March 2020 Photo Hunt

Hello everyone; hope you are all keeping safe.  Now for some 'happy' photos given the current situation most of the world is living with.

1   Birthday

We don't celebrate birthdays and the like here but there is a birthday today as it is 5 years ago that we moved into our current home.  Where has the time gone?

Here is my favourite bit of our new home.

The seating area overlooking the garden; my 'chair' is on the right.  From here I can see the 

garden and watch the little birds that can get into the 'cage' on the veranda.

When I have my brews, you will find me here with my latest reading book.

Taken from the garden, looking up where I sit.

2   Jazzy

Couldn't resist this as my Jazzy photo; the apples are lovely and crisp.

3   Flag

Years ago (!) I used to be able to move 3' x 2' flags with ease...  not any more!

Here are the flags I used to make a better path to the polytunnel at the old house.

Taken in 2005.

Here I made a raised area, with flags, upon which I could stand various pots.

Taken in 2006...   hmmmm

The photo I had planned to include meant I had to go out and take a photo of it but 

in the current situation I did not go out but I used my initiative!

This huge flag is outside our Town Hall.  It is huge.  Thanks Google!

4   Three

I am still making quilts for Project Linus; here are three of my latest ones, all modeled by Beloved.

I added a flange border; a first for me.

Another flange border; a lot of extra work but I do like then.

They are not perfect but I'm still learning and having fun.

5   Cushion

I cannot remember when I bought this tapestry kit (over 15 years ago???) but

last year I finally made it.

6   Own choice

Who can resist lambs?  There are loads in the fields now so spring is here!

Well that's my lot for this month.  I'll be keeping an eye on who links with Hawthorn.  Thanks Hawthorn.

Five on Friday - Gratitude 13 March 2020

Every night as I try to go to sleep I do reflect on the day's gratitudes; I wake up several times during the night and try to focus of the next day's gratitudes.  Got to be positive!  So here are my most recent ones.

1   Project Linus

I am spending a lot of time making lap quilts for the charity Project Linus; it is an outlet for my creativity and, in theory, it is reducing my fabric stash.  I can try lots of new patterns and techniques on a small scale.

I finished this last week, having been inspired by a much bigger quilt I saw on Facebook.

2   Using my IT skills

Before I retired I used to teach adults various aspects of IT (database, spreadsheets, web design, etc etc).  Whilst I've forgotten a lot of it, I do know I can re-learn if I need to but I still use IT on a daily basis.  

Here I used Word to draw shapes to help me plan the quilt block shown in Gratitude No 1.

The paper is cut to size and assembled; here is the finished 'paper' block with notes to 

aid my cutting and sewing.  Yipee for Word!

3   YouTube

It has been so good to watch various quilt tutorials on YouTube, either for pleasure or to find out a better way to, eg, make half-square triangles, use Parrs Reel rulers, etc etc.  I'm so grateful for those people who have uploaded them to YouTube.  Thanks YouTubers.

4   Crafting

For some time now (at least 6 weeks and counting) the weather has not been good here; wet, windy, wet, wet, wet, windy, wet etc etc.  So grateful I can turn to my craft hobbies and have fun indoors (warm and dry) while Mother Nature is having a tantrum.

5   Nature on my doorstep

There are fields on 2 sides of our house and a river on another part of it.  We have been entertained by the birds etc that visit our doorstep.  Here are a few examples.

Sparrowhawk in the adjacent river.

Yes, a heron by the kitchen patio door....

Look at all the young pheasants plus a couple of adults.

Saved the best to the end!  An adult female duck visited in 2018, daily and we had the 

pleasure of watching them grow.  Yes, those are my feet, being stamped upon by

small, wet, webbed feet!  They did venture into the kitchen if I turned my back

upon them!  So grateful they chose our garden to visit.  We feed

them wheat of  which they ate a lot!

Thanks for visiting.

Bye!