We  have been  in the middle of a major redecoration of our dining room for some time. Well actually it feels like years... woodchip wallpaper has been scrapped off and Mr Johnson the plasterer has magically made the walls smooth and mended 100 year old surfaces. Its all white, wonderful and I know ever inch of the terracotta floor tiles personally... they have been pressure washed, scrapped, scrubbed, oiled, beeswaxed, polished....and now they shine. But best of all is the new dresser. I showed husband a picture and he went into the garage and five days later look what he had made! And painted it too when I thought my arms would fall off from all the polishing... and its got lovely big wooden handles too... I'm very pleased and I promise never tease him about his garden gnome again...

 

At the end of July local people organised a summer day fete on our common. It wasn't a commercial affair, no burgers or ice creams, nothing to buy really, but lots to do for families. There was pond dipping with the conservation students, archery, guided walks, willow weaving, wood carving, just country things.... Best of all were the three teams of heavy horses, who turned the cut grass, stood to receive all compliments so graciously, and were the stars of the day. Eight legs completely in harmony as they cornered at the end of each row without any tangles too!

   It seems more important  than ever that we should celebrate the things we are good at. Last weekend the Impish Quilters held an exhibition of quilts they have made in the last few years. The display was the village hall at Hackthorn, a beautiful setting with a duckpond, stables and and pony gymkarna going on in the next field. The sun shone, the cakes were amazing and we had 150 visitors . Outside the quilts fluttered in the breeze and inside they hung from the big quilt stands made by Geoff. The skill and talent of the makers was very apparent, quilts, cushions and Amish dolls filled the hall in a riot of colour. Watch out for any local quilt shows near you - they are always worth a visit! This a photo of my friend Jill's quilt.

Families are things to be treasured. But sometimes they get forgotten and time goes by. Then maybe by chance you find them again. Everyone is  looking a little older and some are not always in the best of health. But they are still loved, deserve care and attention, they may become good friends with new children one day... So in the next few days I will be attempting the first total body transplant for a member of our monkey family..... he has a nasty case of stuffing disease! So now and again look in your attic and just check that your own families of treasured teddies are ok!

Janet has had a spam e mail. It says she has 'numerous authentic admirers available' and to send a cheque to get their addresses. But  Janet says she bets they won't be any good at doing the ironing, so doesn't think she will bother. We wondered what they might look like, these admirers... tall, dark haired, with a twinkling eye and a pencil line moustache, would they Sweep Her Away on a cruise? We are sure they wouldn't be safe in taxis, as granny used to say...So here is a vintage paper pattern for a silk dressing gown for just such a man, so you will be able to spot an admirer if you get a message like Janet...

 

Its good to support your local shop. In Lincolnshire we have lots of farm shops. This week I bought asparagus from a outside a backdoor, putting the money in the honesty box, so much easier than the serve yourself machine in the supermarket... no bossy voice... no unexpected item in the bagging area either! Soon it will be strawberries  in lovely recyclable cardboard punnets, black currants, raspberries, and the jam cupboard will be full. But recently I found a new place to buy eggs. From very happy hens. Whose business was doing very well, earning lots of money for new furnishings in the nest box.....Well you'd buy from them too wouldn't you!

 

At the weekend we went to Uppingham. For the quilt exhibition and the real ale, not both at once... The quilts were displayed in the church and each pew had a least three beautiful quilts draped on it. The colours were fantastic. The level of skill was huge. I had a lovely time looking round. But someone was outside, not invited in, but with a rainbow quilt to snuggle under..... I thought you might like to see him... he was standing outside the Goldmark gallery.

 

Mary Newcomb was a rural artist who painted pictures of the strange and wonderful things we see in everyday life. Jill and I have started to collect 'Mary Moments' which  we happen upon during the week. They may be  very simple things, or quirky, or funny, but they add delight to our days. So when I was in Southwell on a very rainy day I spotted this Mary Moment outside the bank. I wish I knew what the dogs were called but for now I think it was something oldfashioned like Sid and Mabel. They look as though they are waiting for the bus to come...

