Saturday

Saturday was a day full of small achievements, from boring but necessary tasks (the weekly food shopping and fitting a new washing machine part, yawn) to rather more exciting things such as baking, shopping and crafting.

On our travels, I found the most wonderful tea towels I think I've ever seen. How sad, to get such excitement and joy from a tea towel! But look, they are soooo lovely!

They have flowers! They have stripes! They have spots! And most of all, the colours match all of the other things in the kitchen perfectly. The most surprising thing of all about them was that they came from Wilkinsons!
On a trip to the tailors we popped across to my favourite gallery shop, and I just couldn't resist two rather lovely sheets of wrapping paper which will live in frames on the wall - it's such a good way to buy artwork on a budget!

Every time I visit the Southsea Gallery, I know I will come away heavier handed and lighter of pocket - they have such a delightful array of postcards, prints, wrapping paper and vintage posters that it takes a good half an hour just to choose a small selection to take home!

Saturday was also the day I spent some time in the kitchen having fun with baking. I've tried my hand at several different pies, cakes and biscuits before, but I've never made bread - what better to do on a rainy spring Saturday than fill the kitchen with wafting smells of fresh bread? After watching The Edible Garden on Tuesday and seeing the wonderful Alys Fowler making some rather yummy looking rosemary bread, I picked up some fresh herbs (mine haven't grown fully yet, sob sob) and decided to give it a go. If you've never watched Alys, make sure you log on to the iPlayer and catch up on previous programmes - I find her so inspiring that somehow I've ended up with far too much produce to grow on a mere balcony!

While we're talking about gardening - look at the tomato plants on the kitchen windowsill! I think the time for planting out has arrived...

Anyway, the bread making process requires patience (of which I have very little!), and I found myself peering under the tea towel every five minutes or so to see if the dough was rising. It was! Watching it grow and grow through the oven door was almost as satisfying as taking it out and cutting the first slice - almost!