Blue moon ... blue (and purple) beads

I recently received a message via my Etsy shop asking for some renegade beads. This particular customer wanted some cooler spectrum beads in blues and purplee instead of the single colour options I list quite frequently. I had a root around in my leftovers jar and managed to come up with the above selection. They look so pretty together, I might make up some more bi-coloured renegade sets as I'm sure other people would be interested in them as well.

Immediately after I listed them in the shop (along with some other sets), I made a note in my diary of the amount I listed today (this is a habit of mine) and my diary tells me that there's a bloon moon today. This bodes well for this blue and purple lampwork set, fingers crossed the customer likes them!

Please feel free to make suggestions for other colour combinations at any time either via my Etsy shop or right here in the comments section. 

I hope everyone is having a Happy Blue Moon Easter Saturday.

And another thing ...!

The weather must be mad at my last posting because winter has returned with a vengeance this weekend.

In fact I do feel a bit responsible. During the original Beast from the East’s blast in February, we arranged to go garden visiting to look at snowdrops with good friends who live some distance away. Due to the difficulties travelling, not to mention the way the snow was inconveniently hiding the flowers underneath, we postponed.

Never mind snowdrops, we rearranged to  have our day out when the miniature daffodils will be out in March. That was yesterday. Thinking there’s no enjoyment to be had in going outside during a blizzard in (feels like) -8 temperatures, we postponed a second time. 

I won’t be revealing the newly arranged date, if it snows in April, I’d like to retain the right of plausible deniability. This time, when winter retreats, I will not be rude. Instead, I will blow it an affectionate kiss, wave it a fond farewell, we’ll miss you ... see you next year ... can’t wait! 

The beast is banished

For the past few days, the Beast from the East has wrought havoc on the UK. As unprepared as ever, our infrastructure ground to the usual halt. We don’t invest to the same degree as countries that have guaranteed snow every year for weeks because - for the sake of an occasional few days - the financial justification makes no sense where the polar twilight’s shadow is absent. 

We had snow all week but today it started disappearing ... sloping away into cracks and fissures. Maritime air squashes the halitosis of winter’s breath and allows an unassertive Spring to finally emerge from its shrinking sanctuary.

I planted groups of 10-20 snowdrops in the green last year in various locations in the garden using Monty Don’s naturalistic planting technique (throw a handful on the ground and plant where they land). The idea of spreading them around being they would re-emerge in the places where habitat and conditions suited them in at least one place and then establish and spread out. About half have emerged in a few places. 

Fuckety bye bye to winter!