New neighbours

Recently we have discovered we have new neighbours. We met them when we were out walking on the common one day. They seem to be outdoor types, they enjoy fresh air and lots of walking. I see them out in all weathers, rain or sun, they often come over to say hello. Vegetarians, they mostly eat green leaves, but enjoy the odd carrot and apple. Although they are very quiet neighbours, they are always interested in what we are doing, a chat over the fence is a great way to pass the time of day. and if there are polo mints around, they are very happy to share a packet.....

Quilt made for Maddy

New life

Here in rural Lincolnshire, we have just had one of our big events on the calendar. Even though I don't have a farm, one feels very close to the land and celebrating the seasons is important. So lambing time is very special. Our university has several  agricultural courses and the students get lots of practical experiences. Lambing weekend is one of them. Students work in shifts throughout 24 hours to help delivery lambs. There are pens of expecting ewes, very large and woolly, pens of lambs and mummies, very maternal looking, and a small pen of lambs to be bottle fed which is a huge attraction for everyone. The public are welcome on Lambing Sunday. You can cuddle a lamb, sit on a tractor, stroll through the snowdrops and daffodils and eat wonderful bacon rolls. It's a great day out. The sound of baaing hungry lambs fills the air, they jump on the hay bales, sleep in the troughs, get lost with other lambs, but still manage to find mum for milk. Such a happy day and a great chance to try out new wellies.

Food for the soul

'There is a deep satisfaction about making things', Paul Kennedy, historian wrote. He was talking about Tyneside and the Swaan Hunter shipyard where his Dad worked, building ships. As a small boy, when a new ship was launched, he and his friends went to watch. They went to see what their Dads had made. How impressed those little children must have been. Now we can't all make such a wonderful thing as a large ship. But we can make something. So Andrew makes beer in his garage. I have knit several rather strange woolly jumpers for myself, to the astonishment of friends and family. Susie made bunting for a new baby present and Katy makes muffins frequently. So make something today, a birthday card, a cake, a knitted teddy, homemade, but very special gifts. Unique, treasured and all your own. It's all food for the soul.....

knitted toys at Farnham Woolly Ideas Show

Resolutions

This the time of year when resolutions should be made. So I have resolved to throw away the bathroom scales. And my resolution has been successful.  Now I no longer see them lurking in the bathroom, daring me to stand on them when I know they will make me miserable most of the time. So they have gone. Lovely Grandpa gave me a Christmas cheque and I have spent it on a keep fit machine. Rowing, jogging, weights you may ask? Well this one is for use in the fresh air and comes with a lovely basket. And it is for Ladies. It is a Ladies Bicycle and I can wear skirts if I wish. I intend to spend lots of time sailing along, gripping the lovely leather clad handlebars and balancing elegantly on the leather sprung seat...which is also for Ladies.... With flowers and library books in the basket and the sun shining, it will be perfect. Now I need to practice doing that clever way of twizzling your legs as you jump on and off..............

A Very Happy New Year

I am very excited as this year we are going to have a special visitor. She is six months old and very chatty. She is also the owner of a very sunny smile and gorgeous chubby feet. She and her parents will be staying for a little while. I am hoping for a serious amount of cuddling.... And so I have made a quilt to welcome her. It is from a pattern designed by Ashley, an American young mum who quilts on the other side of the world. You can see her blog here. The internet is so great for virtual friends! It is a hang out the flags quilt, a pink bunting surprise quilt. She can use it on our cold hard floors. I'm so pleased with it and it used up lots of pretty scraps from the pile in the sewing room. so here it is, a welcome to Lincolnshire quilt...

Welcome home quilt detail

PS.  I just wanted to show you the quilt I have made as  a Christmas present for an elderly friend. It is made from four old  woolly jumpers and the back is a lovely warm soft piece of fleece material. It has a very tactile feel and when rolled up, you just want to cuddle it. I hope it will keep his legs nice and warm in the car and at home.

Christmas Eve

Everything is finished, Deah and Anya's quilts are posted, have arrived safely and are waiting under their Christmas tree. We have just enough snow to be correctly seasonal and enough mince pies to feed an army... Thank you to everyone who ordered quilts this year, I love to think they are all in use during the cold weather. Also thank you for all the kind e mails I  have had about how much you like the quilts I make. It's so encouraging! Some of you have babies on the way , so there will be more quilts to make next year and my news is that I will be a Granny for the first time in July - very exciting!
So now the sewing room door is shut. The wood burner stove is successfully lit. Stockings are hung up and tonight we wait..... Happy Christmas everyone.

Winter frosts

In between the wild winter storms there have been several frosty mornings here. Our poor garden has been blown about by whooshing winds and driving rains. Some nights I have feared for the greenhouse filled with shivering geraniums, still bravely flowering. Then there are the early mornings when frosty diamonds glitter everywhere. There is a raw bite to the wind and the blackbirds hang around the kitchen door, waiting to be fed. Walking down the garden one morning, I realised the hydrangeas were putting on a spectacular show. Three big bushes had gone into colour overdrive. I was thinking about the quilt I am making for Charlotte and suddenly there were the colours reproduced in the garden. Each flower with a delicate rim of icy glitter which lasted until mid morning.