a single and a double yellow field poppy

They are like great big buttercups aren't they..very pretty, but not as dramatic as the red ones (in my opinion)

A Poppy Plate

Isn't this plate gorgeous ??..a typical corn /poppy field plate..i love it, i must try & buy myself one the same or similar for my living room wall.....and another for the cakes & biscuits...LOL..i do really love poppies, the colour is so rich, but you can get orange and even yellow ones too in the U.K...can you get them in the U.S. as well ?..i used to have some yellow ones growing in my garden..but they just weren't there one spring about 2 years ago & have not come up since

My Hand Juicer

Here is my hand juicer Dee...i have never had an electric one...these are so solid and i quite enjoy doing my fruit by hand..it gives just as good performance..and doesn't take up half the room in my kitchen....and theres much less to clean up afterwards..now i sound so lazy don't I ?.....(but its really only good for soft fruits), hard fruits and veggies need an electric one, I've got a food processor that will do lots of things, but its a real pain as these electric gadgets seem to take ages to clean all the little components...and they cost about 5 times the price as well..and i'm all for saving money....its so easy in the morning to just come down and cut the fruit in half & then throw the orange or grapefruit etc into the base part..pull down the handle and there you have it..fresh fruit juice...Lovely, and you can even drink it from the base container if you are really lazy !!!

Poppies in cornfields

Since commenting on Kerry's 'moving on' blog..i have been sorting out some pics of poppies in corn fields ( they can be found in any crop fields, but usually corn) ..these are not in Tamworth..but are pretty much the same..i will take my camera out..when the corn is ready & the poppies are in full bloom...there is a lovely field that is usually full of them as you walk along the outside edge of Hopwas wood..one of my favourite places in the area...but i think poppies in cornfields sort of go together..so its probably nothing new to you...i didn't realise how many paintings have been done on the subject..and even plates with the same theme...i must try and get one of those ( as long as it doesn't cost too much) ..anyway even if everyone as got them..they are still SO pretty, and i think worth a spot on the blog.

Bank Holiday this weekend

Its Bank Holiday this weekend..so i am going down to Vanessa's..must take my camera with me..will put it my bag now or knowing me i will forget it...like last time..hope to get some pics on here when i get back.

After all that rain..SUN !!!!!

After all the rain yesterday and last night..it was so GOOD to wake up to sunshine today...i feel so much better when the sun is shining...but the rain really did the garden good...i took this picture from the bedroom window this morning, when i realized how all the rain & then the early morning sun had helped the garden..still lots of spaces to fill with colour..but its getting there, there seems so much blue at the moment though, Aquilegias, vinca's, cornflowers and forget me knots all... blue..but the other colours will come later...smokey was out there enjoying the early sun, with his two bald patches..bless him.

Seb is much happier.

I keep forgetting to say how much happier Sebastian is now he as the teddy..he cleans it all the time, cuddles up to it at night..and frequently gets 'over friendly ' with it, if you know what i mean !!...i'm so glad i was told to get one for him...it stops him trying to hump the cats every chance he gets, so they are happier as well LOL...cant remeber who told me about it, but i am so thankful to them..(so is Seb)..As soon as the weather gets dry & warmer..i will put him in a hutch outside with a run (Simon is building him one)..Luke as just brought himself a Chinchilla..i said i am absolutely NOT having anymore of his animals when he gets fed up of them...so i hope he keeps it ( but suppose i'll just be a soft touch again if he does get fed up..I'm a sucker for 4 legged friends) Its actually stopped raining at the moment, but i dont know for how long..we are forcast torrential rain in the early hours of the morning...was hoping to go out to Hopwas wood with my friend tomorrow, but if it rains all night it will be too boggy, so it will have to wait...anyway i am going to watch 'Doc Martin' now..do you get that in the States ??..I think you'd love the scenery in it..its set in the countryside & along the coast in Cornwall...a lovely part of the U.K.

Its STILL raining !!!

