Sweetbriar Dreams

So where shall we go on our journey today?

Saturday, 11 May 2013

Is It Summer Time?


Last weekend was glorious, the warm sun, the light breeze and the plants growing with enormous speed.  Unfortunately I only experienced this for a brief couple of hours for the Spalding Parade due to my 'dreaded lurgy' (which has decided to stick around a little bit longer).  The problem with being ill is that the house chores do take on rather a back seat and only the essentials get done (well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!).  Feeling slightly better I noticed in the sun light the gathering of dust, the windows in need of a polish and the fact that no spring cleaning had taken place at all meaning that winter still had a hold on my furnishings around the house.  So, cleaning cupboard emptied and it's contents following me around the house, off I set.  But! Not for long!! There was a break in the clouds and I had empty vases and a garden that was full of useful, gorgeous blooms.  My plum tree has certainly come to life and it's branches are heavily laden with such beautiful pink blossom.
The crab apple's blossom is at it's absolute best at the moment.
In fact everywhere I looked there was blossom!  I had very nearly missed all this organised chaos in my garden.
So, with another look at my beautiful, over laden, plum tree's blossom, I thought I had procrastinated enough and started the spring clean.
I gradually filled up my little jugs around the house with the late spring blooms and some of the blossoms that were showing off.  Was it summer time already?  Had Spring and Summer merged into one this year?
But then I got that distinct smell...summer rain!  That cool, freshness of warm rain onto the new growth smell.  That, and the fact that little Coco was looking distinctly fed up in her warm bed (she hates rain!).
I still had some jugs to fill with herbs and blooms, so braved the rain to continue my quest of bringing summer into the home.  Now, do you remember my empty kitchen window baskets?  (posts here and here)  These were just wire baskets at the beginning of the year which I filled with bulbs and herbs, well...look at them now!!!
Full of spring time bulbs and herbs, along with a couple of tumbling tomatoes that are waiting for warmer days.
These tulips are beautiful and bought for next to nothing at the beginning of the year. (Obviously, this photo was taken a little earlier when the sun came out to say hi).
The rain was certainly settling on everything once more...which is good I suppose.
These lovely tiny blue flowers were glistening with the sun on the wet raindrops.
My only rose in bloom was enjoying the fresh rain.
And our old evergreen clematis was enjoying the rain but also exuding sap.
Anyway, procrastinating again!  The living room was finished and looking a bit more brighter.
And the hall was looking less cluttered and sparkly.
The sun started peaking through the clouds again, the rain had stopped, so me and the Teenagers grabbed our coats and went for a little drive into the fens to get away from the smell of cleaning materials for half an hour.
The sky was certainly interesting with different cloud formations and typically sunny in the distance and flowing weather fronts being seen in one go.
The rape seed fields are in full swing and the hay bales make such a statement on the landscape.
 We went past a field of sheep, alas no lambs, but there is a cheeky little crow that decided to show off in flight!
 Only a short trip out as I am now so tired but I have a lovely clean house, fresh blooms in vases and jugs and can now sit back with my hooky and continue the many squares left for this blanket.
 Still waiting on news of being an auntie!  Not long now.

Have a lovely week and weekend with whatever you are doing.  I do hope you can sit back and relax at some point.

Take care.

This week I am sharing with:


Thursday, 3 January 2013

2013 A Year to be Organised

My first post of 2013, a new start.  How was your Christmas and New Year?  I have really enjoyed reading your blogs over the festive season, your new ideas, resolutions, time with family.  I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions as I always feel that these set me up for failure and then my doubting self can surface.  No, this year I just have some lists (no surprise there).  Lists of things that need to be done to the house, lists of things that I want to do that are achievable and...lists of things to do for next Christmas!  Yes, I am going to be so organised.  I seem to have been taking a back seat in all areas of my life for the past year and I need to 'get a grip' and become 'me' again.

I get all excited when I buy new note books, the newness of the paper and the expectation of what I will fill it with.  This year I have bought a lovely project notebook with pockets.  All my thoughts and ideas for the year will go in here  i.e. magazine articles, paint colours, ideas for the house, crafty projects etc.


As well as planning the lists for the house and crafty projects, I really must spend some time creating my dream greenhouse.  The structure is there, the bunting is up, the staging is painted.  It now needs the planning of what I will grow in there this year, instead of it being the usual dumping ground!  Looking back at my posts last year, I was mortified to see that I started this in July and haven't touched it since!




