oh to crochet away the day....

who wouldn't love to have many more hours in the day, and I don't mean more hours to spend on cleaning behind the cupboards and under the sofa or washing all the clothes so that the washing basket is empty (ha!ha!) ...and maybe even ironing them (never!) or investigating that strange smell lurking at the back of the fridge or doing more paperwork like checking when the car MOT is due or hunting for that missing electricity bill which disappeared 3 months ago under the teetering piles you like to call your 'office' ie the corner of the top of a cupboard in the kitchen.... next to the phone so you can call for help when it all gets too much.....

but NO, I mean all the hours you would lerve to spend on sewing, making, stitching, crocheting, knitting and looking at all your fabrics and generally just playing about being creative... 

 

...and when not doing that lying on the lounger in the warm and sunny summer garden and indulging in  reading some totally delightfully light and frothy chic lit ...can you tell it's raining and a bit grey today... I am loving the rain as it is so blessedly watering everything and is very welcome indeed but it isn't the day for lounging outside so I am spending a tranquil hour or so checking out delicious blogs and websites full of inspiration......

and here is one such...hand me that crochet hook and stand back.... inspirationality is at hand, just absolutely love little things brighten up my day - it certainly has done just that...

ingrid you are soo talented and make soo much loveliness...

and you've even inspired me to finish a wee bag I was making and I'm thrilled with the result.....I made handles last night whilst I sat  watching daughter running at athletics training (very tiring to watch...)

maybe I'll make some flowers to decorate it next...

mollie makes magazine this month is full of deliciousness too...just loving some utterly beautiful freeform crochet (p72) by hookandscumble....the website and blog are just full of gorgeous pics...go see and admire the maker's talent!

and then there are the delightful crochet girlies made by the fragrant and enticing emma lamb...you may remember miss pearl who is so much at home now sitting on a leetle vintagey fabric

and a lovely article in inside crochet magazine which is full of fresh new ideas for gorgeous crochetness and which I have treasured since February - so exiting to see emma's beautiful makes in print...

 

 and I would so love to make this lovely crochet blanket designed by rebecca velasquez.... maybe when daughter is grown up and flies the nest....when I retire and I have hours and hours to fill...well, a girl can dream...

 

rebecca says that'playing with yarn is her daily meditation'...maybe we could all learn something there, it sounds so much better than working...

and here's an opportunity...had a rummage at my favorite charity shop on Saturday...more pretty and delicate crochet mats to buy for a song and then bring home and play and arrange till it becomes something delightful...

and there on the bookshelf a shy and retiring 1970's gem...couldn't resist the title...and  the fabulous fashion....

 and some delightful table napkins........ 

and although rather brown,amazing crocheted lampshadyness tra la!

with excellent instructions, all looking rather sepia toned...was everything brown in the 70's?? Obviously I am far too young to remember....

not sure I'll be rushing to make the lampyshades as I like to have lots of light but it's good to see handmadeyness all around the home, ...I think I would have to make them in PINK...

and then there's the fab patterns to make some delightful attire...maybe you too could be a summer stunner in this gorgeous ensemble...

maxi's are all back in this season I note

maybe if I had just such a stylish skirt and top the sun would come out and I could flee the house, away from the encroaching dust and teetering piles and head for that sunlounger and some summer reading...

love what you do....

and do what you love for life ... here's a wonderful website I was told about by a good friend, which has totally inspired my thinking of late....

 I believe the world would be a better place if more people were doing what they loved
Because life is more interesting when we open our hearts and minds.
Because we are happier when we discover our passion.
Because magic happens when we follow our dreams. Beth Nicholls

do go and have a look and be likewise inspired.....

life is such a precious gift and deep happiness comes from being true to yourself and not letting others mould or manipulate you.....oooh, big stuff this week.... time for changes all roundmethinks, the outside world, mother earth and all that resides on her is changing all the time...'Life is Change' as the Buddhists say... time to open hearts and minds and eyes to possibilities and opportunities and to take them wherever they lead, , to change what you do and how you think....to take a risk...

if I let go of who I am I may become
who I am meant to be...

got lots of idearies and dreamings and wishings....but for now, as the studio progresses....flooring ordered, nowt posh but it'll do t'job for now, so we can move all the fabricating stashes and sewingy stuff off the sofas and cupboards and every available surface and all over the flooryness in the lounge, from under the bed, behind the bed and on top of wardrobes and beside the chairs in piling upness in our normally tranquil bedroom and all over the landing and up beside the stairs and filling up all of the bothy downstairs (winter snuggery) and regain orderliness once more...so easy tra!la!.... that would be blissful and delightful and "about......time" - daughter!

  and here's underfloorheatingness patiently waiting her big moment..ooh and there's the leetle matter of a large hole needing our lovely builders and a window frame and a cill and some plasterating....

