This the time of year when resolutions should be made. So I have resolved to throw away the bathroom scales. And my resolution has been successful.  Now I no longer see them lurking in the bathroom, daring me to stand on them when I know they will make me miserable most of the time. So they have gone. Lovely Grandpa gave me a Christmas cheque and I have spent it on a keep fit machine. Rowing, jogging, weights you may ask? Well this one is for use in the fresh air and comes with a lovely basket. And it is for Ladies. It is a Ladies Bicycle and I can wear skirts if I wish. I intend to spend lots of time sailing along, gripping the lovely leather clad handlebars and balancing elegantly on the leather sprung seat...which is also for Ladies.... With flowers and library books in the basket and the sun shining, it will be perfect. Now I need to practice doing that clever way of twizzling your legs as you jump on and off..............

 

I am very excited as this year we are going to have a special visitor. She is six months old and very chatty. She is also the owner of a very sunny smile and gorgeous chubby feet. She and her parents will be staying for a little while. I am hoping for a serious amount of cuddling.... And so I have made a quilt to welcome her. It is from a pattern designed by an American young mum who quilts on the other side of the world. The internet is so great for virtual friends! It is a hang out the flags quilt, a pink bunting surprise quilt. She can use it on our cold hard floors. I'm so pleased with it and it used up lots of pretty scraps from the pile in the sewing room. so here it is, a welcome to Lincolnshire quilt...

 PS.  I just wanted to show you the quilt I have made as  a Christmas present for an elderly friend. It is made from four old  woolly jumpers and the back is a lovely warm soft piece of fleece material. It has a very tactile feel and when rolled up, you just want to cuddle it. I hope it will keep his legs nice and warm in the car and at home.

 

Having just finished ironing on the yak to Peggy Rose's alphabet quilt, I am  closing the door of the sewing room until the New Year.  This year very special stockings have been hung up, but the owner won't be here until the end of January.  In fact they are little sheepskin boots and they belong to my gorgeous baby grandaughter. And the best Christmas present for me is that our Singaporean family are moving back to the UK. And even better, they are going to live with us until they are settled.... excited, me?? So I just wanted to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas. Thank you for all your custom, encouragement, enthusiasm for my quilts and the lovely comments on the blog and in the guest book throughout the year,

Happy New Year everyone

Have you noticed there is a lot of Christmas music about when you are shopping? If I don't concentrate very hard on my shopping list, it is very easy to find I am singing along.  Yesterday, as I trundled down the cereals aisle I was horrified to realise that I was rocking along to 'All I want from Christmas is you....'. Yes, singing merrily.  In the paint shop, choosing a lovely lemon yellow colour, I hummed along. And to the shocked face of the young boy assistant who appeared around the end of the display of paint tins, I found myself murmuring 'Santa baby, just hurry down the chimmey tonight...... 'in the breathy tones of Marilyn.......he disappeared rapidly, looking rather pale!

  

In between the wild winter storms there have been several frosty mornings here. Our poor garden has been blown about by whooshing winds and driving rains. Some nights I have feared for the greenhouse filled with shivering geraniums, still bravely flowering. Then there are the early mornings when frosty diamonds glitter everywhere. There is a raw bite to the wind and the blackbirds hang around the kitchen door, waiting to be fed. Walking down the garden one morning, I realised the hydrangeas were putting on a spectacular show. Three big bushes had gone into colour overdrive. I was thinking about the quilt I am making for Charlotte and suddenly there were the colours reproduced in the garden. Each flower with a delicate rim of icy glitter which lasted until mid morning. You can see the finished quilt at the bottom of the commission diary page.

 

On Sunday I had a lovely time in the garden raking leaves. An enormous pile of leaves is such a satisfactory thing, I felt I had completed a very big job using a lot of energy. No excuse was needed for that extra choccy biscuit..... I had worked very hard. The big heap showed I was worth it, and maybe a third one too........... Sitting with my coffee at the picnic table, the light was fading, the afternoon nearly gone. I looked at the apple tree, it was decorated with golden bobbles. Like the most expensive Christmas tree. The setting sun made the apples glow. It reminded me that it is time to read my favourite book, The Magic apple Tree by Susan Hill. She writes about the seasons in her rural home in Oxfordshire. If you haven't read it, you have a huge treat in store and you need to read it at least twice a year.  I hope you love it as much as I do.........

