Sun!

It's been such a wonderful day!!  Lovely sunshine - it makes you realise just how dismal it's been for the last few months!  I have been doing a lot of spring cleaning these last few days and now I can actually see out of the windows.

The animals are much happier too.  Jake has been staggering around outside, with Bo bumbling along and Mattie has been busy digging up her bones and burying them in new places.

The chickens are much happier:

 

 

 I thought we were going to lose this old speckledy when it was so cold, wet and snowy.  She got a nasty cough and was very dirty.  I put her in the barn in the nursery hutch for a week or so, and then moved it into the chicken paddock (it's on the left in the picture above) and then finally let her run with the others.  Look at her now:

 

 

And now we are getting more than 10 eggs a day (I know, 10 eggs from 27 chickens means we are mainly running a retirement home)

 

Still - the eggs we get are probably the best in Berkshire!

 

 

 



Valentine Bear

Had such a laugh making our Valentine Bears yesterday - it's always really good fun, once people get over the fact that so many little pieces have to be sewn together!  But it's hand-stitching so not too stressful and there's always a lot of chat because you're not talking over the sound of the machines.  Yesterday's chat included quite a bit on farmers love of figurines.  Jacqui said she was surprised to see a tiger statue in the house of a farmer friend, and asked if we had any.  Well, we don't, but we do have horses, pigs, cows, ducks, chickens, geese, a gorilla and loads of elephants.  When I mentioned it to Jonathan his eyes misted over at the thought of a tiger - I reminded him that I'd put a ban on any more ornaments being brought into the house a couple of years ago.  What is it with farmers and ornaments?  And farmer's wives and lady figurines?  I only have two - but I do love them even if Margaret did make it clear that perhaps they were not in the best possible taste.  I don't care what she says, the Florence lady STAYS, to be admired by all who view her!!!  and I'm really trying to forget the mention of plastic........

Anyway, at least I made another little bear - black this time.

Cold, wet, snowy

So, another cold, wet snowy day.  I woke up and reluctantly got out of bed.  Walking through to the bathroom, I was deciding what I could spend the day doing, when my future was decided for me and I was faced with this:

This is for anyone feeling nostalgic for children who have flown the nest.  George boards during the week and comes home at weekends - so, no, this isn't a term's worth of washing, it isn't even a week, it's just five days!!!  And he hasn't just thrown it all on the floor - the linen basket is full as well.
And, naturally, in amongst the mound were one or two things still folded and ironed from last week's wash.

As I went  to let out the chickens this morning, my friend who has been appearing for the last couple of weeks was watching as usual:

(It was hard to take a picture through the snow).  He perches on the fence post at the bottom of the field first thing in the morning and then again as night falls.  I think the rest of the time he stays in the barn.

More Snow

Another white out this morning: this is what greeted me as I went to let out the chicken and geese

And this is what Jake looked like after waiting 2 minutes for me to feed him (he eats in the porch so Bo and Mattie don't take his food).

He looks like a wild wolf!

And again, I felt sorry for Jonathan out feeding the sheep:

However, it was pretty for me to look out on as I had my morning cup of tea!

 

 

I didn't really expect to see anyone at Pitch and Stitch yesterday morning, but was very pleased when three Garston Gals came up (one pulling her quilt on a sledge!)  We had cherry and almond biscuits and hot chocolate (which Monty, who had come up for straw, also enjoyed) and I finally managed to finish the neckerchief quilt!!

I made it for a lady in Australia (an aunt of a lady in the village) whose husband had passed away - and these were his neckerchiefs.  It was much trickier than I expected because besides being of different fabric (some very thin) the neckerchiefs were not perfect squares.  Then, because she chose a backing fabric of two inch squares, I ended up hand-quilting the whole thing in two inch squares (not intentionally - I meant to do 4 inch squares but went wrong and rather than unpick, ended up quilting it a lot more than I  wanted.  Still, it's done now and I hope she likes it - that's if it survives the delicate wash it's getting while I write - always a nail-biting moment when you take it out of the machine!



Snow Days

Friday morning dawned cold and snowing.  School closed at 11.00am and I was home by 12.30!  And an hour later Victoria and I were out on our sleds.  It snowed all day and on Saturday morning I did feel a bit sorry for Jonathan out in the cold feeding the sheep.

But then, as the day went on, all the village children (and parents) started arriving on the far side of the field with their sleds

 

At one point there were loads out there - but I didn't have my camera.  This morning was the East Garston toboggan championships and I went over for a look.  It was great fun and I walked all the way back through the snow.  Everywhere looked so beautiful.  Then Victoria and I went sledding out the back again.........and Mattie came too

wearing her bobbly winter booties!

 

Still struggling

Still struggling with this new computer - I almost feel like unplugging it and setting up the old one again.  And if I'm struggling........Jonathan's going mad!!

Talking of Jonathan, laugh of the week at Pitch and Stitch came when someone (the nicest person you could ever meet, who would never knowingly be mean about anyone) was telling a story and said, "we were having lunch in a lovely hotel in Marlborough when in came a tramp/farmer type".
"Excuse me?", I said.

Well Poor Sandra C was mortified.  We all thought it was hilarious.

Which gets me to the point of this post.  We have drawn up the Spring/summer schedule and have lots of lovely workshops lined up with some brilliant teachers.

Over the next few weeks we have the brilliant Medallion Class with Lynne Johnson which starts again on the last Wednesday of January, (a fantastic course which results in so many beautiful quilts being created) and then in February we are running the Teddy Bear workshop again.  It was so popular last year and Sandra liked it so much that she went home and made a whole family of bears!

They are so funny!

I'll put up the workshop list when I've worked out how to!!!!!

Ooops

How long has it been since I've left a post?
 The problem is, after 13 years we decided it was time to get a new computer; things were taking so long to do.  We took the plunge, bought a new computer - and it's sooo hard!!!  It's taking me ages to get used to it - it was at least 3 agonising weeks before I got Solitaire up, and then it was a re-vamped high tec version which I have to wear glasses to see!

Anyway, I'll see how I get on.

The lead up to Christmas was very busy, making elves, slippers, Scandinavian style hearts and chicken pin cushions, but It was all done in the end. Our last workshop of the year was wreath-making:

Then, as an idea for Christmas I got Mellodian man Alan to make me some bobbins (he's a wood-turner too) which I put ribbon round. 

I liked them so much that I'm ashamed to say I kept most of them for myself!

Then there's Elfie, who I made to sell at a Christmas Fayre.  As I was attaching her ears Jonathan said "you won't want to sell her, will you".  "Oh yes I will", I replied.  But that night I woke up and started imagining her unloved and thrown in a cupboard somewhere.  I took her to the Fayre and kept her under the table.  When I got home Jonathan called out from the sitting room "Have you brought Elfie back home?"
Elfie's home - but I can't get the picture up so you'll have to take my word for it!

Then we finally go our tree up 2 days before Christmas!

And I just have to show the Christmas Doves my friend Jacqui gave me - she gave me some last year too so now I have an exaltation of Doves!!

Today I made a start on our 2013 schedule - just have to hear back from the tutors that the dates suit them - we have some really good workshops including weekend ones - so quilters can come in their caravans and sew all weekend.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas

and

best wishes for the New Year!!