Zeb's birthday!!!

Who would have thought that the tiny bundle we never thought would make it through the night
would make it through all the way to being a bonny bouncing baby of two whole years old.
Happy birthday Zebedoodle.
We kicked off the celebrations with a walk to the river for champagne and cake. (Made by yours truly and with a special back to front 'Z'!!!Whoops.)

In the darkest days of Zeb's beginnings I'd try & buoy Clarissa by telling her that one day he'd be crawling and then one day he'd say Mumma and soon enough he'd be off on his bike on a paper round. Well, here's his first bike, all singing all dancing and highly dissaproved of plastic. Better get ready for the paper round.

Then we went on to the proper party...there was camping....
And music with Uncle Ricardo...

Clarissa has been gardening with her friend Megan and together they have produced one golden courgette specially for the party.....
Time for some lazing around in the tent with Jazz the cat...

Then maybe some jelly...

A great time was had by all. How on Earth are we going to top it next year?

Currant crazy

Look Kelly P, it's a whole year since you were here doing this in Harriet's garden. There weren't any red currants this year only black. Now I've been franticly googling for recipes to use them all up. We still have a few jars of jelly left over from last year..thus the jar sitting on my thigh of "one I prepared earlier"...




The only time we had to pick was really early this morning so we had to tiptoe into the garden so as not to wake Harriet.

Smaller than usual cushion

I got inspired and made a pin cushion what do you think?
No pins in it yet as I want to go and get some special pearly ones. All mine here in the workroom are melted from the iron or bent like crazy.
Cute little bottom huh?

I have been working on a major project and have been taking photos all the way but I don't want to post until it's all done.....I'll keep you in suspense 'til then.

xxx

Green vestments

Yesterday evening we went to a tiny nearby village Church in a place called Little Ellingham. Where the set of green vestments that I've recently finished were blessed. How many people are lucky enough to have their handiwork blessed?

Weddings galore

Ages ago Ricardo the Magnificent accepted a gig with our friend Paul to sing at a wedding. He was thrilled as Paul is a great musician and loves the same kind of Swing/country music that Richard does.
However a few weeks ago we realised that it was actually on our wedding anniversary.... I brought out the stiff upper lip and said it was fine, we'd celebrate it in a couple of weeks time when we had some more time & money, after all we've been married for 5 years now.

As the day got closer though I'm afraid I suffered the girly kind of wishing and hoping that I usually hate in girls. It looked like there wouldn't be any kind of weddingy stuff happening on the day. I went to Norwich yesterday and bought a wee pressie and a card & strengthened my resolve.
Knowing Richard as I do, I should have known all bases would be covered....I came downstairs this morning and discovered somehow he'd hidden a dozen of these in the garage.
And had somehow found the time to make this card out of a piece of veneer he had.... (five years is wood)


Then we didn't do ANY work on the boat and went out to Wyken vineyard for breakfast. Here's a really bad photo of me looking relieved. (Did I really bag this guy after waiting 43 years? How can he stand someone who wears so much concealer?)
After that we went to Ring bells for not one but two weddings. By the end of it all we were feeling suitably romantic. So here without further ado I bring you some photos of our BIG day 5 yes five years ago...







And a poem by e.e.cummings from a beautiful book that the indomitably romantic beau bought at Wyken...

'I carry your heart with me'

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

e.e. cummings (1894 - 1962)

I hope this leaves you all feeling suitably romantic...

Morning bike ride

For a few months now the 'Buns-of-steel' or B.O.S. programme has been a morning bike ride with my buddy Caryll. We usually huff along the back roads near our village avoiding the hills as much as possible. We are gradually getting fitter though (well I think Caryll's getting fitter, I'm finding it harder to keep up with her). First we go through the forest and the green is amazing with bracken, oak and beech trees, sometimes we see deer, it always smells fresh & clean. Then we ride on past the pigs which smell bloody awful but always make me laugh. They probably think we're pretty funny in our cycling getup. Most days they run as fast as they can to get away from us but this morning they didn't seem to care.
There are a few typically Norfolkian Flint houses along the way with wonderfully neat vegie gardens that always make me wish I had the time & space to cdreate one of my own.
Then the landscape opens out into classic Breckland with Scots pine & fields of gold. There are poppies galore at the moment and the wind in the wheat always takes my breath away with a kind of sob. Can you hear it?
There are beautiful wild flowers on the edges of the fields, Caryll says the purpley blue one is a kind of cornflower....of course it would be. Just a few more shots of the poppies. They made a red carpet as far as you could see.
We really have the most beautiful countryside to ride through.
When photographing stuff I always think there's a bit of Divine intervention...sometimes the sun comes out at the perfect time & you just get the right shot. I think this shot was the definitive one.