Origami and Other Crafts

Our story this week is from Japan, so we have been busy making some origami figures and learning about hanami, which means flower viewing, I've also seen it called the blossom festival and looking at some beautiful trees in blossom.

Finished swans.

Then some simpler folding to make some cats and dogs to decorate.

I had planned some painting, tissue paper craft around the blossom but in the end we have spent most of this week outside, Monday was spent in the garden, Tuesday in the woods and park, though it did get rather cold. Then today out for a walk, spending time looking at various flowers in different front gardens, lots of  beautiful displays and different flowers to the ones we have at home, then a game of croquet in the garden. We have found a lot of caterpillars on our raspberries, to say the least! Watched bees, ants and various birds in our garden.

Joining Kat for Unraveled Wednesday

 I am feeling rather organised and hoping it lasts, meal prep is done, housework done, washing on the line and I am making the most of a sunny day off and have managed to spend some time knitting and reading in the garden, while the older 2 wrote assignments and L played in the sandpit. The joys of finding my housework rhythm again, along with our meal planning, long may it last. There has been no unravelling this week but some unpicking of my cross stitch as I had miscounted somewhere, luckily not too much but did waste time trying to decide whether to unpick or work around the mistake before deciding unpicking it would have to be! Anyway rather pleased how it is coming along and have done some more outlining, always a bit nervous about outlining in case it looks a bit rubbish but then again their is also the joy as the cross stitch really comes to life!

On a knitting front, have finished the yoke for Granny's favourite and divided for the sleeves, enjoying it so far, now for lots of stocking stitch and no pattern, so in theory should get a lot done. Reading like crafting, I have to have more than one project/book on the go!! having finished and enjoyed, even the twist at the end My Sisters Keeper, it was time for a trip to the library at the weekend and came across The Monogram Murders. Now I am a big Agatha Christie fan, finally got to see The Mouse Trap last year and loved it,  so that is what caught my eye, the author has been given permission to use the Poirot character in a new book. On chapter 3 now, it's not quite Christie and Poirot isn't quite Poirot but it is reading nicely anyway, Poirot is supposed to be in hibernation, having moved out of his flat and into digs temporarily to give "the little grey cells" a rest but that doesn't last for long. Having taken a look at the reviews on amazon, they are very evenly spread over those that love it, those that hate and those in the middle and I can see why. The other that I am reading is The Gift of an Ordinary Day , I feel this will be a book to savour and enjoy, read a chapter and dwell on it. This is a quote that I like " Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you," so true because you cannot plan everything. Life is journey of transitions and change, some planned and some not, some desperately wanted and some detested but in the end they all help us grow as a person and give us knew strength and understanding to be the person we are today.