new coat..new season?

 Well I've done it again folks!

Why didnt anyone tell there was a heatwave arriving?

Just look at that blue sky.

  I've needed a new intermediate coat 

to wear for Autumn.

Something that keeps me warm but not sweaty

well it's definitely warm, 

and if I keep it on any longer it may well 

get a little sweaty today!!

 I love the early morning light,

especially on these white swan 

echinacea.

(grown by me)

 I'm making good use of this lovely weather.

Isn't it uplifting?

 I will not lie,

the ever growing garden can be a real challenge!

 I thought I'd show you some out-takes,

and why I generally crop out my head.

Check out my hiking boots!!

Reacting to a camera on a gorilla pod is not a thrill.

and generally the first photo is the best.

 Scowls aside..

look at the vintage sheet I picked up.

 Donating books to declutter can be dangerous for ones house!

It's an addiction..a bit like buying plants when you already have too many..

 Loving the elbow patch detail!

I shall not be hoping for cooler weather

just so I can wear my new coat*

Because I have still lots of pottering to do..

..and it keeps the spiders from envading our house!

( spider count last week 5 )

*belted coat Zara

just because..

Posterized@picnik

lost in Austen

 When we set off along the coast path to Hartland Point in Devon.

I had no clue I'd be stumbling into the pages of a Jane Austen book.

 I recognised it straight away as the cottage from the bbc adaptation of

sense and sensibility.

It was a totally stunning surprise.

 I did enjoy the series..however I haven't read the book,

so I'm not entirely sure of how truthful they were to the story.

That said I love this house!

Look at the wonky roof.

 Whats more it sits right on this rugged Devonshire beach,

which I'd already professed to be the most stunning coastline.

 The cottage is Blackpool Mill.

And get this, you can rent it!!!

I can just imagine waking up here in this wondrous isolation..

..I'm just looking for some romantically minded friends to share it with?

 Romance aside.

One shouldn't throw scorn.

 You see, when it rains, this ancient floor becomes 

incredibly slippery.

Just picture me if you will,

somewhere in the middle curled up in a puddle after taking a tumble.

The romantically minded may be thinking..

did I get carried off by a gallant young man?

Or did I spend the next hour trudging through the countryside,
lost

whilst the rain fell like stair rods?

I'll leave it up to you.

I did feel the irony of the Austen connection at the end of the day.

Only I ended up more like Darcy in his wet shirt rather than the 

sensible Elinor Dashwood.

 I feel the need to escape my life right now.

I think I shall hunt down Sense and Sensibility and..

.. once again get lost in Austen.

* stripy jumper H&M

secret squirrel sunday

Oh man I wish I could share my current sewing project with you!

But as its a secretish swap of the squirrelling type,

you will have to wait it out.

Lets just say it's a jazzy little number,

closely related to my summer of love quilt.

It's grabbed my attention away from the grey patchwork;

muted colours are totally gorgeous, just not that exciting to sew.

I feel a tutorial coming on..

playing favourites

 This post should be dedicated to favourite fabrics,

those that have been used to within an inch of their lives.

Mary from Molly Flanders and Suz from Patchworknplay

are having a party to celebrate their love of fabric.

However me being a vintage lover,

I couldn't very well come up with a fabric I've loved and lost

(not yet anyway)

So I've spun this post 

to favourite vintage finds that have yet to be cut...

...or special items that will remain just so.

Starting from the bottom.

A pair of barkcloth curtains that I wish would fit one of my windows.

An amazing handmade skirt.

A lovely feedsack from America.

A huge stash of Grandmas green floral fabric

(given to me after her death, I'd love to know what it was for,

I found a sticker on it that said 'alternative fabric',

I think it may have been for bridesmaid dresses!!)

The blue is a French overcoat I bought at a flea market,

which I modelled in one of my Brittany posts.

And the top is a lovely vintage floral, which I've used once,

but now I'm waiting for the perfect project,

as this one is a keeper.

 La overcoat.

 barkcloth curtains I cannot cut up!

 Awesome 70's skirt, that I've owned for years

but which I can't fit into,

yet can't bare to cut into it, look at the lining for heavens sake!

 It even has amazing buttons.

 These next two are my favourite scraps.

I really will miss them when they disappear.

At least I have my summer of love quilt to remember them with!

Do you have a loved and lost fabric?

Why not join the party and share your link over at 

patchworknplay

fresh air friday

 I love September much in the way as I love March.

The brashness of summer is over 

and the garden gradually fades to it's mellow self.

It's also a month where I'm amazed by the sudden growth of greenery.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Crazy things you may have spotted?

A lupin still blooming.

A day lily very much alive.

Sweet peas.

Blue sky!

Have a super weekend whatever the weather.

xxx

useful and beautiful?

 Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful

or believe to be beautiful~William Morris

 Whilst I would love to adhere religiously to this philosophy,

I fear over the years I have collected far too much clutter 

which fits neither category.

 Let me present then, our new hugely useful hemnes* display cabinets.

Creating a relaxed inspiring room is all about balance in my book.

I am big on recycling the past and pre-loved items, 

so I'm trying to reign in the love of the clutter inducing stuff,

by keeping the items which really mean something to me.

Don't neglect your friendly flat pack store*

to prevent your house resembling a junkshop museum

and keep things modern and fresh.

*ikea

ps. do I spy patchwork?

been on the road again

outside..

or in.

You can't beat a spot of travelling.