Warm days in May

So this weekend, indeed week, has been another busy one, I have made cupcakes inour soaring temperatures for two retirement parties at work, boy did the icing melt! On Friday evening we celebrated Caitlins (a close friends daughter) 17th Birthday with a giant birthday cookie, which tasted as good as it looked. The Saturday lunchtime was a birthday lunch out for my mother in laws birthday, and Saturday eveing was a joint 50th birthday party for two friends, Phew!  Today I have concetated on the garden until the temperature pushed me back inside. First my hubby cut the lawn,



Then I sorted out the spring bulbs in tubs that have died off, and left them drying out.

Planted out my homegrown Sweet peas, can't wait to smell these.

Planted out salad onions, letuce and radish seeds

Watered my runner beans, growing nicely, and onions, 36 of them, in front of the beans.

and after planting the pansies, I sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and a little knitting.

(the advent calendar mittens)

Finished

This last weekend was lovely, the sun shone, E was home, (very tired though) and all seemed right..
We went to a wedding of some people we know in our Church, who were getting married for the first time, he is in his mid eighties and she in he mid seventies. It was the most wonderful wedding, full of everything weddings should be.

I have also finished Fs cardigan, pictured here rather badly, she insisted on holding the guitar, and having her head chopped off too! It looks and is very baggy, she wants it that way and has worn it out already, it feels warm and will be cozy on cold days I'm sure.

This Week...

This week has been one that will go down in our memories, E has started her first placement on a ward at the hospital where she is training, she has given her first injection, and seen many things good and bad, she is coming home tonight for the weekend and we are all looking forward to her return.
F has had her last week of compulsory school, she finished today with a celebration assembly and only has to go back for exams, these start on Monday. A major milestone in her life, yet she wouldn't have a photo taken.

Today, I planted some onions and a rhubarb plant, and wrapped this gift for my aunt in lovely paper, both my fathers sisters have birthdays close together and both have had gifts wrapped in this paper this year I also tidied the lounge, as F has friends coming tonight for Pizza .

 

Day out

Yesterday we went out, a rare treat, especially without children. E is at university now, and F was on her Duke of Edinburgh expedition in Debryshire, so we joined a couple of Friends and spent the day in Nottinghamshire at Southwell Workhouse. This is the first workhouse built, and is one of only two remaining in the UK owned by the National Trust. We tend to think of Dicken's when the word is mentioned, dirty overcrowded places full of despair and yet this wasn't, it was a rural setting rather than the inner city, was built in 1824 by a man who had a lot of foresight.



Some photos are of the town itself, it had loads of Georgian buildings, with beautiful gardens.
Today, is Sunday and hubby and I have been a walk around our countryside, the day is glorious, sunny with a lovely blue sky.

Crackley woods in spring, even after all the rain the bluebells and wood anenomes have come out such a lovely walk, I must try to draw these bluebells.
Home now to make rock cakes,and finish this....



This Week

Today, I have done a little gardening, both Christmas trees needed repotting, the smaller one is my brothers, he lives alone and I have encouraged this tree from a small supermarket offering into what you see now, very pleased it's doing so well. Ours isn't so happy, the pines are quite yellow when you get closer and it has an infestation of ladybirds at present, not sure it will do so well over the coming months, but I will keep trying.

This is my recycled Starbucks smoothie cup, it makes a really good biosphere for growing my sweet pea seedlings,

sadly the ones in the seed trays are poor, but I have had the seeds a good while, probably need to buy fresh.

Also done some sewing, trying to make gifts rather than buying this year, so I have made mug mats out of Moda fabrics. Sewing isn't my strongest skill but I do enjoy it, also used up some Ikea fabirc with grey flowers  to make mats too.

I have also nearly finished knitting my youngest a large ''Granny'' cardigan (her description not mine)

Rainy Tuesday

Today it is just pouring with rain and hasn't stopped, so as I have returned to work in my office it was quite fitting really after so much lovely time at home. I watched the rain stream down the office windows and decided not to brave the city at lunch time so I borrowed a collegues knitting book and enjoyed a few peaceful moments with that ,until I came across a pattern for a pair of socks, very pretty I thought so I went to look for the pattern details and someone (it was a second hand book) had ripped them out before passing it on!! The owner was quite dismayed, she hadn't realised this either.



I love this

Got home to these pretty daisies in their Ikea pot,reminding me that it wasn't such a bad day after all.

Hubby is away this week so F and I make cakes,small fairy cakes for my brother with mixed dried fruit, these are his favourites, then F made a victoria sponge for her friends birthday tommorrow.




Victoria Sponge