It's been a funny old week.

All will be explained in a moment.   The weekend before last my husband collapsed at home and I had to call an ambulance.   It transpired that he had double pneumonia and has been in hospital ever since.   He is making good progress and looks a little better each time I see him.

Yesterday our son took the above in to him - his escape kit!  In case it isn't clear, he hid a file in a half eaten chocolate croissant and provided a pass with false identity!   The file was totally embedded in the croissant but I pulled some out so you could see what it was.

We both have nothing but gratitude and praise for the hospital staff and their level of care, but he is still champing at the bit to come home, though I think he will be in there for a few more days.   Maybe they will let him home this coming weekend by which time I hope the weather will have warmed up a bit.

I must get my nurse's outfit out of mothballs and find a big stick for discipline as he is bound to try doing all the things he shouldn't.  I shall call for back-up if he doesn't listen to me!

Finishing things and starting other things.

This is the finished book cover - front above and back below.    I zigzagged close to the edge, all round the cover and then made a 'picot' effect with the soldering iron.

I had great trouble with my spray bottle and it shot out great dollops of dark ink which I thought had ruined it completely.   However, as it dried it became lighter and I over sprayed it with a green ink and then a coppery one.   The letters and leaves were rubbed with Treasure Gold to bring up their textures.  I might apply a coat or two of acrylic wax for protection.

I love this time of year and always get a lift from sowing seeds.   These are all with bees in mind - french marigold, poached egg plant, aquilegia, nasturtium, sweet peas, cosmos, calendula and annual dahlias.   I have also planted roots of three large dahlias.   My tiny greenhouse also contains pelargonium and lavender cuttings taken last year and a bonsai oak tree grown from an acorn by my son.  These are in an awful jumble, out of shot thank goodness along with various gardening gloves and hand tools.  I must have another tidying session out there.

The greenhouse also doubles as our recycling area with bags for papers, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic, not to mention four folding chairs.  I can just about get in far enough to water everything, including the chairs if I'm not careful.   When the seedlings are out in the garden I can dismantle the old green plastic table, let the chairs out, and there will be enough room for two growbags which will hold six tomato plants.   The smell of tomato plants takes me back to my childhood and my granddad's greenhouse.   Lovely.

Wasting time and making excuses.

Having finished all the pages for my fabric book I have been amusing myself by recycyling a lot of oddments of yarn into a sort of tunic-cum-pullover.

It may only ever get worn for gardening but will be quite useful on cooler days worn over a shirt or poloneck jumper.

I'm amazed it fits as it was knitted, not with chunky yarn as the pattern stated but with all sorts of yarns, tape and ribbon and on smaller needles, but I did work out from the tension details how many extra stitches I would need.  Luckily there was no shaping involved - it is just two oblongs put together leaving an opening at the neck.  There should have been sleeves but I ran out of interesting leftovers so settled for a matching trim at the armholes.
Not terribly flattering but it will hide a few lumps and a spare tyre.

I have managed to avoid working on the cover for my book but have been thinking about it while knitting and am nearly ready to take the plunge and start work on it.

How do we manage to kid ourselves that our actions are perfectly reasonable?  For weeks now I have wanted to start drawing in a sketchbook.  I thoroughly enjoyed the course I did a couple of years back so I know I can draw - after a fashion if not to my satisfaction - but the thought of making another start makes me instantly find something else to do and make excuses for not drawing, or making my book cover, come to that.   I will do both eventually because I really want to.  It's a bit like wanting to swim but knowing the water will be cold!  I'll jump in when I'm ready.

I thought I would be wise when I was old - sadly I am just old.

A trifle damp this morning.

This is what we woke up to this morning.   What a good thing my husband fixed those bars to lift the feet of our seats free of the water level.

Poor soggy neglected garden.   I suppose I'll get out there one day.

I have been working on the pages of my fabric book using photocopies of my own photos although this one was from a card.

Most of the photos are from a holiday to the Gower Peninsula and are full of happy memories.  I have learned quite a lot during the making of these pages and am now not happy with the dimensions of some of my pieces of fabric.  What a shame I couldn't see that earlier!

