Fiona

@fionadean

Always busy doing something parkrun ED, crochet, Archie the springer spaniel, nature, word games, church & choir, gardening, Mum of teen, drinking wine, let me know if I missed anything!

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Bluesky

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Fiona@fionadean· 27d

I get totally hooked on a good puzzle. No 1 son gave me this for Christmas

Fiona@fionadean· 27d

We were sat outside the pub, enjoying a bottle of wine, following the game by the noise from inside #winning

Two glasses of pink wine on a pub table.

Fiona@fionadean· 28d

Yes, ours is wood fired so keeps us fit moving logs. I love cooking on it, although you have to be on the ball about refueling or it goes cold when you’re trying to make a roast dinner. Slow roasted pork, rice puddings, crumbles, jacket potatoes that spend all day in there… yummy 😋

Archie the brown and white springer spaniel would like you to think he stacked all the logs in the woodshed behind him.

Fiona@fionadean· 28d

Mine waving back at yours 👋

A wood fired Rayburn in British racing green, with two orange Le creuset pans on top.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 12

Choir day trip to Gloucester cathedral today. Had fun with the acoustic and the new organ. Also ridiculously hot, not sure even a linen cassock would’ve been cool today 🫠

The outside of Gloucester cathedral. It’s a pale yellow gothic building with an ornate tower. The sky above is very blue.

The view from my seat in the choir stalls during our rehearsal for evensong. I’m looking towards the huge stained glass east window.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 11

Marshal turned into timekeeping. Here are a few #parkrun pics

A white woman wearing a shirt dress, grey hoodie and pink hi viz stands in the woods supported by a pair of crutches.

The start at today’s event, with runners racing off under a canopy of green trees.

Today’s visitors board, with a list of names and home locations.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 10

This was the flower arrangement in the hotel lobby in Wednesday. Hydrangeas are very common in Cornwall, huge bushes with enormous flowers.

A flower arrangement. A tall vase holds huge pale blue hydrangea flowers, a few roses and eucalyptus leaves, with (I think) dark blue spikes of delphiniums above. The whole thing was maybe 6ft tall.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 9

My boy has just finished his A levels… went to the last minions movie with his mates and then they all dressed up as minions for their leaving day…

A group of boys in suits ready to go to the previous minions movie. They also took bananas, something that was swiftly banned by cinemas.

A larger group of boys dressed as minions. They are wearing yellow t-shirts, blue braces, jeans, yellow beanie hats and goggly glasses. There are balloons and bunting overhead. One boy is dressed as Gru in black with a grey striped scarf, skinhead and fake nose.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 8

Well this’ll do!

The view from the terrace at Carlyon Bay Hotel. Cream parasols, manicured green grass, blue sea and blue sky.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 7

Meanwhile, Archie went out with a blonde today. His other girlfriend will be jealous!

Archie the brown and white springer spaniel and Peggy the golden retriever sat side by side in the boot of the boy’s car. They are looking out the back windscreen and only the back of their heads are visible.

Archie and Peggy swimming side by side in a lake. Apparently Peggy tried to get hold of Archie’s stick but he wasn’t keen.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 5

Very swollen. And now my shoulders, upper arms and hands are sore from using crutches. But thank you for asking x

A pair of feet in orange striped socks. The left foot and ankle are noticeably swollen.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 4

Today’s #parkrun pics. A slightly different perspective for me!

Ready for timekeeping, sat in my folding chair with my pink hi vis on. I’ve got my bad foot up on an upturned pink bucket and a very large cup of tea in my hands.

Archie the brown and white springer spaniel running towards the camera with a stick in his mouth. He’s looking very sleek after a trip to the dog groomers on Thursday.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 3

It’s done. A card, a huge bunch of flowers and gift vouchers for the garden. Traffic bad both ways to remind me why I’m leaving. Now it just needs to start to sink in… #workingmynotice #lastday

A card patterned with pink flowers that says sorry you’re leaving.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 2

Been for my leaving do with my office mate Archie. D from the upstairs office came too and no 1 son, who specialises in popping in at just the wrong moment. The boy was on annual leave. I’m the longest serving member of the home office and will miss my office mates.

A new tea mug to take with me: an Emma Bridgewater hearts mug with “Fiona’s tea mug” inscribed on it.