 

Recently I went to an exhibition of vintage sewing equipment. Just the sort of thing I loved in my mother's wicker sewing basket as a little girl. Cards of white calico covered buttons  named 'The Imperial' and 'The Night Owl'. Cardboard reels of waxed linen  thread called 'The Sentry', used for sewing buttons on to my dad's army uniform. A wooden darning mushroom I remember her using to darn her stockings...The packet of needles with Flora Macdonald on the front. These are all displayed in deep picture frames in my sewing room now, along with a button hook  and a treasured set of Braeloo ribbons for replacing the straps on ones petticoat.... But here is one of the things from the exhibition which I so wish I owned.....and you never know what will turn up in all the charity shops I visit...

         

Barney's legs don't all work together any more. Sometimes the back ones get in a tangle. Often the front ones trip over themselves. Most of the time I pretend I haven't noticed... its a question of his dignity and doggy pride. He doesn't know he's getting old. In his mind he is still chasing those rabbits at full belt, tail waving like a big flag... But today was different. Today he took himself off to the bog when I wasn't looking. And got in. And couldn't get out. So after a struggle to get him out and me not in, if you see what I mean, we tottered home. For a bath. Not a popular move with someone... but hey, there are fish skins for tea and life is not so bad...

 

Today I have been doing important recycling. At my local charity shop. I am aware its an addiction, I can't walk by without going in. And I know that lots of you have the same urge. Its next to the level crossing in Lincoln and when the barrier is down I could wait patiently for the train to come. But also I could do some recycling....all those lovely things which have been donated by kind people...So here is my gorgeous new (to me) skirt... its saving the earth too...

 

He follows her everywhere, they are often found in our garden. Clearly he adores her. He invites her for long walks through the daffodils and occasionally they go swimming together. He wears his best jacket with a green hood and a very dashing pair of yellow socks, all to impress her. But she flirts , pretends she can't see him, walks off in a huff, looking for someone better....Maybe they will settle down in the end and have a family. After all, he is a fine handsome chap, a girl could do worse.....

 

Bunches of daffodils, lunching out, chocolates? No, the best pressie is tickets to Crufts best in show day. So daughter and I set off for Birmingham NEC for a day with hundreds of dogs. They come in all sizes and colours. One reminded me so much of our previous spaniel...we spent a long time chatting to her...

During the cold weather we all need woolly jumpers. These come in lots of colours and patterns. Some of us are tall and slim, but those of us who are  smaller and curvy know that horizontal stripes may be not such a good choice. But when the stripes are in lovely pinks and the jumper is a perfect fit, then we should just enjoy being cheerful and warm.... at the Unravelled Knitting Day, Farnham Maltings.....

A lady called 'Mouse' is worried that her blog http://mousenotebook.blogspot.com/ gives the impression that she lives a perfect life. and her life is not perfect, it has up and down days just like the rest of us. But she takes beautiful pictures and makes lovely things and likes to write about them and her blog is full of interesting thoughts. Now I wonder any of you think I live the perfect country living life here in muddy Lincolnshire?  Is my house a spotless haven of calm and order? Well I'm just going to show you two things. My ironing pile and the piano lid.

             

Today I was feeling very tired of these  oh so cold, grey days. Our walk this morning was very muddy and the mud was very cold. Action was needed. Where could bright colours, warmth and cheerfulness be found?  I required a change of scene. To a very welcoming place. So this is where I went.... my local shop for essentials....Wisteria Patchwork....and here is lovely Joy holding up a Project Linus quilt in Lynne's wonderful wooden building, full of delights for the addicted quilter. And what's more, they're having a sale next week!!  This is the link for Project Linus if you would like to know more. http://www.projectlinusuk.org.uk

This morning as Barney and I ambled across the common the sun came out. It shone warm on our faces, a pale lemon yellow ball in a soft blue sky. We were delighted. Its been so long since we had a sunny walk. Barney was looking for rabbits and I started to look for other yellow things, leaves, stalks, no daffodils yet. This is what I found, tiny gold and yellow lichens encrusting the hawthorn twigs. Just like the most  expensive jewellery. Lovely to have a small glimpse of the spring to come.

