Exchange time and a little gardening

        Once again the Summer exchange has come round again, this was a lovely exchange from Jen,          lots of goodies to use. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of what I sent but my partner was pleased with her exchange.

I've been trying to do a little stitching but I can't seem to concentrate at the moment, too many doctors and hospital appointments to remember for DH and making sure he takes his medication. Thankfully he's doing well and now he's got the all clear to drive again he seems a bit brighter.

Not a lot of stitching going on but this time of year is when I like to be out in the garden my safe haven, if ever I have one of my anxiety attacks an hour in the garden always calms me down.

This is my progress on Follow your Dreams, not much but there has been a lot of frogging going on where I kept making mistakes but I'll carry on and hopefully the frog will go away.

We've spent a lot of time either in the garden or going for walks when the weather has been kind which hasn't happened over the past week, so much rain again but the garden needs it. However since I started writing this blog post we seem to be in a mini heatwave which is way too hot for me. The clouds are out today so it feels a little fresher thankfully.

This lovely rose has been full of flower for the past few weeks though when I went to open the greenhouse this morning it was looking a bit battered after the rain but it will soon bounce back.

The passion flower is full of buds this year, it's a bit of a thug but I do like them.

Our first broccoli, and the cauliflowers are coming too but we seem to have a lot of white fly this year even though they've been well covered

The tomatoes are growing, as are the peppers and cucumbers

And finally we have some apples on the tree, we lost such a lot with the wind that I didn't think there would be any left but I'm sure there will be enough for a few crumbles or pies.

I've been doing a lot of reading this year and I'm enjoying reading The Wrong Daughter,

I'm about half way through and it's a good read.

Well, that's about it for now, not a lot happening other than the usual housework and baking, sewing and a bit of knitting. I've got so many things that I want to do I should never be bored but some days I just want to sit in the garden and do nothing, not very productive but good for the soul.

Take care all,

love Sue xx

Stitching, Gardening and an impatient patient.

Well, the weather has changed today and it's raining which has cooled it down outside and indoors which has been most welcome after the few hot days we've had. I shouldn't grumble as it's what I'd been wanting.

I've been trying to get the garden sorted but have decided that it's not going to happen this year, it doesn't look bad but I can see the weeds and the patches where the summer bedding should have been planted but I haven't had the time.

Tony had a heart attack a few weeks back and it's knocked us both for six, he had no warning so it was a bit frightening when he walked in from the garden and said he had pains in his arms. Kim called for an ambulance which was here in about 15 minutes so the waiting wasn't too long but when the paramedic said yes you're definitely having a heart attack we both just looked at each other in disbelief.

We followed the ambulance in the car and by the time we'd parked up and found where he was he'd already had the procedure and was talking about coming home. He was still there five days later which didn't go down well with him. He's always been busy making things or gardening so it's been hard for him to sit and do almost nothing for a few weeks but thankfully this week he's beginning to look for things that he can do and not think about what he can't do for a while, so fingers crossed he keeps making good progress.

I finished Gentle Stitches by Shakespeare's Peddler and made it into a needle roll and decided to send it off to my partner for the cross stitch exchange as I hadn't got round to finishing anything else off. I forgot to take a photo of the gifts that I sent with it so hopefully my partner will take one for me.

I made a start on this dreamcatcher cross stitch but I haven't managed to put many stitches into it but it looked so pretty in the magazine. It's from an old world of cross stitch magazine which must be about 10 years old and I hope the colours will look as bright as they do in the photo. It's called Follow your dreams by Amanda Gregory.

We decided to do something with this bit of the garden which is just out of the kitchen door. The pond used to be there but when we moved the pond this was a little bit of what was left. We took it all apart and dug out all the rubbish underneath and made a flower garden so it will be nice to see it grow.

This is what it looks like now, most of the plants were in pots before and we bought a new little tree to replace the tree fern that was killed off by the frost last year.

The alstromeria are doing really well this year, it must be the sunshine that has made them grow,

and the alium is doing ok too.

 

The beans are beginning to grow up the canes so hopefully we'll get a good harvest like we did last year.

We've been picking raspberries, strawberries and we've had a couple of cucumbers though the tomatoes aren't ripe yet but it won't be long until they are ready.

