Heart Swap

I usually don't mind getting up early on a Saturday. Mostly because it means I can have a good catch up of all the weekly blogs and also post an update.

This week has been very exciting. I received a lovely parcel in the post. In fact .... Mr Postman couldn't get it through the door so I had the added further excitement of actually going to collect it.

I knew when I walked into the collection office exactly which one my parcel was. Not the ones in the brown and white packages .... oh no ..... there was one on the S shelf covered in heart tape .... I told the lady not to worry about looking because that one with the hearts on it would be mine (at this point I though ... Kate you are brave ..... what if it isn't!) and I was right!

I then had to have the Shall I Save It, Shall I Open It battle ..... and decided I should save it for the big V Day!

So here is what the lovely lovely Sue of @ home (to see her wonderful blog go to here) sent me.

Just in love with the red and turquoise! It killed me to open it ...... so I started first with the card.

How beautiful is it! This will be framed once I take my heart decorations down!

I love praline .... and I will be saving these as a special treat once lent is over! I can't wait!

Some pretty tissues and a lovely lip balm. Oh this lady knows me!

A lovely little handbag mirror in a cute drawstring bag.

 

A gorgeous tiny handmade note book that I filled with love vouchers for Craig and gave to him. Also a lovely heart shaped pom pom that Sue has been busy making for a lovely hanging mobile.

A beautifully crafted needle felted heart brooch. I adore this, I really do! I am going to put it onto my coat! Oh and see the cookie in the back ground!

A large stuff heart to hang with some lovely beaded and ruffled detail.

And my favourite thing. A hanging paper heart that twirls happily on my kitchen shelf with some lovely hanging buttons. I felt so treated!!!!

My house is so very hearty! Every where you go there are heart things hanging from shelves!

How lovely!

I think All4meggymoo  did a great job! And I do hope Sue likes her gifts!

Kate xxxx

Snowflake Swap Goddies!

I feel so elated to finally be able to tell you what I got in my snowflake swap with Helen from Moonstruck Creations.

When I received my swap a couple of weeks ago I put all the gifts under the tree and on Christmas eve transferred them into my stocking. It killed me not being able to open them!!! They were wrapped in the most adorable paper and there were so many exciting shapes to think about!!

The first thing I did very early on Christmas morning was to tip out my stocking onto the bed and get to opening up those goodies.

I had so delightfullllllllllllll snowflake window stickers which I loved! Plus a little light up snowflake .... which reminds me. I must put that in the window tonight!

A 2013 diary to keep me organised, some Christmas tissues, a cute compact mirror and lip gloss in the shape of a cupcake.

I also got a Yankee candle in my ultimate favourite Christmas scent!!! Again today I will burn it to carry on all the Christmas jolliness! Also I got the first chocolate item of the day. A little chocolate teddy bear.

So ....... for the final reveal....... the crocheted snowflakes!!!! ...........

Aren't they just lovely. I am so pleased with them. They have lived for a few hours on my welsh dresser, and are now hanging from the tree!

I love them, thank you Helen!

xxxxx



I do hope you all had a lovely Christmas day. I was sooo lucky and got spoilt rotten by my family, friends and husband. Too much stuff to even start..... from recipe and crafting books, knitted slippers and scarfs from my crafting friends, diamonds (oh yes Craig knows how to spoil me), fabrics and kitchen things ........ anyway .... I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope that you have a lovely day today and a great festive week.

Love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Taking Stock of Nature

With the clocks changing and the weather getting ever so cold I thought I'd stop a minute to take count.

The past few weeks have pasted me by ever so quickly. Work has taken over and moods have been quite low. Usually I feel so in sinc with Autumn but this year it feels like it has just happened outside and I am sitting inside missing it all.

I read Lucy's post last night, all snuggled up in bed and it made me reflect on MY October. And even though it hasn't been a top month, it has certainly had its highlights. It seems to me that us bloggers have a lot in common. We appreciate the little things in life. And we also inspire and encourage each other to enjoy new things. One of these "little things" I have certainly leaned to love is my little jugs of flowers.

I used to be a florist and miss working in that environment. Florist flowers are so expensive and it is rare that I ever feel the urge to cut enough for a bit spectacular vase full out of my garden. It seems such a crime to strip my garden of flowers when they have worked so hard to grow through the year. And what good are they to the bees sitting inside?

So I have learnt to go through my garden with a fine tooth comb, collecting sweet little flower heads, inspecting each and everyone, and selecting the tightest buds so I can sit at my breakfast table watching the buds turn to lovely colourful wonders of nature over the next few days.

These little jugs seem to go around the house with me. I move them from room to room, as I do. I just love catching the arrangement in the corner of my eye. It means so much more than a collection of flower heads ... it represents the little things in life, and the fact that we must not let them pass us by.

I have managed to get out and walk more than before. We were lucky enough to go onto Cannock Chase nearly every evening last week, before the clocks changed. We watched it transform from a green and lush habitat brimming with life (above) to a warm and tonal woodland, shedding its life and preparing for the depths of winter (below).

We have also seen many deer and been lucky enough to witness the rutting season. This year I have really honed my wildlife watching skills and love learning all about the different birds and mammals we get in this country.

One morning we went up to the forest at 7 in the morning and could barely see in front of our noses. This was the most magical walk and we had to get really close up to see the deer. The next photo's quality was tainted by the fog, but it is a true account of the atmosphere we felt when we were there.

We followed this little herd of deer and watched the stag take control of the doe. I am so lucky to have this amazing place right on my doorstep. It is this time of year that the Chase really comes into its own. It looks so spectacular and once the mass of foliage dies away in the autumn it feels like the place is stripped bare and it becomes acre upon acres of vast and majestic forest rather than little secluded pockets of woodlands and valleys.

We were also lucky enough to go for a weekend in the Cotswold's. We took a long strenuous walk on top of the Malvern Hills and watched the clouds cast shadows on the villages beneath us.

We also took an early morning stroll up to the Broadway Tower and watched the Cotswold's emerge from a thick misty duvet, I felt like I was just a stones throw away from Neverland.

 

The early morning fog soon turned into a glorious clear day and we soaked up the big blue skies and the remaining felling of warmth from the low lying sun. We saw copious amounts of spider webs laced with dew, sheep grazing on the last of the vitamin enriched grass, deer feeding up before the rutting season .... and very few people ... blissful!

 

So really, stopping and taking a few minutes to look through this months photos and recollecting what we have actually done has made me feel so much better. Looking out the window now it is so damp and drizzly but it doesn't matter because look at the glorious days I have enjoyed. Now I will stay for a little longer and catch up with all of my lovely fellow blog friends and get ready to be inspired even more! xxxxxxxxx

 

Wales ( a day by day photographic journal)

Well here are my holiday photos. I don't want to make this post too wordy. One reason being I could write and write and write all about every single detail. The second reason being I doubt that it is really that interesting to somebody else. The final reason being a picture paints a thousand words and that I shall simply let the images speak for themselves.

 

Before I let the pictures do the talking though I'd like to point out that we were extremely lucky with the weather. I came back with a lovely golden tan and we could have been abroad. It's not often we are so lucky in the UK, but when the sun shines there is no place better. Lush green plants, chocolate box towns to explore, fantastic coast lines and deep blue seas to gaze upon.

 

*             *              *

 

DAY 1 - Our first day of holiday and first year wedding anniversary.

 

We celebrated with a trip to New Quay, some reading and crochet on the beach (please note my new blanket was made use of!) and a curry in the Indian. In fact a little spooky thing happened .... the waiter recognised us from our local Indian haunt and he did both my hen do and Craig's Stag do .... 140 miles away! What are the chances!

 

I also saved a piece of our wedding cake from last year to eat on this special day. This gesture had sentimental value I suppose. We also opened some cards and enjoyed a game of scrabble!

 

 

 

 

Day 2 - Cors Caron Bog Walk

 

The only morning when it drizzled. But it wasn't too bad as it gave us time to catch our breath and do some serious relaxing in preparation for some serious holiday-ing!

 

The sun broke through around lunch time and we took a drive to Cors Caron aka Tregaron Bog. It is a raised, dome shaped bog cover a huge area. We were treated with a host of wildlife from a spectacular display of a mother Buzzard training its young to hunt. A multitude of lizards (some quite big) and dragonflies which landed on me!

 

  

 

 

Day 3 - Coastal Walk from New Quay to Aberaeron.

 

A good up and down 7 mile coastal walk with spectacular views of Cardigan Bay, snippets of woodland walks and lovely Austrian-like meadows. Wildlife, cows and horses. A good packed lunch and a constant view of New Quay when I looked over my shoulder ... it was great watching it get further and further away into the distance.

 

And the carrot that led the donkey ? ....... fish and chips by the sea at the destination .... phew .... that made the challenging climbing worth it!

 

Aberaeron is the most delicious seaside town in the world. Rows upon rows of painted Georgian houses and shops that would make us all spin into a frenzy! I picked up some Ladybird books in the second hand book shop and some pretty fabric and wool in a Craft shop! And one last spooky thing .... we bumped into a friend.

 

 

 

 

Day 4 - Penbryn Beach

 

 After the coastal walk we were pretty flat out and as it was forcast the nicest day weather wise we thought a beach day would be perfect. So we packed a picnic, books, wool and various other items and went to a National Trust beach which was used as a filming location for Die Another Day.

 

It was beautiful!!!!! Enough said!

Day 5 - Teifi Marshes - Cardigan - Iron Age Round Houses - Romantic Meal!

 

A jam packed day! An early morning get up for a nice 2 mile brisk walk around the Teifi Marshes where we sat in hides looking at birds. We saw a heron and also a pigeon which looked surprisingly majestic!

 

After the walk we went to Cardigan and did a spot of window shopping and then went to a lovely spot and discovered some Iron Age Round Houses. We were not planning to go, but we ended up staying for the two hour guided tour and learnt a lot about that period in history. We live really close to an iron age fort so found it super interesting. I particularly enjoyed the bit about the herb garden and weaving looms (no surprise there!).

 

The day was rounded up with a fantastic Italian romantic meal. You couldn't end the holiday on a more perfect note!

 

Day 6 - Strata Florida Abbey - Teifi Pools - Home

 

The first part of the day commenced with cleaning the caravan. We then took a few stops on the way home. One being an ancient abbey and the next being the Teifi Pools.

 

Teifi pools are situated in the wildest part of Wales and it is refereed to as the Desert of Wales. I have never been in a more remote place. I felt so far from any where it was almost frightening, yet very liberating.

 

 We enjoyed a packed lunch and things got a little bit silly .... probably because nobody was there for miles and we were trying to cover a slight uneasy feel (especially when two people on motor bikes went past and I say "what if they kill us"). But it was fabulous all the same.

 

 

 

 

Just one final thing .... this amazing sunset ..... wow!

 

 

 

 Thanks for sharing my holiday xxxxxx Kate xxxxxx