♥ 52 Weeks of Happy ♥ 35/52

Hello lovelies, 

THANK YOU so much for all your wonderfully encouraging comments on my running post. They really do mean a lot.

Here are my happy things from the last week of the school holidays for us, though the boys don't go back to school till the middle of next week.

1. Running my long run for this week on a gloriously sunny but cool morning. I took the time to plan a circular route of the correct distance HERE. Rather than repeated laps of my short pavement only route, I included some footpaths and got close to the late summer landscape, which looked stunning .........

this shot was actually taken on a holiday run last week . I didn't take my camera today as I knew I would be too tempted to stop and take photos :0)

2. A colourful sugar rush. Maynards wine gums to be precise. I'm usually more of a chocolate girl , but these are my running fuel as I'm not keen on the more popular jelly beans. I just eat one slowly every couple of miles on a longer run. It's like a little reward for my effort. As I went out before breakfast this helped a lot .......

It took me 1 hour 3 minutes to do 10k today, not fast but more importantly  it didn't feel too difficult , which I was very relieved about.

3. A visit to the charity shop. It seems like ages since I've had chance for a good old charity shop mooch. When the boys were playing at a friends this week I enjoyed seeking out some trash  treasure. I don't even know what this yellow "what-not" is but I loved it's sunny colour . It's made of cast iron and weighs a ton. Any ideas ? At least I can use it as a door stop if nothing else :0)

I also got a nice box set of the Narnia chronicles to read to the boys. Youngest still likes a bedtime story and I loved these books as a child. I'm sure my bedtime story reading days are almost at an end, it makes me kind of sad, but I know it's how things are meant to be...........

4.Shiny wood. I've been trying to regain control of the cleaning this week. It's been much neglected while the weather was hot, and holidays were occurring. I loved the packaging on this furniture polish I picked up with my weekly shop. Retro and bee themed...sweet.

Hope you are ready to welcome September tomorrow. We had a great August and hopefully there are still some warm weeks left to enjoy this year.

Jacquie x

Time to Run 2013 :: part 1

Hello Lovelies,
this year has been a rather strange one so far. There have been several sources of worry for me. The biggest , but not only one , being mums health. Even though mum is now on the mend I have other things that are praying on my mind, disturbing my sleep. I hope that doesn't sound too dramatic.....I'm hopeful everything will work out fine...... I just wanted to try and explain my running motivation.

Back in January, with good New Year intentions,  I booked myself a place on three 10k runs and an Autumn half Marathon. I did the first 10k in March , then the second one, in June, was cancelled so I didn't need to train for that. Then Mum was ill and the weather got super hot . All in all I wasn't doing much running .....Just one or two short ( 2 mile ) runs a week.

When we were away last week my eldest asked about the  half marathon I booked a place on all those months ago. In my mind I had written it off as a no go....not this year.
But when I actually said " oh, I wont be doing it" it sounded so defeatist...I didn't like how I sounded.

When we got home I checked out how many weeks it was away....Eight.....ummm, maybe.
I've just been out for a 30 minute run....a proper run, not one of my run a bit, walk a bit, stop and take a few photos runs. It was hard, I was dripping with sweat when I got back, but it also made me feel good. I can still do it .

 There is time, just about ! to get up to half marathon distance by October the 20th.
Most importantly It's a positive thing I can focus on instead of things I have no control over.
 I don't want to do a fast time , just get round O.K.
 I'm roughly following THIS plan, but I'm not worrying abut the different sorts of runs, just clocking up the minutes and the miles.

I'm sharing my goals and any hiccups ( I'm sure there will be some ) here with you lovelies so it's harder for me to change my mind again. It really helps to motivate me to have this space to share my thoughts and experiences ....I'm often writing blog posts in my head when I run.

I hope some of you will be inspired. I know I loved Kate's running post. So much of what she said resonated with me and made me smile.

Running is hard, but it lifts my mood. I'm doing something positive for myself and I feel really alive.  And on race day,when you cross the finish line all the training and effort is forgotten and you just get a huge sense of achievement........ and this year, more than ever before, I need that.

