Gosh, it is so busy at the moment! Chelmsford, in case you didn't know, is hosting a huge Scout Jamboree, which means we have a lot of Scouts joining the library to use our free internet service. We are also running a summer reading scheme for the children, and we have all of our usual customers in as well, so this week it feels like I have been run off of my feet!
Add to that the fact that I have only 11 more sleeps to go until I get married, and perhaps you will all forgive the somewhat sporadic nature of my blogging recently!
I am resolved that when I am back from honeymoon to be a more regular blogger, and to post a little more about my cooking and crafting adventures.
We had the wedding rehearsal on Saturday, and, miraculously, it cured my butterflies. I have not been nervous about the wedding exactly, more really excited and aware of how much there is to do, and hopeing it will be a lovely day. I was waking up in the night with them, and taking ages to go to sleep because of them!
Last night my friend Lisa came to visit. We always have lovely chats on a Monday night, planning hedgerow adventures (such as Elderflower Cordial and Blackberry Brandy), clothes we want to make, and our appreciation of Mr Darcy and so on. Last night was even nicer than usual, as Lisa brought me a bunch of sweet peas picked from her garden. They are now sitting on my coffee table; they are so exuberantly cheerful and smell so sweet that I am quite determined that when I have my own garden I shall grow them, and bestow them as gifts.
I had another lovely surprise today- I arrived at work and found a box with a ribbon on my desk with a note saying 'open me' so I did. Nestled amongst scrumptious pink tissue paper was the most thoughtful thing in the world. A scrapbook of photographs from my hen party, and photographs of me as a little girl. There are also messages from friends, and memories of me from my sister and mum. Things I had half forgotten, or thought I had dreamed.
Like, for example a conversation when I was tiny, in the bath with my sister. Mum always insisted that we use proper words, always yes, never yeah. Always you, never yer. So, in the bath we were, when I noticed the condensation on the wall. Mum told me that it could also be called 'moisture' and, according to my sister, I frowned very hard at her and said 'Moist-YOU not Moist-YER Mum!'
Although I am loving organizing my wedding, there is a little tiny bit of me that is looking forward very much to being married, and being able to do crafts that are not wedding crafts, and read books, and cook, and do so much that I don't seem to have time for now!
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Introducing Mimi
Well, here I am! It was my hen party this weekend, and I had some pictures emailed to me, so I decided to share one. We went to the Gardens of Easton Lodge, (which is one of the most peaceful places I know) and shared a picnic and champagne while a jazz band played! By the time this picture was taken, I had danced quite a lot, and drank quite a lot! I am a little hesitant to show it. For all sorts of reasons, but the biggest is vanity, I think. No I do not usually have a double chin, I think! No I do not have arms that big, I think! No, I do not normally grin so madly, I think! It is that thing of the person you see in your mind not quite matching the person you see in a photograph of yourself. But yes, this is me- I am on the left, wearing the tiara, and glasses, and am with my lovely sister, who organized the evening for me. (That is not a bandana she has got on, it is a 20's style headband!) It's a good job you can't see a photograph of me right now, as I have rather baggy eyes. We went to see the vicar last night to talk about our wedding service, and didn't leave until 10:00pm!
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
I had sleepy, sleepy eyes last night. Carl was in the other room, revising for a computer exam, so I made us both a tiny cup of tea, and took mine to bed with me. I curled up with that, and 'Innocent Traitor', a historical novel about Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir. I read until my eyelids grew heavy (not very long!) and slipped to sleep listening to the raindrops pattering on the window.
The past week has been a flurry of bits here, bits there, things to do, and that is what has left me a little tired out. And I spent the weekend worrying- and worrying is tiring- for it was Carl's stag weekend, in Wales. He had a marvellous time go-karting and paint-balling, and came away with some really impressive bruises! While I spent the weekend keeping myself busy, but worrying, gently.
(A little background information- I am five foot three and a bit if I stretch, and I am a few inches taller than dear Carl. His friends still have not worked out that being shorter = not being able to drink a lot. And he wanders when he has had a touch too much to drink. What if they lose him?!)
Friday night was bookclub- we had read A Short History of Tractors In Ukranian, which I expected to hate but found I really loved. I stayed with a friend from work that evening, and caught the early train into work Saturday. Saturday evening saw me firmly entrenched in my book (the Alison Weir) and decided to turn off the alarm clock, so I could wake up naturally on Sunday. And I woke at 6.30!
Delightful weather, so I did all the washing and hung it out to dry, and had a lovely time doing domestic putterings. Then my sister and her boyfriend dropped in to watch the Grand Prix with me, and after that there were the delights of Wimbledon, and before I knew it, Carl was home!
