Happy Summer!

Its been a while - my last post had the title Happy Spring and now we are in July and it is apparently Summer. We are enjoying sunny days and blue skies (as on this day in May at Llandudno) but also many grey days and lots and lots of rain.

I've been busy making of course and trying to keep the garden in some sort of order, as well as working part time, volunteering in the charity shop and sharing the care of my frail 92 year old mother. I've also been keeping in touch on line via my social media accounts - my Facebook page is up to date, I occasionally "do" Twitter and when I inherited a smartphone from my nephew I was finally able to have an Instagram account - something I'd been wanting for some time.  However my blog has been neglected and I'm sorry but I have been determined to catch up with myself before Autumn sets in!!!!!!! Today is that day.

I'm thinking I can't possibly update on everything so here are just a few things I've made. I made this little quilt for a friend's first baby. I actually started and blogged the little embroidered patches in January though the quilt was't put together and sent off until May. I hadn't made a quilt in years so this small project was just right. And apparently baby Mai and Mum in Hawaii love it.

And this little pin tray says it all where my crafting time is concerned - embroidery, hand and machine has been my love over the last few months. 

I've been practising my machine 'handwriting' a lot and have been able to use some of my stamps and dies for applique.

I gained a new stitching hero too - Minki Kim at Minki's Work Table. I've found so much inspiration on her blog and excitingly there's a book due for publication in September - can't wait!

The other time consumer is the garden of course. With all the rain the garden has been growing apace and is rather turning into a green jungle - apparently its the same all over the country at the moment. Turn your back on a weed for five minutes and it will always take advantage. But my old faithfuls still seem to fight their way through - like the verbascum and David Austin rose above.

The other big thing at the moment is the raising from the dead of my own small back garden. Over the last 15 or so years (yes YEARS!) I've completely ignored it in favour of my Mum's large garden. But this spring I found a strong and reliable friend of a friend who was willing to take on the task clearing and reviving this small patch.  Work is still in progress and although I didn't take any "before" photos through shame, I have taken a few along the way to this interim stage.

And I'm delighted to see the birds and some beautiful plants have been hiding away all this time and have now come into the light so to speak.

There haven't been many days out or excursions but my sister arrived at the weekend for a month's stay at my Mum's so if the weather behaves I hope we can be out and about a bit. I'll be putting my camera in my bag to record anything photogenic along the way but in the meantime if you have stuck with me and have occasionally wondered where I was you might like to take a look at either my crafty facebook page or my Instagram feed. And there's a link to my personal Facebook at the top of this page.

See you soon!!! I promise!

Foraging for Christmas

Its miserably wet today but yesterday was glorious!  So with Christmas gifts in mind I took the opportunity to go foraging for sloes and rose hips.  Unforunately sloes seem in short supply in my usual haunts this year and I may have to look father afield (no pun intended!)

There were rose hips aplenty though but they were hard to reach and I may just use those in my wild round the edges garden.

Although officially off the public footpath (which is at the bottom of this field) I walked the boundaries of this large harvested corn field and startled the rabbits that were feasting on the corn cobs left behind.

I spied this lonely wasp feeding on ivy flowers - it must be a queen which should be hibernating over the winter ready to start a new colony next spring.  I hope she managed to find a warm sheltered spot to sleep in.

All the recent rain has made the fields and footpaths very muddy and I arrived home with filthy boots and jeans.  I knew this particular path would be knee deep in mud but I've followed it for at least 40 years and lots of memories come into my mind each time I walk this way.

Memories of my son playing in the stream in the field behind the hedge on the left, of once spying two little owls blinking at me from a branch in the tree on the bend, and meeting an elegant lady, long since passed on, collecting wild watercress from the once clean ditch just here.  Sadly its now completely clogged up.

And again this favourite view down the vale reminds me how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful land.  I look forward to the next sunny day when I can take another walk in the fields.

Sometimes you just gotta stamp!

Yes, that's how I felt yesterday.  And as these simply stamped little cards proved popular at my last craft fair I had a perfect excuse to indulge myself.  If you are a stamper and a fan of Wplus9, Paptertrey Ink, or Waltzing Mouse Stamps you might recognise some of the sets I've used.  I had a lovely time trying out a few newly acquired stamps and some old favourites.  The card blanks are just 3" (7.5cms) square (I'm very partial to small cards) and were purchased in packs of about 50 cards and envelopes at Craft Land-udno in, guess where, Llandudno! - a large rather chaotic store in Mostyn Street.  In both cream and white good quality cardstock I think they are a bargain at £4.00 a pack.

However this morning there was no time for stamping.  I found this little creature on the kitchen floor when I got up this morning - its a pipistrelle bat. 

