January Brings the Snow

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. 

Engineers building the Birmingham and Worcestershire Canal tunnelled their waterway under part of the lower slopes of the hill.

We also discovered this fourteenth-century church, hidden away behind the hedgerows.

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

A Small Amount of Crafting

Hello everyone.

It has been a slow week in this corner, and there is not much to tell you about. But that’s okay, in my book. Life is like that sometimes, and a few quiet moments can recharge batteries for what may come next. 

I have only done a few crafting projects besides the dollhouse for a while, so I had to look to see what I could find.

I have several cross-stitch projects I want to do in the second half of this year, and this week, I started the first one. It is quite a small project, but the thread count is smaller than I have used before, so I need plenty of natural light to stitch. 

This first part of the design, which is cream on an even lighter cream, was quite eye-straining. I will continue working on this project this week.

I’m also waiting for my next craft project pack, which will be much bigger, to arrive in the post. It will be a gift for a special family event in August, and although I don’t need to finish it until September/ October, I’m eager to get started as soon as it arrives.

The roses have been enjoying the varied amounts of sunshine and rain we have been having and are blooming beautifully, as you can see. 

I was also given these beautiful chrysanthemums today. Flowers always cheer my heart, no matter the weather.

Whether you have a busy or quiet week ahead, I hope it is a good week for you all.

B x

Sowing and Sewing

Hello, and welcome back to our small corner.

Why is it that every year at seed sowing time, I get this crazy notion that this is the year that the seeds won't grow and, therefore, I should have a few more, just in case? 

Well, this week, I have been pricking out all the seeds that have grown this year. Amazingly, they all germinated again!

Continuing the theme of sowing, I finally finished sewing this cross stitch. I enjoyed the random nature of the design and the bright colours I used. Although I generally agree with the sentiments of this design - 'Happiness is not by chance but by choice'- life often throws happiness at us in unexpected ways, too.

Last week, on Tuesday, 23rd April, it was St George's Day. He is the patron saint of England. While I did not have time to add more to the twig tree, I made some jam tarts and scones instead. The scones were a basic fruit recipe, but I'm pleased with how they turned out. 

As usual, I doubt they will stay around for long in this small corner. 

Saint George's Day is also Shakespeare Day. As D and I have been reading some of his plays and sonnets this year, we continued our Shakespeare journey by reading Richard II and watching the play on TV. We are still very much enjoying the plays.

Next week, D and I will begin the first part of our guided tour around our dollhouse, and we hope you will join us.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Have a good week!

B and D x

Easter 2024

Hello everyone. Beverley and D here. 

This weekend is Easter, and we want to wish you all a happy weekend, whether you are celebrating or not.

We will add this little Easter project to our twiggy tree with all the other decorations made so far this year. It was based on a design by Sharon Welch in her book 'Cross-stitch Cards'.

It is the school Easter holiday, and D has been enjoying her time off work. She has been doing some Easter baking, including Easter flapjacks and cookies—both from her favourite baker, Jane's Patisserie.

The flapjacks and cookies are very yummy, but they won't last long in this small corner.

D has also finished one of her long-term projects this week. She has been working on and off this pretty blue scarf for a number of years, and now it is done. It is warm and cosy, and she is very pleased with it.

However, the sun is shining outside right now, so I don't think D will need to use her new scarf this weekend. :-)

Whatever your own plans are, both D and I wish you a wonderful weekend.

B and D x

Queen of Hearts

Hello everyone. How has your week been?

In our small corner, last week was a half-term holiday from work for D, and we had a fun week together.

As we celebrated St Valentine's Day this week, we had a ready-made theme for the first part of the week. After D's very yummy heart cake, she made red velvet brownies from her favourite cookbook. Only three pieces are left now, which is a miracle, and they will be gone by the end of the day!

While the flour, sugar and butter were still close to hand, D also made some shortbread for us to munch. We still had some of the red fondant icing from her cake and used this to cut out hearts to decorate the tops of the shortbread. Hence, this week's blog title is 'Queen of Hearts'.

Continuing the theme of love, I made some small felt envelopes with added hearts to decorate the twiggy branched tree in our living room. They have joined the felt and fabric hearts I made last year.

As you can see, I have made more progress on the cross-stitch project, but I'm still keeping the design under wraps for now.

D and I have been continuing our reading of Shakespeare plays, have almost finished Henry VI Part 2, and are ready to watch the rest of the 'Hollow Crown' film version. 

While we had a lot of fun together this week, we also met up with our friends. I had lunch with my best friend from school, and we had a lovely chatty time together. 

Look what D got up to—afternoon tea with her friend. There was no doubt lots of chatting there as well as the tea and cake!

We both wish you all a lovely week ahead and the weather is kind to us all.

Take care.

B and D 

xx

All About the Fruit

Hello to you all.

I hope you have had a good week and the weather has been kind wherever you are. It has been warm enough at times this week for me to get outside in the garden, which is one of my favourite things to do. 

I found this lovely small clump of snowdrops just poking their heads above the ground early in the week. Unfortunately, when I looked a few days later, all the pretty white heads had gone - nibbled away. When I looked on Mr Google, I was surprised to learn that snowdrops are high in sugar, so maybe a night-time critter had a sweet tooth for them this year.

Or it could just be slugs, of course.

This week has been about the fruit in my garden, preparing the ground and pots for the season ahead. I pruned our apple tree to keep it manageable and planted some rooted gooseberry and black currant plants into pots. We also had two more large gooseberry and black currant bushes that had been taking up a great deal of space in raised beds, which we have replanted in pots with fresh compost.  

The last fruit that found a new home this week was the rhubarb: the wooden raised bed it was growing in had disintegrated over time, so a new place to grow had become essential. I split the plants and discarded the oldest parts before replanting them in a larger plot.

I have several other jobs I want to get done in the garden this month. Still, if the weather is unkind, I can continue to work in the greenhouse preparing for seed sowing time.

Meanwhile, indoors, I have started a new cross-stitch project. It was the final item currently in my craft box. I shall be working on this over the next few weeks, but I thought you would like to see the start and keep you guessing as to what it will be.

Have a great week ahead, both inside and outdoors.

See you next week 

B xx

Christmas 10

Hello to you all. 

I'm beginning to feel more human after having the worst cold I have had for ages. It knocked me out.

Thankfully, I finished this cross-stitch last week before the cold germs descended on us.

Santa had yet to be featured this year, but someone really needed to chat with him quickly. Who says Facetime is only for humans?

One of the kittens adopted by my son, C, and his fiancée had been up to mischief and needed to check which Santa list she was on.

After discovering an entertaining game called: 'Let's climb the living room curtains', you can see why Lola needed to see Santa. Her sister Nala is just watching, so she's probably okay with Santa

Lola, however...

Lola gives a purr of relief as she discovers that Santa will still visit her on Christmas Eve.

Have a good day 😊