Last Monday in July

It was a wild and windy  yesterday, so I just did a short walk in the afternoon

The blackberries are starting to ripen.  I tried this one, and it was okay, but a little bit sour.

A black bug of some sort.

The tide was in and the waves were crashing against the shore.

Total walked: 2.3 miles

I made myself another face mask.  The only shop I am likely to go in is our local shop/post office, but I thought I'd make an extra mask so I have a couple of spare ones to put in the wash.  This has a space between layers to add a filter insert.

Otherwise it has been a fairly quite day.  No gardening as just a bit too miserable for me to venture out.  Not really raining, just dull and windy with dampness in the air.

4 mm of rain (3.5 of which was overnight)

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for the vegetables growing in my garden.  My first tomato and onion with dinner tonight, as well as the regular beans, chard, courgette and potatoes.

Thankful for my ability to sew and the flowers in my garden.

The second little top (that went missing yesterday) made for 'Mary' using my friend's pattern.  

This time the cap sleeve blouse.

Wednesday - Another Busy Day.

A lovely sunny day today.

I spent most of it in the front garden as I was waiting for the freezer delivery.

Butterflies on the climber.

As I had to be at the front of the house today I thought I would work on something I had been planning to do for quite some time now.  Three years ago I sanded down an old set of drawers, and was really pleased with the result it can be seen here: Furniture Restoration.

This little old bedside cabinet has seen better days.

The top is sanded.

I had to put paint/varnish stripper on the sides and front.  It looks a bit rough at the moment, but it will hopefully look good when I finish it.  It is currently still a work in progress.

Laundry ready for the freezer.  It was due between 1 and 5pm and arrived promptly at 1pm which was good.

In situ.

I want to get some shelves to go over the washing machine eventually.

This enabled me to go for a walk mid afternoon which was good.

The little church was open so I went in for a look around.  It has a lovely stained glass window.

There is a lovely view from the church garden.

I discovered the village pump.

While I was on my walk I spotted a set of drawers with a 'FREE' sign on them.  So I walked home and collected the car to go and pick it up.

It is quite sturdy, the drawers slide well and it will do us a turn.  I might be able to unpack some boxes!

A short walk today: 2.4 miles.

I also did some sewing this morning in between coats of paint stripper.

I was asked to try out a pattern a friend had drafted.

The short sleeve top fits well.  

I took the little rag doll outside for a couple of photos.

Thrifty Thursday.

So it came upon me today to make myself an apron.  I have one that I made a number of years ago that I use in the garden....it has big pockets in it which can carry all number of things, from secateurs to string for tying up plants or my phone if I want to know the mileage I do when working in it! ;)  .  I've got a few old tea towels, table clothes, napkins etc...so thought I would put some to good use.

I gathered some materials...

...and then some more and faffed around a bit until I decided exactly what I wanted.

Muriel got to work.

Finished!

A very simple apron that wraps around the waist, but does the job.

I'd like to have takem one of those stylistic photos where one is wearing a dress and standing on a stool or something equally fancy, but with not one to take the photo, and wearing shorts and an old jumper, well wasn't going to cut it anyway!

So I just laid it out on my bed.

Continuing my crafty theme for today,  I figured while waiting for a parcel to be collected and hopefully for the other to be delivered I would make something that I have been wanting to try for a while with some of the shells and drift wood I have been collecting.

I gathered the shells, driftwood and block of wood to drill into I set to work.

I only broke one drill in the process!

A finished hanging wotsit.  I of course discovered I actually had nowhere to hang it from apart from a random hook in the wall at the front of the house so that is where it is for now.

Finally, after almost two weeks my parcel arrived this afternoon, although the Hermes website claimed it was delivered this morning, which gave me cause for concern and not without considerable frustration at the complete inability to communicate with anyone!   I have now washed the jars and pots ready for a big jam making session tomorrow morning.

My vegetables are growing well, looking forward to having my first courgette in the not too distant future.

Despite the weather forecasting rain, it hasn't so I will have to water the garden again this evening as it is oh so dry.

The salad vegetables I sowed in the large planters on the deck are growing well!

The other day I bought a plant at a little garden gate stall near me - succulent and cacti that need re-potting.

I also picked up some free pots yesterday from another garden gate, including this porcelain pigeon.

I separated but of the plant and put three of the pieces into the pigeon.

Put the rest of it in the original pot with refreshed soil - unfortunately I don't have any proper cacti mix, so hopefully it will do for now.  This pot is damaged so I will have to re-pot it again anyway at some stage.

Put the cacti in another pot.  Hoping it will survive the previous neglect and my attempts to rescue!

This wooden box was also amongst the free pots I picked up, so planted a couple of the flowering seedlings I grew.  Some kind of marigold if I remember rightly. 

I also finished reading one of the books I got from my new 'Free Little Library' today so that will go back out tomorrow morning.

A very compelling read, the strength and courage of the couple the story centres around is incredible as is all the others who lived through this awful stage in our history.  These things should not be forgotten.  I do fear for our future though.