That Friday Feeling

I love Fridays. After twenty-odd years of working Fridays it is now my day. O.K I do need to go supermarket shopping and there is usually some ironing that needs attending to but it still feels as though I begin the weekend a day early. It is also the day when I can have an hour to myself browsing the local shops and today the charity shops came up trumps. This was the scene on my dining table five minutes after I arrived home this morning.


And this is how they all looked after a wash and scrub up.



Best of all the whole lot came to less than £4.50. The bargain of the day has to be the plate which came in at an astounding 99p and I adore anything decorated with violets or pansies. I feel pretty pleased with myself I can tell you!

Just to finish the day off and complete my feeling of elation, this little beauty dropped onto my doormat at lunctime.

All I need now is a bar of Green & Blacks white chocolate and my joy is complete.

Someone turn off the taps

That's it I give up! All the way through this dreadful summer I've remained optimistic and told myself that the weather really can't get any worse and it really won't prevent me from doing what I want . Well today it has. I can't even be bothered to walk into town to buy a new copy of Country Homes (my one weakness). Instead the doors and windows remain firmly shut and sod the calories the Duchy Originals are coming out of the cupboard. This week the rain has really got to me and I'm beginning to resent the sight of my waterproof jacket.(I'm really losing the plot now). This morning will be spent talking to you lovely ladies and keeping myself cosy with tea and biscuits. I promise I'll stop moaning now. By the way, I have to thank Lisa at Knitty, Vintage and Rosy for sending me the luscious glossy magazine in the photo. I shall really enjoy luxuriating in its elegant interiors.

At the risk of boring everyone I do have some more photos of Cornwall. I really would like to show you Trevarno Gardens. If you are ever near Helston they are well worth a visit. They are not overly large and a leisurely walk around them doesn't make you feel like you've been on an outward bound course.





Once you have wandered around the gardens you can relax in beautiful conservatory tea rooms where they serve locally produced food.

And if you have the energy after a huge cream tea then you really must visit the soap museum and the National Museum of Gardening housed on the site. The museum is full of wonderful adverstiisng signs



tools and flowerpots


and other gardening memorabillia.




Organic beauty products are also produced and on sale there, so there really is a lot of interest for your visit.

I hope your day isn't too windy and rainy. If it is, keep warm and cosy and pray for some sunshine.

All Roads Lead to Gweek!

Well, despite the weather we still enjoyed our holiday in Cornwall. Actually, it could have been worse - we might have gone on holiday this week instead! We took so many photographs that I can't possibly put them all into one post and so I'm going to have to spread them out over a couple instead. Our favourite piece of Cornwall is the Lizard Peninsular, a mixture of soft green countryside and gentle creeks contrasting with the rugged cliffs and dramatic Atlantic with its busy shipping lanes into Falmouth. As soon as I reach our little coastal village all my worries are just lifted away as I sit on its pebbly beach and watch the blinking light of St Anthony's Head lighthouse keeping the container ships and little sailing boats safe from the clutches of The Manacles and other treacherous rocks lurking beneath the surface of the sea. This is the little lane where I begin to forget all my little troubles.



And as we reach the bottom of the lane this is the view that greets us every year.



Then it's up the hill to our home for the week.

We've been here so many times now that the owners greet us like old friends and Rob and Josh sometimes accompany Steve on fishing trips out of Helford into the bay. Below are a few more pictures of the village taken throughout the week.




The Cornish also have a new highly technical method of weather forecasting.

I'll post some more holiday pictures later. I've been a very lucky lady this week. Jayne at Country Cottage Chic and Deb at This Vintage life have both given me this award.


They both have gorgeous blogs, so please give them a visit if you haven't already. I now have to pass the award on to 7 other gorgeous blogs. It is very difficult to choose and I love all of them for different reason - one was probably the first blog I read, others such as Louise have been very supportive of a new blogger with positive comments and a couple more are new blogs to me but have grabbed my attention.

Attic24
Curlew Country
Juicy Fig
Louise@homeiswheretheheartis
Pipany
Saucerful of Secrets
Shropshire Girl

These are the rules if you want to play ladies. I won't be offended if you don't!

1.Add the logo to your blog
2.Link to the person you gave you the award.
3.Pass on the award to least another 7 blogs.
4.Link to those blogs from your site.
5. Lastly, leave a message for the people you have nominated for the award.

By the way - we didn't actually stay in Gweek. It's just that every signppost you see says Gweek two and three quarter miles even though you might have travelled ten miles along the lanes from the last signpost.

Mine at last!

More than two weeks into the school holidays and I can claim the computer as mine for an hour or so whilst Josh is out with friends. He has spent a lot of time out of the house playing but when he's home - I just can't get near the computer. Usually, I sneak onto my account for a few minutes when he's on his mobile or a friend has appeared at the door. He took a photograph for his MSN account today and will be really mad if he finds out that I've published it on the blog - but here goes.


After twelve months at 'big' school he has changed dramatically. He no longer likes to buy his clothes from Next but prefers a Slipknot or Kurt Cobain t-shirt, his haircut is very grown-up and in another year will certainly be as tall as I am. He is as gorgeous as ever but I do miss the days when he used to toddle around the garden with his bubble blowing lawn mower! We haven't been out and about much in the past couple of weeks and this next week will be busy preparing for our trip to the Lizard but I can show you some photographs of Much Wenlock. Small but perfectly formed it is one of my very favourite places with its mixture of architecture and its village atmosphere.


