Garden Notes, Needle News, and a Weather Watch

I’ve worked the weekend and missed out yet again on Chooky’s Zoom session.

But I have been doing some stitching and sewing — more about those later. As you know, the Christmas decorations are all up and the empty boxes have been put away. So now that I have two days off, I can play.

But first, the chores.

 I’ve been out to the garden for a look around and a tidy‑up this morning. The rhubarb is growing like a weed — and in my opinion, it is a weed, nasty tasting stuff that it is. But I thinned it out and brought a bundle indoors to stew for Tony, who loves it. I added the grated rind and juice of an orange to the pan — he really loves it when I make it that way.

I also brought in the latest offerings from the veg garden. Two little cauliflowers, a variety that only grows to baseball size. Just right for the two of us. That was the last of the cauli, so it’s time to think about what else might grow in that patch beside the broccoli.

Speaking of broccoli, it’s coming along nicely too. I brought in the first head today — there are more coming along very well. I left that plant in the ground, of course, so it can keep producing.

While I was outside, I popped into the greenhouse and was pleased to see the cherry tomatoes ripening well. We’ve already picked a few, and there should be a bowlful ready in the next few days — nothing quite like home‑grown tomatoes. The larger varieties are still green, but there’s plenty of fruit set, so with a little patience we’ll be gathering those soon too.

I have some ironing to do before I scoot into town to gather a few essentials, then I get to sit and sew. The weather forecast for later today and tomorrow is not looking good — thunderstorms all day tomorrow, with hail! My little car will be staying safely in the garage. I only just got it back from being repaired after the last hailstorm.

As promised, here’s an update on recent needle happenings. I completed a total of four knitted washcloths, then wrapped them up and popped them into a Santa box — completely forgetting to take a photo. You’ve seen some of them before, knitted in that pretty pinky‑purple yarn.

I’ve also finished the cross‑stitching on the kitty cat. Today I’ll complete it properly — I think I’ll pop it into a hoop and sew on a felt backing.

And then there are the hexies. They’re starting to come together, though I’m still not one hundred percent sure where this project is going. For now, I’ll just keep adding flowers to the garden.

Another recent project was repairing my shoulder bag. It’s a lovely soft leather and just the right size to hold my purse, phone, shopping list, and a few other essentials. I noticed the strap was breaking right at the point where it joins the bag. 

I don’t want a new bag — the only thing wrong with this one was the strap. So I pulled out Jack the Ripper and began to unpick. Once I got it out, the damage was worse than I thought. Hmm. I cut away the damage and set to sewing everything back together. It’s not a perfect job — yes, one strap is a couple of centimetres shorter than the other — but it’s not noticeable, and now my bag should last a while longer.

The sky is already looking rather moody and threatening. I think I’ll make a quick dash into town for those groceries before the heavens open. Then it’s straight back home, tucking my little car safely into the garage — no hail dents this time, thank you very much! After that, the fun begins: a cosy afternoon of stitching and sewing while the storm rumbles outside.

This Summer is starting with some very questionable weather patterns.