My kitchen window boxes also need some serious TLC.  They are now completely empty and need to be filled with herbs, bulbs and flowers.  Definite planning needed here!  No picture as I am really ashamed of them at the moment.

I really must fill up my Pinterest board too.  I just hate seeing something on the web and then forgetting where it was, I must remember to Pin It.

So the first part of January is going to be like structuring a skeleton, getting the bare bones and then the plans will eventually put the meat on them (what a saying!!).

When anything has been achieved, a large tick will be put against the item and that will give me immense satisfaction.  Positiveness is a wonderful ego booster so maybe not a tick but a bright gold shiny star!!

I feel that 2013 will bring about a lot of changes in mine and my family's lives.  '13' usually brings me luck.

So that is my first post of 2013 finished...shall I?  Dare I??...Oh go on then...


Take care.


Saturday, 1 December 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Have you opened your first door to your Advent calendar yet?  Happy 1st December to you all.

After so much enjoyable (and long winded) work making hearts, bunting, baubles and birdies, it was time to put them all on the tree and around the fire place.  I decided to make a start on this when the children went to school (I had a day off work) and set about making sure the lights would still be working and that at least some of the old decorations (ones with memories) would still remain on the tree.  Then, the fun part!  Adding my little creations to give the tree a real homely, cosy look.  What do you think?


I am so so so pleased with the results.  It was incredibly gratifying to see everything taking shape and fitting in perfectly with the living room.

The fireplace was already adorned with the bunting from last weekend, no one wanted it taken down, so with a new garland and lights in place, my two ladies on the mantelpiece were beautifully lit up for the Christmas festivities.  And from the hall, the reflections of the tree are satisfying looking through the mirror.


We found this lovely colourful garland to adorn my Grandparents old convex mirror, which has the ability to peek around corners and show the twinkly lights of the lounge.


My favourite windowsill of the house is in the kitchen, so obviously this had to have the start of the decorations added.  Just simple things, but red, to give the warmness and cosiness of the room.


So that is the house so far.  Still oodles and stroodles to do, but the smell of the pot pourri and the sparkling lights are getting us all in the mood.

And, how's this for a display of decorations in the local garden centre at Baytree.  I could see granny squares, bobble stitching, felt and wool and all the time saying...I could do that, that is a good idea etc etc!



Aren't they brilliant!!

Finally, in the hall it was lacking my usual flowers so got some of my favourite lillies along with a few red roses to brighten up the hall table.  My gift to you this weekend...


Have a lovely weekend with whatever you are doing. XX

Friday, 22 June 2012

An Introduction


Hello!  I suppose I will start with an introduction.  My name is Chel and I live in the fens of Lincolnshire in a 10 year old house in a quiet village.  Now at the point of getting fed up with the plain walls of magnolia and thinking of putting a real mark on the place.  I do have some favourite places in the house:




























This is my fireplace with my fabric hearts made after watching the fabulous Kirstie Allsopp and her programme last Christmas.  Instead of just making a garland to hang on the fireplace I decided to stuff them, add a button and prop them up, just to add some of my favourite colour to a rather bland area.  Oh, I love gardening too (as you may have gathered from the cut flowers on the coffee table) and the roses have really done me proud this year, they are a delight to see.  I have so many and one in particular has made its way to the top of my garage giving a wonderful display to my neighbours.  As a result, because of this wonderful summer of ours where it has done nothing but rain, I try to cut as many as I can on a Friday night when I do the housework after a hard week's work, and fill the house with the scent of roses and lavender.




































Another favourite place is my chair in the hall way.  Here I can have a quiet moment with my hooky and have another chair upstairs where I disappear sometimes to watch my soaps and make the next project.  The cushion was made after reading the fabulous Attic 24 blog.  Lucy's designs and ideas as well as amazing instructions on how to create wonderful projects are a real inspiration.





























My third favourite place is my kitchen window.  I love seeing the different seasons and am amazed each year on how much more everything has grown.  We have been here 10 years and came to a garden of rubble and chicken wire fencing.  My husband has worked so hard on the garden, front, side and back and it truly is a wonderful oasis.  Oh and yes, the stuffed hearts have made their way here too!

I am married and have two children, boy and girl who are your typical moany teenagers but I wouldn't swap them for the world.  They are very entertaining and, yes I will slap myself on the back as I have done a good job with them.

So that's a start on my life.  This is all new to me, but let's see how I go.  Take care XXXXXXXXXXX

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