Days 228 to 238

Eleven days worth of my 365 challenge!  We have been away for a few days and once back have been shopping, shopping, shopping to set our Son up for university, so I have had no time to blog recently!

Day 228 of 365

A bowl full of freshly picked tomatoes from our greenhouse - Sungold, Gardener's Delight and Harbinger.

Day 229 of 365

Making cakes to take on our holiday for picnics.  This is the lavender shortbread that is a family favourite, using homegrown lavender.

Day 230 of 365

Zinnia Envy - Grown from seed.  This is the first time I have grown Zinnias.  I love the green, but next year I plan to grow a mixture of bright-coloured ones.

Day 231 of 365

First day of our holiday and my Husband is in the dog house! :)

Day 232 of 365

Day two and up a lighthouse.  I'll show more of our holiday in my next post.

Day 233 of 365

On the White Cliffs of Dover - my Son trying to scare me!  My Husband assured me that Jay had his feet on some steps leading to a lower path.  I wasn't going to look!

Day 234 of 365

Coffee and cream ice-cream beside the sea at Hastings.

Day 235 of 365

Making friends with some donkeys, beside a medieval church that we visited.

Day 236 of 365

Back from our holiday and shopping in Ikea, this sign caught my Husband's eye! :)

Day 237 of 365

BBQ time.  It was a lovely warm evening and we sat out admiring the stars and having a little too much to drink!  I am such a lightweight that 3 glasses of wine and I was over my limit! :)

Day 238 of 365

More gorgeous sunshine and the butterflies, including this Comma, were busy on the Buddleias in our garden. 

I just need to sort through my holiday photos before my next post and hopefully once Fay and Jay are settled at uni I will be able to post more regularly.  I haven't even had time to get on with my knitting and crochet this summer; we have been so busy!  I need to go back to work for a rest! ;)

Hope you are all enjoying your summer.  Best wishes, Pj x

Days 224 to 227

Four more photos for my 365 challenge:-

Day 224 of 365

As a child I always admired my Auntie S's silver charm bracelet and played with it each time she wore it.  For my 16th birthday I received a silver charm bracelet of my own from my parents.  Relatives then gifted me with charms for my birthdays and Christmases over the next few of years and later on I started collecting charms from various holiday locations.  In Venice I continued with this tradition of mine and bought a gondola to go on my bracelet.  I haven't worn my bracelet much over the past two decades as spiky charms didn't really go with carrying small children and then I began my Trollbead addiction! :) This week I searched through my jewellery box and discovered six charms that needed to be soldered onto my bracelet, so I have taken it and the charms to a jewellers to be worked on and then I plan to wear my bracelet once again, as my children are all grown-up now!

Day 225 of 365

Shopping at the allotment!  Out for a walk with my Husband at the weekend and we found this basket laying beside a path.  My Husband decided to give it a home and now it is used for collecting our vegetables from the allotment!

Day 226 of 365

On the theme of jewellery again - our Daughter takes after me as far as a love of jewellery is concerned :) so we brought back this Murano glass pendant and earrings for her from Venice.  

Day 227 of 365

Out celebrating last night.  Our Son has passed his A-levels and has had his place confirmed at his chosen university.  He is so relieved to be going to his first choice of uni and we are so happy for him!  

Well done Jay! xXx

Days 215 to 223

Last week's 365 photos:-

Day 215 of 365

Turn your back on an allotment for a week in the summer and the courgettes go crazy!  We picked all of them before our holiday and came back to these "marrows"!

Day 216 of 365

Sunday morning and the males of the family are taking it easy! :)

Day 217 of 365

Busy bees, dusted in pollen, on one of my dahlias.

Day 218 of 365

A bee of a different kind.  Crocheted as an adornment for an up-coming swap I am taking part in.

Day 219 of 365

A butterfly card to accompany the SIBOL blanket that is on its way to Sue.

Day 220 of 365

Another butterfly - the three buddleias in the garden are full of butterflies.

Day 221 of 365

If anyone is wondering where all the bees have gone ... they are in my garden! :)  My garden is alive with bees and butterflies.

Day 222 of 365

Saturday morning in town and I managed to snag a couple of bargains in the sales.  A winter skirt, probably for work and a top to wear with my jeans.

Day 223 of 365

"Git yer pads off my Pad!" Sunday morning and Maurice has claimed my Husband's dressing-gown and iPad. :)

Venice

 As my last post indicated, I am just back from a wonderful week in Venice with my Husband and Son.  I took so many photos, that I'm still sorting through them!  Here are just a few:-

Our first glimpse of Venice from the aeroplane.

 We stayed in the Cannaregio area, just by the canal, near Guglie.

 We walked a lot on this holiday, admiring the fading grandeur, the architecture, churches and soaking up the ambiance of the city ... during the day

and during the evenings.

We took in many of the famous sights, such as ...

 The Rialto Bridge,

 Piazza San Marco, here viewed from the top of the Campanile

 and back down at ground level,

The Basilica San Marco,

 The Doge's Palace and

we crossed the Bridge of Sighs (I love the Italian name - Ponte dei Sospiri).

We visited the island of Murano to look at the famous glass industry

and to the island of Burano with its pretty coloured houses

and history of lace-making.

At the museum this 97 year old was still nimbly making Burano Needlelace.

We also visited the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and our trip up the Campanile was rewarded with amazing views of Venice and the mountains beyond.

We enjoyed several Vaporetto trips down the Grand Canal and around the islands during the day

  

and again at night.

This particular bottle of Coke seemed appropriate!

 After 8 hot and humid Venetian days, England seems cold in comparison!  But I have heard that it should be getting warmer again - just in time for another few days away that we have planned. :)

Days 205 to 214

For once I have the perfect excuse for not posting my 365 photos for the past week until now - I have been away on holiday ...

Day 205 of 365

First day of the summer holidays - yippee!

Flower given to me the previous day by some children at school.

Day 206 of 365

We are off on holiday - our first view of Venice.  We were there for a whole, wonderful week.

Day 207 of 365

One for us ladies! ;) A gondolier with his shirt off!

Day 208 of 365

My Husband and I at Piazza S. Marco.  We had just been up the Campanile and into the Basilica and Doge's Palace.

Day 209 of 365

Our Son, in the evening, waiting for pizza; it was delicious.

Day 210 of 365

View from a bridge of a side canal and one of the many leaning bell towers of Venice.

Day 211 of 365

S. Giorgio and the Marc Quinn inflated sculpture of Alison Lapper, that was a centre-piece of the Paralympic 2012 opening ceremony.

Day 212 of 365

The Rialto Bridge one evening.  Photo taken from near the table where we had our evening meal by the Grand Canal.

Day 213 of 365

View of the southern entrance to the Grand Canal.

Day 214 of 365

Novelty pasta bought as a joke gift for a friend!  Don't judge me! :)