Simply... Life

Feeding the hoardes

2012-01-29T09:36:00.000Z

With four growing children, and three adults with hearty appetites, much of my time seems to be in the kitchen preparing food. Especially the evening meal as most have been out all day with limited amounts of food (ie their lunch boxes), and usually come home and raid the kitchen sometimes before even taking coats and shoes off! With increasing food prices feeding everyone is becoming more of an eye opener. Our favourite meal, fish pie is more of a rarity now, as it is so very expensive to get enough fish to feed all seven of us.

I do not usually blog about food, but last night I felt quite a sense of satisfaction, feeding everyone with a hearty meal, and only spending £7 on the meat! I know there is a whole argument for not eating as much meat, but this is a family that is very keen on traditional, meat and two veg type meals. And I am a cook who likes to source the food very carefully, which tends to mean local, free-range and sometimes organic, but which also tends to bump up the price a fair bit!!

Anyway, onto last nights meal. Stuart had been talking to someone at work about pork belly, and it reminded me that I had a recipe that had made it into my little black book, ie a tried, tested and enjoyed recipes that I hand write out into a notebook for easy reference. So I paid a visit to our local farm shop and bought 9 slices of free range pork belly for £7. Now that in itself should bring a smile to anyones face!

Anyway, all week it sat in the freezer, as it takes a good three hours to cook, and that is difficult to fit around our school evenings. Plus, the thought of cooking the really fatty pork belly was, to be honest, putting me off. Well, I eventually took the plunge and cooked it last night. Oh my goodness!!! It was delicious!! The aromas wafting through the house for 3 hours were mouthwatering, the succulent, melt in the mouth meat, the crispy, honey basted skin, and juicy roasted onions. It is fair to say it was a resounding success (ok Alec and Ethan weren't that keen, but 5 out of 7 who adored it is good in my books!)

I was trying to think where I got the recipe from, I thought it was a Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recipe, but can't find it in any of the books I have.

I would love to hear of any family favourite recipes you have using cheaper cuts of meat, because there is such a sense of satisafaction turning something that is felt to be inferior into something spectacular, plus saving money!!

Springtime smiles

2012-01-27T09:40:00.001Z

Now, if I was an excellent photographer, who had a wonderful zoom lens, and carried her camera with her wherever she went, then I would be able to add some photos to this post. But I don't have a fantastic zoom lens, I don't carry my camera when I go to let Hetty out in the morning, or when doing the school run, and I am at best a mediocre photographer, so I guess words will have to do!

Anyhow, it all started this morning, going to let Hetty out, and I was stunned by the number of birds I saw. There were the usual suspects, the starlings that are roosting in the space between the ceiling of the first floor, and the floor of the attic room. There were wood pigeons, crows, magpies, and then the more occasional visitors such as a flock of long-tailed tits, and a visit from our ring-necked parakeet who always makes me smile when I hear him call. Apparently he has been named Peter by some of the neighbours, and has even been in the local paper a couple of times! So, all in the matter of a minute this morning, I had noticed all these birds.

Then on the walk back from school this morning, a tiny little flash of yellow over my head, and a little firecrest flew into a nearby bush, what a busy little fella he was too, flitting from branch to branch. And bringing another smile to my face.

I have noticed the birds singing with all the gusto they can muster recently. Sophie and I stopped to listen to a robin in full flow the other day. It was beautiful, and gave me a feeling that Spring will soon be here. Combined with all the flowers that are already showing their heads, (I've already seen snowdrops, crocus', daffodils and even a grape hyacinth!) I really do think that Spring is just around the corner.

What have you spotted around and about that has brought a smile to your face recently?

A distracted yarn along

2012-01-25T12:22:00.003Z

It's Wednesday, that must mean it is yarn along time.

Well, this week has definitely been one for bits and bobs, and getting easily distracted by other woolly projects! I knitted up the billy goats gruff for another story bag order. And am currently doing the parts of the troll, ready to assemble and await the arrival of the book from that big bookstore on line! But my distractions have been to finish off spinning/plying some beautiful purple wool. Just have to think what to do with it now! And a little needle felted bunny rabbit, which is my first attempt at needle felting a three dimensional object, ready to send off for a birthday present!

In amidst all my distracted crafting I have started to read "Car Sick", a book I found at the library whilst searching for something completely different, I'm only one chapter in, but is already has me thinking about our car use, and how, when I get some wheels back, I will be far less ready to jump behind the wheel to do a short journey.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been up to, hopefully they have been sticking to the tasks at hand a little better than me!

Seven Days

2012-01-23T09:43:00.000Z

Joining Jacqui aka "The Barefoot Crofter" with a review of the last seven days. Because even when you think nothing special is happening, if you look closely enough you find it!

