July is nearly over

And what a hot month it has been, I have not been outside very much at all the last two weeks, by 2pm all I can manage is a little stitching on the sofa. Now it's rained it is a little cooler and easier to do jobs.

My lovely Hubby however has been working hard in the garden - thank you for all the kind comments about his plaque in my last post. I gave it to him the say thank you for being so supportive as I did Clare's Challenge 50, without him I would have not even started never mind finished. You can read all about it on my dedicated blog here.

Working in the cool mornings we (mainly Hubby) have taken down the old pergola, laid a concrete base for the new shed, assembled the shed and pushed (yes really) it into place! We have new stones and Hubby painted the old 'tete á tete' chairs, just one bit to do and a second coat and we're done. We love it so much.

This is how our garden looked in the spring last year - I can't believe how much we've done and how much bigger it looks now!

This month I have stitched quite a few more gifts, some I can share, some will have to be seen next time, some much later in the year.

Two of my friends are having tough times at the moment, life isn't always as you expect or wish and I know they are both need lots of tlc. I've been friends with my Canadian friend for many years, all over needing part of chart and asking online when the internet was very very new in the late 1990s. My other friend is the closest member of Needlecraft Haven, we've met many times, not only at the big meet ups but separately for coffee and a natter. It's been hard to meet recently with both our lives having a few difficulties.

I stitched two more blackwork bookmarks which I hope they both like, reading is a hobby we all share too.

For Brenda

For Julie

On Wednesday it's Summer Exchange Opening Day for Needlecraft Haven so I'll be back with photos of the exchange I sent and the one I received - my parcel is sitting on our sideboard waiting for the 1st, I am tempted each time I pass by but I have resisted !!

Gifted Gorgeousness July

It's Gifted Gorgeousness time with Jo from Serendipitous Stitching - a lovely idea that Jo has been running for quite a while, sharing gifts given or received each month.

It was my good friend in America's birthday earlier this month so one of my bookmarks traveled overeas. Unfortunately it didn't flap it's wings fast enough and arrived a little late but it arrived safely.

Bookmark for Cathy

I have a few more gifts stitched and another nearly finished, I'll be able to share these soon, it's certainly been a year of gifting for me.

DH and I have been working hard in the garden and the house. We've had a new boiler which being as it is in the kitchen evolved into new worktops which evolved into new sink and hob - it all looks great now but I was quite unsettled having everything out of the kitchen in the lounge. It didn't help as with the plumber here we also had a couple of new radiators so nearly every room had disturbance.

The plumber has been today too, this time to put an outside tap in our back garden. As our kitchen and bathroom are on the front of the house we have no water supply out the back and have to run the hose from the garage at the front round the house to water the garden. Now we have water at the back - watering the pots will never be a chore again :-)

As I haven't any more stitching to share here's a few photos of the garden, I'm so pleased with it, DH has worked so hard.

The shed has now gone and DH is putting a new plastic one up

Patio space - coffee for two 

I love our outside dining area 

My four hangings

DH's plaque