Reasons to be cheerful

So much of our time this year has been spent in the garden and so much of our pleasure has derived from the produce. Dahlias and zinnias grown from seed.

Ditto sweet peas. Here are the seeds for next year.

They've been spectacular and so prolific this year. Even now, they keep coming.

This is a new little project. It's called a happy jar. When something nice happens, you write it on a piece of paper and stick it in the jar. Whenever you feel a bit down, you open the jar and look through some of the good things which have happened. Or you could start in January and then review the year in December. 

My first entry. Cutting a courgette from the garden and putting it straight into the pot. Yes, that made me happy.

A country walk resulted in a surprise haul of brambles. We added some apples from our tree to make the most delicious crumble. Growing things. Food. Basic stuff, but feels so good.

What are the simple things that make you happy?

Get blogging, you!

That's what Vix said to me yesterday. Sometimes you just need a kick up the wotsit, don't you? So, here I am.

Behind the radio silence, there has been activity.

An afternoon at the emergency doctor's. Amidst the frontline germ warfare an elderly couple ate sandwiches and drank coffee from a flask. Gave a whole new meaning to health tourism. Imagine their surprise when a doctor called out their name. A small child created a lake of vomit on the floor. The doctor shouted out 'Harley Davidson' and off he went, little pukey-chops.

But also the perfect antidote. A day out with my mum and sis to an idyllic buddhist garden.

Chinese lanterns everywhere. The garden opens on certain evenings during the summer and the lanterns are all lit.

The garden has the loveliest feeling of serenity. My sis said it was perfect. I think she might be right.

The monk who owns this property bought a field and then set about creating an authentic Japanese garden himself. To this day, in his 70s he is still the main force behind things. It was he who was making tea and scones in the little cafe.

A lake with koi carp, shaped trees, bridges, bamboo, pagodas. All the traditional elements are there.

I love this topiary leylandii

I love going and visiting other gardens to get inspiration for ours. This one taught me that it's possible to make structure interesting. It's a good lesson.

Other than that, there has been socialising. The first of a series of 50th birthday parties, a day trip to an antiques fair (to follow), a weekend in Somerset to catch up with family and friends and a GNO with the girls from Uni. Next up there's a wedding in the Yorkshire dales. Busy, busy, busy!

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Pooch alert!

Warning: you may want to kill me by the end of this post. 

But look at that face! How could anyone resist? We spent a glorious few days looking after this little pooch down in South Wales. 

She's only tiny: her against a pigeon would be a fair fight, but she knows what she wants. And what she wants is to play with you, and to snuggle up to you. 

Asking to come up on the sofa. The bluest hydrangeas

Rhossili bay. Winston Churchill impression

Still asking to get up on the sofa. Mint ice cream.

The lesser spotted man of the house. Pooch has had enough of walking.

Holed up in the old man tree waiting for the thunder and rain to pass

A city of two tales

A chance invitation to house-sit this last week, meant I was in town for the latest bloggy get together yesterday. Which town you say?

It's Cardiff, capital of Welsh Wales!

The first tale is of a get together with some lovely bloggers: Vix, Dee and Em. What a stunning group of women!

I have met Vix before; the friendliest blogger in the known universe, but sweet gentle Dee with her gorgeous red hair and big eyes, and beautiful Em with her lovely manner and gracious hostess skills are new to me. A few hours in, fuelled by killer strength mojitos, we were laughing like navvies.

Here's the way it goes: various bloggers turn up dressed to kill. First task is to find a reviving coffee after the journey. Then there's some serious shopping interspersed with sightseeing. Next comes lunch, always in Wetherspoons, usually washed down by jugfuls of cocktails, often involving social intercourse with pensioners. That takes a while and involves photographs. After that it all goes a bit woozy until we suddenly realise our train is due. At some point we open gifts!

It's a patented formula, and very successful it is too. Any bloggers wishing to establish a franchise are very welcome. Your only obligation is to have fun!

A book set in Africa and 1960s pattern from Vix and a couple of funky brooches from Em. 

Wetherspoons, where the smiles get wider! :D

Miss Taunton, Miss Winchester and Miss Walsall. No competition, they were the best in show.

