my favourite kind of day

We have had a mixed few weeks here... with both good news and bad.
Firstly the joy of a new little soul and then the sadness of learning that a friend of ours had tragically lost her 3 year battle against breast cancer.
Life's preciousness has been very much in the forefront of our minds and it has made us more determined than ever to live for the moment and to fully embrace life and to give our children happy times and good memories.


Yesterday was a well needed lovely low key day with the four of us just hanging out together, with good measures of pottering and relaxing. These kind of days with simple pleasures are my favourite and days that i feel very fortunate to be able to enjoy. These are some of the things we got up to.

My little ones planted out their seedlings... polly pansies, calendulas and pumpkins.

My eldest painted the bricked up wall of the workshop with a tiny paintbrush and a sample pot which is all we had left of the colour as the paint it seems is now discontinued. She did a great job.

I pulled some rhubarb and made us all crumble for lunch - one plain and one with our raspberries added in and served with vanilla ice cream...delicious.

The girls merrily played with pebbles in the pebbley bit of the garden and lined up their finds on a chair which we were under strict instructions not to move. They also made a den with windbreaks around the climbing frame where they made up all sorts of wonderful games, of which little snippets were a delight to hear!

We also spotted a large hoverfly on the sage bush and luckily managed to get a shot of it...

I think R was avoiding tackling the last bit of the workshop as instead he made these two covers for the salad bed out of some of our offcuts of wood.

but the biggest distraction on Saturday was seeing this arbour seat in the sale at £75 at our local garden centre... i could not believe it as they retail at over £300. I set my heart on this style of seat ages ago but had just resigned myself that i could never justify buying one. It is perfect and i bought it with my 40th birthday money which i had been saving. So last night was spent relaxing there with my beau after the girls had gone to bed.



Before i sign off, I would like to say a huge thank you to lovely Diana at Pebbledash who's kindness this week has overwhelmed me. She has been making these beautiful sketch books recently and ran a little giveaway to win one. She then decided to make one for everyone that left a comment. Three beautiful doodle books arrived with a bundle of lovely tags and some 'delightful 'chocolate. The girls and i love them and daddy was very interested in the chocolate! Diana has a lovely calming blog with gorgeous photos and lots of creativity. Do pop over and say hello.


So a good day yesterday but now i have a very poorly girl at home who woke up with a sickness bug at 3am this morning. She is asleep at the moment, hence the chance to post. Better get back to the housework now before small gets home from school... it's been nice to check in though as i have been a little absent lately.
Have a lovely week everyone!
g x

Hello

I just thought i would pop in and say hello as I haven't had a chance to post for a while. Things are pretty bust right now and i know my posts will be few and far between for the next few weeks or so, particularly as i like to write long posts with a few pictures which take a bit more time to do so i need a good block of time to do one.

The workshop is on halt for a few weeks also as both R and i have a lot on. I am suffocating under the clutter in the house at the moment and need to get back into housewife mode before i can't find the children!! The end of the school year is coming up fast and there are lots of events etc to go to and help with... and Alice and I have 3000 of our guardsman shirts to label and bar code for the Royal Collection shops...gulp! (a little design side line for us, but this time since we have time...haha we thought we would do the labeling...we must be mad!)

Oh and please pray that Alice's solo creative project won't be premature (yes...she is gloriously pregnant with only a few more weeks to go) or i will be doing all the labels on my own!

I also have a solo project going on, though not as exciting as Alice's.... a new blog which is very seperate from this one and which i will run on the side but still keeping the Flour Loft as my main blog. It's really more of a personal photo blog where i am exploring my love of taking photographs, so you can always catch me there in the meantime. The link is sweetmyrtle .



I will leave you with this little Robin who flew down to say hello to me yesterday when i was lucky enough to go here for a few hours to see the gardens with my lovely friend Debbie.

Wishing you all lovely weekends doing all the things that make you happy.

A woodland walk, a car boot and some more brooches

Last weekend i joined my mum and my girls for a beautiful walk in the local woods near to her house. The weather was crisp and dry and the autumnal colours so stunning. I love walking through forests at any time of year but the deep carpet of leaves beneath out feet was just amazing.
My mother, as usual, set a nature trail for us. We were to find or see something for each letter of the alphabet. This is how we got on....

a
berries
conker
dog
e
flower ( and a great footprint)

great tit

holly

ivy

j

keys (sycamore)
leaves
mud (and moss)
nettles
old mans beard
puddle
q

roots (which we kept tripping over as they were hidden beneath the leaves)

sedge (and sheep)

trees ( particulary beech trees as it is a beech wood)
u
v
wagtail
x sign (x marks the spot)
yellow leaves ( yes cheating i know)
z ( ?)

I think we did ok.. it was a lovely walk and just what i needed!

We got home just before it started raining.

This Sunday i went to a local car boot and found amongst other things some sweet Beatrix Potter books (my youngest collects them).

There were along with The Tailor of Gloucester and Squirrel Nutkin, some with which i am unfamiliar;
The Tale of Mr Tod, Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes and The Tale of Little Pig Robinson.
I will keep them for her for Christmas.

I sometimes call my youngest 'Hunca Munca', though she isn't really very naughty.

I have also been making more flower brooches. I really love making these, especially choosing all the colour and fabric combinations. Alice is at a Charity Fundraising evening tonight and has taken some of these and other bits and bobs to sell. She has just telephoned me to say that she has won a bottle of Champagne from the raffle. Now i wish i had gone! She also says the turquoise brooch has sold. I knew it would but was half hoping it would end up on my jacket.
Still i could make some more?





The rest of the week will now be focusing on finishing the text for the book. This requires a different type of concentration than with the pattern drafting and sewing and above all requires copious cups of tea and lots of chocolate!!
Thank you for all your comments on the last post... please be assured that although busy i am at the moment keeping all my 'balls' in the air.. i am being kind to myself and taking time to chill and part of this is doing a post, as is catching up with all your blogs.
G
x

Realisation that summer has passed...

The sunflower has now faded

The long days of Summer are now gone...

But my passion flower is still going strong.

Seeds to gather

and time for me to welcome in Autumn with all her beautiful colours.




This time of year often finds me slightly melancholic ... but the beautiful colours, the conkers, the smokey evenings.. all your inspiring Autumnal posts.. have me in brighter spirits than usual and i am appreciating all that this time of year brings.


Do you have a favourite season or do you love them all?
I have added a poll (on the side bar) if you'd like to vote for your favourite.
Happy weekend

Gx

Reflections...

I have been awarded a blogger Reflection award by Ally, a mother and great face painter from Canada. Thanks Ally... I'm not sure if i deserve it but i am touched and very grateful. Check out her blog
Simply Nice
, when you get a chance.
I am now to choose 6 blogs for the same Reflection award and then contact them letting them know. I understand that i need to pick blogs which have touched me or inspired me in some way. It is hard to choose as i enjoy reading so many blogs for a variety of different reasons.

The blog which has inspired me the most is

'Contemplating Change
' by Willow.

It is because of her that i have been reading 'Timeless Simplicity' by John Lane and that my husband made vanilla ice cream ... delicious. What i love about Willows's blog is that she shares with us her journey in low impact and simple living.

Carrots


2. is the amazing Tash at Vintage Pretty

Her blog is inspirational. Not only are her photographs of flowers,veg and wildlife stunning but she raises many questions and debates on ethical issues.. from seasonal food, food production methods, to toxins present in everday products and other enviromental issues. A blog to make you think with photographs to make you dream.

Dad's Dahlias

3. is Jane from
Snapdragon's Garden

Her passion and love of her small business growing cut flowers is inspiring.She writes most days and is often the first blog i read in the morning. As i know Alice does too. She likes a good debate and i love reading her comments. Direct and to the point , just like Alice. Jane also makes textile crafts which she sells through her website.

Posy of Dahlias

4.Tracy from 'Cupcakes at Home'

A blog full of beautiful creations and many photographs of her 'girls'. Tracy is off to live the life in Scotland starting with building a home with her partner Stephen. I am so excited for her and look forward to joining her as she writes about this new journey on her blog. Since starting the Flour loft, she has been really supportive and left lovely comments. I have also ordered a special something from her for my daughter's birthday. Will reveal soon.

lavender

5. is Marie Chantel at
Wild Rose

Marie is from Toronto and has a natural skin care range. Her blog is really informative and of particular interest to me as i am passionate about growing herbs. She seems like a lovely sweet soul and i find her blog warm and friendly.

Sweet Myrtle
6. Emma at Sew Recycled

I have only recently found Emma and have been reading back in her archives. She is a fellow textile artist also using recycled fabrics. She has 2 young children and I instantly liked her when she said she loved Charlie and Lola as i love them too! A recent post showed her boys enjoying a magical place
which thanks to her link we are set to check out this Summer.

