The Very Best Of British......

Hello there lovely peeps,

What a busy bee, I have been, this last week!

Firstly talking of bees, I received this beautiful card of kind words from lovely  Ali @ http://alibeecreations.blogspot.co.uk/

Ali and I were swap partners in the jar of love swap hosted by Katie @ http://booty-fullthings.blogspot.co.uk/

This was my first swap and look what I received from Ali.....

Wonderful crochet delights (my Olivia has her eye on this corsage)

Pretty buttons....

A pretty crochet scarf.....

Olympic memorabilia.....(love this)

And a moggie keep sake book...

with a photo holder, because of my love of cats.....

The jar was a delight to open!!!

Thank you Ali.

More importantly than the gifts in the jar, is finding Ali and her blog as now we have become blogging friends!!!

Ali's blog is lovely and so inspirational ......

She seems to be able to put her hand to all kinds of crocheting and sewing projects!!!

So do pop over and pay her a visit, as she is soo lovely!!

A cosy corner ready for the celebrations to begin..........

Mid week brought a surprise visit from Deano......

Soo Union Jacks were on display for his visit and also of course for the Olympic Ceremony, which incidentally was fabulous, didn't you think!! 

Loved the part with our Queen and her Corgis and James bond !

Just brilliant! And the young and inspiring athlete's lighting the torch to represent our future generations to come!!

Am thinking it was all too much for some feline friends.....

Cats always find the sunny spots!!

Don't they just........

We also spent our weekend travelling back to Birmingham, with Dean and spending time with him, before he flies to Portugal, where he will train and rest until his games begin at the beginning of September.....

I just couldn't resist showing you this beautiful wall paper, that was in the restaurant, where we enjoyed our lunch and time together....

Isn't it soo pretty!!

I would love this in my bedroom.....

The last lovely surprise was this wonderful book arriving from Marina's lovely blog....http://evelynmayvintage.blogspot.co.uk/

It was part of my prize from her give away.....

(Earlier post.)

Well it was certainly worth waiting for too!

The authors have signed this copy specially for me.. 

It is full of wonderful inspirational pictures for the vintage home..

So thank you once again Marina!.

I will say bye bye for now....

I have a little quieter week planned for this one, so I will be popping into your lovely blogs shortly, with a nice cup of tea!! Bliss.........

Love Maria x

Compliments.......

'Nowadays we are all of us so hard up that the only pleasant things to pay are compliments.'
- Oscar Wilde.

Hello there!

I love the above quote, as this is where I am going with my posts today....
Saying "thank you" for gifts I have received.

I have been treated  and treated myself in more ways than one this week!

My friend lovely Claire from Thriftwood blog  came to visit on Friday and if you can imagine us two vintage girls together!
Well we did have a lovely time......

She brought with her this lovely gift, the Olympic collection mug by Cath Kidston complete with wild flowers.....

Isn't it lovely!

Thank you Claire, you know it has pride of place...

Also on the same day a beautiful parcel arrived from lovely Sophie (Fading grace Blog)

I couldn't wait to get it open......

I knew what it was of course, but couldn't have been more delighted!

This Pussy Willow vintage bag!!

I fell in love with this bag ages ago....

I needed to have a sort out though, as I wanted to 'tith ' (give away) some of my other bags..

This is letting some thing else go to a good home, before you purchase.

And that is what I did!

It is my bag to take to London (my good luck bag)

Thank You Sophie.

Another feel good thing is watching this delightful movie....

Have you seen it I wonder...

'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.'

I enjoyed it so much, as I love Dev Patel (Slum dog Millionaire)

And also the brilliant Bill Nighy of course.

We seem to be watching a lot of movie s recently, I am thinking it is because of our shabby British summer!
But I do like a good Film!

Another thing I have been buying lots of  lately is cake decorations and cup cases in Union Jack style of course.

I may have mentioned in a earlier post that I am not the best at baking, unlike most of you blogging ladies...

Soo goodness knows when these will be put to use!!
They do look pretty on my shelves though. haha...

I will close today on the conversation between my man and son the other evening via telephone....

Dean had been training at 'The Alexandra Stadium', in Birmingham, which incidently is the holding camp for the Jamaican Olympic team right now.

"I shared the gym with just one other athlete Dad, last night."

"Oh who was that Deano?"

"Just Usain Bolt."

Husbando's reply was...

