Sweet Dreams - with any luck!

We've gone and bought the biggest bed in Britain.

On the website of the big blue and yellow shop the sizes of the bed we had our eyes on looked fine. And then when we actually stood there in the big blue and yellow shop and saw the one we wanted for half price, right by the tills, well we couldn't haul and shove all the bits and pieces into the car and whizz back up the motorway quickly enough to be honest.

But then after we'd put it together, popped the mattress on and realised that there are gaps either side of it in which the boys could very well go missing down, it dawned on us that we truly have bought the widest bed in the west.

It's huuuuuuuuuugggggggeeeee!

I'm completely in love with it though. The old wooden bed creaked and squeaked and had got so loud and rickety that poor Woody has taken to kipping on the living room floor being the light sleeper that he is. I can't believe that this gorgeous, immense new bed is ours!

Oh what thing of beauty it is! For years I've wanted a bed that I can drape an eiderdown over the end of and even though I'll have to spend the next few years shelling out for enormous sheets and a massive new mattress I don't really care. It's just lovely.

Sweet dreams to everyone, I might not get up tomorrow!

Sing Aloud

Oh my goodness - we're famous! Those who've followed my blog for a while might know that I love to sing. I'm not exactly a keen performer but put me in a pew or in a row in a concert hall with a choir and I belt it out "just like a throstle" as my dad has always said.

As a teenager I travelled far and wide with my youngest sister singing in the county youth choir and with school too. Traditional music, hymns, madrigals and all that sort of thing that really makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and sends a shiver down my spine

But oh dear, its been ages and ages since I've warbled along to anything more than the radio so it took a lot of nerve to pluck up the courage and join our church choir last summer.

Well I did and gosh am I glad I did! Apart from a break in February/March when I, then the rest of the household were laid low with lurgy (and I was either coughing my head off or attending to my nursing duties), I've been to regular services and weekly Thursday night practices at our lovely church.

We're very lucky to have a special stone building, The Choir House, for rehearsing in the churchyard, with a lovely old piano, space for all the hymn books, cassocks and gowns and the sort of wonderfully polished floor that reminds me of the school gym at primary school.

Some services there can be 24 of us, but on average there's about 18 basses, tenors, altos and sopranos singing our praises at St Edward's. They're a lovely friendly bunch of villagers, a few from further afield and some wonderful voices as well as our impossibly talented and extremely young organist (19!) and choir master who keeps us on course. We've had some lovely meals out together, barbeque's at the vicarage and we have some great fun too.

Well, a couple of weeks ago Choir House was abuzz with exciting news that we were going to be doing a proper recording!

Its 100 years since local silk magnate and eminent Victorian Sir Thomas Wardle died and his life, connections to William Morris and the achievements of the Silk Embroiderers Guild he and his wife patroned are being celebrated across town this summer. Sir Thomas was also a churchwarden at St Edward's and wrote some wonderful church music during his time which our choir as now recorded to be played for visitors to the special exhibition at the Institute in town and inside church too.

And yesterday we went global (sort of!) as BBC Radio Stoke played our recordings as part of their weekly programmes and for the next week it can be heard here if you click on the link for the Current Service on the BBC page, then Listen Now (if you fancy it!)

So hardly showbiz but I was so very excited to be part of a wonderful project and to sing some truly beautiful music. Oh and there's going to be a CD - but don't worry I won't be getting an agent just yet!

Bounty

Well the weather might be rubbish again but our little allotment is bringing a huge amount of colour and sunshine into our house in the form of baskets and baskets of deliciousness.

Now I must own up and confess that I can't really take credit for all these lovely crops, whoever had the plot before us planted row upon row of raspberry canes which are now a sort of raspberry jungle, although an incredibly pretty and tasty jungle at that. And we can't move for strawberries either, they just keep coming! The freezer is already full to the gunnels with frozen berries so looks like we'll be handing some around the relatives and neighbours too.

These though really are all my own work - radishes, broccoli and broad beans. Never grown broad beans before but they're ridiculously easy and now are a firm favourite in our house, even with my adorable but very cautious no.1 son who to be honest baulks at pretty much anything that isn't a boiled egg & toast.

This is truly the biggest miracle of our allotment because this summer B has troughed his way through the soft fruit, broad beans are declared yummy when yanked straight off the plant as soon as we reach our plot and apparently he just can't wait to try our courgettes and the giant pumpkin!

Phew - the relief is immense let me tell you. Being the only person in our house who really is addicted to food is a bit weird. Woody is truly a food is fuel sort of chap and despite best efforts our little chaps haven't yet fallen in love with grub to be honest.

