Oh, Bother.

Hmm.. I havn't quite managed to keep as up to date with posting as I intended. It always seems that other things happen, and I never have much interesting to say. Ho Hum.

Pantomime has been and gone, and it was F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!!! I havn't had that much fun in a very long time, and I don't want to wait another year until the next one.. which is why I'll be back on stage in May, all being well for a production of High Society. I'll probably be in the chorus. Since the week of Panto I have acquired the Mother of all colds, coupled with a minor chest infection.. so tomorrows auditions could be a little interesting :S

Right.. we need a photo. Let's have a lookee..

Ahh, yes. Someone suggested posting the view from the kitchen window. As we don't have a window per se, this is taken from the back door. Yep, we have a building site literally on the other side of the fence. It will eventually be our towns new Medical Centre. Joyousness on all fronts. At least the tree is safe. And yes, our garden is very scruffy. :)

No crafting has happened lately, except I made coconut macaroons. They were yummy, and blue! But they didn't get photographed.. I shall photograph something more picturesque soon. Promise. And I'll tell you about it.

2009 continued..

August

Now we come to the month of August in my review of 2009.. possibly the month I know most about, as it was in August that I re-started blogging. How else would I know that I made cookies and tiffin, both from Attic24 recipes!? Other things that happened.. the garden bloomed, along with the wildlife that lives in it.

A bean.. grown by us.. we never actually got around to eating them, but I did eventually collect them, and have got them to plant this coming year.

August was also the month of Donyatt Flower Festival.. really wish I could do photo mosaics, that would be very helpful here.. if anyone can help with that, please send me a message!

I suppose the biggest happening of August was mine and Mums day trip to St Ives. It was to celebrate (or possibly commiserate) my Mother going back into full time work since before I was born.

We had an absolutely brilliant day.. have a few snippits in picture form.

The other thing of much excitement which happened in August was my first attempts in crochet! Not particularly good (and I havn't got much better yet) but I was very, very proud at the time.

Oh, and the bank Holiday Weekend, we went to Tyntesfield.


September


I can't believe I've got around to September already!

Not so much happened in September, but I do at least know what it was. The main thing was The Mayors Musical Extravaganza, a show of song and dance.

I was very proud of this show, particularly the younger cast members.

Nextly, was my first purchase of proper expensive wool (as opposed to acrylic).. I havn't done anything with it yet. I'm still too scared!

In September I also won a blog giveaway from Surfer Rosa! A gorgeous parcel of loveliness arrived, making me very happy indeed.

pins, crocheted pincushion, chocolate, needles, cake cases and a stitched heart decoration. I love them all.. obviously I don't have the chocolate any more!

Lastly, another National Trust visit.. this time to Arlington Court near Barnstaple.

(How Country Homes & Interiors is the wheelbarrow photo!?)

October

October is the month for Carnival! Technically they start in September, but I didn't take photos until October. We always watch Wellington (last Saturday in September) and Ilminster (first saturday in October). The above float was the most incredible tableau (not sure on spelling) of Robin Hood.. it was HUGE. Apparently it didn't age well, and was looking a bit ropey by the end of the circuit.

My best photos of the month came from a walk to the Garden Centre. The most amazingly blue sky helped!

Also in October, I planted many many bulbs.. you'll probably see them in another month or two! (The indoor ones were hideously mis-treated, and may be dead)

November

Finally, toward the end of November the weather decided to become Autumny. Overnight, it got proper cold.

These three are all from my Birthday outing to Watersmeet, about the only thing that really got done in November.

Oh, and this was my birthday cake, a very yummy chocolatey one.

December

We've come nearly full circle now, but I have almost no photos from this December.

The few I do have are unexciting.. anyway. I was doing my Christmas Wrapping, and I was so proud of this parcel, I photographed it! I never wrap something that well! Obviously this wasn't the full effect, it also had some gold glitter paper and red paper raffia added.. my parcels looked so good this year! :)

That just about completes my 2009.. there was so much more that I've forgotten, or didn't photograph. It wasn't the best year, but it was far from being the worst. I'm now looking forward to 2010, and all it may bring. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

How Long Ago?!!

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! I'm afraid I really have nothing to say, which is probably why it's been so long. I've done no crochet, I havn't started my embroidery.. I don't think I've even baked a cake! Work is consuming me.. not much fun, I can tell you!

