.....and there's more......

A tea party

Something lovely happened a few weeks ago and it really lifted our spirits. This pretty little card arrived in the post.

Oooh, a tea party!

The invitations were so beautiful and were created by Tracey who enjoys card-making (although it's hard to believe that she's only just started as they were gorgeous!)

A week before the event Maggie, my neighbour and fellow Village-in-Bloomer, phoned to ask me if I'd like to accompany her to the event; neither of us knew the other had been invited so she came along with us and we had a good old catch-up.

The event was held in the village hall at Horam which isn't too far away and when we arrived we were presented with a booklet and these pretty badges with flowers for the ladies and a ladybird for the gentlemen.

Inside were details about all the guests and why they had been invited and we were encouraged to mix with everyone else. It was lovely to discover that 3 other people from our village (beneath my name) had been invited too.

Maggie and me posing. That's my latest shawl but by the time the photo was taken I'd been hugged several times and it had moved around so you can't see all the lovely lacy detail (it got lots of nice comments though).

I got another nice surprise after I'd finished all the yummy goodies - I even had some cream with my scone and jam, which is most unusual for me as I try to avoid it as it exacerbates my asthma, and my goodness it was a real treat! I was sitting chatting with the lady next to me when someone came and squatted down beside me. His face was familiar but I couldn't quite place him until he said he'd seen my name in the programme and that he was a photographer I last saw back in 2007 just before the first time I ran and knit at London marathon.

A face from the past

All in all a most enjoyable afternoon and Anthony very kindly made a donation to my fund-raising which was a lovely surprise

A bit of crochet

I needed a new mat for one of the bedside tables so I had a rummage around in my old crochet patterns and found one that suited the size perfectly.

The yarn is some cotton I've had for years. Not quite as fine as the stuff we used for the really intricate doilies but not far off. It's actually more beige than it looks in the photo and I was very pleased I could still actually hold and work with a 1.5mm crochet hook!

It still needs to be blocked and starched but I thought I'd show it now as it's finished.

A very pleasing pattern to work

The flowers that bloom in the Spring, tra la

Isn't it lovely when the the Spring flowers start peeping out. Their bright and cheerful freshness really lifts ones spirits. I planted lots of Leucojums and Daffodils in the orchard so that we can have their pretty blooms in the house.

Leucojum vernum aka Spring Snowflake is often mistaken for a giant Snowdrop although it's actually related to the Amaryllis

Combined here with beautiful Euphorbia 'White Swan' and an unknown daffodil

Isn't that a pretty Daffodil. There's only 1 and I have no idea what it is but it must have sneaked in with the pale yellow ones I planted.

Another day, another arrangement. This time it's zingy yellow daffs combined with my favourite Hellebore (see below) with some twigs of Dogwood, Euonymus and ivy.

Isn't the Hellebore a yummy colour. It's Helleborus purpurascens.

Walkies (with a bit of running occasionally)

I wasn't sure I would be able to take part in the Sevenoaks Circular LDWA event this year and left my entry until the very last minute whereupon I discovered it was full. Hey ho, I thought, then nil desperandum and contacted the organisers to ask if they'd had any cancellations. A few days later they confirmed that there was a place for me which made my day as it was a chance to catch up with lots of my running chums who I've hardly seen in the last few months.

It was never going to be a quick one as there was lots of chatting and photos and eating at the checkpoints. To make it even more of an adventure we misread the instructions at one point and missed a left turn which meant we had to retrace our steps (up a massive hill!) which added 2 miles onto the route. I was very glad I'd taken my walking poles with me as they really help on the steep uphill sections.

Cue lots of photos of seriously not serious runners, most of us with over 100 marathons under our belts, having a jolly good day out:

Bryan, me, Emine (rocking the Pocahontas look) and Kirsty

OK, who took that - you're in big trouble!!!

The team assembles. From left to right: Emine, Kirsty, me, Bryan, Carl and Rachael

The first section of the route took us through the grounds of beautiful Knole Park

Not sure who took this but we've been joined, briefly, by Anna (far left) and Dave (far right and Chairman of the 100 marathon club with over 600 marathons to his name!)

There were plenty of deer about and we heard the parakeets screeching in the trees.

There were several checkpoints en-route and even though we were very slow after our little detour there was still enough  left for us.

The route took us across very varied terrains - ploughed fields, grass, narrow or enclosed footpaths, through villages, up steep hills which rewarded us with fabulous views from their summit, through churchyards, past very expensive houses and along high hills which fell away steeply to one side.

What I enjoy most about these LDWA events is that you get to see places you would probably never see otherwise. We had such a lovely time full of fun and laughter and no worries about how fast or slow we were so there were lots of opportunities for very silly photos:

What a lot of silly-billies (except for David in the white shirt, yet another legend with over 600 marathons to his name)

Thanks to our little diversion we were much slower than expected and Mike phoned after 9 hours to check I was OK as he was getting worried that he hadn't heard from me.

Back in Knole Park for the last couple of miles. This tree had the most amazing trunk.

Even slower than last year and getting dangerously close to the 10 hour cut-off. Oops!

All in all a grand day out.