Sunday, January 31, 2021

Blue Skies Smiling At Me ❣

 



Hello lovely lovelies❣ A lovely welcome to my summery, flower-filled place, where blue skies are smiling at me. Azure Blue skies which stretch as far as the eye can see. 'Tis the last day of January. One whole month of 2021 has flown by. Wow! Where did those days disappear to?? One whole month of delightful stories  which were penned in my book, down here.

Stories of page after  page over-spilling with summer days filled with pleasant meanderings through the countryside, birthday celebrations with beautiful friends; long, leisurely hours spent with birthday books. I revisited old favourite flowery and interiors books.....nothing heavy, nothing political, just books where page after page enticed me into the beauty of each floral specimen before me, luring me to spend many happy moments dreaming. One book my husband gifted me is titled 'Bloom Wild'. A gloriously scrumptious book where every page is flourishing wildly with flowery delight! Me thinks, a perfect book for me. Apparently, he did too. My daughter gifted me the sweetest little birdie pretties.......three little birdies 'flying up the wall', and, the feathers are in Liberty, no less. Truly, each little birdie is gorgeous.

January is always a month where it seems afternoon teas are enjoyed with sweet friends. Long, leisurely afternoon teas as no-one is in a hurry, with it seems, nowhere they have to be. Many hours of quiet and reflective times sitting in the garden enjoying the miracle of each exquisite flower. And....speaking of gardens, much too many hours of curtailing the beast that is called weeds, was endured.

There was the watching of many an enjoyable movie on TV too. And......now don't lynch me.....but I got up at 2am to watch the US inauguration. I know.....crazy! Some of you lovelies and I have been corresponding re all things America and politics throughout last year and found a consensus in opinions, so I thought I would sit with you even though we are at opposite ends of the world, and watch the proceedings unfold. There were many highlights, but for me I was moved by the young Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's powerful poem, The Hill We Climb, both by her words and her delivery; and her presence. Such a beautiful and exquisite gift in one so young.  I have viewed Amanda Gorman speaking at other venues and I must say I am always deeply impressed. Her 'voice' and words rather remind me of Maya Angelou.

Of course, there was a lot of capturing happy snaps of the gorgeousness of each exquisite flower, and the styling of said exquisite flowers, because as you know moi is a rather tragic gal who just cannot leave well enough alone. Oh, I do go on and on, don't I. =) But what is the point of life these days, if one cannot wax lyrical about the simple things of life??

The garden is a vision. Hydrangeas resting peacefully under the shade of blossom trees just doing what hydrangeas do best......show off; and then there are the hydrangeas which are climbing high up into the trees. Why this is so, I truly have no idea. I must ask my garden gnome's expert opinion. Trailing pumpkin vines making a concerted effort in the  taking over of the veggie patch, with tentacles winding here and there through the garden, strangling anything within said tentacles' reach. There are dahlias sashaying in a myriad of colours stretching as if to touch those blue, blue summery skies. Sweet peas too, are delighting in pretty colours and intoxicating sweet scents. winding their way across the wire. Roses, gladdies, impatiens, cosmos.......all banding together in unison to sing a sweet summer song......you get the picture, don't you?? =)

Oh......and there was a bit of stitching too. Not a lot but enough hand quilting of my happy clamshells to make it acceptable to 'show and tell' at Kathy's, Slow Sunday Stitching, today. There is not a lot to say about said hand quilting of my little clamshells except to say it is rather pleasant quilting little stitches, up...across.....down....up....across.....down; in happy arches from one side across to the other. No brilliant and complicated quilting design here, just KISS.......(KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID......for those of you who are not familiar with my anagram in justification of my rather unspectacular quilting prowess).





The very best thing about blogging is the beautiful friends one meets along the way. This week one such dear friend, Julie, of My Threadbare Life, sent me, as a thank you thought, a parcel filled with pretties that truly cause my heart to sing. From the parcel tumbled  divine smelling soaps, the prettiest of buttons, note cards, the most whimsical of cards designed by an artist Julie knows, a dishcloth knitted by Julie....and the piece de resistance, the sweetest patterned Liberty fabrics! Julie and I have popped into each other's homes for years now. I love Julie's beautiful place. It is a place where she weaves magic with whatever she imagines and then fashions. There is many a time I would dearly love to paddle across the ditch to New Zealand and stay awhile in her lovely home, wander around her home filled with her gorgeous handiwork; indeed, share a cup of tea in a pretty tea cup in her beautiful kitchen.....or her beautiful lounge room, because wherever we might sit the ambience, I feel, would permeate my soul. Alas, there would be a problem of course with the paddling of my canoe on the way back to Terra Australis. I fear my little canoe would sink deep, deep down to the realms of Neptune's watery underworld as my little canoe would be overspilling with 'loot'.....ill-gotten gains, from Julie's beautiful place.

