Busy Indoors

The rain keeps pouring down this morning but that's good news for the garden, the allotment and the water butts I suppose. Thanks for your lovely, lovely comments on my garden post which seems to have temporarily disappeared. Blogger is doing weird things this weekend.

But a rainy day means time for getting around to those things I keep meaning to do. Its just we three this weekend, Woody is down Wembley way reporting on the Potters attempt to win the FA cup final. I have to confess to being on the black & white side of the city's football allegiancies but I'd love them to win for my dad and dear Grandad who followed them through the barren decades with no reward. Good luck Stoke.

So we're pottering today. Making bed boats, eating lots of toast and generally mooching about. My main achievement this morning has been to put together this beautiful seed packet bunting which I won on the lovely Emma's Silverpebble blog giveaway a while ago. Now that I have finally posted my thank you to her I feel I can get around to showing this off.

Aren't they beautiful, they're French seed packet labels which would look great backed onto small brown envelopes but I just couldn't get any in town so decided to put them up on their own. I've double backed them so that when the sun comes out again they'll look the perfect thing in the garden. Thanks so much Emma, hope you like your little gift and apologies for taking so long to post about it!

And I've done a little framing too. My sister bought me some postcards from the London Transport Museum featuring old travel posters advertising Kew Gardens. This one she enlarged for me as foxgloves are one of my favourite flowers and matched with a bargain frame from Oxfam it looks perfect above my china cabinet in the kitchen. I love it! You can buy the postcards and prints online if you're interested

While I was pootling about I realised just how many things I have featuring anenomes. Such pretty colours and simple shape, just like how a child would draw a flower. Emma sent me the cards in a beautiful anenomes tin that's so pretty it makes me smile. The tin also contained some wonderful flower seeds that I've already sown in my cut flower patch up at the allotment. Thanks Emma, you're so kind. She's a very talented silversmith and has the most amazing blog. Pop along and say hello!

This little anenome jug was 50p and is not just pretty but is from Cornwall, so a double win for me! And I adore this embroidery which I found at the flea market a while ago. It lives on the mantlepiece and looks so at home with my old clock and Spode green candlesticks.

Well, small boys needing snacks are calling so I shall leave you to the weekend and hope that you're dodging the showers and having a relaxing day. Xxx

Tonic

Summer clouds

Along the lanes, across the fields and up and down the valley clouds of cow parsley and hawthorn blossom are cloaking the countryside in May.

England is at its most glorious, softest, gentlest best in Maytime. 

Cow parsley seems to frame even the most ordinary things around the village and sets off every view to its finest.

Foaming creamy clouds blanket the verges and the very welcome rain showers this weekend have refreshed the greenery too and now it zings.

On our stroll this evening, just before bedtime, the lowering sun tinged everything with gold and I felt very rich and showered with nature's gifts. Oh to be in England now that summer's here...

P.S. Thanks for all the lovely comments and compliments on my sister's street party. It was a really special occassion and I've loved hearing about how everyone joined in the celebrations across the globe; especially you hardy types who got up at the crack of (or even before!) dawn and dressed in your finery. I'm sorry but the teatowel a few people asked about wasn't ours so I can't tell you where it came from. There are quite a few versions avaibale on ebay though if you're still looking for one. Xxx