HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We always like to take in some sea air over the Christmas holidays. This year we chose Clacton and yesterday parking in Holland on Sea we walked along towards Clacton pier. There was a chill in the air and as you can see by the picture it was a fairly dull day, but we enjoyed it. It's nice to get out and get some exercise, blow the cobwebs away as some people say.

Here is one for the album, Clacton pier in all it's festive glory.

 I remember going on the pier when I was a child. My Mum nearly had a panic attack when she found out that I was using the pennies she was giving me to take thrilling white knuckle rides on the rickety roller coaster. She thought I was having sedately rides on the ghost train or frightening myself in the hall of mirrors. 

I know, what can I say, I was an only child and she worried about me!

 Michael also used to have family holidays in Clacton when he was little, staying in the Butlins Holiday Camp. That, obviously is now no longer there, houses stand in its place.

We didn't go out on the pier yesterday, instead we headed up under the bridge towards the town, in search of a coffee and a bag of chips! Michael can't go to the seaside without having a bag of chips, so that's a bit of a ritual in our household.

When we got home we cooked sausage and mash for tea and so by the end of the day we were completely "potatoed out."

Sorry, apparently "potatoed' isn't a proper word, I've invented it, according to spell check but I'm leaving it in because I think it describes us perfectly.

Thank you to those who have dropped by my blog this year. I wish you all a Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Charlotte and I decorated the christmas cakes on Wednesday.

The first one is for Charlotte & Jessica to share with their Daddy---------- and their Mummy if there's any left!

This one's for Peter, (Kate doesn't eat a lot of cake!)

Got to look after him well, he's now moved up in status to son-in-law in waiting as he's just proposed to Kate while skiing in Andorra. 

Looking forward to seeing them both and the ring tomorrow when they pop round for breakfast. 

Congratulations to both of them!

And finally this one is ours, no grand piping in this house, I'm pretty useless at that, but I thought I did manage to tie a fairly neat bow on each!

So, we're ready.
Shopping done, presents wrapped, too many vegetables in the garage and too much food in the fridge and freezer. Just the butchers to visit yet again for the turkey and then that's it, sit back, raise a glass of champagne or a gin and tonic or have both the champagne and a gin and tonic and chill out!

Merry Christmas to you all!

FEELING FESTIVE

 I've definitely tried today to get into the festive mood!

As I hadn't much to do today I took the opportunity to decorate our christmas tree.

Now having written about the pro's and con's of buying a tree in my last post I felt I must tell you about my own experience.

Heading towards the garden centre last Friday we could see in the distance some most peculiar coloured clouds and  so at the very point of reaching the huge choice of trees, the heavens' opened and we were caught in the middle of a hail storm.

Michael held the first tree up and said "This one?" I shook the hail from my hair and said "Oh no!"

"This one?" he asked as I run for cover. "Oh yes that one looks perfect. Let's get it!"

Not realising until we got home that it's trunk is somewhat deformed and my poor husband had a hell of a job trying to get it in the pot in such a way that it doesn't notice.

Anyway here it is looking very festive.

I've really tried to stick to colour schemes this year, so we have gold in the lounge, silver in the dining room and red in the hall.

So now at 5pm I'm pooped and decorated out. I've been up and done the loft ladder so many times, do I have a need for a gym membership?

Coupled also with the constant drone of the dehumidifier drying my kitchen and the heat its giving off, I really think a cuppa is now the order of the day and then I'll tackle the ironing and cook dinner.

FINDING THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS TREE!

Why is it so hard to choose the perfect christmas tree?

Yesterday as Michael and I stood in our local garden centre surrounded by hundreds of trees I noted the usual conversations between men and women.

Man - "This one?"

Woman - "Too small!"

Man - "This one?"

Woman - "Too big!"

Man - "This one?"

Woman - "Too bushy at the bottom!"

Man - "This one?"

Woman - "Not bushy enough!"

