Log Cabin

I am quietly confident that I can now share with you a little gift I've been making for the lovely Lorraine at Serenata - my last Pay it Forward gift.


This gift had become slightly way laid due to all the things that have been going on over these past couple of months and because of this I wanted to make her something unique though 'what to make??' My sewing skills are not at all what you would call experienced though sew I do like to do and an imagination well I have plenty of that, but again what could I make? Then I had one of those light bulb moments (as you do!) - a cushion in one of my favourite patchwork designs, Log Cabin.


But with a twist! Well you know me, never one to go with the grain.

I added a kind of secret pocket at the back to stash a bar of chocolate or anything else Lorraine may want to hide all for herself. For me though it would completely and definitely have to be chocolate.


So what do you reckon - does it get the thumbs up? And more importantly, what would 'you' put in the secret pocket?



Have a lovely Friday and an even lovelier weekend - fingers crossed for no rain and lots of sunshine! xox

Dodging

So far I feel like we've spent most of this summer holiday (a whole week and a half) dodging the weather. I know we haven't had it as bad as some parts of the country judging by the weather man and some of your blogs and despite the ominous dark clouds and 'very' breezy breeze we've had pretty much no rain, just the odd shower.



One place we have managed to visit though despite the weather and let the children have a run around is Richborough Roman Fort which is just on the outskirts of the beautiful historic village of Sandwich.




Now I'm not really a history kind of person. I like it in a romantic kind of way, but the in's and outs, facts and specifics don't really do it for me which really annoys my husband as I don't know whether it's a boy thing, but he loves nothing more than walking round an English Heritage site with one of those talking thingies stuck to his ear.

{Old with the new - the disused Richborough power station towers peeking through a gap}

For me it's more of a feeling for a place and of course the pictures I can take - an arty farty feeling as my hubby would call it I guess, sensitivity I would say more like it. I think Florence takes after me though as she really didn't like it at Richborough at all.


She said it was creepy and I could tell she was very uncomfortable as she kept asking when we were going home. Sensitive definitely, spooked, a little bit as it was very, 'very' windy and the whole place is a big wide open space plus the sky was very moody and dramatic so maybe that could of been what was sending chills up her arms - though if she is anything like me it was probably a bit of both.



We didn't stay long as the clouds became more and more threatening - just long enough for Mr T to get his roman history fix and to let the children run around like wild things and hopefully wear them out just a little bit (why do I always feel like I'm trying to tire my children out?) and of course more importantly for me to take lots and lots (and lots - ahem) of photos - thank goodness for digital camera's!


Here's hoping you're dodging the rain too - have a lovely day. xox

Perspective

I had one of those days yesterday where nothing seemed to go right!

Blogger not only screwed up my posting, but my whole flipping blog as well which meant spending a normal leisurely half hour posting some of my pictures and words turned into a frustrating two hours later trying to fix the problem when I could of been doing something fun with the children and where in the end I had to walk away and take a deep breath before I called the whole blogging thing to an end (breath, breath). Why can a normally laid back person get so annoyed over something so silly?

Then I got in the shower with my glasses still on and wondered 'why' everything was steaming up and an even more scary split second of 'OMG' I'm going blind (is it just me that does that?) - told you it was a bad one!!


Then I stabbed 'yes' stabbed (dramatics here) my finger with a pin resulting in blood pouring all over my precious sewing (note how my sewing is more precious than my blood!!) which happened to be the only piece of white in the whole project. Thankfully I had my head screwed on at that point and remembered my sewing teacher telling me that with blood only 'your' saliva can take it off - disgusting I know, spitting on your sewing, but trust me it really does work. Something to do with dna!!


Even the children with their normal mum, muuummm, muuuuuummmmming drove me round the twist and made me want to bang my head against the nearest brick wall.

Though despite it all - toe stubbing, buggy over tipping (no child was in it at the time) finger trapping, head banging (not deliberately) and much 'much' more I survived it all and finished off my day with a large glass of wine and an even more obscenely big bar of chocolate. Not the most healthiest endings to a day, but very 'very' much needed.

