Delicious August

Hello!

At long last I manage to find a few moments during this full to bursting month to sit down and write a blog post!  How are you?  I hope you're having a glowing August!

It's been a while since I was in Blogland; I've been here, there and everywhere you see ~ a spot of camping, time with visiting family, out with friends, play dates...oh my it's been a rather pleasant whirlwind of lovely things and I must confess to not getting much done in the way of Work or crochet.

Speaking of which, and assuming you have noticed the rather enticing snapshot of those curly skeins of wool at the top of this post, you might be wondering 'Another Project?? What can she be up to now!'

Let me explain :D

I confess I gave into temptation and purchased (as a Holiday Gift to myself, as you do) some of that gorgeously soft Debbie Bliss Andes wool...oh how very dreamy it is!  Perhaps one of the nicest yarns I have ever had the pleasure of being able to buy.  It's not cheap no, not by any means but sometimes a girl has to indulge in a little luxury and I must admit to feeling like a child in a sweet shop as I was choosing the colours!  I have plans to make a cosy Winter Scarf and I'm very much looking forward to choosing the exact pattern for it (still in a quandry about that to be honest!).  I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime I'm pleased that my Japanese Flower Scarf is literally just a hand~full of flowers away from being finished...

Here it is, draped over the sofa and I'm really delighted with how it's coming along.  I might have got this finished had I taken it on my recent camping trip to Northumberland, but alas I FORGOT MY CROCHET STUFF!!! Oh dear, HUGE heart sinking moment as several miles up the M1 I realised my mistake.  Nothing like a nice bit of hooky by the sea, but it wasn't meant to be this time.  However, we were more than occupied by our destination when we arrived, filling our days with marvellous things...let me show you:

 

We took a boat trip to the beautiful and lonely Farne Islands...

In the bright morning sunshine, seals basked lazily on the rocks as we sailed by...

...and mooring up on Inner Farne, we were able to tiptoe up to the cliff edge to witness a Mama and her fluffy brood on the nest.  The guide told us that there were many birds using the Farnes as a resting place during their migrations at this time of year.  It really is such a peaceful and special part of the world.

Back on dry land we enjoyed the miles of white sandy beaches, paddling in the crystal clear seas...

 ...and not without company!  Curious Eider ducks decided to come and meet us, my daughter was completely entranced by them (as was I, they came so very close).

Evenings were spent at the tent, wrapped in blankets sipping hot chocolate in our mugs whilst watching Mother Moon rise; a soft apricot globe in a dusky blue August sky...

...or at our lovely local pub, The Jolly Fisherman at nearby Craster...

...isn't this one of the best views to enjoy a nice crisp pint of local beer with?
A walk past the harbour and beyond was a nice way to walk off our tea too - if you're ever in the area I cannot say how good the food is at this place and highly recommend you drop in and enjoy it!

 

So here we are back home again.  And when the weather is dry we've been out walking in the most glorious late summer scenery.  Our moorland heather has suddenley burst into bloom and it's the most outrageously beautiful purple this year.  There is mile upon mile of the stuff and it is heart stoppingly beautiful.  I feel very lucky to have this all on my doorstep to enjoy :)

 

And so, August melts dreamily away and soon it will be September.  Soon it will be time for school runs and uniforms again.  I have loved every minute of these holidays; rainy days spent indoors building dens out of the clothes horse and old travel rugs, playing Snap and Pairs for hours on the living room floor, spontaneous picnics, camping, painting, planting, baking, walking, having family to visit and tasty barbecues infused with laughter and joy...Simple, wonderful, glorious summer holidays.

I shall miss them, yet I shall remember them for a long time to come.  I hope your August has been one to remember.

Sending you love, thanks so much for dropping by;

Julia x x x

 

Taking Time Out

Hello!

We had our first camping trip of the year last week; we pootled down to Adam Henson's Farm for a few days with a group of friends and it was a complete tonic.  The sun shone everyday in a bright blue sky, peppered with cotton wool clouds and it was HOT!  There were barbecues, tractor rides, rare breed animals, new lambs being born, ice-creams, football games, laughter... it was a heavenly break.

Adam's Farm is in the beautiful Cotswolds, rolling fields of brightest green and zingy yellow undulated as far as the eye could see.  Our last evening was bright and clear and we sat outside our tents until after dark with the candle lanterns flickering, watching the satellites silently travelling the starry sky and listening to a fox barking in the woods.  There were shooting stars and the air was warm and still.

