Autumn leaves match my shoes...

Autumn hazy sunshine...A mini heat wave...

I've had another busy week but I like to take my time through the park in the early mornings as its just so blissfully pretty...I luckily took my trusty camera today to capture some of the things I love most about this time of year...Even at 8.30am I was feeling hot...Its so very humid and bright blue hazy skies make the park look so dreamy. The golden red tones in the park from the fallen leaves make a pretty path to walk along.

Even the leaves match my shoes...I love to walk in the early light- These simple things please my soul.

Rays of glorious Autumn sun light fill the park in a magical glow of colour.

love the red colours...

In my local, lovely bustling Market full of fruit, veg, fresh fish, meats, haberdashery, vintage, crafts, flowers, pets and gifts I found these Wonderful Toadstools...

I couldn't resist and they were such a bargain!...I thought they'd be quite heavy but they're quite light to lift.

The lovely flower shop basket came home with me too.

The Toadstool's will make a lovely feature on the party table with my daughters fairy cake.

They look quite at home in the court yard too...Add such lovely colour!

Made a lovely Cauliflower cheese bake for tea...

Love the red leaves...perfect for myself and sweet pea's nature table to go with our conkers and acorns.

Enjoy this summer like sunshine...I'm off to put my summer dress on.

x Kazzy x

Eye candy

I've been very busy this week...

Its my daughter Sweet pea's birthday in a weeks time, so also been arranging party bits and pieces.

I've also been working on a special dolly for my daughter in the evenings- The main body will be made out of Sweet pea's first dress. 0-3 months dress she had when she was born...

 Inspired by my Tilda book (Tilda's Studio).

I L*O*V*E this book it has so many beautiful piccys!

Eye candy galore!!!!!.

Each page is a feasty for the eye balls...Especially if you're like me and these carft books are mainly bought because of the eye candy rather than the making possibilities! hehe.

When I went to a wedding last year as a brides made/maid of honour I wore a hair piece to make my hair longer to have a big plait with flowers in it...well I dug out this Synthetic hair piece and realised how great it is to make Sweet pea's Dolly's hair with...I've sewn it to the dolly's head...

My Mother and I have bought Sweet pea Vintage bunk beds for her birthday gift...

Eventually I will get my white paint on the them!...

The funny thing is when we went to look for some bunk beds we found some lovely Vintage ones below that are exactly the same make and style I had when I grew up when I shared a bedroom with my Twinny.

And the delivery guy told me he had them too!...These bunk beds have transformed me back to my youth.

Happy Friday...

Cant wait to see Sweet pea's face when she see's her new bunk beds after school!...

x Kazzy x

Wellies and walks...

A blustery windy and wet day with sudden bursts of beautiful sunlight...

A day for wrapping up warm and putting on your wellies and going for a good walk.

I fancied Calstock...a sweet village leading down from the train station to the River Tamar...

Calstock - link to find out about this sweet village on the River Tamar.

Walking is always such a simple thing- But Boy does it cheer me up!...

I even like it on a very wet blustery day- Adds to the charm of rambling!...

Its a very hilly village on the River Tamar...But easy walking down!- Its just coming back up to catch the West Country train which make me a little huffy-puffy!- But proves I could do with loosing a stone in weight!.

The locals are very friendly!...

The stone walls and hedgerows are filled with colour and greenery.

The ruby red colours sparkle in the rain drops.

Acorns scatter the path in the blustery wind.

My little posy of wild pickings from the river pathways...

My mother's tea pot sitting outside in the rain...

Love the reds against the greenery in my mother's garden.

I am still wearing my woolly hand warmers...

Until the heating warms up the whole home.

A lovely hot milky coffee and I'm ready for a feeties up on the sofa moment.

Warm Sunday Wishes,

x Kazzy x

P.s Shameful -I can see my cookie crumbs in the images above! hehe...

dreaded school meals...

Today was a very busy day - school run, then food shop, walk home, then get ready for afternoon at the school for trying out the school dinners with Sweet pea.

