Three Days Off

Some of you will know that I started a new job in September.  I'm enjoying it but it is very full on (isn't any new job) and, combined with fortnightly trips to Norfolk to my parents, leaves me very thankful for the free time that I have.

This week I took 3 days off from work, and have enjoyed some 'me time'.   I've done some more knitting.

It's been quite a phaff getting the colours right as I changed them from the original.  I've unpicked several sections more than once, but I'm pleased with it now.

I've walked by the river and managed to see my first ever kingfisher.

On one day I met Celia for lunch and a wander round Risby Barns where I bought these two pieces, a little Poole poetry vase and the bigger green vase which is Kensington (part of the Stoke on Trent potteries).

Today I walked back to the river, quite early, in the hope of finding more kingfishers.  I didn't find them,  possibly because the rowing club were practicing,

but I did see a flock of firecrests in the trees, really close, their bright orange head stripes almost glowed! And a flock of siskin (no photos of either).

But best of all I heard the water rail squealing away.  I knew they were on that particular island but had never heard them before.

Back to work on Monday!

Birthdays, Messes and Little Plays

Did you celebrate this weekend?  It was my birthday and I'd like to thank the nation for providing me with a weekend of bunting, pageants, concerts and flypasts - I'm sure the Queen doesn't mind sharing her jubilee with my birthday!  Three of the aircraft from the flypast flew right over my house this afternoon, they must have been on their way to line up. 

I don't really do big celebrations for birthdays, but I had a lovely meal on Sunday with some friends (whose husband also has the same birthday as me) and they bought me this little Victorian stool - isn't it just gorgeous? 

It's for sitting on down by the pond, so I don't have to sit on the mossy rock anymore (not the most comfortable of seats and often slightly damp!).

I had coffee on it on my birthday morning whilst watching the tadpoles - they have tiny back legs now.

But I'm afraid that for much of the rest of the weekend I've been ensconced in my study, as it had become rather untidy (that could possibly be a rather large understatement) and I couldn't actually work or sew in the space that was left!  This was it before I started to tidy up on Sunday afternoon (I do wish I was naturally tidy and that mess didn't accumulate around me!):

This was it by Monday afternoon (that awful "I wish I'd never started this" stage):

And this is it now - finished, and very organised!:

By throwing out loads of old paperwork I managed to clear enough space to put all my fabric on the shelves and not in piles on the floor.  It also gave me the chance to go through all the fabric I was fortunate enough to acquire via a friend of a friend on twitter the other week (but more of that another time).

Part of the reason for the tidy up was that I bought these Amy Butler fabrics from John Lewis on Saturday.

and now I actually have the space to make them into a dress and a skirt.

But I'd hate you to think that I've just been tidying - I've also been playing.  With this little lady, and her brother and sister.

Don't panic she's not mine, my neighbour breeds Abyssinian cats, and they need to get used to being handled and played with before they can be sold - it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Happy Blog Birthday Purple Podded Peas!

I've been to a birthday party - a blog birthday party as Purple Podded Peas was 5 years old yesterday!  Celia's blog was the very first blog that I read when I first discovered this thing called "blogging" so it was lovely to be able to share her celebrations with her.  I also got to meet Fiona whose blog I've also read regularly as it's a wonderful resource for recipes and vegetable growing tips.

We filmed a tour of her vegetable garden (can you spot the ginger studio assistant keeping an eye on us?). 

Purple Podded Peas vegetable garden with the Three Sisters mound in the foreground

(Actually we filmed it twice due to a technical issue commonly known as "finger over the lens"! You can view the final film here).

We met the under-gardeners in her old walled garden (they too were filmed).

Purple Podded Peas Under-Gardeners

And we filmed the DragonFly Pond - but stupidly I didn't take any pictures of it!

We had cake, and lots of laughs.

I came home with some gorgeous eggs (some of which I had for supper tonight)

and more cake, which I had this afternoon with a cup of tea in my garden.

There are more films, and a giveaway on her blog, so pop over and have a look, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself!

Thanks for a lovely afternoon Celia, and Happy Birthday Purple Podded Peas!

Four Years On and Another Leap Day!

Today is a bit of a special day for me as it's 4 years ago today that I bought this house.  Nothing special about that you might think, but although it was 4 years ago it's only actually the first anniversary because the date was February 29th!

The first thing I did once I'd got the keys was investigate the shed (I'm a shed kind of girl who knows her priorities!).  It was painted a VERY bright blue (it's now cream) and had lots of interesting bits and pieces left in it and it smelt wonderful!

I didn't move in for another 5 days and at this time on the 29th Feb 2008 we were busy filling cracks in walls and preparing to paint.  I had wonderful friends who helped me and over the next two days we painted both bedrooms - changing the walls from strong colours to cream took several coats of paint and was hard work.  Then the bedroom carpets were laid and I moved in on the Thursday.

Stupidly I didn't take any pictures of the house and garden when I actually moved in, but this was the garden when I started tackling it and clearing the ground of ivy and other weeds

And this was the bathroom at the end of the first day of replacing the bathroom suite (much of the Edwardian plaster had blown and fell off when the tiles were removed!)

It's a lovely house with a very special garden and I'm looking forward to many more years of living here even though I can only mark the actual day every 4 years!