Food has definitely been my biggest challenge as a mum, which having breastfed both our boys past a year old, is a hard thing to accept. When I was pregnant I watched every morsel that went into my mouth and while I was feeding to give them a great start in life - only to see my eldest become a borderline food refuser from 2! Horrid but hopefully nearly conquered

(free roses planted on our allotment long before us)

Things are definitely getting better and we manage a pretty good variety of things over the week. There's not a lot of junk (unless you count fish fingers and spaghetti hoops!) and I'm lucky that they do seem to enjoy fruit, veg and especially eggs but we struggle to get more than minced beef (spag bol, chilli, shepherd's pie - are there any more versions?!) and the odd bit of tuna past them.

I hate the idea of mealtimes becoming traumatic so there's a definite softly, softly catchy monkey policy at work. A combination of things got us into this situation, lots of scary gagging when we weaned the boys that made me a bit over cautious with the pureeing, having to go back to work part time and with a 1 1/2 hour journey home I often wasn't back for tea, plus some bad experiences of mealtimes on Woody's part in days gone by.

Together though we've made loads of effort and employed coaxing and a bit of bribery and now most evenings we all eat together, more or less eating the same thing and mealtimes are usually the fun, happy times I remember from my childhood.

I want our kitchen table to be the real heart of our home and we're getting there. I read an article in The Times today about how to parent teenagers (a phase I'm already dreading) and a lot of the tips centred on sharing meals and conversation at tea time. Will they really be eating me out of house and home one day? We'll see. Better make sure we keep it stocked up with broad beans I think!

Reading Room

A few squishy cushions, a comfy sofa, some interesting old books and an inspiring magazine to contemplate. Perfect ingredients for a bit of quiet, peaceful relaxing in what may appear to be a quiet study, contemplative conservatory or elegant corner of my home...

...until I zoom out and show you this!

Aha, a typical Wednesday afternoon at No.25. The books and magazines are there from the night before - untouched since. I wanted to remember this moment because little Arch will be off to nursery in September (in uniform; hmmm, I'm struggling with that a bit - he'll only be just 3!) and ours will no longer be the home of tiny children. Something I'm not exactly in mourning over because what comes next will bring even more exciting times for our boys, but these are little memories and scenes from everyday life I don't ever want to forget.

The earlier part of Wednesday, my playmate and I spent in town on our usual weekly ritual of sweets, newspapers, charity shop browsing and market shopping, and here's what we found on our travels.

~ I wanted to live in a toadstool when I was little - I blame this book! At 60p this little money box was absolutely coming home with us

~ One of my earliest memories is of running about in a union jack hat at the village party on Silver Jubilee day and this lovely cross-stitch is a charming little reminder.

~ I'm head over heels in love with this super new basket, a friend to keep my red one company; such delicious summery colours, and I'm ever so tempted to take my lunch to work in it tomorrow!

~ Oh this is such a treat for 50p - the pictures are just beautiful and are so similar to a book my dad had when he was small and used to read to my sisters and I when we were little.

Now that I'm a big girl I rather fancy living here instead of in the toadstool please. Wonder if there's room in there for a reading room?

A Bit of a Change

Can you have too much floral loveliness? I doubt it but for a while my dresser has been nagging at me to change things about a bit. There are lots of tricksy things on my mind at the moment (mainly work related) and I find a bit of shifting and rearranging is the perfect de-stresser on hot, mithery, muggy days like these.

I couldn't work out why I wasn't happy with it for such a long time (no before picture oops - they went with the old laptop but you can see how it looked on my last post) and then I came around to thinking there was too much prettiness, which is a bit of a strange concept for me to grapple with.

Maybe its because I enjoy the jumble and colour of my two little boys' gubbins and paraphernalia so much and too many delicate plates and tea cups are beginning to jar with the boys place in our home?

I feel the need for bolder, brighter colours and a place to display family treasures and special finds, and maybe not always the prettiest or daintiest things. Until now these sort of bits & pieces have been scattered about the place but I hope now the jollier dresser will become a happier home for more of them.

So the dresser is still mostly mummy's territory but I hope what's on it now reflects our jumble of home a bit more and doesn't look like too styled or like one that belongs to single girl with her own pad. More books, tins, mugs and trinkets and few less delicate floral plates and the kitchen feels more the centre of a family home. (Does this all sound a bit daft? Honestly I do have more important things to think about but this week I need destractions!)

Talking of which, we spent a lovely day on Sunday in the village a few miles away where I grew up. We basked in the sun, admired mum's outstanding new herbaceous border and the Rambling Rector then strolled up to the village for the fete. Swing boats, bat the rat, church flower festival and much ice cream was all enjoyed although I did forget to take any decent pictures. It was bliss to stroll home over the fields and remember the hundreds of times I've walked that route with family, friends and now my own little brood.

Happy summer days, just the ticket.

Sitting Back

Sometimes there's nothing to do but sit back and take in the simple things around you. And this weekend was one of those. Stuck in bed with rotten tonsillitis (it feellike I've swallowed two burning golf balls - how nice!), at least I've had a chance to look through my photos and be reminded of the lovely things around me, even if I can't get out from under the duvet to see them.

