Send your own ElfYourself eCards

crimbo cottage

Hey, still feeling proper poorly so will not be chatting today but wanted to show you a few pics of the house looking all festive, and the wonderfl gifts the girls AND i received from Sam(xmas bunting, handmade hearts, stanley, little chicken and lots more!!!)















After saying we had no snow down here, guess what happened a couple of hours later??
....Merry Christmas one and all xxx

Absence makes the heart grow fonder…

  

Hello all my lovely friends, ive missed you all alot over these last few weeks, nothing major has happened-just life getting in the way as usual. Ive not even had time to read any blogs, let alone comment, i think its a winter thing-as i mentioned a few posts ago. I would have loved to photograph and share all the baking and making ive done recently but there just hasnt been the time. I did make Kirsties Boxing day chutney which turned out fantastically well if i do say so myself, and a black forest gataux/cake for my friend alison’s 40th birthday which was lovely too! Ive missed not taking lovely photos so i think that will be my aim for the next few days, while the girls are home, to take some really lovely photos of my family ad my home.

However as i type, im sat in bed having caught the bug which has floated around our family for the last few weeks and which i thought id escaped the clutches of-hmmph-no such luck, cue a night of sweating/shivering, tremendous head pain, coughing, aching etc.

So Mr P is out on our shoot, and im stuck here, in bed, but i do have Ted for company for the time being, he shall shortly be whisked away for his first time beating. I considered being selfish and keeping him here with me, but feel he should really get out and about. Presently he’s snuggled into me with his head on my shoulder, breathing his soft puppy breaths and giving sporadic puppy sighs, ah puppy love!

All my christmassy stuff is coming together, just the onion marmalade to make and dads Barbour wellies to wrap, oh and marshmallows to buy as part of Mrs P’s pressie, the one thing morrisons didnt have!

I thought id post a couple of pics of the recent trip mum and i made to winchester, every year they have these little huts all around the cathedral grounds selling a beautiful array of goodies. We took Ted with us as we knew we’d be a while, i put him in the baby carrier i had from when the girls were little, and i can honestly say i dont ever remember a baby getting as much attention as this little puppy did!

He was also wrapped in a blanket as it was bitterly cold

These are the huts:

I didnt buy anything on this occasion as id already done most of my crimbo shopping and some of the things on sale you can buy cheaper on the net but we did have a lovely wonder round-and i didnt mind all the attention!

 

The boys travel in style while mum and i are out and about!

Ted is growing bigger by the day and has a real little personality developing-eager to please(which is no bad thing when it comes to training). Hates cold/wet/damp and wont go out for a wee if the weather is the slightest bit inclement(which IS  bad thing for a non pampered working pooch!) He loves his grub and where there’s food, there’s Ted. He loves me too(which i LOVE) and follows me about, comes when i call him and cries when he cant be with me. I should show you a few photos of how he’s doing i think!

He’s in love with Hermione as you can clearly see by the look on his face, Darcy isnt bothered by him either which is so nice as for a while she didnt even come indoors when Ted arrived-you can see in this picture he looks smaller than the cat so i think that was two weeks ago as he’s a third bigger than that now with looonng legs!

We’ve barely had any of the white stuff down here which is a shame for the kids, just freezing rain and lots of ice, never mind at least a few of you have been able to enjoy it!

Our tree is up,(which is cut down myself WITH A CHAINSAW-Ahem,lol!) the house is twinkling with fairy lights in every room and the girls are loving playing xmas songs on their CD player.

Before i go i just want to mention that I was very very lucky to be partnered with Sam, a lovely non blogger lady in a recently organised swap(please forgive me for not remembering who organised it!) she went to a huge amount of effort and spoiled the girls and i rotten with her gifts. Ive just realised that my camera was steamy/smudgy on the lens when i took the photos of the goodies she sent, so this week at the top of my list will be to re photograph everything so i can share it with you!

Hopefully i’ll catch up with you again before the 25th, until then could you all wish me good health as i so dont want to be poorly for the big day,

Lots of love, Kirsty xxx

Merry Christmas my friends! x

CULTURE GENERIC ST_UIP

morning all

Morning all, its precisely 5.22 am and i am up. Ive been 'up' since 4am, the reason? Oh just a certain puppy deciding to start crying at that time for the last three nights!
As you probably know our house is a dorma bungalow, and our room is downstairs. Puppy sleeps in a cage in the kitchen which he goes into quite happily but by 4am he's barking and crying constantly and Mr P had said if he had a third night of disturbed sleep then one of us was going to have to move out-and it wasnt him!
So i duely released puppy from his hell(!)in the cosy, blanketed, food and water ladened crate; and what do i get? Showered with millions of kisses and happy puppy noises thats what!
These last 4 days my little pup has made me so happy, i absolutely adore him, he's as good as gold and just brings a happiness to the house which i cant really explain.
Now dont get me wrong, i was all for the 'im not getting him out, even if he cries all night' school of thought, but Mr P occasionally calls the shots so who am i to argue?!
So this morning, ive bleached the kitchen cupboard doors, tidied the kitchen completely, played with two crazy pups,(mum is here with her westie pup Stanley too!) and lit yankee candles so we have a pleasant not too hurty on the eyes 'glow' on the sitting room and kitchen... and now i thought id drop in on you guys with a quick update. I gess you'd like a photo of the new 'baby'? For those of you who dont follow my blog, he's a working cocker spaniel and his name is Teddy, Ted for short, Superted as Mr P calls him, or Harvest Willow Teddington to give him his kennel club name!!!!

so im not the only one...

Who loves my CK duvet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My goodies!

Phew! Im just taking a five(twenty)minute break to chat in beween dashing round the house in a mad cleaning, decluttering, spree! Not quite sure whats come over me but i do feel better for it, and Mr P is still at work so i figure i may as well make the most of my pottering time!(By the way he's fixing the gearbox in my 'new'(to me) land rover discovery we bought this week, see how much this puppy is costing me already??!
So, here are the photos of some of my CL xmas fair purchases.

