Category Archives: Giveaway

Going a bit Cuckoo.

Last year I didn’t hear a cuckoo at all.  It felt a bit like the beginning of the end of the world, there’s ALWAYS a cuckoo.  I know they are anti social bullies, parasites on birdy society, but they are part of the fabric of an English spring in the country, and last year I really missed that distinctive, distant call.

Not this year. Someone told the Cuckoo he (or it she?  I’m no ornithologist) had been missed.  I’m being treated to a fly past.  Every morning. At full volume. At 5 am…lovely.   But then the blackbird sits in the cherry tree and sings me back to sleep again so it’s not too bad…not really.

But I’m going to blame the Cuckoo anyway for missing my deadline.  The trouble with blogging is that you either have time to write and nothing to write about, or you are busy, busy, busy in the studio, the garden, the house (notice the order of my priorities there) and there’s not a minute to collect your thoughts and write about what’s gong on. 

So I’m really sorry that I haven’t done my 100th post draw yet. I hope you haven’t all been waiting with bated breath, but here we go.  I’ve given everyone who sent me kind words about my bloggy anniversary a number, and I hope the Amazing Random Number Generator will come up with a result.


Actually, scrap that idea…I’ve been defeated by living at the end of the line,  internet wise and instead of the ARNG I’m getting the ‘Ooops’ notice so, Plan B, little bits of paper…and someone to pick a ticket…

Hmmm…the tasty basket is probably a bit of a distraction…


Not much help from Henry, although to be fair it’s not easy to get a look in once Higgins gets his teeth into something…

So, we’ll remove the basket…

And eventually, deprived of the nice crunchy basket a ticket is picked…

Now if I can just rescue the ticket before the ink runs…

The winner is…

…Teena!  Congratulations Teena, of Kitschen Pink, I will get your parcel to you very soon. 

Thank you again to everyone who has called in and left a comment on any of my posts.  I really like to hear from you all, if I’m actually talking to myself then it will be true, I really am going a bit cuckoo!

Let the Dog See the Rabbit…

…as my father used to say. I don’t know about rabbits, it’s  been possible for a small herd of hippos to find  hiding places around here over the past few weeks such is the amount of stuff I have been moving from place to place and box to box.  Last week it all seemed to reach a crescendo of chaos and, despite my inability to be tidy, I am debilitated by mess.

However, I think I am now on the verge of normal service being resumed.  The studio is more or less fit for purpose and the bogeyman now has room to fit back under my bed (even the the dust bunnies have gone thanks to Kryton)

I’ve managed to keep up my Twenty Minuter pledge with little, in-front-of-the-telly sized projects, but between the box shifting and the vegetable plot not a lot of creativity has happened.

Outside though, Mother Nature has been as creative as only she can be, and the camera has been an essential part of Higgins walking equipment.  One of the joys of blogging is the discipline it imposes on recording things to write about so this year I have far more images of the fleeting loveliness of the English Spring to keep the memories fresh.

I love the lush, multi shaded green-ness of May, with the sprinkling of bright spring flowers from Bluebells and Stitchwort, Speedwell and Queen Anne’s Lace, wild Plum and Apple blossom right down to the humble Dandelion and Dead Nettle.

The tulips have been lovely this year, and on a visit to Kit’s garden I found one which had obviously been wired up to the National Grid!

I do have a few of my own, but I think I will have to take a leaf out of Jane Brocket’s book for a more spectacular show next year.

The beautiful red tulips at the end of the garden are Higgins favourite. Unfortunately  he thinks they are delicious and I caught him tearing round the lawn with one hanging out of the side of his mouth like Carmen Miranda! No picture alas, I couldn’t catch up…

I shall have to dash now and get a little parcel all packed up.  I’ve been taking part in a bloggy swap organised by Emma of Em’s Shabby Shack and have a little pile of goodies ready to send off to my partner, Kelly of Kelly’s Recipe’s for Life.  I shan’t show them to you just yet or I will spoil the surprise  so watch out later in the week.

And don’t forget there is still another week to run on the 100 Post Giveaway so if you haven’t done so already don’t forget to enter the draw,

Back soon…!

Post One Hundred

Happy May Day! Did anyone rise at day to wash their face in the May Day dew?  It was apparently once considered a foolproof beauty treatment.  Personally I decided it was far too late!

And it’s a special day too because it’s my bloggy 100th birthday.  It’s hard to remember the first tentative post I wrote.  I do know that I was so convinced I had nothing to write about that that was what happened for the first few months, nothing!  But it’s proved a life saver.  I had to make things happen, I had to make things. 

So now I’m inviting you to celebrate with a present from me to you as a thank you for allowing me to ramble on.  

It’s a little knitted cotton bag lined with Cath Kidsonesque fabric and I’m popping inside a knitted and felted rose corsage and a notebook, all made here on Planet Penny.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered into the draw which I will do on the 22nd of this month using the Amazing  Random Number Generator and  I’m happy to post anywhere which has a reasonably reliable postal service.

So, don’t be shy…I know there are lots of you who pop in and pop out quietly.  This time stop and say hello, I’d love to hear from you all.

Have a lovely weekend…

And the winner is…

…a scary thing to do fairly, but I think got it right with a numbered list,

  1. Anne@andamento
  2.  Geraldine
  3. Magic Cochin
  4. Thomas
  5. Jen
  6. Aimee
  7. Greedy Nan
  8. Gina
  9. Toffee
  10. Elizabeth Burton
  11. Jacqueline
  12. Hilary
  13. Rachel Fenton
  14. Jane
  15. Eva SB
  16. Vanessa
  17. Jenni
  18. Kate

and the use of a random number generator.

And it’s Elizabeth Burton!  Congratulations, Elizabeth, once I have contact details the little bird will be winging it’s way to you as soon as possible.

The next event coming up will be my 100th post so if you were disapointed this time I will be giving away another Planet Penny creation to mark that milestone as well, and if you REALLY can’t wait that long I can link you to a gorgeous giveaway at Silver Pebble.  I’ve got my eye on it, so I don’t know really why I’m lengthening the odds this way…

Emma made a special necklace for my daughter’s birthday which was beautiful.  No photo alas, but if you visit Emma you will see all the lovely things she makes.

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