Thursday 20 August 2020

Slow Stitching Summer, Pretty Annuals, Two Bird Captures

 I've had to do something I really didn't want to and that is enable comment moderation on my blog. There has been increasing levels of spam. So there will be a delay between you commenting and it appearing in public. Your comments mean the world to me; they show me I'm not just talking to myself so are a vital part of writing a blog. I'm  really sorry about this. 😞

A change is afoot!  The season is turning. It is still August but the evenings are closing in that little bit sooner each day. On one of our gloomy, thunderstorm days, it was very noticeable. Overnight temperatures are dipping down as well so while I try hard to stay in the moment, a part of me is panicking that this loveliest of seasons will soon be over.  Meanwhile, about eight thousand miles away, my Australian friends are welcoming early opening spring blooms while our late summer flowers are in bloom.

I always use a few of those seed packets to try growing a couple annuals in pots. This year I grew petunias which last all summer as long as they are deadheaded.

And white periwinkle that I wish could be a perennial, I like it so much. 

I worked on the collating of my photos on the weekend. More to be done but I will chip away at it a bit here and there.

Veranda stitching this week involved concentrating on my medallion piece. Those small little triangles were so fiddly,

I almost chucked it. But didn't.  When I went back to the site, I saw several folks had omitted this round or substituted another row like number three. I didn't even think of doing that and after investing so much time, I'm not changing it now.  One more row to go-wish me luck! I think I will try it on the machine this time.

The best thing about the Solidarity SAL is the opportunity to try new methods. Like this one involving a little bit of fussy cutting. Here is the back with its freezer paper pieces.

  And the front where you can see I'm still not completely sold on this method. Hate to waste good fabric. Loved piecing the dresdens, of course, and working with a large hexagon. This one is almost all sewn down now. Update, finished.

 The late summer Japanese Anemones are in bloom. So lucky to have four patches of this hardy perennial around the house.
 I stared at one that had popped up in a window well -hardy as I mentioned, and then noticed the little critter there which I rescued. I hadn't noticed before how pretty the leaves are.
I'm happy with two of my bird captures this week.  I finally got a good shot of a Mourning Dove as they are not plentiful here like back at the farm where a few visited from time to time.

And the Brown Thrasher, whose rufous colouring on the back is beautiful. It's spots are very pretty as well.

Hope your week has been going well and the weekend will be even better.

So glad to link with Not Afraid of ColorViewing Nature With EileenKathy's QuiltsI'd Rather B Birdin'Paying Ready AttentionOur World Tuesday and It's a Small Town Life.









 


40 comments :

Brian's Home Blog said...

Those spammers are such a pain. Your stitching sure is pretty and those sweet birds are too!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jocelyn

Your flowers are beautiful. It seems our summer is flying by, our mornings are a little chillier. Great captures of the Dove and Brown Thrasher. Your quilt pieces are pretty, I like the patterns and colors. Take care, enjoy your day!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

What a lovely post! I too had to switch to comment moderation. Those spammers are really persistent, even though they are offering services that would interest none of my blog readers. All of your garden shots are so beautiful. It is getting cooler here too, and I am dreading the winter and anticipating autumn. You are making wonderful progress on your quilt. Lots of advanced techniques.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

So many pretty flowers in your yard, Jocelyn! I enjoy seeing the variety you have. I haven't seen a brown thrasher before - he is a pretty bird! I like the sunflower sort of block you're working on, too. That seems like a neat construction method - using the hexagon as the center to sew the petals to. A good reminder to try to be in the moment as the months move on and the seasons change!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

love your birds and flowers and the stitching is great - I have comment moderation turned on all the time - I get a bit of spam - it seems to come at times in fast and then other times hardly anything

Nancy J said...

