Good day today

Had a good day today. I put up the lights and greenery ready for the Christmas decorations. Coloured lights in the kitchen, white lights in the back back room, greenery over the mantlepiece in the front and back room and green garlands down the bannister in the hall - with lights of course.

I finished some more Christmas cards. These are crocheted snowflakes

I did some other cards aswell.

Mum and Dad

New from old

One pile of chucked out clothes. Waste not want not.

Old T-shirts turned into....

... polishing rags. 

Old scarf turned into .....

...... a cushion cover.

Just some views of the house and garden.

The onions have just been lifted and now need to dry and mature in the sun. It'll rain tomorrow!

We seem to have grown a lot more onions this year. I had to pull them out early as some were blemished. I hope they keep.

These are muscat dessert grapes. They all ripen at once of course so it's grapes for snacks and grapes in fruit salad and grapes for afters and grapes for ....

There's only me who likes cucumber and each year I always say I'll only plant one cucumber plant but each year I always plant two. These are small cucumbers. It's a good job because I'm getting hundreds of them. Cucumber sandwiches with grapes anyone?

I like beetroot aswell. Straight from the ground, boiled to death then eaten. 

These leeks should last us over winter.

The corn took a while to get going and it's still not looking too good. We'll have to grow the plants in the greenhouse first next year rather than sowing straight into the ground.

The bay tree needs a trim or it will take over the path.

Here's a view from back door to the garden. Walk under the pergola to get there. Lily of the valley is at one side and a clematis on the other.

The large plant that is leaning over is a bishop's hat chilli plant. The cat is a Tonkinese.

Wood is good. The juke box is aswell with all our favourite records to dance to.

These are a few of my favourite things.

I like to change displays to suit the seasons.

Artisan Bread

Artisan bread - must try it.

Lemon Curd

This looks a simple recipe for lemon curd.

And today I........

.... made a dozen bread buns

I like

white flowers,

flowers in white jugs,

wild flowers (cowslips),

homes magazines

and beer in my favourite beer glass.

Napkins

We're always needing serviettes being slobby eaters. These ones are from the Charity Shop and two sets had transfers to embroider. It may take me a while to complete both sets.

String bags

I've been making these string bags using different yarns.

Wool

Ribbon

Wool

Cotton

String

Plastic yarn

Some bags I've kept and some I've given away.

1. Chain 7 and slip stitch into a circle;
2. Eighteen double crochet into the circle;
3. {Double crochet (dc) and chain one} into each of the 18 dc of the previous row;
4. {dc, chain one} TWICE into each of the holes made by the chain stitches of the previous row (you now have 36 dcs and 36 chains);
5. {single crochet (sc), chain three} into each of the 36 holes in previous row;
6. {sc, chain four} into each hole for 14 rows;
7. {dc, chain two} into each hole for 2 rows;
8. {two dcs in each hole} for nine holes only! then:
9. chain 30, turn around, and slip attach in two stitches to other end of the nine holes you just put two double crochets into;
10. turn around one more time and {double crochet into two chains, skip one} 20 times. You now have 20 double crochets on the handle;
11. {dc, chain two} into nine holes only;
12. repeat steps 8-11 and you should be back where you started;
13. dc into each of the 20 dcs of the handle;
14. {dc, chain two} into nine holes;
15. repeat steps 13-14 then slip chain into a couple more stitches.

I think

I think I shall simply record all the things I do as I live my simple life. I cannot promise to put in everything. It depends if I have time. Let's see how it goes. Here's a picture that I like to start us off.