Hever Castle and a very special 13th birthday celebration

Little M (in flowery top) wanted to celebrate her 13th birthday in a special way so she chose to spend the day at Hever Castle in Kent (also pictured are her BFF and little E in the flowery skirt). Hever was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn; a stunning moated castle surrounded by glorious gardens including a yew maze one can get lost in (we know....we did!), a water maze (for an exhililerating cold shower) and many other delights. The girls were particularly fascinated by this statue, whose bare buttocks we spied through a little gap and which provoked shrieks of delight and mirth. And just look at the vivid colour of those flowers (azaleas, I think) - the photo doesn't really do them justice - their pinkiness was almost blinding, in a good way. The morris dancers, maypole, mediaevel musicians, and costumed staff added so much to the atmosphere and the sun helpfully shone all day. Everyone was in agreement that this was the most perfect day out and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Captain's Wood

On Easter Saturday we went for a walk through a carpet of bluebells and primroses in Captain's Wood, and even spied a herd of deer through the trees. Birdsong is the only sound that breaks the stillness and peace. Well, that and the chatter and laughter of the girls of course. And we were happily remembering a little event of 19 years ago, on Easter Saturday (it was 18th April that year), when the boy and I were married in a little house in Stowmarket that had once belonged to the poet, Milton. The primroses in the wood reminded me of those on our wedding cake.

Portrait of Bono by Little E

We are excited and proud that Little E's portrait of Bono has been chosen for inclusion in the Primary Art Exhibition at Colchester's Slack Space, which runs until 15 April. The exhibition showcases work by children aged between 5-11 from seven primary schools in and around the Colchester area. The work is of an amazingly high standard, full of vibrant colour and imagination and is well worth a visit.

Pet Sounds wallpaper from Mini Moderns

I have totally fallen in love with this fabulous wallpaper from the Festival collection at Mini Moderns which comes in three colourways - orange, blue and bitter chocolate. Now just need to find a suitable wall and choose my colour..........

"Pet Sounds" Festival wallpaper from Mini Moderns

I have totally fallen in love with this fabulous wallpaper from Mini Moderns http://minimoderns.com which comes in three colourways (orange, blue or bitter chocolate - all gorgeous!). Now just need to find a suitable wall and choose a colour.....

A Little Piece of Lovely - Julia Smith Ceramics

I'm currently lusting over Julia Smith's nature-themed ceramics. As well as this gorgeous tree bowl, Julia crafts beautiful pottery pieces featuring insects such as bees and butterflies. See more of her work at www.juliasmithceramics.com which is available to buy on Etsy. Gorgeous!

This week's 'Little piece of Lovely' - Vintage Underground Posters

A descendant of Margaret Calkin James recently appeared on Antiques Roadshow with some wonderful original examples of poster artwork she designed for London Transport/Underground between 1928 and 1935, including the one shown here, "Bluebell Time in Kew Gardens", from 1931. Browsing through the poster section of London Transport Museum's website I discovered a treasure trove of fabulous colour and design. Searching through decade by decade is a real peek into the past and is well worth a trawl through. Photographic reproductions of most are available for a very reasonable £14.95 for an A3 size print. Do let me know which ones take your fancy!

On the beach at Aldeburgh

Here are the girls on the beach at Aldeburgh, October 2010, sitting on the beautiful "Scallop" sculpture by Maggie Hambling.

Re-vamped footstool - before and after

A friend passed on an old, unwanted piano stool, knowing that I liked "old things". Not owning a piano, I decided to turn it into a foot stool. I forgot to take a photo before I cut off the legs but here are the before and after pics - I'm quite pleased with the results.

Harvesting pumpkins - Autumn 2010

A late posting of this photo where I'm harvesting one of the pumpkins we grew for Halloween. Now starting to put together my planting plan for this year - squashes seem to do well, as do courgettes and runner beans. No success with carrots - mainly because dear Louie digs up the seeds as soon as I've planted them!