Inspiration and Imagination

Well, we're almost at the end of August and the last Bank Holiday of the summer months is upon us. I really can't see where this year has gone, but then I'm not alone in thinking that am I?
I'm always trying to pack in as much as I can in any one day, sometimes I don't seem to have any time at all, especially when I've been at work. But I'd rather feel like this than have nothing to do. In fact I can honestly say, that I never get bored as I have so many interests and hobbies.
The other morning I was on the way to work on the bus with a friend, she wasn't feeling too happy. She retires at the end of September and hasn't got a clue as to what she will do with her time. She has no hobbies or interests, there is nothing she can think of, that she would like to do. Had I any ideas, she asked.
It's about a 30 to 40 minute journey for me on the bus to the city centre, and I could have talked for hours, but I told her she just needed some inspiration, ideas or imagination. "But where from?" was the reply....

I get my inspiration and ideas from everywhere, I told her.
I may take a picture.....
........
...........
or see an image from my collection of ephemera...



or I might see a pattern or shape (depending on what I'm looking for of course).....


It could be a person....


It's a difficult question to answer as I think inspiration is all around us, don't you?
I wish there was a way to have a "time transference", if people had too much time on their hands they could pass it to someone else who could fill the time easily. Wouldn't that be great, stretching a 24 hour day to 48, imagine the possibilities?
I really did try hard to summon up some enthusiasm in her about trying something new, but it was my turn to get off the bus, and I would have been late for work. I haven't seen her since, but I do hope she's come up with something to fill her days!
We've been working on the back garden over the last couple of weeks. A lot of shrubbery has been taken out and it's really opened up the garden. We have new fencing going in, and then the exciting part can begin, the plants.There's still plenty of wildlife in the garden though.......

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I haven't really had much time for any card making, but I do have a couple of birthdays coming up and will have to get them sorted. I've also been thinking about my Christmas cards.......


I always end up making them in November, but this year I'm going to get started early,(hopefully in the next couple of days). I've sorted out my favourite rubber stamps, but I've also just bought a couple of the "Create-a-Scene" stamp sets, Village....

and Train.....


I have big plans for these and hope to get cracking on them a.s.a.p! The images are by Sheena Douglass. Watching her on the telly demonstrating, she is quite an inspiration and I love her enthusiasm. It's a refreshing change from seeing the "pull apart and stick on" type of card making that seems to flood the airwaves when I switch on, which isn't very often thank goodness!
Over the years I have been collecting cookery books, some from the 40's/50's and I do have an old Victorian one, which is not easily readable. Some were my mothers which I cherish and use a lot. But I do like to experiment especially in cake recipes.
Last weekend I made a chocolate and beetroot cake, which turned out lovely, but I think I can improve it even more. The recipe used butter, but I shall experiment with oil instead as I think it will make it even more moist. I was going to take a picture and put the recipe on here, but once it's been tweaked and it's had the thumbs up from the family, I shall do so. The first one didn't last long enough to take a picture of, so it must have been okay!
We have our daughter, her husband and daughter coming to stay with us at the end of next week. Mary-Ann is now nine weeks old......
......
how the time flies. We can't wait to see them all. They'll be no time for any card making of any kind when they all arrive, but it won't matter a bit as there's be so much to catch up on.
Enjoy your holiday weekend, Linda

Holidays, weather and roses.

Well a lot has happened in the last few weeks. We've had two lovely weeks in Dorset in July. Luckily we only had two days of rain. Since we've been back home there's been rain almost every day. Hopefully we'll get some more sunshine before long!
Dorset is one of my favourite places, and to be honest I would love to live there, but that just isn't possible. This wonderful county has everything, spectacular countryside and beautiful beaches. We spent a lot of time walking the coastal paths, and with views like these, who would want to go anywhere else?


I would really love to be sitting here ...

.....but work beckons once more.
Hubby and I are celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary this week and we took a trip out to David Austin Roses in Wolverhampton. I know that these wonderful roses can be bought from many garden centres, but we ( or should I say me) had been hankering to pay a visit for a while. So last Friday we went.
I have to admit to being like a child in a sweet shop. We were there for ages and we didn't have enough time to see everything. We did buy three roses, an anniversary gift to ourselves. William Shakespeare, a dark red Old English hybrid, Jubilee Celebration, a pink award winning rose and Pat Austin, a sumptuous copper and yellow rose. The latter two being Leander hybrids.
As the back garden is going through a "regeneration" of sorts, we still have a lots of moving of plants and shrubs to do, but over the next couple of weeks we're hoping to crack on with it and get everything in place. hopefully it will be a cottage style garden filled with roses, lavender, honeysuckle and complemented with herbaceous perennials and clematis. Most of these things are already in the garden, it was just the layout that wasn't working, but then again a garden is always a work in progress!
Whilst I was off shift for a few days and the rain was falling, I've been sorting out my crafting space. It certainly looks a lot clearer now. Hopefully I'll keep it tidy, for a while at least.
I haven't really had time to do any sewing or paper craft this last couple of weeks, but I'm hoping to get back to my list of projects shortly, but whilst the weather is fine (fingers crossed) it's all hands to the garden, and lets hope we have some warm sunshine so we can enjoy lots of these....


Bye for now, Linda