52 weeks of happy (33/52) ......

i want to say a big thank you to Jen this week for starting 52 weeks of happy ...

 

in answer to your recent ponderings Jen ... there are times when i struggle to find happies that are new and exciting ... but i have realised that even though the simple things which bring me happiness are often similar ... recording them here makes me appreciate them more ...

our two boys ... as thick as thieves ... really enjoying each others company ...

a wildflower posy gathered on a lakeside walk ...

my first origami crane ... it might be the first of many ... i loved figuring it out ...

happy mail ... a parcel from the lovely Jane from teawagontales ... the best kind of post ...

so that's it for this week ... i wonder what next week will bring ...

thanks so much for reading and for your lovely comments ...



52 weeks of happy (32/52) ......

 52 weeks of happy ... week 32 ... four simple happy things making me happy this week ...

beautiful bluebells ... so pretty ...

enjoying our little escape away ... it was a real treat to spend time together not following routines or timetables ... it makes me really happy to go with the flow ...

 reading Flow magazine ... it's full of happy things ...

baking soda bread ... my granny's recipe ... she made the most amazing bread ... i need more practice ...

simple happies again this week ... thanks to Jen for reminding me to stop and remember the little things that float my boat ...

 hope you all have a happy week ... x



lately ......

we've returned ... back from our mini spring break ...

 

we had a really great time ... playing in the sunshine and dodging showers ...

 

we went to strangford in county down and stayed in the lovely number 42 ... a proper home from home ...

strangford is a little village on the mouth of strangford lough ... there is a small harbour, overlooked by rows of chocolate box cottages and a lovely georgian terrace ... very quaint ...

we made the most of every ray of sunshine and visited some local National Trust properties ... Mount Stewart was particularly gorgeous ... the plants were covered with beautiful blooms ... the bluebells were out and we visited a swan sitting on eight eggs in her nest on the lake shore ...

we enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Newcastle ... walking along the seafront, letting off steam in the playground and finishing up with strawberry milkshake for the littles and coffee and lemon drizzle cake for us ...

we hoped to drive along the mourne coastal route but were forced back by the pelting rain ...

so plans were changed ... we visited W5 ... it really is a great place to enjoy on a wet day ... the boys had lots of fun in a science workshop about slime ... they even learned how to make their own ... fun for the school holidays ...

we visited a great garden centre and bought a few more vegetable plants for the garden ... pickleaf lettuce, mangetout and swiss chard ... i am really looking forward to eating some home grown veggies ...

strangford was a lot of fun ... far enough from home to feel like a proper break but only a two hour car journey ... really important when travelling with wee ones ... there are only so many times you want to hear 'are we there yet?' ...

hope you all had a lovely week and are enjoying the rest of the weekend ... xx



52 weeks of happy (31/52) ......

joining in as ever with the lovely Jen at little birdie ... here are my four simple happy things for this week ...

spending the long weekend at home, gardening, planting the vegetable beds and enjoying some sunshine between showers ...

 gorgeous blossom in the garden ... blackthorn and a new addition called The Bride ... i love the simplicity of white blooms ...

 

going to the cinema to see a film ... it was the little fairy's first time and she loved it ... we don't go often so it always feels like a special treat ... and i loved seeing Paperman which won the oscar for best animated short film ... a lovely story with beautiful animation ...

 

ironing ... i know ... not what you might expect, but i was ironing and packing for our little jaunt to the coast ... we head off tomorrow ... there is a lot of excitement in our house tonight ...

 

so i will be disappearing for the next few days but am looking forward to catching up when we get back ...

 

i hope you enjoyed the weekend ... thanks for the advice and lovely comments about my rabbit ... i will let you see, when i get it framed ...

rabbiting on ......

hundreds of little stitches became ...

 

 

 a cross stitch rabbit ... or maybe a hare ... i love hares ... a few visit our garden to play in the early mornings ...

they aren't always the most welcome visitors as they feast on new plants and vegetables ... but thankfully these are an obliging bunch and leave well alone ...

 

anyway, i digress ... back to the rabbit ... i found this lovely pattern on pinterest ... designed by hancock's house of happy ... it was a pleasure to complete and was thoroughly addictive ...

i chose different colours and used two strands of embroidery thread on 14ct aida ...

i wanted the finished piece to be larger than the original pattern ... so i scaled up ... each square on the pattern became four ... one wider and one taller ... so the pattern grew to scale ... the finished rabbit is 19cm by 22cm ...

i'm going to have it framed but need a little advice ... how do i iron it to remove the creases without damaging the stitches ... to steam or not to steam ...

any tips from you crafty souls would be greatly appreciated ... x

goodbye april ......

eventually spring arrived in april ... late and unsure of itself ...

 

with a little luck it is here to stay and we will have a lovely may full of sunshine ... i think we deserve it ... don't you?

 

my garden moodboard for april has some pretty blossom ... the trees and shrubs are coming into leaf in beautiful shades of green ...

 

there are lots of yellow tones in this month's collection but i was determined to find another colour ... after some rooting around i found a tiny blue flower ... speedwell ... a weed but a pretty weed ... so i was happy to find it ...

 

next month will be the one ... my garden will be ablaze with colour ... and my moodboard will be happy and bright .... here's hoping anyway ...

linking up with karin a fotografi ...



52 weeks of happy (30/52) ......

another week has flown by ... april has been a really busy month here at the linen cloud ... and now it's almost over, i'm looking forward to a more relaxing may ...

 

so for the thirtieth 52 weeks of happy ... i do hope you aren't bored to tears ... here are my four simple happy things ...

 

the look of pure happiness on my eldest's face at his birthday party on saturday afternoon ... he had an absolute ball ...

 

getting reacquainted with my digital SLR ... i really love my camera but had gotten out of the habit of using it as it was easier to carry a smaller digital camera ... now i have no need for a bulky baby changing bag i can carry it again ... i would love a pretty camera bag though ...

 

an afternoon out with Mr F on sunday ... a few precious hours stolen for ourselves while the little ones visited their grandparents ... and the opportunity for a lunch in our own company ... bliss ...

 

beautiful blossom everywhere ... so pretty and delicate ...

wishing you all a really happy week... xx