Oh, I do like.....

....to be beside the seaside!  A visit to Llandudno under a brilliant blue sky,
a helter skelter, lots of steam engines and a reminder that the sea is not
always peaceful and men and women voluntarily risk their lives
 to rescue people, some of whom should have known better

Humphrey.....

....our first dog visitor, arrived to stay at the barn.  He kindly allowed his owners,
my sister and brother in law, to accompany him

If you go down to the woods today......

......it's bluebells you'll see, not teddy bears!

Gillyflower....

....a plant for which I have always had a soft spot, lol!
Though plant specialists seem to be undecided whether
the name refers to carnations or wallflowers!

Viburnum.....

.....macrocephalum.  This was very thoughtfully planted
outside the gates of the house so that the incredible
scent could be enjoyed by passersby.  Can you smell it?
 

A weed....

....but still beautiful!

Alleluia!

..... He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

A pheasant.....

.....with somewhat suicidal tendencies!  He tends to walk along by
the side of the car, completely hidden then sometimes takes off
across the bonnet/hood. Most disconcerting!

A Week of Sunshine........

....was interrupted tonight by a storm that rolled around the valley for over an hour. 
I noticed the raindrops on the window, the first rain we have had
 since coming to live in the barn.

An Englishman's Home.....

.....is his castle, these gates are almost next door to each other, but one
definitely posher than the other!

Tis.....

....rosemary for remembrance.
An away day today as I visited my sister in Northamptonshire,
where this beautiful plant is flowering just outside the gate. 
A treat to be able to pop down just for the day instead of crossing the Atlantic to visit her!

Another Once.....

.....upon a time, God laughed and gave us a son after two daughters!
Happy Birthday, Edward!

Obviously.......

.....my sister IS trying to tell us something!  The above was a gift to her brother-in-law
a couple of years ago.  She was browsing in one of those gifty places while on a visit
to us in Chicago and deemed it a "perfect" present for him, hmmmm!
See the post from April 14th!

A peaceful......

...... Sunday walk, saying hello to one of the neighbours as we pass!

Reflections......

..... of a Cheshire sunset

Home.....

......sweet home, well, for now anyway!

A present.....

......from my sister - do you suppose she is trying to tell me something?

Laugh.....

is what you have to do when it comes to gardening,
otherwise the weeds and the bugs prove too much!

Finally.....

a stitching room that I can stitch in, but I'm so tired
I have to go to bed!

Red.......

is the new black!

Once upon a time......

a young couple welcomed their second daughter into the world
in Maidstone, Kent
Happy Birthday, Caroline!

A Box.....

....for boxes!  I put a card on the supermarket notice board, offering free moving boxes and paper and a guy named Nathan asked if he could have them.  Because of his unexpected transport difficulties we offered to drop the boxes off at his house down in the village.  As we said goodbye, he disappeared into his house and came out with this wine!  Wasn't that lovely?  Best wishes for your new job in Cardiff, Nathan!

A Nifty Idea......

to avoid having shopping carts abandoned all over the parking lot/shopping trollies all over the car park, lol!  As one who did her fair share of coralling these metal monsters when I worked for Whole Foods Market, I applaud it!  Probably wouldn't work in the US as over there they don't have a similar value coin to the British pound coin.  At our local supermarket you can purchase a little token to use instead of the coin and 80% of the money goes to a chosen charity.

Spring Buds!

Oh, to be in England......

...... now that April's here!

Given the chaos around here.....

...........this quote seemed quite appropriate!

One day........

.........this will be my sewing room!

Finally..........



they all left!

 Just joking, it was a lovely weekend and I am so glad my friends came!  Ally came from Scotland, Mouse from Yorkshire and Karen from Manchester.   Val from Co Durham couldn't make it this time but watch out, Val, we are coming to get you for the next get together!

How do we know each other?  Well, we moderate (and Ally and Mouse co-own) a lovely group called Friendly_Stitchers and we would love you to join us if you share our interest in cross stitching.

Just to prove we are stitching.....



here's what the four of us have been working on this weekend!



Hmm, I need to brush up on my plant ID!

Any ideas?