Just Unwind

The Girls are back in town!

The girls are back.

I am so glad,

I miss them all winter,

but even with all this weird weather,

they come back

My girls:

They have no idea how happy they make me, but who cares.

I haven't done anything to these images, these are their true colours.

'Mindfulness' is definitely a buzz word at the moment, and one definition I found was 'the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something'. I am translating this into 'appreciating the moment', so in this ridiculously fast and stressful world, just take a moment to appreciate a flower. Some of the best are free, and they don't even have to be yours. They can be in a shop window, a park, or even popping over someone's garden wall.

Flowers are definitely one of my favourite things in the whole world, so glad I have the ability to appreciate them. Now I just have to make the time!

Jo

A Handmade Mother's Day

Life feels a very commercial thing at the moment, and although I have to admit I love shopping, I also really appreciate when someone takes the time to hand-make a gift, or find something inexpensive but personal. So my family is well aware that I would not really appreciate an expensive, production line gift on Mother's Day.

My husband has always made the effort, but it is really special when the kids present things that obviously come from them.

A handmade card from my daughter

Quite 'Molly Makes' if you ask me.

Accompanied by a miniature daffodil which I shall plant in the garden when it has finished flowering.

A little posy presented to all the mums at church.

My son is too old to make cards but the one he gave me had definitely been picked by him, which really did make me feel appreciated.

My husband had bought bunches of daffodils, which are now sat in a vase just waiting to burst into colour. 

They made lunch, and washed up, while I sat on the sofa alternating between my Knitting and my current Cross-Stitch, plus I had control of the 'TV Remote'. We did go out for tea as well, a totally spoilt day!

Today is back to normality, except the sunshine is out and I am looking longingly at the garden (which I know is still too wet to venture into).

Normality is good, as it makes the special times just that, 'Special'.

Take time to appreciate the little things, they really do mean such a lot.

Jo

A Welcome Change

Rain, rain and more rain. It feels as though we have been stuck under a grey and frequently torrential rain cloud for months. Lazy winds blowing sideways, lashing the rain against the windows (called 'Lazy' winds not because they are slow or easy, but because the try to go through you, rather than around you!). So when the weather forecaster said cold and sunny, I almost cheered.

Out can come the warm coat with jazzy lining, rose buttons and matching scarf. This scarf was the prototype for my 'Diamond Reversible Scarf in DK' which can be found on my web-site. I often find my best designs come from creating an item which I personally need.

So a few welcome days off from the rain coat with its very practical hood, and velcro!!!!!

I might even get out in the garden this week. The snowdrops and miniature daffodils have survived being waterlogged for months, so there is hope.

Funny how spring-like sunshine inspires hope!

Jo

 

Roses In September

Just wanted to share the beautiful sight that greets me every morning when I open my front curtains.

I can see them peaking in the window and they make me pause, just for a moment.

To think they go from this,

to this,

is just amazing.

Enjoy your day.

Jo :)

Woolly Colour Co-ordinated Garden Chairs! Is this a step too far?

As you know I love flowers and colour, so I was thrilled when I realised that my old seat pads from the shop chairs matched my garden colour scheme perfectly.

Just look!

 

 

  How amazing is that (or maybe not so amazing when I think about how certain colours just get into my brain & stick!).

I have done this so far:

 

I am working on more.

Woolly, colourful, and practical too!

All my favourite things together. I have already had friends over to sit on my chairs and drink coffee and eat chocolate in the sunshine.

Simple pleasures, shared!

What simple pleasures do you enjoy? Whatever they are I hope they include friends (and chocolate).

Jo :)

 

Inspirational Flowers - Part 1

Flowers always play a big part for me in the summer. I take special pleasure in going out into my garden every day to see if anything new has appeared. I love the process of watching the buds appear, then seeing them open, and finally dead-heading them in the hope that more will appear. 

Photographing them has become another part of the pleasure process. Waiting for the perfect time when the breeze has paused for just a moment, so I can try and get the perfect shot. Flowers can be so fleeting, and it seemed a shame that only I was seeing them most of the time. So sharing these pictures on my blog, has only added to the continuity of this enjoyment. 

When I started going through my pictures I realised I had quite a lot, so I have decided to work with one colour at a time.

Here is this weeks offering:

This Magnolia was open earlier in the year, but it is so beautiful I wanted to include it.

Many of the flowers I have in my garden are really very tiny, but as this usually means there are lots of them on a stem they still have great impact. I also love the challenge of trying to get a beautiful  photograph of something so tiny. 

This was taken in a garden I was visiting, but I plan to have some in my garden too!

This little gem is a Lavender I bought this year at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show, the whole head is about as big as my thumb!

