Not Yet

I wanted to thank you for you recent comments here as they have been particularly wonderful; interesting, helpful and informative. You are all brilliant. Many of you reminded me about the Pencil Museum in Keswick when I wrote about the pencils we recently found in the garage. Yes, I am sure they would be able to date them for me (and I remembered that Derwent pencils are after all made in Cumbria). I may email them to try to find out when they were made - when I get round to it - but for now I'm happy just to have them to be honest. And what fabulous suggestions you gave me for my leaf skeleton dilemma! Some suggested just keeping them temporarily in a glass or white bowl, or under a glass dome, until they reached a point where they needed to go back into the garden. For preservation, someone suggested a light coat of spray varnish to help protect them, and then hinged glass frames, box frames and a small glass box were offered as ways to display them long term. I don't think they'd survive pressing - they were too brittle - so box frames or similar are the way forward I think. A couple of you said I should frame my photos, which had not occurred to me at all. I print and frame photos I've taken of people, mainly the children, but I'd never thought to print out any photos otherwise. It might be fun to make some cards or something. I played around with them on picmonkey, just for fun:

Anyway, in the end, they were just so brittle that they were practically disintegrating before my eyes, so I had to dispose of them the day after taking those photos. I don't think coming from a damp garden into a warm, dry house did them much good.

Thanks for the chair love, too. Yes, on the IKEA website, the chair is only listed as being available in grey, orange or blue, no idea why. I loved the grey but we have a dark grey sofa and felt it might be too much gloom. I'm so glad you all like her as much as I do! She's still there, still lovely. Not that I've had a chance to sit on her today...

I'd planned a springy post for this weekend, in as much as I ever really plan a post. There are always ideas simmering away in my head but it doesn't usually come together until I sit down in front of the laptop. I'd been thinking sunshine, pastels and flowers. In typical March fashion I've been pottering inside and out, sorting and rearranging. I found another use for my broken Emma Bridgewater mugs. Is it me or do these mugs break really easily? I put mine in the dishwasher but I'm pretty sure they are dishwasher proof. I must have about six where the handles have cracked and then come away. At nearly £20 a mug they're not cheap, though are they? Very annoying. Anyway, they make excellent, if expensive, pen pots.

I've been buying hyacinths and daffodils like they're going out of fashion. Love 'em. I think spring flowers are my favourite. I'm not bored of them though, not yet. Give me a couple more weeks.

I bought this lovely new pink cushion in IKEA from their brakig collection. I can't find a link to it but it was only £5 so I bought a blue one too. They go on the "kid's " sofa, where they will get covered in sticky fingerprints and crumbs and go in the washing machine constantly.

I've been hailing the milder temperatures this week with less soups, more salad.  I think radishes might win a prize for being the prettiest vegetable.

My new favourite thing for lunch is a boursin and radish open sandwich. So, so good. The combination of creaminess and crunch is divine. Very garlicky though. John complained.

But then, the thing is, IT'S NOT SPRING YET! No! It's bloody freezing. Every year I forget, Yorkshire springs are late and cold. I forgot. I was seduced by the sun, the daffodils, the 16°c temperatures. Yesterday the weather swiftly turned and a stinging, raw wind blew in. I wore my ski jacket to pick up the kids from school. Their faces were pinched and rosy from the cold and we had hot chocolate when we got home. My head is half in winter, half in spring while I finish this winter embroidery. Do you remember the autumn themed embroidery I did last year? I want to make one for each season, and I've been working on this lately. I have to finish it soon, as I'm already wanting it over so I can begin the spring one, which will contain lots more colour.

And so I do declare that spring is very nearly here, but not just yet.