Lemons and Lace

You know when you bring plants in for the winter, and you think 'where in the heck am I going to put them?' especially in a small house. Well this is where my lemon trees are residing for the winter, after all the apples were eaten. It seems a good place with the big pottery platter underneath, no water staining on the table.

A find at the thrift, a beautiful lace cloth, starched and all.

Christy

Tea and Time, Claire, Suffolk

Tea and time spent with my mum in the Castle Gardens at Claire.

I took mum out to our most favourite spot, which is in Claire. We took a flask of tea with us and bought some cakes in the local shop.

It was an idylic English summer afternoon.

We had wanted to sit by the water, but it seems that the local council has taken all the seats that used to be by the water away, not sure why. So it was a little walk to these seats from the car; which can be a little trying when you're walking with canes. But here we are.

Christy

Apple Cake

Apple Cake recipe from Food, Fun and Farm Life

I did like this recipe, and we all have our family favourites, ours is still my Jewish Apple Cake recipe which I've made for years. A great favourite with all of Rob's friends. I don't think a cake lasts a day in our house.

Also, on the stove, my dear little pottery teapot which I'm using as my everyday teapot. One needs joy in little things.

Christy

Belated 28th Anniversay Post

Marriage is a fragile vessel, and can only make it if there is a threefold cord.
Ecclesiastes 4:10

Christy

B. R. Dressing Gown

I have been looking and looking for a new dressing gown, but have not found one that I truly like. I brought a silk type one at the thrift shop for my trip to Scotland, but do not like it for everyday wear. So I decided to mend my old one.

The sleeves were the worst, with holes and stains, so I cut them off, unpicked the edging fabric and bleached it. I cut them off to around the elbow. I used the cut off sleeves as a pattern and used one of Rob's old white tee shirts and cut two sleeve pieces out. I sewed back on the edging fabric and the sleeves. Then I did some decorative embroidery to add a little something.

Even with the bleaching the fabric was some what grubby so I decided to do the blanket stitch around the edge to cover this a little bit.

There were also holes in different places on the gown, so I used the fabric from the old cut off sleeves and patched with this, using a blanket stitch to edge the patches. I think it turned out quite well.



Christy

P.S. B.R. means before Rob, in other words I date things in my mind; did I have that before Rob was born and that dates it to at least fifteen years old and this is one of those pieces.

Remember this Enjoli advert?

Coral Beach

An old abandoned croft. You have to wonder who lived here, did they leave during the land clearances? What a view they had here across Dunvegan Loch, but what a walk and how isolated. A good donkey would be of great value living here I would think. Many Highlanders emigrated to the far flung regions of the British Empire.

This evangelical preacher led his flock from the Isle of Skye to Nova Scotia, from Nova Scotia to Cape Breton, which is not too far. Not liking it there they took the long sea voyage to Australia and from there to their last stop New Zealand. Starting in 1817 to 1853. Eventually he was happy with that, or felt enough was enough at 70 years of age and having resided in half the British Empire. I found it a most interesting account. Enlarge the photo and read the whole account.

Shells picked up at Coral Beach. I had an idea of making them into jewelery, but who knows.

Christy

Bowl & Matcha & Kizeto Oribe

A bowl of Matcha Tea, with a traditional Japanese sweet.

My bowl.

Isn't this Japanese Tea bowl so beautiful and the tea whisk is exquisite, it reminds me of a sea anemone. I will have to take my own photos as this one does not do it justice.

Bowl and Matcha Kizeto Oribe what is this? I thought when I opened the package that came in the mail. I have had a lot going on recently so my mind has not been as quick as it should. But I soon got on Google to find out.

For a person who drinks tea and loves it soo much, I am ashamed of my lack of knowledge of the Japanese customs of drinking tea. But I soon found out. Matcha is a finely powdered green tea, and the Japanese tea ceremony revolves around this, with the above bowl and whisk part of the intricate ceremony.

Thank you Candyce, again my dear friend has introduced me to something new.

Christy

Teapot and Cup Hooks

Three little finds in England. I ran across these at the above shop in Halstead, UK. There was only one teapot hook left and the rest were cups, therefore the three grouped together. They bring a little smile to my face.

This is the lovely oven mitt that dear C sent to me. It actually has a magnet to hang on the fridge, but I so like it on my special little hooks, that it hangs here.

Christy

Re-Vamped Curtains

These curtains came from a thrift shop several years ago. I had put them up in the boy's room, but he never did like them. I can't blame him, because they were too long and had this hideous early eighties patterned fabric applique, which was applied to all four sides.

I started off by unpicking the appliqued stripes, washing and ironing them, hemming them and then I hanging them up. But after looking at them for a while I decided that I did not like the tab tops. So took the curtains down and unpicked the tab tops, re-hanging them with rings.



So this is how they look hung with the rings. They are much easier to open and close.

After all that I thought maybe I should have gone with a wooden rod and rings instead of the black wrought iron, but it's too much to take them all down and I'm getting used to them.

Christy.

Chair from Thrift

This is my new, well new to me thrift shop find chair. I love that it sits low to the ground and having no arms it lends itself to an open feeling in the sitting room. Plus at a squeeze if you were entertaining, you could sit two. The fabric is old fashioned, but in very good condition. So I actually don't mind it.

The little glass and rose table sitting beside the chair was a yard sale find for two dollars. I know it's very time warped, but I like it.

My old Kasse Fassett cat needlepoint cushion, even the colours tone in.

Christy.

Sunday Afternoon, the Walk to Coral Beach

Christy

Lazy Sunday Afternoon, Cattle by the Side of Loch Dunvegan

Christy

Back to the Cottage for Sunday Lunch

Back to the cottage for Sunday lunch. Held up for a little while by some local Glendale sheep.

The drive up to our cottage. We have to keep the gate shut because the sheep wander everywhere. One night we came across them all over the drive up to the house.

These sheep may be the same ones we came across earlier in the day. They were asleep, we woke them up.

The view across to Loch Pooltiel, from our cottage.

Christy

Sunday Morning, 2nd Day, Neist Point

View on drive to Neist Point

The steep walk and steps down to the Point

Then a walk back up to Neist Point

My sister BB, while sitting here, she got to see a basking shark

The morning mist lifting

Neist Point lighthouse

Unusual rock formations at the Point

Sunday morning after a cooked breakfast we decided to take a local walk. Before leaving the States I had downloaded some walks in the area where we would be staying and this was one of them.

Neist Point was about a twenty minute drive from where we were staying in Glendale. We parked the car and then took the steep steps down and walked across, and then up to Neist Point, where a lighthouse sits. If you like you can stay at the lighthouse for B&B.

BB sat while Trev and I walked on to the lighthouse and rock formations. While sitting BB got to see a basking shark, we missed that. But our walk on a glorious day what more could you ask for?

Christy