I thought to myself how good it was for the soul to switch off from Real Life like this.  To be away from televisions and computer screens, the chores and the day to day responsibilities.  Life had been pretty full prior to this trip and I had been feeling pretty worn out and run down, it gave me some space to think about doing things differently for my family in order to keep us all happy and healthy.  All we had were the basics: camping equipment, warm sleeping bags, a kettle, some good food and good company, countryside, nature and wide open skies.  It was all that we needed.

What can be nicer than waking to the sound of skylarks calling above, seeing the sunlight streaming through the fabric of the tent, and making a cup of fresh coffee to drink in the warm morning air?  There is something deeply satisfying about walking through the dewy grass of a long field to go for a wash with the little one, past tall pine trees where golden light casts long shadows across the pine cone strewn ground.  Hearing the bleating of newborn lambs in the field, the sounds of nature, breathing in delicious gulps of fresh country air...

I resolve to camp more - we need to be able to come away from our day to day surroundings in order to refuel and revive ourselves.  I always return home with a renewed sense of possibility; bursting with new ideas for paintings and new projects.  And coming home, there is the delicious feeling of climbing into a real bed; there are all the home comforts to welcome us back ~ rainbow crocheted blankets and cushions, my books, my paints.

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter.  I will be posting the Gallery Page for the April theme of Being Creative on Saturday, and you are welcome to add links to pictures of your work on either Flickr or your Blog post, or add your thoughts about the theme in the comments section.  There are lots of people taking part now, and if you would like to join in yourself you can find out more by clicking the link in the sidebar, or the tab at the top of the page.  There has been some wonderful work emerging in the Flickr Group, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else you are going to share.


Sending love ~ thanks for visiting today, it's always a pleasure to know you've stopped by.
Julia x

A Feeling For Spring

It's that time of year when I begin to feel heartily fed up of the cold winter weather and start seeking out simple pleasures, little bursts of colour and clues that Spring is on the way.


Finding these glorious pink tulips, and daffodils was one of those signs - getting them home and popping them in an old jar made me almost squeal out loud with delight.  Flowers are such a simple pleasure, and although I don't buy them as often as I used to, I do really like having them in the house. 

Cookies are another pleasure here!! We made some of Nigella's yesterday (from Nigella Express) and boy do they taste good!  It was bitterly cold outside with frost still shimmering on the shed roof in the middle of the afternoon, so it felt very cosy to be busying in the kitchen with the Little One, mixing and stirring chocolate cookies...

Not to mention eating them...

Ahhhh....another pleasure...freshly baked cookies, a nice cuppa and a good mag to browse!


Mind you, we are trying very hard to get that healthy balance in our little home, and cookies and Sweet Things are considered as a bit of a treat, albeit very Necessary.  However, we have recently taken to eating copious amounts of this stuff too:

See that jar there in the middle?  That's our very own blend of Trail Mix.  You can use any kind of natural nuts, seeds and dried fruit that you enjoy, and I always keep a little tub of it in my bag for snacks on the go. 


Ours has 100g each of the following, in case you'd like to make some yourself:


Sunflower Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Chopped Brazils
Almonds (the ones with their skins on as they're higher in nutrients)
Dried Cranberries
Dried Sultanas/Raisins


You can also throw cashews, pistachios and apriocots in, grab a handful when you're hungry - I promise it will help to keep your mitts out of the cookie jar (not that there's anything wrong with a bit of indulgence here and there though! :)  It's great at boosting energy levels and is marvellously good for your skin and little internal bits and bobs. 


A very Big Pleasure this week has been finding hooky time with the Sea Pennies Shawl.  It's progressing slowly as I've only had the evenings to work on it, but every time I take it out I can imagine sitting outside first thing in the morning come summer, sipping coffee and eating breakfast under a blue sky, wrapped up warm in it's sea foamy oceany gorgeousness...ahhh, not long til we'll be doing that again methinks!

I also decided (after a practice and a good deal of frogging) that the larger circles weren't really working.  I could then see very clearly in my minds eye what the shawl would look like made with 100's of small Sea Pennies, finished off with that wave edge - I think it's going to be pretty good!


Would anyone be interested in a Sea Penny tutorial?  I just wondered if you would like to learn how to make them, and join them as you go...that way you might be able to begin your own Sea Penny projects too.