Now, I went in with a very open mind- I watched Jamie Oliver's series on school dinners and I thought i'm sure the schools now -a -days have improved so much since I was at school many moons ago!

How wrong was I?!...Now, Sweet pea's school is a very pro-healthy eating school- no crisp snacks at break times but in their place fruit, salad and veg sticks- Which i totally agree with.

But when i got to the dinner hall with Sweet pea the options on the menu were quite shockingly horrid even on the eye!...A vegetable curry which was very cold and no rice. Spaghetti with meat balls, but dry meat balls no sauce!...and then an option of 'yesterdays' looking jacket spud 'dry' with pasta and mushroom!.

Oh my Lordy I've not seen anything that was A) tempting for a 4 yr old or B) tempting for an adult!!.

We sat there with our plastic trays staring at the meal in dread!...Sweet pea said 'mummy i cant eat it'..'well try a little first' I said...we sat for half an hour trying to chew, trying to swallow!...

Teacher's and dinner lady's watching over our every move....even my school dinners were not this bad.

I realised I will be packing a lunch box...but on reading the menu there is two days where I think i will let her have a school meal and that's Tuesdays as its a roast dinner and Friday as its fish and chips.

I will pack her a healthy, fresh tempting lunch box the rest of the week.

But I'm still sitting here wondering how hard it is to cook basic, simple fresh foods?

Sweet pea is at an award winning school, but I doubt it has an award in the canteen?-  

On the way home from school I promised to make her cake's to cheer her up.

Sweet pea decorated them with icing, Smarties and Snow Bites! and we added some flags...

I think that cheered us both up a bit.

x Kazzy x

p.s Tell me if you think your school is good, rotten or ok on the school meal front- I'd love to know or do you opt for lunch box's.

The sun that beams across the Autumn leaves...

Thick, dark black clouds have laid heavy on my shoulders for a few days now...

That feeling I dread, but hard to escape from...

But to see the Autumn sun beams across the the park today was a happy tonic in my soul that I felt I needed. Autumn is my favourite season and the park really does look most glorious at this time.

Sweet pea is really enjoying school and this pleases me so much- she is also a lot better- Thank you for your sweet comments. Children and tumbles! -I remember having lots of plasters and ice cream to make me feel better- And she's so much happier this week. A little spoiling goes a long way!.

And a little spoiling for a heavy headed adult helps a lot too...

Chocolates always top on my 'cheer me up' listy!...

Also a Lovely milky coffee.

My Mother came over and we picked up Sweet pea from school...

she was so excited to see her Nanny!...My mother bought me the new CL magazine.

When we got home we played 'cafe's' and picnic's with the dolly's and teddy's and watched the film 'Fairytale'- One of my favourites too.

Think we all needed a Nanny hug...

I'm loving the red, whites and blues in my kitchen at the moment.

My beautiful roses are just stunning!...the pink carnations have opened now too- Blissful.

I see 5 little, light and bubbly choc's that need Nibbling on...

Cheerio! my bloggy chums! x

x Kazzy x

When the leaves begin to fall...

A moment of thought...

Ten years today I was a very young lady in my first year of being twenty with a fully packed suitcase making her way on a quiet train to London.

The beginnings of new life was in the makings...But I was anxious and nervous about the whole thing!.

I wasn't a city girl, I was from a small, quiet island on the East coastline...

I was not quite sure about making a life in the big smoke!...But there was an inner drive inside of me telling I needed to do this, I needed to prove to myself I could do it!...I wanted to try living and working in the bright lights and exploring London...But the whole thing was a very dauntingly big adventure. 

I remember feeling lost as soon as I sat on the train to Liverpool street station.

I had my tube map tightly in my hand and gazed out the window dreaming of what my new life would be like. Luckily my Twinny had already spent her first year at University in Wimbledon, so i had somewhere to stay and plan my next steps.

