Hello...I'm peeping in from behind the door...its been 3years since I have been on this little corner of my world...and I'm a bit scared to just pop back up after such a long time but with the encouragement of friends and family here I am so here goes...❤

I have just deleted 3 drafts that I had started over the last few years but just couldn't find the words I was looking for and I'm not altogether sure I can now but I will try not to ramble too much in this first part as it may be a little boring but I'm going to try and explain my feelings...

As in the last few posts I did you will know we moved home and I was so excited and there was much to do...so I know I got caught up with all the work we were doing in the garden as the house had to wait until the funds were available...the work in the garden was hard as it was so overgrown and I got overwhelmed with the amount of work, totally underestimated it to be honest and because things were so overgrown the only way to deal with it was to strip it back to basics and then I hated it! I just couldn't find my way and I felt a slave to the garden...it was very much in control of me instead of the other way around...the weeding was relentless...I called myself a weeder rather than a gardener haha 😂...so the first year was hard and I began to feel that I couldn't do this, I wasn't capable...

All this time we were living in one room, eating, sleeping and living in one room...we didn't expect it to be long...we were in the process of selling our flat and that was stressful too, it sold 3 times, fell through twice but eventually it was sold to a lovely couple and I was so pleased that they have it but it took an age...then of course COVID hit and we went into lockdown...we just managed to get the completion through on the sale just as things were escalating thankfully...so lockdown the first time I didn't find too bad really, we had plenty of jobs to do and we already had all the materials to do the jobs, the sun was shining, I knew I just had to keep busy and I would be ok...watching the news everyday got to me, seeing all these people dying and fearing for the safety of my friends and family...once things started to ease, I, like most people I think  thought we were through the worst and we could get back to some normality...but it wasn't to be was it...

With all the pandemic, lockdowns, worry about family, trying to adapt to a new way of living...I felt I was going into freefall...a downward spiral of anxiety...I didn't feel good enough, I felt nothing I did was enough, I hated myself and all my thoughts and ideas and everything I did...along with all these feelings I knew I had nothing to complain about really, there were people much, much worse off than me, so I didn't even feel I could express anything as even that felt wrong too... 

There was a light on the horizon...we found a lovely builder to come and do the work we needed doing to create a bedroom and ensuite...this will lift my spirits I thought, I will have a bedroom and a bathroom and my lounge can eventually be done, I will be able to have my Christmas Tree up! haha...

the building work was a triumph (I will share this with you in another post)...it felt so good to have a separate room to sleep in and a living room...it was brilliant I was so grateful for it...but the feelings of self worth didn't get better...I think I made them worse by comparing my interiors and ideas with those on Instagram, I fell down the Insta rabbit hole, everyone's perfect homes, perfect décor, collaborations, free items they were receiving...so again I felt useless as my home looked nowhere near as good (I will write more about this topic in future posts) depression had set in...so another year passed me by...I was approaching my 60th birthday...oh crap! I decided the only way to deal with it was to have a party, everyone including me had missed social contact and now we were allowed again and garden party was on the agenda...

My birthday was amazing! My friends and family spoilt me so much, I was totally overwhelmed in a good way this time...beautiful cards, beautiful presents and so lovely to able to be with everyone and this was a bit of turning point...I remember crying the day after my birthday because I didn't think anyone really liked me and my party showed me that was wrong, I was liked, I was loved and I was good enough...It was a slow process, and I'm not going to lie some days were hard still...some days I wish I'd  never set sight on Songbird Cottage but by the start of 2022 I could feel a change, I felt more positive, and I began to think I was an ok person after all...hence why I am here again in this little corner...I'm doing this blog, Instagram etc. for me...to remember things and I hope that the blog lasts forever so my daughter and grandchildren can hear my voice when they read the words long into the future...

