Village tales...and trails

Last night I volunteered to go on our village Diamond Jubilee celebrations committee. There was an open meeting in the pub, and about 30 people turned up. The aim is to have a free, all-inclusive party on our cricket field, with a marquee, music and food. There were representatives from all the main village groups, such as the Scouts, the school, pre-school and the church. 
I grew up in a village and I have really vivid memories of the Silver Jubilee. I can remember the dress I wore, the friends I was with, and best of all, meeting New People from Other Schools (at that time it was my life's ambition to meet New People, something which didn't often happen in a small village).

Our village didn't do anything community-wide for the Royal Wedding last year, so we want to make sure we do put on a big celebration this year. It's a great idea: villages can be very fragmented, with everyone sticking to their own little groups, and ours is no exception, so it'll be good to get everyone working towards one cause.

I took myself for a long walk this morning, as the magazine is pretty much finished for this month. I rambled for miles. Who knew that a field of cabbages could be beautiful? The sunshine was astonishing. I didn't see one single person during my five mile route, just lots of rabbits, and robins.

Now I'm about to settle down to an afternoon of sewing. Nothing too complicated. I have been promising myself that I would mend this wonderful old quilt, and now is the time.

Bright

Sunshine is streaming in. It transforms the house....

I've started collecting these bud vases by default, I just keep seeing them and if they're a £1 or under, I take them home and line them up...

Supermarket daffs...fresh colours

Hearts and flowers

A basket full of bizarre objects can only mean one thing: it's time to do another cover picture for Nene Valley Living! It's always tricky to come up with something interesting at this time of year. The landscape is threadbare, there are very few plants showing signs of life, and you cannot rely on a pretty white frost (there really haven't been any this year where we live). So, it was a case of scouring the garden centre for a few pretty blooms (in reality, just a few sad primulas) and seeing what we could do. Snip, snip....

This is what we came up with:

Obviously photographer Lesley Anne's shot is vastly superior to this little snap, but it gives an idea. 
Unfortunately, I had to brake sharply on the way home and the whole, delicate edifice went flying across the car and disintegrated, but it had its moment.
Seeing those pretty flowers and smelling their faint scent made me long for spring.

Sunday excursion

Grey Horses by Tom Gentleman

                                                       Fisherman's Hut by Hans Tisdall

The house has felt rather full of football this weekend, so I took myself off for a little solo expedition this afternoon. I spotted The School Prints exhibition in this month's edition of BBC Homes and Antiques, and was delighted to find that it was just half an hour away from us, in the Goldmark Gallery in the market town of Uppingham. It's a collection of lithographs from the 1940s which were specially commissioned from leading artists and illustrators so that children in primary school could be exposed to 'good' art. As I'm a huge fan of illustration and old children's books, it was always going to be a winner for me.

Harbour by Julian Trevelyan (1920 -1988)

Though small, it is a lovely exhibition. I love the stylised depictions of scenes such as harvest time and the harbour (above). Apparently, the artists were asked to use no more than six colours. There is a simplicity about the pictures which I find very appealing. I'll try and upload a couple more tomorrow as I haven't done them justice. Favourites are Grey Horses by Tom Gentleman and  Harvesting by John Nash.
After my gallery mooch, I'd planned to stroll around Uppingham and take a few pictures, but a rather persistent drizzle had set in and the skies were leaden. It is a lovely little town, however, and I did my best:

Back to the football....still, look on the bright side, Gary Lineker is on holiday this week (someone really needs to tell that man to buy a bigger shirt ;) )

Batten down the hatches

It's blowing a gale here, as it is in many parts of the country, so there's been plenty of indoor activity. Another stool recovered (this time successfully as there was no sewing required). This one only cost a total of £2, which is a bargain in my book.
The stool itself was £1 from a car boot sale. It had a nasty spam pink rose tapestry on top, so I covered it with a gorgeous old piece of natural linen embroidered with birds which I fished out of a bargain bin at a small antiques fair last summer. I do like a bird motif and also the strong colours.