Hopefully most of you already know of the fantastic work of Stephanie Ponsard *my sweet fairy* blog and Etsy shop? One of my first posts was about my first fairy bought from her, which resides above my bed, sleepily dreaming on a glass bauble. The following photos or courtsey of Stephanie, this was her stall at the CL Fair in 2007, (click to enlarge) i just wanted to give you an idea of how wonderful it is....as you venture in you notice all different fairies all over the place, they really captivate me and i cant resist them.

This isnt the exact fairy i bought but i couldnt show you that as he's all wrapped up as a crimbo pressie for our newest family member baby charlie, i chose a blue baby fairy on a green macaroon, sooo sweet. I alo bought my girls a fairy with a little net skirt scattered with flowers as a crimbo gift, shes stunning and i cant wait to see her hanging from their bedroom ceiling.

These next treasures are very special and i'll always treasure them as they were bought with my mummy, she knew how much i wanted a linked silver bracelet like this one and treated me to it even though it was reeaally pricy. I LOVED the ring too and ummed and aahed for ages but bought it as i didnt think id see another one like it and it is so lovely.

Now, you remember i said id share more of my lulu and jane goodies? Well, this is their lovely card for you to have a look at....
And this is the back(click to enlarge)...

Wanna see what i bought from them?..... Im soooo toooottallly in LOVE with my new wristwarmers, they just jumped into my hands and before i knew it, cash had been exchanged and my goodies were being wrapped in mint green tissue paper and popped into a bright pink paper bag, what d'ya think??

The ones above are my grown up, sensible stylish, cable knit mummmy ones, and below are my funky LOOK AT ME! Ones, fab huh? and only 8 pounds a pair(yes handknitted)!

Of course, i was naughty and visited Joules too, well ive hankered over these for ages and, and,....well im just plain greedy if im honest with you but i dont care, i work hard, i dont drink or smoke(or socalise much)so why not?? AAH chocatoodles!

Greengate anyone? Thought so! 2 tea towels, a pretty bird for xmas decoration and a bottle of handwash for the kitchen in a posh bottle(NOT FOR MR P'S USE!!!!!!) Red spotty for xmas kitchen and blue paisley for summer kitchen, mmm pretties.

This metal duckling had such a lovely expression, i thought he could keep me company when im sat out the front bench gazing at the view.

I couldnt leave the show withut adding to my china collection, I got two crochet mug warmer things,the green one below the other is pink. A cute home sweet home mug from lulu and jane and a tiny cup and tea light holder from Caroline Zoob, i had to buy something with a Robin on as i adore them and it was either these goodies or a ceramic heart with a robin from Jane Hogben pottery, maybe i'll get that next year.

I also got this tiny tipple of Raspberry liqueur, only 22%!!!!!!!

I hardly drink but this was so tasty. Do you think i could take it shooting with me as a little tipple??

My other Joules treat was this beautiful necklace, the huge cherry like beads speak to me and ive even caught my mum holding it up to herself-hands off!!!

So, all in all a great haul. Got a couple of other stocking bits for the kids from dot.com giftshop and a couple of family gifts, there wasnt tons there that you couldnt get elsewhere but you cant beat the atmosphere and we had a real sense of adventure as we took the tube part way into london which was such fun(we got some strange looks from fellow commuters!)

Hopefully i'll now get a bit more back into my blogging swing, lost it there for a bit, blame the house, its taking over my life!

Hope you are all well,

Kirsty xxx

Country living christmas fair 2009

Hi girls, i thought you might like a few snaps of the country living fair mum and i visited on thursday....

We were met by this beautiful hut when we walked in-i want one! (Dont forget you can click on the photos to enlarge)

It was a really busy fair with tons of people and lots of beautiful stalls. I like the fact the they're all in the same place each year, it makes it easier to head for my favourites, although it is a bit maze like and i almost missed the Susie Waton stand!

How lovely is this russian doll quilt? This lady sold lots of beautifl patters...

I have to introduce you to some new ladies on the block, their names are Lu lu Drew and Jane Scott, they have just set up a lovely venture together selling some fab home goodies, handmakes and floral lovliness, not to mention the fact that they were the nicest two people we met all day!

Jane Scott

I found the hand knits too irresistable, so the gorgeous nes below came home with me! Well, at only eight pounds i couldnt leave them behind! In my next post i'll show you a bit more with regards to jane and lulu.

As Jane and Lu Lu's company is so new the website isnt quite ready yet but it can shortly be found here, add it to your favourites and check back soon!

These fab rings were suspended from the ceiling in the business design centre, you can rely on Cl for fab dec's cant you?

So thats it, done for another, not tons of photos but im sure you get the gist, there were lots of people so maybe the credit crunch isnt as bad as we all thought?! Im in the process of photograhing my goodies so check back shortly x

hey

Hey all, sorry ive not been chatting for a while, id forgotten how much work this house is in the winter on top of all my usual jobs. Bringing in logs, keeping the fire going, hoovering 5 or 6 times a day, dusting more because the fire is going(well, wiping everything from window frames to the tv weekly with a damp cloth and some flash). All these things are added extras which seem to be taking up the little extra bits of time i previously had.
Dont get me wrong, im not a neat freak-not at all, but with SO much washing in this house im always running to keep up with all my jobs.

The cats like to sleep on our bed most of the day and night during the winter so im constantly wiping gritty muddy paw prints off the sheets and quilt! I feel mean if i dont let them in there, and besides, with a puppy arriving in two weeks, closing my bedroom door 10 times a day will be the last thing on my mind.

So, whats been going on here with us? Ruby is at school full time, but since then ive been helping out Mr p's sil with childcare as they've been trying to get the house next door finished(hopefully moving in today). The weeks are whizzing by and we'll soon be in december before we know it. Ive been baking lots, ive perfected mince pies and chocolate fudge cake thanks to Lucy at Attic24, according to the teachers at the girls school it was AMAZING!(no photos , sorry)

I helped out for the whole week before xmas in Rubys class as her usual class learning assistant was off, i really enjoyed it and felt a nice sense of responsibility, met lots of teachers who'd worked there for years and were familiar with our farm, it was nice to show my face with regards to 'who's got the farm now' conversations!

Half term was a washout as we've all taken turns to be poorly, we did venture to the cinema to see 'UP' in 3D, we sat on the beanbag seats at our local VUE cinema as a special treat for the girls, all went well until Poppy was sick all over herself and all over the car on the way home-same week as id advertised it for sale-thanks Pops, we were only 30 seconds from home, and you know how that smell lingers.

Ive been suffering alot with migranes recently which have been awful, i havnt found a medication which takes it away yet, so if anyone can reccomend anything id be grateful.
I also cricked my neck a couple of weeks ago, on the same morning i was traveling down to southsea in portsmouth to meet my friend Jason at gunwharf quays shopping centre, he'd just had a kree op, and i couldnt look right; so as you can imagine we got a few odd looks!

Ive had my mum staying over this week which has been lovely as ive had lots of extra help with the kids, cooking, washing, cleaning etc! We had a lovely bonfire party on friday night to celebrate buying the farm, lots of jacket potatos, and chilli and mulled wine and good friends, hopefully we can do it every year!

Ive been walking the dog lots everyday which he loves,since mum's been here Stanley's been loving it too...i thought id better add a few photos to this post and you're probably bored to tears by now....enjoy x

Loving Google today!!!!!!!!!!

Puppy names...

I have a puppy name update for you all....Ok, so names ON the list are, Milo, Henry, Rolo, Alfie, Hugo,Teddy/Ted, Oscar, Chester, Marley, Guy, Rufus, Monty, Dooley(as in the toffee liqueur), Jonty, Rupert, Digger, Bramble,Theo.
OFF the list are-Archie, George,Bracken(already family farm dog names) Jarvis,Dexter,Ollie, Button(lovely but too long to call! x) Wilf(my uncles name)Pip, Harry(my MIL was let down on a cocker last week which she'd set her heart on so i thought to cushion the blow i really shouldnt steal the names she'd picked as she still plans to get one asap!) and Coco(our friends dog).....Hmmm, the search continues, thank you SO much for all your well wishes and fab ideas! xxxxxxxxx

My boy

Ok, so, here he is, our new baby...isnt he GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously i will be gushing about him endlessly for a few weeks, so do bear with me! He is only 4 weeks old at the moment so we cant colect him until 21st of november, 32 whole days away(not that im counting!), i fell in love with him as soon as i saw him and cant wait to take the girls and Mr P to meet him.
If you could help me out with a few name suggestions id really appreciate it? I do have a few names in mind but you ladies always have fab ideas, so let me know!

Love Kirsty x

MMMM delicious!

Do you remember these pretty little birds i showed you the other day? They're french partridges, and yesterday they went from this......

.....To this!!!!!!!! Ta da!
After spending the afternoon with Mr P senior at the big farm(as we shall call it, just so you dont think i mean our farm) learning how to dress pheasant and partridge, he kindly gave me two brids and some pheasant breast to bring home for tea!

I decided to stuff the birds with some bramley apples id collected a while ago from the big farm, as well as some sage and garlic. I then wrapped the birds tightly in bacon and baked for 25 mins. When the birds were almost cooked i removed the bacon and added it to some red onions and garlic id already fried. The birds went back into the oven to brown off. And i make a lovely gravy with a chicken stock cube the bacon ,and other bits. All served with garlic mash and peas....it was so tasty.

To say Mr P was impressed must be an understatement as i even got a call at work from Mr P senior today to say that Mr P had been singing my praises for the amazing dinner, at coffee this morning! Now, i dont want to sound like im blowing my own trumpet, but im really really proud of myself, i took so much please in cooking something completely new to me that i think everyine should try it every so often. Im also happy that my man was proud of me!

&£"*@***%$!!!!!!

After just writing a massive post and then managing to delete the whole thing im now very pissed off, so will leave you with just the photo of poppy and Darcy from halloween a couple of weeks ago which featured at the beginning of said lost post-hmmmmm!

Catch up...

Good morning lovely ladies(or afternoon, or evening, or whenever you might be reading this!), hope we are all well. Ive been meaning to catch up properly for aaaggees now, so again i apologise for my tardiness. Ive not been up to much of interest, just the school run, house tidying dog walking etc etc but ive taken a few photos as i had to have a bit of colour didnt i?!

First things first, ive been looking for a new puppy this week, ive settled on buying a working cocker spaniel as we have our own pheasant shoot here at Woodington now, so id like to be able to train it and go beating with murphy and Mr P, the pups ive seen so far have been completely adorable but not quite right for us so the search continues! I dont know what colour to choose though, thats a bit of a dilemma(a nice one though!) I think id like either a golden one or a chocolate one, as opposed to black, or a few other variations of colours which these dogs come in.Ive selected a few photos from google to give you and idea of what im talking about. Hmmmm?......

Moving on. I took the photo below a couple of weeks ago, its my beautiful Japanese maple, what a stunning colour? All the leaves are now littering my patio but i loved the brief burst of firery red.
The girls and i have been out and about on the farm today looking at the the amazing colours of the trees, they were fascinated and are now pointing out pretty trees everywhere....its nice seeing things through their eyes, the appreciate such tiny things, like silver birch bark peeling and holly berries starting to appear....(which reminds me i must go and gather some this week to put in my enamel jug in the kitchen diner.

All these autumn colours and we've been blessed with lovely weather until this week so ive been biding my time until i could whip out my new Joules sweater, i got it at the recent Romsey horse and agricultural show.

Not a great photo im afraid! but you get the jist!

Crazy as it sounds i got a fab Joules sweater in a charity shop in Romsey this week, and a lovely Jager shirt to wear on shoot days...

Making me very happy this week was the discover of these fab new sarah smith dishcloths in waitrose, they're huge and they we were really reasonable, LOVE the polka dots. I also picked up some prettily patterened wipes which ive never come accross before, and the week before last homebase had ss dishcloths in every pattern ive ever seen for half price-so i stocked up!

Im sure you've all had a chance to peruse the new CK catalogue by now, well,what did i spy wth my beady eye, only my primark cardigan in the rosy patterned sweater storage bag!! Now thats thrifty ck!

Things are busy busy here on the farm, this is a peek through next doors gate, all that unruly mess is down to the fact that the house is being renovated before Mr P's brother and family move in shortly.

While out for a stroll with the dog at home this week, something unusual caught my eye...take a look..

How cool is that?! Mr P's brother did it last year...maybe we'll use it for a party here this year and continue the tradition, lol. Murphy thought it was great that i moved the drum slightly to take the photo and raced in to catch any shrews which popped out from underneath!

I took a photo of the old drum below because i just LOVE the colour, who'd think that on a farm full of rusty old bits and pieces you'd find something so beautiful, such a pretty hue.

This is Mr P's brother and family's life piled up on a trailer just waiting for them to move in,( its only their garden 'stuff'' though so dont worry.

I think id quite like to live in this little house!

..Oh and this milk churn!

I also noticed this solitary yellow rose, my favourite colour of rose actually. Strange how you can have roses flowering into october isnt it?

I thought id include a couple of photos if the afore mentioned Romsey show, we have special members passes every year so we get to use the posh loos and eat and drink in a special sectioned off area!

I think these wonderful old steam engines have so much character, that smell and the heat you feel coming off of them is like nothing else. They were all lined up in an orderly fashion with their owners on board, more than happy to share their history with anyone who cared to ask. If you enlarge this photo you'll see that its got Eastleigh, painted on it. Thats the market town in grew up in in Hampshire, so it was particularly special to me.

I love watching the different dog shows, some are purely informative about each breed, its great because you see so many unusual dogs which you wouldnt necessarily know about otherwise.

One of our tractors was at the show to promote the national federation of young farmers.

I also did some shopping-of course! I bought my lovely Joules sweater photographed at the top there, it was a bargain at only twenty nine pounds.

I stupidly talked myself out of buying one of these great hats, bugger, i need one now!

I didnt buy anything from the stall pictured below, but its the same people who are at the cuckoo fair each year, do you remember me telling you about them back in may?

They had a fantastic stall, as you can see by their award!

Back to the here and now, yesterday the girls and i ventured onto the farm to take a look at the bird pens housing the shoot birds, these partridges were so pretty, but very very nervous. Ruby was a bit shocked when they all started flapping! Notice how she stands well back, i think she's also avoiding the electric fence!

I'll leave you with a couple of photos of the cheeky girls playing hide and seek and feeding the ducks in Mr p's mum's garden. Please excuse any spelling mistakes, its sooo late and i cant be arsed to check this post through! Whatever you're doing, have fun xxxx

Retail therapy

Ive been sat her naughtily oogling all the goodies on my favurite websites for a bit today..(what?! im waiting in for my new washing machine to be delivered AT LAST!-and no they never did fix the old one)... i thought you might like me to share one of my favourites. The utterly delectable cosmetics purse below is from http://www.thechiccountryhome.co.uk/Online%20Shop%20new.htm
If you've never been there before i can highly reccomend it, lots of xms pressies were bought there last year and were gratefully received by all...go on..have a peek. Faye, who runs the shop also has a sweet blog here.

Guess who?

......Is coming to winhester now?!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you guessed it, the new Winchester store will be at 51 The High Street, it opens on the 22nd October! Im really happy because they only have a small concession in my town and they have very few items. Now i'll be able to get whatever i want and a few sale bargains too hopefully....Woo hoo!!!!!!

So sorry...

...That ive been absent for sooooo long! The past three weeks have literally flown by, and here i am at 10pm and tomorrows sandwiches still arent made! Prime example of how hectic thing are right now! Ive not forgotten any of you, im a bit sad that i havnt had any time to check up on you all(not to mention feeling quilty!), but right now my home and my family need me. Ive been enjoying some beautiful days in here in the country, and appreciating the simplest things,like the stunning dandilion i photographed very early one morning last week, while the dew just hung there(click to see more detail)...lots more photos to share, i hope to have some time on sunday to show them to you, but for now i must go...promise i'll try not to leave it so long this time!

Bad news-washing machine update!

Bad news, very bad news. Lovely washing machine man arrived yesterday to break it to me. The bearings in my 2 year old machine have gone so the drum was basically wobbling about all over the place with nothing holding it-hence the awful racket coming from it!! The long and short of it is that he will be back on monday-yes thats MONDAY of NEXT WEEK to fix it. Hmmm. I think even if i had one of these......
...........id be far too lazy to use it! And i think id end up looking and acting alot like this lady...!!!!!
For now all my washing is bagged in tesco ladybird bags according to type. So far i have four full ones-towels, whites, daddys clothes, and colours.......and counting! I know what i'll be doing next week!!!!!!!

Waiting!

Yes, thats me today, waiting. First day of the holidays and i have to wait for 'the man' to come and take a look at my washing mahine. Its been poorly for a few days now, first making a very loud clunking sound when its on a fast spin, then i came home on friday to find it full of bits of rubber-which smelled disgusting. I have piles of washing all over the house just waiting! Hopefully he will get here in good time and not at 5.30pm, and hopefully he'll have the right bits with him to be able to sort it! Im making the most of being grounded, ive made the beds, tidied the house, and completed the next stage of the loo makeover, at least i have more beautiful Dhalias from saturday to keep me going. I put my little CK jug by my bed so i could admire them whenever i go into my room-so pretty!

Bits n bobs...

A jolly little post today, hope you are all well? A few bits and bobs to talk about today. Despite the cold Ruby and i had an amble round the friday market this week, i was so tempted to buy lots of plants but im saving my pennies for bulbs, i need to get to the garden centre and make my selection-im quite excited and may even treat myself to a blub planter, i thought some daffs scattered beneath the oak tree would look really beautiful next spring.

In town we pondered for a very long time in a new shop in town called Aromas. They have a huge selection of Yankee candles and allsots of different bath bombs which little lady spent her time sniffing carefully, then ponted out which ones she'd like for christmas-they were 1.99 each! I am a bit of a sucker for Yankee candles, i just dont think there's a rival candle which can beat them for burning time and an amazing scent which fills the house and lingers for hours. I was being very indecisive but eventually settled on this one, its black cherry, its not too sweet and sickly(i hate vanilla for that very reason!) and im really glad i picked it, although next time i think id like the new one out called 'farmers market' it really was so delicious, i looked like a bit of a loon standing there for ages inhaling deeply with my eyes closed!-back to the farmers market one-it was really autumnal and spicy-but a different spicyness to the others-have a sniff if there's a place near you which sells them.

