Blog Archives

Monthly Memoir – June

What a tricky month June has been in the world of politics. I think it is a real shame we left the EU, but just as I thought we might be ok, Michael Gove puts himself forward for the leadership. I think I would have to leave the country if that happens! Anyway, for me it’s been my busiest month of the year, as I was making cup carriers and bottle bags to be sold at Water Aid stands at Glastonbury Festival. I’m not entirely sure how my sewing machine coped, but in the end I delivered two hundred and seventy-five altogether….

Weekly Wardrobe – A pop of colour

This week’s theme at NotDressedAsLamb for #IwillWearWhatILike was a little easier for me to follow, as I do have a few items of brightly coloured clothing, though when it came to looking at my wardrobe(s), not as many as I thought. Last week was pretty uneventful for me, as I’ve still been sewing away at the Bottle Bags and Cup Carriers for Glastonbury Festival – it was quite a relief when I handed them all in a couple of days ago. So the clothing I’ve included in this post is not for any particular occasion….

Glastonbury Festival – the calm before the storm

Strictly speaking, it was after the storm as there literally was thunder and quite a lot of rain a couple of hours before we went into the Glastonbury Festival site yesterday evening, but luckily it stayed dry for the time we were there. (addendum: The day after this, there was a massive storm on Friday as well, so even though I meant the title metaphorically, referring to the festival, it actually turned out to be true to life!) I’ve been running Pilton Youth Club for a few years now, and the festival office kindly let us have a look around. I hope you don’t mind my blog being fairly Glastonbury Festival heavy at the moment! This is mainly a photography post….

Weekly Wardrobe

With a rare forecast of three days in a row without rain, I decided to set myself up with my sewing machine outside, where I can look up and see Glastonbury Festival being put together in the fields nearby. In a couple of weeks time, the cup carriers and bottle bags I’m making will be for sale there at Water Aid stalls. Anyway, my outfits this week were mainly based around comfort! The link-up with NotDressedAsLamb involved tote bags this week. Well, the only time I actually went out and needed a bag, was to choir, as I needed something that day to carry my folder of music….

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…

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….

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….

halloween short story

A Halloween Romance

November 5, 2011

Competition time again at our writers’ group. We were challenged to write a short story with a ghost/supernatural theme. This was my go… A Hallowe’en Romance It was a cold clear night as a witch, a devil and Frankenstein’s monster made their way down the High Street towards Susan. The witch’s head was far too big for her body and she parted her black wig in order to be able to see from the eye sockets. The monster’s cloak had inadvertently wrapped around the devil’s trident and it nearly tripped them both up. The trio whispered to each other as they approached Susan, and just when it looked like they were going to pass her, they suddenly turned, with their hands up in the air and yelled in her face. She’d been expecting something, but none-the-less it made her jump and she let out a little scream. As the kids ran off laughing, she called after them, ‘Your costumes are rubbish.’