Emma's Happy Handiworks

I thought I'd share with you some photo's I took this week and today.

Just mundane glimpses of my lifes, simple things that make me happy.

AAbove is my Mascari (Grape Hyacinth) and pale yellow Primrose. These are placed on my tumble drier, which is 'temporarily' in my kitchen, and I like to use the top as a window sill/ display area.

Since adopting our sweet hens, the wild bird life in our garden has greatly increased and I am loving seeing the variety.

Here in England we don't have stunningly amazingly coloured birds, but they are sweet charming little things all the same!

Here's Robin. Oh so cute!

This was taken from my bedroom window,(as most of them are) looking out on the lilac bush.

I love how clear its come out, despite being through glass!

Here's Great Tit's (oi! no sniggering!) and Blue Tits...

Then we have had Pheasants visiting...

love the colours on his neck

females, pinching my hen's feed!

This is a Jay. He is most elusive when it comes to snapping a photo of him!

He is pretty buff pinky colour, with bright sky blue wing edges. But as you can see he's not a pretty birdy!!

I've also spotted a Green Woodpecker and a Spotted Woodpecker but they were too flighty for my camera!

Oh and beautiful snow white Owl graced us with flying through the garden too.

Then we have this naughty chap...

helping himself to the wild bird seeds!

With all these new inhabitants of the garden, I must praise my lovely cat Charlie.

Several times he tried to chase after the chickens when we first got them, but the hens and I scared him off, so now he just sits on the coop and watches them.

below he was watching Blackbirds and the Pheasants, interested but not enough to move out of the rare bit of sunshine we had in the week!

a hen will always watch him with an almost warning eye...but he pretends to be uninterested...

until they wander where they shouldn't... (the front)

 

Today, has been dismal and uneventful,

Hubby brought the boat (EmmyRu) home and set about fixing her up

i enjoy watching our neighbour, Peter.(yes, I'm strange like that!)

He is our Landlords Farm Manager, so we only see him on a Sunday.

He hangs out his laundry, the same items every week, then tends to his garden which is all vegetables.

He's friendly and we often have a chat, and occasionally gives me some of his produce, but sadly most of it was very disapointing, due to bad weather last year (to him)

Our miserable sloshy, slippery, muddy driveway

but I see a glimmer of hope, a glimpse of Spring

daffodils I think

snowdrops, they're meant to be sign of no more snow

Since we moved here in the Summer, we have yet to see what pops up here in the Spring.

The Hens are keeping well. I Love having them.

Only my little son has shown interest in them, and my Hubby too.

(Vivien on the Left still has a bald bottom, shame it always looks so raw!)

Hetty laying her Egg for the day

I made Lemon Curd yesterday and labelled it today, so very easy to make and is just delicious!

recipe here

On Sunday's we have a 'No Technology' Day for the boys. They cannot watch TV, DVD's,

play on DSi's, My Kindle or go near the Laptop, or the games on our Phones.

They get obcessed with these games and so for  whole day they have to do something else.

They did play outside for a while this morning, but little one fell off the swing into the mud, so they came in and played, so nice to see them playing nicely...doesn't last long!!

During the week I picked up the libruary books I had ordered/reserved, and I have more items I want to make now!

Crocheted dress from 'Vintage Crochet' by Susan Cropper

Top from 'Fabulous Flirty Crochet' by Katherine Lee

birds from 'Sew Sunny Homestyle' by Tone Finnager

I have made a few odd bits, some curtain tie-backs, a lovely heart hanger, and a jar cover since I didn't have a suitable vase for my Daffodils. I just made it up as I went along!

I'm trying very hard to just be content with the things we have and live a simple life.

Things are very tough still financially, everyone is struggling I think with the economic climate.

I got it into my mind to make my own clothes, but I've found sadly that once the pattern is bought, fabric bought, even as cheaply as possible, it still doesn't work out to be economically viable, in fact its more costly.

 Well, not when i buy most of my clothes these days from a charity shop.And Oh how I love it when I get a needed top from the 50p rail, or a skirt for £1. And bargain 10p books!

I've been reading loads lately, and many of the books are set around the 30's-40's-50's, an era when making ones clothes was the cheapest option, sometimes the only way to have something new!

I wish things were simplier like that. I do find the commercialism and materialism of these times to be so wearing.

I bought a magazine out of a strange moment of impulsive boredom and I so regret it.

It was a womens mag, constantly boasting of being for 'real women like you'...

I didn't like the fashion bits, and it just seemed to be all about buy this, buy that.

Not exactly condusive to living the simple life!

I'll stick to my favourites, The Simple Things and Simply Crochet

Well, thats it from me for now.

Take Care

Em Xx