Kitchen views

I am so happy that I took these photos last week when summer remembered to come and visit. The views out from the house this morning are too dismal to share - grey, wet, windy and wintry. I have been tagged by Sian to share with you the views from my kitchen window. Our kitchen is at the back of our home and because we're on a hill, our garden is on a gentle slope with our kitchen sitting at the bottom of it. It is perhaps the room in the house that gets the least amount of sunshine and standing at the kitchen sink it is mainly the lower half of the garden that I can see. If you read this post here, there are some more photos too.



On days when the sun is shining and the flowers are in bloom these white painted steps that lead up to the main bit of the garden have quite a Mediterranean feel (good for those Shirley Valentine moments) and are in stark contrast to the softer planting around the lawn and trees beyond. A few weeks ago the poppies were out and their beautiful colours and petals really were a pretty sight.



To the left of the steps is a large flower bed with a wigwam waiting for the very lazy sweetpeas to bloom (have they just given up I wonder). This bed also contains tall foxgloves which a short while ago were standing majestically amongst some peonies and hellebores. Beyond this bed stands the old apple tree which is Little Sister''s favourite reading spot (thank you so much for all her birthday wishes, she had a great day) and where the cats leap up and down chasing after the squirrels.



If I could, I would love to put a window into the wall that stands next to the back door so that if I looked to the right of the sink I would look out on to our patio area. Hidden to the side of the house and below the garden is a suntrap of an area that we sit in whenever we can. My favourite part is this old brick wall that needs rendering but I love it the way it is. This would be my view of choice. I have covered the wall with an assortment of baskets and pots. The tumbling tomatoes are doing well enjoying the elusive afternoon sun, my swiss chard has miraculously survived the slugs and is thriving in some pots. My favourite plants down here are the scented leaf geraniums. Just brushing past their rose, lemon or chocolate fragrant leaves reminds me its summer.



In an old enamel tub the strawberries are waging war against the slugs (ssssh nobody tell them but I think they're fighting a losing battle).



In another corner stands an old painted table that I have placed a couple of trugs full of lobelia. Standing beside this in an old zinc container is some mint, that I use all the time for cooking. Alongside this and just out of the photo is an old chimney pot full of trailing purple busy lizzies that seem to thrive in this shady spot.



Before I forget, do you remember the post about my mini meadow? Well the campions, daisies and ragged robins have now been replaced by toadflax, I've never grown this plant before, it's very pretty.
If you would like to share your kitchen views please do. Any signs of summer sunshine would be very gratefully received.
On my kitchen windowsill I have a little collection of vintage food tins and these will have to be shoved up a bit as the lovely Julia has awarded me with this:




I love reading your blog Julia, so I'm really chuffed you should give this to me. It's now standing proudly to the left of an old tin of custard powder! To the left of an old tin of clotted cream stands this from Mrs Decker.



Thank You!! It's feeling a bit like my birthday. I won't go as far as saying that it doesn't really matter that the sun isn't shining, cos it does matter and that would be fibbing, but I would say that all your kind words and gestures make such a difference to me, thanks. Did you hear that thud? It was the sound of the awards being passed on through the ether and landing on all your kitchen windowsills too (wouldn't it be great to have a blogging tardis so that we could just pop into to say hello to each other? I don't want to get sidetracked but did you see Saturday"s edition of Dr Who? It was fab!). Now you must all go off in search of summer and if you find it please send it back over here to say hello. Have a good few days
xxx

Summer shade

Hope you all had a good weekend. It certainly didn't feel like Midsummer here, any midsummer magic that went on was definitely under the cover of an umbrella. Wet on Friday, grey and dismal on Saturday and gale force winds yesterday. Our poor gardens don't know what's going on.



On Friday afternoon I finished something that had been sitting around for a few months now. I bought this old standard lamp from a junk shop and managed to persuade M that with a coat of paint and a new shade, the new shade being the most important thing as he was not very happy with the frou frou one that came with it, it was just what we needed in the corner of the living room.



Months ago I remember seeing on this gorgeous blog the most beautiful chair made by the very, very talented Niki. It was love at first sight! Florals, colours, pattern and patchwork, serious chair love! It's picture stayed in my mind.



I have been making lots of cushions recently for the living room. I know I'm stating the obvious here, but boy it's so much cheaper to buy some fabric and make the covers yourself and you get to plan what to do with the leftovers. I saved all the scraps, as you do, for a rainy day. This being a rainy day and my heart yearning for a taste of summer, I set to work on my lampshade. It was easier than I thought, newspaper pattern for the panels, quick sewing of seams on the machine and a blast of glue gun for the trims. Thanks Niki and Clare for the inspiration.



I'm happy with it, M's happy with it, the girls love it and the cats are very tempted by those bobbles! Our living room is light and airy and the walls are painted a very soft grey.



We have been slow to put up paintings and pictures in here and I'm happy with the mixture of pattern and florals in this corner - a summer's garden next to the sofa! I'm hoping it's not the only garden we'll be enjoying this summer.