This is my very favourite shop Wenlock Books. I like it best on a winter afternoon when you can wander in from the cold into its warmth and glorious comfort. The owner is quite happy for you to settle yourself down in a chair to browse the stock at your leisure. Upstairs are the secondhand books and a small but eclectic selection of CDs, a gorgeous oak table where you can sit and read the newspapers provided or enjoy a warming cup of tea and cake.

It's always tempting to linger and spend money here but there is also the lovely Ippikin just across the road.

Ippikin sells knitting yarns and items that have already been knitted and made up, such as bags, jackets and the funkiest tea cosies that you have ever seen.

Here are a few more images of shops and houses in Wenlock. Hope you enjoy them!




Finally, I have to say a big thank you to Steph at Curlew Country and to Sue at Vintage to Victorian for giving me my first blogging awards. Thank you both so much ladies - I now put them on my blog with great pride.

Blankets & a Recipe

A couple of months ago, Lucy at Attic24 blogged about the festival blankets that she found in her local Oxfam shop and I was smitten! Apparently, they are knitted from donated wool and sold by Oxfam at festivals such as Glastonbury. I don't remember them from my days at Reading and Donnington but that was in nineteen hundred and frozen to death. Well, after seeing Lucy's blankets I felt I just had to have some (you know that feeling don't you?) and ever since I've been popping into our local Oxfam store once or twice a week with absolutely no luck at all. I was beginning to think I was never going to see them and was planning to hit all the Oxfam shops in Cornwall next month! Then eureka! Last week I actually found some. I must say that I was quite relieved because I'm sure that the old dears at the till thought they had some shoplifter lurking behind their shelves up to no good!

I couldn't believe my luck and of course I couldn't walk away with just one. I had to get two because I know that Josh, almost in Year 8 now at school loves a blanket to keep cosy in. I did think that perhaps the other one would be used to leave in the car for picnics and days out - no chance - it has stayed firmly in my bedroom and goes around my shoulders when I'm reading in bed.

Josh wraps his around him in the cool evenings whilst he's on the Playstation or computer and insists that it lives, folded at the bottom of his bed. Rob doesn't quite understand it but leaves us to indulge our funny little ways. I'm sure he'll want one for the winter when we can no longer afford to run the central heating LOL.


Thank you Lucy for bringing them to our attention.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I'd made lemon curd in the microwave. A few people have asked for the recipe and I've finally thought about writing it up for you. Sorry ladies! It is very quick and makes roughly 2lb.
Ingredients
finely grated rind and juice of 4 large lemons
4 eggs, beaten
8oz caster sugar
4oz butter, diced

Method

Put the lemon rind into a large heatproof bowl. MIx the juice with the eggs and strain into the bowl. Stir in the sugar, then add the butter.

Cook on high for 5-6 minutes or until the curd is thick, whisking well every minute.

Continue whisking until the mixture is cool. It will thicken as it cools. Our into hot sterilized jars. Store in the fridge for upto 2-3 weeks.

Times are based on a 650 watt microwave so you may need to adjust those. As long as you stir every minute you won't go wrong! It's great as a filling in sponge cakes or as a flavouring in ice-cream. Or you can do as my friend does and eat it straight from the jar!

Pocket Money Buys and Giveaway Result

Saturday meant another trip to Bishops Castle to collect the clock we had left there for repair a couple of months ago. It wasn't good news as the clock continues to stop for no good reason. We know that it would be easy enough to buy a new clock but this one belonged to Rob's Gran and he would be incredibly sad to see it replaced. We still had to dodge showers although I'm sure the weather forecast had said otherwise. But we did manage a picnic and as usual I managed to spend some money, both in Bishops Castle and Church Stretton. I found the picture in Bishops Castle and am planning to use it in the lounge when it is redecorated later in the year. I found the two spotty mugs in Church Stretton. (We have a bit of a thing for spots going on in this house.)



Church Stretton also has a large antiques centre with prices to suit all pockets. It was there that I found these glasses. They are repro but only cost £6 for all six which I think is very reasonable. I'm sure that they'll get lots of use throughtout the year but thought they might be quite nice to use for mulled wine at Chistmas.

It's also time to announce the winner of the Cath Kidston bag. I put all names together and just drew one out. And the winner is - Lisa at Knitty, Vintage and Rosy. I'll be in touch for your details Lisa and get the bag in the post to you by the end of the week. I'm sorry I can't give all you lovely ladies one of these bags, I know how difficult they have been to get. To be honest I'm a bit put out because I haven't been able to find a floral one to keep for myself!

Cath Kidston Giveaway

I'm not caught up in the whole Cath Kidston thing but I am quite taken with these bags she has produced in conjunction with Tesco. They are made from recycled plastic bottles and profits from their sale go to Marie Curie Cancer Care. I believe that some branches are selling out fast so I've decided to give one bag away. If you would like this blue spotted bag for yourself then please leave a comment on this post by midnight on Sunday 13th July. I'll draw a name and announce the winner next week. Good Luck!