Wednesday 17 March 2010

My insignificant spring fling giveaway

I'm not big on marking notable dates. Birthdays, anniversaries etc are quiet affairs round here, Mr FF and I would rather do something nice together, or possibly nothing at all, than thrown a party and celebrate with crowds. So my various blog landmarks have passed by unnoticed but I do think that it must be my turn for a giveaway. Actually I have a strange relationship with blog giveaways, the two that I won outright I received absolutely nothing, the first time I emailed twice in case my address had gone missing, the second I received an acknowledgement and confirmation that a parcel was on its way, nothing came. The only time I did receive a lovely giveaway was here when Helen who can now be found at A Time to Dance took pity on me and awarded me a runners up prize, thank you again Helen. So to my giveaway. As a little thank you for reading my blog and all the lovely comments I receive, I would like to offer someone either the yarn to knit a pair of socks or if you are not a knitter I will happily make you a pair once I know your size. There will also be a few other surprises in the goodie bag. To qualify I'd like you to tell me what signs herald the arrival of spring for you. The ones I look for each year are the re-emergence of my dogs tooth violets, spotted at the weekend
the return of pretty lambs to the field behind our house

that some days I can just see from the kitchen window

and the ability to put the washing out on the line, again happened at the weekend.
As my spring fling giveaway celebrates the fact that the worst is over and there is no turning back to winter I will draw the winner on 25 March, when we will definitely and officially be into spring. Don't forget to leave me contact details if you don't have a blog link. I am happy to post overseas. Good luck.

32 comments:

  1. :( @ parcels not arriving :(

    BTW I'm having a giveawy too - all sensible & doing one to celebrate 100 posts - come & enter :)

    What does spring mean to me? My birthday and daffs :)

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  2. I've been coveting your knitted stripy socks, please can I enter your give-away (though I can't knit so it would be extra work for you if I did win!)

    For me, I don't think it's Spring till the daffodils in my garden are flowering and I see lambs in the fields, neither of which I've seen yet so it's still just "almost Spring" at the moment...

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  3. funny you should say that about giveaways not arriving - i've won two but neither arrived ( i didn't know if i should contact them or not and in the end i didn't as it felt a bit cheeky!!)
    anyway count me in please

    gill

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  4. And I thought that I was the only one who had won a giveaway which never materialized! Maybe I will be lucky this time! I love your knitting - I can knit, but am rather slow, definitely not as skilled and speedy as you are. My birthday is in early March, which makes me feel that spring is on its way, then the flowering of daffodils and hyacinths in my garden, and just like you, the sheep return to the field next to ours usually by the end of March - so then I know spring has definitely arrived!

    Pomona x

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  5. Signs of spring that I look for include the first daffodils, birds singing their dawn chorus, spotting a ladybird, getting home in daylight and not needing a hot water bottle!

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  6. There are all sorts of signs of spring here, but the first ones I notice I usually hear rather than see: birds singing and water dripping and running.

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  7. Signs that spring is here for me are,

    Rhubarb, springing from the cold, wet ground with its beautiful deep crimson buds. Peas sprouting out of their pots in my greenhouse, garlic sprouting from the ground with a bright flash of green.

    The buds on all of my fruit trees and bushes are forming and next doors Magnolia tree is just about to burst into flower. I can't wait.

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  8. As you insist, I'd love to be included in your giveaway! For me, signs of spring are the lengthening days, it's so nice to catch an hour in the garden after work, and everything starting to come to life with buds on trees and bushes and spring flowers appearing :-)

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  9. The almond blossoms. They are so beautiful people take special trips into the country just to see them - the tree turns into a fluffy ball of delightful pinky white flowers.

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  10. Hi Jenny...Spring for me is definately seeing those spring buds slowly popping up and saying hello..especially my favourites...daffs!
    Like you to, I love being able to put my washing out...
    And one more thing, is waiting for the pink blossom to arrive...a girl's just got to have a bit of pink in every season!
    Fingers crossed I get chosen for some of your lovely socks!
    Hugs karen x x x

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  11. Hi, Jenny! This is sooo lovely--very generous of you! Do please count me in on the fun. :o) I knit, but am no good at all at knitting socks, so can think of nothing better than a pair of your beautiful, hand-knit socks! Signs of spring aren't happening just yet--the melt & thaw have only just begun... but very soon the crocuses will be peeking up through the ground in the garden--that's when spring will start. I can't wait! But how awful to be the grand winner of two giveaways and never receive your gift! That is not nice at all, I think. Giveaways are such fun though. I've not hosted one in a while myself. Thought I'd wait a little closer to summer and do something fun to celebrate 4 years blogging & 500+ posts. Oh, must thank you for the lovely anniversary comments for hubby & I--so sweet of you. ((HUGS))

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  12. Hello, I found you via Vintage Vicki. Can I enter please?
    Signs of spring for me - a full egge tray in the kitchen as my 4 hens go into egg overdrive - and that leads to lots of baking!

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  13. Lovely lovely photos - I'd love to be entered for your giveaway!!

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  14. For me--it's the desire to go and look at Lake Michigan. Is there still ice to be seen on the water? Maybe it's completely melted! Also, it's the shafts of sunlight here and there. There's a sun above those clouds--truly!!!!

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  15. Hhm, the dead looking yellow grass after the snow has finally receded perhaps? The lighter mornings definitely, lying in bed at the weekend listening to the birdsong, and just this week, the first crocus flowering.

    Brenda

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  16. Lambs!!! Thank you so much for posting that pic!!! I haven't seen a single lamb this year:(.

