Old Leigh

yesterday we had a trip out to Leigh on Sea it's just down the coast from us, we never seem to get time to go out together so it made a nice change from the usual shopping trips. We ended up in Old Leigh a pretty cobbled street and still busy even though the weather was bitter cold.

There a lots of tea rooms and places selling fresh fish on the quay.The pics are better if you click on them.
This was taken between the houses

          I wouldn't like to mistake this bit of road in the dark.

We found a lovely shop, inside thay had an old Southend on Sea tram which had been renovated, you can just see it in the background.

I'm not happy taking pics in shops, even though I had asked permission, but I knew you would want to see :)

I didn't take any more pics as it was a bit dull and cold infact it took me hours to get warm, I somehow forgot it was February and didn't dress the part.

It was nice to spend time together what do you think of the shop ?

bye for now Cate x

Happy Thinking Day 2011

Wishing all Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and Guide Leaders

Happy Thinking Day

Look how we've changed     

    Cate x                                      
    (Rainbow Guide Leader)                                                          pics from google

Art project

A few months ago we had an art company come into school for the day. Everybody was involved and we had a great time making wall art, even the little ones had a go at making things, each class had a piece of the wall to make.
I have been meaning to post the pics for ages, hope you like them it has a fairy tale theme.

I couldn't get a picture of the whole length of the wall which is a shame as it is about 20 ft long everything is made of paper.


Whilst I was looking I also found a pic of Rainbows Christmas crafts, little birds decorated with sequins, as you can imagine there was glue everywhere,we also made decorated biscuits.

I am going to a Thinking Day event tomorrow with lots of noisy girls making things :) I must be mad.
Whatever your doing enjoy
Cate x

Book Giveaway

I recently won the first leg of a book givaway started  by the lovely Jillie @ love to craft. She thought it would be a nice idea to pass on the book as she had enjoyed it so much,
Not only did I receive the book but enclosed with it was a lovely handmade bookmark and some hot chocolate.

 If anyone would like to be entered in the next draw when I have finished reading it, just let me know, it has some lovely cookie recipes in it, all the bloggers on the original list will be automatically entered..

Have a lovely weekend
Cate x

latest boxes

Just a quick post to show you two of my latest boxes it has been a while since I have done any of  these, the chocolate one is lined in old letters.
Not sure if I will survive the last two days of this half term the tears, the tantrums, and thats just me :)
If you have any ideas for the above I would be grateful, some of the others are in my blog shop which I have badly neglected .
sleep is calling me so goodnight all
Cate x

Happy Valentines Day ?

 
 Even if you don't celebrate the day take a look at these vintage cards, I had fun finding them,  Thanks to everyone out there on Google.

 I did leave my hubby a little note on a paper heart this morning on the toaster :)

We don't need a special day to show how much we care, a smile, a cup of tea, just holding hands when we walk down the road, it's the little things that can make all the difference.

                                                                                           

                            How about these for romance  :}



                            Love it or hate it  
                           HAPPY VALENTINES DAY 
                       
                            Cate x

 

Do you like to cook ?

I decided to buy a food processor after I was given this cookery book for Christmas, to make the recipes in thirty mins you really do need one, well that was my excuse anyway.

I have found it useful and I'm sure when I get the hang of what each bit does I will use it more and more.
One thing I have  made is pizza dough in fact it was so fast I was sure I had done something wrong

My son and I tried to twirl them in the air to make them round like they do in Italy, as you can see it didn't work, but we had fun trying.  Not the most attractive to look at but they tasted yummie

One more week and it will be half term, Yippee, there are lots of things I want to try out, I 'm hoping to get back into making bread and with the help of my new machine it should speed things up at the beginning. The illness I have can make me tired so pounding dough isn't much fun.
If you have tried making sour dough with a starter could let me know how you got on I would love to know if you feel it's worth making at home, I think it's one of the nicest tasting breads there is, very continental.
 Wherever you are in the world
have a good week
Cate x

                                    

                                       

Garden Lovers

With Spring just around the corner, we hope, I thought you might like to see an idea I saw at a flower show, it's a hotel for bugs much needed in any garden, all you need are a few pallets which you can normally get for nothing, air bricks, cardboard tubes, logs drilled with holes, infact anything that will hide a creepy crawlie, dried stems are also good as is moss. It needs to be kept dry so a few roof tiles go on the top to finish it off, this could be the most expensive part unless you have a few spare, if you want to do a really good job
 reclamation yards always have them. I am going to start one myself this year I will let you know how I get on.


Now how much can I charge for a Des Res within flying distance of the sea :)

Have a good Weekend evryone
Cate x 

A day out in london

Yesterday we took our class to Neasden in North london to visit the Hindu Temple it is the largest temple outside India, if you ever get the chance to visit you won't be disappointed it is an amazing building, it's rather like looking at a giant wedding cake, it's made of Italian marble most of which was carved in India and shipped here, we arrived in time for one of the daily prayer times which was lovely, the carving on the pillars has such fine detailing sadly we were not able to take photo's inside infact we couldn't even take in a bag, everything had to be locked away, obviously as a place of worship it is understandable not to want cameras flashing away all the time.I did take a couple of pics and some of these are from google.

The woodwork is all hand carved 

 

I hope your all enjoying your week Cate x

A Fishy Tail :)

I found this pretty 50's jug last week, I remember my Grandma having one with matching glasses, I always loved that set and I am hoping to find the frosted  glasses to match or at least something near, can't wait for the carboots to get going again.

I have always liked old cutlery and have collected a few bits here and there but no fish eaters as they are called. I found a nice set on E Bay recently and so I gave he who does the bidding a small hint, low and behold a parcel arrived 

 even the box is lovely it's lined in satin this isn't a very good picture

I was really pleased to get an almost matching set of servers as well which I didn't know about

Valentine who needs a chocolate heart I would rather have a fish fork and you  :)

  I think I will do some baking tomorrow I have beeen looking through cookery books again, I hope I'm not the only one to take them to bed to read, I have a couple or 20 to share with you one day most are old and sometimes funny.
Enjoy whats left of the Weekend
Cate x

ps I'm off to a Hindu Temple on Tuesday with the class If I can I will take my camera

parcel post

Yesterday I had a lovely suprise parcel from Dawn @ Life on the East Coast , a while ago I won second prize in her giveaway sadly my parcel didn't arrive but being a true blogger she has kindly sent me another one 

Having cracked a couple ribs last weekend the soothing bath bomb was very welcome, there was also buttons and  new pins just what I needed. Many Thanks Dawn

Cate x