The Bloggers Picnic

Totty told me I must be the last person to blog about this. She may well be right.

This is what I went to, organised by Lucy Locket at Millets Farm near Oxford.

Unfortunately, my car had to go to the garage to have a new head-gasket fitted, so I had a courtesy car instead. Oh how I hated this car. It had absolutely no get-up-and-go and it was 1.5 hours drive each way including motorway driving. I will not tell you what make and model it was, just in case you have this car and love it. I just know I would never, ever own one myself.

 

For this picnic, you brought as many boxed Easter Eggs as you had children with you. Now I wasn’t bringing any children, so I felt I was getting off lightly. I had bought some liqueur (non-alcoholic) filled sugar eggs when I was in Denmark, so I made lots of little packets of eggs wrapped in cellophane. I had also bought several packets of little wooden Easter egg decorations, so tied one of these with a bit of knitting yarn or ribbon to each little parcel. These I handed to each of the children at the picnic. This photo of one parcel is courtesy of Jane

You also had to bring a little handmade Easter gift for another blogger. Here is my photo of what I made.

The photo taken by the recipient Mrs Locket herself, is much better than mine, she has the napkin the right way up!

and here is her photo of what was under the rabbits jumper.

I had also made a little something for Lucy for arranging the picnic, again it is Lucy’s photo, I forgot to take one.

The pincushion is inspired by Liselotte (blog is in Danish). I did (as usual) not follow her pattern, but made my own version, very like hers though. The napkins are part of the “stuff” I brought back from Mums. Both are vintage, I think the little one I used to wrap the pincushion in, is hand painted as there is a signature on the back, hidden at the base of the flowers. I love harebells, it is one of the flowers I really miss in this country.

 

The little rabbit is knitted from a pattern by Julie and much to my embarrassment when I minutes later discovered Julie was present, I asked a question of all (if they had seen a similar rabbit for sale in Tesco) when Lucy had unwrapped her present.  I received this

(photo from Jane as I forgot to take one) lovely little girl. A real Little Cotton Rabbit rabbit, made by the designer herself and much sweeter looking than mine.

It was sooo nice to meet all these people whose blogs I have been reading and some new ones too. I hope we do it again next year. Next time I will remember to bring some food, not just something to drink. We were really lucky with the weather, I even managed to get sunburned!

Thank you again Lucy for organising this.

Returning with a garden walk

I know it is a very long time since I last posted anything here. There are many things I had thought to post about and many photo’s taken to post, but it never got that far.

One of the reasons was that I hate writing in Bloggers posting tool. I heard about Live writer, so this is also to test that out. From what I have heard, photo handling is easier with live writer, so this post is mainly photos.

I walked around the garden today, camera in hand, and took photos of what I found growing and of any interest. Hope you enjoy a window into my garden.

 

 

 

Just look at these buds on the Chives, how long before they burst?

 

These are well past their best, but still nice to look at, with their nodding heads.

 

Weeds are allowed in my garden, well some are.

 

This poppy is known as Welsh Poppy in our village, I have forgotten why, and the old lady who originally told me the story, is long gone, ah well, it is nice. Anyone want some seeds?

This is the slightly more orange version.

 

The self-seeded alpine strawberries in the boxes on the wall are flowering too.

 

Just look at the strawberry-to-be

 

This clump of pink primroses are from a clump I received from my Mum many years ago. She had been given hers by an old lady we both knew.

 

So is this yellow Primula.

 

The Forget-me-not have self seeded. The neighbours, when we moved here 21years ago, had it all over their garden in the spring, along with tulips (she still does though they have moved twice since).

 

 

On the subject of self seeded, this geranium has found it’s way into the flowerbox on the front of the porch. I will be evicted soon as I have bought a few plants I want in there instead.

 

The Cowslips are from seeds I have sown myself. There used to be a whole row of them along the outside of our front boundary.

 

I have always loved ferns, but until recently never had any luck growing them.

I just love the way the new leaves uncurl themselves.

 

On the south facing wall of the house we have this growing, known as the “triffid” in our house. You might know it as Kiwi. We get more fruit than we can eat from it and regularly give some of it away to avoid it going bad. The bird box is equipped with a camera and needs to be connected to the telly in my workroom, so that I can keep an eye on anything going on in there. So far I do not think there are any tenants, perhaps it went up too late.

