I've spent more time outside lately it seems than in. I've been raking, scrubbing, sweeping and replanting. It feels good to be moving and though I have a slightly sore shoulder and scratches on my hands, I'm thankful to have the strength to do these things. As well as admire these pretty common dog violets that have crept into the flower beds and are in bloom now. I've let them be which may be a mistake as there are many more around than last year. But they are so pretty.
And a favourite perennial of mine, the purply blue dwarf hyacinths have cropped up here and there. (A blue hyacinth symbolizes sincerity, btw). Blooming before I had a chance to rake the garden. White violets peeking out there on the left.
It feels marvelous to come inside, shower, check for ticks!, and sit back with a cup of tea (in my gift of a cup from daughter) and some stitching.
Applique has been my main focus in the sewing room. Prepped a pile of leaves and chose a new flower shape for more of my Stringed Blocks As Backgrounds blocks. This is a great scrappy project as I've been combing my little tins and totes for bits big enough to use.
Hopefully I will finish five of these and ten more of the basket blocks this month. That should be doable so I'll make it my June OMG at Elm Street Quilts where Patty is doing some painting with colourful fabrics using foundation paper pineapple designs to great effect.
In between these two got taken to the vet for their annual checkups. A few fatty lumps between the two of them but otherwise great especially for their ages; Rex is 12 and Murphy is 8. They both find vet visits stressful and sleep a lot when they get home. Poor things. Still very soggy down by the pond and with regular rainfalls, it will probably remain so for a while longer.
I had a flock of blue jays drop by to check out the bird feeder last week. I am always happy to see blue jays though I know some don't like them. It was unusual to see such a large group of them at once. After much jabbering and jockeying, they disappeared in a flash. The oldest known banded wild blue jay was almost 27 years old when it was found off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada caught in fishing gear. So much about these birds is unknown which suprises me as they are so common.
And now to the sublime-
One of my friends on Facebook (thank you Linda!) sent me a link that led me to the amazing embroidery on the Game of Thrones' costumes..costume designer, Michele Clapton's stupendous work. Breathtaking stumpwork!
I spent ages looking through The Wedding Gallery I don't think I've seen anything like it before and I've been looking at embroideries for a long time. The rendering of the natural world- birds, fish, leaves, trees, insects etc. filled me with awe for such talented fingers.
And something else that is awe inspiring. It is Iceberg Alley time off the coast of my home province, Newfoundland and Labrador. This is the video of Dylan Dreyer from The Today Show visiting Newfoundland and kudos to Dylan for learning to pronounce Newfoundland the way we do.
This was a post I tried to keep all blues but alas Rex and Murphy are not blue and none of my scraps are blue as such either so that didn't quite work out now did it.
Thank you, btw, for all for the kind comments on my posts...a real positive in my days. It is also the only way I know who is reading and an avenue for us to connect. If you visit me, I will definitely visit you back!
we have blue jays too and they make so much noise at times!! I love the violets and I let them grow wild - which as you say might be a mistake but it is hard to control them - I just use the lawn mower and cut over them like they are grass and they keep growing back anyway - I do not have a regular grass lawn though here in the country this was all fields at one time and we would need sod laid to have a nice lawn and we are not going to pay for that so I have a mixture of grasses, weeds and flowers!
Hi Jocelyn! Wow, those icebergs each and every year just amaze me. And those flowers in such a deep and beautiful purple. I've never heard of the common violet referred to as dog violets but those are a favorite of mine. My mom's name was Violet so those little sprinkles in the grass always make me think of her. Love the photos of the pups - I wonder why they are stressed about going to the vet? I'm sure it is just a general checkup but it's not like you can reason with them. ~smile~ Roseanne
Beautiful dogs! I love bluejays too, even if they are noisy and aggressive - it impresses me instead of puts me off. Have a wonderful day and keep those violets, they're stunning!
Such awe inspiring icebergs! Thanks for the video, it was so interesting to watch. Give your two gorgeous dogs a pat from me, going to the vet can certainly be stressful, especially as they are both getting older.
Those blue dwarf hyacinths are so pretty! I should look for some to plant here. I love your Mama Bird tea mug -it's perfect for you, Jocelyn! Love blue jays, too. We have many in our neighborhood, and you can always tell when they're riled up about something! Isn't that embroidery amazing - wow! Happy Thursday, Jocelyn!
I have drooled all over the pictures of the Game of Thrones costumes too - and marveled that so much embroidery time would have been spent on something that would often only be on screen for a few seconds. I hope they put all the costumes together and do a traveling exhibition with them.
Beautiful flowers. Glad it is warming up and spring is attempting to push its way into your part of the world. What pretty jays. Oh your applique leaves! Took a quick look at the embroidery and oh my goodness!
Hi Jocelyn, so glad spring is blooming in your area! yes gardening is hard on us but so worth it, right? I love that video! So glad the pups are doing well. When you applique, do you fold over--or use freezer paper or paper or anything to get your edges so crisp looking? Have a great week!
Oh that video was so good. Check for ticks, ick! Love Mama bird, and blue jays, who make it to 27, amazing. Scratches to the healthy doggies (I have fat lumps too) LeeAnna
This is definitely a blue post. There are so many pretty things to appreciate. Well, not the ticks! Thanks for the Game of Thrones link. I had no interest or reason for the craziness, but now I can see why I may have been wrong. Oops!