Man - "This one?"

Woman - "No, can't you see it's lopsided!"

Woman - "This one?"

Man - "Too expensive!"

Michael said, "shall we get our tree today?"

I sighed and said, "No, I think it's best we leave it 'till next week, don't you?"

Other than the christmas tree, I have made a good effort this weekend with my christmas preparations. 

I've purchased the marzipan and icing for the cakes. I've made sausage rolls and mince pies, now in the freezer and I've written my first christmas card.

Needed to get myself organised, part of my kitchen is being ripped out tomorrow. However only a small part, hopefully.  I've got everything crossed as I write.

All repair work to the cupboards and flooring will take place in January. 

Joy of joys!!

MY WEEK COULD ONLY GET BETTER!

My week unfortunately did start on a very down note!

My brand new, all singing and dancing kitchen has sprung a leak.

Not just any leak but a concealed leak, so it really didn't fully reveal itself until Monday and the extent of the damage become known until Wednesday.

The leak has now been repaired, the damage of course hasn't.

"Uurrrgh!"

I was pleased that I managed to finish these two items. The hat is a christmas present for my daughter in law, but I do think it has something lacking. I haven't got enough wool left to make a pom pom but a tassel possibly. Do you think it would make it look more appealing?

The fingerless mittens are for my daughter. I really like these so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she likes them too!

When Charlotte & Jessica came this week they requested doughnuts with pink icing, sprinkled with hundreds and thousands. 

No problem, Tesco's sell them I thought, but not on Wednesday.

So being the soft Granny that I am, I came back with plain doughnuts, icing sugar and hundreds and thousands.

In the afternoon the girls had a great time and put the lot together.

I hope they enjoyed eating them!

On Saturday to get over our "uurrrgh" beginning of the week, Michael and I took ourselves off to Bury St Edmunds where they were holding their annual Christmas fayre. It was so so busy, but  there was such a lovely atmosphere. We did a little bit of shopping and had a very nice relaxed lunch. 

Very therapeutic!

A DELIGHTFUL BAKING EXPERIENCE!

My week has been really good. Lots of knitting, some christmas shopping and on Wednesday my two little chefs came round to bake their christmas cake. They were brilliant! Charlotte beat the butter and sugar together, Jessica whisked the eggs for what seemed forever and then they both combined the two parts together and mixed in the fruit.  

AND
all super gran had to do was, clear up the mess and wipe the grandchildren down!

After 4 hours the cake came out of the oven looking and smelling delicious.
They really are master mini chefs!

11.11.11 A DAY TO REFLECT & REMEMBER

 For the first time my Dad, who served in Burma in WW2 was unable to attend his local Remembrance Day service in Chelmsford town centre this morning, where he always proudly recited the Kohima Epitaph following the two minute silence. 

My Dad at 89 has recently been suffering with a problem with his foot and although it's much better it remains swollen so he's unable to get his "polished shoes" on. Being a smartly dressed man this, along with the time he would have to stand meant that today, he decided regretfully that it would be best to stay at home. 

So there I was at 11am standing in M&S and I felt very emotional. In those two brief minutes of silence my thoughts reflected on how my Dad would be feeling, knowing that he would be thinking about his young brother Len who at 18 drowned when the submarine HMS Vandal sunk in Lochranza on 24th February 1943. 

So for my Dad,

When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And 

  For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today

AUTUMN DAYS AND AUTUMN WARMERS

Autumn has really moved up a gear since we put the clocks back last weekend. Although still fairly mild the leaves are falling fast. Last Monday Michael and I went for a long walk through Maldon Prom. This used to be an outdoor swimming pool and I don't suppose there was a child in Maldon that didn't have a dip or two in there in the summer, or the winter if they were a little crazy. However, a few years back big changes were made and this is the result, a lovely area with an abundance of visiting wildlife and right on the bank of the river Blackwater.