I must say, with the scents wafting from Julie's soaps and the sweet peas here, my home has the delectable aromas of a florist......how unusual. =)


So that was January. A wonderful month where day after day held the promise of much delight. Days filled with blue skies smiling at me and many enjoyable pursuits. On to February. Summer holidays are finished and now the days march towards autumn, as time waiteth for no man; nor indeed, woman......even though this gal would dearly love it to. Before I go, thank you, lovely lovelies, who emailed me and wished me the happiest of birthdays. Truly, you made my day even more beautiful. May you bloom wild this coming week, finding many moments to do what you love, and may little birdies with sweet Liberty feathers sing you a sweet song. Sending all you lovely lovelies a li'l love wrapped in a posy of sweet peas❣ Take care❣




Until the next time...........









45 comments:

  1. Kim, your post brought many flowers to my computer screen. I could almost smell all the scents. I was missining your posts.
    I'm late, but I wish you a beautiful, flowery and blessed new year. Congratulations and best wishes. Hugs

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  2. Those birds are too sweet. Happy belated birthday from snow covered Canada.

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  3. Well your garden might be a vision but your blog post today sure is too my friend. How wonderful - I just want to print off those flowery images & make them into cards. I remembered while reading todays post - that you celebrated a birthday this month too. How wonderful - belated birthday wishes to you dear Kim. You must get alot more rainfall than we do here as my poor old garden has rather collapsed in the dry & the sweet peas have long since finished. Wishing you a wonderful flower filled week dear Kim xx

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  4. Your beautiful January, dear Kim ... and my heart became really happy with your wonderful and colorful flowers and these beautiful little birds. Here with us there is a week of winter vacation for the children from today ... who are not in school anyway due to Corona ... but no tasks are done for one week. There is snow here for skiing and tobogganing and today the sun is there too. Happy Sunday to you. Viola

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    1. It seems, lovely Viola that your week will be filled with delightful wintry pursuits and happy sunshine. I hope you and your children have the best fun skiing and tobagganing your week away. Thank you for your beautiful visit, dear Viola. Kim Xx

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  5. We had pretty blue skies here today ... but cold and windy. I see the buds on the plum and sweet daphne getting larger by the day, but such a fantastic amount of flowers is only to be found in the fabric stash.

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  6. Happy belated Birthday ! I see that January was a good month for you :) Good !
    Surrounded by flowers, fabrics, books, good tv shows and a large blue sky...
    I had cold weather, frozen mornings, crochet, tv shows too and a book in my hand "All the rivers run" by Nancy Cato...
    Have a lovely week !
    Hug
    Anna

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  7. Happy belated birthday Kim. Glad you had a lovely time.What wonderful presents you received. Thank you for the lovely photos you can almost smell the flowers. Have a wonderful week.
    Best Wishes Kay c Xx

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    1. Thank you, lovely Kay. I enjoyed a lovely birthday; it seemed to go on for days. =) It is always a delight to share happy snaps of the pretty flowers with you. Me thinks this world needs a little flowery happiness at the moment. =) Have a beautiful week, lovely Kay. Xx

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  8. Sounds like you had a wonderful birthday. I enjoyed the tour of your flowerbeds and garden. Lovely green! Have a great week and happy stitching!

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  9. Happy belated Birthday! Both of my children were born in January. Here we are expecting a major snowstorm so I am loving all your gorgeous summer flower pictures. Amanda Gorman is a talented poet. I never think of the stitching that you do as "simple". Just stitching clamshells is quite complicated. The "simple" quilting complements those beautiful clamshells.

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  10. Nice to see you back blogging. I did not see a single weed in your garden! Your clamshell quilt is so pretty and the way you are quilting it is perfect. Beautiful flowers.

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  11. Happy Belated birthday to you sweet friend... I am glad you watched the inauguration now if our previous President would quit messing with the republicans and let us get some work done to get this country back in shape.
    I love your clamshell stitching... it is definitely something that should have been front and center on your blog post.. I love your little stitches :)
    I love the birds with appliqued feathers of fabric and your birthday present you received across the ponds too ! Take care dear friend and have a happy February as you get more warm weather in which to enjoy tea and tv shows and flowers and weeds... whilst we enjoy cold and nothing much growing atm. My Christmas cactus did give 1 bloom this year though! YAY Kathi

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  12. A belated Happy Birthday Kim, your words are delightful and your photos a sheer joy, so much beauty. Your January sounds perfect and so does Julies place those gifts are lovely, your quilt is so pretty it's going to be stunning when it's finished. Have a peaceful Sunday.

