204 stars completed but I've voluntarily set the count back by 10 cos I've found a beautiful dark-pink pansy pattern I have to use. So I'm substituting the new material for an earlier batch of pink I'm less enthusiastic about. : )

KittenKong had a traumatic experience today.
This morning, while I was rushing about getting the cubs ready for school, I suddenly realised I wasn't tripping over the cat. Thinking the worse – as is my wont when one of my feline companions goes missing – I was on the point of venturing outside to see if I could find her mangled remains when I remembered I'd gone out to the garage yesterday afternoon. Given madame thunderpaws' habit of making a beeline for any open door (how many times has she been shut in a cupboard?) I checked there first and sure enough... <g> Bloody cat – stuck in the garage all night... She's been very cuddly today too, poor traumatised creature.

There was a suggestion I read in a magazine recently that instead of buying an entire dinner set, you could pick a colour/theme and buy individual pieces as you come across ones you like. Great idea – not only would you have an interesting collection but you wouldn't have to worry about breaking a piece cos they're all different to begin with!
Anyway, I've been thinking about getting some new crockery for a while and in one of the local homewares shops I saw some very nice green dinnerware. Green was a colour I was considering for my new crockery so I put a few pieces on lay-by. : ) Those - and a sugar themometer so I can have a go at making some turkish delight sometime. (Thanks for the recipe, Soulsis!)

I love browsing around the homewares shops even though I live in fear of knocking something over. Little miss clumsy (me) – who's proprioreception hasn't changed from the time when she was younger, fitter and considerably thinner – makes sure she moves slowly and deliberately in places where it's expensive to break things.
Needless to say I don't take the cubs into shops like that if I can at all help it. : )

One of the things I sporadically collect is paté knives. On a whim I decided to paw through my collection and count them all.
I have 15, which isn't that very many considering how long I've been collecting them and how many of the damn things there are around. But I only buy the knives I really like, not all that I clap eyes on so that's ok. : )
Like to know what I've got? (Let's see if I list them without having to go and check...)
Lamb, 2 chickens, trout, lobster, cockatoo, cheese wedge, aubergine, 2 grapes, xmas tree, striped candy-cane, paper lanterns, 2 flamingos. Neat, eh? <g>
I still haven't worked out a way to display them though - any suggestions?