A PIF, a TAG & a "MERCI"

Well it's very quiet here this morning. M at work and the girls at school again. The first day back to school always reminds me of that Bjork song "It's Oh so quiet" (please imagine it playing in the background). I love the gentle introduction to the song but on days like today when I'm not quite ready to enjoy the silence and stillness of my home, I'm longing for a bit of the loudness and fun of the rest of the song - tomorrow will be a different story but today it feels like our home has lost a bit of its soul.



Looky here, isn't this lovely pink bear gorgeous? I won it on a PIF giveaway on Jennie's lovely blog. Jennie has made this so beautifully and I don't know how she managed to fit making this in with all the other ones she made. My bear sits proudly on the shelf surrounded by piles of buttons that were also kindly included in the parcel and a delicious bar of Turkish Delight which sadly didn't even last until I finished writing my thank you email to Jennie. I'm a woman of no willpower... In the true spirit of PIFs I know I am meant to offer this on to other readers. So if you would like to enter into a PIF please say so if you comment on this blog, There is no obligation to and unless you state that you want to I will not enter you into the hat. It will of course take me a while to make things to send off but it's a promise, three people will be sent something from me at some point in the future (and judging by woefully bad lack of self discipline, the parcel will not contain any chocolate!).




I have also been tagged by the lovely April. So here are the answers (it being a Monday morning and the lack of chocolate in the house, please make allowances for the answers!).

1) What was I doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago I was living in the twilight zone. The land of sleep deprivation where I had been living for four years and with another year to go until Big Sister decided that sleep was a good thing!




2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

Washing,washing and more of the same.
Running In and out of the garden to retrieve washing from showers.
Running in and out of the garden to re- hang washing when the sun dares to shine.
Making dreaded, and oh so boring, phone call to car insurance company about the lady who drove into my car last year.
Having cup of tea before collecting Little Sister and holding head in hands when I realise how little I've achieved today. Go in search of chocolate on the way to school.




3) Snacks I enjoy:

CHOCOLATE - any shape or form, apart from white chocolate and powdered
Pistachio nuts - I love 'em
Grapes, cold and juicy from the fridge
Greek yogurt (is that a snack?)


4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
a) A billionaire - that's a lot of money ...
Would have to give some away to families and friends. There would be no fun unless it could be shared.
b) Give to charities of course - it would be hard to know when to stop
c) A bit of indulgence here - buy a house in French or Italian countryside.
d) Sort out that lavender farm dream
e) This one is pure fantasy - but arrange a huge bloggers party, venue to be decided!

5) Places I have lived:

London and Sussex

6) Jobs I have had:

Saturday jobs whilst still at school - working in clothes shops in London. Great discounts, good opportunities to practise my languages and money left over to go out in the evening!

I have mainly worked for charities since leaving University ( after a brief spell in music PR and teacher training). Working for children's charities have definitely been my favourite jobs. These were in London.
When we moved down to Sussex i had various temping jobs to tide me over (the worst being stuck in a freezing cold portakabin on a building site) and spent some time commuting to London to work which I hated. I think my favourite permanent job here was working at the University. My dream job is yet to happen ...



I know there are rules to this tag and you know that I don't do the rules. So if you want to join in, feel free.and if you've got time please pop over and say hello to April so I don't feel so bad about not playing nicely!!!



Before I go and rescue the washing, once again, I need to thank Mrs Cowboys and Custard and her props department for the so very lovely and generous gifts that she recently sent me and which have featured in many of the totally gratuitous photos here today. THANK YOU!

PS _ I'm very sorry and assumed that everybody knew what a PIF is, here by way of an explanation is this:

I will send a handmade gift to 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

The excitement of waiting and the beauty of knowing

I bought this peony last year from a plant sale in the local church hall. The old man selling it couldn't remember what colour the flowers would be. He had a feeling it was a red peony. I bought it anyway. I don't really like too much red in the garden but the element of surprise and not wanting to say "no" to the seller was too much for me. So for a year I have waited. Watched the plant grow, eagerly awaiting the first buds and then trying to judge its colour by the tightly wrapped petals. It seemed as if the old man was right, judging by the outer petals on the bud it was going to be a bright, fiery red. As the buds increased I was becoming more and more excited by the prospect of a burst of fiery red blossom in the corner of the garden. The other day when the sun was at it's hottest the bud unfurled and this is what it revealed. Beautifully crisp, pure white , with the added bonus of those first few tantalising raspberry edged petals. A wonderful surprise, that was well worth the wait. I knew deep down it was going to be beautiful.



This weekend after weeks of frenzied emailing I finally got to meet this lovely lady I knew it was going to be a real treat but hadn't anticipated the flurry of mutual nerves and insecurities that this meeting would bring! A real attack of middle age crisis came over me and as the day approached and our emails became more and more hysterical I wondered where all this was coming from. Having swayed daily from wearing a diving suit, balaclava, and finally full bee-keeping suit complete with hood to meet Michele in, the mid week low came at breakfast:
Big Sister: "Mum you should wear your hair in a really tight pony tail on Saturday"
Mrs Ragged (very ragged) Roses: "Why?"
Big Sister: "Well it's meant to be as good as Botox and less painful than a face lift!" (said in all seriousness)
At which point M chokes on his muesli and I lose the will to live!



