Celebrate the seasons

I like all the seasons for different reasons but Autumn is my favourite.  I love when you can feel that change in the air, when it starts to get a little cooler, when the nights start to draw in and it gets dark earlier and you can pull down the blinds and get cosy.  I like that things start to slow down and I feel like I have more time to do the things I want to do, when the nights are lighter I keep finding jobs to do, which means less time relaxing, so I welcome Autumn. 

As much as I love planting things for Summer in the garden I don't mind pulling them up and putting in things for Autumn and Winter either, when it comes to this time of year i'm ready for a change.  

Each season has something good about it and time flys by fast enough without us wishing it to be Spring or Summer again, they will come round soon enough.

The last two weekends the weather has been really more summer-like though,

 and I enlisted Marks help in the garden, we added some top soil to the border by the path that we never got round to doing last year and we also planted tulip bulbs, lots of tulip bulbs.  If they all come good both sides of the path should look very colourful come the Spring.

He also got my seasonal box down from the loft, I couldn't wait to get pumpkins out  🎃.
Not scary ones though, just the pretty ones :-)

This was a new purchase this year from Home Sense, it has lights inside, although I keep forgetting to put them on!

I haven't done as well as I'd planned this year with making seasonal ornaments, but you might remember that I stitched this one back in February.

PUMPKIN SPICE FARM 
by Hands on Design

I got round to making it into a little pillow last week and  I LOVE how it turned out!

I used the recommended orange chenille for the edging and the backing is some brown wool fabric I bought at one of the stitching shows we went to earlier in the year

 I do struggle when it comes to making up stitched ornaments, it' s like when you have spent all those hours knitting something and then you are faced with sewing it together, it can be very daunting. 
I'm not very adventurous with the finishing but I am getting better at putting them together, the key is to take my time I think, I tend to want to rush and see it all finished but I now know that, for me, it's better if I do one stage at a time so that I don't loose focus and start rushing and I'm more than happy with how this one came out :-)

A week from today we we be in Skipton for Yarndale, we didn't think we would be able to get accommodation this year, but we eventually found an apartment just outside Skipton.  We are driving up on the Friday and coming back the following Monday and have tickets for visiting both days.

The exhibitor list looks impressive this year and I'm looking forward to squishing lots of yarn, although I'm going with a list this time to try and avoid impulse buys.  I'll let you know how that works out, lol

See you soon
-X-

Christmas Stitching

I started stitching Reed's Stocking by Shepherd's Bush for Arthur in the last week of July, If I had been monogamous in my crafting it would probably have been finished by now, but as I'm a crafting butterfly I'm still working on it :-)

It's close, so I'm aiming for the end of September now, still plenty of time to get it made up before December 1st.

How it should look

My progress

Once you get going on these stockings they do stitch up quite quickly.  The beads and buttons etc will be the last things to add before making it up into a stocking.

It's been a beautiful sunny day here today, although cooler, I'm loving the nip in the air when you go out in the morning and the cooler nights too.  This time of year is much more to my liking than hot sticky nights when you can't sleep.

I'm managing to keep on top of collecting the acorns which litter our garden at this time of year, it's a case of going out and sweeping the path almost every day and mowing over the grass two or three times a week but it's the easiest way to pick them up and it doesn't take long, as long as it's dry.

I've been planting some bulbs and picked up some Violas from the garden centre last week too, and planted this little pot to keep on the patio table.

Their little faces are so sweet, don't you think?

I've planted up a couple of pots with yellow ones too, they look so cheerful and brighten the garden so much when the sun shines :-)

We had a spare trough going now the courgettes have finished so I planted it up with a few herbs, Rosemary, Parsley, Spearmint and Chives.  I only planted what I thought I would use for now.   

I've already been using the Spearmint in my infuser bottle and it makes a nice refreshing drink :-)

Well that's it for my Sunday catch-up.  I wish you all a lovely week and I'll see you soon.

-X-