It's been a busy week with my son, George, returning home for the summer and two custom orders to complete.
Of course, we've still had time to have some lovely walks with Spencer along the canal....
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It's so peaceful there and you hardly see a soul....
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......and today up on the Common....the cows were dozing in the warm breeze....
This weekend I've been catching up with a few household bits and bobs with some garden tidying thrown in between the rain showers.
Last weekend, however, we took a little trip away in Harvey J. We had been planning to go away for a few nights but due to the storms and floods (and the fact that the campsite that we had planned to stay at was under water!), we decided to make it a one nighter not too far from home at Ross on Wye.
Of course this was Spencer's first time staying away in Harvey J........
Note the looming black clouds and the wellies!
Spencer soon found himself a cosy nest under the table....
After spending some time browsing in Ross on Wye, we were happy to chill out in Harvey J in the evening. I always bring along some small crafty project. I decided that each time we go away in Harvey J, I will endeavour to make a patchwork block. At the end of the year, if I have enough blocks, I will sew them all together to make a holiday quilt.
Hopefully each block will jog memories of places we have visited :)
So this is my first block, made from pretty strawberry fabrics...it's a simple block called Shoo Fly...
Nice to do a bit of hand sewing....don't look too close!
Pretty summery fabrics...
So at nearly midnight (it had been raining for hours), we opened the door to find Harvey J was sitting in 3-4 inches of water. Finding this rather disconcerting and having visions of Harvey J floating across the campsite in the morning, we decided to move to a higher spot on the site. It was all fine but we slept better for having moved.
In the morning, the weather brightened up and we decided to make the most of our National Trust membership and visit Westbury Court Gardens, a restored Dutch style water garden dating back to 1696.
Dogs are allowed on the lead...
We saw this huge old holm oak dating back to 1580.....
Incredible to think this tree is over 400 years old - I bet it could tell some stories!
Beautiful gardens....
Lovely roses....
Well worth a visit if you're nearby.....
Bye for now....
Have a wonderful week :)
Maggie xx
Hi Maggie!
ReplyDeleteYour trip down the road was wonderful! I like Spencer's cozy nest under the table! Good idea to hand piece quilt blocks! You are a fine seamstress.
Oh, how beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your pictures. I love your fabrics and your block. I also love the quilt you have as your background on your blog. Such pretty fabrics! I want to sew but have company coming next week so I need to do some serious cleaning! LOL!
ReplyDeleteWow, so much to see in this post. The walk along the canal was wonderful, but then the garden is so spectacular. How nice that Spencer could go too! Great job on the quilt block as well. What a fun idea to have a block for each of your trips.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Maggie! The canal does look rather peaceful and the gardens at Westbury Court are very beautiful! My mum and dad got into the same dilemma in their motorhome over in Australia - moving to higher, drier ground! Hope Spencer enjoyed his first trip away!
ReplyDeleteOh, Maggie!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely share you have given us!
I so enjoyed your outing. I absolutely love Spencer. Such a beauty!
My favorite things in life are water, trees, green grasses and flowery beauty.
I couldn't have been made happier, and I have been fighting some odd heaviness today. You so picked me up!!!
I love, love, love your strawberry fabric and sweet little quilt block. I just this year learned a teeny bit about quilting, but it was on machine. I am not sure I am going to finish it, as I am not too keen on the block or the way one color is in the mix of it all. My first effort, though. I kind of feel I should finish it, but not sure.
I enjoy hand sewing, and may just try my hand at it with some tiny print fabrics after seeing this one.
Thanks so much, sweetie! You are a joy.
You have such lovely walks near you, the canal looks a calm, peaceful place. I wish we had a Harvey J, how wonderful to take off and explore beautiful places. x
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful blog post!
ReplyDeleteMust be so nice to go on a break and be able to take Spencer with you!
I really like the idea of a holiday blanket...
See you! Love, Mirjam.
Hi Maggie, what a lovely way to spend the weekend and it's great Spencer can come too! That oak is spectacular, I always think about all the things they've 'seen' when they are so old. I love your quilt square and I think that would be a fab idea-would bring back so many lovely memories years down the line. Eileen xx
ReplyDeleteHi Maggie,I just wanted to let you know I put the English version of my
ReplyDeletecrochet flower on my blog! Love, Mirjam.
Fantastic! Beautiful photos..and another gorgeous old tree. I wish I was there!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful block! Your stitching looks great. So nice to see someone else enjoying hand-sewing. With so much technology making things easier to do, people forget to enjoy the journey/process as well as the finished project.