Roses Grow On You (More Good Things in January)

Happy Birthday darling Mr Roses! Hope you have a wonderful day and are able to find some fun and sunshine!
Love you
x

Young and Sweet, only 17...

So. judging by the candles in the photo, there's a birthday round here...my they come round fast. Surely not 17 candles lined up in a row? No. I'm not going to go all gushy, though I easily could. Just want to wish my darling beautiful girl the bestest of birthdays and the sweetest of years. And in the words of that 17 year old "Dancing Queen", have "The time of your life." Love you x

Times For Elevenses

So today is my youngest daughter's birthday - today she goes to spend the day at her new secondary school. A taster day for her and a tester day for me! A big letting go, a huge step forward and lots of birthday cuddles.
Eleven years! Eleven years! Round and round like the horses on the roundabout, the months and the years have flown past - birthday parties have come and gone until we found ourselves yesterday partying on the beach with a bunch of her friends, shrieking and giggling and eating and wondering at how that little bundle of mischief has grown over the past eleven years.
Happy Birthday sweetpea, may your day be full of giggles and friendship


Love you xxxx

Mr Rose's Big Day

Well Mr Roses! What a very big day indeed! Happy Happy Happy Birthday to you from all us Roses, we love you lots and lots.
x

Pumpkins & parties...

My goodness it's been a bit grey round here the past week or so. No tantalising glimpses of sunshine and to make matters worse my youngest daughter, Little Sister, has gone off for a week on a school trip and we all miss her so.... I have visions of her gripping on to cliff faces, rope in hand and sheer terror on her face, the reality is, I hope, that she has spent the past week up all night giggling with her friends. Can't wailt till Friday to collect her. Poor thing, I sent her off looking like the Michelin Man buried under a mountain of waterproof clothing and fleecy hoodies! (she won't thank me I know).



Just over a week ago there was lots of sunshine. We took Big Sister and a group of teenage girls camping for her birthday (thanks to all of you for your lovely birthday wishes, she had a very, very special day). Back to the camping - We returned to our favourite campsite and had booked two yurts on different fields, allowing the girls some independance and us some space from the noise (in the event they were really good and quiet, or so I'm told).
The girls' yurt was beside a babbling brook,



complete with swinging hammock,



beautifully made double bed,
Welsh dresser and cooker.



Ours was the yurt we'd camped in before in the beautiful tree lined spot that looked even more glorious in the golden Autumnal sunshine.



So we spent the weekend climbing giant haystacks (there was a wrestler called that, wasn't there?),



eating, swinging from trees, trampling through the golden, crispy leaves, eating, breathing out, long, deep breaths, playing table tennis, eating, laughing, eating, enjoying each other's company and eating!



I know you may have seen many of these views before,



but the sunlight and the dappled October shade, together with the most beautiful coloured trees just begged me to take some more photos!



We really didn't know where to look first.



Hot air balloons flying above us and landing in the next field... Pumpkins dotted around the campsite...



beautiful sunflowers still in bloom.



Tunnels full of the most exquisite gourds,



squashes and pumpkins,



Strange, exotic shapes,



beautiful mouthwatering colours.



Just look at those blue crates and orange pumpkins together!



We bought a variety to bring home



and once we had recovered from a weekend of binge eating we enjoyed the delicious and varying tastes of them.



It took a week to rid the clothes of the smell of woodsmoke... and now a week later I somehow miss it. Especially when I look out of the window and see the distinct lack of colour all around.
However, there are good things to look forward to - my little rose will be home tomorrow, my two roses will then be on half term (hurrah!) and in our Emporium there are exciting things afoot... and we're not just talking gorgeous vintagey Christmassy festive goodness!

Sweet Sixteen

"Can you smell bluebells?" "I can smell heaven."
If there was a scent to sum you up my darling 16 year old, this would be it. Happy, Happy Birthday to my very own Cassandra. The sweetest and loveliest of people. A true romantic with the kindest heart. Beautiful in every sense. As your best friend said, this is your year. Your year to shine. We love you so much and are so very proud of you, you gorgeous thing!

A Cuckoo In The Nest...

