a present

This week I gave myself a present

(but due to all the eventful circumstances of recent months

it was a rather last-minute decision)

O yes,

I get presents from other people :

people next to me, or people from fááááár away.

But this one now, I like very much :

I gave myself a workshop at Hawar

and it will be given by Sara Lechner.

I've known and admired her work for quite some time.

She used to live in Austria

but moved last year to Argentina !

So it is very special she's in Europe and that opportunity,

to finally meet and learn from her in person,

was too good to pass up !

So early tomorrow morning I'm off to Oldeberkoop in Friesland ...

... and I packed a lot of things to take with me 

*

Another present

(for the baby this time)

came as a surprise all the way from Australia !!!

a baby bonnet from Ronnie

(sorry, not a good photo)

blogging friends !

Hów you find them is sometimes a miracle

(just like it is in "normal" life)

but you do find them :

friends

If you see something in Blogland you very much like or admire

you comment on that.

And then, all of a sudden,

there is a spark

when it works both ways.

That's how I found Cecilia

of Burned Furniture.

A funny name perhaps, but she makes great stuff !

I send her a little something just for the fun of it

Today I recieved a package ...

this was in it !

Carefully packed in a box ... 

with lots of stuff for protection during the mail ...

in a soft piece of funny fabric with a bow around it ...

was this wonderful wooden spoon

especially made for

me !

Thank you very much for this wonderful gift, Cece !

(my dear M admires it too, he would like to do some woodburning too, I think)

*

It has become a good habit

to take the colourpencils and a sketchbook

with us when we go on holiday.

In this small book are mandalas, made by anyone who feels like it.

This one I made

after we visited my blogging friend Gabi in Germany

(she'll recognize this !)

lush green

Weeks and weeks of rainy weather

were good for the garden,

the last two weeks no difference for that matter.

Now we have steaming hot weather all of a sudden.

(yes, it's all or nothing)

No wonder the garden looks lush and green with all the water it got :
there's a lot to be done in fact !
But for thát the temperature isn't right ...
so I only took some pictures

amazing all these different kinds of flowers

*

My new felted cat made friends with the residents here,

they get along great, as I see it

*

For years and years I collected ladybugs,

usually I brought them along from holidays.

In the end I had lots of them

and they were everywere in the house.
(but then : ladybugs are quit small)
When we moved to thís house, almost sixteen years ago now,
I made some shelves in the toilet, and they all had a nice place ...
and I had the funniest loo in the whole village
(at least that's what I think)
But when we renovated the toilet my ladybugs disappeared
(in a way : they're still in their box)
But in Deventer I spotted a giant ladybug
and my dear M bought it for me !!!
Now it has found a wonderful place to hang ... in the living room

(ha, it dwarfs my "Naga" dragon from Bali)

When you pull the string
it really flies !

holidays ..... home again

Holidays are great

but

coming home again is good too !

(Though I had to go to the dentist right away !

On the boat trip to Rotterdam,

I had a lovely conversation with a young man from Pittsburg

who cycled with his parents through Holland ...

it made me forget about the dentist,

though I'll have to go there again on Friday  :-( ... )

We had two weeks together with daughter's little family

in a holiday cottage in a wooded area in the east of the country

(we all are more "wood" than "beach" people)

The weather wasn't great all the time but that doesn't matter much for kids

playing outside with new friends, a swimming pool, an air cushion to hop around, 

and a box full of LEGO

We also visited the lovely city of Deventer

historic buildings

playing on the "Brink" (town square)

There were still some days with worries about the baby :

cramps are still an issue

(now we think it might be hidden reflux)

but there were góód times too !!!

Being on the east side of the country gave me the opportunity

to make arrangements to visit my blog-felting-friend Gabi !

It was soooooo much fun to see each other in real-life !

We chatted a lot, had "Kaffee und Kuchen",

and I bought this lovely little cat

(I already had a crush on her cats since I saw them in her shop)

Thanks again Gabi for the lovely day !

Ooooo ... and post number 200 ! So many already ?

passers-by

We didn't have many long hot summer days,

June was way too wet

and what July will bring ?

With all my being "baby-busy"

I didn't spent much time working in the garden,

and that is clearly visible :

some places look like a jungle.

I don't mind really, 

I love it when seedlings pop up where they want to.

The watercourse next to our garden

is one of the best (extra) "features" :

always things to see in and on the water.

..... mum swan with her only little one,

paddling with only one leg, the other one on it's back

..... and every now and then

this funny cleaning vessel passes

in order to keep this little canal open enough

for the drainage of too much water.

You might not know : but we live below sea level (and also river level) 

Must show a few of my favourites in the garden at the moment

Philipendula

mmmm, just like a fluffy cotton candy

Thallictrum

a beauty : delicate but straight up

*

Finally I owed a felt result photo :

granddaughters little pouch

not for a telephone, but sun glasses

a party and a small sheep

Technology is a beatiful thing !

(if everything functions, at least)

My new Sony camera is a true wonder of technology

but

if the battery pack is empty .....

nothing goes !

(and I don't have a spare one yet !!!)

That was really sad today

because our granddaughter finally had her postponed

birthday party :

a felting party with three friends at my place.

When they came home from school

and the presents were unpacked ...

my camera didn't do anything, dead.

So I cannot show how much fun they had

making little felted bags

(which will probably hold a telephone)

Also today

I received an envelope from Germany.

In it was the cutest little sheep you can imagine :

I ordered it in the Filzkram shop

of my dear talented blogging friend Gabriele

and it arrived safely

Gabriel posing with his new friend, his godmother made

Very sweet, don't you agree ?

in time !!! happy birthday J !

Just an hour ago, after lunch,

I made the last stitch

on "Mandala"

Later this afternoon we will visit the birthdaygirl

who reaches the wonderful age of

70

( our mandala teacher/friend ) 

She will nót be behind her computer at this moment

so I can reveal now the quiltlet I made for her  

(I'm a bit surprised myself that I did finish it in such a short time)

a piece of a flower became a butterfly

......

J had two cats (brothers)

but sadly enough one of them died some months ago 

......

and the Polygonatum (Solomon's seal)

 moved from one garden to another

and the next

...

I hope we have many more years of friendship and drawing together !