 

When its so gloomy and wet a makeover and new hair cut is just the thing to cheer you up. A shampoo and new style makes you feel a new person, lighter of step, energetic and full of enthusiasm for new challenges.... Sometimes a style makeover takes a whole day and you get very tired. You may even go to sleep at the hairdressers.

But its all worth it when people say such complimentary things and you look years younger too.

The postman has knocked with a parcel. Inside, a lovely surprise. Louise has sent me a little hessian bag and on it is printed a picture of her girls tucked up in one of the quilts I made for them. Such a clever idea to print  photos onto canvas which gives texture to the print. And such kindness to send me a permanent reminder of her family and the quilts I made for them. It will be a treasure to me and the quilts will be treasured by them and so I feel very happy this morning.

 

Dani has asked me to make her a memory quilt from Matthew's  outgrown clothes. Matthew is nearly two years old, blond and very smiley. Of course his clothes are very small, with lots of poppers, but when its finished Dani will have something to remind her of when he was newly born and worn tiny babygros. Which will be lovely when he is six feet tall and keen on rugby. I was reminded of such a quilt made for Nicola by Helen. It used all her little dresses and summer shorts. We used it for many years. Now it is faded and worn but still loved and treasured by me. So here it is and so much better than a suitcase full of  little  clothes in the attic.

Yesterday in the late afternoon I saw  a dog fox near the pond. He ran so swiftly, tail outstretched, following the line of the fence. Ginger fur, bushy brush and a black strip to his face, just like the gentleman in the Beatrice Potter story. Today as Barney and I were nearly home I heard the vixen bark. As we neared the gate she came down the hill, really close, and with her were two of last year's cubs. I was absolutely delighted. I have never seen them before. But Jane won't be pleased. The pheasants she feeds every morning are so tame now. And the foxes are clearly very hungry.

I found him at the bottom of the garden.Tired, cold and muddy. And still carrying those heavy buckets. Only three buttons to do up his yellow jacket and a red hat to keep his ears warm....The snow covering his boots and the wind whistling around him. He arrived in the summer as a surprise helper for someone in the garden ( you know who you are...) and now he struggles on alone and forgotten. Please everyone, check your gardens in case you have someone who could do with a helping hand in the cold weather.

 

Yesterday I packed away the Christmas decorations for another year. Over coffee with my dear friend Jill, she told me how she had looked out over the snow and seen the full moon. It hung in the night sky but seemed to be exactly at the top of her Christmas tree. Like the most beautiful decoration. We agreed this was a Mary Moment ( if you don't know what a MM is, scroll down to 21st July 2009) .So, a moon not a star and not in the east but something to be  marvelled at and looked on with wonder. a good beginning for the New Year.

A very Happy New Year to all of you who log onto this page. Do leave a message so I know I'm not talking to myself!  Here in Lincolnshire we have a winter wonderland and Barney our Springer dog is fed up getting snow bobbles stuck between his toes. Glum is a word which certainly could be applied to him at present!

In between Christmas and New Year we have been to a wedding. This involved a journey to the family homelands of Edinburgh. Sporrans were required. Despite my many married years I have never actually seen husband wearing a kilt. I did spot a grainy black and white photo in a family album of him aged thirteen wearing what could have been one and there was a story of four brothers at a birthday party.... who knows the truth of such rumours... So we dressed in our finery on the day and I found myself admiring a fine pair of legs in white socks. And so, dear reader,( as Jane Austen would write) I was rather pleased to find myself married to them already!  And there were also other legs, kilts, charming smiles  and beautiful girls to make a wonderful day altogether.

