IS IT REALLY JUNE?

Hi everyone

Hard to believe it is June (of the Flaming June variety??) as it is so cold, as well as wet.  I think in the UK we are so used to Bank Holidays being wet that nothing stopped the celebrations going ahead.  Our BBQ went ahead as planned and the only rain we had was at about 4.00 pm - after that we were able to eat outside.  A really nice day and although cool the sun came out around 7.00 pm so we moved down the garden as the sun travelled down.  I hope everyone enjoyed the celebrations and I am sure they will continue until long after the Olympics have finished too.

You may recall that on 1 May we celebrated the 21st birthday of a friend's cat?  Very sad to report that Carmen, the lovely 21-year old black cat, died on Tuesday.  Over the last few days, she went quickly down hill and she passed away peacefully in her home - much nicer than going to the vets.  Her house-pal, Shadow - the cat who had to have one of his front legs amputated - is very, very lost at the moment.  As those of you with pets know, it is very hard to lose them..They are such an important part of our lives and although we do get used to them not being around, it takes a very long time for that to happen.

Hard to believe this week is almost half over - the last few days seem to have rushed by and as much as I have promised myself not to sit and watch the various celebrations on the television, it has been hard not to.  I completed one of my rush cards without photographing it!  I had promised to add it to my Handmade Monday post at the weekend, and forgot!  I like to take pics of the cards I make so that I can add them to my website and also leaflets to hand out at events to show the different styles of work that I do.  I really do need some memory training!

Quick update on questions posed on recent blog posts: Shadow is doing very well.  He has adapted amazingly well to losing a leg and he nips around well.  He gets tired, which is understandable, but he is now out and about in the garden.  He doesn't travel far, which is good news.  Highland Monkey asked me how long it took the Royal Thrones to be made by my brother-in-law's company and apparently they began work on them in February and I know they were almost completed around about mid-May.  They do look lovely and if a new home is needed for them, I think my summerhouse would set them off very well.

I am looking for guest bloggers for my Friday spot, so do get in touch if you would like to join in: christmaspiecrafts@virginmedia.com.  All topics welcome; approximately 600 - 800 words, lots of pics and all links to Twitter, Facebook, website, etc should be included too.

I have to finish off my second rush card, and take a photograph this time!  I hope you enjoy the rest of this week - it's half-term so let's hope the weather improves.

Jill

JUBILEE FUN, SOME SUN AND A LOT OF RAIN

Hi everyone

Half-way through an amazing weekend for the UK - wish the weather had been as enthusiastic as everyone taking part, but it wouldn't be England if it wasn't wet, would it?  Today has been an incredibly long day for the Queen and still more entertainment to go, followed by lighting a beacon at 10.30 pm - think she deserves a bit of a lie-in tomorrow.

It has been a bit hush-hush up to about 2 - 3 weeks ago, but my brother-in-law's family business (Albert E Chapman)  made the thrones for the Royal Barge.  As you can imagine, this has been very exciting for everyone involved and the finished thrones looks fantastic.  They have had numerous newspapers and television crews visiting the company during the last few weeks and there are various articles, reviews and photographs throughout the internet.  Unfortunately the ones I have are all copyrighted, so I cannot include them in my post, but if you managed to watch the programme on BBC this afternoon, you will have seen some fantastic shots of the thrones and the surrounding banquettes.   The company has had the prestige of Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers for many years so they are very familiar with working in the Royal Palaces. 

The weather was pretty bad at times, but it certainly didn't dampen (forgive the pun) anyone's spirits - such a great pageant.  Everyone that has worked on the Royal Barge was invited to a viewing area set up on the Millennium Bridge.  Now, I wonder if the Queen would like to change her Christmas card-maker this year???

We had planned to celebrate the Jubilee with a group of our neighbours by having a BBQ in our garden today - however, as the weather forecast was so grim we agreed during last week to move it to tomorrow as the forecast looked much better - maybe not much sun, but it should be dry.  I hope so, as we have had many 'happy' BBQs in wet and windy weather, so could do without another one.  Please Mr Sunshine, shine tomorrow afternoon and evening.

