The Sweet Taste Of Summer

The weather at the moment is glorious, perfect for sitting in the garden with an iced tea chatting watching the world go by.  We have had a quiet weekend marvelling and taking full advantage of the sun just sitting in the garden.  We did go for a stroll around the garden centre and had a meal there, although it didn't really save me cooking as I needed to make soup for my Dad.  I made a rather luxurious leek and mushroom one which was very tasty.

  I also used up the last of the parsnips from the freezer and made a parsnip and sweet potato soup, adding peppers, celery and onion to give it an extra burst of flavour.

 

Not forgetting the nutmeg a must with parsnips.

 

We really have been rewarded on a daily basis for the fruits of our labour in the garden.  We are harvesting and revelling in the taste of summer.

 

 

Lettuce, onions and strawberries.  The onions are a delight and add flavour to most of our meals at the moment.

 

 

Broad beans and peas are been harvested and are a real delight.  A few peas added to our salads are a sweet surprise.

 

 

My little plot of containers are producing well and are a great reward, the beautiful sweet taste of summer.  What could be better.

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

Five on Friday - House Building

As is the custom for Friday, I am joining Amy over at Love Made My Home for the weekly get together.  Gerard and I are big on lists, we have a list for a list but at the moment we are concentrating on our Winter activities list.  We do a lot of jigsaws/crosswords little wood projects and of course sewing/crochet I am sure you have the picture.  This year we want to make a dolls house, furniture and decorate it.  We bought a house some time ago (years) with a view to refurbishing it but the children loved it and play with it every time they visit.

 

We don't want to take away the pleasure from them so our plan is to add to the estate.    This week I am sharing five books that we are using to plan our winter adventure together.

 

 

We have already started to pick up small patterned fabrics and some mini tools essential for the task.  We are quite keen for it to be played with so it needs to be sturdy, some of the projects are made from paper which really aren't suitable.

 

 

We have plans to go to a miniature fair next month to get some more ideas and pick up a few bits I am sure.

 

 

In the meantime back to reality the house needs a good wipe down from sticky fingers from the last visitor.  We have no real plans just pottering this weekend, maybe a meal out tomorrow.  Have you got a favourite restaurant?

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

The Perfect Afternoon

Gerard and I popped down to Norwich yesterday to spend some quality time with out daughter Victoria and her little family.  It was lovely to see them, Wilbur was very keen to show us the local park and to show me what a big boy he was on the climbing frame.  It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and Wilbur even managed a short time in the paddling pool.

 

 

They are certainly blessed with a beautiful park with lots of equipment to suit all ages and paddling pool for those hot lazy summer days.  There is even formal gardens, wildflower areas and a beautiful lake.  Wilbur was very keen to show me the rickety bridge that apparently isn't rickety but a good bridge none the less.

 

 

We fed the ducks with the obligatory bread and were surrounded by several different species,  a sight to behold.

 

 

Wilbur was thrilled that the Swans had babies...

 

 

...it was lovely to sit and watch them.  Typical British weather it had to spoil itself and rain so it was a bit of a dash to get back to the house.  Luckily it didn't last long and it soon dried up.  We were able to enjoy the garden and a beautiful afternoon tea.  I can assure you it was a tasty treat she certainly knows how to please us.

 

 

Wilbur thinks his Grandad is magic, me I think he is a trickster but it makes me smile the way he performs his little tricks for them.  Hector is growing so quickly and reaches out to grabs things, he is pretty good at pulling at your glasses and hair.

 

 

He is a treasure.  The perfect afternoon...

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

Weekend - Just Chilling

Thank you so much for all your comments on my last post, it was wonderful to read them .  Weddings certainly evoke so many wonderful memories for most.   I do have a couple more Wedding attire patterns that are fun to see but I actually am a collector of all vintage patterns which include, sewing patterns, knitting patterns, crochet patterns and embroidery and cross stitch patterns .  I do use some of them but not all.  I am quite selective with patterns and only choose ones that I love to keep my collections quite small. 
                                                                                                                                                                 A quiet weekend, enjoying each others company and content just to potter.  I finally had a trip to Boston on Friday so that I could pick up some wadding to do Honey's quilt.  It has been a project that has no urgency so is constantly overlooked.  Now that I have the wadding I intend to make it a priority and get it done.   I always enjoy projects that involve the children, every stitch is a stich filled with love.

 

I have done the odd row here and there on the cowl, I am still enjoying the pleasure of the Alpaca yarn such a delight to work with.

 

 

I am over half way already and it really has been the odd row here and there.

 

Good food and good company is all that was needed to make a great weekend.

 

 

Sometimes a quiet weekend for reflection and contemplation is a refreshing change to the busyness of everyday living.  How did you spend your weekend?

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five on Friday - Weddings

Waking this morning I looked out of the window and yes you have guessed we are back to rain.  Rain, a brides big fear.  I am joining Amy over at Love Made My Home for the weekly get together, I hope you pop over and join in the fun.  This week I am having a little fun with Weddings, sharing some interesting facts about Wedding traditions along with 5 of my vintage wedding attire patterns.

One

Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger on the  left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.

 

Two

 

Queen Victoria is credited with starting the Western Worlds white wedding dress trend in 1840 - before then brides wore their best dress.

 

 

Three

 

The tradition of a wedding cake comes from Ancient Rome where guests broke a loaf of bread over the brides head for fertilities sake.

 

 

Four

 

Brides traditionally wear veils because Ancient Greeks and Romans believed they protected her from evil spirits.

 

 

Five

 

The tradition of a bride wearing 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue comes from an old English rhyme.  Something old represents continuity, something new offers optimism for the future, something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness, something blue stands for purity love and fidelity.

 

 

Just a little fun this Friday, the facts taken from a Brides magazine and the patterns part of my collection.  It seems to be the month for weddings.  Did you have a Summer wedding or like me opt for the beauty of the Winter?

 

See you soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer...At Last

Finally the sun is shining, dare I say it NO RAIN!!!!  It feels a little like summer, long may it last.  We finally did another car boot sale this morning and managed to get rid of the bulk of things we wanted out of the house.  One more trip to the charity shop and we have finished and made a little money too.

The sun makes everything well with the world.  I have been having issues with a crochet project, a cotton top for myself, the first one was too small the next size up too big and I didn't make any adjustments so looks awful.  Its in a bag ready to be pulled back.  In the mean time a change of weather and a change of project.

 

I loved the geometric design of this cowl and have made a start...

 

 

...using the bargain Alpaca yarn I bought some weeks ago.  It is a dream to crochet with, this is one that I will be keeping for myself.

 

 

Once you get into the rhythm of the eight row pattern it grows quite quickly.

 

The sun has also done wonders for the garden, we finally have some ripe strawberries.  Half a bowl, enough for us to have a sweet treat.

 

 

That does mean that it is time to go to the local farm where you can pick your own,  our Grandaughter's Lily and Daisy love to go adventuring around the fruit.  A wonderful taste of Summer.

 

The peas are starting to plump up and we are enjoying a handful tossed into our salads.

 

 

Finally the lilies have bloomed and are such a vibrant colour they are a delight to see.

 

 

We have an abundance of gooseberries so I have been looking for recipes to use them in something a little different.

 

 

We are so excited there is apples on our little tree.

 

 

Sadly, there is also an abundance of weeds and lawns that are in need of mowing so I will leave you and get on with some garden tasks.

 

As always thank you for your well wishes for my husband, Gerard and your encouraging comments.

 

See you soon.