When it rains throughout the weekend of the summer solstice you can:
- Make a Victoria sandwich cake.
- Go to your local bookshop for coffee, cake and new books.*
- Buy yet more peonies.
- Finish the border on a crochet throw.
- Go to York for the day; stroll around the streets in a raincoat, admire the Minster, have a very nice lunch out, frighten yourself stupid on The Wheel of York (think: heights, high winds and a very flimsily built capsule) then decide to buy divine smelling soap based purely upon the appeal of it's name from here.
- Play with arrangements on the mantle piece.
- Buy self-tanning moisturiser.
- Block the crochet throw.
- Lament the lateness of the strawberries this year.
Well it would be boring if the weather behaved itself, wouldn't it? And today Wimbledon starts so, like many other British folk, I will become tennis obsessed for the next fortnight despite ignoring the sport's existence for the fifty other weeks of the year.
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* Our Songbirds is mine, a delightful little treat of a book full of enchanting illustrations and witty, affrectionate descriptions. Handmade Glamping is Mum's. I don't have a tent or a caravan and no plans to buy either, despite the seductivly styled, fairy lit depictions of camping throughout the book.
Every cloud has a "silver lining" as they say - it looks like a very productive weekend! Not quite pottering in the garden in the sunshine though. I started getting my holiday crochet project ready. Oh and it was my sons school sports day - a blustery one though.
ReplyDeleteGlamping.... I can never decide whether I want to glamp or not. Perhaps not, even with fairy lights. It rains in Britain and I have 2 boys who would just laugh at any attempt to prettify camping. But the songbirds, well, that's different!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look into this glamping of which you speak...it sounds like it would be right up my alley. I can't wait to see your blanket and the songbird book sounds really wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThe Victoria Sponge is making my mouth water. I'm off cake at the moment as I'm trying to shed a few pounds but I don't think I'd be able to resist if I had that in front of me. Some lovely colours in the throw, looking forward to the big reveal.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely collection of solutions to a rainy midsummer weekend! I love them and may borrow a few! Thank you! E x
ReplyDeleteLooks like the best kind of rainy weekend to me. It can't have been that bad here, we got the whippets out both days, but it still felt wet enough. No baking or making here though, we were ridiculously busy catching up with jobs around the house.
ReplyDeleteGlamping!? I've been in the middle of nowhere for too long. Your blanket looks amazing! xxx
ReplyDeleteI went food shopping with my Mum yesterday and as we loaded the car the heavens opened! We drove home in the dry then, as I began to unload......yes you guessed it! the showers had followed us home!!! Still it's only water and I'm pretty much unshrinkable lol!!
ReplyDeleteLove all your photos - the glamping book looks fab!
What lovely pictures, and sometimes when the weather is bad, it's nice to do indoor things ... I always feel a bit bad if it's nice outside! xx
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought that it's a picture of a bookshop! It looks so homely. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove your peonies. This light shade of pink is wonderful.
On the whole - the rainy weekend has been really nice and productive.
This made me grin! Sun, where for art thou?! :) x
ReplyDeleteI so hoped Handmade Glamping was yours - partly so I could borrow it but mainly because it would mean you would come camping.
ReplyDeleteWell done on finishing the throw - do we get a ta dah post to see it in all its glory??
I like the songbird book. I bought some binoculars last weekend so I can see which birds are singing to me! I saw a Robin today!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great weekend, I admire your courage by riding on the wheel....despite being a York lass born, bred and residing, I still haven't plucked up the courage to ride it...lol x
ReplyDeleteNumber two on that list sounds very good and your bookshop looks like a lovely place to do just that! The birdy book is on my Amazon wish list (along with many, many others!) as the illustrations are just so lovely in it! I love the name of that soap, I think I'd have bought it for that reason alone too!
ReplyDeleteA wet weekend brings book reading to the fore. Nothing like a good book to get over the fact that the sun seems to have disappeared. Victoria sponge - my favourite cake. The Wheel thing - not for me, feet terra firma for me! Enjoy the rest of the week and let's hope for some sun.
ReplyDeleteJune
lovely blog Gillian!
ReplyDeleteyour Victoria sponge cake looks delicious ♥ & your two books look like wonderful reads.
Sounds like a great week-end, except for the rain!!
ReplyDeleteHooray for Wimbledon! Boo for Nadal exit. Wandering around a book shop is probably one of my favourite shopping pursuits. I like the look of both of those books. I am going to look up the glamping book.
ReplyDeleteYou packed a lot into your wet weekend.
