In with the new

New things arriving in the Four Happy Bunnies house ...

Mademoiselle Primavera from the lovely, lovely Stephanie at

Millefeuilles

 

Please visit Stepahnie's blog and look at her lovely photos and

amazing work, she is so talented.

l would like to wish Stephanie lots of luck with

her Etsy shop - opening soon

Next ...

Sorry - poor photos this evening

Pretty, pink jug - a gift from my sister

I couldn't take a photograph of the bottom

of the jug but it is stamped

'Life is Sweet'

and the other goodies

Amelie DVD

Rowan Crochet Workshop Book

Italian Home Baking, Gino D'Acampo

 a print for my kitchen

and finally

a vintage, embroidered cushion cover

(more about these soon)

Take care xx 

The Weekend ......

Doesn't everywhere look wonderful at the moment?

Shopping in my local supermarket this week, I just couldn't resist

all the red, white and blues goodies

So patriotic was I feeling that I bought 10m of plastic bunting!!!

No slaving over hand made bunting for me this time, hehe!

and

(no I didn't buy union jack flags for my car!!!!!!!!!)

but

I bought a pack of 6 (plastic) flags to decorate my

plant pots.

Oh, can you imagine the groans from the rest of my family ....

I smiled at the thought of their horror (oh dear - bad person), as these goodies slipped into my trolley !

I have really enjoyed spending time in my neglected garden this weekend.

My constant companion, my shadow, my faithful friend

has loved every minute too.

Ollie rarely left my side. 

 A total pain when trying to read a book (edited to add

that was me reading the book, not Ollie!) - he would

suddenly (and silently) leap through the air and land on my lap.

Can you see that nose in the middle picture?!

He was very upset that I had left him behind

the gate ...

Anyway, come in -

not much to see at the moment

but this is where I have been relaxing

Look who was keeping an eye on me ...

She is such a big bird and her nest is so tiny

I hope they don't fall out of the nest -

not with a dog running around the garden!

I hope you had a lovely weekend too?

Take care

Just one '99' please!

Did you know that next week is .... 

National Ice Cream Week

30th May - 5th June!!

I love ice-cream and this has to be my

favourite ice-cream seller

... selling ice-cream on the Norfolk Broads between

Wroxham and Horning.  Next stop Venice!

Unfortunately we couldn't stop the boat we had just

hired for the day!!  The captain hadn't quite mastered

the controls at that point. 

As you can see in the photo, it was also very cold (photo taken

at the beginning of May)

.

Ice-cream trivia

The average number of licks to polish off a single scoop ice-cream cone is approximately 50!



On average, each person in the UK eats 9 litres of ice cream every year; sounds a lot but the Scandinavians eat more with the Americans topping the chart at 20 litres per year!

More ice-cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week

'99' is a trademark of Cadbury Limited and it is used to describe a scoop or swirl of soft serve ice cream with a Cadbury chocolate Flake in it.
If you only take a few scoops form a large tub of ice cream, protect the quality of the ice cream by preventing air getting to it by scrunching up a few pieces of greaseproof paper and put these on top of the ice cream before replacing the lid.

Today most ice creams contain only around 5% fat and plenty of calcium, minerals and vitamins

What is your favourite ice-cream?

Banoffee Fudge Loaf

What more could you ask for, after a day at work, than to come home to a slice of cake and a cup of coffee!

My Boy has been taking part in his school’s Year 10 Work Experience Programme.  He’s had an amazing time working at our local League One football club.

Going to school is a chore for My Boy – he likes to meet his friends and ‘hang out’ with them at lunch time but he does NOT, no way, enjoy sitting in a classroom and writing.  He is capable, but disinterested, in his GCSEs (just awarded an A for French speaking, 1 mark off an A* - with half an hour revision the night before the test!). 

It has been like a breath of fresh air in our house over the last two weeks.  He has been waking up with the lark and getting ready for work without constant nagging.  No squabbles over homework = bliss BLISS!