After last week was very much an out of the house kind of week, this week has been more home based. Monday whilst getting very cold walking back from the shops I stopped to put Sophie's gloves on her for the umpteenth time, and happened to stop outside a friend of my Mum's house. She saw us and invited us in to warm up. Sophie got to play with her grandson, and we had a lovely impromptu chat. This happened again on Tuesday, calling in to a friend, just to check her daughter was ok, after seeing her daughter very distressed earlier, and another cup of coffee and a lovely chat. It really made my week.

Other lovliness that has been happening...

...finishing off the bag for the three little pigs

...catching Sophie making shadow puppets whilst eating her lunch...

...having the time (and ingredients) to be able to make Sophie's demand for chocolate cake a reality...

...whilst I was at Guild, Sophie had popcorn, I do hope she shared it!

A big package of woolly goodness (if a little dirty) arriving in the post, with the promise of endless amounts of dyeing and spinning. Thank you Dawn!

And more little knitted animals, this time the Billy Goats Gruff. Awaiting the arrival of the troll, and a bag, so that they too can make their way to their new home.

Looking forward to the week ahead, which I think will be a good mix of home and out and about. But I guess we will just have to wait and see what it brings.

National Exhibition

2012-01-21T10:56:00.002Z

At last nights Guild meeting we were each given a 6 inch steel ring. Why? Well, the Guild is having a national exhibition at the Weald and Downland Museum in July. Each member can submit a piece of work that will fit within the 6 inch ring (the ring making up part of the exhibit).

So, what to do? Apparently it can be three dimensional or flat. So I bought an extra ring so I could experiment! But looking at the ring I was so uninspired. I mean, where do you start? However, on the 30 minute drive home the ideas came flooding. I first thought of a crescent, needle felted moon, with a star hanging within the ring. I've since thought of a full moon, in 3-D with the dark side shown too. But then my ideas became a little more ambitious (as they do!).

I then spent a couple of hours browsing ravelry, and found some beautiful crocheted applique motifs, and thought of doing something along the lines of fairy tales, but then discovered the patterns were in chinese, or something similar. But I now think I have decided on two themes. For a 2-D creation it will be themed, "under the sea", and for the 3-D one it will be named "shhh" and is inspired by a picture by the very talented Jacqui.

I'm all for a challenge, and hope some others I know will be taking part. Exciting times!!

Ice

2012-01-17T13:11:00.001Z

It has turned cold, eventually! We've had three days now of hoar frost building up on hoar frost, so it is in places looking a touch like snow. But what really stirred my curiosity was when going to defrost Hetty's water every morning. Last year, when we had all that really cold weather the water would be nearly frozen solid, with only the core being liquid, This year we have little slivers of ice, but they go right through the water container, so it looks web like when you drain the water out.

So it got me thinking, what is that is different? Wikipaedia was useless, it just confused me even further! But guess who came up with a theory? Luke! Apparently, the best ice cream is made by rapid freezing, making small ice crystals, but if it is cooled over a longer period then you get larger crystals. So the theory as it stands now is that last year when it was sooooo cold, really small crystals formed quickly and it became clear solid ice. This year, with it not quite so cold (but cold enough!) the crystals are growing at a slower rate, making these large slivers.

Who knew that emptying the chickens water could be so interesting?!

Seven Days

2012-01-15T15:31:00.002Z

Joining with Jacqui with a review of the last 7 days.

And in fear of repeating myself, the week started off with a trip out to Clent, but as it is such a lovely place, I figure it is worth repeating!

And again with the allotment, first trip in a couple of months, still there, still weedy (but slightly less so after my visit!)

Ethan has started Karate classes, following going along with a friend about 6 weeks ago. We gave him his karate suit for Christmas, and this week was his first week wearing it. Alec has also decided he would like to learn as well, so went along with Ethan this week too. Ethan has also started a street dance class, lead by a male teacher, and the vast majority of the children are boys too. He is really enjoying it, and keeps practising his moves at any opportune moment.

Alot of this week has revolved around walking. Stuart's car is being mended, so he is using the Chrysler, and things have still needed to be done. Me being my usual disorganised self keeps missing the buses by a matter of minutes, so has walked into town a couple of times, and by the end of the week it is fair to say my feet were hurting! But won't do me any harm, and in fact I have really rather enjoyed the time just walking, observing, and actually feeling more of the community, rather than my own little self, driving in the car, that little bit removed from the environment around me. I hope that I will continue doing this even when I have four wheels again during the week.

One of the trips into town was to pick up my new glasses. Having broken my other pair only weeks after having an eye test, and deciding I would save money and not get new frames, I think my glasses had other ideas. I'm always rather nervous choosing new frames, as it will be a very visible part of me for the next few years. But you know, I'm rather pleased with these.

