Simply Seasonal....25th of March

 Hello Lovelies,

Oh dear I missed last weeks posting. I did think that may happen, but never mind, I'm back this week with some images from the past seven days.

1 ♥ Melting Snow. Yes we got another visit from "The Beast" last weekend. I was working so it was stressful making the journeys needed on treacherous roads. Thankfully it did not last long and by midweek there was very little evidence  left. My enthusiasm for snowy weather has run out for a while now.

Happily Robin is still going strong despite the icy conditions.



2 ♥ Walking Somewhere New. On Thursday my walking group journeyed to Market Bosworth and  enjoyed an eight mile walk through the surrounding countryside.

Our route even passed through the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field.

There was a heritage centre and lots more to see. Plus the countryside setting  was rather lovely.

Here we crossed The Battlefield Line

This sign made me smile :0)

Before we returned to our starting point via the Ashby canal.

3 ♥ Reading about Walking Somewhere New Oh dear I seem to collect secondhand walking guides at the moment. I just love looking at them for inspiration and daydreaming about ticking off every walk one day.

I know that's highly unlikely to happen, but you never know. How wonderful would it be to say you had explored so much of our beautiful country on foot.

The hand painted maps with little illustrations particularly pleased me in this book. Oh look. It's the walk we just did...well pretty much. I marked that one as done. Just 119 to go then :0)

4 ♥ Simple Baking. My economy version of THIS Tea Loaf is the easiest baking I know.

  I use ordinary tea and "value" mixed fruit :0)

 5 ♥ Exploring On Friday Mum had a lunch in Stamford Lincolnshire. I drove us there and then when for a wander until she was done. Burghley House is right on the doorstep of the pretty town and it's free to wander the parkland, so it was easy to explore a little. I loved the view from the Lion Bridge.

Lunchtime guarded by a lion :0)

 And watched by a wagtail.

 It was so peaceful on the bridge, with only my birdy friend about. When I heard a car I jumped up to see where it was. Oh that looks like a lot of fun.

Another view of the bridge.

 There was an enclosure with lots of Deer. I zoomed in to take these pictures.



It's only looking at them now I have noticed all the birds...Redwings and Fieldfare. These two breeds often seem to hang out together.

After a while I headed back into the town. Ooooh, another lovely bridge.

So many churches and interesting buildings to see.

And a street market. Can't resist the flower stall.

More riverside wandering.

Nearly time to go, just time for some of my homemade Tea Loaf before meeting up with mum.

It was great to explore and on the way home we made a small detour to see a view I had spotted online whilst researching the area. 

The sun even broke through a little to illuminate this gorgeous view in the village of Easton on the Hill. I think it's as nice as any stately home...and nicer than some.

 It's the jumble of rooftops, the church tower backdrop and the lovely warm stone. Sigh......It's my favourite picture of this week.

6 ♥ A colourful WIP. I'm sharing this as an incentive to finally do something with these squares. They are a Log Cabin Granny, inspired by THIS stunning project. I don't think they are bad but they are a bit over the top. By next week I WILL have done something with them....I hope you will hold me to that lovelies.

7 ♥ Sunday Sunshine Every other Sunday morning I walk with a friend. Today I drove us to THIS country park as I wanted to see the blue sky reflections . This is my second favourite picture of the week :0)

I do believe there is a touch of green in the trees :0)

8 ♥ Spring Flowers. The Hyacinths I planted in a pot by the front door are finally beginning to flower. They look extra pretty with my Primula from Stamford market.

Phew, such busy and fun filled week. I feel very lucky to have this balance in my life. There is work and important family stuff....but it does not overwhelm me. I know I am so lucky to have this balance and I certainly don't take it for granted.

Jacquie x

A Day in Derbyshire

Hello Lovelies,

The Friday before last mum and I grabbed the opportunity to have a mini adventure into Derbyshire....fancy seeing some piccys :0)

After an hour of driving I was so happy to turn off the busy roads and stop for a moment to gaze upon the gorgeous view..........