Yesterday he had the day off (electrical work at the football ground). 

Staying with Grandma for the day, they decided to bake, bake, bake!!

I am sorry I didn’t take a photo of the cake before we sliced it, but believe me that was the last thing on my mind.  Admittedly this isn’t a ‘pretty’ cake but what it lacks in the looks department it certainly makes up for in taste!

The recipe is from Tesco, but I wanted to record it on my blog as I am likely to misplace it!! 

BANOFFEE FUDGE LOAF

5oz softened, salted butter, 10oz plain flour, 6oz light muscovado sugar, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1tsp bicarb of soda, 5fl oz semi-skimmed milk, 3 medium, ripe bananas and 3oz vanilla fudge.

 1           pre-heat oven to 160c.  Lightly butter and flour a 2pt loaf tin.

2           Beat butter and sugar for 5 mins.  Gradually add eggs, beating all the time.  Sift in the flour and bicarb then gradually add the milk until smooth.

3           Fold the mashed bananas into the mixture with the chopped fudge.  Spoon mixture into into the loaf tin.

4           After 30 mins take the tin out of the oven and cover with foil then return to the oven for a further 30 mins.

5           Remove from oven and leave in tin for 10 mins to cool.

 

Serve warm or cold.

Thank you My Boy – I am one very happy mummy!

Take Care xx

No longer a WIP!!

I am soooo excited!!!

I have finished a WIP!

This is quite a new concept for me.  As you know I am a plant/resource

investigator - I rarely finish a project!!

This is the cross stitch I started a few weeks ago from

the 'Home Sweet Home' Cross Stitch book by

the very lovely and talented Helen Philips.

I am just a little in love with Helen!!  Helen's blog

is amazing - full of pretty and wonderful things,

truly inspirational.

Now I need to find a frame and hang it somewhere.

Out with the old and in with the new ....

I have started a Bargello Cushion for our bedroom.



Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create flowing waves. The name is said to originate from Renaissance Italy - from a series of chairs found in the Bargello Palace in Florence, which have a “flame stitch” pattern.

This WIP is perfect for me - being both quick and easy - allowing my

'butterfly' mind to flit from one idea to another. 

Hope you have a great week

Take care xx



 

May Day Fair

Sorry I have been absent for a while.  Life suddenly got the better of me. 

 A young boy in my class was run over after school a couple of weeks ago.  I went in the ambulance with him to hospital.  Words cannot describe the trauma and the impact it had on me. 

Fortunately the lovely boy is okay and back at school (the driver was travelling at under 20mph – thank goodness for low speed limits near schools).  Apart from losing consciousness and some bruising he was a very, very lucky boy. 

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on!!  Now the sensible thing would be to start at the beginning, but I think I prefer to post in reverse order!!

So today, with Miss B revising (AS levels in French, English and Biology) and My Boy playing football, Steve and I went to a May Day Fair, in a village where I spent a lot of time many years ago.

 

As a child I lived in the neighbouring village and I would walk through a lovely bluebell wood to meet with friends and pass lazy days gossiping and planning our future (usually involving a handsome prince and horses!).

I had forgotten what a pretty village it is with chocolate box stone cottages, with colleyweston slate roofs, nestling in the beautiful landscaped parkland of Elton Hall.

The village looked beautiful today with lots of bunting, vintage music playing in the background and stalls selling everything from plants, French bric-a-brac, homemade crafts, home grown plants and freshly baked bread and cakes. 

I took some photos before the battery ran out on my camera (although it wasn't easy balancing a bag, brolly and camera!!!

We didn’t stay long as unfortunately it was pouring with rain again.  I felt so very sorry for all the villagers ,and stall holders, who had put in so much effort.  I love events like this - they really bring a community together.

 I bought myself a couple of things before we headed back to the car

an old bottle/jar - think I might use this for bubble bath?

and a rusty bracket!!!!

 and home to an afternoon of cross stitch

 and listening to the radio.

I hope you have had a lovely weekend?  

Back soon xx