Sunday working in the garden

It has been beautiful, hot but a lovely breeze, all very well if it does blow all your newly packed label all over the garden ... but just to prove that all the kits are assembled if not by my own fair hand then by my much appreciated helpers ...

Here you can see what I have been doing today, making the needle cases and pulling thread for the new cushions. Some of these colours are for the yet to be assembled Stitch Cards (sorry they are taking so long but I am working on getting them die cut).

But the effort is worth it with an order going off to America tomorrow ... to The French Needle so if you are in US and want to buy a kit do go along to visit this lovely site. They will soon have the new cushion kits in stock.

Also some other news ... have a look at Creative Bloq for a little piece about some of the entrepreneurs on the School for Creative Start Ups course, including me.

So have a look at the the process ... it's not a bad place to work!

Gorgeous colours ... thread just arrived on the cones, ready to be pulled.

 

Vanessa could not wait to start!

Threads and first one off the roll ...

Making Needle Holders and Labels for Cushion Kits

Thread packs ready to go into the bags

The Cottage garden this late spring. A bit of a tangle ...

Grass

I have been asleep ... and more  ... then some more. It is 3 and a half weeks post op and still my brain feels incapable of anything more testing than working out what to do in the next 5 minutes! The district nurse who comes out twice a week says this is all normal but I worry that the inactivity has curdled everything and my lazy gene has taken over, numbing all thought and willingness to move around. Maybe she's right. The dog is very down. She mopes about looking at me disapprovingly, then gets periods of utter exasperation and gives me a good talking to but there is nothing I can do ...

And the garden! While I was away the grass grew ... to a foot or more, then got tired of that and spread into the flower beds and began climbing up bushes and walls and over windows. I can't help thinking of Sleeping Beauty except I am no young beauty with golden tresses .... but I do sleep a lot! I can't mow or tackle it as it has gone crazy madness and I am a little frightened of it now, hardly daring to set foot out of the back door ... except to take these photos. My friends promise to come once exams, end of terms etc are over, and Joe ( maybe the rescuing knight?) promises to come next week as long as he can hack his way through and free me from the ever encroaching vegetation.

And as for work ... I am trying. I am trying to work a new tutorial and design a new kit for a little stuffed dog to embroider, but I manage only a half hour at a time before sleep overtakes me.

But despite the moaning, the garden is also beautiful too, full blown and resplendent as these "before" photos may show. My dear friend Bobby came yesterday and cut the ivy and roses from the windows so I can get some light into the cottage, then she polished and buffed the glass till the light poured back in. Bless her!

Back "meadow" remember this when I post the "after" shots

Front meadow

At last I can see out!

The honeysuckle is wonderful and as I sleep with the windows open the scent wafts in gently

Bluebells showing off

They are ... but it just amazes me every year how incredible a sight it is in this country in May to see carpets of colour like this. A few shots I took yesterday on my way home.
Also one last blossom one of another carpet of petals on the front lawn, blown by the tempest style winds we had last week ...

Details of the day ...

 The fence at the bottom of the garden has rotted over the years and we have had to take it down and replace the panels that are gone. There is a Sleeping Beauty style thicket of 30 years worth of brambles to cut back before we can even get to the fence. Jo and his brother are doing the manly stuff. But in cutting back the brambles we found this beautiful nest with three eggs in, one broken and they were stone cold. There was bound to be one but I am certain it had been left before we started. But how perfect it is. I brought it down to the back door to photograph, the blue against this little golden privet bush is such a lovely contrast.

Song Thrush eggs

 On my daily walk to get away from the work for a bit, we went out to one of our favorite walks to the river to stretch the eyes and breath in some good lungfuls of airs before getting on again. So much to see, it changes so rapidly at this time of year, but the wind was biting and raced across the flats nearly blowing Biddy over.

Roman snail on dandelion flower

Dandelion clock

Blossom pics ... it has to be done

I have to do it ... the blossom is very much in every eyeful at the moment and I know it will be all over in a flash so even if you are tired of the sight of it, here is my lot ...

View from my window

This has almost blown away already!

Very 1950s knickers but lovely all the same

This crabapple has the most lovely fruit in the autumn which the birds love.