Huzzagh!

Crack out the bunting~ cool the fizz and dig out the vintage royal china.

It's here at last, the wedding of the year!

We shall be starting out with a wedding breakfast and limbering up our Jack waving forearms.

Three cheers for Kate and William

Hip hip......

Hip hip.....

Hip hip......

Hope your day goes with a right royal swing too!

Love Sarah

xXx

POST SCRIPT

To coin Kate's phrase "wow!"

It was all so breathtaking and simple and yet exquisite too. The dress was so beautiful as was she. I hate that "the bride was radiant...." cliche but on this occaision...

The trees in the Abbey, the wonderful shaggy English Spring Blossom spilling and frothing out of urns and tumbling over the altar, wonderful!

The Getaway in Charles' Aston Martin was gorgeous too, my favourite surprise I think.

And that glorious moment as they stepped onto the balcony and Kate gasped "Wow" even the most hardened heart could not help but melt at the honesty in the emotion she so spontaneously conveyed.

Huzzagh for William and Catherine!

It's Good.....

Friday!

Happy Easter to you!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend whatever you are doing, we are enjoying time with lovely family and friends and marvelling at this extraordinary weather!

images from Country Living Magazine

This is my favourite Spring Green image!

Congratulations to Mary Norden and her team at RED magazine this looks amazing!

I would love a kitchen with a tiled panel, aahhhh dreams.....

Black and quiet

Some days I find that I have nothing to say...... I am frozen, stupefied if you like. Other days I babble incessantly like a brook! There is no rhyme or reason to these shifts in loquacity they are just part and parcel of who I am.

Today is a quiet day~ it's not sad or good or bad it just is the status quo.

BUT I must break out of this reverie, I just have to tell you two magical facts.

Today I saw a black....yes, a huge velvety, wild black rabbit!

I have always been charmed by wild rabbits in the spring, their white cotton tails bobbing out of sight when they are startled by the slightest sound. But never before have I seen a pure black rabbit grazing on the newly grown grass tips. What a thrill it was.

Black rabbits are steeped in folk lore and mystique.

I must confess when I caught sight of him at the bottom of 40 acre field we shared a nano second of mutual appraisal before he arced and leapt in three perfect half moon leaps into the hedgrow, and I wondered if I could believe my eyes!

Will you believe me when I tell you that whilst I was still gasping with the thrill of this encounter the soundtrack came bursting into my consciousness~ a cuckoo!

The first cuckoo of spring no less, just behind us and out of sight, high in the tree canopy. He started tentatively, as though clearing his throat. Then he ploughed on with metronomic regularity "cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo."

Being the seasoned country girl I, of course bust into tears! ( i-pod obligingly selected "The Lark Ascending" by Vaughan Williams. Too much serendipity to expect Delius to be the choice!) As the strings soared so did my quiet little soul.

Home again now and much concentrating and musing over black rabbits has taken place. I find myself reaching for a much neglected copy of an old favourite book.

And lusting after this lovely screen print by Sally Elford

"Watership Down" by Sally Elford,

you can buy the silk screen print here

Hope you are enjoying all this balmy weather,

Sarah-Jane Darko

xXx

Lovely

Today is lovely.

Yes! Extraordinarily lovely,

It began early with a trot around 40 acre field for Mr.Boodle and the field margins were glowing blue with drooping bells.

Next a packet arrived from Australia crammed with brilliant art works specially commissioned from the littlest "Far~aways".

Genius!

Closely followed by beautiful friends who came for coffee, cakes and cultural studies!

I have had such fun baking cakes and gathering flowers to adorn the kitchen,

it so nice to share things and support a worthy cause.....

.....I and 15,000 others will be Moonwalking around London on May 14th and my village buddies have supported me brilliantly today ~ a heartfelt thank you to each of them x

Which brings me neatly back to "Lovely" (admirable, adorable, alluring, beauteous, delcious, delightful, enchanting, engaging - particularly when demonstrating with a broom handle!, rare, splendid stunning and sweet. )

You are all.....

Of stars and shadows

The floor of the woods is a carpet of white stars, it looks as though huge lacy snowflakes have fallen and landed on the green bluebell shoots. The stars are actually white wood anemones, white with a subtle hint of lilac on their throats.

And all the while it seemed as if someone were following me and there, I caught a glimpse of a shadowy girl who I just couldn't seem to shake off.

Wood Anemone "Windflower" or Anemone Nemerosa

Greek legend says that "Anemos", the wind, sends his namesake the anemones in the earliest sping to herald his coming.

I say this is all very well but who's that girl?

xXx

I want buckets full of flowers.....

.....yes, I want to fill every room with the sweet scent of spring blooms and the unexpected burst of colour a jam jar stuffed with vibrant perky stems provides. Don't get me wrong, I am not into stuffy, prissy starched arrangements, no I am after the spriggy, shaggy, tumbling sort of posy that is thrown together with the confidence of a great artist.

I think the nicest gift a girl could ever receive is a year of flowers delivered to her door, seasonal posies to lift our spirits and brighten our days. This is of course a very decadent thought and I suspect diamonds may come cheaper!

I think in order to satiate this craving of mine I must take a virtual trip to Columbia Road Flower Market, I hope you can come too?

First we need to head over to the East End

This illustration is by Lucinda Rogers~ I am such a fan of her work, you may have seen some of her paintings in Country Living Magazine?

Open House is a brilliant shop we must call in here...

But first let's admire the flowers

I do feel better for that! Perhaps one day I will have buckets of flowers delivered to my door. Until then.....

A tiny garden posy in a mustard jar will do just as well.

Have a lovely week

xXx

Love you Magpie

Once upon a time there was a beautiful Magpie and she had two little chicks to care for and nurture.........

.......and one day the chicks flew away as they were all grown up and ready to face the world.

And they never forget all that she had done for them and they love her

In my mother's house

There was happiness

I wrapped my myself in it

Was my chrysalis

As my life unfolds

See a pattern through

Of you protecting me

And I protecting you

What was that you'd say

Make your own mistakes

And when you're grown

Make sure that you remain the same

Now I realise

What was on your mind

When I left your side

Like a butter fly

"Butterfly" Corrine Bailey Rae

Happy Mother's Day Magpie

xXx