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.

Sweet Things

It's getting a bit like the countdown to christmas here with the Buns forever asking "how many days to Easter?". What they really mean is when's the Easter Bunny coming, because Easter's already begun here.

I keep thinking of cheery Springtime decorations I can make to cheer up corners that need a splodge of colour. Last night as I walked past the kitchen window, I thought I know what that needs. So off I went to pick fabrics and started cutting and sewing. Not the best timing really as Mr Bun was busy putting together a picnic tea for us all. I sewed as quickly as I could, banged in a couple of nails and tied my bunting up all as tea was being served. Sometimes you have to go with the mood when it grabs you.

 

Today I've decided is a day of feasting and gardening. I wonder how long before they find the choccy treats I put out this morning?

Bunny and chick biscuits are baking in the oven and will probably be scoffed before they've cooled down.

 

Best get in the garden and work up an appetite first.

 

 

Hope you're having a lovely weekend too.

Never too much Cake

I was seduced by the beauty of a pineapple yesterday and as it was only a £1 I brought it home. After a bit of serious thought about what to do with it (my choice being a prawn, asparagus and pineapple curry) we settled on a bit of nostalgia. Little Bun, with a wee bit of help, knocked up a mean Pineapple Upside Down Cake. That's her there oven gloved up to show you her make before it got demolished.

Today I'm racing around like a loon, so why I'm on here is nuts really.  I just fancied a bit of distraction before a dash around the supermarket and baking again. You see my wee girl will be 9 on Monday so there are birthday preparations afoot. Tommorow we're taking the Buns and a few friends to have fun on a farm for the day so more cakes are needed for party people.

Then there's the presents I'm still trying to finish making. A couple of slices of Battenburg helped me stitch up a dollies picnic blanket. My best mate who's now in Oz laughed about the amount of cake on here, so I thought a little bit more to make her tum rumble would be a fine thing.

Blanket nearly ready just the binding to go.

Then Polly Dolly can get comfy while I whip her up a stretchy pair of nicks.

Fingers crossed I'll finish her other dress, shoes and eldest Bun's elephant before Monday. I guess we all get a bit over-ambitious sometimes. Now off I go to fill my basket with party food.

Have a lovely weekend. Hope the sun keeps shining for you. It's been lovely to hear from so many different people recently. I'll pop over soon and say hello too.

Freezing Plans

Too, too cold to sit at my sewing machine today.  I'd wanted to choose, cut and stitch beautiful fabrics to piece together into Patchy cushions.

I had two ideas for keeping warm. One was much more fun than the other. First I huddled by the fire and stitched the backs on the Round and Round Cushions. 

Blue skies and flowers on the jolly red and pink one. 

Purple splashy flowers on the green.  Once I was finished I thought I'd better give the other keeping warm idea a go.

 

It was that thing called housework that needs a hoover and a duster. It actually kept me pretty warm for a good hour or more, so it's another way of beating this freezing weather.

Once everything sparkled I felt hungry with a chocolate cake craving.

I tried a new recipe (one that was so easy  and the most delicious one I've ever made). For a change I used Cherry Cakes and Ginger Beer. Bruce Bogtrotters Heroic Chocolate Cake hit the spot for all of us. Mr Bun declared it the best cake he'd ever eaten and could eat it all up in one go, the Bun's looked in heaven munching away. Now this all sounds a bit show offy about a cake doesn't it. But it is a seriously good recipe. 

I've not done anything I planned to do today, but it's been a really good day so no complaining here.

Full Up

Somedays you wake up and you want to make lots of things for all the lovely people who mean the most to you. On Saturday I had a buzz for making stuff.

After breakfast I made a patchy hot pot stand for my mum. She likes different colours to me I thought, so I chose accordingly and then hung it up only to see the colours fit here just so.

I finally made the flannel bag to replace the tatty excuse we had been using. This elderly curtain panel was pretty worn out in places so I patched on a few extra fish.

Then I felt in a cooky mood. Butternut Squash Soup for lunch I thought and perhaps a spot of chocolate cake and definately a lemon drizzle too.

All made, soupy smells wafting and making us all hungry and then the mess that's left to deal with after all this cooking urge.

Boy were we stuffed full after that lot. Tasty though, even if I do say so myself.

Much later on I treated myself to a quick peek in the charity shop and found a few goodies. Crocheted thingies in one box.

