French Knots

Hmmm

Could I have some advice please? I'm thinking of getting a new camera for my fast approaching big birthday, I see some excellent photography on your blogs and wondered what sort of camera you all use. I don't think I want a big digital SLR as I used to leave my old SLR at home all the time as I found it a bit cumbersome to juggle with bags/children etc but the photos I take with my little point and press digital lack oomph and I'd like the colour to have more depth and punch. Yes I know I could go into the camera shop but it always seems to be staffed by 12 year olds who make me feel like their aged mother!

 

Look what I won from the amazing Vintage Magpie, she has worked some mysterious magic to print on fabric to make the gorgeous applique. I think I'll put magic fabric on my birthday list too, along with some more Lime Basil and Mandarin Perfume from Jo Malone, about 100 books from my Wish List and of course I could do with some more yarn, fabric, buttons and lace....!

Off to the Tatton Flower Show tomorrow so please keep your fingers crossed for a fine day!

Button Love

I'm sure, like me, you have jars of buttons that you hoard and save because they are pretty and we have a compulsion to buy them at car boot sales. I steeled myself and managed to use some up this week making pictures for presents in shadow boxes.

Half the fun was sorting out the buttons from their jars and playing with patterns and colours, hopefully they wont be an unwanted reminder of advancing years!

Have you seen the giveaway of the century over at http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2008/07/win-this-quilt.html?? The most amazing quilt, in wonderful colours will be given to one incredibly lucky person. Go and take a look.

I was wrestling with Typepad again, trying to make the link thing work - it was so easy before and even though I follow their instructions it's temperamental now, and unusually for me I had a look at my stats and where people had come from to visit my blog. I nearly fell off my chair laughing at one search that had found French Knots 'What makes big knots on your head go down'...What the...!?! The mind boggles!

Have a lovely weekend, I'll be off car booting to replenish my button stash!

Coming up roses

How scrumptious are these? After getting soggy feet at the school fete the other week I decided some wellies were need, pretty ones naturally seemed best and a quick browse on Ebay found a shop selling these cheerful boots.

And so appropriate as I want them in case it is chucking it down on Thursday next week when I'm going to The RHS Show at Tatton. A group of us are going and I'm looking forward to the show gardens, courtyard gardens, back to back gardens, ogling the £10,000 playhouses for the palatial back garden I don't have, coveting the entire contents of the Country Living Pavilion and lugging home lots of luscious new plants. So even if it rains I'm going to have a super day.

Thank you for all the allotment advice! I think I'm going to make some raised beds if only to break up the huge expanse of plot and will be taking my journal with me to Tatton to note down ideas too. The children are keen to get things growing - My Little Helper wants to grow potatoes so he can make chips!

A little sewing done too, a laundry bag obviously but only for clothes that are not too grubby as it's too pretty for anything mucky! I recycled an old heavy cotton sheet and a sweet little embroidered mat, with a bit of thread that matched the original hand embroidery quite nicely, it was soon done. I get so much satisfaction from repurposing old things into something new, in fact my husband has a new shirt that I've got my eye on, once it's worn out of course, it will make lovely patchwork or bunting.

And for a friend who gets married soon  

 her 'something blue', the nicest garter around!

Off to try out my wellies whilst laying carpet on the allotment......if I'm standing on the carpet they wont get dirty!

Oh my!

Well I need a new hobby don't I ? I sit around with so much time on my hands, so what I need is this

It might look like a sea of weeds to you but to me it is the result of patient months on the waiting list - my new allotment!  

Whilst dreaming of tasty fruit and veg to come I am rather daunted by the state of the plot. I'm not sure how I'll get it from waist high weeds and nettles to a productive plot, raspberries, strawberries, peas and potatoes, a patch for herbs, flowers for cutting...I have lots of plans but need a fairy godmother to wave her wand and banish the weeds for me!

My thoughts so far are -

Don't cry!

Cover it with carpet so the weeds don't get any worse and new ones are smothered.

Just try to get a small area cultivated at once- weed a small patch and get it planted so I feel I'm making progress.

Find a no dig method of vegetable cultivation so once it's clear I don't have to keep digging.

On the plus side it is right next to the tap so easy for watering,there are some black and red currant bushes  and I thought it would be next season before I got to the top of the list so can make some sort of start this year, there are lots of friendly people on the site who will be great for advice..... speaking of which if anyone has any tips for a new allotment holder I'd love to hear them.

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend...........!

Hat trick

This is what I found when I checked on My Little Helper on my way up to bed. Apparently it is his sleeping hat - dur Mummy! He was fast asleep so I just left it there!

I followed suit......

I thought I'd have a bit of variety after months of sock knitting and knitted this Noro confection in a couple of evenings. I love the colours and the way they blend and change. What a revelation after thin wool and toothpick style dpns - a project doesn't have to take weeks and weeks to complete. It was a pattern from www.saartjeknits.nl and was really easy to follow. I'm going to make another with the left over wool but will miss off a couple of the segments for a snugger fit. Just what we need for the miserable summer weather...but will it ensure me a good nights sleep??

Splish splash!

Goodness what a wet weekend! We had our school fete on Saturday and as I'm on the PTA I was there all day, the rain started as I stepped out of the door at 8 am and by mid morning we were putting up gazebos in a monsoon! Luckily there was a bit of sun during the afternoon so the children could enjoy themselves and have a go at the games and a bounce on the castle. Today has been just the same, but without the sunny spell

The rose that grows up the children's swing ( well it's not got too many prickles!) has bloomed beautifully this year, despite being totally neglected by the lazy gardener. I got this picture last week when we had a couple of dry days, which is lucky as it's a bedraggled mess now...bit like I was on Saturday! 

Coniston

Before life went pear shaped we had a lovely time in the Lakes during the second week of half term.

We stayed right next to Lake Coniston at a super wooded site with glades for pitching, where the children could go off exploring and have far more freedom than usual.

Wonderful views with craggy fells rising high above the village

wagtails perched on drystone walls

sunshine reflected in the lake

 

delicious raspberry Pavlova ice cream from the village shop in Elterwater

Chocolate box cottages we'd love to live in

sun soaked sock knitting

magical dens built by the children

A wonderful family week, relaxing and exploring together.