I was bought this book a few weeks ago but I do wish I'd read the others in the series first as things are a little muddled if you don't know who's who from the start but I shall carry on reading it and see who the murderer is.

Well that's all for now, it's exchange opening day tomorrow so I'll put some photos of what I've received soon and hopefully another photo of some more stitching. Daughter Kim is back from her holiday in Corfu tomorrow so it will be nice to have her back home again.

Take care, love Sue xx

Stitching, gardening, and computer problems.

Well it's been lovely here for a few days and we've managed to get some gardening done at last, at one point I didn't think we'd ever catch up with it as there have been a few changes happening over the past few weeks.

Firstly my computer has been out of action for over four weeks, it's been for a repair but I don't hold out much hope that it will last much longer so I can see me having to buy something new to replace it. My kindle is driving me mad, it loads up but then gets stuck in a loop where it shows the book I'm reading but then keeps going to the home page to start all over again so I think I shall have to go back to having a real book in my hands for the time being. 

One good thing to start the month off was that I actually finished Sunflower Susan by Lesley Teare. It

 was a lovely stitch but the backstitching was a bit of a pain but it always makes things look better so it has to be done. It has just got to be framed now and can go on the wall with my other stitching.

Changes at home have been happening, I knew I should never have made myself a craft room again as every time I do something happens and the space is needed for something else. This time it's because my middle daughter has come home to live for a while until she can sort out somewhere to live as she and her partner have decided to part, very sad for both of them but it's no good when they aren't getting on any more. Anyway, it's been a bit of an upheaval as she has brought so much stuff with her that we are running out of space to store it all and DH's shed won't take much more. She also works from home so the craft room has had to go for now, mostly relocated to the attic where I will probably never find anything again.

We've been moving furniture about so we've not had much time to do anything else other than keep on top of things in the home. It was probably a blessing that I didn't have my computer and the rain has been falling so we could concentrate on moving her in.

After all the rain we've had the garden is finally beginning to show what is still there, we thought we'd lost a few plants but although they are a bit behind this year they are still coming through.

The tree peony has been lovely until the rain knocked all the petals off,

        

but the other peonies have made a lovely show. We thought we'd lost them all last year as they looked as though they had some sort of fungus so we cut them all back and hoped for the best and this year they are fine. I'm so pleased because they were from my Mum and Dad's garden over forty years ago.

The view from the vegetable garden.

This was the greenhouse a few weeks ago, I've not had chance to take any recent photos and there was no way I could upload them on the pc even if I had.

Isn't this clematis gorgeous,

and the wisteria has made a good show this year.

We've been doing the vegetable garden and with any luck the beans will go in this week.

We are making another little flower bed up by the back door but hopefully I'll show you them next time.

I've also started on some new cross stitch so I'll show that next time too.

I started this over four weeks ago so I hope it still makes sense, I need to get a new pc soon unless a miracle happens and someone can sort my old one out.

Take care all,

Sue x

April

Another month beginning and like most of last month it has started with April showers, we've had a few sunny days but not enough to get out in the garden and tackle the big things that need doing but there's always something indoors to keep me busy and it's meant more time for stitching.

I've had this chart for ages and each time April comes round I think that I will stitch it, well finally I made the effort and it was such a quick stitch I wish that I'd have done it sooner, I've just got to decide what I'm going to do with it next.

April Showers by Shepherd's Bush.

This is another chart that I've had for years but never got around to doing, I've never made a needle roll so I shall see how it turns out once I've got a cardboard tube to wrap it round. 

Gentle Stitches by Shakespeare's Peddler.

I nearly have a finish with Sunflower Susan, just a bit of backstitching to do but I'll save that until next time and hopefully a nice new start.

As I said the weather hasn't been to good and the tubs of polyanthus, pansies and forget me nots are suffering from so much rain even though they are quite sheltered from most of it but they still add a splash of colour when you walk out of the back door.

The Amelanchier tree never fails to put a smile on my face with its lovely blossoms, always there at the beginning of Spring making a lovely show.

The lupins are growing......

the pear and the blackberries are making growth, and the raised beds are getting dug over

and we have seeds germinating in the greenhouse. There are still more to sow as we usually do extra for the girls to take home.

The only problem we have now is that the garden is still too wet in the borders to actually do any digging and the weeds are taking over but there's still time and I can't get stressed about the garden as that is my happy place where I spend most of my time in the Summer.

