Round the corner

European Cushion is coming along well

 I have managed loads of stitching, I want to finish most of these larger designs, they are very easy repeat pattern. I think the green looks great. I will do another three brown patterns, with the green along side. 

 These bunnies have followed me home, I love the colour and every thing about them, they are old and retro, my daughter Fliss brought them, but now does not have enough space for them, so they live in the office, looking down on me. 

 I purchased this hook on my last visit to our local garden centre, hubby has put it on the outside wall of the garage next to my shed. One day I might find something to hang on it. 

I have only been working for two days this week, it was great to have Tuesday off as well as Bank Holiday Monday, I did not use my sewing machine on Tuesday, ran out of time.
I have been pottering in the garden, the weather has been cool and dull, and today I had to water my tubs, still not enough rain. I have managed to collect enough rain water for my blueberry.
We are now looking forward to the weekend, we have our grandson Logan visiting with mummy and daddy.

Green fingers

My Cucamelon is growing slowly, it's healthy but just not a quick grower, this is the bigger of my two plants, and will stay in the greenhouse, the second plant will live outside, I want to see which produces the best crop.  I also have a standard cucumber in this pot, hence so many frames. 

 Tomatoes in the greenhouse, on the left is a yellow fruit and on the right is a baby vine fruit. Nice to see flowers forming, it's cool again, so things are a bit behind. I also have a tomato which grows in a hanging basket, which I don't like, so it is in a pot, on a higher shelf in the greenhouse.

 Flowers are coming along, my garden is just waiting for the warm weather to arrive to burst into flower. 

 My veg tubs, I have loads of little gem lettuce coming through, can't wait for my 1st home grown salad of the year. We have had herbs and salad leaves over the weekend. The carrots and beetroots are forming well, none will be allowed to get huge, it's more about baby veg this year. Two moneymaker tomatoes planted outside in blue tub, these are being grown for chutney.

 These pots are still on the decking, we have almost emptied the tool chest, and hope to see it gone next week. The Blueberry has settled in the blue daisy pot, and I have loads of small olives forming in the brown pot. In the churn pot is a bleeding heart, it's new this year and a bit behind.  The herbs in the garden behind have doubled in size and my onions are looking good.

 Another photo from yesterday, both my daughters were watching me, and cheering when I got to the bottom. I am so pleased they get on well, don't they look beautiful, both are happy.

One last photo from yesterday, yep that's me just over half way down.

I am home alone today, does not happen often, a bonus day. I have been doing nice things, an hour in the garden, a sort out here in my office, this afternoon I will use my sewing machine and later bake a cake for work tomorrow.
It's nice to have the extra day off, we had a perfect weekend, seeing loads of both daughters. Sadly no bike ride, it was too wet, maybe later in the week we can get out.
I'm off now for a long lunch.

Abseil

Spinnaker Tower Portsmouth

 170 meters high to

Small platform

Was scared of heights

Greatest fun, monies raised for our local hospital. 

Thanks to my wonderful family on the ground supporting me.

All over the place

It's raining as fore caste, steady rain, good for the garden, looking so very green.

 Oldest daughter Fliss has had a sort out, which means new books for me, I have kept what I like the rest will go to a charity shop. I also was given some blue and green glass pots, I have sneaked them in without hubby seeing, some things just need to happen.

 On Saturday I purchased this Maidenhead fern, I always love these, this is a small one, they do get big, it is on my desk a very sunny spot, I love to watch plants grow. Do you like my cows, the big one is solar powered, and glows at night.

 Stitching is coming along, just about to start the third brown section, I added the green to balance colours and I think it looks good, I will use the green again, this is a stunning design, but I do like my colour.

We are home this morning, at 3pm I will be in Portsmouth, feeling OK at this point, still have to face the step off the edge of the building for the abseil, but it is for a good reason, and another off my bucket list.
I will have to starting thinking about the next challenge.
Yesterday was fun with both daughters, they had the old photo albums out and loads of laughter, Facebook is full of these photo's. It is always a joy to look back on hair styles and fashion.
That's it off to stitch, nothing much to do for the next couple of hours.

