Lisa Treadwell

While we were in Norfolk last week we revisited a wildflower centre called Natural Surroundings that has grown since we were last there to include a nice tea shop, gift shop, and a range of wildlife activities including the pond dipping you saw Sam enjoying in my last post.  There is also an artist in residence and we were blown away by her watercolours.  Lisa Treadwell photographs nature, paints in amazing detail in watercolour and also does wood carving (as well as doing loads of environmental work at Natural Surroundings).  We couldn't resist this picture:

and it's at the framer's at the moment and will then hang in the bach.  I hope the grandchildren (or the children) are not spooked by the dragonflies!  Please go and visit Lisa's website to see more of her work and links to where she will be exhibiting.

Sam in Norfolk

Now that I can add photos and have broadband again I've gone a bit mad, here's a Sam-heavy post from our time in Norfolk last week:

Here's my boro cloth to date

Here's DGS Sam thinking we haven't noticed that he's emptied the dogs' water bowl

Sam playing with his Mummy

Sam pond-dipping with Mummy and Grandad

Sam and Grandad exploring their finds

A lovely view of the Norfolk countryside

Sam and Mummy paddling in a ford

Ooh Sam, it's the ice cream man

Posting from my phone...fingers crossed

I have been without internet access for ages, hence no posts. Then I thought I might be able to blog from my phone, I'm giving it a go. If you're reading this, it worked!  Update 1: my first born DS is 29 years old today and I have no idea where all those years went.  Update 2: it is the school holidays and I'm going to spend lots of lovely time with DD and DGS.  Update 3:  my bunionectomy is healing nicely, up until last Thursday I was walking really well and was about pain free.  Update 4:  last Thursday I fell over on the way to the dentist and fractured my foot (yes, same one).  I am plaster up to my knee for 6 weeks.  Update 5:  I have been sewing and reading while resting my foot..  I will now try to add a photo of my boro cloth to date and then publish this post.  Here's hoping.  No, no photos without signing up to Google+ or some such thing. so, close your eyes and imagine a sea of indigo, stitched with thick threads, pieces of cloth from all my Indigo Sisters, sample pieces, all coming together into a memory cloth....

Finished Fuji

Today I have completed my stitched wallhanging based on Mount Fuji.  

I have posted quite a lot about this already, I have enjoyed working on this project, it has been filled with memories and significance. so here are just a few photographs.  

The piece is hanging on a narrow piece of bamboo that grew in my garden.

The final details I added today are some wisteria and a suggestion of tea fields.  Sensei Bryan has his own tea fields in Fujino as do all his neighbours.  We were given some tea by Bryan's landlord to bring home.  The wisteria has a double meaning.  "Fuji" also means wisteria in Japanese and Fujino has glorious wild wisteria which follows the cherry blossom.

Fuji-san has recently been designated a World Heritage Site

Quilts In The Wolds

On Saturday I went to a local quilt show with DD.  The show was the second "Quilts in the Wolds" show organised by Lindsey Patchworkers.  This is a hanging that a group of members created for Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it shows many of the attractions of the region.

DD and I were both focussed on water/seascape related projects, and even choose the same piece as our "visitors' choice".  Our photographs are mainly along this theme.  As ever, if you are in a picture and would rather not be or if you object to my sharing the work you exhibited please email me and I will remove it immediately.

These miniature seascapes are by Sandra Goldsbrough:

This usual perspective on Stonehaven Harbour by Pat Cave 

was inspired by a workshop with Janet Browne: 

 This unusual presentation, of the wonderfully named Barefoot Beach near Naples in Florida, 

was stitched by Gill Lewis.  It was difficult to take a photograph but the detail in the work 

was lovely, it was as if it was possible to walk right onto the beach.

There were two traders, a sales table, a raffle and a tombola.  All the prizes in the tombola were "inspiration bags", gorgeous colour co-ordinated collections of fabric, thread, beads, ribbon etc.  Sara and I had several goes on the tombola and came away with three bags of inspiration between us.  Oh, and there was cake :-)  Well done Lindsey Patchworkers, a great exhibition and DD bought loads of fabric and is really inspired to get stitching again now that she has finished studying for a couple of months.  For more pictures have a look at the report from Louth Eye (and interestingly, no pictures of seascapes!)  Just a couple of looking and buying pictures to finish: