Here are some pictures of a cactus in bloom! (click to enlarge the pictures)
Beautiful, isn't it?
Wendy, it's the first time it flowers and I didn't do anything! I just put it in a sunny place and water it once a week... I guess it likes this place LOL
...or almost!
It's the first I see flowers on it, so I'm very happy! I promise, I'll show you some pictures of the cactus in bloom!
(click to enlarge)
I know some of my readers also read Isabelle's blog. Maybe some fo you remember that a few weeks ago I was the only one to find the answer of her little game. Isabelle promised to send me a little price for my good answer and I received it this morning.
(click to enlarge)
The little pocket is adorable and so well done, and a fabric with cats is so perfect for me.
Isabelle
for your friendship and generosity!
This is the list of what I have. The § sign indicates that I stitched the design, if the name is crossed out, it means that I don't have the chart anymore (sold, given to a friend or traded).
Angèle et Cie
*Joli Papa Noël
Beardie Designs
*Tulip Accessories
Brenda Franklin Designs
*Maine Coon Classic Brown Tabby
Brittercup Designs
*Kitty Litter
§*Britty Kitties
*Spring is in the Air
Calendula
*Sperenza
*Primavera
§*Messidor
Calico Crossroads
*Kitty Litter
*Happy New Year
*Waterbreak
*One…Two…Three
*Made It!
Corinne Rigaudeau
§*Bienvenue Violettes
Couchman Creations
*Pharaoh’s Pet
Crossed Wing Collection
§*Here's to the chickadee N°1
Cross-Eyed Cricket
§*The Rabbits’ Big Day
§*Rabbits Garden
§*Rabbits Delight
*Leaping Rabbit
*Trick or Treat
Design Works
§*Home is Where the Cat Is
*Calendar Bears
Diane Graebner
*Syrupin’
*Dollies’ Ride
*Big Family
*Another Mouth to Feed
*Hello Mr Snowman
§*Gathering Sunflower Seeds
*Quilting Buddies
*Kitting challenge
Dimensions
*A Year of Whimsy
*Trick or Treat
*Holiday Treats
§*First Christmas Together Wind Chimes
§*Wire Welcome Snow Fun Welcome
§*Santa’s Snack Greetings
§*See No Evil
*Oriental Butterfly (2 versions)
*Elegant Kimono
*Christmas Spirit Banner
*The Best Gifts
DMC
*Marmalade Cats Alphabet
*All Of Yesterday Signs of the Zodiac
*AOY Alphabet
*Flowers Fairies Alphabet
*Flower Fairies (leaflet)
*3 Friends/3 amis
Elizabeth’s Designs
§*Shepherd’s Cottage
Gilta’s Charted Petit Point
*Enu et Husky
Homespun Elegance
*Ewe Be Merry
*Delivering Autumn
*Summer
Janlynn
§*Beary Christmas
Jeremiah Junction
§*Country Greetings
§*Cat Country
§*Spoiled Rotten Cats
*Live Within Your Harvest
*Country Bloomers
L’Art du Fil
*Ambiance Chats
Lavender & Lace
*Celtic Winter
*Celtic Christmas
*Celtic Autumn
*Celtic Summer
*Celtic Spring
*Gift of Peace
*Firefly Fairies
Lavender Wings
*Frosty Nights
Leisure Arts
*Many more minis
§*Christmas Traditions – Advent Calendar
Little House Needleworks
§*Woodland Sampling
*Daisy Lane Cottage
§*Kitty Cottage Sampler
*The Gathering Room
Little Leaf Designs
*My Garden
Lizzy*Kate
*Cat Lovers
*Welcome All Seasons
*All Hearts Warm at Christmas
*Spring Has Sprung
*Think Autumn
§*Garden Sampler
*Snail Mail Stamp
*Here Comes Santa Claus
*Ready or Not
*Meow
*Stamp It Collection 2005
*Pumpkin Fever
Lorri Birmingham
*Terri’s Needle Case
§*Lorri’s Needle Case
*Hands to Work
*Come and Share
*Bumble Bee Needleroll
*Deck the Halls
§*Spring needleroll
M Designs
*Christmas Catastrophe
*Rose mosaic needle roll
