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Don’t Panic

dahlias

This last couple of weeks I’ve been watching the weather as we all do at this time of year, and worrying myself silly. I need to grow fabulous dahlias for a friend’s garden. Her daughter is getting married in August and she wants a garden full of big showy colourful flowers. Dahlias are the answer but the tubers need to be started off anytime now. Of course in the cold greenhouse nothing will happen anytime soon so I’ve been getting a bit twitchy.

Anyhow I was looking back over the last couple of years and there was a post about the late spring. Just 2 years ago. Exactly the same thing, cold and wintry,but lo and behold it was the 9th of March and I was potting up my dahlia tubers indoors. So I guess I’m starting my own tradition. Tomorrow I’m off to pot up the dahlias and put them somewhere warm like the spare roo m till spring finally turns up.

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March 8, 2013 · 9:13 pm
December 30, 2012 · 10:18 pm

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 8,700 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 15 years to get that many views.

I must say I’m amazed, I’m not he best blogger but this has given me a bit of a jolt and I reckon I’d better try harder in 2013.  However, don’t hold your breath!

Click here to see the complete report.

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July 1, 2012 · 8:37 pm

Fairburn’s Fabulous Flower Festival

I am horizontal after an exhausting but wonderfully flowery weekend.   It’s been all hands on deck at St James’s church in Fairburn since Friday to fill our pretty little church with this……!!!

Our flower festival has been going on all weekend.   There was a lot of work and a lot of fun and at the end of it all a fantastic result….then the cakes came (loads of them …..) and the kettle went on and the visitors came and no matter what the weather threw at us or our bunting we carried on and had a great weekend.

Here’s the cake and the first two catering volunteers:

One of the highlights was the miniature garden competition.   You can see some of them bottom right of the main photo.   The children at Fairburn School had really put their hearts and souls into designing and creating lovely little gardens and our Judge had trouble coming up with winners, but rosettes were awarded and one of the little boys was first into the church on Saturday morning to see if he’d won.   His garden was 3rd so he took photos and was obviously delighted –  so much so he was back again today with his Dad and brother to show them too.

I’m always amazed to see some of the creations and fascinated by the ideas for designs.   This one, Farming Memories of our Parents comes from a farmer’ wife and  daughter.   All the elements were there, the wheat and the corn, wool  from the sheep, willow hurdles and sunflowers with photos of both their fathers reminding us of another time.  A beautiful composition and evocative of a golden age.

I couldn’t choose a favourite amongst the designs they were all so lovely, but I really liked the picnic created on a windowsill.   It really did remind me of an idyll

ic lazy summer’s afternoon in the sun, chatting and eating and drinking and laughing….if only we could truly have a few days like that this summer….

We had a lot of fun as well.   We worked pretty hard to make the church look this great and to get everything in place, but we chatted, we laughed and we enjoyed making it a success.   It was the first flower festival in a while at St James’s but hopefully it won’t be the last.

Thanks everyone who worked so hard to make it a success, and thanks everyone who came and supported us – see you again next year? I hope so.

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February 24, 2012 · 5:56 pm

What’s the Alternative?

Fantasy WeddingWhat’s the Alternative?

Wedding Fairs are wonderful fantasy places where brides go to dream of fabulous weddings, beautiful gowns, dreamy honeymoons and extravagant receptions…..and all too often they remain a dream.   In these days budgets are tight and some couples find it a stretch to even arrange a wedding at all.

It seems such a shame not to have a wonderful day and so I thought there must be a way, by looking at things differently, to still have a fabulous day but not to break the bank.   The Alternative Wedding Fair is the result.  The aim?   Simple to offer good value, beautiful things away from the mainstream, from small suppliers who offer good value  or an alternative to conventional and pricey wedding services.

What do we mean?  Well I met a man the other day who’s sound company offers a DIY disco.  He sends along all the equipment, the bride and group put together a playlist in advance, with a little help from the best man on it goes and hey presto an instant disco…..no cheesy DJ and a big saving.

Or maybe you’d like to save on the flowers but you need some help.   One of my services is wedding flowers and I’m more than happy to do the bouquet, the buttonholes and bridesmaids’ posies and to offer advice to the bride and her family about  flowers and to help them do the reception flowers themselves.

