Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

Last week was a tough week, but on top of everything, I've had this overwhelming sense of pressure to complete unfinished projects. Like all mums, there seems to be an endless list of jobs to complete, there are days where I don't even know where to start. I can't imagine what it must be like to be on top of things, have everything in order, checklist full of ticks. The desire for a clear head often makes me consider a blog post, it's like a feeling of achievement without having done anything other than gather my thoughts. Having started my skirt last week (check out the pattern here ) and then deciding to add a crocheted edge, I have been working on it pretty much everyday. A hand crocheted edging to a skirt is no mean feet and it's the sort of thing that you just have to keep going with until it's done.  However having finished the white crocheted edge this morning, I am now wondering whether it might look even better with a green picot trim, my husband su...

Today I went on a traditional day out to the seaside. I packed my metaphorical vintage suitcase, boarded a train and headed for Margate. Although its glamorous glory days are long gone, Margate still has that magic and shoots of creativity and craftiness are beginning to push through the boarded up shops and derelict buildings. Dreamland still dominates the seafront but is now wrapped in scaffolding, ready for the dispute between the land owners and the council to be resolved and regeneration to start. As my dear friend and companion for the day pointed out when she dropped me back at the station,  the lights of the Dreamland sign are back on and that is surely a good indication of things to come. List of inspirational places in Margate Turner Contemporary Gallery pretty much everything the shop the pop up cafe Rodin's Kiss Turner and his crackled oil paint Hamish Fulton and especially the Margate 1234567 Walking Margate Old Town Frocks and Stock - how could I no...

There are times that you can look back on and remember how truly happy you were at particular stages in your life. One of these such times has been on my mind recently and prompted a visit to Margate this afternoon. On a really rather warm sunny day in June 2002, I convinced my husband that it wasn't that far to walk from Herne Bay to Margate along the coast and we spent the day, walking, making plans for our future and celebrating our second anniversary. I was so excited about going to Margate and so sad to discover what a sorry looking place it had become. The magnificent buildings were still there but no longer in all their splendor as they crumbled and clearly reflected the neglect they had endured. The rust stained paint work, exasperated by the salty air gave the impression of being tear stained, longing for the days when the town was loved and a British seaside institution. We ate in a pub which had old photos of Margate all over the walls. It was on this day that we planne...