Posy

The Happy Things

This week's happy things that are making me..er..happy.

::New birds::

I have zilch/zero birds in my garden which will come as no surprise to those of you who read this blog regularly. I don't know what happened this summer to my sparrows, but I did spend the summer evenings in the garden with my face skywards as soon as I heard the screaming overhead. Yes, I would stand marvelling at the acrobatics of the swifts and we even had some nesting in our eaves but only saw them once. Now I have more birds on our fridge than we have outside (not counting pesky seaguls and magpies!) 
Look at these magnets I found on Saturday. I just HAD to have them. The price made Anth wince. Oops.

 

::My Own Birds::

I can't look at this photo taken on Lucy's 18th birthday without smiling and my heart feeling all mushy. I love my babies. Each one of them. So much. And the best thing is that they love each other. I really love that.

(how and when did they get so big??)

 

 ::My Gospel Choir::

Yes, I have found a choir. Not quite the cathedral choir I wanted (tongue-in-cheek!!) but it is just down the road and Lucy comes along with me. We have only been once so we will see but it's a start isn't it?

::New Doormat::

A Greengate one no less. Only trouble is I won't let anyone stand on it...

 

::Matthew's New Talent::

Bless him - this summer my brother was desperate to have a go on the organ at my aunt Madelyn's church. She arranged for him to be able to do this and it was lovely to watch him try and master the ancient instrument. He did really well - and no - there was not a single note of Coldplay that came from those pipes! 

::It's On It's Way!!::

No,not the fair but the C word!!!

 

::The English Countryside in Late Summer::
 

 

::Our Pink Bed::

Now the photos are showing the pink to be more 'Barbie' than it really is. It's true tone is much softer and creamer (gee, I sound like Gregg Wallace from Masterchef!)

 

And I can only show you half of the bed as the other half is in a terrible mess. Sorry. I'm also loving my newly thrifted retro pillowcases which actually tones very well with the new paint job despite what the photo tells you.

Anyway, enough happy things for one day. If you would like to share your happy things in the comments feel free. xxxxxxxxxx

Crochetgate

There was a little friction over the summer between the girls and me - well, more Lucy and myself to be exact but Alice decided to take her side in the matter of what we now call 'Crochetgate!'

During our few days in Salisbury, Bath and Ludlow I had managed to find a few crochet doilies (I'm still to find a pot holder but I'm ever hopeful). I've become more obsessed with doilies as the years progress and have now gone crazy for larger pieces of filet crochet which I like to back in a contrasting fabrics and make into a cushions. They are quite hard to find so when I find one it's like treasure.

 

Anyway, whilst in Ludlow I went into The Wear House (the new premises and name of Zani Lady) and found a wonderful crochet runner which I had plans for (probably to do with curtains and it wasn't that cheap either). When we got back home and unpacked, I had all my crochet bits I had gathered at the end of my bed ready to put them away. They stayed there for a day or 3.
Lucy decided (with maternal prompting) to 'personalize' her bedroom a little more. She decided to paint her chest of drawers. She chose to paint each draw a different colour.

 

It was her first time painting. There was chaos. I just closed the doors and let her get on with it grateful that for once it wasn't me painting. I put my crochet booty into a large plastic lidded box.

A few days later I decided to get some fabric out of the large plastic lidded box.

I discovered this..

..it looked like a mark...

..a few marks...PAINT!!!!

Well...Lucy is indignant that I could ever imagine it could possibly be her. I mean she was after all the only person painting so it couldn't be, could it? Alice even agrees with her. I'm so outnumbered.
This rumbled on for a day or two. We are feisty lot we Goble girls!

Anyone know how to get gloss paint out of crochet?    

Which one would you choose?

Firstly, thank you so much for all your warm words on my return. I am really most touched. It's good to see you again. Today I thought we could go into the realms of fantasy - a place where, according to my family, I seem to spend a large part of my time - and look at some beautiful houses that caught my eye over the summer, particularly in Bath. So there will be little words just some hard choices as to what one you would buy...obviously money is no object in my fantasy world...

Parisian Dream

 

Hansel & Gretel Cottage (these are my own made up names!)
 

 

Pulteney Bridge
 

 The Circus 

 

And now onto Devon..

(you could close the tea shop if it didn't appeal in the fantasy)

   

The Woodcutter's Cottage

Sweet Gate Cottage 

 

Well, there you have it folks just a few that caught my eye. My favourite? Well, probably given the amount of chimneys and the gorgeous garden around the back it has to be the Hansel and Gretel. I would love to see what it looks like inside.

Now, which one are you going to buy?
 

It's been a long time

 It has been a long time - a jolly long time - so long that I've almost forgotten how to use Typepad! So long that I haven't, and don't know where to start. So I thought I would just pop in tonight and say a quick hello to get me started as Anth is cooking (gosh I adore that man.)

But what shall I tell you about first...my latest sewing projects, my every growing excitement for the first lighting of the fire (soon, so soon and that also is connected to some sewing projects in a roundabout way..hmmm all will be revealed when I can actually finish it but there's no fire until it's finished...yiks!!) my 2 stone weight loss (woo hoo!!) and subsequent new dresses, our darling Lucy's 18th birthday, our trip to Bath, being snubbed by David Crosby and the rest of the band (quite literally actually..Matthew and I are still talking about the experience.) Alfie and Posy's obsession with shopping bags, and the fact that our bed has changed colour again.

But, I won't start any of that now but just show you the wonderful hollyhocks. I passionately love hollyhocks. I haven't grown any for a few years now but have been known to come home in my lunch hour just to check on them and to see if they have flowered and what colour they were. Sad. 

 These photos were taken in Salisbury, just outside one of the the Cathedral gates.

Not bad flowers to be growing along the verge, but that's Salisbury for you. Well, I will be back with news and photos. It's good to see you again xxx