Summertime

Hello Lovelies,
 finally we are enjoying a hot sunny week. I was beginning to think the rain would never stop.  I've been enjoying some al-fresco crochet at the park whilst the boys played tennis.....

Yes this is the border I'm working on . I decided I ought to make my Daisy squares into another baby blanket to sell .It's almost finished :0)

It's just lovely to spend time outdoors now we have some real summery weather. At the weekend I enjoyed taking pictures of some of the wonderful wildflowers that are blooming at the moment......

We also visited a small garden centre that we haven't been to before.We were  looking for more pond plants and were delighted to see their natural looking pond...........

There were lots of outdoor seats and a small welcoming coffee shop. Not to mention reasonably priced plants.It really was a little gem of a place . So much nicer than the big garden center chains ......

I loved this seat and dry stone wall, perfect for sitting quietly and enjoying the sun......

Back home I picked my first bunch of sweet peas this year. They have been struggling with the poor weather  but I'm so glad they are finally blooming . Their scent is my absolute favourite and it's so strong that the aroma from this little bunch greets you as you enter the room...........

Hope your week is a good one.

Back soon with a ta-dah .

Jacquie x

Time to Run :: Part 1

Hello Lovelies,
here is a long overdue running post. I wrote this post back in the spring ,straight after my first solo 10 k race but then never published it....not sure why....right now I need to rekindle my love of running and I'm hoping to write a few  more running posts to inspire myself as well as others.
 My next half marathon is only a couple of months away and my fitness has taken a bit of  a dive since I wrote this so I need to get my act together if I'm going to enjoy it.

MAY 2012


The pictures in this post are from an earlier walk as I don't like to post without pictures :0)


Firstly I need to say a big thankyou for all your wonderful comments on my previous running posts....I was amazed at the response. I was hoping to inspire a few of you and in the end you inspired me with your kind supportive words...you lot are just the best  :0)

Back to my latest run.......well I did it, I took part in a 10k race by myself...not quite the London marathon, but a challenge for me. I will admit to being a bit jittery about the prospect . The night before I had dreams about forgetting my kit, getting lost , missing the start. On the day I was a bit nervous and arrived way too early .

Luckily ,as soon as I got out of the car I started chatting to a lovely friendly lady and we spent a pleasant hour talking running and family stuff.When she told me she was a tri-athlete I did feel a little intimidated..." you really get straight out of the water and get on the bike....don't you get dry and changed ? " It was an interesting conversation and I now know a lot more about this impressive sport.

We didn't try to run together as we really had no idea of each others pace and anyway the idea of this event for me was to go it alone.To get me used to finding my own pace .

We were running on grass a bit but mostly gravel paths  . There were a few hills , including one mega steep one you really had to walk the last bit of, but consequently the were also some amazing views.


I chose to follow a female runner, who looked like she was using a running watch to pace herself, for most of the circuit. Eventually I decided to overtake her but this was probably a mistake as she came flying past me in the home straight :0)

How did I do ? well better than I had dared to hope. I finished in 59 minutes ,which was 7 minutes faster than my last 10k ( and this one was hillier ) I think the longer distances I have been running in preparation for my next half marathon must have helped a lot.

In the end I finished in a just in front of  my new friend and we are hoping to do a half marathon together at some time.
I'm not sure if that will happen but I really appreciated her company pre- race.

The whole event was pretty small and friendly and I would love to do it again next year.
Jacquie x

JULY 2012
Re-reading this has helped me remember why I run ,and if you like posts about running look out for some more over the next few weeks....don't worry if you don't ....there will be the usual crafty/pretty/outdoorsy posts too :0)
Jacquie x

Catching up

Hello Lovelies,
 I'm just trying to catch up with blog reading and posting after a week with no internet....I didn't like being separated from blog land but at least there was no guilt about the amount of time spent on line . And it turns out I'm just as disorganized and forgetful without this distraction ...so I may as well not worry about it :0)
I don't seem to have a lot of pictures on my little camera to share with you...always the starting point for my posts, but there were a few and I wanted to pop by and explain why it's been so quiet around here.  So here's  a little catch up.

