A puppy and some stitching

On Tuesday Lucy and I drove to Suffolk to visit some puppies. The weather was warm and sunny and although the roads were busy the drive was pleasant and pleasurable. We took snacks and drinks with us as we didn't want to stop on the journey there, as we knew the drive home might need several stops if we had a puppy with us. When we arrived we met the owner, the 4 puppies and the mother dog. The puppies are cockapoos, a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. Spaniels are gundogs whilst poodles are utility dogs i.e. both breeds are breed to be working dogs. Both breeds are intelligent and learn very quickly. We hadn't been there very long before we were on the floor with 4 puppies crawling and climbing all over us. It would have been a great way to spend the whole afternoon. We had a long conversation with the owner about their health checks and all the other things you need to know are in place or have been done before deciding to buy a puppy. The mother dog was there as well and joined in with the games. There were two boy and two girl puppies. Lucy wanted a male dog but totally changed her mind when one of the girls decided we had to choose her.  After an extended playtime with all the puppies we decided we couldn't leave without this little one. This is a photo we took when we got home. It isn't great but puppy was too interested in the camera to keep still.

She was so good on the way home. She travelled in our cat basket on the back seat of the car. To begin the journey Lucy sat in the back so she could give her little strokes through the holes in the door  but she soon settled and Lucy joined me in the front. We stopped to have a drink and check on puppy and otherwise the journey was quick and uneventful. Once home we opened the front of the basket and let her explore the main room before we all took turns to cuddle her and give tummy tickles. On the journey Lucy had been addressing her as Missy and that is what we have called her. By the time we went to bed on Tuesday she was responding to her name.

The last couple of days have been spent getting to know Missy and letting her settle in. She is 9 weeks old so still has to have vaccinations before she can go outside. By the end of yesterday she was consistently using the puppy pads we had put down. we are currently using the bottom half of the cat basket as her bed and safe haven. She has met the vacuum and ignored it after she had investigated, stared at the washing machine and decided it wouldn't hurt her and fallen asleep whilst watching Midsomer Murders. She has also shown a liking for lying on quilts. She is going to be a lot bigger than Scamp so won't be lying on my lap while I stitch but she does like to lie on your feet so she'll be close.

On the stitching front I've managed to finish two more blocks. I completed the rabbit block on Wednesday.

Last night I stitched the dove block. This is only little so was completed in an evening.

 Tonight I'm going to start work on the lion block.

Before I start work on this block I will be finishing off the giraffe and Noah block. The pattern said to stitch his beard using French knots but I didn't like how it looked so unpicked it. Susan, one of my followers commented that she would stitch it with straight stitches as this is how her husband's beard looks. I agree with her, John's beard is straight rather than curly. It shouldn't take long to finish this block off.

This morning I went with John to our local church. Every Maundy Thursday they have an overnight vigil as part of their Easter preparations. I took part years ago and decided to do it again this year. John and I had the 5 to 6 a.m. slot which meant that we were in the church as dawn broke. It made the stained glass windows look beautiful. This is the altar and window in the Lady Chapel where the vigil takes place.

As we left I looked at the west window which has recently been cleaned and restored. The colours are so vivid.

Today I'm hoping to do some quilting. Yesterday I had it planned in but ended up doing some more wallpapering. Tomorrow I've promised to go and help Katy  get everything organised in preparation for her baby. Her due date is in 4 weeks but she isn't planning on going on maternity leave for another two weeks. She now has all the baby items she needs but she needs to make some alterations to make the best use of space in their flat. Back to today, before I get started on quilting I need a cuddle with little Missy.

Take care

Lyndsey