The new May Morris book

Our mild Summer is continuing…..I am not complaining but one does wonder if the heat waves are still to come! Today I thought I would share some of the 'failures' of my photo session for the new book. It was an exhausting day…..well a few days really as I planned what would be needed, baked some of it and then packed the car. The body that night couldn't move after a long day on the run moving spotlights, up and down a ladder and then the shifting of props and furniture. My plan was for the cover to follow the "Afternoon Tea with May Morris" theme with all projects displayed - but it was a disaster as you can see……..way too much 'clutter' and simply a mess…..

 But my helpers below took the opportunity to consume some of the props! Kay on the left helped with a couple of the projects and my reason for including her was to divert her thoughts for just a while from the tough time she had been having. I have mentioned Kay on the blog before - she is our lovely friend whose 6ft 'something' handsome son (back in the UK), has been battling cancer these past months. He has had such a gruelling journey with the most awful chemotherapy and Kay spent some months with him last year. On her return we were all disheartened to see Kay's demeanour…totally understandable but when she said she was putting down her needle and thread forever I thought there had to be a way of lifting her spirits! I hope I have in some small way. Valerie in the centre is also a Morris obsessed soul and her home is decorated with all things Morris including curtains in every room. It was so kind of her and her husband to allow us to bombard and rearrange their home - thanks Valerie and Mark!

 Another image that didn't really work was the draped napkins that looked a bit like ties!…..

But the roses from my garden were a success!

So I have had a few days 'time out' creating more blocks for two new Morris quilts. We've also been watching all those neighbour's peaches drop to the ground with a thump…..especially when they hit the neighbour's shed roof! It breaks my heart to see over 200 peaches just rotting on the tree or being eaten by swarms of honeyeaters. I've had trouble photographing them but finally got one yesterday…….

But the peaches that have fallen our side of the fence are being put to good use. Last night we took some for Beau and Maisie to try and they have been a big hit so a whole batch are about to be delivered to their place. Today I've also prepared many for freezing and for the first time made a peach cobbler - Jamie Oliver style……..

 And if you didn't know already…..the roses just keep blooming!!…………...

 On a final important note I need to let you know that my website will probably disappear into some black hole somewhere in cyberspace in the near future. My web developer informed us some time back that she was doing an upgrade and I decided to not go with it as I don't do a lot of commercial business. So all I will have is the blog for now. I am hoping to sell books via Etsy with a link on the blog. I will put that up as soon as I know final costings including postage. I am also following up the possibility of printing and distribution in the US to assist those of you in the northern hemisphere as postage is so costly from here. The book is going way over size - a bit like building a house and the budget explodes! The initial estimate of 48 pages may turn into 60 so still some work to fine tune it all. Meanwhile feel free to send me an email if your would like to be informed of its completion. (you can find my email address by clicking on the "view my complete profile" on the bottom right of the blog). Till next time take care x