Rex and Murphy look dapper even if they are not blue.your bluejays are cute too. We saw one the other day at our feeder. The outside cat from nextdoor did too. Need to find a cat deterrent for sure
Hello Jocelyn, Being a dog lover, I love them all. Cute pups! The Blue Jays are always fun to watch. Lovely flowers and photos. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day and weekend. PS, thank you for the comment on my blog.
Violets and hyacinths- beautiful. But, I was stopped in my tracks with the embroidery of wedding costumes by Michele!! I can't image the long hours creating such lovely pieces. Thanks for that link. I would have watched that show just for the costumes.
I am a blue lover, so I love your pictures. But my favorites are your dogs. I am always loving the pictures of your beautiful outdoors while walking the dogs.....no cars and bicycles in sight...... And your 🌷 of course. Being Dutch I ❤️ those! Have a happy Sunday!
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Those flowers are sure pretty and Rex and Murphy seem to be having a fun time. Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
we have blue jays too and they make so much noise at times!! I love the violets and I let them grow wild - which as you say might be a mistake but it is hard to control them - I just use the lawn mower and cut over them like they are grass and they keep growing back anyway - I do not have a regular grass lawn though here in the country this was all fields at one time and we would need sod laid to have a nice lawn and we are not going to pay for that so I have a mixture of grasses, weeds and flowers!
Hi Jocelyn! Wow, those icebergs each and every year just amaze me. And those flowers in such a deep and beautiful purple. I've never heard of the common violet referred to as dog violets but those are a favorite of mine. My mom's name was Violet so those little sprinkles in the grass always make me think of her. Love the photos of the pups - I wonder why they are stressed about going to the vet? I'm sure it is just a general checkup but it's not like you can reason with them. ~smile~ Roseanne
Hello, I love your Rex and Murphy! Sweet dogs! Beautiful blue blooms and great captures of the Blue Jays. Wishing you a happy day and weekend ahead!
Beautiful dogs! I love bluejays too, even if they are noisy and aggressive - it impresses me instead of puts me off. Have a wonderful day and keep those violets, they're stunning!
I love your Mama bird coffee cup! I need to change my cup for summer! Love seeing the details in those costumes! WOW! Enjoy your day!
It's amazing what can be done with needle and thread. If you like her stuff, you can lose some more time over at https://weefolkstudio.com/. :-)
Lots of good likes this week.
Such awe inspiring icebergs! Thanks for the video, it was so interesting to watch. Give your two gorgeous dogs a pat from me, going to the vet can certainly be stressful, especially as they are both getting older.
Those blue dwarf hyacinths are so pretty! I should look for some to plant here. I love your Mama Bird tea mug -it's perfect for you, Jocelyn! Love blue jays, too. We have many in our neighborhood, and you can always tell when they're riled up about something! Isn't that embroidery amazing - wow! Happy Thursday, Jocelyn!
I have drooled all over the pictures of the Game of Thrones costumes too - and marveled that so much embroidery time would have been spent on something that would often only be on screen for a few seconds. I hope they put all the costumes together and do a traveling exhibition with them.
Hyacinths are a favorite of mine. Lucky you to have some. I need to plant some bulbs. Thanks for linking up.
Beautiful flowers. Glad it is warming up and spring is attempting to push its way into your part of the world. What pretty jays. Oh your applique leaves! Took a quick look at the embroidery and oh my goodness!
Hi Jocelyn, so glad spring is blooming in your area! yes gardening is hard on us but so worth it, right? I love that video! So glad the pups are doing well. When you applique, do you fold over--or use freezer paper or paper or anything to get your edges so crisp looking? Have a great week!
love Dylan
Oh that video was so good. Check for ticks, ick! Love Mama bird, and blue jays, who make it to 27, amazing. Scratches to the healthy doggies (I have fat lumps too) LeeAnna
This is definitely a blue post. There are so many pretty things to appreciate. Well, not the ticks! Thanks for the Game of Thrones link. I had no interest or reason for the craziness, but now I can see why I may have been wrong. Oops!
What a lovely variety of photos! I love the blues of your garden. And that bird needlework is extraordinary! Thanks for sharing.
Rex and Murphy look dapper even if they are not blue.your bluejays are cute too. We saw one the other day at our feeder. The outside cat from nextdoor did too. Need to find a cat deterrent for sure
Hello Jocelyn, Being a dog lover, I love them all. Cute pups! The Blue Jays are always fun to watch. Lovely flowers and photos. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day and weekend. PS, thank you for the comment on my blog.
Violets and hyacinths- beautiful. But, I was stopped in my tracks with the embroidery of wedding costumes by Michele!! I can't image the long hours creating such lovely pieces. Thanks for that link. I would have watched that show just for the costumes.
I love that you're appliqueing on a pieced block! That makes the whole block so much more interesting! Your flowers are beautiful.
I love your strippy backgrounds. Your applique is so pretty sewn on top!
I am a blue lover, so I love your pictures. But my favorites are your dogs. I am always loving the pictures of your beautiful outdoors while walking the dogs.....no cars and bicycles in sight......
And your 🌷 of course. Being Dutch I ❤️ those!
Have a happy Sunday!
Your pups are blue, having gone to the vet!!! Our cats do the same, sleep.
Lovely blues. I've been weeding, here. It's endless.
My dogs find vet visits stressful too, especially our older one.
Love the applique on string blocks!!
Blocks make a great OMG. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck with your project.
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