Samaritan's Purse boxes

I always have great fun finding things to go in the children's boxes for the Samaritan's Purse Appeal. I went down to see Mummie this weekend; she will kindly deliver the boxes to the Depot for me.

One for a little girl

 

 

One for a little boy

 

They both have the same amount of items; it just looks more when it's spread out. These boxes go out to orphanages in Albania, Mummie's friend Sylvia's church organises the transport.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

I found out about this Photo Scavenger Hunt from Kirsti at stormina(vintage)tcup and thought I would give it a go; some things would be easy to find, others not so. Still, I am always up for a challenge so here goes:

1. A pier. The Festival Pier on the South Bank of the Thames.

 

2. A clothesline. Monochrome laundry.

3. A border. Ivy covering a front garden wall bordering the next door garden. Nice path, too!

 

4. A roadside stand selling something. Lovely colouful produce.

5. A train. Piccadilly line tube coming in to Hounslow West station.

6. A historical landmark. Spoilt for choice here in London, but Tower Bridge is pretty iconic, complete with Olympic rings.

7. A person playing a musical instrument. Cherub on the triangle in the Criterion Theatre, snapped when I went to see The 39 Steps.

8. A person dressed as an angel or a statue of an angel. She is part of a tapestry in Liverpool Cathedral; actually a photo of a card from the shop - you aren't allowed to take photos inside the Cathedral.

9. A fountain. In the Piscine Musee in Lille

10. A horse. Part of the Community Mosaic outside Asda in Hounslow

 

11. A shadow. Sean's.

 

12. A maze, labyrinth, or trail. On the Victoria Line platform at Warren Street tube station, to while away the time waiting for a tube train!

 

13. A library. Hounslow Library, my favourite section!

14. A person playing with a ball. This colourful chap was in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral, playing a circle game with some friends.

15. Someone dancing. Performers and audience dancing to a Samba band at Potters Field by Tower Bridge, entertaining until the Olympic coverage starts. Just two minutes later it starts to pour with rain! 

 

16. A bride. When we were little my sister and I made lots of peg dolls. I made this one for Layla who gets married to Jonny at the end of October.

 

17. A church, chapel, cathedral, mosque or temple. Southwark Cathedral.

18. A movie poster. In Lille Gare de l'Europe

19. An outdoor stairway leading to Dean Garnier's Garden, Winchester Cathedral.

 

 

20. A swing hanging from a tree (or a hammock) A bit of a cheat this one, as I couldn't find a real one! I caught the end of this film in a shop window completely by chance, so whipped out the camera, waited a few minutes and caught it again.

21. A picture of you standing with something that symbolizes your nation. A cup of tea of course! I am in the Forte Tea Rooms in Winchester, and Mummie took the pic. 

Have a look at Rinda's blog  at http://gallorganico.blogspot.co.uk/ for more!

Basket No. 1

I acquired some pretty florist's baskets from a freecycler, Thankyou Angela, and used them for gifts. This one is for Sam and Tony to congratulate them on the birth of baby Elisabeth Antonia Maude.

A little plush teddy for baby Beth, and some treats for the proud parents; some chocolate brownies and a selection of teas, in Sam's favourite red and white polka dots. Beth's nursery has a train theme, hence my card design.

 

 

Here she is at five days old - what a little sweetie!



Flowers in the Window

I love finding window boxes with beautiful blooms!

 

 

In Deal, Kent.

 

In Sandwich

 



 

 

In Lille old Town

 

In Pearson Street, on the way to Waterloo station from school.

 



 

Lovely contrast against the whitewash.

Fantastic job Paralympians!!

Huge medal haul from Team GB! Far exceeding targets, and an amazing achievement all-round!

 

 

 

 

On the walk from London Bridge to Tower Bridge, I discovered a couple of unexpected sculptures.

 



 

Monthly Make, Part 1

At the beginning of the year, I pledged a Monthly Make from Annie's blog, (you can find her at http://thefeltfairyuk.blogspot.co.uk ) but had some problems putting them on Flickr, after February, so here's what I made (amongst other things)

January:



Sean chose the wool and asked for a short scarf to keep his neck warm when he is at the forge. The bamboo needles were a joy to knit with. 



  

February: 

 

Heart shaped cupcakes for Sam and Tony as part of their wedding gift.

 

 March: 

 

A cheery cherry cake for Sean's birthday

 

 April: 

 A practice for Activities Week; Jan and I will make these with the girls along with the bracelets and corsages this year.

 May: 



Festive fobs to add to Kenya and Milli's Jubilee souvenirs parcel 



June: 

 

Bergamot scented candle.

 

Part 2 to come at the the end of the year.

Conserves and preserves

Soft Fruit Glut at the greengrocer! The two of us can't possibly eat it all in pies and crumbles and fruit salads, so time for some jam-making!

 

Yellow plums make a lovely golden jam

 

A new experiment: modifying a recipe and adding lavender syrup. Success! The result was delicious!
 



 Susan gave me a marrow, so with some apples and ginger I made my first Marrow and Ginger Jam. Forgot the 'Before' photo.

 

The backdrops are some fantastic Marks and Spencer pillowcases from the 1970s, unused, found in a charity shop in Southbourne. Wonderful bright colours!

 

Some to give away for birthday and Christmas gifts, some to keep to remember the sunshine that helped them grow. Specially today, in the middle of a thunderstorm!