Hey folks. Well it's August today and the summer feels like it is whooshing by doesn't it? We have had a lovely summer so far ... we have been busy working but we have still found time to enjoy ourselves, the surrounding countryside, seeing friends and bopping around at festivals and whatnot. We also had a fabulous glamping getaway in Herefordshire this month, and I became smitten with lampshade making! We have had some scorching weather here in the UK but we've also had some huge torrential storms too, which Ralphy was not very impressed with, we had to sit up all night with him :-( bless his little paws. He's never really been bothered by storms before but these storms were on a whole other level - in fact the lightening was so frequent we could of cranked the music up and called it a disco. Here was our month(s) in pictures!

 When it has been hot this summer (and it really has felt like stepping off a plane into a hot country sometimes - which is quite a novelty for ole blighty!) Ralphy and I have headed out early and gone in search of watery walks - as long as there is a stream to paddle in nearby, we are both happy. I made heaps of Elderflower cordial this year, which was absolutely delicious, and we spent some lovely evenings in the garden with friends, enjoy the heady scent of jasmine in between the bangers and G&T's.  

My craft group and I had a lovely day out together in June at Blake House Craft Centre - is one of the best craft suppliers I've come across in Essex / Hertfordshire. It houses a variety of craft, antique and trinket shops in original farmyard buildings - and there is also a lovely restaurant on site and a Maze. Here's a peek into what you can expect to find there ... Blake House Craft Centre.

This month I also made my own lampshades! I love making them ... it's so simple and easy to do. All you need is a piece of fabric and a lampshade making kit. I promise that once you've tried this you'll never buy a ready made lamp shade again!

I don't know about you but I've started to notice the blackberries are well on their way now (baskets at the ready, get set and go!) and the rose hips and sloes are all in their early stages too ... all signs that Autumn is on her merry way.  When the seasons start shuffling into change I always find myself looking around the house at all the jobs that need doing - I wish I didn't because now I have list of jobs that need doing yet I can't seem to find the time to do any of them. I've got quite a few soft furnishing projects in mind too - I bought these pretty dovecote napkins from M&S in the sale, I'm not quite sure what to do with them yet. Any ideas?

Oh and finally our lovely glamping getaway. Mimi's Tree Yurt is a beautifully made Eco yurt and Botswana-style kitchen set in the Herefordshire wilderness. Complete with log fire and copper roll top bath, this really was a lovely little corner of paradise. Click here for a peek at what we three got up too. 

Well I hope you've all had, and are still having a lovely summer. I'm trying not to wish it away but in truth I'm really looking forward to getting the logs ordered, the fire on and the woolies down from the loft! I know, I know I'm naughty for saying it, but hey, at least I'm not pointing out that there's only 20 weeks until Christmas!! :-) 

JM x