Rare pockets of sunshine

 

May brought us flowers, a birthday, lots of days out and some very unpredictable weather. I am choosing to focus on the sunshine, the couple of weekends when it was warm and sunny enough to sit outside and - whisper it - maybe get the pizza oven out. It is really summer for me when it's so warm that I need to pull the blinds in the rooms at the front of the house to keep the sun out in the afternoon. That makes me happy, I don't know why.

When the washing dries quickly and you can potter round the garden in your flip flops.

When the garden becomes an extension of the house.

And it's warm enough for iced coffee.

We made pizzas in the oven then sat on the sofa outside under blankets as it cooled down, it was lovely.

Angus turned fifteen and we had everyone round for cake. I made two of Nigella's coca cola cake and put them one on top of the other with some chocolate buttercream in the middle. They came out really well. 

The birthday boy wanted steak so we went out one sunny Sunday evening to Chichester for dinner.

Other lovely moments included a warm bank holiday weekend in which we went to Brighton for the day with our friends who had come to stay.

The weather was perfect. 

We wandered through the lanes and to the seafront and basically felt like we were on holiday.

Equally lovely was a visit to the Bishop's Palace Gardens in Chichester, with everything in bloom.

Those moments aside, the rest of May has been a slog at times. High workload, horrible weather, a never ending to do list, money going out left, right and centre. Small pleasures have kept me going at times and I celebrate each and every one of them. They are the fabric of life. 

Winding a skein of yarn into a ball and thinking up possible projects.

Watching a bunch of peonies slowly open.

A well-risen loaf of bread.

Newly-sanded and mended garden furniture.

Rhododendron trimmings in a jug outside.

A neon manicure.

Fish and chips on the beach.

Making burger tacos with Angus.

Mantel faffing.

Walks in the woods.

All small but all very much needed and appreciated.

I've been busy with the crochet. I found five balls of this paintbox ribbon yarn which I think I bought during lockdown. I decided it was high time I used them.

I crocheted myself this large messenger-style bag and bought a strap from Oliver Bonas to go with it.

It just needs lining then it's good to go.

Talking of lining, I used a vintage pillowcase to line this crochet bag I made last summer. Things like pens and lip balm always poked out the holes of the granny squares.

It's much more practical now.

So as you can see, crochet and small pleasures are keeping me sane, as they have always done really. 

The weather is horribly cool for the time of year here at the moment, with cold breezes that feel more like April than June. I am really hoping for more weekends - days, even - of weahter warm enough to sit outside, wear shorts and cook pizzas in the oven. I would just like it to be like summer really.