It’s a little less squelchy underfoot and Val offered me a tutorial for sewing in some of this so things are definitely looking up. Many thanks for your sweet comments as ever.

I’m afraid I’ve resorted to standard technology for my draw this time. I renumbered everyone as some had won previous giveaways and had asked to be excluded - very, very polite of you but I was still happy to pop you all in the hat! Anyway, here goes:

The winner is THIMBLEANNA. Well done Anna - hurray! She requested a silver bird, but would you like lilac rose or turquoise? I’m also working on Prussian blue and peacock green-winged birds. Decisions! I have two runners up too:

Kitschen Pink, and…

…Alice C, although I do believe MissM will be in receipt of any jewels! Could you both let me know favourite colourways and whether bracelets, earrings or pendants are preferable?

I have masses to catch up on - a lovely little something I received from Mel, some progress on my ‘Prints by post’ silver fingerprint kit and some new designs, including a something floral (work in progress above) and something feathered. I’ll leave you, though, with a little present - a little 15% discount in my shop - valid for three days, just click on ‘Amend cart’ as you check out and enter blog2. The discount also applies to commissions.

Have a lovely weekend x

Edited to add: Could the winners please send me their addresses so that prizes may be despatched? Many thanks.

I am a little bogged down at the moment. As I said to a friend - the bog is full of saggy old pants. So, apologies for not completing my one year draw yet - I’ll get to it, but until I find some knicker elastic, a handy pair of wellies and a ladder I’ll be rather scarce I’m afraid. Thanks for being patient, back soon x

This makes Mr P laugh his head off:

Cheap blogging I know, but I was delighted to have found this - it was featured on a BBC documentary about 1940s Make Do and Mend fashions. Now tell me, why would one need a pocket for dry biscuits whilst swimming, Marjorie? 

Thanks so much for all the lovely comments on my one year post. I shall be closing the giveaway at midnight tomorrow. Don’t miss out!

Silverpebble is one year old today. So much has happened since I started the pebbly blog. 

Monda’s giveaway bracelet

I’ve made new things,

 ’Vervet monkeys’ spotting a snake

and had some monkey fun,

Monkey’s paddling pool

I’ve recorded the magic antics of MissP1 - remember ‘Mummy, your eyebrow looks like a dog biscuit’?

First hours

Last June I made a new little pebble,

Just three months later I turned away from blogging when my sister had a very serious brain injury. I received wonderfully humbling and unexpected support from bloggers during this time. Then I came back - and I’m so glad I did. 

Here are just a few of the lovely presents I’ve received from bloggers in the last year, from Lucy, Val, Gina, Julie, Lesley, Twiggy and Maria. Gorgeous.

What a fabulous time it’s been - a sincere thankyou for making it such a surprising and rich experience. It’s been such a rollercoaster of a year personally, but you’ve all helped to get me through some extremely difficult times. Some days, back in September and October, I was incapable of posting, but would just seek out lovely images and words. I found many and they were very therapeutic - wonderful escapism. This may sound overemotional, but because I was able to look at lovely blogposts and relax for just a few minutes each day, I was more able to continue functioning - so whether purposefully or unwittingly you’ve all helped the pebbles.

So, now for the thankyou - to everyone who reads this - and everyone I read…

…my giveaway. Pop a comment on this post and you will be placed in the hat to receive, well, let’s think - oh yes, ANYTHING YOU LIKE FROM MY SHOP including new things I might put in there over the course of the giveaway. Vintage buttons and shells? Enamelled birds? Pearls? Just pop over there and browse to your heart’s content - then tell me your favourite thing in your comment. Two others who are drawn out next will receive a little jewelly something too. Lurkers, if you’re out there, I’d love to hear from you too. So spread the word for the one year pebbly giveaway. I will keep this open until midnight on the 19th May.

Since the autumn I’ve noticed less light-heartedness in my posts, so my aim for my new blogging year is to be a little less serious, have more fun, to take my enamelling further and finally, to learn to bloomin’ crochet!

Thanks again x

The nightingale experience made me think about my earliest encounters with nature. Once I could toddle around Granny P would lift stones to show me woodlice, worms, earwigs and spiders. They became known as ‘oooh stones’.  On family holidays to Pembrokeshire I discovered rockpools and was hooked. I was allowed to stay up late to watch ‘Life on Earth’ at the age of seven. I went on to study biology.

One experience on those West Wales beaches sticks in my mind. I found a pebble with barnacles on it. I’d learned  from the nature programmes I watched so avidly, that when the tide came in barnacles opened and a tiny creature clawed for plankton. I filled my bucket with water. I popped in the pebble, crouched over the bucket and waited. It happened - little doors opened and the barnacles began to feed. I’d convinced them that the tide had turned. The thrill I felt at that moment was enormous.

Here’s my little P seeing the same thing for the first time on a Norfolk beach three weeks ago. If you switch to full screen you can see the barnacles opening:

The birds you can hear are oyster catchers. The other little bird is the smallest pebble.

EDIT: go into Youtube and switch to HQ (high quality) to get a better view of the barnacles.

