Cheerio little babes

What a spectacle this morning.
A little yellow face at the window of the bird box, a sudden flurry of feathers and then up in the tree a baby blue tit.

I don't think it was the first but it wasn't the last. It sat and cheeped in the tree looking very grumpy

and calling to its parents. ...

who came and fed it and supported it.
Then I ran about the house looking for a better camera and came back just in time to see this...
A little head looking right...

left.....














and then making the struggle ....

and out.
(Click to enlarge the pictures, sorry they are a bit fuzzy ...I was excited)

Its a breezy chilly day. Its the Village festival day. The fairground has arrived on the sports field about 300yards away. In about an hour the children of the combined schools and nurseries of the surrounding area will process noisily through the villages and make merry on the field.
And there are half a dozen new baby blue tits in the hedges and trees in our garden.

Four wettings and a funeral.

If you are here looking for sewing I'm afraid there's none in this post, so if you are new, you could try looking at this post, or this post or even this post. And I like this too.

Now if you don't mind boring, too many words, read on.

The only part of gardening I am good at is destruction, so when the front door was almost completely covered with growth I decided it was at last time for the chop. I cut off the branches that had held the goldfinch nest, and look!!!


There was another egg in the bottom.
There should have been 6 baby birds in that tiny nest. Isn't that incredible?

Look at the size of it. Beautiful.

Yesterday we went to Aberystwyth.
(For UK readers that big bright thing in the sky is the Sun)

It was to attend the funeral of the father of our friend G, who lived in a village nearby. He was the original owner of the little sausage dogs, Porky and Blodwen. We got hopelessly lost, but eventually found the Crematorium, Now I know funerals and crematoria (?) are not perhaps blog material but I have to tell you that I have never been in a more beautiful, spiritual crematorium chapel ever. The whole of the wall behind the altar was made of glass looking out over the Welsh countryside.
A perfect place from which to step off into eternity.

The day was eventful. I got soaked and dried off about 4 times in the rain. Its a very long way from our house to Aberystwyth. We had a very short break on the way in Llanidloes, a cup of tea in The Great Oak. Fantastic. We were in a hurry but I would love to visit again. We had to rush past a Quilt Exhibition without even looking!

We missed the start of the funeral service but it didn't matter too much.
Our friend G had spent the week in her late father's house, mourning him by painting his life and home on the coffin. It was beautiful. So much nicer the usual varnished wood veneer. The sea, his boat, and fish on one side, wild flowers, a fox, an otter and montbresia flowers on the other, and of course, Porky and Blodwen at his feet, like a medieval knight's tomb. I wish I had a picture to show.

When we got to the 'funeral tea' place I offered to take the dogs for a short walk. I had been walking for a minute or two when the heavens opened and it began to thunder. I was holding an umbrella and had no waterproof coat. I decided to turn back , and at that moment a car came up the lane and a man opened the door and said 'get in.' It was absolutely bucketing down, hailing by now so I got in, with the sodden dogs, wondering if this chap had actually been at the funeral. I had no bag, or phone and he continued to drive, although at one point the hail was so intense we couldn't see out.
We got on like a house on fire. He was indeed a guest at the funeral and was going home to get his mandolin to play some music while we had the tea. His home was in 'the back of beyond' with a fabulous garden, with nasturtiums and passion flowers cascading over the wall. His 'other half' is a herbalist, and the garden was full of beautiful useful plants, and the sound of bees.

By the time we got back to the funeral party both my husband and G had been out in separate cars looking for me. They just couldn't understand what had happened, so there was much rejoicing when I walked back in.

We had a scenic drive round Aberystwyth before setting off for home via Gayles Wine Bar in Llangollen, for food. I can't recommend it too highly. Good unfussy but delicious food and a great atmosphere.

That was all probably too much writing so I won't tell you how I had to take the one piece selected for the Platform Gallery Open textiles exhibition and decided to incorporate delivery of with an afternoon out with my Mum, but then delivered the wrong picture so had to go again today.

