February 2024

A beautiful sunny morning to begin the new month! I have just photographed these snowdrops clustering around the old willow tree in our garden. They are such a joyful sight each year, and as Wordsworth writes in his poem To a Snowdrop:  ‘Welcome as a Friend’. Later in the poem he writes ‘Chaste Snowdrop, venturous harbinger of Spring, and pensive monitor of fleeting years!’

There are now other signs of Spring, like the drumming of the woodpeckers in the churchyard opposite our cottage, and I have seen a bluetit popping in and out of the bird box, just inspection and cleaning at this stage I imagine!

I have added more sale items to my shop here, to make way for new stock so do have a browse, maybe some reduced price Christmas cards to put away for next year. (They are in the Christmas shop, Christmas tab on Home Page).

As I watch the sun climb higher each day and the afternoons brighten, I am happily stitching bunnies and lambs once again whilst imagining the buzz of bees and joyful birdsong which are just around the corner! 

January 2024

Happy New Year!

On New Year’s Day we were blessed with a glorious sunrise, blue skies and a gentle breeze. I put on my walking boots and set off down the lane for some fresh air and much needed exercise. Little birds flitted about in the bare hedges and long shadows of the feathery reeds along the dyke danced across the roadway ahead of me.

Seeing the bare brown trees and hedges against the brilliant blue sky I found myself wondering if this is why I love the slightly unusual colour combination of blue and brown; perhaps it came from my love of the winter landscape? When I walk alone in the quiet of the coastal farmland on the edge of Lincolnshire, thoughts always wash into my mind like little waves running up the sand to meet me. New ideas for embroideries turn up, and when I return home I make notes before the pictures in my head fade away. The sun is already feeling stronger and brighter, and soon the Spring flowers will be with us again. I wish you a year of blessings; good health, good friends and good times to lighten your heart.

December 2023

Cold and frosty! The pond is completely frozen and yesterday hail stones the size of small pebbles were bouncing and dancing on the icy surface. Today there has been sunshine, but already the temperature is below freezing again. We brought in some logs for the old Rayburn today to stack around it to dry out, but the log pile was frozen solid! We had to drop clusters of logs to smash them apart before we could load up the barrow! The birds are now feasting on the bird table as the light fades, preparing for another long cold night.

I have been sorting out my studio and wrapping presents, planning Christmas food and thinking about getting the decorations down from the attic. Now that the Christmas orders from shops and galleries are all on the shelves and the online shop here is well-stocked I can take a breather! It is a time when I think of new designs and in the depths of winter I love to source fabrics old and new for inspiration and colours ready for launching off in the New Year!

With my best wishes for a very Happy Christmas and a huge thankyou for your custom throughout the year.