Hello everyone.
Before I get started for today, can you guess what might be inside this cupboard?
All will be revealed at the end of the post.
While you ponder what lies beyond those doors, I'm taking a look back to the last day of 2025, when hubby and I wrapped up warmly and went for a walk. We started in the small village of Alvechurch and followed a circular route that included Cobley Hill. The walk was about 3 1/2 miles, and the day was bright and sunny with no wind. Just perfect for walking.
We had our first flurry of snow on Friday (2nd) and a little bit more over the next few days. Not very much compared to some parts of the country, and it didn't stop us getting out and about. This was our back garden after the first snowfall.
However, after Storm Goretti, there was an awful lot more snow! If this storm visited your area, you are all safe, and any damage was minimal.
On a brighter note, I bought a pack of six small white Hellebores before Christmas, and they have been flowering beautifully ever since, even under the blanket of snow they were covered with by midweek. I am hoping the thick snow coat they received this weekend will not have harmed them.
We don't tend to watch much television, but this year, over Christmas, we had a marathon of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films - The Extended Versions. As hubby and I had been to Hobbiton a few months ago, it was fun recognising some of the settings and remembering what we had been told about the filming. I still have not read the books. D wins the gold star for reading all the books, though.
I really wanted to show you this while I was making it, but as it was a present for D and she always looks at what I have posted, it had to wait. As always, I underestimated how long it would take to complete it, and there were a couple of evenings of frantic stitching. I finished on time, and D is thrilled with the result.
Note to self: 'Think carefully about how long you think a project will take and then double it at least. 'Will I ever learn? Probably not.
Did you guess correctly about the cupboard?
We started decorating the end of our living room just before Christmas, and this week the flooring has been put down. One of hubby's new interests that we have encouraged is darts. For his birthday, we bought him a dartboard, but it came with no case to hide it when not in use. We searched the internet and eventually found this case, which was perfect. Now he can enjoy this game, and the room doesn't feel like a pub lounge.
Happy people all round.
Hopefully, the snow will start to melt soon, and the forecast for the week is slightly warmer weather. Here's wishing very hard that it is true.
Whatever the weather in your small place, stay warm, safe, and well.
B x
I haven't played darts since the 70's, when I was in a pub darts team. I still have my set in a drawer.
ReplyDeleteWow ! That must have been fun to be in a darts team. I hope this post brought back some good memories of playing. I'm sure hubby will have a lot of fun with the dartboard and I think it looks great on the wall of our living room.
DeleteWe've still got quite a covering of snow and ice here in Mid Wales, but the temperatures are due to rise in the next couple of days. Enjoy the darts! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteFortunately our snow seems to be melting now and there is a light drizzly rain which is helping. It looks like it will be warmer over the next few days as well. I hope that the snow disappears in your area but also that there won't be any flooding as a result. I'm sure the dart board will be the cause of much fun and entertainment over the next few months. A game to enjoy when we are not able to get outside. Best wishes for 2026.
DeleteFirst of all, the embroidery for D.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful gift... fantastically done, dear Beverley.
I would never have thought of darts... I think it's great and I can already picture you all playing darts together. That must be so much fun.
Have a wonderful time... best wishes from Viola
P.S. Christmas roses can tolerate frost and snow - I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Thank you for your kind comment about the cross stitch. I should have started earlier but I did manage to just finish it in time. D is very happy with the design and words. Yes, the darts should be a fun game but I need to practise a lot.
DeleteThe Christmas roses seem to be ok and hopefully will recover once the snow has gone.
Have a good week, Viola.
Beautiful photos and stitching!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouragement and kind words, Linda. Have a good week.
DeleteBeautiful hellebores - they're such shy flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe dart board is a wonderful gift, though I'd need one the size of a tennis court!
Haha. I'm with you on the dartboard size. My aim is appalling! Hubby seems to really love having a dartboard in the living room and it is a talking point for anyone who visits and sees it.
DeleteI think if the hellebores survive the blanket of snow they had over the weekend they should be pretty resilient to anything else. Let's hope so any way!
Yes, I did guess correctly. There used to be a dartboard in the lunch room of my very first job after leaving school and I used to love playing. It's quite relaxing. We've had our first snowfall of the year overnight, there isn't very much and it's raining now so I don't think it's going to hang around. What a lovely gift for D, your stitching is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWell done for guessing, Jo. I think it might be more relaxing for me once I can actually get the dart on the board 😊 I'm looking for a new cross stitch project now but one that doesn't have a time limit on it. Thank you for your kind comment about my last project. Snow is melting here but we had quite a lot and our road was difficult to get out of. I will be glad to see it gone.
DeleteThe embroidered picture for D is beautiful. I've always liked that quote :)
ReplyDeleteNo...I didn't guess correctly what was in the cupboard! What a great idea.
The roads here are still very icy in places, although it's beginning to rain now and, hopefully, it should get rid of the remaining snow. It's very windy and cold still.
Enjoy your Sunday Beverley :)
Angie x
The cupboard is a really lovely piece of furniture and it doesn't stand out as a dartboard cover. At least I don't think it does.
