It's been a long time!

Lots has happened over the past two years and I forgot all about having a blog myself thought I am addicted to reading lots of other people's. I originally started the blog as part of an open university course - My Digital Life.

Since then, we still have the beach hut, though have been done to it only a handful of times so far this year and I've learnt to crochet, so have been busy making blankets.  My crowning joy so far is Lucy at attic24's coastal ripple blanket, which I finished in June and I've just started a free-style autumn coloured granny square blanket.

I've also discovered Project Life, but more of all of those later.

I do like to inject a touch of the seaside into my craft projects.

This was one of the first things I crocheted, from a Simply Crochet mag pattern I think. It's weighed with a large bag of lentils!

A mini beach hut

I found this little wooden hut on eBay and couldn't resist it.

Think it was around £2.90 + postage. It'd made from ply and comes complete.  This is the hut showing its first coat of primer.  I'll post the fully painted one once it's finished though that could be some time off....

Mapping...

I did geography for a degree and love maps and also photos, so I was really happy when Google bought out Streetview.  However, have been searching and found this website...
Geograph - which is attempting to photo every grid reference in the UK!

The site states that it aims to collect geographically representative photos and info for every square km in Great Britain and Ireland.  Have just had a look and found our beach hut on there. There are currently 16 images for that grid reference!

The site is supported by the Ordnance Survey and is a registered charity too!

Can you find your house?  People seem to have taken lots of pictures of postboxes near me!

Beach Hut Stamping

This Michael Powell stamp is fantastically themed.  I've had this for a while but only used it once (to make a birthday card), but love his style so much, I bought loads of his Christmas stamps.  Thought I'd dig it out again and do some therapeutic colouring with my new box of Derwent pencils (Christmas present).  I've also thought about photocopying it to a larger size and making a big picture that I can frame..... but that might take a while for me to get round to.

I use Memento ink for my stamps - as I love their smell!

I'll post the finished effect once it's done (could take a while)

Shell cushions

I've been working on this cross-stitch cushion for the past few months and finally finished it last night.  It's a large count on a printed background and I love the pattern (shells).  I've decided it'll be perfect in the beach hut, though will take me a while to make it into an actual cushion.

The kit was bought from a seller on Ebay and cost about £22 + postage - it's called Fossil (left) and there is also a Fossil (right) cushion too, which I've just bought and am going to start later today.  They are by Collection dArt

Invoices

The downside of a beach hut is the bills!  A flurry of letters from the local council as the leasehold is changed over to us, but then another flurry of less desirable invoices for the next financial year for the lease!  

In 2013/14 the total cost to the district council will be £391 including VAT.  We did know about this and factored it into our costs, but still a sizeable chunk to find on the 1st April. 

We are also humming and harrring as to whether we want to buy a year's carpark permit for the nearby car parks for a discounted rate - our entitlement as a beach hut holder!  There is parking on the road nearby, but this is limited and still a trek with laden bags..... we have some time to think about it, as we cant buy it until 1st April anyway, as everything is based on the financial year.  We'll see!

This is our view by the way!

0 degrees!

Today was the first day we got down to the hut as the new owners.  Priorities meant a cup of tea outside before deciding what stays and what goes, even though snow was on the ground.  It's actually in better condition than we remembered but we did rip up the flooring to let the wet floorboards start to dry out.  

This is the interior as we bought it:

Ripping up the flooring: