April already?

This year seems to be hurtling along at break neck speed. I'd like to hop off the express train that is 2017 and take a slow train so I can enjoy the scenery along the way.  As each year passes life just seems to get busier and faster than the year before. That's why I love to slow it all down on a Sunday. In fact the whole of this weekend has been at a slower pace. After my treatment on the 24th March I felt very energetic over the weekend and that continued all week. Probably a good thing as I was working every day, but I do love chill out time. I started on Friday evening and haven't pushed myself to do anything since. Don't get me wrong I haven't just sat around all weekend I have done other things such as lounging on the sofa watching TV, lying on my bed with the sun streaming though the windows reading my book and sitting in my armchair cuddling Scamp and Picasso. I've even been out and about but at a much slower pace.

I'd booked Scamp a grooming appointment on Saturday morning. I like to keep his hair short as he's such an active little dog. If you let it grow too long it gets tangled and he hates too much brushing, he has more important things to do.  This is Scamp last year after his early summer clip. It's been such a slow weekend I haven't taken a photo of him yet.

I always book his grooming for 8.45 on a Saturday and once he has been booked in John and I head for Orange Pekoe, a very small cafe in Barnes. They specialise in teas so this is paradise for me, and they also have a good range of coffees which keeps John happy. The picture is from their site and shows some of the containers of teas they have. They also do infusions.



They have a good breakfast menu and both John and I chose to have smashed avocado and crab meat on toasted sourdough bread. It was really yummy.

After breakfast we still had some time before Scamp would be finished so we walked along the river to the Leg of Mutton Nature Reserve. This is a former reservoir which provides a quiet space for ducks and other waterfowl to breed. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the flowering trees were in blossom, the rest are coming into leaf and there was a lot of bird activity on the water.

Looking at the picture it's hard to believe it is in London as it looks like it could be out in the country. You can just see a building through the trees.

Once we had collected Scamp we headed home and my lazy Saturday really began. It was so much fun catching up on a couple of programmes I'd recorded, and then catching up with some reading. In the evening we sat and watched a film will I did some knitting.

Today another slow start and then some hand stitching. I hadn't got very far with Millicent but I put a little more work in and she is starting to look good. Unfortunately John managed to spill his coffee over her and Picasso sat on her and left fur everywhere so she needs a gentle wash. My stitching is also slow as the drug I'm currently being given has affected my eyes. They should return to normal after the treatment finishes but it makes close work quite difficult.

These bag ladies have a character all of their own and I saw Millicent as having very thick hair so I've stitched it using long and short stitch and also worked it with two stands of floss but both different shades of brown. I like how it has worked so far. I need to get some purple floss this week as I don't appear to have any.  I 'm going to work on her this evening and then switch to Gertrude who is April's bag lady. I haven't taken the backing paper off Gertrude yet.

I love the look of her hair and the pearls or beads are fabulous. I'm trying to decide how to change the flag for the UK flag. It is especially important to me to do this as the UK as I have always known it may not exist in a few years time if Scotland and Northern Ireland vote to leave. 

Tomorrow it's back to work. This week is slightly lighter as I'm working three and a half days. My hair is now quite thin and on Wednesday I'm collecting my wig. I decided to get one for those special occasions which for me includes the university graduation ceremonies. It's the students day and as most of them want photos with their tutor I always try to look really good and this year will be no exception. Come Thursday evening I have free time over the next two weeks. I have to go into work on the 11th April for students presentations but other than that I will be on leave. I'm doing a happy dance because that means sewing time!

I'm linking this post with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching and also with Barbara at  Cat Patches for her bag lady link up party.

Umm now I need food and then back to my bag ladies.

Lyndsey