birthdays

the weekend before the clocks go back is stephs birthday. this year we celebrated at our local pub with a few close friends. it was really nice to get this opportunity to go out in the evening, as with a little one to look after it is not always easy. i made steph this pen and ink drawing which now sits by the bed in the cheap frame i painted in with a farrow and ball tester pot i found in the shed.


i am really pleased with how it has turned out, as i used one of francisco's felt tip pens. i think maybe the time has come to get my own.

i also made this brightly coloured cushion cover to remind us of the warmth of summer as winter fast approaches.


ambika

snuggling in

well autumn is certainly here now. the days are getting shorter and the nights are colder. so we have gradually been spending more time inside. that and the fact that we are all a bit poorly with coughs and colds means that we haven't strayed too far from home this week or done anything too strenuous.

i got stan a paintbrush the other day, before that we were using hands, and spent a morning painting with water colours. i find that sometimes it's easier to do activities like this especially if you aren't feeling up to it. he loved rinsing the brush in between using each colour and how with the help of the water the paints merged into one another.


we are lucky to have lots of big windows in our home so this is where we display our artwork at the moment. the crayon drawing was done by my sisters little boy and is a nice reminder of when they came to visit. it's a picture of his mummy as a chicken! very sweet and funny. we had such a lovely time with them and i did a lot of catching up with my lovely little sis. it was great. i will post some more pictures of their visit soon.




sarada x

a long trip home

its been just lovely going away and seeing my family for nearly 2 whole weeks. we spent some much needed time catching up, had a friends wedding to attend and then francisco and i went to see my sisters new abode in brighton for a few days. as always though i somehow managed to be having such a great time that my camera got forgotten, and i have very few pictures to remember our time by. this is my sister and i at the wedding.




katy who was getting married is my oldest friend. she looked amazing and it was so lovely that at the reception her little boy patrick insisted on dressing up as a bumble bee. katy made this really cute outfit for him.


on the subject of bees, our mum has been keeping honey bees for a few years now. she produces the most amazing honey. whenever fransisco sees a bee he thinks it might be one of granny's which is lost. it is just lovely when he calls her up asking if she is missing one of hers.


my sisters new flat in brighton is perfect. it is located centrally and is right near a great woodland area and a lovely park. i was really inspired by the way she has thriftily furnished and decorated her place. nearly everything has come from freecycle. very environmentally friendly. and the mix and match of throws and pictures and odd little pieces of furniture make the place look so homely and warm. since i have been back in the cottage i have been inspired to clean and home make like never before. i have new eyes.


ambika

mix and match

recently i have found myself eyeing up sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers and even blankets whenever i enter a charity shop or go to a boot fair. bedding is so expensive, well the kind i would like anyway, and i love the idea of having an odd assortment of bedlinen to mix and match in any combination the mood takes me. so i've been collecting a few mismatched bits as i find them and getting rid of any that we currently have that i really don't like. the theme that seems to have evolved is of pinks and blues, but who knows what i might discover on one of my next thrifting escapades. it just gives me great pleasure to be surrounded by all these pretty colours and patterns.

(and there's little stan playing his favourite new game, pretending to be asleep, then jumping up a few seconds later exclaiming 'awake now!')

(i also bought this beautiful crocheted blanket at a recent boot sale for £2 i think. the woman told me that her mother had made it and that made me feel sad.)

sarada

back to the same old same new

we just spent a lovely relaxing week visiting the grandparents in suffolk. it was so nice to be able to catch up and share the days with stanley together. j's brother lives nearby with his two little people so it was nice to spend time with them too and of course stan loved his cousins. typically i forgot my camera, it was waiting on the table when we got home so i had to imagine the photographs i would have snapped for myself. i was very taken with the picture postcard image of a heather bush in a tin bucket on the wooden pale grey green garden table. such lovely colours. and a very pleasant spot to drink tea in the morning.


more pretty scenes awaited us on our return. our two tomato plants were full to bursting with fruit in various shades from green to red. apparently tomatoes should ideally be picked before the fruit turns red so that their juices stay sweet rather than watery. yesterday my little helper and i picked a bowlful to ripen in the kitchen. so tomato salads are on the menu for a few weeks. chopped up with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, a dash of olive oil and red wine vinegar. delicious. i think i counted 50 tomatoes in all!


the only other plant that has done well on our little balcony was the chilli, a modest handful of chillies that went straight into an omelette last night. hot but tasty.

it was a nice feeling when we arrived back to our (still new to us) home, looking at everything with fresh eyes and being appreciative of the larger space. even though we do miss the boat from time to time.


i also had time to finish a couple of gifts including one for a little girl who calls herself bubba. so sweet.


bondaweb, i really love it, recycled fabric and chain stitch. i had lots of fun making them.


now i just need to enjoy the declining days of sunshine before they disappear altogether. i'm just not quite ready to say hello to autumn. not just yet!

sarada

stopping and starting

i seem to be like the weather at the moment. sunny days full of energy and getting things done, playing well which makes happy faces all round, and more often rainy days when nothing seems to go to right and i barely have the inclination to get the mundane stuff done let alone any fun things for me or my little 'wild thing'. and whilst not doing any of this i have plenty of time it seems to fill my head with thoughts about my inadequacies and all those things i should be doing and all those things i really want to do but somehow just cant muster up the energy or time for.

yesterday was one of those do it all busy days. we made bread and with our blackberries that we picked on our walk the day before, jam and sorbet. i really recommend the sorbet it was delicious. i got the idea from the recipe here and substituted agave syrup for the sugar syrup.


and even better someone liked it a lot! the perfect new way to get fresh fruit into him!


then after all that i managed to finish off some projects i've been working on for a while. it was a rare productive and fun day but i would much prefer more stuff a little at a time more often. i am working on it.

one of the projects i finished is a doll that i made for stanley's friends birthday.

meet betty


i really enjoyed making her and although my pattern needs a bit of tweaking i was quite pleased with the results of my first doll.


she has lovely long legs and is made from recycled fabric.


here she is enjoying herself on the balcony. i was quite sad to see her go.

sarada

rainy days

every time i look out of the window the world is immersed in a grey wet foggy blanket. it has been very depressing and now that finally, after several weeks, the sun is shining, i have found the energy to write my post. sorry it has been so long coming. here are a few things we have been doing to pass the time....

we decorated eggs by wrapping them in cheap silks



then we made them into small parcels and boiled them for 10 minutes



let them cool in a sieve



and then unwrapped them



the dyes from the cheap silks ran into the egg shells making beautiful patterns. far too pretty to eat but i am not sure how long they'll last



our good friend lisa came to stay and together with the help of last weeks guardian magazine, some flour and water glue, and a little time, we produced this masterpiece. i'm not sure who enjoyed it more francisco or us



ambika