"Oh did he ask for your autograph son!"
It made me smile!

Wishing you all a week full of magic moments!

Love Maria x

Thank you for always dropping by too!

You really are lovely!

Cloud Nine.........

I am still up here on Cloud Nine after our wonderful news, on my last post!

Thank you lovely peeps for your lovely best wishes for Deano...

They were of the kindest indeed.

I must admit that I keep getting twinges of excitement and anticipation about the Olympic's  starting very shortly!

Hasn't it just been our year in Old-blighty for celebrations....

With the Queens Diamond jubilee and all... 

Anyways on the day we heard the fab news for Dean, we were enjoying a lovely day in Kendal.

The post card above is one of my dear mums, post dated 1938, with greetings from her dear Aunty, inviting My Grandma and Mum to come and visit her in Kendal and stay over..

Mum would just be a small child then...

They always loved to visit as Mum's Aunty owned a small farm and this is where Brownie Bear was homed (previous post) during the war years...

such nostalgia!!

Kendal is situated on the gate way to the lake district.

And is very famous for its Kendal mint cake...

We had a lovely cream tea here....

Love the name (Truly Scrumptious)

And it was indeedy!

Then we walked and Kendal was lovely and pretty with the sun shining, although it had been flooded badly the week before...

You could still see sand bags out side some of the shops too...

I would have loved to have taken lots of photographs but, I'm afraid, I just got carried away with the wonderful news....

I did buy biscuits and Union Jacks and Tea towels and any memorabilia that I could lay my hands on that day though!! haha...

But I have calmed down a little and I'm enjoying a little puttering and reading (gift from a lovely friend) Alan Titchmarch's  a year in the garden....

For anyone who is interested, channel four will be running the first advertisement for our Paralympions on Tuesday evening..

Dean was invited to a terribly posh evening gala on Saturday in our capital where all the athletes attended and received there kits and opening ceremony suits..

Various big name sponsors were also attending.

The Paralympic  advertisement for the games was played for the first time and in Deans words,"sent shivers of excitement down his spine"....

If you are not a sporty type and don't care to watch our Olympics, do try and pop into the paralympics, if you can. I am sure like me you will be humbled, excited and so very proud indeed of these fine athletes!!

I will close with this cute picture of Bad Puss willow....

Awww...

Well it wouldn't be  a proper post without a moggie picture, would it!!

Wishing you all a week of cheeriness!!

And thank you for always stopping by...

Love Maria x

Much a Ta Do About Nothing.............

Hey-Ho! We are into July and still no sign of Summer..........

I have been a puttering and a pottering , mainly due to the shabby British weather really, keeping me house bound, rather like my cats!

I have been drinking this fab tea all  week (gift from a crazy friend)..She won't mind me saying this!

Eye Bright and Nettle Tea.

It is a therapeutic herb of Elderflower, Eyebright, Nettle and Peppermint...

My normal tipple is Lady Grey, but after being told by a physic lady recently, that I drink to much toxic tea,

I have given it ago!

I love any kind of tea really!

It is a Neal's Yard brew, but' boy' does it send my cats crazy, they don't drink it mind you.

It just seems to be the smell, which is a little like Cat Nip, I suppose!

I always stir clock wise with herbal teas , when brewing a pot, as they are quite magical....

And I am partial to a spell or two at the moment.....

I had fallen in love with this little cupboard, at work , some time ago, soo home it came to live with me.

I have papered the inside with some pretty vintage wall paper and voi-la.....

Another home to store my pretties...

Talking about pretties, what do you think of Brownie Bear!

He is a very old boy, He did play music, by a wind up key, on his back...

But alas, now just rests along with my crocheting, for this photo...

He belonged to my great Auntie, Then, my dear Mum and now my sister has given him residence!

He has a poorly paw and a cross face, but then we would, if we were about 80 years old!

Ha ha...

On Saturday, we watched the movie, (The lady in black)......

Spooky!

Have you seen it?

It is the new film with Daniel Radcliffe, you will have heard of it, I am sure...

I will leave you with this photo, taken in  my bedroom, by Olivia as she wanted to show off her new vintage skirt! It was taken just after we had gone up to our rooms that evening......

Can you see, what we see!!
Look to the side of the picture, left hand side...
Can you see a figure?

Aww Dear!
A little creepy!

Wishing you a week full of interesting things....

love Maria x