Summer's end

In a way it wasn't such a great hardship 

to have scaffolding up in summer

because I always forget that the light doesn't penetrate

until autumn.

This is possibly Great Dixter's finest hour.

Zinnias are giving dahlias a run for their money this year.

Someone had her fourth birthday.

All things unicorn and rainbow

were the order of the day.

Take one cardboard box

and a roll of sticky back plastic.

The sticky back plastic was a lucky find -
ready made ballerinas.

Fablon has come a long way since my Blue Peter days
when plain colours or gingham effect in yellow or blue was considered 
the dernier cri for freshening up those pantry shelves (see here) 
or covering matchboxes to make a chest of drawers for the dolls' house.

I made the dancers from wooden spoons (50p each),
off cuts of Fablon and a hot glue gun.

Back stage during the interval.

We made a snowman today!

Photo credit: mummy.

The Secret Drawer

My thanks to Cornflower for pointing me in the direction

of this competition.

I'm not a 'comper' but this one caught my imagination.

The green velvet in the main compartment

of Aunty Mary's vanity box

has faded

but the secret drawer, only recently discovered,

has preserved its deep viridian.

This isn't the shade I would choose to have matched

as my bespoke Farrow & Ball paint.

It would have to be this one.

For Sue*

I've found some.


* At the inestimable Quince Tree

High tide

We are not a large clan.

The normal crew these days is 2 people,

so it is lovely to have the tide bringing 

a veritable flood of family and friends to the kitchen table.

A birthday is always an excuse for chocolate cake.

This one is Chocolate cake with lime from

Sarah Raven's Friends and Family.

As usual I cooked too much.

We are awash with leftovers.

It is still raining.

Is it time to build an ark?

Lately

There have been visitors,

figs

wine

 cake

and games of Bananagrams.

Now everyone has scattered,

some as far as Hong Kong,

and it has snowed again.

Supper on a tray tonight.

(Pull) The Other One

Here we are with The Other One on a rare day out together.

 Hurling large rocks never loses its appeal.

Improvising a game of clay pebble shooting,

shouting, 'Pull!'

and flinging stones simultaneously to collide in mid air,

is amusing for longer than you would have thought.

Turning back the tide,

well - we know that's not possible.

And anyway, there's a daughter-in-law

on the near horizon now 

and we're looking forward to that.

A pause

in the applause.

We've got tickets for the main event. . .