tagged again...............

Lovely Lucy over at attic24 has tagged me with the "5 facts about you" tag, so here goes.......

:: along with most builders but almost nobody else I take sugar in my tea. I love these sugar cubes we got in France, they have the exact quantity of sugar..............perfect.

:: I briefly attended university after a gap year in which I worked in both insurance and banking, exciting eh! I decided in my infinite wisdom to do a degree in social work a long way from home, it didn't work out, I was working in a grocery shop by Christmas. Still, at least I got free satsumas!

:: I wet my pants in New York. We arrived carrying two incredibly heavy rucksacks and I sat on a very low wall and couldn't get up. I laughed so much I lost all control..........and that was before children!

:: I have to have my chocolate straight from the freezer, even slightly gooey, melted chocolate makes me feel queazy. My teeth won't thank me for it in later life, I'm sure.

:: My brief glimpse of a career in the late 1980's came when I moved to Middlesex (the nearest I ever got to London) and worked for a large multinational company. It didn't last long, the relationship I was in broke down and I scuttled home to my parents quick sharp. Get the impression I'm not really a high flier?!

So, there you go, a few snippets about me. I forgot to pass on the garden tag so I'll lump the two together and ask Lesley, Suzie, Claire, Anna and Sairer. Choose either one girls because I know some of you have already done one...........................

See you all later in the week!

Confessions of a bag lady.................

Hello,my name is Julia and I'm addicted to shopping bags...................

Seriously, I can't resist. I've got the whole lot, jute ones, fabric ones, ones made from recycled bottles, you name it I've bought it. I pretend it's because I'm an eco warrior but really it's because they're irresistible. I've never been bothered by handbags, I'm the sort of person who's far too disorganised to have more than one bag on the go at once and I also feel a bit sorry for the one that's been replaced by the new bag on the block. Labels don't concern me and I couldn't justify the cost of a designer bag.

These are the current favourites, both a couple of quid and so much more attractive than plastic bags don't you think?

But the overall winner has to be my good old string bag. Not the prettiest but it fits into any bag and you can squeeze loads into it. It's also worth taking out just to embarrass my gorgeous teenage niece who looks like she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whenever I take it out in the shops!

Did I mention they're also great for car booting, believe me you won't believe the goodies I've crammed into them. This is one of the latest acquisitions, 50p from a lovely man (didn't fit in the bag though!) A coat of paint and a scrap of oilcloth and another addition to the VH household is born.

A couple more things before I go. I've been tagged with the view from my kitchen window by Emma but it is absolutely pouring down here and has been for days, so I haven't forgotten and will participate as soon as the sun comes out, if it ever does!

Lastly I thought I'd mention that Andrea and I are having a little summer sale here this Thursday evening. We've also invited another lovely lady who makes the most gorgeous felt brooches. Really it's just an excuse to get together, eat strawberry shortcake and drink Pimms but any of you who are nearby and would like to pop in, drop me a line.

Better go, I should be cleaning and sewing. Bye all!

Gifts galore!............

What a lucky girl I've been this week, little gifts have been popping up everywhere!

What a nice way to get back into the swing of everyday life......................

First of all my lovely giveaway from Lisa, a gorgeous embroidered apron, a flowered napkin, some lovely lace trim, a copy of the magazine that I hear so much about in the US but we can't get here (boo!) "Romantic Homes", and yes, it is fab!. We also got a big packet of Smarties (curiously missing from the picture, who could the culprits be?) And Lisa, Ian passes on his gratitude for the now famous "Tim Tams" - yum!! Lovely, lovely, lovely, all of it!

Speaking of Ian, he returned from Manchester with some more Harvey Nichols goodies. Oh how I love having a man who loves a good food hall! Our normally barren biscuit supply is now bursting at the seams with "grown up" treats and he also brought me a lovely cup and saucer for my French style cafe-au-lait, just to remind me of our fab hols. The flowers came from a neighbour as a thank-you.

Next the postie came a-knocking with this little bundle from the ever gorgeous Catherine at Mollycupcakes. Two little parcels for the little people. What excitement they caused, Kit was in yellow heaven and Jack devoured the book. Catherine is one of the nicest, most generous blogger out there, you must visit her blog!

Lastly, my scrumptious boy made me my very own paper fastener flower bouquet. What more could a mum ask for? I'm hanging onto these moments, he's growing up so fast!

All in all I'm feeling very blessed this week, no doubt something will come and smack me in the gob to bring me back down to earth next week but for now I'm just going to enjoy the moment!

And now....................the latest giveaway. Whilst in France I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to purchase the lastest "Marie Claire Idees" and what do know, another one just happened to slip into the trolley with it! Anyone who would like to get their sticky mitts on this and a couple of other little treats I'll pop in, leave a comment. I'm not showing a picture of it because I forgot to take one, but it'll make it even more exciting dontcha think!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend........................

