52 Weeks of Happy

Do you have those sorts of weeks where you end up where your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing?  The sort of week where you finish it and it takes a few hours to calm your brain down?  Well, that's me this week.  It's been full on at work so home life has certainly taken a back seat I'm ashamed to say.  However I have a family who understand that their mum is a bit of a workaholic and I came home today with the house spic and span, washing on the line and dinner being prepared.  This made me so happy and it reminded me that I haven't posted a '52 Weeks of Happy' post since a couple of weeks ago.  So, with the busy time in work and not going out and about as I usually do this weekend, I thought I'd post a few things that have made me happy this week and kept me going.

♥ The first happy: This bottle of wine waiting for me when I returned from the Cathedral today.  The bottle's label was at an angle and, how perfect, it even has my name on it!

♥ The second happy has to be all the wonderful messages you sent me last week for my birthday.  It was so lovely to read them, they all made me extremely happy, thank you  My birthday was not a big affair because I knew about the week that was coming up but Miss Teenager topped it off with a surprise message on Twitter from one of my favourite actors, James Purefoy.  Miss Teenager tweeted him not expecting him to come back, but he did and it really made my day!  So, another year older and wiser - hmmm maybe not wiser but the grey certainly shows the older.

♥ A couple of you asked how I collect and dry my lavender and, with the lack of a trip post this week, I thought I'd just gather some images for you on how I do this.  Now is the time to really get that lavender up and hanging before they get wet.  So starting with the top right shot, I either cut the stalk between a pair of leaves, or (second photo) by a clump of leaves.  Gather the stalks together and tie with string or ribbon and then just hang for a week to two weeks.  When they are nice and dry, you can just rub them and they come away from their stalk.  Then collect them up and put them in a dry place until you are ready to make some sachets (a future post when I have a better week!).  The brandy glass I am collecting them in is HUGE!  and £5 from a boot market.  Well worth the price as it matches the beautiful blue of the flowers.

♥ And lastly my sedum has gone from the pale pink from last week to a deeper pink this week.  This crane fly looked very much at home.

So now, with my PJ's on, furry slipper boots, nice warm coffee, heating back on and a storm on the way (I love it!) I bid you a very restful weekend and a great new week.

Take care. 

♥Chel♥ 

 (Remember that if you want to see a larger version of my photos just click on one and a slide will appear)

52 Weeks of Happy 44/52

I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time, yes a whole week off work, let me just relish and savour that thought for a moment... a whole week!  While the kids have been off school it has been very hard for me to tear myself away first thing in the morning when they are still very much in their teenage vegetative coma slumber. But now I can have a lay in and start the day lazily, PJ's on until it is time to go out and drag ask the teenagers too.  Well that's the plan! Whether this will happen is another story!

 ♥ So my first happy I am sharing with Jen at Little Birdie has to be saying a 'see you soon' to this wonderful place I call work.  It truly is a fantastic place and I am so privileged and lucky to work within its precincts.  The Cathedral always makes me smile when I drive across this path.

 ♥ My second happy is saying 'I told you so' to my two teens.  All those years I was saying 'look at the huge weetabix in the fields' and their faces and tuts said it all - yes I was right!

 ♥ My third happy was a little trip to Hunstanton today which started off very cloudy but ended up warm (but not hot - I don't do hot!).  Very busy being a bank holiday weekend but we managed to find a little corner on the quieter end of the beach where the dog walkers are.

 ♥ My fourth happy has to be a trip we have planned for next week at The Beamish Museum in Co Durham.  This will be a small family reunion and a long train journey but to meet in such a great living museum will be brilliant.  Photos to follow in next week's post.

So a short one this week due to all the planning and school shopping going on but I do plan on having a couple of mornings in my pj's!

I hope you all have a very happy week as I certainly will, especially with the amount of photos that I'll be taking! 

Take care. 

