I'm mourning the loss of my beautiful sweet peas today. They were struck down during the wild storm we had here in St Ives last night. It didn't occur to me that the garden would be affected while I was exclaiming at the fork lightning lighting up the bay. But them and about a million palm leaves have to be attended to in a moment. The storm hasn't broke the humidity either, or else my personal thermostat has gone ballistic. I think the phrase is sweating cobs.
I thought I'd share some simple pared back happy things from my week. We truck on here. Taking life as it comes. Mostly.
Late breakfast
Picking our own
Den building
In my fantasy life, the one where I live at Trevail Mill and spend my days in overalls and wellies wandering around my immaculate small holding, I am totally self sufficient. In my real life, the one where I struggle to get my head around having an allotment plot and quite often forget to water my tomatoes, I am amazed whenever I am able to pluck an edible form its' plant. Just some of the produce from this week. I have bounteous blueberries too, although I have decided to share them with a rather persistent Blackbird.
I treated myself to a large cappuccino with an extra shot, and a sausage sandwich with white bread, butter and HP sauce. I ate it overlooking Porthmeor beach in the shadow of the Tate. It was divine. No really, it was. I think I might have made lip smacking noises.
Pops and I have been to our local pick your own. We needed a lot of strawberries, and the slugs have laid waste to ours. For every success in the garden, there is also something that doesn't fulfill it's promise. It's good for me. I have to relinquish my need to control. I have to just go with the flow of the garden, help it as much as I can, and hope for the best. Olly would only pick the biggest strawberries that he could find. I may have eaten quite a few. They factor that in when you pay for them, right?
When I was little and it was raining, or when all other options had been explored, my Mum would get out the 'den cloth.' I think it was probably a super sized dust sheet. She would drape it over the dining room table, make me and my sister a plate of snacks, and shoo us under. It was her last resort when we were getting under her feet during the holidays. Olly likes a den too. I have been quite grateful for that this week. Excuse his slightly on show bare bottom. He is usually nude at home. I like this picture, because this is how life actually is for me. And most of you I suspect. You should have seen the mess at the other end of the room.
...................
It's all go this weekend. Olly has his nursery barbecue. I am out for a meal with lovely ladies. And we are hoping to take that trip in Betty to Godrevy, although the weatherman has told me we won't be.
Have a wonderful weekend. Be good.
Leanne xx
I've just realised that I haven't credited Gillian, who is the instigator of the weekly happy. Sorry matey xx
Oh, Olly's den took me back years! L used to spend most of his time making dens out of chairs and blankets. I'd forgotten! Massive storm here last night too- the plants have survived but the doggies were very worried and I ended up downstairs cuddling them both at 1am, then letting them have a sleepover in the sitting room to take their minds of it :-) x
ReplyDeleteDitto. Tomato plants on the ground and lots of plants in pots to be picked up again first thing. And a morning spent staking the sweetcorn. Why didn't I do that before now? Hey Ho.
ReplyDeleteoh how I love a good den in the living room. do you think my 13 and 15year old will go in one with a plate of snacks when they are annoying me this summer?...............
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your sweet peas, Leanne. Gardening losses are hard to take. Olly has a terrific looking den. I can remember draping a sheet over a card table when I was a child, and that feeling of being in my own special world when I was sitting in "my space."
ReplyDeleteSome nice moments from your week Leanne. I wish that I had a den to go and crawl into and sit by myself sometimes, it would be great wouldn't it! I hope that you have a good weekend and that it is good enough to go out in Betty! xx
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to credit me, don't be daft! And really my version came via Jen's 52 weeks thing. I like the simple things you've shared here. They are the best sort of happies, aren't they, the everyday joys that make up life. I really hope you get nice weather for taking Betty to Godrevy. Please don't tell me it rains in Cornwall, I've booked a flipping holiday! x
ReplyDeleteBut surely the Friday Happy was your bandwagon I jumped on? ;) xx
DeleteA 'weekly' happy. Why wasn't I told? How wonderful. There is so much in your post to talk about. I wish we could go for tea and a sausage sandwich. I loved what you said about gardening. About your need to hold things loosely and let them be. Very good advice.And the play fort too!! I haven't heard them called 'dens' here in Canada but that is a marvelous name. Lions and bears and cougars have dens. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteMy girls made forts using couch cushions and the table. Now my grandchildren do although they don't always share the space as graciously as my little girls did. Perhaps being a boy and girl has something to do with it. They have very different ideas about adventure.
