No Grumps Today.

The grumps have gone thanks to your sweet comments - thank you - and a beautiful long day of sunshine... just the one you understand, nothing too much nor too heady a cup to sip from, but a hot, sunshiney day nonetheless where we decamped from the house to the beach returning home late in the day to collapse full of that wonderful lassitude from a day of fresh, fresh air. A day of playing



of blue skies with the fluffiest of clouds occasionally, lazily, drifting by



of searching for shells for Mummy



that last lazy amble across the beach as the sun gently lowers casting long shadows in its wake. Pretty fields across the water aren't they?



Other than these intermittent trips to the shore the week has been full of making. The holiday jar came up with 'make a cake' and oh, it was delicious ...



and also produced a label saying 'make bread animals' which produced some truly gruesome creatures once the dough had risen!



The rolls Dave also made were so scrumptious - love that word - and so good toasted,
slathered with butter and mint jelly that I have just made another batch for breakfast. Quite fancy trying teacakes at the weekend, though it does suggest a roaring fire and pot of tea to accompany them.



A cushion I sewed for Granny-Mother's birthday. I really enjoyed making this as I just made it up as I went along. No drawing first or planning out...bliss. Dreadful picture as it was a very dull day.



A cluster of houses...



a lighthouse...



and it all ends up feeling very Falmouthian - or that was the hope anyway!



That's me for now.



Have a lovely day x

A Toothy Tale.

Little Lucy lost another tooth. Now for many parents this does not present any particular problem. For me, however, it is quite a different story. You see, Lucy-Lu writes a note - well, a letter of ever-increasing length actually - to the tooth fairy chatting about this and that, the drama surrounding said tooth and whether or not she has been a good girl since the last dental saga.



This gives me a headache on a number of points:
1. Have I confused her somehow and is this why she thinks Good Behaviour is part of the deal?

2. She expects a reply hand-written by the fairy who incidentally happens to be called Lilly.

3. Lucy is now 10 and knows sure as skippy there is no Tooth Fairy - stop with the shocked expression please as I do guilt far too well to take on board the ruination of bloggers' innocent dreams! The letter writing consists of her asking me endlessly whether I think the fairy will have improved her neatness of hand (I write a reply with my left hand which renders it almost illegible) whilst looking at me with that 'hmm, let's see how well you answer this then or are you going to mess up by letting slip at last that she doesn't exist' expression.



Trust me, when you wake from your deepest slumber with a feeling that you have left something major undone and then have to fish about under the pillow of sleeping child who has made sure there is every chance you will waken her by placing blinking miniscule tooth firmly under her head, it is very tempting to disabuse said child of any notions of fairyness, toothyness and any other ness that may spring to mind.
However, instead I decided to make this...



a Tooth Fairy purse in order that I may have something larger than Lucy's teeny tooth to find and place the required response into - the response by the way is usually written on blue card. Why? Haven't a clue! Anyway, this little purse has made it all so much easier and Lucy is so pleased with it that she didn't even give me the knowing 'look', just one of pure pleasure that her dearest Mamma should have spent her time embroidering flowers just for her.



And she really doesn't need to know that I would rather do that than housework any day...does she? The purse now is available on my website for all those in a similar predicament with many more trips from the Tooth Fairy to contemplate.

Bye for now x

Not much going on....

Well, it's Sunday and not a lot is happening here. We were planning to make a batch of cider using our dear little cider press, but so far only the Spartan apples are ready and this bowl will not a barrel of cider make. Have to wait a bit longer for the fun of apple picking, pressing and trying out the wonderful juice - it really is so unlike anything I have ever bought, though perhaps too sweet to drink much at a time.



