Posy

5 things

:: 5 things I would like to do today ::

1. Grow some wings and fly up to Tom at his university and give him a hug.
2. Sit in front of the fire and sew up my knitted dog (I'm not enjoying this bit and want it over!)
3. Have a play with my new Hipstamatic app (results of some playing in this post.)
4. Look through my button tins.
5. Watch the birds on my feeders.

(Gee whizz - reading this back I sound ancient! I'm content with a rather boring, sedate life! This the lifestyle of a granny not someone who's 'on fire' as in 'Whoa, Jane Goble's on fire..er' Should I mention I love the Antiques Roadshow too. Damn. I probably ruined my chances with Chris Martin now!

:: 5 things I have listened to in the last few days ::

1. Proof - by Coldplay, my current favourite song. I sort of re/discovered it on Christmas Eve. I was aware of it's existence but for some reason never really listened to it properly until Matthew and I were in the kitchen cooking, having a music session and when I heard the lyrics (obviously written for Gwyneth. Oh that lucky woman) I nearly fainted with love. I love how he calls her bright spark and how he finds proof in her. Sigh..
2. A Song For While I'm Away - Thin Lizzy (discovered yesterday)
3. I'm Gonna Creep Up On You - Thin Lizzy (discovered yesterday)
4. The most beautiful sound of a Robin singing his heart out at playtime on Friday at school, despite the children being only feet away from him. Needless to say I was transfixed for a minute or two watching him.
5. The laughter of my dearest friend Justine. Love that girl.

 :: 5 things I've watched in the last few days ::

 

1. Black Swan. Good.
2. The wonderful Larkrise To Candleford.
3. The birds. Obviously!
4. Alice growing up particularly fast (we are looking at sixth forms. Already. Cor Blimey.)
5. The stars. My latest want is a Planisphere. 

:: 5 things that have made me laugh in the last few days :: 

 

1. Lucy getting really exasperated by me when we went to Totnes to the charity shops and I amassed a collection of free wooden coat hangers throughout the day, albeit a rather large collection with some I probably wasn't going to use, and then struggled to carry them. 
2. Being told by a hysterical 6 year old who was frustrated because she hadn't learnt her weekly spellings, that "You don't know what it's like to be a child!" Mmm!
3. Listening to Lucy's feeble excuses she was trying to concoct to tell her driving instructor that she didn't want to drive home from the very quiet road she had been practising on. In fairness it was her 3rd lesson and the way home would be on the very busy ring road; but the excuses were bordering on the ridiculous - my favourite being that she was worried about an otter running into the road and causing her to crash. Obviously she wouldn't say that to him..you knew that..right??!!! (The instructor sensibly decided that she will drive home this week after all - otter or not!)
4. Getting the giggles frequently at inappropriate times at school, when it should be the children not an adult behaving in such a childish manner.
5. Losing Alfie last night but being able to hear him meow. Searching high and low only to find him squashed on a kitchen cupboard shelf!

:: 5 things I have loved the last few days ::

1. The above thrifted doggie dish which Lucy and I are tussling over.
2. Playing the 'Words with Friends' (Scrabble) App with Matthew who's in Winchester. 
3. Having a new, non-mouldy wooden kitchen worktop. Still revelling in that though I'm bordering on paranoia if anyone goes near it!
4. Here's a surprise..my birds..particularly my little Blackcap .
5. The fact that I have gone 34 days, the longest ever (without being pregnant) without a migraine. And that my dear friends is such a good thing.

Latest Passions ~ Adornments Series #3 :: Chandelier droplets ::

Ahh, sparkles...I am always on the look out for extra sparkles for my chandeliers but if and when I ever find some they are quite expensive or I can only find one or two droplets. Oh the heartbreak. Then, my friends, around my birthday at the end of November I discovered the most wonderful, wonderful shop in Exeter called Otto. 
Yes, this shop has been there for a long, long time and people have said to me "What, you didn't know about it - it's so you!??" and "I can't believe you've never been , it's right up your street."..blah blah blah...
Well, I went.
Oh such treasures. I also found a large glass jar of droplets. Heart in mouth I asked how much they were, expecting anything from £1 to £5 each only to be told they were 50p. Ooh. Not having much money on me I picked out 4 and went up to the counter to pay. The owner who I had been chatting with for sometime (the sweetest American lady) then told me that I may have them as a 'welcome to Otto' gift as it was my first visit. Such kindness.
I then spent the next few weeks kicking myself for not going back later that day and buying more. 

