Last week of July...

 It was indeed a full week. The kind that can catch you off your guard in more ways than one. It began with days slightly cooler than we've had this winter, and they were just what was needed to refresh body and soul before the soon-to-return tropical heat. 

But little Charlie, just 31 months old, who had been battling fevers that came and went with increasing lethargy over the few days previous, ended up in hospital on Tuesday. He went downhill on Monday night and the doctor thought it was a blood infection so after being rushed into Emergency early Tuesday morning, he was monitored through the day, and once his fever was back down Blossom (who had barely slept for days) and Ross were advised to take him home to continue recovering from what was now believed to be influenza. Apparently the paediatric wards in our hospital were overflowing with babies and small children battling Influenza A or B, and RSV, so it was deemed safer for him to be at home. We only have a few paediatricians in Townsville (the waiting list to see them can be two years) and I can only imagine the strain that puts on parents, and our doctors and nurses in Paediatric wards. 

I called on my two prayer partners (all the way over in the USA) Allie and Susan, and more friends prayed after I posted on Instagram. What a blessing to have so many praying for our little fellow and all the children still in hospital. Charlie is continuing to recover well, and we are praising God for His faithfulness again...as if we can ever praise Him enough, for He is faithful day by day. 

Also this past week:

One afternoon I was out in the yard taking the washing off the line and glanced over to my right where a visitor had arrived...a Muscovy duck! Perhaps you don't know, but birds are a true delight to my heart and when I am in the midst of trials, or weariness, or extended seasons of deep prayer, God uses birds to remind me He is watching and that I can be sure He is working in the midst of every situation. This past week having a Muscovy spend two hours in my company before flying off into the sunset was a miraculous example of the Father's care - for I had never before seen a Muscovy duck in real life. 

The next day I was outside tending the garden, continuing to pray for Charlie and also for the rest of Blossom's family (who were exhibiting symptoms of head colds) when one of my favourite little birds, a Willie Wagtail, came to visit. He was sitting atop the wire on one end of the raised garden bed....

...and he stayed for ages while I chatted away to him. Of course, maybe it was Mrs Willie, and I did say that in my one-way conversation with this precious visitor, but no matter, my little friend didn't seem to mind, just happily wagging his tail feathers to and fro for my delight. 

On my to-do list for ages has been to write up an inventory of everything in our pantries, especially the small one in hubby's study, and the one in our linen cupboard. The main pantry (below) will come last because it's mostly full of the items we use weekly like baking staples, rice, pasta, spices, oil, condiments etc. and my bread machine.

The little pantry shelving inside my husband's study is wedged between our second fridge and his gun safe, a position which attracts more dust bunnies than anywhere else in the house. When I buy up on long term items after seeing them on special at a really good price, I just got into the habit of putting them anywhere I could find space, so it was very important that I took time one day to remove everything, clean the space, line the shelves (at last!) and then put everything back in sensible categories.

Here's the dusty awful before photos (excuse the photo quality as it's a dark shadowy room)...

I removed everything and prepared a notebook to write down exactly what we had in that pantry, how many of each, and what we needed to stock up on...

...and listened to my latest audio book while I worked away.  This is the third book in the series, set in 1923 after the Great War, with two wonderfully different and endearing main characters, Beryl and Edwina. There's a touch of Marple in the stories, so as I have now officially read/heard all of Agatha Christie's books (some twice) this series has definitely helped to fill my mystery book gap. 

Now for the 'after' photos.

The shelf lining has certainly brightened the area, but more importantly, everything is in it's right place at last, and I can easily plan meals for those occasional weeks when I like to "shop from the pantry and freezer and garden" to save on grocery expenses during a tight week. I do in fact think this is a wise habit anyhow, for we need to use what we have on a regular basis and not just store more and more and more without checking use-by dates. 

