5 minutes later and we have a peg bag (well, my housemate thought I said pig bag – annoying kiwi accent!). I used some Suki iron-ons to name it. I’ve never really been able to master these iron ons, they tend to come out fuzzy and dim, but at least it looks antique, everyone is into rustic chic right now!

Here is my dad’s recipe

• 1 Tbsp dried yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• ¼ cup sugar
• 50g butter
• 1½ cups milk
• 1½ tsp salt
• 4 cups standard white flour
• 3 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
• 3 tsp mixed spice (or more, to taste)
• ½ cup currants, sultanas or mixed dried fruit

Mix half of the sugar and lukewarm water in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the yeast, gently stir, and leave the mixture to stand for a few minutes until its bubbly.

Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the milk, heat until it is lukewarm (you should be able to hold your little finger in it and count to 10 with it feeling hot or cold), then stir in the remaining sugar and the salt. Put the flour on a roasting tray and warm it to body temperature in the oven.

Add the warm milk to the yeast mixture, then sift in about 2 cups of the warm flour, the cinnamon, the mixed spice and the dried fruit. Mix well with a wooden spoon, then cover the bowl with a plastic bag and stand it in a sink of lukewarm water until it is twice its original volume.

Add more of the warmed flour until the dough is not sticky, but keep the dough as soft as possible. Turn out onto a floured surface for kneading. Knead thoroughly for 4 to 5 minutes until it feels springy when you push your fingers into it. Using a sharp knife cut the dough in half, half again, then into thirds; giving you a total of 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Put them on greased trays around 1cm apart, leaving space for rising but so that when they rise they will touch each other. Cover lightly and stand in the sun (the trays, not you) or in a turned off slightly warm oven until they have doubled in size.

Meanwhile mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 1 tablespoon of oil and about one tablespoon of water. Put this in a small plastic bag, or a piping bag if you have one. When the buns have risen, cut the corner of the plastic bag (I poke a matchstick through) and squeeze a cross onto each bun. If the buns are lined up you can pipe one long line across several buns one ay, then one line across several the other way, rather than do each bun individually.

Bake in a hot oven at 220° C (425 F) for 10-15 minutes until tops are brown.

While they cook, warm two tablespoons of sugar with two tablespoons of water until the sugar disolves. Brush this over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven. If you don’t have a pastry brush, roll up a paper towel, fold it in half and use the open end as a brush. Better than nothing, but only just

Enjoy while they are fresh and warm!

New Windows on Willesden Green is a pop up project run for local crafters to promote and sell their stuff. There are the expected shops – lovely handmade kids clothes and beautiful handmade soaps – and also a great emphasis on artists in the area.

One of the shops is a gallery space with workshops for artists, and another space is a screen printing studio with workshops for only £10. I love screen printing and am really keen to give this a go!

Already we have seen improvement – water goes straight into the soil instead of washing off – and there are plenty of very healthy worms so the goodness should make its way through the soil soon enough. What a treasure horse poo is!

My favourite city in Belgium is Ghent. It’s near Brugge and has the best castle, a design museum and loads of independent boutique shops – perfect ingredients for a holiday! There is a great atmosphere in Ghent, and you never know what you’ll see around the bend. The coffee and food is great too.

And aren’t these knitted hats on the bollards adorable?!

I learnt a few things from my last attempt. The soil in these pots is extremely poor for flowers, compost is needed for the plants to flourish. Secondly, it’s very important to plant the bed up and make it look very deliberate.

I bought a tray of seedlings half price from B&Q and had some home made compost, filled with worms. I kept the base of the tree bare to avoid disease but planted the rest up.

I received lovely smiles from our neighbours; people like flowers! Let’s hope this little patch fares better this time and I will expand my efforts down the street in time

This lovely squirrel pattern has been making its way around the Internet. Isn’t he sweet! I have a single possum merino glove that will be perfect for this project, watch out for an update featuring a squirrel soon!

Photo by Miyako Toyota

Before we got rid of it, I used it to make up the body of this cushion. I thought the pattern was so cute I had to have one! But I was working on a bunch of other things at the time and tucked the cushion away in a box to finish later.

Finally, 2 years later, I have finished his arms and legs, bought his eyes and stitched his mouth – and isn’t he lovely! Always so cheerful, he happily sits in our room all day and greets us when we get home