TERRIFIC TWINWOOD........

Now I don't want to shout it out too loud but yesterday was my birthday.....A HUGE birthday, and had it not been for two things I might have been a bit depressed. First there were the wonderful cards, presents, flowers and well wishes of my family and friends, rounded off by the most scrumptious impromptu party (in the sunshine) and secondly I felt a real spring chicken after watching 'Fabulous Fashionistas', a program about 6 women with an average age of 80 who completely destroyed any preconceived ideas you might have had about growing old........

However on our little jaunt (was it really 4 weeks ago) to the Twinwood Festival I didn't feel quite so young watching the incredible dancing talent on show! Jitterbug, Charleston, Jive my word did those guys and gals go!

The tickets were bought for us as a Christmas present by our DD and her family and at the time it seemed so far away, but my how those months galloped by and especially the last one when we were still trying to find what to wear.

I love vintage especially the 1940s and 50s, but would never pretend that I could always tell real vintage clothing or accessories. Of course we do have the Internet now and that's where I went for my inspiration. DH was lucky to have a genuine 1940s double breasted suit which I had found in a charity shop some time ago, and a genuine trilby and braces. so his outfit just needed the finishing touches. However for myself and my SIL it was just a case of trawling through books and Internet images and hoping that we would achieve a reasonable look, without it costing us a small fortune.
In the end I made a dress from an authentic 1940s pattern, and even made a hat from a 1940s pamphlet!. I didn't wear the hat however as it was made from felt and the weather forecast was not good, but it will keep.

Well I am chuffed to say that our menfolk must have cut the mustard as they were photographed several times and are now on the Simply Twinwood facebook site and all four of us were captured by a lady for her job, where she helped the elderly by taking photographs at vintage festivals and getting them to reminisce about their past experiences.

The weekend started very badly weather wise with some torrential rain on the Saturday, but our tickets were for Sunday and a rather misty and miserable morning soon gave way to the most glorious hot and sunny day, and though I am sure we would still have enjoyed the event there is no denying that being able to lounge on the grass listening to the big band sound, the incredible singing acts and watch the amazing dancing really made the day. A doubledecker bus took us from the car parks to the arenas and was the perfect start to a perfect day.

There were fabulous vintage stalls, a veritable fashion parade of different costumes, vintage cars, superb music and plenty of places to eat and drink.

As a teenager of the sixties you would think music festivals would be old hat, but I confess this is the first I have ever been to and I was a bit nervous, however the whole thing was just so brilliantly managed and the atmosphere so friendly I am already planning my outfit for when we go again!!.......

So if you haven't been and want a great vintage music filled day out I can certainly recommend it.

Have a great week

TTFN

                                                                           Jenny xx  

THOUGH WE'VE GOT TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE SUMMER...

OK sorry to mess with the words of a brilliant song, but we have haven't we. Autumn a season I love is already upon us, but for once we have had a summer worth remembering.......

So what did you do for the summer

How did you fill up your days

Did you get bored as the days turned to weeks

Or fill them in all kinds of ways..

We did, we had an adventure

We climbed trees and played in the park

We picnicked inside as the rain tumbled down

Pretending the bed was our Ark

We baked cakes, played board games and giggled (lots)
Made erupting volcanoes on trays
And now that its gone we've the pictures
To remind us of fun summer days........

And so you see although I have certainly taken a vacation from blogging, it has had nothing to do with having nothing to share with you. In fact I am bursting at the seams (not a pretty sight) with all I have to tell, (think bedroom makeover complete....... well virtually ...and fantastic visit to the Twinwood Festival) and well you will see that I will be back very shortly to share these with you.....as well as jam making....chutney making...Autumn wardrobe additions.....and dare I say it ....a tutorial for a Christmas banner....I did whisper ....honest...

Have a lovely week, embrace the changing season, at least we are having some this year!

TTFN

Jenny xx

DEALING WITH THE GLUT......

I don't know about you, but we are fairly new to bulk veggie growing. Our plot though very reasonable has been more leisure planned than aimed at growing our own. Somehow when we were working full time sitting in the summerhouse with a cold glass of wine had more appeal in the little leisure time we had than grafting in a veggie plot.
However now that DH is fully retired gardening has taken on a whole new aspect here, with mini greenhouses squeezing into any available space and I must say some very inventive gardening! Courgettes grown in planters on the wall, tomatoes in hanging baskets...OK!....but it works......

So as a result unlike the usual glut of just tomatoes which I can easily deal with, we now have runner beans, cucumbers, courgettes, french beans with tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins swelling nicely.

