peas for tea

just picked, fresh from the pod, the only way my boy will eat them!

makings

i've been a bit sporadic on the making front recently, i'm still slogging away with the big cardi for the hubs but have been cheering myself up with a few quick little makes in between,

along with some fabric scraps & a few odd vintage buttons, this little bundle was turned into some jubilee bunting for our tent, it did get a little soggy but it cheered me up, the ribbons were from here

 i have also recently crocheted a few coasters for a friend i work with, these were so nice & quick to make, i used some rowan bamboo tape i'd brought yonks ago, which worked really well for this project, the pattern i'd found via here

we've been snugged up at home today as the school have an inset day, but making cookies & getting cosy to watch a film have kept the small folk happy & i've been able to start a little baby knitting for a nephew due any day now 

september

for us has been tough getting back into the routine of school & work, but i always love the change of this season & the opportunity to prepare for the coming winter, i watched as my hubs has dug over & re-turfed the lawn, i've done some clearing & tidying in the garden {& brought a little of what's left of summer into the house to be enjoyed} G did his bit by planting 25 bulbs as part of his 'beaver' challenge, so {fingers crossed} we will be looking forward to a beautiful tulip display come spring,  i've made 'lots' of jam, all using fruit gifted from our neighbours, which in turn will be gifted back to neighbours & friends, we've eaten a lot of apple related puddings {& discovered i make a mean 'apple puff'} i've got some autumn knitting on my needles, which i'm so looking forward to wearing, embracing autumn all the way!

the carrot thief

we didn't really have enough space out back to grow carrots in our garden {next year i'm contemplating growing them in the front garden} but i had a go at growing some in pots, i knew they would never get very big, but i just roasted them whole with other veg & they were very tasty, they'd happily been growing away in a pot on the deck until Barney realised what they were, you see he loves carrots, i often give him a stick or two when i'm peeling some for tea, so once he knew he had a ready supply he could help himself to they started to go missing! i had to move them

they've been living on the garden table for the last few weeks, but with today's wet & very windy weather they got knocked over, not quite sure how as it's a heavy tub, but maybe it had already been pushed slightly off the table by one of the little folk living here, but then lots of other things have been flying around the garden today {what's left of the poor runner beans has taken a huge battering} so i retrieved what was left of the carrots {some still so tiny they'd be great props for O's dolls house} i've also made a apple & plum crumble as we all need something warming today, first day back to school / pre-school, aside from the wind it's certainly been very quiet around here

give-away winners

wow thanks for all the comments on the give-away post, i couldn't face writing out all the names & popping them into a hat, so i ventured down the path of  'random number generator' once i'd figured out to get it to do what i wanted, it was great {haven't quite figured out how to get a picture of the picked number onto the blog yet though}

so first up the winner of the sewing goodies was Clare from 'a home in the highlands', then the knitting goodies go to Ashley from 'country rose', your parcels got posted off this afternoon so should hopefully be with you soon

the mismatched needles go to Rachel from 'fizz pop bang' {please email me the info i need to send these off to you!}

on another happy note - my sweet peas are smelling delicious 

wet & windy wednesday

can't keep up with the weather today, not really liking all the rain we've been getting, but it has been helping the garden along, we picked the first of the radish, which was what big G had chosen to grow {he loves radish sandwiches!}

i have also been getting on with my twenty ten cardigan, i'm loving the yarn, it's very soft, although i don't think it's really a chunky, feels more like an aran weight to me, i'm tempted to get some more whilst's it's such a great price at kemps

{& a quick thank you to Andrea from apples&pears for passing a versatile blogger award onto me - i'll need to get my thinking cap on, but if you're impatient you could always check out a random fact's about me blog post from last year - it's all still true!}

hoilday

this easter has really felt like a holiday, mostly down to all the lovely weather we've been having, i've been rather busy & having too much fun getting out & doing things too spend much time on the computer, but heh thats okay with me & i'm sure everyone has been doing the same, 

the seeds the children & i planted at the start of the easter holidays {just two weeks ago} have also been enjoying the warm weather & have been growing like crazy on the window sill, they will need to be planted out very soon at this rate but i'm a little worried that this weather won't hold!

i did treat myself to some new fabric, i'd been loving these for a while, so once Kate over at misformake had popped them into her sale i couldn't resist, 

& thank you to Laura i had the perfect recipe to use up some rhubarb, these went down a treat at an afternoon play at the park with my group of friends, i will be asking my mum to bring over more rhubarb with her asap as these just didn't last long enough

i've found it far too hot to be knitting but i have been planning a few sewing projects, when i get round to putting them into action who knows, but the thought is there, {i have done a little sewing but that's a secret right now so keep it shhh}

out in the garden

we've spent quite a lot of time outside this weekend & i've been having fun playing with my camera, i've been up to very little in the way of making (other than a spot of baking) but  i have been adding to my fabric stash, so i can continue to stalk the postman for the rest of next week! 

i'd like to think i might get something started next week but then what with it still being half term & easter it's unlikely, we'll see, i have however set myself a challenge & signed up for Elsie Marley's 'kids clothes week' taking place in May, you'll find the link over on the side, there are so many things i want to make, so i really need a little push!

my week in pictures

of course my little O would rather play with the stones than the sand! we still have 'a view' from the upstairs windows from which to watch the sunset, new yarn on the needles, the camellia seems to have survived the move & is happily flowering away in the garden, my boy having been in the dressing up box, sneaking a little play with his sisters doll house, a good week all in all, rounded off nicely with mothers day & now one week to go till Easter holidays - hooray!

hope you've all had a lovely week too

today i have

been washing new fabric (from here, on sale, i'm thinking the blue may become the backing for the pin-wheel quilt )

, 

hanging said washing out to line dry (washing done & all dry before school pick up!)

loosing the battle against the bug doing the rounds (pesky children & their germ sharing tendencies!)

sitting on the back step, drinking lemsip, soaking up some sun,  watching little O & her friend do some digging (generally involving getting a little muddy!)

searching out the new shoots & spring flowers