European Cushion update

Just a couple of photo's

We went out for a burger to Deans Diner, looks just as we would expect a 50's American diner to look. Food was great, well cooked and tasty. 

The staff great fun.

 I know the tables looked messy, but it was busy and I got a couple of photo's before the next people sat down. I loved these huge hanging lights. 

We will pop back again,.

 I finished the second central row, and I am glad, I had to unpick the last design, I was not as bad as the second, but it sends my eyes all over the place. 

 The design is beautiful, last night I decided to fill in the large outer panel, I want to see the colours in this section, before I choose the central colours, there should only be seven different colours, I have already used six.

Up close

I had a late night stitching last night, our BB2 is 50 years old and they showed the history of their comedy programme's, it was on to mid night, and was so very funny. They have over the years made some great shows with our top comedians, and they showed great moments from these shows, I laughed as I stitched.
This morning is blue skies, they should not be here for long, not that I will be outside, I have a mountain of housework to do.
We did plan a BBQ for later, but we have changed it to a buffet tea, both daughters will be here and their partners if they can make it. Josh and Sam are with Granny in Manchester, shame it's such a long drive for them.
I went to Hobbycraft and Haskins yesterday, no purchase in Hobbycraft, and spent under £10 in the garden centre, must be a record, I really did not need anything, my garden is looking great. Su purchased some strawberry plants and two pots, back here I planted them for her, it was a cheat, we found six plants in full flower, which will speed every thing for her.
All I do in my garden is potter, I have uncovered my two tomato plants, which are in the tub outside, fingers crossed the weather is kind.
Tomorrow I am abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth harbour,  I don't like heights so it is going to be a challenge, fingers crossed the rain is only light, it takes just 10 minutes to get down, photo's will follow.
I also have Tuesday off, so a long, long weekend, I hope to have my sewing machine out all day Tuesday.

Between the thunder storms

The flowers are beginning to show, beautiful daisy's, yellow rosebuds, just to name a few, everywhere is waking up again, roll on Summer. 

  Both of these are from last year

  I have potted my Blueberry, I love this large pot, the pansies and begonias have been put into my large garden, and both are all are looking well. I will move these pots once I have passed on the toolbox, nothing gets thrown away.

 Paula you asked where the gates from my last post are going to hang, they will hang along the edge here at the start of our garden. At this point our garden is very open, the gap is a bit wider, but we can have a small wall to the left of this photo, so the dustbins can hide behind.

I have been busy with my European Cushion, I decided to do the large pattern, and it has been a nightmare, the second pattern I have unpicked twice, there was a small error in the pattern, which I thought I had put right only to find I was still out. Just one and a half left to do, and then the different colours inside the pattern.

 I don't think it looks too messy, I was cross with all the unpicking. 

Today we have had thunder storms, so I won't have to water the garden, and I am collecting rain water, so for once I don't mind the rain, shame it is fore caste for the Bank Holiday Weekend. I have an extra day off, we get it for the Queens birthday, so after tomorrow I won't be back into work until Wednesday morning.
Monday afternoon I will do my abseil, I am very pleased with the amount I have raised, I have hit my target.
We have few plans for the weekend, everything depends on how wet it is going to be, and I do need a weekend to rest.

Very interesting article on the news regarding age and when are we old, now 80 is the new 60, so I have 21 years before I am officially old. 

On that note, I will leave you, hope you weekend plans are coming together, have fun.

Sunshine and stitches

Not the most exciting stitching, but I am 2/3rds of the way down on the left hand side on the outer boarder. I love the two colour section I am stitching now, very restful. I do like to get most of the simple stitches done early on, leaves me all the fun stuff to do last. 

 I love this neat bag I have for all my threads 

I purchased it for Fliss, but I brought it home and found a use for it. Will have to get Fliss another one. Not my style, but I love the colours. 

