things...

Hello again, if there's anybody out there still!
I didn't mean to take a break but this is some of the stuff I've been up to lately...

* firstly I went on a mystery weekend to a place I've never been before. I ended up in Chester which was rather lovely and had the most fantastic time, mainly because of the lovely group of people I went with. I don't think I've laughed that much in a long time!!
* then I managed to get the most awful cold and sore throat and spent a week in bed. I went back to work yesterday only to feel so terrible that my boss was going to send me home again! Been to the GP today and now have the rest of his week off. I'm actually sitting in bed typing this on my iphone lol!
* still even good stuff still happens and I managed to win a hardback farrow & ball design book in a giveaway across at Lobster and Swan yay! Go and check out her blog it really is lovely...
* so hopefully I'll be feeling back to normal soon and in the meantime I can dream about escaping into the great outdoors again!

** oh and I have some lovely news that I'll share in my next post!!

65 miles an hour**...

Somehow; somewhere along the line, I seem to have lost a bit of mojo. I feel like I've been rushing around, holding my breath and forgetting to breathe out again... So this weekend I gave myself a little space to just chill out, listen to some music and quite frankly not do much at all.




** taken with my iphone early one morning at 65 miles per hour, when I was on the way to work

Maybe it's because we're coming into Autumn now, that I feel like I need to stop and take stock of where I'm at. In this frame of mind I've signed up to Mondo Beyondo's fall dreamlab which is just what I'm ready for. I'm hoping it might help to get me back on track again...

opening my eyes...

Sometimes the ordinary day to day stuff is just there in the background and you don't really appreciate it when it's there all the time...

One day recently; on a grey and drizzly day I looked out of my window at work. It was so rainy but there was a little bit of sun peeking through and I switched the settings on the camera to manual to capture the blur...



If you look hard enough, I mean really hard enough, the loveliness is there where-ever you are...

this weekend...

Was all about taking it easy and catching up...




As I've been so busy recently, a lot of things have had to slide - so finding myself with a little spare time I decided to bake bread... rosemary and seed bread. It's one of those things that can't be rushed and has the benefit that you can do other things, (in my case doing a little magazine reading) whilst waiting...

I'm really going to try and make the effort now that Autumn is upon us to get into baking bread again, mainly because it's so difficult to find decent shop bought bread in the Uk and really who doesn't love the smell of bread baking on a slow Sunday afternoon... Hope you've had a good weekend whatever you've been doing...

cozy...

One of the really good things about Autumn, is the fact I can indulge my love of coziness to my hearts content...



Although I'll miss the light of summer, I have a serious love for twinkling fairy lights and cozy duvets. Sometimes it's this inbetween time that's most unsettled; when it's not really full on Autumn but rather something else just giving a glimpse of what's to come...

I'm actually looking forward to this time of year when I can be warm and toasty inside while the weather is foul outside, as there's something so comforting about that! It also gives me an excuse to do all the things I like to do and catch up with myself finally!! Oh and the Toast catalogue makes winter seem like something to indulge in, rather than to despair about. **Though I'm not sure how good it will be for the bank balance lol!

three ways...

Soon it will be time to clear the garden of all the remnants of summer flowers but still they keep on growing and adding a little colour to my world...
* and no, these weren't taken with the new lens lol, I've still to upload!!

lull...

Hello again! I know there's been a bit of a lull around here lately but quite a lot of things have been happening around here... Somehow it got to be nearly the end of July and I'm not quite sure how I got here; seriously it doesn't even seem that long since Christmas!

Anyway, things should be back on track again and my adventures into blogging should be a little more regular again!
Hope you've all had a lovely weekend whatever you've been up to...

less is more...

Sometimes you just need to mix things up a little... I realised recently that all of my photos have been in colour and so I decided to play with black and white for a change when I was out for a walk. I just love the way you can really see all the details differently when there is a lack of colour. Sometimes less is more...


I think this pared down vibe must be catching because I am loving simplicity in all things at the moment. I've been listening to this album over and over; just perfect with a little dreamy sunshine...

fresh and fruity...

The brilliant thing about Summer is the abundance of tasty fresh food available.



Although I can't take credit for the items in the above photos,(bought I'm afraid!) I do have a small garden and try and grow some veggies each year. The problem with the UK climate, (especially here in the North) is that we have a pretty short growing season but it's so nice to be able to take something straight from the ground and cook it for dinner. This year I'm growing, potatoes, spinach, kolhrabi, runner beans, french beans, courgette, and in the greenhouse; tomatoes, aubergine, mini sweetcorn, pak choi, rocket and lettuce. Oh and I have an gooseberry, apple and plum trees. Expect some photos and recipes in the coming weeks!...

a little sunshine in my world...

