Friday 3 June 2011

Birds, textiles, horses and a 'welcome home' !;-)



We've had an amazing variety of birds in the garden , just lately!

On Wednesday, I was sitting minding my own business

( Before my dear other half says it...that's rare for me!)

when all of a sudden.... ' thump' .

I thought we would need to buy a new lounge patio window!

There on the step, very stunned was a young....




The highlight of the week!

I kept watch for a while, took a few pics through the glass

then opened the door and off it flew.


Meanwhile...

This weekend sees me going off to Chipping Sodbury

for yet another of those WONDERFUL events

The Vintage and Handmade Textile Fair.

It suddenly struck me that the last V&H fair was held on the day

of the Grand National (which prompted me to

pen that horsey blog post afterwards!)

Well...this time...guess what...it's Derby day tomorrow!!





I'm not sure if I'll be able to come up with another horse racing blog post though!

But I will return with pics,obviously...of all things textile!

Finally...

Tonight, after my teaching, I have to go to the railway station

and pick up a traveller!!

I've spent some of the day 'tidying' his plot and generally

making sure that it is 'up to standard!'

Oh..and I've bought him a welcome mat !! ;-)

I can't wait to hear all about his travels around Canada.



Have a great weekend , everyone!!

;-)

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Memories... and things to come!



On Monday morning, I was having a natter and a cuppa with my mum

We were discussing the wonderful times that we had

when we visited The Chelsea Flower Show.

This was back in the late 1970s/early 1980s.




We were both teaching in Surrey at the time and although unable to

take the day off work, after school we would hop on a train from Woking

...and be there in no time!

And that was the best bit of the day, less busy and more calm.

If the weather was good, even better.

I soooo loved my visits to Chelsea and can honestly say that the

first time is the best...the wow factor takes over as the stunning displays

knock one for six!! I will never forget walking into the tent

where the Delphiniums were displayed!

And one year, (I can't recall which) there was the most beautiful cottage garden.

Oh and not forgetting those beautiful Beth Chatto displays!

I have photos in a drawer, somewhere...this was thirty years ago... in the

days when I thought that my Kodak instamatic camera was so cool!





''I have some programmes somewhere...would you like to borrow them?''

said mum.



''Oh yes please!'

And so I did!

To show you all!




Although only 30+ years old, some of the adverts really do tickle me !








One of my first gardening books was by the very famous Percy Thrower.

I mean, he was Mr Gardening, wasn't he?








Lucky the family who can afford two lawn mowers!!

(Ah... just been pointed out that he is using a rotovator!
I thought his grass looked a bit dead!)










Ah now this brings me on to something that we've been looking for

for ages...



Let's look a little closer...now for a while, we've been thinking about

one of these for our garden.




Yesterday, we found ourselves at Fermoys Garden Centre.

We only looked in quickly to have a look at the herbaceous

perennials as we've recently dug a new border.





Well...one thing leads to another and as we got back to the car, Mr S said,

''Well, don't you want to look at the girlie sheds?''




At first, I was more interested in the view of the tractor and what was beyond!





Anyway...wander we did!














All I can say is ...watch this space ...I'm off to study colour charts!

LOL ;-)

Sunday 29 May 2011

Continuing the garden theme.... ;-)





I absolutely loved this garden, ' Postcard from Wales' at this year's

Chelsea Flower Show.




And I thought that the idea of using the jockey silks for

inspiration, for the Florist and Young Florist of the year, was a superb idea!

(Sarah Horne's above; Joe Massie's below)




One of the entrants , I noticed was a florist, Kate Bainbridge, from Bovey Tracey.

(Below)




Meanwhile, continuing a gardening theme...




I can't believe that it was a year ago when we took ourselves off

to the Garden fair at Chagford, one Saturday morning...and came home

with a nice little hoard of garden bits (above)!




And so, on Saturday, we repeated the trip!




I always love the trip to this gorgeous little town!

But this time we took a different route home...across Dartmoor.




And a very bleak Dartmoor it was too!

Some people say this is when the moors are at their very best!

Here we are at Combestone Tor.










And thus, we trundled across the moor...

with a few bits from the Chagford garden fair, in the back of the car!






My footy team didn't win...in fact they didn't really get out of the starting blocks!

But, as I was always told when I was very young,

it's the taking part that is important and

without a loser there can be no winner!

Ho hum...!