Random Monday

How was your weekend?

We had a relatively busy one.  Food shopping on Saturday, followed by the dreaded "putting it all away" when we got home.  I hate that job!!   We had a Chinese meal out on Saturday evening to celebrate a family birthday which was very nice and then home to snuggle up in bed with a film - which as usual we saw about twenty minutes of before waking again to the closing credits!!  We're so rock'n'roll y'know!!

We went to a Christmas Gifts Fayre during the early afternoon of Sunday.  It was held HERE in a small marquee which also spilled over in to some of the state rooms of the house.  It was a nice way to spend an hour or so, browsing some pretty little gifts.  I think that I must have been feeling a little jaded however, as none of the stalls seemed to have anything which completely bowled me over in excitement.  There was a stall selling cup cakes and brownies (£1.50 each!!),  There seemed to be a bit of a jewellery stall overload - and as much as I like jewellery, again there was nothing really spectacular.

Out of the mediocre - there was an amazing assortment of twisty scarves which almost looked like knitted sparkly cobwebs.  They looked like they would be very challenging to make - however as I can't knit for toffee then anything remotely resembling knitting would be challenging to me!! 

I did see a little hand made witch that after some deliberation I decided that I wanted - but when I went back to get it, it had gone.  Sniff. 

During the afternoon we cut out some pumpkin stencils ready for the seven pumpkins which have to be cut in time for the weekend.

We're having a pre-Halloween get together - just for a small number of family - and have mucho big plans for decorating the house!  I usually do a display in the lounge window in time for Samhain and I can't wait to go to town on the rest of the place!   We've found some lopped tree branches out in the field which are going to make fantastic spooky trees!! Watch this space.... all shall be revealed very soon!!  

I'm sorry that I haven't got any photographs which slot into this very random post - so I'll just share more randomness with you instead!!

Cheery Sunflowers - Sunshine on a Stem

(and a jar of home made chilli jam from my friend, Paula!)

An embroidered chicken! You can't get more random than that can you?!   This work of art was purchased when I was down in Woodstock for a weekend a couple of years ago.  It features freeform embroidery on to heavy art paper and finished with pen and ink and each picture is one of a kind.   The picture is signed by J Cooper - I have googled her to no avail.

Now that the veggie planters have been harvested of spring onions, carrots and runner beans, I thought I could inject a little much needed colour into my otherwise very drab garden. 

I chose a  few Erica heathers, some winter pansies, variegated ivy, little Goldcrest conifers and some skimmia dotted between some pretty miniature cyclamen.  I've underplanted these with a load of mixed daffy bulbs, some hyacinths and some alliums.

The cyclamen really are the prettiest little plants - they were two for a pound from our local Big Apple discount store.

It looks a little sparse at the moment but hopefully the plants will find their own space and bloom for a while over autumn and early winter at least.  I was really pleased with it - needless to say HTH had been warned on pain of death not to dig them up.  Didn't work tho.  Sigh.    The poor plants have been squished and moved around so many times that I doubt they'll see the end of next week!!!

Random Monday - over and out!!