As much as possible I like to make everything from scratch - stewed fruits, jams, tomato products, pesto, yoghurt, bread, soups, broths, and even our milk (cashew and almond milk being our favourites), but life can be unpredictable so having basic meal items on hand like this means that if for any reason I have no time to cook from scratch, other options are on hand. This is also why I keep a supply of home baked breads and muffins in our freezer...oh my, these are so handy for easy breakfasts or a side plate. 

Lately I have been baking a large focaccia every Sunday (I have shown photos of the various ones from the past few weeks in previous posts) and I divide it into three. We enjoy a third that night for dinner and use some of it for my husband's work lunch the next day. Two portions go into the freezer. One of those portions will be defrosted and served with soup one night later in the week, and the final portion stays in the freezer so that we always have some on hand when needed. 

Yesterday was Sunday, my busiest day in the kitchen, and I decided to play around with a new focaccia topping...well, it was a success, so delicious! I added grapes, pine nuts, rosemary and celtic sea salt before baking. 

I think this is the best one I have made...in fact I am eating a tiny leftover corner from last night as I type this blog post. Having never roasted grapes before, this will be repeated many times in the future.

In the garden we've had an infestation of green vegetable bugs through the tomatoes. I catch them and squash them every day whilst picking ripe tomatoes, but the past few days their population increased dramatically so I decided to pick every single tomato off the vines. The ripe ones will be added to the mountain of ripe ones already on the kitchen benchtop and I'll use them for salads, fresh tomato and onion chutney, and as a quick pasta sauce.

But we had loads of green tomatoes...

...so they have now been washed, chopped finely along with onion and salt, and left to sit overnight. When I finish this post I'll drain them and begin the process of cooking a nice batch of Green Tomato Relish, which I'll preserve for use over the next year. Last year I made Green Tomato Chutney, but we prefer a relish so I've got a good old recipe to try from my 1959 Queensland CWA cookbook. 

Hubby used a natural pest spray on the tomato vines after I removed all the fruit, and we pray the next flush of tomatoes on them won't attract as many bugs. 

Yesterday, while the focaccia was going through the first and second rise, I made four jars of jam using some frozen berries and cherries that I'd bought for half price around Christmas. That's another thing with stocking up - frozen fruit and meat and vegetables and bread etc only last a certain period of time, not forever, especially here in the tropics. I try to look and see what needs using up a few times a month and then shop from my freezer. By doing that I free up space for any new bargains I find, or for freezing bulk meals I've made, breads, muffins, fruit etc. 

I'm going to rest today as much as possible after doing the basics of washing and tidying, making relish and gathering vegetables from the garden. The past week was full on and my Fitbit attests to that, but it's not good to have those kinds of weeks back to back if you can help it. Intentionally slowing whenever possible is life-giving, so I will pick up a book, brew a cuppa and go sit under the poinciana tree for a bit as it's a wonderfully relaxing place this time of year...

....before looking for hidden beauties to pick and display in a vase on my desk. 

I was asked to share how I make nut milks, so I'll do that next week because I can only take photos of one kind of milk at a time (when I make them). 

Other requests were for the recipes I've used for Cypriot Pitta Bread and Focaccia. Both of those are on Paul Hollywood's website HERE and HERE (I make one large focaccia, not two smaller ones).  

I'll be back in a couple of days with the next Virtuous Wife BOM pattern. Oh, and over the past couple of weeks I've added ten more patterns to my Etsy Shop, so if you wanted to browse pop over here. 

I'm also currently working on designs for a brand new Stitchery Club in my spare time (you can hear me laughing, right?)...well, I'm making spare time cause I'm intentionally slowing, and there's something rather relaxing about working on a new piece of fabric with needle and thread in the evening or during that hour of rest each afternoon before taking washing off the line and starting dinner. All I really want now is a new chicken coop and some more chickens so I can slow down even more. Birds you know? They have that effect on me. 

God bless you all, and may your own week be one where you see the kind and faithful hand of God working in your life, even in the very smallest of ways. Look around you and be amazed...look up and give thanks. :-)

Hugs

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Simple reflections from a crossword...