I also bought myself another little treat, thus far ive really enjoyed the jam making, so i picked up this in my friend Debbies lovely shop Kit & Caboodle in Romsey,this is so that all my jars are neatly(and prettily) labled(Ms Kidston must be rubbing her hands together!)

For those of you who have wondered, the Damson jam turned out perfectly, i hand delivered a jar to Mr P senior who had lovely little smile on his face that id taken the trouble to A.collect the damsons from his mothers tree, B. given her immense pleasure in appreciating the fruits of her planting all those years ago and C. made the effort to get some to him as soon as it was cool! It made me smile too, another achievement ticked off my list, jam maker extroadinare! lol.

Next onto chutney i think...ooh the excitement!

This weekend we've been sat in the lounge reading stories, playing hide and seek and bike riding, making the most of our last days together before school tomorrow. Ive painted the loo and its nearly finished-when i have the house to myself tomorrow i'll finish it off then show you the finished product.

In light of the recent store cupboard goings on in my kitchen Ive decided i must have a larder, im sick and tired of searching for muffin cases, chicken seasoning, garlic paste etc, knowing one of the above is stowed away somewhere im kitchen cupboards but not being able to remember which cupboard its in and getting very stressed when things fall out on top of my whilst im searching! Id LOVE one like this.....which can be found here... isnt it dreamy? Check out their website you'll be drooling!....but im formulating a plan because obviously this one is for my dream country house which i'll buy when i win the lottery! For now im thinking of having a shuffle in the kitchen, its not finished yet anyway, and we need a swap about for a new fridge, conservatory doorway, and the Rayburn. Not that ive informed Mr P yet-i need to get it all on paper first-its as if he's the bank manager and im doing a business plan isnt it?! I know he'll just say 'you know you're going to have whatever you want anyway so why are you bothering to ask me?'...because dear man YOU'RE going to build it!.....

New things...

I thought you might like to see these stunning Dhalias i picked up yesterday, i popped to the boot sale which is behind our house(not literally) and didnt really get anything worthy of showing you...although Ruby would beg to differ as she got a new floaty, net, pink ballet type skirt which ive yet to persuade her to remove! I got the dhalias from the lady who sells things on a little stall, veg, plants, eggs....would you believe these stunners were just 50p and were still there when i arrived to snap them up at 10.30?! So the above picture is where i sit, at the dining table, looking out onto the garden at the oak tree, maize field and the chickens pecking worms out of the lawn. I dont know why this photo was so dark, it was actually a lovely sunny but i know it doesnt look it! There are so many colours and types of Dhalia in there there's no way i could pick just one as a favourite...ive put them next to me so i can really appreciate them as i sit here alot, to do my make up in the morning, to surf, to eat lunch, this table is pretty much the hub of the home, cant wait for Mr P to get on with the Rayburn and knocking the kitchen wall down so its all a bit more open......

I did get these from the car boot sale they were two bunches for £2.50 i stuck them in a kilner jar, stood back and admired the view and its really making me smile having flowers about the place again- i havet been able to stretch my funds far enough for an indulgence of this type over the holidays but i appreciate them all the more for it.

And lastly, these are new to a certain little lady who will be taking her first steps a week tomorrow into that big scary new place we call SCHOOL! She isnt really bothered at all in all honesty its me who feels im loosing my baby. We went to buy her first pair of school shoes on saturday, we took our meat counter ticket and waited patiently to be served. I think little lady was slightly shocked at how heavy the shoes felt to her, she's only used to wearing little ballet pump type shoes and im not sure im all that pleased about her tender little puds being squeezed into these day in day out, she's have the calf muscles of a russian shot putter in weeks! The have little purple cats on them which im sure will have swayed her choice here but, if you were four years old, wouldnt you want the new shoes with the purple cat on??!

I wont be sending her to school in the stripy socks of course-oh no, its boring grey or white im afraid.

I remember the feeling of getting my new school shoes, i was so excited and wandered around the house with them on for hours getting a feel for them, posing in front of the mirror, but i didnt get that same feeling of excitement from Ruby, maybe its because school is still a scary thought ....or maybe she has so many pairs of shoes that these are just another pair to be kicked off at the end of the day and then relegated to the shoe graveyard in a couple of months when they're scuffed and unloved(and grown out of!!). Whatever the reason, i got pleasure from seeing her in them, then all dressed up in her uniform-puuurrlllleeeasse can i try it all on together mummy?!!.....I'll let you know how shes getting on in a few months time, im sure big sister will show her the ropes then they'll be no stopping her!

Country living christmas fair 2009

Morning ladies, just to fill you all in, we have arranged a blogland visit to Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair in November.

If you have never been you have to come! It is fantastic! You can find details on my facebook page. Wouldn’t it get be great if we arrange a day to all go and we can meet up ! Oh how exciting. know it is a little way off but it will give us all time to save up and something to look forward to.
This all happened in a flash last night when a few of us were on facebook. Mandy(livelaughlove)and also my lovely auntie(!), mentioned about the nights drawing in and being dark at 8.30pm when Mel answered saying ‘yes before you know it, it will be Christmas!’ She went on to say ‘Don’t mention the C word in August, but at least we have the Country Living Christmas Fair to look forward to’ and that was it, it snowballed.
The more the merrier come on everyone you know you want to come.
We are thinking that probably Thursday 12th would be the best day.

Please say you can come it will be great to meet up. xx

What we've been up to

Hi all, ive finally got round to finishing this post, its taken a while but im done now so i can go round after this and catch up with you all!
I thought id start with a couple of photos of myself and some good friends having an amazing night out on friday evening, after all your support from the last post i thought it the decent thing to do. My best friends little sis is going to oz for a year out so we went for goodbye drinks in a few of our favourite posh bars for cocktails galore!
This is me(right)and my friend Julie, im drinking a pina colada-my ultimate fave!

And here's (almost)the whole gang, im bottom left, happy times!.

Onto less glamorous things, we've been making the most of this sunshine lately, on saturday we headed over to Mr P's mum and dads farm to gather some essentials from their veg patch. You wont be surprised to learn that the little ladies adore pulling picking and digging the veg. They also picked a couple of the beautifully pretty Gladioli which are planted around the border.

