stateside

made it to the States ok - no problem with the flights.......

but ugh.........forgot what humidity is like! (and mosquitos)

had a major storm the other evening; monsoon-style rain, high winds, thunder and lightening!

Dad is doing really well; had his last chemo the other day - got to ring a bell for his "graduation"

the weekend might be a bit tricky as that is when his last mega dose will take effect

am going to go to Hobby Lobby (love that place!!) this afternoon and get some supplies to do a bit of artsy-craftsy things......will show you later when I get things started

saw I Am Love with Tilda Swinton yesterday......she is amazing - loved the movie; so beautifully shot

not sure my mother and her friend were too impressed tho!

also saw Date Night on the airplane; thought it was going to be silly slapstick but it was actually pretty good

not too impressed with Alice in Wonderland......maybe it was the small screen - or the fact I had to keep turning the volume up to try and hear the dialogue then back down again when the music starts playing??

have yet to see any cardinals so far - but am more interested in spotting the hummingbirds that come into my parents garden - so beautiful and slightly magical the way they move

hope everyone is having a good, artsy summer

thanks for peeking in

__a

Mr Seal

ok, so it might not LOOK like a seal, but it is! I went walking along the river the other evening and there he was.....lounging around on the dock

of course, had debated whether to bring my camera with me or not......not - so this is from my phone

am getting ready to pack up the studio for a few weeks

tomorrow is Date Night with husband in Norwich, next day; a swim in the North Sea and visit with in-laws

Sunday, another Date Night in London

Monday (early) flight to the States!

complicated travel.......complicated bag usage and storage options

as usual

not sure how much stitching stuff I'll be doing - I am bringing the goldfinch to work on

and am quite keen to try a new idea (with wax!!)

will show you what I come up with.......if I come up with anything

a bit early, but have a great weekend

see you across the pond!

and thank you to everyone who comes by to see what I am doing

it is a great advantage

this is the piece that I worked on while doing the "rook"......always work on more than one thing so I can go back and forth when things aren’t quite going right on one.......then switch back after a little time away

I also have some new backgrounds drying and ready to start tomorrow too

I only have until this Thursday to get everything done

Friday, I am off to Suffolk to visit the in-laws and then Monday morning, I fly off to the States to see my parents again

you can’t really see, but the background are sheets of music........hopefully the notes and things will show up a bit better when it is dry

and this is a.......what is this?? one of those sets of embroidered linens people used to put onto their dressing tables - there are usually two end pieces and a larger one for the centre.......think this is the centre part, altho it isn’t that large

ANYWHO........am thinking a little goldfinch might look sweet on here

my Dad, if his platelets are strong enough, will have his last super-strong chemo today and next week when I am there, will be his last chemo........he has been doing amazingly well and hope it continues (I feel a bit strange writing about it..so think I’ll stop)

oh! I went for a walk along the river last evening.......and saw a seal!! sitting on a little dock - I have heard about him.......he comes up the river every now and again

if I figure out where I put the cord to get the photos off my phone - will post!

such an odd sight

hope everyone is having a good week so far

and thank you, thank you for stopping by!

__a

preview party

last night was the preview for the Artists United show I was involved in

was a great turnout and really well put together

Sonia did a great job coordinating all the different works to show them cohesively

the show goes on until Sunday afternoon

it is sweltering here today.......

hope everyone keeps cool and has a lovely weekend

__a

thanks for being here

is it finished??

I think it might be!

wow...who-da thunk I'd pull it out of the bag! well, actually, I thought perhaps eventually I would - with invaluable insight and suggestions (and a few small "discussions") from husband (thank you!!)

I added more stitching in the background and a "river" of threads to pull it all together

think I will also keep the threads hanging off the background

was hoping to finish and go up to London tomorrow, but might need to be here again - Simon, the framer said he'd help me adhere it to a white backing and put it into my frame

whew!

the show!

this is the show I have been so kindly included

today I worked on my rook - got pretty far along......and then realised I have a picture of two halves

I like one side, but not the other! am toying with the idea of cutting it in half, altho I already gave the show the dimensions.......or use the frame I had selected but am not sure if there would be too much space around

one dilemma after another! haha.......well, at least I like part of it now

the weather just keeps going on and on......incredible (for a British summer)

we got up early and went for a walk in our local garden - the flowers were just exploding everywhere

this past Sunday, as I am sure you know, was a holiday in the US - I opened my door Sunday morning to see a group of people walking by all dresses in Colonial clothes! bit of a shock

then I realised, they were erecting a statue to Thomas Paine in front of our local library

he lived in Lewes for a while before moving (actually, escaping) to America and starting all that Revolution business

hope everyone else ahd a nice weekend

and as always.......thank you So much for your comments - and come back soon!

__a