Photo Scavenger Hunt :: March 2021 #1 ... Signs of Spring

Hi there everyone 😃

I can’t quite believe it’s March already and will very soon be a full year before we hit our first lockdown ... who would have imagined the year we’ve had, though it does seem now that we really can see a tiny chunk of light at the end of the tunnel 🤞🤞🤞

A new month and it’s time for the next of Kate’s weekly photo scavenger hunt challenges for March over on I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

This week we can choose from either ‘signs of spring’ or ‘signs of autumn’.

Having had our first proper venture out into the garden last week I decided I would definitely opt for spring ... as I am beginning to get the sense now that it is most definitely in the air.

Whilst we have been treated to this beautiful and unexpected clump of crocuses ...
... one of the first signs of spring for us is what happens in our tiniest strip of garden border, amongst the concrete, out front.

We currently have snowdrops, tiny yellow daffs and the brightest splashes of colour from a variety of different coloured primulas ...


It's definitely time to get the jetwash out for one of the first gardening jobs of the year ... but I leave that one to Matin 😀

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There is definitely something in the air

Hi there everyone 😀

This last few days have been very strange for February ... in more ways than one. We’ve had three or four days in a row that have felt like summer ... warm temperatures, clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine.

Personally I seem to have become a bit dizty ... I have dropped my mobile phone and broken the screen and had to have it replaced twice in two days ... I know, crazy... in my defence this has never happened before in all the time I’ve had a mobile phone. I am now the proud owner of a smart new phone case complete with diamonds ...

As if that wasn’t enough, I bought myself a pair of flat boots ... I found out last week that heels are no longer an option for me as I just can’t walk in them any more ... anyway I got home and tried them on and I’d bought two different sizes!! So had to make a quick return trip to get a pair that matched. Whether or not I will be having a mass clear out of shoes remains to be seen.

On a more positive note we collected our first Freecycle acquisition yesterday ...

In addition to my madness there are plenty of signs of spring starting to make themselves known around the garden. First to put in an appearance as always are the hellebores ...

The primulas that we bought at a knock down price last spring have made their way into the borders and are giving us a fabulous show ...

... along with the snowdrops and the miniature daffs ...

We planted a load of iris and anemone bulbs around the potted fruit trees in the autumn and the irises have been lovely, though they are all but finished now ...

We are now just starting to see the anemones come into bloom ...

According to the packaging the irises and anemones should have seen us with flowers through till about June, but the weather and warm temperatures have obviously brought get them all out early.

The weather has certainly spurred us on to get out back and get a few more days of hard work under our belts in the garden.

We’ve done quite well so far this year. We had a couple of sessions out there very early on in the month where we replaced three out of four fence panels that we had waiting to go in ... along with gravel boards. We were quite proud we’d managed to fit them ourselves, though the last one is going to be a bit trickier.

We’ve done a bit of jet washing and a bit of painting ...

... and that tatty old trellis ...

... well, it's had a bit of a tart up and we've been able to make good use of it ...

It looks fab on the shed and will help try and keep the montana clematis tamed when it starts to sprout back, following a very severe short back and sides.

You will also notice that the Flying Scotsman has found a home ... as has The Yorkshireman ...

... after making their long trip up from Tintagel ...

It’s not just the last few days that have been unusually bright. We had a lovely day out at Clumber Park earlier in the month too ...

My 'hello spring' embroidery hoop has been waiting patiently to be finished off ready for displaying come March so I think that finishing that off may well be next on the agenda ...

... and I've just received all of the bits I need to get cracking on another spring baby blanket ...

There may be more wintry weather forecast around the corner but I think we are well and ready for spring to get into swing.

But first ... it's dad's birthday today, so we are taking him and mum out for a pancake lunch at our favourite creperie ... 

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Valentines at Clumber Park

Hi there everyone 😀

I really thought I was going to have to abandon this post. Yesterday I had a bit of a major techno fail and somehow managed to delete all of the photos I took at Clumber Park last week. I tried restoring them from the recycle bin and they disappeared from the bin but didn't appear in any of the folders on my PC ... disaster ... I was confounded 😖

After lots of Googling and nearly giving up I persevered 😣 and had one last shot at downloading some free recovery software and I finally managed to locate them on the original camera SD card ... This is my relieved face 😌

So, here we go with the post that almost never was ...

Whilst Martin has never been that big on Valentines’ ... though I did have the one bunch of flowers the first year we’d met and I even have the photo to prove it ... now that he is 'semi' retired we are lucky enough to usually be able to spend the day doing something nice together.

Last year we went out for a pancake lunch at our favourite creperie followed by a mooch round one of our favourite antique places. This year the weather forecast was bright so we decided to go a little bit further afield and give the bikes an almost spring airing.

We were heading for Clumber Park, a National Trust place that was new to me and an old favourite of Martin’s from back in the day ... when he used to live up that there North. We’d had a good look on line and printed off the details of a cycling route that we fancied having a go at.

