Busy Weekends

It's another busy weekend here,the sun is shinning, Friday night it rained all night, so our garden looks so fresh. I can see the yellows and greens glimmering with the sun from my widow, my neighbour has a silver Birch tree (one of my favorite tree's) and it is dancing in the breeze. Below is our visiting hedgehog, he popped into our garden, scaring our cats and generally doing his own thing.For now, I have my fresh coffee to hand and time to muse on things done.Saturday morning I spent with Su, she is planning her wedding next year and we went with Gav's mum to check a wedding dress. Su had decided this dress was the one, but after seeing a picture in a wedding magazine, she was having doubts. So we all went back to the shop, Su looked stunning, I do have pics, but I can't show you yet!! I have brought the pattern to make the dress, but that's a job for next year.
later Fliss and Joshy came to see us, Kev was home after playing his Saturday game of golf. We all played with Bob the Builder trucks, how much fun can you have with a very cute little boy, who is very good at telling us he is grown up. I loved watching Joshy trying to cycle down the road with his new two wheeler bike, not quite being able to peddle himself but with mummy's guiding hand making his way home.I am having troubles with my printer which has the camera card reader, so I have selected photo's of Thomas (Black and White) and Grace (Tabby cross Ginger tom) to show you. Thomas is the older cat and twice the size of Grace, very different charactures.
I wanted to share the joke we have with our vet's our last name is Jones so we have registered with them both Tom Jones and Grace Jones, it's always a talking point if we have a new vet.

In the garden

After work I love to pop into my garden, just to look around, check everything is as it should be, water where needed, I don't have any dead heading to do, pull a few weeds. It's peaceful there, allows me to slow down after the pace of my work day.Most of the plants are chosen by me, Kev is very good at placing plants where I ask him to, he does help with the weeding, but he does not recognise the plants before they flower. His main task in the garden is the lawn and our long high hedge, both he keeps looking in great condition.

I love pots and containers, I have many around my plot adding flowers and colour thought the year. I find it a good way of growing herbs and plants that would not survive our winter.

The pot above I first saw last summer, we had a family day in our town centre, one of the displays was for a local gardeners club, they had a display the same , I planted mine last year and it looks good now, I also have an Aloe Vera in a pot, they spend the winter inside.
The Acer below I brought in a sale last September when all the leaves had dropped off, the shop just wanted to get rid of it, but I could tell it was not dead, it gathered it's strength throughout the winter and now it's full of life.

Here's some I made earlier

What an amazing weekend, I had Friday off and spent most of the day with Joshy and Fliss, we had coffee out, Joshy showed us how great he was on the slide.
Back at home Joshy helped Grancha put together his new bike, only two wheels and with stabilizers. With cries of "I can do it" Joshy wobbled up and down our garden path.
Later daddy took Joshy to town and Fliss and I went to Hobbycraft., I think Grancha had an afternoon nap.

Saturday I spent most of the afternoon stitching.
Today Sunday I spent the morning with Su, she has tried on her dress it fits great, so later I will finish it for her.

I have posted some patchwork I have stitched the top two came from patterns from an American magazine. I have not done anything with these, I did think whilst stitching I could put them in a card, but they sit in my box waiting for inspiration.

The pattern below I created, its done over 32hpi aider, with one strand of DMC cotton. I have made it to look like a patchwork cover for a single bed in my dolls house. It was much easier to stitch rather than try to make a real patchwork with tiny pieces of fabric. the pattern is simple a repeat using 15 holes squared. It looks good on the bed.

As for the project I am stitching now, I look what has been done so far, it's on 32hpi, using a single strand, but I can not decide how to stitch each corner, I have thought of using very pale blue and pink to infill, but then I think it might be good to have more rows of colour as in the middle section. Come on what do you think

Sunny Somerset

As I lay in bed this morning, thinking of what I would muse on today, the sunshine lit my bay window. Kev is playing a game of golf, its not raining and the sun is out, to my surprise when I opened the curtains, we have fog! not the heavy moist type we have in the winter months, today it's the light fog which promises to burn off into a nice sunny day.

So fingers crossed


We spent two days in a wonderful old manor house, I'm not sure when it was built, but it had extensions added in 1740 to bring it to the house as it is today. I love old buildings, this one is well cared for and even as it has been brought into the 21st century,but it still holds its charm well. We were at St Audries, which nestles in the countryside between Watchet and Bridgwater, it's very near the coast, Watchet has a small harbour.