Let me know - if you do I will try and do a photo tutorial for you in the next week or so.




At this time of year when days are still inclined to be rather short and often grey and dreary, I think it's nice to have something to look forward to.  Which is why I have exciting dates circled on the calendar that involve the Tent and Camping!!  We are off to Adam Henson's Farm (the nice chappie off Countryfile) for a few days in the countryside come April!  Oh, the very idea of getting the tent out again, my little red whistling kettle, that flowery melamine....

Remember this? (*happy sigh*)


I'd love to hear what cheers you at this time of year - will you share your thoughts with me?
Go on, you know I'd love to hear :)


Sending you warm chocolate cookies, a jug of colourful tulips, and quiet moments to appreciate the Small Stuff.


Love Julia x

I Heart Camping...and Crochet!

Hello there!

Remember last week I tormented you with a picture of some tiny granny squares? Well, here is my little reveal!! This is what those teeny tiny grannies became...can you guess what it is yet from the picture above?

Did you guess right? It's a rather pretty little table mat! What do you think of it? I'm very pleased with it, those bright squares and the picot edging makes me quite deliriously happy, and the Little One has already asked if she can have it for her very own...you can guess what the answer to that was of course!

So! What else did I have to tell you this week...hmm, let me think. Ah yes, as if I could forget!! Our first foray into the world of camping!

Oh people, I have to tell you I am absolutely, completely and ridunculously hooked.

Here we are, all pitched up and oooooooooh it was so exciting!

We arrived in Oxfordshire under warm blue skies, the day looked promising and the weather held as we pitched out tent. Of course, the instructions said it would take about 10 minutes, in reality it took about an hour...and a half... ;)

Summer was blooming in abundance, wild flowers bobbed their cheerfully bright heads at us and the landscape unfolded as far as the eye could see into a patchwork of fields the colour of clotted cream fudge and faded limes.

As soon as the tent was pitched, an ominously dark grey cloud floated over and dispatched a large rainstorm onto us. We didn't care, we were cosy in out tent boiling a kettle for our first cup of camping tea and giggled outrageously at how much fun it all was!

Our friends arrived and over the weekend we visited some gorgeous little villages. Nature seemed to be wearing her prettiest dresses as everywhere we looked were colourful feasts for the eyes...

...hanging baskets and window boxes burst at the seams with vibrant colour, every village was festooned with tall hollyhocks that swayed gently in warm breezes, in wonderful shades of darkest burgundy to the softest pink tinged with lemon. The wild flowers were in competition, putting on their own gloriously technicolour show in hedgerows and fields and glades!

We took a trip to Oxford, so much beautiful architecture, and bustling with 100 languages of visiting students and tourists...

...I loved Oxford, I loved the atmosphere of it and the delicious little shops, but I was glad to come away to the serenity of Woodstock where there was a photo opportunity around every corner!

We also visited Burford, I am completely taken with this little corner of our country folks, it is chocolate box perfect in every way, gentle on the eyes and the soul and a pleasure to visit.

We found gorgeous little shops like this one above, boutiques and delicatessens housed in age old tipsy buildings with dark beams running higgledy-piggledy across the ceilings..so much to see, Iwas bursting with delight at everything we found!

The buildings in the villages are built from that famous golden stone that seems to glow with a warmth even on a grey day. They are enhanced by lavender frothing onto the pavements, geraniums bobbing their scarlet heads from terracotta pots and tiny windows that lean crazily at odd angles under swags of gauzy lilac wisteria.

Back at camp, some of the simple moments were the best ~ hot coffee and freshly baked pain au chocolat from the tiny camp store made a perfect breakfast...

...and in the evening, we told ghost stories as we sipped fizzy rose wine. As twilight cast its luminous blue glow over us a japanese lantern was cast off from the opposite field with much ooohing and aahhhing. We watched silently as the flickering amber lantern made its way up toward the first twinkling stars of the night, it was a lovely moment.

So, I think you can probably gather that we had a good old time of it. We were lucky with the weather and after that first afternoon downpour it only showered during the night.

I have to say, I cannot wait to go again!