Tom, Lucy, Alice and Matthew went up to Exeter between Christmas and New Year and I asked (read begged) them to go and see if they could buy me some more. Surely they would still be there. "Buy as many as you can!" I whispered to Lucy and I will pay you back (yes my daughter has 3 jobs and has more money than me!) She came home with the above brown paper bag with 25!! Yes that was Twenty Five. Most of the jar had been sold (darn it for not going back that day) and that lovely owner (I might even marry her) said to Lucy that she may as well have all the rest for £5! Some of them needed fixing but I still loved them.
Holy Moly I have loved that brown paper bag of five pounds worth of glass. It has just been sitting by my corner for a while so I could just peep into it, smile and imagine what my chandeliers will look like. Then they were all lovingly washed; new wire added where necessary and today was the day they were put on the downstairs chandelier by the front door.

Not such an easy job on the old arms I can tell you.

Mmm it could be more iridescent - I'll have to work on that.  Tomorrow it's the one upstairs turn to have it's adornments. Little things hey?

Right now...

..I'm oiling our new kitchen worktops. At last! We've waited a whole year.
(Adornments series to continue in due course)

Latest Passions ~ Adornments Series #2 :: Hair Grips ::

Hello! Ready for collection number 2? It's not a large collection as some of my collections can be (ahem, we won't mention my pillowcases shall we! It took me 2 hours just to sort out one and a half shelves of my linen cupboard the other day..and it's only a small cupboard!) - but it's growing. I can fit them into these two glass pots so really it's quite tame for my standards.
Hair grips - I used to buy them for Lucy and Alice, but over the last few months I have been keeping them for myself. In fact I've stopped wearing earrings and started wearing hair grips. How funny is that!

I seem to favour sparkly ones - no surprise there - and looking at them all I have to laugh because 50% of them are actually children's hair accessories as you have probably guessed. I would like to get some more - particularly some dark purple to go with THE coat and perhaps some green ones and obviously some with my favourite aurora borealis stones in them. Anyone know where you can buy good hair grips?
So between choosing what dress I'm going to wear in the morning, perhaps a necklace, then what tights and lastly what hair grips - it's surprising I get to work at all!

Latest Passions ~ Adornments Series #1 :: Tights ::

It all started last August I think, and it was the fault of Cath Kidston (she has such a lot to answer for in this household does dear ol' Cath!) Her autumn catalogue came through the door tempting the rapidly reducing me to actually look at the clothes instead of just admiring the furniture the models are sitting on or the vintage light fittings. Anyway, she had these lovely crochet tights (pantyhose to overseas visitors) for sale and my new obsession was born.
I never got a pair of the Cath tights (I've just worked out that I haven't been in a CK shop since July- gosh!) they were a bit pricey anyway; but I have made up for it this winter with quite a collection of all different sorts. The above pair I got for my birthday from Madelyn who went shopping with me in October in Ludlow and noticed my obsession with tights and if we'd seen a pair of knee high flowery socks, she would have no doubt noticed my passion for them too. (To wear over the tights peaking above my boots in case you're wondering why I would wear socks during the coldest winter we've had in years!) 

And here they are - the flowery collection. Mainly navy and black but I do have a new grey pair with dark flowers on that are not shown. They are all from M&S and Tesco apart from the socks second from the right which are from my favourite shop White Stuff. I do have a pair of M&S crochet 'look-a-like Cath but half the price' tights and a ribbed pair, some plain pairs, a merino wool pair...and that is just my woolly tights. I won't get started on my jewel coloured nylon ones. It takes me ages to get ready in the morning these days, matching colours and patterns.
But despite 2 layers of the loveliest socks and tights...I've still got cold feet! 

 Latest Passion #2 to follow

What I like to call my own small Christmas miracles

:: Miracle one ::

Redwings
Blackbirds
Sparrows
Great Tits
Chaffinches
A Blackcap
A Wren
A flock of Long-tailed Tits
A Thrush
A Robin 
Blue Tits
And a cheeky Pigeon or 2

This list of birds are not the birds visiting my father's bird table/feeders or my Aunt Madelyn's, or even my neighbours. Oh no. These are MY birds!! All mine. I'VE GOT BIRDS PEOPLE!  I'VE GOT BIRDS!! Oh I love my birds.
In case you are new to reading this blog I have spent years (it feels like years) trying to entice birds into my bird-free garden. Read more here, and here. This summer the birds have been non-existent - even my only visitors to my feeders - the 3 or 4 Sparrows - have gone elsewhere. But during this really cold snap my little garden has been full of them. So full in fact, I've had to make 2 trips to the garden centre to buy different foods and more feeders. Yay! Well.. you know me and my 'thing' about feeders...

