Blogging again.

I'm sorry I've been AWOL from blog land for almost 2 weeks but my poor PC has been infected by a rather nasty virus. It's still not 100% but I have brought home a laptop from work so at last I can post an update.

I have lots of new things to show you so I hope you'll bear with me on what might be quite a long post. Tell you what why don't you pull up a chair, pour a cup of tea and I'll begin.

Mmmm - where to begin? I know, Mother's Day.

I decided to ask my (grown up) children to join me for a traditional tea for Mother's Day (and to bring my granddaughter too of course) You know it's been literally years since I made a really traditional Sunday tea, the type of tea that we had every Sunday when I was a child. I had forgotten how lovely it can be and it was fun making it, and using it as an excuse to use all my vintage tableware's. We had "seaside sandwiches" (so named by my youngest daughter because we always took these on picnics to the seaside. They are in fact an egg and tomato sandwich where the egg is boiled until it is just say hard boiled - still a little soft in the centre, peeled and mashed up together with peeled tomatoes.) Ham sandwiches were also on the menu, meringue nests with strawberries and cream, sausage rolls, bacon and cheese flan, caramel shortbread, tiffin, homemade chocolate cheese cake and cheese with cream crackers and tomato chilli jam. All washed down with a choice of either tea or elderflower cordial.

I've also managed a couple of car boot sales, would you like to see what I got?

Today at Hexham I got a lovely hand embroidered tablecloth, various sewing threads, a collection of buttons, a piece of vintage embroidery and a little lidded ceramic pot.

Last week at Hexham I got a selection of old tins - the one with the Queen and Princce Phillip on it was full of old buttons!
and ..

lots of fabric remnants including that gorgeous retro orange and yellow print - and none over 50p!

also...

a fabulous pair of 70's curtains to add to my fabric stash,

but best of all this...

...lovely little bakelite pin box, a bargain at £1.

Also this weekend we have played hosts to our lovely friends Paul and Valerie who came down from Dunoon on Paul's motorbike.

I made this gorgeous Nigella recipe for Chocolate Guinness cake, I can highly recommend it, Paul has raved about it all weekend.

Image from nigella.com

On Saturday we went for a run out on the motorbikes to Hawes. Dave and I have been to Hawes many times, but we have never visited Hardraw Force, a waterfall just outside of Hawes, before so we decided to go have a look. You can only get to the waterfall by going through the Green Dragon Inn and being rather hot and thirsty after riding through The Buttertubs Pass we felt it would have been rude not to partake in a glass of shandy before walking up to the waterfall.

Once in Hawes a leisurely stroll around the gift and antique shops was followed by tea and toasties, then a return ride  home through the lovely Swaledale countryside .

It's been beautiful weather this weekend and I've had a lovely time spent with good friends. I hope you have all had good weekends too,

Linda

xxx