Summer time makes

I've not been well the last 2 weeks but somehow have managed to keep sewing in between losing my voice and sneezing for England! Here are pics of the not yet finished log cabin, made from a jelly roll given to me by a lovely friend. I'm planning to put it on the wall of my workroom as the colours go really well. It needs a border and I'm still contemplating how to do that!

 I'm pretty pleased with the way it's turning out - it took a bit of planning to get the right colours in the right places!

And also been making a beach bag to take to France next week - can't go on holiday without a great bag! I thought these bleached out colours looked right for the beach - also they look a bit like deck chairs!

Summer so far has been so beautiful! I just have to keep taking photos of the flowers around - especially the roses. Had a little trip to Sandwich and discovered 'The secret garden' 

( http://www.the-secretgardens.co.uk/the-secret-gardens/ )

It was a complete joy to look at - and better still smell! you can take photos and capture some of the beauty but you can't capture the scent of a fully flowering garden on a hot June day.

so at the risk of being repetitive here are some photos I took that day.

lettuces lined up in stripes

This little beauty was only a couple of centimetres wide and hiding in the shade.

I wanted to dive right into these poppies!

will have to use this as an inspiration for a colour scheme for a quilt

ok - so I think this is my favourite photo of the year so far!  These grasses and Alium heads were part of a spring meadow left to grow and flower before being cut later on. The colours are so beautiful - soft and understated - definite inspiration for something!

Happy days, sad days

Busy, busy weekend helping my friend run her first Country Living Bring and Buy sale in her garden. We had a fantastic turnout despite the rather changeable weather!  Lots of things to buy, eat and drink and friends to catch up with. And best of all we raised £350 for a charity helping children in Africa! here's a few pictures of the day...

Then on Sunday I visited the National Patchwork Championships at Sandown race course - another lovely day with a friend shopping and looking at the quilts. We thought the standard of quilts was really good this year and there seemed to be a good positive atmosphere amongst the sellers. I was very restrained in my purchases! 

2 wooden stamps from Colouricious - 2 lovely ladies who scour the world for wooden printing blocks - they had an amazing selection and were very inspiring. Check them out on

http://www.colouricious.com/

Also some great stripes I'm planning on using for a beach bag for my French beach holiday in August and a little bundle of fabric from the American Jane line called 'Happy Campers' .

So a lovely day until I came home to my elderly and sick cat who had developed breathing difficulties and needed to be rushed to the vet. Sadly it was to be her last trip. R.I.P. Tabby - you were a great friend and companion, sitting near me when I sewed and usually on top of any paper patterns or especially precious fabric. I'll miss you x. 

This was taken last week when the blackbirds brought their fledging down for the first time - Tabby just gave it a glance and went back to sleep!

Spring at Painshill Park, Cobham Surry

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have an extra day off school so I had a day trip to Painshill Park, Cobham, Surrey - just off the A3. A complete undiscovered treasure with landscaped gardens, crazy follies and amazing wildlife, it was almost deserted on a changeable Monday. Here are some highlights...

I just love these guys - 15 cygnets in 2 clutches all preening themselves after a swim in the lake with Mum!

Trip to Kentucky, USA

Just back from week in Kentucky visiting daughter who has just graduated! extremely hot over there all the time, even at night, thank god for air con! here are a few photos I took on visits out - just things that caught my eye...

 beautiful waterfall in hills near Richmond KY

 water erosion on the rocks

 heart shaped stone!

never seen a quilted window before...

I loved the reflections in the windows in Louisville

Had lovely time but glad to be home - even though husband has now abandoned me for 4 weeks for work trip to Sydney! so home alone with the cat catching up on last week's tv and eating 'something with salad' every day!

Flower week

It's May, it's Chelsea flower show week and I thought I'd have my own flower show right here!

 Macro shots on my Finepix S2000HD of flowers from my garden.

Nature walk

Beautiful sunny, warm day so we went for a nature walk in the fields about 2 miles from home. Lambs, bluebells, buttercups, apple blossom and a beer were all to be seen!

Obviously the beer has nothing to do with nature but it was refreshing after the walk!

And we came across the cutest little house ever! - We've lived in Kent for over 25 years and never seen it before!