Even though it has an injured wing its a fiesty little character who didn't appreciate my efforts to help. Trying to keep my cat away I first picked it up in a soft duster and put it in my coalhouse as I thought it would like the dark and quiet - but it escaped under the door.  Then I tried the attic windowsill - but it tried to jump out of the window and rolled down the roof and into the guttering!  PANIC!  Then it climbed out of the guttering and fell onto the plastic leanto roof.  Even more PANIC!  I rescued it again and after consulting the Bat Conservation Trust website, put it in a large box with some scrunched up kitchen roll and a bottlecap of water.  It has settled down to sleep now and a bat handler is to collect it this afternoon.  Phew!  I do hope it will survive its injuries - shame I didn't get a better photo but I didn't want to stress it even more by posing it in the open.  If I hear how it gets on and you are interested, I'll post any news on my facebook page - but I am a bit worried about that injured wing.

Time for a Walk

Another of my favourite bloggers, Susan Branch, is on a visit to the UK at the moment and she is sharing her experiences with all her 'girlfriends' (her name for her followers).  Its fascinating seeing our country through her American eyes - she delights in the smallest differences between our lives and is in love with the British countryside.  She took us girlfriends on a country walk the other day.  It was such fun and in homage thought I would blog my walk by the river on Wednesday. I hope you want to come along - there are lots of photos!

Its hot and the sheep haven't been sheared yet but they find shade by the hedges to rest and keep cool.

There are buttercups and daisies everywhere in the grass - I must make a daisy chain soon.

I just have to have a paddle in the river to cool my feet - the water is lovely.  Crocs are just the best thing when you decide take an impromptu dip.

There is a weir and fish pass on this bit of river but there are containers parked on the other bank so its not very pretty.

But the wild flowers don't mind the view and there are lots of species growing here - Red and White Campion, Cow Parsley, Speedwell, Wild Garlic, Milkmaids, Coltsfoot, Forget-me-nots, Herb Robert - to name just a few!

And Hawthorn is everywhere dressing the field boundaries in white lace.

Here's a nice shady bit - there are shoals of little fish in the river and water boatmen scooting about on the surface.

Its time to turn back and these chaps want to accompany me but as always they are nervous..... all except one.......

Hmmm..... this is a stranger but I think she is friendly! 

The Mallards took no notice of me at all and carried on dabbling and preening.  I was slightly worried that I hadn't seen dippers at the usual spot by the road bridge but while I was snapping the ducks one swooped past. I managed a couple of photos from a distance.

 

I got a nice video too and (duh!) have just realised how to upload it via Youtube - my very first Youtube contribution! 

No time to dawdle now - I have to get home to make lunch.  But the weather seems settled at the moment so there will be another day.

I hope you enjoyed my walk - I did.  It really seems like summer has arrived at last.  Let's hope its a good one.

Garden update

While digging the plot for my potatoes the other day I disturbed this poor mining bee who got really fed up with my filling in his burrow every few minutes.  I do hope he found somewhere else suitable nearby.

I'm sure lots of gardeners are behind with their jobs this year as its been so cold and wet.  I managed to get a few tasks out of the way this week but there's still lots to do.  Here are a some things that are looking their best half way through this disappointing May - usually my favourite month.

Pretty maids all in a row.....

 Everything has been conspiring against me with my Mothers Day gifts this week but I finished these flowerpots today at least.  These are for my sisters and niece and now there's just my Mum's gift to make.  This post of Mandy's gave me the idea.... luckily my Mum doesn't have quite that many grandchildren!

As well as stamps and dies I used wooden kebab skewers and Playdough to construct my flowers in their little clay flowerpots.

After yesterday's gardening post, I found more sleeping ladybirds whilst clearing today.  This one had found a very cosy spot and I was careful not to disturb her/him too much.  Unfortunately I can't say the same for the wasp that had been hibernating in my gardening glove.  Luckily it was too sleepy to sting me properly but I think it got rather squashed by my hand! 

Supplies: Papertrey Ink stamps Rosie Posie, Flower Fusion and Tag-its (sentiments) plus the matching dies

Make-it-Monday #52

Its months since I've joined in a challange! However I really like this week's Make it Monday video at Papertrey Ink. Erin showed us how to make an embellishment by stamping both sides of a die cut. Great idea and dead easy!

Like a few other crafters, I decided to use butterflies on my project as I've got the die to match the stamp set, and as the images are symetrical its easy to stamp both sides.  I used glue dots to shape the butterflies and added blue metalic thread for the anntenae.  Err, yes I know the sideways butterflies are insideout! - but they looked much better that way round.  I'll definitely use this technique again.

As I sit here typing the sun is shining through the narrow gap between the two houses opposite onto the little sprig of catkins I picked on a walk last week. I notice they have opened in the warmth of the room and dropped their pollen. 

You can see it here - that pale yellow dust on the rim of the glass.

Its very cold today and I fear the birds and animals will have to endure another long freezing night tonight.  I do hope they have found enough to eat during the day to get them through.  Even so, "my" birds are still picky and have ignored the pink fruit suet block I put out over a week ago.  Perhaps they don't like the colour!  Its supposed to be just what robins and blackbirds need at this time of year - but I don't think anyone has told them!  Even the Thrush has turned his beak up. 
Can you see he has upsidedown hearts on his breast!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink's Butterfly Dreams; Friends Til the End, Think Big Favorites; + Butterfly die