 

Everything that needs to be finished is finished and everything that needs to be posted is posted so  I'm giving myself a holiday from the sewing room and decorating the Christmas tree. It's time to make and eat the odd mince pie and sing carols at every opportunity and loudly too. So I just want to wish everyone who visits my website a very Happy Christmas and to say thank you to my friends and customers for your support this year. Jo gave me this little tea light holder last year. This year I 'm giving her a pair of silver elephant earrings and a festive jar of homemade bramble jelly.....

Nettleham Old School craft fair has been a big success. I got lots of compliments about my stall and the things I make. My egg cosies were compared favourably to those of a famous designer! The fabric covered sketch book was bought by an artist from Newcastle and many cards were sold too. Lots of people stopped to chat. Did they want to ask about quilts or was it because of the glamourous blonde behind the stall? Daughter, home from the high seas and far away lands came to help... You can't see me because  I'm hiding behind the quilt stand!

I am being bullied at work. My tormentor has four large furry feet, soulful brown eyes and no conscience at all. If the entertainment is poor and the lack of a new bone evident, he empties my wastepaper bin. All over the floor. Fabric scraps and threads fall everywhere, paper is shredded and spat out. We have had words about his lack of consideration and general behaviour.... and then I give in...because he looks at me, head on one side, and I'm sure he smiles...and he's so loveable, so bad behaviour is rewarded yet again...a new bone appears...

 

Its freezing here and last night it was frosty too. I was tempted to wear my socks in bed. Husband bravely offered to warm up my side before I got in. No hottie bottle could be found. An extra quilt was needed by any of us who had chilly toes....and they can be made in all sizes...so there's no need for anyone to shiver in bed...You can see the design of this one on the 'gifts' page.

I sometimes think I should try to make more contemporary art pieces. But then I go to a quilting shop and there I see a  little hanger. American folk art of the log cabin period has a powerful appeal. Is it years of watching Little House On The Prairie, snuggled up on the sofa with  my lovely girls which makes me  secretly love long skirts and frilly petticoats all worn with boots? Maybe, and I can't resist a heart shaped wire hanger either... so look on the smaller gifts page and see my log cabin folk art hangings....now where's my long denim skirt and suede boots!

The hawthorn bushes are hung with fantastic ruby jewels. Today the berries stood out against the bright blue sky, strung together like like beads on a string. The pheasant as returned from his summer seclusion and he has a new wife. Well actually he has several new ladies in tow, wives, girlfriends, casual relationships...who knows as they all wear the same dress... he is too shy to photograph, but Jane can feed him by hand. Barney finds his Springer instincts are too much for this and will chase him, even if it is very slowly these days!  What a beautiful day on the common after so much rain.
   

     

We have a rat living in the garden, well very near the back door really. Often we see him in the afternoon, pottering around the bird feeder. We tempted him with jam  spread at the entrance to the humane trap, we would like him to move somewhere else....and in the morning we found we had had a visitor.... husband set  him free the first day, then a few days later he was back...Was it the same visitor, how can we tell? Shyness made him curl up, both wore exactly the same prickly jacket in the same size and colour...who knows how big the family is too!


 

Most months we have tawny owls in the garden. One wonderful summer we had baby owls roosting in the willow tree. They squeaked and shouted throughout the day, wouldn't go to sleep and were always hungry. We could visit them by walking under the hanging willow branches and they would look down in surprise. Recently husband and I had a holiday in Ironbridge. We visited the Jackman Tile Museum. Here are some owls we saw. Now I badly want an owl on the roof.....real, pottery, carved , I don't mind, they just have such a presence!

   

     

Looking out of my kitchen window  I realise I have a new neighbour. She is a most glamourous lady and today wears a very fashionable pair of strippy tights in brown and yellow. Her legs are very long and slim, the kind of legs I'd love to own. Actually she wears four pairs of tights.... and I think she will become a yummy mummy next year...



 

Louise told me an amazing tale. It was a hot sunny day  so they took their new baby and her big sister to the park. They sat down near a flower bed and as they talked a fox came out of the bushes. It curled up right near the pram and slept as they chatted. I have been reading a book by Janet Bolton, an internationally acclaimed applique artist. She creates pictures of interesting things in fabric and stitch. They are very simple and attractive. So here is my attempt to record Louise's  'Mary Moment'.

