News & Updates from Sue Way ~ Lily~Pickle Designs · Page 18
On Saturday hubby and I visited the little seaside town I worked at until a few weeks ago. The town had an Arts Festival, called Between the Tides, with an art trail. With artist displaying their work in many venues around the town.
There was also music and activities to join in with, including a sand castle competition, and a teddy bear parachute jump for the children.
There was even sand art on the beach, but the tide was in when we were there, so it had disappeared!
One artist displayed her art in my old place of work Freddies of Pinewood.
They are usually an online business but opened their doors to show what they were all about. They had worked hard to make the shop, which used to be a cafe, look lovely for the public, all done out in 1950s style of course.
There was even a fashion shoot going on.
A few weeks ago hubby and me took a weekend break to a caravan in Suffolk. Of course, our Golden Retrievers Billy and Sam came too. It was very relaxing, with lots of lovely walks on our favourite beaches.
The caravan was a good size, but unfortunately, they dont make the seating very comfortable and the TV is tiny.
Luckily we took out camping chairs so we ended up sitting on those. But how can you complain when the sun is shining and you have a sea view out of the bedroom window?
A few years ago, my husband bought Cucamelon seeds online. They grew so much that we had to buy two giant pots for them. When they started to flower, something looked familiar about them, so I checked online and they were actually chillies! We were disappointed but had to laugh.
Fast forward to this year, he tried again. This time, the plant grew like a vine, as it should. A few weeks ago, the first little flowers appeared, which are now turning into the fruit cucamelon. Cucamelons are native to Mexico and Central America, where theyve been cultivated for centuries.
Despite their name, theyre not a cross between cucumbers and watermelon plants, but rather a distinct plant within the cucumber family.
Cucamelons are small, grape-sized fruits that resemble tiny watermelons and have a tart, citrusy flavour. I am not a great lover of cucumber, but cant wait to try one.
A few days before school started, we had all three of our granddaughters here for the day. Our son brought Daisy, the youngest, on the train, and our daughter brought Jessica and Imogen over so we could all spend a lovely day together.
We started by walking down to the beach for a paddle in the sea, and the girls hunted for pretty shells in the rock pools.
After going home for dry clothes, we went to the pier to play on the slot machines and go on the rides.
Then we went for a relaxing meal, followed by ice cream and doughnuts on the promenade. What a wonderful way to finish the summer holiday.
Now, Immy is back in school, Jess has started college, and Daisy has started big school. The picture is of hubbys impressive sand castle lol
On Tuesday, I worked my last day at Freddies of Pinewood to take early retirement. I had been there for 5 years, and as it is a very small team, it was a bit emotional on the last day.
I mainly worked with my boss, who is around my age, so we used to have some amusing conversations. The business is a 1940s and 1950s reproduction vintage fashion casual clothing brand, specializing in denim jeans, dungarees, skirts, jackets, as well as 1940s and 1950s knit tops for men and women, ladies blouses, reproduction and vintage workwear.
Think Marlon Brando, James Dean, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren, Marilyn Monroe.
I had fun and learned a lot about the era. But the time was right to relax and spend more time with my hubby. The first thing we did was book a weekend away. I will also have more time to pursue all my hobbies and more time for designing.
So, you will see a lot more from me in the future. I received this lovely houseplant as a leaving gift. It is called Painters Palette. I also received a £100 garden centre gift card, which I cant wait to spend, and a bundle of denim to make lots of handbags with.