Digging first then to Birmingham we go

It may be too cold to plant but that didn't deter me from making beautiful trenches for the potatoes when eventually the snow & frost forecast disappears. Naturally accompanied by warm cups of coffee & biscuits to keep the energy up.

So far it's been an active day, getting up at the crack of dawn as Mini Betsy had to be dropped off to take a coach to Birmingham.

She'll be making her stage debut there tonight. Very exciting, we're all a bit giddy and spent all afternoon packing bags, making cards, wrapping presents and cooking. The Brazilian cheese breads are ready; the halloumi, chicken and leek pie is about to go in the oven. We'll have a lovely picnic when we get there!

My only worry now is the weather. I do not enjoy the forecast of blizzards & being stuck on the M6. Fingers crossed that all goes well. The good thing is we'll have plenty of food with us. As they say in the theatre world: "Break a leg".

Gate to Narnia

Well obviously this is not the gate to Narnia but to my allotment. After three years waiting I am finally the proud keeper of a plot. This lovely little blue gate is falling apart but it looks charming and is the door to a lot of excitement. 

The plot has not been looked after for a few years but  apparently those who did used to keep it really well. Since they were no longer able to work the land it has sadly been used as a tip and this is how we found it.....: 

....with some markings for beds and luckily with a few rhubarb plants to give me hope! The plot does feel like Narnia with new finds around every corner. Just about every piece of furniture imaginable was dumped but we also found some old wellies that can be used as planters, also some useful tools and lots of pots that will be scrubbed in the next few weeks. I say 'we' because my lovely friend Nikki digs along with me and keeps me company.

First attempt at digging!

There will be lots of clearing rubbish, learning, reading and seeking advice done in the next few months but it is most exciting. I will be keeping a diary; the potatoes and onions have been bought and plans are started to shape up for a lay out. One of my friends said that having a plot is really addictive and I think she is right. Now I am hoping for some warmer weather so that we can start sowing & planting!

Aunty Social

Yesterday I went on a day trip to Blackpool as I was invited by Linzi Cason to take part in a press event in The Old Rock Factory on behalf of Redeye - The Photography Network. More about that later in the week but as Linzi showed us around the building she took us to the meeting place of Aunty Social, a community group that creates opportunities through craft, art, music and plenty of other cultural activities. 

I didn't think I would ever say this, having had a dubious experience living in Blackpool for six months about 10 years ago but I would quite like to be there right now and be part of Aunty Social. One of their groups Knittas with Attitude look like a bunch of fabulous crafts people, meeting in a fabulous place and look at the things they produce!

Girls to my own heart really, pompons and bunting, how much better does a studio interior get? 

I absolutely love this bike. That is yarn bombing at it's best! I heard the bike had been "exhibited" in the town centre and the reactions from people where truly fabulous with one woman remarking to her daughter that it was covered in yarns so that drunk people wouldn't hurt themselves! Classic! 

An awful lot has changed in Blackpool in the last 10 years. The Old Rock Factory is fabulous, the town centre is unrecognisable with many newly paved streets, street lighting and some sort of of music/light/arches installation. But one of the most memorable things is the comedy carpet but as I mentioned more about the day later. Just couldn't resist to post these shots of this wonderful group.

Some places in the Lakes

Some time ago I went to stay in the Lake District where I came across a couple of lovely places to eat. I intended to put them online as soon as I got back but the business cards got lost in the mountain of paperwork in my bedroom. Every year I get more and more on top of this rather time consuming task but now that I would like to have an all white bedroom asap I have started a cleaning frenzy and just came across these cards again. In case some of you are in need of some tips for places to go I can recommend The Log House in Ambleside. Here I had one of the most enjoyable nights and most delicious meals I can remember. 

The staff were lovely, fires burning and I'm hoping to spend a night there some time. 

For lunch I'd gone to Lazy Daisy's Lakeland Kitchen in Windermere where they served the most gorgeous sandwiches, soups and cakes. I loved the decor and the wall paper in the ladies toilets (go check it out when you are there). Again lovely staff but perhaps this is the way everyone is in Cumbria? There were some lovely shops in Windermere as well and I could have bought all the stock at Detail. They have some fabulous stationary and quirky gifts and thankfully an online gift shop!

I bought some of the local produce and obviously had to try a Kendal Mint Cake (this reminded me of the sugar animals I used to get for St Nicholas day when I was little) and the most delicious freshly baked gingerbread, which sadly can only be bought at The Gingerbread Shop in Grasmere. 