Well, now I am a Great Aunt. Fraser John is my great nephew and he is nearly two weeks old. What does a Great Aunt do? Will I need a very big handbag and wear dresses with a large floral print? Should I supply him with unsuitable sweets when his parents aren't looking and send him strange birthday presents? Its been a difficult time for him and I am really looking forward to meeting him when he is allowed home from the special care baby unit. A new baby is a miracle and a wonderful hope for the future. Still he needs very small socks at the moment!



 

I have been wasting time looking at some old fashion magazines of my mums. I  love the elegant drawings of women with tiny waists. I'm not going to show you , but  from reading the other pages, I know these are due to 'Good Foundations, as important to successful dressing as they are to safe buildings'. So maybe my foundations are too wobbly for my building to be safe...But there is still time to make sure that zips are reliable... must get one of those frilly aprons though...

 

We are expecting visitors. Two of them are aged six and three years old. So I have been cleaning the cooker.I enjoyed it so much I thought I would tackle the fridge next. Then it was time for coffee and a friend dropped in.  We rearranged all the furniture to see if it looked better. I love the shaker blue units.I might  clean the bath next followed by a little light dusting in the sitting room....

Today we are going to eat the carrots I have grown in my garden.  In Lincolnshire carrots grow  in vast fields  without any fuss. In my garden they only grow in  special tubs, in special compost  and need to be talked to kindly every day.These are pampered carrots.  But satisfaction levels are very high as I stagger up the garden with home grown veg gathered in the corners of an apron and they taste wonderful too. These are the most expensive carrots ever...



 

Yesterday  was a wild, wet and windy day and  during  the dog walk that neither  of us was enthusiastic about , I was suddenly  struck  with the  horrific thought that I had forgotten how to  make Chocolate Brownies.  This  issue  had  to be addressed as soon as we got home . One must face up to these sudden fears.  Also  the brownies needing testing  to  check they still tasted the same. What if they were different at the other end of the tin?  It's hard being a  chocolate brownie  tester...

Everyday at around 4pm  a Red Admiral butterfly arrives on our picnic table. Clearly it is HIS picnic table and no one else is allowed to sit at it. He fights off everyone, other butterflies, blackbirds, bumblebees and me. He rushes in, beautiful wings whirling and antennae waggling  fiercely. He lands on my head and on the table in front of me glaring menacingly. Everyday he wins too as angry or not he is so brave I have to admire him! Such conviction that he owns the world!.


 

I thought I would make a tea cosy. This seemed really easy. I measured the teapot and cut the pattern. It looked enormous! So I made it the 'right ' size... and it turned out to fit the coffee pot instead, only now the hole for the spout is in the wrong place.... so now it will have to be an uncomfortable  coffee cosy. Back to the girth measuring of the teapot...

Barney our Clumber cross Springer spaniel is 13 years old. We know that's very old for him but he doesn't.  This morning he ran off with one of my trainers, just like he used to years ago.Well really he hobbled off slowly, but  he still gave me that "catch me if you can, come on chase me" look. Of course I did chase him. Very slowly! Hope I feel like that when I am  over a hundred like him!

 

My lovely friend Jill has introduced me to the  naive paintings of Mary Newcomb. She painted  pictures of  rural life and the secret  world of insects. Her paintings have made me look much harder at the world around me. Now Jill and I swop 'Mary moments' when we have seen something which makes us smile. Last week I found a  huge May bug asleep in the middle of a bright pink rose, yesterday I saw three crows at equal distances chatting on a fence . These are 'Mary moments'. I bet we all see them but don't know what they are....now you know!

 

Today  I gave an interview live on BBC Radio Lincolnshire. I have never been on the radio before. It was about Project Linus UK and the quilts we make for children needing an extra hug in Lincolnshire which are given as a gift to them from  the generous ladies who make them. It felt like two ladies having a chat!  Amazing really....

Project Linus UK quilt made by my friend Margaret