Simple Pleasures

We have just had the most relaxing weekend full of good food, laughter, cosy fires, and to top it all I found a winter car boot so I am a very happy person.

I took this picture of my plasterwork mirror on Saturday morning as the light was so clear for a change. The slightly faded colours of the flowers make it one of my favourite things to look at.

Then I hid myself away for a while as I had bought four balls of Debbie Bliss' Como on Friday to make a knitting bag from her new magazine. It's knitted on 10mm broomhandles so lovely and quick which is just what I like as I'm very impatient and I love seeing results as soon as possible. It knits up beautifully. Once I have done the other half I'll need to choose some handles and search my fabric stash for just the right lining. My head is spinning with projects I should finish, new ideas I want to get working on for the buns and more importantly making more stock to sell at Vintage Soul in February.

I had promised little Bun we would make Bad Harry's Birthday Trifle yesterday, but it just didn't happen as we ran out of time. It had become pretty impossible to move about in their rooms, so we had to tidy them up before going to a friend's for tea. Eldest bun has a very tiny room, but somehow all three of us squished in there as I sorted out things for throwing away and for the charity shops. They played with everything and then put it back again. Finally though one room nice and shiny again. When I did little Bun's she sat on the floor colouring in a fabric bag and then thanked me kindly for making her room look so lovely. I curtsied and left as all good staff do. Bless her.

This morning I decided to go and have a quick look around an indoor car boot that a friend's mum told me about. It's in the sheds of a plant nursery so it will be all year round. Hooray. First one for months, so I was really pleased to come back with these. Two beautful floral ceramic brooches, pansies and roses,

more coloured knitting needles to add to my pot,

Two Ladybirds to complete the seasons set. The Bun's are mad on sheep and call them Betty's. After we read a poem by Shirley Hughes about a sheep called Betty, that was it forever a Betty. Sheep now doesn't seem to describe them as the old ladies we think they are.

Finally, I have found a Tala measuring jug - now got my eye out for a Horlicks Drink Mixer. I have a mental list in my head and it always turns up in the end after I have bought loads of other things too.

When I got back my lovely man made me coffee and a huge toasted teacake which I shared with little bun. We stood side by side, hands on hips staring out of the window and munching contentedly. Then eldest bun showed me a photo she had styled and shot of Johnny her best ever friend finishing her breakfast. She wants me to include him as he really is a very gorgeous monkey and we all love him.

So on to the important matter of Trifle Making. I was just the helper today, but I did make the custard and I'm very proud of this - it's the first time I've made it without lumps. Saucepan and bowl licked clean by the only boy in the house.

Finally it was finished, all decorated in true birthday party style waiting for the grandparents to arrive. My mum brought a slab of christmas cake. So we ate this first and then attacked the trifle as we were having a greedy day.

The trifle collapsed once we had all attacked it. Eldest bun now wants to make Pippi Longstockings Muffins. Never has a cook book had such an effect in our house.

Now we are all well and truly stuffed.

Fog and Feminism

Started the day with this view over the fields from the bathroom window. We woke in the same foggy way at half past eight. It wasn't easy getting two sleepy children up and feeling excited about school today. Felt tempted to say let's not rush, just lay on the sofa all day, it looks cold out. Oh dear we're only three days in, not a good start.

When I got back I thought I had better start work, but got distracted looking at some of my birthday presents. I collect Kewpie dolls. This one has been called Mabel, my first one May was also a present from my lovely husband as I adore Mable Lucie Atwell's illustrations and these dolls just capture her round cheeked cuteness. The book is an ancient Penguin, the only hint of the original colour is on the spine, but I think the faded pattern adds to it. Cath Kidston threads to help with the sewing supplies and a lovely brooch from Noa Noa.

Finally got my act together and got quite a bit of boring paperwork sorted out before rushing to school. Later on I took the buns and their friend to Brownies, but these flat girls came back. I hope we find the real ones soon. Mind you these ones are a lot quieter.

They're definately here somewhere as who else could have hidden the peg dollies in the horrid Quality Street.

When they turned up we read my favourite childhood book for bedtime. My mum was a star and re-read the same chapter over and over to me night after night on demand. I think it was Binkle and Flip Try to be Good. Inside the cover is a poem entitled Two Bad Bunnies - it says they are a 'Bad, Bold Pair and the biggest rascals ever'. It must be why I liked them so much.

