A Finish....Spencer's New Quilt!

Before we get to the important subject of Spencer and his new quilt......here's some gorgeous autumnal colour...taken at my parents' house....

 So a couple of posts ago, I showed you one of my WIPs...some blocks made from fabric scraps that my Mum had given me.......I had pieced the scraps randomly to make crazy blocks for Spencer's quilt...

Well I'm pleased to say that I've now finished Spencer's quilt and it's being used every day!

I love to make something useful from fabric scraps.....

I used an old thick cotton sheet for the backing....

Wait for it, Spencer!

It was too thick to quilt so I tied it with wool.....

Here you go then, Spencer......

Is it comfy?

Yes, I think so....

Is it making you feel sleepy?

Yes you can just lie there and look cute!

 Sweet dreams....

Thanks for popping by,

Maggie xx

Flea Market Prep and Chicken Fabric

I have had a nice day spending most of it cutting ribbons and fat quarters in preparation for Sunday's Malvern Flea Market....

Spencer has been racing around the Common with his tennis ball...

 ....only to cool off in the cattle trough.....

I often wonder what the cows would think of a big black dog wading around in their drinking water!

I have also added another fabric to my Ebay and Etsy Shops.

Roosters and Hens by Wilmington....I love the watercolour look of these chickens on the gorgeous blue 'chicken wire' background.....

You may find it here for Daisy Patchwork on Etsy and

here for Daisy Patchwork on Ebay.

Thanks for popping by,

Maggie xx

A Bit Late for Early Purple Orchids!

I can't believe how the time flies sometimes. It's now six weeks since my last post and there's quite a bit to catch up on. I hope you're well and enjoying the sunny weather.

Rather than a really long post, I'm going to try to write short posts over the next week or so ......if I can get my act together that is!

These photos are from back in early May. My Uncle Brian came to visit for the day and we went for a walk on the Common. Uncle spotted and identified these Early Purple Orchids. Chris and I had seen them and I thought they were some kind of orchid but we weren't sure.

They were growing everywhere on the Common....

...sometimes alongside pretty yellow cowslips...

Here's Spencer enjoying a good old roll amongst them.......

The crazy dog loves to roll on top of his ball...you can just see it on the left hand side....does your dog do that?

The Latin name for the Early Purple Orchid is Orchis Mascula derived from the Latin Masculus meaning male or virile. This is possibly because the shape of the two tubers resemble certain male private parts (made this 50 year old giggle like a schoolgirl!). 

Apparently the tubers are sometimes called Adam and Eve's root and witches used them to make magical love potions :)

I'll be back soon...I promise!!

Maggie xx

A Family Reunion for Spencer

It's been an exciting week for Spencer.

Our friend, Alan, the owner of Spencer's mum, Evie, and his brother, Bear, had arranged a doggy family reunion on the Common.

Spencer has met up with Evie and Bear several times but this reunion was going to be extra special as Spencer's dad, Freddie, and sister, Betsy, would be there too. Their owners have relocated but were visiting family and friends in the area so it was the perfect opportunity for a get together.

We all met up on the Common. We also took our neighbour's little Jackapoo, Ozzie..... you may remember him from previous posts.

There was much excitement when everyone met....

Bear and Evie taking stock of the situation....

Spencer and Ozzie having a game....

They all got on so well....

They all had such fun running around together.....

And were joined by a doggy pal who joined in on the fun until his owner retrieved him...

Sometimes we could only tell then apart by the colour of their collars!

Chris giving Evie some fuss...

We took Spencer home for a nap after all the excitement and then all joined up again at Alan and Linda's for a delicious lunch and to reminisce and swap stories about our doggy friends.

Thank you for popping by.

Maggie xx