The Bees Knees

Bees are one of my favourite little creatures with their jolly stripy jackets, rounded furry bodies and beautiful silky wings like crumpled tissue paper, blissfully going about their business with a glorious droning sound as they merrily amble from flower to flower collecting nectar. They don’t seem to mind you getting up close and personal with a camera and happily bump into you, and each other, as they mosey from one pollen laden flower to the next.

The break in the rain yesterday certainly brought out the bees and it was this loud humming noise that alerted me to the masses of bees invading the Choisyer bush outside my Sun room - large ones, small ones, extra fluffy ones and bees weighed down with pollen fattened legs, the Choisyer was teaming with the black and yellow furry creatures that I just had to capture on film.

An extra yellowy bee

                               Their exquisite crumpled silky wings

                               A bee in mid flight

Finally, this isn’t my own lawn but one I photographed whilst out and about on Saturday. Once again, buzzing with bees. On the surface the lawn looked lush and green but on closer inspection it was an absolute forest of tiny plants - ferns, the weeniest daisies ever, speckled clover and moss. A springy loveliness of dewy green carpet that you just wanted to run through naked ….. well, perhaps not naked but certainly bare footed.  Not exactly bowling green material but certainly the most perfect habitat for our bees.

Doddington Hall Gardens

Doddington Hall is a 16 Century late Elizabethan Manor that has remained in the same family for 400 years. The magnificent Hall is surrounded by acres of gardens, an amazing farm shop and delicatessen and a cafe selling the scummiest homemade cakes.

I spent a very relaxing afternoon with His Nibs wandering round the gardens with its quiet little areas perfectly made to sit and ponder and afterwards, coffee and cake in their award winning cafe – simply perfect!

                                A tiny heart highlighted in the 400 year old brickwork

                                      Lots of secluded areas to sit and watch the world go by

                                 In the kitchen garden even the bean supports are decorative  

                                                   Ducklings resting by the pond

                                        Ancient and beautifully gnarled  espalier fruit trees

                                                                     Bluebells

                                                     Majestically unfurling fern fronds

                                     The stunning view into the Lincolnshire countrywide

                                       ... and little pathways and steps leading round the garden

Wild flowers

                                                          .. and huge twisting branches

                                       And at the end of the walk a visit to the lovely cafe.

Doddington Hall farm shop and cafe are open daily. House and garden openings are on the main website www.doddingtonhall.com

Bring out the Bunting

On this Diamond Jubilee weekend bunting is everywhere! I love bunting - it looks so pretty, especially the flower, stripe and dotty bedecked bunting draped through trees for a sunny afternoon tea in the garden or a traditional English village fete but the sea of red, white and blue bunting festooned across side streets for the Jubilee weekend, looks very jolly.

It’s not just for the outdoors though, bunting brightens any room. When routing for vintage finds I often come across delightfully illustrated vintage children’s books made from thick sugar paper that have been either damaged, are incomplete or with a number defaced pages from a child’s keenness with the wax crayon.

On a blustery, rain spotted afternoon it has been a perfect time to be indoors being creative and I have made some cute bunting from these story books, one book 'Sleepy Time Tales'  is very strikingly coloured just using just four block colours, red, blue, green and yellow.

Vintage Andy Pandy books have also been given a new lease of life in the same way and very colourful they look too, finished off with a buttoned bedecked loop for hanging - something charming to adorn the little ones room ….. 

… and for us older girls, to decorate the bedroom or study….

Bunting made from vintage postcards, Victorian greeting cards, sheet music and other ephemera, decorated with old keys, crystal chandelier drops, suspender belt loops and buttons.

Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend.