Big Friday Smile

What a Wednesday I had! 

I'm still smiling even though it's now Friday so I'm linking in to 

Annie's Friday Smile 

 I had the most wonderful surprise when I was "pounced" on by blogging buddies, Jo Twiglet and Annie Wipso whilst I was demming patchwork in the Abakhan Store in Liverpool. What a wonderful surprise and how lovely they are in real life and not just through cyber space. 
Annie's super DH drove them all the way from Shropshire to enable us to meet up at long last. We felt as though we'd known each other for years, (well we have known each other for years in blogland) and now I'm sure we will meet again and again in the future. 

This photo below, is courtesy of Annie as, darn it!, I didn't have my camera with me and as I still haven't found it (hoping it's not lost), I am not yet able to show the many more reasons for me to be smiling. I received bags full of gifts from these two amazingly generous stars, some for me, some to help raise funds for CHICS the Children's Cancer Care Support Group and two more beautiful quilts for the LillyBo Project. THANKS so much for everything but most  of all for being such lovely, precious, friends.

 Go over to Annie's blog for more Friday Smiles and you'll also be able to see more pics and her report of our fabulous day.

I hope to get back to regular blogging pretty soon but I've been so busy doing so much and going to so many places of late that something had just to give. Apologies for worrying some of you lovely blogging friends out there and thanks for the emails asking if I was OK. I really am fine, just bogged down with too much going on.

Fragrant Friday Smile

We recently visited Inglenook Farm to see the fields of lavender.                    (Note that the lavender was harvested a few days after our visit.)

 Be sure to check it out HERE, and it's worth a short visit if you are in the area.

We go occasionally just to look around the craft barns, to buy plants and to have our lunch in their excellent cafe but it's a must to go there before the lavender is harvested. It really brings a dose of happiness and contentment.

This week, after a dab of their excellent lavender oil,.... (bet you can smell it)....it is part of my Friday Smile, especially for Annie, and if you pop over to her blog, HERE, you'll be smiling for the weekend when you share several other smiles. 

Why not add your own bit of happiness too.

As the lavender oil produced is organic, all the fields have to be weeded by hand and there are plenty of huge thistles amongst the weeds.

I have a few of their plants in my garden and Hidcote is the variety I love the best.

The Peter Pan variety is darker in colour but not so rich in fragrance.

There are chucks roaming free around the outside area of the cafe and it's quite amusing to watch their antics.

What a treat to see some day old chicks.

 I'm also smiling this week because my two DD's and their families are all together in Germany. A rare treat and not long before this little fraulein, .....peeping over her Mama's bump with her special ted,... has a little brother.

A very special smile!

WOYWW and Image Transfers

I do hope Mrs Dunnit, WOYWW Headmistress, doesn't give me detention for being absent for two weeks. Please Miss I couldn't help it! I've been down to Brighton to visit my curly girlies, alias the Brighton Belels, alias two of my grandees. 

Back again just in time to attend Vicky Stampers last Saturday where Lynne gave us a super workshop and we had good fun this month improving our skills transferring images on to fabric. We then used our examples to make a book which also incorporated some stamping. Lots of inky mess, especially for me as I decided to colour my calico shades of pink, orange and red.  

I've been using the breakfast table to finish it off with beads and ribbons and some free embroidery. It's such a lovely spot to sit, especially as I can also watch all the visiting birds.

On the table there are also remnants of the card I made for my little fraulein's 4th birthday, next week. I hope she has a very special day. 
The Brighton Belles will be visiting Germany with their parents just in time for the birthday party so I hope they all they all enjoy this rare opportunity to have lots of fun together.

Looking through the window into the garden, I realise that I have another "workdesk" waiting for me  on the patio as there are several perennials, that we bought on our travels, all waiting to be planted but we've had so much rain so it has been impossible to get out there.

If you would appreciate a snoop on many, more desks just get over to Julia, the Headmistress of WOYWW, for the complete register of all those present this week. 

That's my desk for this week but browse on if you have time and would like to see the results of the image transfer workshop.

Recently Donna gave me fabric print which was just perfect to add as an extra  couple of pages in my book.

I will possibly add more hand embroidery when I've had a good think about it.

On Sunday we visited the Knowsley Flower Show and I just had to include these photos of the Mersey Morris Men performing traditional dances and they are especially for WOYWWer Lynne of Textile Treasury blog who is a part of the Norfolk Morris scene.(Spot the Liver Birds on their sashes Lynne!)

It was amazing seeing them throwing the sticks in the air, knocking them, swapping them and catching them. All good fun and so clever.

I think this dance was "Jenny Wren"

It is good that English traditions are being kept alive.

Despite the show being in the heart of the city, Knowsley is close to rural areas so it was a proper flower show and the entries were excellent.

One of my favourites, Sweet Peas, ... I adore their fragrance.

After being AWOL for a couple of weeks I hope to get round lots of your desks this week. 
If you've time... pop over to see what's the latest exciting news on LillyBo Quilts too!