Valentine Exchange

This is the Valentine I received, thank you so much I adore it. I am looking forward to finding out who stitched it. Isn't it beautifully finished?

Thank you Jo of serendipitous stitching for organising the exchange, it has been great fun again and a good way to get to know other bloggers.

Steady progress has been made on SDW and the SAL is now on week 15.

SDW German Band Sampler - Scarlet Letter

Jane's garden is in full flower and her beauty is blowing me away.

Jane Atkinson - Scarlet Letter

I was hoping to start The Scarlet Letter's new pictorial sampler "Manifesto" on Sunday. On 35ct this measures 34.5" wide by 21" high. I am planning on personalising it quite a bit so it is going to be much wider. It is going to be dedicated to my grandson who was born on the day the design of the sampler was completed and as it depicts a family scene it seemed a perfect choice.

My current plan although this may change as I stitch is to have the three verses of the poem Family Ties Are Precious Threads Woven Through The Years stitched in three blocks across the top, a dedication to Archie at the bottom and as many of the names (inc. dates of birth, place and death) of the ancestors I have traced through my family history research stitched down both sides. This will make the sampler very wide.

Manifesto - Scarlet Letter

The extra long bars that I ordered the first week of January for my Millennium Frame have not arrived. With no firm delivery date I have had to be inventive as I found that I could not stitch comfortably with a q-snap or hoop. I have been quite spoilt by my frame.

It hit me on Tuesday night that I had a carpenter working in the holiday cottage we are refurbishing on Wednesday so I sent him a text and he promised to see what he could do for me.

Now one of the reasons that the bars are taking a while to come is that they need to be laminated to stop them warping because of their length so these bars are only a temporary measure.

 Guess what I started to stitch Wednesday night ?


The news stations in the UK have been covering the blizzards in America and my heart goes out to all effected. We got quite excited when we had a dusting.

Poldhu Cove Mullion

Snow is rare in the Cove so when we woke to this I had to get the camera out to record the event. The salt in the air caused it to melt away very quickly.

Poldhu Cove Mullion

By the time I went out for a walk with Poppy and Blue it had all disappeared.

Archie continues to thrive and my calendar is becoming well booked up with baby sitting duties. He is a dear little chap. I looked after him for a few hours yesterday, I was exhausted but happy at the end. 

The painting of Millie, Poppy and Blue is back from the framers and hung in Ray's study. We are so pleased with it.

The building work on the cottage is proceeding well and yesterday the front elevation started being knocked out to be replaced with floor to ceiling glass to enjoy the stunning views. Typically we had heavy rain and winds blowing straight in from the sea. The work had to proceed as we have brought extra men in for this particular job.

This is the view from the second bedroom taken when the cottage was used as an office. This is the view I used to enjoy from my desk. It was fatal to look out when trying to work.

This is the main bedroom which enjoys the same views.

I cannot show interior shots of the work at the moment as there is so much going on it is difficult to get a clear photo.

The island for the kitchen has arrived and I am thrilled with the quality.


Wishing every one a very Happy Valentine's Day.