On Saturday I need to do a 10k training run, that takes about an hour at my pace. It's further than I've run in many months....wish me luck lovelies.

Jacquie x

P.S hope you enjoyed the random pictures....I can't do a post without some colour:0)
P.P.S you can see my previous running posts by clicking on " running" in the  labels section in my side bar.

My Garden :: August

Hello Lovelies, 

it was lovely to return home at the weekend and see so many flowers still going strong in our late August garden.

The days are getting much shorter now and there were even a few fallen Silver Birch leaves on the lawn. The dominant colours are yellow and orange with a few pops of pink and red.

My baskets and pots are looking well past their best but things in the ground are still mostly O.K. I  still have a few sweet peas as these were sewn in the vegetable bed ....as were my Sunflowers , which are so very tall.

Here is my fifth monthly mosaic of things that are looking lovely in our garden at the moment......

Top to bottom L-R

1. Peacock butterfly on white Buddlia 2. Golden Rod 3. Zinnia

4. Japanese anenome 5. A second flowering of my gorgeous orange rose 6. Helianthus tuberosus

7. Crocosmia 8. Hydrangea 9.Small tortoiseshell butterfly on white buddlia

Here is my favourite border as it looked yesterday.......

You can see the size of my white buddlia , it's pretty huge and always attracts a mass of butterflies. This year , as well as the types in my mosaic we have also seen loads of Cabbage White and some Red Admiral.

You might just be able to see the sunflowers growing up the side of the shed in the distance...they are about 10 feet tall.

This year the garden has been a huge pleasure to me. It always is now the boys are a bit older and I have time to spend out there. For the first time I have had a little greenhouse ( it's plastic but you can stand inside it ) and I've grown some new flowers and veg. The Zinnias were a big success once the hot weather came , but the peas were not so great.

In the very hot July weather we spent many hours sitting in the shade or in the paddling pool trying to keep cool.
This drawing was inspired by those hot days. I completed it the day before we went to Cornwall but didn't have chance to share it with you lovelies .

I wanted to capture Summer 2013 in our garden so the Zinnias had to feature as well as my lovely foxgloves and the bees who made a nest under our patio, remember them ?
You can just see our paddling pool and youngest's red crocs on the lawn.
Sparkle is enjoying some time exploring while I sit in the shade, watching the butterflies on my purple buddlia.

If it looks a bit familiar that's because Mum also painted this view. It's at the bottom of THIS post

I like the way this drawing captures so many happy hours spent in the garden , in a year we really did get a proper summer.....wasn't it great.

Oh and I remembered to include my little friend Tom Tit :0)

Jacquie x

♥52 weeks of happy♥ 34/52

Hello Lovelies,
thank you all so much for your super kind comments on my holiday posts.
We have been very fortunate to enjoy a second seaside break this week, this time with my lovely mum.
Many of you will be aware she was seriously ill following major surgery back in June.
When she was out of hospital we booked this break to give her a goal ....something to look forward to and aim for.
I did worry that she would still be too weak to enjoy it, but THANKFULLY I was wrong. Though she still has limited mobility mum had a great time, as did we.

I won't do a holiday journal like I did for Cornwall, but, if it's O.K. with you, I think I will share some of the many gorgeous photos I took in a few months time.
When it's cold and dark, in the depths of winter. I know I will enjoy reliving those warm sunny seaside days....and sharing then with you all.
In the mean time here are my simple joys from another happy week.....

1. My Beach Boys...all three sons and hubby love the beach which makes for a relaxing time for me.....

2. A great time for the traditional British seaside resort. Cromer is a destination we have visited many times over several years. This time it looked particularly lovely and was busier than we have ever known it............I'm sure the great summer weather has helped..........

3. Outdoor creativity. As my boys enjoy the beach so much I get the luxury of large chunks of time on the beach to do as I please, whether it's doing simple sketches of  them having fun..........

or playing with yarn........

this was a great fun project. One that just evolved as I went along..........

It's a seaside bird, based on Lucy's Bird I made a few years back. Of course I didn't have the pattern ( no mobile internet for me yet ) , but I could sort of remember how to make a flat circle. I knew I wanted it to have lots of seaside colours in it's wings, so after playing around for a bit I decided to go for single crochet stripes.....

there were a LOT of ends to sew in , then I neatened the edges with blanket stitch.

