Finally, my first completed knitting project!

In a rare moment that Rebekah is taking a day time nap which I know won't be long, I thought I'd take the opportunity to quickly get on my rather neglected blog and show you my first proper completed knitting project. Not just squares, or scarves, but something that required different techniques and shaping too. Well just a little.

I started it during the summer of 2008, and I can't believe it has taken this long to finish. Actually, I can because life is always busy, with little-un's around and knitting and other such activities are always the first to go. Then there's the things I do to myself which meant that I was out of knitting action for most of last winter...I very stupidly fell at work during my pregnancy, and thankfully my arm took the brunt and not Bekah-Boo. Then it was suddenly Easter and Rebekah was here and apart from a couple of little things for her....I didn't get back to knitting until the summer was nearly over. Well I'm so glad that I allowed for Oliver's growth, as it fits him perfectly now.

Here he is modeling his new jumper, and in his favourite colour too.

I'll be back again soon to show a few other things I've been up to, one of which was a challenge by Oliver's pre-school....as he is to be a Christmas pudding in his Christmas concert in a few weeks time. I don't own a sewing machine anymore, so I had to create something I could stitch by hand, and whilst ensuring he wouldn't look like a "complete pudding".

It won't be long...

....before she's crawling. I put her down on the floor (the safest place) today whilst doing a job in her room...before I knew it she was on her tummy, and was moving about like a fish out of water, and swiveling around on her tummy. Oh my...I'm not ready for this.

Rebekah - age 5 months

I am still here....just!

I'm really not getting any time to blog at the moment. The summer has been really hectic, and the first thing to go is any Jane time. There have been a few times that I have thought about deleting the blog, but I won't do that just yet. Maybe things will get easier int he Autumn, and I'll get back to a few of my hobbies.

I also want to say a huge thanks to all your thoughts and prayers during August. It was a very scarey time for me and my family, and your prayers really helped in a situation that I was struggling to find any peace in. I'm certain they contributed to the good outcome.



I will come visit...and fingers crossed I'll be back with my knitting, gardening and family soon. xx

Photo - Clematis "Rebecca"

Look-a-likes?

My little girl is now 3 months old, and sitting in the chair that Oliver used to frequent. I thought I'd try and recreate the photo of him sitting in that same chair when he too was 3 months old.

Any similarities? Well it seems not. It's interesting, as whenever I see Bekah I feel that Oliver is looking back at me. It's nice to see how different they are side by side.

A Day out at the Flower Show

It's already a week since we went to the Hampton Court Flower Show. I just don't know where the time goes. So here I am seizing a moment to blog, whilst Bekah is sleeping, and I'm ignoring the huge pile of ironing that now nearly reaches the ceiling.

For years I've wanted to go to the Chelsea flower show, but for one thing or another, I've never managed to get there. This year it was held not long after Bekah was born, so I thought I'd have a trip to Hampton Court instead.




We went on RHS members day, hoping it would be a bit quieter, but since it was such a wet day...you'll see that the flower marquees were absolutely packed.

Inside I enjoyed the contrast of these black Scabiosa against the yellows and oranges of the Achillea, Kniphofia and Echinacea.

I've never seen anything like this before!!

Daylillies (Hemerocallis) were popular in both the flower marquee and in the show gardens.

Mmmm smell the lavender

The light inside the flower marquee was very bad so we'll go outside instead,

... or maybe not....

Once the storm had passed we headed out. And here are a few of the show gardens. I only took a few as the light was so bad. Firstly a beach theme in one of the small show gardens...if only the sun was shining...



A lovely porch to sit and enjoy the planting.



Some stunning herbaceous borders in one the large gardens...what a colour clash.

A front garden in the sustainable gardens category

Here are the BBC filming one of the gardens inspired by Henry VIII wives. It was the 500th anniversary of his reign, so they had gardens, plus a Tudor rose pavilion to commemorate. The light was so bad I scrapped all my photos.

And here, a rare self portrait of Hubby and I relaxing over a glass of Rioja....a few minutes before the heavens opened...again!

I'll definitely go again...and maybe I'll get to Chelsea next year too.

My beautiful little girl

Ten weeks old

"Mummy went the wrong way!"

This is what my son Oliver, kept saying last Friday whilst out and about with Mum, Dad and Bekah.

What was to have been a day of baby sitting for Mum and Dad whilst I was spending time at the dentist (they cancelled on me at the last minute), turned into a lovely outing instead for all of us.

