My Sunday Photo...Happy Mother's Day

How to make someone feel special...send them flowers 💖

As usual I shall be linking up with My Sunday Photo

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with lots of smiles along the way.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mum's past, present and future. 
Thanks for visiting my place and I hope to see you again soon.

Sniffs, Snuffles and Sunday Sketches

I'm so late joining the PPF link today... but I've got a slight dilemma at the moment... have I caught a cold or am I suffering with hay fever for the first time in my life? 

Both my hubby and son suffer with allergies and the pollen count must be really high around here at the moment, because they're having quite a time of it. 

I'm not so sure my symptoms are hay fever, even though my hubby thinks it might be... I'm coughing, spluttering, snivelling and sniffing like a true professional sufferer, but I think it's a cold. 

This is one of the reasons why I am late today... it's difficult to get your act together when you are constantly sneezing, sniffing and generally sinking amongst mountains of tissues.

I suppose it doesn't help that I keep bringing flowers into the house to make floral arrangements.

After working in my garden, I like nothing better than to fill a vase with all that's on display at that time. There's always something to bring in to appreciate.

I'm so happy that I've managed to do some artwork even with all the disruptions during this past week and I have to admit I really enjoyed creating and painting the design. 

I read that Alexandra MacVean over at Bluechairdiary.blogspot.co.uk is running a competition for a new Sunday Sketches logo over at her place.

Here's my entry above...
Alexandra is moving to the UK for six months and wanted a suitable logo to reflect her move there.
She also wanted to incorporate a tree in some way as the original feature for Sunday Sketches has a tree included in it. 

It's been a very sporty week with the Euro Football Championship on the go... along with the Tour de France cycling, plus Wimbledon too. 

Obviously my newly retired hubby is in his element and wants to keep up to scratch on all the developments... which means I can sneak in some great fun time creating art! 

I'm beginning to be a real sports fan after all ;D

I used the under painting technique that Tracey Fletcher King taught in her Delicious Paint Class. 

I'm a huge fan and can't imagine painting anything without under painting now.

So here's the final illustration as it might appear on the link... what do you think?

Maybe take a trip over to Alexandra's place to see Sunday Sketches and other entries.

In the meantime... thanks for popping by and I wish you a wonderful weekend ahead. 

Have fun and enjoy!

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

A few weeks ago I had a little trip to the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park in Cheshire.

I've been visiting quite a few of the big Garden Shows since I returned to the UK.

If you've been following my blog then you might remember my trip to Chelsea Flower Show 

(click here if you missed it or would like to revisit Chelsea)

Unfortunately,the weather didn't really treat us kindly but it wasn't so bad that it stopped us from wandering around and enjoying all of the exhibits. 

I've visited Tatton Park a few years ago, but I didn't remember it being so big or having so much to see and do back then. It might have expanded over the years with growing popularity, or maybe we just missed some that year, but this year I was really pleasantly surprised. 

In order to save you time looking over masses of my photographs

 (especially if you are taking a peek over a coffee/tea break) 

I've collated some of them into collages to just give you a flavour. 

There's no way that I can do justice to the horticulturist heaven of a garden show, with it's masses of incredible variety of plants, enthusiastic experts on hand to give helpful advice and guidance if needed, and products to be seen and obviously bought whilst visiting the show plus what's available to eat and drink. 

I mean how can you convey the sheer volume of perfume that wafts and gently envelopes you 

as you enter the Floral Marquee. 

It just can't be done.

It's a busy day culminating in using all of your senses to the maximum and you certainly know you've had a good workout by the time you stagger through the exit heavily laden with all of your beautiful new treasures.

 Thankfully they provide a free courtesy car service to carry you and your wares back to your car. 

It's a brilliant service for numerous reasons... one if your like me and finding your car a huge challenge especially when you've just left it in a field... or in a deer park in this case. They also help load your car boot for you (which at this stage of the day could be your undoing) plus saving you traipsing through the deer park with your wheelie trolley dodging lots of presents left by the deer along the way!

For anyone who would like a 'she shed' or thinks they need to give their shed a lick of paint then this next collage is for you.

How fantastic are these little beauties?

