Friday, February 27, 2015

Five on Friday

Joining in this week with  Amy and Five on Friday.  
Below are five things that have made me smile over the last few days

1.  A lovely bunch of daffodils for 99p not a great amount to bring cheer, colour and thoughts of Spring into the house.

2.  Thinking about Spring - well it is the 1st of March on Sunday so it was time to think about what we wanted to grow in the vegetable beds this year.  A visit to our local garden centre tempted us to buy some seed potatoes Juliette and Carlingford.  We also bought some tomato, beetroot, aubergine, courgette and leek seeds and were rewarded with two packs of free seeds, some marigolds to grow with the tomatoes and some small tumbler tomatoes, which was good.

3.  Coffee and toasted teacakes at the Emma Bridgewater factory shop cafe.  Always a treat with its wonky tables and assorted crockery.  This time we had matching mugs - Horatio's Garden ones.  

 We thought that perhaps they had been expecting us but no the decoration was out to welcome the Duchess of Cambridge who'd visited a couple of days before.

4.  Some lovely books to read.  I'm dipping into Beside the Seaside in between reading other books.  I picked this up at the Brierlow Bar Bookshop a few weeks ago.  The other two books have now been returned to the library but I've enjoyed reading both of them.  Both set in 1930s Britain 'Mystery in White' was written in the 30s and is set at Christmas, in a snow storm with stranded passengers from a train and a spooky house full of secrets whilst the  Maisie Dobbs novel is set in the 1930s and is the latest of the novels about this intriguing character who we first met, as readers, in 1929 and have followed with great pleasure as each book led us through to the latest, set in 1933, which ended on an intriguing note! Will she won't she?  I hope whatever she decides she does return perhaps in a new guise?  Or are her detecting days over? I hope not.



5  Fluffy monkey, up a tree at Trentham Gardens and visible across the great dividing fence from the woodland side of the Lakeside Walk.  I had to zoom in quite a way to capture him or her and its fur coat looked warm on such a cold day.

Click on the button below to find other bloggers who are participating in Five on Friday

30 comments:

  1. Five great things!! I wish that they had put the banners out welcome you!! Nice that you got to see them though. The tea cakes look delicious, and who can resist a bunch of daffodils - reminds me, must try and pick some up today! Thank you so much for joining in! Hope you have a great weekend! xx

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    1. Thanks, Amy - hope you remembered to buy daffodils. Happy weekend:)

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  2. Those tea cakes look yummy. We read the Mystery in white a couple of months ago as a book club choice! What a coincidence.

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    1. They were very tasty! Did your book club enjoy mystery in white? I haven't seen many reviews of it:)

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  3. I have daffodils still in bud and can't wait for them to open now that I have seen yours, they are so spring like aren't they? Your Tea cakes look lovely and now I might have to go and get some, I am so easily influenced. Great books too. Have a lovely weekend

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    1. Hello Lisa - thanks for visiting. The daffodils are still very cheerful. I've tried to leave a comment on your Five on Friday post but I can't seem to do it as it keeps asking me to log in. Hope you have a lovely weekend too:)

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  4. Fresh flowers always manage to lift my mood. I look forward to seeing how your growing goes later in the year with your new selection of seeds. I have yet to decide what to grow this year. The mystery in white book looks interesting. I could just cuddle that fluffy monkey right now! x

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    1. We'll see how and if the seed take this year - we always buy with great optimism but things never turn out as we would like - more failures than successes I think over the years:)

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  5. All the things you have photographed are delightful...
    And perhaps the banners were still up for just your arrival for are you not worthy of such celebration.
    Enjoy the weekend and your beautiful daffodils.
    Susan

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    1. Thank you, Susan - the daffodils are still lovely - Happy weekend to you too:)

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  6. Love the things you have posted, and the books look very interesting, Thanks for sharingx

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    1. Thanks Michelle glad you enjoyed the post. Have a lovely weekend:)

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  7. I enjoyed the springmood on your page ,the daffodils and the toasted cakes yummie ,nice blog :)

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    1. Hello Rita and thank you for your kind comment - glad you enjoyed the post:)

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  8. Fab selection. You do keep tempting me with that Emma Bridgwater shop and Cafe! xxx

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    1. We must meet there for coffee if ever you are over this way, I'm sure you would love it:)

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  9. What a great five Rosie. Spring - hope it comes soon. It's been trying for a couple of days now. We're not vegetable gardeners but I'm thinking of potatoes this year. I have one of those bags that you can grow them in (actually had it for years and never been used). Our garden is quite small but we are hoping to re-plan its layout in a few weeks, so who knows what we might plant. Have a lovely weekend. P x

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    1. It will soon be warm enough to spend an hour or two in the garden - I hope you enjoy making all the changes to yours and that you grow some potatoes in the potato bag:)

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  10. Oh you are getting Daffys in the Northern Hemisphere! This makes me glad because it means our hot summer Down Under is nearly over. I like the look of that book Beside the Sea. I would be interested to hear if you enjoyed it, once you are finished. Popping over from Amy's Five on Friday link up.

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    1. Hello Rachel thanks for popping over - yes we have daffodils popping up here and there now. It sounds as if you have had very hot weather where you are:)

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  11. I would love those tea cakes. Mmmmmm. I am dieting but would love one! Must eat with my eyes

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    1. oh, sorry to tempt you, Kathy - hope the dieting goes well:)

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  12. Daffodils certainly cheer up a room don't they - there doesn't seem to be any on sale round here at the moment - surely the season can't be over yet! Beside the Seaside looks like my kind of book - must keep an eye out for it. I am behind with my seed buying I really must pull my finger out and get deciding what I am going to grow this year. The teacakes look delicious - I have been eating hot cross buns at home - my favourites.

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    1. Daffodils are very cheering - mine were from Aldi and I saw some in Sainsbury's the other day too. Gosh - hot cross buns - soon be Easter if they are in the shops or perhaps you make your own? The seaside book is quite interesting so far:)

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  13. Lovely selection Rosie. You keep tempting me too with Emma Bridgewater! Sx

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    1. Thanks, Suzy - the cafe is lovely and the staff always so friendly - they seem very happy to work there:)

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  14. A lovely collection! I bought the seaside book from Brierlow last autumn! I'm saving it to read closer to summer :)

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    1. Ah, there is another of her books that I would like too. I've enjoyed what I've read so far:)

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  15. I can see why this collection would make you smile. I love the monkey!

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    1. The monkey was cute it's ages since we went into the Monkey Park - we may have to visit again this year:)

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