As promised, at long last, a photograph of my first pot - it has been biscuit-fired (not too sure what that is at the moment, but reading up about pottery as we speak).  In my session last week I glazed it with a semi-matt white glaze.  I decided I didn't want a strong colour for this first one but not too sure if I have gone a bit crazy with the glaze.  Unfortunately, I may not know for many weeks how it will turn out as I have to wait until there is a kiln full of similar temperature items.  It could be next term - good job I plan to re-enrol.

Thank you everyone who suggested a glue-gun and Pinflair in respect of my question last week for glueing my hearts to the willow wreath.  I purchased a Dremel Glue Gun and will finish off my wreath during the coming week and post the final pic next Handmade Monday.

I have 'rush' orders for a couple of cards - the usual mix of interesting and unusual - both needed by Wednesday.  I will photograph them once finished and post the pics on here next weekend.  To give you an idea one is for a person who supports Chelsea football club, likes a particular local pub, is a Chaplain at a local school and the list goes on.  The other is perhaps a little easier - I wish.  Watch this space.

I recently made two baby fabric items using the same method as I have for my wreaths.  Both are made with 2" squares of material fixed with glue into polystyrene balls and each one has a ribbon attached: blue for a boy and pink for a girl.  As those of you who have carried out this work know, the hardest work is involved in cutting up the squares.

A big thank you to Badger Boo for a great Friday Guest blog post - he really is a lovely dog and writes a very good story.  If you haven't had the chance to read it yet, please do - he loves comments and will reply to all of them.  If you would like to join Badger Boo and be one of my guest bloggers, please do get in touch: christmaspiecrafts@virginmedia.com.  As always I don't mind what the topic of your post is: your business, anything craft-related, running a business, hobbies, holidays. etc.  It is a great way for both you and I to gain new followers and some good promotion if you are in business.

The forecast for tomorrow looks good - no rain from early morning onwards, so perhaps our BBQ will be completed without the use of umbrellas.  I hope so.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the Jubilee Bank Holiday and I will be back on  Wednesday with my mid-week blog and don;t forget to visit my fellow bloggers on Handmade Monday.  Lovely blogs and lovely work to see.

Jill

TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER IS......

My name is Dawn Hart and I'm the very lucky owner of Badger Boo a cheeky Cocker Spaniel, it was a massive surprise to be asked to be a Guest Blogger.  I've been writing about Badger Boo's Daft Adventures for several years now, and they are always written from his point of view.  A bit nuts I grant you, but harmless fun.

*Waves paw and bounces onto Friday Guest Blogger*  Hello everybody, my name is Badger Boo and I'm a very spoilt and naughty Cocker Spaniel *so I've been told* but don't believe a word of it, I'm just Badger Boo Media Hound.

I have lots of Daft Adventures with my hoomans and we have a "House on Wheels" that we are always having adventures in.

Personally I likes it best when we go to the beach, I loves to play fetch with my ball in the sea, it's such pawsome fun.

Where we go regularly my bestest friend is Boomer the Rhodesian Ridgeback, he is totally huge with a big scary bark, but I'm the boss of him because I've known him since he was a not so tiny puppy, and made sure he learnt how to train his hoomans properly, because did you know if you don't train hoomans properly, they have a nasty habit of running off, you can spend ages worrying and looking for them!

I always know when we are going away for an adventure, as my mummy packs me my very own little bag with lots of my favourite toys and food, and of course the tennis balls.  I have three balls, one for the beach, one for general walks and a spare in case we loses one, not that we ever have, cos I'm a brilliant retriever even though I'm a Spaniel BOL (by the way BOL is Bark Out Loud if you've never met me before).

I's got so many stories to tell, I don'ts know where to start *scratches head thinking hard* I knows *starts tapping on keyboard*

"The Bike"

When we goes away hoomans always takes the bikes so we can explore, cos mummy can't walk too far cos she has dodgy knees, and cos it's dangerous to tie me to the steering things, I has a what is called a "Walky Dog" which attaches under the seat, and keeps me well away from any dangers like the wheels.