Though breathing is still not as easy as it was two weeks ago it is most definitely on the improve.

I think being housebound is wonderful for a convalescent's physical recovery, but it can also lead you into an almost depressed mental state, and so it was for me. Thankfully I recognised what was happening and discussed it with my husband, so this morning we packed plenty of water and headed north in the Jeep for a country drive ending up at Abergowrie, north west of Ingham, where the air was cool, and cows munched contentedly in the lush green paddocks scattered between cane fields ripe for harvest. 

It was refreshing to have the tropical winter air blowing through my hair as we drove along, capturing my mood of late and carrying it away, far from mind. As we passed through Ingham we stopped at Lou's Food Emporium for a package of Crostoli to nibble on and two cold bottles of mandarin cordial to quench our thirst. Very simple, quite delicious. 

Home again early in the afternoon I was tired yet satisfied we'd made the effort to close the door behind us for a bit and be reminded that life is more than the world within our house. Too often during illness, or in seasons where we're housebound for any number of reasons, an introvert like myself can find herself sinking further and further into a reclusive state of being, and though I do prefer to spend most of my time at home anyhow, it's also crucial that I 'get out' and come up for air every so often, to gaze with wonder at the beauty God has surrounded us with in this tropical paradise.

My desk has been somewhat neglected of late and I was not at all inspired to sit there and begin catching up on things until I placed a small white milk jug of flowers on top of the printer and then all of a sudden it felt welcoming.

Truly, one small thing can change an outlook, lift a flagging spirit, paint a smile on weary lips.

Out on the back verandah my schlumbergera cactus has also had a change of outlook. After more than a year without blooms these pretty deep peachy pink blossoms have appeared...

Chatting with Blossom the other day I shared with her my lack of creativity right now, and the sense that someone had pulled the plug on that side of my mind and drained it all away. 

She said, "Mum, go into your sewing room and cut into a favourite piece of fabric - then do whatever you like with it."

So yesterday I did just that, right before dawn when I had given up on sleep and the rain which had fallen softly on the roof all night closed the sky with clouds and ushered a chill throughout the house.

Padding into the sewing room with slippers, coffee and a thick cardie, I knew exactly what fabric to pull off the shelf.

I'm pretty sure they have sat in my stash, much admired, for about seven years. Two 1/4 yard cuts of pinkish red loveliness, waiting, always waiting.

Like all things in my mind at present, they needed a simple setting...

...and I'm very slowly enjoying moments of quiet sewing as I watch how they marry together in 

applique and embroidery. 

It's been a while since I worked with just one colour. How calming, easy, relaxing. Even beautiful. 

No hours, days even, of double guessing back and forth as to whether a palette of assorted pastels will play nicely...just unwinding one more length of pinkish red thread at a time, unhurried, sure and certain.

How reflective of me right now.

Needing to be unhurried, needing to be sure and certain, needing simple times for as long as I can have them.

When I was at the doctor's surgery the other day an older gentleman sat near me in the waiting room. The large area wasn't crowded but there were perhaps twelve or fourteen patients, some with children, scattered in seats awaiting their name to be called. I'd been there about twenty minutes before the older man set himself down just a chair's space from mine and I may not have given him a thought except for what he did next.

In a room where everyone, without exception, even mothers and fathers with babies and toddlers, were looking intently at their mobile phones, fingers scrolling through websites, emails and texts, playing games or making calls...the gentleman nearby pulled out the local newspaper from under his arm, removed a pen from his pocket, and turned the pages until he found what he was looking for. The crossword puzzle.

A contented smile spread across his face as he flattened the newspaper open before refolding it into a letter size so the crossword was the only section showing, and then with pen in hand he began.

I could not help myself. So engaged was he in answering the clues and filling empty spaces with answers that I simply had to keep looking over. In fact, at one point when his face frowned with deep concentration over what was clearly a not so easy clue I wanted to lean over and ask if he'd like some help! I actually found myself both in awe and envious of his waiting room pastime. His delight when an answer came was obvious, but mostly I was struck by how at peace he was unencumbered by technology, oblivious to the dozen or more phone fixated patients surrounding him.