I've been doing lots of knitting and these scarves, leg warmers and fingerless mittens are of course for Charlotte and Jessica.

They were very impressed when they saw them as Jessica was to join her sister and have her first ballet lesson on Saturday morning so the leg warmers became an essential part of their kit.

Charlotte was also keen to model for me and if I'm honest so too was Jessica but being only two she was jumping about so much with excitement that her side of the picture was too blurred to print.
They both came to visit yesterday afternoon and we had a re run of the ballet class plus an interesting game of Ludo which Charlotte played by her rules, Jessica played with no rules but with an interesting style of throwing the dice. Overarm and at her granny!
I think we should scrap the ballet and find out when can she can start having cricket lessons?

PHONE OR NO PHONE?

When my iphone crashed late on Tuesday evening, my first thought was OMG!
To be honest it didn't just crash, it literally crashed. Out of my dressing gown pocket it slid, like a slippery eel down into the u bend of my toilet!
I wouldn't have minded if I had been checking my emails at the time or sending a quick txt or even racking my brain trying to finish a suduko puzzle but I'd just popped it in to my pocket to transport it upstairs.
At the very moment of impact my face probably would have said it all. I can't remember actually speaking any words but I must have done because from the bedroom all I could hear was Michael saying,
'It won't work now, it won't work now, it won't work now.............!"
I was well aware of that!
So Wednesday came and as it's my day for looking after Charlotte & Jessica, I was thrown into a dilemma. If I left the house how would I contact the AA man if the car broke down and even worse how would the school be able to contact me if Charlotte wasn't feeling well!
 Did I have these worries when my own children were small?
I bet we can all answer that one - NO!
By Friday I was definitely more laid back. As I left home in the car to go into town to do some shopping there was no call from my daughter saying,
"Mum, where are you?
Are you going into town?
Oh good, can you just get me.............?"
Neither, when I was enjoying a cup of coffee and a natter with a friend was there another call, this time my husband saying,
"Are you at home?"
"No!"
"Oh, I thought you might be, it's just that I needed you to look up.................!"

I have to say  by Friday, it was bliss so, why when I got home from town to find my new phone awaiting me, was I like a kid in a chocolate shop?
I've a fully functioning new iphone today and although I enjoyed my few days of freedom I must confess,  the mobile phone is a gadget that I rather like to possess!

BYE-BYE SUMMER

I picked these flowers just in time from my garden on Friday. Having dragged the last few bits of  washing off the line I popped back out with my kitchen scissors to collect them. The gusty wind that suddenly blew up from nowhere wasn't unexpected but the thunder, lightening and torrential rain that accompanied it, certainly was.

This little collection of flowers are still looking bright and cheerful on my fire place.

As the gorgeous weather from last weekend has diminished and we're now in the throes of Autumn, I've picked up my knitting needles with fresh enthusiasm this past week.

I'm half way through knitting the other fingerless mitten and couldn't wait to start these striped leg warmers for Charlotte. Hopefully I'm going to make a smaller pair for Jessica and they'll both get a matching pair of, yes you've probably guessed it,  fingerless mittens.

AND ALONG CAME SUMMER!

There I was only a few days ago knitting fingerless mittens, hats and scarves for Charlotte & Jessica, considering whether to dust off my Ugg boots ready for the first snap of a colder climate, when, to my surprise flying around the corner came, not just a hint but a fall blown blast of summer. 

So here we are on the first Sunday of October stretching our legs for a lovely walk along the beach at East Mersea.

The beach was full of fun!

Lots of people like us enjoying the warm sunshine. Some swimming in the sea, others having a bbq lunch. Quite a few were just chilling out with a book whilst many others like us, sauntered slowly along the sands.

There has been quite a lot of erosion affecting this part of the coast line.

This tree has certainly reached its final resting place.

When I'm actually looking for a nice piece of weathered bark for my garden I can never find any.

Well, there was an abundance of it today!

