Sunday 6 April 2014

Simple Saturday

Hello Lovelies,
it's been a slow and simple weekend.....my favourite sort.
On Saturday  morning there was time for some blog reading and e.mail chat. 

Lately I've been enjoying corresponding with a lovely  lady I met at Yarndale last September. Following my latest sewing make we got nostalgic over old bedding....as did many commenter's on my previous post.  I dug out this old photo from the early 80's.

 It shows my first ever duvet cover.........before this I had always had flannelette sheets,blankets and a candlewick bedspread ( does anybody remember THOSE ? )

this was taken in my student bedroom and I loved this intimation Log Cabin patchwork


My photos from back them are pretty rubbish and my lovely friend, who took the ones of me, was good at chopping off your head or your feet.

This slightly earlier photo is a good example, but I included it here to show how little my likes have changed over the years.
Here I'm riding an old bike with a wicker basket, wearing a skirt that I made myself.........

 I've no idea where that skirt is now but I still have some of the red fabric that was left over in my stash.

Back in the early 80's "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" was discovered and published for the first time. It was hugely popular, a lot of homewares and decorative items were produced using it's gorgeous illustrations, like THESE

I didn't have any of them at the time, but now I treasure these books that I have since picked up in charity shops. Yesterday I took a look at April's pages..........


 I love these full page illustrations, from the two books I own


And the beautifully accurate nature studies..........


Oh, so many pretty things.........


 By mid afternoon I had to go exploring myself to see what I could find...........

 Eldest and I walked under blossom filled branches

Which are stunning close up...........


Glossy yellow Celandines shone out on such a grey day...........


It was just a simple walk along familiar paths...........


To see what spring beauties we could find...........

 I loved these tiny but gorgeous Forget-me-nots

And these lovely trees made me gasp with delight . The last time I walked this way, which only a couple of weeks ago, they were still bare............

These are the trees that produced the multicoloured leaves in THIS post.

 But now they are the most amazing zingy green............

 Look at those flowers...wonderful.

We wander further, past cute gardens........


Noticing more tiny spring flowers that are included in the "Country Diary" pages........



And Wild Primroses.....how I LOVE these


The day may have been grey but all that spring beauty really lifted my spirits, and indoors I'm FINALLY sewing together the colourful crochet squares I started as a quick project a year ago...... 

More on these soon.


I'll leave you with something else unrelated, a little video I made of those lambs we saw on THIS walk....I've finally managed to work out how to upload a video :0)

Spring Lambs no sound from Bunny Mummy on Vimeo.

Thank you for all your lovely P.J. comments....you guys are the best.
Jacquie x

33 comments:

  1. Jacquie--Hi--I am new to your blog--and I just love your photographs--they do look amazingly like the Country Diary sketches. And I just love that afghan you are finishing up. I am a new crocheter--and am working on Granny blocks for my first projects....thanks for the look in on your walk...hugs, Julierose

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  2. Candlewick bedspreads! I had one of those too, and used to pluck the tufts out, making it baldy, naughty little girl that I was, lol! Lovely post, as always...xx

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  3. Candlewick bedspreads and eiderdowns, great memories from my childhood. My first duvet was when I left home at 17. Wonderful walk.

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  4. I do remember Candlewick bedspreads, I'm pretty sure my mum still has them somewhere. Lovely photos as always. xx

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  5. Oh that video!!! Gorgeous little lambkins

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  6. Gorgeous blossom pics and yes I do remember candlewick bedspreads with flannelette sheets - they must have been standard issue in the 70s:) x

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  7. I used to love the weight of sleeping under an eiderdown and bedspread. Sounds like you had a great weekend. Xx

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  8. What a nice way to spend your weekend. Good luck with joining your colourful crochet squares. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who puts off finishing a WIP for a year or even longer sometimes.

