Family time

 Hubby's daughter and youngest son were here over the weekend, for my daughters 40th birthday party, we did a lunch on Saturday, ensuring everyone was well fed. It was lovely to see so many grand sons running around the garden together, football was top sport, but as always the bikes were fun as well. Cousins making friends, they all live so far apart, so they are not often together.

I was surprised to see this rose in bloom, I had cut away all the dead heads and was not expecting any more flowers. Its such a pretty colour and such a beautiful blue sky.

I am full of cold and have an irritating cough, so I took a covid test, it's again negative, as the cooler months are here I expect we will be taking more test again.

We had a late night on Saturday,  we went to daughters party and left about 9ish to bring George and Molly home, hubby popped back just after 10pm for Will, we then sat with them until just after 1am, when mummy and daddy got home. Loads of our daughters teenage friends were at the party, it was lovely to see them all. Our house was very close to the town centre, and was the meeting place for all of them  we loved seeing them together and are so pleased their friendship has lasted.

Sunday was a late start, hubby's son and family came for breakfast, before driving home to Somerset, we then had a lazy day. My throat was very sore, I'm still full of cold  I am hoping this second pack of antibiotics will help with the cold and clear this kidney problem. Today we do nothing, the TV will be on most of the day, doing the same as millions of others, watching the final journey of our dear Queen.

We both have had our flu jabs and have booked our covid booster jabs, hopefully we should be protected this winter. 

crafting

I have cut out the 24 front and back squares, I will cut the same amount in the red fabric, my aim is to make two pockets, sew them together and make little bags. 

It took a bit more time, but I now have advent bags, I've not finished them all yet, but it won't take long. I swapped the plain red fabric for the colourful striped fabric, it makes them slightly more festive. These can be popped on our dining room table in a bowl, before I used white paper bags, these should last for years. I have to make the closing ties, I'm thinking a gold thin ribbon, the striped fabric I had in my stash.

I saw this yarn and loved the colours, so I am making myself another pair of socks, I thought they were going to be thin stripes, but the pattern has changed, I won't know what these will look like until the sock is made. I have used this brand before, it's very good for socks. The heel is in a contrasting colour, which I think goes well, not sure if I will use the same yarn on the toes as well. 

I started the other side of my work, ensuring I am on the same level as the right side, I am starting another loved design, stitched here, I have added this design to 3 other projects. I am truly mixing everything up. I love these colours together, they sing, I will have 3 of these squares in this corner. I have done 5 pink/red squares, I have 10 different designs, but for now I am leaving the right side, to fill the left side and middle. 

I still have all this fabric to use, the denim is the most important, I will work on that first. But I am not feeling in the correct frame of mind to tackle the bigger task yet. I will need to sort things as the weather is changing and George is in need of longer trousers, he is tall but very slim, his waist requires clothes for a 2 year old, but his height is for a 3 year, so if it fits around the waist it's always too short. I have taken in legging for him at the waist, but it would be nice for him to have trousers which fit. 

We had a couple of dry days at the weekend and Monday, but the rain is back again, so I have not done much more in the garden, hubby has his new shelves in the garage, so I now have the 2 shelves above my unit, so most of my bits are sorted. I do need to tidy my greenhouse, remove the tomato and cucumber plants, I have a few things to place in there, then my shed will be empty. 

Tuesday I went to sign group, I've not been for a couple of weeks, it was great to catch-up with everyone, I did not stay for lunch, we drove to daughter house, she was celebrating her 40th birthday, her MIL and FIL popped over, with their youngest son, visiting from Australia, where he now lives, so once Will came home from school, we had the whole family together, first time in ages. Both George and Molly kept giving Jonathan strange looks when he arrived, he is very much like his brother (their dad) and neither of them had met him before. Will was ecstatic to have Jonathan visit, he spent time playing with him and Lego, they often face time, so Will knew him well. I was pleased our daughter has such a lovely day, she is having a huge party on Saturday, when more family will arrive. 

Wednesday I got the sewing machine out and started my advent bags, I am doing cross stitch in the daylight and knitting my socks at night. It's too wet to be in the garden, but it is tidy, I just have a few smaller jobs to do, nothing urgent. Today hubby wants to go looking for new chairs, our leather ones are looking scruffy, neither of us like using throws as they slip on the leather and never stay in place, so a walk around a couple retail stores, it's a couple of junctions down the M27, expensive, but they do last for years. 

