Happy Christmas !

                                     Wishing you all a very happy Christmas !

Christmas is Coming !

So I was going to tell you how I "do" Christmas .....about Advent and how going to our little church was  the main thing of it for me ..... but I have been too poorly to go . Yesterday the church was decorated , which is another thing I love to help with  usually .... husband being tall comes in very useful to decorate the difficult to reach bits .
   I managed to bake the royal birthday cake , but I don't think I,ll decorate it this year .

I was greedy and bought the biggest hyacinth bulb in the box at Groves Nursery Bridport. It was not only large but  had four fat baby bulblets attached to it ..so it wouldn't fit in the glass hyacinth vase .So I planted it in a pot instead ...and these are a few bits which dropped off a lovely bright purply pink Tradescantia which I couldn't resist buying at the farmers market in Helston . .. actually these take very easily by sticking them in a pot of compost..Judy tells me this one likes the light to improve the colour .
 In the porch the schlumbergeras are flowering , also bright pink and purple .
  I watch my new neighbours doing their garden , I wish I could get out there , but I have got to keep in the warm for the time being  ...I have some Arum lilies and the red stemmed Cornus alba Siberica  to split up and give them .... I wonder if they,ve seen the pair of Jays and the sweet little Goldcrest birds which have been visiting .
Husband brings in some holly branches and I make a simple Holly wreath . Usually I make three or four to give away to friends .
 Michael up the lane gave me a huge cyclamen corm ..cant wait to see which colour the flowers will be .Thankyou Michael : ) He has a beautiful garden packed with lovely things .

.....cards and parcels have been arriving ...and presents which I really shouldn't have opened !  
         That's all for now  ,  very tired  ,  forgive the spelling mistakes !

Thanks Mum !

A parcel ! A parcel for me ! : ) Oh ! lovely surprise ! As I tore off the tape and tipped out a rainbow of DMC embroidery threads !

My wonderful mum , is a very talented lady , at many handicrafts , knitting , crochet, lace-making , embroidery, cooking , cake decorating , flower arranging to name a few ,
 She has been having a sort out and wondered if I could use them .
Well I certainly can ! : ) Ooh ! They are gorgeous and as I,m sorting through I see some gorgeous silver and gold threads in amongst them !

I have been collecting old embroidery books for many years now ..these Japanese Ondori books have been waiting in the wings for quite a while . Actually they are not all that old ... 1970's or thereabouts ....vintage then . ...like me . With lots off little patterns in ....that maybe I could squeeze in before the year is out .  I am now on the look out for a special basket to keep my mum's silks in .... aah ...what a lovely , lovely surprise !
 I,m getting over a virus and have a really bad chest at the moment , been given a Ventolin inhaler to help and am trying to rest , not go out and keep warm . Difficult with so much to be done in the run up to Christmas .  I have also had to stop going to dance class for a while ....but I will be back ! : ) ( North African and Arabic ...and Bollywood )
I managed to get a lovely proper Christmas Cake made the other day ...so pleased with myself .  I just need to decorate it .
Mum if you're looking at this ...thankyou SO much ! I love you ! You're the best !

The Cattistock Angel Embroidery - Church of St Peter and St Paul Cattistock , Dorset

This is a needle painting that I embroidered with DMC cotton thread and some real silk  that my mum gave to me . 

The Angel's robe is the real silk ....very tricky to stitch with . Oh and the incense thurible is stitched with a gold metalic thread .

                                          

 The idea came from a stained glass window designed by William Morris in 1882 . The window is in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Cattistock in Dorset .
I enjoyed every minute of stitching this Angel.....and encrusting the background with blue stars and tiny seed beads .

                                                          I love embroidering Angels !