    Lambing is such a huge 'thing' from where I come from. When I was small kids would be abcent from school for what seemed like weeks from late Feb through to early april. The teachers would make vuage enquieries as to where they had gone, and would simply sagely nodd their heads when they received the one word answer, 'Lambing'.

    I was the teachers daughter so I never did get time off for lambing, but lambs and seeing the ewes brought down off the fell is a sure sign that spring is on its way.

    Down here in London I'm amazed at how quickly bulbs pop up and trees become dotted with fat blossom buds. Mum and I compaire notes on blub progress, with mine down here beeing a good three to four weeks a head of her more northerly ones.

    Any way that was a bit ramberly! Hurrah for your Giveaway. Same your previous wins didn't materialise. I had that happen with a sawp that I was involved in. I was a little miffed as it had cost rather a great deal to send my package to the US, and I didn't ever receive anything in return. Has made me a little weary of that sort of thing now.

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  17. Oooh, I've been lusting after your fabulous stripy socks for a-g-e-s!!

    My first signs of spring are tulips (love love LOVE them!), hanging the washing outside (there's nothing like the smell of line dried laundry), and lighter mornings. Lovely!

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  18. Spring is definitely on its way when the crocuses just start to open in the garden, when the sun has a little warmth in it, when I awake a little earlier in the mornings and when I can hang the washing outside! HOORAY! Ros

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  19. Can I please join? I knit but not socks and I would love to have a pair of your beautiful socks!

    We still have some snow so a nice warm pair of hand knit socks would come in very handy!!

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  20. That's a real shame about your prizes not arriving. Currently the winner of a book on my blog hasn't had hers and I posted it mid-december BUT she is in Australia and I was a twit and sent it surface. Fairly soon though we'll have to call it a day and I'll have to send her another one and call the first officially lost.

    Without a shadow of a doubt the first sign of spring for me is rhubarb. Tiny spots of red in the rhubarb patch. My rhubarb patch is currently smothered in tiny red spots and there are leaves unfurling already.

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  21. Hi Jenny,
    Who wouldn't love a Pair of ur awesome sox, and we are making our way into Winter.
    Spring, ahhhhh, I love the smell,and those days when you really feel like being out and about outdoors, spring brings with it pretty flowers and great photo opportunity's and this year, My sweet Peas........
    and of course that feeling of something fresh is begining....
    ohhhh I'm so not looking forward to cold cold winter, mind you it would be nice to get just a LITTLE bit of snow......Just for a day, hehe.
    Tracey

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  22. Hi Jenny,
    Who wouldn't love a Pair of ur awesome sox, and we are making our way into Winter.
    Spring, ahhhhh, I love the smell,and those days when you really feel like being out and about outdoors, spring brings with it pretty flowers and great photo opportunity's and this year, My sweet Peas........
    and of course that feeling of something fresh is begining....
    ohhhh I'm so not looking forward to cold cold winter, mind you it would be nice to get just a LITTLE bit of snow......Just for a day, hehe.
    Tracey

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  23. Oh Jenny, not sure what happened then, seems like Ive left u two messages......
    Does that mean i get 2 chances for ur awesome sox, Hehehehe

    Tracey

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  24. The first sign of spring has to be daffodils in flower and ours started to open last week.

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  25. Spring, is the first lady birds crawling out between the cracks in the windows. Going to help my husband with lambing and seeing the lambs charging round the field, like a group of unruly schoolchildren.

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  26. Ladybirds crawling through the gaps in the windows. Helping my husband with lambing, and seeing the lambs charging around the fields like a group of unruly schoolchildren.

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  27. Spring for me is all the little signs, like bulbs popping up, in places where you least expect them, and the buds unfurling on the trees, but also a strange je ne sais quoi in the air - a sort of 'hurray - time to get going!!!'.

    Yesterday was the first day that I've been able to sit in my garden all year, and it was absolute bliss to sit in the fuzzy sunshine, listening to the birds.

    I too have had some disappointing encouters with swaps... but I'd love to be counted in for your giveaway!

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  28. Signs of spring? The arrival of Cadbury's mini eggs.

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  29. Oooh, I would love some socks! Even though I could probably knit them myself.. Would be very comforting, and it is still cold up here you know! Pick me, please :oDDD Maybe I'll knit you something in return as well..

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  30. Urm, got so excited there that I forgot to say that to me, the arrival of spring is:

    *Snow disappearing
    *The lovely combo of horizontal rain and cycling along the western coast
    *Suddenly realising it is still light when you come home from work
    *The smell of trees almost ready to pop their buds and grow leaves
    *A slight feeling of spring mania, not to be medicated

    So, did I mention, count me in..

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  31. Oooooh! I would love to win a pair of those socks!

    I look forward to the rhubarb poking through...... yum! Oh, and getting out of the car whilst shopping and thinking "I don't need a coat"!

    Oh...... and here's another one: stopping weeding and sitting down for a cup of tea and a biscuit on a garden chair........ Woohoo!

    Excitable? Moi?????

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  32. I just wanted to enter your contest.You know what heralds spring for me-rain!!! It rains here a lot in the spring(after all we are in the rainforest -just outside of Vancouver BC Canada-yes Olympic area)Everything is so lush and green-just gorgeous!The rain washes all the blossoms off the Japanese flowering cherry and plum trees, clears the fuzz balls off the cottonwoods and cleans the pollution out of the air.I can actually stop wheezing,coughing sneezing and start sleeping at night without my sinus's draining disgustingly(I know gross but you asked).I've been like this since I was a kid and people ask what I'm allergic to and I just say life-the funny part is I don't have this all year round just in the spring so give me rain lots of beautiful rain!!-speaking of which it's starting to rain outside-must be time to walk the dog !!! Colleen

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