A Bunny's Work is Never Done

It is very, very, hard work being the bunny who gathers the pumpkins. So, I need to relax afterwards, with a cup of tea.
In my little kitchen.
I wonder what other jobs are lined up for me later?

Poor Bunny maid, I should make her a little feather bed to rest in. She is based on these bunny maids in the cutest ever felting book. It is Japanese so the instructions are unreadable to me, but the pictures are good enough. Normally I do not want to exactly copy things from books, but in this one everything is just so adorably cute that I must! Though mine don't come out quite the same as theirs. Name of the book next time with more creatures. The little kitchen and teacup were yet more bargains from the market yesterday. Things like this are ok to bring into our already cluttered house, as they fit inside something else-the dolls houses-which are microcosms of the clutter in the big house. (My self-justification process!)

Tea in a Strawberry Cup

Wisteria buds-I must have pruned it at the right time last year as it is flowering at the same time as everyone else's!

I like the way the Spring mainly starts off white, then moves onto yellow then blue. Pixie hat bluebell.

Voila! Swept and tidied. I still have some sorting of pots to do, but it is better than it was. I have kept three flower pots full of dead grass for the cats. Lily is using one here.

This doesn't look much but represents three days of work! I finished off by raking it and am proud! I deserved a pot of tea after all that digging and raking. I popped to Greenwich this morning to get some postcards to send to a friend's friend's children. The market is on Thursday and I do find it hard to resist. I was quite restrained, what with all the money I am about to spend on the garden, but this tea cup and saucer caught my eye.

It is so pretty and nice to hold with a strangely large handle.

I don't know how long it will last as I seem to be breaking a lot of things this week.

The price tag was tied on with this little ribbon.

This round window is lovely isn't it? I like the design and the way the light catches in different places in the triangular panes. It reminds me of a diagram I once produced as part of a management training session (when I was briefly in management!) representing people's different styles. It turned out the management team were all, with the exception of two people, people pleasers (as in this is their prime motivation) ''Good!' I thought.

A dark and dramatic print of some explorers.

A table of rather undignified dolls-not their fault of course.

Strange mixture of metalwork and baby dolls.

Great pirate chest!

Love

I often leave comments on blogs saying this or that is beautiful, and I love something I have seen there. I wonder if I use the word love too easily, but I don't think so. There are probably different degrees of love but I do love a lot of things! I love tulips and cats, especially mine, and visiting new places and trees in the winter, the smell of lilies(sadly not allowed in our house anymore since I found out that the pollen is poisonous to cats) and the smell of hyacinths. I especially love finding exciting new things-well old things-but new to me. This is one such thing. The Vulcan Senior. It is a toy sewing machine from the fifties, found in the 20teens on Greenwich market(where else?!) and purchased for a very reasonable cost. I asked the man if it was working and he didn't know but I took a chance and it was. It had instructions with it and I couldn't wait to try it out. These two photos are almost the same but for one tiny nose butting in as I took my pictures! Can you see her?

I love the tone of the instruction-'Thread cotton Thus'-I can imagine it being spoken in a clipped and refined(refained) 1950s accent! I did thread cotton thus and it worked like a dream!

It is a machine with no bobbin-how it works is a mystery to me but it produces chain stitch. It is a bit hit and miss, and does not really like to join two layers of fabric together, but I can see embroidery possibilities. I have a small collection of old cotton threads which are just right for this machine and are in a lovely selection of colours.

This is a little video of the Vulcan in action-I apologise for the blurriness but it gives the idea.

Mud, Market,

I needed to look for a copy of the three bears-we have a few at school, but I want a new one. This provided the perfect excuse for a trip to Greenwich and all photo opportunities that this incurs. We parked next to the park, and walked past some lovely houses on our way into the centre. I found a kind of modern, jazzy copy of the book, where mother bear makes chilli rather than porridge. The rest of the story followed the traditional lines though!

This is the sad state of the old second hand market, that has now been knocked down to make way for who knows what?

We were excited to see a film being made in Greenwich today. Everything was wrapped in tight security, though we could spot some extras through the fencing. We had no idea what the film was, but whatever it was, the film company had hired the whole of the naval college site, which is often used for films. The last one I saw a glimpse of was Sherlock Holmes, and the one before that was The Duchess. For The Duchess there was a whole street scene, complete with market and about 200 extras. I could catch glimpses of the carriage and possibly Keira Knightley inside. In the film the scene lasted for about a minute! All that preparation and then such a short part of the film-the wedding scene-if you have seen it. No wonder films cost so much!

I found out the film through google-Pirates of the Caribbean. So Mr Depp is in town!

A worn angel.

Tins.

Strange mushrooms near the market.

Beautifully arranged vintage stall.

Things for ladies.

The mud is what I paddled in when I came home. It was raining but I put on my waterproof trousers and jacket and went out there anyway. I put ballast along the gravel boards at the bottom of the fence (A French Drain is the exotic sounding name for this messy operation) I am supposed to leave that uncovered so that water can drain away.