Wow, too close for me to feel OK, hope he was a safe kind, maybe I should say variety instead of " kind " , love the flowers, we had Japanese Anemones at our other home, then they took over one part of the flower garden, even trying to grow under the concrete wall, I love their blooms as they dance in a slight breeze.Your stitching, looking better each post, I would not have the will power to continue with that small stitching, but freezer paper is a lot easier than ordinary paper piecing.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Call me crazy, but I am looking forward to fall and even winter. I really don’t like heat a whole lot and recently we have had too much of it. Love your pretty flowers as well as the quilting work.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The birds are so pretty. I always love seeing the speckling of a Brown Thrasher. Looks like a good snake...but get along little snake! lol Enjoy your stitching this week. You make the prettiest quilts!

loulee said...

All those neat little points. You have been busy.
Love your garden photos, it's nice to see them. The white flower behind the petunia, reminds me of a climber I know as chanpainge flower. Can we get a closer look at that one.
The season is changing here too, our days are lenthening and the weather is changeable. It was foggy for most of yesterday.

Jenny said...

Hi Jocelyn, I commend you for the hand piecing, I wouldn't have the patience for that. And I remembered that you were stitching flag blocks some time ago have just started making some of these easy blocks too. Thanks again for the inspiration. As always, love the bird photos.

kiwikid said...

Your bird photos are beautiful, Ihopemthat visiting critter was not a biting one!! They scare me 😁. The flowers in your garden look beautiful, love the change of seasons time, and yes here in Aus spring is starting to show up, although we are in for a cold and wet weekend. Your stitching looks amazing, well done for persevering with it.

Needled Mom said...

The flowers are so pretty, but I could do without that little critter in the well!!! Beautiful images of the birds. That stitching seems very involved. Glad you are sticking with it.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Great likes. Your petunias are gorgeous. So is your stitching. Mourning doves...at the cousin's in California there is one that has a raspy coo which is funny when you hear it. I agree it seems like summer is over much too soon.

PaintedThread said...

Hasn't the spam been crazy?!?! I happened to implement the pop-up window for commenting, and that's cut the amount of spam way down. You lose the "reply" button, though. I've been enjoying all your piecing projects. Love the thrasher photo.

QuiltGranma said...

Garter snake, right? excellent for taking care of slugs, mice, etc kind of garden pests

Yvonne said...

Ooohhh that snake.... lucky your window was closed. There is a lot to see in your garden, your birds are so different than the ones we have here.
Enjoy the last weeks of summer!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Unfortunately comment moderation is needed of late to prevent so much unwanted commentary, some of which is very offensive, making its way onto your blog. Lovely images of the Mourning Dove and the Brown Thrasher. And they will always display politeness and civility!

Aritha V. said...

I came here via the link "Thankful Thursday". What beautiful flowers and I like to see the birds. As a child I could imitate the sound of a pigeon. My husband is not happy with it because all the pigeons in the neighborhood answer me. Here I smell autumn too (Netherlands). I like the fall. Because it is less warm then. And all those beautiful colors in the forest.

Out To Pasture said...

All lovely photos, Jocelyn! I especially liked the Brown Thrasher and the white periwinkle. I hope that if enough folk enable comment moderation the spammers will give up. Who am I kidding? They won't.

MissPat said...

I, too, lament the loss of daylight each day as autumn advances and summer is left behind. Thoughts of snow and cold are not welcome, but maybe they will make the continued stay at home situation easier to accept. I have wanted to add some Japanese anemone for a while, but my one attempt was not successful. I don't think I have the right habitat for them. And your bird pics are delightful. Wish I was better at photography. Sorry about the need to moderate the comments. One would wish that the hackers and spammers would find more positive ways to use their "talents" . Enjoy your weekend. We are due for another warm up.
Pat

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Your flowers and fussy cutting are beautiful! Also like your heading picture! Nice hand work! Have a great day!

Libby in TN said...

You take such beautiful photos. The detail on the brown thrasher is incredible. They hop around our yard, but not as pretty as yours.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I enabled comment moderation a long time ago. It is a pain but dealing with the spam is even more so. Your bird photos are amazing! We have lots of mourning doves here but I've never seen a brown thrasher.

