What a Difference a Day Makes

Or a week,

or a month,

or a season.

Though I'm not sure that it is Spring here

in our part of Sweden yet.

Mike was reading that for it to be proclaimed to be Spring in Sweden

the temperatures have to be above freezing for 7 consecutive days and nights.

Half of our garden is still covered in snow

though we have had some lovely sunny, warm weather earlier this week.

Underneath the pine tree in the garden, where the snow receded first,

I saw the first spring flowers in bloom.

Some crocus.

Four little purple flowers, still in bud, unlike the ones you see here.

The camera is still broken.

So the photos I'm posting were taken in 2007.

We were here then.

There's still plenty of ice around making interesting patterns.

I wish the camera was working.

There's been some interesting snow sculptures that have been forming in the snow walls along the side of the small forest roads.

In some places where the snow is still lying on the forest floor,

pine needles have dropped in abundance.

The snow has melted away leaving patterns in the snow.

It looks as though someone has placed the pine needles to make the patterns.

They look very pretty and unexpected.

Earlier this week,

Mike went shopping

and he bought me a bowl of minature narcissus,

similiar to the ones below.

But the ones he bought me are a different variety,

they are taller and more slender.

Very elegant sitting on our coffee table.

I think he thought I needed cheering up.

Can you tell

I miss not having a working camera?

I don't post as often.

I will have to resort to using more of our archive photos

and hope that we have some for every eventuality.

It will be an interesting challenge.

The clouds cleared tonight as we walked the dogs allowing us a glimpse of the moon.

We missed seeing it last night when it was full because of the cloud.

The thermometer reads one degree.

The Sun Has Got His Hat On

Hip hip hip hooray.

Mike was singing this song last week.

He was enjoying being back home

and the sun was shining.

I was happy that he was home.

It was the longest time I had spent here on my own.

During the winter too,

when the nights are dark,

and the dogs have to have their last walk in the dark.

I kept thinking about bears waking from their slumbers,

and wolves walking,

in search of prey.

So I am very pleased that Mike is home

and I don't have to do that walk by myself now.

I was also very pleased to get the camera back.

Mike had taken it with him.

And I do like to include photos each time I post.

These past few days we've had more snow.

What more snow?

Just as we thought it was all disappearing too.

But that's the way it goes here.

You never can tell.

I thought it would be nice to take some photos of the woodpecker against the snow.

I also took some photos of the dogs.

Nothing new there then.

Jewel looks so tucked in, with her paw cushioning her head.

I got some pics of Paddy and Rufus running round the garden.

I was quite pleased with this one.

All of Rufus' feet are off the ground.

On Sunday, Mother's Day was celebrated in the UK.

In Sweden it is celebrated the last weekend in May.

I had wanted to post something on Sunday to mark the occasion,

but the computer was playing up.

However I did make a cake.

And in the background you can see some of my mum's embroidery.

It is a chairback cover.

One I remember from my childhood.

I used to look at it and picture myself in the garden amongst the old fashioned flowers.
I think my sister must have the matching pair to it,

it was of sentimental value to her as well.

Then just as I finished taking photos of the cake,

I went to pick the camera off the worktop,

and as I picked it up,

the strap snagged round a door handle,

and the camera fell to the floor.

So now I have a camera, but it doesn't work!

I'm not sure we can fix it.

Edited: please note, I have included paragraphs and kept line spacing the same, but Blogger seems to have it's own way of doing things.

Grandmother's Flower Garden

Anyone starting off with patchwork will often have some hexagons lurking around somewhere.

I am no exception. I can't remember when I started this "project," (who knows what it will turn out to be!) But we have been married 12 years and dare I say it was on the go then, (recently started). In fact I used to attend a patchwork evening class in which we all took our own things, so these hexagons were easy to transport. I couldn't be doing with taking my sewing machine. We'd have a show and tell for those who had something to show, (like a completed quilt!) The teacher might show us a new technique, but mainly it was very informal. So informal in fact that as it neared the date of my marriage I took along my wedding dress to sew. The large tables came in very handy. I didn't have that sort of space at home. It's no wonder that the hexagons didn't progress. I was remembered as the lady who made her wedding dress at the patchwork group, and no it wasn't a patchwork dress!

Anyway, I have been itching to do some sewing. I've even thought to pledge 15 minutes of my time a day to sewing. I might get one of my projects finished that way. I have many projects under way, I need to list them here on public display to urge me on. It seems to work for some people.

But back to the hexagons. They started out as a grandmothers flower garden design for a quilt. You can see the basic design forming in the photo if you're not familiar with it. It's all wrong of course. The dark and light green fabric is a polycotton mix. There is too much light green fabric. I could have used a variety of colours and prints within the dark green surround which is the path, and I should have planned the use of colour and fabric better. But despite all that I want to finish it. I've decided to continue with the basic design and use it as a throw on our swing seat out on the terrace in the summer. Not sure which summer it will be finished for. But I do enjoy hand sewing and would be lost if I didn't have something on the go. That isn't likely. I have a number of hand sewing projects and others on the go. I have disciplined myself (well nearly), to not buy any fabrics for a new project until I have finished most of them.

As an aside the photo was taken before we moved. So I have been doing a bit of it this year already. I always audition my quilts on the bed.

These hexagons have travelled around with me: on holidays, each new house we've moved to. But it's time their travelling days were over. So as from today, I am spending at least 15 minutes a day on the hexagons, until it's finished! Can I manage that? We'll see.

I'll keep you posted.

And yes I do realise I don't have much to show considering how long it's been on the go, but I'm easily distracted!

Unfortunately my camera seems to have stopped working. Not sure why. I'm desperate to get it working again. Not a day goes by without me using it. How can I monitor the seasons in this wonderful country without the picture to prove it? And it's on the change methinks!