TUSAL and a RAK

Welcome to March's new moon and this month's TUSAL.  My little jars hold a lot of lovely pinks and greens from my Easter and St. Patrick's Day stitches. Definitely very springlike. In keeping with the great weather I took the opportunity to photograph these out in the gazebo for the first time this year. They have now been emptied and join the other orts in my large collection jar. I'll have to take a pic of that one next month.

Today my DH went over and picked up the mail for me at our postal box before he headed to work. "Another parcel!", he cried as he headed in the door. I wasn't expecting anything so imagine my surprise when I opened it to find this waiting for me within.

Of course Clarisse had to get her nose right in there. She kept sniffing the parcel and I think she was trying to go after the small feather which adorned it.

So who was this lovely parcel from? None other than my fellow Canadian blogger, Anne. Anne surprised me with a very cheerful Spring RAK. Just look at what was hiding inside that tissue!

Isn't it sweet? I immediately took it out back with me into the gazebo to photograph it alongside my honey bee watering can. After all, with all those spring flowers the bees won't be far behind!

I have given up sweets for Lent so those chocolates will have to wait until Easter morning but I will most certainly enjoy them then.

Thank you so much Anne for such a delightful gift!

Yesterday my DH brought home another treat for me from work. Many of you may know that Bob works as an organist and choral director at a large Anglican church. This particular church operates a soup kitchen out of the church hall which is operated by the city of Ottawa. There are several employees who operate the Lunch Club as it's known along with many volunteers. One of the ladies who works in the kitchen heard that I liked to cross stitch. Many of the people at the church have seen me stitching to pass the time as I wait for Bob. She brought in the following chart along with what she had stitched so far and told my hubby to give it to me to finish if I was interested. As far as he knows she doesn't want it back.

It's called English Garden and originally was sold as a kit. As you can see, she has stitched this on 14ct Aida. There are no threads with the piece. They've long ago been misplaced or thrown out. I love the piece and it was so thoughtful of her to think of me. I would definitely like to stitch it but should I start from scratch on evenweave or continue what has already been started? The back of the piece is quite messy with a lot of loose ends. Any thoughts? Has anyone ever heard of this designer before?

I spent my last afternoon outdoors for awhile. The weather will turn cool overnight and the temperatures will remain much cooler over the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure just how much the gazebo will heat up from the sun. Perhaps it will still retain enough heat that I can spend my afternoons out there reading or stitching. Keep your fingers crossed!