Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

When life becomes so busy we have to prioritize. I have prioritized my studies and my family and, of course, my work as a teacher, which I love. Blogging has had to be put aside for ages! But as I feel the New Year will bring me more inspiration and, hopefully, better organisation, to sew and blog a bit more, I thought I should pop in to leave everyone - is there anyone still out there???? - a wish for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I just can't get enough!

After two weeks away we got home to my clematis in bloom! I didn't think it would blossom as it's always blossomed much earlier, in late June, beginning of July. It's a Ville-de-Lyon variety with a rich deep pink colour and it adds lots of colour to our balcony. The clematis loves the hot sunny balcony!

 This year I wanted to train it to climb above the balcony door which leads into the living-room. And it's worked so beautifully that when we're sitting on the sofa we can see the flowers just over us! And It makes me so happy I can't stop looking at it! I just can't get enough of it!

And now that I've finished my studies and got my Bachelor of Arts in Education I'll have more time for the other things I like doing. So when Autumn, and then Winter settle in here in Sweden and the balcony goes into a long hibernation I'll be going back to lots of sewing, which was what this blog was originally about!

By the way, the cucumber was delicious! Sweet and really tasty! But that's a bit difficult to show you here!

Cucumber No.1!

It's here! My first very own home-grown cucumber! Talk about local produce! Couldn't get more local than this!

We were away on holiday for a couple of weeks and this beautiful cucumber was on our balcony waiting for us! I think it needs a few more days to grow a bit more so we haven't tasted it yet. But it looks great! I'll let you know what it was like.

It's amazing how incredibly easy it is to grow your own veg in a container, on a balcony. And although my produce isn't going to feed us through the long Swedish winter, it's a delight to be able to eat your own cucumber No. 1!

On my balcony - GLAD MIDSOMMAR!

Today we spent the day with some good friends and dansed around the midsummer pole to celebrate the Swedish Midsommar. And you just can't celebrate Midsommar without the most delicious Swedish strawberries. The strawberries from our balcony!

GLAD MIDSOMMAR! Happy Midsummer to you all!

On my balcony - Cucumbers!

Growing your own vegetables is easier than you think! If I can do it, anyone can! And not only do you get to eat what you plant, but you also get to enjoy the bright luscious flowers that announce what there is to come! You don't even need a garden or an allotment! All you need is a container. Or several containers. This year I tried growing cucumbers. I grow mine on our balcony in a pot approx. 25 cm in diameter and 30 cm high. It'd probably be better if it was bigger, but they seem to be doing really well!

I always get loads of green flies, black flies, aphids... on many of the plants on the balcony, so this year I decided to follow the advice in one of my favourite planting books, "Organic Crops in Pots", by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell, which I came across last year in England. Apparently aphids don't like the smell of the orange tagetes! So this year my balcony is covered in orange tagetes, which aren't even my favourite flower, but have definitely become my favourite friend! So far, the aphid situation is totally under controll! Now I'm just waiting for the first cucumber and as at home we all like cucumber, everyone will be very happy!

So I realise that I started this blog for my sewing projects. But since I haven't had the time to do any sewing for the past year, why not show some other things that I like and are also my own produce! I hope you enjoy them as much as Ido!

On my balcony - My little lilac

Not having a garden is a sad reality. But luckily I have a big sunny balcony where I can make some of my dreams come true! Gardening is a passion and I would like to share with you the beautiful things that grow om ny balcony.

In May, Sweden is covered in lilacs and the scent they spread in the breeze is so sweet! When I was little and still living in Portugal, I had a book which I loved, called The Party of the Lilac Fairy (the book was in Portuguese but this is what the title meant) and I could read it and look at the pictures for ages dreaming of lilacs. So you can imagine how happy I am when they all come out here in the Spring! So I've always dreamt of having a garden full of lilacs. I'm still dreaming of that. But now I have my own little lilac on my balcony!

It's a dwarf lilac (microphylla 'Superba'), perfect for container planting and it's so hardy it survived the harsh winter we had last year! I was too lazy to cover it and was so happy when the first new buds started to appear! I placed the lilac by the balcony door and when the door is open we get this wonderfully sweet scent filling the living room. and then you just feel that Summer is coming!

 I love my little lilac!

On my way home

When Spring finally hits Sweden it's just like being in paradise. And walking through these little woods covered in Wood Anemones it's easy to forget I'm in the middle of town!

Happy Easter!

 

The best thing about muffins are the endless variations you can make. With filling, without filling, with topping, without topping. Then you can vary the filling and the topping! Here are some of my favourite  ones I've baked for our sweet Easter weekend, and it's going to be such a warm and sunny weekend too! Raspberry filling, raspberry creamcheese topping, chocolate topping.

I used the recipe from one of my favourite chefs, the beautiful and happy Leila Lindholm, from Sweden. from one of her books, A Piece of Cake. If you don't know her, let me tell you she makes delicious cakes and the styling in her books and TV programs are so countryside perfect! Check out her website! There is also an English version, if you're not so sure about your Swedish! I saw that her latest book, One More Slice is coming out in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy and Finland!

I wish you all a very HAPPY EASTER!

Spring!

To welcome Spring, a bright bunch of daffs, healthy juicy oranges and a nice cuppa tea!

I'm slowly waking up from my long, dark hibernation and busy with the last term of my studies, finishing my teaching practice and writing my thesis. I haven't been doing any sewing and I don't know when I'll get back to it. But I've bought some more beautiful fabric for other projects. I'll be sharing those with you soon!

This basket of oranges and strong English tea, with the bunch of daffodils was a gift to my teacher where I've been doing my practice. She has given my so much support! And she loves oranges!

I hope that there is still someone out there reading my new blog posts, after this long, but necessary break. I'm looking forward to hearing from you and to reading your always lovely comments!

It's nice to be back!