Geranium in bud

Well i hope if you don't already know the 6 i have highlighted that you will go and have a look at their blogs. I have been taking photos of the garden again today as you can see (the geranium bud was taken a few weeks ago). I may get around to showing some creative stuff soon too and to talking about the business which is ticking over, but is in need a few more web updates. A big new project is now underway which i will talk more of in the weeks ahead.
Thank you to all who stop by, i really enjoy linking up with you all and hearing your comments. Happy Sunday.
G
x

Inspiring gardens

Hampton Court Palace taken from a bridge over the Long Water

I have finally come back to earth after last week and have rested and taken some time out. The show was great for us and we were really pleased with how it all went. It is a lot of work putting together a stand at one of these larger shows but it is well worth the extra effort. It all came together just as we had planned and the new range with all the fruit and veg fitted perfectly... We also received lots of lovely comments on the overall look of the stand too.

Apart from the very muddy, rainy start to the week and a drip on our stall (at least we were inside!), the remainder of the week was lovely and sunny. We also got a chance to look around and I thought i would share with you some of the gardens that caught my eye.



This is the small garden fom Alton Infants School , which is in the town where our studio is.

The garden represents a microcosm of the school grounds and has been designed for education and fun. As the Chinese proverb says, 'I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand'. The garden teaches the children conservation, recycling, organic gardening, plant and animal life cycles and caring for the world.
They won best small garden and a gold medal. They did have a chicken too but apparently only there for 'press day'.

Selborniensis

Another beautiful small garden was 'Selborniensis', I was drawn to this garden not realising it was created by two women from our locality. It is inspired by the work of naturalist Gilbert White.
I love the use of the apple as a screen, the relaxed naturalistic planting and the clay sculptures.

Best in Show was this fantastic garden;
The Growing Schools Garden - learning outside the classroom

designed by the lovely Chris Beardshaw. It illustrates how teaching and learning can take place outside the classroom and has been created with participation from children of all ages from more than 30 schools. This spider and web is fantastic and i expect we will be seeing them pop up in schools throught the uk!

The Daily Mail had a large feature garden 'The Darling Buds of May', and as you can imagine it was full of nostalgia and extremely popular. They even had a Pig with her piglets who liked to sleep in a row in the sun. Very cute!

And my favourite view was of the lovely lovely veg!

Other inspiring favourites were
The Torres Tapas Garden
The Giving Garden
The Smile Garden
The 'Chase' Secret Garden
Wildlife Garden in a Skip
and
Infinity

After all the rain we've had my garden is in need of lots of attention.. and now i have a few new ideas...i wonder if the kids would like to make a giant spider?

G

x

A new neighbour for my bees?

What has happened to the bees?
Well they are still safe in my blue tit box after closing up the small entrance with fluff ( you can just see it in this funnily angled shot). Never knew they did this. Must be pretty cosy in there.

I saw something else late this afternoon when I returned home from the Flour Loft, which both fascinated and excited me. A robin who frequents our garden (am convinced it's the same one who visits each year) has been collecting moss and has been flying up near the blue tit box which is under the wisteria. Now, next to the tit box is a robin box and it rather looks like our sweet robin is making it's nest there... right next to the bumblebees! Hope they get along. Will try and get some better pics of our robin.. here is one i took .. you can just about make her out.



I gather she makes her nest all by herself, then after she has mated the mate hangs around and feeds her while she nurtures her brood. Will keep you posted.
G

Busy bees...

I have visiting bumblebees in my garden who have made a nest in my blue tit box. At first I thought they were honey bees but after chatting to a local bee keeper she reassured me that they were in fact small bumblebees. The bird box is in the eaves above the door to the outbuilding and if we forget to shut it carefully they give out an almighty hummmm ( a kind of collective pissed off buzz ). They are fascinating to watch during the day as they are constantly busy. I now fully understand the saying ' as busy as a bee'.

Alice has returned from her fortnight in the sun and, like my bees we have been very busy.
We have been finalising quantities of new stock to make for our forthcoming shows, including the Christmas ones! Crazy I know but as a very small business, organisation is the key (well so we hope).
As we make many different products its always hard to know which ones will do best at which shows. We tend to take more of our popular seasonal lines and a small selection of the others. Using recycled and salvaged fabrics means all our items vary so it's great to do fairs as visitors see this variety first hand. Stock is pretty low at the moment so next week we really must start sewing. I think some loud music should help. We have new neighbours in the studio above us and we have already warned them that when a song we love comes on the radio , the volume goes up and we dance around the room. Co co cabana is a tried and tested favourite! It's such a long song though that we get really knakered... but a nice cup of tea usually revives us.
Happy Weekend ( if anyone is reading this ) G