Muddy May

Three lovely days have whizzed by in a blink. Bank holiday weekends are definitely the best sort of weekends. Just enough days to do everything we want. Saturday was a home, relaxing and doing what we all wanted kind of a day. I spent my time stitching a thing or two and to Miss Rosey's delight I finished her Ruffle Skirt.

On Sunday we left the frills behind and headed off to the woods. Alfie Blue went to cosy up with the grandparents in his new Cone of Shame. Poor boy keeps chewing his hip until it bleeds so he needed a lampshade to sort him out. He seems fine with it on and best of all it means he can't lick his feet which he does literally ALL DAY (it drives me insane that gulpy wet lickety spit noise).

We headed off and explored Foxley Woods which is an ancient woodland and known for the wonderful Bluebells

It all looked very blue and lovely. Little Bun loved searching out trees and places where fairies might live, Miss Rosey had a grand old time sloshing through the mud.

Every muddy puddle had to be properly jumped in and explored before we could move on.

On Sunday we went exploring and ended up at a Georgian Hall. It was a thoroughly English affair.

 

A brass band played while we shivered and licked our ice creams waiting for Waggytails to entertain us. Our favourite dog was Daisy the terrier who whizzed round the course.

 

There were dogs off all sizes and speeds from Collies and Labradors to Terriers. The slowest dog all was Dan the Lurcher who once he had done his stuff had just enough energy to saunter in a chilled manner around the course.

They were wonderful and were far more fun to watch when they did the opposite of what they were meant to do.

Now I know I did promise to announce my Craft it Forward in my next post, but I want to let you know about it in a post all of it's own. As I'll have my teacher head on for the next three days nothing else will be happening in my Bobo Bun world so I'll be back by Thursday I think it's safe to say.

Partying with a Dead Badger

We Halloween'd at home tonight while we waited for Mr Bun to return from the horrors of the dentist. After days of scary pain he finally gave in and came home feeling ohh so much better. Once he'd added the dead badger fright wig we knew he was ready to party.

Two glam wee witches helped me cook up witches stew, with mummys fingers (cheese straws) and squirting eyeballs (profiteroles). We played games like pin the wart on the witch and then curled up and read the daft spooky stories we'd all written.

This last week has gone by far too fast for my liking. Lots of just being and doing what we wanted has gone on. A whole afternoon drawing and eating choc and popcorn was pretty fine.

I rummaged through cupboards searching for lost stuff one morning and found nothing I needed, but lots of things that brought back lovely memories.

 

By the end of the week we were in need of loads of walking and animal stroking, so we popped off to our favourite farm. Poppy and her beautiful foal Grace gave us a great welcome as did the donkeys with their foal Mabel. I fell in love and forgot to take a pic. The star of the day was a pig called Lord Gaga who had a temper tantrum when we walked off and then cooed and grunted when we came back to scratch him some more. Such a relaxing, perfect feel good day for us all. 

Now it's back to the nutty grindstone once more of school and work.

Apples Awake

No nasty post came through the letterbox today. Just one squashy pink parcel filled with lots of possibilities from Little Teawagon no less.

Add this to the many crochet bits and bobs that I'm hooking away on at the moment and the possibilities list seems to be getting longer and longer.

Remember that acrylic yarn I showed you that was to be a scarf for Little Bun? Well I played with some shapes as you can see, then somehow I ended up working a granny square that has grown and grown. It wants to be a blanket and will probably get finished well before the Smartie's one I'm also working on. I need to track down some more Debbie Bliss cream aran for that to get done and dusted.

Now this being half-term week I've two extra playmates around for a while and a Mr for a couple of days aswell. We've started hanging the ghosties and spiders in readiness for the 31st when all manner of bumps and squeals will be heard.

A baby bat hangs up high trying to scare the bejesus out of us, but fails miserably. Tommorow we'll be making more bats to keep him company or maybe we should just wake the ones in our attic?

A few eyeballs have been left lying about, some are quite tasty too.

Before our thoughts turned to Halloween we made sure we welcomed in the new season at Apple Day on Sunday. This year it was like a small county show and we loved it.

It was British eccentricity at its finest. Morris Dancers with bells a jangling; strange folk with ancient steam engines and just a general joy of simple stuff.

When we visited the farm we found that the Sow had had another litter of piglets. All snuggled in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

We daydreamed a while watching the sheepdogs work the geese around the pens and fell in love with a fluffy collie pup.

I love visiting here, it reminds me so much of the Victorian farm I played at when I was little.  Geese were used as guardogs, we used to squeal with pretend fear as they chased us here and there.  We usually ended up hurling ourselves over the pig-sty wall and racing through the squealing pigs to safety in a straw filled sunlit barn.

Today was much calmer. We went for a walk by the river and back across the fields when we heard the sound of the fiddle and the Morris Men's bells calling us all to the apple orchard.

 

After dancing the Circasian Circle we shouted a rousing cheer for the apple trees to awake once more. It was the perfect ending to a hazy and warm sunfilled autumn day.

The only thing that could have made it even better was if we had driven home in this beautiful Morris Traveller.  One day soon - I've been waiting for one since my teens, so one day soon I'm sure.

My Wee One is 9

Our Little Bun is nine today. So grown up to her, still so little to us. She was born at home at 2pm on a sunny birdsong filled day. I remember it being a day of peace, laughter and easter eggs as the next day was Good Friday. When she arrived she was sucking her thumb as chilled as could be. Then the midwives weighed her and she was a whopping 11lbs. I thought they were kidding. 

Millie Berry Araby joined our family and has given us so much love and cheeky fun every since she arrived. She is eccentric, loved by all who meet her, thoughtful and has an incredible calm about her.

 

Her heroine of the moment is Amy Pond, so cool and the adventures she goes on with the Dr are to be envied. Now Little Bun has her own Tardis who knows what might happen. 

 

On Saturday we took our girls and a few friends out to a farm for the day as a party celebration. We had a fabulous time and came home ravenous, ready for chocolate cake. Today I'm baking a vanilla and raspberry filled one for the family birthday tea party.

There were so many gorgeous sheep and lambs to see at the farm. They're one of Little Bun's most beloved creatures. Since reading a Shirley Hughes poem to her about an elderly sheep called Betty she's called them this ever since. Her dream is to have her own wool flock and sell paintings of them too. By her bed is a jam jar labelled Millie's Farm Money. 

 

I have been so excited about this present and had to wait until today to see it properly. When I first saw Vanessa's amazing papier mache models I was blown away by how wonderful and whimsical they were. Vanessa and I had a few chats and she kindly agreed to make a Millie and Betty so we could give Little Bun a sheep of her own.

 

From the photos and information I sent Vanessa she used Millie's favourite colour purple, her favourite t-shirt and captured her magical always ready to laugh smile perfectly. When I first saw photos of this work I was speechless at how much Vanessa had caught the essence of my little girl without actually meeting her. Betty I wish was real as she looks so kind and beautiful, especially with her gentle blue rinse.

 

Now Millie being Millie likes to check things out. When she opened up Polly Dolly she checked her knickers straight away and then hooted when she realised I'd made them from some of hers. So no real surprise then that she wanted to see if she had some on too. Vanessa had given her beautiful red knicks to match the cheery stripy socks.

She is stunned to have herself made and thinks it the most beautiful thing in the world. Thanks to Vanessa and her amazing talent in making this dream come true for an awestruck little girl. 

Thankyou all for the early birthday wishes, it's always lovely hearing from you and your kind words.