Bicycles, books and blankets.........

There seem to be three obsessions going on in this house. Wherever I go I'm faced with piles of books, blankets in a heap, or bikes. I've just removed one of the aforementioned bikes from our bedroom where it was lounging against the fireplace, not an attractive addition to the decor to my mind. At the last count we had about 10 bikes in this household, bearing in mind we live in a terraced house and have no garage and a pretty small garden, that's a lot of bikes to conceal! To Ian they're a thing of beauty, to me they're an obstacle (apart from my gorgeous "Cameo" of course!) and I can regularly be heard muttering after catching my ankle on one of them.

Blankets are another key feature of this house. I can't resist them and the children seem to be following suit. Kit even has a serious blanket routine at bedtime, where no less that one duvet, one eiderdown and three blankets have to be tucked round her in the same order every night.

This is my latest little bargain, had to have it for the car. It's one of those gorgeous soft blankets, and red polka dot to boot!

Finally, books........All of us love books, they are in every room in this house. We have so many that I worry that one day I'll come home to find the house sunk into the ground under the sheer weight! I love the vintage Enid Blytons in Jack's room almost as much as he does (although Beano is beginning to take over!). Some of them are rescued from Mum and Dad's garage, but I've had to replace most of mine from childhood because most of our toys and books were passed onto our many cousins.

The books we keep on the living room bookshelves include Ian's beloved "Biggles" collection and all the books passed down by his Dad who was a professor of law. Needless to say I'm not often to be found reading "Employment Laws of Scotland" but they mean a lot to us and remind Ian of his Dad who's no longer here.

So there you go, what little obsessions do you have I wonder?.................

The latest finds...........

As promised a peek at the goodies I got from the car boot this weekend..........

The cute little sewing machine on the left............

This sweet pyrex pan, perfect for mini casseroles for the children...........

This gorgeous eiderdown for only £5 which now lives on Jack's bed.................

This lovely old box, perfect for kindling - it's nearly time to get that fire going!

This chest of drawers was given to us by one of our lovely neighbours, she no longer wanted it and asked us if we wanted it, for nothing! We couldn't take it for nothing so we exchanged it for one of Ians' bikes and some red wine, a good deal I think!

Short post tonight, it's 9.30pm and my dinner is burning in the oven. See you all soon........

I want to ride my bicycle...........

Look what arrived home for me on Tuesday! Ian spotted this in a bike recycling shop and bought it for me, what a star! It's an old Raleigh Cameo 5 gear bike in a gorgeous burgundy colour. In fact I'm sure I used to have a bike just like it when I was a teenager, back in the olden days, as Jack tells me! Now anyone who knows Ian and I know that we have what you may call a tempestuous relationship, ie. we're always arguing about things, probably because we're both incredibly strong willed and opinionated. However we never sulk and our arguments are usually shortlived, normally because Ian makes me laugh when I'm really, really cross and I can't be angry any longer.

When he does things like bring unexpected gifts home because he knows I'd like them, it makes me remember what I saw in him in the first place, (and no Ian, it wasn't the purple fleece that did it for me!) and what keeps us together. He makes me laugh, he makes me b***** cross, sometimes he makes me cry, but above all he cares about me and the children like no-one else.

It's been a really good week this week. Jack has really settled well into school. When he started school he was only just 4 and to me still a baby. It took a long time for him to feel happy there. He isn't what you would call a typical boys' boy, not really sporty or boisterous. He'd rather read or build lego models. His class has a majority of very boisterous boys so Jack couldn't find his place within it, and we had a lot of tears (from both of us). I've always believed in letting your child be what they want to be, so he never did after school activities (apart from needlework) because he didn't want to.

This year it all appears to be changing. He started drama, gardening club, chess and tennis and so far they've all been a success. I can't describe how happy it made me feel when he came out of drama beaming with delight because he'd enjoyed it so much. There really is nothing to beat the feeling inside when you know your child has finally found his place and is happy (for this week anyway). Long may it continue.

Now with a nod to my great blogging pal sophie I'm off for a cup of Yorkshire tea and a piece of victoria sponge. This weekend should prove to be interesting, I'll update you on Monday.

Have a great weekend everyone x

In the pink!

This is my favourite tea set. It was given to us by Ian's mum. I just love the little pink roses and tea does taste gorgeous when it's in a china teacup. The problem is I'm a true northern girl at heart and I like a good mug of tea, so the tea set doesn't get used very often. I am a total tea addict, completely horrible unless I have at least two cups of tea first thing. During the day I "treat" myself to cups when I think I've achieved certain things, it cheers me up and quite often calms me down. I love it!