I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to let my daughters understand just how important it is not to get too hung up on appearances and here was I not exactly leading by example. Just why this was happening I couldn't understand until Saturday morning when order of some sort prevailed, when I put on my normal clothes, brushed my hair as normal, ditched the pony tail (!) and went to meet Mrs Custard - what I was feeling was sheer excitement (mixed with more than a tinge of not wanting to be a disappointment).



After months of reading each other's blogs and emailing and striking up such a warm affinity and friendship I really didn't want to be responsible for tarnishing any of that. Within minutes of meeting, finally meeting, all of those feelings were dispelled. Both Mr and Mrs Custard were just as I imagined - lovely, warm, kind and gentle people and it was I felt just a few minutes before we were able to continue where our emails had left off.



I am so grateful that they both made time in their very busy, and constantly changing, schedule to meet the Ragged Roses on Saturday. It was so good to finally meet up, to walk along chatting and laughing, to take them along to say hello to Emma and her gorgeous little boy (Emma we have fallen in love, big time with your little boy!). When they left for the next stage of their whirlwind tour, it felt like we were saying goodbye to old friends. I have so much to say about Saturday but in a way can't say it, it meant a lot to me ... not the most profound thing to say but perhaps the most honest. I have at times felt overwhelmed by the warmth and kindness of you fellow bloggers, "strangers" who have become friends. Now and again the line between "real life" and blogworld disappears - Ragged Roses becomes Kim and Cowboys & Custard becomes Michele and Sew Recycled becomes Emma - and favourite bloggers on your link bar have faces and voices and you know that, just like my peony, you were going to like them right from the start!

... and breathe out

Hello, hope you all had a great weekend. The weather here in this part of blogland has been just wonderful. It's been a time for being outside, for meeting up with people and having fun. Actually I didn't feel like that at all before the weekend started. I think I'm quite a solitary soul - I love my friends and family of course and nothing is better than spending lazy days with them all. However when the weekend seems full of one arrangement after another I start to feel overwhelmed. How would I fit it all in, wouldn't it be all just too much, it's the weekend, when can we relax etc etc. Well the answer is, just to go with the flow, take a deep breath and enjoy!



On Friday night we were invited to Emma's private view at the Open House she is in during the Festival. We had a great time, drinking wine, looking at everyone's work and, above all, meeting up again with lovely Emma. There was a potentially strange moment when Mr Ragged Roses met Mr Sew Recycled, both of them blogging widows caught up in the maelstrom of blogworld. However, we all talked and talked and talked, it was good, very good. So was Emma's work so very pretty. I bought this little textile print for my bedroom and wished I had more money to spend on her other things too. I love it.



While I'm busy doing a bit of show and tell, here's a lovely collage I got from Louise at Beachys Capecodcupboard. Louise seems to be able to turn her hand at any number of things so successfully and I'm constantly amazed at the amount of lovely work she produces. Thanks Louise I'm very happy with it and I'm sorry it has taken such a long time for me to share a photo of it with everyone!



Back to the weekend - Saturday morning I dashed down to town with my neighbour to the annual plant sale. This always happens during the festival but for some reason was unadvertised this year. Just by chance we stumbled upon it and came home happy and laden with plants, grown by lovely old men in their greenhouses and allotments. I planted some up immediately and like the look of this fennel in this olive tin. I'm hoping that the heat and shininess of the container will deter those pesky snails. Can you see what they've done to my artichoke? (I read yesterday that Nigel Slater planted some surrounded by coffee grounds, might give that a go).
I spent the afternoon taking little Sister into town with her friend to see her favourite author who gave one of the funniest talks I've been too in a long time. I really admire adults who never lose the child inside them and aren't afraid to show it either. Little Sister is even more inspired to be a writer now when she grows up!
A barbecue in the evening, a garden full of girls shrieking and somewhere in the house a cat, blithely unaware of what was going on.



On Sunday we had friends down from London. Old friends, good friends, friends who we rarely see but instantly feel comfortable around. It's like rereading a favourite book with some people isn't it, you know you're going to enjoy yourself! These two friends were so kind to me when my mother died, looking after my newly born baby and coming down to visit with food parcels to make sure we were looking after ourselves. Their kindness and generosity is something I will never forget. Sometimes it doesn't matter how often you meet up with people, or even if you ever do (as in the case of our blogging friends), sometimes it's just the acts of kindness, words of support that stay with you.
So a busy weekend, a weekend full of plans, a weekend where I learnt to take things as they come and where miraculously the sun decided to shine from start to finish.



And now I'm off to do some sewing.

Love the irony

The other week when our computer died I had a few days when life seemed a little more insular. Cut off from work emails, friends, and most importantly blogging (!), I took to doing some odd jobs around the place. It's amazing how much time is freed up when the computer's not on.