So, while the rest of the household is involved in various bits of this and that - Dave is sprawled on our bed working on the story he is writing for Elias and very good it is too; Lucy is playing behind me with dragons, as you do; Isabella is asleep for a bit, thank heavens and Sam is working off nervousness on the playstation (oh, how I hate it!) as he has an ear operation tomorrow - I am finally getting around to acknowledging some awards I have recently received from these lovely people:

Diana at Pebbledash & Zoe at Garden Hopping for the Arte y Pico award

Ginny at the Flour Loft for the 'I Love Your Blog' award

Carol at Katherine's Dream for The Brilliante Weblog awards

I am embarassed to admit that I think there were one or two other tag/awards, but I can't remember as I have taken so long to get round to this, ungrateful beast that I am. I won't pass them on as I think they have done the rounds for so long that people will wonder what on earth I am doing. Thank you to everyone who has ever even thought of me when handing out such things as it truly does mean a lot that people enjoy my ramblings and the pictures that accompany them, and especially when these people return time and again to leave comments - thank you x And PLEASE go visit the above mentioned blogs as they are all on my regular reading list for a variety of reasons, but most importantly are written by such lovely, lovely people.




I also want to thank dear Jane who blogs as Snailbeachshepherdess on a site called Purplecoo, my home from home where I am lucky enough to have made so many friends from all walks of life. Jane kindly sent me this wonderful batch of tapestry and embroidey threads - well, actually the beautiful heap of colours and textures arrived looking just gorgeous until I delved in and started using them. Now they are relegated to my usual heap, but I can honestly say Jane that I am using them, thank you so very much x




I thought this picture worth a repeat as it reminds me of how hard I sometimes struggle with the designing of new items. Some days the ideas just pop out of my head onto the paper and from thence to the fabric, other days I could rip my fast-greying hair out by its very roots. This was one such day - rosehips were in my head, but refused to evolve in the way I wanted. The story so far is one I am not remotely happy with and will have to return to soon, but for now it is enough to see the darned thing here in all its frustrating lack of loveliness as a reminder that it is not all quite like it seems in Country Living with the sun shining merrily as one sits in the garden, fingers fair flying over the linen as visions of loveliness emerge in ones hands...well, not always...





Happy Sunday xx

Where is the sun?

Goodness, it's hard to take a decent photograph at the moment. It was so dull here when I got up this morning that it made me think of the first week the children go back to school after the Autumn half-term holiday. We usually have beautiful weather here for September - all mellow mists and fruitfulness, hot days with a chill underlying, just lovely - but the week the children go back in October always turns dull, dark and dank, just as it is now. Where is the June sun? probably everywhere other than Cornwall. Still, on to other things.





Yesterday, Isabella and I decided a trip to the beach was needed and as Lucy had gone to a friend's house for tea, we had an hour or two to use up. Off we went to Castle Beach where we were the only people to be seen on the sandy shore, so cold and windy was the day. We wrapped our jackets tightly around us and raced off arms outstretched as we soared in an 'amazing' imitation of airplanes or seagulls depending on how Isabella felt at any given moment (meaning that whichever I said we were she claimed the opposite!) As I didn't have my camera with me for once, I have put a picture of Lucy on yet another cold though marginally brighter day earlier this week so as not to have a claim of favouritism lodged against me!





The wild and wooly weather had blown up drifts of shells by the bucketload. All I had to hand in my highly organised way was a doll's teacup whcih Isabella quickly filled with this beautiful treasure




I have been working on a few wedding orders which involve lavender, embroidery and wonderful combinations of fabrics: thick, slubby (is that a word?) cottons overlaid with delicate muslins. Unfortunately, I can't actually show any of them as they tend to include the names of the bride, bridesmaid, etc or some other personalised motif. I really need to find some time to make up some as samples, but time and I are having a battle at the moment and I am clearly not the one with the most points.





I love making these sachets which also seem to make an ideal present from the couple to the mothers of the bride and groom, and I really like the idea that they can be made so personal by the inclusion of something dear to the recipient such as a favourite flower embroidered in the chosen colours or a symbol such as a butterfly like the one above (insects of all sorts are very popular). Lovely to think these little momentoes which disappear all over the country were stitched in my little sewing room in Cornwall.





Well, that's me done for today. Judging by this picture of Mr Dave's writing room I have some weeding to do this weekend! Hope you all have a good one with lots of sun xx

P.S. Forgot to say, for those who have enquired about recipes for elderflower cordial if you click here it will take you to our recipe on my website x