January 2024

Happy New Year!

On New Year’s Day we were blessed with a glorious sunrise, blue skies and a gentle breeze. I put on my walking boots and set off down the lane for some fresh air and much needed exercise. Little birds flitted about in the bare hedges and long shadows of the feathery reeds along the dyke danced across the roadway ahead of me.

Seeing the bare brown trees and hedges against the brilliant blue sky I found myself wondering if this is why I love the slightly unusual colour combination of blue and brown; perhaps it came from my love of the winter landscape? When I walk alone in the quiet of the coastal farmland on the edge of Lincolnshire, thoughts always wash into my mind like little waves running up the sand to meet me. New ideas for embroideries turn up, and when I return home I make notes before the pictures in my head fade away. The sun is already feeling stronger and brighter, and soon the Spring flowers will be with us again. I wish you a year of blessings; good health, good friends and good times to lighten your heart.

December 2023

Cold and frosty! The pond is completely frozen and yesterday hail stones the size of small pebbles were bouncing and dancing on the icy surface. Today there has been sunshine, but already the temperature is below freezing again. We brought in some logs for the old Rayburn today to stack around it to dry out, but the log pile was frozen solid! We had to drop clusters of logs to smash them apart before we could load up the barrow! The birds are now feasting on the bird table as the light fades, preparing for another long cold night.

I have been sorting out my studio and wrapping presents, planning Christmas food and thinking about getting the decorations down from the attic. Now that the Christmas orders from shops and galleries are all on the shelves and the online shop here is well-stocked I can take a breather! It is a time when I think of new designs and in the depths of winter I love to source fabrics old and new for inspiration and colours ready for launching off in the New Year!

With my best wishes for a very Happy Christmas and a huge thankyou for your custom throughout the year.

November 2023

October was the wettest on record here on the Lincolnshire East coast, overcast and dull too, with very few sunny days. This photo was taken in November last year, a prettier picture than any I could take in the garden today. Fortunately we have escaped the pretty bad flooding not far from here.

I am preparing for Christmas, both domestically and in my stitching! There is always a lot to do at this time of year as November flashes past and by December there is not much time left to stitch for selling, or plan ahead for Christmas guests; I have learned it pays to get cracking early!

This year I have designed and stitched several new Christmas card designs, including the ‘White Christmas’ trio which is selling well; the Scandi-themed designs in red white and silvery grey are a new twist in some of my earlier designs. Seasonal framed items have been re-stotcked too, like ‘Robins with Mistletoe’ and ‘Blackbirds with Winter Berries’ which as one of my kind customers told me ‘make a special little gift to last a lifetime’ !

Here's hoping for some bright crisp frosty days to cheer us as we head towards Christmas!