Because I likes to run and pull so hard, I has to wear a harness to protect my neck and take the strain.  When it gets put on me, I bounces around barking and howling like the Huskies that pull sleds, it always causes a commotion on the campsite as people want to know what is going on.  As mummy explains to them, I gets louder and louder, leaping and running on the spot!  Eventually they stop talking and we are off, I do a massive leap and start to run, mummy has to make sure her bike and me are facing the same way, cos once I leapt but the bike was facing sideways, then CRASH me, mummy and the bike ended out in a massive heap BOL.

When I set off, I'm like a steam train, straining against the harness as hard as I can, because mummy keeps putting the brakes on to slow me down, she says it is to pace me so I don't get worn out and sore paws on the roads.  But as soon as we hit the beach or grass I can have my head and I'm off running as hard as I can, although I'm only allowed to do it for short distances so I don't get too hot and tired as we usually have a long way to go.  After my little blow out run, I'm then happy to just trot along next to the bike enjoying the scenery, whenever we stop for a rest it is always somewhere I can be let off the lead to either mooch around checking the local pee-mails or have a rest if I want too.  I loves going away on adventures with my hoomans, and I'm such a lucky pup that they take me everywhere with them.

I thinks that I had better mention that my fitness been built up slowly to run long distances next to the bike, and although it is fantastic exercise, if any other hoomans want to do it with their dogs, they must start off with short distances for several months, and do it only when their dog is fully mature, otherwise their bones could get damaged.  Depending on the breed of the dog maturity can be anything from 18 months to 3 years old, if in doubt you should ask your vet at what age it is safe to start.  Here is a link to show you how the "Walky Dog"works as it's the one thing I've not been videoed doing.  the only difference is, I am on the left hand side of the bike so mummy is between me and the traffic and I bark all the time cos I's so excited BOL.

I hopes you enjoyed this snapshot of my adventurous life?

My adventures can be followed in two places:

1) My Facebook which has been going for several years now, and has 871 members.  You are welcome to join us and share your own Daft Adventures, or just read about other peoples.

2) My Blog which I started in March of this year, and seems to be very popular too.

The choice is yours, but my little motto is:

I'm the cutest Cocker Spaniel about
If you think I'm gorgeous click like
If you think I'm cute click like
If you think I'm adorable click like
If you're not sure click like anyway, and let me win you round ♥♥♥

JUST CHECKING

Hi everyone

As you know, I am a cat-lover, well an animal-lover really, but our lives and home are shared with two amazing cats: Jazz and Daisy.  They have occasionally been photographed and mentioned in my blogs and both have contributed many times by walking over my keyboard - sadly their spelling is the pits, so I have to proof-read their work very carefully.

I follow a cat on Facebook called Hugo Boss - yes, it's true, that's his name.  He is a gorgeous black and white boy who recently disappeared.  Thankfully his owners tracked him down after he had been missing for about 6 days - as you can imagine they were frantic with worry.  Having had a cat of ours go walkabout a few years ago, I can understand how they felt.  As we all know cats are hunters, very inquisitive, love to play and think there are no boundaries to their world; because of their tendency to 'walk right in' they often get 'shut right in'.

My mid-week post is really a reminder to check your sheds, garages and summerhouses before you close them up for the night.  We all tend to leave these sorts of buildings open during the day at this time of the year, and cats wander in, find somewhere cozy, drop off to sleep and sometimes get shut in.  Most cats will run off as soon as they hear an unfamiliar voice, but there are those cats (Jazz wants to be friends with everyone!) who like to stop and chat for a while, so it is important to bear this in mind when closing the door.

That's my mid-week post, but thought it worth adding that as well as following Hugo Boss on Facebook I also follow Larry the Downing Street cat on Twitter (@Number10cat).  Believe me, they are both very good on the computer so do check them out.

Enjoy the rest of this week everyone - I will be back on Sunday with my weekend post.

