"Spring is sprung . . .

. . . the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is.

The bird is on the wing.

But that's absurd !! The wing is on the bird !!!!"     

Or so my Mum used to say to us when we were kids :o)

It really does look as though Spring is on the way. The crocuses are blooming, the daffs are beginning to open & the Magpie's are gathering twigs & material to make nests for their offspring. I've heard the birds sing during the day, so it won't be long before the Dawn Chorus starts. I can't wait. I love the Dawn Chorus - I'm sure a blackbird sits in the bushes right out side my bedroom windows & starts it off every morning.

But, until then, here are a few pis of a Magpie who was foraging for sticks in my garden. They aren't brilliant pics - I had to take them through the conservatory window with a zoom lense because every movement the Magpie saw made him/her fly off. 

Having a look to see what he can find.

He has a twig in his beak in this pic.

You lookin' at me ???

It amazes me how such thin & delicate looking twigs & branches can take the weight of some birds. This Magpie was pretty big :o)

I think I'll have THIS bit right here.

This is a bit fuzzy, but just look at the glorious colours of his feathers. That blue is so rich & the white is just so bright & clean looking.

What's up for grabs in the apple tree, then ? This was his last stop before flying off to his chosen nest-making tree in a garden further down the road.

Lastly - please don't look at the weeds, they're on my *to do* list !! - the crocuses beginning to appear in the rockery. The frogs look impressed at any rate :o))

I think there is beauty to be seen in every season, but Spring brings the light after a dark winter & the promise of good times ahead :o)

My Funny Valentine

Well, the rain came down & it melted most of the snow & ice, just in time for Valentine's Day :o)

Valentine's Day is always so much more when you're young or in a new-ish relationship, but as we get older & our relationship gets longer, I think we just slip into familiarity with our husbands, wives & partners & we just plod along, getting on with life's trials & tribulations & we forget why Valentine's Day was once so important to us.

As much as I believe it's all a commercial ploy to part us from our hard earned cash, a day full of sickly sentimental adverts splashed in the newspapers & in shop windows, all enticing us to prove our love for our *other halves*  by buying the biggest bear with a love heart, or a heart shaped box of luxury chocolates, I also believe that if you truly love the one you're with, why not use the day to show it ?  It's an extra to your anniversary, but you don't have to splash out, no matter what the adverts on telly, hoardings, shop windows or the internet tell you. Something simple & heartfelt is the way to go - we don't all need large displays of sentiment to prove how we feel.

And, on that note, this is the silly something I made for Shaun. Yes, I know it probably looks more like a fat spring onion, but it isn't !! :o))

It's a lightbulb & I attached a little card that said - you light up my life :o)

NOT because he does in the sentimental way, but because he is FOREVER leaving lights on all over the house !!! :o)

(Mumble, mumble - OK, so he DOES light up my life in the sentimental way, too, but don't tell him that, will you ? After 31 years, I don't want him smirking like he was 16 again !!!)

Have a great day, everyone, whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not :o))

Walking in a winter wonderland :o)

This morning, we woke up to a beautiful snowy day, just as the weather forecasters promised :o)

I finally managed to christen my wellies !! :o) 

 Looking up the garden towards the veg cage on the right & the decking on the left :o)

 Snowy veg cage & fruit cage. Seems strange to think that in a matter of weeks, they'll start to produce lovely, tasty food to see us through the Summer & Autumn. With a bit of help from me, of course !! :o))

 The large black tub in the corner of the veg cage has some rhubarb in it. Yum. One of my favourites :o) I'm hoping by growing it in the cage, the local cats will leave it alone !!

 The bench, a favourite bird-watching spot for grandson 1a :o)

 Kit's Korner, my little memorial garden, keeping all the memories safe & warm until the flowers grow again in Spring. 

