Bouncing Along

I was about to start by saying how much I love Spring, but then I thought, you know, I actually love all of our seasons as much as each other. I love how our year is broken into four bits all with different festivals, foods and changes in nature to look forward to. 

For now though it's Easter time and that means chicks and bunnies to me (oh and family feasts and chocolate too).

It also means lots of lovely days doing just what we please. 

Mid-week we headed to Foxley Woods. Foxley is an ancient woodland with the most stunning displays of bluebells.

 We had a leisurely meander with Little Bun and her friend following behind lost in chatter.

Spring also means a beautiful play of light on the walls. It makes getting up early less of a hideous thing for a night owl like me.

We actually managed to rise at 6am this week so we could drive down to London for a day of this 'n' that (I'll show you what we found next time I pop by).

 Another thing I'm hugely in favour of with seasonal festivities is the baking that goes with it. 

I made fairy egg buns for the girls, a Simnel cake (slightly burnt so it's best to just eat the middle bit) and a few cheese scones for the cheesy addicts. 

Little Bun and I still plan to knock up a few bunny and egg shaped lemon  biscuits as they've become a tradition of ours.

Today I've been playing chauffeur. Little Bun and her daddy have been planning a long off the beaten track walk for a while now and today was the day. 

Once I'd delivered them to the track I did the horrid food shop and then was greeted with the lovely sight of a sleepy bee waiting on the doorstep just for me!

 Miss Rosey got on with our lunch while I hung washing and generally faffed about with some of our animals.

Maggie and Bluebell in synchronised dance routine. Little Olive was busy in a bush laying eggs somewhere so missed out on the dancing.

 Further up I found Pixie had made another break for freedom. Not surprising as her outdoor run is very Heath Robinson (badly made and falling to bits if you don't know of the bloke).

 I left her to it. She's old and doesn't get too far, plus I needed the crack team to help me catch her.

 Walking back to the house I saw the ladies were still prancing and a dancing.

 No sooner it seemed than I got in to eat my lunch than I was called to come and collect the hikers. Six miles in and they found the path was blocked off so back they'd come tired, but happy.

Once home I sat down with my latest knitting and hooky obsession while uploading pics.

I opened up my bag of 4 ply cottons a couple of days ago and ever since I've been in colour heaven.

I'm loving working on these beautiful doilies and already have lots of other colourways planned.

I tried them in DK cotton at first, but they grab me best of all in the finer 4 ply.

 

Alongside these, last minute as usual, I started knocking up an egg cosy or two or three for friends who don't eat chocolate (hard to believe these people exist, but they actually do).

 Well it's been a lovely old week so far of Springtime goodness. 

Now thoughts turn to whether or not the Easter bunny will show up, will I burn the lunch and is it rude to squeeze in a spot of knitting when we have guests? 

Happy Easter to each of you.

Four Days

Mid-week I suddenly remembered it was our wedding anniversary. On the radio I heard the words anniversary and I thought to myself, ours is at the beginning of April. Having my head in switched off holiday mode I hadn't got a clue what the date was, so for all I knew we'd missed it. When I checked on the calendar I realised all was fine as our anniversary was on Good Friday. Even though I'd remembered in the nick of time, there was the problem of the lack of one man to celebrate it with. On Friday he was going to be heading off in the wee hours on a mini-bus to take a team to play and watch football. One of the projects Mr Bun set up and runs is an educational soccer programme for homeless and vulnerable adults which has been going for years now. The project has rightly won many awards for all the support it's given to so many people, so I couldn't really moan could I. He did remind me that I'd forgotten anyways - ha!

Good Friday was spent having a lovely lunch with my folks and then having friends over for a sozzled pizza supper. My sweet mum bought the anenomes for me as I'd had these for my wedding bouquet. Plans were to take the Buns out for lunch with us on Saturday, then a friend invited them to come and play for the day as they had a new horse to show them.

In the end it was just the two of us walking along holding hands and doing just what we wanted. We stopped off at the Arts Centre to see an exhibition of Blitz photos of Norwich (which was included in the Baedeker Raids); warmed up with some hot mocha coffee and then I had a quick dash around the Jumble Sale going on in there and picked up the pretty blue apron. Next up we headed off to try out the new Vegetarian restaurant. It was such bliss to look at a menu with a choice of more than two things. The food was delicious and the company was pretty fine too.

Inspired by Jane's, lovely makes I decided to make the Buns some creatures like hers as Easter presents. I managed to finish off these wee bunnies before the real life Buns returned and get them hidden away for the next day.

Luckily the Easter Bunny turned up again this year. Very early on Sunday the Buns searched high and low filling their baskets with eggs before scoffing one or two.

Little Bun proudly gave us all a present she'd made at school. I'm so glad the teachers still make sure the children have time to make these gifts to bring home.

We had a family lunch planned, but we were all uncertain if my dad would be able to come. My dad is 85 and has declined really quickly with his health lately. He struggles to breathe and can hardly walk alongside tons of other difficulties, but he's not old in his head. He has always been a highly active man - sailing, racing cars, playing golf and running his own garage and then a boatyard. My mum is so much younger than dad so it's really not easy for her as she cares for him and can't share life as they used to. Their strong friendship gets them through though. Thankfully mum managed to get dad here and then we could spoil her and give her a day away knowing dad was safe and looked after too.

