The chickens are all laying well now and we collect up to half a dozen eggs daily from their nesting boxes.  We include their eggs in our visitor welcome packs but there are plenty left for omelettes, custards, clafoutis (the Engineer's favourite) as well as gifting some to family and friends. 

Recently Simon, the Station Manager at the East Somerset Railway next door used his drone to take some aerial photos of the house and garden for us.  You can clearly see Rhubarb and Custard at the far end in the Kitchen Garden and can probably just about make out the Hen Pen ....

Be

As I'm sure you can tell, there's plenty of garden to keep us occupied and out of mischief, unlike that naughty Auntie Ruby (on the right, below) who totally disgraced herself last week... 

We had invited some family members round for a meal and on the menu was moussaka.  This is the Engineer's signature dish and was the first meal he ever cooked for me in the earliest days of our relationship.  His major mistake this time round was leaving the finished dish on the kitchen work surface unattended, having total faith in that well known thief, Ruby, now being a reformed character.  Let us just say that this faith was entirely misplaced.  

When he later returned to the kitchen expecting to collect his delicious creation and present it to his hungry family in triumph Ruby's snout was coated in tomato sauce, the dish was on the floor and the moussaka was nowhere to be seen!  

I don't like to say "I told you so," but was heard to mutter "you should have known better!"

And finally, I promised to show you my finished book covers for next month's magazine.  There are two now and I have really enjoyed stitching them - it has been hard to make myself stop and move onto other projects, so there may well be more to come in the future...

Both designs will be included in the June Bustle & Sew Magazine, with full details of how to create the book cover.  Any extra elements, such as the watercolour bulrushes will also be included ready to print, cut and stick.  I hope you like them!

Until next time, very best wishes from us all!

Helen x

The Wheel of the Year panel is now back in stock on Etsy  There is also a digital option if you're confident with drawing and dividing your own circle and transferring the motifs.the so many birds

Aflowers and other motifs I would have loved to have stitched but simply didn’t have space for!

Anyway, the Wheel of the Year panel is now back in stock on Etsy and delivery times have returned to normal after the Christmas holidays.  There’s also an option for a fully digital pattern if you’re confident drawing your own circles and transferring the motifs.) the edges of each panel as I always think finishing the edges to avoid fraying is one of the less exciting parts of beginning a new project.  The panels are printed on a nice quality pure cotton fabric that is a pleasure to work with.  I loved stitching my own wheel (you can see it in pride of place on my shelf in the first image), and really didn’t want to finish it.  I shall have to think of another project that takes us through the year in the same way – there are so many birds, flowers and other motifs I would have loved to have stitched but simply didn’t have space for!

Anyway, the Wheel of the Year panel is now back in stock on Etsy and delivery times have returned to normal after the Christmas holidays.  There’s also an option for a fully digital pattern if you’re confident drawing your own circles and transferring the motifs.