Still on the theme of knitting, I must show you my latest project. It involves Using Things Up, a great virtue of my mum, who never threw wool away. So here it is, my Mystical Stripe Jumper. That is the name of the pattern, which I must say I am not following entirely. Well hardly at all really. Soon I will own a fabulous and not at all eccentric jumper. And all knit from my  hoard of blue and purple wools. In stripes. And simple Fairisle blobs. It will be unique and I will be mystically striped from shoulder to hip.....I may show you when it is finished, just another arm to go........

I rarely get time to venture into Lincoln, but last week I rushed in to meet a friend. My highly tuned fashion sense ( ha! )  instantly noted that there is a lot of knitting  about. In fact there is a lot of knitting everywhere. And there are Ponchos! I can't remember when we last had ponchos, maybe 1975....... I was astonished. On arriving home I dived into my extensive knitting pattern boxes and found this, saved by my mum from Woman's Weekly magazine. There they stand, gazing dreamily, a gentle smile on their faces, wrapped in their ponchos and now the height of fashion again. I expect you would all like a copy of this pattern. So that you too can knit or crochet your own poncho. And stand, looking poised and sophisticated, as they do... or you can just gaze in awe. Did we really wear such things? Please send photos........

 

My gorgeous grandaughter has several little naps each day. My voice on skype seems to send her to sleep. Like a soothing lullaby. Or a boring television programme in the evening! Here in my garden it is time to put plants to sleep for the winter. The roses are pruned down to prevent root rocking in the cold winds, old plants are cleared away and precious ones are tucked up with warm blankets of compost mulch. But what to do with my aubergine plants? Which have not produced a single aubergine.... On turning over a leaf I found the plant was a comfy hotel for several guests. A winter retreat for people who don't mind sharing a room, who are happy snuggled up together....The plant is going into the green house, I haven't the heart to compost it and evict them!

  

Last weekend husband and I went to a local farming show. It was a lovely autumn day and the animals were looking at their best. Pigs and piglets brushed and polished, the heavy horses with tails plaited and manes bright with ribbon. The sheep fluffed up, long ringlets  curled like Victorian girls, everyone so proud of their poultry and stock. The gymkhana was in full swing. Little moppets clinging on tightly to the saddles of their ponies as, with huge aplomb and steely determination they charged around the jump course. Charlotte on Cobweb got a clear round and were very pleased, extra polos for Cobweb tonight I should think.

There are things which we do every day which are mundane, repetitive, even boring. For me, many of these jobs are to do with housework. I once read about a writer whose hobbies were dusting, hoovering and ironing, but, she wrote sadly, that there was little time for her hobbies in her busy life. But there are ways that we can make these things more enjoyable. So now I have spotty pegs. And they came in a delightful box with a picture of a glamorous lady in a frilly apron. She looked so happy. And strangely, I feel happy when the washing is pegged out. With the spotty pegs. Such a simple pleasure to see them sitting all jolly on the line, but the mundane business of washing pegging is all the better for them!

 

I have neglected the blog I know. I have been having long conversations with my new grandaughter on Skype and admiring her dimples and gorgeous chubby thighs.  But we have also been to the north for a visit. Husband had an important meeting and I sauntered around Alnwick. I took my picnic to the countryside, it was a beautiful day. The local folk were very friendly. Everyone came to say hello and look enquiringly at my sandwiches. But when it came to the Polos I knew there wouldn't be enough to go round. So I felt mean, I didn't share, I hoped they wouldn't notice. But I did rub their ears and chat for quite a while...........

Yesterday I went to the dentist. I go because I am more scared of what will happen if I don't go. Life's a careful balance! To get there I walked along the Marina side, admiring the boats in the sunshine. Then I heard a loud whooshing and thwacking noise and to my delight seven swans decided to try the pond weed at the far end of the water. In careful formation so not to bump into each other, they ran along the surface of the water. Large webbed feet, toes spread wide, they slapped down on the water. Wings outstretched and beating hard and fast, the huge, heavy birds took off with enormous grace. It took the length of the marina to get airborne. Would they clear the bridge?  With careful calculation, they glided underneath and out the other side. It reminded me of a sculpture I saw in Newcastle on Tyne recently. And going to the dentist wasn't so bad after all.

