A little sewing and other things

This weekend has been busy and it feels great. Over the summer I didn't get much done around the house and I did hardly any sewing but this weekend I got myself into gear and got on with some jobs. 

First however Saturday was busy because we went walking.. The day wasn't very promising at the beginning, being rather chilly and with lingering fog but the forecast said the afternoon would be warm and sunny and therefore perfect for walking. We had planned to do a circular walk around Shalford near Guildford in Surrey. The walk was eight and a half miles so we decided it was a reasonable length for Scamp to join us.

The village of Shalford was very pretty and had a lovely coffee house, so John started the walk with coffee and Tony and I had delicious hot chocolate. At the start of the walk we headed along the towpath of the River Wey or Wey navigation. It was fun watching the canal boats

From there we headed into woodland and then across open country. There were a lot of wild flowers including this Evening Primrose.

There was evidence that Autumn (Fall) is on its way. I love the red of the Virginia creeper that was intertwined in this tree.

We enjoyed our lunch by a small lake and by this time the weather had warmed up and the sun was out.  Scamp really fancied my cheese and pickle sandwiches but he had to make do with dog food. The next stop on our walk was the Watts cemetery. 

I've just got back to writing this post.  I started it on the 5th October and now it's the 10th! I got this far when the first of a few mini crises hit and this is the first chance I've had to finish writing the post or to read any blogs. I'm going to indulge in catching up with all my favourite blogs a little later. Anyway most of the problems are sorted and the rest will slowly resolve over the coming weeks so back to a calmer and more enjoyable time.

I got as far a telling you about Watts cemetery. George Watts was an english victorian artist and sculptor. You can read more about him here and see his works here. Watts cemetery is located in Compton, Surrey and has a gothic revival chapel within it. When the Compton Parish Council set up a new cemetery Mary Fraser-Tytler,a local artist and the wife of George Watts offered to design and build a new chapel. The chapel was built between 1896 and 1898 and most of the villagers helped to build it whilst George Watts paid for it. 

This was around the doors.

Inside the chapel there were beautiful paintings but it was difficult to photograph.

The altar was very ornate.

In the cemetery many of the gravestones had crosses with knots and flower designs on them.

Having left the cemetery we walked a short distance to the Watts gallery where we enjoyed scones and cream with a pot of tea. 

Feeling happy (and full) we completed the rest of the walk quite quickly, enjoying the late summer sunshine. We have another walk planned for the 17th October. I hope there's a chance of another cream tea.

I'm also slowly getting back into my sewing. I'm trying to do a little of something everyday. As a result I have completed the top of one of the baby quilts.

The baby hasn't been born yet but my colleague knows she is having a girl. I kept the background pink quite light to enable the other fabrics to pop. The backing fabric is pink and has a small all over pattern. Tomorrow I need to make the quilt sandwich so I can get on with the quilting.

I've also started on the last block for the'It's a dogs life' quilt.

I'm hoping to have this one done in the next two weeks. I've also done some work on my millennium sampler. I really will get this finished soon!

A couple of weeks ago Lucy and I took our Brownies and Guides away for a weekend camp. We had a great time with lots of activities, friendship and good food. The Rainbows joined us on the Saturday to enjoy some climbing, archery and indoor caving. It was a fun weekend but very tiring. The girls were all very excited and didn't really sleep on the Friday. With Saturday being a full and activity packed day and staying up to enjoy the campfire, hot chocolate and s'mores by Sunday afternoon the girls were all happy to go home for a good sleep before school on Monday. Before they left the Guides persuaded us to book the February freezer camp again, so since this is in tents we are keeping our fingers crossed it will be dry and mild 

Well that's all for now. I need to go and get organised as Lucy and I are taking some of the Guides to Big Gig this evening. This is a pop concert for the girls who are 10 and upwards in guiding. There will be a number of acts and it is always good fun. We are going to Wembley Arena which holds 12,500 people. That number of girls making lots of noise ensures there will be a headache in my future but I like doing it as the girls enjoy it so much.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Lyndsey