Leanne xx
Yorkshire hedgerow soap sounds intriguing... I love glamping. It's my idea of heaven so that book is right up my street. X
ReplyDeletePeonies are just the prettiest flower! Your victoria looks amazing. Would be perfect with a cuppa right now (even though it is 7.30am) xo
ReplyDeleteThe peonies are so beautiful, mine are nearly out now. Very yummy looking cake x
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks delicious! And the pink peonies are just gorgeous! It sounds like a really nice weekend, even though it was raining.
ReplyDeleteLove love love your photos today! That cake looks beyond delicious! Your books look lovely although I am definitely not a camping or glamping kind of girl!
ReplyDeleteM x
Lovely yummy picture :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to spend a wet weekend. Love peonies and the soap packaging is beautiful. Wouldn't have known what is was if you hadn't said.
ReplyDeleteCrochet is lovely.
That cake looks divine. Perfect for Wimbledon watching. I'm saving myself for a big Pimms and Strawberries and Cream blow out night in front of the TV on Friday! x
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks so beautiful and delicious!
ReplyDeleteIt's raining heaps in Sydney at the moment - perfect for doing a few of these things you've listed.
PS: It's giveaway time on my blog! Hope you join: http://www.underlockandkeyblog.com/2013/06/angelorian-tradition-giveaway.html
Oh my goodness Gillian! Look at your cake! T'was the week for lovely cakes I think :) I'm so envious of your crochet. I've tried and given up for now :( Bring on the tennis I say - I'm a huge fan! A lovely week to you...
ReplyDeleteSophie xo
Hi Gillian,We were sitting down to watching the cricket finals, but it was so rain delayed, we lost interest!!!!I really hope the sun comes out soon!!!!But I think you cheered yourselves up nicely!!!
ReplyDeleteLove
AMarie
aha, this made me chuckle... blooming british weather, I hope it perks up soon! that crochet throw is gorgeous, I love the colours x
ReplyDeleteHello Gillian
ReplyDeletewe also had a bit of a grey blustery weekend and did stay at home indoor fun things. I am loving your crochet throw, well done for having the patience to block it! Sounds like you had good fun in York, one of my favourite places.
We did some baking too, Alice has a thing about triple chocolate brownies at the moment, yummy but deadly for the waistline :o) happy days to you all xxx Penny
Ps. Loving your peonies, so blousy and romantic x
Deleteah yes, self tan... perfect for this weather!! Also that cake.. mmmm, and a good cosy blanket, you'll need it! Hazel x
ReplyDeleteI'm off into the kitchen to start my cake and I used the very same self tan yesterday x
ReplyDeleteWell if rainy days were filled with these wonderful moments who would complain! That handmade clamping book looks so wonderful I do feel just a little tempted. Loving your peonies don't think I will ever tire of their beauty. Well no sun = selftan, makes us feel just a little better. Feeling much the same about my strawbs not being ready to enjoy Wimbledon, ooh how I LOVE it! Your blankets look amazing! Pa love York and the minster xoxo
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic way to spend some rainy time- loving all the photos- the poenies are gorgeous and I love the look of the glamping book- in fact I think I love it all:)
ReplyDeletethat cake looks delicious!!!!! your peonia looking wonderful,love the pale pink.my peonias blossomtime is over.your crochet work looks fantastic.
ReplyDeletehave a nice week,
regina
To this I would add sitting on a lounger in the garden watching Wimbledon on the small TV with cucumber sandwiches to hand and a glass of chilled white ... bliss! Oh, and good book such as Jennifer McVeigh's The Fever Tree to read when you get fed up with the tennis!
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
Sounds like a lovely midsummer weekend ... not sure I would have chanced the Wheel of York ... sounds terrifying ... your blanket looks gorgeous ... Bee xx
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks very scrummy indeed.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed Wimbledon and the rest of us have a dry and sunnny couple of weeks!
Lisa x
and of course with Wimbledon will come 2 weeks of rain, so perhaps 14 cakes. Your photos are lovely Gillian. x
ReplyDeleteSounds like the perfect way to spend the weekend....hmm, except for the Wheel of York - not liking the sound of that!
ReplyDeleteI love this post it sounds like a perfect day...except the scary wheel experience!
ReplyDeletexxx
Ah, yes, they do make camping look so very lovely in those kinds of books don't they. I fear the reality could be very different. You have had a lovely time in the rain though, almost makes me wish it was raining here.
ReplyDeleteI went on the Wheel of Doom twice when it first went up in (I think) 2006. Hideous! Hated every minute. I can't even remember how I was persuaded to go on a second time. *shudder*
ReplyDeleteThat soap looks gorgeous! Lovely ideas.
ReplyDelete