 

starring wonderful husband, trailing his tired way to the end-of-term is likewise waiting in the wings to apply himself to fabbydoo floorboardingness...nothing like a bit of DIY to restore himself.....and here they are delivered fresh today by a nice man in a very large lorry....

 meantime out in the garden and veggie patch all is green and lush and abounding in floriferality, and it's warm and balmy and sunny....summer is truly heaven on earth.... to sit out in the shady greeness and just breathe in the air and listen to the gentle leafy rustling....

just take a seat in full cushiony comfort and there's always someone wanting to share the moment...maybe Emily fancies a look at Country Living magazine in it's lovely pristine deliciousness to keep up to date with all matters decorative for the hennypenny henhouse....

...and there are delights for the nose too,  as the heady sweet scentedness of the brightly coloured honeysuckles.... and of the philadelphus too.... which fill the warm evening air, saying summer is truly here, breathe it in whilst you may...

i 

and in the midst of summer autumn is preparing herself for the rich harvest to come, here's blackberry flowers new and some with tiny green fruits soon to be for brambling...

 seed sowing was rather late this year as it was soo cold for soo long it almost seemed to be no point in planting anything as tiny as seeds into the frozen compost...faith has paid off now at last the veggie patch is romping happily..and one is hoping for an Indian summer for all these late seedlings to flourish and mature in...

 

the 'three sisters' of  beans, sweetcorn and courgettes looks fabulous - thanks to Carol Klein and wonderful Gardener's World... 

...the first courgette flower, the calm before the flood of harvesting courgettes galore and the big question on everyone's lips in veggie patches all over the country  is ....how to eat all 'em all before they become marrooows....

pumkins and courgettes planted into a lovely hot bed filled with cardboard, grass clippings and the magical donkey poo...topped with a nice black weed membrane creating a toasty warmth which even in the cooold windy days makes the pumpkins grow like....pumpkins...with leaves the size of dinner plates and starting to take off around the veggie patch...wonder where they'll end up....

baby seedling planted out - gardening is all about hope for good things to come.........

even the radishes look massive close up.... and the onions and garlic are gorgeously green....the donkeys are thinking "mmmm WE could help you out with those onion tops...makes our breath smell wonderful!!"

the strangeness of potato flowers shows the crop is doing well, need to cut 'em off sadly as it helps the taties put all their energy into yummy spuds...

...grow runner beans just for their jolly red flowers....and here's little norli peas just about ready to make crisp green pods for nibbling as you go past - very few pea pods make it to the house!

 

and the shed decoration - free flowers from last year which survived the artic winter winds - nature is amazing....

 

and all around us the farming year is moving on, the hedgrows are changing each day with different flowers acording to the month...the noise of tractors has filled the evening air as silaging farmers make food for their wintering animals......the landscape constantly changes with weather, light and man's hand.......

 

the last word to day is the view - breathe it in, and give thanks for rain which makes all green...

making, art and craftyness galore....

...have had to go for an even longer lie-down than usual after all the exitement...actually smitten with a heady-nosey-coldy thing, feeling fine from the neck downwards...so much to see and love from the exitingly talented students at the Contemporary Applied Arts degree show at Carlisle....and then Woolfest at Cockermouth full of delicious inspiringness on all sensory levels with yarns and fabrics and colours and textures and abundant loveliness...a feast for the eyes and food for the soul, shared with lovely like-minded kindred spirits...

warm teacosiness necessary medicine in current affliction, back off to the sofa, where languishes daughter with similar end-of-term-but-sadly-not-quite cough and cold...we shall share the tissue box and TV remote and hopefully feel loads better very soon....xxxx

let's celebrate

...the longest day, the lightest brightest day...summer solstice partying and cake eating, children laughing and playing together, running and playing outdoors as they soon as they are free from school, let us all celebrate friendships and the joy of living, the miracle of life, feel the lushness of gardens and parks, the green-ness of hills and roadsides flush with wild flowers, our gardens full and flowering, vegetables growing apace...ok a leetle more warmth from le soleil would be nice, but hey, this is Cumbria and rain and cloud are a welcome part of our life too! After all we had glorious sunshine yesterday....
Wishing you all a wonderful summer solstice....

As the sun spirals its longest dance,
Cleanse us
As nature shows bounty and fertility
Bless us
Let all things live with loving intent
And to fulfill their truest destiny

Wiccan blessing for Summer