Weekend Adventure

I am back from my little trip away and can report I had a wonderful time.  I managed to spend some quality time with Bertie at the park.  The adventure playground was indeed a great adventure with many forms of apparatus to scramble over.

 

Why is it they have to climb up the slide?

 

 

There were lots of little hidey holes to hide from Granny and surprise her, making him squeal with laughter.

 

 

Hold me up Granny....

 

 

Not really sure I am tall enough myself but at least we can both say we tried everything.

 

 

Balancing on the bars was a little easier...

 

 

Granny had to have a sit down, climbing the ropes was not an option.  A nice pot of tea was the order of the day so back down to the tea rooms we went with a promise that we would play on the giant connect four.

 

 

Grandad really enjoyed that, we are going to have a look around for some giant games for the garden for us all to enjoy.

 

Saturday brought a wonderful surprise, Wilbur and his Daddy arrived for a visit as Victoria had gone to London for a hen party.  Bertie and Wilbur love to spend time together and really enjoy each others company.  It was a real bonus to spend time with both Grandsons.  We went on an outing to The Olde Watermill Shopping Village at Barton Le Clay.

 

 

Shame the watermill is not a working mill but it was a delight to see it.  Some of the artefact outside were also a bonus to see.  We had a lovely stroll around the many shops and booths which had a wide range of goods available from shabby chic furniture to handcrafted soaps and candles.  The boys loved the old fashioned sweet shop, I am talking big boys the 2 son-in-laws, whilst the 2 smaller boys were enthusiastic about turtles in the toy shop and the play park.  There was a lovely antiques and collectables store which I could have walked around many times, definitely my kind of store.

 

 

Wilbur was Jake the pirate but was a little too small for the telescope.  We had lunch at the village too and enjoyed sitting outside overlooking a pool.

 

 

A wonderful few days that were over too quickly.  Thank you for all your wonderful comments on my last few posts, I will catch up with you all as soon as I can, a start as been made.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five On Friday

The mini heat wave was indeed mini, a short lived sunny interlude which was enjoyed immensely but we are back to a typical British summer.  Cloudy and showers with sunny intervals seems to be the forecast for the next few days.  I am leaving shortly for a visit to my daughters and to see Bertie for the weekend so I will catch up with everyone on my return.

Summer means reaping the harvest of the garden and spending copious time weeding, to that end my five on Friday post is once again garden orientated.  This week I have chosen to share five herbs that I enjoy in my garden.  I use a lot of herbs in cooking, so they are a great addition to the kitchen.

First up is mint, we have tried many varieties but favour the common garden mint which is a perfect accompaniment to new potatoes.

 

Lemon thyme is another favourite that I use a lot.  It is great chopped up in scrambled eggs for something a little different, a thyme butter is perfect for rubbing on chicken or pork for added flavour.

 

 

 

 

 

Chives is next up, it has been a little slow to get established but I do have several pots.  It is my go to herb for salads in lots of forms but particularly potato salad.  It is great with cheese and adds flavour to sour cream for baked potatoes.

 

 

 

I have several containers all around the garden of lavender and I must confess I rarely use it for cooking but I grow it to dry out for gifts.  I dry the flowers and use to make lavender bags for the airing cupboard and drawers.

 

 

Last but not least is basil, a great addition to any Italian style meal it goes particularly well with tomatoes so is great added to any tomato based sauce.  Once again I grow it in pots and is a great asset to the kitchen.

 

 

Five herbs that each have their own personalities but are a great addition to even the simplest of meals.  Have you got a favourite go to herb?  I am once again joining Amy at Love Made My Home for the Five on Friday post, pop over and see what everyone has been up to.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I will catch up with you when I get back.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Car Boot Sale/New Home Gifts

We were blessed last week with a mini heat wave which I must admit I really did enjoy.  I am obviously a sun worshipper and loved the warmth on my skin.  It brought the crowds out as people from inland flocked to the coast.  I have to admit to taking full advantage of the good weather and finally stood at a car boot sale selling my wares.  I had sorted out all my clothes that were too big since I had lost weight, books, toys that the children had grown out of and umpteen other bits and pieces that were no longer needed or wanted.  One mans rubbish is another mans treasure I sold such a lot of things raising over £300.  I was so pleased with that and intend to go again when we have some half decent weather once more.  The mini heat wave was indeed MINI and has come to an abrupt end, once again bringing rain to the East coast and a cool wind which is normal for us.  I did however manage to get the bedding washed and dried this afternoon.

 

I love the smell of sheets that have been  hung to dry outside.  I have also been busy altering a dress that I came across in the pile for getting rid of as I didn't like the neckline.

 

 

Instead of discarding the dress, I decided to make it into a skirt ready for my trip to Florida in the Autumn.  I cut out the zip and cut off the top, then simply re stitched the seam and turned over and sewed the top edge.  A few simple adjustments and it is now an item of clothing that I will wear.

 

 

Amie, my daughter and her little family moved home a couple of weeks ago, so we are going down for the weekend to visit.  I have some Cath Kidston fabric that she adores so I have made them a table cloth and a runner for their new home. 

 

 

I have edged the cloth with some vintage lace to give it a luxurious feel.  I have also stitched a plain runner for the coffee table in the same fabric.

 

 

I hope they will be very happy in their new home.   The rain has certainly saved us a job of watering today and has given some of the blooms a renewed lease of life, the sun was giving them a hard time and making them wilt.  They are coming back with a renewed vigour.  What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?  I am certainly getting the impression that there are some unusual weather patterns about at the moment.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

Watering Hole Frolics In The Sun

The mini heat wave continues here on the East Coast of England, with people flocking to the area for the sea, sand  and sunshine.  The local pub has been doing a roaring trade with the sale of their cold drinks.  However, it was quite the surprise when the local stables stopped in for a pint...

 

Well, it made me smile, it's not something you see everyday. Has the sun created any amusing scenes in your area?

 

Thank you for all your lovely comments, it is such a honour to hear from you and a very warm welcome to new followers.  I certainly hope you enjoy my little adventures as I go through life, living life the best that I can.

 

See you soon.

 

 

Five on Friday

I can't believe we are back around to Friday already, the weeks are just flying by.  We are having a heat wave over here in the UK at the moment and even on the coast the winds are quite calm and the temperatures seem to be soaring.  There is a lot of holiday makers looking a little like lobsters at the moment, the wind by the sea lulls people into a false sense of security therefore people get burnt very quickly.

The garden has been idyllic this week so my five this week is produce that we are enjoying.  I was inspired by many posts this week with some rather yummy strawberry recipes therefore my number one is strawberries:

 

I only have about 12 plants but they are producing a lot of strawberries and the sun this week is ripening them very quickly.  We have been enjoying iced strawberry mint tea sitting in the sun.  So my number two is mint such a wonderful combination.

 

 

Three is lettuce that we are eating on a daily basis, so much better than shop bought.  There is a real sense of pride in enjoying the fruits of your labour.

 

 

We have grown two varieties this year both with quite different taste and texture.  Lolo rosso and little gem, definitely on the list to do again.

 

Number four is spring onions the another beautiful combination with the salad leaves for a side dish with almost anything.

 

 

Finally peas, they are not quite ready to harvest but are coming along nicely and are a wonderful, versatile addition to the garden.

 

 

I am once again joining Amy over at Love Made My home for the weekly Five on Friday fun.  What have you got growing in your garden?