 ♥Chel♥ 

 (Remember that if you want to see a larger version of my photos just click on one and a slide will appear)

52 Weeks of Happy 43/52

Well it's half way through August and for me it's so exciting.  You see I love Autumn (last year's post here), and I do love using the last weeks of summer to really give the house a good and thorough clean.  Forget the spring clean, this is the time for my clean up as autumn and winter are the seasons that you spend more time in the home.  I am always so happy getting the throws all washed and ready, the curtains freshly laundered, the carpets cleaned and warm textured cushions all primed and ready for the cosy nights ahead.  But, I know you are all thinking 'oh shhh Chel, I love summer don't wish it away', so here are my four summery things for 52 Weeks of Happy from Jen at Little Birdie.

♥ Have you ever seen a sleeping bee?  It was 9pm on a cooler evening and Mr Teenager said have you seen the bees?  Well of course I have but this was different.  My lavender bush was full of life, but not the usual gorgeous day time visitors, this was the turn of the dancing moths fluttering between each flower.  On each flower were motionless bees.  It was as though these furry bundles had empty batteries, nothing would rise them, their antenna's lowered and their wings resting.  It was a weird but yet wonderful, silent moment.

♥ One of the reasons I had stayed out after a busy pruning day was that I wanted to pick some lavender to dry, ready for my autumn/winter pot pourri.  However, I had to just be thankful for this bundle which I had held for a while as the bees were not finished with the flowers and were not letting me take them away.

♥ This was a very happy moment!  We had rescued a tiny frog in the front garden last week and I was so worried that it would be the only one in the pond.  But, it seems our pond has sprung a very big surprise.  Maybe this is Mum?

♥ All of a sudden our flowers are surrounded with hover flies, this cheeky one was very happy to pose for the camera!

And an extra 'happy' just for you sun lovers, I took this shot without any filters.  My camera has just decided to do its own artwork and I was VERY happy with it.

I hope you have a very happy week.

Take care. 

 ♥Chel♥ 

 (Remember that if you want to see a larger version of my photos just click on one and a slide will appear)

 

This week I am sharing with:

Rurality Blog Hop

52 Weeks of Happy 42/52

A bit late this week for one of these posts, but my mojo is back and joining Jen at Little Birdie for 52 Weeks of Happy.  This is where you post about four things that have made you happy in the week.

♥ Watching the fountains at Springfields Gardens in Spalding dancing in the sunlight.  (I LOVE this camera!!).

♥ The amazing vibrant colours of the flowers and butterflies just take my breath away, does it get any better?

♥ Oh yes it can, the lavender can be added to my shortbread (it was delicious!), along with scotch pancakes and gingernuts.

♥ Biting the bullet and starting my Grandad's book (a new tab has appeared in my title bar 'It's Not Just a Piece of Paper' in case you ever want to see how I am getting along with it).

Have a wonderful and happy weekend and week.

Take care.

♥Chel♥

(Remember that if you want to see a larger version of my photos just click on one and a slide will appear)

52 Weeks of Happy

Have you seen some lovely posts in Blogland called '52 Weeks of Happy'.  This is the invention of Jen at Little Birdie and even though she is well into the year, currently at number 31, I thought what a great way to break up the working week, to reflect on what four things have made me happy  rather than 'phew, glad I'm half way through!'   So many people do this now and when I read their posts, they always make me smile.  So, as I prepare to think and write my normal weekly post what a perfect way to discipline myself to do an extra post per week.  So, what has made me happy so far this week?

♥ Clouds over the Fens giving much needed shade and cooling rain on these hot summer days.

♥ A trip planned to my favourite place in London - Greenwich (I feel as though I am waiting for the sleeps to Christmas! - so excited!).  This is the first time I have taken Mr and Miss Teenager to this part of London and I hope they enjoy it as much as I used to with my darling Grandad Tom (more on the trip on my next post!)

♥ Watching the Cathedral being washed by the rain from my office window.

 ♥ A late evening, watching the fiery clouds roll in knowing that there are no early get out of beds in the morning - I'm on a short working week and the Teenagers are on school holidays!

What has made you happy this week?  I know my new camera has certainly made me happy!

Take care.

♥Chel♥

(Remember that if you want to see a larger version of my photos just click on one and a slide will appear)