Spring Lambs

Medallion Day today and we were all very pleased to see, when we came in for lunch,  that a few little lambs had been born in the field.

A couple of days earlier than expected, but it was a nice, sunny day to be born.

So just 195 more to go....

The other very good thing about today was that Maureen called in with her finished Medallion quilt.  It is so beautiful and we all felt very inspired!

What a Surprise

So, the storm seems to have blown over and to celebrate we decided to head over to The Swan at Inkpen for lunch.

Salad and a sandwich then, and what to Drink?

Perhaps a local ale?  Perhaps from Chaddleworth Brewery?

Yes, a nice pint of Baldrick.  But, wait a minute, what's this on the pump clip?

I recognise him!!

It has, of course, gone completely to his head.......

Happy Easter!

A lovely sunny Easter morning

 

 

but even as I write, the storm clouds are gathering, so batten down the hatches!

A Good, Good Friday

One a Penny, Two a Penny, Hot Cross Buns - Good Friday means time to get baking!

I got up early to get the buns started and then, while they were rising in the airing room, we decided to take part in the Lambourn Open Day.  Apparently Lambourne was jam-packed, with people queuing for 2 miles to visit Nicky Henderson's yard! - so we were happy to visit Pat Murphy and Jo Davis' yards which are two doors along!

Most mornings when I am letting out the geese and chickens I hear "Morning Joanne!" (or Happy Christmas or Happy Easter Joanne!) and look into the lane to see Pat and Mel riding out.

This young horse was born in their hay barn, and will spend the summer in the paddock across the by-way from us.  We hear him and his friend thundering around in the early evening.  Last summer I was driving home when I saw that Reuben had got out in the paddock and was horrified to see he was rolling around with the foal.  I sped up the road and was so relieved that it was actually Bertie, Pat's huge German Shepherd, that Reuben was playing with.

Glebe House Stables are immaculate, and it was lovely looking at all the beautiful horses.

Pat has laid it out so well, and even put windows in the back of the stables as well as the fronts so the horses can look out at the fields when they are in.

And then we came home, and it was so warm we ate our Hot Cross Buns outside on the terrace

 

It's not supposed to be so fine tomorrow, So I'd better get out now and start tidying up my raspberry patch!

Many Mouths to Feed

So, with the boy gone off for a week on Lundy, the days stretch before me with loads of time for quilting......or so I thought.

Jonathan was moaning that it was going to be hard feeding the 200 sheep without his right hand man, and my offer of help was greeted with a sarcastic remark.  So I took Milly off for a walk down the drive.  After a play in the barn, we started making our way home when the Landrover pulled up beside me.

"Are you coming then?"

So off we went to feed the sheep.

As I got out to open the gate they all came charging up.

First job was to line up the troughs which had been kicked all over the place

all the time being barged about by fat, hungry, pregnant sheep

Then grab a bag of feed

 

and empty it along the troughs.  It's important not to spill it on the ground - so luckily, most of what I spilt went into my wellies.

And finally everyone was fed.

Phew!

A Four Year Month

A really busy workshop today - everyone working on their lovely Yoko Saito Quilts and three new starters so there was a real buzz.  With 12 of us eating in the kitchen at lunchtime there's a lot to clear up so this will be a very short post.

So, I should have said everyone but me was working on their Yoko Saito quilts...... I was working on my Medallion.  And, I am pleased to announce that I have finally (very nearly) finished month 4 of my Medallion Quilt.  This may not seem such a big deal, but I started on the Medallion course with Lynne Johnson in 2012 - and then stalled big time.  My plan was to use old, but loved, dresses so it would be very traditional, but as the months, and then years rolled by, and people finished quilt after quilt, I became very uninspired. Month 4 became impossible to finish.  I even started month 5 in the hopes that that would gee me on.  It didn't.  Until last week.  And then yesterday I managed this:

It was very much a matter of completion over perfection, and something has gone very wrong with the measurements, but I am so pleased and can almost imagine it on my bed.

 

Onwards and Upwards!

A Foggy Walk

I woke up this morning knowing I had to tidy up the airing room, do a load of washing and ironing, do some food shopping, spring clean the workshop and take the dogs for a quick walk.

So I took Millie down the drive for a quick walk,

looked around at all the thick fog (which wasn't there when I let out the geese and chickens this morning), and decided to keep on walking!

Millie and I headed up the byway to Rogers Wood.

and looked at all the storm damage (are we on storm Zebedee yet?)

 

With Easter fast approaching I was reminded of how every Good Friday I'd make Hot Cross Buns and we'd have a picnic in Rogers Wood - whatever the weather!

 



 

Anyway, Millie and I walked on - and it was strange not to be able to see where we were heading

 

or where we'd been!

And the telegraph wires disappearing

Even at the trig point, which is the highest point around here and normally you can see right across to Inkpen and beyond, we couldn't see a thing!

 

But as we came down Lorne Hill the fog was starting to lift

and the sun was shining by the time we got back to the drive

 

 

Very pleased to see the pair of ducks which have taken residence - little ducklings soon, I hope.





 

Beagles and Mobiles

So, Millie (inadvertently) destroyed Jonathan's mobile sometime last week and since he has finally got used to having a phone, I had to go and get him a new one.

I went to Vodafone in Newbury because I have a contract with them, and the very helpful young man (I do wonder if Vodafone is breaking any child employment laws) suggested I up grade my phone - this meant that Jonathan can have my unbreakable old phone.

Still works as good as knew.

So I was given a new phone (I thought maybe it was an I phone and bought a holder for it - but the holder's too small so I was wrong about that) which apparently needed a different SIM card.

I then watched as my assistant went up to every other assistant in the store, showed them something, and saw their faces light up with amazement.

Apparently my SIM card was the oldest they'd ever seen, and one of them said it was older than him.  I am certain Vodafone is breaking child employment laws.  He said I should keep it for the sake of history.  Hmmm.

Anyway, I came home and fiddled a bit with my new phone, and then realised it was time to feed the chicken and geese.  I put my phone in a glove (I've lost the other one) to keep it safe, and went out.

When I got back in, I wondered what the black thing was in the corner

and was pleased to see it was the glove I thought I'd lost.

Then I went into the kitchen and saw Millie looking like this:

This look only ever means one thing.


And then I saw this and my stomach sank:

Unbelievably it was intact and still works, so I couldn't be too cross with her.

A Busy Morning in the Workshop!

What a lot of things happening in the workshop this morning

Smocking, quilting, appliqueing.......

making a hexagon quilt with English piecing - and that was only on this table.










Sandra was busy finishing off her grand-daughter's birthday present: a lovely doll with a whole suitcase of clothes

We all thought it was lovely.  On the other (my) table, there was a bit of Folk art stitching, more quilting, and I never did see what Anthea was doing.  I had my head down sewing leaves onto freezer paper for my medallion quilt.  I had cut out loads and was determined to get them all done.  When I had finished the last one, I decided to count them and was pleased to see there were 24! 

I was less pleased when I got out the borders and realised I had already made, and sewn on, loads, and in fact only needed six, and one more flower.

There's a lesson there but I have decided I'm going to have very leafy borders.

This afternoon Millie and I decided to walk down to the barn so she could have a play on the bales of straw....

something she loves doing and when Reuben comes too he runs up and down like a mountain goat!  Anyway, on the way down I took a couple of photos of the re-landscaped caravan site.

 











Jonathan has squared it up so it is much bigger.  We will still only ever take 5 vans at a time, but they will have more room to manoeuver and a bit more space for children and pets to play.  In the Autumn we will plant some more trees. 

We opened for the season today and  are expecting our first visitors of the year this weekend!