Keeping busy

 It is so hot and I'm not enjoying it, I love all the sunshine but the heat is really getting to me. The garden is in desperate need of rain, we are lucky in the fact that ours is an old house and we have a cestern underneath the kitchen that collects all the rain water so we should be ok for a while, it's just pumping it out thats the pain and filling endless watering cans.

It has been too hot to get in the room where my computer is, even with the fan going and the windows open it is still stifling. I am now grateful that our drive is like a wind tunnel and whatever breeze there has been has filtered through the open windows in the lounge so at least we have one room that's cool enough to sit in.

I've been trying to get back into the habit of stitching and I'm finding smallish patterns with a fairly quick finish are what I need at the moment.

This is one of Dany's that was a freebie with another pattern that I purchased. I've not decided how to finish it yet, probably a job for next week.

 I'm also hoping to get some dressmaking done. I used to do a lot when the girls were growing up, this is a quick summer skirt that I just wanted to practice on and it's not turned out too bad, at least it fits.

 I've just finished reading this, a follow on to The Bookshop in Rosemary Lane, a lovely light heaarted read.

 Not many flowers left in the garden, they flowered and that was it. I've got new plants growing but I've noticed that a lot of the petals are coming through distorted so perhaps it's lack of rain that's made them like that.

 We are due some rain over the next couple of days, we had a quick shower tonight but it dried as soon as it hit the ground.

Well that's about it for now,

love and hugs, Sue x

July update

Well six months have passed since my last blog post, it wasn't intentional to leave it but life has a habit of getting in the way of catching up with things.

My back problems lasted longer than expected and even though it gave me more time to stitch, I just couldn't get into doing anything, I just felt sorry for myself. At the same time DH was told that the place he'd worked for for 30 years was closing so that was another worry. 

With no work for him to do we had a lovely two months getting the garden sorted, going out and about and thoroughly enjoying time together that we'd never had chance to do before.

Thankfully the back problems have calmed and DH has started another job so I thought it was about time I spent some time on my little blog. There's not been a lot of stitching and what little I've done hasn't been photographed. The garden was looking lovely until this heatwave but I'm sure once we have a little rain again it will soon perk up. The flowers haven't lasted this year so I'm hoping for another show later in the year.

I did join in with my "Gift of Friendship" exchange that I've been doing for years.

This is what I sent to Cathie

And this is to me from Marina, lots of lovely goodies.

We cleared out the pond this year and added some new fish, lovely to watch them splashing about.

And a few flowers from the garden

 

That's all for now,

Sue x

January update

January comes full of good intentions and expectations but neither seem to have worked out this year. I've been having computer problems since before Christmas so the last thing I wanted was stress at such a busy time so I decided to have some time off while I got Christmas sorted.

A quick repair and it was up and running again until the beginning of the year when it went again so another trip to the pc doctor and hopefully we are all mended and ready to tackle 2018.

But then, just as all was well with the world, the sun was shining so I started out in the garden picking up leaves when my back decided to pack in as I was bending over. A weeks rest either in bed or on the sofa and I'm eventually feeling less pain and less like an old crock.

I thought I'd put a few pictures up just so I don't forget what I've been doing.

First is the Sewandso Christmas SAL which was a nice quick stitch and I managed to finish it in time. There's a new one starting next week so hopefully I shall join in with that one too.

And finally, Celtic Christmas is finished and framed, I can't remember when I started this but it was a long time ago.

                     The light isn't very good and neither is my camera but I'm pleased with the result.

Flowers for my birthday on January 1st, I also had a new phone and a little hedgehog kit to try out some needlefelting.

The hyacinths are blooming and smelling lovely and the poinsettia is still going strong which is unusual as I can't normally keep them.

I managed a walk down the garden after lunch, it was so nice to get out in the fresh air. Lots of signs that Spring is on her way and maybe this year we might have some daffodils that flower and not just leaves.

One thing good about having to rest was that I had time to read, both of them were good books but I'm a bit biased as I love Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

Thank you for dropping by, until next time,

Sue x

Inspiration, motivation.............

 .......whatever it is that's lacking, I definitely need some. I very often sit down and think about my little blog and what I could write about but then while I sit here poised to type something, my mind goes blank. What have I been doing for the past three months, where have I been, what have I made?

Well, this post is just a reminder for me that I have been doing something.

 I have been doing some stitching.

Celtic Noel is coming along and it will be finished for Christmas, there's not a lot left to do. The top part that you can't see is all finished so it's just this bottom piece that needs finishing.

DD Rachel and I have both joined in with the Sewandso Stichalong, for me just so that I can have a quick finish each week and for Rachel because it's her first SAL. I do wish that I'd done it on evenweave though as it's a while since I've used aida apart from card making.

Earlier in the year I started stitching CCN Ladybugs and bumblebees but twice I changed the thread because the writing wasn't showing up on the fabric so I changed the fabric and I'm still not sure about it, it seems to blend in too much.

DH saw me looking at some HAED charts that I liked, I've never bought one as I don't think I'd have the patience to do one but later in the week this turned up in the post. I don't know if it will ever get done, it's a bit of a project. It's called the little dreamer's tree at least he ordered the one with just 90 colours and not the 200 plus one.

Another pair of socks have been knitted  though not yet pressed and a few more rows put into DHs jumper which I'm hoping to finish for Christmas.

We had a lovely day out in Trentham Gardens and I managed the walk right round the lake. It's so beautiful there and we just had to stop and say hello to these lovely creatures.

And we managed to get to the monkey forest just in time for feeding. It was a bit scarey walking through the monkeys but apart from the odd scuffle they behaved.

I've stitched cards and paper crafted cards, read loads of books and decorated two rooms so I've not been idle there's always so much to do.

This is my eldest daughter Sharon during her 10k run in Salford. Her group raised over £1000 for  Alzheimers. I am so proud of her as she had never done any running before


She also does some model stitching too and here's her son Alex showing off his new clothes.

During the good weather the garden has taken up most of my time but there's not a lot to show out there at the moment as everything is dying down for Autumn. I love Autumn, I love the colours, I love swishing my feet in the fallen leaves, love that the grass is green and love the fact that I will soon be able to put the lawnmower to bed until Spring. The daffodils, tulips and hyacynths have been potted up ready for their time to shine next year so the garden is getting ready to have its annual rest.

Well that was my summer, we did lots more but no more photos to show so I'll leave it till next time.

Love and hugs, Sue xx