29 January 2021 - Own Choice

Another week, another Friday and it's time to join Hawthorn for the photo hunt.  Click here to return to her page.

Own choice....  after much thinking I decided to think of a suitable theme for Own Choice and I choose SMILE. So here are a few events since last Friday that have made me smile.

My first bunch of daffodil blooms!  My second hyacinth

this winter and my first attempt at keeping an orchid.

So really it's 3 big smiles for me.

Look who arrived at 9 am ish on Monday.

In August 2020 we ordered a new greenhouse, a big one,

about 8.5 x 16.5 feet.

Not all the boxes and glass are for us...

Other people's orders left behind.

All the small glass inside the shed.

All the big glass panes are leaning on the shed and under the blue

plastic are all the cardboard boxes containing the metal framework.

Fingers crossed the chap will be free by early March

at the latest to come and erect it.  

The old greenhouse (6 x 6 feet) was here when we moved in

almost 6 years ago.  It was beginning to show its age and

last year I came to the conclusion I'd have time to play 

in a bigger one!  So I went and spent my cash!

First we cleared the site and got a local builder to put down

the 20 x 20 foot base.  Gosh it was muddy work for them.

In the meantime I had to postpone delivery of the greenhouse

twice as workmen and glass panes might not be a good combination.

The new one will go somewhere on the new base but we've

yet to make the final decision.  The plan is to re-erect the

old, smaller one next to it...

I took this photo of the greenhouse we bought at the garden

centre.  Ours is slightly longer....  So I await a phone call

from a chap, who is very busy erecting other people's

greenhouses at the moment.

Finally, I had to include a photo of Bob.  We go to our fields every day to feed the pheasants and Bob.  Sometimes we see 2 Bobs there.

As Beloved opens the gate, Bob often flies down to the gate post and then flies up along the hedge 

as we drive up to the shed.  Bob likes his wheat.

So, with a big grin on my face, I'll keep returning to Hawthorn's page to see who else has posted photos that make me smile.

Bye!

22 January 2021 Photo Hunt - Moon

All of a sudden it's Friday again and once more I take up the challenge given by Hawthorn with the word Moon.  Click here to see the photo(s) from other participants.

A few weeks ago there was a beautiful full moon and the light shone through into our upstairs lounge; did I think to take a photo?  No.....  silly me.  So I've had to raid my archives and found these.

Spotted whilst up at our fields in November 2005.

My attempt to capture the eclipse of the moon at night

(March 2007).

The moon lighting up the Solway Firth (sent by my

sister in September 2014).

Thinking outside the box; well it looks like the moon's

surface .... (puff ball, August 2011).

A card I made for a friend; she likes

hares gazing at the moon

(November 2014),

I had better get my hat on and think about next Friday's words Own Choice.  I do have an idea but it depends on other people doing their job.....

Bye!

15 January 2021 Photo Hunt - New

Once more I'm happily joining with Hawthorn in the latest photo hunt.  Click here to see who else has joined it.

NEW

Not the easiest word for me and it took a while before I had the germ of an idea.  Once I had the idea I had to make haste to be able to share the final photo with you today.

This is a NEW book; I was gifted it several years ago

by Blue and Yellow Morning; I seem to recall I finished

off a crochet blanket for her and this is how she said thanks.

It's a lovely book and I decided I'd make something from it

one day.  Well mid December 2020 I made a start.

Most of  the 30 blocks I chose to make presented me with NEW

challenges.  In the above block one is supposed to cut 

16 small squares (A above) and sew them together, then cut 9 larger

squares (C above) and sew them together etc etc.  There was no way I 

was going to do this and I made my blocks using strip

methods (I'll spare you the explanations).  As for B above,

I used the flying geese method to make them.

This involved me doing NEW research and sometimes

making NEW test pieces.

Here is my completed block; it needs pressing and trimming.

I decided I'd make a Project Linus quilt with 5 blocks across and 6 rows.

I finished it, apart from layering it with a black and white

zebra print, quilting it and then attaching a red binding.

Beloved is holding it up for me.  But it was so much fun even if challenging!

Yes black, red and white are my signature colours!

I am hoping next week's word (Moon) will be easier for me......  hope to see you then.

Bye!

8 January 2021 Photo Hunt - Gift(s)

We're off on the first Photo Hunt of 2021.  As usual I'm joining in with Hawthorn; click here to return to her blog to see who else is taking part.

Gift(s) - received

I was (and still am) delighted with the following gifts:

A thank you gift; all I did was order some yarn for her...

This came too.  Both will live on my tree.

Gift(s) - giving

I've offered to crochet a blanket for my brother-in-law and the yarn arrived before the start of 2021. I can recommend Wool Warehouse if you need yarn; they give excellent and prompt service.

Yarn waiting for me to spring into action.  It will be a 6 colour

ripple blanket from Attic24; click here to see the details

of the Woodland blanket I am using.

It's growing; 2½ repeats done; I think I'll do 13 repeats.

Gift(s) - from Mother Nature

We are lucky enough to own some fields close by and recently we've been thrilled to see a robin fly down to the gate as Beloved opens it, he then flies up alongside us as we drive up and then he flits around as we feed him and also the pheasants.

Here he is, waiting on the gate post.

Followed us up to the shed.

Looking at the wheat Beloved has thrown to him.

Posing for me!

This is just some of the many photos I've taken!

Thanks for taking the time to look and I hope you have plenty 'gift(s)' in your life too.

Bye!