Wow

It almost hurts your eyes to look at this lovely doesn't it?!  I have a lovely patch of these peonies growing just so I can see them through my kitchen window.  They do bring a zestful  wake up call in the morning.  I am plotting another patch of peonies somewhere in the garden, because as you know - I do love them!!

So our first camping trip of the year was a huge success.  It only rained on Saturday night when we were all tucked up in bed.  The rest of the time we had lovely weather.  There was also a bit of BBQing, bike riding, kite flying, watching boats in a harbour, pub lunches, general running around and splashing in puddles - ah a perfect receipe for a weekend (won't mention the mountain of washing, putting away and actual sleep that was needed on our return!).  My camping quilt also had it's maiden outing and kept my little ones toasty warm.  Ah I do love camping and just all the being outdoors of it all - it's good for the soul.

I wonder slowly through the fields

The fields of joy.  I've been singing that song to myself ever since I snapped this on Tuesday on my way to take Little Roo to nursery.  A red binding round a green field.  Ah a summer's day in June, how I love these kinds of days.  Something to cherish amongst all this rain. 

Camping and quilting

Last week, as you may have gathered, was a washout weekend for camping.  Although really annoyingly the weather turned out lovely!  But having already made the decision not to go it was difficult to galvanise ourselves into getting everything together to go.  What it did do though was to galvanise me to finish a project that has been sitting under the stairs in a basket for about a year!!  Do you remember this post and this post (rather sadly this also features a photo of our lovely but departed pussy cat, RIP Saffy)?  Well last year I did manage to quilt the front to the back but just didn't get round to finishing off the binding.

Fast forward a year to our next camping trip - yes sadly we have had a limited number of camping trips in the last year - here is the finished quilt - horray!!  Now I just have to make the kids their quilts and the bunting out of the left overs . . . .!

A garden post

As you can see from the sun and lack of rain, I took these photos a while back.  Since then we have had about 3 years worth of rain in one month.  Good for the aquifers and the garden, not so good for our roof (a small leak above Flopsy Bunny's window) and general mood and morale!  Although the upshot is that the hose pipe ban has now been lifted!

All the spring flowers are starting to come up and fill the garden with colour.

My peonies are just about to flower now and I'm very excited about that - Oh I do love peonies (here and here)!!

We were hoping to go camping this weekend but the weather has driven us indoors - maybe next weekend - there is a little bit of sun promised then!

Finished . . . again!

It was painful to frog the border, but I'm so glad I did now as it looks sooooo much better with a garter stitch border.

Here it is . . . my finished blanket - I am so very happy with how it has turned out - although slightly disappointed that my left over wool bag is still bulging.  It is gorgeous and stripey - all the things I like!  Maybe I could have made it a bit bigger but hey, I've got some wool left for another blanket maybe . . .!  Can you tell how happy I am . . . ?

(PS the serious knitters among you will notice that it is not blocked yet . . .!)

(PPS I will be posting the pattern - such as it is - shortly)

Jubilee weekend

Just a few highlights of what is now known in our house as 'Sog Fest'!  I have definately learnt a thing or two this weekend.  The first is that the British people do have a way of defying the elements and adversity, as 4000 people in our village and the neighbouring one turned up in the pouring rain to eat lunch in the street!!!  The second is that paper cups and plates are really useless in the pouring rain!  The kids enjoyed themselves though and it will be a weekend we remember!!!  The highlight for me was Little Roo falling asleep in the decorated wheelbarrow half way round the carnival parade . . .