 

Throughout July I have been in Singapore. It was a very special trip to meet my first grandaughter. I may be biased but she's gorgeous, so new, skin so soft  and hair all fluffy. I took along things I had made for her, a pink velvet rabbit, tiny cardigans, a coloured blanket I knitted in the winter. Also a baby dress which her mum once wore.  I was so glad that my daughter was safely delivered and her new girl was well. Did my mum have the same worries for me? I remember her making little baby nighties, arriving with apple crumbles, holding my daughters with such care. It's a precious gift to be a granny.

In my English garden I have a fiberglass wild boar near the pond. And blackbirds who have eaten all the raspberries. The bees which frequent the borage have nasty tempers and the squirrels bury walnuts. But my troubles are small. Denise in Ohio on the other hand, has racoons. The racoons have babies. And the babies are badly behaved. They use her pot plants as a litter tray. Now they have discovered the bird feeder. Here is the photo she sent me. I will stop complaining about my squirrels.......... and the racoons do look so cuddly!

 

Here in rural Lincolnshire our annual County Show is a big event. Held at our show ground, it attracts lots of visitors each year. The competitions are watched avidly as stockmen display their prize animals with great pride. The Lincoln Longwool sheep have their curls treated with hair spray to keep everything in place. Pigs are scrubbed to a pink gloss and cattle are brushed and combed to look so smart. Horses have their manes and tails plaited and beribboned for the party effect and everyone enjoys themselves enormously. Janet and I sampled the local ice cream extensively, well, it's got to be done by someone.....  Geraldine and her students showed their upholstery skills in the Rural Crafts tent and nobody seemed to mind when it rained a bit. At the end of a long day, exhibitors were tired but happy. We had all met friends, some old, some new. Some of  us were hungry too, chance for a quick snack before it was time to go home. Thank goodness for mum who was close at hand........

 

In our garden there are several young families being raised at present. The parents look tired and rumpled, rushing about in a distracted manner. Regular mealtimes are so important and snacks are required constantly. The babies, often more than one per family, are demanding. As big as their parents, they shout and yell for more food. They are not fussy, any worm will do, beetles, wire worms, bugs of all sorts are stuffed into their beaks by fond mums and dads. Today I was digging in the garden and a blackbird dad was constantly under my feet. As soon as the spade turned the earth, he was there. Catching food I couldn't see. Sometimes his beak was so full, everything was dropped like a carrier bag failure in a supermarket. Big worms fought back. But off he flew and then back again for more. Under a bush sat his sulky offspring. Beak wide open. But then baby hopped off. Dad arrived, lots of worms at the ready, so worried . Where was that baby? It should have stood still, stayed where it was left, done as it was told........and now the wrens have the same problem........and the robins.......

 

Husband has been given a rather special birthday present. It arrived carefully wrapped, a bulky and awkward parcel to carry. Was that a tail and could that be four ( rather rigid ) feet sticking out of the paper?  He was thrilled, it was just the thing. The present stood in the study for several days. It made me jump every  time I entered the room. It wasn't scary, it had rather a shy smile, but it seemed out of place. So this morning we went for a walk. Together. And now amongst the buttercups, in a damp corner of the garden, where he can rootle in the mud  when we are not looking, stands the birthday wild boar...........

 

Everyday throughout the cold weather he arrived outside the back door. He spent the day lurking under the bird feeder, sometimes perching on the back door ledge hoping for bread. I called him William, a very beautiful wood pigeon. Very soon it was clear he was bigger than the other pigeons. Much bigger. So he became William the biggest pigeon in the world. But a sad day has come. William couldn't escape the sparrow hawk. A pile of  feathers lay on the path, gorgeous shades of grey, pink and faintly blue. He had become a breakfast . I quite miss him around the kitchen door. So I have made a fabric picture after a workshop with the textile picture maker Janet Bolton. It is in folk art style, and William stands on a step next to a pink tulip from the garden. I have put a large pearl button above him, it's colours are like his feathers. No sparrow hawk in this picture.......but today I heard that three perigrine falcons have hatched on a ledge of Lincoln cathedral. They may be eating the sparrowhawk for breakfast soon....

 

I just wanted to show you the jelly babies new home. Having started out in my sewing room, they have travelled across the world and now some have new homes with the children at the Happy Home Orphanage in Sao Paulo. During daughter's working visit there, two new homes were built, one for a family of seven. So much happiness was given. It's a two way thing though, a lot was learnt. I hope the jelly babies behave themselves.........

