First Frost and Craft Fair

I thought the craft fair was on 28th. but thank goodness Paula saw it on a poster and rang me to say it was 21st. Luckily I had one evening to price up all my crafts.
Saturday morning arrived with cold, wet and even snowy weather.
I was set up only just in time.

I did quite well so was rather pleased.

There have been two frosts. They are the first of the season.
There`s a definite feel of winter in the air.

On visiting the garden, I couldn`t believe how hard that frost must have been.
In the polytunnel tomatoes, nasturtiums, dahlias and French marigolds had all turned black.

I pulled it all up.



The plastic needs a good cleaning with a soft bush and warm water.

I cut back and pulled up all the helichrysum.
Surprisingly they were still flowering.

They will need a very thorough drying in front of the fire.

I also cleared the dahlia tops and the last of the cosmos and Michaelmus daisies

There is still lots of tidying  up to do and the compost heaps are full.

The sun was trying to shine.

I picked sprouts, leeks, brocolli and radish.

At home I have been recycling sweaters to make little mice.

I also found this sweet little fluffy mouse to knit.
uk.pinterest.com/pin/502151427172055172/

Still lots to do and Christmas is creeping up, with our first family celebrations this weekend
...... Advent Calendar day.

Wool Problem

I think I have a little bit of a wool problem....some would call it addiction!!

It has come to that time of the year for the beginning of my annual sort out of all things crafty.

Well I have been busy knitting fingerless gloves and have accumulated a mass of baskets of wool to choose from. It is normally kept in the loft.

Big changes are afoot, so with garden plans thwarted, I have set about a big putting away session.

It is not until I see it altogether that I begin to realise just how much wool I have.

So here is the truth in photos.

Accumulated boxes and baskets.

Sorted out in the loft.

Extra boxes.

Cottons which I am enjoying for crotchet.

As well as this I have an incredible collection of tapestry wool.

The funniest thing of all this, is that I have been relearning my spinning skills to make

YET MORE WOOL.

Am I mad!!!

 

But I have also been making bead fairies for the craft fair 

at Pett Village Hall on Saturday 28th November. 

No wool involved there!!

 

 

November Harvest

Well it may have been a dull day with rain around but it was certainly not a dull visit to the garden.....our first after our Cyprus holiday.

We met up with Anne and excitedly discussed new plans for the garden

(a blog entry on its own)

and we looked at the huge pile of topsoil left over from the newly dug pond in the lower field.

We can use it anywhere in the garden.....polytunnel, wild area, raised beds etc etc.

We spent quite a lot of time clearing things in the polytunnel such as aubergines, cucumbers and chillies.......

 ...... but I could not bring myself to pull up the French marigolds, still flowering their hearts out.

I trimmed the stems from the gladioli and left them all spread out to continue drying.

The jasmine is going wild in the corner 

and needs a bit more training.

Steve dismantled the bean row which is in danger 

of being blown over.

 The little orchard is almost bare.

Dahlias looking a trifle battered.

Asparagus ready for the chop.

But a colourful harvest of late summer and early winter veg.

Seaglass

When I was very very small, I was walking along the beach with my Aunty Doreen, and she told me that if I looked really hard I would find treasure on the edge of the sea.

And I believe this is how my love of seaglass began.

I thought I was finding treasure in the form of jewels.

As we grew older my sisters and I would collect the seaglass on the beach, not that I remember saving it or even displaying it, but we loved it all the same.

The best ones to find were blue.

There is the most extraordinary interest in seaglass on Pinterest and in fact 

I have a pinboard called Seaglass.

uk.pinterest.com/grist3391/seaglass/ 

There are beaches in America where the pebbles are all glass....it would be my paradise to collect there but it doesn`t say much for what must have been dumped in order for that place to exist.

On our recent holiday to Cyprus we found a most stunning beach in the Sea Caves area.

It was possible to swim from this beach. I had a great time searching for seaglass here.

Even a heart shaped piece.

We loved this beach and went there nearly every day. The beach itself, was very narrow but we were able to sit on the flat rocks.

On Saturday evening, we found a brightly coloured hippie bus parked up with a mobile BBQ and later  60`s music drifting down to the beach from a live singer.

It was most enjoyable.

The local diving school also used it as a sheltered learning area.

Today I have sorted the seaglass and taken some photos.

My most unusual finds.....

......one single blue.

My collection is growing.

Here is a link to our own Bottle Alley in Hastings.

http://www.1066.net/bottlealley/