We've had a lovely Easter weekend with the girls and grandchildren popping round. I've only had one Easter egg and that's hardly been touched as I'm trying to be good. The weight has been creeping back on over winter so it's time I did something about it before it gets too bad so it's back to counting calories and saturated fat until I lose a few pounds and my cholesterol levels go down too.

I hope April is a good month to you all, Take care,

Sue xx

Spring

Oh how I wish the weather would cheer up, we seem to have constant rain though I have managed to get out in the garden over the weekend even though it was so damp, but it was an enjoyable couple of hours and hopefully the weather will improve soon. There's not a lot of stitching been going on though I have sorted through some patterns and have decided what I want to stitch next as well as finding something to stitch for my next exchange so that should keep me busy for a few weeks.

I finished this stitching, Spring by carolxstitch, into a little pillow. I really enjoyed putting it all together. It's a really dull day here so the photos are terrible.

It was Mother's Day on Sunday here in the UK  and I'd asked for Spring flowers and Jelly babies from my daughters. It's hard to think of anything these days, I have everything I need and I don't like them spending their money . I did also get vouchers for M&S, a book, a mug and some chocolates which have already been started. I love daffodils and as I've hardly any growing this year they've made a welcome presence in the house. I don't know why they haven't grown unless they've been eaten but we shall plant more this Autumn and hope that they will grow.

I decided that I'd try and make this cushion cover, I'd seen someone making squares on Instagram and it looked so simple which it turned out to be. I only used some odd scraps of fabric to see what it would turn out like but I think I may have another go one day.

I have some knitting on the go, my daughter bought me some wool for Christmas and so far all I've knitted is the rib and now I'm not sure if I want to knit the cardigan or the jumper that I originally thought of. Luckily the rib is the same for both of them so I could knit either once I've made up my mind. 

The socks I showed in my last post are finished and ready to be given away so that's another job ticked off the to do list.

I've also done a lot of reading this year, I seem to be getting through quite a few. I only read in bed so perhaps the books I've been reading are not as long as usual.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with more stitching updates and some photos of the garden if we ever get some sunshine.

Love Sue xx

A little knitting, a little stitching and a bit more.

I've been meaning to make a blog post for the past couple of weeks but to be honest there's not been a lot going on around here lately, we've both not been feeling to good, me with a bad back and Tony with a swollen eye and then he lost his hearing in his left ear. He's partially deaf in his right one so conversation has been a little comical at times. He was sent to the hospital within a week of seeing the doctor and he's got to go again to see the consultant in six to eight weeks or whenever he gets an appointment through. He's actually a lot better now but it will put his mind at rest if he can speak to someone again.

I'm still plodding along with this pair of socks that I started before Christmas, just the heel to turn on the second sock and then the foot to do so it shouldn't take me long if I get my finger out. The wool is Christmas wrapping paper by Rosie's moments and it's been lovely to knit with.

I've also put a few more stitches into Sunflower Susan by Lesley Teare, I wanted to get this finished for last Autumn but it wasn't to be, maybe this year I can finish it.

I finally finished my little quilt that I started last year, it only needed quilting and the binding to put on. I tried doing free motion quilting but my machine wasn't up to it, I think I need a bigger one! I've had my machine for years and it's been such a good one, it's served me well over the years and I don't think it would be worth paying out for something bigger as I can't see me making many more quilts even though I loved making it. It's not perfect by any means but I had a go so I'm happy with it.

I don't know why but I can't get going so far this year, maybe it's with us both feeling below par, usually Tony's got some project or another going on in his workshop but he's hardly been doing anything lately. I can't wait for Spring to arrive, I know we shouldn't be wishing our lives away but I think we'll both feel better once we can get out in the garden. The hellebores are about the only thing that are flowering and always make a nice show but there are hardly any daffodils or tulips coming through in the garden though I did find a couple of pots behind the greenhouse with some sign of life so that was a nice surprise.

Granddaughter number one, Lily, had her 16th birthday last week, she's been taking her mock GCSEs which should have been at the beginning of the year but the school was closed down just before Christmas due to it being in need of some serious repairs so in the mean time the pupils have been to different schools until something was sorted. A temporary school is being built until a new one can be sorted but it shouldn't have been left to get so bad in the first place.

