BACK BY DEMAND

nigella's strawberry meringue cake

from forever summer

this is becoming an annual bake for our visitors from ireland
+ was specially requested again this year

marian + louis are staying with us for the weekend then we are all heading off on holiday together to sardinia...for warmer days + much needed sunshine. so i'll not be posting for a little while but with lots to look forward to over the next week or so i shall return with tales + photos!

we are all off to my friend abi's cafe tomorrow night for her birthday party. games to be played + lots of scrumptious food will be scoffed. i made her this handbag + have an idea that i'll make a few more on my return as my poor etsy shop has been well + truly neglected of late : )

outside

+ inside

wishing everyone out there a great weekend!

until august...xxx

DANCING WITH KT

love love love it

NEW BEST BUTTON FRIEND

people can be so kind

i got talking to clifford... a regular at the post office
(an antiques ebayer)

we discussed a mutual love of kirsty allsopp
+ the joy of old buttons

so imagine my delight when he brought me this
cute tin full of oddments...how to make a girl happy!

(i started sorting through them + loving these glass ones)

SUNNY THURSDAY :: RAINY FRIDAY

more from my sketchbook...

day 4 at mannington hall
(in glorious sunshine)

day 5 at morston with boats of all shapes
(drawn from the car seat as the rain lashed down)

here's my mum taking a tea break
just before the storm clouds blew over!

+ a couple of boats ready for a re-paint
(but just wonderful as they are in their rusty-run-down state)

so that was the lovely week that was...how quickly it seemed to whizz by. me + my mum both feel pretty exhausted. just being out in the elements on a daily basis combined with the concentration needed to work left us feeling happily weary! thank you for all the sweet comments on the last few posts...it's been so nice to share it with you

ON THE ALLOTMENT

i'm pleased to report that day three has been a delight!

today we were in cley-next-the-sea...a favourite spot + even happier to be there in the sunshine! after a morning scout around the streets...both me + mum decided to settle down for the day at the village allotments. the 1st time i've been drawn to draw there (you know what i mean!) they just looked so beautiful this year...dahlias...sweet peas...vegetables of every description + lots of quirky sheds...which i worked on in my sketchbook...

we finished the day with a little review of the group's work. it is so lovely to see the collection of pieces set side by side...today it was well + truly apparent that everyone had been very content in the environment. i guess it just shows when you are comfortable in + inspired by what surrounds you. icing on the cake? a takeaway cup of earl grey tea + sharing a slice of cherry coconut slice from the local food shop...feeling weathered + pleased with what we got up to!

back soon with a few more notes...xxx

NORFOLK ART WEEK

greetings from norfolk!

(i'm here at my parent's house + enjoying the start to a week of art)

i'm a day late with my art week report as i forgot my blogger password...i tried every variation i could think of but without success...luckily my hubby has come to my rescue with a reminder...thanks c!

me + my mum make this an annual event...this is my 5th or maybe 6th year (?) of coming here for a landscape art course. so far so good. we had a dry monday + half a dry tuesday! today the heaven's opened after our picnic lunch + we got drenched. this funny weather calls for some creative thinking as to where/what to sketch...we've worked in the car with windscreen wipers going in the past!

each day see's a new location + new subjects to inspire

monday was spent at salthouse...a small village along the coastal road. it has a lovely church with higgledy piggledy gravestones + an abundance of hollyhocks growing here there + everywhere. my choice? would you believe that i settled down to sketch the post office : ) of all things!

today (tuesday) we've been at felbrigg house just outside of cromer. i had a very nice morning in the company of the most amazing trees (thinking of julie) but the afternoon turned stormy so we headed back with a bit of homework...helped along by the cats. winston was too exhausted to do much more than snooze amongst my pencil crayons! there are 4 cats sharing my parent's home...they'll all get a blog introduction soon.

off to bed now...

CATS SLEEP ANYWHERE

friends to stay for the weekend

new cushions finished for the sofa

making up the spare bed...

...turning my back for a minute

+ he's found another place to get cosy!

THE ROAD HOME

red sky at night
just caught on my way home

sounds silly
but it's the kind of thing
i thought i'd like to share with my blog friends

OUTSIDE INSIDE

a july day?

funny weather around our part of the world
a.m. blue skies + sunshine...p.m. hailstones!

in the garden

a delicate sweet pea that smells like a dream
+
tall frilly hollyhocks

so i'm lucky to have an outside flower inside

a rose cut today to keep on my desk
"the generous gardener"

truly beautiful

happy monday!

A SPOT OF SUN + A LOT OF FRIENDSHIP

we just spent some lovely time with our beautiful friend abi

i want to say my friend because i found her 1st a long time ago...
...but i'm happy to share her with c because he loves her too
(which fills me with joy)

we got to stay at her place (thanks for giving up your bed sweetpea)
eating tapas on saturday evening + drinking wine + cheeky cocktails
(waking up a little worse for wear the next morning)
but making it all better
with a private breakfast for 3 in her cafe downstairs

we all spent a sunny sunday wandering around stamford where abi + me used to live many moons ago...having an impromptu picnic on the meadows after we picked up some goodies at the continental market. how come food eaten out in the sunshine tastes even better?

much chatting + strolling was done...spotting old doors + buildings that we probably never noticed or at least never appreciated in our schooldays. a little reminiscing + a lot of laughter...pledging to see each other more often...here's the photo roll...

so i've returned home feeling full to the brim with friendship...a very welcome state of mind after being a bit under the weather last week. gearing up for a fresh monday tomorrow...xxx