(Really pleased that my pictures no longer have a green tinge around the edge, which has been somewhat of a problem in recent months.

My daughter in law solved the problem and then I removed the "green" cover from my iphone.

What am I like!!!!)

AU - REVOIR SOUTH OF FRANCE!

We've just returned from our holiday in the South of France. We were so pleased to get there, after Michael's injury to his leg, we half expected to have to cancel.

I think that's why we enjoyed it so much, we certainly have returned home, batteries recharged!

We took our car - I drove all the way and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Before we set off I made just one request.

I told Michael he was NOT to fiddle with the sat nav or the radio. Nor was he to empty the glove box due to boredom. Even more importantly he was NOT to criticise my driving.

AND he didn't, even when I was driving through Nice doing about 10 miles an hour and thinking "OMG!"

We stayed in a little hotel in Villefranche sur Mer. We thought it was a very nice place.

 Plenty of time was spent relaxing by the pool with a book or two and  the pool was lovely and refreshing.

It certainly helped Michael with his convalescence.

We did spend a morning at Villa Ephrussi & gardens, not too far from our hotel. This house was built for Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild at the beginning of the 1900's.

A very quiet place where you could stroll quite easily for a couple of hours. 

We did have a couple of rainy days while we were away so, one day we decided to take a drive up to Vence to visit the Foundation Maeght. A famous gallery, so it said in my guide book.

Mmmm, we went in and we tried but over lunch in a litle picturesque village perched high in the hills called Carros (above) we both came to the same conclusion - we didn't get it!

Unlike the Franchement Art exhibition in the citadelle in Villefranche sur Mer

this was a free exhibition displaying lots of different kinds of artwork. 

Some of it was really beautiful.

An artist whose work did catch my eye was Gigi Lopez.

I loved the textures and her ideas and spent some time chatting to her.

It's thanks to my cousin Miriam and my friend Diane who probably without realising it have encouraged me to actually look at art, whether painting or textiles rather than glance at it as I pass by.

You should check out Gigi's website  www. gigilopez.com - I have!

IS IT ALWAYS THAT IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS?

I'm so pleased with these dahlias in my garden. They started their lives in those awful dried out packets that hang on stands in DIY stores. 3 for the price of 2, you know the ones I mean.

My first attempt at growing dahlias, I brought them home and eventually put them into pots.

Some weeks later I watched Monty Don on BBC Gardeners World, show how to pot up dahlias and grabbing my instructions that I hadn't looked at before, the next morning I was out in my garden retrieving my plants from the bottom of their pots and having another try.  

I had been wondering why they hadn't been growing but thankfully I got it right in the end.

I suppose it's a bit like my Mum who years ago was baking a cake but realised when she'd put it in the oven, that she hadn't put the eggs in it. 

Never mind, easily remedied, out it came, eggs were added, then put back into the oven. What's the problem with that?

Mind you, not so good when on another occasion she was rather heavy handed with the eggs and added the whole thing. Finding bits of shell in your dundee cake, was not the best, but certainly didn't do us any harm.

My mum is actually a really good cook, her father was a chef. Perhaps Charlotte takes after that side of the family.

She made this delicious apple crumble on Wednesday. We cut up the apples together and weighed out the ingredients for the crumble. I left her in the kitchen, rubbing the butter into the flour while I kept an eye on her sister . When I got back she'd got the consistency perfect, had added the sugar and spread the lot over the apples. All we had to do was pop it in the oven.
I must get her trained in the art of clearing up now!

MORE FINGERLESS GLOVES!

I'm getting into my stride knitting these fingerless gloves now, shame the same can't be said for my photography!

I do wonder if the green haze is a result of the reflection of the sun on my new kitchen worktops?

or is it that I'm being lazy and clicking with my iphone which is always on hand and not the camera which is always somewhere where I am not?

Anyway, I'm really pleased with the gloves, they're both the same size and fit a treat. 

