Bee Satisfied

Last week I had three different style advice requests off friends which were all very satisfying to address. My style file contained in my brain is the most amazing thing I possess. It works so quickly I feel I have style mega bytes contained inside. Yet when it comes to other matters my brain seems the most clumsy, stagnant thing ever, 'does not compute' seems to be a relevant mode of operation when it comes to remembering all teh school activities and other things.

I've made great progress over the years and don't seem as prone to losing all my possessions as I used to. Why my parents ever gave me responsibility of childhood toys, photos and other items is beyond me. Move by move I've managed to inadvertently lose or misplace or forget to collect all manner of items. This does actually make me sad but I'm just about making peace with myself for my vast incompetence in this area.

Whilst I'm not a hoarder I do need to smarten my act up on how to store items and keep them safe. I always need to declutter as I fail to sort out items even such as the post on a daily or weekly basis. You can come to me for style advice but don't think about life laundry matters! I finally managed to finish Girlynomics and this has freed me up to attend to the home. It really does need finishing off. We've only managed to properly decorate the living room and we have been here for 4 years. It is the age old issue of time and money.


Something that I've always tended to and put in some graft is the garden. Despite the old testament rainfall and flooding we've been having the garden is coming alive and can be attended to.The birds and bees plus a few snails are setting down roots at MDS gardens. I couldn't snap my little friend the Robin (he is too shy but he comes everyday and he has a favourite place for his food) nor the playful go getting Blue tits but they actually leave a lot of droppings as evidence! There is also another bird (don't know what it is) who loves our garden for worms. I'm finding a great deal of satisfaction in the wildlife activity and my growing plants.

  I had 3 bees buzzing around in the garden

 I had to avoid stepping on this snail & I called him Sarkosy in honour of the fact today was the French Presidential Elections. He was lucky my friend wasn't around as he is southern French and would have examined him to assess his edible potential.

 I picked a handful of mint to make mint tea which I love and in my garden it is free compared to £1.85 in Carluccios

As well as cooking Sunday lunch which was roast chicken followed by rhubarb crumble, the rhubarb was from the garden too, I oven roasted some tomatoes that no one was eating and left them to cool in the oven. I just ad herbs and olive oil and they are nearly the same as sun dried ones!

 

Having had an extremely satisfying weekend of pottering, I must take a deep breath and make the coming month of May my sort the house out month!

Mary, Mary quite contrary ...

Nope nothing to do with all hail Mary Portas. Which is a shame as she is always a jolly addition to our TV screens. This is all about growing, gardening and personal stuff.

The personal stuff is almost resolved but not for broadcasting yet. My two outstanding matters are a) finishing film script (on course, going well), & b) what to call the blog. I feel like moving on from the ethos of Make Do Style. I need a new challenge, editorial shift. So far I'm floundering. I still want to be fashion related but less about stuff more about interrogation, you know examining things in detail. Nothing is firmed up. Suggestions in comment box welcomed.

Lifestyle wise we have no car. In fact we've been car less for over 10 days. I have to walk and cycle everywhere except when I take train & tube. This takes up tons of time. Why the school run is 30- 40 mins each way. I do this twice a day most days. The good news is the amount of money we are saving, easily £40 a week in petrol, plus all the rest of the expenditure. Of course this cannot continue but it won't hurt for another week. I've been informed it might take 16 weeks for delivery but Mr MDS's work will loan us a pool car before then (phew).

The petit garcon is scooting or cycling and doing very well.

He is also doing well on his gardening front, he has had the pleasure of 3 of his own strawberries already. The herb bag growing isn't doing so well so we might transfer the sprouting bits to the beds.

My strawberry plant which weathered the snow and frost is yielding 40+ fruit. I've got peas, tomatoes, rocket, artichokes, runner and broad beans on the go. The chillies look like they are growing too and there are gooseberries, raspberries and loganberries flowering and sprouting. The rhubarb is still going strong.

Whilst tending the garden last week I spotted a few bees making the most of the flowers. I lost ages watching them. There was such a baby one too. I need to put more ornamental plants and flowers in the garden. It lacks colour and prettiness.

Because I'm knee deep in sorting my future out and writing my script I can only apologise for failing to comment on your wonderful blogs. I will be sorted soon....

Anya absolutions

Not only was Saturday a wonderful way to while away time in the company of bloggers, but it was the day that Sharon Rose bought her place in heaven. The lovely, generous Sharon gave me so much joy with a thrifted treasure I spent all day Sunday on my knees for her!

My present was a perfect original Anya Hindmarch of which judging by the inner label goes back a fair few years. I will date it and let you know. Anya is my favourite bag designer so I was in pure bag heaven thanks to Sharon.

Oh and Mr MDS earned his absolution's too by putting together our new garden furniture and getting the bed in at the end of the garden to grow vegetables in, while I was in Harvey Nicks! Gosh, I'm seriously going to have to gain mine somehow.

YSL bedding inspiration

Yesterday I needed to plant some new flowers and my selection was based on a very YSL of old palette, I decided to mix orange and pink only, it looks perfectly proper, very this season almost like a Richard Nicoll S/S09 dress.

Richard Nicoll Spring 09 Style.com

I carried on my YSL inspiration taking France and the potted plants and painted walls of Brittany to create my very own homage in another corner of the garden.

Freshly painted fence with B&Q's exterior paint in Sage Moss