Caterpillar and other things

This little fella is the only sort of caterpillar you really want to see amidst your prize plants. He has been peeping out of this spot for a long time now and is beginning to look a little weather worn. I still love him to bits though. He is the opium smoking character from Alice in Wonderland and my dad carved him for me many years ago.

The eagle is another of my dads creations. A talented man methinks.

I had to capture this little collection purely because I love the texture of the old fence in the background. It needs replacing as it's rotting away but I love the flaky paint colour. Strange person that I am. Also love old aluminium watering cans even if they are quite heavy to carry around. Much more pleasing to the eye than plastic ones.

The pine cone and shell mobile hang off a very old rose tree that grows underneath the kitchen window. The birds just love to visit and we get really close-up glimpses of them.
This little collection was hidden in the undergrowth. Just some bits and pieces that appeal to me. The ducks were a pressie from my mum.
This plant is actually growing through the hole in the bottom of an upturned plant pot. Love how nature always finds a way!
The chicken is one of those things that protects your eyes from being poked out by stick supports. It sits among the raspberry canes and currant bushes. I think we need a scarecrow too. I've just noticed that the birds have enjoyed our currants already. Greedy things. We have red, white and blackcurrrants. Very tasty if you beat the birds to them. Lol. We don't use bamboo in our garden, just twigs cut from a hazel tree. They will even start growing too if they are reasonably fresh.
The colour of these leaves is just delicious. It is a heuchera called creme brulee. Well that's all from the garden for now. We have had so much rain here recently that I had to grab the opportunity to capture these pictures. Hope that you like them as much as I do. I promise I won't be peering into the undergrowth again for a while!

Garden Whimsy

Garden Whimsy.
A few more views
from my garden.
It's not all fruit and veggies.
The fairies need somewhere to play!

Love my garden. The bottle was a gift from my dad. The rusty lantern has been around for ever. Love big old pine cones. All of the stones are either painted gold or have a layer of fairy dust on them....naturally.

Love roses and ferns - all lush and cool and mysterious. Love my old lilac trees. Adore my pixie damson tree - judging by the fruit we are going to have a bumper crop this year. Love all of my toadstools, dazzling pink fuchsias, the lacy effect of chewed leaves; garden chimes, my enchanted garden sign. Love the contrast between sunshine and shade, the sculptural quality of those artichokes, the pale green of the baby lettuce that my son planted. Love the fact that my husband takes care of it all but above all I love everything that Mother Nature bestows on us.

Hope that you have enjoyed this little tour around my garden. It isn't perfect by a long way, it is a constant battle and I must confess I prefer to allow nature to win. I love the slightly overgrown feel to it all and eventually will add a little pool to encourage the frogs, so good for the organic garden. We do have a resident frog that appears every now and then and very welcome he is too. Would love to see a hedgehog like we did at our previous house. One evening we heard rustling in the undergrowth and suddenly a mother and her baby appeared. They move surprisingly fast and very soon vanished but I will always cherish the sight of Mrs Tiggywinkle and junior. Bye for now, until next time.

Through the Garden Gate

Through the Garden Gate
The sun is shining so come with me through the garden gate and we shall have a look around..... This is the back garden so excuse the signs of work!

This year we took up quite a lot of the lawn in order to grow some veggies. We have already enjoyed lots of freshly dug potatoes and the taste is just delicious. The plants you can see through the fence are courgettes. Hope they are a success as we all love them.

I know the heart is very rusty but I love it.

The green man - very Pagan.

These are some pictures of the front garden.

Bronze fennel - so graceful.

Strawberry plant grown for the gorgeous

coloured flowers - it's called Lipstick.

Creativity in the kitchen

I have two weeks off from work starting today and there is so much I want to do. As the weather is quite showery I thought a little creativity in the kitchen was in order. I love using fresh herbs from the garden. We have several rosemary bushes, one of which is huge, lots of parsley, some lovely bronze fennel and a potted bay tree. I added all of these to a chicken before roasting. The taste is just glorious. I always use Maldon Salt in all my cooking, the flavour is lovely and mild and it is really soft and crumbly. I store it in a salt pig by the cooker. I love collecting and using old kitchen utensils. I have had this flour bin and scoop for years.

I have made a cheese and smoked ham quiche which we all really enjoy in our family. Yum. The food cover was one of those plain net ones that you can still buy and I embroidered the flowers on it years ago. I remember sitting in the back garden one beautiful summers afternoon sewing those flowers. I love how old things bring back memories. Ah, I've come over all nostalgic and earth motherish now.

Just to add a touch of glam to this post I thought I would show you this

which I made a while ago. The base is one of those rustic twiggy things which came free with a magazine. I added a few pretty bits and pieces and it lives on my dressing table at the moment. Anyway, I'm off now to chill out for a while and maybe do a little more creating. Bye for now.

Corners of my home

I do not hold with the theory that "Less is More". In my opinion "Less" is boring.
Just to prove my point I thought I would share a few corners of my home with you.
The stack of books are just a little bedtime reading. Love my books and magazines.

Can never have too many storage boxes or girly trinkets.

My bedside lamp. I like to think this look is ever so slightly boho and seriously over the top. I just love it, after all it isn't every lamp that gets to wear jewellery and a tiara. It sparkles beautifully when lit up. The gorgeous pale blue crystal beneath the lamp is Celestite and was a gift from my lovely daughter. You can also just see one of my fairies peeking out from behind the perfume bottle. The clock is really pretty, the flowers in the centre are embroidered. The lamp base was from a charity shop and it had only just been put on the shelf when I snapped it up. Just my taste.

The crystals hanging down from the shade cast lovely reflections onto the wall.

I have quite a few crystals, the large one is an antique lustre and is quite heavy. I think these look stunning hanging from candelabras too.

They are like jewellery for the house. When the sun shines on them they create rainbows around the room. Magical!

Pearls for Grown-Up Girls

Pearls. I really love them. Especially the ones with the sparkly, gobstopper sized clasps. I have quite a few of them. All I need now is a Royal Wedding invitation.......or six. Champagne anyone?

Darling Buds of May moment

Every now and then I get a Ma Larkin moment. She is the character in the wonderful series the "Darling Buds of May", adapted from the books written by H.E.Bates. She loves to cook for her large and boisterous family and they all sit down together to enjoy her efforts.
I went into the garden this morning and picked a heap of lovely ripe raspberries and used them in this trifle. I whipped lots of yellow Jersey
cream and crystalized some rose petals and lemon balm leaves to use as decoration. The final flourish had to be glitter of course. Edible gold leaf which I bought in a tiny vial.
Love,love,love trifle!