HOT HOT HOT in the U.K.!!

We are having a mini heatwave in the U.K at the moment so are making the most of it while it lasts. These gardens at Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire were looking their best on Thursday..
The Chinese garden is based on the famous "willow pattern plate "story and was really pretty ... just wanted a couple of lovers running across the bridge!! The little house is just like a gingerbread house and the azaleas and rhodedendrons were amazing - so much brilliant colour..

Crazy patchwork!

Had a go at this crazy patchwork to use up a mountain of scraps that have built up over the years- got the idea from the "Sew Hip" magazine. It is so easy to do and I think it looks quite folksy and random and it is quite addictive once you get started...

Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire,UK

Love seeing blue sky through pink blossom- one of my favourite things!

picture perfect kitchen garden !

Spent a lovely day exploring this beautiful Elizabeth manor house complete with moat which has been in the same family for 12 generations before being given to the National Trust. The gardens were really beautiful and I loved the kitchen garden- wish it was mine!!

April Bag!

Made this drawstring bag from the Sew Mama Sew blog with Elizabeth's tutorial and am pleased with how good the tutorial was with good clear instructions and photographs and how nice the bag is..http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?m=200904 I would recommend the pattern as it is quite easy to make even for a duffer like me!!

Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds...

Snowshill Manor is built of soft golden cotswold stone and dates from 1500 and was once owned by Katherine Parr -one of the wives of Henry the eighth.

a strongly scented bank of wild garlic...

she looks sheepish!

This is Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds, U.K. and a National Trust property - it is a beautiful old manor house which was once owned by Charles Paget Wade (1883-1956) purely to house his enormous collection of artefacts which he had been collecting for most of his life... he loved anything handmade and admired all craftsmanship as he was himself an architect and artist.There are 20 rooms stuffed with all manner of "things" ... bicycles, children's toys, clocks,spinning wheels,textiles and costumes and a large collection of Samurai armour.

The surrounding gardens are a delight with borders full of cottage garden flowers and a pretty apple orchard...had a lovely day exploring it all.

Happy Mother's Day in Australia !

To my beautiful daughter on your first Mother's Day with little m...do hope that you have a wonderful day and that you enjoy the Mother's Day walk... your great grandmother wrote this poem for me many many years ago and I have never forgotten it- it is very sentimental but pretty and was written by George Cooper (1838-1927) In case you can't read the writing it says...

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky

Hundreds of shells on the shore together

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover

But only ONE mother the whole world over.

and this is a lovely photo of your great grandmother, Dorothea Amy ,taken about 1911 - I still have the silver locket that she is wearing... doesn't she look beautiful. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother!

And a happy Mother's day to all the mothers in Australia...

An English country garden!

My garden is just beginning to look good as the hosta plants- my very favourite - are springing to life and the azalea is just so colourful and bright. I think that May in the U.K. is the best time of year as there is always a glimmer of hope that a good summer is on the way!!

Inspiration needed!!

My latest internet purchases and I love them.... just need some inspiration - perhaps I will make a summer bag with some of this fabric or some little make up purses- who knows- will just looks at them for a while!

This was made for my grandaughter's 3rd birthday as "Finding Nemo" is one of her favourite dvds and she was thrilled with it .

Fabulous flapjacks

Just made a batch of flapjacks for a tasty snack with a cup of tea as having friends coming over tomorrow - the recipe in the U.K is for a biscuit- type treat and is very easy to make as the simple version contains only 4 ingredients-

100g butter

75g golden syrup

75g soft brown sugar

225g rolled oats (porridge oats)

Melt butter,syrup,sugar in a saucepan over a low heat until melted and then stir in oats and mix well. Spread onto greased baking tray- 8" x 12" and bake for approx 30 mins at 160c/gas 4/350f until golden. When cool cut into squares and ENJOY!!