I could not be happier now the flowers are all out. I first had a go at flower arranging a couple of years ago on holiday in Ireland. I love it! It's so satisfying to see the composition come together.

I'm particularly happy that the sweet peas my Aunt gifted to me are ready for picking. They smell divine and have the deepest purple colour, inviting you in for a closer look!

Here is my first wild/home grown flower poesy of the summer. My advice for anyone who would like to give it a go? Don't  be stingy on the greens. Including grasses, ferns and interesting leaves is a beautiful way to add interest to your arrangements without overdoing it on the flowers. My second piece of advice is to let go of any fear you may have that other people wont like your arrangement. Go for what you think looks beautiful, and gives you joy! I deliberated for hours on my first arrangement, but I believe that the true joy of the art is found in allowing yourself to be impulsive. After all - it's not going to last forever!

After taking part in the petition against pesticides which harm our bees, I decided it was time to take some practical action. Inspired by this craftster's blog post I decided to make my own bee house for them to nest in over the summer. I don't have any logs or lumps of wood hanging around, so I did a quick seach for homes which would use the supplies I do have - bamboo sticks, both the the bbc  and the RHS society have great ideas. It seems the main things are:

1. Place your bee home on a south facing wall (near flowering plants) to make the most of the summer sun - bees are cold-blooded. 
2. Some bees prefer to be off the ground, all bees prefer protection from the rain!
3. Holes should be around 10cm in length and between 2mm-12mm in diameter, to encourage a range of bee species to use their new homes.

So with this in mind, here's my take on making a home for wild bees in your garden... I'll keep you posted on any bee activity I see!

Some photos from a trip to Lizard's point Lighthouse (the most southerly point in the UK.

Some photos from one amazing trip to Perranporth :D

Top to bottom, March has been swinging forwards and backwards.. I was in my t-shirt and shorts one week, then back to gloves hat and scarf the next. I've bought some new colours too.. I imagine this will be happening throughout the year as yarns run out and new stock comes into the shops. Cream has become white, and my pale blue has split into a lighter blue for 25-50% blue days, and a mid blue for 50-75% blue days. 

Knitting this month gave me a good chance to learn how to read a knitting pattern. March also gave me plenty of opportunities to learn about Whisky. He is one naughty poodle who needs walking EVERY day! Even at 6 he's the life of the beach party. I've found some owners disapproving of how far off he runs, others impressed at his recall on command. Who knows?! He chewed right through my laptop cable, causing this blog to go on standstill, and causing his hair to go static for at least a week! He's started to wee indoors, even though we give him plenty of chances to go outside. I think he's testing our authority, and he gets a major telling off when he does it in front of us. Here he is ruining a lovely photo my friend took of the beach last week. 

Oh Whisky.. what AM I going to do with you?!

Just a quick post featuring some of my favourite recent photos - enjoy

The sun was shining and I headed off to discover a new beach in Falmouth. It turned into a bit of a bird watch, and here are some of my favourite photos from the day.