Mrs P and Ruby personally selecting me a perfik cabbage!

The apple tree next to the patch is heavy with fruit, almost ready to harvest for lovely pies!

Pops did her bit for the garden by gathering as many cabbage butterfly catterpillars as possible!

From the patch we got-Beetroot-for chutney making, new pots, carrots, runners, and a cabbage. Not bad for 10 mins pilfering!

I must say, the main reason we went to the farm was to collect some purple gems from Granny P's garden.....thats what the jam pan below was borrowed for....

Ah those purple gems! These are Damsons, from the plum family(sorry if you all knew that already!) but with an acidic skin, so too sour for eating off the tree-but perfect for jam! I implore you all to plant one-this is really interesting to read.

This lovely lady with my girls is Granny P, Mr P's granny(obviously!). She's a wonderful lady who is so knowledgable, having been a farmers wife for 50 years! The Damson tree was planted in her garden many years ago when she first moved onto the farm with her beloved husband Grandad P, who sadly is no longer with us.

We collected lots and lots of fruit, so now i just need to get onto freecycle and see if i can get a few more jam jars!
Last week the girls and i picked blackberries, 3.5lbs worth to be exact! This was definitely the highlight of their holidays so far-i cant tell you how great they thought it was. They've eaten them every day since. Who said you have to spend money to have fun?

With our lovely free fruit i set to work making a crumble(read more about the beautiful apples further down-such a pretty pink inside and out!). I used lots of oats in the topping which tasted really yummy-i defy you to make a crumble and not have double cream poured over it!

So, thats one sort of harvesting over, onto another....

Over the hoidays i like to make the best of the lie-ins, this is how im found until about 9am . New snuggly matalan pj bottoms(love that check!), laying there admiring my heavenly greengate cushions.Usually with a dog and two cats for company getting hairs all over my new LA duvet cover!

Lately, as i lie here and see this view out of my bedroom window...another bright sunny hazy morning, i know it means another day will go by when i wont see Mr P.

All this sunshine, spells only one thing for us-harvest time. Ive been missing him terribly this last ten days or so, we've hardly had any rain here down south and its been go go go to get all the straw bailed on all the different farms he contract harvests.

On one he'll do at least 300 hours of bailing this month alone, as well as lots of other jobs inbetween.

This was on saturday, he was on our farm so we thought we'd meet him for a picnic and some family time, we snatched a lovely hour together.....

This photo shows his spangly new square Bailer, boys and their toys!

Neither of the girls have had any tractor time lately as they cant sit still for the 4 or more hours they'd need to to do a whole field so they just did a few rows of this one.
I got the blankets out of the car so we had comfy bottoms and we enjoyed eating and chatting and playing for a while.

Considering how much hay bale wrap is(the black plastic) this was a quick posed photo, we plonked the girls on then whipped them off before they could scuff it!

Daddy always has his binocoulars in his tractor so when i noticed something at the far end of the field he grabbed them and gave the girls a lesson in how to use them(supervised as they're tres expensive!)...

And just look what they saw, two beautiful deer...they were fascinated, kept very still and quiet and watched them for a good ten minutes or so.

On such a sunny day the fields look so beautiful, i was inspired to take a few arty photos! Hope you can appreciate how lovely it was. I love the neatness of how the rows are sown, and the bails dotted about the field look like lego blocks!

Of course i had my beautiful boy with me and did a little mosaic as i couldnt choose just one picture of him, he gave me the fright of my life today so im spoiling him with cuddles this evening!

This photo was taken last week; of the boys wholecropping. The vehicle on the right is Mr P's 'Claas' forrage harvester, it cuts the crop, and then little metal teeth called tynes flick it up into the inner part where its then sucked up into the arm and then spat out into a trailer driving alondside pulled by a tractor. This is the method which will be used when the maize corn is ready to be harvested sometime next month.

When i arrived home on saturday evening i discovered these fab french beans hanging in my porch, my dad had popped over to drop them off earlier in the day after picking them from his veg patch. They taste amazing!

He had also picked me these beautiful apples from my nannies tree. They smell just as amazing as they taste, i couldnt believe my luck! You just cant get apples like these from the supermarket. And have you noticed how bloody expensive apples are?!

Earlier on saturday Mr P's mum had said she had something she thought id like, i nearly wet myself with excitement when she presented me with this enamel 'tapioca' tin, its really really old and im totally in love with it! Just look at that blue!

The CK mug is what id bought her for her birthday earlier this year-fine bona china-she'll only drink from the best! But sadly when she poured boiling water into it, it cracked, when she told me, i said dont worry i'll have it and put it on my shelf among my other pretties and get you a new one! She duely obliged but did remark that as ive got so much in my house where they hell was i going to put it-i assured her id manage to fit it in. She also said she's got tons of other stuff for me but she'll need to have a sort out-result!

Back home then and there's been lots of fun to be had in the garden in this lovely weather....

The above pictures are of my mum and aunties new pup Stanley-he's a real sweetie, and of course little Archie, he loved playing with the hose, and jumping on the trampoline when they were all in the garden-he's a cheeky little monkey but totally gorgeous as you can see!

Little miss Roo decided to take up residence in my spot on the lounger! Wellies and CL, a girl after my own heart!

So, thats life for us this month, missing daddy, playing-for as little money as possible, harvesting, eating, baking, making the most of each other.

Hope i havnt bamboosled you with all the machinery talk-i'll stop if you tell me to, its just thats our day-to-day so thought id involve you all.

I thought id leave you with a little shot of our garden gate which goes through to next doors garden, when the first pigman lived in our house when the farm was originally up and running he needed to be able to cut straight through to the quickest route to check on the sows when they were farrowing.

Its nailed shut at the moment but will soon be in use again, hurrah!

Do you like the LA beach hut bunting?....

Lots of love Kirsty xxx

lovely day planned?...

Warning, this is a rant!..

Today id arranged for three friends plus kids to come over for lunch, as my garden is quite big we thought it best they come here rather than anywhere else....firstly, i draw back the curtains to rain, rain, rain, i spent most of yesterday afternoon sprucing the garden up as it was quite messy, it was so hot i got a real workout sweating as i pulled out the patio weeds!

