Click to enlarge....you will spot a minx bird watching
As long as she just looks I don't mind.....
Saturday, July 4
Saturday
Activity in the Cat Cave.
Click to enlarge....you will spot a minx bird watching
As long as she just looks I don't mind.....
Click to enlarge....you will spot a minx bird watching
As long as she just looks I don't mind.....
Thursday, July 2
Hot News
Is it me or is it hot?
Yesterday I discovered the delights of an air conditioned car which took me to an air conditioned Hove Museum followed by a visit to an air conditioned Marks and Spencers.
Today it’s been rather a makeshift affair of fanning myself with a Persephone catalogue……
Still this hot weather is good for one thing….my washing is drying beautifully.
My next mission is to wiggle out of making dinner….
Jackson taking things easy.
Yesterday I discovered the delights of an air conditioned car which took me to an air conditioned Hove Museum followed by a visit to an air conditioned Marks and Spencers.
Today it’s been rather a makeshift affair of fanning myself with a Persephone catalogue……
Still this hot weather is good for one thing….my washing is drying beautifully.
My next mission is to wiggle out of making dinner….
Jackson taking things easy.
Saturday, June 20
Long Time
Long time no post.
Computer problems continue - dodgy modem.
Another trip to lovely Lewes.
If you arrive at 8am you will have no problem parking or getting a table at the famous Bill's.
Photo: The early worm has the car park to themselves
However when the bookshop doesn't open at 9am like it says on the website much gnashing of teeth takes place until 10:30 when owner finally arrived.
Photo:Lovely lupins - £2 per plant!
For years my husband resisted my pleas to visit Lewes but since his discovery of a military bookshop I can’t keep him away.
Photo: The shop with no name.....I plan a visit next time I'm there for coffee and cake
Computer problems continue - dodgy modem.
Another trip to lovely Lewes.
If you arrive at 8am you will have no problem parking or getting a table at the famous Bill's.
Photo: The early worm has the car park to themselves
However when the bookshop doesn't open at 9am like it says on the website much gnashing of teeth takes place until 10:30 when owner finally arrived.
Photo:Lovely lupins - £2 per plant!
For years my husband resisted my pleas to visit Lewes but since his discovery of a military bookshop I can’t keep him away.
Photo: The shop with no name.....I plan a visit next time I'm there for coffee and cake
Sunday, May 31
Keeping it Simple
My computer has a bad case of 'slow' so this post is short.
Last autumn I scattered poppy and Love in the Mist seeds as for a few weeks I aspired to create a 'cutting' garden.....
This is my first 'arrangement'
Even at this elemental level it is very satisfying to grow your own.
The poppies are enormous - like giant pom poms.
Last autumn I scattered poppy and Love in the Mist seeds as for a few weeks I aspired to create a 'cutting' garden.....
This is my first 'arrangement'
Even at this elemental level it is very satisfying to grow your own.
The poppies are enormous - like giant pom poms.
Friday, May 22
Gigibird goes Medieval
Our last day out took us to Ightham Mote (pronounced I-tem) in kent.
To be honest when Nigel suggested we go I wasn’t all that enthusiastic I thought it’s a trip out…..but it is absolutely stunning.
I want a moat, I can see the attraction
Harry wants a Grade 1 listed kennel
My birds want to live in here….
To be honest when Nigel suggested we go I wasn’t all that enthusiastic I thought it’s a trip out…..but it is absolutely stunning.
I want a moat, I can see the attraction
Harry wants a Grade 1 listed kennel
My birds want to live in here….
Thursday, May 21
More Out and About
I’ve had the most fabulous day visiting Lewes.
Because I can’t walk far these days we targeted Cliffe High Street which is at the bottom of the hill …..it was the part that was badly flooded a few years ago.
Caroline Zoob used to have a shop in Lewes but she has gone; in her place is now the most wonderful shop called Cook & Gardener….and as the name suggests it has new and old books on cookery and gardening plus interesting fripperies - Angie Lewin notebooks, General Trading bits and bobs, Nutscene string…. and other stuff not particularly unusual but someone with a good eye has brought together.
I had deposited my husband in a man cr̬che Рnamely a military bookshop so he was very happy.
I called into the shop and the owner asked if he could help me…..
I’ve come to collect my husband
Oh he’s just left…he’s been in the WW1 corner
We then had lunch at Bill’s.
In theory I should really hate Bill’s – it is loud, manic and has a very high percentage of 30 something yummy mummies that have small confident children in tow that have never to be told to sit quietly or not to shout but despite this the ambience is friendly and inclusive and most importantly the food is fantastic.
The food is extroverted….it is presented in a very theatrical way but somehow works in its setting. If I offered Nigel a pudding with a sprig of Sweet William on top he would refuse to eat it but here he just picked it off it and didn’t say a thing.
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice for Sir and Strawberry Milkshake for Madam
Underneath all that fruit lies a subline lemon tart.
I never got a chance to take a photo of the main course....
Because I can’t walk far these days we targeted Cliffe High Street which is at the bottom of the hill …..it was the part that was badly flooded a few years ago.
Caroline Zoob used to have a shop in Lewes but she has gone; in her place is now the most wonderful shop called Cook & Gardener….and as the name suggests it has new and old books on cookery and gardening plus interesting fripperies - Angie Lewin notebooks, General Trading bits and bobs, Nutscene string…. and other stuff not particularly unusual but someone with a good eye has brought together.
I had deposited my husband in a man cr̬che Рnamely a military bookshop so he was very happy.
I called into the shop and the owner asked if he could help me…..
I’ve come to collect my husband
Oh he’s just left…he’s been in the WW1 corner
We then had lunch at Bill’s.
In theory I should really hate Bill’s – it is loud, manic and has a very high percentage of 30 something yummy mummies that have small confident children in tow that have never to be told to sit quietly or not to shout but despite this the ambience is friendly and inclusive and most importantly the food is fantastic.
The food is extroverted….it is presented in a very theatrical way but somehow works in its setting. If I offered Nigel a pudding with a sprig of Sweet William on top he would refuse to eat it but here he just picked it off it and didn’t say a thing.
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice for Sir and Strawberry Milkshake for Madam
Underneath all that fruit lies a subline lemon tart.
I never got a chance to take a photo of the main course....
Wednesday, May 20
Out and About
Long time no post.
Today I visited Parham House.
I have to admit I was disappointed by certain aspects but delighted with others.
Which has made me think of how we all formulate our expectations and how they in turn make us happy or not.
In today’s case my expectation was Elizabethan house = quality and good taste; so when I was confronted with awful peach paintwork and a tatty old man-made carpet – think the interior of an 1980’s old people’s home I was very disappointed. It improved but lacked the attention to detail that is standard in National Trust properties which was what I was expecting.
The garden however was a delight and had what I love best, lots of period details with very informal planting.
And a dog or two mooching around.
Today I visited Parham House.
I have to admit I was disappointed by certain aspects but delighted with others.
Which has made me think of how we all formulate our expectations and how they in turn make us happy or not.
In today’s case my expectation was Elizabethan house = quality and good taste; so when I was confronted with awful peach paintwork and a tatty old man-made carpet – think the interior of an 1980’s old people’s home I was very disappointed. It improved but lacked the attention to detail that is standard in National Trust properties which was what I was expecting.
The garden however was a delight and had what I love best, lots of period details with very informal planting.
And a dog or two mooching around.
Saturday, May 9
Do the....
Any guesses for where I’ve been today?
Of course you all know – Charleston Farmhouse.
It was actually a Selvedge magazine event so we had access to the house and grounds without the public so with limited numbers it felt very special.
Lunch was included and we even had beautiful little cakes with a Charleston-esque cross hatched decoration on top which was a lovely touch.
It might be my age or my obsession with paint but the exterior paintwork was magnificent……It looked liked it had been recently done and of course it was Farrow and Ball.
There are some great photos on the Charleston website if paint excites you…..
Of course you all know – Charleston Farmhouse.
It was actually a Selvedge magazine event so we had access to the house and grounds without the public so with limited numbers it felt very special.
Lunch was included and we even had beautiful little cakes with a Charleston-esque cross hatched decoration on top which was a lovely touch.
It might be my age or my obsession with paint but the exterior paintwork was magnificent……It looked liked it had been recently done and of course it was Farrow and Ball.
There are some great photos on the Charleston website if paint excites you…..
Saturday, May 2
Face Value
I have noticed in recent years there seems no women on TV that haven't succumbed to Botox and/or fillers. I know it’s all about personal choice and I’d be the last person to say they shouldn’t do it but I find it sad – no tragic that women aren’t able to look their age.
In the last hundred years we have come a long way – we can vote, be in control of our own fertility, work, be paid equally; but now it seems we have to look perpetually 35 or we aren’t seem as attractive or allowed on TV on a regular basis.
I was 46 on Thursday. I am lucky that I have a pretty face and because I have never smoked or been a sun worshiper am quite well preserved but I won’t be going down the Botox/filler route. I have treated myself to some Estee Lauder SPF15 face cream for the summer months but that is it.
If I had the money to afford such treatments I think I would much rather spend it on having experiences that might broaden my mind and make me a more interesting person.
Will it take another hundred years for women to be truly equal to men and be able to age naturally and be valued for who they are and not by how they look?
In the last hundred years we have come a long way – we can vote, be in control of our own fertility, work, be paid equally; but now it seems we have to look perpetually 35 or we aren’t seem as attractive or allowed on TV on a regular basis.