I think that's about it for today, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and before I go, there is just one last thing I would like to share with you all, and that is I'm having a bit of a sale at my website - and if you fancy having a nosey, you can see more here:

Thanks for stopping by today, and for all your lovely comments that you leave for me. I love hearing from you so if this is your first visit, it would be lovely of you to say 'hello' as it means I will be able to come and find you and your blog (if I haven't already!)

Sending love to you all for a delicious weekend!

Much love

J x

Going Easy

Hello dear souls ~ how are you?

I'm in the process of making something, and I've taken a picture of it to show you...one of those horrible sneaky peaky pictures that doesn't really give anything away, but lets you see a little bit of what has been going on hooky-wise here this last week.

I'm afraid the light is a bit rough today, try as I might I just cannot get the colours to zim and ping as they do in real life...but suffice to say they do, and I'm very skippity-happy about this little project which I will hopefully be able to show you properly next week...when it will all be finished. Am I awful for teasing you with it? I am sorry - perhaps to ease the frustration, you could all play at Guess What It Is?!

Ah look. That's much better. Now you can see just how zimmy and pingy those colours really are!

Well, I've been stuck indoors these last couple of days (as most of you around this island of ours probably have at some point) due to the typically British July weather conditions of gale force winds, lashing rain and cracking thunderstorms. My garden is a mess, but during an impromtu blue bit, I ran out and had a tidy up.

What a heavenly relief to see blue skies again, with drifty white clouds billowing about instead of nasty dark grey ones silently flashing with far away lightening...

The sun squeezed itself out for only a few minutes, long enough to illuminate our first little sweet pea...oh my goodness I do love these flowers, and I'm sure the fairies must come out at night and paint their soft petals those beautiful colours!

Life this week has been mostly about small moments like that. I've got to tell you that seemingly out of nowhere, my poor little bod succumbed to an awful outbreak of exzema...and that usually means that something is becoming a bit too much in this life of mine and needs dealing with pronto. It has been several years since this happened, and that was due to the perils of working away for months at a time and not being particularly happy with the job I was doing then.

Anyhow...I've worked out that in all, I've got rather too much heaped on my plate and I've got to do a bit of prioritising...let a few things go, start being a bit easier on myself as far as those mental To Do Lists go.

Do you have those? They are created in your mind (or in my case, increasingly more on paper too these days) and they are rather long. They include all the usual things like 'tackle that mound of ironing that is now making friends with the lampshade on the ceiling' and all manner of other pressure inducing things that have been made Very Important and Very Necessary.

So...I am making more time for the small stuff. The simple, necessary stuff that makes us feel good - the stuff that is necessary to ground us and keep us sane, like quite literally smelling the roses and admiring a blue, sunshine filled sky.

It's also about saying No to things that can't be achieved, or to things I don't always feel I want to do. No can be a hard word to say at times, but I've realised if I want to keep my sanity, and have an hour or so to myself each day then I'm going to have to.

And so far so good. The skin has cleared up, the gentle pace and just making time for little me has proved to be the best medicene there is!

I've been eating a bit healthier too, after some recent baking jaunts I felt enough was enough, there is only so much rocky road one can consume without being sick, and so it was a real pleasure to go into the garden and pick our first little crop of dwarf peas and broad beans...

The daughter's first strawbs appeared too...

...look at all those pretty borage flowers! Methinks I can feel a recipe coming on...

A Tasty Summer Garden Pasta if you please!

It's so very easy, and you don't have to have borage flowers to decorate (but you know me, I couldn't help myself) :D

I cooked up a batch of spaghetti and grated a big handful of parmesan cheese.

Meanwhile, crush a little garlic clove and sizzle gently in a tablespoon or so of good olive oil (don;t let it burn though, it tastes revolting)...when the pasta is half way cooked, toss in the broad beans and peas to cook for the remaining 4 minutes or so, that's all they need honestly - drain when ready and add to the garlic and oil mixture. Toss well and add the parmesan, stirring quickly as it will melt beautifully over the pasta, peas and beans...season with salt and pepper and eat it quickly, before somebody else does!

Voila!

It doesn't get much better than that, from garden to plate in 15 minutes.

(This has turned into one of those famously long posts again...)

Before I go, I just wanted to show you something we bought at the weekend, and I was in a rapture about it the minute I clapped eyes on it!

