Is It Summer Now?

I think that question can now be answered with a resounding 'yes' since the temperatures have rocketed and we are now being advised - take a deep breath here - to have our windows closed during the day to keep the warm air out! Who'd have thought?

Anyhow what could be more Summery than a ukelele in a rose bush?

Maybe I should elaborate. Last Summer Mr K decided to take Big and Little Sis on a road trip - he thought driving across France would be fun and started to choose some appropriate tunes for the journey. Big Sis decided to provide her own version and before long the dastardly duo had mastered 'Aux Champs Elysees' - Big Sis on the ukelele and Little Sis providing the trumpet harmony via a very strange noise through her nose. It was lovely (!) and became the backdrop for most of our Summer. Little Sis is now following suit and has just ordered a ukelele of her very own. Of course 'Champs' is a must learn and the last few evenings have seen the pair of us sitting in the garden trying our very best to master a few chords. (Of course with me being left handed and Little Sis right it did take some time to work out which way up the ukelele was in the first place - happily that has now sorted itself out!)

This is how it should sound.

Summery - oui!

Also providing the taste of Summer was our first bowl of home grown strawberries

And plenty of eating al fresco (ah oui - Francais non?)

The recipe for this delicious herb and lemon fried chicken came from Amelia over at Musing with Max (look at her recipe for caramel ice cream too - scrumptious)

It went down very well last night with a mix of freshly picked salad from the garden - so well that I squirrelled a piece away to enjoy this evening when I got home from school. All afternoon I had sat with a class of eight year olds trying to replicate the rainforest by means of some A4 paper and glue sticks - drooling at the idea of a post work tasty snack. Imagine my surprise when I opened the fridge and it was gone! Mr K was very open about it's whereabouts - 'Oh that bit of chicken - yes I gave it to Jessie Dog for a treat.' Hmm.

Moving on. Yesterday I received two prizes that I had won at the craft day I had attended here. 

A wonderful silk embroidery cushion kit (there's a turn up!)

And a giant ladybird the size of a spaceship

Oh okay it's a row counter and I love it!

To his credit Mr K has come up trumps this week. Firstly he sought out one of the wee birdie sculptures from the college show and brought him home to roost

Then, bearing in mind we live about as central as you can, he bought me a book about food from the South West

To be fair I'm rather relieved - two hours ago I could never have guessed the definition of a Dorset Knob but now that future embarrassing situation has been averted

My recent spate of W.C.s  has allowed me room to start something new

Can you guess what it is?

So things are looking pretty rosey around here at the moment and with the school holidays just around the corner I guess we can say yes - Summer is officially here.

Oh and by the way remember I asked what was more Summery than a ukelele in a rose bush?

How about this?

One with a strawberry on top!

Enjoy the sunshine if you have it and if not try to have sunny thoughts!

Jane

x

Words, finds and some crocodile karma

How many words is wordless?
Okay I'm assuming it means none so there goes that idea of attempting one of those lovely evocative wordless posts I keep seeing.
For someone who was quite a shy girl who never spoke much I seem to have turned into a middle aged woman who won't shut up! Don't get me wrong - I do not wander down the High Street shouting at strangers (although this has happened recently when merrily shouting 'hello!' and frantically waving at a fuzzy figure in the distance who, on closer inspection, turned out not to be the person I thought she was - darned these ageing eyes). But I sometimes need to use the edit button a bit more. The thing is if asked a question I tend not to just give one answer. No. That would be too simple. Life is not like that.

An example.

Q: "Do you prefer tea or coffee?"

At this point most people would give a one word answer. That would be sufficient.

A: "Well - tea first thing, followed by another cup to really start off my day. I'm not keen on coffee as my first drink of the day - it doesn't hit the same spot. But come mid morning I love a cup of coffee. With a biscuit. Then again at about four. But it always has to be tea after a meal - what's that all about when in a restaurant many people finish their meal with a nice fresh cup of Colombian. Is it the flavour? You see for me tea is more refreshing but coffee is more filling. If it's accompanied by a  piece of cake then surely coffee is best as long as the flavours don't clash. Okay - I can't answer the question because it depends on the time of day and the circumstance..."

See?
Is it an affliction?
Should Mr K receive a medal for most long suffering partner ever?
Should I just shut up now and show you some of my finds this week ?

Yes, you should, get on with it woman?

Okay here goes.

I loved these little egg cups.

So sweet and just the right size. So many egg cups nowadays seemed to be made for turkey sized eggs (slight exaggeration) and I have to make a little nest of tissue paper at the bottom for my egg to sit on. 

These are just right for Betsy's eggs (bought at our knitting night fundraiser - look at the red nose on the chicken!)

I was admiring this tablecloth and napkin set when my mum remembered that she received one as a wedding  present way back in 1959 -  alongside the obligatory Witney blanket and cutlery set! It's way too small for my kitchen table but at £3 I couldn't resist.

A summery skirt for £2.50.

Oooh how do you dooo?

A jug - just because.

A book on Vintage knits - okay I know I will probably never make any of these but I love the glamour of the originals.

 Look at the colours in this picture - I'm not surprised they look so happy.

 And who knows one day I might just need a 2 ply mohair bolero to 'keep off the chill'. 

Now for the karma.

I'm not one for dressing up.
But when word got round school that Mr K had received a crocodile onesie from Little Sis for his birthday it was inevitable that at some point I was going to have to model it. Of course over here in the UK Comic Relief has been urging people to do something ' funny for money'. Under a substantial amount of peer pressure I appeared in the staff meeting at 8.30am  on Friday in full crocodile attire. Not just me you understand - that would be weird - but nearly all of the staff were sitting there dressed in some unorthodox costume! I actually began to enjoy myself - we were 'all in it together' and had a great laugh (less thrilled however when the Head introduced me to the local MP who was doing his rounds of the local schools!) Staff were urging me (kindly) to take the bus home in full costume for some extra cash. I declined politely - then less politely - then quite adamantly! I lolloped around the corridors at break time with my floppy fleecy feet and at some point I must have stepped on a splinter. Now I can't put my big toe on the floor when I walk. Is this crocodile karma? Should I have boarded the 101 at the risk of scaring other passengers? Can you imagine a motorist driving the other way seeing a crocodile calmly gazing out of the window? Am I asking too many questions? Should I shut up now?

Okay!

Jane x

Little Lessons for Little Learners

This week has seen a mammoth upheaval of classrooms, children and staff as the school is about to  undergo a huge building programme. It's so big it's even got phases! My room is directly involved in phase one and phase two so we have been forced in to a much smaller room where 'our stuff don't fit'. Whittling through the what's necessary and what can we squeeze into a cupboard I came across this book

I 'rescued' it a few years ago from a box outside a charity shop - one of those 'everything 10p' affairs. Even I almost put it back as despite it's obvious charm it looked a bit manky! But then I came across this page

Letters to teach you to read

Complemented by this

Letters to teach you how to write

(What a strange idea to use bunnies as the children!)
As a fan of all things font I thought it would be fun to show the little chaps at school and see if they could attempt some copperplate themselves. As it stood I put the book on a shelf with some reference folders and promptly forgot about it.

Looking at it today I was charmed all over again. It has a page for maths (or numeracy as we now have to call it)

You may have as many of these apples as you can count

Poetry

A wintry wind is blowing

And I'm not quite sure what this one was for but it's beautiful

Our Bunny Rabbits

I love the whole fantasy of this picture although I'm afraid in all my time on door duty in the mornings I've never witnessed anything quite so glamorous ( however I do recognise the reluctant look on little boy's face)

Come to school

He doesn't look convinced does he?

This picture I just love because I am exactly the same when I receive a comment!

A letter? I wonder who's written to me
Please little Postman, oh please let me see

There is something so wonderful about the use of colour in these images - a very simple black and white plus one other. The book continues with simple tales such as 'The Toad and the Elf', 'A Tale of the Sea' and 'Pat and Smut'. Sadly I can see no sign of when it was published but it was part of the 'Golden Gift' Library from Raphael Tuck and Sons.

Inside there is a name

Edward Probert

I wonder if the book was originally his and if he did actually learn anything from it? I won't start on about old books at the minute but there is just that whole history attached to something like this - it's as though it has been transported through time and gives an inkling of what children were surrounded by all those years ago. I'm getting a bit wistful now so I'll stop there. 

Before I go though I'd like to share a little rhyme from the book entitled 'Slow but Sure':

'Come, hurry up, old Mr Snail,

You're really very slow,

You'll never see the lovely world

If at that pace you go.

You just should see how fast we fly,

Nor stop for anything,

Until we drop, quite tired out,

And cannot move a wing.'

'It's better to be slow and sure,'

The snail to them replied,

'In time, if I crawl long enough,

I'll reach the other side.'

Let that be a little lesson to us all x