A surprise visit...

I had a list as long as my arm today. Many of the tasks were happy tasks and I was rather looking forward to them. I wrote them out, consulted the children and started to plan....


Then the phone rang and my day was tipped on it's head in the most delightful way. One of my dearest friends had decided to pay me a visit. Lady M. A good friend, a kindred spirit, a work colleague. She came with her two little sprites FF and N. We then took them to the beach. Unfortunately the chosen beach was not to be the location de jour being that the tide was in and not an inch of sand could be seen. Did this matter? Not a jot! We took them to the Victorian walled garden that is all that is left of Dunraven house. A beautiful and soulful place. A place I am all to familiar with. It knows all my moods and sorrows. It knows also of joy and sunny picnics with my laughter and sunshine. It has four separate gardens that all have a charm of their own. The crenelated ice house is a tower of fairytales. A place to go on winter evenings with warm hot chocolate and lanterns. (A does get a little frightened of the dark) And now a favorite place to train/walk little G. I never knew why the house was demolished some 50 odd years ago and found out today it was pulled down after a devastating fire ripped the guts of the house out. Such a sad tale as it was clearly a wonder of a house. Not to mention the ghost stories surrounding the wreckers of Dunraven bay....

After a long barefoot yomp through the gardens we meanders back to the car park. There we purchased a warming cup of tea and the obligatory pasty. It strikes me that the same pasties would never taste the same unless eaten from a paper back sitting on the wall at the sea front. The tide was still in but there was enough room for the wee ones to scramble over the pebbles and look out at the sea. Lady M and I sat and giggles at the ridiculous of life...

Ice creams all round and then back to the cars for a journey home.

Upon out return we left the little people to entertain themselves with chickens and puppies and set about planning her new dress ready for the next work event. She had several meters of bottle green velvet and I had an amount of gold/green figured silk. I could see the dress in my minds eye but couldn't seem to make Lady M see it at first. So out the pattern boxes came and in due course I had the dress cut out. This I did find somewhat of a struggle. My fingers and wrists are hurting today and I have cramp in my legs but I shall not dwell on that. I enjoyed stretching my creative side in costuming. I have not felt inspired like this in a long while. Lady M then when through my bead box and found the perfect beads to accent the pattern in the silk.....She will look like the Lady she playes....



By the time they had left I found it was too late to start roasting a chicken so bacon and eggs was had (thank you to pecky, Rosy and violet) and then relaxing in front of the telly watching "a passionate woman"

life is good :)