Beanbag for my boy...

So this started as a quilt...

                                                                               

That was the plan anyway, but between my boy and me we got a little impatient for something finished, something finally out of the project box and in use. 

So I made a back panel, 

                                 

I bought a zip and used up the leftover beans from the Honeybun Poufs and we transformed a never to be finished quilt into a beanbag.

It's great for chilling out on and boy hasn't been out off by the flowery fabric at (so far!). I'm especially pleased by these patches...

The campfire ones came from his favourite smart shirt, a gift from his godfather when he was just a wee one! 

Shabby days and autumn colours....

It's always the same at the end of summer, we get busy elsewhere and the garden is left to its own devices. The grass grows longer, the edges are blurred and the blooms that once stood proud and vibrant lean on their supports, signalling another summers end. 

                                      

                                         

I used to give myself such a hard time for runniing out of time and energy in the garden as autumn arrived. ' I should be extending the season' planting for winter, hoeing every weed. But the reality is that when you work and have a family something's got to give and for me that's manicured lawns and weed control! 

                                       

                         

I'm learning to let go and see the beauty in our garden as it is, shabby edges and all. The truth is something's have thrived without the high maintenance attention they got in spring and look better for it, alas something's haven't but there's always next year. For now I'm just enjoying the last hurrah of colour that its got to give us.....

From Best in Show to the Doghouse in a day...

See this guy...

He had his proud moment at the Thorpe Hall fun day, winning best in show! He stood to attention, paraded and trotted up and down like a good un and was rewarded for his gorgeousness. We couldn't be prouder....

Until 4 o clock this morning when the street was woken by a wailing that could wake the dead. We ran down stairs in panic expecting to find a dying dog but instead found Arthur and his sidekick Pearl   , our Jack Russell, in the middle of a stand off. He was limping and she had a nip on the top of her head. Thankfully no serious damage, but what had caused this tiff in the middle of the night we'll never know. But for now they're both looking pretty sorry for themselves...

 They've both been put to bed in different rooms tonight - what's the betting they're yowling to be together by 2am. 

Next time I'm putting doggy cam up to see who started it!

My Dahlia showgirls...

I guess the title says it all! We started last year with a few PomPoms and now I'm addicted.  I dug up the bulbs and put them in pots in the green house over winter. They loved the early start and by the time they went in the soil they were big healthy plants.

 

                                   

I planted some new varieties but lost the names of them (apart from Fire Cracker which was one of my favourites. 

                                       

                                   

                                   

                                   

I planted them in the veg patch to make up for our crops being decimated by rabbits this year. If we're feeling grand we call it 'the Cutting Garden'! In reality its been the saviour of an otherwise disappointing year in the garden but rabbit news is for another day...

                                   

We've had an endless supply of flowers for the house and with a bit of deadheading they've had the longest season of anything in the garden. I was lucky enough to receive some gardening vouchers for my birthday and I'm already planning on blowing the lot on bulbs for a colourfest next year!

 

Honeybun Poufs (of course!)

With a name like HoneyBun Poufs I couldn't resist trying this Amy Butler pattern. I'm not an accomplished seamstress by any stretch of the imagination but what I lack in skill I make up for in determination and the ability to find a good YouTube tutorial!

I wanted a gift for my friend - well my friends cat to be honest. She's a very pampered cat as you may summise by her name 'Peanut Buttercup'. She's gorgeous! And I'm not even a cat person so that tells you something!

My initial thought was 'how hard can a cushion be?' - well when I was still cutting out pieces of batting and backing long after the third or was it fourth episode of Law and Order, I started to realise it wasn't going to be a walk I'm the park - and when my quick assembly the next day started before breakfast and ended after lunch I had my answer. Thank goodness my children can feed themselves! 

        

        

I learned a lot along the way though - topstitching is cool and makes dodgy sewing look quite smart, concealed zips are the stuff of nightmares and the fun kids have filling a cushion with polystyrene beads more than makes up for the fact you'll be finding them in the Hoover for years!

        

         

And Peanut Buttercup liked it too...(I have it on good authority she won't nap anywhere else!)

One year (and a bit) on...

Finally, some time to myself when the stars have aligned and the broadband is working, the jobs are all done (or at least out of sight!) and the technology is all in the right place to sit down to and write. Its been over a year since my last post and I think that's the way my blogging goes - feast or famine. Sometimes I run out of things to post and sometimes I run out of time to post them but either way it feels nice to be back.