And I won't mention that I also, that very same morning, drove 20 miles North to Forton Services on the M6 near Lancaster to meet someone I had never met before, who had a spare key to the car of our friend in Aberystwyth, (who actually lives in Lancaster)because her car key had snapped off in the lock outside the Spar shop in the Welsh village. So we could take it to her at the funeral.
Oh. I just did.

Well if you've read this far I may as well burden you with the 'Google reader Syndrome'.

I spend hours 'catching up' on google reader, leaving comments on all my favourite blogs, so that 'unread items' is at '0'. I go to bed and when I look again in the morning its back up to 25, and if I leave it it gets up to 185.....
I can't cope!
Does anyone else suffer from the same syndrome?

I got this


from Genie's Art World. Thank you so much. I'll pass it on later.
I also discovered today that I have gone up to 83 on the Top Blogs by Crafters list.

Such a show off.
Sorry.
Also sorry about only having one prize in my giveaway. I feel bad.

A Change is as Good as a Rest

We have lived in our house for 23 years.
All the rooms have been redecorated over this period and I don't just mean wallpaper and paint..I mean re-wired, sometimes new windows, re-plastering and so on.

The bedroom was the last thing to be done.
In 2005 it was completely stripped out..this is what it looked like then and we were still sleeping in it.



So you will understand that I may have gone a bit over the top when choosing the new things.


I indulged myself. I make no excuses. 20 years was a long time to wait.
400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. Lace pillowcases. New feather pillows and duvets, a mattress cover and a cover for the mattress cover.


All topped off with a one hundred year old hand quilted white and cream quilt from the Antique Textile Fair.

A lovely cream carpet with a big unnecessary extravagant rug on it.

And, after the first dog sick event, animals are banned from it.

I love my bed.

After 3 years I am still very grateful that I have such a lovely bedroom.

But I happy to report that , we will be spending a few nights in another bed.

In another place, where there is a lot of this.

And I shall be getting into it.

Very cheap middle-of-the-night flights have been booked. A little Greek house has been reserved.

House sitting friends have been organised.

Now I just need to lose three stone.

Or take my big wrap.

Don't forget I will be making the draw for the brooch tomorrow, Saturday. Leave a comment on the previous post if you want to be in it. (And you can leave one here as well if you like)

Mathematics

Small dogs + deep mud + walk =


Dog sitting again. They are a real pleasure.


(Owing to lovely comments, miserableness has been deleted here! Thanks)
Kim of oakmoon left me a lovely comment and gave me this.

Thank you Kim it cheered me up a lot and I must think about passing it on.
There are so many really lovely blogs out there and I am going to choose a couple .

Here are blogs that I find very entertaining and lovely to look at, so I invite them to receive the award.

Beading at the Beach is full of colour and lovely projects,
and if you want to dream of a rural idyll in the USA with exquisite miniature patchwork, look no further than The Shady Grove
I am being very throrough with this award and I am also going to add Margarets blog because I think it looks so beautiful and its quite new so I think she's done very well!
The award also goes to Viv who is a dear and supportive friend and her Hens Teeth is full of gorgeous and unique embroidery.
Sesga has a beautiful blog with lots of cute dolls, both human and handmade! She has probably already has this but I am awrding it to her anyway.
And finally I choose Charlotte from Fancy Picnic. She's having a break at the moment but will be back.
I think I have to choose 6. These awards go round and round and there are so many deserving blogs its difficult to choose. Its worth it because it keeps us all looking at each other for support and inspiration and friendship.

Natural and not natural.

Yetserday we had a meeting of the felt group where we reviewed the results of the natural dyeing day in July.
It was made possible by Fiona who spent hours boiling up noxious -but natural-substances in order that we could dye our wools, silks, felts, and threads.
Joan's,



Fiona's, shibori and with fabulous stitching,

Elaine's threads and fabrics,


Christina's wonderful academic record,



my own haphazard selection,


and Lesley's beautiful laminated scarf.

Here they are all together.

Lovely natural subtle shades.


