The big reveal!

Awake! and feeling very Skippy indeed!

Bounced up out of here!

And down here for breaky with my beautiful boys

and them quick sticks back upsatirs to squeeze this lot into a battered old suitcase and then off at last!


My goodness it has been weeks and weeks of secret squirrel planning with Him down the lane and my Sil,
all because much beloved brother faraway is 40 and I am going to surprise him in

by the time you are reading this, all being well I will have arrived and the surprise will be a

fait-acomplis! I am writing this on Tuesday evening and I leave first thing in the morning Wednesday. I am attempting to post this automatically, hope it works!

I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me, you may remember a wistful post back in July (Mornington Memories) about my "faraways" well that was the start of all this as the best hubby in all the world knew how sad I was not to be seeing them all and has made all this possible.

So Mr.Lane, I know you occaisionally meander onto my blog, and I hope you do because I want to thank you with all my heart, you are the BEST!

Little brother also sometimes reads too hence my secrecy! but to all my brilliant friends au revoir for now, I hope to manage a post whilst I am out there!

I will definately have lots to tell you about when I get back, Melbourne is so great for amazing Crafts People so watch out!

Back Soon,

G'Day x

Shhhhh, Secret Squirrel

The thing is, I have got this project thingummy bobbedy going on and I am absoloutley bursting to tell you, have been for weeks, but I cant quite yet!

I know it is a tease but I had to let out a teeny bit of my excitement as I am at the stage of waking up every day and having a litttle squeal!

All will be revealed by the end of the week!

Naturally Cosy

The winds have arced and turned, now the air is cool and blows in from the North.

I find myself yearning for simplicity, texture, neutrality, well with a gentle pop of colour of course!

Somewhere out there, in a parallel universe

(the one where Rose and the Doctor are happily co-habiting!)

I am absoloutely brilliant at knitting and crochet, and I knocked this up over a couple of weekends!

If only.....................

This weekend will be all about hunkering down with Him Down the Lane.
Snuggling up with mugs of milky hot chocolate, the papers and the Boodle cuddling up too!
I want a little quiet, a little cosiness and and just to be together.
BLISS

I am so happy to have all your thoughts on the Midnight/Cadbury debate!
(Foxy/Mr.Man)
Drumroll please....................
Cadbury wins by one vote!
I have come up with an alternative solution
NEW PAIR of CONS!

All these images came from my scrap-book pile, and were originally part of Living ETC. Red and Country Living.

Have a warm and cuddly weekend,
Love Sarah x

Liberty lovage

Hi I'm back! From here......

(these two chaps were just so hilarious, snort! how original to jump into the picture!)




Had to pause a while and enjoy the Flower Shop

The windows were fab as always but a bit tricky to capture on camera, this one gives you the general idea

And this one was a gem, a model of the fabulous building constructed from Hermes boxes, very cool, love that orange it THE happy colour!

I have been itching to see the "Liberty in print" event ever since Wee Birdy posted about it.

The "Betsy" print was used to great effect to wrap the back of the building on Carnaby Street, more on this later.

"Betsy"

On the top floor they had this brilliant shed, each board covered in Tana Lawn, so joyous!

Now, I don't know how Hen (Henhouse) manages to take her shop pics but I am so scared of being castigated by someone fierce in horn-rimmed specs this picture was really daring of me!

Back to the building wrap!

IT IS MAGNIFIQUE

I would like to do this on my house

(Sorry Mr.Lane, I will of course consult on the pattern).

Ah, it was all just as magical as I hoped it would be I saw many many trinkets and treasures which I have noted for Christmas presies for loved ones.

On the way home at Victoria I bought a magazine to read, and it had to be this as I just Love Rob Ryan and the cover is by him.

OK, OK I'll cut to the chase.

I bought these lovelies................................

4 Beautiful Tana lawn lengths and several metres of this luscious velvet ribbon.

Loved looking, loved choosing!

What are you going to use it for S-J DTL?

Well, the Tana lawn is going to be used to trim some old favourite cardis and sweatshirts. Elbow patches and such as well as becoming dresses for some dollies I am working on.

And that velvet ribbon?

Ah, now the first thing is to update my old favourites with a little wintry twist,

You like?

This ribbon is a beautiful blue which I have named Midnight.

And this a gorgeous royal purple which I have named Cadbury

So the question is, which is better

Midnight or Cadbury?

You decide.......leave me your votes!

I like both, foxy/Mr.Men I just can't decide so I shall be guided by you clever ones reading this!

