Saturday 23 April 2011

Garden

I do love my garden and this Easter we have been blessed with the most amazing weather so I have spent the last 2 days working in the garden.
Well not working all the time, yesterday I did fall asleep after lunch and woke about 2 hours later but that is what gardens are for!

When Stuart and Eleanor were young children we would go out every weekend for a walk in the countryside or visit an English Heritage or National Trust site.  We lived in RAF quarters and the gardens were never inspiring, mostly a green space with a green oil tank, so they never took a lot of looking after and we had plenty of time to go out every weekend.

Patio and summerhouse in our garden
Now my garden is so interesting that I am glad to have the weekends to spend in the garden without having to go out.  On a bank holiday weekend it is wonderful to have the weather to just sit and read the newspaper or like this evening we had dinner outside by the chiminea and then I sat out for the rest of the evening just feeding the fire and lighting candles.  I have a lot of candles and lanterns in the garden and it takes about 1/2 hour to light them all but then the glow is magical.


I sit in the small summerhouse next to the patio, light the candles and drink a glass of wine just watching the sky and trying to spot the bats as they leave their roost.



Tomorrow I will have to have a bonfire with all the wood that I have cut down today, my hand is rather sore with using the secateurs all afternoon, so I will have to rest it tomorrow.

Or I could use the chain saw but then there will be more to burn!










Perhaps I will do my sewing in the garden, or sit next to the pond and watch the tadpoles and newts - another favourite activity of mine.   I know that I am very lucky to have such a wonderful garden and this Easter we are all lucky with the glorious weather.

Happy Easter. 

Sunday 17 April 2011

Night at the Gin Joint

What fun we had on Saturday evening, The Sahara Sisters danced 4 routines at Broughton Gifford Community Hall in aid of charity.

A 'Night at the Gin Joint' was a cabaret of talent and we were honored to be asked to close the show with 'The Hot Sisters' routine Hot Stuff.

 Helen did the routine and found the red sparkly material for our outfits.

This is Helen ready for the 'Little Egypt' routine which she also choreographed.




Just after dancing 'Buttons' the only place we could take a photo was in the car park

This was our swan song, the last time we performed Hot Stuff - we think enough people have seen it and will get bored seeing it too often.

Buy 'Hot Stuff'


Friday 8 April 2011

Birthday Party

Last Saturday I had organised a 'mid decade' birthday party for my friends and family.  I so enjoyed the chocolate fountain that I had 5 years ago that I wanted an excuse for another one.  

And I was not disappointed!! It was lush.
Me sampling the fountain!


The Sahara Sisters were kind enough to come and dance for us, with me joining in of course!
'The Hot Sisters'
We danced burlesque, Bollywood and Egyptian.  The Sahara Sisters are very versatile. 

Birthday cake
A very kind friend made me a wonderful Birthday Cake which was mostly consumed that evening along with the Sausage & Mash with Red Onion Gravy served up by Melanie. 

That evening we collected money for a Flour Mill for Ameena & Abult in Luxor and we raised £355.50 which with the money I have already saved means that we can buy the mill and truck it back from Cairo.  So a big thank you to everyone who has made this possible, I am looking forward to telling Ameena & Abult when I visit them in May.