Colourful pretty hankies in another. None destined for anything as yet. Just bought because. Just because is a very good reason to buy most things that catch your eye I think.

After a perfect Saturday I had the most wonderful Mothering Sunday. Early morning cuddles in bed, handmade cards and gifts from my beautiful girls. Then a spot of me time in bed crocheting before coming down to a just so breakfast.

Later on a visit to the other very special mum in our lives followed by yet more food.

Eat, eat, eat - that's all we've seemed to do this weekend.

Jack Valentine

We've been celebrating with the mysterious arrival of a little fairy chap called Jack Valentine. I don't think he's ever braved other counties or countries even, so he remains our very own generous Norfolk fairy fellow.

He visited me when I was little and now he comes to our two girls. He can visit anyone he chooses though. You hear a knock on the door and when you get there, if you're lucky, he's left a gift or two.

Now this is all very well, but he needs quite a bit of help and when you're woken at 6am by excited Buns and then watched with eagle eyes for most of the morning it becomes a wee bit tricky.

Thank goodness for the fact we have three outside doors and a radio doorbell that can be rung from inside.

Paper, pencils, books, sweets and a few bath flowers were unwrapped from tissue paper. Later on the dog sneaked in and ate the chocolate hearts when we had breakfast. He's had the taste since he stole the cherry liquers at christmas - how rich the house smelt that day.

Remember the book from the last post? Well I made a bookmark to go with it and Eldest Bun said a heart was needed at the top.

I also made a glasses case for my mum and bought chocs for my dad. We were off to have lunch with them and champagne to celebrate love and the future.

When we arrived it turned out that Jack Valentine had also visited their house. We coveted most of the gifts the Bun's got there. After the most delicious lunch and two puddings, we had to find room a bit later on for the cake that the Bun's made the day before. For the first time I stood there just giving out instructions, only to be told by a wise 9 year old "I do know mummy as I watch what you do.".

A great start to a week of enjoying their company. I only have to work one day this week which will be the first time I've not been around for them in the holidays. I think they'll have a great time though.

Before I go I wanted to say how lovely it's been hearing from new people who I've not met before or found your blogs. I will try to visit properly and say hello soon if I haven't already.

Hope you've all enjoyed your Sunday and have a good week ahead. See you soon.

Life

This week has been stressful to say the least and I'm left feeling like a saggy balloon.

On Wednesday my dad had a heart operation. He was told by the consultant that at 83 it was a high risk operation so it was his choice whether to have it done. All through christmas we waited on his decision, knowing he would go ahead in the end. We didn't want him to take the risk, but we also wanted him to feel better. He's made of very strong stuff is my dad, so he went ahead with it.

It all went really well and he's now back home busy planning how he might get back to playing golf. Irrepressible man.

My life of late has been a round of working and then when I'm at home tending to sick children; being at the hospital and today mass excitement the vets and then the dentist for my hurting tooth.

Where's the time for being colourful and creative? It's gone somewhere and I can't find it. I really want it back NOW. So tomorrow I think I'll take over the table, step out of mummy mode and start cutting and stitching as I know my fingers are itching to do.

Hope you all have fun and just so weekends too.

Cosy & Cakey

The roadside flowers have gone now and so I treated myself to these pretty pink roses yesterday. I love paint dipped roses, expecially in my blue glass jug. They make me feel happy to look at them.

I've been feeling in the need of comfort this week as I'm achey. I gave myself a couple of days off from work and so making and baking has been perfect for my mood. The Bun's now love cooking and helping to choose and make meals. Eldest Bun chose last nights meal of pasta pie (lasagne) and helped with the chopping and stirring business. Little Bun wanted to make a cake.

Jammy middle, pink icing topping, covered in 100's and 1,000's and words. She took ages picking out just the right letters.


Those words are perfect and make me smile a happy cakey cake smile.


After tea we lit Nina's candle (all the chocolate has been eaten and enjoyed).

Then we settled down for a snuggle. I'd picked up a couple of books for me when we went to the library after school and was in heaven with this Hip Knits book. I want this scarf badly. I might make it for Eldest Bun and then ask nicely if I can borrow it. There are also - I can't believe I'm about to say this - ankle warmers in there. They look great over the pink converse pumps with skinny jeans (not for me though - for Eldest Bun of course). I wore the dodgy things first time round in the 80's when Irene Kara wowed us all with Fame. Now that's been re-made so I guess she'll be needing a pair, the time has come for cosy ankles.

