Flowers, strawberries and... vinegar?

Hello again! Thanks for all your lovely comments. I had a productive day yesterday, posting off my Sweet Tweet Swap parcel to Ele in the USA, and the Auld Alliance Giveaway to Olga in Poland. I learned a lot too - Olga is originally from Belarus - I told you she is well travelled.

For those who aren't sure how to pick up my award, I know the feeling! I finally discovered that you just right click on the picture, click 'save as' and use it exactly as you would a photo in your post or on your side bar. But it took me a while to work that out... My lessons were all cancelled yesterday, as my private pupils were in school (usually, Wednesday is a sports and outside activities day for children in French primary schools). Son 1 had the afternoon off as usual, being in secondary school, but he was my only company all day... I got sewing, taking my small sewing basket to his piano lesson with me. When I glimpsed it inside our modern(ish) car I realised how vintage everything in it is!

My mother and I both collected, and used, vintage sewing items through the 1980s. We had a natural division of the spoils - she prefers more elegant, 'Edwardian Lady' type pieces, while I have always loved the 1930s 'Milly Molly Mandy' flowers... I'll try to get some photos of her vintage sewing things when I'm in Edinburgh next month.My little sewing project for the day was fabric flowers. So many of you have been asking 'what are you going to do with all those buttons?' that I thought I'd better get started! I quite like these, although if any of you has a pattern for something more realistic I'd be interested to try it. I think I'll use them at my 40th birthday Garden Party (more on that soon...)Whilst both boys were enjoying the pool in the sunny early evening, I got round to cleaning out the fire. It's our only real source of heat throughout the winter, and we lit it several times in April to dry out soggy cyclists and wet clothes when we had a spell of bad weather. Therefore, I'm always reluctant to put it into summer mode too quickly - but now is the time!French fires have a wonderful glass door which allows you to keep the fire burning all night without risk. By the end of the winter the glass looks like this:But I have a secret weapon:

Spot the gingham, Sarah!

Once everything was clean, I stacked up some pretty logs (including ones from our poor fallen tree) and some pine cones, and shut the glass doors until autumn.

Before I got vinegary, I finally baked the wonderful shortbread recipe that Sumea's friend Betty gave her. I totally recommend it, as do the rest of the family!We ate it with strawberries, peaches and cream or ice cream of choice...It being strawberry season, Ben got making jam again...Sticky kitchen season starts again - it's another long weekend here for us, and we'll be cherry picking tomorrow!