It's been a while since I've posted on my blog, a lot has happened. 

Grandchild number two has not only been born, but also celebrated her first birthday and grandchild number one has started school – already. 

 

I had a go at dying – big hint if you are going to go into anaphylactic shock do it when you have already been admitted to A & E. Turns out I’m allergic to a certain type of anti-biotics and now have to carry epi pens with me. Don’t knock the NHS in front of me, the quick action of three people in three different settings saved my life twice. I followed that up a few months later with another emergency admittance to hospital for something I’d never heard of but now make sure I stay well hydrated and watch what I eat. 

That about covers the highlights from the start of Lockdown to the end of 2023. 

I did manage some stitching, two Shepherd’s Bush stockings for my grandchildren. 

 

Shepherds Bush Stocking - Thomas

 

 

Shepherds Bush stocking -  Parker/Emily

Much of the rest of my time was taken up either reading, exercising, or gardening. We managed two big garden projects in 2023 and I finally got my greenhouse back into action. 

 

Now that I don’t have stocking to complete, I have picked up two cross stitch projects I abandoned to concentrate on the stockings, Apache Wedding Blessing and Celtic Autumn. The plan is to finish them both this year so I can move onto some other BAPS I’m keen to do. I’ve been doing the BAPS at the start of the week and setting myself a point to reach. Once I’ve reached that point, I’ve moved onto some small projects. 

Apache Wedding Blessing

Celtic Autumn

 

I’ve kitted up two of the Petites by Little House Needleworks and have two finishes from Winter Petites. I’ve also just finished Shepherd’s Bush Dashing Through the Snow. So far it is working well. 

Little House Needleworks Winter Petites & Sweet Petites

Shepherds Bush Dashing Through the Snow

 

I have also subscribed to the Cottage Garden Sampling Little House project, but I’ve yet to receive anything yet. Other cross stitch plans include starting a smallish Little House Needlework design, either The Library or The Bookshelf. I’ve had the patterns for years just need to decide which one to do and then kit it up.

Elsewhere the garden is springing into action, and I need to get seeds sown in the greenhouse and if it ever stops raining some weeding done. 

One final project I’m working towards is having a go at the Summer Spine - Challenger South. I’ve always wanted to do the Pennine Way and after my adventures in A & E realised, I’d better get on and do it. Rather than do it the easy way I’m going for the daft way which means getting very fit first is required although I'm aiming for 2025, not this summer. Fitness wise I have some exciting plans for 2024 although they have been pushed back a few weeks as my delighful granddaughter shared a rather nasty virus with me and it stopped me getting outside for almost a fortnight. I'm back out walking now, but currently only up to 3 miles a day, not the eight miles I was doing before she shared her germs.

Finally, here is my rather belated (by a couple of years) post for the TUSAL. The small jar probably contains all my orts for 2023 but at least half of them are from the last month. Since emptying the small jar into the big jar I’ve already got some orts for the next full moon. 

 

TUSAL Feb 2024

Perhaps more interesting will be to see if I actually have any readers left.

Everyone Has Been So Generous

As you may have noticed my blog has been somewhat neglected over the last month but it is for a good reason. After Husband and I attended the sales and marketing course we decided to go for a new image and complete relaunch for his company. Over the last few weeks I have been been doing a lot of research and writing to helping him redesign the website. We have also designed a new logo to go with the new look and just sent the final design for the new flyers off to the printers. The next job is a new company brochure but that will have to wait for a little while.

We launched the new website earlier today so at long last I can catch up with my blog. I might even get time to do some sewing as well, or maybe that's just me getting carried away!!

Well I might have disappeared from the world of blogging for most of this month but I certainly haven't been forgotten. Over the last few weeks so many nice things gave happened to me but before I tell you all about them I must say a massive thank you to everyone involved and apologise for appearing to ignore you.

The first nice thing to happen was when Karen has given me not one, but two awards. Thank you so much Karen for thinking about me and I'm so sorry it has taken me a month to acknowledge them via my blog.


The first award which was given to me on the 26th February says. "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with."


The second award which she gave me on the 4th March asks you to list your top 10 blogs. Now I have to be honest I don't have a top 10 set of blogs as I like all the blogs I read equally, some of which are on my blog list and some of which aren't. Each blog appeals to me for different reasons and picking my 10 favourites is a bit like trying to say I like one child more than another, which obviously I don't. Now this isn't a habit I intend to get into but on this occasion as I know if you have commented on my blog or registered as a 'follower' of my blog I visit your blog on a regular basis please consider yourself as one of my favourite blogs.

Next Helen let me know that I'm going to be running the bank in her village that she stitching for the Me Myself and I Round Robin blog. Apparently I got the job because I was the first to apply but I thought it might have been because I promised to lend money to small businesses and not take a big bonus!!

The next treat was when Sally sent me this wonderful biscornu she stitched as a PIF for me.




She knew that I'm developing a passion for Shepherd's Bush designs and so she stitched me Woolpack Sheep and I absolutely love it. It's my first biscornu and my first Shepherd's Bush design. Thank you so much Sally.

When we had finished quizzing on Thursday the landlord of the pub gave me a heather for my garden.


Only the day before I had been thinking that it would be nice to have some more heathers in the front garden and then one appears out of the blue. It will be planted in the front garden next week.

Then yesterday morning the postman knocked on the door with a parcel for me to sign for. I hadn't ordered anything so I had no idea what to expect. It was a free copy of the OFC's Photographic Annual.


Apparently Peter who set up the OFC and a few other OFC members had decided I should have a copy. Now I'm not sure what I did to deserve a free copy, when everyone else had to pay for their copy, but it really made my day. I don't know who the 'others' are and as I only know of one OFC member who reads my blog I'm hoping Peter got my email saying thank you and has passed my thanks on to the relevant people.

So as you can see I have been completely and utterly spoilt over the last month or so and I don't know what I did to deserve it but thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone involved.

One other thing that was shared with me was my father-in-laws cold. We invited him to dinner last week and he had an appalling cold and cough which he has very generously passed onto me. That I'm not so happy about LOL!!

Now I know I've said this before and nothing has happened, but if I whisper it may be it will:

'I'm off to do some sewing'

Don't tell anyone.

Green Shoots, Brownies and Valentines.

A funny week, with a lot happening, that has nothing to do with the blog but stopped me doing any real sewing or blogging.

Last week I had a go at making Chocolate Brownies, it's a good few years since I've made them and having tasted them I now know why.

To say they are rich and sweet is an understatement, even Son commented on how much chocolate there was in them. I hadn't actually put in the recommended amount and had to mix dark and milk chocolate just to make up the amount I did put in. I think they would have been untouched if I'd used the recommended amount of dark chocolate.

After nearly 3 weeks of checking on them everyday my sweet peas are starting to have green shoots.

I lost all of the geraniums, which wasn't really a surprise, now I just have to avoid killing the sweet peas. As the snow is going and the weather is maybe going to start to warm up I shall turn my attention to sewing some more seeds.

The only stitching I have done this week is the Valentines' Day card I made Husband.

Broken Fairy

Be Mine

18 count White Aida

DMC threads

It's based on a design Rachael did, although I changed the lettering to some I found in one of my cross stitch books. I received a card from Husband and a bunch of flowers which he gave me on Thursday. Tonight we are treating ourselves to a take-away and a bottle of wine, a real treat these days as the last time we did this was the night before he lost his job.