The train echoed under the massive roofs of Liverpool street station...whistles sounded as trains departed. I stepped off the train lugging my big case up the isle walk to the main platform.

As i neared i realised something wasn't quite right, Panic stricken faces began to greet me.

It was not rush hour and i couldn't understand why it was so busy with business types looking worried in their expressions. I went straight to a little station coffee shop to gather my thoughts and work out what was happening...I heard a couple talking about London could be next to be attacked!!.

I thought there is something  wrong here but I have no idea what.

I started to feel panic stricken myself, I couldn't reach my Twinny on my mobile and my friend who was going to meet me phoned with a tremble in her voice 'I am at home I couldn't leave- the news! Its awful!!!!'.

'what is wrong??...what happened??' I asked.  She started to explain about the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in America. The second plane had hit by this time.

I sat with my Coffee waiting for my friend in shock, disbelief and worry...This was supposed to be the beginnings of a new life, a new start...and now i was wondering if moving to a city like London was such a good idea with terrorism on the increase.

It was not until I reached my Twinny's house share and they were glued to the TV news of the sad reality  and it suddenly hit me of all the lives that had been lost that day...My heart was filled with emotions.

Watching people, innocent people jump from office windows in the towers still haunts me.

I lit a candle this morning in memory, memory of innocent people killed...But also to the families still living with their loss. I was also in deep thought about myself, coping with a new beginning, home sick, sad and full of new possibilities. My life in London while at university and working was something i'm glad i did, could i do it all over again? I doubt, But proud of what I did achieve. London grew on me, There are so many exciting things to do, explore and visit- It opens doors, takes you on twist and turns in life you might of never experienced other than London. It shaped me, gave me an inner drive and gave me confidence.

I liked living in London...but I much more prefer the country!

You can put a country girl in the city but you cant put the city in her heart.

Not in mine, anyway...I don't think I'll ever forget 9/11.

I felt I needed to share that...Life takes you on such a journey-sometimes good, fun, difficult, sad and hard.

Some days are like dreams...you drift along in a kind of blur.

I took sweet pea for a lovely walk through the park...

It was not such a good Friday at school to end the first week on...

Poor sweet pea was running in the class room and fell onto a chair and cut herself in a very delicate part, which was painful and Friday afternoon she was in tears...Though her feelings of school are still happy ones, so hopefully the rest of the term will be better.

She's a lot more comfortable today and thank heaven for nappy cream!.

I bought some lovely Cath Kidston metal dishes with roses detail in a lovely vintage and pretty gift shop.

Also the white little bucket with red birds and filled with natural wood pencil, plant tags and twine which was from Oxfam (its own shop range).

I am so in love with Lucy Grossmith art works...click to link.

Peaceful Sunday,

x Kazzy x

Home made bread...

Lovely September Sun light on the walk to School this morning...

The brisky, sharp snap has arrived though- I was wearing a thick snugly jumper to keep me warm.

After Sweet pea happily went into class after I kissed her good bye I walked to the shops with a listy of ingredients to get for a 'Basic bread mix'- click for link.

I had a happy morning with radio 2 on making dough and baking bread...I added olives, pepper, seasoning and feta cheese to my dough after rising...

I sat with my sparkling Elderflower drink and read through my Country Homes & interiors magazine...

My roses have opened up and look blooming beautiful on the kitchen table.

I was very pleased with the out come- I'm not the best cook- I'm quite impatient.

But i think I did rather well on the bread making!.

Think I would add a few more olives inside the dough next time...

But tasted best fresh out the hot oven with a dollop of butter.

The time goes so quickly in the mornings- by the time I blink, its time to collect Sweet pea...

She's so full of beans about her first few days at school...Its lovely to see.

Coming home to a home filled with the smell of baking...is always a joy!

Think i'll kiss good bye to supermarket bread!.

I got carried away for dinner and made a mozzarella, rocket, peppers and tomato tart...

Sweet pea loved it!...I just used puff pastry!- quick, easy- yummy!. 

x Kazzy x