the weekend starts here....

 

mm well it's not quite like that here today..but let's just ignore the crazy weather ie wild stormy bitterly cold sleeting and hailing not even snowing and grey and wet and dreach...and the weather forcast and all the weather news from around the country (and hope you are all keeping warm and safe.)...because hey, inside my head the sun is shining...and I still remain hopeful of better days ahead...

The Simple Things mag is an occasional simple pleasure...full of delicious photos and quirky and delightful items of interest beautifully presented... and the choc is just sheer indulgence...a couple of treats from a very quick shopping expedition into the wintry wildness earlier...

mm that's better...and I can't wait for family to be safe home and stoves to be lit and a warm glow to fill at least some of the big old stone walled quirky house we live in... and the weekend relaxing can begin...

in the meantime I have been busy sewing in the studio...made some scones for a teatime treat...put a chicken in the oven...so I think I've earned my treats...

and I thought I'd just share a couple of pics from yesterday when although cold, it was gloriously sunny...

the lambs along the road are getting bigger and enjoying the warm sun...

 

how to make a chicken happy? no it's not chocolate in there...just some out of date sesame seeds... they go wild for 'em!

and the simplest of wild spring flowers... the celandine...a most welcome bright yellow beacon of hope...

so do tell me....what makes your weekend special?

September sunshine...

I love September...after everyone's frenzied desire for summer...to relax into the start of autumnal hints is rather blissful...maybe too, it's something to do with schools going back and the return of a semblance of routine, however painful to teenage anti-earlyrisingness...

I do like a sense of order and at least the house stays the same all day now which gives me a small chance of restoring some sort of order after months of neglect...but I am heart gladdened when husband and daughter return home in the evening...and we can share our different days...but only after a whole day BY MYSELF with only my own thoughts for company...these days more and more I seem to need some solitude...tho' around here with chickens, ducks, donkeys, cats, geese and currently next door's dog staying I am never lonely!

It's been a blissful week of C-art Open Studios...we are open officially at the weekends with lots of delightful visitors calling in...some strays appear from time to time during the week and I rather like coming up from the veggie patch in the sunshine with grubby hands from digging up the garlic to greet strangers and welcome them to my life...to my studio...to our work...

I like to think people take away a sense of calm and tranquility from here, a sense of doing life a slightly different way maybe a more harmonious way (mind you I don't show them the house which currently is...well...in a BIT OF A STATE!!)

So lets take a little walk down the garden...it's such a gorgeous sunny day...quite hot in the sun...I haven't got a cardi, fleece or socks on!

Signage necessary to direct people to the studio and to give a subtle warning...

Gwendoline showing no interest at all in eating people's fingers...she's far too sensible!

ah...Neddy snoozling in the warm sunshine...cheek tickling = happy donkey and hasn't he got a beautiful soft nose and fabulous eyelashes!

and magnificent ears which swivel this way and that as he listens sometimes to you and sometimes to things behind him...carefully rotating one ear forward and one ear back...

Join me in sitting outside the studio for a moment to take in the view...and straightaway Basil take the chance to sit on your knee...

and Emilia hen comes to check out if you are by any chance  eating something...she nabbed a whole rice cake off my plate at the weekend!

and behind you can see the beautiful and rather sculptural seats which husband of patience has created...very patient!

down past the apple tree...apples ripening in the warm sun...and the chickens and ducklings...still together with their Mummy hen..and Basil like a sphinx in the grass...and a duckling apple bobbing...

and down the new path to the veg patch... where despite the somewhat rainy year we have some harvest...the pumpkins and squashes are magnificent...spreading like triffids...a forest of leaves and secret surprises...we love to wander round spotting hidden fruit and shouting 'here's another...and another!'

and here's the garlic I've been digging up...such a nice earthy job in the hot sunshine...it brings a great feeling of contentment...extra special this year as it shows how strong and improved my wrist is, I planted it when my hand was pretty weak in cold wintry weather and now here we have a harvest in the sun...

