A coastal walk

Yesterday was August Bank Holiday here in England so we took the train to Scarborough on the East coast.  Scarborough was Britain's first seaside resort.


We decided to walk the coastal path from Scarborough to Filey (about eight miles) and the weather was perfect for it.  
We started off at the harbour  
(click on photos to enlarge)

Traditional donkey rides on the beach, with Scarborough castle up on the hill behind.  It was quite cool but some people were enjoying playing on the sand.

As we walked past the Spa, the orchestra were just finishing playing in the openair sun area.

This is looking back from the end of the beach, with the Spa buildings on the left and the Grand Hotel in the centre.

At one point we had to make a small detour when this cow was on the path.  We couldn't see how it had got out of the field where the rest of the herd were and it was only narrow between the fence and the cliff edge, so we didn't want to send it over!

When we got to this point we could see Filey ahead

and Scarborough looking back in the far distance

Almost there!  

The tide's in at Filey, splashing up against the sea wall

Of course we had to go in the arcades with our 2p coins

After having some chips, we caught the train home from Filey.

It's curtains for the top

Do you remember these bark cloth curtains I got from a car boot sale a few months ago?

I've used them to make this top.

Before I started it I was worried that the fabric may be too thick for the pleats on the neckline, but they've come out really well.

Just one Sorbetto

I've made myself a top today using the free Sorbetto pattern and a bed sheet I bought from the charity shop.  I thought the original was a bit short so I added 2.5 inches to the length.  

The neck and armholes are finished with bias binding.  I've made my own bias binding before (without the use of a gizmo) and I kept burning my fingers when trying to press the edges in.  This time I just pressed it in half but not the edges to the middle and then pinned it on, folding in as I went

It actually came out a lot better than when I've pre-pressed it!  (and no burnt fingers)

I made this on my new sewing machine which I got yesterday (after giving my old one to my daughter).
It's really quiet compared to my old one, and just look at all the free stuff I got with it.  

50 large reels of thread, a set of scissors and a few other bits and bobs.


Oh, if you're wondering what the title refers to, it's a TV advert for Wall's Cornettos which was sung to the tune of O Sole Mio - 'Just one Cornetto' (if you google it you won't be able to get it out of your head).

Take a piece of grass...

I don't know if this is just a regional thing or if everyone knows it, but I would hate any of my readers to go through life without knowing this little ditty.


Actually you nearly didn't get to know it because what seemed like a good idea at the time turned out to be a lot harder to put into practice.  It had to be filmed, but I didn't want to be in it, and neither did my daughter or son.  It was no good asking my husband because he would have just questioned my sanity!  
There was nothing for it but to do it myself.  I hate the sound of my voice on recordings because I sound like a little boy, so I had to lower it (see no. 5 here), but I kept forgetting when I got to the end and we had to keep redoing it.  Then there were the ones that weren't focused properly, the lighting wasn't right, various mishaps with the grass, missing the end etc. - the metaphorical cutting room floor was piled up to the ceiling!
In the end my son refused to do any more so I've had to use this one and I didn't do the voice properly so I sound awful.  
I ran out of suitable grass and had to use some red orache (such a versatile plant!).


So without further ado,  

Wasn't that worth waiting for?
In case you're wondering what it's all about, it's just a silly thing to show to another person (child) with a piece of grass.

Tree in Summer

tree in Winter

bunch of flowers

April showers  

(at which point you throw the seeds at the other person)

It's a lot better in real life - try it!

And if you do all know it already, I apologise for wasting your time!

Call this Summer?

It's been very un-Summery round these parts for the past few days.
On one of the odd occasions when the wind calmed down and the sun came out I was able to take this photo of the bees enjoying a teasel flower

I forgot to put these sunflower photos in my last post

There's nothing the hens like more than a dust bath whether it's sunny or not

Oh ye of little faith

I'm not referring to you, dear reader, but to myself...


I bought a plant from the market a couple of months ago that had no label on.  I recognised it as a hollyhock and the stall holder told me it would have black flowers.  I'm always dubious about claims of black flowers because they're usually very dark red or purple; the same with claims of blue roses that are actually lilac.  So imagine my joy when it blossomed into this!

It hasn't got double flowers but I'm really pleased with it.




I planted it in a bed that you may remember looked like this in April


and now it's like this with the hollyhock at the back (the pond is just the same though)

I sowed it with annuals but the only ones to survive were the sunflowers and zinnias.  In fact I sowed the zinnias twice and they didn't do anything so a sowed some more indoors of which I got 12.  The poppys were self seeded and  the marigolds I moved from another part of the garden where they had self seeded.  There is also the ubiquitous red orache!
Sod's law that some the orangey yellow zinnias ended up next to the marigolds so they don't show up.  Like here (marigold on top left)

and here (zinnia at the back of the group)

You can just see a couple of Ruby Chard plants behind with the red stems




Oh you know that shirt I altered for my husband?  He wore it today for the first time and didn't say anything about the pocket so he must think it's alright.  
I haven't mentioned that I put it on, because I don't want to draw his attention to it though.