Ok, I cheated somewhat as my actual birthday isn’t til tuesday but… Sundays are good for birthday teas… It was going to be in picnic form but what with the drought rain, it was safer indoors… My first ever attempt at a Victoria Sponge and Brownies came out pretty well (they all got eaten!) Thanks Nigella…

My summer project….. I love knitting this – super fast and satisfying! The yarn (which looks weird in balls) comes into it’s own once it’s knitted up…

I was knitting this waiting for people to come over on Sunday for the Birthday Tea… it was a success, and T & E gave me 5 hanks of Summer Tweed in Smoulder… yum! Any ideas as to a pattern for it?

…. is all done! Had a bit of a knitting hiatus and then couldn’t stop one evening… Feel ok to leave the front of this a bit til it gets cooler again… (an excuse to start a new project eh?)

• new dress found without even trying in Pop Boutique – lovely and fits perfectly!
• sewed new cushion cover for downstairs – been on my list a while
• stuck up and grouted new tiles to replace fallen off ones in kitchen – been looking at manky plaster for about 3 weeks…
• Put up photos from Hula Go Go!
• made banana bread for tea party tomorrow..
• went out to the last-one-for-the-summer P.R.O.D – danced..

phew! I wish every day were this productive…

This lady writes a beautiful blog, and has just answered my ‘hmm what shall I knit now, now that it’s summer, yet still raining and a bit chilly?’. Jess looks great, having seen the other patterns A has written / made, I hope I do it justice (and she knits *so* fast!)

There is still a ‘drought’ here in the South East and to really hammer it home, rain(?) and wind for the past 4 or 5 days! it’s bizarre… The outlook is rain for the rest of the week too, which is good for the water tables but sucky for picnic tables.. got little F’s birthday picnic on Wednesday and mine (maybe!) on Sunday… I can say for sure the seasons have changed since I was little.. My birthdays were *always* in the park, with hot sunshine.. (only once did we have to call it off)… now it’s nearly always wet… brrr….

In an attempt to feel summery, I’ve finally picked a summer knitting project!

Ok, better get my skates on – have got some toys to make for this show, and am making a mobile as a project for Amy’s new craft book

Finally given up the Orangina – had to restart it over and over and kept losing myself in the lace pattern..worse than Birch! It’s a shame as have seen some nice examples of it finished – but I could see myself still knitting it in a years time… Having started it in September last year it had still only come along by a couple of inches!

Have plumped for Cannes for my summer project.. I had a random ball of Cotton Braid that I’d never used to swatched it and liked how it looked…

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Pattern: Cannes from Beach Cool (Rowan)
Yarn: Cotton Braid in Klimt (sh 359 lot 4401 / 5055 – I bought this at Laughing Hens and got sent two different dye lots.. is that normal when buying online??) and Cotton Glace in  In The Pink (sh 819 lot 1937710)
Needles: suggested -  7 / 6 actual -  5mm / 5.5mm
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Toying with doing Jewel but in Wool Cotton instead of Calmer as there are better colours..

How true, L Owerko… Just came across this book about people’s journals…

A Surf band, Hula Hooping,a Limbo Competition and plenty, oh but plenty of dancing on Saturday night… more pics soon….

Just got an email from my secret pal, and how nice it feels! I’d kind of only thought about getting in touch with my secret pal-ee, wondering how I’d get to know them so as to send them things they’d appreciate – but aww.. it’s so nice someone doing that for you too… [waves]