Southwold- a British seaside gem!!

my granddaughter just off to build a castle...

and didn't she do well!!

Have just returned from a fabulous holiday in Southwold - a traditional seaside resort in Suffolk that is famous for it's brightly coloured beach huts- and we had a wonderful time with the family... it was a real bucket and spade, ice creams, picnic on the beach, type of holiday and the weather was just perfect - warm and sunny everyday. We paddled in the sea, made sandcastles, got sand in the sandwiches and had a really great time. Southwold has a short pier that was only built in 2001 and has stylish shops and restaurants along it- we had a fish and chips lunch there in a cafe that overlooked the sea and the shore.

There is an interesting harbour there with loads of shacks that sell freshly caught fish, crabs, crayfish etc and a ferry that will row you over to the pretty village of Walberswick. The present ferryman is a young woman and she is the fifth generation to run the ferry.

The ferry that rows you over to Walberswick...

Walberswick village.

Lepidoptera - A butterfly Ball!

The really beautiful Red Admiral butterfly....

A Painted Lady Butterfly... have seen lots of these this summer...

Not sure what this one is? ....

The Peacock hiding in the nasturtium leaves...

The garden is just full of beautiful butterflies this summer so have spent hours trying to photograph them - very difficult as they don't stay still for long enough . Our Buddleia bush has just been covered with them whenever the sun is out...I have been trying to identify them from an old "Observer's Book of butterflies" from 1966 !

Wild Northumberland

The ancient remains of Dunstanburgh castle...

Hadrians Wall and Housesteads with it's ancient Roman fort is impressive and the Roman soldiers (looking good for their age!!!) complete the scene.

Have just returned from a good holiday in the wilds of Northumberland which is in the north east of England. It is one of Britains hidden gems as there seem to be few tourists even though the countryside and coastal areas are stunning. The beaches are wide swathes of clean golden sand often with a backdrop of sand dunes and Embleton bay and Bamburgh both have ancient castles overlooking the sea.

The historic town of Alnwick ,which has one of the largest second hand bookshops in the U.K. housed in the old station building- Barter Books- is interesting to visit as is the pretty town of Warkworth which has an impressive castle and good places to eat. I sound like a travel guide!! But it is a lovely place to visit and locals are friendly and welcoming!!!

Lavender cup cakes!!

These delicately flavoured and unusual cup cakes are really yummy and lovely to make in the summer when the lavender is in flower. I used the recipe from Nigella Lawson's "how to be a domestic goddess" book and it is the usual standard cup cake recipe with some lavender milk added to the mixture. This is made by infusing 6 to 8 sprigs of lavender in 125ml of hot milk and leaving for 20 minutes , then straining the milk and leaving it for a further 10 minutes before adding about 2 tablespoons to the cupcake mix. The icing is made by adding some lavender milk to the icing sugar. Enjoy a flowery scented treat!!

Happy first birthday...

I made this sponge cake for my youngest grandaughter's first birthday ...her favourite toy is a duck glove puppet so thought she would like a cute little duck to feature on her birthday cake...

Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire used for filming "The Duchess"

Had a fabulous day out at this amazing country house in Derby, U.K.- It was built in 1759 for the Curzon family and features some magnificent interiors designed by Robert Adam which definitely have the wow factor. The house has beautiful landscaped grounds with a series of lakes and cascades. It was recently used to film "The Duchess" starring Keira Knightly and has an exhibition showing how the interiors were transformed and cared for during the filming... I am looking forward to seeing the film when it is released in the U.K. in September..

Bright summery Bag!

I have just finished making this bag for my sister to cheer her up as she has been ill for quite a long time- am pleased with the bright summery colours from the lovely fabrics that I got from Etsy... It took me a while to find a good pattern but eventually found one on this blog

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/01/1-hour-bag-tutorial.html and it is very easy to make and a really good tutorial... good blog as well!