DeleteFootprints is one of those poems that lots of people have seen. As D has a stressful job sometimes, it is something she can see every time she flops down on her bed after a hard day.
Roads and paths are clearing and I can hear the rain as I type.
Take care both of you and have a good week.
No, I didn't guess it was a dartboard, such a good idea to get the cupboard for it to go in.
ReplyDeleteI wish your husband many happy moments playing darts.
I do like the embroidery and picture you've done for D.
I do like Hellebores, nice to see your photographs.
I hope you've had a relaxing weekend, may the new week be a good one for you.
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan. I'm sure there will be many hours of fun with the dartboard.
DeleteI enjoyed stitching the design for D and she is very happy with the framed picture. I do need a good light to work with all the colour changes and that is in short supply in the Winter months. I need to be a bit more organised with my next project.
The hellebores were a little sad this morning after the blanket of snow but I'm sure they will soon perk up again and continue to flower beautifully.
Hoping the week is kind to you too.
D must have loved your gift, beautiful embroidery, so neat and looks absolutely perfect. A gift to treasure, that's for sure. Fun to see the dart board, you got a great case for it. I used to play at the pub in my youth, was never very good at it but no one seemed to mind and plenty of laughs during the evening. Thanks for taking us on that splendid walk. Loved your photos. So glad the storm has blown through. I've been hearing all about it here, and also from my brother-in-law in Germany. Happy New Year Beverley, to you, hubby and D.
ReplyDeleteThe cross stitch is on her chest of drawers at the end of her bed so that she can see it every day. She was very happy with it. I think you are right about the darts - it's all in the fun.
DeleteWe picked a good day for the walk as it rained on News day and would not have been nearly as enjoyable.
Have a lovely week and thank you for your New Year greetin to us all x
I didn't know what was inside ... pretty neat little toy. I love movies, sounds like you enjoyed your marathon. Very cool. Love your garden area. The dusting of snow looks pretty.
ReplyDeleteThe movies were good to watch but they were very long. Good to watch on a cold Winters evening or a week 😁 The dusting of snow was very pretty but whole load of snow was not so much fun at the weekend. At least most of it is gone now. Hubby has a few jobs to do at the moment but I know he is looking forward to playing on the dartboard. I think he has a much better aim than I do.
DeleteThe dart board does sound fun. Over Christmas Staycation we got four feet of the white stuff. We didn't have to leave so that helped for sure.
DeleteToday we watched Godzilla Minus One and enjoyed it. We opted for the English speaking with no words under. I enjoyed the movie a lot.
I love just snuggling in and watching a good flick.
Wishing you a very yummy and fun 2026. How in the world is it almost half-way done with January? Whoosh.
Wow you did get a lot of the white stuff!
DeleteNo films today but I am binge watching some gardening programmes for new plans for my garden.
I do love those too. There's a British guy that I like a lot. He's not part of our current streaming services and I cannot recall his name. Very good though. I learn a lot when I watch his garden show.
DeleteThe programmes I watched were episodes of 'Gardeners World' and the main presenter is Monty Don although there are other presenters.
DeleteThe Hellebores are lovely and your walk looks an interesting one. I didn't guess that inside the cupboard would be a dart board, hope you have lots of enjoyment from it:)
ReplyDeleteThe walk was lovely and just long enough for me to manage. I would like to walk further but maybe when the weather warms up a bit more. The hellebores seem to have survived their snowy blanket and hopefully will soon be just as good as new. The dartboard has more of a rustic feel which fits in better with the new decorating we have done. I'm sure we will have a lot of fun with this new game.
DeleteLove seeing the flowers bloomed even after being covered with snow. Looks like you had a good day for walking. I'm not a fan of cold, but if the sun is out is doable. Had no clue about what was behind the doors, but what a cool find. Love the cross stitch, both the design and the beautiful saying. What a lovely gift.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your kind comments about the start of the year in this small corner. The hellebores were a good buy at the end of last year and hopefully they will grow bigger and stronger with time and then they can be planted out in the main garden. The dartboard is very cool isn't it and a fun game for hubby and I to enjoy indoors. I do enjoy cross stitching and I am pleased with the one I did for D for Christmas. I shall be looking for a new project for the start of this new year.
DeleteHave a good week Sandy.
Ah, I love the dart board! What fun you will have with that....we have one here but it is in a backroom (and left by the previous homeowner) and we never used it. That is a shame. I am surprised how much snow you have had...not that I am envious at all. I just like looking at others' snow photos! And I LOVE flowers that bloom (not only where but whenever!) they are planted. I don't think I have heard of hellebores but, goodness, they are pretty!!
ReplyDeleteHellebores are beautiful plants to grow especially as they flower in the colder times of the year. Here, that would be between November and April. They prefer a little shade and moist but not wet soil. I have a pink variety in the garden as well. I'm waiting for the bulbs to start flowering next.
DeleteSnow is all gone now , thank goodness! I know how you feel about the cold weather 😊
Hubby is enjoying the darts and most of them are hitting the board; just working on fine accuracy.
Enjoy your weekend.
Excellent on the garden shows. I love that. Happy Gardening to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ivy. The hellebores are still doing well and I am looking forward to seeing the first bulbs and flowers of 2026.
ReplyDelete