Apple Blossom and a little French Beauty!

My favourite time of year has to be Spring and early summer and in particular apple blossom time. Having grown up in a rural part of the country where apple orchards and 'blossom' trails were a seasonal feature, it's a  joy to have an old variety apple tree in our front garden.

Years of neglect meant we inherited a tree that was barely recognisable, in need of a prune and absolutely smothered in ivy. The 'family firm' soon set to work not long after our move and within a few days we'd uncovered a pretty tree and lovingly pruned her into shape - with a little expert help from my mum!

The following spring at 'Mole End' was cold and wet and the blossom a bit disappointing to say the least. Cold winds and rain soon blew the flowers away and the sound of buzzing bees conspicuous by their absence! What a shame....we would have to wait a whole year to see if our tree would fully recover.

Well....what a difference a year makes! Sunshine and warmth, a lot less rain and our little tree has come up trumps! Smothered in gorgeous fragrant blossom and buzzy bees busily going about their duty. Our local bird population has grown too - regular visits from nuthatches, blue tits, woodpeckers, robins, goldfinches, chaffinches, yellowhammers and of course our resident population of noisily chatty sparrows.

...and here is a photo of our tree in full bloom, enhanced by a visit from our friend Colin and his Citroen 2CV...don't they make a pretty pair??

Summer House Blues!

Finally summer arrives and a chance to get back out in the garden and 'Fothergills Inc' family set to work on a revamp of the garden summer house!

It was looking a bit sad and neglected and the steps in much need of repair. So the family set to work, mum, dad, Charlie & Henry. In the space of a weekend we've transformed our little summer shed into something more lovely...and all it took was a few pots of paint, a bit of wood and some plants!!!

Here's the before...

And here's the aft....

Meanwhile...more lushness in the rest of the garden and the day lilies are at their peak of perfection!

And the dog-proofing seems to have worked too!







Cutting and Sticking

Short Winter days, long nights and the festive break mean less time for gardening but more time to catch up with family and friends. Cozy fires, time with the family, home cooking and walks in the countryside help to recharge batteries after an exhausting year.

Time to reflect on times past, remembering the highs and lows of the last 12 months, thinking of our hopes and plans for the future and looking forward to more creative and fun projects from Fothergills Inc in 2012.

But.... just a little bit of time before the end of the holiday to fit in some creativity....and what better excuse for not doing the ironing!!!

Over a year ago I bought some papier mache animals from a local stallholder. Somehow the intentions to decorate were good but I never got round to it...until now. I've always loved cutting and sticking things...creating decorative objects from cheap raw materials is very satisfying. So...on a cold winter's evening it's time to get going with the pva glue and pretty papers!!!

Materials needed:
PVA glue and some old brushes
Decorative papers - chocolate wrappers are ideal too and what better excuse for eating the contents first??
An item to decorate - papier mache animals, boxes, bins or anything you can get your hands on.

Rip the papers into small squares, coat with pva glue and start covering the object, overlapping each piece of paper as you go along and gradually building up layers of papers over the item. The chocolate wrappers add a bit of sparkle and glamour plus you have the added pleasure of eating chocs while you work!!

Keep going and eventually you will cover the whole item...or two in my case. They serve no purpose in life other than being decorative but it's been fun in the process and a great way to relax and wind down after busy times plus I'm sure we will find somewhere for them to take pride of place in the Fothergill household.

Smart Car Football

And here's what happens when you combine a 21st Birthday, 4 smart car cakes, a Moomin Mama back massager, a film enthusiast and four Fothergills!

Christmas Sock Puppet Mayhem with the Fothergills!

Well...here we  are and its Christmas!!! Family fun and mayhem as usual....Duvet day post Christmas and nothing on the Telly so we made our own entertainment instead!  Watch out for the surprise guest appearance by Truffle the Dog!!