Jill

IT AINT HALF HOT MUM

Hi everyone

Are we ever satisfied?  Too wet, too cold, too windy, too hot?  Fantastic weather and just great for lazing around in, but if you have to work it's not that much fun really, is it?  I am lucky as (lack of wind permitting) I can work outside, which I do very often.  However, at times the 'I have forgotten, this, this or this' becomes slightly annoying and the decision is 'go back inside and work' or 'stay outside and work on the garden'.  Very hard to talk myself into doing the right thing, because between gardening and crafting, what is the right thing?

I hope you read my Chelsea Flower Show post?  How about a caption for the last picture?  It was a fantastic day and I came home with great ideas of what I wanted to change and add into my garden.  I am a big fan of Heucheras and I was pleased to see my favourite supplier (Plantagogo) was there again and had won another, well deserved, gold medal.  I recently cleared a bed in the garden specifically for a 'Heuchera patch' and I placed an order when I got home for some gorgeous red-leaved and bronze-leaved plants.  I think I took about 50 photographs (crazy camera-wielding lady!) at Chelsea, but I promise I didn't add them all to my post, but here a few I missed out.

Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of this beautiful rose but I do remember that the perfume was so lovely

Isn't this amazing?  Two driftwood stags locked in combat.  

Digitalis Illumination Pink was named Flower of the Year

This looked so lovely and cool on a very hot afternoon - a beautiful display and not a slug nibble to be seen

All over for another year and I can imagine that the exhibitors have had about five-minutes peace and quiet before they begin planning for next year's show.  

I hope you read my guest blog post on Friday from Lesley Beeton?  Lesley recently went back to South Africa for a holiday and her post gives a very interesting insight into the country, but of particular enjoyment are her photographs.  The Aloe is very impressive - particularly as in this country most of ours are just a little bit smaller than the one Lesley has photographed.  It's a great read and I really recommend you click on the above link.  Thank you Lesley - I hope you will be guest blogging again in the future.

Talking of guest blogging, if you are interested, do get in touch.  I am looking for guest bloggers for mid-June  onwards and as you know the topic does not have to be craft-related (although they are very welcome to us crafters).  How about writing about your garden, your holiday, a hobby, something that you enjoy and enjoy talking about and sharing with others?  Please get in touch on christmaspiecrafts@virginmedia.com.  I am looking for appx 600 - 800 words, plus lots of pictures and don't forget to add your links (Twitter, website, Facebook, etc) at the end of your text.

This week has been more social than work (boy, have I got to work very hard next week to catch up!).  I met up with Caroline (Caroleecrafts) on Monday morning for coffee and catch-up and we arranged to go (everything else permitting) to the Craft & Design Show at Secretts on Friday as Jane of Just Soaps of the Earth was taking part and she had very kindly sent me complimentary entrance tickets - thank you Jane.  I then went to lunch with a couple of other friends - discovered when I got to Clandon that the road I needed to go down was closed and the detour took me half-way around Surrey!  Well, it felt like it and as I have no sense of direction (Sat Navs were invented just for me), I had to follow the detour signs. I made it for lunch - just about.  Chelsea with my friend, June, was my mid-week socialising and time since then has disappeared without me achieving a lot.  Richard and I went to the Secretts event this morning; it wasn't very busy, but perhaps as it was near to 12 noon, most people were having lunch and leaving their visit until this afternoon.  Lots of different stalls: jewellery, cards, scarves, wood-turners and of course the best pongs were coming from the Just Soaps' stall.  Jane was elsewhere this weekend, but am guessing her husband was the one on duty down South.

Handmade this week has consisted of 'making' the garden and working through ideas for potential items to make for my business/website/events.  I am good at planning, noting ideas and identifying/researching what needs to be done, but getting my thoughts and plans into actions is not my strongest point.  This week's Handmade Monday was something I mentioned last week.  I began work on a willow wreath to which I am attaching fuchsia-pink hearts (I have sanded and glittered these and have used different sizes).  I also have some fuchsia-pink ribbon which I will make into a bow and at to the top of the wreath.  Once finished, I will post the final pic on my blog - I am hoping that I can expand using willow wreaths, but at the moment fixing the embellishments to the willow is proving tricky.  The hearts for this one have stuck, but not too sure if I feel confident that they will stay in place.  Any ideas for a glue to be used?

