A day where I got lots done

 I hate things hanging over me.  We are towards the end of doing the probate and needed valuation for four items, which all needed photographs taking.  Then I had to find out the name of the auctioneers in Cardiff - where the two items which were going to be sold would be taken, if estimates hopeful (they should be). One of those items is the German WWII photo album. Yesterday I achieved all that so we will wait back to hear from them now.

I have also (thank Heavens!) found a new home for the gigantic curtains which Pam had given me for Tam's house, but which didn't fit any window - they had gone all the way round a big conservatory type room and each was over 100" wide.  They took up a LOT of space.  Being in William Morris Chrysanthemum fabric, I was pleased they were going to a home that would appreciate them.  Yes, they could have gone to a charity shop, but you cannot often park outside the one I would have wanted to use and they were too heavy and bulky to carry far.  As Pam checks Marketplace I couldn't exactly sell them on there either.  It's Tam's friend near Hay who's having them and she is also having my lately redundant WM Golden Lily curtains.

I spent half an hour in the morning sitting in the sun with some darning mending (an old and very sorry Berlin work bell-pull type of stitching, where the backing fabric is very frail.)  It's probably not financially worth doing but I feel that the original stitcher would value my efforts.

I think this is a female Beautiful Demoiselle.

I had the most lovely walk along the old railway line, and there had been a recent hatching of various Darters, including one with amber wings which I hadn't seen before.  I also noticed that there was another colony of Sand Martins in the bank - this is further up the river from the colony in the Groe area of the Wye.  The first Dog Roses were unfurling, and it was good to be alive.

More gardening and my hips are still aching from the bending double to dig holes in unrelenting soil (baked hard) but all six new plants are now in - I added the new Hollyhocks (two black, one white) to the two pink and one nearly red in the long border.  I planted the little hardy Orkney Pink Geranium in the bottom of the bank, where there is a little rock-edged border.  The Gaura linheimen "Gaudi Rose" (a new one on me) with its red leaves, has gone in the little bed by the tiny bit of lawn by the pond.  Everything watered in, the beans watered and the hose taken to everything in pots.  

This is for Sharon - the first Bramble flower out.  These will produce the large blobby fruits which are watery and tasteless, but early.

My neighbour has gone off to Scotland on holiday and will be away 7 or 8 days.  I am on watering duty at his plot (suitably bribed with Lindor chocs!)  Bad timing, as I am out today, and baby sitting in Aber tomorrow, but no longer Saturday as there is only one thing in the auction I would want to buy . . .  Tomorrow will be tiring as I am out of the house at 7 a.m. and not back for 12 hours.  I think it will be a chippy shop tea.

Guilder Rose.

I did the pattern and cutting out of Luna's T-shirt dress.  Having ordered a toddler pattern this week, to make little dresses for Rosie, I thought this would be good practice!

Then in the evening I couldn't get any channel apart from Youtube to start with, but finally managed to get into the BBC and watched most of a Hinterland episode. I was working on the ugly stitches holding Luna's arms and legs and removing them and replacing with blanket stitch in a sort of puce which exactly matches the colour in her ear and feet fabric.  I've done her head and one leg now.

Right, I need to water at the cottage polytunnel, load up the curtains, do my hair, makeup, get changed and then I'm off to Malvern Quilt festival and then home via nearby Tewkesbury, which I haven't been to for about 50 years!  There is an Abbey there.