I did brave the elements before sitting down to work. I am trying to do some kind of exercise every day and a short walk is sometimes all I manage. It was exhilarating out in the wind, with short sharp showers, a howling wind and the occasional ray of crystal sharp sunshine. And, I even found some buds in the church yard...

Now it is down to work, a slice of marmalade flapjack and coffee...

Bright and cheery

This beautiful wrapping paper is by Patrick Edgeley for Art Angels http://www.art-angels.co.uk/. It's so fresh and colourful, just right for the mood I am in for the New Year. As the decorations come down gradually, and the children head back to school tomorrow, I'm thinking of small changes I want to make in the house (and huge ones in the garden, but will that ever happen?).

Country Living arrived this morning.

They have a feature on the very same cottage that my local magazine ran last May (by a different writer and photographer).

CL's version (above).
Our version (below).

I think this was my favourite cover of 2011. Lesley Anne Churchill's photos were fab, as usual, and Frank the whippet completely stole the show.

Welcome, 2012

In a year of health challenges, not just for me, but for some family members and friends, too, it really was the little things that counted. It's one of those cliches that is absolutely true. Small pleasures fully appreciated while they were happening, rather than looking sideways at other people and wishing for something different or better. These are some of the things that stand out in 2011: 

Making the most of what is on our doorstep: open gardens, walks, village open days

Baking: for the family, for open gardens, school cake sales, the village show, family parties and for my new gluten-free diet....

The Duchess: my beloved new bicycle. I hope to have many more outings on her in 2012:

Thrifting: rain or shine, weak or strong, I was often there!

Making/repainting/mending/upcycling: can't be beaten in the satisfaction stakes, even when I had a day like yesterday when it all went wrong...

Family trips: as the boys get older, it's getting rarer that we do something together, so it's always a pleasure when we organise it. Stratford Upon Avon, Hastings and Brighton were all high spots.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Book of the Year: Plants and Places by Angie Lewin
Place of the Year: The Victoria and Albert Museum
Event of the year: Macbeth at Stratford Upon Avon
Album of the Year: Tapestry by Carole King - I'd never heard it before and didn't know how good she is
Meal of the Year: Hot fried fish sandwiches on the sea front in Brighton 
Coffee of the Year: Burghley House outdoor cafe, near Stamford, on my Dad's 80th birthday in freakishly warm April sunshine
Rediscovered pleasure: riding a horse

Bish, bash, botch

This is what I've been doing all day, until sheer frustration made me give up and go for a walk. I like the idea that I had for giving this lovely old stool a much-needed facelift, but oh dear, I'm just woefully lacking in the skills department and I'm just about to start unpicking for about the fortieth time.

My auction stool before its cosmetic surgery

It's the corners. I just can't see how you join the top part to the bottom part without lots of bulgy bits developing. In my defence, the instructions, which came from this month's Ideal Home, were dreadful. They offered one miniscule diagram which explained nothing. I must have 30 craft books and none of those were any help either. Is it just me?? Don't answer that.... 

At least I was able to use my new Cath Kidston pin tin, a surprise present from my 16 year old. With his new weekend job has come a bank account, and he was the mail order king this Christmas. Cath emails and special offers are now pinging into his inbox on a regular basis. "I can't believe that I actually have an account at Cath Kidston," he said the other day, shaking his head.
Anyway, now I know what I will be doing in the New Year. Signing up for a beginners sewing course, that's what.

New for January

The latest issue of the magazine comes out today. I am so pleased with our cover, which is an original screen print by local artist John Paige. John and his wife Jane Leycester Paige specialise in prints and watercolours of nature. They run lessons and courses from The Old Brewery Studios in nearby King's Cliffe.
I have also run a feature about retro tea shops, which are springing up in our area like mushrooms. It's fair to say that we're not really at the cutting edge of anything in this region, but we get there eventually and we have some brilliant new businesses emerging, despite the recession. It seems that people will turn to reassuring and affordable treats such as tea and cake in tough times, although I have noticed that the flighty cupcake appears to be losing popularity in favour of sturdier options, such as bakewell tart and treacle flapjack ;)
You can read the full feature and see more pics at http://www.bestlocalliving.co.uk/

I have lots of plans for the magazine in 2012 and my ideas notebook is full of jottings....