The bottom of the mug says “Forever Fi”. In Wales, where I’ve been working, everyone is known by a single syllable truncation of their given name. Even if you’re called Helen.

A new drinks coaster for my new desk! A picture of Archie the brown and white springer spaniel, my favourite office mate who I will miss hugely 😭.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 2

@crikeys.bsky.social saw these and thought of you x

Terracotta planters on a wall. Two have chickens on, another some Tuscan style trees.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 2

Coffee and cake. Wish I’d had a double espresso in my americano ☕️

A slice of gf Victoria sponge and a mug of coffee on a glass table. The table is outside but in the shade, in the background there’s a sunny courtyard with more tables, chairs and a wooden bench.

Fiona@fionadean· Jul 1

It’s simply crochet issue 175. @helenintgarden.bsky.social knows how to download instructions at the library and I think @sparklyfellelf.bsky.social found the pattern on ravelry. But here are photos for you. Enjoy x

Magazine page showing models wearing crochet shawls.

All the instructions to make the shawls.

A closer look at the most important instructions.

Chart for working the edging. Nearly forgot this as I’ve not needed it yet!

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 30

That’s lovely! Well done 👍 Current wip is a sparkly shawl. Soon I will just need somewhere to go for the evening…

A grey crochet shawl laid out on a table. . The yarn includes a silver thread and sequins so in the light it sparkles.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 30

I think this is what is in my garden. I planted it around 2011 and this is the first year it’s been noteworthy

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 29

I’ve been out in the garden filling the last raised bed with manure and the displaced soil. And I’m not dripping with sweat. It’s marvelous

Archie the brown and white springer spaniel helping me to put a layer of manure in the new raised bed. The bed is made of locally sourced chestnut sleepers.

A view of the whole bed, with an even layer of dark brown manure and a garden fork.

Archie posing in front of the bed, which is now full with soil over the manure. He looks like he’s taking credit for the work, but actually he’s asking me to throw the muddy toy at his feet.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 27

I absolutely agree with you! I’ve been doing #nomowmay for 10 years and a large chunk of the lawn isn’t cut all summer. We have lots of grasshoppers and moths and it still looks good when we have a drought unlike a manicured lawn.

A patch of lawn that hasn’t been mown since early April.

Cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort in my garden.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 27

Good morning and happy parkrunday 🏃‍♀️ It’s much cooler here today, a pleasant 21 degrees, and it’s going to be lovely under the trees on our super shady course 🌳 I’m tail walking today with a friend, time for an hour of chat! #parkrun

The runners setting off at our parkrun last Saturday, with a beautiful canopy of green trees above them.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 26

How to keep cool by Archie 🐾

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 24

I think you’re right that they are peacock butterfly caterpillars. When my boys were very small we brought some home and hatched them 🦋 And here are some cinnabar moth caterpillars I saw in the woods today

Tiny cinnabar moth caterpillars on the flower head of a ragwort plant.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 23

Spotted my first cinnabar moth caterpillar in the garden last week, hoping for more 🤞

An out of focus orange and brown striped cinnabar moth caterpillar on ragwort in my garden.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 20

Today’s harvest… plus 8oz raspberries. My arms are also ripped to shreds. Mostly for the freezer so we can have stewed gooseberries with porridge in the winter 😋

8lb of gooseberries in a large ceramic mixing bowl. Another 4lb in a smaller bowl. Another 1lb 10oz in another bowl (out of shot).

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 20

It’s the issue with the sheep blanket I made earlier this year 😊 🐑

The front of a mosaic crochet blanket, with rows of sheep, hearts and mysterious green blobs.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 19

Missed choir to catch up on some gardening before the weather gets too hot. Tomorrow I must pick the gooseberries or they will cook on the plants.

Weeds gone. Nicely dug bare soil with a garden fork standing in it.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 19

Haven’t done this in a while: the view over the gate this morning

The view over a wooden field gate with stile adjacent. Over the gate are green fields of grass, with a herd of young cows and trees in the middle distance. In the far distance there’s the Severn estuary and bridges. The sky is blue but with a lot of white fluffy clouds. The whole is framed by trees in full leaf.

Fiona@fionadean· Jun 18

Today I crocheted whilst I copied files onto the server and ordered safety shoes ready for my new job #workingmynotice