Angel Display

 I'm not one for doing a lot of housework but when I do it tends to be frantic with lots of furniture moving.  I also like to put the timer on so that I only do a specific amount and because I'm working against the clock I get a lot more done.

This was the result of just one of those times.  I cleared the whole of the lounge and then rather than put everything back I decided to make a little display of my angel collection, or a few of them at least. 
I banged a nail in the wall and hung a cute angel picture and then picked a few garden flowers to finish things in style.
The wooden stool was made by my Dad about fifty years ago and was given to me by my Mum after he died.
I really like the end result.  It gives the space a tranquil atmosphere.

Flowers from my garden

Wind in the Willows - Burnby Hall Gardens

 I told you we had booked to go and see Wind in the Willows at Burnby Hall Gardens and that was what we did last Friday afternoon.  The weather was scorching and we had a tasty picnic in the grounds before the play started.

This was staged by the Chapter House Theatre Company and it was magical.  Lots of people attended and I have never seen so many children totally mesmerised.  The actors even came out at half time and played games with the kids.

Mole and Toad

 The characters were so funny and well played.  Toad was hilarious and had based his character on Michael McIntyre.  I don't know whether this was intentional but it was just amazing.

Ratty and Toad

Otter and Weasel

 The lady who played Otter carried a hand puppet all the time and even that had a personality all of its own.  She also played the Stoat to perfection.

Ratty and Mole

 Ratty was played by a girl which was inspired as was Mole.  They were just so likable and the kids fell in love with them all.

The Weasel was a real spiv, ducking and diving, and this chap was very busy changing in to a French Rat not to mention other characters as the story unfolded.
At the end the players came out and sat at the front of the stage so the children and adults could chat to them.  I heard one little girl telling Mole that she liked digging too.  How cute was that?
If you get the chance to see this or any of the many productions they have running this year snap up the tickets.  They are truly professional and brilliant.

Eastfield Farm, Tickhill, Doncaster - Second Visit - 2013

We had planned to visit Eastfield Farm last week but I was laid low with a kidney infection so off we trotted yesterday.

It was very busy and the weather was lovely even though it did seem to be threatening to spoil itself.
We bought loads of fruit and vegetables which were all reasonably priced and the staff in the veg shed were as curtious and helpful as ever.

The highlight of our visit was the tearoom.  It is so pretty and light and the two girls serving were so friendly.
They even recognised me from my blog which made me feel so happy.  It was great to know that people actually appreciate my blog and I have had loads of people visit following their facebook link.

Mum and I both had the lemon cake which was to die for.  It had been made by the girl's Mum and owner of the farm, Judy, that morning and tasted heavenly.

Thank you for a wonderful visit.  I'm hoping to get at least one more time before the farm closes for the season and will take hubby next time.

Brodsworth Hall, Doncaster

As the weather was so beautiful last Sunday, we had a quick trip out to Brodsworth Hall.  This is just down the motorway for us and about a ten minute drive, so very handy indeed.

The gardens are beautiful at this time of the year but unfortunately you are now forced to pay to go in the house even if you don't want to.  It costs just over nine pounds to get in and I expect that we won't be going again in the near future.  It is outrageous that you can't just pay to go round the gardens.  The point is, if you live locally and you've already seen inside the house, why would you want to go in it over and over again?
Cusworth Hall is a stones throw away and that is free to go in so I reckon Brodsworth will do themselves a lot of damage.

OK rant over.  The gardens are very structured and look almost Mediterranean.  I'm sure they must have looked like this when the house was built and as you walk round you are transported back in time.

Steps lead down into a fern garden which has taken several years to construct but is well worth the time and effort.

The Target House - Where archery took place

The rose garden had some gorgeously fragranced specimens although a bit of dead heading was required.

The little church at the edge of the gardens was open for afternoon tea and although we had already eaten lunch in the restaurant we couldn't resist a nice cup of tea and a scone with jam and cream.  At 50p a cup who could blame us? We sat in the cool church and soaked up the atmosphere.
We spent a smashing afternoon strolling round and went home feeling completely refreshed.

Pretty Button Napkins

This is the first time that I've used someone elses picture on my blog but I just loved the simplicity of this idea and the fact that if you can use a needle you would be able to sew a little stem and a couple of leaves, add a button and have something pretty and totally unique.
It wouldn't have to be on a napkin either.  With a little imagination you could transform absolutely anything.
I don't know who the original blogger was but I found the picture on Victoria' Vintage blog. 

Despicable Me Minion Plushie

We haven't managed to find time to see the second Despicable Me yet but my son very kindly steered me towards this Blog where he had found a cute little felt handmade Minion pattern together with a tutorial.

I traced the pattern off the screen and I think it turned out really well.  Joe hasn't seen it yet as I finished it late last night.  No doubt it will take pride of place on his desk at work today and who knows it might get a viewing on Facebook too.

Burnby Manor Gardens

Oh dear this is becoming a bit of a habit.
As I've said before, we do seem to go through phases and sapping up as much fresh air as possible seems to be the order of the day.
When we decide to go out for the day we try not to make it such a long haul so that Steve doesn't get too tired driving.  This being the case we tend to visit tried and tested destinations and thus Burnby Manor Gardens are receiving our undivided attention at the moment.

The lilies were in full flower this time and as always looked spectacular.

The bedding plants were so pretty.

It was extremely hot so we sought sanctuary in the woodland garden ....

and said hello to the fairies.

The Monet Garden

We'll be going back again in a week or two to watch Wind in the Willows played out in the gardens.  Lets hope the weather holds out or it could be a soggy affair.

Tolethorpe Hall - Open Air Theatre, Little Casterton, Stamford

We've visited the open air theatre several times now.  It has a wonderful atmosphere, particularly when the when was as beautiful as it was on Thursday evening.

We set off straight from work and before the show started had a lovely sat on a blanket in the grounds.  Lots of others had the same idea.

The play was Dad's Army and it was excellent.

There was even a parachutist dangling from one of the trees.

This was the office and church scenery.
There were lots of bangs and explosions and plenty of laughs.

Such fun!

Crochet Hook Pouch

This is a little bit of a cheat but I thought I would show you a lovely crochet hook pouch my friend Emma brought to my Knit and Natter group last night.

She is an avid crocheter not having mastered the art of knitting yet.

She bought this gorgeous hook holder from a recent craft fair for the tiny sum of £2.00.  She did admit to a bit of end of the day bartering and I suspect that the lady crafter in question didn't stand a chance.

I intend having a go at making one myself at some time in the dim and distant future so watch this space.

Horncastle, Lincolnshire Festival

I'm a bit late sharing this with you but with one thing or another time has just slipped by.
Last week after doing my stall we set off for Horncastle to see the Light Festival which was being held as part of the Lincolnshire Festival.

The Admiral Rodney Hotel

We booked in at a Best Western hotel in Horncastle which as you can see was very impressive, and had a few drinks whilst we waited for it to go dark.
Outside village was illuminated and looked enchanted. Every building was lit with colourful lights.

All the shops were lit up from within.  This was an antique shop which stayed open until very late.

The main attraction was a depiction of the voyage of the Endeavour with the famous botanist George Banks who lived at Horncastle.  This was projected on the side wall of one of the buildings in the village.
The film had been made by the same people who did the projections on Buckingham Palace during in the Jubilee celebrations and at the Olympics.

I took a video of the film and will pop this on when I work out how to do it.

As you can see, the evening was really magical and well worth a visit.

Craft Catch Up

Phew it seems like ages since I last chatted.  The reason for this is Pinterest.  I stumbled upon this site by chance but recently registered and my photographs can now be shared and pinned on other people's boards through Pinterest.
The down side to all this is that I get drawn in and by the time I've had a quick trawl around the site, it is time to go to work or go home and I run out of time to blog. The pictures and craft ideas are fantastic and I would recommend you have a browse when you have a spare hour or so.
Anyway excuses out of the way, I thought I'd bring you up to date with a couple of crafty projects I've been doing over the past few days, these are ideas I have found on Pinterest of course so here goes.

 I've been wanting to make some button jewellry for absolutely ages but didn't have any buttons I would choose to wear.  However on a recent visit to Horncastle I discovered a little fabric shop and was able to buy a couple of mixed button bags.  They are lovely and lend themselves to this kind of thing very nicely.

I've also started making clay handles for my crochet hooks.  This was also an idea I found on the Internet by accident and thought, what a good idea.

The clay is rolled in to a sausage and the hook then gets pushed inside and moulded to a pleasing shape.  It is then baked on a low heat for about 20 minutes.  I then made canes of different coloured clay which I cut in to slices and pressed on to the sides of the handle, like this.

Once all the handle is covered in little circles all you do is roll it to join the bits together.  Make sure you don't work it too much or you end up with a saggy bag rather than a smooth covering which stays stuck to the main section.  Once you have it as you want it, finish off with a little collar and bake again for another 15 - 20 minutes.

Be careful if using Fimo as the colours change if the heat is too intense. This one started as a lovely pastel yellow.

The handles feel warm to the touch and make crocheting much more comfortable, particularly if like me you suffer with neck trouble.