Everything's coming up roses.

Finally, now the weather has been sunny, the fruit in the garden has grown.
The plums are ripening and growing in abundance!
During the overhanging canopy cull, I allowed a tendril of blackberries to remain- they are ripe!
The green apples are blooming
The runner beans have almost reached the summit of their arch and white flowers fortell of the beans of summer future.
The figs grown soft and squidgy- ripe for the greedy devouring!

Even within the house, living greens are growing.  The two refugee Lanzarotian Cactuses have put forth yet more sprouts.
The aloe-vera tries to leave its pot with it's plump tentacles stretching out, like some soon to be free octopus!

Ah, the miracle of new growth!

Checkmate and Ruby-slipper reminiscences



Dress:  Kush, Heart-shaped fascinator: ASOS, Bag: gift from Sophie, Shoes: Asda
Necklace:  Vintage Maison, Felixstowe,


























Continuing with Hazel's August challenge- Only once, I decided to give this checkered dress and fascinator/mini hat a try.

Again, this dress, I've had for a couple of years but I didn't wear it because it is every so slightly too big for me and is strapless (I'm not so keen on strapless) but I intended to find some check material and make it into a halterneck. Not happened.
I think this would be a nice lindy outfit once it is fitting snuggly, but definitely not right now! Though lovely to wear wandering around placidly in the sun, If I spun and twisted, there would be a serious case of too much underwear on show! Even when wearing the tightest strappy-dress, I end up all askew!

Checked-dresses always remind me of The Wizard of Oz! When I was a little girl, we had a Dorothy-dress, it really was just like the dress, but for some reason it disappeared when we moved house when I was about 5-6.  I'm always sad about this.  We still had a pair of glittery silver shoes though that served as our Ruby slippers when we played Oz, my sister and I.  Whenever we played 'shoe shop' at our new house, the silver slippers were always the ones I wanted to 'buy'!  In fact, I still crave a pair of Ruby Slippers!  I've got my eye on the Red or Dead ruby slippers which I wanted last year during the Autumn-term but feared they were too high.  However, I think it's worth it!!

Did you ever read the Oz books?  Did you know that Frank L Baum actually wrote 14 books in the Oz series, of which The wonderful wizard was number 1? As a child we borrowed, Ozma of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork girl of Oz and Tik-tok of Oz from a friend who had them- it was so exciting- there are so many exciting places in the land of Oz that the first film doesn't mention. 

It wasn't until I was in my first-year at University and discovered Amazon.com that I found out there were 14 all in all.  I ended up buying ALL the ones I hadn't read there and then on Amazon! I have to say that the first 7 books are much better than the latter ones (some of which are a bit silly) and the ones I read as a child better than the ones bought later, but it was still wonderful reading them after all those years! I always wondered how the Wizard came back to Oz (he was in The Emerald City of Oz) 

I'd like to read them again but I lent them to a little girl from church and I fear she might not still have them!?

Sadly not Dot nor Kneessaa!

Item rundown:

Blazer: M&S Per Una via Oxfam, tunic vest and necklace: White Stuff

Shoulderbag: Topshop.  Bracelet: Cath Kidston.  Ring: Primark. Ancient Phone: Nokia

Sunglasses:  Monsoon.  Shoes:  Dolcis.  Leggings:  F&F at Tescos.  Earrings: Unknown, gift.

CBC had this wonderful idea that Inspiration Monday could take inspiration from Dot from the Animaniacs (he said he'd found a song about me on Youtube!) or Princess Kneessaa from the Ewoks cartoon (remember it from the '80's?  To say I was OBSESSED with it is an understatement.  I was MAD on the Ewoks and actually wrote two full volumes of my own Ewok stories.  Wish I could find them now-but best not, quite sure it would have been a total cringe-fest!)

However, since Megan and Nora don't know about this thought/idea, and usually take inspiration from real people, it seems I must postpone this particular idea!

This week's inspiration at the Two Birds Boutique  is Jessica Alba I like this outfit a lot.  I took advantage of my Mum coming to mow the lawn (doesn't trust me with a lawn-mower) to be my photographer so I actually included some little detail shots and tried to match the pose! Please try to ignore horrid feet and hands! Go and check out everyone else's interpretations!

I'm really enjoying the sun- not necessarily being out in it, but it BEING warm and sunny when I do go out!  Right now I am on page 28 of my Guided reading notes typing up marathon.  It is not the most thrilling!

Hope you are well!

Date unknown

 Vix amazes me with her dating of items bought from 'second-hand sources' as to the wealth of vintage-dress bloggers I read.  I have no idea how to tell when or what something is.

I bought this dress in my local Salvation army some weeks ago and I liked it because of it's length and shape- it had a vaguely 'old/vintage' look about it, but whether it is 90's or 80's or whatever, I am unsure.  Does anyone have any idea?
It is M&S and it says, 'St Michael' the label is a big one.  Size 10.  It is Polyester, the seams have been overlocked.

(Excuse this one- just experimenting with a template.... Not quite worked out the cropping yet!)

When I saw it, it made me think of Star Trek, the original series, because of the dark piping against the red, though it doesn't have that 60's look of Uhura and the other Trekkie-babes!  I never forget in the 90's Jeffrery Rogers made a dress I saw in Just Seventeen magazine that was actually like a replica Star Trek dress in these colours- I always regretted not buying it when I was a teenager

 I laughed when I saw that Char had bought these shoes.  I bought these from George at Asda at the start of the holidays, they are the perfect height for me, just a little block heel! Like Char, I was totally impressed by the clothing in Asda, there was a polka dot lady-bird style dress and I even bought daisyprint leggings!

Hope you are well and happy! I usually hate close-up shots of me, but I quite like the cheeky-grin!

All we like sheep!

George Friedrich Handel had a sense of humour.  How could he not have by phrasing 'All we like sheep, have gone astray' in his oratorio Messiah so it sounds like the choir have a penchant for sheep!
(Listen to it here on Youtube.)  It makes me giggle everytime I sing or play in The Messiah!

Anyway, I shall neatly segue from this tenuous introduction, neatly into the main point of this post. 
On Saturday morning in Yorkshire, after a lovely mile walk along the road to Goathland with the dog, we headed off to the Rosedale show.

Now for anyone who has never experienced a country show, it's great fun- there are also vendettas and rivalries to win 'Best carrots' or 'finest ginger cake' and it can upset the apple-cart if a newcomer beats a long-standing winner.  It's always great fun for the non-combatants to giggle at enormous radishes, onions the size of footballs and vegetables anthropomorphised by children! (I am full of admiration for the efforts, which I could not even emulate a whisker of, but still it makes me laugh).

However, this show had something which no other village/county show has ever had which filled me with glee- sheep in abundance!  Big sheep, little sheep, fluffy sheep, bizarre sheep.  There were other animals as well, but this lot are too hilarious to miss!  I still have that yearning ambition to get a photo of me with my arms round a sheep's neck hugging it (like the dog in the picture above).

 This lot were some of the ubiquitous Swaledale sheep.  Hardy and sturdy.

 Old fluffy blotchy face here looks like he would like a cuddle.  No?

 The sheep equivalent of Mr Darcy?  "Tolerable I dare say, but not handsome enough to tempt me!" he seems to say as he snootily shuts his eyes.

 This lady has a decidedly horsey look about her.
"A HANDBAG??????" she declares!

 "I refuse to look at the camera!"

 Check out this lot!  My eyes, my eyes, I am blinded by the brightness!  Who would have thought you could get luminous yellow sheep!

 Look at this beauty, so soft and snuggly- definitely huggable!

 This randy big-horned patriarch fella' was climbing the fence to try and get to the lady-sheep in the next pen.  You can almost hear the Sid-James-esque "Phwoooar!!"