Now, some of you who kindly visit me regularly will know about our camping escapade that we have been planning for a few weeks now...buying the tent and all manner of bits and necessary bobs so that we have the delicious luxury (weather pending of course) to take off somewhere on a whim if the weekend is free! Hurrah!! What a plan indeed!! And yes, already our first weekend is looming large, we travel south tomorrow to road test our new kit! Lets hope the weather is kind, but if it isn't I can heartily thank Diane at Heartshaped for all her generous and thoughtful camping wisdom.

But anyway, I digress...I was going to show you my latest purchase that had me swooning...

Isn't that the sweetest, most retro, most funky camp kettle you ever clapped eyes on??? And doesn't it just sit beautifully with its little melamine neighbour? Oh people, I can only imagine that with age a slight lunacy decends when one is reduced to having raptures about a camping kettle...add to that it whistles and I really felt I had gone to camping heaven. Honestly.

I suppose it happens to the best of us, and yet its just those very moments that make ordinary life so very extraordinarily special!

I'm off to pack now, keep your fingers crossed that we don't suffer the mercy of those vile storms that crossed Yorkshire last night and we'll be happy...if it's dry, it's a bonus isn't it?!

Have a good weekend, thanks for stopping by.

Mucho love

J x

Salt Breezes and Other Stories

Hello.

This has been a funny old week - one of restless mind (yes, again) which was partially soothed by a nice morning making Rocky Road but followed by a general unsettled~ness which began with a very tiny need to be by the sea, and which turned into a bigger and bigger one as the week drew on.

Saturday promised to be a fine day, and without much persuading we gathered ourselves, buckets, spades, shrimping nets and hefty picnic and drove off pronto to the east coast, to Filey, where we set up camp on the vast sandy beach and enjoyed a warm and happy day which we finished off with delicious salt and vinegary fish and chips on a bench overlooking the Brigg.

I'm so happy by the sea, I can hardly put it into words. Its all the simple things like the wonderful scent of the salty sea breezes, the fresh and tangy air, the views, the light heartedness that inevitably comes from being by the coast...There are other little moments too, like that divine feeling of soft white sand under your feet, and cool crystal waves lapping about your ankles as a seagull cries overhead...

It was a tonic, but alas we had to drive home that evening as the following day there was a rather Important Job to be done.

We were off to buy our tent!

Well, at long last we have brought it home, along with a few other goodies such as a little stove and cooking set...and you probably want a peep at it don't you? Oh - well alright then!! Here you go!

This is our new portable home!! Next weekend it will be coming with us to the Cotswolds for its first outing. We are having a trial run (a sensible thing to do we've been told) and are going to put it up in my parents back garden first, to familiarise ourselves with it, and then probably go loopy with excitement and jump about in it a bit, like you do!

We are all looking forward to the adventures we are no doubt going to have, and I will try my hardest to remember to squeeze the camera in the car somewhere and take lots of pictures.

So what else has been going on here?

Well, some art work has been done - here are a couple of line drawings that I did and rendered with greyscale watercolour. These sorts of drawings are fairly quick to do and great fun, it's almost like messing about and not 'proper' drawing at all, the imagination can go wild!

This one above looks a bit like me, going wild in the kitchen on baking day...!

...and this one was inspired by my two little nephews, I think they're monster hunting or something boyish that boys generally do when equiped with torches and much mischief!

The picture at the bottom of this post is from my sketch book, and was done using watercolour and inks. It was just something I did for fun, but overall I'm liking the effect of ink and watercolour together, and the rather scratchy way I've edged it all. I generally work with acrylic paints and so it's nice to experiment with new stuff to see what works (and what doesn't) and move away from what's familiar. I think I'll be making some new pictures with the ink in future!

Well, someone Small is in the sandpit, the sun is shining and I can feel a spot of crochet coming on, a nice and relaxing pursuit for as long as I can get away with it methinks!!

I hope you all have a nice weekend, we are off to my Mum's village tomorrow for the yearly Carnival, I just hope the weather holds!

Til next time, much love and thanks for visiting me today!

J x

Summer Living

Hello!

Summer is here!! I know this because there are plump and juicy little apricots in the grocers shop, with that beautiful rosy blush on them. It is little things like these (and donut peaches which I'm still on the lookout for this season) which bring a deep sense of delight and peace for me...these little fruits mean the weather is warm, its a succulent time of relaxed pleasure and exquisite flavours...its time to enjoy raspberries and strawberries at their best with heaps of glorious vanilla ice-cream - or better - with clotted cream, all piled generously on top of a freshly baked scone!

