A beautiful day

After a lovely sunny day, a gorgeous sunset seen from my bedroom window as I paint my nails, ready for tomorrow. 

Happy weekend. x

Another finished project!

Well the wedding is on Saturday. The wrap was completed on Sunday. And I finished the bag tonight! Loads of time to spare!!

I am very pleased with myself. Can you see the lining I sewed in?  I can crochet, knit, scrapbook and paper craft but sewing has always been far too scary!

I use a sewing machine to add interest on cards - rarely for material. But I'm glad I did this. 

And here it is finished

Well almost!  A couple of crochet flowers finish it off. 

The weather forecast is looking good for the weekend, which is great news for the wedding. 

I'll try and remember to get a photo the wrap and bag in use. 

Off to make another bunting triangle now. 

Sara x

A walk by the river

Wow - it's Bank Holiday weekend, and this is the second nice day!  What has happened?

The "boys" have gone to an end of rugby season party - paint-balling, bbq and a camp out - so I have some time to myself (and the remote control later if I want to watch TV!).

After a trip to the garden centre, and I little bit more gardening, I blocked my wrap.

I finished it last night - the wedding is next weekend, so plenty of time.  Now to start the bag.

The wrap pattern is here

Then I was able to meet up with my mum and go for a nice, leisurely walk by the river.

Usually one of us is in a rush, or the weather is horrid, so it was nice to be able to take our time, and chat, and enjoy the scenery.

 Her dog enjoyed it too - a quick dip was needed.

 Blue skies!

 Not sure what these leaves are - they looked quite odd.

And now home for a cuppa (and maybe a glass of wine a bit later).

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend.

Sara

x

A busy Saturday

After yesterdays appalling weather, today has been lovely.  No sports fixtures, and we have all spent the day at home, pottering around, really making progress.

Matt has started revision, Mark has sorted through the teams rugby kit, and I have been busy in the garden.

 A bit of weeding and observing first.  Then I cleaned the little pond.

Matt decided to help and make a frame to put some net over, to keep the leaves out.

 After cutting the grass, and some tidying, I moved a chair so I can enjoy this view more easily.

It is looking West, so it is the perfect spot to watch the sun go down at the end of the day.

 Blue sky and fluffy clouds!  Not seen that for a while

 Matt oils his new cricket bat - on the trampoline which we had just re-assembled.  We have to dismantle it over winter so it doesn't fly away in the wind.  To our cost we know that flying trampolines are not good on blustery days.

 Table and chairs ready, grass cut and tubs planted.  

We are ready for summer now!

Enjoy your Bank Holiday.  I'm off to make some bunting for Lucy for Yarndale.  I'm so excited!!

Sara x

Sparrows

Well, I'm just about to go and pick Matt up from school.  Half term is starting and it's Bank Holiday weekend.  Shame no one has told the weather - on my drive to the supermarket to get food for the weekend and the boys camp out (!) it is 6 degrees here.  That's what we expect in January.  Oh well - heating is on and I will enjoy a glass of wine this dismal evening.  I am becoming a weather bore.  I am so desperate to feel some sunshine on my skin - greedy I know, but for a few consecutive days!

I hope these little birds that fledged yesterday are ok.  I've put plenty of food out today as I don't imagine there are many bugs to be caught, and I assume they need more to keep warm in these temperatures.

Off to collect a grumpy teenager from school.

Sara x

Colour on my doorstep

It struck me today, just how much colour there is around at the moment.  But maybe I just need to look at little harder than usual at this time of year.  So here is a walk around the garden this morning......

 Aquilegia starting to flower

 I love that there are so many varieties

 They seem to cross pollinate and change each year!

 I love this Viburnum Snowball - bright little pom poms cover the plant

 Colour along the edge of the field

 Geraniums thriving there too

 Along with cow parsley.  Even on such a dull morning, the green is so vibrant.

 There are still a few daffodils in flower

 but the main splash of yellow is provided by buttercups.

 I've planted up my hanging baskets

 and tubs

 with osteospurnums

 I thought I'd have a change from the usual bedding plants which haven't done so well trying to cope with the weather the last couple of years.

 My little tree - (I've no idea what it is as it was in the garden before we moved here).  It's leaves are starting to unfurl - it looks so delicate.  A woodpecker has been sitting in it today.  I can see this tree whilst working in my office.

 This should be white!  It is, or at least was, Pulmonaria Sissinghurst White!

 A cornflower

 Yet more aquilegia - these are almost black.

 I let the comfrey grow as Dad likes to take some for his compost heap, but I think this needs a bit of a tidy at the weekend.  I don't want the nettles to get too settled here.

 A close up of the comfrey flowers.

 More new leaves

 A few more nice, warm days and the irises will be in flower.  They are usually in full flower when Chelsea Flower Show is on - but not this year.

 The cherry tree blossom is falling - but actually I love the carpet it creates, almost as much as when it's on the tree.

And I thought you'd like to meet Smudge, who joined me walking around my garden this morning looking for colour.  (Well, she was probably trying to work out if there were any mice around)

I hope you enjoyed your tour! :)

Sara x

A Better Day :)

It felt warmer today (although there was a mist) as soon as I went outside to feed the birds this morning.

Then I heard a cuckoo.  Really loudly and clearly.  Fantastic.  It made me smile.

This is my walk to school - yes, I walked today.  I wasn't grumpy!

It was misty, but the sun was burning through.

Cow parsley and bluebells in abundance.

A big fat caterpillar.  Although my phone camera thinks the leaves below are the interesting part of the photo! :(

Met by the robin as I returned home.  I think it's the sunflower seeds, not me, that he loves.  But he's always enthusiastic to see me.

By lunchtime the mist had burnt away and it was a wonderfully sunny for the rest of the day.

I'd never seen the pheasant and crow feeding together before - one at each tray.

The pheasants red seemed to glisten in the sunshine.

And my apple tree, so heavy with blossom

- photo shamelessly similar to Lucy's here, when I was so jealous she had seen the sun.

Today it was literally alive with bees, working away, under the intense blue sky.  It's a shame you can't hear the noise.

Every time I walked by, I stopped to listen - just fantastic.

They didn't stop until after 7pm.

Let's hope tomorrow and the weekend are similar.

Sara x