They're changing the guards at Buckingham Palace...

...Miss M and Miss E went down with Grandma and Grandad....we didn't see Christopher Robin or Alice but we did have a great time.

My favourite part without a doubt was seeing the Queen's Coronation gown close up.  The bead work and embroidery really was quite something else.  It must have been very heavy to wear and the dress itself was tiny.  There was also some fantastic behind the scenes video footage of setting up the formal photos with a very young Prince Charles and Princess Anne hiding and playing.

 

Miss M and Miss E loved the taxi ride to the station on the tip up seats.

At the station waiting for our train.

Picnic time before it was time for us to go into the palace.

If we'd have picnicked any closer we would have been sitting next to the Queen!!

Obviously it's no photography in the palace but everyone wants a souvenir snap on the palace steps leading into the palace garden.

Miss M and Miss E are clutching their Palace Garden Cafe cups.

The big white sheet on the lawn was protecting the grass as this is where the marques are erected for the garden parties. 

Buckingham Palace - the white marques is the Palace Garden Cafe.

It's very tiring visiting the Queen!

Back at the train station waiting for the train home.

Fun Snack Time

Although I certainly don't do this all the time, sometimes it's fun to have a little fun and be a bit more inventive with food....and create some fruity bugs and butterflies for Miss M and Miss E.

I think this little butterfly is my favourite.  

We've had such a good crop of blackberries and raspberries this year.   I think a fair few went straight from bush to mouth as the fruit bushes are just by the back gate giving ample opportunity to pick a few when passing to school or on the way back.  We also have lots stashed away in the freezer to keep us in berry supply throughout the year.

Still on the subject of snacks, sometimes Miss E is flagging a bit by lunch time and I've found that she copes better with little snacky bits rather than presenting her with a large lunch.  Her favourite is to have her own snack tray with a wrapped up Treat Pot.

She is very good and never peeps inside the Treat Pot until she's eaten everything else.

You can't see it here but the Treat Pot about to be opened contains a few mini pink and white marshmallows...yummy!

Miss E insisted we prepared one for big sis when she got home from school.  It was a big hit with Miss M as well.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

With bottle bottom flowers and painted wooden hearts and bunting flags all in a row!

Miss M and Miss E created these with Grandma and Grandad following a holiday at their house.  Aren't they just glorious?

They don't need watering or dead-heading making them my favourite type of flowers and they add such a lovely pop of colour.

We have a fence at the bottom of the garden which is really facing the wrong way to grow anything up it but I felt it needed brightening up somewhat so I asked Mr A to cut out some heart shapes from odds and ends of wood....

and then we got the paints out...

Miss E painted this cornflower blue one...

And this chequered design is one of Miss M's creations...

We're suckers for hearts at chez Monis so now we have some lovely ones hanging outside as well as inside....a wall of love!

While on a roll, I attached a couple of hooks to the side of the shed so I could hang up this bunting I made.  There's another hook just inside the shed door so it can be very quickly popped away at the end of the day.

This oak was planted from an acorn in the millennium year, it was one of three but is now the sole survivor...it's a little toughie!!

Summer Hols - We love Cornwall

What can I say?  What a fantastic fortnight on the Cornwall coast.  Lots of very happy memories and I think I can safely say that we'll be returning.

Summer Fair

I know, I know...how on earth can I be publishing a post titled Summer Fair in October?  As I explained in the my previous post, I'm playing catch up now the more indoorsy (made up word I know!)  weather has arrived.  Anyway, sometimes in life it feels like time is running away with us doesn't it?.....well not here my friends.  No here it is actually the end of June....approximately 3 months ago so in essence we could say that we are all 3 months younger than we actually are today...happy thoughts!!

Here are a few snaps of my Summer 2013 Range stall...

Me in the background just adding a few last minute price tags before the doors opened.

My special helper Miss E modelling a lemon yellow felt flower hair clip....such loyalty!

Pom Poms

OK so I know we're in mid Autumn but I'm still catching up on news from the summer as it has become very apparent, that when the sun is shining, my blogging plummets!  I'm definitely a more rainy season blogger.

Anyway the next few posts will be a flash back to the summer, covering some of things I had planned to share at the time but got carried away in the great outdoors.  So starting off is the Pom Pom Workshop I planned for Miss M and Miss E one scorching hot day...

After spending a lot of time playing with the cocktail umbrellas in our drinks.... 

...and explaining why I didn't have one in my cup of tea...

...and eating the snacks...

...we eventually got started!   

 I think someone might have only come for the snacks!!

We started by using forks to wind the wool around which worked really well for both Miss M and Miss E.

Miss E also had a go at using a cardboard template.  You may have noticed the requirement of extra snacks in this photo. Pom pom making is obviously hot and hungry work!!

Our finished pom poms.

Now since doing this I have really caught the pom pom bug, so much so that I purchased  Clover pom pom makers and quite frankly there has been no stopping me now.  Let's just say that I suspect pom poms will be featuring quite heavily in my Winter 2013 Range.  I'll share more soon.