Sunday 6 May 2007

Parades, poached eggs and pressies



The first Saturday in May is one of my favourites. Not only is it the start of a Bank Holiday Weekend, but it marks the start of the Brighton Festival and the Children's Parade. Every year children from schools across the city and beyond take part in this parade that wanders through the city to mark the opening of the Festival. Teachers, parents and children dress up and join in the fun. The children had spent hours practising in their samba bands, dance groups and adults helped with the very messy process of model making! It is a great celebration of everything arty, colourful, musical, youthful and fun and that just about sums up the Festival and the city during May!
It is also a chance to catch up with friends you haven't seen for years, bump into old neighbours, children who you remember as toddlers and who are now teenagers, people who you would rather not see whilst you're in full fancy dress in broad daylight and, yesterday, I even met the lovely midwife who delivered one of my babies! It is a day when Brighton feels like a town rather than a city, it is a day when you can hop on the bus home wearing goodness knows what and nobody bats an eyelid. It is a day that promises so much for the rest of the month.

Today we will be visiting some of the Open Houses that are taking part this year, so really looking forward to that. Hopefully, we will also be spending some time in the garden which has been neglected over the past week or two. Amongst the forget-me-nots yesterday I noticed this poached egg plant that I planted ages ago and had forgotten about. I am not a great fan of yellow but this looks lovely particularly next to the delicate blue of the forget-me-nots. I love forget-me-nots; did you know that they were worn hundreds of years ago by lovers not wishing to be forgotten by their lovers. According to legend a knight in full armour was walking by the river with his lady, he stooped to pick some flowers to give her and, because of the weight of his armour, fell in shouting, forget me not, and promptly drowned!

Two people I musn't forget to mention here are Alison and Betty. Alison bought a tea cosy and corsage from me last week and then promptly sent me some lovely goodies! These are the gorgeous cards, gift tags and heart in the photo! Alison has a lovely blog and is always busy making new and wonderful things - thank you Alison. Betty drew my name out of her hat for a giveaway she was running on her blog and my name was chosen and these goodies turned up yesterday- so thank you too! Betty makes gorgeous bags from lovely fabrics!
Betty also tagged me yesterday (what a day) - so I have to list 7 weird things about me. So here goes:
1. I find it painfully hard to make lists - don't ask me to compile a list of favourites or dislikes, I just can't do it! My children have had to help with this one!
2. I HATE mashed potato - ever since I was a little girl I've been haunted by visions of scoops of grey, lumpy mash served to me by grumpy dinner ladies at school! Makes my stomach turn just writing about it!
3. I am unable to close a door or drawer behind me, you always know when I've been looking for things!
4. I bite my tongue whenever I say anything bad to stop it happening! (don't know why ...)
5. I can't eat the crusts of my toasts or sandwiches but spend an inordinate amount of time nagging my kids to.
6. I speak to my cats in a language that is not my own, don't know where it comes from but they tell me they understand every word!
7. My toes have a life of their own, are all double jointed and can do strange things.
Hope you still want to visit after that little list.
I in turn must now tag so here is my list picked randomly from people who left comments on the last post:
Anna, Mary, Louise, Alison, Mirre.

18 comments:

Tracy x said...

The start of the festival sounds like such fun - i wish i could have been there (the downside of having a shop!)
I hope to go and visit a few houses next Sunday - a small amount of my work is at 18 Pelham Square.
It will all depend on how quickly we are moving!!
Hope you are having a lovely BH weekend.
Tracy x

Cape Cod Washashore said...

That festival sounds like soooo much fun! We had a similar one here in town last week, and my daughter and I were in the parade. But I think your weather is MUCH nicer than what we had (it was very cold). Unfortunately I wasn't able to visit any of the inns on the Inn Tour (they really don't appreciate that many children traipsing through their gardens)! Lovely gifts you received! And I see I have been tagged! That makes three times! I had best get to work! =)

COLLS GARDEN said...

Hi Kim
Just wanted to say I love your blog. Your photos are gorgeous, the bluebells and the forest look divine. And I too love forget-me-nots, I have lots of them in my garden, self-seeding everywhere. Even my little dog comes back inside with seeds stuck in her tail. Mind you, I think blue would suit her.
Also love, love your ragged roses.
Coll :-}

Anonymous said...

I love parades. We have two here every year. One in springtime for the rodeo and an electric light parade for the winter holidays.
Great job on the 7 weird things list too...I hate making lists and that post took me forever!

Rowan said...

The festival sounds like a lot of fun and I like the sound of Open Houses too. I loved your weird things, they are about the most original set that I've come across:) Fear not, I shall still be visiting your blog even though you don't eat your crusts!
Poached egg plants are very useful in the garden, they attract lots of hover flies and they hoover up all sorts of plant munching pests. They are really pretty too.

Anonymous said...

The festival sounds like fun! That little poached egg plant is so cute ~ I've never seen (or heard of) it before. Oh, such a sad, tragic story about the forget-me-nots! I'll never look at them the same way again. Enjoy your lovely new treasures! ♥

Berber said...

Oh how I would love to go to Brighton again! (I'd first go to Ben's Cookies of course ;))

Thank you for tagging me... I'll try to come up with 7 things :)

lauren said...

Such a lovely blog. I believe I visited once during artsymam's tea party? I just know I've seen your cozies before.
Enjoyed reading. I'll be back for sure!

lauren
alicelands

weirdbunny said...

Poached egg plant, I've got some of those sees, but did't get around to planting them, typical !

Anonymous said...

How exciting it sounds to live in Brighton this time of year!! And those flowers are amazing... thanks for the info about forget-me-nots too - I love folk-lore and legends!

Lizzie said...

Your little picture of the handmade trinkets is so sweet. I love small vignettes like that!

Victoria May Plum said...

Sounds like a wonderful festival, I shall make an extra special effort to get to Brighton this year, it looks so vibrant and energetic!
Alison sends the most wonderful gifts doesn't she?

I can't stand crusts either, but Pebble loves them, together we make a good sandwich eating pair.
Victoria x

AC said...

Thanks for tagging me Kim.
I'm trying to narrow the list of weird things about me down to just 7!!!!!!
My husband has just given me a notepad to write them all down...cheeky thing:-)
Take care,
Alison x.

Darla said...

I love a parade! We really don't have oldfashioned parades here.

I've never heard of or seen a poached egg plant, that's a new one. Pretty too.

Darla

Anonymous said...

I haven't been to Brighton for years, but have fond memories of driving there the weekend after I passed my driving test. It was a big adventure for us (I went with a friend from school, who told her Dad that I had loads of driving experience, so that he would let her go!) We had a lovely weekend and sat on the pebbled beach pretending that it was warm!

Hope that you enjoyed the festival.

Anonymous said...

Thats the one problem exhibiting in the Open House, you don't get to see much and I always miss the Parade. I have promised the boys we will do it next year!
Please pop by it would be great to meet you.
I will be at 202 Ditchling road.

Heather ~ Pretty Petals said...

That yellow flower is gorgeous! I have never heard of that one.

I was laughing at your list! lol especially the one about the cupboard doors...I am the same way!

Heather

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

I love this insight into the real Kim behind Ragged Roses.. I think your eccentricities are charming and endearing... the biting of the tongue is a familiar habit..
Talking of tongues.. I talk in tongues to my cat too..they do understand don't they!

Michelexx