Saturday 18 May 2013

Blue Skies and Holiday Blocks

Hooray for beautiful blue skies......


 blossom on the apple tree.......


and gorgeous purple aubretia.........



Doesn't the sight of them just give you a boost?!
 
Last weekend we took a short break away. It was our first trip out in Harvey J this year.
 
Best of all......I got to drive!!

We found a lovely quiet campsite near Leominster. There were beautiful views....



and lots of space for Spencer to run around.....


He even found a doggy friend to play with. Spencer made us laugh as when he had had enough of playing, he would dive under the van where the other dog (who was bigger than him) couldn't reach him!
 
The weather was ok, quite cold, so I made some time to make a block for my holiday quilt. I made a simple template, cut out heart shapes and hand sewed them onto squares. I tried to keep to reds and blues. It was very enjoyable :)


I sewed the squares together on my machine back at home.....and this is the completed block...


I have another block to show you from my holiday in Devon last month. I had trouble with the centre and have unpicked the stitches and resewn it a couple of times. It's still not perfect but it was getting to the stage where it was going to end up in the bin or out the window!
 
So please don't look too close!
 
The block is called Clay's Choice, Star of the West.....and several other names (besides what I called it!).......



I had to show you this pic of our neighbours' donkeys......mum and baby.....who came to greet us on our walk last week.....


Down on the canal there are three little ducklings......


And the other day I made a potato and spinach frittata....never made one before and it was surprisingly nice!


I'm finishing this post with a burst of flowery loveliness....our azalea :)

 
Happy crafting 'til next time :)
 
Maggie xx

Saturday 4 May 2013

Red Apple Mini Quilt

When I go on holiday, I like to take a few crafty supplies so, if  I have a spare minute, I can make something. I also like the added benefit that whatever I make will remind me of the holiday :)
 
If we take a walk around a town when we're away, Chris and I love to browse the charity shops. I always take a look at the book section to see if I can find anything crafty that takes my fancy. On holiday in Devon a few weeks back, we were taking a stroll around Tavistock and I found this book which, in addition to being a quilt book, looked perfect for quickish holiday projects....


It dates back to 1997 and some of the projects are a bit dated but there's plenty to keep me happy for a while.
 
When I've found a book on holiday, I love to go back to where we are staying (could be Harvey J or a hotel/bed & breakfast), make a cuppa and browse through my new book. Chris is the same. He often finds an interesting book on woodwork, picture framing, militaria or something similar....We then become totally absorbed in our books for an hour or two....
 
Having dug my stash of fabrics out of the suitcase (yes I take my stash on holiday..) and having given the book a good browse, I decided I liked the look of this Apple mini quilt project. This is the photo from the book....




I knew mine would be different as my fabrics were mainly pretty florals.  I didn't have all the materials I needed but I knew I could at least make a start......
 
It was lovely to make.....lots of hand sewing.....very relaxing......
 
Chris said at one time the maid appeared to clean the room, looked aghast when she saw all the fabrics strewn over the bed. He told her there were several patchwork projects in progress and that she didn't need to make the bed this time! Not quite as embarrassing as the egg box cable car incident from my childhood.....anyone who has a little sister may have had a similar experience but that's a story for another time....
 
 
I didn't have any wadding or buttons with me in Devon, so I knew I would have to complete my mini quilt at home. And that's what I've been doing for the last couple of hours....
 
So here it is....


My Red Apple Mini Quilt......nice and summery.......it's already hanging on the wall in my kitchen :)
 
I really enjoyed making it and I'm definitely going to make some more projects from this book. I might even get really inspired and design some of my own!
 
Happy Crafting!
 
Maggie xx





Thursday 2 May 2013

A Big Wet Nose, a Lost Ball and Precious Memories

I've just been browsing through the photos I've taken recently and realised I have quite a few things to share with you. I might split them into two posts...I'll see how it goes...
 
I'll start with a big wet nose!


I would imagine your reaction will be 'Aw' or 'Yuk' depending on whether you like dogs or not!

A couple of weeks ago, we drove Harvey J, our motorhome, to the garage to have its MOT and rather than wait around at the garage, we took a walk along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.





It was really interesting and Spencer enjoyed the new surroundings. He wanted to board a couple of the boats! As you can probably see, it was a chilly day but we warmed up with a hot chocolate and coffee and walnut cake at the canalside cafe....it just had to be done!


 
In our garden, I found another pretty Christmas Rose blooming...
 
 
We've planted the runner beans.....

 
....and there's been some serious digging going on.....

 
We've seen paragliders over the Golden Valley....
 
 
Spencer lost his ball when a certain person (who shall remain nameless) decided to launch the ball right into the middle of a tree where it got stuck!


Luckily it was only a temporary crisis as the ball was retrieved by poking it with a long stick! Phew!


The pretty Spring flowers are appearing on the Common again.....


We spent a lovely weekend in London with Chris' daughter Hannah.
 
We browsed the antiques at Portobello Road...this brought back very happy memories of visiting the market with my Dad. I must have been about 14 years old at the time. We used to get up really early and drive up to London. It was very exciting. I used to love seeing all the dealers and their stalls and soaking up the 'London' atmosphere :)
 
I still do!
 

We also paid a visit to Trafalgar Square...


.....where a man was promising the crowd that he could fit his body through a tennis racket!


Here we are with Nelson's Column....a nice one for our album :)


I've really enjoyed this little catch up....I hope you have too.

Isn't it lovely now the sun's shining?
 
Take care.
 
Maggie xx