Five On Friday returns today from its Summer break and I am linking with Amy from Love Made My Home who hosts this weekly event.
I thought I would round up my Summer break this week before I return to school on Monday. I do apologise to anyone who follows me on Instagram as you might have seen a few of these photos on there.
1. Crochet projects:-
August has definitely been a crafting month for me with lots of progress on my charity blankets as well as a couple of other projects.
Here is my latest finish plus a photo of the one I am working on at the moment.
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| The colours for this one were inspired by my Cath Kidston coffee mug! |
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| I discovered this pattern online recently, it crochets up very quickly |
2. Cross Stitch:-
Up until five years ago my all-consuming passion was cross-stitching but after my father passed away I completely lost my stitching mojo and have only done a few odd bits since then. However a friend asked me last weekend if I had done any stitching lately and somehow that ignited a spark and I suddenly was inspired to start stitching again. I have only started on a small straight-forward piece but have really enjoyed the three days I have spent stitching this week.
3. Craft Meet-up
As regular readers will know I meet up once a month with some of my crafting friends for a day of crafting and fun, this time it was hosted by Sarah at her home in Whittlesey. We had a wonderful day finishing off with a barbecue which was enjoyed by our other halves as well.
The day didn't quite end as planned. As our journey to Whittlesey is 3 hours+ we had booked into a hotel and had planned to drive home the next day. However as Sarah's DH was preparing the barbecue an almighty thunder storm was approaching as you can see from the photos below. The rain did hold off until almost the end of the barbecue but when we got to our hotel and were shown our room we found the sash window had been left wide open. The carpet and the bed were saturated. Unfortunately they had no other vacant rooms and were unable to find us another hotel in the Peterborough area with a room so we had no option but to make the long journey home. Seven hours driving in a day is not my idea of fun (my DH doesn't do motorway driving) but we arrived home safely if a little exhausted!
4. Butterflies and Bees
I have chosen plants for our garden this year that attract butterflies and bees and I am happy to say that it certainly has achieved that aim and it is good to see the bees are collecting lots of pollen from the sedums. Here are a few of the photos that I have taken this week.
5. Books
I haven't managed so much reading as I had intended during the holiday period and stuck to fairly light easy reading when I was away. I have so many books stacked up that I really must stop using my iPad as much and start reading more again. I am still reading Islands, this book is by a debut author. It is written in the present tense which is quite unusual but so far that hasn't stopped me being engrossed with the storyline.
Please go and explore the other Five On Friday posts by clicking on the link below.
What a shame you had to drive home after the storm. I'm loving your cross stitch very much and you are so speedy! I haven't read so much this summer although I'm really enjoying Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn at the moment. B x
ReplyDeleteYour crochet and cross stich are lovely and it looks as if the bees and butterflies are enjoying your garden. What a shame about your hotel room and the long drive home after such a lovey day. The books you have read look like lovely summer in the garden reading:)
ReplyDeleteYour header is so beautiful and I love the butterflies. I don't do any crocheting or crafting, so I can't comment on that:)
ReplyDeleteYour crochet blankets are lovely as is your cross-stitch. I haven't done any cross-stitch in ages and need to get back to work! Wonderful that you planted for the bees and butterflies -- gorgeous. A shame about the storm and long drives. Ugh! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteExcept for the unexpected long drive your summer has been filled with creative fun! I admire your stitching and your successful gardening and photography, and I think I would enjoy reading what you read, too. I have started reading a trilogy set on Nantucket Island...a little mystery and interesting relationships in a lovely location :)
ReplyDeleteGoodness, how awful that the window was left open and you had to drive home. What a palaver. I'm sure you will soon be hooked on your cross stitch again. Hope all goes well at school, didn't the holiday just fly. x
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have thought about the bees and butterflies early enough to make an attraction for them to come to. You should be commended for your thoughtfulness.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see your cross stitching again, Jan--glad your mojo has returned. Your craft meet-up group looks like such fun. Sorry about the wet hotel room--you must have been exhausted after arriving home!!
ReplyDeleteSuch great photos of the little bees--you must have a very good camera :)
That's a shame about your hotel and the long drive. Like both of your afghans, particularly the colors of the first one.
ReplyDeleteYour crochet blankets are so beautiful and the cross stitch pattern is very pretty. So frustrating about the hotel room and having to drive back in poor weather. Glad you got back safely.
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful blanket looks exactly like a Cath Kidston creation! It's beautiful. And, how I admire your cross stitch skills. I'm so happy you had a lovely time with your friends. And, thank goodness you arrived home safely after such a stormy night. Enjoy your weekend, Pat xx
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful cross stitch - I love the lid of that box. What a pity about your soggy bed. Unpleasant at the time with such a long drive, I'm sure, but at least you'll remember that day! xx
ReplyDeleteLove the cover of The Cornish Guest House. Did you enjoy the book?
ReplyDeleteI think a crafting get together is a great idea. Kudos to those of you with the patience to do counted cross stitch. I can barely manage stamped cross stitch.
I love seeing everyones crafting projects, they are a great source of inspiration and motivation. Love that you and your crafty friends all meet up, how wonderful!
ReplyDeleteFive on Friday
Angela - Garden Tea Cakes and Me
A lovely interesting post Jan I like your reading choices nice and light for a summer day I must try some of them. I used to love cross stitch too but my eyesight stopped me yours is very pretty. What ashame your day out ended so badly I hope that the hotel was apologetic what a silly thing to do leave windows open when it was raining, I bet they don't do the same thing again. Have a great weekend. :) xx
ReplyDeleteSome amazing crafts here Jan! I love the colours of your blankets. What a shame about the hotel room in Peterborough (you should have contacted me and I would have let you have our spare room :) !!). I hope you have a good weekend xx
ReplyDeleteYou have had a very busy month! Your crochet is, as always, beautiful and so lovely to see your stitching too, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for joining in, have a great weekend! xx
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely get-together! Beautiful baby blankets (I love the colors of the first one!) and your flowers, bees and butterflies are awesome! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn I commented on here already....... Obviously I forgot to hit 'publish'. I love your butterfly and bee photos. They never seem to stay still long enough for me so I'm very impressed.
ReplyDeleteYour cross stitch is so well done - it takes patience! Too bad about the storm and having to drive home, but how great to get together with crafting friends. Your butterflies and bees make lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteGish that must have been a very tiring day for you both driving home again! Love your cross stitch x
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