I hope you all keep safe & warm, whilst enjoying the beauty of the snow :o)

Bits & pieces

Even though the sun is shining today, it's far too cold to make a start on the garden. My poor greenhouse needs a good scrub, the large drip trays that I stand the seedling pots in, need washing & the pots need filling with compost so I can start sowing the seeds. This year, however,  I shall have an apprentice - grandson no. 1a has his own little garden now & can't wait to get going on it :o) It's going to go in a corner of my veg cage so that it's safe from birds, cats, foxes & baby brother - grandson no. 1b, who, at 19 months, still thinks EVERYTHING should live in his mouth :o)

The budding gardener wants to grow *orange flowers, yellow flowers & lettix & martos for Mummy to have for her lunch* !! :o) So, I have marigold & sunflower seeds, plus the usual salad & veg. seeds, all just waiting for Spring to appear.

In the mean time, I've been catching up on my family tree, making cards & knitting.

This card was for my friend Kris - she's a keen gardener & I just loved this little mouse stamp & bought it with her card in mind. It's a stamp I'll use time & again though :o)

 I love this stamp & for this card,  I just wanted something plain & understated. All I did was stamp onto white cardstock with brown ink, tore around the edge & inked it to give it a border, stuck it on dark brown card & then used a slightly patterned co-ordinating card stock for the background.

 These bright'n'snazzy fingerless gloves are for charity, simply because . . .

THESE

were snaffled before I'd even finished them !! :o) There I was, minding my own business, knitting away, when Val (of Poppy's Place blog fame) asked if she could have them when I was done :o)

Now, compared to many people I know, I'm not a particularly good knitter - but I don't mind admitting, I was pretty chuffed that someone liked something I'd made enough to want to have it :o)   

So, what's on my needles at the moment ? A cable headband for charity & Christmas tree decorations :o)

Well, the years go by so quickly, don't they ? You have to be prepared for Christmas, cos even though there's always 12 months from one Christmas to the next, it does seem to suddenly arrive without so much as a by-your-leave, doesn't it ?! :o)

Keep warm, everyone & enjoy the snow if it arrives !! :o))

I can sing a rainbow . . .

Anyone who knows me well, knows I have a *thing* for bright stripes. I don't wear bright coloured clothes - if I wear navy blue I'm being daring :o) - but I do love to have bright, stripy extremities & so in the winter, my hands & feet are always  covered with stripy socks & gloves.

For a few years now, I've hankered after a particular *thing* & although the makers & manufacturers made spotty ones, flowery ones, plaid ones etc., they never seemed to make bright stripy ones. HOWEVER - my quest is now at an end & I am now the VERY proud owner of these:

Have you ever seen such perfect wellies before ?! I can't wait to get out in the garden, digging over the veg patch - if they don't brighten up the neighbours' day, it'll be a very sad thing :o))

I decided to have a look around the house to see what other strippity-strippage I have & here are some of my favourites.

Scarf, 2 pairs of gloves & an 'at :o) At least if I fall over in the snow, no matter which end is sticking up, I'll be found !! :o)

My daughter bought this for me from a stall at Broadstairs Folk Week a few years ago. She said as soon as she saw it, she thought *MUM !!*  She knows me SO well :o) 

My trusty stripy brolly on the right & the fabbest brolly 'at in the world. The 'at was a present from my friend Di, in New Zealand (Hi, Brum Chum !!) & I HAVE worn it. Not very good if there's a lot of wind though, & as I don't want to lose it, I only wear it when it's just raining.

All girls need a handbag she can carry everything & the

kitchen sink in & this one is mine :o)

Socks !!! All stripy, some with toes as well :o) Lovely !!

Even hobbies have a stripy something - this stripy box holds cardstock . . .

One of my many family tree note books & an accordian file . . .

My knitting bag, notions cases & notebook.

Even cooking & cleaning can be brightened up with a bit of strippage, you know . . .

Anything to jazz up the household chores is OK with me :o)

And lastly . . . .

Who wouldn't smile at legs & feet like mine ??!! :o))

Mind you, this is an old photo - I don't have that computer monitor any more !! :o)



Christmas is coming - AGAIN !!!