I was 46 on Thursday. I am lucky that I have a pretty face and because I have never smoked or been a sun worshiper am quite well preserved but I won’t be going down the Botox/filler route. I have treated myself to some Estee Lauder SPF15 face cream for the summer months but that is it.
If I had the money to afford such treatments I think I would much rather spend it on having experiences that might broaden my mind and make me a more interesting person.
Will it take another hundred years for women to be truly equal to men and be able to age naturally and be valued for who they are and not by how they look?
Thursday, April 23
Head Hand and Heart*
Today I have overdosed on Arts and Crafts detail.
As they say on the brochure Standen is an Arts and Crafts gem – designed by Philip Webb it is bursting with everything an Arts and Crafts fan could want to find –
I think the reason I had such a good time there today was because it wasn’t very busy so mostly I had the rooms to myself.
Photo: Standen House
The only part of the interior that photography is allowed is the conservatory- I did my best to capture some of the architectural details although compared to the rest of house it is sparse.
Photo: Conservatory detail
Anyway while I was moving from one beautifully exquisite room to another I wondered what Philip Webb, William Morris et al would make of our cheap mass produced throw away lives we live today?
Photo: Porch Detail
*The motto 'Head Hand and Heart' is taken from an inscription used by Charles Voysey, which became the motto for the Society of Designers in 1896. These three words are the keys to understanding Arts and Crafts: 'Head' for creativity and imagination, 'Hand' for skill and craft, 'Heart' for honesty and for love.
As they say on the brochure Standen is an Arts and Crafts gem – designed by Philip Webb it is bursting with everything an Arts and Crafts fan could want to find –
I think the reason I had such a good time there today was because it wasn’t very busy so mostly I had the rooms to myself.
Photo: Standen House
The only part of the interior that photography is allowed is the conservatory- I did my best to capture some of the architectural details although compared to the rest of house it is sparse.
Photo: Conservatory detail
Anyway while I was moving from one beautifully exquisite room to another I wondered what Philip Webb, William Morris et al would make of our cheap mass produced throw away lives we live today?
Photo: Porch Detail
*The motto 'Head Hand and Heart' is taken from an inscription used by Charles Voysey, which became the motto for the Society of Designers in 1896. These three words are the keys to understanding Arts and Crafts: 'Head' for creativity and imagination, 'Hand' for skill and craft, 'Heart' for honesty and for love.
Wednesday, April 15
Pond Life
Considering we own the ugliest pond in the world we lavish a lot of time and effort upon it.
Bank Holiday Monday was the perfect day for a fishy water change and general pond spruce up – my husband basically does all the hard work but I am the fish and frog wrangler getting them out and then back again.
Photo:Action stations
I am always amazed at the number of frogs we find as I hardly ever see any in or around the pond.
Photo:Waiting for the water levels to rise - click to enlarge
Frogs are funny little creatures, very determined and I am sure they have a sense of humour.
Photo: I am ready for my close up
Bank Holiday Monday was the perfect day for a fishy water change and general pond spruce up – my husband basically does all the hard work but I am the fish and frog wrangler getting them out and then back again.
Photo:Action stations
I am always amazed at the number of frogs we find as I hardly ever see any in or around the pond.
Photo:Waiting for the water levels to rise - click to enlarge
Frogs are funny little creatures, very determined and I am sure they have a sense of humour.
Photo: I am ready for my close up
Thursday, April 9
Nothing
I am having a rather pleasant afternoon wrapped up in a blanket (is it me or is it cold today?) watching The Vikings while I nibble on some of these
Photo: Melting Moments
I will snap into action later but for now I am enjoying not doing much.
Photo: Melting Moments
I will snap into action later but for now I am enjoying not doing much.
Tuesday, April 7
Tuesday, March 31
Walking in The Past
Yesterday we took Harry for a walk up Highdown Hill.
Very popular with dog walkers; it is relatively quiet these days compared to its excited and varied past- Iron age fort, Saxon burial ground, alleged resting place of Saxon King Aella – you know he was there with King Arthur at the battle at Mount Badon. Oh, that King Aella…..I looked all this up by the way. And the Romans had baths up there.
Photo: The Usual Suspects - click to enlarge
Anyway it was lovely, perfect – the kind of day that makes me know I could never live anywhere else in the world apart from England.
Photo: May Blossom
Photo: Miller's Grave
Very popular with dog walkers; it is relatively quiet these days compared to its excited and varied past- Iron age fort, Saxon burial ground, alleged resting place of Saxon King Aella – you know he was there with King Arthur at the battle at Mount Badon. Oh, that King Aella…..I looked all this up by the way. And the Romans had baths up there.
Photo: The Usual Suspects - click to enlarge
Anyway it was lovely, perfect – the kind of day that makes me know I could never live anywhere else in the world apart from England.
Photo: May Blossom
Photo: Miller's Grave
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