I really loved your post.
Oh how your blog cheers me up. I love the happiness in small and simple things. I'm storing the den idea away for when I need it. Won't be for at least eleven hours I'm sure. I envy you your seat above Porthmeor beach, how blissful. Your tomatoes have done well, and your cucumber and courgettes. Growing food is always a delight when it comes to harvest time isn't it. I need to plant more stuff before it's too late. I love your dream of a totally self-sufficient (and immaculate) smallholding. I always thought I'd make a good farmer's wife. It's not too late is it..? CJ xx
ReplyDeleteBlanket tents are all the rage here too. When I was little, we had a hideous (I thought) old sheet that we used both for tents and to spread on the grass to play Barbies. Now I wish I had that sheet because it's exactly the kind of vintage sheet everyone adores now. Those strawberries look lovely. I'll be right over. :)
ReplyDeleteDen building is a favourite pastime here too. I find all manner of 'stuff' under the dining table! BigR would love to be naked but currently R rocks the pants (and if we're lucky) vest look at home too...always with a myriad of plastic jewellery to accessorise. Have a great weekend x
ReplyDeleteHello! I'm finally catching up with everyone after my three unplugged weeks. Popping in here always feels like catching up with a good friend over a coffee. Life is generally a roller coaster isn't it but you seem to have had a good share of ups and downs lately. I do hope you're enjoying a lovely steady weekend. And that the continuing storms haven't done any more damage to your lovely garden!
ReplyDeleteOh dens ... I remember them well! One 'game' our boys enjoyed was book tumbling! They had loads of Ladybird books and they set them up on their edges, like A boards. They had so many that they went under their divan beds and around the room, and then one of them would set them tumbling, like domino tumbling. Not the best way to treat books but they stood up to this remarkably well. Oh, and they did read them, too, but with boys, tumbling was always best!
ReplyDeleteI also used to do a treasure hunt indoors when it was raining and they were bored. I would put a little present (well, two, so that they'd have one each) somewhere well hidden, and then give them a list of clues against letters. They had to find all the letters which would make up a sentence, such as "in the bathroom" or "in the hall cupboard" and they'd have to make the letters form the sentence in order get this final clue to the treasure. Yes, it took quite a while for me to organize and perhaps only ten to fifteen minutes for them to get to the 'treasure' but when they were older they said how much they enjoyed the treasure hunts.
Margaret P
Just catching up again Leanne.Where do the days go? My boys were into den building and always for some reason made one on christmas eve. Good job Santa always found his way to the stockings!
ReplyDeleteI thought that was a bare bum and was waiting for the story "behind" it! Large cardboard boxes were always good for playing in too. When we went strawberry picking a couple weeks ago, the little babe just stood there and stuffed her face with as many as possible. There was no hiding the evidence when her face was painted red like a clown and the juice was dripping down her arms! Wow, a treat out all by yourself - I haven't had that in ages!
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Yeah cheers, thanks for that.
DeleteHey Leanne, I'm in major blog catch-up mode too, so great to see what you've been up to. You always have good stuff going on in your life....Don't fret, as someone who is setting up a pick-your-own farm, yes, you definitely do factor in all the 'wastage' (free eating) into the cost of the fruit tubs but in all fairness you have to try before you buy don't you :-) Mel x
ReplyDeleteHey Mel, my conscience is now clear. ;) xx
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ReplyDeleteBummer. I'd ditch the little bleeder if I were you.
DeleteLeanne xx