Friday, April 08, 2016

Five on Friday

Hello!

I am linking to Amy of Love Made My Home and her Five on Friday. I haven't joined in lately as we've been rather busy here with decorating and a sickly cat.

Edited Version!!!!!!
Oops, you might have noticed something funny here! I accidentally pressed the publish button a short while ago, instead of save!  But here goes, this should be the correct version now!
  1. Spring is here!
  2. Bluebells in the ancient woodland
  3. Jelly ears
  4. Present received
  5. Happy Happy! (The Splendid Sampler)

1. Spring is here!

We have lots of frogspawn in the pond this year, more than we have ever had before! I do hope a few of he little chaps survive because next doors very naughty cat is really making it his life's work to annihilate all our poor little frogs.




2. Bluebells in the ancient woodland

The bluebells in our front garden are already flowering, but then they are growing in a sunny position, with the added bonus of the afternoon sunshine being reflected back onto them from the whiteness of the wall. 

So, having mentioned the bluebells that we had seen growing on the nearby Common the other week, we thought it would be a good idea to go up there again and see how they were progressing.

As it happens only a few are in flower yet as it is cool and shady here amongst these tall, old trees.

Previously I mentioned that shrubs and non native trees that have somehow self seeded were being cleared by the Commons' Rangers' and volunteers, and this time we noticed that further clearances had taken place, making it much more light and airy with dappled sunshine.

Old and decaying native trees, such as the one seen here,
 are being left to support the wildlife. 
We spotted this but are unsure whether it is evidence
of beetles or woodpeckers 

3. Jelly ears


Would you believe it! If you saw my post about our walk a few months ago when we went searching for fungi - I laughed when I walked round our garden the other day and found these Jelly Ears growing on the stumps of an old budlia tree!



4. Present received!

I feel really guilty that I haven't been able to blog about these lovely presents I received from the very generous Kim  of Wisdom with Needle and Thread.  She recently celebrated her blog anniversary with a month of giveaways.

I was lucky enough to win these lovely kits from week 5:






I was really surprised and excited as this wrist cuff was an extra surprise




It is Kim's 60th birthday in July and she is having another amazing celebration! She is making and giving 60 RAK's (Ramdom Acts of Kindness) to 60 of her blogging friends. You can read about it here.

5. Happy Happy (Splendid Sampler)

I have fallen behind with my blocks, but I can now report that I have finished said block!  The flowers and vase are attached by buttonhole stitch, and the stems are in backstitch.



I hope to be back again soon with a "finish"

Hope you all have a great weekend.



Hugs,
Barbara xx


23 comments:

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

What wonderful prizes. Kim really was very generous.
Lovely photos and nice work on the patchwork too.

Amy at love made my home said...

Great things! Especially the lovely things you won, the little cottage looks adorable! Have fun making them! Thank you for taking part in Five On Friday, hope you have a great weekend! xx

Christine B said...

Beautiful photographs Barbara and what lovely prizes you won! Hope your decorating has gone well! Have a lovely weekend! Christine x

Magpie's Mumblings said...

So sorry that your kitty has been sick - hopefully she/he is feeling better now. Your pretties you won are going to give you hours of fun I think. I've never seen jelly ears so they were fun to see.

ellen b said...

I don't think I've ever seen Jelly Ears. The flowers and vase block is so cute. have a great weekend.

Shaheen said...

I fail to join in 5 on Fri most weeks too, so its good to participate when I can like yourself. I haven't seen frogspawn for ages. Cats will be cats. Have a good weekend.

Lilly's Mom said...

Hi Barbara, I loved see your nature photos; they are so beautiful. And, what fun you have to look forward to with all the lovely stitchery kits you received! Wishing you a wonderful day, Pat xx

Clare-Aimetu said...

Great prizes :) I love your vase of flowers

mamasmercantile said...

I don't recall ever seeing jelly ears before. What beautiful gifts to receive and very generous.

Lorrie said...

The sound of frogs in springtime is wonderful - hope many of them survive. What a great gift you received in the mail. The block you created is very cheerful looking.

Kaisievic said...

Great post, Barbara but I have to ask, are the jelly ears safe to eat?

FlashinScissors said...

Yes K,
Jelly Ear is edible, and usually grows on Elder trees but my fungi book says it can also be found on other deciduous trees, including Hazel.

Well now there's another to be added to the list - Buddleia!

More info on "Jelly Ear" can be found on Google, you can also see a cute video about Jelly Ear by Nepthys.uk
Barbara x


FlashinScissors said...

I had intended to link to some info on Jelly Ears but Blogger thwarted me, in that I pressed publish instead of save! Silly me! But there are lots of pictures, and information (and a sweet video) to be found by Googling "Jelly Ears".
Have a great week! Barbara x

Brigitte said...

These pictures from the old woodland are so nice. And lucky you that you have won these treats in Kim's giveaway.

Sheryl said...

Great photos Barbara. Congrats on the generous win, what a lot of stitching you now have to do. Pretty vase of flowers stitching.

Glenda said...

Thanks for sharing the walk in the woods Barbara. It's so nice to visit other quilters homes, gardens and area. You did score with all the little presents now you have. To find time to make them LOL. Cheers Glenda

handmade by amalia said...

I love the happy block, Barbara. I have a ton of work just now, hardly any time for crafting or blogging or spring. Big sigh. Work should be limited to the winter, IMO.
Amalia
xo

Stitching Noni said...

Great post! I have never heard of jelly ears... I do hope those little frogs get to grow up and live a happy life - they are the only type of frogs that I want to visit me :o)
Hugs xx

Jo said...

I've got frogspawn in my tiny pond for the first time this year, ok, so I put some of it there myself, but the frogs have added to that. I just hope we get some tadpoles now. What a great win, you received some wonderful prizes. I especially like the little cottage.

Helen Philipps said...

Love the woodland pictures and what wonderful treats you won! Your latest block is very pretty!
Helen xox

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

What a beautiful and inspiring Five! Thank you for sharing.
I really love your flowers and vase block - the other ones are very pretty too.
Have a lovely weekend! xx

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

What a beautiful and inspiring Five! Thank you for sharing.
I really love your flowers and vase block - the other ones are very pretty too.
Have a lovely weekend! xx

Glenda said...

What a wonderfull visit Barbara so much better to see. My favourite has to be the snow drops, how I miss ever seeing them now we live in the tropics. Hope some of your eggs get to frogs! Cheers Glenda