That's nice!

First...

 Happy Birthday Dad!

Here he is with Mr T enjoying a bit of April sunshine. I took this a couple of years ago on a visit to the Isle of Wight where he lives near my sister. We are at Bembridge.

 I am sure he won't mind me saying he is 88 today. Sadly I won't be seeing him for a while.

And talking of the Isle of Wight, any of you who are members of English Heritage will be getting this magazine this month

and if you look o  page 34 you will see a feature on Osborne House, which is on the IoW

and who do you think took the picture of the Glasshouse at the bottom right? Yes you've guessed - ME

Here's the original on Fickr which is how they found me. I had an e mail from the picture editor a couple of months ago asking permission to use this image. No fee, but I get a credit in the margin opposite. I guess they rely on people like me feeling flattered at being asked - no matter I am flattered. By the way, if you ever are on the Isle of Wight, Osborne house is well worth a visit.

Over the rainbow ....

I woke up in an odd mood this morning. I don't know if it was the thought of the unknown political mayhem ahead - I am not going to discuss politics here - or the fact that it was very grey and damp and chilly - or that my whole body was crying out OLD AGE PENSIONER, but I was not very happy. There are many jobs I ought to do, many creative activities I could indulge myself in, but I don't feel like doing anything at all! However after a few 'ought to's ' some laundry, voting, paying bills and so on, the sun came out, so I took the opportunity to tour the 'estate' to see if I could spot any bumblebees. Walking round the veg patch I glanced down into an empty pot and there I saw this -

one of our Mid-wife toads, living in a hole! What an existence! I thought "Living in a hole in the bottom of an empty pot - that's a bit how I feel today,"    (shhh, I know it's not true). I thought I'd move the pot to make sure the toad had got up through the bottom and not fallen in and got trapped - and there I found...

...toad number two - right under toad number one! So all of a sudden the empty pot looked quite a cosy spot.

I got them both to pose on an old frog plant label, which was also under the pot, before they shuffled off to the shade.

By now I was feeling a bit more cheerful and took a few more photographs round the 'estate' which I am going to share with you. 

It is great how a few carefully taken photographs can make the most of your patch.

First here is our first row of peas with a few temporary sticks. They have got bottles on so Mr T doesn't poke himself in the eye. He had a stroke about 12 years ago and his perception down one side is effected, he can see, but is sometimes unaware of what is on his right hand side so inclined to bump into things. (He has made a near full recovery - he just can't read or write a lot - but that is another story). However with other health problems we  sometimes feel we are living in a hole, but we do have each other, a bit like those toads! 

Anyway back to the garden -

Here is a pretty little wild flower/weed, Herb Robert, which has seeded itself round the garden in the last couple of years. One of the cranesbill/geranium family with lovely feathery red foliage, I only pull it up when it is in the way.

Lots of honey bees in the Spartan apple, but no bumblebees just now.

(My Bumblebee Conservation Trust membership material has arrived and I have challenged myself to be able to recognise the most common bumblebees.)

Only a wretched Spanish bluebells which are everywhere in the garden. I pull them up by the handful, but they can look pretty.

Two sorts of lichen on the apple tree  - a Newton Wonder - which must be nearly a hundred years old - our 1930's house was built on the site of an old orchard. When we first moved in 20 years ago, you could still line up the trees in neighbouring gardens, but sadly most of them have gone now. 

My family of watering cans, a favourite subject of mine,

and a pretty shrub...

Exochorda 'The Bride'

...and finally after this rather long post - my 150th  and a celebration of a year of blogs, I will finish with one of last year's photographs and the inspiration for the title of this post, because a little bit of sunshine and a little bit of nature took me out of the gloom and over the rainbow today

How to repair a Bumble Bee

Just a quick post for all you bee lovers. I came across this in my quest to identify bees in my garden, although they have all disappeared since I have been out with my chart. But you really must take a look at this remarkable lady's patience in helping bees laden with mites. I have fed bees to help them on their way, but never tried giving them a bath! Please click on the link and take a look.

Good bye April, hello May

What  glorious April we have had, after a chilly start let's hope May is too. 

I have left my May pages very simple using Brusho watercolours and bleach for the backgrounds and paper soaked in two colours of Brusho for the squares. This really intense watercolour powder is great for toning the paper and having bought a box for my book making I wanted to make good use of it.

I'm still enjoying filling these in, I often leave it several days and fill in a batch at once . As this is a working journal/sketchbook it is always around.

As always, thanks to everyone who leaves a comment, they mean so much - Jill x

April showers

It has been a typical April day of sunshine and showers. It was a beautiful morning and on my usual tour of the 'estate' with my first cuppa of the day I glanced up and saw a pair of swifts wheeling across the sky. I've been looking for them all week, they usually arrive here in the first weeks of May, so they are about on time. I haven't seen them since, but there will be more. The morning had another 'gift' for me, a parcel from my sister.  First I found this bag.

My sister lives on the Isle of Wight, and although in miles it is not very far to drive, only 100, it is considerably more when you add the hour on the ferry from Southampton, so  not only does it ages to get there, it is not cheap, I believe pound per mile the Solent is one of the most expensive expanses of water in the WORLD! So we exchange lots of e mails, phone calls and parcels instead. At the beginning of the year she said she was going to send a package each month - this is  the May one!  Inside the bag I found this rather lovely box, full of lace...

The box lid is covered with dyed pelmet vilene as are the forget-me-not flowers, with felt leaves, and stitched on beads and labels. Isn't is beautiful? 

Janet and I have been conducting a 'Frances Pickering correspondence  course' between us since I went to her workshop and Janet has been trying to work from her book.

The box also contained....

some vintage buttons and threads and....

vintage flower and vegetable labels.

I am sure you wish she was your sister too, but hands off, she's mine!

Now for a 'shower' after all this sunshine. I was sitting in the conservatory this afternoon when there was a great kerfuffle on the roof and our blackbird was to be seen diving at a magpie. Mrs Blackbird was seen emerging from the shrubbery followed by the magpie with one of her eggs in its beak. It's nature I know, but sad all the same. We seem to have more magpies than blackbirds. 

But a pretty shot to end with, I only wish I could post the scent of apple blossom,

This tree has been known to  have only three apples on it, we should do better this year

(it's a russet).

Wishing you all a great May Bank Holiday weekend.

PS. May calendar ready - posting soon

Beautiful Bedfordshire

Bluebells and primroses, who could ask for anything more?

from my visit to the Luton Hoo estate this afternoon.

In the Pink

Here is my latest book, all ready to fill. I love making them, I guess I can just take my time filling the pages

This is the cover and the lining before sticking them together with bond-a-web. The lining (top) is the original transfer dye painting enhanced with colour pencils and given a couple of coats of acrylic wax. The cover (bottom and below) has been stitched on all week.

A button and cord were stitched on as a fastener, the lining bonded on and the pages stitched in.

Front

Back

Open

That is three I have to work on now, and I have promised myself that I shall give myself time to work on some of my other projects.