The week also saw a gorgeous banoffee pie made by Luke at school. Got eaten too quickly to get a photo of, although I think the request has already gone out for him to make another! Stan has also returned, following spending the last couple of weeks with his daughter in Wales. So the house feels complete again.

All little things this week, but all very special in their own way.

Three little pigs

2012-01-11T16:13:00.001Z

Joining in with Ginny and her yarn along. A bit of post Christmas crafting resulted in three little piggies and a big bad wolf. The patterns are from Knitting Animals by Anne-Dorthe Grigaff, although I adapted the fox pattern to create the wolf buy basically knitting a different style tail, and obviously changing the colour. The idea is to make a bag to put these in, along with a pocket to hold the story of the three little pigs. Once the bag is finished, it will be popped in my shop, Aisling Designs to see if there is any interest for them. My favourite thing about them is their little corkscrew tails!

As for reading, I picked up a magazine when out shopping the other day, permaculture. I have read a few of these before, and found them really interesting, and now I have a purpose, ie educating myself for the distant future when we get to build our hobbit hole, it is even more interesting. Also reading the Dalai Lama's new book, that I got for Christmas. Again, another book that makes so much sense.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been up to.

Making the most of the weather

2012-01-10T13:46:00.000Z

Last Sunday we decided to return to Clent. Make the most of the weather and drink in the wonderful views. Of course, we had to start off with some fuel inside us. A bacon sandwich to beat all other bacon sandwiches ever, from the very popular Nimmings Cafe. Really, for a January weekend I wouldnt have thought an outdoors cafe would have much trade, but it was busier than ever!

Sophie did so well, walking off on adventures with her brothers for the whole time we were out, (until blisters stopped her) And her brothers were so good at accommodating her in their adventures, even if it did mean they had to go very slowly.

This time we remembered the drinks!

My favourite moment.

We had adventures with dragons, found the ideal spot for a hobbit hole, and had some lovely family time in the incredibly balmy January weather.

And so I have continued to make the most of the weather. And managed an hour and a half down the allotment today. I tried to find the wasps nest in the compost bin, but to no avail, but hopefully they will not return to it now. I then got tired of pulling bindweed out of the strawberry patch, so moved on to clearing some beds. Nearly finished one bed, I reckon we'll put pumpkins and courgettes in here, nice and sunny, and should be easy to dig in plenty of manure.

Also pulled some parsnips to see how they had done (they were late going in, so wasn't expecting much.) I guess they were a bit bigger than I anticipated, if a little curly! Also pulled the remainind carrots, not a single one was edible, eaten by I'm not sure what, but lots of little tunnels in the root. So that's it, I'm done with carrots, I admit defeat! Instead I will focus on growing more of the things we are good at growing, like beans, strawberries, onions etc.

Apparently the good weather is to continue this week, so I'll be out on my bike I hope, and also see if I can squeeze another allotment trip in there somewhere (if I'm not aching too much after that first trip down there for a good couple of months!)

Betty

2012-01-06T16:31:00.001Z

Betty slipped away very peacefully last night, despite syringe feeds and antibiotics, whatever was wrong with her was too much. She was always a seemingly weak chicken, with us not sure whether she would make it through the first few days with us three years ago. Where we got the chickens from offered to have her back from us and give us a replacement, but she had already found a place in our hearts, and we gave her a chance with us. For that first year she was blighted with sterile egg peritonitis, so she tended to have two weeks laying, then two weeks off whilst looking sorry for herself. But things settled down for her, and she would follow me around the garden making these lovely chirruping noises. She was a shy bird, and never far away from Hetty, they were inseperable.

Hetty would lead her into mischief, such as this adventure into the kitchen! Betty gave us our first egg, and I can remember one time when she had been unwell, and then started laying again, she came strutting out the henhouse throwing bits of straw over her back as if in celebration.

She is now resting in her favourite dustbathing spot at the bottom of the garden. Hetty is lost without her, and I've resorted to sitting in the garden to keep her company, as she was getting really agitated earlier. We will now have to look at rehoming Hetty, she needs to share her life with feathered friends, and we have decided that we will not be getting any more chickens, for the foreseeable future.

Rest in peace Betty. I hold some very fond memories of you. xx

The New Year

2012-01-05T09:44:00.000Z

We welcomed in the new year with a new game. Talisman. Such an excellent game that we missed the moment of midnight, as it was so engrossing!

New Years Day saw us without any transport, as the car tax for the big car had run out, Stuart's Mazda is still sat on the driveway looking very sorry for itself, and the courtesy car is too small for us all to fit in! So we walked into town to go to the cinema to see "Puss in Boots". Excellent film, and great to get out of the house and some exercise. On our way home the heavens opened, we did all have coats, but it wasn't enough to protect us. Fortunately the weather was mild, so it wasn't too much of a problem, in fact Luke and Ethan embraced their wetness and just had loads of fun!

