Just quickly, some progress...

Well, you are absolutely right, these pictures are virtually the same. I did not like the expanse of pink in the first one that much, which is why I took the second one. I took these to show you the progress I made on the spring garland. I am actually really happy with the way this is coming along. I like doing cross stitch patterns like this, you start off with a plain fabric and suddenly you are creating a plaid fabric, it is almost bordering on the magical...
Anyway, I reckon I will finish this next week and I am already thinking and planning what I will do next. I am one of these people who likes to start a lot of different things all the time but who has real problems finishing any of them. That will have to change though if I want to start selling some of my creations, and so far I actually have been very good. The only thing I have abondoned working on this year is some Christmas decorations, but I feel justified in that as it is spring...
This is going to be a short post, as I am in a bit of a mood today. I received my last payslip today and it is not right... I hate it when these things happen, particularly as I have left that company now. They did not pay out a lot of reserves that were due to me and I am not a happy camper. I am sure I will get the rest of the money at some point, but I just do not need the hassle.
On a more cheerful note... I am going to a horse show tomorrow, I am really looking forward to it. I have not been to anything like that for ages, so it will be really good. Hoping to post some pictures soon.
Wishing you all a great evening.

And again... Friday 13th...

We seem to have been blessed this year, two in a row... At least the sun came out for a little bit today, what a difference that makes!

Do not you think that chickens are the most decorative creatures ever? I just love them, someone nearby us has some real ones in the garden, I just love to hear them cluck...

A close-up of the lovely hellebores, they are doing so well this year.

This is actually quite a funny picture, I had intended to snap some of the Gooseberry Patch books I got myself for Christmas last year. I absolutely love them, and even though I am sure I paid way too much for them, in a funny way I am glad I did. There really are a lot of lovely things in them. Anyway, she kept getting in the way... She is a doll my ridiculously talented mother made me quite a few years ago. She loves doing things like this, but unfortunately at the moment cannot find the time to do so. I hope that she will again so though, as apart from being able to make fantastically beautiful dolls, she is an amazing painter too.

As the sun was out I had a little wander around and ended up in my favourite junktique shop. These are the things I could not resist:

The cup is lovely, it has an insert for loose tealeaves, and that even has a little rose painted on it! Another Christmas tree pin for my collection (of course) and a lovely red ( it looks quite a different colour in the picture, but it is red) cut glass thingy. I love glass thingies, so that had to come with me as well.

So, all in all, a really pleasant Friday 13th, hope yours is enjoyable as well.

Bits of inspiration...

Look at these cheerful little things, don't they make your heart just sing? They really cheer me up on a gloomy day like this, it has not stopped raining for one second yet. You must be getting bored with me harping on about the weather, but at this time of year I always start to hanker after sunshine and blossoms...

I have a little confession to make. Whenever I go to Amsterdam I simply have to stop by the American Bookstore there and the Waterstone's bookstore. Unfortunately it is never just stopping by that I do... One of my friends once asked me if I really needed all the books I buy, I did not have to think about the answer, yes, I do! These are the ones I bought at the last trip:The books by Sark are a particularly good find for me, I already have two of her books and find them really inspirational. They are very life affirming, and I love their message. I like their lay-out, a welcome difference to just plain text books. The other two books I wanted to get for a long time, this time round they were discounted by 70%, so it would have been rude not to buy them, LOL. I simply love reading all sorts of books, as there is always something new to learn, but I find that I do not really read a lot of fiction. Sometimes I wonder if there is anybody else out there who shares this addiction to the written word with me.

Despite the rain and gloom I am having quite a good day. I have done quite a lot of dusting ( I confess, not really my favourite hobby) and to reward myself after that I have been working on my spring garland. It is amazing how quickly the hearts stitch up, and I am not a fast stitcher. It is so much fun to be able to spend time on doing something creative, it always makes me feel very contented and at peace with the world (particularly after I have been doing housework)!
I made myself a very nice sandwich for lunch. I toasted some sourdough bread, I used not to like this, but these days find it really fab! As I had some nice ham left over, I mixed up some cottage cheese (another addiction of mine, I know, I am weird) with parsley and mustard powder, put some salad leaves on the bread, then added the ham and the cottage cheese mixture. Fantastic lunch, and all made with things that were just lurking in the fridge.

To finish this post I leave you with a picture of a glass cruet I found in the Goodwill store, it is glass and it is pink, so, as far as I am concerned, what is not to like.
These are the seeds I bought at the garden fair the other day and simply cannot wait to plant!
Wishing you all a great day!

Has it really been over two weeks...

Sometimes it is really hard to believe how time flies; I had some computer problems and not a lot of time on my hands otherwise, and before you know it, February has turned into March again...
This morning was really sunny and it made me long for this again:This picture was taken on the little square near my home, there are loads of these trees planted there, and in spring they all turn into candyfloss.It really always is the most amazing site. These pictures were taken at the end of March last year, so really it should not be long now. This winter has been quite miserable though, so it might all be happening a little later this year. I am glad the sun was shining this morning, as I do not mind the cold, but I cannot stand it being grey all the time.

I went to the most amazing exhibition of Richard Avedon's photographs in Amsterdam today. I love photography, but are not normally that taken by portrait photography, however, these were really amazing. I had intended to go to Paris in September last year to see this show, but simply could not afford it. I knew it would be coming to Amsterdam as well, and in a way I am glad I waited. It felt truly special to be able to go and see these wonderful pictures.
As I was in Amsterdam anyway, I walked around a bit and went to a grocery store that sells British stuff. If you are on a tight budget you really should not go there, but I could not resist, I got some English muffins and Cheddar there. They also sold some rhubarb and custard sweets and barley sugar, I simply had to give in. These things really help from time to time when I am feeling particulary homesick.

Last weekend I had a marvelous time. I went to a singing masterclass again, which I had not attended for years. It was amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed being there again, it is truly fascinating to see the development of these young artist in the space of about 45 minutes.
Together with an old friend I went to a garden fair as well. I had not seen her for over a year, and it was just really fun to spend a day with her again. I always marvel at the character of some friendships, even if you do not see a lot of each other, when you meet up, you pick up right again where you left off last time. Anyway, I bought a lot of seeds and will start planting these in the next few weeks, I am really looking forward to that.
As I was there I saw a poster for a horse jumping event in a couple of weeks time. I used to love going to events like that, but again, have not done so for a long time. So, inspired as I was, I booked tickets for it then and there, so that is something else I am looking forward to.

As of today I am officially unemployed. I am not panicking yet though, as I have never been unemployed for very long. This also gives my an opportunity to do a bit more crafting and build some stock. My spring garland is coming along nicely and I will post some pictures of it soon.
Hope you will all have a lovely weekend.