As I've been doing almost nothing of interest, I'll share an old photo..

It's a tree monster! I think it was created naturally. Can you see him? I think this picture comes from The Lost Gardens Of Heligan, but I'm not certain! Actually, I would have something to share, but I don't know where my camera is.. maybe if I find it I'll share on Tuesday! There's something for you to look forward to!

Walkies!

Did you know that Sloe gin and orange juice mixed together comes out the most disgusting colour? Me neither, until now.

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! Especially as I had last week off work, I hardly posted at all.

Anyway.. I cooked a lovely meal tonight (if I do say so myself!), following a recipe from Attic24. It's from October 2008, so you might have to rummage around a little to find it, but it's exceedingly yummy!

It's all cheesy and lentil-y and vegetabley, and exceedingly healthy! The colours are fantastic, see?

Earlier today I did something I've been meaning to do for a long time.. I walked to the Garden Centre. It's quite a long walk, which is why I didn't do it before, but the weather today was beautiful and I need some more daffodil bulbs and preferably some autumn bedding plants. Unfortunately payday is tomorrow, and I have NO money left, so didn't actually buy anything. I will do tomorrow, but I have to work.. maybe I'll go again on Sunday.. will see what the weather does! It was a beautiful walk.. but I don't reccomend walking on narrow pavements along the side of the A38! Occasionally scary. Would you like to see some of my pictures?

This is Wellingtons very own Balamory street.. there's a lilac one that you can't see, coz it's behind me. I know the lady who lives in the orange one.. apparently it's Etruscan Sunset. Myself, I think she's been Tangoed.

Fabulously crunchy, kickable leaves. I swore I saw a driver laughing at me as he passed, but that could have been because I nearly fell over trying to take this picture.

There's an aviary at the garden centre.

Now that is a budgie with attitude. That's some serious evils he's giving me.

Oh, and they have a cat there..

A Grand Day Out..

Not to the moon, unfortunately. And there was very little cheese involved.

We went to Arlington Court, near Barnstaple in Devon. It's a regency house, also housing the National Carriage Collection.

Can you see the Michaelmas daisies in the above picture? Aren't they pretty?

At least, I think they're Michaelmas daisies.. not entirely sure! They were covered in beebugs and flutterbugs. There's only one bee in there, and you can't really see him, but there's a fuzzy bumble-bum in there somewhere.

Next model for my photographic attentions was a beautiful Red Admiral. He did a lovely job of holding still for me, and didn't fly off even when I got very close indeed.

I was very impressed by the Walled Kitchen Garden - just about the best one I've seen at a National Trust garden, helped (I'm sure) by the Hedgehog Houses.

I was rather envious of their pumpkin patch.

I was coveting the hydrangeas as well.. Someone described hydrangea flowers as having a 'vintage phase' .. I love that, it fits so well!

Finally, my photographs of our afternoon tea yielded some interesting results. You can see me and my daddy reflected in the tea pots. Was good tea as well, I had three cups!

The day was rounded off very nicely by a beautiful sunset, which didn't photograph too well from inside the car, but I did try!

Did I mention this a while back? I bought myself a crysanthemum plant a week or two back.. I love the colour, and it looks so nice in my metal bucket, by the back door. I might take the occasional cut flower from it.. actually, I might do that this afternoon. They'd look really pretty by the bed.

I Wanted To Share.

It's a very silly thing, but I wanted to share this video of me with you. Was taken back in about.. May, I think, at Killerton House. It was a cold, miserable day. But we had fun. This was the day of The Great Floral Clash of 2009. I was wearing several different florals, and they didn't really work. Oh well.

I just went out to pick the sweetpeas, as I said I would, and I found this little chappie. Thought you might like to see him.

Sunny Day and Pretty Flowers

I bought some sweet pea plants from Stourhead, on the aforementioned outing. They didn't do much for ages.. I have finally got flowers! Will pick them later. Love sweet peas. They smell beautiful :)

A few years ago, we bought some lillies. We had three varieties, five of each. They did fantastically well the first year, moderately the second, and have been decidedly mediocre since then. This year I have ONE flower. On the plus side, I think it's rather a beauty.

Last year they were decimated by Scarlet Lilly Beetle, as I didn't recognise what the problem was. Havn't seen hide or hair of any this year. Probably because I only have one lily left.