Thank you for all your lovely birthday wishes and for coming to my party in your very pretty red shoes, sharing my cake and behaving properly during the party games! I had a great day, even the rain didn't stop play. I just wanted to show you this fab birthday card that Mr Roses gave me. All made out of card, isn't it beautiful? I had been wondering what he was up to in the kitchen in the wee small hours and now I know. Thank you M, I love it, it's very tweet (oh dear, the jokes don't get any better).
Talking of cuckoos... have you seen this?



What IS she up to? Flowers in her hair indeedy! Not very subtle Dottie dear, as if I'd forget your birthday! Yes please go over to my bestest Michele and wish her a superlicious day. Send her a virtual hug from me and a bunch of the finest roses around. Wish her wonderful things for the coming year, happy, happy days, lots of giggles and many more adventures.



As for you Dottie, I'll be over in the stockroom in just a mo with the finest custard creams I can find. Bestest birthday wishes.
Mxxxx

In A Party Mood

Would you like to come to a party? There are jam sandwiches, cups of tea and what's that in the middle of the table I wonder? Oh yes if you look closely... it's a birthday cake. Who's birthday is it I wonder? Could it be the little girl with bunches? The little girl with plaits and stripy ribbon in her hair? No. Well maybe, the little boy with a bib? He looks very hopeful, just can't wait to get his hands on the cake if you ask me.



Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's my birthday and I'd like you to come along to my tea party. Pull up a chair, grab a plate and let's pass the cake and biccies. Would you like some tea? I fancy a cuppa. Will you help me blow out my candles (not sure there's enough puff left in me these days...) Just a couple of stipulations, you have all got to have the most marvellous of times, no cheating at Pass the Parcel and promise me you'll all be wearing little red shoes like the little boy in the poster - Oh dear I'm sounding a bit of a bossy boots, but it's birthday girl's perogative. Most of all my dearies enjoy the party - happy days.
xxx

12 friends, two tents and ten candles ...

Oh dear another whole week has gone by without a new post, any visits to your lovely blogs - I'm so sorry my bloggy friends. It's definitely tail chasing time of year isn't it? So many things to do at school, at home etc- here's hoping that things will calm down in a couple of weeks with the onset of the summer holidays - fingers crossed!
Anyway, back to the matter in hand - those of you who read the last post about Little Sister's birthday might be wondering what was spooky about the entry for "Tent" being under the entry for "ten" in my old French dictionary. Well if you remember reading about our visits here and Big Sister's Birthday, you will understand just why Little Sister said "no" to a birthday party and "yes" to a weekend camping.



It's funny isn't it no matter how much you fall in love with a place, there is always a doubt that the next visit might disappoint, or let you down in some way. We should have known that this would never happen here. Our magical spot was waiting for us, the sun was shining through the trees and our friends arrived laden with food, pressies and more food.



I can't tell you how special this place is. It's pure enchantment - a child's special dream, an adult's weekend fantasy.
We made ourselves at home, once more, in Mr Tumnuss' house,



noting the hot water bottles that had been left thoughtfully for our visit and praying that we wouldn't need them.



We decked the woods with bunting, our children ran off to explore and we took a deep breath. Breathing out the stresses of the week and breathing in the fresh, pure promise of the weekend. There is something about camping, about spending a length of time that makes you appreciate the course of a day, no distractions, just living and enjoying the moment.



No sooner had we settled in than Emma and her lovely family arrived for tea and cake (courtesy of Mrs Sew Recycled). It was lovely to see her two boys enjoying themselves in the woods, experiencing the joys of hanging from rope swings, paddling in the stream, wandering off alone (all very boy's own stuff). We played rounders, we ate, we laughed, we chatted and laughed some more.
An afternoon that seemed to last forever (in a good way Emma!) - one that you would like to bottle and keep by your bedside for those rainy days...



We made a fire although it was far too warm,



we ate our food in the dappled sunshine of early evening and the children drank their summer "cocktails" and devoured the homemade brownies that Little Sister had made the night before.



We took a twilight stroll into the woods, marveled at half finished camps,



stared at strange shapes and shadows and listened intently to the sounds of the evening.



