Post Comment Love 27 - 29 March

Hello there, welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a relaxed, friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love.

Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed, and if you see older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

I can’t believe it’s the end of March already, with Easter just around the corner where did the time go?! Actually having mentioned Easter now would be a good time to say the linky is taking an Easter break so after today there won’t be another PoCoLo until 17 April. So when we’re back we’ll almost be through April too!

I’m off to a family wedding on the English/Welsh borders during that time, and I even have an outfit sorted too which is a major relief I can tell you. I am still contemplating whether or not to add one of my rosettes to my jacket, but either way a good start would be to completely finish it and add the brooch back or clip to actually make it an option wouldn’t it?

But that’s not why my ribbon jar has been out, I delved into it - right to the bottom in fact - to finish off yet another pouch - why is it always the way that the one you want is always at the bottom?

Have a great week, and a great Easter.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Exploring the Walled Gardens at Scampston Hall

When we arrived at Scampston Hall we discovered that there are actually twelve gardens within the walled garden, which is way too many to share in one post so I’ll share some here, some later and some of them in individual posts, like I did earlier in the week with our look at the Potager.

The individual gardens also form a rough route around the garden, though we didn’t follow the gardens in number order as well structure is good, but gardens are best wandered through, right?

But let’s start with a wander down the Plantsman’s Walk which led us along the length of the garden, along an avenue of limes and plenty of flowers, colour and glorious sunlight - and it was a great way to introduce us to the garden.

The garden notes suggest there’s plenty to see in spring, summer and autumn - and that’s one of the joys of a well planted and thought out garden, and one of the worries I have for my own garden. Scampston looked great when we visited in the autumn and I’d be keen to visit again to see it at other times of the year.

As we turned the corner of the Plantsman’s Walk we got our first glimpse of the second garden I’m sharing in this post, the Drifts of Grass. There’s swathes of grasses which form the design of the garden, and when you’re centre on you can really appreciate the symmetry of the garden, and elegant though it was after the Plantsman’s Walk it did feel incredibly minimalist.

After enjoying the grasses, and admiring the wooden boxy chairs (you can just see in them in the bottom of the photo above) we headed around to the left and into the Cut Flower garden passing by with the greenhouse behind us.

The cut flower garden wasn’t as I expected, it had many circular flower beds stretching down its length, and on the edges were the most laden of fruit trees. I hadn’t expected it to be so, well park-like - I’d expected something much more functional, so I was pleasantly surprised.

It seems that Scampston too was enjoying a lot of fruit on their trees, it wasn’t just my little crab apple tree that was heavily laden, which was reassuring. As well as plenty of pears, there were damsons and apples galore - it was going to be quite a harvest, and quite a year for crumbles, jellies and jams I’m sure.

The dahlias were still out, and these dinner plate sized ones were just spectacular. I do really need to make sure I add some of these to my plant wish list, as every time I see them I’m smitten.

I told you we were lucky with the weather, and especially the sun - but how glorious does this Cosmos look bathed in the sunlight?

So there’s our first exploration of the walled gardens, though we’ve only covered three of the gardens today, four in total with the Potager - I thought we’d see more today, but don’t worry we will in a week or so. Until then, let’s hope we get similar sunlight (albeit spring sun) into our own gardens.

Miniature makes

One of my aims for my sewing this year was to do more experimental and fun sewing, and also to sew some practical household items - it seems that I’ve managed some of both of those already without seemingly trying. While each of these have a practical purpose, they’re also a lot prettier than what I’d been using before.

You know what I’m like with scraps and since I made the Scandinavian Star before Christmas, the offcuts of the two bright fabrics have been on the side in my craft room staring at me. Eventually I cracked and wondered what on earth could I do with the small pieces that were left.

It turns out quite a bit.

Pairing those small starched strips with some of the green leftover from the backing of the Essex Linen kisses picnic blanket, some blue shirting, and a bright pink zip I made myself a teeny tiny mat and a business card sized pouch.

Asking why is a valid question. A pouch because, well pouches - and it is one of those smaller ones that I wanted to try. It’s already come in useful for holding my blog business cards for my day at this year’s Garden Press Event, and I think it’s longer term home will be to hold jewellery when I’m away from home.

The teeny tiny mat, which also gave me the opportunity to test out some decorative stitches on my machine, also has a practical purpose. It has replaced a very unglamorous, but functional, paper towel which I’d been using to make sure my turmeric massage oil didn’t stain what it shouldn’t (it never has, but you never know…)

I don’t even care (too much) if the turmeric does stain the teeny tiny mat, it’s pretty much turmeric coloured anyway!

While I was at it I decided to knock up a couple of slightly larger 4 inch square mats to use in the kitchen to stop the oil bottles leaving an oily mark on the worktop. The turquoise edged mats can be washed, and are made from remnants from my Mystery Block of the Month quilt, so it’s nice to see those fabrics in a different setting.

Though I can see mats becoming a new obsession!

This one I made cutting some fabric from my stash while I was working out how to assemble my Flying Geese tote. I’d not sewn with soft and stable before. This one started out as a test for that and quickly morphed into another small mat, which is the perfect size to go under my newest small succulent.

And then there was a special request.

We often have a cup or whatever next to the kitchen sink, often soaking to remove the tea stains - and so having a mat that we can use there, that was smaller and better looking than the functional reusable kitchen towels I’d made from surplus quilt blocks and old towels would be a win.

And it is a win. It’s been in use since it arrived by the sink, and is easy enough to wash or to store when we’re in a clear worktop mode!

Actually I’ve realised that I ticked off three things from my sewing list for this year: small pouches as well as the experimental/fun and practical household items - but I’m sure there’ll be more as the year goes on. They’re not really “once and done” goals are they?!