All posts filed under: Life Adventures

Why can’t I part with this? Or this or this?

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I am trying to have a clear out and I keep reading about how people are doing it so well, I mean look at Annette from I Give you the Verbs and Tracie at Beets and Birch. Bish bash bosh, cleared out and tidy wardrobe, no 1980’s outfits lurking in these ladies closets. So, why is it then that when I charge at my clothes with a hard head and a trash bag do I manage to pull out a single scraggy t shirt which is in no state to even send to charity. How do people fill bags? It isn’t like my wardrobe is minimal, I need to get rid of stuff and there is plenty of stuff in there which firmly falls into the ‘haven’t worn in 2 years’ or ‘doesn’t fit’ or ‘I don’t really like it anymore’ categories. Here are the holdback areas I need to address- 1. I might like it again (yeah, when the 90’s are cool again and I am 60 years old) 2. It might fit again …

Weekly Photos 25/52

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Almost half way through the year and for some reason it doesn’t feel like it is whizzing by which makes a nice change. We are fully submerged in summer until August and always thinking of things to do which is not always easy now the kids are getting older. No-one wants to pop to the park anymore with nothing but each other and a bag of Goldfish for entertainment. Highlights of our summer to come are likely to be the ‘Minions‘ movie and going to see the polar bears in their new enclosure at the zoo.  It gets super duper hot and humid here, so we have to be out and about in the mornings before the sun becomes too melting. Some photos from the past week. 1. Following a week of constant rain some mushrooms have popped up in the woods, this Chicken of the Woods is a spectacular one and edible.  Would you eat it? 2. Teeny figures I found thrift shopping on Cape Cod, the fella with the long nose can also …

Things I have been doing this past week.

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This has been the first week of school summer holidays for us because we have been away for two weeks. It has rained and rained which brings slightly cooler temperatures, but along with it lots of wet which rules out outside stuff. So I have been snarling at computer games a lot and rejoicing when someone wants to play a human game like ‘Othello’ or some drawing gets done! I have kept up with ‘My Fitness Pal’ on my phone which hasn’t been as much as a chore as I thought it would be. It is certainly an eye opener though, where those calories are hiding. Blimey. I have never been a calorie counter, so I am watching carefully.  I am guilty of ‘saving’ calories on some days so that I can have a beer or a glass of wine, but I have been keeping to my quota which I am pleased with.  I wonder if it will work?  I only want to lose a few pounds, so fingers crossed. I have also been to …

Thrifting on Cape Cod

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It will come as no surprise to you that I actively sought out thrift and antique shops while we were on holiday in Cape Cod. There is a plethora of church thrift shops over there which are great places to find some amazing stuff if you are willing to have a good root about, and I am willing! From a church thrift shop in Chatham, I found a lovely little cup and saucer with the most delightful design. I feel inspired to draw lots of cute buildings every time I look at it. It is Danish, but I am not sure how old it is. One of our favourite shops on the cape is Buddhas and Beads in Eastham and it was there that I can across a box of goodies which included these pelican key chains which are all ready to be mailed at the costly expense of a 4 cent stamp. I can’t find the pelicans online, but it appears that stamps were 4 cents in the late 1950’s. On the other side …

One + Four = Life. Weekly Photos 24/52

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We are now home from our holiday in Cape Cod and it took about 15 minutes to settle in. I love coming home from holidays as much as going! Among the photos I took last week, there seemed to be a mini theme of signs, so I picked some to share for One+Four=Life. Lots of things seem to have been in place for the past 50 years with little change on Cape Cod, including lots of cool signs. I am still wondering what a P.X. restaurant is? Do you know? Do tell. The lifeguard stands were in a car park waiting to take up their post on the beach, I took this photo amid a thick sea mist. I hope you have a fun week ahead planned! Happy Monday x

Preparing for Vacation.