This is not only for my friends, but for my family too...my friends are part of my family

thank you for being there 💗

So, a bit long winded and there's lots of other "stuff" I could write about, but even I'm getting bored of listening to myself now haha...but if anyone else is feeling the same, my advice would be...don't listen to the news, its just doom and gloom, they've never got any good news, don't fall down the Insta rabbit hole reality is much different, share how you are feeling, don't bottle it up and if needs be get some help 💗

Ok back to the nice things that I want to talk about on here...crochet, crafting, gardening, interiors, cooking and much more...

~CROCHET~

Haven't done a lot of crochet in the 3 years I've been off here...but I did make this towards the end of last year...there is a new baby arriving this year so this is for the new baby boy...

I wanted to use contemporary colours as its for young, modern parents...totally in love with the colour combination...which I put together from my colour palette board on Pinterest and the stitch was a new one for me but I love it, it makes such a lovely squishy, soft blanket 😀

I made these as Christmas presents...such fun to make and quick...its that stitch again! Its one of my favourite stitches now..

~CRAFTING~

Not a jot!! So I thought Id just share my new magazine subscription...its called 'Landscape' its such a beautiful mag filled with lovely little quotes, great photos and its a really good read...covers all my favourite topics...Country, Heritage, Gardens, Cookery, Travel, Craft

~COOKING~

Again not much to post about...I really have been a complete ray of sunshine haven't I 😆

I made my first cake of the year the other weekend, a lemon curd sponge...something light after all the Christmas food

I made these platters for my birthday party...along with pizzas on the BBQ and wonderful samosa that our neighbour bought with them...so yummy 😋

~INTERIORS~

I will catch up with everything that has been done in follow up posts but for now these are my favourite corners of the lounge...the wall unit was purchased off Marketplace from a lovely lady who had had it her family for many years...I love it and it fitted perfectly in the spot I had in mind...It houses all my buddha's and foo dogs 

~GARDEN~

Lots has happened in the garden and as before I'll catch you up with progress over the next few posts for now...

ice from the bird bath...

cute little ducks made in the snow...I made lots of these and put them on the wall out the front...I loved seeing people picking them up and taking them home with them 💗

snowdrops have just started to appear and the hellebores are flowering...

I'm trying to grow moss balls but I have a feeling that they will disappear when the blackbirds find them during nest building scavenging 😏

So, apologies for the really long post...but I sound a little more like me now...I read through some old posts towards the end of last year and I didn't recognise the person who had wrote them...but hopefully she's back and I can move forward...I hope to post at least once a month...so until next time 

bye for now...have a fabulous week and enjoy everything you do 😍

 

Wow...is All I Can Say!

Hi all...sorry I have missed a week...but Hubby’s “man flu” turned out to be full blown flu 😷 and guess who got it next?? Yep...me and my parents...thankfully we overlapped on the illest (is that even a word??) part of it so at least one of us could manage to feed the rest of us haha 😂 I’m glad to report we are all on the mend now and normal services are returning haha...speak to you all soon 👋xxx

Where Do We Start??

Hello again...how has your week been?  It’s been a slow one here not much has been done, we have Man Flu 🤒😷 in Songbird Cottage...Hubs is not well at all so we have ground to a halt but it’s not a bad thing, we have been working non stop so it’s giving the body a rest and time to recoup some energy...

We have the most amazing light streaming through the windows here....in fact most of the back of the house is glass and south facing, so the sun streams in most of the day...we have crystals hanging in the rooms...casting their pretty, sparkly rainbows all around...even with just a chink of sunlight...I find it quite magical and uplifting which has been a joy this week

NEXT UPDATE ON SONGBIRD COTTAGE

The next instalment of the work we have been doing...the garden is quite large...but was very, very over grown...it was a case of "Where Do We Start"...well cutting back seemed like a good place to start...so much to Hubbys delight new tools were needed 😁 so armed with a new chainsaw and chipper we went into battle...I felt a little upset cutting back so much but it was necessary...to regain control and let things “breathe”...everything was fighting for light and space...even the brambles...we cut back bramble spikes of 20ft or more!!