Going through my knitting bag I've got so many odds and ends of Debbie Bliss baby wool that I thought I'd use them up and knit some squares. Eventually they'll get sewn together for a small blanket either for me to put over my feet in the winter while watching tv or for Charlotte & Jessica for their dolls, It all depends on how big or small it turns out.

MAGNOLIA

I promised a picture of my magnolia in bloom and here it is, the last one from the three buds that appeared this year. 

Life this week has been busy, busy, busy!

Though it didn't start out with that intention.

Monday saw me enjoying a leisurely visit to the Docklands Museum in London with friends to visit the pirates exhibition being held there.

After our swashbuckling adventure we chilled out in limited sunshine for a very nice relaxed lunch.

Tuesday came and so also should have the kitchen fitters!

Well, that didn't happen!

Wednesday - Granny day. Swimming, playing in the park, pom pom making and lunch courtesy of their Grandad, in the Lock Tiptree Jam Tearoom.
 Perfect?
Not quite. Kitchen fitters in as well who tried to remedy our water leak and advised us that we are going to have to have two new cupboards. So for now, the  kitchen is just semi-finished.

On Thursday I took on the task of filling the kitchen cupboards that can be used. I certainly think I lost a few pounds carrying it all down the stairs. I've been storing most of the stuff in a spare bedroom and when it was put in there originally I had a husband who wasn't on crutches!

Today, Friday we have the painter in. The kitchen is now looking and working as a kitchen should.
I'm looking forward later to cooking a proper meal, drinking a small glass on wine, putting my feet up and grabbing for my knitting!
Bliss!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE!

Happy Birthday to our little grand daughter Charlotte, I can't believe she's 5 today, time has just flown by.

As you can see, I did manage to make her a cake in my unfinished kitchen. Thankfully I now have a cooker to use, a sink to look at and worktops. Here's hoping during the coming week there will be usable cupboards and more importantly running water.

If only you could have seen Michael and I on Tuesday, we decided to connect the old sink, something under normal conditions he could have done easily. However, with his leg in plaster it was not so easy.

Between us we managed to connect the u bend, though no cold water at all, we did somehow manage to get hot water out of the cold tap. Result!

We also had a spectacular looking design feature which we've never had before, the taps could turn 360 degrees. Amazing!

This  weekend we are again waterless but there's plenty falling outside to compensate.

Michael's now had his op to reconnect his achilles tendon. Everything went well and hopefully he'll be wearing an air boot instead of the plaster after next weekend. Fingers crossed!

 Mind you, he seems to be getting used to being at home now which could be worrying!

I picked these vegetables first thing this morning from my garden. We're looking forward to having them for dinner later with some baked mackerel from good old Marks and Sparks!

I think the BBQ is a definite no-no this weekend.

Still apparently we need the rain so in good old british tradition, we've got it!

HELLO, MY NAME IS PETER!

This little chap is a new addition to our family!

Rob popped in on his way home, after collecting the little puppy. As yet he has only his kennel name, Peter.

Now as that is Kate's partner's name, I don't think that's very appropriate. Can you imagine, every time we ask "another beer Pete?"

 the poor dog will think it's for him.

I'm sure between Jo, Rob and the children they will come up with a more suitable name.

In the meantime more importantly, he knows that I'm Granny and I've already made clear to him one of my ground rules and told him he's not to dig up my garden.

We will get on famously, I'm sure!

Do you like my pumpkin flowers?

I think they're really bright and colourful. At least they've brightened up my garage wall. I'm not expecting the pumpkins to grow, I just like the flowers! 

Michael's leg is still plastered, as you would expect but we're hoping that an operation he's having this week will help with his recovery, fingers crossed! What with Michael not being able to get around and the kitchen fitters not doing what they're supposed to be doing, life this past week has been hectic and frustrating.

Hopefully on Monday, the kitchen company will endeavour to figure out a plan to rectify the issues but if not,  I'll still be using my washing machine as an island in the middle of my kitchen and not an appliance to wash clothes in.

