My first blog hop!

HI guys, sorry for the radio silence, ~I've been focusing on the other blog My Empire Of Dirt

I'm hosting my very first Blog Hop!

It's basically a collection of everyone's favourite recipes, so we can all try new things :)

Feel free to stop by and join in :)

What's Cooking? Blog Hop

New beginnings

Hi guys :)

This is going to pretty quick, just to let you know that i have started an extension of the blog, but focused more on gardening and self sufficiency 

Feel free to stop by, obviously there isn't much on there at the moment, but do keep popping back and seeing what's new :)

http://myempireofdirtgarden.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-beginnings.html

Chickens, Crochet, Creating and Cow Parsley

Hi guys :) 

 Have you had a nice week?

Mine has been mixed, I started it fighting with the washing line, as it was so ridiculously windy!!!

I kept getting slapped in the face! haha :)

Trying to make a break for it!

I went on a bus trip with some of the knit and natter group to a place called Royal Quays Outlet centre, i didn't have a penny to spend but it was enjoyable all the same, a lovely friend treated me to a few Latte's.

I felt awfully sick on the bus though :( I'm not great on buses, i get travel sick very quickly!

I finished my friends' shawl, terrible photo, i know, but i'd already given it to her before i noticed this picture was rubbish, haha :) 

We have oodles of cow parsley growing next to our back fence, so I've been going a bit wild! I have about 3 jam jars full in the living room

I found a very pretty teapot for £1.50!

And a little drying rack for 50p! When my herbs grow i'm going to use it to hang herbs from to dry :)

I attempted to make a tea cozy for the teapot - A disaster!

Can you tell what it is supposed to be? :D 

I sketched a chicken to hang on the hallway door

I attempted more embroidery, this time handkerchiefs.

The top right is The Bearded Wonders' (My hubby)with the ugly little penguin (he's obsessed) it is truly terrible but he wanted a penguin so that is what i made! He says it is cute but i don't believe a word he says.

The top left pink and bottom white are mine. The flowers aren't my work (i flaming wish!) i just added the monogram

Another that is mine, i'm starting to wish i had done a better S now, I'll probably change it eventually

The pictures look pretty weird, but the only way i could get the embroidery to show up properly was to scan them!

I bought leeks on Monday. They have sat under the counter until today when i remembered i wanted to make leek and potato soup. I went to chop them and discovered that they had gone brown on the inside! Yuck! :( So i improvised and made mixed veg soup and added a handful of rice to bulk it out instead.

I also attempted Irish soda bread.... but (in my usual fashion) i hadn't read the recipe right and added a WHOLE TABLESPOON of baking soda! Yuck yuck yuck! One (small, thankfully) taste and it went straight in the bin! 

Never again!

I hope that you will read this and take lesson from it- always read the recipe! Twice! Haha :D 

Lovely Weekends and pretty things

Hi guys :D 

Have you had a nice weekend?

Mine was fantastic, as i mentioned, my uncle John came to stay for a few days, so went on a jaunt on the bus to a new town 7 miles away (pleased that we didn't have to walk!) that we hadn't visited

John treated us to a new strimmer, so we finally got the grass down from a jungle

I treated myself to a new set of tea-towels with chickens on them! Aren't they cute? And all for the grand price of £1!

A new cafetiere for £1.99 in a charity shop (our old one broke) which had made my week! I don't ask for much, but good, fresh coffee is a must!  

Attempting to make a start on growing things, i bought 3 little herb pots for 50p each.

And John treated me to a new woolen throw (also from a charity shop) it is soooo soft!

These sweet little ponies and foal have moved into a field up the road :) 

It's hard work being so cute all the time!

Proud dad, having a scratch against the tree :)

I, being in a domestic mood, decided it would be fun to wash all the cushion covers, and promptly forgot that two were filled with feathers!

I also bought a new bird feeder and fat balls, the picture is terrible but there is a little sparrow nibbling away

Thieves! The big Jackdaws decided to try it out too! Leaving almost nothing for the other birds! 

What have you been up to this weekend?

Long walks, Laundry, and Lambs

Hi guys :)

We had a VERY long walk yesterday, 10 miles as we had to walk there and back :( i've discovered aching muscles that i never knew i had! Ouch!

We took a break on a wall and saw these little sweeties! One was much closer but bounced away before i could whip my camera out. How rude!

The poor mother looks very bemused!

Re-reading a favourite book of mine :)

This morning i was gazing out of the window about to put out the washing as it was nice and windy, i went to get the washing and a huge rain cloud appeared and started hoying it down! That'll teach me to procrastinate!

So, robbed of my chance to do some drying i swept and re-arranged the living room, preparing for when our Uncle John comes to stay on Thursday :)

It looks rather a mess but i hadn't finished when i took this

I'm  now going to relax and do a bit more crocheting on a shawl i'm making for a friend at knit and natter :)

Where's the coffee?

Lucky and Lovely Views

 Hi guys :)

What a fantastic week! I have been incredibly lucky to have such good friends, my knit and natter group gifted me a knitting machine! It came complete with a wool winder, punch cards (which create pretty patterns) and a pattern book, to use when i eventually figure it out lol!

They also had a spare microwave at the community centre where it is held so they very kindly gave me that too, as ours is broken and we have limited means of cooking as we don't have a big cooker, if you remember they actually gave me a mini cooker within my second week of attending!

 Aren't they a lovely bunch? :) 

I am trying to think of ways to repay their kindness, maybe volunteering a few days a week? 

I spent  very enjoyable afternoon making "Yarn Cakes"

And a very odd looking sock! I must get round to making the other one, but i do hate having to make two of something! But for some reason i ALWAYS want to make socks! 

I just don't like making two!

 Not a great thing when making socks as they do work better in pairs.

Another reason to feel lucky is this little sweetie, he lives down the road from me and always pops  his head over the wall to see if i have any treats for him :)

And the divine view below, which i get to see almost every day :)

THE POWER OF STEAM

Now, you may think i’m a “nerd” or a “geek” for this post but, frankly  i don’t care…I adore steam trains, there is a magical beauty in these machines that you can never get anywhere else…The smell of the smoke as it billows out of the chimney, the sweet “chuff chuffing” sound as she pulls away from the station and the coal smudged face of the fireman as he happily poses for pictures with over- enthusiastic steam fans.

Sadly, one day these beautiful creations shall get to the point where they can’t “chuff chuff” anymore, shall never feel the smoke billowing from her chimney or the fireman lovingly shovelling coal into her fire. So we must make the most of these slices of history, and feel the tingle of anticipation as it pulls into the station with a million other enthusiasts crowding around her desperate for a picture of this gorgeous machine, whilst we still can.

The Kindness of Strangers and a Tad-ah moment

Hi guys :) Have you had a good week? Mine's been super busy!!

This is the face of Marie when i'm baking and not paying enough attention to her! ;) Isn't she looking so grown up now?

I've been a busy bee in the kitchen, We have a new shop opened in the village  and they were selling 200g punnets of strawberries for 79p! So, as usual when i get fruit, i made jam!

Look at that lovely rich colour! 

Sure, it only made 1 jar, but that's enough for me and The Bearded Wonder! 

I also canned my very first batch of apple pie filling, doesn't it look nice? 

I made the usual batch of scones...and a big ta dah moment! 

I made bread rolls!!! Ta daaahh!!! Now, everyone who  knows me knows that i have had..um... issues with baking bread, i just couldn't get it right! It either turned out like a brick, went doughy in the middle and black on the outside, or was completely inedible.

So after months of scouring the internet for that elusive easy bread recipe, i found one in an old cookbook at the back of my drawer! 

Ta-dah! Yum! They were super easy and super soft and scrummy! So we scoffed two each with some homemade leek and potato soup and slathered in butter :)

The kindness of strangers. Isn't that a lovely sentence? Well, I got to say it twice this week! 

First, last Sunday i got the most AMAZING gift of a vintage Jones hand-crank sewing machine off freecycle. It came complete with needles,bobbins,feet, original receipts, including one with a King George VI stamp! 

The second was this lovely dining table and chairs, which has taken up residence in my "sewing room" haha, too grand a title for a room with barely anything in it!

 I also found a fun little fabric with sheep on it and made a wee pin cushion 

How has your week been? Have you had any nice surprises?

My First (Kind Of) Embroidery Challenge!And a Lovely Heirloom

Hi guys :) Remember Sunbonnet Sue from yesterday?

Well i've decided to give myself a little challenge and make a months of the year wall hanging featuring Sue in various months and outfits/ poses etc

It's a challenge but not at the same time as i don't have a deadline... does that make sense? lol

I've completed January, Feb and March already and i'm halfway through April. 

Aren't they the cutest? :)

i also thought i'd show you my needle case. I got it off my great nana about 10 years ago before she passed away, and she'd had it for years before me so i'm guessing it is between 50-80 years old, sadly it is pretty thread bare near the top and i don't want it to get worse so i'm going to "retire" it in a safe place, make a new one and name it Esther after her :)

i'm taking part in a Homeacre Blog Hop  with Our Simple Life :)

(I hope i've done it right!)