Another vision of pinkness in this house is Kitty's bedroom, although she professes her favourite colour to be "lellow"- she's not allowed an opinion on home decoration yet, she's not even three! Both she and Jack share the top floor of the house and it's lovely and cosy up there tucked into the eaves with great views of the hills over the rooftops.

I found the curtain around the basin on Ebay, it came from the States. They have the most fantastic vintage stuff over there, much more than we have on offer here in the UK and quite often it sells for so much less, even taking the postage into consideration. (Is it my eyesight or are these photos blurry?)

It's a great place for hiding all the paraphenalia that children accumulate. The mirror above was a car boot bargain that I haven't yet got around to hanging, I can't quite bring myself to drill into the wallpaper!

Hope you're all having a great week, and here's to a sunny and relaxing weekend!

Car Boot Joy!

What a great weekend! The weather managed to stay dry for two bbq's, so we ate ourselves silly and drank just a little bit too much and all in all it was lovely. We saw friends, the children played until late and tired themselves out brilliantly.

Saturday morning we went to the art gallery at our local museum which is holding an exhibition of the local schools' artwork. Jack had a picture on display as part of his school's project. He was so proud, and because for once in our lives we were organised and got there early, we also saw the grand opening by the mayor and Jack had his picture taken for the local paper. It was just one of those days that turned out to be perfect without us trying too hard, if you know what I mean?

Sunday is car boot day. I went down to the one I go to regularly and was a bit disappointed (still managed to spend though!). Then a good friend, Andrea called to ask me to go to a new one with her. I went along with 60p in my purse promising not to buy any more "tat" (Ian's word for my treasures). What a treat was in store! There were goodies galore. I had to borrow from Andrea - what a pal! And here's what I got..........


Some lovely trim


A really cute tin

Some gorgeous linen embroidered napkins

A whole load of vintage childrens books

And a big piece of gorgeous fabric.

WHOOPEEEEE !!!! - What more can I say???????

By the way, I've been tagged. What do I have to do? Help!

Gifts galore

Look what arrived in the post yesterday...............

I read about this on posy's blog. It looks a lovely book but I have to have time to sit down alone without interruption to savour it - highly unlikely in this house. Sunday mornings are normally my "alone" time, Ian takes the children swimming and I get a cup of tea in bed and an hour or so to myself. Nobody tells you before you have kids just how precious a bit of time to yourself becomes.

Another by-product of child rearing is the complete inability to retain any information. I used to mock people who made lists, now I'm one of them. And blogging needs its' very own list. So, I keep little notepads around the house to write down whatever I need to remember as it comes into my brain. Where do all theose brain cells go? Enough moaning, I would never be without them and love them totally (most of the time).

Another lovely gift I received was these little beauties.......

from my fabulous sister Sarah. Aren't they cute? I have them hanging in my kitchen. Don't you just love getting presents?

I've been looking forward to today for ages. It's the Spring Fair at Sudeley Castle, which is like a smaller version of the Country Living fair. Childcare had been sorted so I could go with a friend and enjoy all the stalls. However a bit of a spanner has been thrown into the works because no. 1 son has conjunctivitis (probably spelt wrong) and cannot therefore go to school. Needless to say he is thrilled to bits and will be coming with me, which means no gossiping with Maureen but also that I get to spend a bit if time with him without his little sister which is pretty rare.

We're all at my parents this weekend so I won't be able to blog, but I will take my camera in case anything exciting comes up.

Just one more thing. Jo sent me a comment and mentioned that anyone not registered as a google blogger had to register with them to send a comment. I'm hoping this has been rectified. Could someone with a typepad or other blog just send me a comment just so I can see if it's sorted. Much appreciated. Also, Jo, I can't get onto your blog from the comments. If poss could you let me know the http.// name.

My latest finds

These are the latest treasures found at the local car boot (not a very good photo). There happened to be a lady with a van load of fabrics and bits and pieces from France so you can imagine I fell upon her with great delight.

The aprons are so gorgeous and useful too, what more could you ask for?

The weekend has been a delight in many ways. Firstly we had fab weather which always helps, we had friends around all weekend, and yesterday our son was in his first scout parade with his fellow beavers which made us so proud, although he did have a bit of a wobble when he had to walk at the front of the parade!

Today I took our daughter for her first look at pre-school, life is moving on too fast. This is the first time she'll have been in a nursery type place so she was a bit nervous but I tried to remain upbeat for her, although inside I really don't want to let her go!

Many thanks to Suzie for her first comment on my blog. I'd been waiting with baited breath for that first one, so phew I'm glad it arrived. I think I may be in danger of becoming addicted to these blogs, every time I go on a new one there are 20 more to look at. There's also so much for me to learn - eg. how do you put a blog link into your post, and how do you put picture into the books you're reading section, any suggestions will be gratefully received.