Monday Sunrise

Another week - and what a glorious way to

begin Monday morning!

This was the sunrise which greeted me this morning from the window of my sewing room so I just had to head out with my camera. Streaks of apricot floating in the sky - one of my favourite colours.  Sunrise and sunsets are so special. When I first visited New Zealand in 1962/63 with Mum and Dad we sailed through Suez and most every evening would find me out on deck in time to enjoy the most amazing sights as darkness began to fall. No huge towering liners in those days with multi level decks, heaps of dining rooms, theatres and bars and glassed in viewing decks. Old style scrubbed wooden decks with the very basic style rails, just the right height for leaning on and looking at the colours of the sea and sky and enjoying the peace and quiet (everyone else seemed to have headed for the dining rooms by this time), just heaven.

I have been trying to work on a quilt for a friend who is unwell, I hope to get it to her for her birthday in early April. I bought a Kaffe Fasset book "Quilts in Sweden" and when I saw this small quilt pictured I knew it was for her. I ordered the fabrics from the States and what a pleasure it has been to work with these soft colours, I usually go for something more colourful. I was a bit premature putting the binding on (still to be stitched down on the back) when I realised I had missed quilting in a couple of places so that will be underway tomorrow.

I had another wander around the garden this morning as there was just one of these paint-brush lillies still in flower. They're actually called haemanthus I think but you can see why they are given the name above. They're a bulb, the speckled flower stalk shoots up to about six inches, flowers for only about two weeks then dies back, but about one month later two huge fleshy leaves appear - the slugs and snails love them! Seamus, our old Irish Setter, enjoys a wander around the garden so I have included a pic of him.