Reunions

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Hi Friends! How I have missed you. Life has been very busy, with ups and downs. Unfortunately the reunion I speak of occurred last week when my family gathered together to say goodbye to my beloved Nannie. She was very ill towards the end of last year and sadly passed away just a few days before Christmas, hence some of the reasoning behind my absence from the blog for so long.

My Uncle read the wonderful poem Leisure by William Henry Davies, such a moving verse, in particular  it reminds me how quickly life can rush along and how we should make the most of what we have. My youngest started preschool just this last week, meaning our time at home together is soon to end. Seeing the family all together was a lovely thing and despite the sad nature of the reunion it was a truly wonderful day, full of love, beautiful memories and joy at seeing each other again. We are all guilty of trying to cram too much into our lives, busy rushing around and it can be easy to forget to slow down and take pleasure in simple things.

I am lucky enough to now have a couple of days child free each week to enjoy some of the things I love - having a clean house, sewing, reading, catching up with friends, writing to family who live afar. I am hoping to visit the blog more often too and I have some exciting new collaborations lined up along with lots of classes and workshops - I am really loving teaching sewing and quilting At the same time I am giving myself permission to NOT do things too, something that does not come easily to me! 

Also a welcome to my new readers, I know that Craftseller magazine this month have joined the appeal for Wiggly Bags for The Olivia Holmes Foundation. 

If you are looking for the Tutorial for making your own wiggly bags to donate this can be found at the top of my page or by going here.

My blog readers donated over 100 bags last year, an amazing achievement from as far afield as America, well done ladies! This is an ongoing appeal and you can help at any time, giving a child a bit more brightness and fun to their medical treatment. If you need any help with the tutorial or are a supplier who may be interested in providing materials to make these important wiggly bags please don't hesitate to contact me!

In the meantime, I am busy trying to round up some photos of what I've been up to over the last couple of months....it may take awhile! If you follow me on Instagram you'll know I have been keeping myself busy ;-) Lots of quilts (no less than 5 I think!) bee blocks and numerous small projects. I will leave you with my favourite photo, and yes, it is another scrappy trip along - I got swept up in that qal wave that crashed through IG over new year too!