Its been a busy year, the buildings finished, the kids are growing too quickly and the garden has grown out of control. Here are a few of the highlights...

delivering Russian Giant Sunflowers to the Village Plant Fair,

 

hatching Hen Solo, our new addition to the flock,

 

my new shed...ta dah!!!

 

and making a start on landscaping the side of the house that has been a building site for the past 3 years...

 

 

this looked like this for approximately 4 days before BH realised the benefits of putting a liner down first and now needs redoing to tackle the weeds, but that's another story...

 

 

Just in case I'm tending towards a rose tinted view of our rural idyll lets be clear, there's also been a nasty brush with hogweed, a lot of rain, several bad backs and a longstanding battle with nettles that still rages on.

 

 

This autumn we're determined to finish the interior of the house, move a green house, plant a lot of bulbs and put a liner on that patio. There's also the matter of roof repairs to tackle - oh joy! Thats it for now but by the time I press post the list is sure to have grown....

 

Pompom dahlias

We've just cut our first dahlia...


We've never grown the pompous before only admired them at flower shows. Admittedly a bouquet of them would be nice but one will do for now...



We need a bit of colour to see us through the grimness that appears to be our summertime...



At least we don't have to do any watering...

It's a family affair....

We have so many building projects on the go, it's been all hands to the drill!



The free rangers were busy building new compost bins at the weekend. I'm not sure where the fine line is between helping out and child labour but there was no stopping my girl once she got hold of the power tools!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Violas and lemon cake

I've been inspired by the Violas this week - they don't care whether the weather is with us or not - they're busting out all over and insisting that it really is Spring ...really!






So in homage to the delicate lovelies we made a lemon and poppy seed bundt cake and decorated it with a glaze of lemon icing with viola flowers.


We even found some crystallised rose and violet petals for the centre - hey presto spring cake!

I'm going to try and crystallise some of our petals this year - has anyone else tried? - am I going to end up with a penicillin purée?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter Feasting...

Just before it gets wiped away let me share with you our Easter feast that was...

I was too busy cooking and serving at the time to photograph it all, and most of it was munched before the camera came out - but we did get a picture of Ponygirls birthday cake - she has an Easter Birthday so there's no shortage of chocolate!

What the camera doesn't pick up is the sparkly glitter  - or the chocolate popping candy sprinkles - or the birthday ready to sink her teeth into it! Happy Birthday Ponygirl!

An explanation, a completion and a return...

Its been a long time between posts, a long, long time. To be honest i wasn't sure if Id ever get round to posting again. What started as a chronicle of our life in Yorkshire was in danger of becoming another thing on the never ending list of things to do that never got done. We started this adventure with a house to rescue, roofs to be put on and damp to be prevented whilst still trying to make sure our children enjoyed the journey with us. What we've found is that too often things get in the way, things too many to list but the following would certainly make it into the top ten,

1. Work, work and more work...I love my job but who doesn't wish all weekends were three days long.

2. Children's hobbies, parties, birthdays, gym clubs, brownies, extra curricular activities, homework - all very worthwhile but I cant remember the last time I sat down before 9pm

3. House work and laundry - One day I will have a cleaner who I will love and cherish and who will rescue me from all this washing!

4. Dogs, chickens, dogs who find their way into the chickens and eat all the chickens, dogs who then break into a neighbours and eat their chickens - don't ask, I cant elaborate, its still too traumatic, suffice to say we no longer leave the dogs with a dog walker and our two surviving chooks are seeing out the winter with the grandparents. 

5. Bad backs - to top it all just when we are getting on top of everything both of our backs have a tendency to give way in unison. What used to be cured with a paracetamol and a radox bath now needs 48 hours and a tramadol - is this the future?

6. My impending big birthday - okay so for....thirty plus ten isn't such a big deal to everyone but I just thought Id be thinner/smarter/taller/richer/have better hair by now! I'm not in full melt down yet but I've got some big goals to achieve by August!

However, we have been cracking on with the build - we finally have a 'grown up' bedroom!

At last we have a landing that doesn't scare the children - the cold creepy tunnel that it once was is now a distant memory!

 Let there be light!

The down stairs room is no longer a pile of bricks - its a real room with real furniture and everything!!!

 and even a corner for crafting and blogging (okay it still needs shelves and skirting boards but hey it didnt even exist this time last year!!!)

so all in all were getting there...still slowly... but we're definitely getting closer. 

And I finally have somewhere to sit down and blog, so I guess....I'm back!