"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind.............."

Bloomin' heck! You are all so lovely! Thank you so much for all of your generous comments on the 'Bumper Post'. I have read each kind comment though I am very, very sorry that I have been so tardy in reply - but I will! It is greatly appreciated that you took the time to comment  especially as this blog is gradually becoming 'The Cheshire Cat' of the blogging world....I fear that one day all that will be left is a big piece of embroidery............smiling down at us from a tree.............However until that day arrives I will persevere and hope that there is a modicum of 'entertainment'.  I have been V. busy (keeping my eyes on that kitchen prize...) with work but have managed to squeeze in a little bit of making around the edges - not too much but enough to keep me ticking over until proper job settles down (soon I hope!).

Here we have a little tableau which I erected in the local park. I had a few dog walkers sniffing round wondering what the heck I was doing, especially as it was blowing a hooley that day. I carried on regardless and pretended that the bag blowing off piste was all part of the plan.............

I know, I know.  You're thinking: 'Where did she buy that beautiful zipped  bag ?'
Well dear reader I MADE IT....
I hear you gasp in amazement.
 'Another ruddy bag dear...quelle surprise.....embroidered is it dear....quelle surprise....run out of ideas dear....quelle surprise'.
Rude!
In fact I am still working my way through these little embroidery patterns from 1934 (a post which also has a wind element)....I like to keep up with the times and aim to reach 1935 by the year's end.  AHEM!

Note that I was a bit of rebel here and did not choose the blue thread which the instructions direct one to use for the book. NO - I went against the blue grain and choose a grey (couldn't find any blue....).  However I did go as far as to look up key books published in 1934 in order to second guess which tome she might be reading.  Notable ones were: 'Tender is the Night' and 'Right Ho Jeeves'.  If forced to choose I would have to go with the latter - I like a bit of Jeeves and not too keen on tender nights............oh my!

 

For the rest of the zipped  bag  I selected (a tricky process) some lovely linen which I think does indeed date from the 1930s. The colours were/are most apt I thought for the time of year.

(NB: There was not some cataclysmic event at this point : I had tilted my camera..... art for art's sake...)

Light changing every 30 seconds so variable photographs.  We talk about the weather a great deal in this country because of that changeability. We reside below two conflicting weather fronts (in fact I think we might have three) so one minute we have sunshine and the next rain....I will keep a log of how many weather changes we have in an hour and let you know (riveting stuff)

Careful bottom work as always.

As you may recall I have one or two old books (AHEM AGAIN: we all have our foibles!) but I thought it would be crazy to spend forever and a day looking for one published in the 1934.  I chose this one from 1940 on the shallow basis of colour rather than content. As it created such an internet storm (!) I have taken some photographs for another arts & crafts Ethel Larcombe/Talwin Morris post and will get that organised eventually.

 I made this lavender filled heart

I made this specifically for a blogger as a little 'thinking of you' gift.  I knew that I had her address somewhere but could not find it (for once I think I had cleared my emails) - mmmm.  I shall have a think about what to do because asking for her address would be far too straightforward and not in the spirit which I had intended.

The embroidery I bought for £8 last year from a charity shop.  In the shop it was propped up against a wooden fire screen (this being an embroidered fire screen panel) but as I was on my bike I asked if I could pay the full amount but only take the embroidery and leave the fire screen thank you very much kindly please, bowing at the same time, tugging my forelock! A bit of a tussle ensued as the assistant then insisted that I only pay half the price because I was donating back half the purchase. I managed to pay the full asking price in the end but not without a gathering of women of a certain age all clucking about whether or not half the price was due.  How we laughed!  This saga is akin to the ''I'll pay for the tea" scenario which I am sure we are all used to (this can result in quite a row as everyone insists that they pay!).

I have seen all sorts of misshapen lavender hearts so I tried very hard to make mine plump with no lumps.  Mmmmm again - still a little lumpy do you think?

Have  you been potting up your bulbs?  I have been trying to track down some lovely 'chameleon' tulips bulbs which I bought when they were reduced in Wilkinsons last year but have failed so far. They went from white to green to pink (possibly not in that order) - if anyone knows the name I would be grateful.  They might flower again this year with a bit of luck.

Made do with planting up this lemon coloured pot with some lemon coloured hyacinths.  I have also planted up some old hyacinth vases so hoping for a 'grand display' around Christmas time.  

 Able to enjoy the last few flowers of the year.  The sarracenias were bought from the local car boot. A very nice young lad grows them and sells them for 3.50 a pot - seems cheap to me, particularly for this size of plant  - I have bought a few different ones from him in  the last year or two.

Not really in need of any sort of pots to be honest (!) but when something is only a pound or two I find it hard not to.....

............bought this tiny tureen and have planted it with some pale blue grape hyacinth bulbs.

Usually any old willow pattern bits are given to one of my sisters who collects it....

...but I will hang on to this for a while.

 Not been out to many car boots this year though on those rare trips I have bought a few bits and bobs - including this vase which I thought fitted  both the cheap (50p) and the cheerful (colourful) brief.

The book behind was also 50p

A pound's worth of cheeriness

Perhaps you would prefer a bit of embroidery for old times sake?

A pensive putto (pl.putti) on the right..........

I have an embroidery extravaganza lined up and will eventually press that publish button

Finally if you are looking for an extra quick and cheery way of signalling the arrival of the new season then gather some nice leaves, quickly scribble on them and string  on  a piece of cotton thread.

 This took all of five minutes to make and cost nothing.

Hang across the front door.

This looks much, much lower than it really is and is a mere optical illusion.

Our postman curses the size of our letterbox...............

So the answer my friend is indeed blowin' in the wind ('Yes but what was the question....?')

There are no 'PS' elements this week - sorry.







































PS: (Screeching of brakes off stage).  OF COURSE THERE IS A PS! Did you think that I had forgotten my secret giveaway?  Don't be daft.  In fact I wrote out all the names and took them to the beach.  I was going to film catching one of the names in the wind....so the answer my friend would indeed have been blowin' in the wind.  Do you know how difficult it is to film AND throw a hat (vintage, circa 1950)  full of paper names in the air AND snatch just one before they are all swept out to sea?   Please follow this link for the video of the wind blowing my washing dry on the beach a while back !

It was impossible.  I had to settle for a more pedestrian means of selection. Not so keen on the mundane.  Sorry again. The first bit of paper pulled out of the vintage hat was

This apple button is my favourite button of all time.  This was part of a 'set' which my sister and I played with as children.  We adored this button.   We would pretend to eat it.  We loved the chubbiness of it.  We loved that it looked like an apple. We marvelled this button. Over the years the others have disappeared (perhaps we did eat them).  I have a house full of stuff but I knew where I kept this tiny button and found it in a trice in order to take this photo.  A simple button. Simple pleasures.

Bronte made the little felt bird last Christmas (along with some other creatures) and she lined a little hazelnut shell for a nest.

Some glass cloches - £2 for four at the car boot.

Thank you again for your kind words and support.

More wind blowin' next time...........................................


PPS: This week I am a bit fed up with, and of, the abbreviated world : tbh it is strikes me as sloppy and tbf half the time I don't know what they mean.  The increased use of abrvtn in work emails (the 'I hth....' type) drives me bonkers and makes me a little 'browned off around the edges' ( aka boate!). w mgt jst a wel tpe lke ths ad be dne wth it.


PPPS: Really this is just a distraction from endless global concerns

PPPPS: Forgot to say that the first name pulled out of the proverbial was: Blessed Serendipity - I will send a message in a day or so my dear.  Thank you for joining in everyone - especially in the secret spirit as intended.  It is the sort of fun which I like very much - sad but true. As I feel very bad for not making something for everyone who kindly entered I will attempt to make something else for a gratuitous giveaway - at least before the year end!!!!!!!

PPPPPS: I like to spin it out !

PPPPPPS: Many years ago Dom and I visited Powerscourt Gardens near Dublin ..... I hid a note in the gift shop............ in a pile of books...........near the bottom.........  A friend of mine happened to be attending a wedding at Powerscourt a couple of weeks later.....I gave her 'orders' to find that  note......She enjoyed the wedding right enough but her and her husband had more fun turning the shop upside down until they found that note!  A few weeks after that - at the end of a meal - my friend triumphantly presented that slip of paper as though she had found the Rosetta Stone itself.  Such fun!


That's all folks!









PPPPPPPPS: About to press publish and realised that I have still forgotten to tell about the first photograph in the'Bumper' post - next time!!!