 I was sick yes, agitated at having to wait so long, fearful of a positive pneumonia diagnosis...yet much of that drifted away once my crossword loving fellow patient sat nearby. 

When I came home the picture of him sitting at peace with the folded newspaper did not leave me, and though for many days afterwards I just felt ghastly ill and barely found a glimmer of delight in anything, my mind would keep wandering back to him. So struck was I by the simplicity of that meeting and I wondered if he would ever know how God had used him to remind me that I could slow down too.

You see, when I was young my grandfather would do the crossword each day in the newspaper as well. Breakfast over with, a fresh cup of tea made, pen uncapped and waiting in his hand, Pop's mind was ready to be challenged. There was no mindless scrolling of social media. There was intention to sharpen the mind, to settle for a while in your own company and feel mentally satisfied when the brain workout was done. Simple satisfaction.

I like crosswords, and I'd forgotten that. I like jigsaw puzzles too.

I do not like the ones that come as an App though. In fact, I just deleted the games off my iPhone because there's now a yearning to do things the old way, the tactile way, the no-technology way. 

I want to be reminded by experience that there's a gentler life to be regained, though my steps will be small and my way yet to be defined, and choosing to seek those older paths may in fact be the way of the future, my future at any rate.

Indeed, this season of enforced rest is not being wasted. God is using it to wake me up and there are many more things ruminating within my mind at present but I daresay this is enough pouring out of thought for one day, yes?

If you have something to share on this train of thought please write about it in the comments. Blogger still are not forwarding comments to me via email but I will do my best to respond here. xx

God bless you ever so much,

At home this week...

I am loving the cooler nights of these past two weeks. Though not the chilly winter evenings we enjoyed whilst living in a small town at the top of a mountain range in 2005, we certainly do appreciate the brisk bite in the air our tropical winter is offering at present. I even went out and bought slippers on Wednesday! 

Our winters here are very, very dry. No rain or humidity, so your skin stings from lack of moisture. I lather cream on my face, body and feet morning and night, and smear beeswax lip balm or pure coconut oil over my lips numerous times a day. Even Mr E has taken to cocoa butter cream to relieve the discomfort of dry, parched skin.

But you know, despite the increase in moisturiser purchases, we love this time of year. After nine months of endless heat it's pure joy to leave all the windows open and forget about air conditioners for a while. It's also the season for stews and soups and crusty bread, hot chocolate and lemon/honey tea.

In the mornings and late afternoons cardies and tracky pants make an appearance and I find myself wanting to hand quilt in the evenings. There's an unfinished wall quilt I began last year that needs to be sandwiched with wadding and backing so I'll do that today and then I can keep it by our couch for stitching after dinner. 

I think it will be lovely hung in our new home when we have one...

One downside of being a school teacher is the proliferation of germs students like to share around, especially during our short winter. Mr E has unfortunately succumbed to one such germ exchange and came home from work yesterday a mass of aches and pains, chills and fever.

Thank the Lord I had made a large pot of chicken bone broth in the slow cooker and was able to use it as the base of a nourishing chicken soup last night because we all know that's an essential step in healing winter ails. My beloved gratefully finished his bowl and headed off to bed where he tossed and turned all night, alternating between chills and fever, barely sleeping. I'm so glad there's plenty of soup left because it will be needed today, and I can supplement it with a loaf of fresh baked sour dough.

So no house hunting this weekend, which is what we needed to be honest as it's really knocked us around the past few months - though I never wanted a weekend off due to illness, and I am praying he recovers swiftly.

A few sewing projects were finished this week. For some reason it's winter when I get the urge to complete things, although time at the sewing machine was also a lure. As you can see in the photo above, I finished the zippered pouch which I began last weekend and I also made two of my stitcheries into cushions...

