Hooky Hols

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post because I've been on Hooky Hols to the sunshine of Dominican Republic! I fully intended to do an update before leaving but never managed to complete a post because I was laid flat with my first cold for YEARS! At the same time as trying to pack and get the house & garden ready to be left for two weeks, on top of the normal everyday stuff. Anyway, here I am, back fit and healthy, after a lovely relaxing time sunning myself on the beach and walking alongside the beautiful ocean........

And it really was Hooky Hols because I took my hooks and yarns with me! I had to leave my almost-finished Rainbow Ripple cot blanket behind because it is now just too big to do on the move!

I do LOVE IT tho!















So I started a new holiday project instead. Little balls of wool in two sealed bags and two hooks, one metal in my checked suitcase and one wooden one (to fool the detectors!) in my hand luggage! Well I figure it's no worse than taking pens on board and we all do that!

Anyway, once safely esconced in my seat on the plane with a welcome drink of bubbly I was REALLY excited to get going - with the holiday and the new project! So shortly after take off I decided I couldn't wait any longer and eagerly took out my little goodie bag which had made it safely through security. I had already decided that individual small squares or something would be easy to do on the move and then put together later. So, foregoing the usual pleasure of getting stuck into a riveting read on my Kindle, I eagerly took out my wooden hook and selected my first colour........... and, for a change from squares started to make hexagon flowers instead!

                                    Voila!   









So absorbed was I in my hooking, interspersed with some eating & drinking, chatting and reading, that the 8hr journey just flew by (sorry for the awful pun!) and before I knew it we were landing in brilliantly sunny, hot, hot, hot Dom Rep! Yippee!!

And before too long we arrived at our beautiful hotel and were taken to our equally beautiful room with it's side-on view of the sea from the balcony........GREAT! Gifts of chocolates, T shirts and a bottle of rum and a well-stocked fridge made us feel really welcome, as did the flowers everywhere.......

I do SO LOVE going to the Caribbean with it's exotic flowers, plants and fruits and it's warm, warm welcome!

Well, needless-to-say we had a GREAT time, spending endless days next to the ocean. .....
   

We both love watching and listening to the waves and although I'm still very nervous about being in it, P loves nothing more than to be out there sailing every day, the windier the better!      

                                                                             

And while he's out there having fun on the water, I'm.........





happily hooking whilst getting a tan!!

PURRFECT!!!

And it's amazing how many people, men and women, of all ages and nationalities stopped by to chat and ask about what I was doing. And although I didn't spend very long each day hooking, my little pile of flowers steadily grew........

For a great tutorial on how to make these hexagons go to
Heidi Bears where you will find not only a great tutorial but Heidi's AMAZING patterns.




Inspired by the vibrant colours of all the truly beautiful flowers around me I began to gather my own for what I have decided will probably be my Flower Garden blanket!! Having experimented with various colours for the last few rounds to actually make the proper hexagon shape (see Heidi's tutorial here) I decided I really liked the flowers best without that last bit, deciding instead to keep them more like flowers and ending each one with the final petal forming round of double crochets (UK dc, USA single crochets) in various shades of green. I might change this again later as it may give me some problems when joining them together but, for now, I really like the effect......

Anyway, besides lots of hooking, sailing, reading, and far too much eating and drinking, we did walk the beautiful beach every day.........

feet in the cooling water.........

 PARADISE!

But of course even in Paradise people have to try to earn a living...........



We didn't buy any - bring home nothing but photos and memories being my thing - but I can understand how people might not be able to resist these beautiful shells...........



And this fella wasn't at all bothered when we strolled by and interrupted his grooming!

Sadly, all too soon it was time to come home....... No hooking on the flight back this time, due to a touch of sadness combined with the need to get a few hours sleep, dreaming of those long, hot, glorious days and toes in the cool water of that spectacular ocean...........