Last week saw a wonderful charity shop find....brand new colourful side plates...nicer than any I'd seen in regular shops .........

Some sunny weather between the rain showers......... chance to dry some washing outdoors.........

These are the boys school shirts and with the last week of term now upon us I'll be so glad to have a break from these ....along with packed lunches and early mornings and home work . Yay for the big school holidays :0)

As I don't work in education I won't be enjoying a six week break myself but I'm off for half of it so that can't be bad. A week at the British seaside and a couple of "at home" weeks ...bliss.

The countryside around here has moved from the fresh greens of spring to the mellower tones of summer, I havn't had chance to take many pictures due to all the rainy days but I did manage to snap this through the car window, whilst stationary, on my way to work last week ...the light is so nice at this early hour it really seemed a shame to go inside and miss it............. 

The boys have suddenly decided they like playing tennis and we  spent a happy hour or so practicing on a local court on Saturday morning . My poor co-ordination with any sort of ball sport did not help but they encouraged me to keep trying and I did manage to return a few shots in the end. I love to see them running around so I was happy to take them back in the evening for some further practice with their cousins.... though this time I sat in the car and discovered the steering wheel makes a great place to rest your crochet  when you are sewing in ends :0)........

I love my portable hobby.

My youngest has been asking me for a while to make him this little fella and this week I finally got around to it..........

If you don't recognize him , he's the mascot for a U.K. energy firm and he is supposed to look like a flame . 

Here he is in action.(love that song )

My son does not call him a flame though.....he's a cheeky Nine year old .....maybe you can guess ?

Anyway, I'm just happy that my crochet skills have progressed to being able to create something like this without a pattern....just a bit of trial and error :0)

Right ,off to do a bit more blog reading.....I need to catch up with what you lovelies have been up to.

Jacquie x

Edited to add:-Thank you for the interest in this little bit of crochet. I'm afraid I did not write down the pattern as I went but

There are several crochet patterns for this mascot available on Etsy......search EDF Energy Zingy in their search box and choose your fave ♥♥♥

Little Things

Hello Lovelies,
 After ANOTHER unseasonably wet weekend I just thought I would pop in with some more little things that are making me smile right now.
 A little jug of flowers on the mantle. Pinks, Astilbe and Alchemilla picked from the garden........

Outside, between showers , the bees are going busily about their business .....

Can't say I've noticed these collections of pollen in their legs before...... apparently they  are Pollen Baskets

They move very quickly, these little creatures, I took loads of pictures and didn't  get a really good one.....this  view made me smile though..........

When I gave up trying to capture the perfect bee shot I noticed my Lavender was ready to pick for drying........

Hopefully I'll get round to making some little lavender bags with this . I absolutely love the scent of Lavender.

Though the days have been very wet there always seems to be a little window of sun in the day. Loved this dramatic sky on Saturday evening........

One thing that always makes me happy is a little yarn purchase.......I picked up a couple of balls of luxury yarn to add to the stash that I'm slooooowly building up. I got this in John Lewis.......

It isn't a brand I'm familiar with but It came in such gorgeous colours . I plumped for these as I didn't have any green or yellow in my stash. I wonder if any of you lovelies have used this brand ?You can see the colour range here

I've also picked up my hook again and finally started joining my daisy granny squares........

this is made with my usual Stylecraft acrylic....Love this bargainous yarn too :0)

I'm really liking how this is looking so far....it was supposed to be a baby blanket but I'm tempted to go bigger.......I can see this in our holiday caravan with my patchwork cushions .....

Hope you  find some little things to make you happy this week.

Jacquie x

Simple Baking ♥ Flapjack

Hello Lovelies,
The weather is terrible here today.....we are getting a months worth of rain in 24 hours apparently....sigh.
At least it's a good excuse to stay in and do some baking. A few of you asked about the recipe I use for flapjack, so I thought I would share it here.
Ummmmm, love this simplest of baking, it's very popular with my boys ( and me ) and not too naughty as the largest ingredient is porridge oats ( well that's my theory ).........
       