I will be back on Wednesday with my mid-week spot and don't forget I am looking for guest bloggers for 15 June onwards please, so do get in touch if you would like to join in.

Enjoy your week everyone - the weather forecast is for rain and lower temperatures.  Hate to say this, but my garden really does need the rain as I have lots of dry spots.

Jill

TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER IS........

A foreigner in my homeland

by Lesley Beeton

I have lived in the UK for nearly seventeen years, the last twelve years in Surrey, and more recently in Shackleford, a village in the commuter belt to London. Last month, we travelled back to South Africa, our first visit in eight years, and it was not without some trepidation. This story board aims to capture the dichotomy of South Africa, tell you a bit about our holiday and inform you about two wonderful education projects. It also marks the first outing of my new camera, a pre-loved Canon 350 D, so please accept my artistic license with some of the images.

My story starts in Johannesburg, a sprawling city built on a rich seam of gold, which attracts workers from all over Africa. It is dogged by stories of violence and crime, and I'm pleased to say that we saw neither on our holiday. We visited the family at home, with an immaculate garden, cared for by an army of Zimbabwean gardeners. In this photo, you can see a lovely white rose, and one of South Africa's favourite noo-noo's - the praying mantis.

 We arrived in Johannesburg on a bank holiday weekend. As it turned out, it was a five-day weekend starting with the Day of Reconciliation on 27 April and ending on Workers Day on 1 May. Many people were off work, enjoying the unseasonably warm autumn weather. Here, spent an afternoon at Zoo Lake, a beautiful boating lake set in park lands. There used to be a rather posh tea shoppe, which served a delicious baked cheesecake; now there is a bar and a gift shop. Like good tourists, we purchased trinkets and curios for our friends back in the UK. We stayed at the Rosebank Lodge, and we can highly recommend it.

 This prickly fellow is the aloe, a common plant in South Africa. I loved the aspect of the close up of the aloe with the family skipping into the park.

  

We drove from Johannesburg to the Drakensberg, roughly translated as the dragon's back mountains. The Drakensberg marks the boundary between Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal provinces. It is a mountainous escarpment. The journey takes one through the Free State, where rock formations such as this mesa are commonplace.

 As we approached the escarpment, I couldn't resist taking this photo of the Amphitheatre, a popular hiking region in the Drakensberg and probably the most famous features of the mountains.

 This is the view from the hotel. We stayed at The Cavern Resort and Spa, see our review here. The plants in the foreground are red hot pokers, characteristic of this area, and below, the praying mantis.

I woke up early on our last morning in South Africa, to capture the magnificent African sunrise from our room. There is nothing warmer than the African sun on your face.

We spent some time with Megan Bedingham at The Cavern Resort. Megan and her family have set-up and built a school, The Royal Drakensberg Primary School, for local children. This local school means that the parents of little children no longer have to find the money to travel an hour by taxi to school. No money means no school for many children. The South African government provides no financial support for the school, so it must find funding for teachers and supplies from other sources. Parents are, however, expected to pay R400.00 (about £30.00) a month for each child at the school, and that is a huge sum of money for most of these parents whose main employment is at The Cavern Resort or the neighbouring hotels. The remainder of the school fee is generated by tireless fundraising.

I have previously written about Thandulwazi, a maths and science academy in Johannesburg. And now, I’m asking you to consider the Northern Drakensberg Khanyisela project. Khanyisela means to enlighten. Thandulwazi is the love of knowledge. Two projects inspiring brighter futures for South Africa and its children.

This photo shows just how rugged the landscape is for the local people to move around, and why local services are severely limited.

The herdsman just let his herd cross the road in front of us. It is common place, and we weren't travelling fast, so it was OK - this time. Amusing for the onlookers, but I wonder what might have happened if the cars around us had been travelling at speed?