We went to sleep accompanied by some singing campers who had formed another party beside us (but that's another story!).
And when we awoke, Little Sister was ten! Her birthday wish was to walk in the stream before breakfast. Not bad eh, bed to stream in a minute!



An afternoon of picnics, birthday cakes, rounders, three legged races (I have the bruises to prove it), swinging from trees and frisbee throwing.



Time went at its proper pace last weekend and we left our beloved spot late Sunday afternoon. The bunting removed, the crumbs swept away, the laughter silenced but the magic remained.

Ten is a magic number

Happy Birthday Little Sister!
Wishing you a year full of sunlit days full of fun and laughter, dreams come true, friendship and love.
Ten years old already - how did that happen?
It seemed like only yesterday that you were running around with your long blonde hair in plaits like these.



Running around in circles on the beach and refusing to walk in a straight line.



Taking your doll for walks in her pram.
Twirling around in your tutu showing me your latest ballet moves.

I think I was ten when I was given my first French dictionary.



Look what was under the entry for "ten" -



That's a bit spooky isn't it? But as I said my darling, ten is a magic number ...

Two's company

What a week! A week that's kept me away from my blog and from most of yours too. A week when we had glimpses of Spring and a day when it was definitely Spring. A week in which I spent the day that was Spring indoors teaching ragwork to a group of children. Although I didn't feel the warmth of the sun on my face, the bright and cheery colours that these children chose for their work more than made up for it.




I have done workshops for children before and am always amazed at how unphased they are when it comes to using colour. The brighter the better, the more of it the better too. No caution here, complete abandon when it comes to the box of coloured fabrics. Handfuls were grabbed and played with and ragged and slowly (very slowly) beautiful squares of vibrant patterned ragged pieces appeared.


(vintage threads in my Etsy shop)

There's nothing like those faces of concentration inches away from their work, playing with the colours and relaxing as they get the hang of it. In fact they relaxed so much that the noise level grew alongside their artwork and my mad dash home at the end of it was interrupted by a much needed stop at the supermarket for a packet of yumyums which I devoured in the car park!!



We also had some colour coming into our home. A few weeks ago one of M's oldest friends came to stay. He now lives in France and as a 'thank you' sent me this beautiful vintage advertising card for orange flower water.



Aren't the colours zingy and zappy, it really brought some much needed cheer to a dull morning when I opened it up. So kind, unexpected and thoughtful of him.



Then at the weekend, this lovely little bag of promise arrived for me. The very talented Niki read in my last post that I really wanted to fill up my borders with beautiful flowers this summer.. Well, lo and behold, a beautifully packaged fabric bag full of hollyhock seeds from her own garden. Thank you Niki! So my task over the next few weeks is to watch over these babies and protect them from all the creepy crawlies and paws that are also interested in them- a mammoth job in our garden.



So I have been spoilt, rushed off my feet, tired, a bit of a whirling dervish this past week, but spoilt with gifts from afar. Many thanks too to all the lovely people who have been buying my lavender sachets, I am so pleased that you like them, lots of lovely friendly supportive emails coming my way this week from you, thank you! I'm sorry I haven't been round to all your blogs lately, I'm hoping that I won't be so busy in a week or so - I know for a fact Mr Roses will be pleased to hear that, as my air of distraction is testing even his patience at the moment - I popped into town on Saturday morning and apparently left the front door wide open behind me, Mr Roses fortunately found the cats hatching their great escape plan just in time.



And before I forget, like last year when I got the date wrong, it's time for a celebration. The Ragged Roses are two tomorrow (Tuesday). Two years ago on a very warm sunny Spring afternoon I sat hesitatingly in front of the keyboard and, with Mr Roses egging me on, I pressed the publish button and ever since you've kept me company. Thank you.



As I have been such a greedy guts in the old pressie department this week, perhaps I should share something with you ... How about a birthday giveaway? In the absence of jelly and custard (although I hope that you dear Mrs Custard will be taking part- I can't have a party without you), there has to be some presents. After all, what kind of a two year old party is it without friends and presents? I'll put all comments in a party bag and choose a winner next week. Thank you for keeping me company.