So what do you do with your excess? How do you make sure that all the work is not wasted and along with it the lovely fruits of your labour.
Well I turned to my MILs method to salt some of the beans, as I'm not personally keen on them frozen......

Made a lot of stuffed courgette boats.....

.......Yes I know one or two of the little devils hid themselves among the foliage and were a bit large for harvesting, still they made super courgette liners instead of boats, and they still tasted yummy!.....

 others were used in stir fries along with the french beans and some were roasted with Mediterranean veg.

So come on you wonderful self sufficient army, share a few of your top tips for preserving your glut. I for one will be very interested and would appreciate any idea that will make us proud of what we have produced and able to enjoy it in the cold months to come.

Off to make cucumber sandwiches (crusts off of course) for my tea.....

TTFN

Jenny xx

THE ULTIMATE TEE

Phew, hows everyone doing in this lovely weather, although I have to say having cooked in temperatures reaching 32 degrees in the past weeks I was heartily peeved when we were greeted on Saturday with grey clouds, a stiff breeze and a chill in the air!" It wasn't much better on Sunday and we even had some drizzle, but the yellow orb is showing her face again today and so I am feeling much cheerier again.

Well on to the reason for this post.
Are you like me and find it increasingly difficult to find tee shirts that suit both trousers and skirts? Either they are too long, too baggy, plastered with slogans or suitable for teenagers, or you just can't find them in the colour you desperately want for a particular skirt. Well I am not in truth a tee shirt shaped gal, having always been one size bigger in my bust than my hips. Get it to fit the top and its far too loose on the hips and and if it fits my hips I look as though I have gone back to 20s style binding at the top....not a pretty look!

So as you do I decided to do a search for top patterns on the web, knowing that there are now a lot of independent pattern makers producing some exciting designs.
What I found however was something much better! A tee pattern that certainly looked a good shape, but was also FREE!!

And the wonderful person responsible for my joy was icandy handmade. Not only has she produced this simple pattern and tutorial she has a host of other stuff that I would like to try out too.

Well this is my version(s). I don't have an over locker (serger) so I just use the decorative stitches on my machine but I think they did the job OK.

I made the neck band on this striped version a little wide, but it actually looks pretty good on as the band stands out giving it a bit of a 60s vibe!

This turquoise one I made from some jersey Lycra mix which I picked up ages ago for about a pound a metre. I have used it with the matt side as the right side as I'm not over keen on shiny tees, but I think it does the job great and I cant believe how it tones with that old Per Una skirt!

And whats more it fits.....like a dream, so much so that I have been taking all my old too long tees and altering them to this length!

If you have a go yourself I would love to see how yours turns out and if you come up with any other ideas for embellishments. I will certainly be adding more to my wardrobe. Thinking of trying to add contrast sleeves underneath for the Autumn, to give the effect of layering, so will probably add an inch of the contrast to the bottom as well. I'll let you see it if it works out OK.

Right off to get some lunch now...in the garden, before that sun disappears again..

TTFN

Jenny xx

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU...

This glorious weekend I mean, of course!
We have been very busy, cricket match on Friday evening, T20 and our team Notts won...... wahay!
Bus trip to Norfolk on Saturday and a car boot and antique fair at Wicksteed park on Sunday, culminating in a lovely picnic in the sunshine....what could be better.......well....

....No don't get me wrong we are very lucky DH and I to be so fit and able and this is in no way a poke at those less able than ourselves, but I have to say Saturday was an eye opener! It is a long time since we have been on a bus trip and when we saw the advert for a trip to the Bure Valley steam railway followed by a two hour cruise on the Norfolk broads we thought what fun. No driving for Mr WB and everything organised for us. It would be a lovely change.
So we arrived at the designated pick up point, our local bus station, on time to find not some swish modern coach, but a mini bus!.....an hour later having driven round umpteen villages via what felt like cart tracks we eventually liaised with our proper coach to finally set off.. So a journey which we expected to take just over 2 hours actually took over 3!! Not such a good start.
At this point I should say that 'we' consisted of Mr WB about to be OAP proper, me OAP for nearly five years now and friend a young thing in her middle fifties.I should also state that we were by far the youngest on the bus!.....
We arrived at Aylsham, a pretty well kept station on the Bure Valley Steam railway with an hour to spare before our trip on the longest stretch of 15 inch guage railway in Norfolk. The plan was to get some lunch at the station cafe.