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We are going on holiday at the weekend – hurrah!  Well it will be hurrah when I am on the plane on my way, until then I am in a little tornado sized week of making lists, packing bags and cleaning the house, emptying the fridge and rounding up lovely neighbors to help feed the cat and dog and water the plants. Isn’t it a worry all this getting ready for holidays?  Are you a holiday worrier or are you too busy browsing the guide books? We are going to Cape Cod, so we are still in this country which won’t involve new money and we are staying in a rental cottage, so we have a place to ourselves.  We have been to the same town for the past two holidays and we really like it, I worried (shocker) that it is a bit boring going to the same place every holiday, but we know the area now and still find new things to do and places to see.  The Cape Cod coastline seems to …

Practise practise practise.

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  Practice or practise? Just as I figure out the difference, I read that practice can be used for the verb and the noun here in the States. I think I will play my British card here and still use the different spellings or the next thing I know I will be calling yams – sweet potatoes and tortoises -turtles. Language is a funny thing isn’t it, how it gets changed even when we are speaking the ‘same’ language. Anyway, I was thinking about practising some drawing and how much I should practise and how long for and then the question which holds me back more than any popped up – Why? I have a strange relationship with practising something, anything. I am happy to do it, but look at it as a waste of time, maybe not so much a waste but I unconsciously limit the amount of time I allow myself to draw or crochet or learn Photoshop (the last one is on my to do list…). It took me literally two years …

How my Garden is Growing.

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I thought I would share my little garden today, everything has just started to grow really well.  It is all green green green with a extra touch of green. The sunflowers are growing fast, followed by the tomatoes and rocket.  The kale and chili plants are coming along nicely, chilies always seem to grow so slowly, I am happy I have any leaves at all! My lavender bed didn’t all survive the freezing St Louis winter, but I have a couple of tough plants and I have put some more in the bed to fill it up again.  Hopefully I will get a bumper harvest again this year and make some lavender bags and maybe some lavender infused oil to use in balms and perfumes.  Then it’s fingers crossed for the winter months. The rhubarb is looking good, but I think I need to leave it this year and wait to harvest next year.  Seems a little too long to wait for rhubarb crumble, maybe I will buy some this year and let my little …

Taking Stock, May

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Time to follow the fine example of Pip at Meet me at Mikes and Take Stock I think, so let’s see what I am up to today. I have put a blank list at the end for you to Take Stock too. Making : Granny squares!  I have 11 so far, I hope I manage enough for a blanket. Cooking : Banana, peanut butter, chocolate chip bread for breakfast treats! Drinking : A slightly cold cup of tea, I need an insulated mug. Reading: Flow magazine and Art of Everyday Photography by Susan Tuttle, I am inbetween novels, looking for one I like. Any ideas? Wanting: My copy of ‘Craft for the Soul’ to arrive, I am so excited to see Pip’s new book Looking: Outside at the rain. Playing: The soundtrack from St Vincent on Spotify. Deciding: Which clothes to take on holiday next month. Wishing: For a pause in the rain so we can get home from school and stay dry. Enjoying: The cooler weather, even if it is raining. Waiting: For the …

Philomena and Ruth

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Philomena and Ruth is the name of a newly opened shop close to St Louis.  They specialise in hand made and local products, everything from clothes – new and vintage – to soap, accessories and jewelry.   It is in the lovely town of Waterloo in Illinois and about a 30-40 minute drive from St Louis.  I have never been to south Illinois before and I enjoyed seeing the countryside on the way and checking out the old barns and pretty towns we passed. We stopped on route at the fastest drive through McDonalds ever!  Filet o fish ordered and eaten within 10 minutes. We were hungry and on a mini road trip!  This time warp speed set the theme for the rest of the afternoon because we were on a misson, a mission to plant. Elizabeth the gorgeous owner of Philomena and Ruth, needed us to fill and plant the enormous planters she has installed outside the shop on the sidewalk. You can see the empty planters in the above photo.  They were crying …