colours of autumn

It has been mild, but very wet autumn this year, not enough chance to be outside to enjoy the colours; 

the trees are still holding on to their leaves.

Luckily, we have a good view from our kitchen window of the Persian ironwood shrub, growing in the pot just outside.

Never disappoints, these spectacular colours appear every year.

We saw this much larger specimen 

of Persian ironwood in Dyffryn Gardens 

in Wales last month.

Further down the garden is the yellow of the quince tree, also in the pot, 

with reds of the ornamental cherry shrub behind.

This small quince tree has produced some fruit for the second time since we got it; 

enough for just four jars of jam, 

the last jam of the year.

Flavoured with cinnamon and little rosemary, 

it smells and tastes divine.

 The crab apple tree is still green, holding on to its fruit; normally blackbirds would have cleared this by now, which means that there is still enough food for them elsewhere.

And just to get that Christmas feeling, I am making another felt piece from the 

"12 Days of Christmas" series, 

the Swan, to join the French Hen I made a couple of years ago.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2023

October, October..

I can't believe that it is 2 months since I ventured into the blog land; 

LIFE just gets in the way sometimes........

So, to catch up - our granddaughter was 18 in July and shortly after my last post she got her A Level results, which were very good, so at the start of this month she left us for a university of her choice.

It seems only like yesterday when we were making fabric projects together

She is all grown up now and we miss her .......It is always hard to "let go", 

even for grandparents, but of course we are very proud of her!

Back to sewing - I am still hand quilting "Butterfly's Ball" (it is a large quilt!), 

but nearly at the borders now.

I have been missing applique, so little playing with some blocks. I pulled this fabric from my stash,

(the green one with pink flowers - I am saving that one for the border) and matched some others from the stash also,

and bought few more to compliment.

                     

 New applique blocks are emerging:

Autumn has arrived, although still some colour in the garden, just about. 

These pictures are a couple of weeks old, but I still would like to share them.

I have pictures from our trip last week to share, 

but that will be another post shortly.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2023

touching base

Just to let you know that I am still here!

There hasn't been any stitching progress to report; we have been doing some stuff in the house and my work room became a temporary storage space. I am now slowly reclaiming it!

Earlier in October we had a day out, visiting Fyne Court (NT), a rather well hidden nature reserve in Quantock Hills in Somerset. 

As you can see from the welcome board, there used to be a large country house here once, the home of the Crosse family

The house burnt down in 1894; what is left of the buildings in now a tea room, second hand book shop and offices, with a picnic area in the space where the house once stood. 

Autumn came late this year, and although there were any leaves on the ground, this was more due to the very dry weather we had. 

Despite the lack of autumn color we enjoyed our walk through the grounds.

 Tussock moth caterpillar?

Autumn colour did arrive eventually in our garden.

We even harvested 5 (!) quinces

from our young tree growing in the pot. 

This abutilon will probably flower until Christmas.

That's all for now. 

I hope to have some stitching to show you soon!

pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2021

                                     .....................................in the woods.....

I was surprised that there weren't any more signs of autumn, 

we found only one young tree which has changed its frock already

                                                                              and little of this     

                                                                        

   and this,

but the rest of the forest is still very green, 

and now holidays are over, very quiet, we didn't meet another human.

...................designed by nature..................

and by a man

.........................and at home..................

making "summer" jam; I know, little late for "summer", but there are still summer fruits around.

My regular followers know that I like to make small batches of mixed fruit jams, 

depending on what fruit there is around.

Enough to make small amounts of  "summer in the jar".

.....................and at last hand quilting "Surrounded by Flowers"........

I changed the final border from the original design, because I wasn't very keen on it,

and because I like the blue/grey batik so much.

Thank you for visiting, you lovely people, 

and I hope you will have a wonderful week!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2021