In our long kitchen table is a drawer stuffed to bursting with tea towels and napkins. One of those drawers that you open quickly, plunge your hand in and grab anything that comes to hand. Well in I went, eyes wide open, took out the whole caboodle and sorted. How many tea towels does a family need? Some are years old, some more recent and, now's the bad bit, some were just too pretty to use. Can you believe, yes I know you can, that I buy tea towels because they're pretty but then can't bear to use them. Now the kitchen seems to be harbouring an alternative fabric stash of its own. All were washed and I made a pledge to use them all (ha we'll see).



The floral ones (of which there are unsurprisingly many) looked so pretty on the airer in the garden that if the weather doesn't come up trumps this year and the snails refuse to surrender I might just have to install them permanently as a flower border. Much easier to care for than the herbaceous kind and they will have at last served a purpose.



Now if I was my mother, the tea towels would have come in freshly aired and promptly ironed. These were not. I loathe ironing (actually tea towel ironing wouldn't be too bad) nearly as much as I hate badly creased clothes. My mother on the other hand, seemed to relish it, I can't remember a day when the ironing board wasn't out and a pile of clothes was waiting to be put away (which was always my job). That's the thing, it's not just the ironing it's the putting away, in the same way as it's not just the supermarket shopping but as your standing at the checkout feeling mildy relieved, you know all of it needs to be put away when it gets home.



The irony of living in what was once a former laundry has not been lost on me. When I saw this delightful frame over at Cowboys and Custard, I knew I had to have it.



Michele makes the most beautiful frames and I know that many of you are familiar with her work - gorgeous. So now, when the Radio 4 play and the scent of my lavender linen water do little to alleviate the tedium of ironing, I have this little beauty to look upon and make me smile.



Mummy, you were a very good teacher but I wasn't a good pupil! If it's any consolation, I love washing. The smell of clean clothes that have spent the day on a washing line, mmmm ...



I got two bunches of flowers this week. M bought me some tulips to cheer me up. There is big tulip love going on around blogland at the moment and I'm adding to it. Love, love, love tulips and so do the squirrels, especially Sir Squigs who has dug most of mine up but will post some photos next week of the ones he left behind.



The lovely Louise presented me with this bunch the other day - thank you. As I mentioned to you Louise, they brought a big smile to my very pale face! Thanks too to everybody for your well wishes, I am starting to feel better and looking forward to being able to enjoy some food very soon.



Have a great weekend and can anyone tell me what happened to April, where did it go?

DIY, WIP and a favour or two

It's funny what can spur us into action, push us into finally doing those little jobs around the house that have been niggling us for such a long time and have been neglected for too long on the 'to do' list. This weekend, before the return of winter on Sunday, it was the wonderful sunshine we had here on Saturday morning. I think I am one of the many who are affected by daylight, the lack of it in winter can drive me crazy and make me incredibly lazy. Yet since the clocks went forward last weekend and that extra hour of daylight I'm feeling galvanized. How lovely to hear the birds singing in the evenings now and feel that the day isn't over at 5pm.



Ayway I popped into town to get some fabric for a project that had been on the "list' for far too long (did you notice the name on that cotton reel? "Frivolous Pink", my kind of a name!) . Along the way I walked past my favourite choc shop Choccywoccydoodah for a quick drool and snapped a couple of their wonderful cakes. These photos don't in any way do them justice, the sun was glaring etc but just to give you a taster of what they offer, but really would you want to eat one of them? (clicking on the photos increases the wow factor).



I would have to place mine under a cloche a la Miss Haversham and just admire from afar (maybe just languidly drag my fingers over that icing when passing).



Back to the fabric - we bought this old cupboard from a car boot about 13 years ago. We painted it and removed some of the dodgy wood panels and replaced them with chicken wire. This was backed with some pink fabric and that's how it remained for years. When we moved (two and a half years ago) we promised Little Sister that it would be prettied up for her ... well finally it got the coat of paint it deserved and some of this lovely fabric. She's very happy with it and so am I and do you know what it took an afternoon to do. Why wait all that time? You just have to be in the mood don't you.



If only the same could be said about the ongoing painting of the hall project. Whatever enthusiasm I mustered at the beginning has all but diminished and I can't help but groan everytime I walk past that tin of paint in the hall. So near to finishing and yet ... Someone who has bounds of energy for any kind of painting is this one



Yes, Little Sister seems to be tackling those walls singlehanded at the moment!



As a "thank you" for all her hard work I've started a new rug for her bedroom. Whilst we loved this house since the moment we stepped into it, the flooring has left a lot to be desired. We have slowly gone from room to room pulling up the really dodgy carpets and painting the floorboards but have, as yet, done Little Sister's room. Just the thought of picking up all those Sylvanians, fairies and Barbie clothes and packing them away whilst we pull up the carpet leaves me cold. So I thought I'd ask you all a favour. Now and again I need a gentle prod and reminder and I thought there would be no better way to push me into finishing the rug and floor than by you reminding me.. So if all goes quiet on the rugging front, please feel free to comment on my blog! Hopefully the sight of this unfinished project on my blog next to the picture of my youngest slaving away in the hall and some comments from you over the next few weeks (maybe months) will do the trick.



Oh and whilst we're at it, how about asking now and again if any of the cupboards that are lying around in the loft or outside loo are actually up on the walls yet? Guilt and shame, such a winning combination in my DIY book!



All of which leads me on to something else I should have done a while ago. A thank you to Alison for this lovely award. Over at Vintage Amethyst blog, Alison has started up her own website selling some lovely goodies, please go and have a look.



Thank you too to greentwinsmummy for this award too. I'm not going to choose bloggers to pass it on to and I know it's going to be breaking the rules. So please all of you take this award and enjoy it as well, but please go and say "hello" to greentwinsmummy.
Right, I'm off to buy some new Sylvanians with Little Sister - I'm thinking wall to wall Sylvanians might just be the floor covering of my dreams (or not).

Full House!

In my last post I said that it felt more like Christmas than Easter at the weekend and I wasn't wrong. The postman seems to be delivering new goodies to me on almost daily basis this past week! This lovely hare was sent to me by the very kind Lynne who won my giveaway the other week. I had commented on her wonderful blog just how beautiful they were and lo and behold as a "thank you" for my goodies Lynne sent me this gem! Lynne was slightly concerned that I wouldn't be able to control his springiness but, rest assured Lynne, he's settled in very well and has only hopped off his cupboard top twice. Keeping him company on the fireplace is this lovely hare tag that Lynne also sent. My bunnies have taken a while to adjust but they all seem to be getting along nicely.



I sold lots of my spring bunnies on Etsy recently and somebody who bought a bunny bundle was Coralie. It's great to find out where things end up so I was very pleased to receive an email from Coralie thanking me and asking me to take at her blog. There was Mr Bunny showing himself off to some new found French friends, all set to go off on some major Easter egg hunts at the weekend. It was lovely for me to discover a new blog and for all you francophiles out there, it's in French too! Great for polishing up my shamefully rusty French and lots of lovely photos to savour. Coralie also thought she would like to send me a little something and look what I got from her yesterday:



beautiful stamps of the Eiffel Tower. Thanks so much Coralie, "merci beaucoup" - I love Paris and have very fond memories of it. I am still marvelling at the sheer power of blogging to surprise us with its twists and turns and unpredictability. I have come into contact with so many lovely people and followed so many blog trails.



I'm sure that most of you would have read Michele's
lovely blog before and I'm sure most of you would have gathered by now what a warm, humourous and kind person she is. Oh and very talented too. Just before Easter Michele sent the Ragged Roses household a little Easter parcel. A chocolate bunny for me, most importantly, some gifts for the girls, some more of her wonderful badges, Easter decorations and these delightful cards (you see now why I said it's been feeling like Christmas!). Thank you Michele it was such a kind thing to do and we were all really touched that you thought of us. (You may need to click on the photo of Michele's cards to see the badges a little better)



But that's not all! I finished my last Persephone book last week and have been in serious withdrawal ever since. This has been remedied by the arrival this morning of my three new books, all of which, curiously enough, have very similar titles.



"House-bound" by Winifred Peck, a story showing the impact of the war on a household where a woman decides to do without her maid and manage her own house. "A House in the Country" by Jocelyn Playfair, again set during the Second World War but played out in a rural country idyll. "The New House" by Lettice Cooper, set in pre-war Britain and over one day tells the story of a family moving from a large house to a much smaller one. They all sound great and very domestic, don't know where to start.



Of the three previous books I bought from Persephone, the book that, understandably, moved me the most was Cicely Hamilton's "William - An Englishman". Written by Cicely Hamilton while she was working at a hospital and organising concerts at the Front during WW1, this book is one of the most moving I have read in a long time. Two young people, both political activists and idealists, marry and go on honeymoon in 1914 to a remote cottage in Belgium. Secluded from the world for three weeks they emerge one day from a walk in the countryside and literally stumble into the horrors of WW1. This scene has been haunting me since I read it last week. I won't spoil the book for you but by the end of the story William learns that reality has no place for his former idealistic beliefs. William was like so many thousands of men during the war, quiet, without a voice, struggling to make sense of it all. The other day whilst sorting through my old postcard collection I read on the back of one of them a pencil written message from a soldier to his wife, he longs desperately for one of her letters and complains only of the mud that seems to be all around him. When Big Sister went to Ypres the other week I found myself visiting lots of websites to find out more, trying to make sense of it all myself. "William" is a great book.
Anyway my three new books all promise to be of a lighter mood and I'm looking forward to letting you all know how I get on with them. The film of "Miss Pettigrew" seems to be getting great reviews in USA so I'm very excited about seeing that when it opens here.
What a long post, sorry I've been rambling again.

Easter eggs and snowfall

Well that's it, Easter over and instead of gamboling into Spring, the arrival of the holiday weekend brought a return to winter. Perhaps one of the coldest of winter weekends too! Was I alone in feeling that Easter Sunday morning felt more like Christmas than Christmas? As we sat eating breakfast and eyeing up the Easter eggs it was very strange to see the snow falling in the garden. So it was a cold, grey squally weekend here but by no means miserable. The snow not thick enough for outdoor fun but cold enough to make us go into "hibernation mode", which is not such a bad thing when you think about it.



Once we realised that the usual Easter walks and hunts would have to be put on hold for a while the huge pile of chocolate that was amassing in the kitchen brought its own comfort! I had planned to do some much needed gardening but managed only a brief spell outside on Friday between the showers. I managed to plant a couple of shrubs but held back from sowing any seeds as it was just too cold. I'm going to try planting some chard in big pots this year to see how they grow, it might do better in pots away from the snails, slugs and cats. I also bought these poppy seeds in Woolies the other day. I was drawn to their colour and frilliness and it was only when I was paying for them I noticed that they were Laura Ashley seeds! Produced in association with Johnsons seeds admittedly, but still Laura Ashley. Two days earlier I noticed in the Cath Kidston shop that they are now selling their own CK washing up liquid and fabric washing liquid range. I wonder why these companies feel the need to increasingly extend their range of products so much?



Saturday and Sunday were spent rolling around the house, eating chocolate, grandparents visiting us and more, much more, eating of chocolate. Little sister and big sister both insisted on egg hunts with clues which were a lot of fun. Big sister having one of those teenager moments in which she was so adamant that she knew the answer to her clue that she spent 20 minutes in the rain sorting through the recycling boxes looking for her choccie eggs ( a real mix of determination and stubborness and complete dedication to chocolate!) As if we'd be that mean - it was under the lettuce in the fridge of course, but would she listen?!!



Our hibernation ended yesterday when we visited some friends for lunch and more chocolate. They live in one of our favourite parts of the city, on the seafront in one of these gorgeous Regency crescents. A walk along on the beach wasn't on the cards as the weather was cold again by the time we'd finished all that eating. But we couldn't have planned for a nicer day - friends, family and chocolate, all in all a good weekend.



A belated thank you now to Jennie and twiggy who both gave me this award. Thanks to both of you! I am meant to pass the award on - I find it hard to do this part of the award thing, not because I don't want to pass it on but because I don't want to choose from all of you who read this blog. So please consider this award passed on to you all and if you've got time pop over to say hello to Jennie and Twiggy too.

I can't knit, but I know someone who can ...

I've just got back from town where I bought a blanket for little sister's teacher whose baby is due very soon. I found one I liked, soft cotton, natural, organic and undyed. I'm pleased with it but not as pleased as I would have been if I'd made it myself. But there's the rub, I just can't knit! When I was a little girl my friend who lived next door taught me to knit. We were both left handed and somehow between us we managed to produce long woolly scarves which looked okay(ish) but neither of us had a clue how we had produced them. My grandmother tried to teach me, my mum gave up and it's just one of those things that I can't do. Whenever I look at the illustrations in those "How to" books well, it just doesn't look like how my friend Annabel taught me! To make matters worse all you bloggers are the most fantastic knitters, gorgeous blankets have been crocheted and knitted for me to drool over, there seems to be a legion of you out there making the most fabulous fair isle socks and glamorous corsages and I'm here twiddling my thumbs!



I've been having a sort out (that's what happens when you start to decorate, a whole new can of worms is opened) and in amongst a pile of books I found this little gem.



A 1940s knitting book that's crammed full of knitting patterns. It seems a shame to keep hold of it, I love the photos and would love to be able to knit everything in it, but who am I kidding? In the name of honesty and in keeping with the blogging code I'll hold my hand up high and say "I can't knit, I won't knit and for the sake of my spring cleaning, this book has to go!"
So if anyone reading this would like this book, please let me know. Perhaps we could do a little swap (but please no wool, that would just be rubbing my nose in it!).



There's some great vintage ladies jumpers and cardigans that judging by my recent trawl of the shops are very fashionable at the moment. Short cropped cardigans and tops with puffed sleeves and nipped in waists. fair isle gilets and for the more athletic amongst you:



Yes, lovely woolly swimming costumes! Can you imagine stepping out of the pool in that! I wonder would it shrink while you were swimming in it or stretch and sag?! There's also lots of lovely sensible woollen underwear if you're feeling the cold!!!



I love this bedjacket intended for a new mum but I wouldn't mind one now and a lovely shawl.



Socks, tea cosies, hot water bottle covers, balalclava helmets (!), coat hanger covers, crocheted edges for towels, designs for toddlers and a wonderful beret and scarf set, in fact something for the whole family - as the book says "A recipe for happy families" . I'll just have to comfort myself with the thought that another book has left the building...

A quiet day

Hello, hope you all enjoyed the weekend. Ours was good, quiet, relaxed and spontaneous, just the way I like it! Big Sister and Little Sister both were able to see friends, M and I were able to read the papers have a mooch round town, a spot of decorating and most importantly, recover from the fuzzy heads we'd earned at a party we went to on Friday- the alcohol seemed like such a good idea at the time! It's a good feeling when you know you can wake up on Monday knowing that everyone in the family has done something they wanted - one that's not always achievable.



On Friday morning this is what the postman delivered to me. Now I'll never say no to a pressie and am always delighted to receive anything but there is something so exciting about getting an unexpected parcel in the post. You have to savour every moment, hold the parcel, examine the parcel for clues, stamps, handwriting etc. Then unwrap the parcel, slowly mind, it's all part of the fun of it. And this is what was inside a lovely bundle of spring cheer from the very kind Heidi. Thank you Heidi, I am still beaming from your generosity and thoughtfulness - A golden pouch of Easter eggs, a lovely Van Gogh postcard and the prettiest spring plaque which looks perfect in my little blue room - a completely unprovoked act of kindness.
More "thank yous" to all of you who left a comment on my blog birthday post, we have a winner. Little Sister chose a number from all the comments, and the winner is Lynn. It was Lynn's birthday on Saturday, so Happy Birthday to you and I'm really pleased to be able to send you a belated gift. I wish I could have sent you all a little something too, especially those of you who wanted to win the book (not very subtle Miss Thimbleanna!) - I did notice on Abebooks.co.uk that you can get hold of copies for 49p, so if you fancy a read ...



I've finished two of my Persephone books now. " Marianna" and "Miss Pettigrew lives for a day" and loved them both. I was able to finish Miss Pettigrew yesterday morning in bed (oh the very rare luxury of a Sunday lie-in) and found it completely enchanting and charming and although very light-hearted I was at times very moved. Miss Pettigrew had lived such a quiet, lonely life that it was good to see her enjoying the fun and frivolity of life - I wonder if she spent the next day feeling as fuzzy headed as me!!!



I decided, somewhat recklessly, to start painting the hall yesterday. A huge job but I've started so now I've got to finish it. It will be white which will be much fresher than the dirty lemony colour that we have lived with since we've moved here. I started by painting my favourite parts of the hall, the wall with the mirror on I love, and the rest of the hall looks so shabby now that I'm forced to continue! I hope to be resurfacing some time this week for another post. The weather forecast this morning on Radio 4 said that it was going to be "a quiet day" - I hope so!

Now we are one ...

... we should be a bit more organised, but unfortunately one year on in blogworld and I'm even more scatterbrained than usual. I could have sworn my blog birthday was today but, no, it was last week and I missed it! And for those of you who have been wondering what I look like (Samantha and Michele you may have to wait for photos to be emailed to you! ) this is for you - I think I was about one then this was taken. Who would have thought a year ago when I tentatively pressed that "publish" button and Ragged Roses was born that I would then go ahead and not commemorate it's first anniversary. I remember just how nervous I was and was literally shaking at the time. I'm so indebted to this blog and the friends that I have made this past year - Such special friends and memories.



A year recorded here for me and you - a year that has been enriched by your lovely, supportive comments and a year that has been made a lot rosier (no pun intended!) by being able to share it with so many lovely people.



A year on and I still never take any of your comments for granted and am still over the moon to find your comments and words of support - THANK YOU! This has been so much fun for me and, surprisingly, my family who are more or less use to me now walking around with a camera surgically attached to my body with one eye constantly on a photo opportunity. I have learnt to enjoy the everyday and find the extraordinary in the ordinary and have been so pleased to find that so many of you have felt the same too.



If you leave a comment on this post before next Sunday, your names will be entered for a giveway. Amongst the goodies are a vintage copy of "I Capture the Castle" (of course!) and a bag of chocolate Easter eggs to be eaten whilst reading.



One of my favourite spring time china brooches, in lieu of the bunch of flowers I would love to give you all.



Some pretty vintage buttons in spring colours mounted on a card for crafting. A vintage Easter postcard and some facsimile floral cigarette cards which could be used in collages.



Well there had to be roses somewhere, so here is a lovely little old rosey plate and pink ragged heart too.
I will be posting during the week but if you want to win the giveaway please leave a comment on this post! I've got to go and make an Egyptian costume now for Little Sister, as you do, so I best be off. Enjoy your Sunday and Happy Birthday!
xxx

Fickle? Moi?

Hope you all had a good weekend. My weekend felt like it started on Friday when I met up with Emma for a long planned coffee and chat. Well, I say coffee and chat but that is slightly misleading as that would imply a quick cup and a few minutes talking. Ours was more of a three hours huddled round a table non-stop chatting affair. It was great, lovely to catch up on all of Emma's very exciting news, she has so much planned for this year, I could have stayed all day. My news seemed very humdrum in comparison. All this talking and we only spent five minutes planning our ongoing fantasy dream venture, a lavender farm on the Downs, oops was that a secret Emma?!!



We briefly came up for air halfway through when Emma gave me this beautiful corsage, isn't it lovely? Thank you Emma, it's pinned on to my green coat and it looks beautiful. Gorgeous mossy green knit and check fabric with soft lemon centre, really pretty. And Emma if you're listening M and the girls are up for that walk!



Those of you who read my post last week will know of my current love affair with all things green and yellow. Looking at all the photos on this blog will also reveal my deep seated obsession with pink and green. Call me fickle if you wish, but could you resist the colours of this chard I bought on Saturday morning? Beautiful, vibrant pink stems with deep foresty green leaves were just calling out to me from the veg stall - "forget the yellows, come back to us pinks, you know you want to!" Could you resist? Yellow may be seasonal but pink is for life! Besides which this chard tastes delicious and I'm looking forward to my risotto tonight...



Thanks to my family now for giving me such a lovely Mother's Day yesterday. We had a lazy day at home (not very lazy for M I admit, but nice and relaxed for me).



My daughters gave me bags of fudge which happen to be their favourites and these two beautiful green moleskine notebooks. I am now at the stage where when I'm at home alone (and often in company) I walk around muttering to myself, not cursing or ranting just general muttering - thinking aloud, trying to retain some of my ideas for new crafty things. The days of muttering are over, I shall now keep all my ideas in these books, jotting ideas down whenever they come so long as I can find the notebook and pen immediately - might have to resort to sewing them onto a piece of elastic and attaching it to my sleeve like those mittens my mum used to make me wear!



The sun has been shining a lot this weekend and these flowers Little Sister chose for me were just too pretty not to share. Yes she knows her mum too well. flirtations may come and go but the lure of pink never fails!

thank yous

The house is quiet for the first time in a week. The girls are back at school and M is at work. It has been a good week and we have all benefitted from having time together without always having one eye on the clock, homework, oven, washing machine, school uniform situation. So they have gone back to school a little sad that the holiday is over and I am here thinking about just how easy it is for us to get caught up in the whirlwind of school, work, timetables and alarm clocks and slip into taking each other for granted. I am as guilty of it as they are. When tired and frazzled they argue and fight and when I'm feeling the same I forget to notice the sound of them singing and squealing around the house or those days when. having caught up on their sleep, they take delight in each other's company and go out of their way to make me laugh.
What was really good about this holiday was that I was able to spend a day alone with each of my daughters. They had sleepovers at various friends, so while one was off I took full advantage of spending time with the other. What a difference it made to have one child to focus on, to talk to and listen to. With Big Sister I shopped, of course, had lunch and had the inevitable fashion parade at home when all the new clothes were modelled and her choice of DVD in the evening. She told me that she'd had a really good day and I really enjoyed having a chance to talk to her, albeit amongst the clothes rails in TopShop. But best of all, according to her, was this little green dress she bought (it's her Cassandra dress, from THAT book).



Little Sister and I spent our day in Lewes. We met M for lunch and wandered down to the children's bookshop to stock up. We came home to chocolate cake and a DVD. It was a quiet but very special day, just the two of us and nobody vying for attention, lovely.



M and I have been together for twenty years and I have only recently discovered that I have been living with the Master of the Double bluff! I don't know how many times he has fooled me into believing that he hasn't bought me a present and then surprised me.



Meet Miss Blossom! She arrived yesterday morning, Sunday morning M had popped out to get a newspaper, I was still in my pyjamas and a man knocks on the door with Miss Blossom in his arms, "for you" he says. I fell in love with Miss Blossom a few months ago in a local antique shop, having wanted a mannequin for years. She was just too expensive. On Saturday I popped into the shop as I noticed it was closing down but even with the discount she was out of my reach. I did spot a large old apple crate to keep my cookery books in, but as I had my arms full of food shopping M agreed to go back later in the day to collect the crate. When he came back I asked if Miss Blossom was still there and he said she was but the last thing we needed was a tailor's dummy. I thought no more of it and took him at his word, until .... Thank you M again not just for the present but the surprise and for reminding me just how much you do listen..



Why Miss Blossom? She is of course the mannequin that shares a room with Cassandra and Rose, in "I Capture the Castle". And I'm happy to say that, like the one in the book, mine has a very "noble bust" perhaps not the words my youngest used this morning when she stared in amazement at her ample chest! Until yesterday my only experience of a Miss Blossom was a very formidable PE teacher at school whose strictness belied her very pretty name, so it's nice to have closure on that!!! I'm now on the hunt for a pretty 30s tea dress for Miss Blossom so if you know of any going cheap (haha) let me know - oh the fun we'll be having ...



Time now to thank some people - the wonderful Louise passed this award on to me last week. Thanks Louise!! Hope you're all feeling better too, Louise has just spent her holiday looking after four poorly children, so if anyone deserves an award it's her.



Thanks too to Jennifer for sending me all these goodies. I was lucky enough to win a giveaway a couple of weeks ago on her blog and received this wonderful parcel last week. The cup and saucer have been following me from room to room, they are so pretty I can't decide where to put them, definitely not in the kitchen cupboard.



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