It's a pity that the sun wasn't shining at this point (it was drizzling slightly) because the photo's don't do justice to all the work and effort in their designs. 

They were amazing.

One of the things that we've been mulling over is whether to become bee keepers. 

We have a fantastic area that is far enough away from the house but near the floral part of the garden plus lots (I mean LOTS) of wild flowers and grasses around our property before the farmland begins.

I think it would be a great hobby for my hubby as he loves honey.

In fact, we all do and I have to buy so much weekly that to produce our own would not only be interesting and possibly be a great new challenge, but it would also save money. 

And finally because the sun's shining and I want to get outside... 

here's my favourite purchase from that day.

I've wanted a weather vane for years and couldn't resist this beauty.

It was difficult to choose what design initially, but I think the pheasant feels right, especially as I hear and see them daily wandering around the fields nearby.

Oh I know whether the wind is blowing in from the North or from the South but I find the weather vane fascinating. Okay small things eh?

I'm easily pleased... bless.

Thanks to my son for modelling the weather vein so well by the way.

So I think that's about enough for today.

I hope you enjoyed our whistle stop tour of the RHS Tatton Park Gardening Show... 

but if you can manage to visit one show in your local area, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. 

It really is good to get outside and enjoy all that nature has to offer and even better if you can add a little something as a reminder of the day to your own garden space at home. 

Have fun and Happy Monday to you all.

I'm linking up with the following...

Blue Monday and Mosaic Monday

Grateful thanks to all of the hosts.

Winter or Spring...you decide?

WARNING..This post contains masses of photographs! So pop the kettle on and settle down for a wee whilie....;D

But before I leave you in peace...I'll have to set the scene...

 This umbrella has had quite a few outings lately on my morning walks...it has to be said we have had a fair amount of rain over this last month here in Melbourne!

But just the other day I was walking and suddenly whoosh...a huge gust of wind blew and literally stripped my brolly of its skin!

I just stood and gasped with my mouth wide open...I just couldn't believe it! I've had umbrella's turn inside out before but never stripped ~ completely despoked!

A very cosy comfy driver passing just laughed which I thought was a little unkind, but then I did see the 

funny side of it...and I too giggled.

Look here's what it looked like....sad isn't it?
But thankfully I did manage to put it back together again!
I love this umbrella because even on the greyest of days the pattern underneath is a tropical scene.





So yes we're still in the grip of winter, but then the sun will appear and the clouds fluff up against the beautiful blue sky and ahhh.....you can be forgiven for thinking that spring is but a whisper away!

There's also the kaleidoscope of colours being displayed with masses of plants bursting into flower....oh and lots of twitterbaiting between the birds....

So here's just a brief peak at some of the plants that I've passed along the way. 

I couldn't attach them all because you'd be here till Christmas!

Enjoy...and any that are a little out of focus etc are probably taken with my son's camera that I'm still trying to get to grips with!

Sorry this one above really shouldn't be shown....it's out of focus but I couldn't resist showing the colour....I'll try and replace it with another shot when I next see the plant...

Now you tell me which season we're in....because I'm confused! :D

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Friday Floral Photos...

It's been quite a week...what with Etsy, Rafflecopter and giveaways! I've had battles beyond belief and they aren't all working as I would have liked....they all challenged my brain to its limits at times, but we're thankfully on our way into the long weekend which is timed perfectly. Time to chill out!
So I thought I'd post some photos of the flowers that I bought yesterday. I then added some foliage from the garden which adds a autumn twist and wonderful colour. The colours were amazing when the sun popped out just in time for my photo, but unfortunately it highlights how dirty my windows are at the moment.
No don't zoom in!.....hey, I've been busy and this little ray of sunshine was the first we've seen for days!

I adore having fresh flowers in the house...they make me smile :D

Then I noticed this little leaf on the table below.....casting its long shadow.

Before I go, I thought you might like to see the Protea design in its new frame....it's difficult to photograph with so much reflection. I'd have preferred to have taken the shot directly from the front but then you'd have seem my image in the reflection...not a pretty sight with the day I'd had!

I'm on a date night tonight...and yes it is with my OH! ;D

We're off to an Italian restaurant which should be 'Bellisimo' 

 Have a wonderful weekend ♥