It was very interesting to hear on the news that parts of England are experiencing drought conditions with reservoirs well below expected levels for this time of year. That certainly isn’t the case here in the West Country where it has rained nearly every day for weeks.
The last few days have been even more inclement with gales, hail and thunder added to the rain which has made going outside a very unpleasant experience. But yesterday Ben and I took advantage of a break in the weather to head down to the beach at Lannacombe. In the picture above you can see the stormclouds moving away to the east, and we enjoyed an hour or so of late afternoon sunshine.
I love the beach at this time of year – it was completely deserted – the surf was too choppy and messy for even the most dedicated surfer and so Ben was able to charge around at 100 miles an hour chasing his ball in and out of the waves. That oddly-shaped black lump in the middle of this picture is him chasing his ball down towards the water’s edge.
And here is a much more recognisable one of the handsome fellow taking a breather. I think the blurry bits are grains of sand that got stuck on the camera lens (it was very windy indeed). I thought I’d take the photo below to try to give you some idea of how big Ben really is …
… here are our foot and paw prints side by side. I take a UK size 6 (though I think my wellies are a 7 to allow for nice toasty socks). So as you can see, Ben’s paws are very large indeed. Of course he does have webbed paws for swimming which make them spread out more, but now he is in his prime he weighs about 154 lbs. That’s a lot of dog! Luckily he’s very cuddly and gentle. And he loves to collect beach pebbles …
… he smuggled this one home in the car – I found it when I was shaking the sand out of his blankets.
Of course all this fun on the beach meant that work on my four seasons rabbits quilt had to wait – but I am making slow progress. As a beginner of course everything takes me a lot longer – but this is how my quilt looks at present:
I am using part of a well-washed vintage woollen blanket for the batting and am quite pleased with my patchwork, though it’s not completely lined up I don’t think it’s too bad for a first attempt. I’m hoping to make more progress over the Christmas holidays. Meanwhile, I’ve been working on an applique picture for the January Bustle & Sew magazine..
The picture is machine applique (inspired by a vintage 1970s crewel work design) with lots of hand embroidery details. It’s working well at the moment and it’s lots of fun to stitch. Don’t forget you’ve only 2 weeks left to subscribe to the magazine at the current price, just $4.50 per issue- a mega-saving on purchasing individual patterns or issues from my shop. Just click here if you’d like to learn more.
Wonderful pictures that will welcome me home to Devon. Thank you.Kindest Regards Linda
What a beautiful day at the beach! Hope you had as much fun as Ben! Oh! And Ben, I collect beach pebbles, too! That was definately a "keeper"!
Can't wait for January issue of magazine!
X Linda
Glorious country and very handsome dog – thank you for sharing – I enjoy your blog so much!
Great photos. Very jealous of your lovely walk on the blustery beach.. that is my favourite thing! Lizzie
Beautiful day at the beach.
Dogs enjoy the beach so much. I remember the way my dogs would just run all over the beach so excited.
Your quilt is great.
Ben is adorable. My Poppy collects pebbles from the beach too. Your appliqué work is so beautiful. We are awash with water in Cornwall!!!