Blessed

Such a busy week but, after the terribly sad news about Vanessa Cabban, I'm lucky to realise that it has also been a blessed one. With that in mind I'm going to limit this post to as few words as possible.

We have enjoyed...

wonderful food

Wintry weather

Colour and cheer

And surprise gifts!

But most of all the warmth of family and friends

At a time that can be - and has been - so difficult for some I feel truly blessed. 

And out in the garden, under all the dead leaves and frosted ground, there are new things emerging. 

And with them comes hope.

I hope that wherever you are - however big or small they may be - you all have some blessings to count.

Jane

xxx

Fruity Madness

When all around seems dull and grey

Pile up some fruit and shout WAYHAY!

All  produce kindly donated by friends and neighbours with the seasonal generosity that Autumn brings.

Jane

xxx

P.S. Brownie points for anyone who can guess the yellow fruit!

Around the block.

This morning I went for a walk. 

That's it.

Nothing remarkable in that. 

Not anywhere new or of any distance.

Just a little walk around the block.

But it was such a simple uplifting little walk that I found myself really appreciating what was around. 

Like the neighbours geraniums.

My favourite colour door.

Old Neddy. Not his real name I'm sure but suits him to a tee.

The luminous depth of this tree.

Down to the allotments.

And back along the canal.

Where the early morning mist had lingered - just enough.

Although at some points it still seemed like midsummer.

Small details.

And signs.

The perennial 'trying to get Jessie dog to look the right way when you are trying to take a photo of her' caper.

And home.

That's it.

A walk around the block.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Jane

xxx

P.S. A sneak peek at a little project we have coming up. All very exciting but not quite ready to reveal yet.

When is a mandala not a mandala?

I so enjoyed Jacquie's mandala pattern over here that once one was finished I immediately started another.

But this time I couldn't stop.

I carried on, round after round, just adding extra stitches where necessary to keep the shape.

Trying to be random with the colour selection but in truth doing a little bit of fretting and changing around.

Not worrying about those stray ends.

Decreasing now to form an edge.

Until the end was in sight.

Et voila!

When is a mandala not a mandala?

When it's a hat for a stool!

You like???

Jane 

xxx

P.S. has anybody heard anything about a bloggers get together at Yarndale? I believe Lucy mentioned something on a post but I can't seem to find it. If not I think it could be a fab thing to do - any takers???

P.P.S. I've been a bit quiet over here of late but thinking about you all - looking forward to catching up with your blogs asap!

P.P.P.S. And a big hug to one and all - whether you need it or not!

Secret Squirrels

Things seem to be waking up this week. We've had a few days of warmth - not quite t shirt and shorts weather - but that gentle warmth that tells us that the seasons are changing. There's something so magical about the first flowers - still few and far between but presenting us with colours that seem to have been absent  for an age.

And as for the daffy down dillies - not enough to admire in the garden as yet but plenty of shop bought ones to fill vases around the house. The gentle wafts of fragrance immediately transport me to warmer days.

But what's that got to do with secret squirrels? Well the answer to that is - I CAN'T TELL YOU !

I've been busying myself this week with a couple of projects that can not be revealed as yet.

The first involves this beautiful box of pearl cotton - gifted to me by a friend who knows exactly what makes me tick!

Want to see inside?

Jewel bright colours in the softest cotton.

Perfect for a little bit of this!

But - no more of that just yet - it's a secret!

And as for the other.

Well I can't quite believe it but I'm actually moseying on up to my 100th post. When I first pressed that publish button over a year ago I had no idea what a journey I was about to begin. The friendship and support has been wonderful and something that I would like to acknowledge formally. Oh yes - I'm going to have a GIVEAWAAAAAAAY!

Want a  little peek?

Woohoo - can't wait to reveal all!

Meanwhile I hope you are all able to enjoy a little bit of Spring this weekend - wherever you are.

Jane

x

Runny nose, pretty stamps

I've got a cold. That's all. Just a cold. It almost sounds benign and yet for the last couple of days I've been completely at it's mercy. I'm currently all tucked up on the sofa under my sick blankie with a large box of tissues by my side. Every now and then I get up and throw the used tissues on to the fire . There they slowly smoulder and glow in a way that very damp tissues do. Stupid cold. So as I lay here feeling all woebegone and Camille like I thought about what I could share with you. 

How about this?

As I was firkling around the charity shops recently I came across a small bag. No bigger than a pixie's envelope and marked up at £1. Being the curious type I ventured to investigate further. It seemed to contain a few old stamps. Being a fan of Viv Sliwka's envelope artwork over at Hen's Teeth I began to think how I could use them in some way. Realising I  a) was no way as talented as Viv, and b) already had a huge backlog of 'things to do something with' I almost put them back. 

But I didn't. 

So here they are.

A huge range of colours and images from across the globe.

Some familiar and not so familiar faces.

Incredible detail.

Iconic creatures

And landmarks

Franked 

And unfranked

Even Queenie looked glamorous

(which is more than I can say about myself at the moment!)

I wish now I'd taken more photographs in the daylight but the risk of causing a global hurricane with just one sneeze was too great.

I wonder who collected them and when. What tales did they bring?

But back to now. Old dolly is looking at me with - get this - her EYES! (yes she now has two eyes but nothing else as yet - looks odder than ever bless her!) And I'm about to smother the fire with my next lot of tissue. 

Oh snuffles.

Yours sniffily

Jane 

x