Enjoying the small things

(Stitchwort and Bluebells)

Leaning on my spade this weekend, I couldn’t help imagining all the yummy food that would (hopefully) pop up in the raised beds I was working on, given time. I’d added compost to improve the fertility. Sown the seeds. Added water. Nothing else to do, but stand back and imagine all the mouth watering, gourmet meals this summer will bring. Given time.

This week has been about enjoying the small things. Something for all the senses. Often unrushed. Mostly something else setting the agenda. Turn-up-and-you-may-be-lucky kind of moments.

Sunday, we went to a car boot sale at one of the neighbouring villages. Never quite sure how these events will go. Will we find anything? Will we be the only ones there? As it turned out it was big and bustling. An experience for the children. I found pie dishes. I’ve been looking for these for a while, second hand. No point buying new. Just a matter of time till my path crosses someone else’s clutter.

I made a bowl cosy to go with them. Felt good to work with the fabric again and turn 2D to 3D, and into something useful. I’m going to make more, so all the family can use them too.

May Bank holiday we got up before the crack of dawn. I mean that in the literal sense. Getting the teens and tweens out of bed was remarkably easy. We headed off to a different nearby woods for the dawn chorus and the bluebells. It was noticeable how the woods woke up. Sun not quite up and the birds in full voice (recording posted on Instagram). The scent of the bluebells grew as the light did. We saw deer rising and even a young hare crossed our path.

 

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It was magical.

I love how the stitchwort and the bluebell are shoulder to shoulder.

Other happy moments this week:

⇒ Went for my first run for a long time.

⇒  Watched youngest playing his first cricket match of the season.

⇒ Middle doing well in a surprise test. She’s come a long way.

⇒  Eldest spending the day at a university

⇒ Baked a banana, chocolate and oatmeal tea bread, to use up some bananas. This is so good. Chocolate and banana cake is now my favourite kind of cake. Highly recommend. I used a recipe from Waitrose. (recipe here, just in case you want to give it a go)

⇒ The fragrance of potting up my tomato plants. All grown from seed.

So many moments to enjoy. Simple. Basic. I think I like it that way.

Joining in with Anne’s word of the week linky. My word is Enjoy.

Raisie Bay

 

28 comments

  1. The simple little moments are really the best kind, life gets so busy that we sometimes forget to stop and appreciate it all. I saw your video on Instagram it looked lovely and peaceful, those bluebells looked amazing too. Car boots are great places to pick up kitchen bits and bobs, I’ve got lots of useful things for the kitchen from freecycle over the years too, ones persons trash as the saying goes x

    1. You’re right. Life can get so busy that you can miss the small things. I love taking moments out to enjoy the bits that are so often overlooked. Yes, one person’s trash. I’ve put things up on Freecycle, that have been picked up, but I’ve only ever picked one thing up and that was a piano stool. Works best when I’m looking for a solution.

  2. I haven’t been to a car boot sale in years. I remember doing one with my Mum a long time ago, we took all our bits and bobs and stood there selling all day, while my kids (the two older ones) went around spending all their pocket money buying more than we sold! It was a fun day though. You’re early walk through the wood sounds amazing. I have enjoyed reading your post this week 🙂 Thanks for linking up to Word of the Week and being one of my Wowers this week. x #Wotw

    1. What a fun memory. Never taken the step to run my own car boot stall. Being there all day would lead to too many opportunities for me to pick up more than I needed. The woods are so beautiful at the moment. Didn’t bump into another soul (unless you count deer and hare) on Bank Holiday, but maybe everyone else was enjoying a lie-in.

  3. Those spring flowers are gorgeous. You have some lovely photos! We just returned home from visiting my son in Colorado and the bluebells were everywhere! So pretty. We don’t get them here in the eastern US, at least not that I am aware. Good luck with your tomatoes! There is nothing better than a fresh tomato, not like the hard, flavorless ones you find in the supermarket.

    1. Fresh tomatoes are the best. Always a let down over the winter to eat shop bought ones. Same with cucumbers and sweetcorn. Quite a different taste, straight from the garden.

  4. That woodland walk sounds absolutely blissful. How lovely to see the woods wake up and hear the dawn chorus. That banana, oatmeal and chocolate tea bread looks delicious. Sophie has a tomato plant that she got given at school just before Easter. I really need to move it to a bigger pot this weekend! Hope you have a lovely weekend x #WotW

    1. The walk was blissful. So worth getting up early for. Lovely idea of school to give tomato plants. I hope it grows big and produces the best tasting tomatoes ever!

  5. It sounds like a lovely week.
    The small things are wonderful aren’t they!
    The bowl cosy is genius!
    It sounds like the perfect morning on May Bank Holiday! The bluebells look ever so pretty.
    That banana cake looks amazing!

  6. What a lovely week you have had! I love your bowl cosy and the pretty table setting.
    The woods look like a wonderful place for an early morning walk and how nice that you caught a glimpse of the wildlife starting their day.
    Loved popping by for a read as always x 😀 #MMBC

  7. The simple things in life are always the best. Your photos are beautiful. I’ve just put my tomato plants outside – they shot up all of a sudden!

  8. Simple is so often better, I love the simple things in life. I love those bowl cozies what a genius idea? We had had blue bells polinate into our garden this year and I am so thrilled. And this year we have a bee hive, not sure how that will pan out but I am secretly thrilled they are here and hoping they spread loads of my favourite flowers about! omg uni thats crazy !

    1. Lucky you with the bluebells. We live in hope. Quite envious of your bee hive. It’s something I still want to do. Hope it is a good summer with them.

  9. That cake looks amazing! Mine are so fussy with cake, so I would end up eating it all (not good for the diet). Exciting that your eldest is visiting University, my eldest is just finishing his 2nd year x

    1. That is the problem. I can’t experiment too often, because if it is a fail for the family, I end up eating it. Hate to waste food.

  10. what a great pie dish find!!! Those bluebells look amazing – I’m worried about missing bluebell season as we haven’t been on a special outing to see them yet although i do make time to appreciate the ones i’ve been spotting here and there. #wotw

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