My Sunday in pictures

Hello Lovelies,

yesterday was just another ordinary Sunday. Ordinary but at the same time very special, with so many people and things to be thankful for.

9AM.....

A leisurely breakfast... Porridge for my love and I :0)

10 AM.....

 Ripple appreciation...It grows :0)

11AM.....

 fresh air on the way to the DIY shop

 It was cold in the gardens behind the war memorial, with ice in the water where the sun hadn't reached.

 But there were still a few brave Roses.....my favourite colour...ummm.

 Windmills, waterfalls and pretty bridges are among the many things that make me smile.

 After a while the cloud gathered and the wind was chilly....time to go.

12 midday.......

 Defrosting with my favourite books.

1PM.......

Delivering hot chocolate.... Eldest was braving the garden to work at sharpening my dad's old chisels. It's 26 years since he passed away and it's so nice that they are getting another lease of life.

I only popped out to the compost bin with the veg peelings and refilled the bird feeders.........

 Our feathered friends need a little help right now.

2PM.....

 A very simple Sunday dinner...lots of veg, and there are some sausages under the home made Yorkshires too :0)

3.PM ..........

 planting this year's Amaryllis....I love this ritual of growing a big beautiful flower. Slowly watching it emerge and finally bloom, through the darkest months of the year.

 4 PM..........

 A warm mince pie and a cup of tea....just shop bought...Morrisons....but nice and tasty and not too sweet.

5 PM.......

A simple trip to see the Christmas lights in town....we thought they looked really beautiful this year........

It was freezing and the moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky..............

6PM.............

 I nice balanced tea. Sweet and savoury crumpets....ooops there seems to be a lot of comfort food around here at the moment :0)

7 PM..........

 crochet in front of the telly. I do love a bit of Strictly

8 PM.........

A relaxing soak in the bath before the Sunday night rush.

A simple family day....my favourite sort....I am truly blessed.
Jacquie x

This Weeks Happies

Hello Lovelies, 

like Gillian, I too have been missing writing the weekly "Happy" posts that appeared on my blog throughout 2013. 

So....... here is a round up of the simple joys I've captured on my camera over the last seven days.

1. Walking ( walking and more walking )

It's such a wonderful time of year to enjoy the outdoors that I've been walking almost every day. I'm preferring walking to running at the moment.

Last Monday ( the bank holiday) my sister in law, niece, eldest and myself went on a walk along THIS route.

We wandered through yellow fields..........

and admired pretty views...........

It was nice to have company...........

My niece spotted a pair of Deer quite close to us.....they soon galloped away, but it was a treat to catch a glimpse of these wild creatures........something I haven't seen around here before.......

The delicate, frothy white Cow Parsley is at it's best at the moment and I was happy to get a reasonable shot of a lovely Chaffinch with such a pretty background............

Our route took us past this beautiful cottage............

And shady spots, now the trees are in leaf...........

The Bluebells are beginning to fade.............

It was a hazy afternoon, but the countryside still looked lovely............

and it always makes me happy to spot ( and photograph ) our wonderful wildlife.......I loved seeing this Hare sitting quietly among the Dandelion clocks...........

2. My Garden
 Every time I wander round the garden there is something new to see.

My beloved Bleeding Heart is beginning to flower......every year the sight of these gorgeous heart shaped blooms makes so happy...........

The Oriental Poppies have huge buds........any day now they will burst open...........

and in my cut flower patch there are lots of tiny seedlings bursting through the earth. The Nasturtiums are the biggest at the moment...........

3. Home made soup
I loved the sight of the orange lentils in my blue bowl...........

I was making THIS recipe, one I've made quite a few times now........it's so easy,tasty and warming.......

4. Creating
Yesterday was windy and rainy, perfect to stay indoors and enjoy some making.

I spent a few hours working on my latest sewing project........this is the bodice lining of my dress.........

just the hand sewing left to do now :0)

Oh, and I made another Mandala........it's true, they are addictive..........

For this one I didn't follow a pattern,  just made it up as I went along. 

Once again it seems my colour choices have been influenced by the beauty of spring........I wasn't thinking of any particular place on this occasion , but this mandala ended up consisting of the colours that I'm relishing in the natural world right now.

Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my first mandala.....you are so kind.

I do hope you enjoyed this Happy post..........I'm not sure if I'll do one every week but it does feel good to write one again.
Jacquie x

Images from my Week

Hello Lovelies, 

once again I seen to have a lot of photos from this past week that I've been  meaning to share with you. So here is a little round up of things I captured on my camera over the last seven days.

Last Sunday afternoon I was walking with my eldest. We braved the footpaths but forgot to wear wellies. I was a bit sad because I know how much my boy loves wading through puddles and we soon had to turn back because of all the mud..........

When we got home I sat quietly in the garden for a few moments , listening to the birdsong and watching Tom Tit pecking at the peanuts in my feeder............

On Monday we woke to frost and this was the view on my Journey to work......

It made me smile because it was so lovely and also because to was so blue ........on Blue Monday.

Another frosty morning on Tuesday but this time the early morning view from my car was pink......

With all the cold weather I've been making warming stews, chopping carrots two at a time , as I always do, and admiring their gorgeous colour.........

Again there has been plenty of sunshine, mixed in with heavy showers. On my way to the shops a bright spell tempted me to stop the car by a familiar gateway..........

A dash up this footpath a little way..........

To capture the wintry view towards the Church..........

In town I was looking up and noticing the view across the rooftops..........

Then popping into the charity shop and finding a sweet plate for my Spring display........

Regular readers may know of my love of  "The country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" books which this plate is based on.

I brought my bargain find home, carefully wrapped in newspaper and stored it in my basket of thrifted "spring things" on top of my dresser. In another month or so I'll get them all out and enjoy arranging them on the shelves of my Welsh Dresser.........

Yes, those granny squares are still patiently waiting to be sewn together.

On Thursday I headed out in my wellies, to go for a walk up the same path Eldest and I attempted on Sunday........

Ha, puddles don't scare me now :0)

But I didn't foresee the impending rain storm...........

It suddenly got very windy and sleety rain was blowing in my face as I walked across this field.........

at least my feet were dry!......



I squelched through the mud.......

And along the wooded path that is so pretty in spring........

I suppose if the world was leafy and sunny all the time we would not appreciate those days so much .

More comfort food seemed in order on Friday. A pan full of vegetables and some left-over potatoes......

mixed with eggs and cheese, made a hearty omelette........yuuuummmmmmm......

On the creative front, there has been a little crochet occurring......more on this soon.......

And I've been noticing a heart I made ( last year....I think )

It inspired me to do the first drawing in my new sketchbook.......

Want to see ?

here we are.......

f

This was such a fun little drawing to do after work on Friday evening, and the perfect way to unwind.






Hope you have a good week lovelies, thank you from both Mum and I  for all your lovely comments on my previous post.
Jacquie x