This little fellow was wandering round and round the garden last night. Snuffling his way through the grass. Obviously finding little grubs to eat. Some tasty little things!!
Isn’t he sweet? Aaaaahhhhh!!!
Something else that is in the round are these….
Nine little brooches to fasten on to coats and jackets, or bags and purses. A button centre and a felt back.
A handful of goodies for the Sun Shine School!
Yes it is growing. My Granny Stripe is growing. Whether it is growing in the right way I’m not sure. In fact I nearly frogged the lot and dump it in a bag ready to go into that hole. You know the one I mean. The one under the stairs for all those things that didn’t quite make the grade. But then I thought woaw. Have a think. Have a look. What don’t I like? Can I work with it, because I am enjoying the pattern. It was the red. It wasn’t quite right, but I thought if I make it a feature and put it right through the blanket it may be alright. So that is what I am doing and it is growing on me! Here we go….
(I love adding photos to my post. Why? Because when it is loading it goes ‘crunching’!! Sometimes it seems to ‘crunch’ for ages!)
Can you see what I mean about the red? Dominant isn’t it? I need another green too. So a few more pennies will spent on a softer green. Probably a moss green. However, I love this corner. It is so cornerish!
And I love this section. I spent many twenty minutes yesterday and the day before hooking away, in between all those housey jobs you have to do. So on the whole I like it but……
Something else is growing too. Something that has sat dormant on my mantle piece for nearly 2 – 3 years. I thought it was growing before and in a way it was - a new leaf. But this time it really is growing – a flower stalk….
Can you see – not one but two little orchid stalks! Wwwwweeeeee!! It will soon look like this…
I’m pleased I didn’t throw it out! Have a good weekend with what ever is growing for you!
I love to go to our library. It is a newish building, purposely built to accommodate all the needs of our little town and is named after our local apple. The Bramley Centre. You can have a coffee, browse through the papers and some magazines, go on the internet, take part in story times, poetry evenings, and writing workshops, and of course choose some books. And this time there were some new beauties to smile at sitting on the craft and hobbies stand. These little beauties…
and three of them will be on my amazon wish list…
I just love the flowers on the front cover of this one.
And I have always wanted to have a go at wet felting. I have tried dry felting to varying degrees of success, but this little lovely inside this book has really beckoned to me, so I shall be trying this technique before too long!
But it was this book where I lingered last night…
I was fascinated by the projects and the colours played a big part – I’m rather partial to peacock blues and purples….
and I just love candles! So I fetched some cord and beads and set myself up to try. To persevere. To give it a go. Just for 20 minutes or so!
I did it!!! Just a small bit. But it worked!!!
Can you see the knots? The little crossovers? Just between the beads, a little shaky, but they are there. I’m really chuffed and will certainly be doing some more.
Someone else has been doing the odd 20 minutes too! Mr A has been having a go with a kit I bought him for Christmas and I think he is doing alright! In fact he is doing more than alright!!
Something else which are coming on in leaps and bounds – these little blossoms….
inside and out…
This last photo, of the blooms under the hedge, is to say thank you for all your comments and your encouragement. I’m enjoying being part of the 20 minuters!!
I’m waiting. Yes waiting for things to happen! And in my waiting I’m getting excited! Excited that we are going away for a few days rest. Excited that we are going to somewhere new. Somewhere to explore. Somewhere to breathe and unwind. Somewhere quiet that we can rest feeling safe in God’s arms. And they are huge arms that wrap around you, gathering up all those things that have been on your mind and helping you to unravel them. Imagine a huge basket of wools that a kitten has been having a lot of fun in!! You’ve got the picture! Each colour has to be carefully eased out from the tangle and wound up into a neat ball. At the end of the exercise you end up with a rainbow of colours. All harmonising with each other. From there you can go on to make the most beautiful textile, pattern, or fabric. Something that you can treasure. So I’m excited that I will discover and rediscover some treasures. Things, thoughts and scenes. OOOOOoooooo I can’t wait!!!
Other people are waiting too! Ladies who said hello! Well your little parcels are nearly ready and will soon be on their way! But to brighten your day I give you this…. I’ve been waiting for five days for the tight buds to open… For the big showy flowers to bloom… For the vibrant orange to glare out at me… But they don’t glare, they are really quite gentle…
The waiting game is over and what a surprise!!
Well, here we are again! Time to show you some shots of our garden. I have been spending quite a bit of time pottering around it and the flowers are now coming out a treat!
The strawberry pots are blooming and producing our first crop of strawberries.
The irises are very majestic and magnificent.
The foxgloves are home to the bumble bees.
The peony flowers are so big and blousey.
And the canterbury bells are the tallest I have ever seen them!
So from pots…
to paths…
to rocky areas…
and golden birds…
to hooking!
The backs have been carefully sewn.
The flowers positioned and embellished.
But why so many brooches?
