Cactus Dahlia Pink Princess

 My first cactus dahlia to flower which I planted in mid March. 

This one is called 'Pink Princess' and is a beauty.

Broad Beans and Spinach

We started picking our broad beans from the allotment a few weeks ago. 
 They are lovely and tasty steamed for a few minutes.

 We still have lots of spinach and have started picking our onions.

 If you fancy something a little bit different the broad beans are also delicious steamed and then added to fried onions with a little pasta sauce as a side dish or added to pasta as a main meal. 


I fried the onions in basil infused olive oil that I made last year. Just decant some olive oil into a wide brimmed jar (I usually wait until it is on special offer), add the basil, replace the lid and leave to steep for a few weeks in a cool, dark place. The olive oil takes on the delicate flavour of the basil and is really lovely used in lots of recipes.

Seed Head Hoop Embroidery

 This is a little hoop embroidery I finished a few weeks ago inspired by the lovely seed head drawings and prints by Angie Lewin in her book 'Plants and Places'.

I kept the colours fairly neutral but maybe next time I'll try to introduce a little more colour with felt or fabrics behind the stitching.

Hope everyone has a lovely week inspired by nature.

Fundraising and Other Challenges!

Sorry to have been away from my blog for so long but I've had a very busy and tiring week. Eldest daughter Emma arrived home from uni the Friday before last with enough stuff to fill a house! I'm still stepping over boxes in the hallway which she can't fit in her room but it's lovely to have her home.

On Thursday evening I helped her with a charity fundraising stall at a local school.

 

We made tea cup candles and lots of homemade cakes. 

On the wall of the school hall was a painting of the Queen that made me smile. The sun streaming in through the windows made the jewels in her crown sparkle and it looked so pretty!

On Saturday Emma had a stall at 'Chistlehurst Rocks', an open air musical event that went on into the early evening. 

 She had cakes, plants, jewellery and bric-a-brac for sale.

 The music was fantastic and there was a great community atmosphere.

We sold out of all the homemade cakes and biscuits.

 A really long, tiring but enjoyable day.
The high winds were a bit worrying at times but we managed to hold onto our gazebo and bunting...just about. Emma is now a little closer to her target fundraising amount. She has another open air event booked for July and she's hoping to squeeze a boot sale in if the weather improves.

On Friday I had my hospital appointment and was told I have breast cancer. I have further surgery this Wednesday and the results will let me know if the cancer has spread and what further surgery/treatment I might need to have. Fortunately the cancer is small and the least aggressive kind so I am thankful that it looks as though it has been caught early. I'm so glad I went for my Mammogram!
It's going to be difficult having further surgery as I'm still recovering from the first surgery but the sooner it's done the better!

Here's a picture of one of my Dahlias flowering in the garden with a lovely bumble bee visiting. I hope you all have a lovely week with lots of sunshine. 

Felt Hearts

These are two pretty felt hearts that my lovely, creative sister made and sent to me in the post last week to cheer me up. The larger one is a pin cushion and the smaller one I have made into a brooch. 

On Wednesday I had to go into hospital to have day surgery to remove a lesion from my left breast. A routine mammogram (my first one) came back abnormal and after further tests I had a biopsy which came back inconclusive but showing suspicious cells. I'm due back at the breast clinic next Friday for my results. I'm feeling rather bruised and uncomfortable at the moment but my main frustration is not being able to garden or dig my allotment. The surgeon was a little surprised when I asked how long I would have to wait until I could start digging again! I'm sure all the gardeners out there will understand how I feel as I have so much to do! 

Anyway, I shall stay positive and try to be patient and let you know how things unfold.