Funny thing, I thought my supply of cushion covers was plentiful because I do tend to make them regularly, but this week when I removed and washed all the covers which had been displayed through the house since summer and then went to the linen cupboard to replace them, I found I had barely any. 

Light bulb moment for me. 

I do make covers regularly, but I tend to give them away as gifts. 

So I'm in the process of sewing new cushion covers to keep, using some of my new stitchery designs as well as re-making favourite ones from the past.

The "Love" cushion (above) features one of the July stitchery club designs, but the "Bloom" cushion below is an older pattern which was originally stitched in orange and teal colours...

It looks very different now in blues and golds!

Do you remake things from the past?

I have printed up many of my older designs to remake over the next couple of years, not just updating colours and fabrics but also tweaking some (especially from my early design days) with more detail in the stitchery itself.

With a hopeful move on the horizon in a few months I'm scanning our home with new eyes, deciding what will come and what will be sold or donated and currently on my radar are two bookcases loaded with a variety of cookbooks and foodie DVDs.

Some have been with me for decades, some are garage sale or op shop finds, and others were purchased at bookshops locally and online. I have held onto a few for sentimental reasons, and a few more for just one particular recipe, yet others have sat unread for years and there are some which simply do not excite me at all as they were purchased or obtained on impulse, an impulse which evaporated quickly.

Blossom has taken a few which appeal to her, but the others will be sifted with a good dose of commonsense in the days ahead.

This is one I found at the op shop for $1 and was promptly placed on a shelf and forgotten. After dusting it off yesterday I brewed a cup of tea and settled down for a browse...

...which I'm so glad of because it has many recipes, simple recipes, that I will now try.

Bloss and I both love peas so next time she visits I'm going to make this...

Considering which cookbooks merit moving along with us also got me thinking about the kitchen I will have and how I'd like to display certain things - like good cookbooks, tea pots, jars of ingredients and the like.

For many years I've had a plan to sew decorative shelf edgings, stirred on by patterns I've collected from old magazines and a favoured home sewing book.

Not sure if I want red in my kitchen as this rental kitchen has a lot of red and I find it to be harsh and not at all relaxing, but I do like the effect (below) of the decorative ribbon edging along the edge of the shelves...

The simplicity of the embroidered blue edging below is lovely...

...but it's this one which really catches at my heart whenever I turn the page of Caroline Zoob's book "The Hand Stitched Home" and discover it all over again.

Perhaps it's the scallop edges? Or the vintage appeal of the designs?

All I know is that (apart from the red) it inspires me more than others...

I'm rather grateful for the time between now and when our forever-on-earth home is found because it's giving me space to consider how I'd like to decorate without spending precious dollars.

It's also allowing me to contemplate the value of what to take and what to leave behind because the older I grow the more simplistic I find my heart becoming. 

Like food, really. But I'll leave that for another post.

Best get back to caring for my dear man, although he's very much an independent guy who would much rather be caring for me. True love, you can't beat it.

Final pic. 

My schlumbergera (or Christmas cactus) is getting ready to bloom!

I wait almost a year for it to bring forth winter flowers so it is centre stage on the dining table at the moment for us to enjoy those blooms as long as they last.

Oh, and the Jeep is back on the road! The long awaited part arrived in the mail on Tuesday and by late Tuesday evening Mr E had the car up and running perfectly again.

And that's how I got out and about on Wednesday to buy my slippers. Smile.

May the Lord grant you grace and mercy, peace and provision, in the days ahead. May His presence surround you and lift you when weariness takes over, carry you when you cannot make it on your own, and fill you with every need under heaven.

Love and hugs,

Learning new things...

I was watering our potted herbs out by the washing line yesterday and this little green tree frog popped up from under the parsley fronds. Now that the weather has finally begun to settle into a cooler almost-winter pattern the herbs are flourishing and these cute frogs can come out to play.

Our tropical winters are like spring and it's evident in the flourishing of both flora and fauna around our area.

