📘May is here! And a look back at April

 May, my favourite month of the year

The Oak tree (leaning over from next door) is in full leaf but
our Mulberry (which you can see in background) is not ready to chance the weather just yet

So far this year we have had perfect Spring conditions in terms of weather with some rain and lots of sunshine. Sadly, I am very far behind in getting my gardening underway as I have had a dreadful viral infection which robbed me of all energy and motivation.

I am hoping to get going soon and am taking my queue from Susan Hill's lovely book "The Magic Apple Tree" to be like Mr Elder who, having been ill, couldn't start his gardening until May and then used his seventy years of experience to catch up and overtake his neighbours!

I have several copies of Susan Hill's book The Magic Apple Tree
and this is a really lovely one on my reading chair in the sunshine

Hannah Green 1826 Stitch Along Progress

April's progress for the Hannah Green Stitch Along

Oh my goodness, there was a lot of grass to be stitched for the section allocated for April on the Hannah Green sampler. It took absolutely ages but it was so satisfying when the sheep stood out from the linen and everything in the scene came to life. I just love the spotty sheep dog, the deer and that huge yellow spotted cat. This is such a fun project, despite all the grass, and the idea is to finish it next year for the two hundred year anniversary of Hannah's finish. I am using DMC threads one over two on 40 count Country Mocha linen. The pattern is the Queen of the May 2024 by Hands Across the Sea Designs

I am attending the Mrs Parkman's Academy of Needlework later this year in Swindon and one of the workshops I have been lucky enough to get a place on is with Cissy Bailey-Smith and we will be finishing a Scottish Castle Etui Box. Another huge stitching project but I am making slow progress and it is a delight to stitch on. You use a Nun's stitch all the way around so that you can cut the linen right up to the stitching - we shall see if I am able to count and sew well enough to achieve that but so far I think it is working out.

 

The start of the Scottish Castle Etui Box - I added some fluffy
tails to my rabbits

Stitching Retreat

I was so lucky to be able to attend the Stitch in London Sampler Retreat 2025 in March. The project we had to stitch before we arrived was a beautiful needle book designed by Jacob of Modern Folk Embroidery. 

We had some wonderful talks. Ruth Taylor of Crowsfeet Stitching told us about Irish Samplers, Michelle Baddeley of Mummalovesyougb talked about Welsh Samplers, Letitia Gibbier spoke about copyright. We had a zoom talk with Bethany Clements in America about Norfolk Samplers and Chloe, Girl With A Gavel Stitches, gave us the low down on how to bid for samplers. We then went on to bid on some antique samplers which was great fun. I received a beautifully stitched and finished pin cushion in the gift exchange which was a motif taken from a sampler and I stitched a Stacy Nash needlework pouch as my gift. It was such a fabulous retreat and I can't wait to go again. 

The Stacy Nash I stitched on the left and the beautiful gift I
received on the right

Knitting

I have so many projects on the go at the moment but I decided to start a project which will be perfect for knitting in the car for a trip we are planning. It is The Reader Shawl by Tracy Bakkelokken. Tracy has a wonderful YouTube and Blog that you can follow as well as patterns for sale on Ravelry

Nothing could be nicer than sitting in the garden knitting on this lovely
shawl - I have a cute 'cat' progress keeper to remind me of Tracy the designer and her sweet cat

An Outing to see the Tirzah Garwood Exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

In April I was lucky enough to be able to visit this wonderful exhibition with my dear son, Toby. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed a drink in the gallery cafe (I had the most delicious hot chocolate which may have been the best I've ever had!) before heading into the exhibition. 

I have long been a fan of Tirzah Garwood and enjoyed reading the Persephone edition of her memoir 'Long Live Great Barfield'. Tirzah is buried in a village churchyard not far from me which I visited with Toby last year. 

It is difficult to imagine a life where your own artistic abilities are put to one side so that you can raise a family and run a home but that was expected when Tirzah became a young wife to the artist Eric Ravillious. Toby and I visited the exhibition of his work at this gallery a few years ago but I was struck by how much more personality Tirzah managed to evoke in her work sometimes of the same subject as Eric. What a stoic and inspiring attitude Tirzah had to a life struck by tragedy after losing her husband, bringing up three children on her own and suffering from cancer which finally claimed her life at far too young an age. She was so happy in her final few months in the home she lived in near me which meant she could finally be free to explore her artistic thoughts through painting and the results are highly personal and beautiful works of art.

Toby and I walked through the gorgeous park opposite the gallery and down to Lordship Lane where we had a lovely lunch in one of the many eating places in this lively part of South London. It was a day I will savour for ever and I am so grateful to have had the chance to visit the gallery and to spend time with Toby.

Tirzah and some of her wonderful textile pieces
she worked in so many mediums including marbling, woodcuts and painting among others

Easter

We were delighted to have our family the week before Easter and so we had an Easter Egg hunt in the garden and a lovely family meal together. The sun shone and it was a glorious time.

Some rather glum bunnies came to live in our house made by
Sue of homespunwithlove

Some May Delights to finish

Well, there are so many things to enjoy this Spring, and I am off now to catch up if I can but here are some delights from my garden which bring such joy. Blue and white bells, trees and some lingering daffodils.

The Lilacs are in bloom

Whitebells

Bluebells

Lots of figs to look forward to

Not a host but a somewhat lonely daffodil still blooming

The Rosemary is flowering

How different the garden looks now the leaves are coming and the sky is blue and not grey