Summer Rain

Hello Everybody,


Today I have spent the afternoon visiting my lovely parents, who live on the other side of Cannock Chase. For those of you not in the know, the Chase is mainly a forested area in Staffordshire, measuring about 26 square miles. It's a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and there are lots of deer and other wildlife. It has lots of weird things there such as glacial boulders, war memorials, and even tales of dangerous beasts!!! 

This is a photo that I took back in winter. I haven't really been on the Chase in a while, although I really should. Guess it's true that you don't appreciate the things that are on your doorstep.


Anyway, at my parents' house there was torrential rain for much of the day but me and my Mum did manage to spend some time in the garden, where we did some hazelnut picking. Unfortunately the pesky squirrels had got to most of them, but there were still a few left for us.

Whilst I was there, I acquired an old hanging basket for an upcoming project and some moss (for a different project). Since reading Rachael's Squiggly Rainbow blogpost about creating art with moss, I've been yearning to create my own mossy masterpiece. Sadly, I don't really have anywhere suitable in the garden to paint a mossy picture. I don't want to ruin my housebricks (they're south facing at the back anyway so would probably get too hot) and I'm worried that my fence will rot. So, I thought maybe I could do some designs on terracotta pots and maybe on my patio stones. We'll see. 


As the rain resulted in us having to venture inside and abandon the gardening, I decided to scan in some old photographs that my Great Aunt and Uncle had given us a few weeks before. There were hundreds of splendid old black and white photos, of activities ranging from gardening to sunbathing (mostly all whilst very poshly dressed!!!). I'm collecting some old seaside snaps and I'm planning to do something with them to decorate my 'beach-themed' spare bedroom. 

This is just a quick montage of various relatives enjoying themselves on the beach. The little girl at the bottom is my Mum! I love how they all look so happy and are enjoying and appreciating England. These days we all seem so desperate to go abroad, it's a bit sad. I think most of the shots are from Cornwall, Devon, Isle of Wight and Kent beaches. 


Well, that's all I've got to say for now. It's the late August Bank Holiday weekend here in England (and Wales, not sure about Scotland/NI!!!), so that means more RAIN. Still, it's good for the garden (yes, I'm getting old).


Thistle Girl x