Thought you might like to see these cute little pen-pots masquerading as sheds.  I’m quite excited by them, although the photography does leave a little a lot to be desired!  Sorry, I’m a bit rubbish with a camera…

Anyway, back to the sheds. They’re ideal for storing pens and pencils, paintbrushes or any sort of desk (or shed)paraphernailia.  Could be a fabulously different Father’s Day gift for a shed-loving dad.

The labels above the door read: DAD’S SHED, and the label on the left-hand shed door read: KEEP OUT.

Dad

Back soon.  Dinner will burn if I hang around here much longer.

This is a photo from my bedroom window, showing the gorgeous frothy pink blossom on the cherry tree.  The tree’s a bit big for the space and will have to be cut back a bit, but I’m enjoying this blossom while it lasts:

gorgeous pink cherry blossom

more cherry blossom

Isn’t it just gorgeous?

I have now got round to painting some goodies for 1st Unique Gifts, after far too much painting walls and boring stuff like that.  So I thought I would show off two cute little piggy banks, which can be personalised with their adopted parents’ names.

Personalised Piggy Banks

What a lovely day it’s been today.  We seem to be having some very welcome but unseasonal sunshine.  The guy who drove me home today said he’d heard it would last till the weekend.

No, I’m not in the habit of being chauffeured around, but it did happen today.  I took my little car in for its MOT today, and it failed.  Fail is a word I don’t like, having spent many years as a teacher specialising in teaching people with “multiple barriers” … teacher-speak for problem students, or more correctly: students with problems! So it may be more pc to say my little car has not yet achieved success in its MOT.

Now, with all that’s going on in my life:  doing up the house, trying to get a business off the ground, settling into the new house (ok, you get the picture, but there are no excuses, really), I forgot that the MOT was due.  It was only when I tried to buy a tax disc online - and they wouldn’t let me - that I realised.

So when my car wasn’t ready to achieve success in its MOT, the man told me that if I drove it home it may invalidate my insurance.  I won’t get it back until Wednesday, when hopefully MOT success will be within my little car’s reach when a brand new (and hopefully shiny) headlight arrives for it 

Hence my chauffeur.  The man offered to find someone to drive me home, which he very promptly did, and I was chauffeured in style.   Fabulous service, I must say.  If you’re in the Warrington area, and you’re interested, the garage is called Black Diamond, and they seem to be cheaper than anyone else too.  Walking distance from the town centre: very handy for shopping while the car is busy being tested.  A lovely walk, which took me through a park, and a real treat on a day like today!

It’s quite a while since I last posted, and I can only apologise and tell you how busy I’ve been.  You are probably not interested in us moving in, unpacking boxes, trying to straighten the garden (ha! for garden read: piles of rubble, weeds, overgrown trees and undergrowth) and finishing the studio, but there, I’ve said it anyway.

Happy Easter!

And on  the subject of Easter, I thought I’d introduce you to a very important member of our family, our very own Easter Bunny, Sooty the rabbit.  Now Sooty isn’t called Sooty just because he’s black.  Although I suppose that helps.  Here’s a picture of Sooty at our old house getting, well, sooty…

Sooty getting sooty

Sooty used to make a beeline for the fireplace, and when he got out, he’d shake himself and little pieces of soot would fly everywhere.

Here is Sooty looking very interested in next-door’s cat.  The cat looks very interested in him, too:

Sooty and Sammy the cat

Anyway, seeing as we haven’t got any chickens (yet!!), Sooty is the most Eastery thing I’ve got to show you.  (OK, OK, I know Eastery isn’t a real word…).

We have been talking about getting a few hens, and we’ve had a look at a few chicken houses.  It’s all very exciting, but I don’t know when it’ll happen.  There is still so much else to do first.  The bathroom and stairs are still not finished off yet, and we need some fencing, paving and a lawn.

The best news is that my studio is now ready to move into!!!  Then I can get my teeth into some painting.  Hopefully not literally.