Lucky Finds - Chance Glass trays by Kenneth Townsend

Two of my more recent finds - a couple of small trays or pin dishes by Chance Glass with illustrations by great British illustrator Kenneth Townsend. I think I have a thing for 'London' based paraphenalia :)

The bright colours and simple shapes make me go "Yay!" ... what I wouldn't do for a Chelsea pensioner.

The front garden ... part one

And I don't actually know if ever there will be a part two - but we had to start somewhere!

Before:

We live in a rental property so haven't really paid much attention to the front garden. Its also not a place to "hang out" in (that's what the back "yarden" is for!). In the last three years its slightly taken on a life of its own. So we thought its time we had a bit of a re-structuring. And for that, in comes, Miss Leela S, fellow dancer and friend, and horticulturist :) ... its amazing what you find out about your dance friends when you actually bother to ask what they do when they're not dancing ...

Anyways, yesterday Leela came round with her tools, and I joined in (mostly assisting rather than doing much ...). A whole day of cutting, chopping, digging, pulling and clearing.

During:

And ....... the-morning-After:

So this is it this morning - its bizzare - feels like we've gained an extra room! The big lump is a gorgeous purple clematis. We've also left some of the roses, and moved one bush. Have left a pink fushia although that might need moving. Apart from clearing out those bags full of shruberry and dealing with clearing the 'bathtub' (on the right), its like a blank slate ... part two will hopefully be the filling of that slate ... (when we get round to it!)

Brambling along - Chew Valley Lake & Stanton Drew

Those of you who know us will know about our obsession with our lovely Thorn Explorer tandem aptly named "Bramble" (Thorn? Explorer? Geddit?). We've already done well over 200 miles - our longest being to Stratford-upon-Avon and back (54 miles). Yesterday we went for a shorter ride - but my was it against gravity! North Somerset is sooooooo hilly ...

First - plan the route. The Sustrans cycle maps are great (have a look at how close together the contour lines are ... told you we were fighting gravity!

Eventually made it to Chew Valley Lake.

On the way back we had to stop at Stanton Drew. Sunshine had told me about this stone circle and the story is that they were dancers at a wedding that got turned to stone by the Devil because they kept dancing into the Sabbath ... so obviously we had to take a photo of us as petrified dancers ;)

Ah yes ... my Stanton Drew Stone Cirle...

Didn't take nearly as many photos as I would have liked - too busy enjoying the ride I guess ... Thank you for a lovely day out Sunshine :)

Lucky Find books - "Happy Owls" by Celestino Piatti

I first came across Celestino Piatti back in April whilst looking for Italian illustrators that I could look up on our trip to Milan for the design festival. Piatti is infact Swiss, but it didn't stop me squeeling with delight when I came across his work - wish I could draw like that... and squeeling even more when I finally got my hands on a copy of "The Happy Owls" ...

Its the story of two little owls who are asked by the local barnyard fowl why they never quarrel. And so they proceed to tell the barnyard birds all about the things that make them happy with the changing seasons ... oh my God SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Can I just say - that is pretty much Sunshine and I ... we ARE the happy owls. And you can often find me reading this to myself and hugging the book whenever I need a little cheering up.

Squeeeee :)

Happy 1st Birthday Sophs...

Happy birthday to our favourite niece, Sophie ... photos from her joyfully pink birthday party a couple of weekends ago (its her birthday today - but her parents decided to have an early celebration so we could fit all the family in). All the lovely decor by her smashingly talented mum, my sister-in-law Lucy.

Lucky Finds - Carlton Ware guards money boxes

I can't remember where I first came across these, but my heart was immediately smitten. A year of hunting has resulted in two of these gorgeous vintage Carlton Ware ceramic money boxes - a Cold Stream Guard and a Beefeater. I would love to find the other two - a policeman (Bobby) and a Scots Guardsman - am still on the lookout for them. Wouldn't they look fab in a kids' room? They currently sit on the window sill behind my desk, protecting my unruly pile of stationary. One day they will have pride of place on their own shelves.