There were quite a lot of dead shrubs and trees...been starved of light, nutrients and space I fear and on more that one occasion the garden looked even worse than it did to start with...but I can happily say that the blank canvas is looking good and healthy...one tree that we left as it was a nice shape, even though it didn't have a leaf on it in mid summer, soon to our delight started to bud up and it turned out to be a beautiful Acer, so glad we left it....I really did have an overwhelming desire to just make something look tidy and together.....

 So in my need to make something look pretty...I found two pieces of trellis panels abandoned in the garden...I figured they would give some colour, interest and balance to the French Doors...so set about painting them in a lovely Sage Green...found two planters (different sizes but hey ho they will do the job for this year)..bought some lavender bushes and planted them up 🌸by the height of summer the lavender was spectacular and various other pots of bedding plants had joined them...it looked a picture...

And look 👀 who we found in the undergrowth...she is affectionately known as Ermintrude 🐄

She needs a bit of TLC but she’s as cute as a button 😍..you can just see a glimpse of the chipper by the side of her...that machine has been a god send and has worked brilliantly for not a lot of money, to be honest we’d have been lost without it...many boring hours spent shredding branches but great for the composting heap.

I feel like I want to rush ahead and show you everything that’s been done but I’m not going to...I want to bring you up to date just in time for when we start to rebuild the garden...something I can’t wait to do 😂

We have done some decorating in the house but as it was such a glorious summer, which looked like it was never going to end we did the outside work while we could...make hay while the sun shines!  There will be photos of some little indoor projects coming up in the next few weeks...

So for now I will take my leave until next week...hopefully the man flu will take it’s leave too haha...have a great week everyone, enjoy everything you do xxx

Happy New Year

Well Hello once again...here we are in a brand new year!

Can’t quite get my head around the fact that last year has flown by but I did feel...for the most part I was standing still and life just muddled along around me...

Towards the end of 2017 we started to embark on an adventure...an adventure to move home...I have always kept an eye on the local property market and one day I was very struck on a particular property that popped up...I had been looking for somewhere that would be suitable for us all to live together...hubby, me, my mom and dad and puppy dog of course haha...and there it was shining like a beacon from the page 😍 you had to look hard beyond the interior and decor in the photos but I loved it! When we went to view it for the first time...as soon as I walked through the door...I felt like I’d come home...I could have cried...it was quite an overwhelming experience! We all agreed that it would be just perfect...

This is a water colour I did of our new home

I can only tell you that we did eventually get the house...but it has been one of the most traumatic experiences of my life...one which I hope I never have to do again as this is our forever home thank goodness...what with buyers, chains, folks pulling out of chains at the last minute, solicitors, surveyors and the endless quite petty questions and requests...I never thought we were going to get there...but I did feel that this home was meant to be...destiny...and it never sold to anyone else...so despite the stress, anxiety and me dissolving into crying heap from time to time...we eventually got to call this place home the middle of last year! So welcome to “Songbird Cottage” ❤️❤️ A very apt name for our little place...we have a large garden and it’s full of birds and wildlife...it has just been such a joy to sit in peace and listen to that symphony of bird song...

I have a heart that’s full to bursting and full of gratitude...I feel so blessed to call Songbird Cottage my home...

I have lots of photos to share with you showing our progress and I’m so looking forward to reliving the past 6 months along with you...so until next week...

Happy New Year...wishing you a wonderful 2019...full of happiness and love...find endless joy in living in the moment and the small things...and leave sparkles ✨ wherever you go

New Adventure Awaits....