I even had some glass eyes in my little tin. And I looked at the seagulls on it's lid to get the inspiration for the legs, with their knobbly knees................

Here is Sheri ( short for Sheringham) the seagull  ....Eldest was  kind enough to help me capture her in her natural environment , we did attract a few giggles from passers by :0)

Now she is a long way from the sea , but I think she looks happy anyway........

4. Picking flowers from my garden as soon as we got home. It was the first thing I did , after saying hello to Sparkle the rabbit..........

I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed two family holidays this summer.

 It was wonderful to see mum enjoying herself after all she has gone through this year. And right now it's lovely to be home :0)

Jacquie x

Our Cornwall Holiday :: the final part

Hello Lovelies,

 thank you for all your wonderful comments on my holiday posts so far...they really make me smile.Here are the final two days of our Holiday....phew.

FRIDAY

with the end of the holiday looming the children were keen to spend their pennies.

We headed into Newquay as it has a lot of shopping opportunities. The tide was out in the harbour but it still looked lovely..........

I sneaked into a beer garden to get this shot of the coastline right down to Porth in the far distance.....it's stunning , don't you think..........

In town the seagulls seemed to have no problem avoiding the anti-bird measures:0)

Newquay is a magnet for youngsters and it has a very cheerful buzz, with lots of street performers, bars, nightclubs and hip shops........

I think it has had a bit of trouble with party goes drinking to excess, but in the day time it felt fun and happening....if a bit crowded for my liking.

We wandered along to Fistral beach to check out the Boardmasters  festival but didn't stay long .......

Middle son had spent his holiday money on a shiny new body board and he was keen to test it out, so we collected beach stuff from the car and headed for Towan beach......

Here he is ready to hit the surf........

While the boys and Mr BM enjoyed the waves I sat and watched bags....and , you guessed it ....did another sketch of the scene......

this was a just a  simple one but I really like it......

The family enjoying a picnic are based on this little group.......

And I was pleased to be able to include the Huer's Hut ...somewhere I wanted to get a closer look at , but it didn't happen ( maybe next time )........

All too soon it was Friday night and our holiday was almost over. I really loved this static caravan and wished we had longer to enjoy it. I think bringing homely touches made it extra special. As you can see I brought the fairy lights from my welsh dresser, and placed them on the window pelmet........

I also brought a small lamp, to add a gentle glow . At home we have lots of lamps and I really miss them when I'm away ..........

Did you notice my cute postcards, I found these in a shop at Porth and had to get them..........

They are by Janet Bell and there are lots more examples of here work HERE

I just love the bright cheerful colours and seaside themes. This card is my favourite as it looks a lot like the Cornish beaches we visited..........

on Saturday morning we packed the car, handed in our caravan keys and headed back into Crantock one last time........

The thatched pub and the cottage gardens were looking lovely.......

But this is where we were headed........the Cozy Nook tea room .......

It certainly lives up to it's name, with a sweet courtyard filled with flowers.........

there are even grapes growing over your head.........

It was the perfect spot to enjoy  a scummy Cornish cream tea......

oooooh it was good.

This little courtyard also has a gallery which we investigated......

It was great to see information about the different artists whose work was for sale.....

I ended up purchasing this sweet little seaside collage by the Elaine Cavell.....

I think it was the seagulls in the picture and the shells on the heart shaped frame that made me choose this one.
It summed up our holiday perfectly.

After not expecting to be able to go away as a big family group this year, this holiday turned out to be one of the best.

I hope you lovelies enjoyed my posts and I'm sure you will understand when I skip this weeks ♥52 weeks♥ post.
I feel I've spent most of my spare time this week sat at my computer. I'm so glad I can record our special times for my boys and myself, and I love to share them with you all. But  I do feel a bit guilty about all the screen time the boys  have had while I've been doing it .
So I'll sign off for a bit. I can't believe there are only two weeks left of the school summer holidays....it's going so quickly.
See you soon lovelies.
Jacquie x

Our Cornwall Holiday :: part 3

Hello Lovelies, 

here's my third holiday post, hope you are not fed up yet :0)

WEDNESDAY

After my run on Wednesday morning I was happy to relax by our caravan for a little while. The weather was too nice to be inside so I sat in a deckchair and sketched the view.........