We had a great lunch with tons of laughter and ended with the choice of a pavlova and my first ever effort at a fruit cake. I really fancied making a Simnel cake, but I forgot it was in the oven and singed a few of the apostles. All the same they taste good.

Today was so cold and rainy so it was an easy choice to decide to just snuggle up at home. Horrible Histories were on, I sat happily making a few more things for Saturday's market and we all munched a bit more choc. A perfect way to end a lovely long weekend.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter too.

Connected

Woohoo - we've been connected back to modern technology, so here I am again.

Instead of googling and blog reading in the evenings I've been knitting and hooking. The floral coasters have proved addictive.

I've started on a run of Good Egg cosies for easter and have been making endless flowers for Spring Posy Brooches.

Then there's Little Bun's 10th birthday at the end of the month for which I've plans a plenty. I've chosen some Amy Butler Peacock fabric to make her a tunic dress. With aqua footless tights and bright ballet pumps I think she'll be pleased with her new spring outfit. For Kitty, her doll, I've found pretty prints for a dress and skirt. To go with these I've been knitting a green cardigan. If only people were doll sized I'd be able to knit up a whole wardrobe in a couple of weeks.

For her birthday Little Bun has asked for a craft party followed by a posh tea with an Alice in Wonderland theme. Crafty ideas are for mask decorating, tissue flower making and egg cosies. While I clear up and get out the pretty china Mr Bun is in charge of croquet and treasure hunts.

I'm already excited about making buns with chicks on them and badly want to make pink meringues to glitter and have as egg nests. Shame I make really flat rubbish meringues so I might have to get a spot of practice in before the big day.

Before all of this we've got Mother's Day. My day when I get to call the shots as I've informed them all. So a car boot in the morning and then off to Little Vintage Lover by the sea. I fancy making some of these strawberry shortbreads to take to my mum's for afternoon tea on the way home. That's Sunday arranged in my head.

On Saturday we've got a skip to fill (which I daftly ordered when I was feeling all organised) and bulbs to plant. I've also bought large daisies and anenomes to give us some colour in June. Fingers crossed the hens don't eat them before then.

Hennypenny our eldest hen has been suffering with a poorly foot of late. At the moment she's back hobbling around the garden, but when it's bad it curls up and she can't stand without tipping over so sits in the henhouse chirruping to herself. I've given her scrambled eggs and Little Bun feeds her cornflakes every morning to give her protein and vitamins. Not sure what else we can do, so any hen ideas you might have would be appreciated.

Right that's me, now off for lunch with a good friend and then a whole long day stretching ahead. Miss Rosey at drama until 6pm and Little Bun at a party until 7pm. Fingers crossed I get those dresses made this afternoon. 

Snippets

Little Bun has been very poorly for a couple of days with high temperatures and night sickness. Thankfully she's her smiley self again. 

Having to snuggle up at home was just what we all needed. I finally tried out the Japanese Flower pattern from Attic 24. I've been wanting to have a go at these for a while now. I love the look of them and think them fine enough for me to buy the proper yarn for them. I've still not decided on colours yet, bright and zingy or muted tones.

Eldest Bun and I couldn't wait any longer to make our Easter tree so we went scavenging in the garden for twigs and sticks. We weren't pleased that Mr Bun had hacked the cherry tree so high we couldn't reach it.

Without any blossom we decided to make our own. We picked out some of the mini flowers I'd crocheted an age ago and tied them on to the sticks. Eldest Bun had a lovely time arranging wee creatures here and there. They're now peeking out from every shelf.

 

My other favourite are these wonky birds. I've had them for so many years that they are getting harder and harder to tie on to the twigs. Mostly they swing round and perch upside down. 

Now with two girls with pink in their cheeks we're off to play with friends in the park. Mr Bun is joining us next week for fun and frolics. Being self-employed he only ever has about three weeks off a year, so it's precious time and he badly needs a rest. Doubt he'll get it as we have plans for him.

Huntin' & a Gatherin'

The daffodilly's are bursting out and perfectly match the sunshine cruet set I bought in the boot field this morning. The bunnies that were on Little Bun's birthday tea table have stayed out to welcome the wee deer who came home too.  Quite a few events still to come with Mother's Day on Sunday, then next week 10 whole years of this marriage lark to be celebrated and best of all Easter with good food and egg hunts.

 

I have three finds that have excited me today. Cute Bambi is one, then there are these amazing Racey Helps dominoes all intact and immaculate.

Last lovely find were three cotton floral sheets which are now spinning around and around in the washing machine. I bought one and then raced back for the others before anyone else spotted them. 

 

I'm just having a wee break from all the stitching and making I'm finishing up for Saturday's Little Vintage Lover in Dragon Hall. I stayed up far too late last night knitting some more egg cosies. Cosying up with coffee and needles on the sofa to add all the tiny flowers and leaves sounds a perfect place to be. I also have my super posh glasses case that was one of my leaving presents from my lovely work friends. They're too used to me losing my glasses all the time, so now problem sorted.

I must add that Millie loved having birthday wishes sent from you all. I think she felt quite famous.