April 2017 Photo Hunt

I am once again joining in with Hawthorn Spellweaver (click here to visit her blog and see links to other people who are taking part).  She provided us with a fresh list of words and I found some quite hard; I knew what I wanted to use but the photo opportunity did not appear!

So here is my best effort!

1  New

I  spotted this delightful willow work sculpture near a former Post Office on the outskirts of

our village.  Who ever made it did well to capture the essential elements of a mother ewe

and her lambs.

2  Rust

This was hard!  I had all sorts of ideas but never the photo opportunity.

The rust coloured Highland cattle seemed to have disappeared from their

usual place; rust coloured leaves left on the beech hedge were so pale

now.  I associate the word rust with old, possibly useless items but I

wanted to indicate life.  So I was pleased to see the rust coloured outer

layers on this chestnut tree bud and the rusty piece of metal reminds me

of possible quilting patterns...  so two for the price of one!

3  Box

I love boxes, wood or plastic or fabric covered card.  I made this one from a kit

many years ago and it holds some of my essential sewing accessories.

4  Ingredients

I need to make a quilt for a large sofa we inherited when we moved here just over 2 years ago.  

The new quilt is very much in the planning stage (ah the joys of planning); I am fairly certain 

I have enough fabric ....  I've lots of books to browse through and I've no shortage of quilting and

sewing threads.  So I possess most of the ingredients!  Just need to finalise my pattern 

and then I can start.  So much for the New Year Resolution I made, ie finish UFOs and

don't start new projects......  

5  Begins with D - Dry stone walling

For years (20+????) we lived with the edge of the chicken run sloping down

to the 'path'.  Suddenly I decided I could build a dry stone wall to neaten

it and contain the soil.  Soon after I finished it we moved house but

it was good fun to do!  I had to make it wide enough to Beloved

could get his tractor up and into the chicken run.

6  Mechanical

Friday 31 March the Flying Scotsman was going to travel from Oakworth to Carlisle.  We did think we might drive towards Ribblehead to see it, knowing we'd not get to park at Ribblehead itself unless we left very early.  Beloved found a timetable and we would have had to leave at about 6 am...  so we decided to give it a miss.   Pity as I did want to see it.  Later that day we did drive there and there was no great evidence that a lot of people had been there.  

Three days later we went out for a drive and as we dropped into Haworth, we noticed people on the bridge over the railway line.  As we drove past the station, there was the Flying Scotsman!  Beloved found a place to park (on a steep hill of course) and we walked back to the station.  Just as we were almost there, there was a chuffing sound, with lots of stream and then it chuffed off!  No time to take a picture.  Back to the car and on the road to Oxenhope.  I knew it would get there before we did but I had my fingers crossed that it might linger there.

Yes I was right!  Can you image when we got there (about 5 pm) a railway man told us where to park (free), and then where to go to take pictures.  What a treat.  It stayed there for about 20 minutes before it left.  We had a lot of time to look at it.  Talking to a man with a very expensive looking digital camera, I said we considered going to Ribblehead.  He said he went, took some fantastic photos but the place was mown out with people!

What a lovely thing!  What a treat to be so close, for so long.  It would have been nice to see it go over Ribblehead but it would have only taken a couple of minutes.  Here there were not a lot of  people either.  What a great drive out it was.

Years ago as we drove to Skipton, we noticed a lot of people by the railway bridge.  So Beloved managed to park and we walked back.  I asked what was going to happen.  Mallard was due!  She came by and we saw her.  This would have been in about 1985, pre-digital camera and, whilst I did have a film camera, I rarely took it out with me.  So now I have seen 2 iconic steam trains.  I used to travel on them as a child and love the sounds and smells associated with them.

7  Something seasonal

During the lunch break at our local Quilt Area Day I went for a walk and

there was a lovely magnolia beginning to flower.  It was a beautiful blue

sky but it was not warm!

8  Recently finished

I like to have some simple crochet to do late at night; something that needs little concentration!

I finished this recently and it was destined to go to the local cat rescue place but

a fellow Knit N Knatter colleague begged me for it so I obliged her!

It is called African Flowers.  I dislike sewing blocks together as I find it so boring.  Here

I used Join As You Go; works for me!

Click here to see the pattern for the actual flower block.

Click here to read about using Join As You Go.

9  Begins with R

Ah my beloved Rheum palmatum (ornamental rhubarb) with the morning sun lighting up its

leaves.  It grows to be at least 2-3 m tall and its leaves spread over about 2 m.

Beloved hated it as he blamed its size for interfering with the satellite signal!

In the end he extended the pole on which the satellite dish sat...

When we were planning to move house he stated that it was not coming with us.

About 9 months after we moved here he spotted one in the garden!  

Little does he know I brought 7 chunks with me and they have all taken.....

I call her Gloria ....  

10 Own Choice

I've never had a traditional Christmas tree for a variety of reasons.  Last Christmas I was 'told'

by a friend that our new house would easily accommodate one.  So I decided to make an

alternative one; it is an ash branch, yarn bombed with space-dyed yarn.  After Christmas

I took off all the ornaments and put it temporarily away.  Beloved said he missed it so

I put it back (complete with red lights) and have used non-Christmas tree ornaments

to hang from its branches.  I realised the other week that I was vary fashionable

as I apparently had an Easter tree!  Yes there were (note the word WERE) some

small chocolate Easter eggs hanging on the tree but they have all gone....

Well that's all for this month.  I hope some of my ramblings made you smile (or even sigh!).

Now I must go and look at everyone else's photos.  Don;t forget you can click here to see other people joining in with Hawthorn this month.