Well it is at this point that I will say I hope I never become this rude as I get older. Just getting off the bus was a performance with everyone determined to get out of their seats first and the first indication that their Ps and Qs had certainly not been a priority in their packing! Probably left behind along with their humour!
Once in the cafe we stood in the queue waiting to order our meals and were jostled and pushed by our fellow passengers. Hands pushed in front of your face to reach things out of cabinets, handbags thrust over shoulders regardless of the fact that they had almost knocked your glasses off. Even as you tried to order, the poor girl serving found it hard to hear what you were saying for people pushing forward and worse still actually arguing among themselves.
Eventually though we got on the train and traveled the 9 miles to Wroxham where we were to pick up the boat to cruise the broads. Great we thought, an upper deck, if we nip up quick we will most certainly avoid a repeat of the cafe episode. But no, I don't know how they managed it considering how unsteady some of them had been on their feet, but before you knew it we were again surrounded by senior citizens who thought it was perfectly OK to crowd round you, remove seats from your table even before you had actually sat down, talk over you and just be generally rude. Talk about Victor Meldrews!!
If I ever hear another 'older' person lament to me about young people's manners I will certainly tell them that it's time they set them a better example then!
OK rant over.....sorry!!
Now for the nice bit....and the cruise really was.....

The captain gave a very informative commentary, and the views were stunning.  I now have cottage with river frontage envy!! (Although when he told us the price tags of some of them, it did wain a bit).

This one has 'me' written all over it...sigh.....

We were even lucky enough to see one of the old Norfolk wherries. This was one of the sailing ones with the white sails as opposed to the working ones which had black sails, but she was still quite a sight.I believe there are now only about eight still in existence.

On Sunday we went off to Wicksteed Park in Northants.

There is now a regular car boot here on a Sunday morning. No goodies found today I'm afraid but I did find a little gem at the antique fair.....

Beautiful glass spice jars on a metal shelf by Tala. The green is perfect for my kitchen, although where I am going to hang it is another thing. But I couldn't leave it could I?

So we ended the day with a lovely picnic and a glass of wine and returned home feeling that summer had arrived at last.

I hope yours was good too and that we keep a bit of this weather for a while longer...

Now what shall we do about that bus trip we booked in September.................

TTFN

Jenny xx

ITS MY PARTY.....

Today as a bit of a change I am bringing you a guest post....Having touched on Children's parties previously and always looking for ideas for my grandsons, I think it is sometimes good to look at someone else's perspective. I hope for all you mums out there trying to organise something for your little prince or princess that there may be some advise here that can help...

Claire White is a mother of two from London. With five years experience in the events and entertainment industry where she helped organise large-scale corporate parties, she turned her attention to children’s party planning after having children. She now offers regular advice to parents on how they can throw the best parties for their children.

It’s My Party......
Nowadays children’s parties can represent big business. From party planners, extortionately expensive entertainers and elaborate excursions to ‘gift experiences’, games and goody bags, organising a child’s birthday party probably won’t be a small affair. 
Depending on the impending age of your toddler, chances are a longed-for theme is likely to change up to the eleventh hour, whereas older children are more likely to be more consistent with their party preferences. Whether princesses, pirates or a hoard of Harry Potters, it’s still possible to plan a party to please everyone within your particular budget. 
The question of venue
Choose a venue that’s appropriate for the number of children you’re expecting. Summer garden parties are ideal in obliging weather conditions. You can eliminate stress-inducing mess by containing the children outside where spills and stains are unlikely to create any lasting damage. Colourful bunting or fairy lights offer an enchanting alternative to indoor decor. Similarly, a spooky theme works wonders with outdoor decorations at dusk. 
Elaborate on a chosen theme with party food for kids that inspires imagination. Create ghoulish gourmet delights to satisfy blood-thirsty appetites or plan a princess party complete with pink cupcakes. Make your own centrepiece with a cake design which is firmly in-keeping with the chosen theme. 
If the weather is likely to be less than reliable, why not consider hiring a village hall or community centre for a couple of hours? Often inexpensive, most amenities have space for a small bouncy castle or alternative toys and entertainment. It could be a simple and effective way to make sure everyone has a good time when the weather forecast lets you down. 
The presence of an entertainer allows parents to concentrate on co-ordinating food preparation without the additional concern of keeping 20 toddlers entertained. From balloon modelling to magic shows, there is something to enthral and entertain everyone. If, however, this option is beyond your budget, you can always stick to traditional birthday party games, such as ‘pass the parcel’ and ‘musical statues’. Ensure that you enlist the help of grandparents or friends and other relatives to relieve a little of the party pressure.

A piñata makes a great contemporary alternative to traditional games. Similarly, simple, easy-to-apply face painting designs will add an element of interest to the proceedings. With music, food and a few friends, your pintsize party-goers are bound to have a ball.   

Thank you to Claire for some handy tips there, there are certainly one or two I will be noting down for future reference.

TTFN
Jenny xx