I am making them to raise some money for the Sun Shine School in Israel. This is a small Christian school in the Arab area just outside Jerusalem. The teachers have 59 children from 14 different nationalities all aged between 2 and 6 years. The children are taught in English and are very bright and cheery, despite the physical size of the school. It is in the ground floor flat of a small building. The newest teacher has just graduated from Cambridge and she looks after 6 little 3 year olds in what was the stock cupboard! If I had been living out there I would have helped in the school, but I am not, so all I can do to help is fund raise and that is what I am doing! I am very grateful to Lucy of Attic 24, who has let me use her posy pattern. Sun Shine goodies will soon be packaged and ready to go to their first venue. Brooches, cards, note-lets, sewing kits and eventually a series of little books where a bear visits the sites of Israel! Now where did that idea come from………??
Yes, we have been to York! A few days in the sun shine, soaking up the heat (and a little bit of rain!) and relaxing with friends. We have done this every year for the past 15 years – relaxing with friends that is – visiting different places as long as they are within 2 hours driving time. It is good to get together for a laugh and a chat and some quality time. So where did we go…
well into York and a visit to the Minster. We stood here to watch a noisy, colourful short parade.
The National Railway Museum. I liked the way the light was catching this very old engine. Contrast it to the gleaming one beside it.
Then in the Shambles we met this colourful character…
and a window full of smiles!
Put them together and you have my favourite flower, a purple Pansy.
This one is reminds me of Georgia O’Keefe.
At the entrance to our camp site we oooooooooooooed and aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhed over these lovelies.
There must have been 6 or 7 foals.
I’m not really a horsey person, but you have to oooooo and aaaaaahhh, don’t you?!
The relaxation took the form of a magazine…
and lots of hooking…
Flowers in red, and
yellow and green, and
blue.
A primary colour spectrum. Very satisfying!!
I have had a few days relaxing at home with my Mum… some quality time… some me time! We have been chatting and hooking and sewing, and watching the Chelsea flower show. Dreaming of beautiful gardens while looking out at a jungle! If only it would stop raining long enough to dry the grass up so I can cut it!!!!
Flowers and bright colours have featured a lot. The six little gnomes have been delivered to six little people. Tiny hands clutching tiny bodies and having a cuddle. I even spied one of the Mums stroking the yellow one while cuddling her little bundle of joy! Shhhh! Your secret is safe with me!! and you, of course! But you want to see some pictures of the highs.
Close ups of long standing favourites.
Unusual seed heads. Interspersed with fun and laughter from Joe and Alan!
Methodical rippling. Watching the hook going in and out. Very therapeutic! I am about half way now.
Browsing and oohing and ahhing at the beautiful things inside. Flowers again!
I have sooO many ideas for No.4, but sooO little time to make them happen at the moment, But I will!
I just love these storage boxes.
Like I love these buttons. I have been looking for these for ages. Sadly Mr Heath didn’t have a full range, but I will keep my eyes open when we visit York soon!
Then Lucy of Attic24 said ‘Yes’!! I was thrilled when she agreed to my using her posy pattern for a very important project. One that is close to my heart at the moment. (More of that later). So last night I started..
and finished up with 18 tiny little florets! Thank you Lucy, you are a gem!
That’s the only thing when you have been away, it is difficult to find the time to catch your breath when there is washing and ironing, cleaning and dusting, sorting and tidying to be done! It is now a week since we arrived home and I am still washing and ironing, cleaning and dusting, sorting and tidying!! Trying to make the time to sit and craft has been - well – impossible! So what have I been doing in my spare time? LOL!! Sunday I walked around the garden. Another area for me to sort and tidy – but no. Look…
The Jacobs Ladder has appeared. I love the little droplets.
The Piris is just as delicate…
and the white Clematis is full of blossom..
Four pots of green…
a hosta..
strawberries..
a fern and geraniums beginning to grow.
A change of colour..
a pink Hebe and then..
purple Borage and Rosemary too..
And I have no idea what I planted in this pot, but it is very unusual!
The crafting? Well my 86 year old Mum has been knitting and hooking on my behalf. A duck..
and two little chicks for my Easter box.
Thank you Mum!
Over the past few weeks my blog buddies(!) have been sharing their photos of Amaryllises (or is that Amaryllisi??). The courtyard pots at Christ Church in Jerusalem are full of these beautiful blooms.
They are very delicate, with the stems being slightly thinner, but they bloom in abundance outside.
This pot was my favourite. Each stem had three or four blooms. Can you see how the managers have put in a small palm?
From now on I shall plant more than one in a pot and see what happens!
We have had a busy weekend in the sunshine, visiting Chatsworth House with my very special people!! We have been to Chatsworth quite a few times, and each time we visit I latch onto some new angle. This time it was the curtain tassels and the patterns around the home. But the gardens were also captured, as too were the views across the park land. In fact there was so much I wanted to photo that the batteries in my camera ran out!! Again!! Never mind, I have lots to play around with and develop further. Things that I want to sew and crochet and stitch and draw and expand and generally have fun with, but that is for later installments!! Today is sneak preview day, so….
greetings from Chatsworth!
Basking in the sun…
to cooling our feet!
Viewed near….
and afar.
From the sumptuous…
to the ordinary.
Breath taking beauty…
to geometric wonder.
I could go on, but this is a sneak preview so you will have to wait!!
However, seeing as it is still Easter week I couldn’t resist this little wonder from their Easter Egg Hunt set amongst the china!
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