Is has arrived here too.

It's the snow I am talking about, the first real stuff this winter, 

just to remind us that spring is not around the corner just yet.

But first - thank you for your comments on my last post, they are always appreciated.

Have a look at Marie's one, it make me smile (Google will translate it for you.)

It started snowing last night and this morning we woke up to this.

          view from the kitchen window

On the day like this I like being in the kitchen, doing little baking;

ready for lunch.

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"I see that you have a new coat also, where did you get yours?"

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2019

and it snowed

We had a snow blizzard yesterday afternoon and evening, 

and this is our garden this morning.

What came down the rest of the night was rain, which froze when it hit clear surfaces;

our windows this morning.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2018

Saturday baking

 We have been having a strange weather mix this week.

At the beginning of the week our porch looked like this - COLD!

And outside the metal robin in the alpine garden had cold feet.

The end of this week - warmer but wet, it has not stopped raining all day today,

time for comfort food!

Lemon and lime syrup cake.

I won't even try to pretend that this is good for you, it is exactly what the name implies!

But it is beautifully moist, full of lemon flavour (and sugary lemon syrup).

And it is going fast.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2016

It is cold, cold...

It was -5C before 8 am this morning, when I was driving to work. 

I know this is not so cold by some standards, but it is COLD for us in our part of the world.

Less than 2 hours later the electricity substation near the office caught fire - so no computers, no lights, no heat - we were sent home.
 It could be days before all is back to normal.

So, home early - time for a winter warm up! 

This time of year what I really like is a good, wholesome soup.

This spicy vegetable one has anything I could find at home - root vegetables, winter greens, mushrooms, lentils, herbs & spices .........

Ideal for a day like today.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2016

winter chicken

"Winter Chicken", number 4 and the last block of "Four Seasons Chicken Quilt", designed by "The Running Chicken" company,  is finished.

I have enjoyed stitching these blocks, they are fun to do.

Of course, this is not the end, there are inner and outer borders to measure, cut and stitch; not as much fun, but they will frame the centre blocks. I think that this is a job for my machine, after I have cut out all those little squares. So, this could take some time :-)

Thank you for stopping by,

I wish you a busy stitching week!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2014

houses revisited

Our run of the wet weather, political storm and blaming game continue, as more and more areas of the country are under water, catching emergency services totally unprepared for something like this happening over here. Usually we are the ones sending help to emergencies abroad. 

In my part of Somerset the rain changed to hailstones this morning, and then to snow, falling on our "not yet garden".

In the front the newly planted roses were covered in no time, as was the new lavender hedge, plated in the autumn, now hardly visible on left of the picture.

It did not last, as the sun came out for a while, giving us a chance to go for a walk. This was only a short break in the weather, more rain and gales are forecasted for tomorrow, adding to the misery of all those people suffering already. 

Also today I have rediscovered another one of my last year's project, until now still packed away since the move, Yoko Saito's Mystery Quilt (no longer a mystery), or "my houses" as I call it. 

It is time to get on and finish it, there is still lots of stitching to do on the borders.

I have some new tools for my "tool box", these tiny scissors are great for cutting out tiny applique shapes. I wish I had them and the Apliquick tools before I started this quilt, considering how many Sewline sticks (which are great, by the way, could not be without them) I have used so far, using my fingers and covering them in glue.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2014

week is moving on

But the snow has not moved, more came down last night and again this morning. The igloo on the village common has become a permanent fixture.
They say by the weekend it will be raining and they mentioned the word "floods"!

There is an advantage to spending more time at home. In this weather the mind turns to food and the kitchen is a good place to be on a cold day.

I bought Seville oranges last week, which of course means "marmalade time".

And while on the citrus theme - lemon curd tarts.

Now that Fernhill is finished at last, I am returning to my house building,

the last block of the Yoko Saito's "Mystery Quilt" (which is no longer a mystery)

and the second part of "Santa's Village".

Thank you for your visit!

© pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2013

snow is here

Pictures we woke up to this morning.

As I said before, snow in UK means chaos and for us, living in the country, it means not going anywhere.

We are not on any gritting map, so the road through our village is not treated. 

We rely on local farmers to partly clear the road so they can move about, and for the milk tankers to be able to come and collect the milk from the farms. This morning we saw a tractor puling one of the milk tankers up our hill, 

which was quite a sight!

So, thermals on, lets go out and take more pictures!

The local schools are closed today, so children have extra day, to enjoy the snow and build a snow man.

The goose and the ducks on the village pond are wondering what is going on.

© pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk