Turn left down memory lane

I think it was sometime in early September that I heard a feature on Saturday morning Radio 4 about sound sculptures. Listeners recalling sounds from their childhood that are so special, that awaken lots of feelings and emotions in them. Now, if I were to be chosen to take part in Desert Island Discs (Haha), I would find it impossible to come up with my definitive list of songs. I am sn impossible chooser, will dither and dither and never feel fully satisfied that I have included all my favourite choices. I am absolutely hopeless at that kind of thing. But for some reason, as soon as I heard that feature on the radio, I knew immediately what mine would be. It's a sound that takes me back to my early childhood, that offers me a sense of security and snugness. A sound that I can hear in my head as if I just heard it...
The sound of the indicator on my parent's car. Not the sound of car indicators these days, they're far too sleek and purring. No, the slighty clinky clunky, automated tick tocking that I would hear whilst sitting in the back seat on a car journey with my parents. I don't know why it conjures up so many memories but it always does, and it always makes me feel happy. The thought of it makes me remember weekend evening journeys home from visiting aunts and uncles, driving through London dark, late and exciting. The murmur of my parents' chatting in the front and me cosy in the back with the pillows and blankets that they would always pack for the home journey for me. I would snuggle down (before compulsory seat belts!), my head a mix of excitement and woe at the thought of the oncoming school week, watching the streetlights whizz past. lulled into a gentle sleep by the sound of my parents conversation and knowing that whilst feeling this snug, school felt like years away. All of this accompanied by that gentle ticktocking of those indicators...
There could be nothing better - except perhaps the sound of those gentle clicking indicators against a background of rain, gently falling on the windscreen, now that's pure happiness! Of course nowadays, the sound of rain whilst I'm driving does nothing for me except make me slightly nervous, but I have noticed a similar look on my daughters when they were younger, bundled up in the back of the car, excited, contented and cosy.
I'm not sure if this is just a family thing. The other day in Sainsbury's the man at the till was talking to me about the rain and telling me how comforting he finds the sound of it and I told him about my indicators and how the icing on the cake for me and my indicators would be rain and I waited for the baffled look he would give me, but instead he broke into a broad smile and said "yes, I know exactly what you mean - but it has to be at least 30 year old indicators!" ... at least I'm not alone.
Do you have a sound that takes you back? That's there without you even thinki ng about it, that's easier to conjure up than a list of songs to take to that Desert Island?

Young and Sweet, only 17...

So. judging by the candles in the photo, there's a birthday round here...my they come round fast. Surely not 17 candles lined up in a row? No. I'm not going to go all gushy, though I easily could. Just want to wish my darling beautiful girl the bestest of birthdays and the sweetest of years. And in the words of that 17 year old "Dancing Queen", have "The time of your life." Love you x

Come On In...

Ooo I wish this was my very own home that I was showing you round! I have never ever walked into a building and immediately felt so 'at home"' (wishful thinking) and relaxed. It may have something to do with the sheer relief of finally being away on holiday but I think there is something very special about life at "The Mission", the atmosphere is so special, 'chiled' is the only word that springs to mind.



We made a deal on the journey, well, to be honest, I begged and begged to be able to take photos of the place before we unpacked, before the flotsam and jetsam of holiday luggage took over, You don't really want to be seeing our kagools, flip flops and wellies all over the place do you?



One photo I wish I had been able to take was our faces when we walked through those big red doors... We felt as if we had stumbled upon a photo shoot...



so unlike our own home, very 'grown up'. We squealed as we ran from room to room, marvelling at the rooms and the detail.



Kitsch, retro, eclectic, vintage but so so so comfortable.



We had booked this wonderful place for a week.



A last minute cancellation meant that this gorgeous home, intended for eight, was ours.



The four of us in this huge building,





daughters sleeping in what was the old Sunday school building attached to the Mission Hall,





us sleeping upstairs in the wonderful white cube in the centre of the beautiful wooden hall.



We danced around the sofas, Big Sister singing Ella Fitzgerald at the top of her voice,



we cosied up on the sofas around the woodburning stove (no, we weren't blessed with the best of weather, but you can't have it all).



We battled on the table football, determined to beat Mr Roses.



We took turns reclining underneath the icons,



posing on the old cinema seats.



making a feast of every meal.



We sat curled up on cosy chairs and read (what a treat that was)



We played games



In short, we had fun, good old fun, together as a family.



Thank you Helen and thank you Mr Roses
x

Mission Accomplished

As you know, the Roses' summer wasn't the best on record, it was a very up and down affair and by the end of it we all desperately needed a holiday. We hadn't actually been away together as a family for five years and were beginning to feel it... At the end of every week, M and I would have this long chat about whether we would/wouldn/t be able to manage a short break away and as my dad's health was so up and down we felt that the answer would inevitably be no...



So you can imagine my surprise when two days before M was due his annual leave, my father gave the thumbs up to us going away, our dream holiday destination had a last minute cancellation and it seemed that the "Holiday gods" (to coin a phrase from the incredibly funny book "The Tent The Bucket And Me" by Emma Kennedy) were smiling down on us.
So we set out on a wet, dreary Friday 13th on our summer adventure...

And I should have known as soon as I saw the front door everything would be alright. With its colours resembling our very own Emporium and a sign waiting to greet us, I knew it was meant to be...



To be continued ...

Sweet peas, honey bees & daisies

If I type this very quietly maybe nobody will notice that I'm not behind my sewing machine, beavering away. I promised myself a sewing day but I Just wanted to say that I hope you are all having some of this beautiful sunshine today. Sun shining from the moment I sprang out of bed (well 'sprang' not really the word, since I seem to have broken yet another toe!), all day long and I even managed to eat my lunch in the garden too.




You could almost be forgiven for thinking it was summer - the summer that never was... There is of course the whiff of Autumn in the air and we have woken up this week to seamists, the whiff of changing seasons in the air and holly trees bedecked in frosty jewelled cobwebs.



So when days like these come along, you have to seize them and enjoy. Almost as much as I am enjoying these lovely posters that we have recently added to our Emporium - let the sunshine in indeed!
Enjoy your week.
PS Holiday photos have been uploaded! And some time between now and Christmas at this rate I'm going to share them with you. Here's a clue - we went on a mission....

Almost tea time...

I sat down this afternoon, put the kettle on, put some cupcakes in the oven to bake, found the magazine I'd been wanting to read all week, planned out what I was going to share with you about our holiday in my next blog post and in true "Would you believe it?" fashion, the phone rang, my youngest daughter was feeling poorly and needed collecting from school.
Apart from being one of the longest sentences I've written, it goes to show you that you just can't have your cake and eat it ... well not until you've driven to school, the tea's gone cold and you've spent an hour or two administering calpol and run out of time to read your magazine.
I WILL, I WILL get those holiday photos uploaded - promise!

September Sunshine

Thank you all so much for the lovely and kind comments on my last post. I am very relieved to say that my father seems to be on the mend, although it is a very slow process. Unlike the hands on the clock which seemed to have whizzed round this summer and we now find ourselves in September...
Whilst it may not have been the best of summers for us here at the Ragged Roses house, there have been many, many reasons to smile. Days of sitting on a sunny beach were few and far between but moments of sheer happiness have been savoured:

Seeing my father last week, up and dressed and being his usual naughty self...

The sound of my eldest daughter's voice when she rang home to tell us her GCSE results - amidst all the doom and gloom, her hard work had been rewarded, her dream results were achieved and the maths calculator banished! I don't think I will ever forget the sound of her voice on the phone that day...

Mr Roses surprising us gals with a very unexpected return trip to see "Wicked". A show made to make your spirits soar if ever there was one. Only to be matched by the size of the beams on my daughters' faces when the curtain rose...

Watching Little Sister trundle off on her first day to Secondary School last week. Completely swamped by the size of her schoolbag and PE kit and returning home relieved and just a little bit older...

Spending the day with her yesterday as she completed her first bit of homework. Rewarding ourselves with a batch of homemade brownies and a much awaited cuddle on the sofa whilst singing along to DVD of Mama Mia...

Emails and phone calls from friends who have been so kind to me this summer and, yes Dottie, what would i have done without you?

The first evening of our holidays when I started to laugh hysterically and realised that I hadn't laughed for a very long time... Oh yes, we even managed a little holiday and i have lots to say about that very soon!

Nothing But Blue Skies...

Hello! Remember me? Sorry for the silence it has not been the best of holidays so far - my father has been in hospital and I have spent my time with him and returning home now and again to see the girls. Apart from feeling miserably tired and worried, I have been suffering from that age old problem of guilt - trying to be both a good daughter and a good mother has been very difficult, and I have felt that I failed miserably at both.
But the holidays are not yet over, it may be grey and wet outside but let's hope there are blue skies on the horizon, sandcastles waiting to be built, cuddles on the sofa, days spent together and many happy days to remember. Wishing you all Bonnes Vacances - speak soon x

Now We Are One...

Well almost..

On the 25th July 2009.. Milly and Dottie put on their starched pinafores and smiles and opened the doors to their exciting new emporium.. otherwise known as Milly & Dottie's Emporium.
We have had great pleasure in welcoming visitors from far and wide, many who have shared our journey through this first year of enterprise
We would very much like you to join us in our 1st Birthday Celebrations this weekend... by putting on your best party frock and a fresh ribbon in your hair. There will be jellies and ice-cream, sticky buns galore, cucumber sandwiches and a delicious iced birthday cake with 1 pretty candle to blow out.

To celebrate our 1st anniversary we have a whole new exciting department to browse with the party occasion in mind.. 'Pass the Parcel' which has all kinds of everything to provide for your own vintage party.

Would you please join us in singing...

Happy Birthday to us
Happy Birthday to us
Happy Birthday dear Milly & Dottie's Emporium
Happy Birthday to us..

Hurrah !!

It's party time !

Petal Power

A few weeks ago amidst all the sunshine and flowers (before all the petals falling from the leaves in the rain) some friends came round for an evening, It was quite a last minute thing and it was such a hot day that we just couldn't bring ourselves to go to the supermarket. So Mr Roses trotted off to the local Turkish shop to buy all manner of things - olives, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes etc and popped into the offy for a bottle of Pimms. I set to work making some Greek salad and chopping up a melon we had in the fridge, I knew the kids would want something sweet and treaty so I made some cupcakes and, because it was such a perfect summer's evening and reminded me of summer's evenings when I was little. I decided to make some rose petal syrup to add to the icing. Oh how I love collecting the petals and filling the house with the gentle scent of rose, so so many memories for me. The cakes were a success, not too sweet and just rosy scented enough not to be too cloying, or maybe by then the Pimms had set in...



We have this year been making a concerted effort to grow more veg in the garden. I bought Mr Roses a raised bed and polytunnel and all the gubbins for his birthday and we have been feasting (or rather, sharing with the slugs and snails) on salads and chard and strawberries. The other week I caught sight of our first courgette flower which was just so beautiful. I was tempted to fry it in batter but couldn't bring myself to for fear of no others appearing and a complete lack of courgettes. I shouldn't have worried, the plant hasn't stopped flowering every since and we are looking forward to 101 ways to cook a courgette...



At the end of June, lovely Emma from Sew Recycled joined me on our second elderflower picking excursion. Following last year's adventures, who knew that picking elderflowers could be such fun, we decided to give it a go again.



This time we chose a swelteringly hot day to saunter up onto the Downs and whilst the scenery looked beautiful bathed in the sunshine, it did make us even slower than usual, or was that just all the nattering I wonder?


Emma, fully armed

Armed with our secateurs, bucket, walking sticks and gloves we braved the nettles and hills and set forth. It wasn't the heat that was worrying us as much as the thought of the grass snakes which explains why we were found every few minutes to be tapping the ground noisily with those walking sticks - Indiana joneses we are not!



It was hot and thirsty work and we had a lot of catching up to do, so as soon as our buckets were half full we sat in the shade with a bottle of ginger beer and some baklava that our friends had brought to our rose cupcakes and Pimms evening. It wasn't quite Enid Blyton with the baklava but the ginger beer made us giggle and it was good to be chewing the cud with my lovely friend again.



Once more the day ran away with us and we were up against it time wise to get the elderflowers steeping in the sugary syrup before we had to collect our children from school. Once more we grappled with the measurements and finer details but felt confident that all would be well.



The next day Emma came round for the grand bottling. Armed this time with doughnuts we were prepared. Perhaps we did not have enough mishaps as we did last time round but the one huge mistake was pouring the sweet sticky ambery liquid into the bottles whilst eldest daughter was in the shower. Under strict instructions from her, not to turn on the hot tap, we were left covered in sticky sugary syrup for what seemed an age, the taps were sticky the work surfaces too - so that's another thing we've learnt for next year.



However, the rewards were sweet, very sweet and lemony and flowery. We took the first two glasses with our doughnuts into the garden, sat on the bench and enjoyed the fruits of our labour. Mmmm, here's to next year!

Times For Elevenses

So today is my youngest daughter's birthday - today she goes to spend the day at her new secondary school. A taster day for her and a tester day for me! A big letting go, a huge step forward and lots of birthday cuddles.
Eleven years! Eleven years! Round and round like the horses on the roundabout, the months and the years have flown past - birthday parties have come and gone until we found ourselves yesterday partying on the beach with a bunch of her friends, shrieking and giggling and eating and wondering at how that little bundle of mischief has grown over the past eleven years.
Happy Birthday sweetpea, may your day be full of giggles and friendship


Love you xxxx

Friday Smiling Faces

Thank you all so much for the jelly love! It's good to know that I'm not alone in enjoying a bit of a wobble every now and then!
I've just caught sight of the time and realised that I won't have time to write the blog post that I intended (nor indeed catch up on all your lovely blogs and news) - so I'll share with you some photos of my daughter's windowbox taken this morning.
A box full of brilliantly smiling floral faces greet her in the morning as she pulls back her bedroom curtains. A myriad of colours to dazzle and brighten her day. All the better for her having chosen the seed, planting them and tending them herself.
Too good to keep to yourself don''t you think? Please enjoy them and hope you find some smiling faces of your own this weekend.




(Sorry too that the photos may be out of focus, I'm not very good at dangling out of high windows, camera in hand!)

Time For A Wobble?

What is it about jelly? The shape of it? The taste of it? Its texture or just simply the way it wobbles? Whatever it is it never fails to bring on a case of the giggles whenever it is served at this house. Not that it is served that often and maybe that's something I should remedy because a serious fit of the giggles is never to be sneezed at!
I heard the other day somebody mention that they were going to make a special supper for their eldest child after an exam and that there would be jelly. Big Sister who was at that time, just embarking on the long and intense timetable of GCSEs that lay before her, needed cheering up. What a brilliant idea, nothing better, she's loved jelly since she was tiny.



What could be easier than making a jelly. I've made and eaten dozens of them, I could say I could make them blindfolded but that's the point, I almost did... Never, ever make your jelly without your glasses on. The oh so simple task of adding hot water to the contents of a packet is deceptively tricky if you can't read the measurements on your measuring jug. There was I gaily adding water and stirring and pouring contents into mould after mould, wondering why a) my jelly seemed to be resembling the everlasting porridge pot and b) questioning the thermostat on the fridge as the jelly just remained as liquid as the day it was born... Several hours and watery jelly moulds later I found my glasses, emptied the bin to retrieve the jelly instructions and realised my mistake. Poor old Big Sister came home in such a mood that I daren't even tell her the story of the jelly that might have been...



Last weekend I not only remembered to buy some more jelly but set to make them with glasses and magnifying glass at hand. Do you know what? This time the jelly only filled one mould! How simple was that? Not that simple, because basking in my reflective glory and smugness I forgot to get the jelly out of the fridge and give it to anyone. It was only the next day that it was found wobbling in all its glory.


Sunday night we had our jelly. Shimmering, jewel like, resplendent in its wobbliness it sat on our table. And then the laughter began... the first little wobble, the first squelch, the sight of the little domes... need I say more?



The exams are now over here, thank goodness. I don't think I have ever seen my daughter work so hard and feel so tired. She asked me the other day if I was proud of her - I couldn't begin to say just how much. It's not the marks that matter, it's the fact that she got through it with more smiles and maturity than we ever imagined, the fact that for hours she sat revising subjects that she neither really understood nor liked and, sorry huge proud mummy moment here, that whenever I look at her I am filled with the deepest pride and love. I only wish there had been a jelly and some of her little sister's mischievous giggles to greet her after every exam.


(We have a selection of jelly moulds in our Scullery

So now the exams are all over, the summer lies ahead and I for one am stockpiling the jelly and waiting for the jelly jokes... you don't need to have an exam to have a wobble!