Jessie Lilac Blog

My youngest is currently away studying at uni in Oslo and we've just got back from spending a couple of days with her. I was a bit worried about how cold it would be there but we were very lucky to have blues skies the whole time we were there so although there was snow, the bright blue sky and sunshine made up for it. The Norwegians certainly know how to keep warm. Everywhere we went were snug blankets and heaters outside and inside the rooms were as cosy and warm as can be. I now know the real meaning of Hygge! We packed in quite a lot over the 3 days we were there. The Viking Ship Museum, the Norwegian Folk Museum, the City Hall with its beautiful murals, the Vigeland Sculpture Park, and the Royal Palace. Can you believe we walked to all these places and my toes that would normally be numb at even the slightest change in temperature stayed fine throughout! A memorable few days.  ♥ ...

I mentioned in my last blog post that I'll soon be bringing news of new beginnings. Well here he is! Little Ted is the newest member of the family, Middle Son's new baby son came into the world on Saturday, a bouncing 8lbs. Why do we say 'bouncing'? New babies don't bounce, or maybe they do? I hope to be able to meet him in person as soon as they get home from hospital. 😊 So, the last days of summer are upon us and my thoughts are turning to a reorganisation of my online shops. I've been with Society6 for the past few years but now I feel it's time for a change. I love seeing my designs on different items and I've even bought my own items from them to give as gifts or to keep for myself but now that I've discovered Redbubble I personally prefer it and that's the reason I've decided to close my shop at Society6 . It is still open at the moment and will stay open until 18th September so if you'd like to buy an item from my Society...

I've had a very busy summer with family visiting  and it's not over yet! We've been on lots of outings, Middle Daughter at  Totnes Rare Breeds Farm and drawing together, After everyone left, we decided to have a few days away up north.  First we stopped at The Peak District. Here are some of the cottages in Eyam, Derbyshire. This village has a very sad tale of how they were wiped out by the black plague in 1665. And the very pretty  Bakewell, Derbyshire. York was our final destination. I've been here once before and loved it, especially the Jorvik Viking Centre.  It's recently reopened after a terrible flood  and it's even better now than I remember it! I didn't take any photos while I was there. I was too busy soaking in every second of the experience but here's a short video from the web to give you a taste.. They look so real! The smells and sounds are incredible too. Final...

It's not too long since we had the big celebration of my brother's wedding and today, it's the turn of Youngest Daughter turning 19! As you can see from the photos above, we planted an acorn when she was born and as it's continued to grow throughout the years, as has she! It's always been known as 'Carenza's Oak'. It's far bigger than she is these days and hopefully will continue to get much bigger! I mentioned in my last post that I've started to make paintings outside my art journal. All three of these are now available in my Etsy shop . So here's the first one I finished.  It's called ' The Wishing Tree ' and is a mix of acrylic paint, pens, inks and some lovely iridescent paint. If you wish, click here to see more details. The Wishing Tree The next one is a small painting called ' Cottage in the Forest '. While I was painting this I'm sure I must have been thinking about Eldest Son's recent...

Every year at the time of the Summer Solstice it's a family tradition to go for a walk somewhere high up, with a good view of the sunset. When my brother lived in Swindon we'd go to Barbury Castle but now he's moved to another area, this year we thought we'd go to a different place that's closer to where he now lives. I blogged about our Barbury Castle walks in 2011  here  and in 2010   here . :) This year we went to  May Hill !  They say you can see 12 counties from here. The view was spectacular even though it was getting dark and a little cloudy. We could clearly see the Brecon Beacons, the Mendips and the River Severn to name but a few. I'd love to come back again one sunny day during daylight hours, it really was an incredible view. My photos don't do it justice at all but I think you get the idea! What a perfect place to watch the sun go down on the longest day of the year. ******** Do you reme...