Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

Last night was our first general meeting for the Jubilee WI and there alongside almost 100 like minded women, I felt utterly proud to belong to an organisation that has been running for close to 100 years. As part of last nights refreshments team,to be pouring tea from an over sized brown enamel tea pot through a serving hatch in what I feel I know must call my WI dress filled me with such a sense purpose and belonging, that I truly wished my beloved Grandma could have been there. There were two lovely lady speakers and although I appreciate the necessity of reading the minutes of the formation meeting, it did not capture my imagination or heart, like the history f the WI speech by . In particular, the story of one of the founders Adelaide Hoodless. The love a mother has for their child is one of those things that simply bonds mothers around the world and that devasting heartbreak of loosing a child is a heavy weight that never lightens. Just knowing that she lost her own son who wa...

Last night was our first general meeting for the Jubilee WI and there alongside almost 100 like minded women, I felt utterly proud to belong to an organisation that has been running for close to 100 years. As part of last nights refreshments team,to be pouring tea from an over sized brown enamel tea pot through a serving hatch in what I feel I know must call my WI dress filled me with such a sense purpose and belonging, that I truly wished my beloved Grandma could have been there. There were two lovely lady speakers and although I appreciate the necessity of reading the minutes of the formation meeting, it did not capture my imagination or heart, like the history f the WI speech by . In particular, the story of one of the founders Adelaide Hoodless. The love a mother has for their child is one of those things that simply bonds mothers around the world and that devasting heartbreak of loosing a child is a heavy weight that never lightens. Just knowing that she lost her own son who wa...

It's not often that I get to write about a finished project, especially one that has taken me so many months like a quilt and then delete the whole post accidentally whist trying to link it to a linky party. I am pretty new to the whole linky party idea but I do get so many ideas from my time spent perusing other people's blogs that I thought it might be nice to give a little back. I loved making this quilt and I think the main reason is because it is for my lovely Josie. Every scrap that I have used has been part of another project or came from a bag of scraps that we picked up at a quilt exhibition last summer. Every tiny bit is a memory and the squares I embroidered along the top and bottom are moments captured in time; Josie's hand print from when I started the project, the hop scotch that is chalked on our path and washed of by the rain and even the sandcastle that I did at the beach. So it is with great thanks that Ican link to the inspiration for the q...

Rather optimistically, I made some homemade lollies yesterday but seeing as I have been making them pretty much continuously since Josie was a baby and Charlie will eat a lolly on the coldest of days, I doubt very much that they will remain in the freezer for too long. Lollies are one of the simplest and most diverse things I make and when I discovered that I needed some more moulds, I could not let another opportunity for an essential purchase of vintage Tupperware pass me by. When we were young, my mum made homemade lollies from orange juice using Tupperware lolly moulds and the memory of eating them sitting on the hot concrete step in the garden is so clear in my mind. "Tupperware" made in England Making the lollies is so incredibly simple and easy and just the thing to make with little ones. 1. Find the moulds and put them in the tray (the perfect job for little fingers) 2. Fill with any delicious liquid - homemade smoothie, freshly squeezed f...

Just one day of sunshine has been enough to lift my spirits and just confirm, as if I didn't already know, that I like the warm weather and not the rain. I know there is supposedly a drought and a hose pipe ban and the environment desperately needs each and every drop, but on a purely selfish level, it really can't be too warm for me. I don't want to wear my coat or my gloves or a wintry wardrobe, I would like to skip through the park with a breeze in my hair and the sun on my back. Too much grey is not good and without those glorious golden sun rays it is practically impossible to appreciate the full spectrum of all those stunning spring blooms. The bluebells are beginning to fade and I haven't really had a chance to simply love the delicate shades of blue against the vibrant green stems. I do feel I have missed out on the enchanting way the shadows dance through the dappled shade. Without that vibrant sunlight, the subtle pink of the apple blossom is almo...

It has been raining for so many days now. I am starting to get quite down about the lack of sun and the endless rain. I know that it's good for the allotment and the garden but it just really isn't that cheerful. Everywhere is becoming so green and there is nothing more lovely than a walk in the woods to completely appreciate everything April has to offer. We were in fact on the road to Riverhill Himalayan Gardens but the rain was so intense that visibility was significantly impaired and we decided to rethink our plans and stop off at Shorne Country Park . We ate our picnic in the car and the rain eased enough for a walk in the park, a bit of tree climbing and plenty of jumping in muddy puddles. Waterproofs and wellies A ready-made secret den in a clearing in the woods Sunshine and showers The deliciously delightful flush of new green hazel leaves The boy with a stick

I had a happy childhood. I know this is not the case for everyone but I was lucky. I was surrounded by family and friends of our family and had more opportunities than are open to a lot of people. I did well at school, lived for ballet and loved to read and draw. I was happy. Perhaps that is why that now I have my own family, I want to capture some of that happiness and pass it on. I was a child of the seventies. I played in the street, my wardrobe was filled with the kind of retro prints I would die for now and Tupperware was a big part of our lives. Tupperware parties were these exciting things that happened after I had gone to bed. The lounge would be filled with friends, cheese, wine, nibbles and Tupperware. I could hear everyone laughing and talking from my room. This mysterious adult world was completely intriguing. Sometimes I was allowed to come out to say hello but always had to go back to bed before the demonstration started. I think that I am going to have to ask my mum what...