I am having a bad day..i know i shouldn't moan, but i am getting so fed up of all this rain, i've got so much to do in the garden, and i think it may get waterlogged if it carries on like this...even the colour seems to have disappeared in all that grey!!.. I suppose the thing to do is to put on my wellies, coat & gloves and get out there & do it anyway instead of wingeing about the weather.....it just seems that if its not raining its blowing a gale, i must remember NOT to moan about all the sunshine... IF we are lucky enough to get any this summer.....Thats it.....NO MORE moaning, just positive thinking from now on, the weather will get better, the garden will survive and i will feel much better once i have done some work out there....rain or not i am going to get out there and do it...thats what Kerry & Dee would do i'm sure..so here goes....whats a bit of rain anyway !!!!!

My Peony is in bloom at last

My Peony is in bloom at last....i always feel that spring is on the way out and Summer on the way in when it finally flowers...its only the common variety, but it as been split and shared with lots of folk over the years, and i still love its splash of colour...I wish my pale pink one had survived though..must try & get another of those... with all the rain & winds i haven't been out for a few days..so it was a nice surprise to see it this morning.

More of my postage stamp garden.

Its only a little garden, but i think its all i can manage nowadays..i love to see big colourful ones, but the thought of all that digging puts me off...I used to have a garden that was at least 4 times bigger than this..i loved it at the time, but i dont think i could keep it nice anymore.

Getting some colour at last !!

The rain and sunshine we have had these past few days have brought out some colour into my little garden at last.

I have been to the garden centre today and brought some bedding plants to put out..they are only small and green at the moment..but when the sunshine gets warmer..they will hopefully be very colourful and the garden will be nice again...i love it to be full of colour.

Its very messy at the moment..needs lots of TLC.

I must keep these bedding plants for another week or two, so that the danger of frost goes away, as that would kill them off ( the ones already in the garden are more hardy and have come up despite the cold winds we have been getting along with the sunshine)..i am going to do my hanging baskets this week as well..and keep them in the side passage where its warmer but light..i love it when i can put them all outside.

Its seems a long time since i felt well enough to do them all, as i was quite poorly last year so only did a little bit...roll on summer and meals outside and long sunny days.

Just a few more

Hope you are not getting fed up..but you asked for a few more pics of the grandkids (and great grandkids)..hope you will all show me some of yours too.

Few More Grandchildren Pics

Thanks Kerry

Thanks Kerry, for the info....you are clever..i was trying to figure out how to get rid of all the spaces.. Tell Kay as well..her space went on forever !!!..thought i'd never reach the end LOL...cant understand why they turn out like that though..it looked ok in the draft...i'm not too good with computers..good job i've got clever friends !!!

These are pics of my oldest cat, Smokey.( he's 20 years old this year)..the poor old boy was at the vets yesterday..he was missing for several days.( we were worried something had happened to him) but he turned up outside the back door in a terrible state.....He must have got locked in someones shed and sat in oil or grease as he was covered in it....we bathed him but it didn't make any difference..his fur was so matted and he seemed to be in a lot of pain when we brushed him, he was very thin.....also he had to have all his teeth out, as they were loose ..but he did only had 3 !!!....the Vet said its best to do both things at once while he was sedated, to save having to sedate him at a later date, as its not good at his age...so now he is toothless as well as bald both sides..he looks like a Mohiccan, with his fur shaved each side. ..bless him.

The vets bill was £137 +.... cant believe the price of these things..are vets as expensive in other countries as they are here i wonder ?..but Smokey is worth it, they said his fur will grow back soon and he will be fine.

As soon as he got home he ate a huge meal...despite the vet saying he probably wouldn't eat that day, and then slept..he still eats every chance he gets, he looks a poor soul, but he still goes and sits in the garden, as long as its not too windy...i think now he hasn't got his thick fur coat he feels the cold more..specially all the wind we have been getting just lately.

My Last Blog didn't turn out very well...so many spaces..what happened ???...i'm not very good at blogging either Kay LOL..but at least there are a few pics to see..i think i have got everyone of them covered at least once..dont think i have missed any one out..hope not anyway.

A few pictures of my Grandkids

Here are a few pics of my grandkids..I have got loads (like most folk i imagine)....they range in ages from 11-23 years....The baby is my 'Great' Grandaughter Amie....as are Ellie mae & Blake...they are all lovely ....some are Ness & Adams..some Simon & Pams (plus the great grandchildren Ellie Mae, Blake & Amie Jayne are Simon & Pams grandkids)...neither Luke & Emily..or Laura are married yet..so no grandkids for Ness & Adam yet.....Ness said she CAN wait !!!..they are all lovely though every one of them.