This is the scene i had in mind!

Secondly,I went to tesco yesterday and bought lovely bread mini cakes for the kids, fruit snacks etc, then came home and made flapjacks and granny buns. I thought french tick for the adults and mini cucumber sandwiches for the kids woud be perfect, also bought some special mummy fizzy drink(not alcoholic but expensive!).....so, 4 mummies,7 kids, plenty of food eh?

Well, friend A returned my 'please can you bring kiddies drinks message' call last night, only to say she'd promised to visit a friend who was camping locally today, and so were'nt coming-surely she'd have known this 2 weeks ago when the get together was arranged?! Then, THIS MORNING, friend B text, to say, do you mind if i bring food for myself and the kids as im sticking to my diet(which has been going on for 6 years, 2 stone lost!)and the kids are really fussy!!!!!!!!!!!!! WELL, my reply text may have been a little 'blue', she quickly retracted, saying 'oh yes, bread will be fine'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im sorry, but how hard is it to arrange a straightforward get together with three friends? I do feel quite let down to be honest, friend B hasnt visited this house yet and she's quite a 'NEXT' girl, you know the type, a home which is all beige and not a thing out of place, and the farm, well, its at the other end of the spectrum really isnt it?! So the last couple of days have been spent tidying cleaning, sprucing, alot of 'no you cant get the barbies/farm/happyland people ou't has been shouted'....and for what???

Friend C,she's bringing her springer spaniel Ruby over, so at least murphy will have a good day!

I just feel like i shouldnt have bothered going to much effort,am i right to feel a little pissed off, or am i just turning into one of these....

what do you girls think?...

Cath Kidston interview

I thought some of you might find this interview with our beloved Cath interesting....read the comments, the make very interesting reading!!!
Kirsty xxxxxxx

mystery solved?

I couldnt figure out why this kept happening to my lovely Dhalia blooms.....all the edges have been severely munched, on almost every flower! Ive been vigorously deadheading and many new buds have formed but being an 'organic' gardener i hoped the problem would go away without necessataing the use of slug pelets and the like....then this morning, whilst hanging out the washing.....

I happened to notice this little creature making his way through the lawn....

A quick google image search has so far proven fruitless as to his type, but he's a beautiful little catterpillar, looking quite dewey in this photo. Poppy was quit captivated(if a little nervous) by this little chap.

We have many many butterflies and moths around the farm presently(most of them seeming able to find their way into my ground floor bedroom!) but i have no idea what species it could be...any ideas?

Yesterday Poppy had her friend Ed over for the day and i had set them a bug hunt challenge, a caterpillar was the only creature they were unable to locate, perhaps the chickens have been helping to keep their numbers low?

She was very very happy to finally be able to tick it off -even if it was a day late!

I love how interested my girls are in the nature surrounding us, they can name so many different species, birds, mammals, plants, im really keen to nuture this interest as its so important that future generations want to take care of the world they live in.

Random gorgeousness for fabulous friday!

Ladies,on this fabulous friday i thought you deserved a little visual treat. Feel free to ooh and ahh the the following gorgeousness i set before you....for no reason other than it all makes me smile!

New jug, charity shop 50p!

My huge double hollyhock, stunning, these pink pom poms litter my patio, to the great amusement of my girls!
Below...*squeals with delight* An image from the new Greengate catalogue, so much gorgeousness i had to make sure i was comfortably seated before flicking through the online pages, oh how i'd love an all white scandanavian home like the ones featured(why oh why is my partner a farmer?!)

This stunning wallhanging was featured in easy living magazine its by Lulu & Nat. I love it, beautiful.

Some Nicky Trench gorgeousness.........(Check out her blog here if you havnt already, lovely, talented lady)

OMG, how much do i want these?!?!?!

I couldnt post pictures of so much loveliness and not include my lovely ladies could i?

And lastly, ive been tagged by Sal, shes has given me this.... .....fabulous award! Im all smiley now, ah i love it when i get awards from my most wonderful blogging pals, and Sal's right up there with the best of em'!

Im obligated to now reveal 5 of my curret obsessions, so without further a do:!

1. Im so into tea dresses this year, you know, pretty floaty floral dresses, the kind that look great with a cardigan and my hunters?! I wouldnt pay the crazy prices that CK charge, but there are many lovely ones in high street shops....(my newest one can be found on page 165 of the new Next catalogue!)


2. Eating amazing tasting buns daily,made from the hens fresh eggs!


3. Nectarines(do you see a foody pattern forming here?), so yummy im often seen sat at my desk at work just sniffing in their sweet scent before devouring them and dripping juice all over myself!


4. Crisp white egyptian cotton bedsheets, ive got a new Laura Ashley one i got in the sale, its got, kind of lacy embroidery on it(also in white)in a floral pattern, and its without a doubt the best duvet cover ive ever owned, not only does it look stunning on my bed with my vintage lace pillowcases and Greengate cushions its the best quality bedding ive ever slept under, just cant emphasize enough how amazing it is!!!!


5. My new Rachel Allen cookbook, who knew carrots could taset SO AMAZING with so little effort?

So there we have it, five little obsessions making me happy at present, i dont know if the obsessions had to be ones which make you happy or not, but im sure you dont want to hear how obsessed i am about finding the exact same kitchen tiles i had in my last house for this one, or with the number of wasps entering my dining room i can kill in a day??.....No, thought not.

I nominate the following sweet ladies for the award, and apologise in advance if you've already completed this one!......

Hen @ http://henhousehomemade.blogspot.com/

Bertie @ http://bertiemeadows.blogspot.com/

Mel @ http://facebook-melmel.blogspot.com/

lisa @ http://btchwstix.blogspot.com/

Catherine @ http://mollycupcakes.blogspot.com/

All thats left is for me to do is to visit each lady and notify them of their awards!

Hope you all enjoy what promises to be a lovely weekend!

Love Kirsty X

Soft-top Sunday!

Hi all, well here we are, stomping into week 2 of the summer holidays, i think maybe if we all pray for a little sun the spirit of the blogging community will surely lift these dripping gry clouds?

