That Was the Weekend

Our weekend:

:: sunshine 

:: fun and food with friends and family

:: shopping - not my favourite, but we had a nice lunch and we found towels we liked for our new bathroom, so that was a plus

:: a visit to lovely Leigh on Sea. It was very windy - hence my hair is all over the place and my eyes almost shut in the photograph - but the sun was shining and we wrapped up warm and had a nice walk around, looking at the boats and the tiny old houses 

:: afternoon tea in a nice little tea shop 

:: a walk around the ruins of Hadleigh Castle


Weekending with Karen 

back in time

In the early days of our relationship the Prof and I visited this little church at Bradwell on Sea. It was a a chilly, grey day and we said we would come back one day in nicer weather. So this weekend we packed up a picnic and drove to Bradwell. It's about a half mile walk from the car park - you can just see the church in the distance. 

Although it was a hot day there was a lovely breeze and we walked along watching the butterflies, who sadly wouldn't alight anywhere long enough for a photograph. We saw several wartime pillboxes in the fields. I remember those in other places when I was growing up and wonder why they were never taken away. 

The Prof has an interest in the materials used to build old Essex churches, so we often stop at them when we are out in the countryside. Sometimes I join him, other times I sit in the car and read. Today I was very happy to lie on the grass while he wandered around and took photographs. It's a lovely place, especially in the June sunshine. You can imagine that very little has changed in the thousand-plus years since the church was built. With fields all around, and the view out to sea, it's like taking a step back in time. 

Photos by me and the Prof  

Also featuring this weekend:

A very ill doggie late Friday night and a trip to the vet on Saturday morning. She improved very much overnight, and you wouldn't know that there was anything wrong to look at her now, but the vet told us to be prepared for bad news in the future. We are trying to be optimistic, and giving our girl extra cuddles and treats. 

Managing to stick to our diet healthy eating plan, despite considerable stress and an almost sleepless night. 

Knitting, of course. Always knitting. 

Weekending (belatedly) with Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise

a little sunshine at last

The weather has been mostly grey, dismal and very wet here recently, and at the weekends a combination of weather and jobs to do has kept us at home. This weekend was a refreshing change. I've been -

Doing: grocery shopping, running errands, driving down to Leigh-on-Sea, visiting my parents for a cup of tea on the way home 

Eating: chocolate cake with orange icing, cucumber and salad cream sandwiches, houmous and pitta bread, the last of the Wensleydale cheese with cranberries leftover from Christmas

Drinking: full leaded coffee, lager, orange and lemon tea

Making: Finishing the vintage embroidered tablecloth I've been working on for a while, and trying to master intarsia on a hot water bottle cover 


Weekending with Amanda

that was the weekend

            :: lazy mornings

          :: time with family

          :: rhubarb and custard pies

          :: driving in the Essex countryside

          :: lunch in a sunny courtyard

          :: Fentiman's lemonade

          :: the Telegraph crossword

          :: a field of sweet peas

          

weekending with Amanda

that was the weekend

On Saturday we were up bright and early to drive the hour plus to Curly Girl's university, collect her and her stuff and deliver some of the stuff to the house she will be living in from September, and bring her and the rest of her things home. You may remember, Curly Girl was the Young Philosopher's girlfriend until a few months ago, when they split quite amicably and remain friends. Her Dad usually drives her to and from uni but is on strong painkillers for an injury, that mean he can't drive for several weeks. I was quite pleased that she asked us! She is a lovely girl, and obviously still feels comfortable with us enough to ask us a favour, which I think is so nice. 

It was quite a nice drive, the weather was sunny quite a lot of the time (despite how it looks in the photos!) and we drove back the pretty way, through the countryside. We made a detour not far from home and drove further into Essex to catch the planes flying over to Buckingham Palace to do a flypast for the Queen's Coronation 60th Anniversary. 

On Sunday we drove out to Blake House Craft Centre. They have a lovely restaurant and we finally used some money my parents gave us to go out for a meal for our second wedding anniversary. Having gift money to spend took away the guilt over having three courses and spending so much money when we are trying to economise! The meal was very good. I have been there previously with my WI craft group, and had cakes and sandwiches that time which were equally tasty. They give you tea the old fashioned way, with hot water to top up, so you get two of three cups from your pot which is always a nice old fashioned bonus in these days of giving you a mug of water, milk already in, with a teabag floating in it. Ugh, both scandalous and revolting.  We had a Sunday roast with all the trimmings on this occasion and then had a walk around the craft centre. 

We didn't buy much, just a couple of things in the farm shop there. My favourite shop is 'Kast Mystical'. They have gorgeous patchwork bags, rainbow jumpers, a selection of wonderful pewter (I think) ornaments (might have to put one on my Christmas list), green man cards and pictures, a lovely scent of incense wafting through the shop... I am a hippy at heart! Both times I have visited I've been very tempted by  a brightly coloured sun catcher with the words 'Be Happy', I can just see it in my little kitchen window where we already have two sun catchers the Young Philosopher and I made years ago.  I think I may well have to go back and get it another time. 

I saw a poster for a boot sale which was interesting as it was a 'lazy' boot sale, starting at 11 am. I remember selling at a boot sale years ago and having to get up at about 5, so this would suit me so much better and we do have quite a bit of stuff we could sell. There was also another poster that said they have an on site kinestheologist. I have been wanting to see one for some time, so I might have to visit again. Oh, I could also pick up that suncatcher.....

I did a little knitting in front of 'The Voice' on Saturday evening, I made a mistake and then put it away, so today I will have to sit down and get that all sorted out. Why do I still make mistakes, even on the simplest patterns? Answers on a postcard please. I need to write a list of projects to do next I think, I keep seeing more and more things I want to make! Recently I have come across this Lark Rise to Candleford Shawl and this head wrap, which both need to go on the list. I might even put the baby blanket aside just for today and make the head wrap....

And this is why I have so many unfinished projects. 

I will leave you today with a picture of the beautiful peacock who lives at Blake House Craft Centre. I'm calling him Bert. 

Impromptu picnic and a duck that can't read

Out and About in Essex: the forgotten gardens of Easton Lodge

On Sunday we went out for the day with my parents. On Saturday afternoon it had been wet and gloomy here which made me a little concerned about our plans for the next day, but Sunday dawned bright and sunny with beautiful blue skies, and we drove out into Essex to the Forgotten Gardens of Easton Lodge, where the gardens were open for one of their two snowdrop days this year. 

We spent a very pleasant hour or two wandering about, in some areas it was quite hard not to tread on any snowdrops. There were various things to look at as we walked around, including a tree that had been carved, a memorial, a kind of topiary sundial and a dilapidated Italian sunken garden which would be wonderful if it could be restored. There was mistletoe in some of the trees, it fascinates me the way it grows in host trees. I have always wanted to bring some fresh mistletoe indoors at Christmas, but I know the berries are poisonous and our labrador eats everything. She ate another sock last week. 

There is another snowdrop day next Sunday 26th February, be warned before you go that the 'tea room' is outdoors. it also had a long queue. Tea and cake would have been lovely, but not enough to queue and then to sit in the cold and have it. We ended up in a McDonalds, after finding the local pub had stopped doing food at 2pm. I think next time I will pack sandwiches and flask of tea.

At the plant stall by the entrance there were various plants for sale, including snowdrops 'in the green', you can even order them in advance in large clumps on the website.  I wish I had room in my garden for lots of bulbs. I settled for a couple of hyacinths and a little snowdrop in a pot which is now sitting happily on my garden table. 

almost Wordless Wednesday: out for a drive last night

I love these wildflowers, that I see growing mostly on walls. I would love to know what they are.