Inspiration

Inspiration....

little ideas to keep me more than busy...

Some simple, and some a little more difficult (well, for my skills and attention span!)

Up at the top of my list of things to do is making proper Christmas cookies

However, its also just lovely to look at the ideas....and buy the products in shops and add special little touches myself.

Do you think edible place cards would ruin our appitite?

YUM!

x

I am reading..

I am reading The Fry Chronicles right now, and loving every second of them.  I do have a dictionary by my side, as without it i have to admit I'd be a little lost from page to page.  However, i do love Stephen Fry and i do love biographies.

Stephen Fry is one of my hero's, please don't think i love everything he has ever done, or find him without blame-but i do love that he is utterly bashfully British and intelligent.  QI is one of my favourite shows, and i am pretty sure to tune into anything that has him in it. 
I'm not going to write a review for this book-oh goodness, that would be a little too difficult, but i will say that it is such a lovely read, and i am so happy that i have picked up a copy of this brilliant book, its now the putting it down that's the difficult bit.....

Three years ago today

Three years ago today I was woken up bright and early by a text from my fiancé. He told me he loved me and he couldn’t wait for later.

Three years ago today I crept through the hotel suite and woke my best friends. I jumped into the shower and welcomed the beautician and hairdresser. Three years ago today I sat in the middle of the suite feeling very happy and pampered.
My best friends gave me some little presents, first from themselves, and then from my Husband to be.
I was helped to dress and helped down the stairs of the hotel. I was helped into the car and waved to everyone who came to take a peek.

Three years ago today I walked into Church and down the aisle towards the man I love, adore and call The Husband.
When we walked back up the aisle I felt like I could breathe again.

Everything Alice

I got this book a little while ago, probably one of those amazon emails came through the inbox telling me that it was similar to some other things I adore and I caved. Either that or those crafty elves did it a bit too close to payday for me to think it over and decide I could probably get it from the library.


Read the blurb and it definitely whets your appetite:
Enter the magical world of Everything Alice, where nothing is quite as it seems! The tales of Alice in Wonderland provide the inspiration for a charming and original collection of 50 makes, ranging from a hand-sewn rabbit toy and pompom-decorated slippers to a paper craft party invitation tea set and cut-out-and-keep dress-up dolls. Who wouldn't be seduced by a red polka dot frilly apron to wear while baking cupcakes fit for a king or a heart-shaped pin board to house precious keepsakes, all designed and made by Christine Leech and Hannah Read-Baldrey. This book is the creative must-have for any Alice lover, whatever their age.

I am mostly interested by the felt slippers; they are amazing and remind me of little Elvin shoes. The red velvet cake look lovely and I cant wait to get baking, as red velvet cake is something I’d heard of loads, but didn’t have a clue what it was!
There truly are some great ideas, and every person that has either peeked at my bookshelf and enquired what this was, or has looked over my shoulder at it has fallen in love and I'm happy to be the envy of all with 'my' new ideas!
The book is just gorgeous to sit and stare at and utterly adorable. Although I shouldn’t be spending money right now as I need to be buying Christmas presents, it has given me plenty of little ideas. I love books like this in general and I am very happy to add it to my collection.

Reading by the fire

Darker evenings, warm fires, cool clear nights and hot chocolate.  The chair by the mantle is never empty; the nook by the lamp is even more cramped than normal, overflowing with books.  Books that are planning ahead for Christmas, books with ideas for one pot meals, books about warmth and comfort, all looked out and very well thumbed.  Books to shelter within and let me dream. 

Ode to bloggyness

I love that within this blog I can write about things this family does. I love that it, over time, captures what we’re up to and what’s going on. I like that last year I wrote about wanting to move to the country, and then, by the end of the year we had done so. I love that I was so enthusiastic at this time last year. I saw the dark nights as something to escape into. I wrote so very much, and yet this year….

I haven’t found ‘it’ so far. I'm not particularly looking forward to those snugly dark nights. I didn’t really blog about the Summer, or the Spring, or anything at all. And every so often I think…”well, what would be the point of having a glum blog?”, because nothing seems to have had me very excited.

This seems to have plodded along and I haven’t really done much about this. Sometimes we’ve been up to things and I’ve just not had the time to blog about it, but mostly I haven’t got much done at all. I've plodded along feeling like this and its only now that I look back at last year I see that I'm so different.

 

While I'm finishing up at work-because of the new job-its still quite stressful, and I think that the moment I leave it’ll get better, however why wait until then? That’s like bumping your head first thing in the morning and then being grumpy all day long…well NO more.

The camera is coming out, and I'm finding beauty in everything. It’s that or eternal gloom, so I'm making a stand!

Autumn in the country

Rolling fields and mellow sunlight.  Clear sky and flocking geese.  Autumn is about renewal to me. 

I know that Spring should be that time, but Autumn always seems to bring something new to me.  Its the start of the academic year and i guess I've been institutionalised, but that's not all.  All the animals are busy, they are making ready for Winter and getting their homes cosy.  I'm busy doing the same thing here. 

The big blankets, throws and cushions are all coming out.  Wellies are constantly at the front door, as well as the dogs towel.  The changes in the home are being echoed through-out.  I have got a new job...very exciting!

The environment was previously working in wasn't really any good, so i have finally packed in the part time jobs, in the library and in the shop, and got myself a full time position in a school office.  It means that for the first time in ages I've got weekends to myself...and you know what weekends are going to be packed with shortly?  Christmas Fairs!  Yeah, i think I'm finally heading in the right direction and i couldn't be happier!

Trodding on...

Trodding on the squishy mud....

squelching my way through the feilds with the pup to the shoppy.....can't wait for those elusive crisp autumn days!

x x x

CL Fair...waiting game

So I've presented the facts...I've said "isn't it a good idea that we head to Glasgow for a lovely shopping weekend?"

