Friday 17 October 2014

Friday Happies




1. Flowers in the house are always a good thing, but when a ray of light peaks out from behind a cloud and hits them just so, then that is even better.

2. A lovely and unexpected gift of six eggs, given to me by a lady at school and laid by the school chickens that very same day. They have actual fresh chicken dirt (probably poo) on them and everything. She is responsible for the chickens, gardens, vegetable patch and woodland area (among many other things) and is a kindred spirit. I poached two of them for my lunch and they were as good as I hoped they would be, with the brightest orange yolks. 

3. It's time to get the blankets out of the blanket box.

4. Stitching sunflowers onto my summer embroidery. This long overdue project has languished in the WIP basket for some time now, but this week I found my sewing mojo and have been enjoying working on this so much, to the point where I don't want it to end.

*****

Thank you SO much for the response to the Cable and Cotton Giveaway. I have loved, just loved, reading all the comments and hearing where you are all from. It's disproportionately pleasing! You hail from all four corners of our land, and all over Europe too. And it's particularly interesting to hear how many of you have moved around before settling where you are now. Thank you for indulging me there. 

I wish you all a wonderful weekend. John is working so it's just the kids and I and a merry-go-round of swimming lessons, play dates and shopping for winter coats. Not quite wonderful, but it's the stuff of life and that's fine with me. 


34 comments:

  1. Perfect little stitches, yes my blankets are being used to....as are the candles! :) xxx

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  2. Happy Friday Gillian, I have just folded up the blankets and hung them on the back of the sofa after the girls watched SCDancing from last week smothered in them- we are on some kind of jet lag here due to the Bake Off and my girls being too sleepy to stay up past 7.30pm!! Wine and knitting now, happy Friday...Jo x

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  3. We've been snuggling up in blankets in the evening too. The darker evenings and my sore toe mean I've finally finished the scarf which has been on my knitting needles for, oh, at least a year - hurrah! Enjoy your weekend. xx

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  4. Lovely embroidery! Lots of blankets being used here too. I quite looked forward to warming up at Elizabeth's swimming lesson this evening - its so toasty in there! Have a great weekend Gillian. xx

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  5. Lovely Gillian, and Oooh, fresh eggs. The roses look lovely and my first ones are just coming out and the other few have buds. I'm so glad you are jogging along with your summer embroidery, as the others are just gorgeous and this will finish off the quartet. Take care.

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  6. Ahhh I miss fresh eggs almost as much as I miss my chooks...one day.

    Those sunflowers are just perfect - cannot wait to see this hoop in all its summer glory.

    Work here this weekend too but that's ok too

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  7. I bet those eggs tasted so good! I'm loving those embroidered sunflowers too.
    Have a lovely weekend! x

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  8. I love those sunflowers too! I'm under a blanket right now, my chunky crochet one is very nearly finished! Fascinating to see where everyone is commenting from on your last post x

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  9. Those plump roses are just lovely and so heartening and what a lovely gift of the eggs. I just adore poached eggs. Glad you will have a new stitching to ta-dah soon as I love seeing what you embroider.

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  10. I quite like shopping for winter coats, something to wear while on adventures. How wonderful to have school chickens, as well as all of the other things, it sounds like an excellent environment. Wishing you a good weekend. I'm off to London on a little adventure with the biggest boy. CJ xx

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  11. beautiful blankets x lovely happy things x

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  12. Beautiful embroidery!!!!! Lovely little sunflowers!!!!!! Isn't it amazing how a bright ray of sunlight seems to make everything better!!!!!! Enjoy your weekend!!!!!!
    Love
    AMarie
    xxxx

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  13. I'm very envious of your fresh eggs - our chickens seem to be on a 'go slow' at the moment and for the first time in years I've had to buy eggs. Those flowers are lovely and your blankets look so soft and cosy. I can't wait to see your final embroidery; the sunflowers are gorgeous. x

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  14. Beautiful pictures as always Gillian. Enjoy your weekend, Kate x

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  15. Sunflowers are just sunshine what a lovely reminder of summer, especially as it's miserable today! Xx

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  16. I can't wait to see your summer embroidery but I don't want it to end there neither!
    Have a nice weekend!

