Didn't we have a lovely time at the Harrogate annual retreat :)

Yoooo Hooooo its me again .... yes another post soo soon ...lol I have just got back a few hours ago from the annual Knitting and Stitching show held at Harrogate (UK) and boy do I need some new feet ..lol, any hooo pull up a chair grab your brew ... there may be some cookies left in the tin ...and enjoy the post :)
Thursday dawned bright and early ... well more early than bright but hey at least it wasn't snowing ...I packed the mouse mobile and tootled off to go and pick up Roz and Chris my companions for the journey as they were just going for the day I said come with me and save yourselves from setting off earlier and two trains to get there ... well I had fun trying to find Roz as I am not sure if the sat nav had a sense of humor or that I put it in wrong ! but find her I did, after a wee phone call and directions I picked her up and we headed on our way to Chris's and then onto Harrogate via the fog on route .... we actually made good time and I dropped them off near to the venue before I tootled off to find our house for the next few days (mine , Ally's , Sandra's and Maureen). I managed to park outside the house doing a parallel park for the first time in years and it wasn't a bad attempt either heheheheh...
I popped my stuff in and then tootled down to meet Ally and pass her the keys so that she could get in and wait for Sandra before coming down to the show later ...in the mean time I bobbed into the show and found Chris and Roz  and Kate and also Sally   and her DH ... Sally was truly impressed with the show and was as giddy as a kid in a sweet shop ..lol I arranged for her to come back to the house later on that night for a cuppa and a natter too so that she could show her goodies and I could do the same .....before we parted ways to carry on shopping ... then while I was talking to another Kate ....Kate  from Sparklies .... my phone rang and Gill was right behind me ... Gill is also Sally's friend and had spotted me and wanted to make sure it was me ...lol so we passed a pleasant few minutes chatting before we parted ways too and I made my way from Sparklies after buying a couple of pieces as you do to Jane Greenoff's stall to purchase my major thing on my list .... this piece which I will show you later in the photos was one I wanted last year but hummmed and ahhhh'd as it is rather on the expensive side but as I said to my friends I still want it after all this time ... I am going to get it ... and I did ... Bill kindly held onto it until the end of the night when it was time for me to go home :) I found a few other bits and my bag at the end of the night was a wee bit full heheheh .... 
We decided that we weren't cooking that night when we got back to our wee house and called for a Chinese which was rather scrummy and we had just finished when Sally and her DH called round for the cuppa ... sooo we had a lovely few hours chatting and sipping tea and drooling over purchases's we had made that day :)
Friday dawned rather wet but that didn't dampen our spirits and we  tootled back down to the show ....I ended up helping Trudy Ann one of the lovely exhibitors at the show as the day before she had had some stuff taken from her stall and it got rather busy with customers while I was browsing sooo I did my good deed for the week and served a few for her :) 
Friday tea time we had invited Sheila(one of friendly stitcher members who was there too ) as well as Kate from Sparklies to tea and we had a wonderful night .... we served Spaghetti bologna and Eton Mess our way ..lol .... when they had gone on their merry way back to their pads for the week we got out some stitching and stitched into the early hours of the morning ... in fact I finished a wee ornament ... yes you read that right I stitched and finished something heheheh .....I am surprised that we actually got any done as we were laughing all night and I can't remember what about ...lol 
Saturday was a bit of the show and a bit of the town ... we managed to visit Duton's for Buttons, Samuel Taylors and the Remnant House as well as take some photos of the lights decorating the trees around Harrogate .... and we even stitched Saturday night too ...I was on a roll .....
Today only Sandra and I went back into the show as Maureen had an early train to catch and Ally an early bus .... we tootled round the show and as it wasn't as packed managed to get to look at all the stalls as well as go down into the Hall's underneath and see the costumes on display .....soon it was time for us to part too and go on our merry ways ....and I can safely say that this year was pretty good ...lol and looking forward to next years now and I had better start saving my pennies up :)
I have taken piccies of my stash but I can't show you all of it as some of it is for prezzies for peeps ...but I hope you like what I can show you :) I am looking forward to using the charts/ fabric and trims and know what I am going to use them with etc etc etc etc .... 
ok the kettle has just boiled again sooo tea, coffee ???

International halls Harrogate

Eaton Mess our way

Maureen , Kate, Ally, Sandra and Sheila :)

stitchy progress

Walk down to the show 

love this :)

Maureen photo bombing 

Hall M of the show the only one I could get a photo in :)

view over looking Harrogate from the town centre

taking the lights 

bit of stash

and a bit more

and some more

my big purchase :) 

seee I did stitch :)

Kate from Sparklies stall :)

students work in Hall E

Jane Greenoff and Sue Hawkins having a rare five mins :)

Sew there you have it .... my adventures of Harrogate Stitching show again over for another year ... Master Bentley is bopping me to get him some more food ... he is rather pleased for me to be back ....
hoping to get more stitching done now my mojo has come back from its walk .....so that I can show you progress photos next time :)
take care one and all and happy stitching :) till next time :) love mouse xxxxxx