Margaret Sherry
*Purr-fect Harmony
*Caterflies
*Purr-perpendicular
*Purr-fick
*Cul-purr-it
*Pot-purri
*Purr-turbed
*Delightful
*Party Animal
*Dandelion Clock
*Purr-plexed
§*Purr-dicament
Mill Hill
§*Family Frolic
*Trick or Treat Tree
*Broom Sale
Mirabilia
*Angel Proclamation
Mosey n Me
*Veggies
Nimuë
*Le Carrosse
§*La Pipe
*Brig & Doon
§*Fée aux coquelicots
Olde Colonial Designs
*Mimi’s Fishette
Patricia Ann Designs
§*Silver Frost
Raise The Roof
*Witchy Washy
*Santa Clothes
Reflets de Soie
*Collection de Ciseaux
Savoir Faire Vailly
§*Cœur Lutins
* La fête des chats
Shepherd’s Bush
*Peter’s Stocking
*Tina’s Stocking
*Bertie’s Stocking
*Harry’s Stocking
*Reed’s Stocking
*Christian’s Stocking
*Elisabeth’s Stocking
*Charles’ Stocking
*Sheree’s Stocking
*Mary’s Stocking
*Robert’s Stocking
*Teri’s Stocking
*Sophie’s Stocking
*Spring
*Autumn
*Spooky Halloween
*Devon Hedge
*Sophie’s Roses
*Grow Love
*Shepherd’s Eve
*Baby Bug Ball
§*Peter’s Patch
*Shepherd’s Hill
*Checkered Sheep
*The Wool Gatherer
*My Earth
*Blackberie sampler
Silly Snobs Designs
*Tricky Treat Cats
Stitchy Kitty
*Christmas Kitty Moon
*St Paddy’s Moon
§*Halloween Moon
Stoney Creek
*North Pole Pals
*Teddies of the Year
*Stitch or Treat
Sudberry House
*Four Seasons Cat
Sue Hawkins
§*Pansy Scissor Pouch
Teresa Wentzler
*Egyptian Sampler
Textile Heritage
§*Poppy Pincushion
The Drawn Thread
* Spot of Spring
* Spot of Summer
The Needlework
§*Friends in stitches IV Sampler
The Sweetheart Tree
* Shamrock Sampler
The Victoria Sampler
*Jingle Bells Xmas Tree Farm
Tiens Donc !
*Les Lapouvantails
Tiziana
*La promenade d’Automne d’Emily
*Emily à la neige
Tournicoton
*Bourse Rose Chocolatée
*Victorian Accessoires
Tralala
*Arbres Miniatures
*Guirlande de chats
Val’s Stuff
*What A Wonderful World
Vermillion
*Flowers Bears + Holiday Animals
Waxing Moon Designs
§*The Crab Is In
*Warm Winter Wishes
Web Stitch
*Merino Sheep
It seems spring doesn't want to appear for real, at least, it appeared in my mailbox as a lovely envelope stitched by my friend, Donna. She told me it was a design from a Stoney Creek magazine.
I love it, it so full of freshness.
I stitched something for her for our exchange (a seasonal exchange) but I still have the finishing to do. I'll show you a picture when she receive it...
Angela is the first one to have her parcel back home. We started this RR in January 2005! Now she will just have to stitch her own square.
Here is her picture of the RR.
I stitched July and November.
As I like Lizzie*Kate designs it was a real pleasure to stitch on Angela's piece.
Can't wait to see the other ones!
Yes, yesterday's picture was a part of Plume, an extreme close up of her! It was approximately this part (don't pay attention to her hair because she was washing her just before I took this picture)...
But it is so exhausting for a cat to take the pose, isn't it?
Don't forget to click on pictures to enlarge them.
And thank you all for your comments on my new RR 
It was a very pleasant design to stitch and I hope my partners will have as much pleasure as I had!
Now I'm going to work on the notebook I'll join to the parcel.
This is my start on my new RR: Bent Creek Street Signs. The design is very pleasant to stitch. Here is what I've done.
(click to enlarge)
I'm going to like a lot to do this RR.