Mouth watering yet? Thought so!

Our little allotment patch in our tiny garden is beginning to show fruits of our labour, which began way back in January when there was snow on the ground and we eagerly looked through seed cataglogs deciding which tasty treats to try and grow this year.

We chose quite a few different things but planted only a few of each (due to space being small) and we are happily watching our crystal lemon cucumbers grow from struggling seedlings into strong little plants, alongside dwarf courgettes which are already showing off their trumpety yellow flowers. Runner beans are making an appearance amid the Love in a Mist, and the broad beans are full of flowers which we hope will make for a good crop!

There it is, our little patch behind the bench there - and already we have been enjoying the salad leaves and radish...oh my goodness, I've never eaten a radish like it!! Nothing like those watery and tasteless specimens in the supermarket - my goodness, these are crunchy and peppery and utterly delicious!!

Of course, this sudden spell of nice weather (after the appalling torrential downpours here) means we can eat outside!! Oh how I love eating outside!! There is something very relaxing about sitting and eating a meal to the sound of birds singing and the river gurgling away down the garden. It also means I can indulge myself with my napkin obsession (I seem to collect pretty packs of them when I'm out and about) and I love to bring out the brightest ones to enjoy! Does anyone else do this? Get excited about napkins I mean? I know, I'm probably ever so slightly mad for doing this, but putting pretty napkins in the basket for al-fresco dining just makes me so happy!

Anyway, that's enough waffling on about food and the like - I was really hoping to share some new crochet work with you today folks. Yes, the other evening I spent a couple of hours making a pot stand from one of my Japanese crochet books. I know a few of you have these books yourself, and will know that despite the instructions being in the Japanese language, the patterns with the crochet symbols are really quite easy to follow...sort of... :D

So I started...and a bit later on I realised my pot stand was getting a little bit TOO BIG.

Oh dear...I checked the pattern, and after a bit of investigation discovered that the Japanese hook number 4 is in fact a UK 2.5 (this took some trawling on the internet and a blessed discovery of a gorgeous blog called One Pink Plum which helped a lot)...and so, I had to undo the lot as it was starting to resemble a table cloth rather than a pot stand. I haven't had chance to redo it but now I have a bit of good Japanese hooky size info under my belt I am now ready to give it another whirl.

So I'm very sorry, but no crafty pics this week.

However, something else that has got me demented with excitement as you will perhaps know from last weeks post, is this camping lark.

Well, a pitch has been booked with some good friends from Devon in the heart of the Cotswolds!! WOooHooo!

We haven't actually bought our tent...yet...but we will! We have found it, its a beauty and we cannot wait to go and get it next week all being well. In the meantime to quench our appetite we have invested in a camping lantern, a good comfy blow up mattress and this:

...which is utter drool fodder it has to be said, and at this rate i'll be camping every week if the pictures are anything to go by!

Now, I have to say thank you to the ones of you who were most forthcoming with advice and stories of your own experiences - if anyone else would like to share any camping wisdom I would love, love, LOVE to hear from you!! I like that you all mostly think that camping in comfort and yes, even in luxury is necessary these days, and I have to confess to absolutely not being a Bear Grylls type of camper - no way. Its not me, I like to be warm, cosy, comfy and that's not a lot to ask. I want to roll off my humongous mattress from under my lovely duvet and eat a croissant of a morning with a pot of nice fresh coffee - I'm not going to be arguing with a camp fire and picking slugs out of my mess tin...hang on...mess tin? Oh my goodness, not on your nelly...we will be dining in style my friends, and somehow after a jaunt to John Lewis this week, this little lot came home with me:

I fell in love with it - there is something faintly retro and reminiscent of something we had like this in our childhood - can't quite think exactly what but it just screamed CAMPING at me, so I had to get it!!

There is now a small pile of Camping Stuff mounting up in the corner of our dining room. I get such a marvellous feeling each time I see it and to think that we will soon be road testing it on our first ever jaunt, which takes place mid July and I'm just hoping that the weather is kind to us, but this being England, who can possibly tell?!

Anyway - it's almost teatime in our little house! I had no idea of the time but the Small Person has just told me in no uncertain terms that she is beside herself with hunger, so I'm off to cook something that we can eat outdoors, listening to the birds and the gurgling river....

Have a gorgeous weekend!

Much love

Julia x