Hoping to go back to this lovely part of the country and try out some more lovely places, I am now going to sort out a chimney sweep as whilst I'm writing this a nice soot drop caused my floor to look like a black sandpit. 

My Inner Martha

This weekend I unleashed my inner Martha again. I know I'll never be like her but sometimes it is nice to try. 

For some time I had some slate samples on my kitchen table; the tiles didn't make the grade for the bathroom but as with everything I couldn't bear to throw them out. Thank goodness I found a small piece of turquoise felt as I was tidying up my fabric stashes last week. With the help of a bit of PVA I now have some lovely coasters for my new look lounge. 

After making a few bracelets for the updated Busy Betsy shop I made a yummy coffee and walnut cake from the lovely Sainsbury's Cook Britain cookbook. It was my first attempt and I was rather pleased with the recipe; it looked and tasted exactly the same as the one in my favourite deli for a fraction of the price. The down side was that I ate a third of a cake over the weekend. With Mini Betsy complaining that I do not do enough exercise I felt rather guilty and only had salads for lunch. However I do feel that soon enough there will be plenty of times that I will be working up a sweat as this morning I received a rather unexpected call: 

After having been on a waiting list for nearly three years I am finally the proud landlady of an allotment!! I made Mini Betsy very happy today, she can't wait to take our tools and plant seeds. Unfortunately that is a long way off. The lovely ladies at the allotment gave me some magazines to study and on the first page I read that potatoes need to be in by or around 1 March. With all the weeding and clearing rubbish to do I think I might miss that deadline this year! I will need a lot of advice (and help!) so if anyone can point me to some good blogs I would be most obliged. 

Now to finish of the day, feeling rather pleased with myself I just made a feta and mushroom parcel, ready to go in the oven and to be enjoyed whilst watching the fabulous Mr Selfridge. After that I shall delve into some gardening books.

This was one very pleasant and surprising weekend!

Bunting & banter

I am not sure if it was the wet winter months that caused a flurry of bunting making parties or whether people are still in the party mood following the Royal Wedding and the Diamond Jubilee but there is definitely a need for jolly flags around. 

With a suitcase full of red and purple I went to a lovely 10 year old who was very keen to do a sewing party for her birthday. The "Little Miss Sew & So" package can be tailored to any age (even to those who cannot handle a needle) and a popular activity is bunting making. 

The girls at this party were fortunate enough to have a sewing circle at their primary school. Not many schools have that luxury and I believe it is crucial to keep these skills alive, I have come across too many girls in their 20's and 30's who literally cannot sew on a button.

There are of course many ways to make bunting but this jolly troupe went for the traditional triangular flags.

     


Some of them had not done any sewing before but got the hang of it really quickly and decorated their flags beautifully with hearts and flowers. I did bring some felt stickers, so I suppose I made them cheat a little but we are pretended they were put on using Bondaweb and I promised not to tell anyone!

Afterwards the party girl's mum sent me a lovely letter:


"Thank you for a lovely party on Saturday. Some of the girls who had very limited experience of sewing were really inspired by the party and their parents have come up to me in the playground and said how they haven’t stopped talking about it and they have been sewing and finishing their bunting at home. So it inspired some girls and my daughter loved it, showing her friends her talents."

Thank you, this cheered up my day! 

Something old, something new...

.... something borrowed, something blue.

That is exactly what I packed in my suitcase to take to a hen party in Manchester city centre this weekend. The hens had decided on a crafty afternoon and I was asked to bring green and blue fabrics to make bunting. The bride did not know anything about me coming or what the girls were going to do, which was very exciting.

When it comes to bunting making for a wedding I always like to bring vintage fabrics along, I think it adds a romantic touch and of course it is the "something old". The new were the other fabrics, the blue well that was one of the colours and for the borrowed we had some scissors that were in the hotel apartment.

The bride was very excited and after some deliberating as to whether they were going to make individual bunting to take home or something together, the girls decided to make a long line of bunting for the wedding and made a lovely design, each decorating two flags with some plain ones at the ends.

I am looking forward to seeing the finished result in the wedding pictures and will post them when they come in. Unless of course they appear on the Busy Betsy Facebook page. Please 'Like' if you haven't already. 

And if you'd like to do some bunting making, do get in touch info@busybetsy.co.uk.