I'm feeling in a summery vibe at the moment; not you understand because the sun is out in abundance in the UK at the moment but we've had slivers of it and I'm loving it...



I heard this song by Stornaway recently and it just sums up how I feel at the moment. It makes me feel as if I want to lie in the long grass with a picnic and enjoy the happy feeling that sunshine brings...

This sunshine also makes me want to revamp everything in my house in a Cath Kidson type of way. I'm already thinking of buying some material so I can make some new cushion covers - which will work out just perfectly for when I'm lying in that long grass!

I hope you're enjoying the weather where ever you are!

slow down and rewind...

Ok, so it took a little longer than I thought to get back to posting - partly because we've had the benefits of sunshine in the UK which makes a nice change!

This was me watering the plants not rain!
There's nothing like time in the garden to just make me take a step back and relax. I must say I'm a sucker for a little sunshine and lots of lovely greenyness to make me feel chilled...
Oh and I'm finally catching up with myself, (well as much as is usual for me anyway lol) so this should be me getting back on track...!

catching up...

It feels as if I've had 1001 things to do lately and none of them very interesting; just you know - stuff that needs doing and sorting but I think I'm finally catching up with myself!

Somehow in amongst being busy, I hadn't realised how long the nights are getting and took this after I'd been out for a meal with some girlfriends and realised I still had my 365 photo to do for that day! Oh and the title is from an old Cure song that I just happened to have in my head and it just seemed to fit somehow...

oops...

Things are still very busy - and there's a lot of stuff going on around here that is taking my time up at the moment...but hopefully it won't be for long and I should be back on track!

I will be around to visit you all as soon as I can...

keeping it simple...

After my last post I wanted to say thank you for your suggestions relating to lack of time. I like the idea of doing a few posts at a time and then scheduling them to arrive at a later date. I also liked the fact that most of you don't quite know how you fit it in blogging along with everything else, so I'm glad I'm in good company!


This week was all about keeping it simple and not worrying about what I hadn't done but rather enjoying what I had!
So far this week * I managed to get to the gym *went to the beach *voted in the General Election *did some reading *took some photos* along with all the other ordinary day to day stuff, so not bad for someone with lack of time...!

making time...

Ooops! It seems like I've had one of those weeks where my blogging and visiting has been pretty limited. Saying that, I have been pretty busy as I've finally managed to get back to going to the gym after falling over and hurting my lower back. I'm also doing my 365 project each day, working full time, trying to eat healthily, keep a balance between the things I have to do and the things I want to do, as well as all the things that crop up on a daily basis.
Really, I think if I had a 3 day weekend each week everything would be fine lol, so it was especially nice that we had one this weekend and I could fit in some relaxation and a little reading amongst other things...!


I'm just wondering what tips you guys have, for managing to do everything you need to do and fit in blogging as well?

ordinary magic...

This weekend I've had a fascination with ordinary magic. Just the kind you get from seeing the ordinary things around you in a different light. I swear I could take photos all day long and nothing could make me happier...




I've also been playing this cd endlessly and it's got inside my head. Go check out the link and see what I mean. I also love the video that she has on her site with the sea and the birds - just perfect...

little bits of green...

I just noticed when I was uploading some photos that I seem to have a thing about green and white at the moment. There's something quite spring like about this colour combination and it's especially nice when it's paired with a little sunshine.



Oh and the apples were today's 365 photo on flickr, (see the side bar) after dinner tonight I'm going to do baked apples with brown sugar, butter, raisins and walnuts - delicious...

smitten by hearts...

This week I've been smitten by hearts which started when my new shed arrived and I found a little heart inside. Today I've been playing with paper hearts, though I'm not sure what my neighbour thought as I was pegging them on the clothes line!



I hope you've all had a lovely weekend - whatever you've been up to!

busy, busy...

This past week, I feel like I've been so busy that I might meet myself coming in the opposite direction - that's what happens when you take some holiday from work...

* Got my hair cut **
* Attended a 90th birthday party
* Cooked and ate scallops for the first time
* Painted a room
* Painted a floor
* Weeded 2 beds in my garden
* Ordered some seeds
* Painted a garden fence
* Finally took my library books back
* Which meant a fine £6.07 -ouch!

Really -It's less hard work being at at work lol!
** It's difficult to tell in this photo how long my hair was but it fell a few inches past my shoulders and now it's a jaw length bob.

eggy delights...

It's amazing how much fun can be had with some eggs, a glass and a pink carrier bag! Hope you all had a lovely Easter!