Some things pretty, some things colourful, some things useful.

Just as I will complain about bad service, so I also give praise where it's due. I recently ordered some fabric from http://www.donnaflower.com/ who has some beautiful vintage pieces. It's not often I order, but now and then I see something that takes my fancy, often not knowing what I will do with it, but just knowing I would like to have it! Just in case... you know?

So when the parcel came, in a pink plastic mailing bag, and I opened it to discover this lovely dotty paper and stripey string, I was delighted, and wanted to share my pleasure. I did email her and thank her... the reasoning behind the pretty packaging is that it's nice to receive something packaged nicely, even if it's just a gift from yourself to yourself. I agree wholeheartedly. And just in case you are curious about the two pieces of material, here they are.

This is a village scene, and I haven't a use for it yet, though bag/cushion cover came to mind.

And this is a glazed cotton children's fabric, which I am going to make into a bag, and line it with red gingham fabric. Sometime.

This may not be pretty in the eyes of some beholders, and you will see my icing was a wee bit runny (but it did make a tasty bottom as well as top!). This is obviously perhaps, a birthday cake, Victoria sponge, strawberry jam filled, iced, sugar stranded and candled. And the number of candles is of no significance... I couldn't get fifty nine on the cake! It's my bit of madness for my husband's birthday.. luckily he's a bit mad too!

The garden is still being so colourful, here is a small posy of clove pink, dahlia, chocolate cosmos and a marigold gone over tucked in between. The pink still has that gorgeous smell, though perhaps not quite as heady.

The penstemons are still going strong.. next year I hope to be able to stop myself pulling up the seedlings mistaking them for weeds, as I have done for the past two years! But there are several small plants near the summerhouse, this has the most stems and flowers at present, and isn't it lovely?

My transplanted snapdragons look happy too, flowering for the third time now.

On to something really useful, something bought with a project in mind, just for once. This is Rowan four ply, gorgeously soft wool, in a shade of earthy brown, mossy green and tea rose pink. I am knitting a chevron scarf in these colours, in that order, reminiscent to me of brown earth, the green foliage of the plant, and then the pretty pink flower. I've photographed them in the wrong order here.... but perhaps you see my thinking?

And the other really useful thing is my raised vegetable bed. It still has one or two lettuces for me to eat, some carrots nearly ready to pick, garlic planted not long ago, and giant leaved parsley, all looking healthy, but I will pick them this week as it can't stay this mild forever. We have had one or two really cold nights, one even left us with a hint of frost one morning, so best to make the most of all this colour and usefulness while we can.

Enjoy the changing colours as autumn begins to really make itself at home for a while before winter comes along to take over. We are now getting the early arrivals of pink-footed and Brent geese which travel here every winter, in their thousands. Small skeins are now to be seen first thing in the morning and in the evening around tea time, and I am so glad we had the glass roof on the conservatory as I can see them clearly, they are often quite low down. I love to open the door and hear them too. We know autumn has arrived and winter is on it's tail when we see these lovely birds, and that spring can't be far away by the time they leave us next year. But that's a long way ahead yet. Still to come are more delights of changing colours, and hopefully gathering sweet chestnuts this week, roasting them on the open fire, cooking them in boiling water for a few minutes, then removing the skins, with much hopping about, blowing on fingers and cursing my love for these nuts! But I then freeze them, and they are ready to take out and add to stews, or be fried with parsnips, apples, pancetta and lentils. Yum!