Then I picked up my copy of Handmade and before I knew it I'd started on a scarf for Little Bun to cheer up her grey winter coat. I think a red beret to match and she will be very cosy indeed.


Before I go to warm up Bertie's delicious Butternut Squash Soup for the Bun's tea, I thought you might like to see that I have sewn all the strips together and on the memory quilt. They are now all in one piece wating for the sides to be added. I'm loving patchwork, didn't like the cutting bit, but watching it all grow and come together, I love that.

Picture This

I took a picture of me today. When I went through our photos I realised I don't feature much. I'm always the one behind the lens with my lovely family doing whatever they're doing on the other side of it. I think a record of me is needed for the family album to prove I was actually there at that moment in time. The only thing is I look too serious as my eyes meet in the middle to try and see where the button is. Should have ignored vanity and put my glasses on.

Little Bun took this picture of her playdough pizza with blackbird nibbles for mumma's blog. She has asked me ever since to put her picture on here as she felt sure everyone would like to see it. It makes me laugh how much blogging has become an accepted part of their daily lives. I get my camera out and they ask is it for the blog (hide faces) or for us (show faces). They tell me what would be good to photograph and love being involved in it all. They even tell people how to find it on the web.

They also asked me to take this picture of my first ever attempt at chutney. I used the plums we picked and some of the apples from Little Bun's tree. I only covered one jar as it was fiddly and I lost patience in the end. We also popped the damsons we picked into two big bottles of gin with some cinammon sticks and sugar. We're shaking them daily and can't wait to bottle them up and maybe try a little bit as you need to make sure you've done these things right.

Wonderful Weekends

On Saturday morning I came down to this quirky sign the Bun's had made. The colours alone are so cheery and match all the other colourful things that have taken place over the weekend so far.

When I went out to get woodshavings and straw to clean out the animals houses I saw these beautiful dahlias on the side of the road. For only 80p I got all of these. Each one is a different colour and fills me with such happiness. They are like an oil painting come to life.

Later on in the afternoon I grabbed a moment to do some crochet, something I never do in the daytime, so it felt a real treat. Completely different colours attracted me. Intense bright ones for the hexagons. They are part of a plan for a cushion cover. I'll need to work an increase and decrease edging to straighten the sides somehow. I'll deal with that when I get there I think. I've still to sew a back on my flower garden cushion, so I've jumped ahead somewhat anyway.

And talking of jumping ahead, I started something else at the same time. For a while now I've had an idea in my head of making a crochet bag. I wanted it to have colourful squares on the main bag and stripy handles. Reasoning that I start things and then take ages to finish them, I decided it was more realistic to make this bag for the winter. So I searched through the wool stash and came up with these fabulous shades. I was going to mix the squares with plain and floral, but looking at this picture I think I'll go for all floral. Too much is more after all.

Suddenly it was Sunday. Little Bun and Mr Bun went swimming and Eldest Bun and I decided to make Oat & Raising cookies (except we used sultanas as they are yummier). Being the control freak I am I actually stood to one side as a helper and let her get on with it for once. She is nearly nine after all.

These are only half of the cookies, the others were still cooking. They are truly delicious and quite a lot have been eaten already.

After lunch my little gang popped out to visit Grandad as Grandma is away in Barcelona for the weekend. I chose to stay behind and get a bit more of the bathroom done. It's a big job covering up orange and grey tiles and golden paint. After two years of looking at hideous colours I decided it was time to get on with a revamp. No money for retiling - so trusty white tile paint is back again. I've still got to do one more coat, but I'm saving that excitement for another day. I was going to go for a primrose and hot pink bathroom, but in the end I used paint we already had as part of the usual ecomony drive. I'm really pleased I did actually as it is bright and cheerful in here already. The light is pretty rubbish today, but the colour is an intense aquamarine. Today I wanted to make the blind. I'm so pleased with how cheerful the red polka dots look, such an improvement on dingy cream.

I thought you'd like to see Jemima who sits at the end of the bath. She started life as a nightlight until a toddler came to visit and threw her around until they were satisfied they had completely broken her. So I dismantled her and actually I prefer having her sitting there overseeing bathtime.

Well I guess they'll be back soon, so off I go to look busy and be ready with cuddles and more cookies.