Sunday 4 July 2010

Pretty Happy Things

I thought I'd show you some photos of things that have been making me happy lately:


Beautiful flowers from the allotment...............


..........in a gorgeous new Dartmouth Pottery jug that I couldn't resist on Ebay the other day.


Beautiful cups and saucers from Helen's gorgeous shop.................


.......and a stunning and HUGE bowl that I also persuaded Helen to let me buy! I just wish you could have seen the wonderful flower arrangement she had in it when we arrived at her open day: the bowl was full of water with the flower heads of peonies, roses, honeysuckle etc floating in the top interspersed with fabulous bright yellow rubber ducks! It looked stunning - until poor Helen had to pour it all out into another lovely bowl so I could buy this one!


My new Polly Jeans (even though I previously vowed that I would NEVER touch such a complicated pattern!)


I love them so much I thought I'd show you two pictures but don't be tricked into thinking I'm in any danger of knitting both socks..............


............because here's my one and only Rhodie Gus! Cropped just enough so you can't see that I haven't actually grafted the toe yet - although maybe the knitting needle sticking out will have given that away already?!?

And finally, the surprise thing that's making me happy at the moment is this:


......our rather-scruffy-but-ever-so-much-tidier-and-better-than-a-few-weeks-ago allotment!

At the beginning of last month I was feeling so overwhelmed by the weeds and all there was to do (and life in general, if I'm honest) that I really thought I was going to have to give up the allotment.

I mentioned this to my lovely friend Alison who also has the plot next to me and a couple of days later she persuaded me to go back up to the allotment with her - where I discovered that she and another friend had spent hours digging and weeding and generally sorting a large section of the plot so that it was less awful and overwhelming for me!


I'm incredibly lucky to have such kind friends - especially as they both have their own allotments to work on - and it has really helped kick-start my gardening mojo. I have been working really hard up there over the last couple of weeks and it is all starting to look so much better - even if there are still thousands of weeds!


And to make it even more manageable I have "lent" a couple of beds at the back of the plot to a lady who is on the waiting list for an allotment but is only up to number 62. She is desperate to get some allotment experience and I am very happy to have someone take over a bit of the chaos!

And finally, for those of you who asked me AGES ago.......... the bricks in the bottom of the wigwam serve absolutely NO gardening purpose whatsoever but are merely there for the children to sit on as this is going to be a giant green teepee for them to hide in! Dot already spends most of her time at the allotment sitting in there reading.

16 comments:

trash said...

dear Locketlyloo, I love that jug! A lot. And am greatly impressed by your Rhodie gus but even more so by your cracking-on-ness with that blurry Polly Jean.

wonderwoman said...

what lovely friends you have - your allotment is looking great - i know whatyou mean about all the weeds tho!!! Gardening can be fun but sometimes a bit disheartening too - specially when your produce gets eaten before it gets to your plate!!!

xxx

French Knots said...

Why do the bloody weeds get so big while the veggies stay so small!?! What super friends, it's overwhelming when all you are faced with is weeds. I only have half a plot but really a quarter would do!
Love the spotty china!xx

Gina said...

What lovely friends... your allotment is looking great. I rather like your Polly Jeans too. It's ages since I did any sock knitting... I've several single socks awaiting partners!

periwinkle said...

thta's what you call friends and I include you in that too for " sharing" your little patch of earth ,,, now go graft that toe young lady :-)

ladydi said...

Watching things grow is the best, isn't it? Be it children, vegetables, flowers, fruit, or SOCKS, it's very inspiring!

{Leila}Where the Orchids Grow said...

You've got some good friends there!
Love the jug it's very cute.

dragonfly said...

Gorgeous flowers made even more so by the fact that you picked your own!

julie said...

I'm so glad you've got your gardening mojo back. Although I can imagine why it went on holiday for a bit - tackling a large mass of weeding isn't fun. Great that you've got such nice friends to help get things under control again. I love your seaside jug of gorgeous flowers and those cups and saucers are super! Lovely socks too - must tackle my dislike of knitting in the round and make myself a pair one day!

Mrs Moog said...

See!!! I just knew you could do those socks! Not wanting to say I told you so or anything....

I think Alison is wonderful for coming to the rescue with the allotment. It really seems like such a battle with the dreaded weeds at times.

Love your reading floor in the wigwam :o)

xxx

Helen said...

Weeds, weeds, everywhere, at the moment . . it's nothing personal they just grow faster than anything you plant!!
Much love Helen xx
P.S. those cups and saucers were gorgeous eh?

silverpebble said...

Ooh I love those spotty dotty cups and saucers Lucy, and who could fail to smile at that gorgeous seagully jug?

Your lottie looks fabulous too. I'd want to sit and read in the wigwam x

Thimbleanna said...

Oooh, beautiful glassware Ms. Locket! And thanks for the lovely peek at the allotment this year -- it looks like lots of fun work!!!

quiltygal said...

Love those cups Im a sucker for spots...Hows Freds digging going ?? can I expect you for tea & bikkies any time soon??

Valeriacrea said...

Everything is so pretty, in particular the jug!!!!
My tummy is very huge and this hot period doesn't help me and my feet, I'm looking like that howful Harry Potter's aunt with the bulldog, the one who flies away like a baloon... but the baby is ok and I'm so happy about it!
A big hug from Italy!!!

joanie said...

How wonderful to see your happy photos Lucy. What fantastic friends to help with the allotment and a great solution to share part of it too. I've shared that overwhelmed feeling lately, and some of the weeds in our garden are down right scary! Hope to see more allotment updates in the future.