Vix just managed to save herself from a slovenly hair moment there. If there is one thing that we learned in Cardiff it is that 'slovenly hair can ruin all your chances'.

I advise you to take heed.

There's a lot to see in Cardiff. There's a giant panda roaming on some cafe tables, fine architecture which would not be out of place in Venice, a tribute to the late great Aneurin Bevan, founder of the NHS and a castle. Which is where the second tale begins.

The traditional owner and resident of the castle on the right here, was the Marquess of Bute.

A resident on the street on the left, St Mary Street, was my four times great grandfather, the imaginatively named Mark Marks. Marks and the Marquess of Bute were well known to one another, and in 1841 the Marquess presented a plot of land to him.

In the 1861 census, my relative can be found residing at 34 St Mary Street, which is today the Cardiff Oxfam Boutique. WHICH WE VISITED!!! I didn't know at the time that this was great great great great grandpappy's residence or I would have been squeaking in excitement, just as I am now.

Have you ever done any family history? I recommend it, it can be quite amazing what you discover. It can lend general history a fascinating new perspective. If you have, have you found out anything interesting? Any characters in your clan?

Hellfire and all the saints

It's hotter than hell here at the moment. I've given up trying to do anything. Opened all the windows, closed all the curtains and blinds and stripped naked.

I'll spare you that particular selfie...

Some great news on the home front. The Wardrobes are underway. After months of no-shows by workmen various, I poked the man with my elbow and said, 'right, you're doing them'.

They are nowhere near finished and I will have to take it all out again, but as soon as he downed tools on Sunday evening, I was in there tidying and styling. It's been three years since I've been able to hang anything up. I realise I probably top some saddo list, but I don't care. I'm delighted.

From hell to heaven.

We went and started clearing out his mum's house a couple of weeks ago. I got practically a football team worth of saints. Unaccountably nobody else wanted them. This used to be chalet corner, but, just as Henman Hill became Murray Mound, so this is now Catholic Corner.

Do you recognise any of them?

That on the left is St Theresa. She has a chipped lip, but looks of a very reasonable disposition. Christ the King on the other hand? Well, he looks a bit like the man of the house when I poked him with my elbow and told him he was doing the wardrobes.

I also got a couple of mantillas. I used to love wearing them when I was little because it made me feel like I had big hair. Do I look virtuous?

The garden is blooming its socks off. There are flowers everywhere. I'm terribly fickle. I change favourites every week. How about you? What's your favourite flower?

It was a sunny day, not a cloud was in the sky

It was a day of summer dresses...

Like Vix, I had a choice of two colours when I bought this. I'd already picked this red and white one out when I spotted the exact same dress in turquoise and white. I asked the seller what the story was and he told me it was deadstock from a shop in Manchester which closed in the 1970s.

And a day for a parcel of joy which could have been put in the post box 40 years ago...courtesy of the very lovely Lady Curtise of Sheffield!

Great excitement. I picked it up from the PO sorting place then sat in the car and ripped it open! Such lovely treasures.

A Little Miss Muffet mug..

A folksy serviette...

An Arabian Nights tea towel

And a cute as anything book featuring an OBD*!!!!!

*Obligatory blogging deer.

I love everything, thank you so much Curtise.

It's just after half past nine at night and we're currently sitting outside drinking wine and listening to some tuuuunes. Every now and again I am moved to get up and do a bit of patio dancing. Does it get any better than this?

What kind of a day have you had?

Art with a heart and a new collaboration

I have been honoured to be the subject of not one but two portraits this week! This first one is courtesy of a young man of my acquaintance. As you can see he has signed it. This work is called 'Tania' by Ross xx. I adore it - look at my big hair and huge eyes! And that is a party dress I am wearing by the way.

Well, then, the lovely Clare of Miss Simmonds Says put out a call for models. I was a bit late because I was watching a rather glorious film about Genghis Khan, but she very kindly squeezed me in. And here I am. Waiting for the milk man! Look at that eyebrow. Makes me laugh every time. Thanks Clare, you are amazingly talented.

Ross's artwork adorned the parcel of some samples I received from his Mum and Dad who are the talented owners of Cardtastic, the company which has decided to licence freckleface cards. Very exciting news for me and a really happy collaboration.