Catching Up

Oh dear, is it really that long? In my own head I had written a blog post more recently than I really have, so to anyone out there who still stops by I say HELLO, thankyou for visiting and wish you a very belated Happy New Year, a belated Merry Xmas and everything else!

The end of last year whizzed by with lots of good and happy times, busy fairs and lots and lots of sewing.

But this year I'm trying to slow things down a little, and get back into doing more of the things that I love to do and that enrich my life but which got sadly neglected last year in the consuming rush to make, make, make! 

In no particular order I miss regular pottering round the garden, tidying it a bit here and there, growing vegetables, a cup of coffee on the bench by the pond whatever the weather, spending time with family and friends, gardening, crocheting whatever takes my fancy, painting furniture, junking, decorating, baking, trips to gardens, trips to London, little things like taking photos with a camera instead of my phone, and last but not least, I miss blogging and the interaction with the lovely, talented and inspiring friends I made in Blogland.

I have really missed keeping up with my favourite blogs and being inspired by all the colourful posts, the crochet, sewing, plants, gardens, homes, recipes and ideas out there, and so that's something that I'm going to try to remedy. I know some of you are on FB and IG too and I occasionally catch a post on my feed but all too rarely. 

So this year so far, as well as making bags, cushions and other items for my space at the loft Room and my Etsy shop, I've already made inroads into a few neglected areas. Like crochet.

Crochet!!!

I find it so relaxing to crochet and missed making things last year, so once the fairs were over I picked up my hook again.

I've been on a bit of a crochet roll since the last apron and xmas stocking orders were finished before Christmas as I didn't want to stitch another thing for a long time. 

I made a bobble hat for my daughter and have another one on the hook......these are the first crochet things she has ever asked me to make, and she has shied away in the past from anything crocheted, so after I picked myself up off the floor we went yarn shopping and she found a pattern online.

Its a great pattern, just make a rectangle of rib, gather up one edge and join one end of the strip to the other and add a bobble. Simples!

  

I've made a few mats and coasters in spring coloured cotton yarns which I've been using for the almost permanent vases of daffodils that are scattered thorughout the house at the moment as I'm treating myself to a few bunches every week when I do the shopping. At a £1 a bunch who could resist?

And I'm in the process of making some sweet little baby slippers at the moment, that although I have no one to give them too I just wanted to make as they kept catching my eye in an Erika Knight book. So a "just because" make....

Just need to make another tiny flower to stitch on the second slipper and thread some satin ribbons through the little loop at the heel. So tiny and sweet! 

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I squeezed in a trip to the local flea market the other week and joy of joys, as soon as I walked in the room I spied this little beauty....it was love at first sight and I knew we were meant for each other!

For £20 this little portable Olympia Splendid with case included was mine, all mine!!! 

One word from my husband when I excitedly told him....."why?"

He has no soul.

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Bella and I had a brilliant day out in London this week as she's home for reading week. The National Gallery in the morning, Covent Garden for lunch, and Tate Britain in the afternoon. It was such a special treat to see all those amazing works of art...Leonardo, Canaletto, Turner, Constable, Sargant, Waterhouse, Rossetti, the Pre raphaelites.......a whole room of favourites around the mid 1800s in the Tate, not just placed individually but three paintings high in some places.....almost too much beauty to take in. I can't explain how magic it was to be up close to well known and favourite paintings, mostly painted centuries ago, and discovering new works of art and new artists.  

The whole day was wonderful, but one of the best things was that we did it all on foot once we arrived in London. Usually trips to London are for a specific event, a trip to a concert or a Fair or show, and involve diving straight down into the underground then popping up again wherever I am heading. So no tube, no buses, no taxis, just walking and looking and absorbing.

Bella

So for the first time since I worked in London in Marylebone Road and another time just off Oxford Street, and used to tramp around all over the place over 25 or more years ago, we properly looked around us and walked, marvelled at the buildings, architecture, streets, statues and shops, immersed in the sights, sounds and smells. 

It was brilliant. Trafalgar Square, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Strand. The Mall, Buckingham Palace in the distance, Horseguards Parade, Whitehall, Parliament Square, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and of course the river. We went past the MI5 building and tried to spot spies, and we tramped back to Charing Cross in the evening rain with the sight of the London Eye lit up in red behind the incredible silhouette of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. We clocked up over 7 miles that day, over 17,000 steps.

We're already planning our next trip!

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I have finally finished a cross stitch embroidery that I started about two days before a friends daughters wedding and knew it wouldn't be done on time but it is now ready, and as they have just moved into a little cottage I thought the time was right, and only nearly a year late!

So this year is about trying to get a better balance in my life, and that includes getting back to blogging. I won't try to be over ambitious but will try and blog every week or so instead of rarely, and will try and keep up with my favourite blogs.

 I wish you all a Happy February and may Spring be with us soon!!!

Gill xx

P.S You can find me on Instagram as Pinkgillyflower !