Now for some abruzzo images!

Cachi Trees in October with the fruits getting ripe -they'll be ready in December

The olives needed lots of pruning and really some need a chainsaw to take off most of the branches.It does mean quite a few years without fruit but once they make new branches the crop is much heavier.

This gnarled olive tree must be 100's of years old and it's home to a variety of insects and reptiles including snakes! I did once hear about someone who was bitten in the neck by a snake in an olive trees so I usually keep a look out whenever I'm walking or sitting underneath one. So far the most serious 'attack' I've been subject to was when a lizard leapt off a tree onto my head!It did give me a shock but I think the lizard was the more surprised.They can get very aggressive early in the summer and guard their territories ferociously.

For more about Abruzzo

Flickr: My Web Address

Flickr: Your Flickr Web Address: "com/photos/italianflowers/"

Its been a struggle but I've finally found a way to do a link to my account on flickr where I've saved some beautiful images of upcycled fabric jewellery as well as other interesting crafts and a Bird gallery!

Quilt that's nearly finished

Nearly there!I started this over 20 years ago and its almost finished I just need to do the actual quilting now!

I'm trying to create some new necklace designs based on scraps of material I've been saving from other projects.I'm not sure if looking at images on flickr is inspirational or off-putting as some of the designs are so beautiful!

Meanwhile my chickens are loving this fine spring weather - and unfortunately some of them have decided to go walkabout and have suceeded in destroying some newly planted beans.Its lovely to have fresh eggs but I sometimes wonder if keeping chickens is just not more trouble than its worth!

Little Easter Birds

Nearly Easter and the weather has been unbelievably hot for April-we even have a Rosa Rugosa starting to flower!

last week I had the idea of making these birds that I can 'perch' on a piece of driftwood collected from Seaton Beach.

There is a little gallery in the Morden Valley near Cotehele in Cornwall very cleverly named 'Tayt Morden'!Ceri who runs the gallery has taken lots of the little birds to show alongside my brooches and bracelets.

upcycling on a grey day

This week I finished off some fabric and felt brooches that I'll put in my folksy shop.Anyone else tried Folksy? I don't know how successful they find it but I havent found it that great -still I'm going to persavere.

Today its grey and cold.What a shock after 6 weeks of almost continual sunshine.Grey weather is depressing but perhaps less so in the Spring.Last night I woke up about 4am and trying to get back to sleep I thought of things that make me feel more positive on a grey day.


My list:

the first swallow
seeds germinating in the greenhouse
a blackcap singing
new lime green beech leaves
orange-tip butterflies
my dogs face when she gets a biscuit

anyway these things work for me!

I'm trying to get together some ideas for an upcycling workshop with someone I know who makes clothes.It's really exciting thinking about making jewellery from my junk and charity shop finds.When I've finished a batch of restringing today I'm going to start experimenting! Pictures soon!