I'm not very fond of Winnie the Pooh and Co but as the design will be sell during a charity sale, I thought some kids may like a friend of Winnie the Pooh... So here is my Eeyore.
I don't know how I'm going to finish it but I was just thinking about sticking it on a card, what do you think about this idea?
The sky seems to be clearer as we approach Cashel. A few kilometres from the town, we stop to gaze at the vestiges of the fortress.
We arrive to Cashel under a blue sky and with some sun, nevertheless the wind is quite cold. A guide will explain to us the story of Rock of Cashel.
Here, lived the Kings of Munster from 370 to 1101 before the Rock was given to the Church. In 1647, Cromwell's army laid siege to the fortress and killed its 3000 inhabitants. The abbey was deserted during the XVIIIth. It was listed as a place of historic interest in 1880.
When we penetrate within the fortress, we discover a part of the churchyard (which is always used nowadays). In front ofus there is St Patrick's cross. Sculpted during the XIIth in one piece, it's a replica. The original is in the crypt. There are several legends about St Patrick and the Rock. One of them: in 450, St Patrick christened Aengus, one of the kings of Munster. During the ceremony, clumsily, he stuck his crook in the foot of the king who did'nt react because he thought it was a part of the ceremonial. Another legend says you'll be married in the year if you can encircle St Patrick's cross with your arms.
But let's go back to the fortress. We enter in Cormac's chapel (XIIth). This chapel (romanesque style) is typical of the irish architecture with it's inclined stone roof. A lot of sculputres decorate the tympanum of the north door. One of them represents a lion (something quite rare inIreland) but to be honest, you need to cudgel your brains to recognize the animals... Some of the paintings have been restored and help you to imagine how it should have been beutiful when it was all coloured.
In one part of the cimetary, you can see O'Scully's monument, a memorial from 1870 which was damaged during a tempest in 1976 and lost its top.
The rounded tower (28 m. high) is the oldest building of the rock. It allowed to see assailants a long way away and made a perfect refuge for the monks during the assaults. Like all such towers in Ireland, the access door was high (3 m.) and one had to use one ladder to enter and use the same ladder to reach the different floors. The ingenious system was great to prevent enemies from entering. Nevertheless, with the passing days, theyr realized they could force the monks to go out if they filled the tower with smoke.
From the Rock, we see the ruins of Hore Abbey, in the plain, a XIIIth cistercian abbey.
Then, we enter in the gothic cathedral (XIIIth). This big monument, today in the open air, was built on a cruciform plan and has a charasteristic of the epoch: ranks of windows places highly. Its walls, very thick, hid secret crossings allowing to walk all around the building. The cathedral shelters several tombs, one of them is Miler Magrath's (XVIIIth) who created a scandal because he was both a catholic and a protestant archbishop.
We end by the Hall of the Vicar's choral and the dormitory (XVth). The hall is decorated with colourful medieval patterns and stained glass windows. A large tapestry (XVIIth) representing the encounter of king Salomon and queen of Sheba, decorates one of the walls. Our guide asks us to find the mistakes on the tapestry. Actually there are many: some people don't have enough fingers, some have too much, some are too muscular... She explains that the mistakes were intentionnally made to emphasize the fact that God only makes perfect things.
About the town of Cashel, a small street at the foot of the rock shows us some lovely fronts and a sculpture representing irish arts: music and dance.
To be continued...
Now that Isabelle published her article on her blog (you can read it here), I can show you what I gave her for her birthday.
I know Isabelle likes fine designs, so when I saw this lovely fairy from a French designer (Nimuë), I said to myself it would be perfect. Then, I had to think about the finishing... I thought a sewing-case would always be useful. So this is the result...
Could you believe I didn't like to stitch on linen one year ago!!!
Unknowingly, I chose a design with her favourite flower : poppies! That's incredible!!!
I couldn't send an empty sewing-case so I added some Six Strands Sweets threads and a Diane Graebner chart (I have several to stitch but don't know when I will have time to do it...).
What a great pleasure to stitch for people as wonderful and so kind-hearted as Isabelle. 
BTW, I finished the cushion yesterday. Here it is. I will send it to my friend next week. 
