Is it Autumn?!

I don't know how it has been where you are but after an initial sunny start to the day this morning - hence washing on the line and two little people and me venturing out to the shops in summer clothes and sunglasses - the weather here suddenly turned very blustery and VERY rainy! Leaves started to fall from the trees, the temperature dropped and I could have sworn it was autumn...!

Leaving the house with the warmth of the sun on our backs I had forgotten to take any anoraks, nor did I think to check the weather forecast... so needless to say we got very wet... When we returned it was lunchtime and we were all in need of something warming for lunch. The little people said they HAD to have beans on toast, whilst I looked around to see what I could rustle up. Mmmm. Tomatoes.

Sauted off a bit of onion and garlic, plonked in the tomatoes and some basil, bit of stock, whizzed through my new gadget from Lakeland, a little mouli (very pleased with that latest purchase from there!)

and voila, warming tomato soup and a nice sit down with the magazine bought on our cold and wet shopping expedition.

Just what I need. Would you like to see inside?

I do love polka dots... Oooooh look at the beautiful things from Greengate...

and those spotty red tins from Tescos, not seen those in my one yet..... and I love that cakestand too...

Ooooh the postman has brought the lastest Plumo catalogue. I have to show you a couple of things. Have you got a minute?

Look at these beautiful Russian music boxes...

And I'm so inspired to make a lovely scarf with handwarming pockets now! Isn't that a great idea?

And look at this sewing stool - thats a makeover waiting to happen if I can just find the right stool!

And I have just opened another envelope - look!

Some lovely die cuts have arrived from Rose at Victoria Rose Crafts. They are perfect, thank you Rose! There are snowmen, Noel, Jingle Bells, some christmas trees and stockings and some lovely little people all to piece together and cut and stick. We are going to have lots of fun making our Christmas Cards!

Well that's it for now.... We have a busy weekend ahead involving a bit of a get together and a BBQ so hopefully the sun will shine! :-)

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend everybody! And I hope the sun shines for you!

A Celebration

Look what I found when I got up this morning...

Today's our wedding Anniversary.

Eight years, which traditionally is pottery or bronze.

My husband bought me this beautiful mug. He knows me so well.

Thank you so much :-) and Happy Anniversary xxx

Imperial Teas

Now and again I get a day all to myself. I can choose where I go, take my time to look at things, no little people getting bored and moving me on to something kiddie related.. This week I had one such opportunity and I decided to go to the older part of our town, a part I don't get to go to very often. Its really attractive and historical up there and there are some fab shops. You have to walk up "Steep Hill".

To make the most out of my day I get there at 9.30 am not realizing most of the shops don't open until 10 or 10.30. But I'm happy window shopping to begin with. First the chocolate shop... Probably best its not open yet :-)

Onto another shop where they sell CK, EB & F&B.. They were open so I bought some melamine tumblers (pink hearts) and a tractor one for my little man..

I continue my search for some new crockery...

hmm, what do you think?

And then stop in the Art gallery where I stop and admire this beautiful piece by Rosi Baxter.

Then I step into the magical Lincoln Imperial Tea Shop.

Here they sell every variety of leaf tea that you could imagine ... (four hundred types!). Chinese teas, ceylon teas, white teas, japanese teas and beautiful scented flower teas. They also sell coffee beans that they roast on the premises, again hundreds of different types, and stunningly beautiful tea pots and caddies from Japan and China, everything you could possibly imagine for tea or coffee.

Would you like to see inside?

I'm not sure if you can see this menu, click on it for a larger image, but have a look at some of the different varieties of tea that they serve in the cafe (across the road), particularly the Connoisseur's Teas..

I was told by another tea shopper that I HAD to try the "Golden Monkey tea" (I'd already ordered the Tea of Life, so maybe next time). Its called China Black Mao Hou "Monkey Fur" - Golden Amber in colour, its fragrance is complex, notes of coconut with a hint of sweet smoke and pepperiness. It has an equally intriguing flavour with notes of chocolate, honey and rose. The tea is full of yellow hair, which looks like the hairs of golden Monkeys. Grown at an organic farm in Zhejiang province. It an be taken with milk. Infuse for 6 minutes.

I buy some Lavender Earl Grey Tea, the Citrus Tea of Life, four different varieties of coffee beans, a delicate thin china teacup, and these Flower In the Sun scented tea flowers.

"Three pot marigolds floating up as if to the sun enfolded by tender green tea leaves that elegantly unfurl to reveal the blooming flower inside. These artist made teas require great skill and patience to create".

I open the packet and they look like this...

Add some boiling water and wait...

A beautiful fragrant cup of tea.. and the end to a relaxing day. Feet up, quiet, cup of tea, Country Living, aaahhhhh.

Perfect Day

Yesterday was a perfect day to check out what we could eat from the garden..

pick some french beans

some squashes and courgettes

pull up some carrots

and cook them for our tea with an easy roast chicken.... Delicious.

In the evening I went on a rooftop tour of Lincoln Cathedral...
Despite living close by I'd never been to the cathedral before. I did know that they filmed some of The DaVinci Code there though and have always been meaning to go for a tour, if you are ever in Lincoln and able to go on a tour I would definitely recommend it. We climbed lots of small spiral staircases up to the top, we went into the bell ringing tower, we walked along through the roof of the cathedral above the huge beams and plasterwork, saw some very early graffiti, and we peeked out from little balconies down at the huge cathedral below.

It was the perfect evening for it and the views from the top were stunning..

Although we went up on the roof our tour didn't go as high as to the top of the towers , but our guide told us that there are tours that go up there, so I will definitely be going back!

Selfridges and a concert!

First of all can I say hats off to everybody else who is much better organised than me and still blogging away during the school holidays! I am afraid chaos reins here and admist all our days out, crafting, and general holidaying and reading all of your blogs(!) I am failing miserably at keeping up to date with mine! BUT here I am now, so this weekend guess where we went?!

Have you ever seen a stage like it?!

Of course we couldn't possibly go to London without a pilgrimage to my favourite shop first - Selfridges! So we made sure we got parked up early at Wembley and took the tube into town for a quick spot of tea and banoffee pie...

Followed by some shopping .. This is their kitchen department at the moment, a very vintagey vibe going on..

This is their Christmas department, an aladdins cave!

Don't you just love these soldier decorations... £9.99 (gulp!)
And what about these ones from Alice in Wonderland aren't they gorgeous... (a snip at £14.99 each !!!)

A few purchases were made ... (lining Ms Kidstons pockets again...!)

A bit of clothes shopping - a pair of winter boots and a fab cardigan called a DKNY cozy. Have you seen these? My friend told me about them, what a fab idea, a bit pricey but you can wear them 12 different ways so I am hoping to get quite a bit of wear out of mine, as long as I remember how to do it, but you do get a booklet with instructions which is just as well :-)...

Then we had just time for a quick bowl of scrummy noodles, and then back to Wembley for...

the LOUDEST concert I have ever been to and was AMAZING! Did anyone else go?!