As it really is very straight forward to make it's great for children to have a go at too. Despite that I've managed to get it wrong a few times so I'll do a detailed method to help you avoid the same pitfalls .

You need just 4 ingredients 

4oz Margarine or butter

3oz Golden Syrup

3oz Light brown soft sugar

8oz Porridge Oats 

And just 6 pieces of baking equipment

A large microwavable bowl

Some weighing scales

A 7 x 11 inch tin ( mine was sold as a lasagne tin )

a wooden spoon ( or any large spoon ) 

some baking paper or grease proof paper

and a metal spoon ( not shown )

Last year , after watching Mary Berry on the Great British Bake Off I bought some digital scales . They were not expensive ( about £10 ) but are invaluable to ensure accurate measuring and therefor consistent results .

The other great thing about these scales is that you can zero them between ingredients and cut down on the washing up. Just be careful not to add too much or it's difficult to get it out :0)

For the flapjacks weigh the margarine, sugar and golden syrup in the bowl

Ummmmmmmm, golden syrup, I love this stuff and it's got to be this make for me....not sure if it's available around the world........ 

pop the bowl in the microwave for a minute (or melt the ingredients in a pan on the hob if you prefer ). If it comes out with un-melted bits of margarine like this  just stir till dissolved........

Then add the porridge oats.......

And mix well .........

line your tray with baking paper ........

And tip in the mixture........

Spend a bit of time pressing the mixture flat and making sure it's evenly spread out.........

Lick the spoon ( optional  but yummy )

Pop the flapjack into the oven  . Mine is an electric fan oven and I think it's quite hot so I set the temp to 160 degrees Celsius ( that's 325 F or gas mark 3 ). You may need to adjust this to suit your oven . 

It takes about 20 to 25 minutes to cook but check regularly and when the edges are starting to  brown like this it's done....

As soon as you take it out of the oven score it into squares  with a knife (not sharp or it will damage your tin).....

And when it's completely cool store it in an air tight container....

Here's mine with my new bargain spotty kettle.......when my old one broke last week I was looking for a cheap replacement and found this in Agros.....for twenty pounds..... Love it . 

I often put a piece of this flapjack in the boys packed lunch and they tell me it's very popular with their friends too :0)

Jacquie x

Little Things

Hello Lovelies, 

just thought I would share a few of the little things that have made me smile over the past few days.

Firstly, potting on my Lupin seedlings...I'm so happy they are growing well . I've moved them outside now they are getting bigger but I'm keeping them well away from slugs ........

Secondly, Simple Baking...Flapjack........ Love the fact that there are only four ingredients and I can make it with one bowl and one spoon.The boys love it in their packed lunch too ...perfect :0)

Thirdly....my new Wicker bike basket.......spent some of my birthday money on this and I think it's perfect ......Thanks Mum.........

Fourthly , going out on an evening cycle ride with my boys last week. The air was so still and the light was gorgeous. We had a great time together enjoying the warmth and quiet streets. There was hardly traffic....think the football on T.V. helped :0)

                                                 poppies in the allotments

Next,Finding a vintage sheet in the charity shop and cycling home looking at it in my basket........

Washing it and hanging it on the line to dry.......

             It's colours are so sunny and vibrant I don't think it's ever been used.I can think of so many uses for this fabric, like tablecloths and curtains and of course in patchwork....what do you think ?


Waking to bright sunshine and blue skys on Sunday morning . Putting on my trainers but leaving my MP3 at home and going for a run through the summer scenery. Listening to the birdsong and drinking in the beauty of the season.I didn't encounter another soul , loved this hour of me time ...

Coming home to find we had a little visitor in our pond.......a cute frog who isn't camera shy.....I've left this picture small incase any of you are not keen on these creatures. I think he is wonderful......I'm already calling him Freddy and hoping he eats lots of slugs :0)......

Click on the picture if you want to see it larger

My hexagons, they are growing and I've decided what to do with them....just another row and a bit of sewing and I'll there......

Not a great picture , it's raining AGAIN here today.

And last but NOT least...all your wonderful comments on my tutorial.....they really do mean a lot...♥♥♥THANK YOU♥♥♥
 Jacquie x