Summer Holidays.......

......and it is raining, of course! Even though I was busy and exhausted last week, I managed to find the time to knit up a little pink shrug - this is it drying in the sun (on Saturday!) after being blocked. It is knitted in some gorgeous Adriafil flat cotton yarn called Papua, which is sadly now discontinued. I bought a load of it straight from the manufacturer in Italy when I was commissioned to crochet a floral wedding corsage as the lady thought she might want a matching scarf later on. She didn't, but I don't mind using this yarn for myself - better than it languishing in a box for years!

Now that I am officially on holiday for 6 weeks, I thought I would get on with some of the jobs which have been left undone over the past term. One of these was to scoop the duck-weed out of the pond. However, on going down there this morning I was greeted by these little faces -



I didn't have the heart to send their little world into turmoil by poking around with nets and sticks, so that job can wait for another day.


I know I live in rural Hampshire, but looking at the garden this year you'd think it was somewhere closer to the Mediterranean. The grapevine has gone mad and spread over the whole pergola and we have more grapes developing that I have ever seen. I think last year we had three meagre bunches - this year we have about fifty. Perhaps it's time to re-think brewing....a nice Chateau le Retour de Jardin.......


I've probably bored everyone on many occasions with lily pictures - sorry, but I just can't resist them. I love the shapes & colours, just crying out to be painted.


Talking of painting, I might even get back to doing some now that I have the time....those poor flamingoes have been on hold for far too long!