I am so excited. Last night I had an amazing experience. It was on a par with seeing (rather fuzzy) Northern Lights in the sky behind our local pub and seeing fireflies in Tuscany. I walked up to the village wood with a friend. There was a full moon and the wind was blowing the trees slightly. There were no sounds though - just slight rustlings and whisperings of cow parsley and the ash tree we stood beneath. Then there was a tentative chirrup. This was no blackbird - it was 10.30pm. Then the song began in earnest and it was very close by. Our ears were filled with the most amazing birdsong from a nightingale. There were such high notes and low trills. Then a repeating quiet note getting steadily louder. It was very moving. My friend and I just sat on a nearby bench and listened.

What’s more I can share it with you. Here it is - the dim light you can see is the moon shining through the trees. The nightingale was literally just a metre or two away from me when I recorded this:

Ain’t nature grand? Here’s a little picture of Mr N. He’s such an unassuming little brown bird:

Image borrowed from the RSPB

We feel very privileged to have the nightingale here as they are in decline in Britain and have amber status. Click here for further RSPB information. I might nip up there tonight and have another listen - or pop my head out of the bathroom window - I can hear him from there too!

I’m so glad you enjoyed watching our funny tots dancing as much as we did. To be honest, tiny P dances to any music at all - even if the theme music to The Archers comes on she’ll do a spot of baby headbanging. She’s started to try to talk too - her favourite duck is ‘Du-du’ and she’s giving ‘Daddy’ a good try too. Magic stuff. 

On to other matters. In preparation for my two events last weekend I made lots and lots of jewels. I sold some, which was lovely, but I have a fair few…

Silver pebble and mixed freshwater pearl necklace

…pretty baubles…

Shell and vintage button necklace

…left over.

Lilac rose enamelled bird

I have completely overhauled my shop and filled it with a much more representative collection which will now be changing all the time. This was scary let me tell you. My lovely website designer had put a small collection on the site for me last year so it all seemed very complicated and daunting. Still, I managed to look the technology in the eye and pop some jewels on the virtual shelves.

I got it very wrong along the way though. At one point yesterday the images of my silver birds were so enormous on the website that it was like something out of 10,000 BC. I expected to see Racquel Welch trying to wrestle them whilst wearing a skimpy bikini. Yikes. I’m a fan of bargains so Ive popped some of those on there too.

Having been a busy tippy-tapping computer-y bee all day I’m now off to have a spot of wine and track down that elusive nightingale. 

Have a lovely weekend x

 Jimmy’s Farm went quite well - it was a gorgeous day and despite a quiet first hour or two I sold a few pieces to a few smiley ladies and had a lovely time ‘doing jewellery shop’, whilst S ‘did photos shop’. It’s a great day out - it even has a tropical butterfly house where S and I spotted a pair of tiny finches making a nest! 

I know I said I’d be away until next week but the little Ps have been busy and I wanted to pop it on here - if only to record some smiley things. While I was out yesterday Mr P hung the washing out (what a star) and Miss P decided she needed to do the same.

She felt the urge to set up another shop - she’d cornered the market for hats and odd socks and decided the high street needed a new outlet.

Butterfly shop! As though that wasn’t enough, this morning she felt that Monkey needed some transport.

Cue a stickle brick ‘Helicopter car’. Right now she’s ‘doing bubble experiments’ with a mixture of shampoo and my lavender bubble bath. There’s no doubt she’s my daughter - I used to do exactly the same.

What about the littlest P? Well, this morning she discovered mirrors. She sat in front of my full length mirror waving at herself and laughing hysterically. Then she spotted me reflected in it and squealed with glee. Even better than seeing birds fly around the garden (which IS fairly amazing when you think about it).

She’s also been dancing.  Now Mr P’s taste in music is eclectic, rangng from Tchaikovsky to Zappa. The girls are played a bit of everything - and dance to most of it. Here’s tiny P dancing with her sister a couple of days ago. They’re rocking out to ‘Black Dog’ by Led Zeppelin:

I thought it might make you smile.

Thankyou so much for every one of your lovely birthday wishes - they made a magic day even more smiley!

I’ll be away from blogland until next week - and I haven’t been around much this week either! I have two events selling my jewellery at the weekend - Jimmy’s Farm on Saturday and our village fair on Monday (local bloggers: it’s a fabulous day out and starts at noon). I’ve been making - cue very very hurried snap …

I havecome up with some new designs in the last few days that will be going in my shop very soon. I’m behind on washing and housework aswell as your blogs! Sheesh. Back to normal next week hopefully.

I’ll leave you with some exquisite images by my good friend S. She’s just starting up her wildlife and landscape photography business - just look at this…

I’ve decreased the resolution of these images to put them on my blog - aren’t they stunning?

Puffins have to be in my top three favourite birds - how do they fly with such funny stubby wings? If you’d like to view S’s wildlife gallery click here and for her landscape and world wildlife galleries click here - she’d love to hear your feedback.

A quick reminder about the current 20% bloggy discount on my shop (enter blog1 as promo code) - it will expire next week before the overhaul. Back soon x

P.S. The village nightingale is back! More on this next week…