Any crafter will tell you that it's never too early to make Christmas cards or decorations, so that's what I've been doing this past few days.

I love, love love stamping. No, not with my foot, though I HAVE been known to do that on occasion, but stamping-with-ink-on-card stamping :o) I'm not brilliant at it,  but I think, with practice I'm getting better. I have a HUGE collection of stamps & I've decided that this year, I'm going to make full use of them & will try to use a stamp on every single card I make, be it for Christmas, birthday, new baby, anniversary or whatever.

All the images I've used on the following cards  are from Penny Black. I absolutely LOVE Penny Black stamps. I'd rather spend money on them than on food or clothes !! :o)

This image is stamped with black ink & then coloured with Pro-markers. I then used an embossing pen to pick out where I wanted to use snowflake tinsel embossing powder & then heat embossed it. A couple of nesties, a bit of ribbon, some mirror card put through the Cuttlebug & some designer paper later &  I had my first Christmas card for 2012 :o)

This image was just as above - stamped & coloured with Pro-markers. Again, the bug & nesties came into force, a bit of background paper & a ribbon & card no. 2 was ready :o)

I love this stamp - there's something a bit Victorian-Christmas about a lamp post !! :o)

I wanted to keep this card simple  so I just used 3 colours - red, black & a cinnamon colour for the mouse. To give it a bit of *splark*, I used snowflake tinsel embossing powder, a glittery ribbon & silver mirror card.

This card was an experiment for me :o)  Normally, I'd stamp onto card stock, cut it out & then stick it on a card. But, today, I decided to go for it - stamp straight onto a card & then watercolour it. I must say - I'm quite pleased with the results :o)   I will, however, own up to putting a sentiment on where I stamped a greeting, but it smudged :o) THAT'S why I don't normally stamp  directly on to a card :o)

My trusty old Cuttlebug really had an outing today :o) This card is stamped, watercoloured, cuttlebugged & nestabilitie-d to within an inch of its life :o) I think it's rather cute - I LOVE the snowman image.

Now, this one I'm not too sure of. I stamped onto a nesty shape, watercoloured it & then used an ink pad to colour the nesty edges. I then sort of scuffed the ink pad over the nesty shape & image, but I think I might have been just a bit too heavy handed.

As well as making cards, I've been knitting tree ornaments. One of my nephews  has just moved into a bedsit & has requested a few for his tree. NOT that he has a Christmas tree yet, but at least if I get them done, they'll be ready for him when he wants them. HOPEFULLY he'll have a tree come Christmas 2012 !! :o)

This is a very simple Christmas tree - just knit a diamond shape, fold it in half , sew the sides, make a brown trunk, add a few embellishments & hey presto :o) The pattern is by YarnMiracle.

I really like this bell - it's a Jean Greenhowe pattern & it only took about 3 hours in total to make, so an evening's knitting :o)

This little parcel I just sort of made up as I went along. I knitted a rectangle, folded it in half, put some carboard inside to stiffen it a bit, crocheted a ribbon, added a silver ribbon & snowflake & that was it.

I LOVE this Christmas pud. I made one for myself last year & so many people commented on it. It's so life like, but it's quite time consuming & fiddly. The pattern is by Frankie Brown, who, in my opinion, designs some of the best Christmas patterns going.

And lastly - well done if you've managed to read this far without losing the will to live !! - a Christmas stocking. It's about 4 inches tall so a little something can be put in it on the tree.

My daughter asked me to knit her some fingerless gloves in Hufflepuff  (Harry Potter) colours & as I'm only half way through the first glove, I think I'd better stop Christmas crafting for a while & get on with them. If I don't, it'll soon be too warm for her to wear them & somehow, I don't think she's willing to wait till NEXT winter for them :o))

Sunrise

This is the view I had of the sky from my back garden about 7:30am this morning.

Mother Nature really knows what she's about, doesn't she ?  No words needed - enjoy my silence while you can :o)