Monday evening my lovely friend Lisa came to visit, as she always does, and we drank tea and chatted, like we always do. She bought a picture of a baby bat they had found on their kitchen floor, and we chatted about the difference between larders and pantrys, and how when we have houses, we would like a pantry each. With ribbon on the edge of the shelves, and jars of home-made jam, and sacks of flour, and tins of lovely things.
We also mused upon what to wear to my hen night, which is next Saturday. There is a place called Easton Lodge, and they have wonderful gardens, and they are to be open in the evening for a twenties jazz concert! So we are going to have a picnic and listen to jazz, and giggle rather a lot, I think!
This week I will be knitting my new Chinese Waves dishcloth, writing out a final list of guests who will be attending our wedding, making a first attempt at a seating plan, baking chocolate and raisin biscuits, and painting my toe nails pink! Busy, busy!
The past week has been a flurry of bits here, bits there, things to do, and that is what has left me a little tired out. And I spent the weekend worrying- and worrying is tiring- for it was Carl's stag weekend, in Wales. He had a marvellous time go-karting and paint-balling, and came away with some really impressive bruises! While I spent the weekend keeping myself busy, but worrying, gently.
(A little background information- I am five foot three and a bit if I stretch, and I am a few inches taller than dear Carl. His friends still have not worked out that being shorter = not being able to drink a lot. And he wanders when he has had a touch too much to drink. What if they lose him?!)
Friday night was bookclub- we had read A Short History of Tractors In Ukranian, which I expected to hate but found I really loved. I stayed with a friend from work that evening, and caught the early train into work Saturday. Saturday evening saw me firmly entrenched in my book (the Alison Weir) and decided to turn off the alarm clock, so I could wake up naturally on Sunday. And I woke at 6.30!
Delightful weather, so I did all the washing and hung it out to dry, and had a lovely time doing domestic putterings. Then my sister and her boyfriend dropped in to watch the Grand Prix with me, and after that there were the delights of Wimbledon, and before I knew it, Carl was home!
Monday evening my lovely friend Lisa came to visit, as she always does, and we drank tea and chatted, like we always do. She bought a picture of a baby bat they had found on their kitchen floor, and we chatted about the difference between larders and pantrys, and how when we have houses, we would like a pantry each. With ribbon on the edge of the shelves, and jars of home-made jam, and sacks of flour, and tins of lovely things.
We also mused upon what to wear to my hen night, which is next Saturday. There is a place called Easton Lodge, and they have wonderful gardens, and they are to be open in the evening for a twenties jazz concert! So we are going to have a picnic and listen to jazz, and giggle rather a lot, I think!
This week I will be knitting my new Chinese Waves dishcloth, writing out a final list of guests who will be attending our wedding, making a first attempt at a seating plan, baking chocolate and raisin biscuits, and painting my toe nails pink! Busy, busy!
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Pictures, Ahem!
Oh dear, the best laid plans do go astray it seems!
I made it back from London, and all the way to Carl's parents (and very sleepy I was too) whereupon we got into a discussion about serving pink fizz and white fizz at our wedding and how many bottles should be procured, and before I knew it we were home again, with not a single picture done!
Talking of time slipping away, I have been meaning to post about a glorious parcel that arrived from lovely Tash at www.vintagepretty.org She offered for sale on her scrumptious blog two utterly lovely crocheted flower pins, and I bought one! It arrived with a lovely note, some divine incense, and delicious raspberry pastilles, all done up in really rather wonderful tissue paper. Oh! And a lavender sachet too! So now our little flat smells heavenly, and I have a lovely new ornament as well. Hurry over to her blog, and she may have some more for sale if you are lucky!
I made it back from London, and all the way to Carl's parents (and very sleepy I was too) whereupon we got into a discussion about serving pink fizz and white fizz at our wedding and how many bottles should be procured, and before I knew it we were home again, with not a single picture done!
Talking of time slipping away, I have been meaning to post about a glorious parcel that arrived from lovely Tash at www.vintagepretty.org She offered for sale on her scrumptious blog two utterly lovely crocheted flower pins, and I bought one! It arrived with a lovely note, some divine incense, and delicious raspberry pastilles, all done up in really rather wonderful tissue paper. Oh! And a lavender sachet too! So now our little flat smells heavenly, and I have a lovely new ornament as well. Hurry over to her blog, and she may have some more for sale if you are lucky!
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Mimi Goes To London..
..not once but twice this weekend! And having been there last weekend as well, it seems to me that I have been there (or rather here) more in the last week than the last year!