Let me talk feeders..pleeeeese. I've now have ..er..8! Well in my defence different birds need different feeders, though I have doubled up with quite a few! Hee hee. The family have a glazed over look now though I must say Anth is quite keen and is often found watching the feeders with interest. I even have a pair of cheap binoculars on our bedroom window sill (sad, I'm told). The birds seem to favour one feeder in particular - is that normal?  It's the one with the seed tray catcher where they can sit on. I bought one exactly the same but they don't really use it! What's with that?
I have also bought a Nyjer seed feeder (even though I'm not expecting any Goldfinches anytime) for my Chaffinches but they haven't tried any. Does anyone know if Chaffinches eat Nyjer seeds?
Anyway, I tried so hard to get a photo with the variety of birds in it but failed, but did manage to get 3 Long-tailed Tits

I found it hard returning to work this week as it has been dark when I leave the house and it has been dark when I have gotten home so I have not seen them. I have though, when ringing Lucy during the day, asked who was on the feeders. I got a double 'sad' for that...! I'm very excited though and if you have any tips please let me know. We can be sad together!

:: Miracle two ::
A Love Story 

A few weeks ago I fell in love with a velvet coat. Not just any velvet coat. The deepest glossy purple velvet coat that I likened to the purple velvet petals of a pansy. Over the last few weeks every time I went into Marks & Spencer I would try on this coat and stroke it's soft folds. Even inside, the label had lace around it. But. And it was a big but..it was far too much money I felt to spend on a coat..even a velvet purple pansy one. So, I would visit it, and when I did I noticed to my surprise that the rail of coats was fast disappearing. Then a week before Christmas when I was in M&S buying gloves and tights I went to visit my purple friend and couldn't find any. Gulp. Surely they can't be all gone already and I hadn't said goodbye. No, there were just 2 hiding at the end of a rail. I tried it on for the last time.
Two days before Christmas at 7am, Anth and I went to M&S to pick up our turkey.
"Ooh, Anth let me show you the coat!" We head towards the clothes section, Anth is not at all interested which is usual. I search and search. Only one size 20 left. The last one in my size has gone. Anth wanted to get on with the grocery shopping, he didn't really look at the coat.
Christmas Day I found a squashy present under our tree. I usually know exactly what I'm having for Christmas because I guess. I opened this one and saw a purple sleeve. I screamed. There were tears.
My darling husband went to M&S early one morning before work to buy the coat, before he had even seen it! I had only described it to him. I still can't quite believe it. He's never done anything like that before.

The family say it looks like Elton John's stage wear as it is rich and glossy and well...velvet..but I love it and I will be wearing during the day even though it's probably an evening coat. It will come to the supermarket with me, to school, on my charity shop runs. Everywhere. Because it reminds me how much my husband can surprise me and loves me.
Just don't shout "Elton" at me if you see me!

Happy 2011

Happy Belated Christmas and Happy New Year to you all my friends. Has it really come and gone already? I seem to have been working my butt off for weeks and I don't think I sat down for more than 30 minutes on Christmas Eve and I was still wrapping presents at lunchtime on Christmas Day... deary me. I'm sorry I didn't blog about the joys of running around like a maniac with a crazed look in my eyes; but perhaps it was better that way! We had 8 of us in this tiny house then a couple of days without visitors then my father come, who is still with us. I have now managed to draw breath and finally sit down and attempt this -

a knitted Fox Terrier from the wonderful book Best in Show by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne (knit your own dog) I got the book for my birthday and have saved it for Christmas. I haven't knitted for years so it's been a lovely change.

And snow? Well the whole country had been brought to complete standstill but down here in Devon in our seaside town we only got a lightish dusting. Grr.

Just 20 minutes or so up the road it was thick but not near me. Oh no. I'm beginning to think I'm a repellent for snow I really am. And we didn't even get a single day off school! It has been lovely and cold though.
My next post will show you what my darling husband bought me for Christmas and some exciting news...well exciting to me perhaps not so exciting to anyone else so don't lose any sleep over it just in case you are bitterly disappointed and hate me!