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

PEA SUPER

this is what i've been up to on my day off work
(a spot of furniture-tarting-up)
in dulux eggshell shade willow creek 2

as i was happily painting away i was thinking of how my love of colour has grown all the more since i started this blog. i've been hugely inspired by other people's use of colour...see here + here + here...plus i've really immersed myself in it as a subject on several occasions e.g. joining in julie's colour week and marta's mellow + yellow swap.

looking back i think i always surrounded myself with/wore/used some colour day to day...steering clear of darker shades + black...but recently i'm embracing colour all the more...it lifts my mood no end. when we moved into our house the walls pretty much all got painted white (along with a lot of bits of furniture too which became a bit of a joke to my husband) but slowly there's been an injection of colour into each room. there's still a whole lot more i'd like to do but i'm glad i held back + waited for each corner to speak out as to what shade it needed to be. hope everyone's having a good week...the sunshine has been peeking out today here : )

FRENCH FANCIES

hello from a chilly england

(where has our summer gone?!)

a full day working at the post office for me
a quiet shift without many customers
+ time to dream of lovely things

france on my mind for some reason...
looking forward to watching this film
...making a mental note to take my mum out
to eat la duree macaroons sometime soon
...how i love these childrens clothes so
+ remembering alodie day's blog that i stumbled on recently
(such a beautiful name)

wishing it would get a little sunnier...bosco in the flower bed

WHEN A TABLECLOTH BECOMES A SKIRT

whilst i haven't been blogging much of late...
...i have been faithfull to my sewing machine!

a couple of new summer skirts now reside in my wardrobe

the green one above brings me a feeling of joy because i love the colour + print + can i tell you a secret? it used to be a habitat tablecloth! i had the pleasure of happening upon it in the window of a local charity/thrift shop...i popped straight in to find out what it was + delighted in discovering to see it was a nice big bit of fabric with 6 napkins all for a few pounds. i'm wondering now as i sport it around town if some local person does a double take when they see what their tablecloth turned into?!

this next one reminds me of manda at treefall...maybe because of the colour combination. it's a linen mix...i know it'll be crumply which i do rather like + i'm hoping i can wear it next weekend for a certain garden party that we're going to at my grandparent's house. there's going to be some croquet playing + some trifle eating + somehow this skirt seems to speak summer garden party to me...am i loony or do clothes speak to you too? i made both skirts from a trusty pattern which i know i'll use + re-use until the day it falls to pieces or i've eaten way too much trifle whereupon i shall incorporate an elasticated waistband into the design!

+ on the subject of clothes
...have you seen the adorable tops at tulip and nettle?
this one + this one are particular favourites of mine right now

2 posts in 2 days? i'm feeling back in the groove : )
hope everyone's weeks are off to a good start
+ thanks for welcoming me back with open arms

xxx

HELLO AGAIN

...so it's been a while
+ somehow the longer i stayed away
...the harder it seemed to come back

days rolled by
+ i felt slightly tentative about sitting down to write something
becoming happy just to take in what everyone else was up to on the blogging network

may i make a confession?
i've also 2timed my blog by getting wrapped up in facebook!

but this evening i felt like i wanted to say hello again!
with a little bit of a summer makeover
(even though the rain's drizzling down here)

i'm looking forward to making a regular date with my blog again
tomorrow + all this week for some fresh posts
(putting the love back into our relationship!)

THREE

three years ago today ciaran + me got married

a hot hot hot sunny day in norfolk surrounded by our loved ones
(the first time our parents met each other!)

i felt so wonderfully happy
(i still do)

weddings on my mind lately...my lovely friend lynsey just got engaged
(talking about dresses...invitations...flowers with her...bliss!)

enjoying a catch up with favourite blogs...
this beautiful day caught my eye...this one made me laugh
...i noticed that little special + ali have been celebrating too
+ janet is about to (when she's finished sewing 200m of bunting!)