Slow Sundays

I shouldn't really call it Slow Sundays as it has become the day we clean the house, but it always starts with breakfast outside (weather permitting) and this morning the William Morris rose was a delight in the early morning sun......

The morning shadows even give time for contemplation.........

 But the cleaning beckoned and I am lucky that Larry shares the load.....

As I was cleaning I returned to my early morning contemplation that seemed to be affairs of the world. Social media seems to be overwhelmingly consumed with world politics at the moment and whilst I am not ignoring the conversations I try to focus on life at home and simple pleasures. Even our recent Australia Day celebrations were met with mixed emotions but the house needs cleaning so lets stick to that! I even smile with cleaning the sticky fingers and vacuuming up all the sand along with the 100's and 1,000's while thinking how lucky we are to have this simple pleasure as so many will never get to experience it. (thanks for the photos Emily). And very importantly this little boy starts school tomorrow! (And Jocelyn in Canada....you can see Maisie eating that fairy bread you posted about back on Jan 10th!).......

 The garden is such a source of pleasure as well and here are your seedlings waiting for you Jenny L! The small violet is meandering across the walls and the Pierre-de-Ronsard rose is full of a second flush too........

We have had lots of spiders recently though including very large huntsmen and even a large black jumping spider that I have never seen before! While I know they are harmless I would really prefer that they lived outside! But the other night two little hopping critters caught our eye only they were not spiders! We have no idea how they got inside but they are back in the garden and it is nice to know that they are a sign of a heathy ecosystem....... 

Of course sewing brings pleasurable contemplation so I have completed one more rope bowl with more fund raising ones ready to be started using the african fabrics......... 

 The Peter Rabbit bed runner is now bound with a few more features added........

 The tin is full of old press studs from my late mother's sewing basket ready to stitch on all the wool felt vegetables....

 and they are kept in another recycled box- the best kind of course!......

 So I will finish this post with some more simple 'niceties'! I don't seem to send letters like I used to - emails seem to have taken over but how nice it is to be on the receiving end. Of course Dot is always sending me treats but so does Alison from Melbourne regularly (hope you are going okay Alison and Paul - we think of you often). Alison often sends snippets of interest including this new Beatrix Potter book review and then there was a card from Margaret of New South Wales who wanted to tell me how much she loved receiving my new Beatrix Potter book.....how lovely! So thankyou Alison and Margaret......I treasure it all x