Papillon ....

I tell of hearts and souls and dances...
Butterflies and second chances;

The above is a beautiful quote and I can not remember where I heard it, this quote however is going

on one of my next designs. It is called Papillon and yes you guessed it, it is butterfly related.  My idea journal is over flowing and I am very much looking forward to my design day this week.  Things have settled down with my Mum, which means I have settled down some what.  Last week tests were taken and rushed through.  Yesterday afternoon the results were back .. this GP does not muck around.  I am glad to say all is very good and they can now monitor infections as they happen, although they believe some of what was thought to be infections was not so Mum has had too many antibiotics .. this has now changed.

So this morning I have got my little basket of design ready and waiting for tomorrow and I am so looking forward to it.  The weather is fabulous again here on the South Coast of England and sitting in the garden on Wednesday with my water colours and design journal ( with any luck, it is England and weather can change within a blink of an eye!) .. Think of me sat outside watching Miss Muddy Beak and fellow birdies as they go about their busy day.  Butterflies are out and about now along with lots of busy bees in our garden.  The rose bushes we planted are in full flower and they are pleasingly growing fast as are our sweet peas this year....

I am very much into Flora, Fauna and Fungus right now ( fungus being mushrooms and toadstools - not horrid bacteria, in case you have just recoiled!)  So my sketches and drawings are going that way right now and therefore so is my slow stitching as well.

So many lovely ideas are flowing right now and I believe that I have turned a corner this week after
months of anguish with my Mum, there will be bad days I know that but my worry was she was very poorly and could not let anyone know and that gave me sleepless nights.... My Mum was such a fabulous artist and also in her younger days a window dresser for huge department stall.  My love of

art comes from her but she could not understand where the sewing was from.  I have since found out doing my  family history it as a gt gt gt gt Aunt who was an amazing quilter and seamstress who left England and went to live in America on a ship back in the late 1700's it was a fabulous discovery by finding one of her gt gt grandchildren who sent me a lovely letter about her and what she was like.  It made me smile that we had so much in common yet born decades apart ...

The wonderful weather, the calm that has come over me and the peace of mind has made my design ideas jump into action and I am very happy with what might become of some of them.  I have been looking through my gorgeous fabric cupboard and have found some quiet wonderful fabrics to use so I am more than happy.

I must just tell you about a little dispute that happened early this morning.  As I walked into the garden with my first cup of coffee to greet a warm early morning and Mr Blackbird singing at the top of his lungs - such a sweet sweet song I was also aware that Miss Muddy was having a lot to say to Mr Robin!  her voice was shrill and none too happy.  I looked about the garden and to my astonishment the row was going on in the birdbath... 

Well I stood there looking and very quiet and from what I could gather by looking at Miss Muddy defending it and having a vocal meltdown was that it was HER bath time and Mr Robin was not invited!!  other birds share, not my Miss Mudds it seems.  Mr Robin stood in defiance and tried very
hard, now I am not sure he even wanted to bathe but possibly wanted a drink but she was not having a bar of it.  I was quietly chuckling to myself and then I was spotted.  The look I got as well was one of 'this is not a free for all, I am trying to have a bath' ... I retreated inside and let them get on with it.  After about half an hour I went back out with some food and then her look was 'you are late' .. honestly this human can not win!! I was thinking of making her a tiny paisley wash cap to make up for it but talked myself around .. LOL

So today is about some slow stitching in the garden, I do have a friend for lunch today but that is just a little longer lunch break for me and then I will continue later on in the day to make up for my two hours of indulgence.  We try and get together every month so that we can catch up on things.

So with my basket of threads, fabrics and linens at the ready along with my idea jotter I am going to leave you now and get settled in the garden so that I can get a good few hours in and get some slow stitching finished.  I still have to try and do a little video of my needle keep so that might happen today in the garden.

In addition I will be picking some flowers for pressing as well as I do use them in my work as you

know but also as the photo in here shows I pop them in hot wax sealing for letters to friends.  I love wax seals and the one up above is a hydrangea and is actually my favourite along with my tree of life one as well.  So my little trug is ready to be scattered with blooms and my all consuming outfit to keep the arachnid families from me is ready too.. I need to do it before it gets too hot, only I look like I am going forth on an expedition to the North Pole! rather than flower picking!

I hope you all have a wonderful day and as always Happy Stitching! XX