Most of the fabrics are scraps left over from a dyeing course many years ago, or were painted for other projects.

Another time I shall bond each fabric scrap in place before hand stitching.  I just can't get rid of all the wrinkles.   What a good thing I like the rustic look.

I have thoroughly enjoyed making it and am still considering adding small embellishments to some of the less interesting pages.    Now I must devise the cover.

Keep safe, and dry.

Back to Normal.

I took these photos yesterday when the temperature had plummeted overnight.  Even the weeds and untidy dead bits in the garden looked pretty with a dusting of frost.  The pond was frozen over and the bird bath was solid.   About 20 miles north of us they had a light fall of snow and freezing fog, turning everywhere into a winter wonderland.

The heuchera leaves are beautiful without any frost but those frilly edges look wonderful with a bit of 'icing'.

As I said, even the weeds look attractive.

And the dead bits - this is an ice plant seedhead.

No apologies - another heuchera plant - I love them.

I think the hellebores had a bit of a shock and looked rather bedraggled.

Even the snowdrops were a bit sorry for themselves, but both are quite perky this morning with a 10 degree rise in temperature.   Today is damp, dull and dreary and all the magic has gone but I am sure that winter hasn't done with us just yet.

A few days ago I printed off one of the free tutorials from Maggie Grey's latest book 'Long Diaries and Tall Tales'.  I was looking forward to trying it out but must have put it somewhere safe.  I have looked everywhere, even in the recycling bag for paper.  It must be here somewhere.  Any ideas as to where to carry on searching?

Feeling Miffed!

I was given this beautiful scarf for Christmas and haven't been able to wear it yet as the weather has been so mild, and the scarf is really warm.  I has all sorts of textures woven into it plus little pleats here and there giving it a stretchy feel.  The photograph hasn't reproduced the colours at all well as the light is poor today.

 

I also received a skein of what I, at first, thought to be some fibres for working on the embellisher.  It turned out to be 50gm of mohair laceweight yarn - a blend of alpaca and silk.  It didn't look like yarn in the skein and is so fine and soft and also beautifully warm.  I have never knitted with such fine yarn and had to get used to it - it felt like knitting with cobwebs.   Again, my photo hasn't done the colours justice - it has a delicate variation of sea blue/green with a hint of pale lilac.  Very pretty.

I was amazed at the length it knitted up to - over 2 metres long.  Two totally contrasting scarves but I can feel that the temperature is gradually dropping, so maybe it wont be long before I am trying to decide which to wear first as I moan about being too cold!

I also received a very robust garden trowel which I haven't christened yet as the garden is so waterlogged.  More rain today and a very poor light for any kind of art or craft work.  Never mind, I am occupying myself by turning out cupboards and filling boxes to go to the charity shop.  Not looking forward to the cupboard under the sink, or the larder.   Who knows what horrifying sell by dates I will discover lurking at the back!

Goodbye Christmas.

Normal service has been resumed, albeit a day early as I am out tomorrow and Wednesday, and Christmas is tucked up again in it's cupboard for another year.

This was our landing two days ago during which time another two large bags of fabrics joined the pile.   I have been collecting all sorts of fabrics for making rag rugs for several years, but the process of rag rugging is quite hard on the hands and I don't think I shall be making any more.  Everything is now with the local secondary school art and textile department.  I was delighted to find it all a good home and they were delighted to accept it.

There are still some general books to be packed up but they will go to the Lion's Club book shop.  After that I shall turn my attention to the kitchen cupboards - I shudder to think of some of the sell by dates that might be lurking in the back of my larder.

I feel so sorry for those affected by floods - it must be truly awful.  The forecasters keep saying that the weather will remain changeable.  I don't think changeable is the right word for it - it seems to be stuck in a rut and we keep getting the same, over and over again.

It isn't cold, so I won't say 'Keep warm'.  Just keep dry and roll on some seasonal weather then perhaps we can all look forward to proper a spring.

I've just had a lovely thought.  Now I have cleared out so many books I have room for some new ones!