Up here in much of the Northern Hemisphere, spring is well and truly underway, and, in some places, summer is even creeping up on us and taking over.

This means outdoor weather! Vacation! Travel! Beach life (well, not really out here in Kansas)! Sunshine, outdoors, relaxation – you know the daydream!

Even if a vacation is not on your calendar, you might enjoy relaxing outdoors at your own little castle. I have a patio in my backyard, for example, that’s perfect for outdoor relaxation and reverie in the spring, and even mildly tolerable on summer mornings. Occasionally, it’s a great place to stitch.

Stitching outside can be a lovely change. It lends to a sense of vacation, even in your own backyard. There’s something eminently relaxing about birdsong, soft breezes, even the distant noise of Life going on – lawnmowers, kids playing down the street, the barking of a dog or the laughter of neighbors. The sound of the world waking up in the morning, or the rustle of unknown wildlife moving through the woods behind you. And the smells – fresh grass, heady flowers, that honeysuckle hedge in full bloom and the occasional waft from the lilacs. Ahhhhhhh, me. So lovely!