Retro-Reminder

As predicted, I am feeling a little slower today after a burst of energy yesterday.
Tomorrow, I am meeting members of Tenplus Textiles to visit our retrospective exhibition in Salford and to have lunch. The exhibition is only on for a little longer and details can be found here:

www.tenplustextiles.com

Beginnings and Endings

BEGINNINGS
We had a very productive weekend, clearing out the loft, going to the tip and reorganising wardrobes, which felt very cleansing. My positive mood meant that I was amenable to persuasion and I finally gave in to my older children's requests to have Facebook accounts. I have set boundaries and we will see how it goes, but it means I will have to make the most of computer time during school hours- I didn't get a look in over the weekend!!

I have been similarly productive today- Pilates, shopping, baking and gardening- I will probably slump tomorrow:S
I have been thinning out my little seedlings, a job that I found surprisingly difficult to do. I'm not generally sentimental, but I feel so proud that the tiny seeds I planted are actually sprouting up abundantly, so plucking them out of the soil felt very wrong! I know why I am doing it and it is for the best, but it made me feel a bit glum! I replanted some of them where there was more space to make myself feel better.

ENDINGS
I was very pleased to finish binding this quilt, which I made from a "Park Avenue" Moda layer cake using the Tipsy Tumblers pattern from the Quilt Room (www.quiltroom.co.uk). It is a lap quilt to snuggle under in front of the telly in the winter months.

I have been working on it on and off for ages, though the quilt itself didn't take very long. I machine pieced it in a week and quilted it by hand.Strictly speaking it isn't a "quilt" as it only consists of two layers- the patchwork top and a lovely soft fleece backing.

The quilting pattern is very simple, but I enjoyed hand stitching it. Now I just need some chilly evenings so I can use it, but I'm not speeding them along. (Oh, and it is strictly a dog free zone!!!)

Growing Up

I think I may be growing up- just a little- as I am really beginning to enjoy gardening.
I am a bit rubbish at it, so I get very excited when things begin to grow!

                                                 The first poppy has just burst forth
.

My seedlings are appearing in the raised bed I set up-these are rocket and radishes. No sign of the onions or carrots yet!

You can't see my dogs footprints from this angle!

Crocheting

I'm finding it difficult to get back my routine after the holidays and start creating again. I took lots of knitting and sewing away with me, but found myself gazing out of the window at the beautiful view, pottering or reading. I decided to let go of the feeling that I must always be doing something and just enjoy the rare experience of not being busy. It was bliss!

I dabbled a little with some crochet that I had started a couple of weeks earlier and I have picked it up once or twice when I have sat down in the evenings this week.

The scarf is made from strings of crocheted circles like the one I made for my Mum (see a previous post).

I am making it quite long and skinny- possibly only two rows of circles. I can't wait for it to be finished, but as the weather has warmed up so much there is probably no hurry!

Where Fairies Dwell

I didn't want to post while the Royal Wedding was on as I had no relevant photos and there are millions of them out there, but it was all lovely, Kate is beautiful and I wish the Royal couple every happiness!
So, from real life princesses to mythical fairies. My very favourite place in Skye is the Fairy Glen in Uig.

 We spent a wonderful day there while we were on holiday. It is very peaceful and has a farytale, "other-worldly" feel. There are many legends and stories and many believe that fairies really do dwell there. Whilst that isn't my experience, it is very easy to imagine that they do. I like to sit awhile and watch the eagles soar!
It is also fun to run up and down the little conical hills.

Or follow the little pathways through the trees.

The Fairy Glen was the inspiration for this mixed media piece that I made and exhibited with Ten Plus Textiles (www.tenplustextiles.co.uk).

I bet the fairies' houses can be seen there if you look hard enough!

Woodland Walk

This is the lovely Rubha Phoil woodland walk near Armadale in the south of Skye. The path was created by a small community of volunteers that have created a permaculture garden and an eco-campsite. It is a beautiful, peaceful walk through the trees, to an otter hide.

These are some of the things to see along the way.

This chair had been built onto the rock and the tree formed part of the structure. It is a great place to sit and look at the fantastic view of the bay.

Skye Holiday

I haven't been around for a couple of weeks and I haven't been near a computer in that time or accessed the internet. I have had a wonderful, relaxing family holiday on the Isle of Skye. The weather was great, the views were stunning and I felt like I slowed right down and lived in the moment. (Oh and I ate quite a lot of cake!)

This is Elgol, one of my favourite places. The view is perfect, there are lots of rocks for the kids to climb on and on a previous visit we saw a basking shark, calmly drifting around the bay.

There are lots of abandoned crofts on skye. Some date back to communities that were removed as part of the Highland Clearances and others are more recent. We walked a couple of miles to this cottage. In spite of the glorious blue sky, we had to shelter inside from a heavy downpour of rain just after I took this picture!

The dog had a fantastic time. He loved the beaches and the fresh air. He looks a bit "trussed up" in this picture. Last year at this beach he managed to wriggle out of his harness and chased a couple of sheep across the shore. Thankfully they were better at climbing than he was! We were mortified! This time we opted for a "belt and braces" approach.

Over the next few days, I'll include a few more views and maybe dream a little about being there.