Fully Finished

I spent some time at the weekend fully finishing a couple of  ornaments.

Summer Bird by Heart in Hand

Stitched on 32 count (mystery) fabric with the recommended threads

Calendar Girl for June, by Little House Needleworks

I'm stitching all of these on 28 count vintage country mocha but on the plain side, not the variegated side of the fabric.  I'm using the recommended DMC threads

And as my sewing machine was out on the table, I made up two cross stitch project envelopes

 like the ones I've made previously for myself, using Vonna's tutorial.  

These will be for gifts this time though

I'm still only buying things when I need them, everything except the bee button and two threads came from stash, I'm happy with that :-)

Stay safe, see you soon

-X-

How does your garden grow

There have been some positives from lockdown, the beautiful weather we've been having has helped and also the chance to sit out and enjoy the garden.

Usually I would spend more time working in the garden than sitting in it but these last few weeks have given both of us the opportunity to sit quietly when the work is done 

There is lots of ladies mantle, I moved some of it a couple of years ago to this corner.

My other large hosta has been moved all around the garden this year, it's just so big we didn't know where to put it.  It will live here for the rest of the year and come next Spring we will split it, it's about five feet across so we will get lots of plants off it

Our garden always looks very green and not very colourful to me, although there are pops of colour out there.

I planted lots of seeds too, some more successful than others.

The salad leaves are doing well, I'm picking these now

The radishes did well, most of these have pulled and eaten.

I have six trays of cosmos, never had these before so fingers crossed.  I planted nine dahlia tubers, all but two have taken

I planted some zinnias straight in the ground but they haven't come up so I put the others in trays and they come up in a matter of days.  I have two trays of these

Some fails too though.  Not many of the cleome seeds germinated

Likewise the coleus.

My brother in law gave me three tomato plants which are still in the conservatory, I wanted to plant them in a grow-bag but as yet can't find one, it seems that most people have been spending more time in their gardens and lots of places have sold out of compost and garden items.

I might have to make a trip to the garden center over the weekend to see if they have any, If not they will have to go in pots.

Hope you are all staying safe and well and enjoying the sunshine.

-X-

Over the field, not far away, it's looking very yellow today

I had a busy day in the garden all day yesterday so today has been a lazy day, sitting in the garden enjoying the results of yesterday's hard work, the lovely sunshine, stitching and listening to my audio book.  It's been a scorcher today and I wasn't going to go for a walk but I talked myself around to it late afternoon.

Standing in this field, to the right is the view of the rapeseed field, in front of me, in the dip, are hundreds and hundreds of buttercups

The rapeseed in the distance

 Beautiful buttercups.

Starlings gathering and making such a racket

I have some buttercups growing at the top of my garden, I know they are technically a weed, but they are so cheerful, I couldn't bring myself to pull them out.

I see this little white flower along the hedgerows a lot, does anyone know what it is?

A perfect dandelion puff, another unwelcome weed in the garden but so pretty to look at

I took the longer route back down the lane and past the rapeseed field

I recorded over 9,000 steps in the end, not bad considering I wasn't going on a walk today.

Take care

-X-

Miss May

First of all, thank you for your condolence messages.  Father in-laws funeral has now been arranged and as per the distancing rules only ten people are permitted to attend, which is a shame but that is the policy.  Mother in-law is coping well, considering, Mark is very quiet.  He is a typical man and doesn't talk much, he will find his own way of dealing with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I finished May's calendar girl super quick at the beginning of the month because of being at home and then my Kreinik Corder broker and she had to sit there without her trim for a while I waited for a new one to come in the post.

I haven't been out many times for a walk this week but was up nice and early this morning and once my jobs were done I decided to go out before I made any more excuses.

Just a few yards away from the steps I talked about in this post is a gate which leads on to the adjacent field

I walked all around the edge up to the top

Over one more field and there was the view of the Rapeseed field again.  

There was a beautiful wild flower meadow behind me and a man with his camera and tripod taking photos so I didn't like to stop and try to take pictures with my phone

.

I did come across a huge patch of buttercups though

And someone had attached a knitted rainbow to the gate, that made me smile :-)

Until next time - Keep safe and well

-X-

A sad week

It's been a sad week

My father in-law died on Monday 11th May 2020 after being diagnosed with cancer a matter of weeks ago.

He went downhill very fast over the last few weeks and it all happened very quickly in the end.

I'm so glad that Mark was here to be with him and say goodbye properly.

Today would have been his 80th Birthday

Pete Hyde

15th May 1940 - 11th May 2020

Goodnight God bless Pete

-X-

Walks and VE Day

After this lockdown has ended the economy will have suffered no end and we will be paying for the cost of it for many years I think, but I believe people will take some good things out of it too, I hear the neighbours children playing in the garden far more than I did before and when I'm out walking I see more parents and children walking or on their bikes.  It's giving people time to enjoy more simple things.  I'm discovering lovely walks that I knew were there but had either forgotten about or didn't have the time / was too tired to do.

I thought I'd share one of them here with you.

Just a short walk from our house, past the few local shops there are some steps, you could almost walk past them without noticing but they lead away from all the houses and to lovely green space.

First is all the wonderful wild garlic growing along the path

Then the path opens up onto one of the fields 

The field above is just one of a few different ways you can reach this lane, now I can walk the lanes in a big square and end up back where I started.  It's takes about an hour, longer if like me you keep stopping to look at things.

This section is the longest part but there is a lovely reward over the hedge a little further down

On the last lane now and almost back to the housing estates

I't easy to forget that we live right on the edge of this beautiful countryside and I'm enjoying getting out and about and re-discovering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Friday the UK celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE day.  There were still a lot of people around having get together's on their own driveways, still keeping the distance rules, which was nice to see.  We had a lovely surprise delivered, Joanne had ordered us afternoon tea.  :-)  She had found a local bakery that was doing home deliveries.  

It all came packaged in a box with enough food to fill one cake stand each!  It was lovely, but we were stuffed and needed nothing else to eat for the rest of the day.

Just look at her little face!! 

I feel I should just say for anyone seeing this and might judge. Yes our daughters and grandchildren come to see us, however, they only ever stand / sit in the garden, never the house. 

Neither me, or Mark, are in isolation because of any medical conditions, therefore if we keep to the 2 metre rule, them being in the garden is the same as standing on the drive and us standing on the doorstep.  

We have a large enough space on the patio that we were able to have our afternoon tea without breaking this 2 metre rule.

Be assured that any photos I share of my girls or grandchildren whilst this crisis is going on are taken from a distance and cropped, we are all abiding by the guidelines.

I just wanted to make that clear.

I hope you are all staying safe and well

See you soon

-X-