Creative moments.

It's a very quiet weekend. My husband is recovering from another short hospital stay, again, during the week. It was time for me to do something creative.

I have a collection of lace, ribbons and decorative items, so decided to find some plain white bags to decorate for Easter.

I thought they would be fun filled with yellow tissue paper and maybe an egg or two?

I simply layered different ribbons,

from the base of the bag upwards,

finishing off with the charming little rows of flowers and ducks.

It passed an afternoon away very happily.

I may make more.

Garden catalogues.

Spring must be near, with the influx of garden catalogues arriving.

It's so hard not to be seduced by amazing new vegetables...a tomato and potato on the same plant?

I am reining in my wishlist this year.

I don't have a huge plot and I don't have unlimited amounts of time.

So I shall probably just grow some of the things that are nicest to pick from the garden, such as Broad beans, Runner beans and Mangetout peas.

And a Courgette (Zucchini)

And maybe a cucumber.

I won't bother with leeks this year, as around 50% were small and thin last year. Sainsburys does it better!

Potatoes are a must, but again I'm limiting myself to one large pot and one small area of garden. Last year I grew the variety Nicola in a large pot , and they were very good.

Of course, I can't be without my greenhouse Tomatoes.

Maybe I'll try a new variety this year.

And the Cucumber too.

And then there's the flower garden!

Choices , choices.
Sweet Williams? Alstromeria? Scabious?

I have to go through those catalogues very carefully.

Ups and Downs

This has been a week, or rather, two weeks, of ups and downs.

Ups definitely included the visit from my daughter who flew in from Canada last week. We have had a good time, catching up with news, chatting and having a delicious family Sunday lunch at Trelissick Garden Barn restaurant.

All curtailed a bit by a down, which was my having a mild case of pneumonia. Not serious, but enough to have to rely on antibiotics and to make me feel definitely under par.

Golden mini daffodils are coming out in my pots, which is a cheering-up. Tulips are pushing their way through the earth. When you see the signs of Spring it makes you feel that one day this downpour will end. 

Suttons seed photo...too wet to photograph mine, but they look exactly the same, even down to the algi on the pot!

Any more downs? 
Well, my daughter flies back this week. So many things that I hoped to do seem to have been left undone, but my energy levels flagged. Fortunately she had other family to visit locally, brother, friends and so on. 
It has been a flying visit, but good to sit and natter over a cup of tea and a freshly made ginger biscuit (cookie).

Onwards and upwards...

Kindness.

In the words of an old song, 'Little things mean a lot'.

Random acts of kindness is a term used for those unexpected, unasked for, gifts of thoughtfulness. It maybe from someone you have never seen before, or from a friend or relation, and is always a blessing.

An elderly gentleman in our local shop, ahead of me in the queue, relinquished his place for me 'because he knew I would be in a hurry to get back to my husband'. Unexpected, and so kind.

A neighbour saw that my garden bin had been emptied and dragged it back up the drive for me.

And yesterday, a charming lettercard arrived, out of the blue (as we say here!) from a blogger whom I have 'known' for some years.

It was such an encouragement to know that she thinks of me and prays for us, and that she had spent some time writing to tell me that.

The Columbines on the front are so pretty.

I have been blessed by the emails sent by dear blogging friends, just murmuring that they are praying for me and my husband.

Little acts of kindness.

They go a long way in a day.

Thank you.

Extra good news...my lovely daughter who lives in Vancouver is arriving for a visit this Wednesday!

Spring flowers.

At long last I can pick a few flowers from the garden.

Hellebores are best displayed with the heads floating in water, but I put a couple in this little vase. A few early catkins and the first baby daffodils went together, just to bring a touch of Spring into the house.

There are Crocus flowering too and a couple of Snowdrops, so there is a feeling that Spring may be here soon.

Recently I joined in a Scripture swap arranged by Ashley .
One of the swap gifts had to be related in some way to Scripture, maybe with a print of a verse or something similar.
My partner was Angel, and her parcel arrived today.
Can you read the spoons?!
A journal and pens accompanied the wooden spoons
which I will enjoy using.
Together with two towels and a pretty card, this was a delightful swap.
Thank you Angel!

It's a long time since I have been in a swap, and it was fun to get to know someone new.

Thank you for the many thoughtful comments on the post about Holocaust Memorial day.