Monday 29 April 2013

Kit the Cat


We had a little surprise waiting for us in our shed on Saturday. I just nipped into the garden to take some photos of the new flowers that have bloomed...



 


(and Lucy's newly planted pot)


...and happened to glance into the shed on my way back in, and look who was staring back at me!!


We don't know how long she has been there, or where she comes from but from all appearances she is quite heavily pregnant!! We were having a cuddle in the garden (once we'd convinced her to leave the safety of the shed) and she suddenly walked straight into the house and hasn't left!!
 

 
As we have never seen her before and she appears to have been living rough for a while and starting to nest in our garden, we have temporarily taken her in whilst looking for her owner and getting her checked over by a vet (she will probably turn out to be a fat boy knowing our luck.....).


She's been getting quite cosy on Lucy's bed!! And we have temporarily named her Kit Cat which she doesn't seem to mind.



I will keep you posted on her progress- maybe kittens will be coming to Sweetbriar!!

Monday 22 April 2013

Sunny Sun Days


Wasn't the weekend gorgeous?!?!!?! I spent most of Saturday sat outside in the garden working on some complicated sewing techniques...


The sky was blue with little fluffy clouds floating across...


And there was just enough of a breeze for me to dry TWO loads of washing!!!

 
I was very good and put on some sunscreen- wouldn't want to get burnt!!
 


Lets have another peek at the sky.... it changed shades of blue quite regularly that day. Sometimes it was almost violet in colour!



The Mother had left me a lovely parcel to open on Sunday when the parents dropped me off last weekend, and terribly, I have been so stressed with work I had completely forgotten and she had to ring me TWICE before I remembered to open it!
She had made me this lovely Mollie Makes rabbit from Issue 25 who was very helpful in assisting me with some stitching.


Also in the parcel was a very indulgent hot chocolate treat...



 And this Baby Bear grass head  who has yet to sprout any hair.

 
Oooh and I must just show you (because this is very exciting), my Amaryllis has produced this little green shoot!! I was convinced I had killed it but kept watering it just in case, and this morning noticed this little sprouting of hope!! So I am very excited!
 


The Norman Castle


It was such a beautiful day on Saturday that I decided to go for a stroll into town and then head towards Castle Gardens on the way back.
I was too late to see the beautiful crocus display that I photographed this time last year, but the other flowers were pretty impressive too!





Loved these blossom trees! So beautiful!








 


I walked from one end of the park to the other (it is only little so only took five minutes) and then decided to head back to the blossom trees and find a bench to sit and eat a highly tasty morsel I bought at the European pop up fair in town.


A flake and fudge chocolate bar- it was delicious!! Although too much was rather sickly.


Whilst sitting on my bench, listening to the birds and sunning myself in the almost hot sunshine, I noticed a little section of the park I have never been to or even seen before! A Norman Castle!!

 
Or at least the mound that has been left behind. The actual castle has been robbed or taken away so there is only a grassy hill. I climbed it anyway.
 





I decided it was time to head home when the sky started looking more like this!! How quickly the weather can change.


Friday


Ahhh, pretty bunting- always something to lift the spirits! These gorgeous mini paper strings were bought from a fab shop The Mother took me to in the holidays called Tiger, and are now adorning the previously bland and unexciting hallway!!



Tulips are also a great way of cheering oneself up- I splashed out and bought two bunches because I couldn't decide between the two colours. Which do you prefer or are you on the fence like me?





It is great to surround yourself with flowers when working- this was my work space on Friday, surrounded by happy flowers, paint, and a mug of coffee!

 

So here is a sneaky peek at my initial samples- the general idea being to combine crochet and stitching (in this case more drawn thread work stitches...)





This piece was slightly different in that I was couching a piece of crochet to a fabric base...


The back was very interesting and inspires ideas of satin stitch and simple stitched pieces....


So what do you think? Answers on a postcard please!!!