The Cool of the Studio

The sunshine here is reported to be warmer than in Hawaii, so we are seeking out the coolest part of the house which is luckily the Studio with it's south facing window nicely shaded by the large Holly tree outside.

So it's Friday and it's time for...

 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

It's the turn of the letter 'J' and we have found some great items. Don't forget to take a look around all the featured shops, their shop url's are under their photo's.

  'J' is for...

Jolly Journals for all your jottings

J is for Journal - always handy to have one on your desk for all those moments of inspiration. There is also a pretty selection of hand made photo albums and guest books available in Liz's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/LizzieMade

An heirloom in the making

J is for Jewellery Box - this fabulously crafted box is made from solid Walnut and Madrona Burr. It was difficult to choose which photo to show here as the interior is as gorgeous as the exterior. Putting this on my Christmas list! Lots more boxes back at Paul's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/norfolkwoodcrafts

This jug would brighten up any table

J is for Jug -  a vibrant red jug just waiting for some Cream and Strawberries, how pretty would that look! A real cornucopia of ceramics back at Claire's Folksy Shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/clairemanwani

Good enough to eat - with no calories!

J is for Jammie Dodger - guilt free snacks! Lots of fun, felt creations in Jo's Folksy shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/PickleLily



The skies over our garden are filled with Swifts and Swallows at present, more than I have ever witnessed before here in UK. When we lived in France we had scores of Swallows that used to visit every year. They would keep us amused by swooping down, breezing past our heads while we worked in the veg beds. Whenever it rained they had a favourite puddle outside our front door where they would take it in turns to fly low and dip into the water for a cool down. One family set up home in one of our barns, this particular barn led to the back door of the house and was the one we used most often. We watched daily as the parents gathered mud from the surrounding fields and quickly constructed their sturdy nest for their clutch of eggs. The eggs duly hatched and we then had the joy of watching the 5 chicks put on weight. We named them, 'Doe, Ray, Me, Far and Sow' and would often be heard singing it to them as we walked past their nest. Every noise they heard would prompt them to stick out their heads, cheep loudly and open the yellow gorges of their throats, ready for any tasty tit bits. One morning I had the privilege to see them fledge. One by one they took to the edge of the nest and then boldly took a leap of faith and flew to the nearest roof truss. As the last one left the nest they all made their way to the barn opening and out into the clear blue sky. I cried once the little family of Swallows left us for North Africa.

Singing for their suppers

Our French memories are at the fore front of our minds this week as many of Gary's mono print landscapes have a French flavour to them. He is busy photographing the series of prints and they will be available in our Etsy shop soon. But thought it would be appropriate to show a portion of one here as it is titled 'Gascony' the south west region of France we called home.

Gascony - with it's rolling hills and it's fortified villages

We have just taken delivery of new lamps specifically for photo shoots so this weekend we will start the long job of updating all our photo's, a mammoth task hopefully interspersed with some time in the garden, there will be some harvesting of veggies to be done and new lavenders to be planted out.

Enjoy your weekend.

'To succeed in life, you need three things; a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone'.
Reba McEntire.