Whilst there are over 20 miles worth of bike trails around the estate, we were planning on just doing the five mile ride around the lake, which we thought we should be able to manage, even with Martin's very dodgy ankle.

It was about an hour and a half drive through a mixture of heavy mist and bright sunshine and we were both keeping our fingers crossed for more of the latter.

The weather played ball and we arrived to bright sunshine and clear blue skies. We were given a map of all the bike trails as we checked in and were soon unloading the bikes and heading for our first stop which, as always, was the cafe for sustenance to help us on our way.

The place was heaving, with a massive queue ... the sunshine had obviously brought out the masses and we were glad when we’d finished our drinks and were on our way.

All of the cycle routes are really clearly signed and we knew that we needed to follow the numbered posts from 1 to 8. Our first marker was very easily found as we left the visitor facilities.

Our route took us over Clumber Bridge, which is currently scaffolded up and under repair but there were still some really good views looking right across the lake to the church ...

We followed the trail along the far side of the lake, past the cascade and up to the old ferry dock remains, where they were more fab views of the church across the lake ...

We were both fascinated by the patterns made in the bark of an old fallen tree ...

And managed to snap a couple of selfies in the sunshine ...

The cycle trail then takes you away from the lake through the parkland, up a bit of an incline, which we were both able to more than cope with ...

... before rejoining the top end of the lake. It was then over the dam ...

... and past the chuck wagon ...

... before heading away from the lake again to ride through Hardwick Village ...

... and past the war memorial ...

We then whizzed our way downhill back towards the lake to make our way across the causeway ...

The ride, or should I say the track, up through Ash Tree Woods was a bit of a killer and had us both resorting to pushing, before a welcome freewheel downhill back to where we started.

This time the cafe was a lot quieter and we sat outside and had lunch in the sunshine, which was a real treat for February.

After lunch we had a wander up past the church ...

... for a look at the walled gardens where we were both pretty impressed by the longest glass house in the country, over a quarter of a mile long ... it was beautiful ...

With seriously aching legs we had a quick look round the walled garden, which is huge, but with not that much going on at the moment ...

... though the views looking back at the glasshouse were pretty impressive ...

So with our first bike ride if the year and another National Trust visit under our belts it was time to load up and head for home.

It really is starting to feel like spring may just be around the corner 😀

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A Snow Day or A Sew Day

Hi there everyone

This weekend the weather forecast had predicted the return of a 'mini' Beast from the East.

We did have snow pretty much on and off all day on Saturday, but it didn't seem as though it would settle. I was keeping my fingers crossed that we wouldn't have a re-run of the weather we had a week or so ago as I'm off to London today to meet an old friend and I'm taking the train.

We have a big day out planned, exploring the Temple area of the city, which we've both really been looking forward to for ages. I'm really glad we haven't had to cancel. I'm sure I will be telling you all about it very soon.

As there was nothing planned for Saturday and Martin was having a lie in, having had to get up at 5.30am for work all last week, I decided I would have one final go at making some little birdie pincushions for my Summer craft stall.

I'd found this pattern on line and had already had a couple of attempts during the previous week, but neither had gone too successfully.

The first took me about two hours, lots of fiddling and unpicking and pulling my hair out ...
For two hours work it didn't seem worth it, he was sooooooo tiny (his eyes are the heads of pins, so you can see how small he is), his beak is upside down and I'm sure there was something not quite right in the pattern instructions.

Not to be deterred I had a second go. This time I scaled the pattern up by 40%, which was an event in itself as maths is most definitely not my strongest point.

I ended up with this guy, which is a far better size, though Martin said it looked more like a walrus than a bird. The same part of the pattern I didn't understand before still didn't make sense, but I'd gone my own way and it was kind of OK.

This time his beak is the right way up but, although they are as per the pattern instructions, I thought his wings would look better the other way up ... and his tail was far too short.

I had a play with the tail and he did instantly look better, though still quite 'fishy'.
So, with Martin in bed and the snow falling outside, I was ready for my last ditch attempt and cut out enough fabric to make five ... I was feeling optimistic.
Three hours later and I think I've cracked it ...
The beaks and the wings are all the right way up, the tails look in proportion, they do look quite like birds ...

... and I've even given them French knot eyes ...
I am considering attaching a fishing line loop to see what they will look like hanging up ... or flying, after all they are birds.

By the time I'd stopped for lunch and had a good tidy up it was gone 3.00pm, so not much of the day left. Just enough time to have a go at making this banana and sultana flapjack I've been meaning to have a go at.
So, a fairly productive day all in all 😊

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On Sunday we got up to a fair amount of snow, though it did seem to be thawing and no more was forecast.

I decided to have another crafty day and finish off the last of the crocheted sloths I seem to have been working on for ages.

I did manage to get him finished so all four are now ready to be shipped off to their new home ...

And that was pretty much my weekend really. No gardening, no housework, just lots of chilling out crafting ... perfect 😁

If you had snow wherever you are I hope it didn't spoil your plans. Surely that must be it now, we are definitely ready for Spring over here 🌷🌸🌹🌺🌻🌼

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