Posy

Don't step on the Pansy!

That is the cry that rings out at numerous times of the day - and with these hot nights - into the evening too!

Isn't it sweet? Can you believe that it can thrive in the sandy cracks of our reclaimed brick patio? It's my new baby...Tom thinks that I am sad, perhaps I am, but I love the unexpected and it's little cheery face was such a surprise! Mmm.. I am sounding a bit 'uncool' with all this 'little cheery face' nonsense so I had better stop before I run away with myself and tell you about the blackbirds! The children just cringe with what I make them do!! Hee hee!

Well, what are mothers for if not to make your children laugh at you and shake their heads - sounds like history repeating itself hey Mum?

Simply wonderful!

Feast your eyes on my latest tin. I have never seen anything so gorgeous and I can hardly believe they made tins like this just for biscuits - and it's mine!

This is the view from 'my' place on the sofa - I can hardly get any sewing done as I find my eyes being drawn to this vision of beauty. Sigh. I had to fight to the last second on ebay and you wouldn't really want to know what that fight cost (well, lets say it was much cheaper than a pair of shoes and a tank of petrol and about the same as a cheap jumper in M & S!) but I love it so much - I think it is one of my favourite things ever..

Today I am finally getting my machine out - it must have been over 4 weeks - as I am making a cushion for Justine's baby. It hasn't arrived yet as it is due in about 2 weeks, and we don't know what it will be..well it is a much longed and waited for baby.. so I will have to make 2 embroidered pieces. I'll show you the finished results..

..now where is that machine..

It's over!

It is finally finished - all done and dusted! Yesterday my assessor spent 3 hours at school interviewing me (twice)and the headteacher and 2 of the teachers I work with, and reading my file. So now I'm waiting for the results which could be in 6 weeks but maybe in October. I spent last night going over my questions and berating myself for not saying this and did I say that etc etc. I have just got to let it go.

It feels quite strange not having my folder to hand (though it's only at school!) but gazing out onto my neglected garden on Sunday evening I realised quickly that I can soon get used to not wearing my memory stick as an accessory and try a hose instead!

Like Christmas

Arrh..it's funny how everything good seems to come at the same time. I can go for weeks without buying anything (umm..should rephrase that..) well anything absolutely wonderful - and now in the last 10 days I have sourced some of my most favourite treasures ever!

Above you can see my Green Gate booty. I was looking through a copy of Country Living (no big surprise there!) and caught a glimpse of a Green Gate tablecloth that was from last summer's collection. Not for the first time I kicked myself for not buying the fabric, which is now discontinued, and set about trying to find some from the shops that stock GG in the UK. "So sorry, it sold out almost straight away" was the standard answer. It was whilst I was asking after a cushion (remember the green spotty one) that I should have had months ago, that I happened to mention the tablecloth; and I heard, "Oh. we have one left!"

So the blue fabric on the left is probably the nicest table cloth in the world - it has even graced the cover of Country L. The brown fabric is a Tea towel and the pink is waiting to be turned into something. My cushion arrived too, and I thought I would never get that!

All this through the post on the same day! Whilst I was sitting there in rapture - I still can't believe I have the tablecloth - Mum and Rob arrived from Salisbury to watch one of Alice's plays. They were laiden down with boxes...they had picked up the 38 back copies of Country Living that I had won from eBay...well I didn't know what to do with myself....

...Posy did though!

Alice's week

...and what a week! It has been quite a week for almost everyone in the family. Starting with Alice who has been in 3 productions ( which were all in the same week)- Fiddler on the Roof, Joseph and Midsummer Nights Dream! How she has kept up the pace I don't know as the rehearsal schedule for Fiddler alone has been at least 1 3hour session every week since Easter. Needless to say she coped admirably and poor old Granny & Poppa had to drive from Salisbury and back, twice in one week!

Here she is as Titania, Queen of the Fairies. We only have photos of her in Midsummer so I'm afraid our NZ family will have to make do with these.

Anth and I are amazed at her ability to memorise her lines (without any help!). She is a born actress and that is something she has got from my side of the family.

To finish her week on a high note, she received a wonderful report (mind-blowing actually, between you and me, but I don't want to turn into one of those showy-off parents that I detest!). Her grades were average, which we are not really fussed about; but it was the fact that her attitude and happy, caring nature was extolled..and as Alice said to me, "Mummy there are no "howevers!"  You know...'Alice is a good girl, however...!'

We are very proud of her achievements but are even more thrilled that others appreciate her lovely nature. And wonders will never cease - even Tom wanted to come along and watch!

On my mantelpiece #4

Gosh, I can't believe that I have not shown you the flowers on my mantlepiece for absolutely ages. These Corn Flowers have spurred me on as what could look better? I bought them at Sainburys which usually have boring expensive flowers .. I just couldn't believe my Country Living eyes when I spied them..and the best part - they were only £1.99!

As I keep telling Anth, I would be more thrilled with a simple 'country' posy than anything more expensive and flashy. What girl can resist simple, pretty flowers and if I'm very lucky..a love note in my sandwiches!

By Lucy

 

As Mum is so busy i decided to do a blog post for her and as i have recently returned from a trip to France, i will show you pictures from my time there.

This picture is of my friends (Gabriela, Laura, Helen and Martha) and me (on the end) on a beach in St Anne Le Palud in Brittany. It was our last day in France and we were making the most of it as the next day we would be waking up at 4am (not that we slept that night anyway!) The school has bought a house in a tiny village called Tregourez In Brittany and has had it for almost 25 years now!

This photo is a view outside our bedroom window looking onto the garden. Although not a very good picture, it shows just how deserted the village was!

As you can imagine on holiday with 30 girls, we shopped alot! The best place we went was Quimper as it had many clothes and jewellery shops. My friends and i were always late back to meet with the class as we lost track of time! Whilst there, we looked around many Art galleries and churches which we were meant to fill in a booklet about, but no one did in the end! Our class had been to Brittany once before in Year 7, now in Year 9 we enjoyed ourselves much more as we were all closer friends ( although there were fall outs now and again!)

Books

Had you thought I had forgotten about you all? I may have not had anytime to blog but I have certainly been able to pop in and read your comments - thanks for them all. I've nearly finished my course work - my assessor will be coming to school for 4 hours, yes you did read that correctly..on the 17th July. I will have 2 interviews and the rest of the time she will be talking to the Headteacher and the 2 teachers I work closely with..plus she will have to read my mammoth file which will take the longest time I sure! So it all will be over then and I can say hello to my life, children, sewing,gardening, etc and then onto my summer project which is sanding and painting all the floorboards in the house which is 80% of the floorspace..umm..not sure if I really am looking forward to that as each room will probably have to be emptied. I don't think Anth is going to be very accommodating somehow!

Right, now on to some interesting things. I have managed to buy some books from Amazon -

always a bit of a risk if you have never seen them before. But I'm thrilled. Particularly with the middle book. Now my apologies for the rubbish dark photo, but hopefully you can see them ok. I am such a bad housekeeper and always wonder why I seem to spend every weekend doing chores and every day off and somehow other families do fun things at the weekends. I'm don't think I am particularly houseproud - it's more that I can't seem to get organised and have a system. This Family Manager book seems to be written with me in mind and I hope I will get to be more productive and be a Domestic Goddess (minus the cooking, of course!)

The other books are from Country Living and the pictures are simply wonderful. So in my free moments I have been whisked away to that perfect cottage with me as the perfect house keeper having those perfect family celebrations.......I'll keep you posted as to when it happens!!