Being idle?

I sometimes wish I could find more time to be 'idle' but perhaps that is the wrong word as my old Oxford dictionary says it means to be 'lazy, useless, unoccupied, purposeless and even vain'! Perhaps we just need to escape from the hectic pace of pre-Christmas where the shops are overflowing and people seem stressed and impatient. My happy place is stitching and how perfect it was last weekend when I turned the page of my desktop 'happines is' calendar........

So I decided to create even more cotton rope bowls/baskets for market day (that is in just two sleeps), but this time I added more colour. I also ordered some new business cards last week so made a small bowl for them too..........

During previous weeks I'd been thinking about other things I could stitch for market and I'd jotted down some notes that included scarves with pom poms. It was while were in the Barossa that I purchased the very same style I'd been contemplating - this one made from a Liberty print.........

 It was so serendipitous to see them at Jo's little shop - they are such a lovely accessory so I managed to find some lovely soft Japanese lawn and also some rayon so I have a few ready to add to my market table......

Now that December is upon us I decided it was time to make the house match the season. I have such great memories of some of the decorations with some being almost 100 years old (from my late mother), and some from family or special friends and even places that we have visited from afar..........

 I've had this nativity scene with the little stable since I was a small child so it would have to be at least 60 years old..........

 The Advent calendar was a special gift from Nydia and Ken of Thorngrove Manor and depicts the William Morris Adoration tapestry and each day reveals a snippet of information about the tapestry........

I love that Morris said this tapestry was "The most important piece I have yet done"......

 So we have definitely not been idle.....just craving some 'down time' I suspect. As I type these final words I have company sitting beside me - the high chair is just the right height so he can explore my threads! Christmas will certainly be extra special this year with the three littlest people in our lives x