Like these, wild flowers in the field I walk.
They've grown high now, its late summer but it doesn't feel as though we are in August.


Here's the next field.
In the far corner over to the right is a beautiful cottage that was coveted by many and has just changed hands.
Some lucky person with a lot of money is now in this 'Country Living' dream home.

And just look how its been improved, with a feature quite probably visible from outer space.

They've also chopped down half the trees along a very old and beautiful wall.
Oh well. Never mind. I can always walk the other way.
Now talking of gardens....
TA daaa!
A nasturtium at last.
The height, the pinnacle the very zenith of my gardening for this year.

Blog love and old jeans. EDITED.. LOOK AGAIN!

Charlotte at fancypicnic has made my week with her post about machine embroidery.
When I wrote the tutorial I didn't know if it would really help anyone but it seems it did. I'm so pleased.

Look what I got this evening from Daisie.
I am supposed to choose 7 other blogs to give it to but how can I? I love you all!
Thank you Daisie.
I've collected a list of 'Daisy ' blogs and called it 'The Daisy Chain'. We've got to stick together.

On the dressmaking front I got a full refund from the online shop where I bought the pattern. They were most apologetic. I have located a similar one in the Vogue Pattern book but its £13.50 so I have to think about it.
Meanwhile I will show you a dressmaking activity I engaged in some time ago for a 'Deconstruct/reconstruct' project in a Group I was in. I used my sons old jeans.
Its modelled by my friend Denise.
























While the eyes of the world are on the Beijing Birds nest ours are on the nest hanging from the clematis just inches from our front door. Our front 'vestibule' is now a 'hide' with stepladders so that we can view the 4 Goldfinch babies through the arched window above. There is much preening and fluttering and gaping beaks. I watched on Sunday as Mother and Father goldfinch visited at the same time with food. I can't swear to it but I think Mother fed two of the babes, then Father 're-filled' mother then mother fed the other two. Most of the time on Saturday Mother G sat and watched the rain . So did I.


I stand, at the top of a ladder looking through the fanlight, and here is the nest. Click on the picture to view the little sweeties..or should I say 'Tweeties'? There are 5 of them and they are just sitting up, all blinking at different times, and when a bus goes past they watch it...

Now for a grump.
What is it with FEET?
Every blog I look at these days has toes in it.
The first time I noticed toes was here where I thought they were very sweet, but now they're everywhere.
ENOUGH FEET!!!
I'm jealous. I have problems in the feet department. They work, I walk but thats about it.
You will never see my feet in Manolos.
Or a blog post.
Be grateful.

A year for every heinz.

Guess what yesterday was?

I was 57....(Hoo b***** ray!)
Oh well.
I had an absolutely lovely day. Lots of cards, flowers and gifts, and,as you can see, even a card from Porky and Blodwen. I wonder who lifted them up to the letter box?

I got a new chair for my sewing room from my husband, and this amazing book, which was a complete surprise. One of the advantages of leaving the 'Embroidery' magazine in the bathroom.
A big bag of goodies from my friend Denise and some lovely Kit Heath earrings from my friend Anne
I had a visit and another beautiful book from my favourite cousin.
My sons bought me this..and I'm sure one day they'll come and show me how to use it!
This was from my lovely Mum, who knows how much I like fine dining!
We had booked a meal at that particular restaurant for my Birthday treat by coincidence, so the vouchers came in handy. It was a shame my Mum couldn't come.

But the best bit of my Birthday was being with my nearest and dearest. I apologise for the atrocious photo, and for chopping my husband out altogether. I blame the wine and the lovely food. And I was overcome with emotion at the goings on at the next table ...a proposal with a ring in the dessert and everything.

The 'This is' game this week is 'what makes me happy'
Lots of things make me happy.
This fits the bill exactly.
Thank you friends and family for giving me a lovely, happy, birthday.

Space invaders

I didn't manage to get a good sharp picture of this before I sold it, so this will have to do. Its dyed silk velvet on a background of handmade silk paper, I lay the velvet on, cover it with sheer fabric, machine around it and cut the top of the chiffon away, then draw patterns with the machine.

I did the same with this.

These are not the 'Space Invaders' of the title but I suppose its an easy mistake to make. Right, thats the sewing over with, now for 2 horror stories, well, one horror and the other not too bad if you like mice.

The First Horror story.
The other night at half past midnight I was in the kitchen playing 'blogging' when I heard a teeny weeny little noise coming from somewhere. It was a regular noise which I can't spell, the nearest I can get is 'tchchchc tchchcch tchchchc'
I called in my Husband but, as you probably remember from the end of this post his hearing is not the best and he said I was imagining it.
But no, there it was, 'tchchch tchchc thchch' and it seemed to be coming from behind the cooker.
I got a torch.
I got a stepladder.
I climbed up and leaned over to peer behind the cooker.
BEHOLD!
A SLUG!
A yellow slug eating the yellow expanding foam we had put in the gaps to stop the slugs getting in. The builder who damproofed our kitchen left the holes on the inside wall and there are ornate Victorian airbricks on the outside wall.
Work it out.
(How much do you think it would cost to rip all the units out and replaster? I need more ETSY sales)
The 'tcchchc' sound coincided with it slimy little head moving from side to side.......I am distraught.
(But I must have bloomin good ears)
Please don't ask what happened next.

Interlude-A Summers day in Brinscall

The second not-quite-so-horror-and-a-little-bit-funny story

Another night at half past midnight when I was playing 'blogging' , our bad boy cat, Jools, came hurtling through the flap with four pink legs and a tail hanging from his mouth. I could see a definite wriggle so decided on a rescue mission. (Sometimes its just better not to)

I grabbed badboy by the scruff of the neck at which point he sank to the floor and dropped the dear little mouse which ran under him and was trapped with just his tail sticking out.

I held him down with both hands and shouted for my husband to come and grab the mouse. It took him ages but he eventually arrived , and made an unsuccessful grab for mousey, who shot off somewhere. We spent quite a few minutes looking under, behind, inside things, he'd just disappeared into thin air.

I had done a talk the night before and all the bags and boxes were in the hall so I assumed he had run in there.

H decided to make a cup of coffee, he filled the kettle, walked to the fridge, back to the kettle then next minute he was bending down squeezing his trouser leg like you squeeze a tube of ointment but instead of ointment it was a mouse, coming head first from the bottom of his trousers.

We couldn't catch it this time because we couldn't stop laughing.

Its under the kitchen units...somewhere.

Jools has lost interest.

I haven't.

Sometimes I'm ashamed of this blog. Other people write about deep things..philosophies, religion, family history, illness. Mine's just rodents and molluscs.

(By the way, does everyone know how to do machine embroidery? Would a post on tips and hints be of any use to anyone?)

This is...My most precious childhood possession.

Last week in a mad moment I came across a few bloggers playing a 'This is' game. I liked this one so I said I would join in.
I've been out all day and had forgotten all about it until I saw Julias version.
So here he is

No matter which way you look at him

he's in a bad way.

Its because 50 odd years ago when he was a lad, he used to get many a bath, and then he would get put through the mangle and hung out to dry like this. (Reconstruction)

So his nose is bit flat.

The theme was thought up by teacupsontreetops and the 'this is' game by three buttons.

Now, this is an edited version of the original post using my super duper newly accquired link-making knowledge so it might look a bit different if this is your second read of it.

What I really wanted to do today was to tell you about Mor Karbasi, but you'll have to click the link to her. My video won't upload . (Update: I've done it now, next post)

We went to Glasson festival and she was on at the afternoon concert and I spent all afternoon with tears rolling down my cheeks at the beauty of her voice.
Same thing happened in church this morning when we had a visit from the Ubangane Choir from Kwazulu natal. Just schoolchildren but they sang like angels.
What a lovely day apart from the weather. Rain...for a change.
Oh and I am really missing Porky and Blodwen.