Autumn Primitive Stitching

Well, it seems that autumn is well and truly here: morning mists, dewy spiders' webs, berries galore and darker school runs in the afternoon. The colours this year have been beautiful - there is something about the combination of golden leaves and sunshine (if we're lucky!) that warms the heart and makes it my favourite season. I'm looking forward to more foggy days too; cosying up inside and doing a bit of crochet - bliss! You never know, I may actually get my Dorset blankie finished, but I wouldn't hold your breath!

Here are a few photos, taken last Sunday, of the garden and from my walk into town to visit the Artisan Market - to be honest, this was a little disappointing; the crafty bits were a little thin on the ground and I came away empty handed, apart from some chocolate covered candied orange peel for the girls. I enjoyed the walk though:

See my new shoes! I actually bought these in the summer when E was doing her work experience at the Mary Rose Museum and I had a week killing time, kicking around the historic dockyard. There was an outlet centre nearby and initially I found a small packet of buttons that I thought would be a nice souvenir. Before I knew it, I had bought 2 DVDs, a summer dress and a pair of Docs. They are super comfy, even if they have taken a while to wear in.

The berries and leaves were fabulous, although the colour has done funny things and looks a little weird in the photos:

Other happies this week:
My new cleaning cloths from Sainsbury's. I'm normally a Tesco girl, merely because it's closest to E's school and I do the shop after drop off. This Monday, however, was still part of half term so Sainsbury's it was for a change. The cloths certainly cheered up my window cleaning this morning!

Another Sansbury's buy - coffee stencils:

Making sticky, nutty flapjacks for Bonfire Night:

Sneaking one with a cup of tea and a magazine - well, it's important to do quality control!

Buying some tulip bulbs  - I keep telling myself that they're no good on the kitchen worktop; I actually have to get around to planting them!

Here's me snatching a stitchy moment. This is the autumn embroidery to go with the spring and winter ones here and here:

Hot dogs and fireworks on the 5th:

A green woodpecker in the garden - apologies for the blurriness of the photo ; I dashed for my camera and took a quick snap just seconds before he spooked and flew away:

Finally, the completed stitching:

Ta-Dah!

Just one more season to go and then I have to decide whether to hang them in the frames or convert them into cushions or something.
Have a great weekend and, if anyone's off to a Bonfire Party, have fun and I'll keep my fingers crossed for dry weather for you.
Toodle Pip for now. x