Id love to mow the lawn and potter in the garden but i dont fell like getting chilly out in the elements!

Anywho, hope you had a great weekend,i did, it was a bit different. I didnt go the carboot sale on sunday as usual, you see, my dad had invited me to 'soft top sunday' at Goodwood racecourse in chichester. He thought i might like a little trip out with him as when we're in the car together(pictured above, his Austin Healey 100:6) he can put his foot down a bit, my step mum gets a bit nervous when the top is down and lorries zoom past on the motorway. Isnt she a beauty? I had to wear my scarf tied round my head and sunglasses when we were driving along, knotty windswept hair just would not do!(i wont dare post a pic, i looked quite silly rather than thelma and louise glam!)

It was an early start but i didnt mind, taking in the vistas of the glorious suxssex countryside is no laborious task! We took the quick way there-motorway, and the scenic route back-heaven!

We joined a couple of hundred people at this event and enjoyed a lovely morning taking in the fabulous collections of vehicles, as well as partaking in a tasty and hearty breakfast, comprised of saussages and bacon organically reared on the goodwood estate!

There were families and young and old there, it was free to get in,which is a huge bonus, the pleasure is showing off your own vehicle and admiring the ones brought along by others.

i loved this Jag.....and look who had sneaked in the back for a ride?...

This was my ultimate favourite car, i think its a Porche roadster, yes i could just see myself in this one!

I

I had to take a quick pic of this lovely phone box too, i want one in my garden!

HOW cute is this? Obviously i was drawn in by the gorgeous fabric, not very neatly upholstered i must say but the pattern went fantastically with this little beauty of a car. Shame you dont see these around anymore.

Of course i had to show you a tractor! A 'baby' one so im told, but it looked pretty big to me! It was towing a little trailer giving people tours round goodwood, how lovely?

The weather was fab, there were lots of beautiful old cars to see and some not so beautiful and modern(smart cars!). I just had a really great time wandering around with my dad, we dont spend much quality time together as work/family commitments get in the was all too often but it reminded me of when my brother and i were little and my dad would take us to MG(his other vintage car of choice, he has a red one) meetings and shows...hope we can do it again soon!

Love Kirsty x

My week( a little CK!)

Hmm, two little chairs and one big empty bowl...what could it all mean??....

yes, the little people have been baking this week! They had great fun, and i was impressed, they know which order which ingredient goes in when and they can crack the eggs in minus any shell! We baked granny buns(so called as granny bakes them every day for the farm coffee break) and cheese scones. They lasted all of about, ooh five minutes?!

While Ruby was having a nap Poppy and i had some special time together, we both had a cuppa and a cake, lovely.

I must say i was in desperate need of the tea and cake i havnt had a chance to catch my breath this week yet, id forgotten how knackering it is actually looking after your own kids, with school and pre school occupying most of their time until now ive pretty much had it easy!

Its been weird not being able to just 'pop' into town for a lipgloss or a 20 minute mooch round the charity shops...for a trip out you have to feed them first, try to dress accordingly, ie going out with wellies on but taking flip flops, cardigans, raincoats, then put up with the 'i wants' all the way round!(i havnt even mentioned the 'im hungrys and i need a wee's!).

I did find some salvation yesterday though, we went on a little family trip into winchester(mainly to visit CK but also to visit Reeve the baker--mmmm yummy!) Id like to ay i was very restrained, but that would just be a BIG FAT LIE!.....

Firstly, i'll show you the window which greeted me...the newly done-Autumn window!(insert ooh's and ahh's here)....There are lots of new prints to swoon over im loving the red ones personally.(click pics to enlarge as they look a bit dark)

Ok, so wanna see what i bought? You do? Really? Oh ok then....
(THE PRINT IS MORE GORGEOUS IN REAL LIFE!)

The apron is in my absolute current fave fabric, the stone roses. The vest was a snip at just eight quid - so you see, i had to have it! Its soo soft and although the photo doesnt do it justice, the fabric is really pretty, i can wear it in winter with a white top underneath.


Oh, and a glasses case...how did that sneak in there?!(well i had to have something in this heavenly new oilcloth didnt i?!)

So what d'u think of my purchases...none of which have been noted by Mr P yet, how good am i?

Now, if i hadnt gone to CK i could've gone to The New Forest and Hampshire County Show, which is a great agricultural and equestrian show held every year just down the from us, they have lots of great livestock tents, horse shows and fab plants stalls....but then i would have just spent loads there too...oh well i'll have to do The Romsey Show in september instead, Joules are always there so i feel more treats coming on!

Onto other things from the past week, did you eagle eyes spot anything different in the tea and cake photo?

Ive finally got round to painting my dining chairs! They've been given the F&B(shade is new white)treatment and are now looking fab, the photo below does not do them justice as its so bimmin dark in my house, but trust me they're soooo much better than the old 'orange pine'! Two people have even asked where i purchased my 'new' chairs from?! result.

Sadly since the day i painted the chairs we've had torrential rain, so alas the underside of the table is still awaiting its transformation. I might go for a lovely green for that though, i picked up a brand new tin of paint at the bootsale ages ago for a pound in just the right shade of green, i'll keep you posted. I also feel the need to paint the orange pine fireplace too so hopefully i'll get onto that next week, i have so many items of furniture which i want to paint so ive set myself a target of one thing each week.

This jug of floral loveliness came from my very own garden, i picked them for the sunday dinner table, we had Mr P's brother and family over for a roast as we seem to have aquired half a pig in our freezer which id quite like to use up! It was yummy and there were bloated tummies all round!

Now if you're like me, holidays or no holidays the kids are in bed at 7pm, (or 6.30 if i dont let them watch ceebeebies and they realise the bedtime story hasnt been on yet!).

Mummy needs her 'me' time. So as soon as ive finished this post i can get onto delving into these three beauties, kindly donated by a friend going through a love split and cant bare to look at them(they were 'hers'). I kindly snatched them out of his hand and have got my new paperchase notebook(with cute food characters all over the front), pink rollerball pen, and set of multicoloured post-it's at the ready, i'll select my first few recipies and make sure all the ingredients are purchased at tesco tomorrow! Hurrah for lovely cook books!

Goodnight x