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  9. I love primroses too, they really are just a harbinger of spring aren't they! I do remember having a candlewick bedspread that I quite liked, and then it was replaced with a horrible brushed nylon affair - more modern!! - that I hated, so I was very glad when I finally got a duvet!! xx

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  10. Oooh yes I remember the fun to be had picking out the tufts on candlewick bedspreads too. And we also had wood chip so I used to pick at that as well! Happy memories!! X

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  11. It's great to see the countryside coming back to life isn't it. We still have a couple of candlewick bedspreads - I used to use one to cover the rabbits' cage in winter! Love the PJs too :-)

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  12. Hello Lovely Jacquie how your post brought back many memories to me - I adored the book and well remember the bedspreads. I thought you looked lovely with your bike and that wonderful skirt - very Audrey Hepburn. A post of happy memories Jacquie thank you so much. Lots of love
    Dorothyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  13. Hi Jacquie, Love your post, I have just written one up to post tomorrow of our day today and the similarities are strangely comforting! Jo x

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  14. What a wonderful walk, I love those acid greens of spring, beautiful. The old photos are fantastic! The Country Diary is a lovely thing, I like the nature studies as well.

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  15. Ha ha! I recently finished a candlewicking embroidery project, I wonder if it was the same technique? So lovely to see all the blossom and laves virtually exploding all round us! Chrissie x

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  16. what a great post.......love the old photos and the new ones of your walk

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  17. Lovely photo's as ever,, love the little lambs so sweet
    Clare x

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  18. Oh I love your Spring flower photos! I've been doing the exact same thing, getting out and enjoying the gorgeous Spring life! I love how blogging helps you to focus and notice these things that are otherwise so easy to miss :)

    http://inpursuitoftheworthwhile.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/while-out-walking.html

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  19. Hello! I love your pictures from The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. There are many of those books. Which book are the pictures from?

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  20. Beautiful photos, thank you for sharing those lovely spring snaps...
    Bye, Jay x

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  21. I didn't know there were so many things made off of 'A Country Diary...'! I love that book, it's one of my favorites.

    I love the video as well. The lambs are precious.

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  22. I had flanelette sheets, mum always said they were warmer, and a candlewick bedspread where at the top when I was really little pulled the tuffs out so there were lines of holes!
    Lovely pictures and love that crochet
    Julie xxxxxxxx

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  23. I had a candlewick bedspread with an eiderdown on top, cotton sheets and soft wool blankets with a wide satin border at the top edge. My pillowcases were white cotton with either an embroidered band or a lace edging. Lovely but they came with a cold bedroom that had ice inside the windows in the winter. I still like a cool bedroom but double glazing has eliminated the ice.

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  24. Your lanscape shots are truely baeutiful. I love England :) Do you live in Derbyshire?

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  25. Hi, just found your blog so I'll be following your posts from now on. Thanks for sharing those beautiful photos, x

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  26. Sorry but its the lambs that are the best!! thanks! xx

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  27. Oooo yes another here who remembers Candlewicks and eiderdowns ! Who also picked out the tufts to leave holes 'whoops' Do you remember when the Nylon fitted sheets came out? ...they were dreadful ...certainly gave new meaning to 'Sparks in the bedroom ' hahaha x

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  28. The little lambs are too gorgeous! I have watched the clip over and over, can't get enough!
    Lovely post, thanks Pat xx (sunshineandasewingbasket.blogspot.com)

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  29. We're probably about the same age Jacquie I'm guessing? I had Country Diary when I was 10 or 12 might have been younger? and loved it. I think it got water damaged in my moving about so hit the recycle bin. Lamb video lovely to see as we're sheep mad here.I can't comment on anything else as I have a half working laptop that only shows me some pics. I go on the ipad to see what's happening, but I can't type as quickly on there!
    Thanks for your bloggy hug, it was much appreciated.

    Lisa X

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  30. Jacquie, you've really shown us how beautiful spring can be. Thank you for sharing your photographic country diary with us.

    And ... your lamb video is completely delightful. I laughed at the playfulness of those lambs and how they almost, almost all lined up for that Class Photo.

    xo

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  31. I remember those spreads! Which we called them chenille bedspreads. In fact, they're was a cottage industry here back in the day. I have several vintage ones, I just love them! Great picture of you in your skirt and bike. I still have the first apron I made, from home economics in school. Isn't spring the best?! All the new life, the violets are blooming here as well, wish we had wild primroses, so pretty. Thanks for sharing the "action" of the lambs, wow they can really run!lol

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  32. I've really enjoyed reading your post and everyone's comments :-) I didn't have a candlewick bedspread but maybe my nanna did because I remember being impressed by the texture of them.
    Tracey xx

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  33. Oh goodness! The bedspreads! I had the same set-up when I was little: flannelette sheet, blankets, bedspread. I distinctly remember thinking my pink ripple-y bedspread was the best thing EVER!

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