TUSAL August

 My pot is full

Its been a busy month of stitching, all on my family sampler.

My large pot is filling quickly, I hope I have enough room to finish the year.

Sunny Bank Hoilday Monday

It's sunny, but not that warm, but after the amount of rain we have seen in the past few days, my garden like me is turning it's face to the sky, and because I am back to work tomorrow the fore caste for the next few days is good, typical.

My hubby brought me this beautiful chrysanthemum for the garden, the colours are stunning, below these flowers grow all thought the summer, I can not remember their name, but I do love them, they just spread and flower for months.

 I have planted some late winter colour with these cyclamen next to my daisy, these greet me at my back door. I have also added mini Pansy's to my pots, this will ensure we have colour for a few more months.

My anniversary present caused a bit of a stir yesterday, Kev and Gav our son in law put it together, the instructions were not that good, so Su and I kept out of their way. It's now in place, we put a corrugated plastic as the back, you should attach it to a wall, but I wanted mine next to the back fence and that is not dry enough to keep it warm in winter. Already it has seed trays in.

I have been doing alot of stitching, I have half stitch to do for the background of the bottom panel. I hope by next weekend I will have the finished sampler to show you.

Another finish

 This finish is different, I have completed  our anniversary cake, it's my Christmas fruit cake recipe, which I have used for years, when I get the recipe out of my cook book, it's typed on paper, can't bring myself to re print in an up to date way.

The pink flowers, I purchased for this cake along with the bling "25", but all the other decorations are from our wedding cake, we both thought it would be fun to use them again. Two weeks toady and we will be having our garden party.

 I have seen loads of these signs, if you want to look just go to Google images and type in "keep calm" I thought this one is a bit different.

I have spent the morning sorting, we were looking for new dinning room furniture this week and could not see anything we liked, so I have been sorting through our cabinets, packing loads away and just having few items on display, that then lead me into my office and I have packed things away in here.

Su and Gav celebrate their first wedding anniversary tomorrow, and next week it's Kev's birthday, so busy times, we also have Su's birthday and Fliss and Steve's 12th wedding anniversary in September, this month is going to be expensive.

My sampler is coming along well, only a few things to do and most of them are planned in my head, no room for changes now, just get them all done.

PPS this is my 100 post this year..............

The Great British Summer

 Yesterday Josh our first grandson, had his 6th birthday

We went for a family meal, with Mummy, Daddy, Sammy, Antie Su, Grancha and myself, Josh chose the restaurant, Frankie and Bennies, we all had a good time, including Sammy below who had his first meal out. Sammy will be 1 in October. Photo's aren't great I took them on my phone.

Josh had his cake at home, and loads of presents, which is correct for a young man of 6, Sammy is almost walking and just a wobble way, so the fun will begin, Josh is very good at helping his little brother.

 Today is the 4th day of my holiday and we are back to an English summer, the rain is heavy and non stop, no wonder I am feeling blue today, it's too wet even to go to the bottom of our small garden.

 So another day inside, I will do some stitching, I am so close to the finish line, in one way I will be sorry to finish but in another it will be good to stitch something which has a design and I can see the finished item.

More gardening

 I have finished the garden section, adding colour with the flowers, I have tried to keep it looking tidy, by using the same two shades of green for each planter. plus every garden I have has a bird table and feeder in.

I have added the Welsh flag for Kev, I am still unsure where to put the Union Jack, I have a couple spots. Next I am going to stitch my "mad" cow, I finally found a pattern in my drawer, if fact I found I had a choice of a couple. Below is the frame I shall use. The inner card frame was the template I used for the size of my sampler.

It's been a busy weekend here, spent time in the garden, it's now tidy and I have planted a few late flowering plants for the next few months. I read some of our bloggers are looking forward to the end of their winter, here our summer will be coming to a close and like a true English summer, we have had more wet days then sunny ones,  I feel robbed. I'm off this work week, and the fore caste is rain! at least on wet days I can stitch.