 We now have gates for the back garden, they are heavy and solidly made, which is what we were looking for, the house they came from was built in 30's, same as ours. Hubby has to clean them off and then paint them, not a job to be rushed.

Over our back fence, the last 9 foot of our neighbours long garden has loads of tree's which have been left to mature, which makes our garden look so much nicer. You can see some blue which cover the son's fort/den. The trees offer a pathway for the squirrels and a place for birds to perch.

We are still having our heat wave, 4 days of near perfect weather, tomorrow it will all change, rain is expected, so I hope not to have to water the garden.
I have loads of small plants in my veg boxes, all doing very well. I re-potted my blueberry today, into it's permanent large pot. Soon I hope to be able to get rid of our large tool box which sits on the decking next to the herb garden, I can then group my fruit pots there and make it look nicer.
We had two great BBQ's over the weekend, ours was small but fun, we were all done by 9.30pm, but daughter Su had to stay until all my solar lights were on, see I am a typical woman on a certain age with little twinkling lights around the garden. Sunday we went to a friends, another small BBQ, it was nice not to have to do any preparation, and I enjoyed a couple of glasses of Pimm's, but I did catch the sun on my right arm, not enough to hurt, but it is very red.

My space

My sign is up and looking good

 Territories have been set, hubby had drawn the line in the sand.

I have come inside to cool down, it's a perfect day here in Hampshire, I have been outside since mid day, we had lunch outside, then I potted on my Olive, Aloe vera and a few other plants. I have built the last obelisk for my Goji plant, I am going to look up the care of this fruit plant, I would love to harvest fruit at some point. All I have to do now is pot on the blueberries, a friend is brings around some compost, which will be better than the stuff I have.
Last night I planted out all my French Marigolds and loads of veg seedlings, this morning they all look good.
Later we are having a BBQ, and tomorrow we will get our garden gates, and then a BBQ lunch at a friends house.
Life is so much more fun in the sunshine.
Next weekend is a long Bank Holiday, I have Monday and Tuesday off, and on Monday I abseil down The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, and in some scary sick way I am getting excited about it and raising some cash for our local hospital as a thank you for their care when I needed it.

Sunny Friday evening.

I got home from work at just after 4pm and have been in the garden for almost 3 hours, our weather is beautiful, sunny and warm. I just headed for my shed and got stuck in. 

I am very pleased with every where.

 My veg tubs are coming along well, 

I have so many different things planted, 

the hope is to grow small veg and get loads of them.  

 The soft fruit are forming flowers, so promise of nice treats to come. 

My Goji bush is getting big, it have doubled in size in the 4 weeks I have had it. Most of the fruit I have planted has taken, I don't think I will get many gooseberries, blackcurrants or blueberries this season.
Since I have left tubs out to catch any rainwater, we have had a mini heatwave.

 Back to stitching, this is so full of promise, I have loads of the main colour to stitch, so this week I have been doing the outlines, it's coming along well. I am almost at the half way point on the left hand side.

 I love the neat straight lines.

I am sat here with a cider shandy, which for this warm evening is perfect.
Later we will watch the final of Master Chef, I am hoping Jack wins, but Ping is just as good, so at this point we have no idea who is in the lead.
Tomorrow is a day at home with a BBQ later, just 7 of us, so nice a easy. Sunday we are going to pick up our gates for the garden, it is the last task to do, we purchased 2nd hand ones at a great price. Hubby will have to clean them and paint them, but they will finish off out little bit of heaven. We were worried if we had new gates they would look out of place, our garden is mature.
My new feeders are bringing in the smaller birds, we mainly see the thugs (starlings) there are loads of young around, and most of them are bigger than their parents.
Hubby has cat proofed our neighbour Win's garden, he has blocked the broken fence at the bottom of the garden giving them nowhere to escape.
Fingers crossed they will stop coming down our path.
I'm off to stitch, my aches have arrived, might need a bath later.