Of gardens, cats and BIG POTS!

The weather today is glorious - sunny, but with a fresh breeze which gives welcome relief to the stifling heat of the past few days (two nights ago my bedroom was 28 degrees - unbearable, I gave up and went down to sleep on the sofa in the living room where it was 'only' 24!).  This means that we have finally started getting to grips with some of the garden tidying which has needed doing for months, but which we couldn't get on with during the prolonged monsoon which has been most of this summer!  The massive laurel hedge which has been steadily taking over the patio is now more or less under control, and the brambles have been cleared from the more accessible areas.  That's more than enough for one day - time for afternoon tea and putting our feet up, feeling virtuous!

Our activities provided great entertainment for a neighbouring cat which has taken up residence in our garden when he gets bored at home - our cat Sophie is a house-cat (her idea) and so the garden is fair game as neutral territory for the neighbours.  This fella is quite young, white with some tabby patches, very handsome in a lean and lithe kind of a way - also extremely playful, and very talkative!  He presents something of a trip hazard, as he wants to play when you are negotiating the lawn, arms full of laundry...this afternoon, with TWO humans to play with, and trailing leaves, and big garden rubbish bags to jump in and out of, he was in heaven!  I think he may be less impressed next time, when I start hosing down the patio furniture...

Now that the utility room has cooled down enough to work in, I am contemplating my next piece of work.  I have made felt pots for ages, and they are lovely tactile things (I sold some at the fair at Craft Renaissance the other week), but I am now thinking of trying some REALLY BIG POTS, possibly holding arrangements of felt quills or grasses. I am still at the head-scratching, technical stage, but at some point in the next few days I'll finally step out and make a prototype.  If it's any good, I'll upload a photograph (and if it isn't, wool makes great compost!).