Happy New Year Everyone !

Since it's the beginning of 2013 I thought I'd  'pop by' and say 'HI !'
For all I know you may have given up on me altogether after my long absence from the world of blogging...

You may remember I had a shop in a lovely Cotswold town called Northleach. It was my 'baby'. Something I've always dreamt of having. A place where I could release all my creative ideas and surround myself with beautiful treasures from days gone by. 

Many, many devoted hours and family sacrifices later I decided to relocate...

...to my house.

Here I go again, dreaming.

Well, my house may not be as grand as the stunner above but, after dragging it kicking and screaming into the 21st century for the last three years,it'll be just right for the next chapter of my business tale.

In our family we're known for not doing things by halves. It's all or nothing, so it won't surprise you that while still running the shop, sourcing new stock and looking after a busy home, we were managing a major building project.It was our kitchen extension and the final piece in our 'new' home puzzle.

Hopefully it'll all be finished in the next two weeks. The finishing touches always drag on but I will write a BEFOR AND AFTER post with photos when its done.

My dear friend Inka from www.inkanorden.net will no doubt become a Saint after helping me set up my website www.theperfectwhimsy.com

So you see, I just haven't had time for many pleasures such as keeping in touch with you all. I'm hoping to redress the balance in my life this year and you'll be hearing from me very soon.

XXX

Wildlife Diner

I love wildlife and have always tried to encourage it into our lives.

As the temperatures start to fall I embark on one of my favourite Autumn activities,creating a feeding station.

Hedgehogs are out and about in the evenings now, desperately trying to feed and store as much fat up for their hibernation. They need to be of a certain weight in order to survive the Winter.

To help them, put out some cat or dog food, nuts,seeds berries and fruit like bruised apples.

NEVER GIVE THEM MILK,BREAD OR FISH - IT COULD KILL THEM !!!

If you see a hedgehog out in the middle of the day, it's probably in trouble.They are nocturnal animals and should not be out in the day time. If possible, take it to a vet or a rescue centre where it'll be cared for by experienced people.

For the birds,

Teasel is a great plant of the thistle family. 

It's tiny seeds are a delicacy for the Finch family, especially Goldfinches.

 If you fancy giving these seed/nut and fruit cakes a go then all you need is:

some suet/fat from your local butcher,

a mixture of seeds and some peanuts. If you want to broaden the variety of visiting birds,

you can add some dried berries and fruit like raisins,cranberries,apple etc.

To make things more appealing to the eye and more interesting to our countryside neighbours,try to use old cake tins,jelly moulds and food packaging as shape setters.

Fill your chosen containers/moulds with your choice of mix of nuts,seeds and berries.

Melt the fat slowly in a sauce pan but don't let it burn.

When melted, pour into the metal containers first covering as much of the mixture as possible. If you're using only plastic containers,allow the fat to cool a little before pouring otherwise the hot fat will melt the plastic.

Leave in a cool place to set.

You can put the cooled forms into a freezer for 10 minutes to make them easier to extract from the moulds later.

Don't use the heart I've made as an examlpe. This shape needs to be better supported as it will quickly fall apart when the birds eat away around the hole. If you can, save a lemon net bag next time you buy lemons or oranges etc.and put the whole cake in it. That should do it.

All you have to do then is just hang in a place where you can gaze at these hungry little visitors.  

Those bruised apples that started going off will also be appreciated by birds and insects alike.

Well, I hope that short post has been helpful and inspiring for you. Let me know how you get on and share some pictures of your grateful wild visitors.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. 

The weather has turned rather Autumnal lately which has prompted me to introduce some of those warm colours into my world.

I love the chunky look of these glasses.

Next year I'm hoping to grow some of these in my garden.

I just brought this fabulous original vintage Rajasthani screen to my shop to sell.I hope that whoever buys it will appreciate the beauty of it's hand painted details of birds and flowers.

It is made up of 4 hard wood panels so it's very heavy and solid. 

I had my eye on this bag for ages and was hoping that it will not sell. I often hid it within obcure displays in the shop but it's stunning appearance was spotted by many desiring eyes.

One loving husband bought it on Wednesday for his unsuspecting wife, who loved it from day 1,as a birthday present this weekend :(((

This plant amazes me. It's commonly known as House Leek and it has the ability to attach itself and grow in the most bewildering places like rooves and wall crevacis.

And who could resist this gorgeous honey yellow ceramic collection made and brought back straight from Provence :)

This wonderful giant cup is hand made for Darlington. It's one of the most used,versetile cups in my kitchen.

Mmm, home made soup.

Lemons look good...

Evening with my favourite hot chocolate from Switzerland, CAOTINA. You have GOT to try if you can!

Although orange is not my colour,this Filofax was destined to be mine. I'm so glad because it's easy to find.

 Anyway, thats it for now. Wishing all you lovely people a fabulous weekend.
                    xxx

I