Yearly Archives

2016

Willow blossom and fedge update

(A fedge by the way is a cross between a fence and a hedge, in case you were wondering.) You may remember (though you probably don’t) that several years ago I had the dilemma about what to plant in the lower garden in order to provide some privacy quickly. If you want a quick catch-up, the post is HERE; and then please read on for an update…

Making a pineapple and walnut cake – a picture guide for beginners

These pictures were taken when I made my favourite cake to celebrate twelve years of this blog. The recipe is nothing particularly special or exciting, and now that the Great British Bake-off is such a hit, this is probably incredibly tame, but I thought I’d share it anyway. (At least I’m assuming that’s likely the case – I’ve never actually watched the show apart from one Children-in-need episode.) There’s a possibility you’ve never put pineapple or walnut together in a cake before, and now is your chance to be inspired! …

Vintage shopping at the Cheese & Grain in Frome, Somerset

Yes, I know I have already written about this fair last year, but it’s such a good one, that I think it deserves another! There were several new stalls this time, and as is the nature of vintage items, the stock on the Frome Vintage Bazaar regular stalls is always changing anyway so you’re guaranteed a plethora of different stuff to rummage in. In fact I was even more impressed this time around with the the quality of items on offer here and really would recommend this vintage fair if you’re in the area. I also took some lovely photos of some of the stalls, which I’m dying to share with you….

The story of the photographs – a walk along the Thames path to Oxford

Duck family I was recently lucky enough to have a little break at the Oxford Thames Hotel at Sandford-on-Thames. You’ve probably guessed by now which river I might be walking next to! With no path on the hotel side of the river, I had to back-track a little to cross the bridge at the lock at the Kings Arms where I saw the cutest tiniest little fluffy duckling with a Mummy and two Daddies looking after it! This really started off my walk in a good mood, and I stayed that way all the way to Oxford, even though it felt a lot longer than the three miles it was supposed to be….

Re-arranging the living room – phase one

I am beginning this post on the 25th March, though I am sure that by the time you are reading this, it will be several weeks later. Today, after talking about it very briefly last night, we suddenly decided to completely change the layout of the living room. It’s a pretty big rectangular room, so you wouldn’t think it would be too difficult to sort out; but with three doorways, a staircase and a fireplace, it proves a little tricky….

Oshun

Oshun – the story of my clothing brand, and the yellow dress inspired by Beyonce’s in Lemonade

I still have the notebook in which I brain-stormed possible names for my clothing business sixteen years ago! I was particularly interested in goddesses at that time and wrote several down, but the name Oshun resonated. When I found out more about her, she seemed perfect to name my brand after. She is a water goddess of love; a deity of the Yoruba people of West Africa and is associated with femininity, sensuality and the power of women. She has come into the news lately because there are rumours that Beyonce wore a dress in Lemonade which specifically represented her….

Jane Mucklow – the story of the photographer

This is my interview with Jane Mucklow – a Sevenoaks and West Kent based photographer who takes beautiful landscape and flower photographs which are great for brightening up your wall or giving as gifts. She also does corporate profile headshots and product and marketing commercial photography. So if you’re looking for some beautiful art for home, or need some pictures for your business, do go and check out her website. Here we talk about what it’s like to be a photographer and run a creative business, and she offers great advice for others who would like to do something similar: Please tell me an overview of your business – what do you do? I love to capture the beauty I see around me in our lovely local landscapes (or wherever I go), from big wide-angle views down to close-ups of flowers, and anything in between. If I can get flowers into a landscape I’m extra happy! We have lavender farms, poppy fields and lots of bluebells near here which are always an amazing colour. I sell my photos as prints, canvases, greetings cards and calendars, through my website and at local fairs and markets, as I love it when someone wants one of my images enough to hang a copy on their wall to enjoy everyday….

Birthday dinner at The Kingsdon Inn, nr Somerton, Somerset

It was my birthday! And what better way to celebrate than going out and have someone else cook for you. And clear away. Yeeees! I absolutely love eating out. It’s just such a pity that one meal out for the four of us costs about the same as our weekly shop from Tescos. But you see, (as I sometimes remember to remind myself) if you did it every day, it wouldn’t be special, would it? My lovely daughter, Rain did the research, and hunted out all restaurants within a reasonable distance that served Duck, being that duck is my favourite meal. The Kingsdon Inn came up as one of the top twenty restaurants in Somerset, and when my husband phoned to check food serving hours, it turned out you need to book well in advance if you want a table. We were lucky and got the second-to-last one; which is not what you’d expect for somewhere truly out in the sticks….

A day in out in Bath during Fashion Week

I don’t need much persuading to go to Bath – it’s a beautiful city and considering how close we are, I really should go more often. It’s the annoyingly slow and windy drive that puts me off I think. Anyway, considering clothing is one of my favourite things, I thought I’d go during Bath in Fashion Week. I chose one paid-for event, which was the talk with Livia Firth on sustainable fashion, and was pleased to see on the website that there were plenty of free things going on that day as well….

Monthly Memoir – April

April began with a trip back to my home town of Tonbridge in Kent to visit family. These little weekend trips always feel so rushed as we don’t see as much of them as we’d like to. My Mum kindly made us a delicious Easter cake and the kids exchanged eggs with their cousins. Our nieces and nephews always seem so much older when we see them after just a few months and it’s lovely to catch up on everyone’s news….

Where to go in the South-west for May Day weekend

I love the May day bank holiday. Ever since I read The Secret World of Polly Flint by Helen Cresswell when I was nine or something, I’ve had a magical feeling in my bones when May the first comes around. “A maypole in the month of May, is magical, or so they say!” And it’s a good time to go faerie spotting, though I’ve had no luck yet. I’ve also washed myself in the early morning dew (how very pagan of me) but whether or not it’s made me beautiful, well, I’m not really one to say! Here are a few ideas for events happening this weekend in the south-west of England. Some are quite famous, but hopefully there’s some you haven’t heard of before and would like to visit…

Sustainable Fashion – a talk with Livia Firth

If money weren’t an issue, I would have been up and down to Bath all through its Fashion Week, and despite entering every competition I could find, I did not win any tickets to the fashion shows. I did however buy a ticket to see this event with Livia Firth in conversation with fashion writer, Avril Groom. As you probably know, I make and sell clothes by recycling/repurposing/reclaiming/upcycling (insert favourite buzz-word here) unwanted fabrics with my clothing label Oshun, so sustainable fashion is something I am very interested in….