the miracle of growing things

Despite the recent and continuing heat-wave the Children's Eco-Garden at our church remains in fine shape.

Sustained by regular watering, coupled with an increasingly sophisticated series of eco-friendly pest-control methods, the plant-life has been kept alive. 

And now the garden is starting to flourish. The sunflowers are out, a cucumber is growing and a fledgling tomato has been spotted (and eaten) by a small boy!

Ah, the miracle of growing things, be they plants or children!

piecing it together

The pieces of fabric have now been washed. The next step is to organise them into neat piles ready for cutting and assembly.

a secret garden

Dear Sheddists,

no music, no food (bar a selection of nuts and crisps), no slot-machines ... just good old-fashioned beer! The Wellington is a little gem of a pub in the heart of Birmingham.  Its fantastic and ever-changing menu of real ales is a thing of legend.

What better way, then, to prepare for England's semi-final skirmish with Croatia. 

Accompanied by my friend, Clive, we headed upstairs to the roof-top garden sandwiched between the raw backsides of neighbouring office buildings. The big TV was already in place for the match but we much preferred to focus on the liquid entertainment.

Clive fell quickly for the dark, seductive charms of 'Plum Porter' whilst I favoured 'Pig on the Wall', one of the house ales.  A few sherbets later we made our way for the bus home and some delightful sausage sandwiches laid on thoughtfully by my dear wife.  The football was ultimately to prove a disappointment but that did not detract from a day well spent!

Yours as ever,

electrofried(mr)

sew in love

Dear Sheddists,

I know many of you reading this blog will either have received or been a member of a family that has received one of my dear wife's amazing quilts.

Quilting has been part of her life for so many years.  Indeed, when a significant birthday milestone was reached a few years ago, we celebrated by visiting the Amish community in Pennsylvania, famed the world over for their fantastic quilting skills.

Click on this link for a short piece I wrote at the time.  It describes an enthralling Amish Quilt Auction held annually in Strasburg, Pennsylvania to raise funds for their local fire-station.  Needless to say, my wife contributed one of the quilts for sale.

Her charitable activity on the quilting front doesn't stop there. She's a volunteer with Project Linus UK a charity that provides home-made quilts and knitted blankets to comfort sick and traumatised babies, children and teenagers.

So what do we find here, hanging on our familial washing line. No, it's not a collection of exotic lingerie, perish the thought, it's my Christmas present to my dear wife.  A patchwork quilt kit she will be putting together over the next few months.  

I hope to bring you up-dates as the quilt progresses but in the meantime I would like to dedicate this post to my wife, a fantastic lady with whom I very much remain 'sew in love'!

Yours as ever,

electrofried(mr)