Gardening - in stitches

 I'm stitching my garden section, 

just a few flowers here to fill this space along the bottom green line, 

I will add a bird table as well.

I have just selected my anniversary present from Kev, a couple of weeks ago we went to the Jewelry shop, I choose a nice diamond pendant, as the sales guy was boxing it up, I had one of those moments, shocked Kev and said let's leave it for now. I wear the same garnet pendant every day, I also have a beautiful emerald pendant, which live's in my drawer. I suddenly thought do I want to spend all this money on a diamond which will live most of the time in a drawer,

No is the answer.

So today we have ordered a new half green house for the garden, I know I will have more pleasure every day from this, and we can enjoy all the vegetables and flowers.
I am on holiday this week, staying at home, jobs to do, family and friends to meet and of course loads of stitching.

I can see the finish line

 Every thing is about my sampler at this point

I kept the hearts simple, I love my silk card holders, I have made them a bit different than the pattern, I did half cross stitch in the centre and the stitched the lengths over to make it look real.  I have space I could put a few more in, or I have a pattern for a pair of scissors

 Taunton in Somerset is were I was born, with my date of birth. I am now going to  put plants along the bottom, I have to have my garden on here. I also have the Union Jack and the Welsh flag to stitch.

I think I now have a couple of "silly cows" to stitch, and then just a few spaces left, none of them too big. The last thing I will stitch is the grand children's names.

Work has been manic today, I've not stopped, but I do prefer it busy, but maybe not so busy as today.  Kev is away tonight so do I stitch like crazy, or have a girly evening with a bath with oils and loads of pampering.............................think the stitching might win out.

Stitching won out.

Summer in the country side

 On Sunday we went for a ride on the bike and passed this.

A music festival, it was big and looked great in the natural dip, across the road the farmer was cutting his hay, don't you love the country side. We could not make the music out , the natural contours of the land kept the sound down in the dip.

Sampler update... I have added buttons and beads, as well as different stitches and a last minute find, don't you love the silk (floss)cards, Fliss brought me the magazine with the pattern in last week.  I am giving myself just 2 weeks to finish this, I would like it framed and on my wall for our anniversary.  I am drawing cows like mad over graph paper, I have sorted the last few patterns to finish this, they are in a pile by my chair, the rest of my life is on hold this week.

Comming along

 I have finished the half cross stitch in my hearts for the side panel. But I have not been able to purchase a charm with 25 on. I have searched craft shops for stitching and card making and also looked at cake decorations, and can not find anything the right size.

So I have my reference books out and I am going through them again, I want to put my name in the pink heart, Kev's name in the blue heart and the date 1986 -2011 in the silver heart, but I wanted a charm for the 25 years.  So I am rethinking, so I will stitch the centre panel whilst finding a solution.

 Josh and Sammy are in Manchester with their Grandmother (Steve's mum) with Fliss for a week, and I shall miss our little lad calling nanna to tell of wonderful things done in the day. They are back home next weekend just before Josh's birthday.

 These photo's were taken last Sunday evening, Josh wanted to run on our local beach, so we went along, Sammy spent most of the time with Grancha, with loads of smiles. Josh was wet up to his waist, but very happy to go home to a warm bath and bed, and both boys slept very well.

It's a nice day here so we are off on a bike ride later, my energy levels are rising again, later I would  like to work in the garden, and then pop and see Su and Gav, they have just finished decorating the hall and today will purchase their new kitchen, it's great to see them doing up their first flat together.

Cry for help, I can't find any smallish patters for funny, silly black and white cows fro my sampler, can any one help.....................Please

Last panel

 The date is finished, and again it's just as I planned it.

I have tried using colours already used in the outer panels, trying to stop it looking messy, I have an idea how I want to finish the background here, but I want to do more on the last side panel, to check every thing is going together well.