Some brides might turn to look at vintage wedding dresses.   Often high quality gowns made from pure silks and natural fabrics that aren’t so easy to find in modern dresses but at a fraction of the cost.

Rivers Meet Craft Café (www.riversmeetcraftcafe.co.uk) is in Leeds Road, Methley  LS26 9EP not far from Leeds and the café embodies the alternative ethos offering a series of 6 monthly Home Made Wedding Workshops  begining this month with cards and invitations, moving on to iced biscuit favours in March.So are you an exhibitor who can offer something to a modern bride on a budget?  The fair will be on Sunday 24th June from 10am – 4pm.  Spaces are limited because this is a small venue so please get in touch soon.  The cost is £30 for a 6ft space (Please let me know whether you need a table) and in keeping with the theme there’ll be no charge for visitors.

For more details about the fair contact Margaret@readyplanted.com and I’ll hope to see you there.

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February 13, 2012 · 10:27 am

First fair under my belt

Yesterday the Vintage Valentine’s Fair finally came around –  the first fair I’d organised at Rivers Meet (www.riversmeetcraftcafe.co.uk).   I’d been looking forward to it since Christmas, although with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.  I know as a stallholder that the organiser has to do a good job – or else….. so I had a good go and learnt a few lessons, but basically I think it went well.   We certainly had lots of visitors.  At one point you couldn’t get in the door.

The stallholders really brought some fabulous stuff.   Lorelie’s recycled jewellery fascinated me.  It was made from old envelopes and takeway menus but it looked just like porcelain beads, and Twisted Vintage (www.twisted-vintage-design.co.uk) brought some lovely things as usual. My friend Sally from Lavender Attic bought some of this pretty bunting from them.  Lisa and Jane will be opening their new shop very soon in Whitwood, Castleford and I wish them all the luck.

We had great vintage clothing from Beau Boutique and Luna & Annies.  Really nice things – I just need to lose a few pounds!  Thanks for coming ladies and we’ll hope to see you again soon.

I did a roaring trade in daffodils.   I think everyone is looking forward to the spring and a bunch of daffs is a good way to cheer yourself up without breaking the bank.  And I had a brought a few fair trade products for Easter – the handpainted little eggs which were made in India went well and not surprisingly.  There’s so much detail in them and they really are good value as well as being beautiful little objects.

I’m sure our craft fair on Sunday 25th March will have much more of an Easter feel about it.  With just two weeks to Easter it’ll be a perfect time to pick up gifts.  

For more about yesterday take a look at www.lavenderattic.blogspot.com …. and for more about coming events please take a look at my events page or please contact me if you need any more details.

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January 30, 2012 · 7:05 pm

I’m in charge!

Relaxing in front of the fire (which is possibly the only thing I am in charge of) after a day with the animals.

This is my first day as the garden designing housesitter in deepest Shropshire.   And how gorgeous this lovely old farm house is.  But very little has happened in the way of garden design today!  But it is day 1.

My charges are 2 lovely donkeys, 3 terribly easy sheep, 5 completely chilled hens, two dogs with lovely natures….. and 13 cats….all with their own personalities.   Before you gasp not all the cats live in the house.   In fact just at the moment I’ve only got Willow and Dilly for company.  Although Mincey did follow me up to the shower…realised it was a bit wet and promptly took off again.

What a funny day though.  Just as the lady of the house was on her way out of the door to Australia for a lovely long holiday there at the door was a father and son who had come to see the house from Australia!  The father’s mum had lived here when she was a child about 40 years ago, so in they came and we showed them round.  They were just tickled pink by this lovely old house with its nooks and crannies, beams and low ceilings….and so am I to be honest.

Feeding time down here on the farm is going to have to be a much stricter affair than it was this afternoon though.   Everybody is after everybody else’s dinner.  I’ve never seen anything like it!   The dogs like the cat food….the hens like that too, the donkeys quite like the sheep food and the dogs like the hens’ afternoon tea.   So lesson learnt, doors will be closed and animals will be segregated!

 

My best pal for today has been faithful Dixter.  What a goodhearted dog he is.  Cheerful and happy but sticking with me as if to make sure I was OK.   And so biddable.  Possibly the most easy going animal I’ve ever come across.   And his constant companion Harry – who is an incredible 15 years old, but still dashing round following a trail in the woods amazingly. It’s a bit tricky to call him though – he’s quite deaf.  He’s fast asleep now though very sensibly, still chasing something in his dreams.  I might just join him.