I'm considering a trip to Bunnings tomorrow to buy some more herbs and then we can refill our empty pots with a variety of flavour-full culinary greens. I'd love to plant them directly into the garden but as we'll be moving on in about four months it's best to keep them in pots for now.

We spent another exhausting weekend walking through open houses and driving around various neighbourhoods to look at other homes for sale which weren't open. 

I honestly did not think this endeavour would be so stressful. The weighing up of building our own place and carrying a big mortgage well into our 70's, as opposed to buying a small established home on a decent size block for around 40% less mortgage may seem a no-brainer, but with the royal commission into banks at the moment (here in Australia) it's actually easier to get finance to build than it is to purchase established if you're a first home buyer like us. 

But, we're fairly determined to go the established route and not be saddled with a mortgage that will see us do nothing more than pay it off for the next 25 years. We just have the find the right house within our budget so if you pray, please offer a little prayer for us about this. xx

Blossom loved the embroidered cardigan I made for her birthday!

Ross was away with work so Mr E and I took fresh baked lemon and raspberry muffins along with our gift to her house early Saturday and spent the morning chatting, playing with Cully May, cuddling little Rafaella who is goo-ing and gaa-ing all the time now, and checking out her new slow cooker/pressure cooker. 

All of us were so relaxed that the hours passed quicker than we'd planned and as we hugged goodbye near morning's end dear Blossom declared it one of her favourite birthdays ever. 

Driving away to begin our new list of homes to view hubby and I thanked God for the gift of our youngest child and the love, respect and honour she shows us every day. We are indeed blessed to be her mum and dad.

A surprise parcel of the new Tilda range 'Sunkiss' arrived in the post last week from Fiona at Tilda Australia. At first I felt a bit overwhelmed designing with the fabrics because free time right now to 'play' with quilting or machine sewing is rare (I have a few tunics still waiting to be hemmed after many weeks) but my husband reminded me that in the midst of all this time consuming house hunting, the embroidery design business, family responsibilities and home making, I needed to make time to have fun...and sewing is fun for me, so I am working on a new embroidery design for July which will feature some of the Sunkiss prints.

I'm also working on a project for later in the year and found I could use Sunkiss in that as well which fortunately mixes business with pleasure. Yay! Win win.

Healthwise we've continued following a grain and dairy free menu, although I did have bread at the weekend to 'test' my body's response and there definitely was one.  On Sunday morning (after two pieces of bread the previous day) my joints were aching again and my feet were so painful that walking was not fun at all, especially when we had seven open houses to view that day. 

Back to grain free for me. With all that's going on right now it's best that I stay as pain free as possible.

Not sure if I've mentioned it before but hubby and I have been using mega-vitamin therapy for almost a year now and it has honestly kept us going when nothing in the past had worked. We have seven specific supplements each day which includes 3000 mg of vitamin C, 2000 mg of magnesium and 750 mg of niacin among others. The thing we've noticed most is recovery time from illness or wounds is very fast, especially head colds which we bounce back from within 24 hours. 

Balancing our year long mega-vitamin intake with this recent grain/dairy/sugar free diet has given us the added physical benefits of reduced join pain, better sleep, dramatically reduced incidence of migraine and increased clarity of thinking. 

If we were doing this house-hunting/business/teaching/family/homemaking life without those health changes we'd be flat on the floor - just like we were for many years. Obviously not all health issues are eliminated but by not having as many to deal with I'm able to function better with the ones I still have.

In the kitchen recently I've made the most delicious raw cherry ripe slice (here's the last piece!)...

...and cherry, almond and amaranth rock cakes.

Being time poor I haven't been able to write up any new grain, dairy or sugar free recipes yet, and as I'm still experimenting that's a good thing because I'd like to refine them first, but the rock cakes (above) are a tried and true recipe I've shared in the past.

The only difference with these ones is that I used dried sour cherries last week instead of my usual dried cranberries, but you could use whatever you like. They also have a small amount of coconut palm sugar which is way healthier than refined sugar.