After we finished reading they told me they have been learning about inventors today. Thomas Crapper reared his head and was a favourite in the class. Eldest bun explained to me in a whisper why it was so funny and little bun thought everyone laughed because he invented the toilet. Suddenly they wondered why only two women were on the list. How do you explain to a six and eight year old at bedtime the potted version of feminism. So kept it to a long time ago men didn't think women were very clever and thought they were better than them. They decided that this wasn't very nice at all. So we covered a lot of ground.

Buttons and Balaclava's

I went for a drive to the seaside today. I wanted to get a book we had seen in a second book shop on New Years Day. Eldest bun has been asking ever since when I was going back to get it. All of the books in the display were tempting, especially one titled Circus Toys, but I was good and only bought this one.

I also bought the buns a bag of big chocolate buttons, but I ate half of them on the way back.

The other thing I got was glue for their pencil cases. Very impressed when I saw pritt has gone pink for a bit. Buns were too.

I also finished Alfie's balaclava last night. It's supposed to have rose shaped swirls on the sides to protect his ears the bun's daddy thinks he looks daft enough without adding even more and said the big dogs might jeer at him in the street. It took a while to take this calm and wistful dog picture. He was a very wrigglywhirling dervish before this. I don't think he likes the hat as much as me. I have also found a book of punk outfits you can knit your dog, but might draw the line at this.

It all went very wrong....

....when I took the tree down, it turned into one huge disaster.

Somehow when I do jobs like this I make more mess than was ever needed and then spend the rest of the day trying to sort it all out. First I took the baubles of, easy. The tree looked really bald and sorry for itself, great, not much to cover the house with then. First really big mistake. As I dashed for the door yelling at my man to get out of the way (he gets a rash if he touches xmas trees - is this true or a ploy? Mmmm) I covered the floor in more green than a tree should be allowed to carry.

Still fairly fine though as only got to sweep and hoover after. Then I got hold of the bucket full of soil, which was very sloppy as I'd been conscientiously watering a dead tree for a couple of weeks. I covered my very ancient and loved white cloths with mud and then staggered towards the door. As I rounded the corner I slipped and did the splits on all the needles, throwing the bucket in the air and landing with my head on the edge of the girls wooden dollies high chair. My head hurt and the floor looked worse than the garden. You know when you do something this stupid all you can think is if I sit here it will all just go away.

Then to make it worse the dog wanted to come in and just kept jumping wildly up and down the french doors. Sort of added to the tension of it all perfectly. What felt like the rest of Sunday later it was all clean again, I sat down to knit and found I had covered every bit of wool and knitting in my basket with needles. So off I went again. Fake trees don't do this to you, but they look all wrong to me, so it's a toss up for next year.

Had something exciting come in the post for bigger bun today. She and her daddy are reading the Famous 5 together. My older cousins passed them on to me and now here they are being read again. In the front cover of Five Have a Wonderful Time there is this piece about joining the club. I looked on ebay and found a badge, hung on until the last minute, bid for it and won it. So here it is and now we're members. It says in the small print "wear the F.F badge and you will know each other at once." So have to see if Enid is telling the truth next time we go out.




I couldn't get into the 5 at all, the boys were too bossy and they seemed too goody goody when I was little. I loved the Find Outers series though. When you read them now they are completely unpolitically correct, but this makes them even funnier as everything they say becomes outrageous.

Also woke up to a bit of snow today. Not much of it, but god it was cold. We went to the local market town for back to school haircuts and jam sandwiches and chips lunch. Ended up going in most shops on the way back to the car to avoid the cold.



One of my christmas presents from my mum was the lovely cook book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer by Jane Brocket. Cosied up to read last night. The descriptions make you feel really hungry and wistful, all ready to don your apron and get going. So first up we made fresh and gooey macaroons from as it would happen Five On Finniston Farm. Actually little bun made them and I put the cherries on the top. They were very gooey as promised and Willa little bun's rabbit had the first one. I also have a very happy man as he loves macaroons, so most have already gone. Next up are Mary Poppins Strike-Me-Pink Raspberry Jam Cakes. At the weekend little bun wants to make Bad Harry's Birthday Trifle as she adores reading My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards. I'll let you know how good these all taste.



Before the tree incident I was trying out some new ideas for a sale I am doing on Valentine's Day called Vintage Soul in Southwold, Suffolk. Not much time really to get re-stocked, so I better get busy. It happens 2 or 3 times a year bringing together vintage inspired makers and sellers of vintage and retro homeware. The fabulous ladies who organise it all also run a couple of fleamarkets in the summer and autumn which are great fun. First I finished a teddy beanie for a newborn, modelled here by Sunshine Golly. He might not let me have it back as it's so nippy tonight.