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  17. Your sunflowers are very pretty and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
    A weekend of normalness is sometimes just the best so enjoy!

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  18. Hope you're having a lovely weekend and manage to get some coats without it being too fraught. I love the embroidery - those sunflowers are beautiful! x

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  19. Lovely happy things! I look forward to seeing more of your embroidery as I have really enjoyed the others! xx

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  20. Those roses are just beautiful. Happy days!
    Jacqui x

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  21. I would've thought - being an oldie who had blankets and sheets on her bed as a child - that in this day and age (sorry, cliché) duvets were the order of the day and blankets were a trifle passé? But no, they are popular again, often as 'throws' on sofas, chairs and beds. But do you actually use blankets on the beds, Gillian? Do you replace duvets with blankets in the winter or do you simply add them to the bed on to of the duvets? Or do you simply snuggle under when reading and/or watching TV?

    I have some cellular blankets (bought a long time ago from The White Company) which go on the bed with sheets in summer, not winter, when a duvet is just too warm! Indeed, here in the South West, we keep our 'summer weight' duvets on the bed all year round, otherwise we'd been far too hot and on the occasions when the weather is well below zero, I just put a rug on top of the duvets. (We have a double bed but have single duvets, therefore no air gap when one of us turns over - simples!)

    The roses look lovely, as does your embroidery. Re eggs ... last week we had a box of free range eggs and several of them were double-yolkers, something I'd not seen in a very long time.
    Margaret P

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    1. Hello Margaret! Yes we use the blankets. My husband doesn't get as cold as I in bed so we keep on the summer duvet but add more layers. I invariably kick the blankets off during the night but like to fall asleep feeling cosy. And I always have throws or blankets on the back if the sofa to snuggle under while watching TV. :-)

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  22. Wonderful happies the sunflowers are so cute, look forwrd to seeing the finished project and wow those roses are pretty.
    Clare x

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  23. I dread swimming, but usually end up happily chatting. Hope you had a good weekend Lucy

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  24. Such lovely rays of sunshine from your day! I find it so refreshing that your little one's school has its own chickens.

    I love pulling cozy blankets from the cupboard. This past summer I collected a number of vintage wool blankets from thrift stores, and we were finally able to enjoy their cozy goodness.

    Your stitched sunflowers are so pretty.

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  25. That is a pretty pile of wool blankets. I pulled out several of mine in the past two weeks. I like how the plaids add a spot of color to the back of a chair or bench. If my ladies were laying, that is how their eggs look. You know they are farm fresh eggs if they still have dirt on them! I don't normally wash our eggs, but if you do, make sure that you use warm water, not cold, which could cause bacteria to pass through the porous shell into the egg.

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  26. I love your embroidery. Are you starting a new one now that's finished? Lucky you being given fresh eggs! Catherine

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  27. Beautiful embroidery :) and those roses are wonderful!

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  28. Hey Gillian,
    What a fab place Bella and Angus's school must be to have their own hens and woodland! My older two refuse point blank to wear winter coats. Those sunflowers are wonderful. You are clever.
    Leanne xx

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  29. It's lovely to get such fresh eggs. We keep hens and have plenty of eggs - enough to give some away to friends too. I recently baked two Christmas cakes (rich fruit cake) that used a lot of the eggs. In fact, for once, I had no eggs left until they were collected the next day for our obliging hens. I love your embroidery - when I see how neat and beautiful your embroideries are I always want to go and do some myself. No crocheted blankets to come out of the blanket box? You'll have to start crocheting!

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  30. Happy Friday! I love blankets and have some all year around :::blushing:::
    Flowers are always good, so are fresh eggs. In my next life, I will have my own chickens.
    Have a great week.

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  31. Gorgeous happy things! Love cosy blankets and your stitching is just beautiful.
    Marianne x

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  32. Four very happy images there. Looking forward to seeing the embroidery.

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