If this is the case, when I write my blog next weekend, I will be naming and shaming the kitchen company involved.

The simple question for them is -  how far can you stretch the patience of a woman?

FINGERLESS GLOVES

The fingerless gloves are both now finished. I'm quite pleased with my first attempt, would have liked them to have been the same size but one can't always have everything your own way. Well, that's what my parents used to tell me when I was a child and an only one at that.

I'm hoping that through some slight stretching and let's face in when I start wearing them later in the year, my hands should mould them into shape, they will fit perfectly!

I'm that impressed, I've already started another pair, a different pattern, wool and design but here goes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA!

Happy Birthday Jessica, 2 years old today!

For the last time I used my oven yesterday, thanks to ebay it is now sitting in someone else's kitchen.
Though now battered and bruised, over a period of at least 20 years it has cooked countless cakes, tasty dinners and inevitably aided in some creative disasters.
As the kitchen fitters are moving in tomorrow to transform my new kitchen I was going to buy a cake for Jessica's 2nd birthday but Michael thought it was a shame and I'm glad I agreed with him in the end because I actually did get pleasure from the making the cake. Once out of the oven I gave the door a quick wipe over with a cloth and thought - Done!
Just hope the new cooker lasts me as long and is as good as the bumf says it is!

As for Michael and the ongoing Achilles crisis, over this week he has started to accept that sitting with his plastered leg elevated is the only way forward. He is fortunate, he can do some work from home, so as long as he has his mobile and his laptop in reach he's fairly happy.
Don't know when he'll be able to get back out in the garage, so work on his boat is suspended for the foreseeable future.

As for the running of our household, while he's out of action, well obviously I'm in charge!!!!!!

I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS A POSH NEW SOCK!

My poor husband Michael has really gone and injured himself "big time" this time.

Rushing out on Friday through the back door when he heard Jessica scream in the garden resulted in him rupturing his achilles tendon.

We spent a good two and a half hours at the fracture clinic today and the doctor has explained that his leg may well be in plaster for the next 9 weeks. For the first 3 weeks his leg must virtually be immobile. It is apparently a very slow process of healing.

He has also a doctor's certificate for 12 weeks!!!!!

I thought I might knit him a large sock to keep his toes warm, but on second thoughts if he is to be at home for 12 weeks I could probably teach him to knit his own sock.

I'm hoping that the 9 weeks in plaster and the stay at home for 12 could be just precautionary and a worse case scenario.

Oh and we go on holiday in, you guessed it 9 weeks!

On a brighter note this is our magnolia bush/tree. It is a free flowering variety and we've had it for years.

Yesterday I noticed for the first time ever it is in bud.

Michael in the past has wanted to dig it up and get rid of it. He thought it would never flower.

So imagine how he felt, sitting indoors when I called out to him from the garden that I noticed 2 buds and he couldn't rush out and see them.

I'll post some more pictures when they are in bloom.

ONE FINISHED GLOVE AND MOST DEFINITELY FINGERLESS

You know sometimes when things, however hard you try, don't go to plan?

Well, this week I've tried very hard to master the art of knitting these half-fingered gloves.

On Tuesday evening I finally finished the fourth finger.

On Wednesday morning I took another peek at my efforts - dreadful!

Without further ado, I grabbed the closest thing to hand, which just happened to be the kitchen scissors and with four quick snips, the unruly fingers were gone!

After some slight difficulty in picking up the stitches,( I was left with half a stitch in places) I managed to remedy my mess and by finishing the glove off with a few rows of rib, I'm quite pleased with the result.

Just the other one of the pair to do now!

FINGERLESS OR HALF- FINGER GLOVES, THAT IS THE QUESTION?