The sun was shining and locals were friendly.............

There were plenty of places to pull off the road and have a little wander.............

and admire the gorgeous scenery...........

while mum did a quick sketch or two..........

It's tricky taking photos into the light, but I loved how this one turned out...........

and I'm always intrigued as to  where tempting paths like this one lead...........

into a field of bales.......perfect.............

We could smell a coal fire close by on this sunny but cool morning.........smoke drifted up from this chimney in the valley.............

Driving higher now up to Crich, I stop again to try and capture the far reaching views.........

Then it's steeply downhill, past pretty stone houses and autumnal trees...........

In the valley bottom we follow the river Derwent to Cromford mill

Where they have a Knit and Natter on the second Wednesday of every month :0)...........

I loved all the water and the ripply reflections of these old stone buildings..............

The site is still being restored with the aid of grants and lottery funding, I'm sure it will be an amazing place when all the work is done.

There is already lots to see and little shops to visit.

Again I loved the history of the place and could almost hear my school history teacher's lesson about Richard Arkwright ringing in my ears as I wandered around............

I hope they will eventually replace the water wheel that powered these mills...........

This patchwork shop caught my eye..............

I resisted the fabric as I need to use up some of my stash really. But I did get a few buttons :0)

The plant sales looked tempting too......

Next we hopped back in the car and headed into Cromford village. I've never been here before but mum has and she wanted to show me this place...............

Scarthin Books

It looked quirky from the outside........you can buy these books for 50p even when the shop is closed....as the sign says.........."please put money through letter box"..........

Inside the place is crammed with books, both new and second-hand............

There are lovely hand painted signs for every section.............

This is the sun filled art and craft room.........isn't it wonderful..........

So quirky, original, and FULL of interesting books...............

with a great view over the window boxes to the mill pond and the hills beyond..........

and when you open the "secret" curved bookcase..........

You find a cosy cafe with it's own grapevine, growing in through the conservatory roof.............

There were delightful little oddities everywhere ..........

and delightful little books :0)

Mum and I ordered the Spicy lentil and tomato soup.............

it was another DeLiciOus  lunch.

On the shops web site there is a video where you can find out lots more about this amazing place. I really enjoyed it.
The owner says it's more like a library where you can browse and read.....and maybe buy a book if you want.

It was so relaxed and friendly, I can see why it's loved by so many visitors and locals.

After lunch I left Mum to browse the art section some more and headed off for a little walk.

Past a water wheel............

and around the other side of the mill pond.............

past blackened cottages..............

and back onto "Scarthin", the name of the narrow road, from which the bookshop gets its name..........

This sign outside the pub made me smile...........

Back inside the book shop I couldn't resist a peek inside the wonderful children's room...........

Once again everywhere was crammed with books and I loved the creative touches on the ceiling.........

Next we hopped back in the car and drove the short distance to pretty Bonsall

The sun had disappeared but this characterful village still looked pretty..............

Once again I went for a little wander on foot.......up the steep lanes............

and around hairpin bends..........

Climbing steadily upwards I was soon looking down over rooftops..........and spotting lovely views in the distance, to zoom in on..............

When I got to this point the sun came out and made the stone cottages look even nicer.........

I headed along a footpath, to a spot where you can sit and enjoy the view...........

And what a gorgeous view it is..............over more of the village and the church.........

or just to the right, you can see the countryside stretching for miles..............

I was so lucky to get this window of sunshine to enjoy......as soon the clouds rolled back in.........

I retuned along the mossy walled path...........

past the cute cottages............

down the hill............

and back to the car. It was time to head home. The rain began to pour down as we headed towards Matlock and the road south.......but the view was still worth photographing..........

We had a really lovely day in this picturesque part of the world. It's so nice to be able to make the most of the mild Autumn weather together, before the days get too short and cold.
And after years of being too tied with family commitments to indulge in such days, it's wonderful to enjoy them once again.
Jacquie x

p.s. THANK YOU so much for your kind comments about my mandala. I'll be back very soon with some more Autumn inspired creativity :0)