The seasons are a' changing

March will soon be over and April approaches, and with it our glorious summer months start cooling down a little.  I have noticed a gentle subtle change in the big tree outside my front patio, a peek of a yellow leaf here and there.

And the sun has moved across a little, it cast these gorgeous sunbeams through the trees.

And along with the autumn days creeping in, I have an amazing eyeful of my lemon tree outside my back door.   It has an absolute abundance of fruit, bright green gorgeous lemons which are, I have been told, 'restaurant quality'.  They are thin skinned and wonderfully juicy.

This lemon season, I must attempt to make Lemon Curd.  I saw Anna Olson making a bowlful in her cooking programme recently and it looked fairly easy.  Then she swirled some through a tub of ice cream to make Lemon Ripple Ice Cream, well ...

it was simply to-die-for beautiful. 

During April and May, we have a dazzling display of wild Cosmos, swathes of pink and lilac and maroon and white, that line the roads and grow in the fields alongside.  On the main route to our popular tourist destinations to the north and east of the country especially, it is quite a common site to see cars stopped on the side of the road, folk out with their cameras, taking pics of acres of flowers, or simply just drinking the gorgeousness in with the eyes!

I have been browsing through some of my favourite UK blogger friends' posts this morning ... what a sight to behold ...  the blooms and blossoms, crocus and daffodils, cherry blossoms and snowdrops popping up in the fields and pathways .... I must plan a visit in the Spring next time I travel across.  

It is a public 'bank' holiday here in South Africa today ... do have a wonderful day, and to all

a wonderful weekend.

Hugs Pat xx

Edit post::  Here is the link for a picture of the Lemon Ripple Icecream!

http://www.thehomechannel.co.za/food/bake-with-anna-olson/lemon-ripple-ice-cream/

A Dedication

An all sorts couple of weeks, including the passing of a dear and inspirational friend.

~ Lois and Matthew ~

Our family was so saddened by the sudden passing of a friend, whom can only be described as probably the bravest and most courageous lady I will know in my lifetime.  Lois and her son came down from Harare Zimbabwe ‘under the radar’ in the back of a truck;  they did not have the necessary paperwork to come through the border legally.  Lois was left a quadriplegic following a car wreck .. she was only 16 … she suffered dreadful spinal injuries,  and was given at most 5 years to live. Well, undaunted the young lady went on to marry, and later produce Matthew, a true ‘miracle baby’.  After some years her spouse divorced her, and she was left in the care of two devoted sisters.  

 With medical care in Zimbabwe dwindling to less that pathetic and for her particular, 

she decided to come down to SA to her elderly parents.  My daughter and her then husband adopted this little family, feeding them and caring for them, and eventually with the support of a few sponsor families, moved Lois into a care facility that could meet her specialised needs.

  Despite the odds she lived to celebrate her 51^st  birthday! Two weeks ago she came down with a lung infection, which proved too severe for her to fight.

  

Lois was as bright as a button, informed about the world around her (she watched loads of TV news and documentaries), learned how to operate a laptop, tapping with a sort of stylus she held in her mouth and scripting a daily diary.  She became quite an ‘activist’ at the Home, offering support and being the ‘voice’ to the staff, addressing issues on behalf of other patients unable to communicate.  She loved chocolate, my daughter and I and Lois giggling while making short shrift of a big bar of Whole Nut!  She loved bubbly now and again, and telling jokes, and having her hair cut stylishly and watching Rom-coms.

  She was beautiful inside and out.  I was humbled in her awesome and inspirational presence. 

Now she is freed from her broken body ….. free to run and dance and frolic unencumbered.

She was a bright, shining star among us, now a bright, beautiful star in the heavens …..

 I will miss you dear Lois. 

A gift for a special young lady .........

Hello and good morning, it's beautiful outdoors today here in Maroeladal, cool and wet after lovely showers last night, but with a promise of warm sunshine later.  

In between my various WIP's I decided to make a pretty tea cosy for a Bridal Shower/Kitchen Tea gift.     

The teapot is part of the gift!

Hope she likes it .... and the best part is she won't get a duplicate, 

it's one of a kind!

Have a wonderful weekend

Hugs and blessings

Pat xxxxxxxx

 2 Feb 2014
Had a lovely afternoon at the young lass's Bridal Shower and she
LOVED HER GIFT!!
Squealed with glee!
I'm a happy hooker today!

I'm a little teapot, short and stout ........