You can download the recipe HERE or scroll through my old food blog for more ideas over here.

I've made a good supply of beef bone broth and divided it into a few 500 ml containers for the freezer as this makes a nutritious base to soups, stews and casseroles.

Hubby loved this spicy Beef and Chorizo soup I made in the slow cooker. It was loaded with fresh veggies, crushed garlic, grated ginger and grated turmeric, chilli and herbs. A powerhouse of nutrition...

Most days for breakfast now we make a bowl of fresh berries with a big dollop of coconut milk yoghurt and 1/2 a grain/sugar/dairy free cacao flax muffin (which I make in a coffee mug in the microwave and takes just 1 minute). It's delicious, filling and healthy. Can't ask for more than that!

Mr E 'loves' kombucha tea and whenever we're out and about he buys a bottle, but they're not cheap. I don't mind him getting them because it's gut-healthy and a far better option than bottled soda, but I thought there's a better, more budget friendly way to do this so...

...I went to our local health food store and purchased a kombucha scoby and have my first 2 litre jar of kombucha tea brewing away. Once I get this under my belt I can have 2 or 3 jars brewing at a time so my beloved can drink kombucha as often as he likes. 

You know, there's a lot of things I'd like to learn, techniques I want to hone or improve upon, but basically I've been lazy in pursuing them.  

Whilst watching Masterchef Australia the other night something a contestant, Hoda, said really resonated with me about learning to do things ourselves. It was in regards to a particular ingredient (kataifi) which she had always purchased premade. She said one day as she was using this ingredient to make Kanafeh (a middle eastern dish) she thought to herself  'it can't be that hard to make' so she watched how it was done on YouTube and ever since has made her own! Even the judges who came by her bench as she made the kataifi were impressed.

I couldn't stop thinking about the simplicity of learning things these days through thousands upon thousands of varied blog or YouTube tutorials which cover everything from crochet to bonsai to watercolours to making kataifi...and that's when I decided to make my own kombucha.

Some of my friends use YouTube for tutorials all the time, in fact my dear friend Fee has even started sharing tutorials on her YouTube channel. My husband uses YouTube tutorials at school and for those many Jeep repairs, and I'd even uploaded a few stitchery tutes in the past when I was hosting a Christmas sew-a-long.

However, it's a new thing for me to actually watch things there apart from the odd music clip but I'll slowly begin to explore once I've compiled a list of the skills that interest me.

What about you? Where do you go online to learn new skills or to improve on the ones you have already?

I've always liked the quote "God is nearer one's heart in the garden than anywhere else on earth". 

It's from a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney and inspired my new set of designs for the next issue of The Stitchery Club.

We'll be stitching a beautiful garden sampler along with four other designs.

Touches of applique appear here and there, even a heart of lace, and a few golden seed beads bring summer sparkle to a wheelbarrow of blooms.

Which is your favourite?

Last year I designed a garden themed issue as well and it was very popular so I've decided all new members who join The Stitchery Club before the 16th June will receive this March 2017 issue as a free gift, emailed to them within 24 hours of joining.

They can be stitching garden delights while they wait for the new June garden issue to arrive!

Would you like to know more?

Go HERE to the Club page.

Each issue is a PDF file emailed to your inbox on the 17th of each month. 

You can join and leave whenever you like - stay a month, a year...that decision is yours and there are no penalties.

I'd best be away now. 

The washing is ready to be hung on the line, my floors are in need of a thorough vacuum, the back patio needs some attention and I have a chicken to thaw before roasting it for dinner tonight.

And after that there's some stitching waiting and part three of a new Agatha Christie mini series to watch while I embroider. A jolly productive day I'd say.

I hope yours is too.

hugs

PS: Blogger are not forwarding comments via email at the moment so I haven't been able to reply to comments from the last blog post. Decided that's just not on, so I've added the 'reply' option below and I'll respond there until this glitch is resolved. xx