Tag Archives: Nature

Beautiful Blues

I’m suffering from the Blues a bit here after last weekend.   No lounging in the garden for me this time, but it’s all full on for Open Studios in 10 days time, and anyway the weather has gone back to it’s default setting – Rubbish!   I can’t believe it’s nearly mid May and I’m back to lighting a fire in the evening.  Not that the four legged members of the family are complaining, they can’t believe their luck!

I  didn’t even find time to write a blog post either, and I’ve been collecting lots of photos over the week.  Mother Nature is a lot more robust about the weather than I am, she’s in ‘I’ve started, so I’ll finish’ mode and the garden is filling up nicely, and the hedgerows and verges too.

I love the way Spring has a sequence of colours, it’s reminds me of the little mantra of names I run through when I’m packing the Planet Penny Cottons…Aubretia, Delphinium, Cornflower, Eggshell, Aqua, Jade, Apple, Lime,  Buttercup, Marigold, Peach, Petal, Gerbera and Rose Red.  Spring starts white, with Snowdrops, but almost immediately there are yellow Aconites…

Aconites and snowdrops

photo: Van Muewen

…and then the Daffodils and Primroses arrive.

Not long after, pink is added to the mix, with Primulas, Tulips and all manner of blossoming trees.  But get to May, and it’s blue…the  Beautiful Blues and probably my favourite time of year.  I’ve tried and failed so often to capture that mysterious ethereal blue of the Bluebells but it always defeats my little camera…

bluebell wood - Beautiful Blues

Bluebells - Beautiful Blues…and anyway I can’t catch that glorious smell and save it in a file on the computer, can I?  It’s an experience, and all the more exquisite because it’s impossible to completely capture it.

In the garden, there are Forget-me-nots.

forget-me-nots - Beautiful Blues….Periwinkles…

Periwinkle - Beautiful Blue

and Cornflowers, and quite a few of the ‘Wrong sort of Bluebell’ , a European interloper, very prolific but not quite achieving deep glow of our native species.  Still, it looks pretty good as a flower arrangement…

blue flowers Beautiful Blues

There are also Irises, but I can never bring myself to pick those…

Blue Iris…aren’t they amazing?

IrisBack in the studio the challenge is to turn the working space of one incredibly messy worker (Moi!)  into an exhibition space for two, and it’s a  l-o-n-g  job.  I can always think of so many things I would rather do than tidy up!  T’was ever thus.  My dear Mamma, listening to me moaning said, ‘Well, you always used to stuff things under your bed…’  Too late….full!

I’ve tried hard to keep the creative vibe going though.  I mentioned the on going white cotton theme in this post, and I’ve at last found time to complete the project which required it.  I found this gorgeous pattern…

circles crochet pattern…with a tutorial here which was just perfect for the Planet Penny colours.   One day I might have time to make a throw, but in the meantime, there is this…

crochet circles and flowers

crochet circles crochet balls

crochet circles

2013-05-08 16.41.28It looks perfect on the dresser.

If you are looking for white cotton, there are still a couple of packs left from this post and of course all the other colours can be found in the Etsy shop.

I might be a little random in my appearances over the next week or so, there are a couple of family birthdays, a confirmation and much travelling round the country coming up, but I’ll be back, like the proverbial ‘Bad Penny’!

See you soon …x

Norfolk Nature Walk

Welly Boots on a Norfolk Nature WalkThere’s nothing like a walk to kick start the system when you’re getting over a cold, and I would recommend the ‘Norfolk Nature Walk’ as a great remedy, especially when the sun comes out after days of wet and murky weather.  I did my usual thing of going ‘splat’ when trying to multi task, and the combination of getting ready for, and actually attending the Craft Fair alongside all the other things going on meant the bugs swarmed in.  I’m well on the way to recovery now, although my voice disconcertingly disappears at inopportune moments, usually when I’m on the phone and sign language doesn’t work!

I’m on dog walking duty now Tim’s back at work, so I’m really grateful for the relatively balmy weather and Higgins is always happier when he doesn’t have to wade through muddy puddles with his little legs.  We can skirt round this one fortunately…

Norfolk Nature Walk muddy puddle

…and the road is pretty clear…

country lane on Norfolk Nature Walk

We don’t have to walk far along the road to reach a little leafy lane which might just see a tractor once a week, and a horse or two which make it much more fun for Higgins…

leafy lane

…and he can do a bit of charging about…

miniature dachshund in a hurry

especially when he sees a horse…

Horse in field

I well remember Autumn Nature Walks when I was at Primary school, coming back with leaves and berries for the nature table,it’s so much easier now to come home with a camera full of images…

bracken against the sky

Autumn images

miniature dachshund in lane

Autumn images

It’s been rather nice to write a blog post which hasn’t got any ‘making’ in it for a change but I do feel a little guilty as I have an outstanding engagement with a bag of dolly pegs.  If you’ve been visiting Planet Penny for a while you may just remember our Knit and Stitch Group taking part in a Crib and Wreath Festival in our local church which I wrote about in this post and this one.  This year the theme is ‘Angels and Light’, and we’ve been putting the final touches to the display idea which will show off our little host of Angels.  They won’t all be made from dolly pegs, but will be dolly peg size, and will be made from the group’s different skills in sewing, knitting and crochet so we should have an interesting collection.  It all takes place at the end of the month so more about it then…

Well, it’s just turned dark outside, I can hear a blackbird complaining about it loudly!  And it’s just about time for me to go in, stoke up the fire and feed Henry and Higgins.  I’m sure Higgins will have an appetite after his walk…

miniature dachshund

…and poor old Henry seems to find snoozing very hungry work!

I’ll be back soon…