So, looking back through the most recent batch of pictures these are a few favourites.

:: Wild flowers filling the bank by the school playground (aren't these the most amazing foxgloves!)



:: Bumblees bees enjoying their nectar


:: Going home from school the river way and being just in time to see the steam train chuff past undergoing repairs (two very excited boys let me tell you!)

:: Enjoying the table all cleared after tea

:: The allotment's starting to take shape at last (ignore the weeds!), you can see the beds at last and we're even growing some veg!

First crop - baby radishes, but there are broad beans, broccoli, purple sprouting, calabrese, dwarf green beans, late carrots, strawberries and raspberries, courgettes and pumpkins on the go. Think we might have a bit of a glut come August but I'm just pleased to have some space to grow. Looking forward to an autumn & winter of sorting and planning now to make sure we use all our space properly to give us a bit of something every month. Not quite the Good Life but a good try at least!

:: The first rose from the David Austin St Swithun I planted last year. The rain had started to lash down on it and I couldn't bear to see it flop so it got snipped off and popped into a jug of flowers from the garden.

Apologies too for being away a while. It's been a tough few weeks here at number 25, what with the car expiring and the laptop at the same time , there's been little or no getting about. So the bank is empty (again!) but we are back on the road and do have a very swish and lovely new laptop to play with.

Oh I really have missed keeping up with everyone but hopefully will be around to say hello in between my temperature hitting the roof and falling back under the covers for another snooze !xx

A little more of me

With credit to Lucy's lovely blog, The Little Blue Door for this idea and hope you don't mind discovering more about the scatty girl behind Curlew Country.

Me with my sisters at mum's 60th Birthday Do on New Year's Eve. Both younger than me, Rachel on the left is my best friend (taller, slimmer and always beautiful, she can have me in hysterics and luckily lives quite close by) and Susannah on the right is the youngest of we three, who now lives in Dubai (brilliant chellist, free spirit and will always be my dearest little sis).

1. What are your current obsessions? Cornwall, bevelled mirrors, midnight panics about snails ravaging our allotment and will we/won't we get a better summer this year.

2. Which outfit in your wardrobe do you wear most often? A green polka dot blouse and a much loved, patched up pair of sailor trouser jeans.

3. What's for dinner? Sandwiches from lunchtime's roast chicken, tomato and basil salad and a couple of Tunnocks tea cakes for a treat.

4. Last thing you bought? A pink diamante hairclip for a big night out in the city last night, which broke within seconds. Boots will feel my wrath tomorrow!

5. What are you listening to? The Euro election results - I know how to enjoy myself.

6. If you were a god/goddess who would you be? Now I'd love to step into Nigella's shoes if she ever vacates them but I'd be the sloppiest domestic goddess ever!

7. Favourite vacation spot? Port Isaac, Cornwall - every time.

8. Reading right now? The Burning Blue by James Holland - wonderful, terrifying but romatic novel of an WWII spitfire pilot.

9. Four words to describe yourself: Imaginitive, enthusiastic, scatty, tired!

10. Guilty pleasure? Ooooh a box of chocolate mint thins please.

11. Who or what makes you laugh until you’re weak? The observations my very dry, acerbic husband makes in his newspaper column, some of the comedians at the stand-up night we run, my colleagues and Victoria Wood.

12. Favourite things to do in the summer? Picnics by the river messing about with my boys, strolling about deadheading with a cup of tea in the evening, a week by the sea in Cornwall, treating myself to cottage garden posies from the WI stall at the market.

13. Planning to travel to next? The Yorkshire Dales in the summer holidays.

14. Best thing you ate or drank lately? Delicious healthy working lunch served at a local hospice where I was running an event. Wonderful feta cheese salad and poached salmon. Been trying to recreate it at home - hmmmm, working on it.

15. When did you last get tipsy? Years ago, before children. I get the most dreaful hangovers so I'm past those days, although my colleagues were doing their best to get me to change my mind last night!

16. Favourite ever film? Before Sunrise, I adore Ethan Hawke - brilliantly romantic

17. Care to share some wisdom? Nothing earth shattering - but its definitely worth staking border perennials much earlier than you think you should - I always get caught out and my lovely flowers get pummelled flat by early summer rain.

18. Least favourite part of your day? That after-lunch slump, I think I'd suit a siesta lifestyle very well.

19. What make/model was your first car? A red Nissan Micra - I gave it away as a wreck to some mechanic students and now it looks like new but they won't give it me back. Oh I did love that car.

20. Favourite song to sing? I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire. My dad has always warbled this and I picked it up from him years ago. It's so wistful, describes me and will always bring a picture of my lovely, smiley dad to mind.

My boys and me

Well there you go. Have a super week and hope the weather perks up for everyone - we're drenched here.