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.

Days gone by

Its a cool Thursday evening, dark outside so I am unable to see my garden. Occasionally a cat walks along my path by the garage and turns a light on and I get to see the golden daffodils which still grace my garden. My mind has turned to the new growing season, I have packets of seeds ready to be put into their trays and raised for the summer, my weekend is planned.


My sister has sent me an old photo from my chidhood days, We do not have many photo's so it's always a joy to find a new one.
I love this one because I'm the little girl in the front sat on the chair, and if you look close at my white dress, you can just see swirls on the skirt, my mum embrodirered rings of flowers around the skirt, I have never forgotten that dress mum made me, I can still remember the joy of wearing it, and now for the first time I have a picture of it.




The second of my pictures was taken in the junior
school, shows my older brother and younger
sister, I'm wearing the cream cardi, my brother looks cute in this one, but he was no angel. martin is 10, I'm 8 and Leanna is 6

Sunday Morning

Its a sunny, cold Sunday morning, Kev is playing Golf so I am sat at my desk with a steaming mug of real coffee, I have housework to do, but that is for later. As I look out my window I see a beautiful display of daffodils, we planted them last September, they bring a blaze of colour to our garden, they are planted in a shelted spot in a boarder filled with shrubs, so the wind has not caught them.




I have been busy in the past week, I love to cross stitch and have made 1/12 scale carpets for my dolls house, I have loads of pattern books and have enjoyed hours of fun stitching. But last week I decided it was time to create my own patterns.

First I installed Jane Greenoff's "Cross stitch pattern Crater 2", I have had these disc for a while and put off using them. I then sat and produced a simple pattern, the boarders were tricky, and the centre hard to fill. But I kept it simple and it worked. That was only the start I then had to sit and do the stitching, the enjoyable part. The colours were chosen to match a bedroom. It is a simple rug, I just need to block it to make it square again and cut it out, I have not decided if I am going to add fringing at both ends.

















I want to create my own large sampler, with items relevant to my family, I have saved some some charts with items I can use, ie cats, I don't think I'm up to designing a cat chart yet.