By early afternoon the whole of our party were ready to hit the beach and we decided to stay local, popping down the hill to Crantock beach. Actually we tried to take one car to transport beach stuff and older members of the group but the car park was already jam packed and we had to hastily dump things and take the car back up the hill.
 Once we climbed the dunes we could see just how popular this beach is on a sunny August day !...........

Here's our "camp" , up in the dunes, looking out to sea......perfect.....

the River Gannell ( the one I was trying to cross in my first run ) flows out to sea here .
 This is the beach shop and at high tide you can catch the little ferry boat to it, or at low tide you can  use the bridge, just visible on the right in this photo...........

 As well as the usual beach supplies they have live crabs and lobsters in tanks you can buy ........

It was lovely to see the families with small children enjoying the shallow river..........

I just loved taking in the the view from our tent, but I also like to join the others in the sea occasionally........

It takes a warm sunny day to tempt me, and this was one....so I pulled on my wet suit and headed off with the gang to do some body-boarding..............

 Last year I finally gave in and invested in a full length wet suit.....it means I can enjoy the water for at least an hour before the cold gets to me.

And once I'm in I remember that  I do LOVE trying to catch the perfect wave. Watching the sea build into a wall of water , trying to choose the biggest one to catch a ride on. Listening to the roar as the wave gets closer. Turning round to face the shore at the last moment and jumping onto your board, hoping this will be the wave that carries you right into the shallows, speeding forward with a big grin on your face.It's great fun and I can see why my boys love it so.

When we finally got too cold and headed back up the beach the tide was much further in............

But we were safe , up on our sand dune. What gloriously soft sand it was.........

I'm not a sunbather, generally I sit inside the tent, but I do love a sunny day at the beach and I was very happy popping out occasionally to finally get that Seagull shot.........

And notice the bees busy gathering nectar........

Before hopping back into the shade.........

After our evening meal at the caravan the sun was still gloriously warm, so I got out my deckchair for the second time that day and did a little crochet............

It was so peaceful.........what a perfect end to a glorious day .

THURSDAY
Another beach day. We live a long way from the sea , so when we get to the seaside the beach is where we want to be...........

We set up out camp at Porth beach again. There as so many lovely beaches around Newquay that I felt slightly guilty about not trying out a new one, but this holiday we all seemed happy to stick with the old favourites.

My lovely sister-in-law and I took the opportunity to explore the village a little more together. We both loved this house by the beach with it's pretty flowers..........

It looked wonderful on such a sunny morning.........

We decide to have a little wander along the coast path...........



just far enough to gaze back at  pretty Porth, with it's cluster of houses nestled in the valley..........

Back in the village we couldn't resist a nosey around the little streets. This house was stunning and I loved the sweet touches like the heart shaped stones on the windowsill.............

And what about this star made from mussel shells.........

I do have a bit of a thing about rooftops and these are just gorgeous in my eyes........

 Another thing about rooftops at the seaside is that they often come with these cheeky chaps. I love to see and hear seagulls at the coast.......

See what I mean .........

 The rest of the day was spent in the sea and relaxing on the beach. These days when I get time I do like to try and capture my surroundings in pencil as well as taking photos. I'm a bit shy about getting noticed so our beach tent make a great spot to sit and sketch.
This time it was the lovely rooftops that captured my imagination...........

I tricky subject, but I think it turned out ok.......

Here is the sketch I mentioned at the start of this post...........

And here's another beach tent drawing.......hopefully you can recognise it from my photos.........

I really enjoyed doing these quick and simple sketches. Dawn first in pencil, then fine pen. That part only takes about 15minutes . Back at the caravan I coloured them in, which I think is my favourite bit as it really brings them to life.They are a simple little memento of special days.
Phew , another mamoth post . Just one more to go :0)
Jacquie x