All is Calm

Oh! I wish it would snow! It never does here really because we're too close to the sea, I took this photograph last week, when it was perfectly frosty, it really was quite beautiful. I love waking up on a frosty morning.



We're all cosy and ready, more or less for tomorrow. Just a few last gifts to wrap, a fish pie to get in the oven for supper, and then off for a sip of something warming at a friend's house this evening.

Here are a few shots of our house today

A Further Parade of Birds

We've spent the morning making a pair of stollen studded with mixed peel and vine fruits with a fat sausage of marzipan hidden within, and some quick mincemeat, rich with grated quince, vanilla and spice. Mmmm.

Here are some more examples of the big bird love that permeates our house.

The mama bird feeding her chicks is a very recent find, isn't it sweet? Her nest is currently high above the aloe vera on my windowsill.



















I particularly love the pattern Acapulco by Villeroy & Boch, which was inspired by colourful South American prints, with the glorious bird and flowers motif originally used by the company in 1977. I have some cups,saucers and plates that I'd like to display somewhere prominent.


















The plump brown bird with the blue beak I spotted a few years ago in a charity shop, it was night-time, the shop was closed so I spent an anxious evening before I could return to claim her. She's Columbian and hardly any trouble to look after.















The tiny die-cast robin looks very seasonal next to the giant pine cone doesn't it?

Birds of a Feather

flock together...

At least they do in my house. I have quite a burgeoning collection of vintage bird-themed ephemera.

Here's a few to set your heart aflutter.

Old Year Resolutions

Well, I was going to start this blog in the new year, but I have been making lots of things and photographing them so I thought I may as well get on with it!

I haven't managed to keep a diary this year at all, despite having a very handsome one in my Christmas stocking last year. I thought this blog might be a good way of diarising the forthcoming year. And hey, no one even knows I'm here yet...

So, secret diary, I really like making things. Yesterday I made some lavender bags to give as gifts - three in the shape of Babushka dolls pictured here, the others (not shown) were a pair of pears and a sequined shelled snail. I sewed them by hand, and they are all a little bit wonky, but that is the nature of (my) handmade work. I try not to mind too much, although I do strive for perfection. Sigh.