Spring is Springing

Oh blessed spring! The weather is getting milder every day and we are loving all the blue sky days and the opportunities to frolick outside.



Work is still chaotic, so little time for creative stuffs, but I am on it, slowly but surely, and will report more here soon.

In the meantime, my baby Bear is enjoying his naps in the sun...







And above, the reason our house is called River Cottage! A most perfect place to lounge at sun down.

Happy Birthday To Me :)

It was my birthday yesterday, the first day of spring, and more importantly, the first day we have had together as a family in, oh, much too long. Simon and I usually work alternate late shifts and Saturday/Sunday, so yesterday was a rare and precious treat.

The sun was out (mostly) and a lovely day was had by all, we spent an awful lot of it outside, oh how sweet to finally be able to play outside! The cherry on the proverbial cake was indeed, the warm breeze that allowed me to hang out the washing for the first time at River Cottage.





A Birthday cake was baked by Nana - with s eggs no less, a double celebration after all!



Even the daffodils were bobbing their sunny heads at the joy of it all.



The land around us is changing now, we are really looking forward to our first summer at River Cottage. It was a very happy birthday indeed :)

Popping back to say Hello

This week I am pulling 14hr days at work, 7 days a week. There has been zero time for stitching or much else really apart from work, work, work. It happens like that sometimes, and it makes the prospect of a weekend (still 9 days to go) bittersweet. Boy am I looking forward to a lie in and a lazy day at home with the kids.

The weather is turning too, which always helps. More blue sky days and the lush green scent of spring is just in the air. I can see daffodils poking their foliage up through the cold earth and the grass sending up new shoots ready for spring sun. Oh yes, Spring is almost upon us.
I am not much of a winter baby, I like it at first, cosy fires and hot chocolate being quite lovely, then come January the novelty has worn off and I am longing for warmer days and sunflowers again.

Today I am longing for it more than ever, and the landscape around River Cottage is changing daily, greener, greener and greener.....



So roll on the weekend, I want to start playing outside!

Let Sleeping Goats Lie

Yes, I am a bad bad bad blogger, I have been away far too long, and for that, dear readers, my sincere apologies.
I am afraid I have been rather unwell, and in the last few days have slunk around the house in a constant state of nausea and misery, oh how I hate being sick :(

The good news is I am now feeling a little better and in light of the absolutely amazing weather we have been having, I have been spending a great deal of time outdoors.
I have never witnessed a February like this in my life, aside from in Spain as a Child, but that doesn't count! Certainly in England, we were never spoiled with such beautifully sunny and warm days, so it really is quite a treat, and look who are rearing their cheerful heads in approval....



The first daffodils! I am still in awe that we have flowering daffs in February! Ah the promise of spring is in the air!
So, feeling unwell, I parked my sorry ass outside in the sunshine, and whiled away many hour over a cup of tea and a bazillion back issues of Country Living magazine (of which I have too many to count), it has been a very peaceful few days, alas, as always, reality beckons.

I have got horribly behind with my creative pursuits, including swaps, but there is nothing to spur you back into your creative flow quite like receiving some treasures in the post!
This morning I was delighted to receive these beautiful, beautiful little girls...



Oh how special I felt unwrapping these lovelies!
The first is from Wendy in NL, isn't the beading work amazing? I am super envious and must know HOW does she get the beads to lie so perfect like that? My beading is always so wobbly!



I adore the colours of this dotee, and truly appreciate the many hours of loving work that clearly went in to making her, thanks so much Wendy!

The next little beauty is from Dot, how honoured I am to have a Dotee from the Dotee queen herself, I shall treasure her always!
I LOVE the pretty fabric Dot chose, and as with all her dotee's the embellishments are to die for, I really must pick her brains and find out where she gets them, I especially love the little bell at the end of the tail, FankOOoO Dot, you're a star!



Both Wendy and Dot sent me some beautiful beads and trinkets for me to use in future projects, they are both so very very kind, much love and thanks to you both, you really cheered me up with your adorable little dolls!

I am still mid way through the dotee I am making for Queen Dot, now that I am feeling a little better I hope to have it finished soon, and will be sure to post pics here as soon as it is complete, it will of course be an extra special Dotee, being as it is for the Queen of Dotee's! :)

You might well remember me mentioning we had a new home for the goats...
Indeed, they SHOULD have been collected over a week ago, but between Carla and myself we have failed miserably to find a trailer or a car suitable to tow it, so, the goats are still here, also enjoying the sunshine...



It was quite a mistake to not arrange delivery in a more speedy and efficient fashion, because the goats, as if sensing their fate, have suddenly taken to behaving themselves, well, actually "behaving" is perhaps a bit extreme, lets just say they have been a LOT better.

For a start, they seem to have learned their names, and come when called. Which is extremely handy when I am elbow deep in soapy water, washing dishes, and happen to glance out of the window and see the goats meandering down the lane. Now I can bellow at them to come back, from the comfort of my washing antics, and in they trot.

Also, they seem to have a new found respect for the hounds. I am not sure what happened, because Willow previously got rather stubborn about being chased back to his field by the dogs, and Littlefoot refused point blank to budge an inch.
At some point all hell broke loose, resulting in Nala being stabbed in the leg by a well placed horn, and for a while, there seemed to a be a ceasefire, the goats roamed freely once more.

However, I can only assume Nala has since reciprocated with a very nasty bite (though of this I can find no evidence), as Willow now charges back to his field with just a clap of my hands - the signal to Nala to give chase, and is out of sight before the dogs have even had a chance to register what I have asked of them.

So, behaving goats has resulted in much feelings of guilt and anguish over packing them off to Carla's, maybe they can be trained after all? Simon, who threatens to shoot them every time they knock something over or appear at the window, has been plotting and planning several possible ways of containing them on a permanent basis, where as I, cruel cruel woman that I am, have steadfastly refused to co-operate, they WILL be going to Carla, just as soon as we have figured out how to get them there....