Strange goings on :o)

Good Morning dear bloggy people :o)

I hope this post finds you all fine n dandy this Sunday morning :o)

Autumns here at last!   I love the crisp, cool, frosty mornings, but again this weekend is an extemely strange, warm morning for late October.

Just take a look at the contents of these photos for October in East Dorset..

Ok, ok, only joking!  ;o)

The above photo is from last year, but i just thought I'd remind you all of the gorgeous snow we had last December before we go on...;o)

Now, the one below is real! Taken this week in my garden..

It's my native hazel bush that I've grown from a nut..

See it's dying leaves..just a few left..?

Well, look closer, and you'll also see on the bush at the same time

some new buds, and catkins!  -Along with the dying leaves!

What's going on? These catkins aren't supposed to appear before next spring. Does this mean we will have no buds next spring?  As the frost will soon kill them off.. :o(

And also in my garden last week..

Look, my forsythia with it's autumnal leaves, and it's January flowers!!

Forsythia flowers normally appear in January *before* the leaves come on the branches, but as my leaves are curently dying, so my flowers are appearing!

I also have strawberries coming out now..

These type of strawberries are usually out in July/August.

But my dahlias are just pretties..

and they can come out until November apparently if the frosts aren't too bad :o)

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Remember my half finished hand warmers from my last post? Well, I finished them,

and have crocheted 3 more pairs since then, but unfortunately I haven't photographed them.

I've been busy making more bits for my Etsy shop too.

*Pin wheel brooches*

*Christmas cake picks*  I've made all sorts of these..snowflakes, butterflies etc..

*Pentagon christmas crochet bunting*

And *zip brooches and hair grips*

Although I have to say I've been somewhat of a 'slacker'  (as Jennie would say;o))

in the listing of products in my shop.

I mean I *still* haven't listed the makes I made during the summer holidays!

And in a couple of weeks my eldest daughter is going for a short stay in Kings College hospital London, so I'm not sure whether to list now, or now wait until we come out!

Honestly, sometimes I do make life hard for myself :o)

I also haven't forgotten my recipe from my last post for the quiche/tart.

I've taken some lovely photos for it, and I shall get the recipe up on a 'stand alone' page as soon as I have time.

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This weekend has been all about tidying. As I'm staying at the hospital with my daughter I need to get everything ship shape at home so that hubby and the other two children don't have to do much whilst I'm gone.

And I have some custom bunting to make for a 40th birthday too, which needs to be done before I go.  But I'll tell you more about that in a few weeks.

Well, anyway, that's it for me today.

I have loads to write about, as I haven't had the heart to blog these past couple of weeks ..I don't know why. I mean I've been about, just didn't feel much like posting. And I think sometimes when blogger is going wrong and you can't comment and stuff, it all gets a bit frustrating!  Maybe I just give up too easily lol.     Do you ever get like that?

Well, have a lovely Sunday everyone. And if your children are off school this week for half term like mine are, have a gorgeous autumny time won't you?

Take care all of you,

Love Donna xx



Cooking and memories

Morning my fair blogging friends:o)  (Fair as in fair-weather, but as you're always here in bloglang, fair blogging...see? :o)

Hope this post finds you all fine and dandy :o)

There has been a fair bit of cooking going on in the little tiny household, so I thought I'd have a bit of a tell, and pop in down in my lil' ole' blog for memories sake.

The cooking hasn't all been being done by me, so it makes me extra proud to put the makes down for posterity :o)

First up is the most gorgeous Butternut Squash and pesto tart/quiche thingy.

It's the nicest quiche/tart thingy that  I've ever made up -if I do say so myself :o)

Wholemeal pastry with a handful of chopped nuts baked blind. A layer of pesto on the bottom, then baked, mashed butternut squash, then the eggy, veggie, herb mixture on top.

MMmmm..

Then next up are wholemeal sponge cakes..

They taste gorgeous with pure cane dark brown sugar in the mix..

A bit of dodgy icing..

A pretty shop bought wafer flower, and yummy :o)

And last but not least, the one I'm  proud of..

A gorgeous Lemon Tart made by my eldest daughter..

Under the grill for ten minutes to melt the icing sugar...

And devour with a dollop of (very expensive!) clotted cream!

Oh, it was divine :o)

An extra gorgeous treat for us!

IMPORTANT NOTE:  None of the above are any good whatsoever for your waistline, although highly recommended for your taste buds :o)

If any of you would like the recipes, just say, but I didn't want to just post them for fear of boring you more :o)

Crochet wise, I'm still plodding on with my monochromatic green afghan.

But I've also started these..

Pink and black striped hand warmers for my youngest daughter.

They whip up in about an hour, so are easy and fun to make :o)  (Unless you're doing a different stitch than trebles or doubles)

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And here's one for you memory.

Remember 'The Darling Buds of May' ?

A very young Catherine Zeta-Jones..?

But saying that, she really doesn't look much older now a days does she?..

And one I had to take the other day was when I switched tv on in the early hours, and a re-run of the 'Liver Birds' was on!

Don't tell me I'm the only one who remembers them!

And not only were thay crocheting, but one of them was wearing the most funky crochet top :o)

It made me smile, 'specially with that collar!

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I'd also just like to say that I'm still having trouble commenting on peoples blogs.

I'm reading them, but when I go to comment and have written it, blogger just swallows the comment and leaves the comment box blank :o(

I still haven't worked out how to fix this, so until then please know that I'm still with you, I just can't show you I am :o)

A few off the top of my head are:

Little Blue Mouse

Crafty cats corner

Vintage Vicki

Hesta Nesta

Jumbles and pompoms

Ribbons undone

Scarlett loves Elvis

Vintage Hearth

And several more, but the names escape me at the moment.

So Hi to all of you :o)

Have a great weekend if I don't speak to you before, and take care,

Love Donna xx

Sunrise

Like most of the UK this week, we've had the most glorious, hot summery weather. Strange, but glorious.

As most of you know, my eldest daughter has Epilepsy which entails seizures every day and night, so obviously we have odd sleeping patterns.

Well, this week, it has been an absolute joy to be up when the sun rises.

The sunrises have been most amazing!

Beautiful reds, pinks and zingy oranges spreading through out the sky..

So early yesterday morning, I decided to drive to one of the high points in the New Forest,

so thay I could take some photos, and share them with you :o)

Just in case you are all lucky enough to not have to be up at the crack of dawn most mornings :o)

Beautiful aren't they?

Isn't Mother nature is amazing!!

Hope you're all having the most fabulous weekend!

Take care now,

Love Donna xx