Thursday 20th February - Bunting in the Apple Tree

 The bunting I hung in the apple tree last summer was completely concealed inside the green leafy tent of the canopy.

All through the winter the only bright colours have been the berries on the holly tree and the bunting. Especially on grey drizzly days like today.

I thought the little colourful triangles would prevent the birds from visiting the birdfeeders, but they seem not to mind.

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My neck has at last improved enough for me to dare to tackle the stitching collaboration piece for this month. Ang and I are combining February and March, so that gives us both a breathing space.

I had a problem with my choice of background fabric, as there was a patch of colour that I didn't want in the middle. So today I learned how to do 'needleturn appliqué to sew a small piece of fabric over the offending blob of colour. Well well, learn something new every day!

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I hope you enjoyed the Ravel piano concerto yesterday. I listened to it again today... I think it is fantastic.

Today's line takes a different tack; when George Herbert was writing, 'engines' would have referred to siege engines used to besiege a city; catapults, battering rams, and so forth. 

It's the kind of prayer one uses when under pressure, battering against God. Anne Lammott discusses this type of prayer in the first part of her book 'Help, Thanks Wow'. (Be warned, she's fairly sweary!)

'Sinner's tow'r' immediately had me humming 'the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the people run in to it and they are saved.'

I stumbled across this cello concerto this morning. 

Well, Wow! Unbelievable playing, so full of emotion. I went hunting for the whole cello concert to find out 'how the story began'.