and help from our chickens...happy hens!
tho' I did have to keep hiding the worms from them as I dug...

and Nellie nextdoor's dog..best girl!

so here's to another weekend of lovely visitors to see all our beautiful artwork...and sunshine...hope you have a great one too...don't forget to love what you do!xx

Friday night and I'm loving...

that it's been a delightfully sunshiney day...ok with a hint of cloud...but positively BLUE sky and bright sunshine... huzzah!

that although it's been a bit of a crazy week with a second trip to Newcastle (to get a filling replaced cos it fell out!)... thanks to my nieces' ability to turn themselves into Removal Women...I was able to get my Mum's sewing table which was her Mum's dressing table ..into the car and home...it's a nice link down the years to my grandmother Evelyn who sadly died when Mum was a young girl, so I never knew her..

and here it is in the window of the lounge...awaiting full use as my Running a Busy and Successful Business Desk...and maybe painting up tho' I'm not sure..what do you think?

please note the essential pretty accessories and Homes and Antiques magazine...bags of yarn and wool and other delicious items from Woolfest and...all those things essential to every Business Woman's Desk...

sometimes a magazine just hits the spot cheers and inspires...and I loved the vintage feel and the colours in this one...and this gorgeous red desk...

fab lamp

 

and divine sofas...instant Pink Sofa envy!!

 

a new Very Important and Inspiring Business Only mug from Laura Ashley...just loved the colours...

 

a little yummy fabric from Ikea and yarn from Treacle woolshop

scrummy blanket pieces from Eliza at Woolfest...looking lovely while they wait patiently to be created into something lovely...




that my funky wristwarmers made by Philippa of Wheeldale Woolcrafts... mean my Businesss wrists will always be warm...

and just look at this beautiful brooch from Julia at Handknitted Things...may have to buy some more for pressies...

and finally for Friday...that I have at last been able to start playing with my fantastic new embellisher....or needle felting machine...bought just before Woolfest so I have only just begun to have time to explore it...and I love it...it creates such amazing surfaces and uses up all my scraps of fabric...the ultimate textiles recycling...

 

ooh so many lovely things to get making...but better go to bed now...night all! xx

chicken love...

when we've been away it's so nice to come home...and be greeted by two cats most indignant that we've not been there to let them into the warm cosy kitchen for snoozing...and a bevy of running hens scooting up the path from the orchard (well a bit of field with some fruit trees in)...even the geese honk a noisy greeting..home to fresh air and green grass and hills ,...and getting greener by the minute as the opening hawthorn leaves green up the hedgerows...breathe it all in...then into the house for the unpacking ceremony...piles to add to the piles...

many thanks to kind friends and neighbours for the looking after of everything...and thanks to chickens for the lovely brown eggs...which daughter mine soon has whipped up into a fab cake to share with friends...

thought I'd just share with you the inside story...no, not our house but the henhouse ...tho' the hens often want to pop into the kitchen to see us...and Emilia especially is always keen to join me in the studio...here's an insight into the secret life of our chickens...Rosa sitting patiently...clever girl...when she got off there were 2 eggs...and next time I visit...3...it's magic...beautiful warm fresh eggs and all we give them is food and water ...and some love

Bluebell looking in on me looking out! I think she wants to know who's on housework duty this week cos the perches could use a cleaning...

any chance of a little tasty something from the feed bin?

and here's the cat who thinks he's a dog...sharing the chicken's run outside... warm and happy cat!

off to my studio today for some making...Woolfest is in June and now I can sew again there's a lot to do but it's all exiting and feels so right...I just love being in the studio surrounded by fabrics and threads, able to stitch and sew and get on with setting up my workshops - got a new machine embroidery workshop to plan too...still couple of places on corsage making on Thursday 19th...leave a comment if you're interested...

hope you're having a lovely weekend too and getting some sunshine xx