Louisa in The Hague who wanted to downsize a bit and asked whether I could give some of her dolls a good home ?

The dolls are lovely ! Today I retrieved the package from the post office and here they are :

This little doll is by Jane Davies. She looks a bit as if she wants a beach or garden to play, which I, unfortunatley , cannot provide right now. But since I have got three roomboxes ( by Dolls House Emporium) lying around, I might be able to do something about that, given some time).
In the meantime, she will be living in the nursery ( grrr, that flash won't get off!!!!).

This set of dolls was made by Jill Bennet . They are sweet , aren't they???

I sent them out shopping.

The girl does the real shopping while he is out to do something naughty I am afraid.Boys will be boys.

And , last but not least, here is another niece, come up to the teashop in town with auntie !
By Marie-France Beglan again, with a beautifully smocked dress.She mopes a bit, though, methinks.