Any time is tea time in our house, we are always ready to settle down to a cuppa and a biscuit or two.   So my (aforementioned!) tea cosy is in progress I am delighted to say!  I have taken my choice of colours from a cute set of mugs I found;  as soon as I spotted them, I thought 'I can see a tea cosy in clear turquoise, with pretty pink and perhaps white flowers on top'.  And so lucky I was to find this cute little white tea pot.

The body of the tea cosy is finished.  Now for the fun part ... crocheting flowers and leaves to adorn my turquoise cosy!

  

Using this easy pattern for the cosy,  and then inspirations for flowers and leaves from three of my favourite blogs ( love, love, and love them) I made up roses, daisies and teeny flowers, big leaves and small leaves and linked leaves... 

Next, I started placing the flowers and leaves here and there, playing with different looks and ideas, too much?? too little??  And to add to the mix, once I started crocheting the flowers and leaves I became totally caught up and couldn't stop, I find I really enjoy making small items, like flowers and squares and hearts.  So I had a nice selection of flowers and leaves from which to choose.  

I am going to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon sewing on the decorations with the threads, and perhaps make up a butterfly or two to complete it.   Thank you for dropping by, do have a wonderful week, hugs and blessings,  Pat xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh and by the way, thank you so much for all the kind comments about our adored doggies;   Dexter Dog and Layla the Princess send their love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  

Introducing .......

Can you believe it, we are into the second week of 2014! If you would indulge me, may I introduce you to our beloved pets, who bring 'sunshine' into our lives every day.

This is Dexter, our rescued Boxer, who has a tail that spins like a helicoptor rotor when he is happy - which is all the time - and the kindest face on the planet.  He is ten years old, healthy and has the most benevolent disposition.

Then we have Layla the Boston Terrier, who thinks she is a princess and enjoys all the perks that go with the title.  A cleverer little dog I have yet to meet ... and I completely adore her.  She sleeps next to me, lies on my lap and gazes into my eyes with absolute and unconditional love. She is four, is our drama queen, having had a knee operation in December 2013, an allergic reaction to swallowing a bee in December 2012, and a slight stroke from which she completely recovered when she was just a pup!!  Her favourite pastime is playing catch with a frisbee.

She's quite a little champion

I do believe our days are richer for having these two canine babes in our lives .... a moment of sadness or dispair is immediately dispelled when we interact with our pets, they heal us, love us, and keep us safe in these uncertain times we live in here in South Africa.

Best buddies

Thank you for reading,

Love you bucketsful,

Pat xx

A quick update

The Market
The morning of the Market day was bright and sunny, and I set off with trepidation.   Well, once the Market was underway, all my fears were banished!  Crafters are a marvellous group of people, don't you think? and I was soon welcomed and put at ease, with help at hand from seasoned stall holders.  By the end of the day, I had sold some wares, and had orders that astounded me there were so many!  So for the next six weeks I made Minion hats until I was dreaming in vivid yellows and blues!

A sea of goggle eyes!
The pressure was sapping and I had to put in extra effort,  but loved making the beanies anyway!

ATC Swap

What a satisfying little project this turned out to be!  Working to such a small scale with different elements to create a picture was so interesting.  So here is a photo of my 'Autumn Leaf' card.  I hope to take part in the swaps for this year too. For info in this regard, take a peek at Ali Burton's blog, veryberryhandmade.co.uk, also via the button to the right.

(Apologies for poor quality of the pic)

November and December were busy months, my workroom is a sea of wool and felt and Christmas decorations waiting to be neatly packed away until December 2014. 

Many new and exciting projects planned for this year, can't wait to get under way!

Thank you for visiting, 

Love you bucketsful,

Pat xx

 

A brand new year ~

~ Such glorious colour in our summer garden ~

... a teeny wee visitor sitting on my front door handle!

~ enjoying my first project in gorgeous 100% cotton yarn, pretty head bands ~

~ a Liverpool scarf for my son (fervent supporter!!) ~

~ I found these cheery mugs, I think a tea cosy in these colours could be fun -
watch this space!!

I started to blog as a way of keeping a record of my day to day, a journal to look back on in years to come ....
I love being part of Blogland, in the company of the talented, sometimes funny, but always completely down to earth bloggers.
Thank you for keeping me company, I hope you will stay a while.
Wishing you all a fabulous, fun-filled year, abundant with creativity and cheerfulness

Until next time
Much love
Pat

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