Ive then just not mentioned shopping and have attempted (rather unsuccessfully) to make out like he was always going on about Glasgow.

Ive said that we can take the train, I've said that we can do things he likes...but all of this to no avail.

I have (thus far) been unsuccessful in convincing TH that it is a good idea to go to the Christmas Fair and do all things Christmassy.  He does not want to soak up the glee of the event.  OK, that's probably a wee bit unfair.

 He doesn't want to be pushed and prodded, elbowed and shoved by lots and lots of women.

He doesn't want to be one of those men that follow the women folk around the shops...and i can see his point.  The only thing is that we are so very far away from Glasgow that its really not a day trip, and if it was it would be such a long long and mostly unpleasant day to squeeze such an extraordinary amount of 'fun' things in, that invariably, it becomes the most un-fun thing you can think of.

But just look at all of the lovely pictures and adverts mean to entice folk like us.....

Look at all of the idyllic scenes we...ahem, i always want to buy into...

 I think that I'll be trying to convince very busy friends to come on jaunts to the other side of the country with me...

Yes, i think I'm about to start the persuasion game all over again!

CL Christmas Fair 2011

 Mr Postie brought me the most interesting mail today...the most exciting mail i have received in an awful long time indeed.  Mr Postie brought news of The Country Living Christmas Fair which is taking place in Glasgow between the 17th and 20th of November.
Along with pictures of the most beautiful products imaginable came news of a new VIP ticket....well ladies, did my ears prick up at that!

 Apparently there are tickets available (at quite a cost-£49.50) which means you get to spend any free or down time sipping delicious tea from Brewhaha-a Glasgow based company which i have had the pleasure of sipping on a previous occasion- whilst sitting in a comfy snugly lounge.  Caroline Zoob is giving away some super cute festive bunting in a gift bag along with some other free goodies, including a book, a CK book bag and gorgeous hand cream...now once you add it all up the actual cost of a ticket would be cheaper....however if i was never intending to buy these things anyway....let me think, let me think.....

All i need to do now is convince The Husband!



Um.....darling....

Its all a bit different, isn't it?

Can you believe that it’s September already? Where did summer go? I know that I was looking forward to it...

...I know that I was planning some activities and I do remember getting excited about the caravan. I know that work was hard before summer…

...I know that I knew things would have to change for me to be happy, and then summer passed.

Things are slowly in the process of changing. I felt so down about work before our holiday, but seeing my family and having time to think and remember what its like not to be worried or sad about work got me thinking no amount of money could be worth this.

So with renewed vigour I came back and decided to set change in motion.  This summer was a wash-out up this way. We apparently had summer in April, May and early June…then the heavens well and truly opened.

I feel so bad when I think of all the farmers, we’ve been hearing the tractors and trucks go up and down the roads all day and night whenever we’ve been clear of rain for a couple of days. I do hope things have worked out all right for them.

Autumnal sunlight wakes us when its not raining, and its quite nice to take the morning cup of tea out into the garden first thing and wake up in the cold morning, clear and bright, casting the most beautiful shadows over our messy borders.

I look forward to the changes happening, personally and with the seasons. I just keep reminding myself its character building…its character building…

Can't take me anywhere

One of the things i love about getting away is seeing the history of a place...

I am genuinely happiest touching rocks and stones and imagining who did it before me (umm, that is....apart from the other tourists). 

So when i go anywhere of course i seek out mosaic's, tombs, pillars and amphitheaters. 

I find quiet places and small streets.

Places to sit and pour over independent guide books. 

Oh, and buy lace...oh yes! 

lots of lace...

But i am happiest sitting under a tree next to St Pauls pillar, next to The Husband, watching everyone come and go.

Can we go back?

Can we go back please?  Can we go back to not living in the real world?  Can we go back to spending time together and not talking about boring grown up things?

Can i sit in the sun again?  In the warmth....with a book....can i go back to peeking up over it and just smiling? 

Can we have the whole place to ourselves again?  Can we get up early and run to pool knowing that we will never be able to sit in it once its ten in the morning? 

Can we go up to the market and stare out at everything?  Can we go back please? 

Can we sit by the harbour and look out over the sea? 

Can we go exploring again? 

See what we find again? 

Sit by the flowers again? 

Have an ice cream again!? 

Countdown to Downton

Hooray for Countrywise: The Real Downton Abbey..

Hooray for Downton! 

Hooray for Sundays and late Summer.

Jetting off

"After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working."

- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

The holiday is very close and i could not be more excited!!  I get to see some of my family and i get to do a big fat nothing for two whole weeks.  Can't wait to share all of the news and pics when we get home.

x

From a Railway Carriage

From a Railway Carriage

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;

And charging along like troops in a battle
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.
Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;

Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;

And here is the green for stringing the daisies!
Here is a cart runaway in the road
Lumping along with man and load;
And here is a mill, and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone forever!

- Robert Louis Stevenson

This is our old station, i think i took this picture I went away by myself for the first time.  I was exceptionally grown up and heading away for a Cadet related thing and had to travel down to Wales.  Now where this car park used to be is a very large coffee shop and some more shops, its a very big shopping mall and is probably much nicer to wonder around while waiting for the train to get going!

We're getting closer to our departure and we just can't wait to be away from the fuss, the rotten old weather we've been having and the day to day grind.  Summer this year hasn't been that great, we've had an awful lot of 'rubbish' thrown in our way and wading through it gets a bit tough after a while.  So to get away from it for two lovely weeks-and not to mention see my family-is going to be great.

We'll rise early one morning to get the train to our airport, we'll stock up on lots of coffee and lots and lots of sandwiches and nice little snack things and head off on our own teeny tiny adventure.