Lovely daughter has been learning Portuguese and now she is off to Brazil. While she is there she will be living with families. What could she take as presents for the smallest children? Then I remembered that when our other lovely daughter went to China, I made finger puppets. I started off with gingerbread men. Then I branched out into jelly babies. There is a slit in their backs so little fingers can slide down into their legs and make them run along. In China they were a success and it delights me to think that they may still be making children smile there. So here they are, lined up, no luggage, waiting to fly off to Brazil, maybe with a packet of real jelly babies to keep them company...

 

Over the last two weeks there have been dreadful arguments in the garden. Over the coconut bird feeder. The robin found it first and it's his. There's no doubt in his mind, except when the squirrel arrives. Then he takes a back seat and grumps from the privet hedge. But otherwise he thinks 'It's mine all mine, want to fight about it?' As soon as anyone else arrives to feed, he is there. Wings whirling, red tummy sticking out and hurling abuse at the unsuspecting visitor. Blackbirds bluetits, even a woodpecker are seen off. And then he perchs smugly takes the occasional peck at it, he's won the day. Again. Until a beautiful hen robin appeared and now he's in love. 'Come over any time and share my coconut shell.... no strings attached.... I don't expect more....' he sings. ' I've found a lovely old teapot wedged into the hedge, it would make a great home for a family...' Will she fall for him? Ignore his bossy ways? He has a very beautiful red waistcoat after all, he's a handsome chap....

 

On Saturday I went on a hunt in the garden in the faint hope there would be snowdrops. Maybe in some sheltered corner there would be a sign of the spring we all long for. There are some other bulbs  showing above ground and tiny buds on the shrubs, but closed tightly against the cold wind. We need to make a big decision about the raspberry canes.... whether to dig them up and plant anew, but that requires much armchair thinking and leafing through gardening books and  plant brochures..... So no snowdrops yet. But there was one flower  bravely putting a head above the rim of a pot. A sweet little face, a bit pale, so delicate but perfectly formed. I shall carry on  looking for snowdrops too. It can't be long now!

 

Happy New Year everyone! And in the hopefulness of the new year my mind has turned to aerobic classes. But not for long..... I feel a bit lazy about it really, so maybe yoga with Pam would be easier... But in everyday life there is lots of exercise. There's hoovering, running upstairs, lifting shopping in and out of the car. But some people go to extremes. Stretches and bending which go a little too far. People should think carefully before they attempt this one...........

Everything is finished, Deah and Anya's quilts are posted, have arrived safely and are waiting under their Christmas tree. We have just enough snow to be correctly seasonal and enough mince pies to feed an army... Thank you to everyone who ordered quilts this year, I love to think they are all in use during the cold weather. Also thank you for all the kind e mails I  have had about how much you like the quilts I make. It's so encouraging! Some of you have babies on the way , so there will be more quilts to make next year and my news is that I will be a Granny for the first time in July - very exciting!
So now the sewing room door is shut. The wood burner stove is successfully lit. Stockings are hung up and tonight we wait..... Happy Christmas everyone.

 

I often like to sit in the garden. A cup of coffee, chocolate biscuit, the birdsong, it's all so enjoyable. I choose a comfy place, the swing seat or the picnic table, to watch the others who enjoy the garden too. And passing by are lots of birds, the occasional sparrow hawk and once, a little muntjac deer. But here is someone who didn't choose a comfy seat. Balanced with a wobble now and then, stolen peanut in hand, he perched for several minutes. For all the world as though he was a highly decorative hat for the stone mermaid who sits in the birdbath. Why? Only he  knows!

 

It's only now that I can say that Barney has died. I'm so glad that he hasn't had to suffer in this dreadful cold snowy weather, but I miss him so much. He was the best dog and he went with dignity.  Such a sad day. This is photo shows how I will always remember him.

 

   Quilt making has to be the best job to have at present. Here we are in Lincolnshire with enormous amounts of snow, ice, freezing fog but my job involves snuggling under Deah's quilt as I add the hand sewing to the bindings. Its a tough job but it has to be done.  Husband meanwhile is installing a wood burning stove in the sitting room. This involves a Big Crane for getting the liner down the chimney. Could he use this crane for other seasonal purposes.... with a red suit and a white beard I think he could make a lot of friends.... But now our garden looks like the second photo and we are really looking forward to the log burner welcome party!