In my last post, I mentioned that my next project to make was gloves. I found a lovely pattern on www.ravelry.com  by Lucy Hague  entitled Hands of Blue. I think it is a really pretty design and I've enjoyed making them up as far as the knuckles. The trouble is this is the first time I've knitted gloves so have found that beyond that, it has been a little tricky. I decided to make a half finger pair at the beginning of the week but after stumbling with the first finger, I changed my mind and altered my plan to fingerless. By Thursday I'd changed my mind again and met the challenge of knitting the half finger pair. Currently I'm just about to knit my second finger and am still persevering. 

Although I have now got myself in rather a muddle with my row counting and rate myself with only a small chance of both gloves being the same size. It's a bit like my sock knitting scenario!

- 

A couple of pictures for you of some of the poppies in my front garden. I thought I'd better take them quick as the rain isn't being kind to them. 

It's strange, we moan that we need the rain and when we get it, we moan again!

There's no pleasing some!!

THE WEEK I GAINED A BLACKBIRD NEST AND A PARKING FINE, RESCUED A WINKLE, PHOTOGRAPHED AN ABUNDANCE OF POPPIES AND COMPLETED THE DEBBIE BLISS TEDDY BEAR ALL- IN- ONE SUIT!

I had to show you this photo I took in my garden of this little lady, I spied her by accident when I was weeding yesterday. I though at first that the nest was empty but was so pleased when I took a peek later and saw that the blackbird was nestled inside.

I've done various things this week. On Wednesday Kate and I took Charlotte and Jessica to Mersea Island. Mersea is only about half an hour from here so the ideal place to go if you want to play on the sand. I parked the car, bought a pay and display ticket and spent a few hours happily on the beach, digging holes, collecting seashells, drinking tea and eating ice cream - perfect!
Having had such a nice time, I didn't take kindly to finding a parking penalty notice slapped on my windscreen when we returned to the car. It was my fault, my ticket wasn't clearly displayed, but I had purchased it and if we had returned five minutes earlier at least I would have had the satisfaction of waving it under the Civil Enforcement Officer's nose!
As I write, I am challenging the penalty charge with great gusto but only because it's making me feel better, realistically I know that it will not be overturned!

It was later that same day whilst I was in the kitchen preparing dinner that Charlotte came in requesting a lettuce leave for her snail. She had been out in the garden since we'd returned home sorting through her bucket of shells. On closer inspection I quickly realised that the little head frantically popping in and out of the shell was not a snail but indeed a winkle. Once I'd explained what a winkle is, what it likes to eat and where it usually lives, it was agreed that we needed to return the winkle to the sea. So we found a small bucket to put it in (Charlotte had at first wanted to carry it in her hand but as it was so tiny,  I had visions of it being crushed before it even reached the sea), we set off on our short walk up to the river.
The tide was out, so no water just mud. Being the good Granny that I am, I climbed over the sea wall, down some slippery steps and placed the winkle in the mud under a clump of seaweed so it could float out on the next tide. Charlotte, still remains hopeful that the little winkle will make it back to Mersea Island. Bless her!

I took these photos at RHS Hyde Hall on Tuesday. I had a lovely time there with Miriam and Diane. Lots of chatter, a slow amble around the gardens and  a very nice lunch.

The display of poppies was beautiful, I think this is the best I've ever seen there. I've got loads growing in my front garden this year, all self-seeded, courtesy of the birds I would imagine. So far, only a few are in flower, but I'm hopeful that I too will have a colourful display.
Michael was eager to pull them all up about a month ago, he was convinced they were weeds. Really pleased he didn't.

To finish off this week  I have completed the Debbie Bliss all-in-one teddy bear outfit. I am really pleased with it and it has been finished just in time. Lindsey, my friend Maureen's daughter, is expecting her son in the next couple of weeks. I've knitted the second size so it'll fit the baby through the autumn/winter months.
I've found a lovely pattern on the internet for a pair of fingerless gloves so I'm going to give them a try for my next project. I'm hoping to use up some wool that I have left at the bottom of my knitting bag.