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  13. Happy Birthday Kim. Another fabulously beautiful post. I could smell the flowers 🌺

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  14. Happy belated birthday, Kim. What a beautiful recap of January's blooms and fragrances!

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  15. So many pretty flowers to enjoy. Happy Birthday! It sounds like you are still enjoying your special day.

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  16. Sounds like your birthday was celebrated with joy. But then, waking up to see your beautiful gardens would make everyday like a birthday (well, looking past those pesky weeds, of course). While it's always delightful to see spring unfold in your world, I really look forward to the dahlias, in all their wonderful, exuberant colors and shapes. My first attempts at dahlia growing have not produced enough blooms to create such glorious bouquets. But the tubers are resting in the basement and I will try again come spring. I can report that four of my orchids have buds and since I'll be home this winter, I'll get to see them open. It was 6F degrees when I went to bed last night, but we are outside the path of the worst of the coming storm. Now if the fairies and elves could just make tons of vaccine magically appear, we could all get back to our daily lives. Enjoy your flowers and stitching.
    Pat

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  17. Your gardens are just beautiful, Kim, and so is your stitching on the clamshells! I love that you got up to watch our inauguration, too! Isn't Amanda Gorman amazing? I loved her poem and her performance of it. I loved the whole event, really! Enjoy your lovely summer weather and some slow stitching!

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  18. Happy Belated Birthday,dear Kim! Your flowers and fabrics are divine,just amazing!Happy Sunday!

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  19. Your flowery pictures are always so comforting, Kim! They are so precious in such a dreary context! Happy belated birthday to you! Hugs from France

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  20. Beautiful gifts to celebrate your birthday - the birds are delightful and I am sure that there is much scrumptiousness under the covers of that book! Always a treat to wander round your garden - happy quilting. xx

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  21. Congratulations on the birthday you had! It is a pleasure to read about your January with summer days and all your beautiful flowers, and the nice hand quilting. The flower book must be the perfect gift for you. Here I long for spring and summer. Today it has snowed a lot, and I have had to shovel away the snow in the courtyard. Have a wonderful day!

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  22. ¡¡¡MUCHAS FELICIDADES KIM!!! y disfruta mucho de todos ésos regalos tan bonitos que has recibido y del bonito regalo que es compartir el te y la charla con amigos...... no sé cuando podremos hacerlo aquí donde vivo..... ¡maldito virus!
    Como siempre gracias por tus maravillosísimas flores y BESICOS.

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  23. Happy birthday! This is the time of year I love that you're on the other side of the world - the color and all those flowers brighten my day. And that quilt! It's such a burst of color as well. :-)

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  24. After reading your lovely post I am in floral heaven, Happy Birthday to you and thank you for visiting my blog.

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  25. We just received 12" of fresh snow on top of the 7 earlier in the week, SO, I really enjoyed your lovely garden, and all the blooms. And Happy Birthday, may every day be a tea in the garden day!!!Hugs, Sandi

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  26. What a great month you have had and lovely gifts. Love seeing your gorgeous flowers and lovely birds. What a great book your husband gave you. One of Amanda Gorman's grandmother's lives in Sacramento, about 30 minutes from me and there was a write up in the local paper. As usual, it was delightful to visit your blog this evening, and it brings a smile to my face!

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  27. Dear Kim, I'm so pleased you had a wonderful birthday and received such lovely gifts. Your daughters choice is exquisite, such lovely little Liberty birds, and of course you will enjoy delving into hubby's book.
    Like you, we also got up early to watch the inauguration from here in New Zealand, not a thing we generally do, but after the recent troubles we wanted to witness it all going smoothly.
    Beautiful stitching, beautiful blossoms, and beautiful words to enjoy on your blog. You always bring a ray of sunshine into our lives.

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  28. Oh, the flowers...heavenly, is what I think. Loved seeing the zinnias poking their pretty little faces through the pumpkin vines. The glads, the dahlias, the sweet peas...smelling would be the ultimate so smell away for me. :) The birdies with the Liberty feathers are so YOU. So is the wonderful book you received. Thank you for taking me away to your corner of the world, letting me revel in the warmth of your seasons especially when it's COLD here. Thank you, too, for joining in the Inauguration of President Biden. You are an amazing woman.

