is it spring yet?

I had a lot of fun doing embellished circles for a birthday block a couple of months ago, so when one of my mini-groups decided we should make small quilts with hearts to swap, I decided to try the process again. Here it is, almost done. I want to play with some more stuff but I'm not quite sure what -- maybe some paint-sticks or foil. Right now there is some couched yarn and a variety of beads.

I'm almost done with the quilt top I started here for Debra's charity project -- and I'm determined to get it to the post office on Monday.

The handiquilter is behaving a little bit better now. Vicki kindly recommended her miracle thread -- So Fine from Superior -- and it does seem to be doing the trick! I've been messing around on a sort of small, trashy top and it's not skipping stitches anymore (hurrah!) and only broke a couple of times.

And after a few days of rain it's back to looking like spring here again, so I snapped a few photos in the garden this afternoon:
Isn't this an amazing thing? It's the flower stalk from a honeybush (Melianthus) and after about three years it's blooming for the first time. Below is a better picture of the leaves, nicely complementing Bucky. The leaves are actually fairly soft, despite their spiky appearance. I'll post another photo when the flowers open!
And I know I've shown a picture of this Boronia vine before, but I love it so much when it takes off blooming in the spring that I have to keep taking photos...
Best of all, the blueberry bushes have lots of flowers -- which means lots of blueberries in a couple of months!