HIGH TEA

It was time for Tina's annual Hgh Tea, and I offered Devon as a venue, as my sister Sally would be here (she is Tina's mum.)

Kim got busy early in the morning with the decorating. She had a great inspiration to use all the old copper pots, which got a long overdue polish up for the occasion.

 Out came the lace tablecloths (of which I have far too many), and  I arranged Phillip Island Hibisus and Nandina around the pots.

 The frosted fruits came out for an airing....

 Even the barbecue was decorated.

 Had to put a few of my felt apples out on display.

 Out came the pretty china

 And also a fresh lime-ade - but the girls mostly preferred to let their hair down with the bubbly!

 Everyone brought something, and the food was quite incredible!

 A few babysitting arrangements had fallen through, so we had babies and kids joining in the fun. They had a real ball, and were so well-behaved.

 This is Nate's technique for carrying his food about while he is crawling!

 Oops! Someone forgot to put the blower away.

 The kids took their food and drink to their picnic blanket.

 The tea trolley held a few little gifts.

 The children gravitated to the woodland, where they devised some wonderful make-believe games.

 Here, Liam is fanning the king and queen!

 The invitation had said 2 - 5, but it was such a beautiful afternoon that no one wanted to go home, even when it started to get just a little chilly.

 So out came Tina's collection of shawls and wraps, mostly knitted by her Mum.

 It was a lovely memorable occasion.

And by the way, it was Tina's birthday. And we also celebrated the special days of the other September girls - Sally and Sienna.

SEE HOW THEY GROW

We are so fortunate to live right  next to ur grandsons, William and Nathaniel, usually known as Liam and Nate. Actually Nate is more often called "Chubba" nowadays, and I suspect that nickname will stick!

Last Saturday we minded the boys for a few hours while their Mum had her hair done and packed for their trip to NZ the next day. We decided to turn our bedroom into a playroom for the afternoon, and they both had great fun with the wooden and the Lego blocks.

 Nate thinks his big brother is just wonderful, and loves to join in with him.

 It is a bit frustrating for Liam when all his constructions come tumbling to the ground when his brothewr helps, but he is very good-natured about it.

 Nate has a wonderful sense of humour and also has a very good nature.

 He entertains himself so well, and has the natural curiosity of a one year old.

 Liam also has a great sense of fun...

 But he has some serious and thoughtful moments too!

 The time really goes quickly when we mind the boys - they are so easy to get along with.

This week their Nanny and Poppy in New Zealand are enjoying their company in the flesh - but I am sure they will enjoy these pictures too.



I REMEMBER I REMEMBER

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AUGUST CREATIONS

I apologise to my friends in Bloggerland that I have not posted as regularly as I should just lately. But I have not really been shirking. I have managed a ferw beautiful hours at my sewing machine, plus more doing some gentle handstitching.

Here are some of my recent "creations."

First, the tags. Everyone in the Art/Craft world seems to have been making tags lately. Actually I cannot quite see the point of them, but they are just a good size for an artistic mini-creation, and I suppose they can claim to be functional to some extent - that is, if someone chooses to actually use them as a bag tag or perhaps a small hanging decoration.

I have a couple of CD's of Victorian Christmas pictures - perhaps they would make great decorations/gifts at Christmas time!

 Funnily enough, when Kim saw them, she asked if I would do a custom made one for Charles. It seems that when he went to NZ recently, he managed to pick up the wrong bag at Auckland airport - in spite of the fact that his bag was a bright fluoroescent pink one!

I had just finished a project on the sewing machine one day when I was hit with sudden impulsive inspiration to make a romantic bag. I grabbed some pretty rose fabric and some lace, and this was what I ended up with. I had a few technical problems, but was quite pleased with the result. I can iron out some of the problems with the next one. Meanwhile I think I will hang this in the spare bedroom. You just cannot go past roses and lace!

 For some time I have been thinking about making some amulet purses, but have not yet decided about the design, Anyway, this one was my first little experiment. I quite enjoyed getting my silk ribbons out. I have not played with them for a while.

 Finally, here is a batch of needlebooks - works in progress.

 This is the only one I have finished, and I found it very satisfying. Another chance to use my growing collection of fabric prints!

 I just love the colour tones in this one - not quite neutral!

 Any project looks great with a printed word or two!

 Finally, I am finding a use for some of the zillions of containers I seem to have lying around. The little cardboard ones really lend themselves to a bit of romantic embellishment.