A CERTAIN SOMETHING IN THE AIR

You wake up one morning and open the bedroom window, immediately you know something has changed and you take a deep breath. Yes! At last there it is that certain something in the air, the quality of Spring.

That is what happened on Saturday morning. What exactly is this quality? It's hard to describe, a certain softness and warming of the air currents, even though it is still early morning, a tint of colour in the sky, a sky that no longer looks like a Winter Steel Grey, a slight difference in the shades of green of the plants and tree buds, a sharper more acid green. Birds that try just that little bit more joyously when singing the dawn chorus and in the distance the baaing of ewes waiting to lamb.

The sun rose higher in the bright blue sky, all my Saturday plans went flying away, as I ran around the cottage gathering up plants in pots, that had been patiently waiting such a day to be planted, ever since they arrived from the nursery, and even the moon was right for planting. The bliss, the utter complete bliss, to be in my garden again, nothing matches the first proper gardening stint of each Spring. I spotted a solitary ladybird sitting on one of my perennials and welcomed her back to my garden, encouraging to enjoy munching the aphids later in the year and a single bee was doing a survey on my honeysuckle, before reporting back to the hive.

All my climbers and tubers planted and I celebrated by sitting down at the garden table with a welcome cup of coffee, my eyes darting backwards and forwards looking for what is showing green and working out what plants to add this year, scribbling some notes on a piece of paper before going inside to order them. To sit in the garden smelling the earth and the plants feeling the warmth of a late March sun on my head, how much better could it get?, it just couldn't, it is perfection

I went on my country bus ride into the town today, basically to finish off the shopping I failed to do last time, the school's finish for their spring breaks on Friday, so I want to steer clear of town when the kids are all milling round. The only exception I will make is to the visit the Continental Market that is due to hit town on Easter weekend, to replenish my stocks of Provencial soap. It was one of my lucky days in poundland, lot of wonderful tea light holders, glass hanging lights for the garden in summer, its amazing to be spending just £1 on these when the 'quality' magazines advertise them at ridiculous prices, also beautiful japanese paper lanterns that light up by battery and a small bulb and wonderful multi coloured bamboo spirals to twirl in the wind in the garden. I can just visualise it on a warm summer's evening, when it happens I will take photos. Also managed to get some strips of lovely assorted embellishments for altered art. Wow, Poundland yay!

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One of items I bought in Poundland was a box of yellow Easter Chickens. We don't really bother decorating for Easter over here, apart from kids displaying their chocolate eggs. I've decided to bring back my treasure branch I decorated at Christmas, only this time I will make an Easter Branch out of it, fluffy little yellow chicks can sit in it and maybe some Daisy Lupin Fripperies, I'll have to find out if I can source some tiny feathered birds, if any one knows where, [in England] please let me know. If it works out I'll take photos of it, also, naturally, I will fill the rooms with daffodils.

At the very top left of my sidebar there is now a link to Daisy Lupin Designs, which is to showcase and sell the items I am making, just a few things up at present but more to follow during the coming weeks.



One last item before I go, I have just had an email from ROBYN'S [Wednesday's Child] daughter, to say she has had a mishap, she was opening a parcel with scissors, they slipped and went into her arm. Poor Robyn had to go to hospital and have stitches put in her arm, so will probably not be able to type for a while. I sent an email to as many of her contacts as I could, but if I missed you, I am sorry, but now you have read it here. She will return as soon as her arm permits and I am sure you will keep her in your thoughts and wish her well and a speedy recovery. So GET WELL SOON ROBYN and back to your blog.

TIME TO MYSELF - A DAY OF HAPPY IDLENESS

The photograph above is the last 6x6 piece that I made for my Daisy Lupin Friendship Project

It has been a busy week so far, the trip to Thirsk on Monday, to meet the Glitter Sisters, then Tuesday, a day to go to my nearest town with a list of 'Things that must be done today - no procastinating Daisy'.

In reality this shouldn't take me nearly all day, it should just be get there, do the things that need to be done and back home again, but there always seem to be obstacles in the way. First of all half the roads in town are closed as the utilities are laying new water pipes and there are various diversions in place. Then I go into the General Post Office to see a big sign saying, sorry so many counter positions are not operating due to a staff shortage, so out of a possible ten there are two working and this is the old dears pension day. The queue twists and turns around the floor. I finally get to the counter to find myself having a disagreement about a parcel I am wanting to post abroad, the counter assistant wants to fill in the customs form herself and seems slightly unbelieving at what I say the contents are and their value. Every shop I go into seems to have one till in operation and queues of people wanting to do complicated transactions. I give up, I wanted to go to the bottom half of the town to pick up some batting and soft toy filling and to have a rummage in Poundland for any goodies I can pull apart and alter, I give up, all that can wait until next week.

I finally flee town and end up at the supermarket on the outskirts of town, to top up with some urgently needed provisions. I remember to buy some daffodils for the vernal equinox tomorrow, and I am pleased to see they have a really good deal on them, I can fill vases round the cottage at this rate. I make my husband's day as I see they have the wonderful £3 value jeans back in in his size, why pay anymore for messing around the countryside, it doesn't matter how you treat them, they are value though and finally I can't resist this, I treat myself to a beautiful length of garden lights, all tiny green leaves and green jewels, certainly not for the garden, but to decorate my workroom which will be taking on green and lemon colours when I have sorted all the bags and boxes from my Mum's that are in it.

This is a [rather bad, sorry about that] photograph of the Moon Goddess Spirit Doll that I made for Kai for this month's Spirit Doll Swap.

Wednesday, the Spring Equinox, yes the sap is rising, I could do with a free day, but suddenly cleaning and sorting are on my mind. I set to with a will that has been lacking for some time and surprise myself with the amount of sorting etc I am getting done. My dining room looks almost like it used to before the influx of boxes etc. The living room in particular looks lovely with the vases of daffodils and the smell of equinox incense burning. The weather might not show it but I feel that Spring is springing.



Above is one of my Daisy Lupin Fripperies, this one a felt egg shape with The Green Lady of Spring awakening on it. THIS CREATION IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE

So to today, Thursday, My Day, as I said above a day of happy idleness, a day of pottering round the house, browsing books, making lists of where to plant what is needed in the garden this year, lists of things that I have ready to renovate and need a coat of paint. Ticking off of projects completed [always a satisfying job] and putting together the components of my latest designs to be known as Daisy Lupin Fripperies, those who were at Thirsk know one of the designs. These I am putting up for sale as soon as I sort out a side bar link to Daisy Lupin Designs and yes they are covered by copyright. Once I have my design gallery up and running it will be quickly followed by another gallery which will be of interest to some people, but first the trial run will be with Daisy Lupin Designs, to see if there are any glitches.

A photograph of another of my Fripperies, this time a Flower Girl. THIS CREATION IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE.

Now it is early evening Thursday, after enjoying the above I am posting this then going to sit and chill out in the living room to enjoy the daffodils and watch the buds bursting into flower, and you know with daffodils you can see that happening when they are in the warmth of a room.

Whoops, I am so chilled out I nearly forgot to announce the winner of the One World - One HeArt giveaway, silly me. After asking a friend to choose a number, easier than a draw, to give every name a number, the winner is .........................
drum roll:-

Tinker of Tinker Art

Well done, Tinker, I shall be starting on your spirit doll this weekend and be posting it to you in a couple of weeks. Hope you will like how it turns out, I don't know because they tend to create themselves.