Growing

 I said in my last post I had taken cuttings for plants along the soon to be exposed back fence panels, I'm trying something different, I got sphagnum moss last year, I have kept it in a huge plant saucer, keeping it wet with rain water. I have popped all my cuttings in it, in hope they grow sturdy roots, I don't expect success with everything,  but hope some will grow, I have a plastic cover for when it gets cooler. They have been here a few days and still look good.

I have repotted our rosemary plant into a bigger pot, the pot was from the front garden, the heather's had died and hubby did not want it. This section is looking nice, we moved another big pot to stand by the gate, without the motorbike, I can spread out in this space. When digging out the heather's 2 had new growth, I have potted them and left them in front of the Olive.

Hubby did clear the first space in the garage for my shed things, I love this wooden unit, it's very useful, I emptied it before moving it, gave it a good clean using linseed oil, and then sorted everything before filling it. Loads have been thrown and a few other things have found a home here. Hubby has to sort a couple of his shelves, he is sourcing some longer planks, so I can have both shelves above. We have had this unit since the late 80's, and I'm pleased it's still in use, now all our gardening items are together in one place. I still have loads to bring out of the shed.

My shed was purchased back in 2014, so 8 years old, it fits into the space behind the garage, but as it's such a tight fit, we can't get to do outside maintenance, since Pauline built her summer house with a rubber roof covering, the rain water blows directly onto the back of my shed. Hubby will help me clear the rest of the stuff. 

It's much darker earlier each evening, my lights around the garden are on much longer, now the mornings and evenings are cooler, any warmth in the daytime quickly disappears. We still have our summer quilt on the bed, but it is defiantly cooler, the season is changing. Shh! we have not had rain for a couple of days, managed to get all the laundry day. 

I have lost my way with lowspend-nospend September, with my sister here we spent more on food, and this weekend we have husbands son and daughter here for lunch, 8 adults and 8 children plus us, again expensive, hubby is hoping we can have a simple BBQ, with the children playing in the garden. I also purchased the christmas fabric, and I will need some pansies for the garden as I sort the rose bed. 

Today my youngest daughter is 40 years old, how did that happen, both daughters have their own families and lives, we see our youngest 3 grandchildren most weeks, our oldest 2 grandsons are busy with their lives, so we don't get to see them, but they prosper and are happy. As a mum all you want is for you children and their children to be happy. 

Planning

Of all the images shown across social media, I love this one, love never dies, it waits for you to be together again. The image with Paddington leading her to Phillip also is beautiful. 

We popped to the village and Sarah called me into her haberdashery shop, 'just wanted to let you know the Christmas fabric is selling quickly', she only had a few panels left, so I purchased one. It has a front and back panel, and you sew it so you have a hanging item with 24 pockets on, well, that's not what I am doing, no space to hang it. 

I have also been stitching, the heavy rain for most of this week, kept us inside, I have not picked a book to read so I keep stitching. I did a bit of sorting and found a 3rd set of Q snaps, these were bigger than the small ones I am using on the side of my work, so I now have a bigger working space. I mainly finished the colourful panel from my Spanish Sampler and now working on the 10 squares from my chemo cushion.

Hubby has been busy in the garage, sorting and making space, his motorbike is gone and so too are lots of the bits he used. The plan is to clear one side and give me space for my garden stuff, sadly my shed is letting in the rain in the back corner and is really wet and whilst still usable, I don't want the damp to get into my things. This means soon I will have the space behind the garage near the greenhouse, I posted about the space here years ago when installing the shed. 

I am happy when I am making plans, I can't sit still and do nothing, TV does not interest me to be able to watch it all evening, and we never watch daytime TV. So I am planning what to stitch where on my sampler. I also have loads of sewing, things to make so planning a day or two with my sewing machine. 

Also planning how to reuse the space behind the garage, we have already decided the big water but, composter and mulch dustbin and be popped there. We put paving slabs and stones under the base of the shed, so no groundworks. None of this will be done quickly, hubby needs time to rework his garage, then we need to dismantle the shed, the first thing to be moved will be the water but, we need to empty it, and then through the winter months it will refill with rain water. 

I have been taking cutting from around the garden, I want more plants to grow up the 2 exposed fence panels, I have enough colour here to create a nice display. I am doing my cutting differently, in hope they grow stronger, time will tell. 

I'm still not feeling right, if I do the simplest of task, I get really hot and tired, just waiting for results to come through and my next appointment with the doctor. We are having a quiet weekend at home, I'm doing bits outside hubby is in his (soon to be ours) garage.