Well Hello 👋 it’s been quite a while since I’ve visited this little space...it was time to take a break...certain other priorities took over and my time sort of stood still for a long time, but more of that to come....it’s Christmas Day once again and I was just sitting here all warm and cosy thinking of  how things have changed so much over the past 12 months and thinking about my close friends....lots has changed in their lives too...so it seems 2018 has been a year of change...I have cried some tears...both with joy and a little sadness...laughed a lot...been beyond excited and worked very hard...I hope the year has been kind to you and if change has occurred in your lives I hope it’s been positive...I have taken lots of photos during this past year and will share them here in 2019...I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year...I’m looking forward to writing here in this little space again...till then enjoy the festive period

Simple Pleasures :)

Hello... :))

The Simple Pleasures....just like my coffee cup says...

since work doesn't stop play anymore I can definitely say that we are able to enjoy life so much more.....

What a couple of weeks its been....we've had a mini heatwave...and it got very hot, very quickly! Then a little rain...and some grey skies...but its still been hot and sticky

I love the sun but I'm not a lover of heat...I come over all unnecessary haha...I definitely need the heat turning down!  I wouldn't mind if the heat made the fat I'm carrying melt away but that would be a little wishful thinking wouldn't it...haha :))

I haven't done a thing in the house all the while the heat was with us... I figured as all the windows were wide open...what was the point of dusting...it would have all been back again in minutes (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it haha) we did spend a day chilling (no pun intended) in the garden...but that was enough... some bedding plants finally made it into the ground on one of the days that had clouded over for a bit...and I wanted to take a photo of my lovely lily plant to show you...but wouldn't you know it all the blooming flowers had started to die off! So I will have to wait until the new blooms are out to show you...in the meantime I took a photo of my beautiful Pinks...love pinks :)) I did go slightly mad the weekend (I blame the heat!) and cut all the hedge...arms are now very achy :(

I have just written the first part of our 'Road Trip' its on the PAGES section and I will be logging each destination over the next few weeks...

(picture taken from Pinterest...website in in bottom corner)

A couple of little outings have been had....one to Llandudno...we took my parents with us...you will see from the photos the skies threatened rain all day but we didn't have a drop and by the afternoon the sun was peeping through...Fish and Chips were had for lunch...as its the "law" when you go to the seaside in our house :)

a gentle stroll along the pier and the promenade...it was great to see it so busy with holiday makers...its a lovely old fashioned town...beautifully kept...love the antique & vintage shops there too...a good old rummage was had :)

Today we have been to Trentham Gardens but just to the shopping street and garden centre...there are some super little shops selling what I call "non high street stuff"...we sat and had coffee...that's my cup at the beginning of the post...and the wording just said it all...Simple Pleasures...that's exactly what I was enjoying...sat watching the world go by taking it all in...people chatting and walking with their doggies...<3

Trentham gardens is famous for its fairies dotted around the grounds...and one of the shops were selling kits to make you own wire fairy!!! I had to have one!

This is what one is supposed to look like...I'm hopeful that mine will turn out ok...we will see :)

Too much money was also spent in the foody shop...mustards....biscuits...sweets and a cheeky bottle of damson gin (Yummy)

On the craft front...well...not much...I have started my scrapbook...

and I've been planning a few things I would like to do...the school holidays will be upon us soon and we wont be day tripping so much...so I'm going to kick my butt into gear and get crafting...and I have my fairy to make! :)

We have had a new, smaller fish tank at home and we have babies from the fish that are in there...I have spent hours watching these fish...they do have character and some are a little feisty! Every morning I do a head count...and we have 3 new baby additions...the photos are not great I apologise for that....

The babies are in this photo...honest! they are the two pale dots in front of the taller pagoda! haha

Wimbledon is on...no rain so far...this photo sums up Puppy Dogs thoughts on the competition...

No one is taking her tennis balls!

From Pinterest the usual bits n bobs have been saved...I have started a new board for Fonts & Handwriting...I'm going to teach myself some of this fancy writing :)

I fancy doing some sampling embroidery so these will come in useful :)

I loved this little mug too...

Well that just about rounds up the last couple of weeks....

I will leave you with this quote I found yesterday...it made me smile...have a great week all...enjoy everything you do...xxxxxxx