 This section is about Kev and myself and our 25th wedding anniversary (Silver)  this year, the main heart has a silver edge, inside I am going to stitch in grey with an occasional shinny stitch. I think I will do this in tent stitch ( half cross stitch), so the background is lighter, the other two hearts will be pale colours.

I am now adding the embellishments as I go along, I have others to add once I have finished the main part of the stitching. I'm feeling good about this project and I can feel it's going to be finished in a few weeks.

Still stitching butttttttt

 I wanted to show you all my greenhouse

Aubergines

Cucumber's

Peppers

Tomatoes

And a clematis that did not want to go, this plant was dug out by the previous owners, but it just loved the spot by our front door, some of it decided to stay and bloom.

For years I have only used my greenhouse for seedling and tomatoes, but this summer I thought I would have a bit of fun and see what I could grow, can't wait until next year, when I plant a bit smarter to see what I can grow.

For my 25th wedding anniversary I have asked for a small glass greenhouse, this is just a plastic one, I really have the gardening bug.

Sunday morning quickie

 Kev is out, so I have free time, and here's an update, the date was always going to be the title of this piece of work, and as normal I am making it up as I stitch.

I have tried using the same colours used before, I don't want this to become messy, The flowers on "2" will be done in silver thread with a pink or white seed bead as a centre, I will also have a glitter thread in the last "1".I have an idea forming for the back ground, but it will not be solid colour as done at the top.

The side panel is now formed so later I want to count out the space and stitch the three hearts, one each in silver, red and blue, but I'm not telling you any more.

I am really excited about this sampler, I can smell the finish line and it's calling to me. I know what I am doing around the centre, which is going to be fun, hence the leaving it to last.

I wish I could say this is all my own work, but I have a list of designer's who's work I have placed in my sampler.

I'm off the real world is calling, ironing and the if the weather permits a trip to our local castle with Joshy, Sam, mummy and daddy.

Is this a finish

 I have finished the cross stitch in the top panel of the sampler

I have still loads to  do on this sampler, but the amount of stitching which went into this section, makes me feel it's a finish,  and I am so pleased with it. I love the colours, the pattern and just everything about it. The pattern details are here   Fliss has taken the colours and the pattern details, she wants to make a mobile phone cover.

,

 It fills the top, between my two patchwork corners, I have some back stitching to do, my date of birth and place of birth, but like the granchildren's details, I will do them later, using all the same style of lettering.

I have planned and marked out the bottom panel, I am going to put "2011" which is the name of my sampler and the year in which I stitched it. I have also been marking up the left hand side panel, I am going to put there three tumbling hearts, the main heart with have 25 years and the date of our marriage.

I have decided not to feel guilty about doing nothing on Winter Watergarden, I now know I'm not a rotation stitcher, once I am into my work, I'm best left to finish one thing at  a time, unless a small quickie comes along.

Have a good weekend.

Thank goodness it's Friday

 It's been the worst week ever here, Monday I came home from work feeling unwell, by Tuesday I was off to the dentist with a huge abscess, I could not get to see my dentist, so the guy I saw wanted to remove my front three teeth, I refused him and came home with antibiotic medicines, I will see my own dentist in two weeks once all the swelling has gone. I have been told it's yet another after affect of the chemo drugs, so I have every thing crossed we can save my teeth.

I have sat and stitched most of the week,  above is the top panel as of Sunday night, I finished the left side and went back to the right side, I like to have all the panels counted and in place so the rest of the stitching is easier.

 I then stitched the thinner panels and back filled the wider panels, once all the stitching is done, I will back stitch my date of birth and the Town "Taunton" in Somerset, where I was born, these will be in the same purple I have used for my name. I also managed to finish the rug for Christine as seen here.

We have nothing planned for the weekend, I hope to see Fliss and the boys, Josh is getting excited it's his birthday in 3 weeks. The other silver lining, 1st is all the stitching done, I have lost loads more weight, I have not eaten much at all this week, cold grapes have been my best thing.