Anu said...

Hello. Lovely post. I love the photo of Brown thrasher.

Michelle Ridgway said...

Great work there Jocelyn! Love all your beautiful photos and critters....yes I agree those spammers are such a pest!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Jocelyn
I have always had the comment on moderation, I do not like spam. Lovely post and photos. I always enjoy the birds, the Thrasher is a favorite. I assume that is a Garter Snake, they are common here. Take care! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great new week ahead. PS, thank for the comment and visit.

Elkes Lebensglück said...

A wonderful photo of your Quilt and Birds and Flowers!
Have a good day, Elke

Sherrie said...

Hi Jocelyn,
Love all your flowers...so pretty. I really like the Dresden Plate block...love the colors too. We have Morning Doves here in Indiana...I love listening to them coo. Have a great day!

Rain said...

Hi Jocelyn :) Your anenomes are beautiful, as are the periwinkles! And the Mourning Dove...what a fantastic photo, my favourite of all birds!!! Yes...the nights are getting cooler, 9 overnight here in NB, sigh. I have comment moderation on too. One morning I woke up to over 500 Spam messages asking me to hire an escort in Asia.

Deanna W said...

I do love my window wells for the light that can reach the basement but oh...the critters that get stuck in there. Frogs and toads mostly in my yard...not sure what would happen if there was a snake!! yikes!!!

Karrin Hurd said...

I always love seeing your flowers and birds. Your Dresden plate is lovely!

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Your bird photos are awesome and good for you giving those new techniques a go! Those blocks are a little fussy but will be worth your effort

Michele McLaughlin said...

I'm enjoying your post even if i am always late in checking the blogs. I've noticed the same thing with spam on mine. It's annoying. But otherwise, I lvoe your post and that dresden is adorable!! Love the fabrics you chose! I had japanese anemones for years but they took over my tiny bed. I do love them and it was so nice to see yours!! Have a wonderful week!

Kim said...

Well done you, for your tenacity in keeping on stitching those tricky triangles. You are nearly there. This Aussie gal is beginning to see all the daffies begin to pop up.....so excited! Japanese Anemones are always joyful and a lovely sight to see in late summer. More lovely stitching to see here this week. Love all your pretty blocks. As for the spam, I too have been getting disgusting comments of late; comment moderation is the only way to go.

CathieJ said...

I love the bird pictures. Your quilt pieces are looking beautiful. The fiddly ones are annoying, but so satisfying when you conquer them. Your flowers are so pretty. We had so much extremely hot weather that most of mine bolted or wilted no matter how often I watered them.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I moderate too. Mostly so I know when someone has commented, but still I am not notified all the time. For some reason when we moved to California I thought because of the warm weather, the growing season would be longer. I guess I didn't realize the relationship of the length of daylight and the temperatures. It's more prevalent in the Midwest. I'll be learning about the change of seasons here which will certainly be more subtle. My grands have goats which are allowed to "free range" It's true that goats eat ANYTHING, lol I'll be trying to plant in pots on the deck next year where the goats are gated out and my great grandson is gated IN.
Be well and safe.
xx, Carol

Hootin Anni said...

you have beautiful flowers! and the project you're working on looks confusing to me...hey, I WAS blond before turning gray :¿)

love your two birds captured. thanks for linking in at IRBB

~Anni

audrey said...

The small triangles may be fiddly, but they look amazing! New Blogger has ushered in a few annoying issues for all of us. If comment moderation helps, then go for it!

grammajudyb said...

It’s true, fussy cutting wastes fabric! But the results...fantastic!
You rescued that snake? How? I couldn’t have done it, I’d have scared it to death with my screaming.
I’ve had to do some changes too, to blogger! I do not need responses with “adult sexual nature”!!

Tanza Erlambang said...

petunias and periwinkle flowers look so beautiful.
Thank you for sharing beautiful photos.

Have a wonderful day.