So, tomorrow is another day, I might just look at that garden…….now where was that wine?

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January 23, 2012 · 1:35 pm

Be my Vintage Valentine

I’m excited….I’ve started a new project and so far it’s going well.   This year I’ve taken over the organisation of the fairs at Rivers Meet Craft Cafe in Methley.   I attended a couple at the end of last year when they first started and so when I got the opportunity to organise them as well I jumped at it.

It’s a lovely place.   On the main Leeds Road in Methley it was an empty old pub which was looking very sad.  Bravely Joanne took it over – revamped it with her partner Richard and threw open the doors to a warm and welcoming cafe where one of the rooms has now become a craft workshop.   There’s a programme of events for would be crafters of all ages and abilities as well as a function room and  a small shop trading in locally made goods at the back.   And I know she has big plans for it to develop.

Of course there’s good coffee and home made cake too…..what more could you need.

To back to the fairs.   We worked out a programme which you can see on my events page and the first one is very soon.  It’s Sunday 12th February and its a Vintage Valentine’s Fair.   The stallholders are all booked – and they do some fabulous things.

  • Real vintage lovers Luna and Annies are coming over from Manchester.   Their love of vintage has helped them put together an eclectic mix of beautiful and elegant pieces of clothing, shoes, accessories and books.
  • We have reworked fabric pieces from Rhi-Stitched – Rhiannon has been over before and I know her work was really appreciated by visitors to the fair.
  • Lorelie Jewellery make vintage style jewellery from recycled paper – things like old takeaway menus, leaflets and other stuff that gets thrown away.  The transformation is amazing.
  • From Phil we have true antiques to add to the mix with some costume jewellery and vinyl.
  • Mary paints plant pots and garden accessories in a vintage style – should be something there I’ll like I’m sure.
  • On the Button is a new venture using vintage buttons to create jewelery
  • Chicken Shed Gifts has a mix of rustic gifts and home accessories
  • Beau Boutique will be bringing clothes and accessories dating from the 40’s to the 70’s as well as jewelery, vanity items, homewares and photo frames
  • Twisted Vintage will have a range of giftwares and needlecraft all in vintage style
  • Virtue to Victory will have handmade gifts and clothes, some made using vintage patterns
  • Wildheart gives us her Victorian Gothic inspired jewellery and accessories

We open at 10 am and I’m almost itching to see what everyone’s bringing.   If you’re a fan of vintage I think it’ll be a real treat.

The cafe will be open too – Joanne’s menus are full of good local food.   One of her aims is to keep food miles down and to support local food producers.   Added to that all the cakes are baked daily on the premises.

Where is it?  Easy to find on a main road, the web address is http://www.riversmeetcraftcafe.co.uk and here’s the map:  http://g.co/maps/uazvk

See you there……

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December 14, 2011 · 9:29 pm

Christmas Flowers at Fairburn

Today was the day….the ladies of the flower team rolled up their  and did Christmas.  It’s the carol service tomorrow and the church will be be beautifully decked out.  A mountain of greenery had been clipped from gardens, hedgerows and in my case a pub (with permission of course) and the lovely holly in the churchyard gave us load of berries to play with.    The only things we bought were the red carnations, some eucalyptus and a bunch of anastasia.  Not bad to fill a church.

Enid set about the window by the door.  She’d decided on a parallel arrangement before we started having won some gorgeous white amarylis at the flower club on Monday – very handy….and a very beautiful result.  Even my son approved and believe me it isn’t easy to get the seal of

approval from him.  In fact it isn’t easy to even get him to look.

Annette and Barbara’s windows were lovely too and with their allocation from the carnations they’d added their own little bits of gold and sparkle  so that tomorrow evening when all the candles are lit for the carol service the whole church will twinkle in the glow.

And we have a new addition to the team – another Margaret.  Which makes life really complicated.   I’m a Margaret, we already had a Margaret and now we have a new Margaret…. in a room where there are only 7 women and 3 of them answer to Margaret I can tell you it gets tricky.

Here’s our latest Margaret’s window:

Our 1st Margaret did the altar today but she came along after we’d been there this morning – so pictures tomorrow, and with the candles lit.  Should look wonderful.