The flowers on this  Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium) are each about the size of a penny.

Finally in my pots I have the lovely blousy Petunias, always ready to perform.

 

You wouldn't believe these were battered by the hail shower we had only a couple of weeks ago!

I hope you have enjoyed this snapshot of my garden, as much as I have enjoyed sharing it.

Love 

Jo

Flowers in June

As you have probably worked out, I LOVE my garden. It is not very big or impressive, but I can always find something to do, or to look at. I could waste (very happily) many hours just pottering.

My life doesn't lend itself to many hours of pottering, so I grab whatever I can get. 

A few days ago I was moaning to myself at how few flowers there were. But with all this strange weather my plants were obviously just holding their breath, because when I looked this week all these flowers have appeared, and bits of the garden are looking glorious!

Just look 

 

Some are big and blousy and totally 'in your face', while others are so tiny you have to bend down to appreciate them. It is just such a pleasure to be in the garden at the moment.

This is obviously the Purple, Pink and White time of year. I am already looking forward to next month when the Daylily appear and everything turns Red, Orange and Yellow!

What can I say, flowers and colour really do make me happy.

What will make you feel happy today?

Jo

 

 

Colour, Form & Texture

At the end of April I was lucky enough to be able to spend a lovely day at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show with one of my sisters. The weather was fabulous, we went on the Thursday and I am sure we got the best day, it was brilliant sunshine, lovely and warm.

Loving wool in all its lovely forms, colours and textures it is only a small jump to loving plants and flowers in all their various forms, colours and textures.  So here are just some of the things that caught my eye that day:

A VE Day Garden

The 'Hobbit' houses (not there real name, but they do take you into a fantasy world, if only I had a bigger garden and the money to buy one). They were amazing inside, you could almost have lived in one, except I would need a second one for my yarn stash!

 

There were some amazing garden ornaments! Not sure I would like a full size giraffe in my garden, but I know someone who might (you know who you are).

This I just loved, the skirt is made of dried leaves

 

All in all a wonderful day, made just perfect by good company and the perfect cup of coffee.

Bye

Jo

Spring and A New Start

Life is full of change at the moment.

Work has changed quite drastically. Not in a bad way, just different. I am still jiggling things round at home to accommodate my new work routine. This is my office today:

I am stocktaking! A very long and tedious task, but essential.

The flowers cheer me up when I start to sigh too often!

Tomorrow I will be in the stock room, logging more yarn. 

Once this is done I can put all my efforts into putting all the stock on-line for you to see! 

The Knit & Natters are still going strong. It is lovely to see everyone and the new venues are working well. We can now be found in 'Cross Hills Library' on Mondays 2-4pm, and 'The Coffee Stop' also in Cross Hills, on a Wednesday 1.15-3pm. 

I mentioned spring! Well I love this time of year as my favourite tree is flowering. Look:

I can see this from today's 'Office' window. Beautiful isn't it.

I also spent a few moments this morning admiring a few other things:

This is a new shrub in my garden, the flowers are tiny, only a few millimetres wide. I also love seeing the new growth and buds appearing.

 

So although my start to the new year felt a bit negative, spring is feeling positive from all angles.

So smile, look at the flowers, and find a bright new yarn to play with.

Jo ;-)

Favourite Flowers & Bumble Bees

This is my White Poeny. I bought it several years ago, and every year I get 2 or 3 flowers on it which are almost immediately ruined by heavy rain. It starts as this beautiful, simple sphere shape,

which bursts into this.

Stunning, don't you think!

This year has been different. I had LOADS of buds this year, which I watched with trepidation just waiting for the downpour that would ruin them.

Then, the unbelieveable happened.

WOW, was all I could think of.

They gave this amazing show for quite a few days. The best display I have ever had from them. I really want to move this plant, but I am not sure if I dare now it seams so happy.

The Bumble Bees are also everywhere, although I have had a little difficulty catching them with the camera. Can you spot them on the next pictures? They are like the child who doesn't want their picture taking, all you get is the back of their head or their bottom!

This is my best shot to date!

Can you spot it's bottom, just at the top of this picture!

And one final little treasure,

One of my favourite tiny flowers. It is a geranium and each flower is about the size of a 10 pence piece. If you cut the dead ones off regularly it just keeps on flowering. 

Flowers are something I just can't get enough of. With all this lovely weather we have been having I have been ignoring other things to sit in my garden, crochet and look at my flowers. I have hit a slightly bare time in my back garden now , it seemed to be lacking in flowers this weekend. Some research and a trip to the garden centre are needed, just not sure where I can fit that in this week!

Hope you are finding time to enjoy the lovely weather.

Jo xx