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  29. So glad to hear you enjoyed a lovely birthday. The book your hubby got you has lovely pictures but I think yours are as equally lovely! The birds your daughter gave you are so pretty with their lovely patterns. And such sweet goodies from your friend, so blessed you are.
    Wishing you continued blessings in the coming year, and great health too!
    Wow can't believe you woke up that early for the inauguration. It was certainly a bit different than past years but I think went very well.
    As much as I am looking forward to spring I know you want to hold onto your summer.
    Your quilting is looking terrific, every stitch gets you closer to completion and another lovely to enjoy!

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  30. Such lovely pictures to make us think of summer! Your birthday gifts are gorgeous, your family definitely know what you like! I too watched the inauguration (it was on late afternoon for us in the UK). I thought the tone was just right considering what is going on in the world and I agree the young poet was mesmerising. Take care.

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  31. Happy Belated Birthday, Kim! I am happy to read that you have been
    out in your garden soaking up all that glorious beauty, and enjoying tea with friends.
    "Bloom Wild" looks fabulous. I will look it up.
    And what a glorious gift. I love the pretty cards, especially "Quilt Until You Wilt" card. Perfect!

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  32. Your flowers made my day! There is snow on the ground here with more expected. I enjoy seeing your quilting progress too.

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  33. What a wonderful blog post to read, especially your flowery language is beautiful. Very nice are the quilt cards and the cute soaps.
    The clamshels become extra beautiful now that they are quilted.
    Oh how I long for the summer, you describe it so poetically.
    A sweet greeting here from cold Holland.

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    1. Thank you, lovely Loes. Summer will soon be smiling at you with warm, sunny days and pretty flowers, and lots of bicycles outings in the lovely sunshine. May your week be a beautiful one, my beautiful friend. Kim Xx

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  34. Gorgeous array of beautiful flowers to brighten our rainy day here in the north of Spain. Just love the little birdies your daughter bought, how perfect they are flirting amongst your wonderful clamshell quilt. Great gift from DH too. Happy belated birthday wishes.

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  35. Beautiful.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  36. What a marvelous, soul-pleasing post, Kim! My wintry, gloomy and dim Wednesday was miraculously beautified with your flower-infused post and captivating narration! Thank you for sharing these beauties with us! I wish you many inspiring and creative "Quilt Until you Wilt" days! xx

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  37. Kim, what a lovely post! Here in Tennessee, it's cold, damp, rainy and miserable. Your post sure lightens my spirit. Have a blessed day.

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  38. Kim - happy belated birthday! You know I adore the poetry of your posts, so you "wax lyrical" all you want! All of the photos are mesmerizing, but I was especially drawn to the zinnias among the vines (or is it the vines among the zinnias)? I agree that Amanda Gorman conveys the spirit and voice of Maya Angelou - a talented young woman. Enjoy your weekend!

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  39. Hello, Dear Kim, you have cheered my heart, not only with this gorgeous post but with your kind words on the loss of my sweet dog - thank you. It's so nice to see all the beautiful flowers in your pretty vases and the amazing fabrics and little pretties you have shared so artfully. I can imagine having a cup of tea in your wonderful garden and perhaps doing a bit of stitchery while we solve the world's problems....So nice that you have taken such an interest in our politics - it's been such a mess, but I do hope we are finally on the right track once more. Amanda Gorman was such a surprise and truly an old soul, I think. I was quite interested in the fashions, too. Lovely coats and pretty colors. The book looks so interesting - I'll have to look for that. I'm so tired of the 'farmhouse' look - so stark - I need color and pattern to be happy. Enjoy your late summer days - we are in the thick of cold and gray, but the early bulbs are ready to bloom. Makes my heart sing. Take good care of yourself - sending hugs xo K

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  40. 🎶 Happy Belated Birthday 🎶 wishes to you, Kim! I know you had a most Locke day amongst your gorgeous flowers and fabrics! It’s always a treat to be with you in your beautiful world!

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  41. As always, I saved your post to read when I had enough time to savour it. Your posts are not to be rushed through because one needs ample time to engage the imagination right along with your words. And as always, I wasn't disappointed. Sounds like you received some very lovely birth day gifts and I was especially taken with those wonderful little birds. They can't go wrong with adding Liberty prints because I know how much you love them. I'm trying so very hard not to be jealous about your stunning floral displays - as I sit here trying to keep warm, looking out at a dull yucky miserable winter day.

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