               

Last week the weather was wild here although the sun shone. Barney and I ventured onto the common, me with a woolly hat and him with his ears blown upright. The hawthorn berries were bright red and shone like jewels on their stiff twigs, breakfast for hungry blackbirds in the weeks to come. High in the sky a heron was struggling to make progress, but the wind blew him about. He looked like a kite without a string. Eventually he gave up, landed and perched near the fence in a grumpy manner, looking cold and fed up. Barney is so slow now, joints painful but still positive about exploring rabbit holes....

 

Three years ago we had two baby tawny owls in the garden. They stayed awake all day like toddlers who wouldn't go to sleep and their parents must have been exhausted. As they got bigger they hopped about in the upper branches of the willow tree and if I walked underneath  and looked up, there they would be looking down at me in astonishment. It was a magical summer that year but sadly it has never happened again even though we have a perfect owl box set at just the right angle in the pear tree. Recently Jo asked me if I had found the owls in the cathedral and showed me where they were. So here they are, identical twins, who have watched the congregation from high on a pillar for centuries.

 

Now I don't want to appear smug and after commenting on the winter stash  tendencies of our squirrels, but I'm just going to swank about my jam jars. Which are full. All of them . Barney and I have been tottering around the blackberry bush on the common everyday for weeks. Me picking a small bag of berries daily and him lying in wait for any very slow rabbits who might pass by... Now the berries have been converted into jam. Not only blackberry, but balckcurrant, mulberry ( due to husband's scrumping efforts on the tree at work), and strawberry, due to a lucky buy in the local shop. The slugs have enjoyed my strawberries mightily! Lovely Jo sent me an appropriate postcard too which made me laugh, we both have favourite jam jars which have been reused over the seasons.

 

In Lincolnshire our Horse Chestnut trees are stricken with two problems. One makes them ooze a sticky tar like substance and the other makes the leaves die. In our garden the  tree near the house looks very sick. Never the less there is an annual replanting process going on. People with  bushy tails  are very busy, rushing about, burying conkers... anywhere will do....flowerpots, the middle of the vegetable patch, in the lawn.... What few conkers we have are being distributed around the garden in a random fashion which denotes  a short memory span by our population of grey squirrels. They also steal peanuts and bury those. And walnuts and bury those too. And my tulip bulbs have disappeared, the alium bulbs never got chance to appear at all, and I can guess who dug them up! And I won't  mention the hazelnuts, but I can hear  the squirrels as they run along the sewing room roof, between the hazel tree and the  back garden, so I know what they are up to!

She had been in the garden for some time, but husband found  her one sunny afternoon. Her swimsuit needed some attention, but her figure was still shapely. How had she got there and where she had come from is a mystery, her name a secret still.... but the least I could do was find her a New Man with a sports car in racing green.  He looks keen but his legs are a bit stiff, he's more used to driving a tractor, but I hope they will be very happy together....

 

This weekend it was cold on our beaches in Lincolnshire. The wind whistled across from the north sea and we wore jumpers and jackets as we strolled along looking at the beach hut exhibition. But some of us were carrying on with their jobs stoically. Giving delight and raising a smile on the faces of small children. Carrying on  work with a long tradition; a job description  little changed for fifty years. At the end of the summer season there is a  prize for the best turned out employee, maybe with the most  professional attitude to their work.... and then there is a long holiday, a chance to relax, run round a field, eat lots and reflect on a job well done... So here they are Buzz and Bart , two chaps from a team of seven, cheerful, brushed, saddled, and waiting to be ridden....

 

The Humber Estuary is in North Lincolnshire. It is very wide and spanned by the Humber Bridge which I think is very beautiful. Over the weekend we visited  The Ropewalk Gallery at Barton on Humber for the first day of the Max and Jill Marschner exhibition called 'Sights: Sites'. They are amazing artists and I am so lucky to be living next door to them. After seeing the gallery display we walked out along the Humber estuary bank path. It was a hot sunny day and the tide was out. Wading birds looked for afternoon tea in the mud and the light shone in pearly pinks and blues across towards the bridge. It's a marvellous place to visit and we can recommend the cafe too.

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