 Er- Alien sheep?  What a strange appearance!  Apparently these guys can grow up to 6 pairs of horns!  Less is more, mate!

 At least he has friends!

 The strange orange-billed sheep.  Hold on?  That's not a sheep!

 This fellow appears to have Ford Focus steering wheel horns!

 Squish!  Look at this fluffy nose!

She's got hair just like Goldie Hawn!

 This lady is pretty!  Definitely a picture-book sheep.

 There were also lots of other animals/livestock including these wonderful cows!

 We watched the Shetland pony, shire horse and mother and foal competitions too.

 Onto the non-living classes, check out these carrots!  Well on 30cm long each!!!!

 And these monster onions!

 I loved the Jubilee theme of this cake class!

After a lovely picnic and buying a few Christmas presents (I am organised!), we drove back to Goathland to the village flower and vegetable show. The same sort of idea, but on a much smaller scale.  We nervously awaited the results of the Quiche and biscuit classes, as J had entered her own ones into them...

 You can see me beside the sign...

 And to our intense delight, she had won first prize for both her quiche AND biscuits!

 I liked this floral arrangement!!! Very Kezzie!
We enjoyed an enormous cup of tea each and 2 cakes and then R and I walked to the village stores to get an ice-cream.

If you ever watched Heartbeat on TV, you will recognise this as the Aidensfield stores.

 R and I started to walk back along the road to the house whilst J and C waited for her quiche (after the prize awarding).
I did TRY to persuade this sheep to have the aforementioned photo taken with me, but I don't think she was too impressed.

 She had 4 legs so easily evaded me!

We actually ended up walking the 2 miles home!

We then walked the dog another 3 miles round the Roman Road.  The weather was so perfect today.

For dinner, we set off for the lovely fish and chip shop in Sleights. Fresh fish from Whitby was delicious!

When we came back, I went out into the garden and read my book on the swing, rocking contentedly revelling in the peace and quiet after a wonderful, jam-packed countryside day.

 Look at my surroundings.  Not a sound except for the varying pitched bahs of a myriad sheep. I feel priveleged to enjoy such experiences with my dear friends.  C used to be the vicar of my Church and I miss him and his wife J who were such good friends and a support through all my PGCE angst and their daughter, who despite the 8 year age gap, remains a really good friend.

Are you going to Scarborough fayre?

 There are big waves and little waves,
Green waves and blue,
 
Waves you can jump over
Waves you can dive through.

Waves that rise up
Like a great water wall.
 
Waves that swell softly
And don’t break at all.

 
Waves that can whisper
Waves that can roar


 And tiny waves that run at you.
Running on the shore.

(There are big waves and Little waves by Eleanor Farjeon.  From High Low Dolly Pepper)

I haven't paddled in the sea for at least 2 years. Having a picnic with my friends after church on the South Beach in Scarborough was beautiful.  R and I had great fun jumping over the waves.  Somehow we ended up too far out and managed to get our bottom halves completely soaked! I thought of that poem as we played.   The morning began with the long but beautiful drive from Goathland to Scarborough for the morning service at St Mary's, Scarborough, a beautiful, friendly church that was also in a gorgeous building   

 I've never shared any pictures of loos on my blog before, but I had to say, I was highly amused when I er- visited the establishment.  Quite possibly the most historical one I have ever come across.

 And this in the sink area.

Despite it not being a roasting hot day, the beach was perfect in Scarborough.  It was very spacious and empty apart from a few families.  We ate prize-winning quiche, sandwiches, jam tarts, apples, crisps and drinks (with Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog ;-) )

 The view of the ruins of Scarborough castle made for a picturesque view as did the lovely coloured Georgian-looking houses and hotels.

 C located a crab!

 Some pretty rainbow beach-huts could be seen from afar.  This beach is less commercial than the North beach so it was perfect for us.

I felt like a child again.  That could almost have been Kirrin castle there!