LES VACANCES A LA MAISON

I get all french when I write this blog for some reason. Anyway, we are on holiday for two weeks but after having looked at prices for renting a cottage in the countryside and fainted at the prices, we remembered that we live in a cottage in the countryside therefore there was very little point in renting another one somewhere else.

So we are on holiday at home. This means that we have the same spending money as if we were away, we are allowed to go to Waitrose and buy fine wines and lovely olives and we can do what we want when we want to.

This experiment, which is still in its infancy, day two, is teaching me that "being on holiday" is a real state of mind because I am allowing myself to do stuff at home like...do nothing at all, stay in bed reading in the morning and, o horror of horrors, contemplating having breakfast BEFORE taking a shower...the slothfullness is hideous, I said contemplating mind you, have not done it yet, will report if I do.

The photo is of the armchair that we have just re-covered and taken the arms off, I should have taken a before and after photo but...ah well.

I also want to show you a picture of the garden but not sure how I put another picture in, I want it right here, now, give me a minute. Not it still on the top bit, annoying!

Must dash, friend come round for lunch! Talks soon...

More lavender and musing(sy)

I had a comment on my previous post which was so exciting I nearly wept with joy! Not a comment from one of my poor harassed friends who have to read the blog and say its wonderful even if they don't like it, no a real, genuine comment from a lovely lady who said she wanted to see some of the lavender so there it is, the photo is just for you!

Lavender for Shetlands is now ready to go and has dried beautifully, its takes for ever to prepare lavender to dry and is one of the best meditations I know. I sit in the Studio/Summer House and do it contemplating this and that whilst trying to avoid putting lavender flowers down my ample bosoms...it may smell nice but it itches annoyingly.

This morning, I was musing as to why craft type website that sell the sort of stuff I make all finish is "sy". There is big Etsy and then I have discovered another one called Folksy, you see what I mean about the "sy". May be I should call myself Bayasy and that would make me more craftsy. That's an idea, I could start a new one called simply "Craftsy" but that sounds not quite right does it. Feels a bit sneaky..good idea, what about "Sneaksy". As long as it finishes with sy you can't go wrong(sy).

I can see this is going to degenerate(sy) into a very very silly(sy) bit of writing so I'll stop now to go and finish another teacosy (that also finishes is sy so it must be alrightsy). See you soon! (I hope the lovely lady who left a comment enjoys this and leaves another one...greedy(sy) me!)

Lazy Sunday...what lazy sunday...

I thought I'd better write my blog tonight as I am unlikely to be able to move my right arm tomorrow. There is a hedge in the front front garden (I hope you remember that is at the front of the house) that has been annoying me for months now. I could, I mused, cut it down and let the elder grow and then plant more lavenders...(do I actually need more lavenders..well, see below and yes I do!).

So tonight, I got the clippers and the saw and did it! Cut it all off, did not dig the roots, not quite as mad as all that but it looks grand and I am really excited. One thing that does not excite me at all is the prospect of having to cut all the branches into manageable chunks and taking them to the dump but little by little (as if I knew the meaning of the words)!

I also have started my Ebay shop and two lovely people have bought items of clothing so I am rich(ish).

And then...Chris from Shetlands has agreed to the deal about the lavender and I'll be receiving soaps from him soon. They are fabulous. If you fancy checking their website out its 60degreesnorth.co.uk.

Not had time to knit today but found a great page marker that I will attempt tomorrow.

Till then...

Tea Cosies and Technology

I will keep that one brief...have just managed to get my mobile and my laptop to talk to each other so here is the photo I have just taken. This is the lavender teacosy I have been working on frantically.

What do you think? The design of the lavender flowers comes from the book 100 flowers to knit and crochet by Lesley Stanfield. It took me time to manage the flowers and I ended up making them in embroidery thread because all the wool I had was too thick...worth the fiddling though! If anyone is interested, I can post the way I did it.

Off to take more pictures and start that Etsy Shop! Watch this space.

Baya

Lazy Thursday sans rain

So lazy in fact that I tried to blog from my mobile but the mobile was tired too so he refused to have anything to do with the blog (why is my mobile male?).

The Beloved being in London ministering to small grandchild no.1, I had promised myself much activities and then they said it was going to rain so thought may be not and then it did not rain but did nothing much anyway.

I bet you its because its the first day of the school holidays. There must be some mysterious childhood memory kicking in and in spite of being 54, here I am lounging on sofas, watching day time tv and gazing into the middle distance.

Feeling quite blue (lavender blues?). Last night was lavender night at the WI and I completely failed to sell my stuff. It was passed round (photo to follow, am downloading the programme as we speak so give me another couple of days), much admired but did I utter the words "well, actually, its for sale"..o no, I blushed prettily and stuff it back in my handbag. More to learn then, hey girlie!

Exciting news well potentially exciting may be...if I can get to sell that is...someone from Shetlands has expressed an interest in swapping my lavender with their gorgeous organic and beautifully designed soaps so all being well, its the first swap of many.

Trying to start something new when I have been this other person all these years, is sometimes really hard and seems impossible and yet, and yet, I LOVE IT and would not be doing anything else.

Off to plot a pretty pink and blue teapot cosy. I am told what I do is called "shaby chic"...a bit less of the chic please!

Making logs whilst the sun shines

Not blogs...logs!

Hello anyway.

My friend, The Urban Selfsufficient Star (USS) and myself decided to spend this very hot afternoon making logs. Well, we need to start thinking about the winter don't we. Now come on, that is one of the joys of selfsufficiency ishness, plan ahead, never enjoy the moment (don't listen to those that say LIVE IN THE NOW, they are not gardeners. If you live in the now then your garden will be awash with weeds and nothing much else - actually, I have much to say on the subject of weeds, permaculture, tram and nettles but not today so...).

Making logs. I bought that plastic contraption for a sum that I am not prepared to reveal and would probably keep me in wood logs for a year. The plastic contraption claims to make logs out of newspapers, sawdust and anything you happen to have handy. Well not cats and dogs, we tried but they ran away.

I am glad to report that after 3 hours of giggling, with blackened hands (newspapers print), sawdust in our hair, very cross pets and a smiling fondly Beloved, we made 20 paper logs in the shape of large crakers (happy christmas everyone). These paper logs will keep us warm for at least five minutes and will soon be offered on ebay at a very reasonable price and £20.00 postage (postage always outrageous).

USS and I think there might be a workshop in it...what do you think?

Otherwise, well we can always talk about lavenders...aaaaarrrrggllll

LAVENDER...

Its harvest time and we are going to drown in the stuff. Audrey, the Beloved, is already having some minor breakdown as to how many beautiful fan shaped lavender bags she can create. I am thinking lavender vinegar, lavender and herbs bath sachets (muslin, easy) and may be trying to sell it on ebay.

It all started a couple of years ago, when I got the notion, living in Befordshire, as I do, on the Hertfordshire border, that I would revive the lost lavender fields of the 19th century. So I tramed all the front front garden (I know, we have a front front garden, a back front garden and a back back garden grandly called the farmyard because that's where the hens live, its also called the orchard because that's where the apple, pears and plum trees live). Anyway, I then planted about 20 lavender bushes. Marvellous I hear you cry, all those lovely flowers and happy bees...

Well, the following year, we created the Herbs Garden (that's in the back of the front back garden for your information) and of course I have to surround it with...guess what? Lavenders of course.

So now, we have to harvest the stuff and then do stuff with is. Harvesting means cutting them off the plant, putting them in bundles and then letting them dry in the summer house (also called "The Studio"...we are delusional in our house) and then rolling them around so that the dried flowers can be put in bags.

Plus point is that everything smells lovely, other plus point is that the Beloved's fan lavender bags sell really well at village fetes etc. So I don't know why I am complaining. Thought I'd let you know anyway!