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

Simply Seasonal.....28th of January

Hello Lovelies,

Thank you for all your kind comments on my recent posts. I'm still loving collecting simple, seasonal images that make me smile throughout the week. And this past week it was such a treat to have a day that produced so many lovely pictures that it deserved a post all of it's own.

Here are my other happy moments from the fourth week of 2018

1 ♥ Snow.  Last Sunday we woke to see tiny flakes falling and hurried eldest out of the door first thing to walk in it. There was hardly any at this point but I loved the icy stillness.

things were all quiet on the golf course.

though somebody had been there before us.

My Robin friend was at his most fluffy to keep out the chill.

As usual we left him a snack.

Just a light dusting on the old church but it still looked so pretty.

along the roadside there was evidence of the previous week's storm.

and at this point it was starting to rain.

The snow returned for another try a little later though and the sight of our Christmas tree with added flakes did make me smile. It's a living tree, I do hope it's still happy in it's little pot for a while longer.

2 ♥ Home comforts. I've recently started to use a teapot again, rather than making my brew in the cup. I have a couple of pretty teapots and it seems a shame not to use them. Winter is surely the perfect time to enjoy the ritual of tea making. It's nice to slow down and take time over the process, then savour a comforting, warming drink.



I also had a little left over gingerbread dough that I had saved in the fridge. While the oven was on I used it up. Every last bit ...see top left :0). I can't seem to waste anything these days, well it makes me happy to avoid food waste anyway.

 3 ♥ Easy Crochet. During the week I saw Caroline's gorgeous baby blanket and it totally inspired me to make something similar. How I have loved the ease of making a giant granny square. Caroline chose to repeat her colours too. I loved the effect, so I coped her idea.  How great it is  not having to keep trying out colour combinations.

Here's where I'm up to now. I'm loving these colours. They go well with our decor and remind me a little of Lucy's lovely Woodland blanket colour scheme, though that is just a happy accident.

I was going to make a baby blanket but now I think I will carry on and make a full sized blanket instead. This super easy crochet suits me just fine at the moment. I read as I work and the rows just seem to make themselves.

4 ♥ A walk before work. On Monday I got up at 6am then noticed I was actually on a late shift. Bother. Happily it did mean I had plenty of time to fit in a little walk. The long shadows made me smile.

and can you spot the squirrel?

There he is, cheeky chappy. I do love to watch these busy creatures but I am aware they are the reason our native squirrel is so endangered.  One day I really hope to see a Red Squirrel in the wild with my own eyes.

5 ♥ Giving. I made this baby blanket last year...or was it the year before? Anyway, when a friend had a new grandson this week I decided it was time to gift it.

but not before I took a few photos to share with you and for my own reference.

 It's just a small blanket, 24 x 29 inches. I used THIS pattern as I have done many times before.

  There was even time for a quick washing line shot before I wrapped it :0)

 6 ♥ The morning sky. Just yesterday I finally got to photograph a lovely pink sunrise this winter. I don't seem to have seen many up until now.



With rain forecast I quickly headed out for a walk while it was still dry. This was my reward. A fleeting glimpse of the sun on a grey day.

7 ♥ Paper crafting. In the past I have enjoyed card making but I started to find it a little frustrating to spend so long on an item that was destined for the bin.

These days I tend to buy cards. My friend turned 60 this week and I couldn't find a card for that age in the local shops. Luckily I had this inexpensive card in my stash.

and I really enjoyed spending a little time adding bits to personalise it. What do you think?

When it comes to choosing gifts I'm not great. I generally just choose something I would like myself. This planter caught my eye yesterday......probably because it looks a bit "yarny" :0)

But how to wrap it? I picked up a free box in the garden centre.

Then found I didn't have enough wrapping paper. Time to get my thinking cap on again. I found this old Katie Daisy calendar....a lovely giveaway win from Heather a few years ago.

It was much too nice to throw away, but I was happy to recycle it after all this time. I cut down the box to size and stuck a different picture on each of the four sides.

The stiff cover even made a great lid.

 
Ohhhhh I'm so happy with how this turned out. A bit of thinking outside the box :0)

 And some great sentiments. I hope it makes my friend smile.

And I hope these moments have made you lovelies smile too. 

Jacquie x