Then I put the finishing touches to some peg bags I have been working on. Most of the fabric here comes from the lovely Donna over at Donna Flower.com.



Tommorow the buns go back to school. Little bun wants to walk and drag the moment out, can't say I blame her. Right off to finish the macaroons.

Our Tree is Looking Unhappy

I have suddenly reached the point where I want to get rid of all the decorations and sweep up. The tree looks really sorry for itself, so I think tommorow is the day when it will have to go. I had a dream the other night that I went too close to it on xmas eve and every single needle fell off. So we had a bald tree. The dream is becoming a reality. Anyway we have fairy lights up all year round so it won't feel much different around here.

I collected another four eggs today. I can't believe our ladies are still laying. Mind you this is their first year so they are probably still full of enthusiasm. Apparently once they stop laying they shed their feathers, so hopefully they will keep them on for a bit until it gets warmer poor things. Now we have to decide what cake to bake to use them up. I never really got my act together with baking before the hens came along, but now I would feel guilty if I didn't use them.

One of my decisions for this year is to finish what I started (and I start a lot of things and then either get distracted or enthused by something new). Decided this is a bad and expensive habit so today I finished a bag I was making for Rosey Bun. Here it is in all it's finery, just got to start the one for little Bun. She has asked for a purple one (purple being the essence of all that is good in her world) with a cat on. First I will finish everything else, but my mind is already buzzing with new projects.

Now I think it's time for cake, coffee, fire and knitting. I started a balaclava yesterday for Mr Blue (tempted to make his master one too) so want to get that done and have a laugh. The pattern has two gorgeous fawn pugs wearing them looking like bug eyed astronauts. I'll let you see as soon as it's done.

Off we go....

Hello, I thought it was about time I entered into blogland as I have been waiting in the wings and reading all of yours for far too long now. First off, before I start rambling about me, I thought I'd show you a few pictures of my favourite things. They are all things that I like looking at and just make me feel happy with their associated memories. These lovelies are on top of the fridge:

In the middle is half of my cabinet of glassware and bits. Then when I wash up I have this cheeky chappie cuddling his eggs grinning at me.

Today the little buns are at their grandparents and so it's fairly quiet around here. Apart from just bathing a very muddy little Pug and trying to find where the chickens have hidden themselves. So I thought today's the day. The ideas of how I wanted my blog to be have buzzed about my head for too long. So off we go .....I've always made things. My earliest memory is making one of my baby dresses into an owl and then sticking a couple of cup cake tins on for eyes and stuffing my mum's old tights inside. So no wonder that I have two little hoarder/crafters in my home.

I went to art college straight from school, but ended up doing a multitude of other things. Having the little buns brought me back to making again. I learnt to knit when I was pregnant the second time round so that I would sit down and it's been a good addiction ever since. I started designing and making toys, bags and blankets and whatever else I fancied for my girls and then I got asked by others if I would make them one too. So my passion for making has grown and grown. I keep wanting to learn new skills so I taught myself to crochet and embroider. I want to give felting a go next. For christmas I made the little buns a knitted doll each from a lovely book called Dream Toys by Clare Garland and also bits for their new sewing boxes. Smaller bun has called her mermaid Melodie:

Bigger little bun has called her fairy Daisy and styled and shot this photo of her with her other favourite present.

My other addiction is basically old stuff (which you have probably guessed by now). As a student all I wore was vintage and recyled. Now I'm older (just hit 40 this week) I adore car boots, auctions, fleamarkets, junk shops - you name it. So as our cottage is small and I needed a job when the buns went to school I decided to start selling my vintage homeware and my vintage inspired accessories. It's taken a while, but I'm getting into some good fairs and fleamarkets now so fingers crossed. I don't think I'll ever be running a multinational company, but this suits all of us and I can just about juggle it making sure all the little ones human and furry are looked after. At the end of all this I sometimes get a bit of time with my lovely husband.

I think I'd better introduce you now to one of the furry and four of the feathered friends. First up are Hilda, Mabel, Betty and Hennypenny:



I'm cheating with these pictures of the ladies and their home as it was in the summer, they're still out and about, but it's a muddy quagmire there now. Next Mr Alfie Blue and a bit of male knee:

Alfie's tongue permanently hangs out as it's a wee bit too long for him. All adds up to making him that bit more adorable to us. Poor boy wants the hens to play with him, but they don't understand his rules. Now they have taken to bullying him and wouldn't let him in the house yesterday so I had to rescue him.

Well I think I have exhausted myself working this all out, but I have just been told off as I forgot to include my little bun's cat Molly. So here she is saying goodbye until next time.