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Wednesday, 31 August 2022

⭐🌻Summer's end🌻⭐

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Summer's drawing to a close... 
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Last days of August and the weather has been lovely (not too hot!)... Myself and this Summer have had a rather odd relationship almost wishing it was over before it had started... But, these last weeks I've enjoyed it. Lots of walking the moorlands on early evenings & little adventures to Cornwall. 
Watching the swifts and swallows last dance in the skies above the hill top and having quality 'staycation' holiday time with my family. We have walked miles due to petrol prices and the looming energy hikes in bills to come (shockingly worrying) ... But we're very used to making the most of what Devon & Cornwall have to offer, we are incredibly lucky to live in such a beautiful area and I definitely don't take that for granted. We're very used to cutting back, simplifying our life and keeping to a budget. But I'm concerned on how dramatically high bills will become😬 but we will have to cross that hurdle over the next months. Anyways, as always looking for a happy escape and sharing our little adventures here... 
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One of our walks takes us along the Tamar River in Cornwall starting at the rather pretty village of Calstock... I think I've mentioned it quite a few times here on my blog but it basically leads up river to the woodlands and set on a hill amongst the wood is Cotehele estate, national trust property, also a mill and Cotehele quey with museum. There is a river side community cafe, a kind of help-yourself & put money in the tin type of situation... We didn't buy anything but we did sit on the quey where there is a boat yard and boats being restored and little creative studios there too. Just watching the sparkles of sunlight on the flowing river... It was a beautiful day. 🌞Then we walked past the river cottages and up to the woodland hill... Steep climb. 
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We headed towards the Apple Orchard at Cotehele to have our picnic and drinks... I cannot describe the beauty and bounty of all the apple trees... Full to busting point with apples. So many varieties. My apple trees have done well this year but cutting the trees back quite harshly I'd noticed a lot less apples. Maybe it takes time to establish the growth and and quantity after being cut. My mum took a bag home with her to make some pies. And I've made two crumbles. 
I wanted to move in to the Apple Orchard house🍏⭐✨🍎🌻🏑🍎⭐
The Christmas garland which is made up of all the dried cut flowers on the estate which they put up in the great Hall... Its spectacular at Christmas there... ✨⭐✨✨The garden volunteers were cutting, gathering the flowers to hang and dry. 
(The Box Museum) 
We walked the rest of the estate, looking at the gardens, potting shed, pond, woodland, great Hall, medieval home, bedrooms & kitchen. Then walked back down the woodland hill & back towards the tamar River. A really lovely family day... πŸ’•
We've also been to the Box museum in Plymouth and walks along the Moorland... Its beautiful up there at the moment with array of colour from the Heather and gorse bushes.... 
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Wonderful dartmoor... πŸ˜ŒπŸ’šSo colourful. 
I've still been busy in the early mornings or an hour in the evenings... Mixed media painting. Working away in my little Pin Dolly Studio πŸ’•πŸ‘πŸ’•πŸ§š‍♂️✨⭐🌼✨
Also I just love making junk journals... Especially the front covers using old books... Lots of cuttings from magazines, ephemera, wrapping papers, vintage images. ✨⭐🧚‍♂️✨
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... And soon it will be back to busy routines as September days kick back in... 
But... Just for a moment Sipping on warm milky tea in the late Summer evening haze in the garden... And soaking in those last rays of beautiful Summer. So peaceful 😌✨⭐🌞
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Sunday, 21 August 2022

⭐🌻⭐August days so far⭐🌻⭐

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A little catch up of our Summer... 

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         πŸ’›πŸŒžA very hot, humid summer. πŸŒžπŸ’›
We've been quite busy lately... Lots of work inside & outside of the house. A pipe burst & a new boiler fitted.  But I won't bore you with all the headache issues with had with one thing and another! It's definitely not been a good summer on that score.  And the heats drove me literally bonkers πŸ˜”πŸŒž
Being ill at the beginning of the summer really took its toll on me... 
But,  me being me and that sort of person that despite everything & getting down in the dumps puts her rosey tinted spectacles on and tries to look for the bright and happy in my days... ⭐🌻⭐
So, here's my Happy escape days... ☺️πŸ’›
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Lanhydrock, National trust House and estate, Gardens including its own garden cottage on the estate and church. It was so very hot that day... But we drank lots of water and had a picnic under the giant oak trees. ✨🌻✨🌻✨🌻✨🌞
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The Intensity of heat this summer had completely drained me of creativity, but slowly as it has cooled a weee bit I've found in the last week it's come back. Yay!
I've loved feeling inspired again and drawing vintage inspired dolls... 
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Thinking of Autumnal days has inspired me too... 
✨⭐✨⭐✨🌻We had a lovely trip to the moors to cool off a bit ✨✨πŸ’š✨✨
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Still so lush and green up there on Dartmoor. Mossy covered trees are my favourite πŸ’š
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A wonderful trip to Exeter and I love the bikes in bloom... 
✨⭐✨⭐Thrifty finds... The illustrations are beautiful πŸ’š I do love my books. I also got some wonderful art supplies including stacker style paints... We took my daughter & her friend with us and they had a wonderful time creating a 'build a bear'  for each other and clothes shopping. 
The skies over the hill top.... Just beautiful... 
Love a Summer evening sky... 
And lots of Apple & blackberry picking
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Wednesday, 3 August 2022

🌿🌻🌿Finding my feet 🌿🌻🌿

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The last few weeks of July I spent mainly in bed with the most awful of viruses... 
I tested for covid but that was clear... I felt completely wiped out, feverish, tired, sick & chesty with eye aching headaches too... 
My daughter had been in the musical Mary Poppins and I'm so glad I made it to see her perform as the chairman... But literally days after I caught this dreaded virus. She had also been so busy with work experience in an office reception in between and then shows at weekends & 4 week nights... So immensely proud of her. Sometimes I look at her and think where have these years flown to... Such a big academic year coming too for her with g. c. s. e's... But so wonderful as a mother to see her blossom and shine ⭐🌟⭐⭐
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Sunflowers and heat... Hasn't it been hot! Record breaking temperatures a few weeks back. Way too hot for me... I do love the sun beams and the all the pretty blooms but the humidity really gets me down but luckily we have incredibly old thick, stone walls in our cottage so it's cooler in here. 
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One of the hottest days stevie took it as a holiday day off from work and we had a wonderful trip out to Totnes Market town. Actually it was cool with the shade of the shops... We always enjoy the book shops, art shop, charity thrift shops and little cafes. 
Then we drove to Aveton Gifford next to the estuary... The tide covers the causeway and reminds me of my childhood on an island on the east coast. There was a sweet cool, sea breeze along the marshy estuary. And we sat with our water bottles watching swans gather on the low tide... I found a child's washed up boot... 
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So I've been trying to find my feet again and enjoy the summer again after being ill. 
Gentle steps into August... 
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July had its moments but I'd also been enjoying my creative time... 
Busy in my junk journals and making & painting. 
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Being back out and walking and being outside with nature has helped my mental health... Horrible being cooped up inside. 
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Saltrum House Gardens... 
And a peaceful duck on the large pondπŸ¦†πŸŒΏπŸŒΎπŸŒΏ
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Apples on the hill top nearly ripe for the picking... 
I've finally started to get my creative buzz back and started making some whimsical black pussy cats with felt, lace and trims. 
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