Indian Summer

I was so glad I made the effort to get to the seaside for a bit of a paddle on Sunday.  As always I was tired after my work shift but the warm sun and blue skies got me out of the chair I'd flopped into.  So we had a late lunch in our favourite Harbour Cafe in Rhos on Sea and then walked on the beach which by that time was empty apart from the gulls and a few dog walkers.

We had a peer at the poor old Victorian pier slowly being left to disintegrate into the sea and felt sad that the powers that be would rather spend £5 million on the hideous new concrete watersport centre a few hundred yards away instead of restoring it to its former glory.  You can read about it's sad history here if piers are your thing.

As usual I did a bit of beachcombing and picked up these pretty scallop seashells.  They reminded me of the shell-like stitch crochet jar cover pattern I'm still tweeking for my next craft fair.  I wonder if there's a way to attach the shells somehow as an alternative to crochet flowers.  I'll have to experiment.

Jars of crochet

I've been meaning to try crochet jar covers for months - they've been featured in many craft and lifestyle mags this summer.  Some baby food jars were kindly donated by Alfie (my friend's little grandson) and I tried a couple of covers yesterday.  I first tried a lovely free pattern from Lulu Loves for the tall jar and then altered a basic fillet crochet pattern for the smaller jar.

As well as being very useful as small flower vases and for small item storage, they make lovely tealight lanterns.  I used real tealights for the photo but I think those battery ones would be safer as the jars are so small.  I blew out the flames as soon as I'd taken the photo.  Normal sized jam jars might be ok.  Lighting needs one of those gas lighters - not matches or spills as I tried to my cost!!

Unfortunately Alfie has now left baby food far behind and I'll need to find a new source for my next lot of jars!

Just for Carol...... August!

Only joking Carol! ;o)  I've enjoyed putting my page together this month - there were so many photos to choose from it was no trouble at all to fill the template.  Looking at August it seems - and I'm afraid its true - I haven't done much in the garden.  Where are my usual photos of garden flowers.  Its all got rather out of hand and I'll probably be sorry when it comes to tidying up for the winter later on.

But we have had a real old fashioned summer this year and I hope its not over yet as I've a couple of days away next week.  Yesterday I took a late afternoon walk through the fields to enjoy the warm sunshine.

I hadn't walked this way for a few months and while I have to admit the new metal kissing-gates along the path are easier to negotiate, I missed the old wooden stiles.  To me they were much more in keeping with the landscape and aesthetically more pleasing.  I took the earlier photo below last year in exactly the same place - what do you think?

I was followed through the field by these lovely creatures - they really got quite excited when I came through the gate.  I suppose they must have been feeling a bit bored and fancied some company, or perhaps thought I was the farmer bringing them a tasty treat.  Anyway they followed me right to the end of the field and I'm sure would have come down the lane with me if they'd been able to get through the gate!

I had one more encounter before I ended my walk.  I met three young entrepreneurs at the end of the lane who persuaded me I needed the "perfume" they had been making from paint, bubble bath and what to me smelled like orange squash!  I could buy one - but I didn't need to pay anything!  I remember making 'perfume' when we were young.  We collected rose petals in the garden which we put in jam jars full of water to steep for a week or so - I fear the results were far from fragrant!

I hope I wasn't their only customer!