We viewed wild deer in the grounds, and watched the rabbits on the edge of the woodlands.
We were sharing the weekend with 60 other people at a family wedding, the house with countless rooms and nooks and staircase's allowed us to be together and in small groups.



Back at home now planning my day, I spent time last night with a new cross stitch patchwork, I am designing it as I sew, I have a few thoughts but the size and shape will be decided whilst I am stitching. Once it begins to look like something I will show you.

I have more seeds to plant today and I want Kev to move a couple of shrubs, two to another garden and one from a pot into the garden. My daffodils have gone, but the garden is full of buds and promise.
We live very close to Fareham town centre, I will wander up soon, it's market day.

It's Tuesday evening, I had a craft chatty night with a friend, loads of coffee and chocolate biscuits. It's been a perfect spring day, I am wearing sandals again so freedom for my toes.


I have started a new patchwork cross stitch, I did take a pic but it has not come out well so I will show you it next time. Su missed her fitting for her dress, so that will be finished at the weekend.


Wow we have 4 days off, we are heading to Somerset straight after work on Thursday evening, we will spend the night with my brother, Martin. Friday we will be at a wedding all day, Saturday we will visit relatives not seen for a couple of years, Saturday night we will be back with Martin.
We will head for home here in Hampshire on Sunday morning, which gives us Monday at home, Kev has booked a round of golf, so I have the morning to myself.


I am planning a couple hours in my garden, snipping back scrubs, planting on my seedling, and preparing my tubs for the bedding plants, even here in the south it will still be to early to plant bedding plants. I have trays of seeds/seedling in my small plant propagator, its just 4 shelves with a plastic cover but it works great.
In the afternoon I hope to do cross stitch, I love to sit in our bay window in the sunshine (fingers crossed) and soak up the heat, also getting over the back ache from the gardening.

Flower's for free

It's another beautiful spring sunny afternoon here in Hampshire, in the sunshine it's great. I have had a mixed day, craft and gardening.
First I wanted to show you my free plant, I adore orchid's and last year I paid £15 for this one, for years I have thrown the plant away after flowering, but a friend told me to leave them on a sunny windowsill and let them die off and then start watering them after a couple of month's and this is my first time of having a second round of flowers.
The down side is my office window sill looks a bit worse for wear at times with half dead looking orchids.
I also love Cati's and my front porch is full of them.

This second plant was for Mothering Sunday, ( I dislike Mothers day, it's so American)
from Fliss and Josh, it looks great on my fire place with my African ladies.

I have also started making the shift dress for Su, I have done most
of the sewing by machine, I have to hand sew the bodice lining, hem
the dress and place the zip, but there's the strange bit for me, at the
moment I see a dress style I have made many times before.
But here's the fashion bit, I have brought a chunky black zip and I will place on the dress on the outside, with the whole of the zip showing, like a long black rectangle running down the back of the dress. I have seen them in the shop's so I know the look, but I have never done it before.
Su is coming for her final fitting on Monday evening.

I have finished reading the second book, very interesting looking at Henry V111 from the view of his wives, the latter thought him old, ugly, smelly breath and a vibrant bottom. A very different view.

A sunny evening

Its after 7pm here, I'm sat in my office looking out at the last of the days sunshine dancing on the roofs of the houses at the bottom of my garden. My daffodils are still looking bright from here, I am enjoying the last of their show, when I get closer I can see they are starting to fade. I have planted the hardier of my seeds, I have lots of exciting seeds waiting for the better weather to come, so I can plant them for a colourful show in the summer.

This week I have enjoyed a good book, The Other Boyeln Girl it is set in Henry 8th reign, I so love all about the king and have read various books. this one was passed to me by a friend, I so enjoyed reading it, even though I knew the end.


I have started The Boyeln Inheritance, in hope it is as good, it's by the same author Phillipa Gregory. I will let you know how I get on.

I have also cut out a shift dress pattern, I will sew it on Saturday, it's for my daughter Su and is in the most beautiful purple cotton.
Very 70's


The last thing for me to show you is a favorite picture, I have for many years collected silly cow's, pictures, models and soft toys, below is one of my favorite picture, I hope you like it.