Hokey Cokey ( or in and out! )

Inside I am day dreaming about creating a room scheme based on the william Morris print "Blackthorn".

We used to have it in our family home when I was child and I am hankering for it!

I am also filling vases and pots with evergreen foliage as outside all is calm, all is WHITE!

This detail is staggering, today I am mostly reading up on William Morris!


Sarah

xXx

News Flash

Still no sign of the part needed to fix our central heating~ HOWEVER~ after some Heath Robinson lashing of cables, masking tape, sticky back plastic, two empty loo rolls........you get the idea....................

Drum roll please

We have heating!

Hurragh!

This is an approximation of what I have been doing since the joyous gurgling sound of the radiators kicked in

I love radiators!

so does the Boodle, his sleeping regime is so important and he requires an ambient temperature of 21 degrees or so!

Happy days!

Thank you all for your lovely words of comiseration and encouragement, you've been brilliant!

Be warm and toasty xXx

Deep and crisp and even

Good King Wenceslas last looked out on the feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even
Much has been said already about the truly astonishing amount of snowfall, I shall simply add that I, at last think I appreciate the meaning of "Deep and crisp and even!"

The plan is to dig out the decorations and enjoy being at home together!

It is a bonus to have Mr.Lane at home during the week!

I shall also be linking to the the Toast site to listen to the first instalment of a Russian folk tale, Tsar Saltan click here if you are interested

I love unwrapping the decs and rediscovering old favourites don't you?

Sarah

xXx

Winter light

Beautiful winter light

This weekend we walked and walked around our favourite local places as we had no central heating and decided it was warmer outside!

So many amazing light changes.

Lovely Red Hiding Hood

I just love fairy tales!

The very act of re-telling a story through generations is a wonderful thing, I love the tradition and the family embellishments that go with it.

Red Riding Hood is amongst my favourites not least because of her iconic red cape, there are so many illustrations of her, I really love this one.

This Christmas I shall be giving Louise Rowe's amazing Red Riding Hood Pop up book

It is quite scary!

Beautifully crafted and in a wonderful muted forest colour palette - have a look at it if you have a chance, you wont be disappointed. ( She has just published a new version of Hansel & Gretel too! I should be very grateful if Father Christmas popped one into my stocking - if your reading this Mr.Lane? )

Red Riding Hood as an image translates so well, this 1930's poster looks fantastic

as does this gorgeous etching

I remember being up far too late one Friday night whilst my parnts were out when I came across The Company of Wolves being shown on Channel 4 back in the early days!

It was a delicious behind the sofa experience!

I hadn't a clue what was going on, do you remember it?

The Company of Wolves was a 1984 gothic fantasy - horror film . The film is based on the werewolf stories in Angela Carter's short story collection The Bloody Chamber ( The Company of Wolves ,Wolf-Alice and The Werewolf ).

There is a new film being released March 2011

a gothic horror re-imagining of the fairy tale set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf. A young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter much to her family's displeasure....

Hmmm, sounds interesting.......

Have a warm weekend, and be very careful if you venture into the woods.............

Sarah

xXx

Winter Roses

I love winter roses.

They battle on, flowering against the odds in the worst of winters' weather.

They seem so much more precious at this time of year, when all else is bunkering down a new bud appearing on a rose bush is real thrill.

I have even been lucky enough to pick a few rose-buds to decorate the table on Christmas day!

There are two very special winter roses I must mention here ~

To my dear friend "Ludo" Happy Birthday!


and my beautiful sil "Pen" Happy Birthday to you too!

sending you both wintery sparkles and roses every day!

Have a brilliant weekend everyone

and Happy Birthday if it's yours too!

Sarah

xXx

Bonfire Night

Last night the village gathered together to celebrate Bonfire Night.

A large bonfire, a muddy field, fireworks, hot-dogs, soup and friends and neighbours.

It was a wonderfully simple and low key affair ~ looking around I was struck by the image of everyones' faces pointed up to the heavens illuminated by glowing firelight and heightened by the rythmic bursting of huge starry sparkles and coloured chrysanthemum flower heads exploding above our heads.

This morning, feeling more refelctive than ever! I reach for the TOAST AW2010 magazine and lose myself in the fantastic images for a while

Feeling inspired by the homely images I am off to make boiled egg and soldiers followed by blackcurrant jam on hefty wholemeal bread

and then off to market to buy casserole ingredients ~ I do like to cook when I am melancholy!

Tonight I am planning to put my feet up and stay at home

Enjoy your weekend wont you!

Happy Bonfire Night

xXx