Plus I sent myself to sit in the back garden for some 'time out' and have jolly gold old talking to - really the sun is shining and it's the holidays, why so much stress none of this stuff is really that important just bog standard annoying, why let it get to you? And at the back of my mind I had going over and over again - tomorrow will be better so just go with the flow as there will be another problem or situation to get through another day.


Perspective is the best therapy for a very bad, clumsy type of day!

Happy mid week - have a lovely one, mine is feeling much better already. Well apart from the headache from too much wine and chocolate, but hey ho they 'were' worth it! xox

Cornfields and Poppies

One of the things I love about living in this part of Kent is that we are surrounded by the coast on three sides so when you leave the hustle and bustle of the motorway at Canterbury and head down the A299 within minutes you can see the sea. First on your left at Whitstable, Reculver and Margate, then on your right at Pegwell and Ramsgate and I know that straight in front of me is home and the coast is stretching round to join the two together. A game we always play with the children in the car (to relieve some of the travelling boredom) is who can see the sea first!


But if you venture out of the seaside towns, within fifteen minutes you feel like you are in the middle of the countryside with orchards and fields, tractors and farms and the odd oast house and windmill thrown in for good measure.


This is where we head for a picnic and a taste of home (for me anyhow) to get a mini fix, so to speak and let the children have a different perspective and appreciation of nature and the land.


This is a place I feel we will be spending 'a lot' of our time over the summer picnicking and exploring and just sitting back and relaxing even when the corn is long gone.

Over heard in the Corn-Field

Said young Mr Pumpkin,
to old Mr Squash,
"Do you think Mr. Corn over-hears
What we say when we talk
Of his self-conscious stalk
And moving Miss Melon to tears?

"I cannot decide,"
Mr Squash then replied,
"But I've had my suspicions for years;
Because he's so tall
He can lean over all;
Then look at the size of his ears."

Going with the Flow

When the tide is out - fully out you can do a coastal walk pretty much the length of our coast and probably then some! Though you do have to watch the tide and time it perfectly otherwise it is really 'really' easy to get cut off and even maybe rescued (something I would never want to experience) as the sea comes in all the way up to the cliff face at most parts, but if you do time it just right and have your wits about you then the scenery is magnificent.



With the remains of tumbled down structures - remnants of the past...



...brickwork poking out of the sand uncovered by the 'very' low tide.


Bits of twisted metal and old fishing nets entwined...



...gaping holes in the cliffs,


- and steps that lead to no where (anymore).



If you catch the tide right and go with the flow this is truly a most magnificent walk and the tranquility that enfolds you when you leave the hustle and bustle of the main beach is worth the walk in itself - well for a poor old harassed mama and even if it is for five delicious minutes!


This place really does remind me of something out of the Planet of the Apes some days!

Summer Allotment

Everything is thriving and abundant in the allotment at the moment.

This is our first year of having one and if I'm honest I was a little bit reluctant. What would we grow, how much time would it take and not to mention the initial cost and outlay, but I guess the question at the forefront of my mind was (most importantly) would it be successful? Though putting my worries aside, with a little planning and a fair amount of hard work by Mr Tabiboo and the children we are now reaping the rewards of their ( well mainly Mr T's) labours.


Chard with it's blood red veins!


Mrs Ladybird keeping the crops 'nasty' bug free.


Lettuce...
...and peas.


Corn is coming along nicely...


...and so is the Kale.


More lettuce - well it is the summer and we do virtually live on the stuff amongst other things. No waifs here!


And lots more things though I wouldn't want to bore you with endless pictures of leeks, onions, garlic, more lettuce, raspberries, more pumpkins, redcurrants, cucumber, tomatoes and many, many more. These are just the 'pretty' pictures I took - well I can see beauty in a lettuce leaf where droplets of water have settled before they evaporate in the mid summer afternoon sun!


But the crop I am really excited about and looking forward to the most is the pumpkins and 'blimey' they are looking like beasts of the vegetable world compared to the rest of our crop.


{not ready for picking yet sweetie!}


The after affects of a water fight - I meant water the plants 'not' yourselves!


Our Summer Allotment.


Have a lovely, lovely rain free, sun and fun filled weekend. xox