Midnight, yum

Cadbury, Ooh!

Oh and then I got really carried away with those fairies again! and decided to update the white tennis shoe!

Crazy I know but I like it!

I also purchased this box containing notelets, really handy and pretty too

See

So, it has been a really fun day and I am looking forward to more customising and frou frou.

Thanks for coming along!

Off to build some tea now, see you soon

Love Sarah x

Jolly Brolly

Well, there has been a lot of Autumnal talk about hasn't there?

Here down the Lane we like to think we are having a last late Summer Fling in these swirly warm days!

There are certainly leaves on the ground but there are roses coming around again too!

Time to Jolly the brolly and lunch al fresco!

and then as the sun goes down and the early evening light turns all pink and magical, time to imagine what the fairies will get up to in the garden whilst our backs are turned

I am dusting off my red cape, like Vianne, in Joanne Harris's "Chocolat" and hopping up to the smoke for a little Liberty indulgence...... back soon with my floral tales!

Have a lovely week x

Birthday Boys

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!

birthday greetings to my faraways, Brother and Nephew

and Birthday licks to Mr.Boodle!

Happy Birthday everyone who celebrates this weekend x

Bank Holiday Dorset and Devon (part 2)

To me this is exactly what a seaside shop should look like!

Windmills, fudge and postcards.......JOY

Thanks for coming back for part 2!

Where were we? Oh yes, on into Devon........

At this point I must award a special Sarah-Jane Down the Lane golden bramble to Michele of Cowboys and Custard, http://infocowboysandcustard.blogspot.com/ who quite correctly guessed that we were indeed staying here...

At the Masons Arms in Branscombe!

Which Him Down the Lane kept pointing out that "*****" would love this!

You know who you are!

The following morning, after a "hearty" breakfast.(Bacon, eggs, snorkers, tomatoes, mushrooms, black pudding (eughhhhh) etc.) We set off along the coastal path to Beer.

Wind whipping up along the headland, the rain rushing inland and no shelter!

This is the view looking back to Branscombe Beach from about half way up!

Then the system blew through and the sun emerged, phew!

On the descent into Beer we caught a glimpse of the sea looking down over the allotments. How brilliant a coastal allotment, what heaven?

Simply love this terrace of cottages.

Down on Fore Street I totally embarassed Him down the Lane by poking my camera into the hallway of a B&B, but just look at these fabulous tiles!

There's more........

Cant wait any longer, lets hop along to the beach and have a wonderful morning coffee from one of the cafe/huts. This is our favoutite "Chappel's".

Now you will have to forgive these next few indulgences!

Deckchair love ensued!

I have enough shots to fill a book and perhaps if I get it off this week it will be ready for Christmas, tee hee!

OK, OK that will do!

For now.............................

Little glance over my shoulder as we head back up the Coastal Path

So beautiful but when we get back I may need a little sustenance of the Cream Tea variety!

What about here?

The Old Bakery, Branscombe

Whilst I love the Orchard I am not as keen on Mr.Wasp who is in paradise, cream teas and rotting apples.......................I think I will hop over the road to the Forge

Loving this wonderful porch area.

"Off to Sidmouth" announced Mr.Lane

I wasn't too sure about this, but when we arrived I really loved it!

Especially the cool municipal spaces with brilliant planting including a Union Jack and this starfish amongst others. I mght publish the photo guide to this in time for Mothers Day!

After a bracing stroll along the Sea front and a climb back up a wooden stairway, Mr.Lane appeared around a corner up above me..."Quick, you have to see this...."

Magical, heavenly, glorious, surprising Connaught Gardens!

I knew nothing of it until that moment, it was breathtaking. What a position, high up looking out to sea, lots of interconnecting courtyards and spaces, wonderful. Clever Mr.Lane.

Looking back at Sidmouth from Connaught Gardens

That evening we wound our way back towards Branscombe to stay in a Cottage called "Baldash"

Here it is! Nestled amongst the trees

What an interesting window!

We slept in the room behind it, LOVELY.

That night we ate Fish and Chips out of the paper on the beach at Beer and watched the sun go down...............................

and the moon rise

Sublime :D

The next morning it was off to Dartmouth, to the Regatta.

Managed to hit the shops in Totnes on the way and bought "This and That!"

For SIL and BIL who were kind enough to invite us onboard their boat to watch the festivities.

That night we watched the fireworks tucked into sleeping bags drinking hot chocolate what a lovely finale to a Bank Holiday break!

Back soon with more deckchair piccies.........

only kidding x