May WIPocalypse

May has involved a fair amount of stitching for me but only during the first week of the month and the latter 10 days or so. The rest of the month I've been dealing with vertigo which sidelines me from time to time. 
Last month's question, What is your longest running WIP?, involved my digging into my journal of starts. I knew which piece had been hiding out in the closet but I wasn't sure just when I had started it originally. As it turned out it was A Mon Ami Pierre Paradis Perdu which I started stitching in January of 2012. Now 2012 was the first full year following my retirement and when I look back at my journal I see that I kind of went overboard on stitching that year. Paradis Perdu was indeed lost in all the shuffle and brought out roughly once per year thereafter for some token stitching. However nothing has been added to it since early 2015. 

Once more I dug it out and gave it some love. Will it get finished this year? One only knows!
These are the before pics.

I've concentrated on the alphabet mostly this month and the apple tree. Here's my  progress so far.

I also picked up Awake My Soul and it's very close to completion. All that remains is the border.

May is a month of birthdays here..... my daughter-in-law, me and my son. This past Sunday we joined Chris and Violet in a joint celebration of our birthdays as well as a delayed Mother's Day celebration. Chris and V have just returned from their honeymoon so after a great dinner at Pub Italia in Ottawa we went back to their place to view all the photos from their trip. 

Earlier in the month I paid a visit to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa. I try to make it to this event at least every couple of years. Most of the tulips can be seen at Dow's Lake which is a great location for them.

Tulips are a favourite of mine and I enjoy seeing all the new varieties.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Harrisburg, PA for the 2018 Prim Stitchers Society Retreat. I'm so excited and can hardly wait to see all my friends. Next month I should have lots of pics from the event. Until then, have a great month. Summer has arrived!

A Bit of This and That - Warning.... Picture Intensive!

Lots of family get togethers over this month. Between Mother's Day and my birthday we have had a lot of fun celebrating.

On Mother's Day I met with my youngest son Chris and his girlfriend Violet for a brunch. 

I knew that I would be meeting with all of my sons later in the month when it was more convenient for everyone involved. At that time we would have a delayed Mother's Day/ Birthday celebration.

Not being involved with the family on my special day meant that I could get together with good friends Paul & Michelle and Dan & Carol for a meal. We had a lovely BBQ with pork tenderloin, a favourite of mine and of course, birthday cake.

As you can see, it was a special birthday indeed! Oh no, the big 60 as my candles clearly state!

May also means the arrival of the Tulip Festival in Ottawa. This year's offerings did not disappoint! There was a new tulip introduced for the upcoming celebration of Canada's 150th birthday in 2017. It is fittingly called Canada 150 and is a red & white tulip in honour of our flag colours. Here are a few pics of the lovely displays.

The majority of the tulips are displayed at Dow's Lake where the park land is the perfect setting. More tulips can be found at Parliament Hill and at various downtown displays.

Then our holiday, Victoria Day weekend arrived and we were off to Quebec to celebrate with all my sons at my oldest's home. After an afternoon of visiting, I was treated to a lovely dinner followed by a stop at the local ice cream parlour.

Daniel - my second born

Jeff, my eldest and Mylene

Chris, my youngest and Violet

My granddaughters Oceanne and Summer

And of course, my hubby, Bob

It was a really lovely day and rare in that we aren't all able to get together very often. The boys surprised me with a very special gift for my 60th. 

I absolutely LOVE it!!! Chris found the artist on Etsy and the boys submitted photos for her illustration. Then Chris had the drawing matted and framed where he works. In the photo each boy is holding something that is a hobby for each. Jeff - a vinyl disc as he collects them, Dan - a writing journal and Chris - a microphone as he is the lead singer in his group. It was The Perfect Gift!! Thank you so much guys! I couldn't love it more!

There is one more celebration yet to come as Chris has his birthday this coming Monday. I'm not sure at this point if we will be able to meet up with him but you can be sure there will be a small visit at some point. 

Thank you to everyone for making this such a memorable month!