We’ve just had a few days away in Tenerife, my OH wanted a bit of winter sun, I’m not really into sun-bathing but I’m quite happy sewing under a parasol…and of course there’s the 4.5 hour flight to fill too!!

I decided to take my bird alphabet for the flight as it’s small and portable. The night before we flew I started the letter ‘I’, just managing to stitch most of the actual letter. On the flight I finished the goldfinch and just had a bit of back-stitching to do.

We regularly get goldfinch in our garden, they love the sunflower hearts in the feeders. A group of goldfinches is called a charm, which I think is lovely.

I was planning to do a different embroidery whilst we were there but I realised I didn’t have a sharp needle, only cross-stitch ones and of course I didn’t manage to buy one until our last day…so I carried on with the alphabet.

J has a small crested bird on, I think it’s meant to be a crested tit, though they are actually grey, black and white, not blue. I thought it was a bit odd but I’ve realised in the palette of threads there isn’t a grey, so I presume they thought blue was nearest. Crested tits are only found in a fairly small area in the north of Scotland here in the UK.

Having only brought enough linen for one more letter I was getting a bit worried I would have nothing to do on the flight, which is why I bought needles on our last day, at least I could start the other embroidery!

On our flight home I finished the J and started K. I stitched the bird on the flight and I’ve done the letter and started the foliage since getting home. I think this one is a willow tit.

After that little burst of productivity I’m almost half way, with nearly eleven letters stitched.