The Waves and the flamingoes

Every time I walk outside and nose around the garden something new's come into flower.  This - iris? - is a beauty.  Sadly, there aren't too many alliums, but maybe more will pop up in early June.  

This poppy's not shy and retiring, is she? 

The sage is flowering too.  (Sorry, not the greatest photo, is it?)

Here are some chives with their purple poms poms! 

And these blooms are pretty in pink.  

This is a cistus, the plant bought a year or two ago from Wilko, I think. It's been growing happily, but this is the first time it's flowered.  

For part of my Bank Holiday Monday I made yet one more of my fabric postcards.  I hadn't a clue what to make, and was staring blankly at the scraps bin when I had the idea.  The scraps bin is where the teeny, tiny bits of material and lengths of tangled thread end up, before they get re-purposed as cushion filling.  I grabbed a handful of straggly bits and a glue stick, plus my 6 x 4 rectangle of calico.  

I fiddled around with 'em until I had a pleasing arrangement. 

Then it was a case of sewing by hand, securing the fabric to the calico backing and working away until I got to the point it felt finished.  

I like the layering, as well as the frayed edges.  

Here's Monday's postcard again, looking good against this brown basket.  

Today's postcard was another spur of the moment idea.  I was thinking of springtime, all the green.  Trees, grass, nettles, cleavers, green fields, fennel tall and frothy, so much zingy colour.  

Gentle curves reminding me of blades of grass.  

As with Monday's postcard, I added lots of hand stitching.  It's a simple design, but pleasing to me.  I added three silver dandelion seed heads too.   Should've made them bigger perhaps?  

Anyhow, after all that stitchery - I mooched into town, seeing this fluffy wonder on the way.  

Whatever type of caterpillar this is, it was so intent on eating it totally ignored me taking its picture.  Once I reached town I did a quick detour before traipsing up and down the grocery shop aisles, that detour being the inevitable trip around a charity shop.  

I bought Virginia Woolf's 'The Waves', having read it decades ago and not having my own copy.  On the to-be-read pile it goes, having retained only the vaguest memory of what the novel was actually about.  Also, I picked up for the princely sum of £1.25 this rather nice flamingo themed zip up pouch.  It's by 'Wild Thoughts' and i'm certain it's never been used as it's in pristine condition.  Googling the brand it looks as if buying this from a 'proper' retailer would've put me back about twelve or thirteen quid.  I found a bargain, didn't I?  

Okay, it's early evening now, and I'm full to bursting with pasta and pudding, having indulged in an overly large meal.  I was going to type 'overly large tea' but where you're from in the country means that you might call it dinner instead of tea.  Or - if you're ridiculously posh and have an Aga, green wellies and a couple of labradors - you call it supper.  Whatever it's called, I ate A LOT.  I'm planning on spending the evening catching up on 'The Archers' and a few podcasts.  Better get on with it.

Bye!