Then, I tried my best to move the earth back to where it used to be, and have roughed out a border area, and tried to flatten the rest. next weekend is time to remove debris, and the following weekend I will turf it, if turf is still available. I got very, very dirty doing all of this!

Saturday Sunshine

I went to the post office this morning then to Greenwich for catfood and a wander. I feel a bit better and the day was beautiful. Hydrangeas near the church where I parked. The garden of this church is really well cared for and last week I saw parakeets flying round the steeple. I tried to paint it-the church-a while ago but it didn't turn out well!

In Greenwich I saw an elderly lady who made me smile. She was walking with a stick very slowly and we passed on the crossing. She was carrying a book and I managed to glimpse the title-"Walking London" I have that book-it is full of interesting walks. I was so impressed with her and how she was out and about despite it obviously being difficult for her.

Oh Christmas, why do you come so soon after Halloween? I am sure there must be other things I should be doing first. Cakes in the bakers where I bought a coffee. I do like it when you buy a coffee that is the right temperature to drink when you buy it. My camera unfortunately had a little drink of coffee-I dropped my shopping bag and, as I fiddled around with coffee, camera and handbag, I bent down with the coffee in the same hand as the camera. Whoops! I think it is alright though.

Look at this poor badger. I know I like stuffed dead things but I feel sorry for this one. He has been made into an umbrella stand, forever growling at the dripping umbrellas in the hall. This stall is the one I always take at least one photo of. I may have mentioned it before. The stall holder gets all of her things from French flea markets so it is quite different to other stalls. There is always a lot of religious iconography, embroideries of birds, weird bakolite light fittings and always some form of taxidermy. Last time she had a fox. I quite want a fox but am always put off by the £100 plus price tag.

Off to a fireworks party in half an hour. Andy has bought some kind of enormous firework which is waiting in the car. It looks quite scary.

Birthday Post

The title is a pun-ha ha! It is my birthday and I did get some post. Thanks to Anne and Kat for real and virtual birthday cards! This is my cake at work-I was amazed by it's beauty and had to take a photo before it was cut. Dion who made it was 'secretly' lighting the candles but I had to get into the kitchen to get my coffee as it was nearly time for the children to come in! This morning was a rush to say the least.

This is my latest sketchbook page-me on the first day of being 44. I got 88 claps at work today from the children (morning and afternoon) -we always give them 4 big or small claps as part of birthday fun-so I got mine too! Chloe sang 'How old are you now' to me and Nicole sang 'If you're happy and you know it'. I was touched!

My Mum and brother came up for the day yesterday so we had a little trip to Greenwich. This doll caught my eye-she reminded me of Maggie Thatcher. All she needs is a solid handbag and a high pitched and strident voice and she would be there. I do like her blue eyes though-her staring, scary eyes.

Scary doll bookmark!

A lovely book my friend Jessica sent me (via Amazon-so an unexpected surprise!) It is really great and very inspiring.

Just one choice page from a great book of 'Comical Signs For The Workplace'.(From Marianne at work) Sometimes these gimmicky things can be a bit naff but this is genuinely funny. I may share more at a later date. Thanks everyone who visited the party at the weekend. I ran out of time getting round and about but intend to catch up later in the week.

Colour and Bird Faces

BLUE BIRD

RED BIRD

PINK LADY

ORANGE LANTERNS

I had a few birds waiting for faces, so after doing the two for the giveaway, I did a couple more. The little doll is from Greenwich-another market find. The orange physalis are waiting to be strung as a garland-but at the minute are just tipped on the side. They are so bright. I love the google image page for them.

Miscellaneous

Peter DeWit cafe in Greenwich. They do a delicious full English and have lovely colourful chairs! If you look carefully at the top right of the photo you can just about see the bird silhouettes painted on the wall near the counter. I always mean to do some of these at home as it looks good I think.

Lisa of Parallel Botany had a post on red, white and blue last week and I thought of her when I saw these enamel spoons in the market. I love this colour combination too.

This stall is my favourite one in the market. The woman who runs it goes to France regularly and buys all her goods in flea markets there. There are always stuffed animals and birds, small needlepoint pictures, religious items and unusual lamps and kitchen items. I like talking to the stall holder-she is slightly moany but in an interesting way, and, to my mind, she has excellent taste! I have bought a number of things from her over the last few years, though nothing today.

Look at this snake skin! It must be about eight feet long. I wasn't tempted by it, though I did find it interesting. There was a large plastic crow that I resisted as I could not think of a place for it. There was also a wicker dress form which the stall holder claimed was from around 1900. It was beautiful-very delicate, with an absolutely minute waist. It was also £80-and I didn't want it that much!

On the way home we saw these police horses on the way to the Charlton football match. Charlton won-they have had a good streak recently apparently!

I also saw this vast expanse of hoarding, around a site that used to be a garage-about five years ago when I was first driving. Now it is going to be something else-I wonder what?

I am also wondering how long this will stay blank. It is such a tempting expanse, just waiting to be filled with pictures and words-even I am tempted!