 

To get fruit on the kiwi, you need both female and male plants. When the flowers are open, it is easy to see which is which as the female flowers have a small fruitlet at the base of the flower.

 

When I returned to the house to transfer the photos, I spotted this poinsettia in the front window. My poinsettias seem to last for years and keep getting new leaves. These leaves do not stay green but turn red. How or why, I have no idea as I have always heard that it need darkness to turn red, but mine never moves from the windowsill, well, perhaps to the greenhouse in the summer to get a bit more light and enable us to open the windows fully.

 

It is time to publish this post. If it works, there will be more posts to update you all on what I have been up to so far this year.

Flying Spaghetti Monster

When I saw this here, I knew I had to knit one for Ben, who is rather "into" FSM.

He did however, have to wait until this week for the eyes to be added as they had to arrive from the US. Here he is in all his glory

I did knit Ben a hat with FSM for christmas

He did ask me to knit it for him, and as it has been going to school with him all this week, I think he liked it.

What do you think?

Then and now

3rd January 1987 at Islington Registry Office

3rd January 2009 in Boston, Lincolnshire

I think I know which one of us has changed the most ;o)

I know my blogging has been very hit and miss recently, well more miss than hit, but I am hoping to do better this year; just don't hold your breath!

We had a very quiet Christmas here. Mike worked until 8pm on Christmas Day, so we did not really start Christmas until he had been collected and brought here.

Boxing day was spent quietly enjoying ourselves, both together and seperately in various parts of the house. Dave had talked about going for a walk, but that never happened.

Saturday, we all went to Southampton. Dave wanted to get some running gear; he has decided to take up running with the aim of joining in the local "Fun Run" next Boxing day. Hmmm, we will see. The boys and I don't believe he will go out more than a few times and so far he has been out once, for about 10 minutes! Ben and I wanted to go to Borders to get some new books, which we did. Ben has already read his, I have hidden mine away for another day (holiday). I also managed to get something to wear for New Years Eve and or BIL's Birthday party.

Nothing much happened then until New Years Eve. Dave and I went to the local pub/restaurant with my FIL and his "girlfriend" and her daughter and SIL, who also live in our village; their boys are friends with our boys and the "oldies" got to know each other through us. Pete went down the woods with the rest of the youngsters from the village. They had a generator, soundsystem (small) and a large bonfire for warmth and cooking. Ben was asleep when we went out and still asleep when we returned at 3am. Pete was home and in bed by then too. We had a really great evening and have allready decided that we will do the same next year (going to the pub Christmas and New years eve) as it made so very enjoyable and nothing much ever happens at home.

New years day was for sobering up and getting ready to go away.

Friday we drove up to Boston, about 160miles, taking just over 4 hours when towing a caravan! I did not have to drive as I had insured my car to enable Pete to drive too; I don't really want Dave to drive towing a caravan, I don't really like his driving at the best of times and I am sure he is more than happy with that!. Pete said he was happy to drive all the way, but when we got there, he did say that he did not like the last part (after Peterborough) as he did not like all the small roundabouts in my car. My car is higher of the ground than his and you have to be a lot slower on the roundabouts than in his car as it feels like the car is going to topple over otherwise.

Ben and Mike (he came up by train as he was working until 2pm) stayed in the guestroom in the complex where my MIL and her sister lives. (retirement flats with a warden). Pete, Dave and I stayed in the caravan on a lovely site a few miles outside town. Though our caravan is old and without most modern con's, we do have electricity and have a small oilfilled heater which was enough to take the chill of the air in the 'van. We also have very good sleeping bags, one of the benefits of having a son working in a camping shop ;o)

We had a lovely meal out friday night at a local pub with my MIL.

Saturday, after a bit of shoppping (needed a present for BIL) we sorted out MIL's laptop, then went to deliver our presents to BIL before returning to the caravan to get ready for the party. We had decided to get a taxi to the party to enable all of us to enjoy the evening.

Our boys with FIL

I think we all enjoyed the evening and after breakfast and a quick visit to MIL on Sunday morning we returned home again. We were lucky with the traffic and the journey time was just the same as the journey up.

Monday saw the return to "normal", whatever that might be

And some more

What I have been Making in December