 And finally, this creation is a reminder of our childhood. A lime milkshake, double thick with ice cream, with a squirt of cream on top - and don't forget the hundreds and thousands!

It was a happy trip, full of nostalgia, although we did rather feel as though we were outsiders. South Africa has changed fundamentally, in many ways for the good. We felt as though we could go around unobserved and unharrassed, like foreigners in our homeland.

Thank you, Jill, for inviting me to guest post again. To read more of my adventures in Surrey, please see Mad dog woman of Shackleford or follow us @Shackleford_LB. You can see my TripAdvisor profile here.

Photo credits: Lesley Beeton, 2012

THE PERFECT DAY

Hi everyone

The Chelsea Flower show was wonderful - too tired last night by the time I got back home to write my blog post, but better late than never.  We couldn't have asked for better weather considering how grim it has been up to this week. It was very hot, but not sunny so no heat beating down on our heads, although a little breeze would have been welcome.

We saw some fantastic gardens and displays, we saw some that were a little disappointing and some that we wondered how they had made it through the gates of Chelsea, let alone win a medal.  That may seem harsh, but as a gardener of many years, a regular visitor to Chelsea and someone who has picked up a few horticultural qualifications along the path of my life, I felt I could be a bit of a back-seat judge.

I tend to look at the outside garden displays and ask myself  'can I replicate the design in my garden?'.  Often, more often than not, the answer is no.  Apart from size, it might not fit the style of my garden, may have a planting scheme that didn't appeal to me.  However, I am pleased to say that the garden designed by Cleve West, which was the overall winner, was just perfect.  I could easily live with and maintain his design, it was really lovely and I have included a picture of his plot and know there are lots more on the Internet.  The garden designed by Joe Swift was also lovely - lots going on and a large garden needed to accommodate everything, but it was nice to know that a popular gardener had won a gold medal for his first   Chelsea exhibit.

The following are photographs I took during my visit to Chelsea, some of the outside gardens are shown and I have included lots of pics of the displays in the Marquee.  Sadly, we just ran out of time and didn't get to see all of them and didn't get to photograph all of those we did see.  Crowds were 5 or 6 deep around the perimeters of the gardens and most of my pics would have included just the backs of peoples heads!

Diarmuid Gavin's display - a you can see there are very few flowers and from a distance all you can see is lots of green leaf and scaffolding

The Gold Medal and Best in Show winner designed by Cleve West - this photograph really doesn't do the design justice

The garden designed by Joe Swift - the wooden pergola style structures looked lovely, so smooth

The Blue Water garden designed by Nigel Dunnett

One of the displays in the Marquee entitled Summer Holiday - I could almost hear the waves lapping on the sea shore

A mini that had been decorated with rock plants

A green racing car plus mechanics - this was great

The controversial easy-grass covered car - the display looked great, but is it really Chelsea?  

A beautiful Chinese garden - the colours are stunning and the display included a dragon (see the next photograph) and two flower-covered elephants

A Chinese dragon

I wish my Hostas looked this healthy - later in the season mine often resemble net curtains

A lovely display of Pitcher Plants

Sunshine in a pot - the Lilies on this stand were gorgeous and the perfume was soooo lovely

A dark purple and pale lilac Gladioli (quite unusual colours) - the lilac one did look a little like an Iris

And last but not least, one happy visitor going home with more than she had expected.

As always, I loved my time at Chelsea.  The friend I went with and I are both very keen gardeners and have done several horticultural courses together in the past.  We have been researching for another one to do, but there isn't much locally that doesn't cover ground (forgive the pun) that we have already been over.  We did find one at Chelsea, but just a little too expensive (£1,300).  So back to the drawing board.

I hope you enjoyed my review and the photographs - I have lots more and may add them to a separate page on my blog so that visitors can see some more shots of the beautiful displays at the event.

I will be back on Sunday with my Handmade Monday post, but please do come back tomorrow for my guest blog spot.  this week's post is really great and I know you will enjoy it.

Enjoy the sun

Jill