Friday, December 21, 2012

greetings to all

The days have been rushing by as Christmas approaches, and some late 'spring cleaning' has been taking up too much time! Here are a some more beautiful embroidered pieces I saw a few years back. The first 2 and a close up of the central piece were in Salisbury Cathedral in the UK, and the last one I spied in the lovely Pickwick Lodge Farm B&B at Corsham near Bath.

 Altar cloth above, and screen below.

We were very fortubate to hear an impromptu performance by a visiting Dutch choir. They had just arrived and were having a look around before performing later that evening, and had a short 'test' of the acoustics.
 These very colourful flags were flying on the lawns outside the Cathedral - and rather made up for the fact that much of the exterior was covered with scaffolding.
This arts installation by sight impaired and disabled young people in Wiltshire composed 100 batik printed flags which could be walked through to experience the visual, touch and sound stimulation of the wind driven movement of the colourful flags.
This one is much simpler, and on lighter note - given there might be a few pheasants headed for the table this week.

On the home front, here are my first boysenberries of the season. I have just one bush, and only got this many all told last year. You might think them a little red and under ripe but I have to beat the birds!
The following is a big surprise. It is the incredibly delicate flower on one of our 2 Chinese jade plants. They both have flowered. I have been around jade plants all my life and never seen them before. They are incredibly tiny (you might spot the ant halfway down the left hand sprig, which is about as big as the floret) and didn't last all that long.
 
Another that lasts only one day - and today was the day - is this just ever so slightly pink tipped cactus flower. I am glad I spotted it in time.
Both these amazing and beautiful flowers spring from plants that get, and need, only very little care and attention.

Have a safe and happy Christmas everyone. I am looking forward to sharing time with family and old friends - and getting back to some stitching in the New Year.