Generally Gemma

Mess

I have things to tell you and Wimbledon pictures to post but I've been thrown a bit by bad news today. I was made redundant and I've been completely knocked sideways by it. Gin is the answer just not too sure what the question is at the moment.

Amazing

Still can't quite believe I'm here!

Fun on the Farm

I spent last weekend staying with my Aunt so that I could go and visit my cousin and her new baby. The recipient of this handmade bit of loveliness. (Which I think they liked so that went well!) I do of course have loads of pictures but given that he isn't actually mine to show off I'm afraid you are going to have to make do with this. A teeny tiny foot. I can't believe how small he is. He was just under three weeks and I don't think I've ever been that near a baby that small. I was so worried that I was going to drop or break him or do something silly. But he seemed to survive a visit from Auntie Cousin Gemma and hopefully it is going to be the first of many opportunities for cuddles.

But on to the bulk of the photos! They don't actually live on the farm but a house that the two of them built a few years ago on land that used to be part of it. The farm itself has since been sold but you are still pretty much in the middle of nowhere with fields as far as the eye can see.

 

There is a little bit of a woodland garden round the side. I was too late for daffodils, primroses, snow drops and lily of the valley and too early for poppies in that part of the country but the foxgloves were marvelous! I always forget how much I love them till I am up close and personal with one.

And cherry trees! Parts of the hedge all the way round are cherry trees and Sunday morning I picked my way through the dew to try and pick some breakfast before the crows got them all!

I spent time with the four legged creatures of the family. Their gorgeous black lab who reminds me so much of our beloved Ben. We had big cuddles on the floor when we got back from Saturday night. I love our little Flossie but there is nothing like a big dog I always think.

One of the new additions since my last visit was this gorgeous little family. Daisy and Petal. Petal is born every year at Easter and goes to a "new home" every Winter to reappear again the following year. Love the whimsy of it!

And hopefully next time I visit I will get to use this!

Granny and some of the other family have been up in the helicopter and I can't wait to have the opportunity myself! I may not stay up there for long or go very far but I think it certainly has to be done!

All in all a lovely weekend and one I plan to repeat far sooner than the three years it's taken this time!

velvet violas

Every year I try to grow something different in the garden and this year it is these little beauties. I was at my Bro's house a while ago and he had them growing and the delicate little heads spoke to me and told me that they wanted to be in my garden as well. The flowers are tiny, about the size of the top of one of your fingers and their petals when you stroke them feel like velvet, I think the fairies possibly use them as pillows and quilts. The thing I love most about them though is the way they look like little faces with individual personalities depending on their colour. 

This one for instance is a boy, his name is Rupert. He enjoys rugby, rambling along country lanes and real ale.

This delicate personage is obviously a young lady and her name, so she tells me, is Clarissa. Clarissa is a lady of gentile refinement. She enjoys reading, walks in the rain and cups of tea with cake at stately homes in the afternoons.

gazebo

I have wanted one of these for years! And now one of the trees in our garden has gone and we have practically no shade it seemed to make sense to buy one now. Now that there was a purpose rather than a yearning for something that was completely impractical!

We bought it a few weeks ago, had it up for the weekend and it hasn't been up again since due to the repulsive weather that we have been having in the UK the past couple of weekends! But for the one weekend it was up it was blissful. G sat out there at the table marking school books, I drifted in and out of it as and when I started to think I was starting to tingle too much from laying out in the sunshine. 

But of course me being me I couldn't be content with just the gazebo. I had to go and buy a selection of fairy lights to go on the edge and inside. Although I don't think I have enough personally! G maintains that it is more than I need! They aren't bright but they are enough to just see by when you are sitting out there in the dark. Peaceful and twinkly which is just the way that I like things!

I can see us spending many happy evenings out here this year if only the weather co-operates! I want our promised so called bbq Summer!

shadow play

There is a certain time of the evening at a certain time of year when the sun is in the exact perfect place for a matter of minutes that it comes through our bedroom window and bathes the entire room in the most perfect golden sunlight. (I think I took these photos at the same sort of time.) I've been struggling for a few weeks now to try and capture it. Most days I forget and the days that I have wandered in there and found the perfect moment I have misplaced my camera and in the time I've taken to find it the sun has moved and that oh so tiny window has passed. 

Then it's taken me a few goes to accept that I am never going to get a picture that truly covers how lovely it is. The way the light makes the air almost sparkle and how pretty the shadow of the net curtains looks on the wall. (I hate nets but the fact that our bedrooms face onto the front make them a necessity) These two are the closest I've been able to get to it and now I look at them they again they aren't right but they are as close as I am going to get!

Feeling hot hot hot

Today I shall be gluing chilli peppers to marketing letters at work. We are hot hot hot!

Bank Holiday

Bank Holiday sunshine round our way is a rare and wondrous thing. Especially when it happens to fall on the same bank holiday as our village carnival is always planned for. This has been the way of the world ever since we moved to our little house. Not that we have any great desire to attend the carnival you understand. Living in the same place as G's school means there are far too many opportunities as it is for bumping into children from school which while never unpleasant can sometimes take the bloom off the day both for him and the kids as "special" behaviour sometimes has to be observed. There is normally always one Mum who seems to think that because he is a teacher it is fine to use him as an unpaid baby sitter for the day which to be frank isn't much fun for me! So we were at home all weekend. 

G pottered about the garden tending to his plants, listening to sport on the radio, bringing me drinks as I languished on a blanket. I did have to tell not to get the strimmer to the patio though. We have chives poking out through the pave stones and along the edges which although prettyish are rather stinky and beginning to look rather raggedy.

But they are an utter bee haven! And knowing as we all do that bees aren't as plentiful as they once were G and I do do everything we can to keep them coming back to our garden. Especially as they are so necessary for tomato flower pollination!

This was my view for most of the day though. Lazing on my back with a book and iced drink to hand. Shifting only occasionally to pick up my camera, issue a command or to roll over and toast my back instead of my front.

I so hope we are lucky enough to have more weekends like this through out the Summer. A week would be ideal so that I can feel as though I've had a proper Summer holiday this year!