Granddaughter number 2, Becky has been in some dance competitions two so far this year. The first one the group came second and then last week they came first. They were doing a dance to Cabaret and if I could find a photo I'd show you but whenever I download photos from my camera or phone although I can see them in my albums I can't get to put them on here. That's a job for another day.

The three grandsons are doing well, two of them are football mad and the eldest just likes his computer although saying that he can do a lot on it that I'd never be able to do, maybe I should ask him to sort my photo problem out. 

Well I've waffled on enough now and I can't think of any more exciting news so I'll press publish and see if that works for me.

Take care all,

Sue xx

Happy New Year and happy birthday to me

Happy new year everyone, I hope it's a good one for you all.

Another year older as it is my birthday today which will be spent doing anything that I want to do, but remembering those that I've lost this year and raising a glass to them all for all the love we shared and  wonderful memories we made along the way.

 So to all my friends and family here's hoping that 2024 will be a happy and kinder year,

take care all,

love Sue xx

A little finish and an exchange

For saying that I wanted to get things finished before Christmas things haven't gone to plan. I am so behind with Christmas shopping and posting cards that I'm beginning to worry if I'll ever catch up with myself. It hasn't helped that I've had this cough that's been going around and a sore chest and headache doesn't help matters. But I am so looking forward to Christmas, all three daughters, their partners and grandchildren arrived last weekend, nothing had been planned so it was lovely to see them all and only another two weeks before I see them all again. It was my youngest daughter Rachel's 40th birthday too so it was nice for her to have all the family there.

Onto the stitching, I finally made the stocking into the ornament and it looks lovely on the tree as do all the other ornaments that I've collected over the years from friends that I've made through blogging.

Some of the ornaments I've stitched or received over the years. The tree isn't finished yet, it still needs its skirt when I find it.

This was my exchange stitch that I sent to Cathie and I'm so glad that she liked it as well as the bits that I sent too

This is what I received from Marina, the fabric is a lovely blue colour which I couldn't get to photograph right as the light isn't good in our house at the best of times.

and here are the lovely gifts that she sent, it was so lovely to open all the goodies.

The grandchildren are getting excited about Christmas though they are all too old to believe in Santa Claus any more, the youngest one is 10 and the eldest 15 but of all five of them I think it is Lily the eldest who is more excited about it.

I'm hoping this week to finish the Christmas shopping and sort out what I've put away in the freezer and cupboards so I don't overbuy which I usually do. Everything is ordered for a delivery for 23rd December so hopefully I won't have to go out after then as long as everything is delivered, fingers crossed.

Hopefully I'll be back before the big day with another update.

Take care all,

Sue xx

I've been trying to get a few things finished off before the end of the year, there's quite a few UFOs in my basket that have been there for way too long so as DH says I'd better get on with it! The first picture is of the exchange stitching that I've done for my partner for our twice a year exchange. I really enjoyed stitching this.

Prairie Schooler

Next is a stitch that has been on my list to finish for ages, it only needed the backstitching done  and there was quite a bit of it and now it's waiting for DH to frame so it's given us both something to do. We are trying to fill in the days now that we can't get out in the garden at the moment as it is so wet, I'm just hoping that he doesn't decide to start decorating again, I think I've done enough painting for this year.

Fancy teapots from a Readers Digest cross stitch book

The next finish is a freebie from Instagram, a lovely little Christmas stocking that will be ready to hang by the fireplace when Santa comes.

J B W design freebie

I've only bought a couple of presents up to now as the grandchildren tend to change their mind so much so I usually wait until as close to Christmas as I can get before I buy them something.

Some kind soul had decided to spend all my Nectar points that I'd saved on my Sainsbury's shop, thankfully they have been refunded so the Christmas shopping will be a little bit cheaper but how can someone in London use my details when I live in Derbyshire.

Another funeral to attend this week, DHs brother in law this time, I hope this will be the last one that we have to go to this year, it's getting too sad saying goodbye to loved ones.

No recent photos of the garden to show as it's been too wet, but the colours are gorgeous out there so even though it's been too cold it's been nice viewing them through the window in the warm.

These were taken a few weeks ago before all the wet and windy weather blew a lot of the leaves off.

A shopping day today and then back to some stitching or knitting this afternoon, it's so nice to be retired.

Take care all,

Sue xx