Seagull

My friend asked me if I could recover her bar stools and make some cushion covers too.  She provided the fabric, there was loads left and knowing she liked Seagulls I asked her if she would like a cushion with a Seagull.  

The pattern for the seagull is from Bustle & Sew magazine.  You can also get to Bustle & Sew by clicking on the picture on my sidebar too.

Our reclaimed Garden

From this at the beginning of January

To this!

Just got to keep the weeds down and hope the plants spread!  At least we are not plagued by the Welsh Leek in the back like we are in the front.  I have more plants in pots which are dotted about the garden to put in.....

TODAY..........................

Is Midsummer Day

Is the Longest Day

Fathers Day

My 35th Wedding Anniversary

To celebrate I made some shortbread

Easy recipe to make, I make in ounces, because that is the way I was taught to remember it and make it, and besides it really doesn't sound right in grams!

2, 4, 6 Shortbread

2 ozs Sugar  (50grms)

4 ozs Butter  (110gms)

6 ozs Flour  (170grms)

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with finger tips, work well and as the butter melts the ingredients all gather together and the bowl becomes clean.

Place onto a floured surface and roll out about 1/4" thick and using a biscuit cutter cut out shapes and place onto greased baking sheet.  Keep doing this until all the mixture has been used up.

Prick the shapes with a fork and cook on 180 degrees, Gas 4 for about 15 minutes.  

When cooked take out of the oven, sprinkle with sugar and leave on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes to cool a little.

Deforestation of the Garden!

Back in March we had our Sumach tree pollarded.

now it is growing leaves, and the trunk is  looking like giant lollipops, except the one which is smothered in Ivy.  It needed cutting because it was beginning to look like a giant canopy and not letting the sun into the garden, even cutting the grass late afternoon when the surrounding area was dry where the tree was the grass still had morning dew!  

the mini Sumach forest

But.......the tree got its own back, and sent up thousands of suckers,  This type of tree does send up suckers, but after having the tree cut it has got its own back and has sent up four times as many than normal.  

Our front grass all it has going for it, it is GREEN!

Because of the recent downpours, yesterday we thought we had better tackle the "mini forest"

We had a profound Buttercup patch, looked like a Buttercup field

A small Daisy patch as well

The Dandelions I keep for my friend who has them for her tortoise

The before........

Twenty minutes later!

Princess Charlotte's Bonnet

I have just knitted this sweet little bonnet the new little Princess Charlotte wore the day she was born.

The pattern(s) can be found here
I chose this one.
It was very easy to knit even the cable pattern was simple you didn't need a cable needle, you just knitted two stitches and slip a stitch across.  It was knitted in one piece, the only stitching was to stitch in the ends and stitch up the hem for the casing for the ties

Growing up side down..............

Growing upside down

Correct way up

Boot Fair

The boot fair yesterday at Blue Anchor.  The field was full with sellers and loads of people looked.  Although after the pitch fee we made exactly £32, not sure how though because people picked up what they liked, asked the price, I said £1, most things we were selling were a £1 they put it down again and walked  away.  What do they want these days FREEBIES?

London Pride

London Pride

Someone said to me once what do you want that for its a WEED!  

Weed or not I like London Pride.  It is of the Saxifraga family.

London Pride has been handed down to us,
London Pride is a flower that's free.
London Pride means our own dear town to us,
And our pride is forever will be.
Whoa, Liza,
See the coster barrows,
The vegetable marrows and the fruit piled high,
Oh, Liza,
Little London sparrows,
Covent Garden Market where the costers cry.

Cockney feet 
Mark the beat of history.
Every street pins a memory down.
Nothing ever can quite replace
The grace of London Town.

There's a little city flower,
Ever spring unveiling,
Growing in the crevices,
By some London railing.
Though it has a Latin name
In town and countryside,
We in England call it
London Pride.

London Pride has been handed down to us,
London Pride is a flower that's free.
London Pride means our own dear town to us,
And our pride it forever will be.
Hey, lady,
When the day is dawning,
See the policeman yawning
On his lonely beat.
Gay lady,
Mayfair in the morning,
Hear your footsteps echo 
In the empty street.

Early rain,
And the pavement's glistening,
All Park Lane 
In a shimmering gown.
Nothing ever could break or harm
The charm
Of London Town.

In our city, darkened now,
Street and square and crescent,
We can feel our living past
In our shadowed present.
Ghosts beside our starlit Thames
Who lived and loved and died
Keep throughout the ages
London Pride.

London Pride has been handed down to us,
London Pride is a flower that's free.
London Pride means our own dear town to us,
And our pride it forever will be.
Grey city,
Stubbornly implanted,
Taken so for granted
For a thousand years.
Stay, city,
Smokily enchanted,
Cradle of our memories,
Of our hopes and fears.

Every Blitz,
Your resistance toughening.
From the Ritz
To the Anchor and Crown,
Nothing ever could override
The pride
Of London Town.

                     Noel Coward