I had the top of a disused fireplace above a window but way up – apparently I’m young (well that makes a change!) so able to scale the heights.   It’s a fairly traditional arrangement and I used lots of sprakly glitter spray which hopefully will show up tomorrow night.

Here’s where we are at Fairburn near Castleford in West Yorkshire : http://www.achurchnearyou.com/fairburn/.  If you know how to find the RSPB reserve at Fairburng Ings we are just up the road, and we’d love to see you – our churchwarden has been working like mad and the statues are ready to go into the nativity scene.   The candles are ready to light and mince pies are being made in a dozen kitchens round about to go with the mulled wine.  We start at 7.30 tomorrow evening (Thursday 15th December) and I know from only having been at this church for a little over a year that you’ll get a warm welcome.

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December 5, 2011 · 6:27 pm

If it’s Friday……

it must be – um…..?  The festive fair season is in full swing just now and honestly I hardly know where I am.   I love them when I get there and everything’s in place.  Usually there are lots of Christmassy things going on – Santa, Carols and brass bands – and everyone gets into the christmas spirit.  It’s just the getting there that’s a bit of an issue.   I’m on the merry go round and so maybe it’s a senior moment thing, but unless I keep referring to my diary I have no idea where I’m supposed to be or what time I’m supposed to be there!  If I’ve tweeted about where I’m going would you mind giving me a quick dig in the ribs to remind me nearer to the date!

Last weekend was St Gemma’s Hospice Christmas market and that’s one of the highlights for me.   They work so hard and the hospice gets great support for its work, and this year a rock choir sang on Saturday and my pal Lucy played in the brass band on Friday.

I’m going somewhere new on Thursday this week which presents its own problems!  On my way to one fair last week my sat nav decided to take me on a tour of a housing estate until it brought me to a halt at a row of bollards which it clearly hadn’t bargained for.   Oh how I regretted not having a road map in the car any more.

There’s nothing worse than arriving late.  I end up dashing in and out like a mad thing as the visitors start to arrive.   Then of course they might like to buy something, but I’m bound to have forgotten how much the hyacinths are or where I’ve hidden the cash box.

Last weekend I sent the cashbox flying – not the best when you’re chasing 20ps across the floor as a confused customer is waiting for her change.

So this week it’s South Leeds Hub on Thursday afternoon/evening, and one of my favourites on Friday – Leeds Univeristy Union Christmas Day.  It’s not just for the students everyone’s welcome.  The money we all pay for our space goes to the Salvation Army and the army are there playing …lovely.  And Santa’s coming.  I need to ask him for a road atlas I think.

To see where I’m going to be next see my events page https://readyplanted.wordpress.com/eventsdates/

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November 22, 2011 · 6:25 pm

Cakes and candles

Yesterday was stir up Monday here.  OK I know it should have been stir up Sunday but there was not a spare moment on Sunday.  The house smelled fab and it felt as though the countdown to Christmas had officially begun.   I’ve used Margaret Costa’s recipe for Christmas cake for more years than I care to remember and it gets compliments every time. Its from her Four Season’s Cookery Book which was dropping to bits till I was bought a replacement.   Thank goodness someone decided to do a reprint.  This is the recipe for the 9″ cake http://www.foodari.com/Recipes/Sarah%20Scott/Christmas-Cake but if you get hold of the book there are quantities for all sizes from 7″ to 12″.

Here it is on its way out of the oven….tempting but no, it’s wrapped in foil and in a cake tin now. 

It’s so good that last night when I told a friend what I’d been up to she looked appealingly and so yes, I’ll be making another one!  It’s a rich traditional cake with more fruit than mixture.  And here it gets well fed with brandy at least once a week till the week before Christmas when it gets a tick coating of maripan and a topping of royal icing.  Very traditional but I love Christmas cake…especially with a chunk of Wensleydale cheese in good Yorkshire tradition.

The cakey smell isn’t the only thing that’s making me feel Christmassy.   The Christmas craft fair season is in full swing and I’m taking my goodies here there and everywhere at the moment.  Goole last week, Barnsley this morning and Apperley Bridge on Saturday.  I really know how to live the high life!  Take a look at the events page to see where I’ll be next.

And fairs mean glitter and gold paint.   So much of it I had to explain why I had gold fingers the other day – couldn’t get the stuff off – but have now bought more terps.

Come along to one and say hello if you have a minute – I love to see a friendly face……

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