Where did April go??

I feel as though I blinked and there flashed by April ..... I don't know about you but I think we were rather blessed with some fine weather after such a long and wet winter.  The garden is waking up with splashes of colour here and there  and I've tasted the first crop of rhubarb .... Delia's Rhubarb Brulee recipe highly recommended

I have no idea what this is called because the label has long since blown away but at this time of year it blooms with these clusters of yellow bell type flowers

Grape Hyacinths

Pieris Forest Flame

my early Clematis just waiting to pop

and on my visit to Barton Watermill this week I spotted a lovely plant growing outside and was delighted to find one for sale in the garden centre ..... a blue Clematis called Blue Dancer

Bleeding Hearts

Aqualiega

and in anticipation of a glorious warm summer this little lady went to the salon for her first groom .... she was so well behaved and looks gorgeous

I've had a brief respite from childcare for a few hours this afternoon and managed to finish another patchwork quilt ... this one is a mix of Laura Ashley polkadot and gingham with a splash of Cath Kidston classic rose ... I have some more squares already cut and hope to make some cushion covers over the coming couple of days.  The grands are on sleepover tonight so we're going to snuggle down soon with BGT and I'll get my crochet hook out.

Hope you all have a lovely Bank Holiday whatever you are doing x

Not a bad Bank Holiday after all

Despite a very dull grey start to the day, and I did have a very early start as moggie number one woke me at 5 am to go out of the bedroom window and moggie number two was tapping to come in an hour later, the skies soon cleared and it has been a lovely day. As I was up so early I took advantage and got everything ready for a family dinner this evening, had washing on the go, fed the menagerie and myself and then sat quietly reading the Sunday papers.

We were aiming to go out just before eleven to go to Stockwood Park which is only a ten minute drive from us. They have a brand new Discovery Centre there situated in the gardens of what was once a fine country house. Stockwood House was built by John Crawley in 1740 was demolished in 1964. The gardens are beautiful and the old stable block and walled gardens are all that is left. Every August Bank Holiday they have a Flower & Produce event where all the local allotment holders bring their excess produce to raise funds for the local hospice. As you enter you are given a brown paper carrier bag and can fill it with as much as you like and all they ask is for a donation in a bucket. This years array of vegetables, flowers and fruit was fantastic and we arrived early to beat the stampede. It is a wonderful idea and you would think that raising money for such a good cause would bring out the best in people but as per usual there were the minority that just took and didn't give ..... it makes me so sad to think that some people can be so selfish and mean.
This colourful array was what we came away with ..... I might add that this was between us and my two daughters and we gladly contributed to the good cause because my husband's sister spent her last days in the hospice when she died aged 54 of leukaemia in 2005.

A parcel from overseas .............

Today I received my lovely giveaway gift from Marianne at http://www.letempsjadis.blogspot.com/ ...... they are just perfect as I am a collector of blue & white antique china (you would never guess after looking at my header photo would you!)... some lovely coasters with blue and white Dutch houses and a pretty notebook with flower illustrations by Marjolein Bastin. Thanks so much Marianne.

Last year I had a box of cups and saucers with little blue forget-me-nots by Marjolein which I purchased at a local auction house .... I only managed to sell a few and donated the rest to our Hospice Charity Shop .... I wish I had held onto some of them now as she is so talented and they were so pretty.

Two posts in one day !!!!

Day two of the small people ... they ate all my Monday baking as predicted so we had to make some more fairy cakes and flapjack todayThen we had a little craft session ... I bought some brooch pin backs so we made some felt brooches for them to surprise their mummiesAfter lunch the sun shone beautifully so we went to the park with Molly the chocolate labradog ... I have never seen so many people there ... we are lucky to have received some funding for new play equipment and there is a whole circuit of adventure play equipment and a basketball/football area. Sorry I can't show any pics of them enjoying themselves but I am bound by child protection regulations.

Thought I would take the opportunity of throwing in some pics of my garden ... we have spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks tidying up and re-planting .. below are the blackcurrant, redcurrant and goosegog bushes which we took from my dad's allotment years ago. He had to pack up following a stroke but they are still going strong (so is he) My bamboo and cordyline are thriving at the moment ... must look up about taking cuttings from the bamboo .. if anybody has any tips I would be grateful to hear from you

This space looks a little bare at the moment but we have planted Dahlia corms which a friend of ours was about to throw away .. hopefully later in the year I will be able to show a vibrant display of flowers


My patio pots are doing nicely also .. the Pieris is in full colour now .. the Japonica .. some lavender and rosemary cuttings have taken nicely ... some other unknown plants are starting to sprout I(bought them last year at the school fete and the names washed off the labels). To the right of the pic is my old wheelbarrow which is also planted up and makes a nice feature of a useless old item



This beauty looks lovely at this time of year ... it has clusters of bright yellow bell type flowers which later turn into seed pods .... I have two new plants from seeds that I germinated from last year ... wish I knew what it's name was ... the tag has long gone

The Birth Day

Not officially 50 something yet as I wasn't born until just before midnight - just as well coz any later would have made me a sillier fool than I am already!! Have had a lazy day really with friends and family visiting with cards and pressies and a chorus of the Happy Birthday song from my after school club. We were originally going to the local Indian Restaurant for a Tuesday special but then Charlie needed looking after so we had a takeaway instead - I have never seen a 2 year old tuck into so much curry! My fridge wish list worked because I now have the full set of this pretty floral dot M & S range.

A Daisy necklace to match the earrings I got last year

Lots of pretty flowers - Roses, Tulips, Carnations

A Flowering Cherry Plant and Azaelia for the garden

M & S vouchers

Chocs

Scented Heathcote & Ivory padded coat hangers

Pretty pink candle

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE WHO SHARES THIS DAY WITH ME