Mum and I had talked about going to a local rose garden, which I must say I had driven past countless times in the past decade. So we set out, all squeezed into my car, without map or sat nav! "I know where is it", I said.

As we approached the village where I thought the rose garden was, I was unsettled to find that all road signs were absent. "I'm sure it's down here", I said.

We had seen another sign with a little flower on it, so thought maybe I was mistaken and that we should follow this sign instead. It took us to a new garden called Future Gardens, but where was the rose garden?

Mum was sure that it was still there somewhere, as she'd checked it out on the internet just the day before. Finally after 45 minutes and a stop at the local post office to ask for directions, we found the Gardens of the Rose....BEHIND future gardens....exactly where I had thought it should be. Why had they removed all the signs?

Anyway we finally arrived and had a lovely afternoon strolling through the fragrant air. If during the summer months you ever have an hour or two to spare and are passing J21A of the M25...it's well worth a visit. If you can't find it...just ask at the post office!

I'll be on the look out for this one below Rosa "Hot Chocolate", a lovely burnished Orange.

I loved the way this Rosa "Hannah Gordon" faded from intense pink to the palest of pink.


My precious little boy running around the maze (with Grandma - out of shot)

Beautiful blue skies

Below is Rosa "Irish Eyes". They change colour as they fade.

I was particularly taken with these very old fashioned roses. Not something I've really noticed before. They were just amass of colour.

The wonderfully fragrant arches

I think we all had a lovely time.

The tiniest splash of colour

Yesterday evening I took a slow stroll down the garden with the camera, as Oliver ran around the place like any toddler will do. This is what I found.

A pink hardy geranium

A delicate yet tall deep purple geranium

Two more but very different pink geraniums against the acid green of the cotinus "golden spirit".

A Spirea getting ready to flower, complete with little companion.

A striking Aquilegia from my nursery pots

And some pale pink ones hiding amongst the bamboo


The bright pink of Cistus "sunset", a find from the Duchy of Cornwall nursery last year.

The pretty blue star of the Knapweed.

Choysia enjoying a second flowering...this old shrub will unfortunately be taken out for the refurbishment of the new flowerbed.

And last but by no means least, the amazing seed pods on the maple tree.

5 weeks old

I thought it was about time I took some new photos.

She's still not impressed with the camera, but she enjoys looking at the TV... and especially loves the sound of Daddy and Oliver's voices.

She's been very much on the verge of her first smile in the past few days (more than just wind)...and I was sure it would be Daddy that got this first pleasure.

BUT IT WAS ME....so very precious.

Out and about?

Last Tuesday, a week ago already, Rebekah and I ventured out for our first walk together. Not quite the first time we've been out (as we've been accompanied by the boys on a couple of other occasions when I've needed to be ferried about in the car), but it was our first excursion as just the girls.

We only walked ten minutes down the road to the local health clinic. My health visitor had given me instruction to find the centre and get Rebekah weighed when she was four weeks old. And it was some well needed freedom from the four walls of my house. Yes, I'm getting a bit stir crazy!

So how is Rebekah? Very well indeed. She'd already reached 9lb 12.5oz (4.44kg) at her weigh in, which means she's put on a whole pound in about 2 weeks. Feeding well and sleeping well at night too. The only fly in the ointment is that she's now found her voice, or rather it's increased in volume by a fair few decibels. Neighbours who hadn't realised before...certainly know there is now a new baby in the neighbourhood.

I was feeling quite wonderful after my walk, and was then planning daily constitutionals until I'm allowed back behind the wheel (next week....yippee!)....then I go and do something really silly. I get a trapped nerve in my hip/pelvis! I cannot believe it. No idea how I have done it, but have been pretty immobile and in a lot of pain this past week.

Also my poor little boy gets the chicken pox. He's been absolutely covered, and I have been close to tears at times when applying cream to his itchy spotty body. I put his eczema creams to good use, which have been much better than using calamine. He's fine now and we just have to wait for the spots to disappear.

Alas no new photos of Rebekah, but here is my little helper watering my little herb garden.

And here the garden, complete with a newly shaped new flowerbed which suddenly appeared over Easter. It's a very large semicircular flowerbed, which will get a mixture of shade, through partial shade to full sun. It needs to be completely cleared of some very old shrubs, to give me a blank canvass and I will have lots of fun planning and planting this space during the summer. Watch this space.

I've just heard the postman, who has delivered my new copy of The Garden...time for a cup of tea before Rebekah's next feed. If I'm quick enough ;-)