Summer!

I've been meaning to sit down and write a post for days but a miraculous thing has happened in the UK - Sun! Almost over night the weather has gone from cloudy, rainy and a bit chilly to brilliant sunshine. It was even warm enough to wear shorts today. Although after months and months of jeans my legs are impressively white. Perfect sun reflectors.

Thanks to the sun the flowers have come out in the garden. There are tulips, poppies and forget me nots and a few slightly bedraggled looking bluebells. The shots of colour these flowers provide are wonderful and have thoroughly shaken away the winter look of the garden. Harvey likes to sit behind the taller flowers and either pretend he is a flower or it's his secret look out for birds. I have my fingers crossed for no furry or feathery presents on the doorstep.

On the way to the beach, the fields of mustard flowers are currently in bloom. This is where my blog's main photo is from above. This is West Wittering beach and I have watched this field in it's cycle of rich brown earth to little shoots of green, tall waving plants and finally a burst of yellow spreading as far as you can see. On the other side of the road is the car park and you definitely don't need to see that! 

The beach was packed today. I think everyone is relieved the sun has finally appeared after a very long winter. We have no idea how long the sun will last in this country so it felt like everyone got the same memo to run to the beach and buy every BBQ set in sight ready for dinner in the evening. Not that I'm judging - it's exactly what we did! Fingers crossed this lovely heat continues, I think it makes everyone relax and feel happier. There were also local school groups on the beach and you could see how happy they were to be out of the classroom and enjoying the beach. I hope the teachers enjoyed it too.

I finished the day with a new cast on and a typical British BBQ ie on a tiny charcoal tray from the local shop.

This is going to be a Flax Light jumper by Tin Can Knits. And if I have cast something on, that can only mean something has been finished! More on that later. I am knitting with a mix of 4 ply Purple Berry Tart by Easy Knits Yarns and Delirium by Third Vault Yarns. I think I'm a little bit in love with this project. The colours of both yarns blend together so well that I can't always tell which yarn I'm using. I am alternating the yarn every two rows which is causing a bit of yarn tangling but it's worth it for the end result.

The sausages and turkey kebabs are from a local butcher just 100m from the house and tasted so good! I wouldn't be able to afford the prices for every meal but the difference in taste is really noticeable. And, when possible, I like supporting local business whether it's a butcher or a yarn shop or any individually owned shop. Do you have any independent shops near you? And any new projects for the summer?

Fingers crossed, summer is finally here! 

Have a lovely week, Charlotte and Harvey x