abundance, and spring cleaning

Today has been utterly glorious. The weather, of course, but also the time, the whole day with nothing in particular to do, nowhere to be - that's quite a luxury at the minute!

I picked these flowers from the garden last week, and they've sat in a glass jar on the kitchen windowsill cheering me up for the last few days. What is it about flowers from the garden that just lift the spirits?

It's been a whole weekend of pottering really, although today was rather more calm than yesterday.

On Friday night we ate cherries, picked from a friend's tree.

And then a trip to the women's institute, of course. Lots of knitted things on sale this week, and a Most Delicious almond and apricot sponge cake.

Then off to the green fair, to hang around on the LETS stall. I'll talk more about LETS one day - maybe when I've pulled my finger out to use it a little more...

This morning, bizarrely, I woke up with an urge to do a bit of spring cleaning.

I know - very strange.

Maybe it was the sunshine streaming through the skylight, showing up all the dust.

Whatever it was, I thought I'd best take advantage, and I've ambled around the house washing and hoovering and dusting and clearing drawers and making space.

I'm not sure it meets normal folks' standards of cleanliness even now, but it's much better than it was.

I do love hanging washing outside, even if we don't have the traditional blowing-in-the-breeze washing line...

Oooh, speaking of washing, I realised I never did share this exciting parcel that arrived a few weeks ago!

A while back, I signed up to take part in a dish cloth swap, over at the Down to Earth blog, and was paired up with another Jennifer right round the other side of the world (hi Jennifer!)

I duly knitted my dishcloth and dispatched it (late, as usual) off on its little adventure, together with some home made soap.

Then, excitement of all excitements, a parcel arrived!!

Would you just look at those beautiful dishcloths! Five, all different colours! And such a thoughtful parcel! A copy of the local newspaper, so fascinating to read the local news from somewhere else, so different to here! And some locally grown pistachios - mmmm. And a big pile of leaflets for local attractions, and keyrings, and postcards, and all sorts of things!

I *love* parcels, they are just The Best.

Of course, now I'm concocting a more elaborate parcel full of local stuff from round here to post back. SO much fun!