Crochet Flowers..

...Simple and gorgeous, crochet flowers.

Sunday 19th..

Weekend walk with the fam..

xoxo Abi.

Frosty Skies..

..Oh my! It has been a chilly couple of days has it not? I love winter weather and everything that comes with it; wrapping up warm, cosy food, snuggly sofa time and the way in which it changes our countryside. This cheeky visit from Jack Frost brought with it some beautiful clear skies and delicate frosty scenes. Luckily I was home & near greenery this weekend so could take advantage of the photo opportunities in my garden and the surrounding fields. Here are a couple of shots I took on an evening walk..

xoxo Abi

Harriets Birthday!x

...It was my sister Harriets 24th birthday on Monday, so I decided to throw a little party tea for her on Sunday. I was only home from University for the weekend, so it was a great excuse to get everyone together for celebrations! I embraced our shared passion for delightfully twee things and tried to channel it into the theme when planning her party-tea! Without fail, each year we get a party-tea for our birthdays and the rules state caterpillar cakes and party rings must be present. I had great fun decorating the table with cake stands, confetti, pretty plates, candles, mini buckets & various other bits & bobs that I have collected over the years for occasions like this! As it has been frosty and cold outside I lit lots of candles to create a cosy atmosphere...

..For party teas I find finger/picky foods are always most appropriate for the menu. Having food that everyone can pick at and share means you dont restrict yourself to a heavy time consuming menu & you can enjoy it altogether. We all have varying tastes too so involving lots of food groups means everyones tastes are accounted for.Laying food out in a 'buffet style' allows a leisurely meal that you can keep snacking on through out the day/evening..

...We ate olives & manchego cheese, sun dried tomatos & mozzarella, mixed leaves salad, spinach & pine nut pasta salad, tuna & sweetcorn pasta salad, pitta breads, hummus, guacamole, salami, chorizo, ham, rosemary roasted potatoes, pepperoni & sweet pepper pizza, caramelised onion garlic bread, samosas, chicken tikka wraps, rustic pork& apple pies, quiche, spinach and tomato goats cheese tarts....

..and for dessert..milk & white chocolate crispy cakes, marshmallow squares, hot cinnamon buns, party rings, yummy lindor chocolate, and for the birthday girl I made a three tiered raspberry sponge cake with a creamy vanilla frosting. Needless to say we all ate way too much and had to retire to the lounge for present opening & horizontal tv watching. It was a lovely day that combined some of my favourite things...family time, pretty decorations, presents and eating! I hope I never grow too old to enjoy a birthday tea & I cant wait until the next one! Unfortunately the caterpillar cake did not make an appearance so it will have to be a post birthday treat sometime this week..


..Couldn't resist posting this cute photo of Harriets dog Lottie the Scottie, such a cutie, she is a little porker & participated in the food binge along with the rest of us!

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Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
xoxo Abi

Photo diary..December/January

A selection of photos to round up what I have been doing the past couple of months...

1.Winter Sun 2. Yummy Sunday Roasts 3. Merry-go-round at the Christmas markets 4. Baking Christmas spiced cupcakes with brandy butter.

5. Christmas decorations 6. Crisp winter sky 7. Cosy fires 8. Skiing in Tignes. 

9.Writing my dissertaion :( 10. Healthy breakfasts 11. Polaroids from NYE 12. Sending Christmas post.

13. Beautiful New Years Day sunset 14. Watching my boy play rugby 15. Experimenting with hand printing old photos on fabric. 16. Date nights.♥

Looking at these photos make me miss christmas ( my most favourite time of the year)..oh well.. its only 328 sleeps away! 

xoxo Abi.