And I say here, because although it is only 9.15am I am indeed blogging from London - a first for me! Dear Carl had to work this morning, and as I spent the whole of yesterday at Wimbledon, I asked if I could go in with him so I could share some of the weekend with him.
So this morning I had to get up at an ungodly hour, and catch an eye-blinkingly early train, but here I am! And in the early morning, I think London is just scrumptious. The advantage of going with someone else is that they often know lovely little places. For example, when we left Liverpool Street, we went by a different exit, and I discovered a delicious looking cheese shop, AND a tiny branch of Charbonnel et Walker!
And here I am, sipping coffee and typing away at dear Carls desk, in the basement of a building in London that I wouldn't have know was here, and am thinking how nice the place would look with a few vintage touches! Carl works in the I.T. department so there are a lot of computers and such things about, but I think that instead of having white walls, I would paint them in a lovely aqua-blue colour, and along all the edges of the shelves on the walls I would pin up some pretty rose-patterned ribbons. Although there is a little kettle, coffee maker and fridge, it lacks scrumptious little treats stashed away, and pretty cups. Out I would throw the plastic pen pots, and instead I would have little sparkling glass vases. I rather suspect that Carl's fellow I.T. boys are glad that I don't work here!
Wimbledon was lovely yesterday. Yes, it rained, and we saw less than an hours play (full refund!) but we did see an entire (although very one sided) match on Centre Court, and we got to see Rafael Nadal warming up for his match, just before rain stopped play. We were utterly ridiculous, sitting there in a little shelter made by holding several umbrellas in different positions, in utterly driving rain, but we were merry and in high spirits, which is surely all that matters?
And oh, imagine how I smiled to find that everywhere I looked were pink and blue hydrangeas- the very flowers that I am carrying for my wedding!
I was a little shocked at the £6 a glass they were charging for Pimms, and instead had a nice cup of tea. But sitting there, in my pink flowery rain coat, at Wimbledon, in the pouring rain, I couldn't help but think that it is nice to be a lady who enjoys these things!
And if all goes to plan, later this afternoon will find me firmly entrenched back in the countryside where I belong, visiting Carl's parents, and hopefully posting some pictures that I took while making my wedding cake, along with those walk-along-my-bookshelf pictures that I promised a while ago.
I do hope wherever you are the rain is not causing you too many problems and you are enjoying splashing through the puddles!
And I say here, because although it is only 9.15am I am indeed blogging from London - a first for me! Dear Carl had to work this morning, and as I spent the whole of yesterday at Wimbledon, I asked if I could go in with him so I could share some of the weekend with him.
So this morning I had to get up at an ungodly hour, and catch an eye-blinkingly early train, but here I am! And in the early morning, I think London is just scrumptious. The advantage of going with someone else is that they often know lovely little places. For example, when we left Liverpool Street, we went by a different exit, and I discovered a delicious looking cheese shop, AND a tiny branch of Charbonnel et Walker!
And here I am, sipping coffee and typing away at dear Carls desk, in the basement of a building in London that I wouldn't have know was here, and am thinking how nice the place would look with a few vintage touches! Carl works in the I.T. department so there are a lot of computers and such things about, but I think that instead of having white walls, I would paint them in a lovely aqua-blue colour, and along all the edges of the shelves on the walls I would pin up some pretty rose-patterned ribbons. Although there is a little kettle, coffee maker and fridge, it lacks scrumptious little treats stashed away, and pretty cups. Out I would throw the plastic pen pots, and instead I would have little sparkling glass vases. I rather suspect that Carl's fellow I.T. boys are glad that I don't work here!
Wimbledon was lovely yesterday. Yes, it rained, and we saw less than an hours play (full refund!) but we did see an entire (although very one sided) match on Centre Court, and we got to see Rafael Nadal warming up for his match, just before rain stopped play. We were utterly ridiculous, sitting there in a little shelter made by holding several umbrellas in different positions, in utterly driving rain, but we were merry and in high spirits, which is surely all that matters?
And oh, imagine how I smiled to find that everywhere I looked were pink and blue hydrangeas- the very flowers that I am carrying for my wedding!
I was a little shocked at the £6 a glass they were charging for Pimms, and instead had a nice cup of tea. But sitting there, in my pink flowery rain coat, at Wimbledon, in the pouring rain, I couldn't help but think that it is nice to be a lady who enjoys these things!
And if all goes to plan, later this afternoon will find me firmly entrenched back in the countryside where I belong, visiting Carl's parents, and hopefully posting some pictures that I took while making my wedding cake, along with those walk-along-my-bookshelf pictures that I promised a while ago.
I do hope wherever you are the rain is not causing you too many problems and you are enjoying splashing through the puddles!
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