Two Things To Make You Smile

First smile comes from our winner today of this priceless book (ahem).

Frank picked all the names from a cereal bowl this morning whilst I was pricking his finger so I am afraid I didn't get any photos but the lucky person is : Amanda from Felt Finland!!!!

Hooray for Amanda!

Can you e.mail me your address (I think you already have my e.mail address) and I will get your prize into the post next week.

The second smile is a humdinger, so brace yourselves, it's a bit of a story.

I am pleased that my hedgehog house and fuzzy bra have brought smiles to you all and add now this tale from yesterday evening:

Picture the scene of an English pub, let's call it The Fat Cat (for that is its name!), on a Thursday evening. It is busy with a youngish clientele, mostly late twenties and early thirties, good beer and great chunky wooden tables.

At one of the tables every two weeks or so I meet with a group of fabulous crafty and creative women and we sit knitting and sewing. Sometimes we have a brief like the knitted bras and sometimes we just get on with our individual projects. On any given evening a mixture of both is going on, such as yesterday evening.

So we women sit chatting, knitting and sewing and are joined by two guys wondering what we are up to. They are pleasant enough and trying to be charming but clearly have had a beer or two.
None of us are phased by this, we are there to be together and are happy to show people what we are doing if they show an interest.

So, after a few minutes of chat the first guy starts to ask what we are all doing. He is probably in his early to mid-thirties and is well-dressed and well-spoken and has a confident air about him.

So, around the table we go sharing our projects.

He has no idea what is about to hit him ...

Polly shows him the Waldorf doll she is making for her daughter. This evening she is weaving in the hair.

He admires it and moves onto me and Rosie.

We are both knitting; me a lacy scarf and Rosie a pullover for a doll for her little girl.

He asks "pertinent" questions about speed of knitting and whether I could knit a whole toilet in a week.

Then he moves on to Natasha and asks her what she is sewing.

"A vagina" she responds without missing a beat.

He blinks a couple of times and says "Sorry?" so she lifts her lovely silk and cotton work of art and shows it to him.

For the first time in half an hour of pleasant but tipsy rambling he is struck dumb.

Natasha explains that we are all going to contribute a piece of work for a huge quilt being pieced together in London to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation. He blinks a few more times and seems suddenly less tipsy.

Go figure.

Then he says he'd like to contribute in some way, even financially, to the work on FGM Awareness.

He heads off back to the bar leaving us all smiling about what he will think when he wakes up in the morning.

"I had the weirdest dream last night, mate. I dreamt I saw these women in the pub making vaginas! I must drink less."

He gave me my biggest smile of the week!

When a man walks unprepared into the Land of the Women who knows what might happen.

I wonder if he'll be there next week or if we've put him off popping out to his local for beer?!

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I am taking a few days off from this screen. I love it so much I am not getting much else done. Back next Thursday with tales of cheeky monkey four year olds (Meri you were so right with your comment a week or so back about "dethroning the king") and German Christmas Markets.

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Much love to all and a happy weekend!

Here is something to speed you on your way courtesy of Armstrong and Miller, two very fine performers.