I can't vouch for anyone else, but my plans for 2012 revolve around being organised. This does not come naturally to me, and I seem to be stumbling at the first step (eg people running out of clothes as had run out of washing powder, and the shop that was in walking distance only sold bio, which was no good, as some of us have sensitive skin.) But I am trying, and I am hoping this will extend to the allotment too, with me aiming to get down there at least once a week (yes, I have been "that" bad at getting down there recently, probably pushing a couple of months since my last visit!!) My organisational skills will have an extra test from tomorrow, as the courtesy car goes back, so Stuart will need the Chrysler for work, leaving me carless for the foreseeable future. Haven't quite sussed doing a weekly shop for 7 of us on foot yet, but I'm sure there is a way, failing that it will be having to face the shops on a weekend with the rest of the masses!!

Other news, our beloved Betty (chicken) is very poorly. Being syringe fed, and very weak. I guess only time will tell, but we are trying our best for her. And Hetty seems very lost in the backgarden all by herself. We have had the chickens three years today.

Hoping everyone is getting into the swing of the new year now.

Woolly Wednesday

2012-01-04T12:04:00.001Z

Back last spring I got this lovely surprise bundle of wool from Sarah. She had hand dyed it and sent it to me, and I have been itching to start spinning it up, but there has always been some other projects with a deadline attached, so it has stayed on the shelf, until now. I had spun a small amount of it prior to Christmas, but once all the guests were gone, one of the first things I did was set about on the wool! It was so lovely getting reaquainted with my wheel, which had sat collecting dust in the corner for far too long for my liking!

This is about half of it, nearly finished the other half, and am looking forward to plying it, and seeing how the subtle changes in the colours contrast with each other. I have no idea what I am going to make with it yet, but it has been an utter pleasure working with it.

Other woolly goodness was a needle felting set for Christmas. I made a heart garland as a wedding present for some friends who got married just after Christmas, and as usual, with these last minute presents I forgot to take a photo! Great fun though, and initiated my nieces into needle felting too!!

Oh, and that bag I made for the competition. Another friend has tentatively asked Stuart if I could make her one! Not sure if she wants handspun wool, but I hope she is patient!!

Good to be back in the land of wool! Happy New Year to you all.

We bid you farewell 2011

2011-12-31T15:49:00.001Z

It has been one of those years. I can honestly say it has been the hardest year of our lives. Life has been turned upside down. Challenges thrown at us left, right and centre. But the thing that has got us through it all has been family (and friends). If there is anything to be taken from this year it is how important it is to have friends and family.

As a family we have been wanting to see the back of 2011 for quite a while, and it hasn't been able to come quick enough for our liking. But we are on the cusp of change now, we have clean, fresh year ahead of us, where I feel friends and family will be just as important, but hopefully there will be far more joy, fun, love, laughter.

I know of some families where it looks like 2012 is going to be a tough year, and I hope and pray that they too have the support of friends and family for when times are tough.

I wish you all many blessings for this coming year

xx

Christmas

2011-12-29T21:10:00.000Z

We got into the Christmas spirit with a trip on the steam train at Kidderminster to go see Santa. We were greeted by the most vivid rainbow, which this picture really does not do justice to.

A trip in the buffet car through a rainy countryside was very atmospheric.

Our destination, Arley. Steam trains coming and going.

Sophie dancing to the music provided by the brass band whilst we munched on roast chestnuts whilst queuing to see the man himself.

I was very impressed with Santa's reply to Sophie's request for a skateboard, a simple "I will see what I can do!" Although she was initially rather disappointed with the teddy she was given, as she expected a skateboard there and then!

Other preparations included the blanket. Finished, but not edged, in case Stan wanted it any larger. It was very touching giving it to him on Christmas Day, and my fears of it upsetting him were unfounded. I think it is fair to say he likes it.

A typical scene. This was eating more roast chestnuts, whilst supping mulled wine.

Alec made sure Santa knew where we had put the gifts for him.

The Christmas meal went smoothly, and was quite a feast.

There was of course lego as well. Ethan built this all by himself.

Just snippets, there was so much crammed into quite a few days, with visits from my aunt, uncle and Grandpa, Stuart's brother and his family, Stan stayed with us for 5 days before going to stay with his daughter in Wales, and my brother came to visit.

There were classical concerts listened to and watched, Grandma bags given out in memory of Jean, plenty of toys played with, too much food eaten, and many more things. We were all facing a different Christmas, but it has been lovely, surrounded by so much family. Truly special.

An apple for the teacher

2011-12-17T11:43:00.000Z

This morning I learned a lesson. I spent 10 minutes watching Sophie eating an apple. She was solely focussed on the apple, turning it over in her hands finding the best spot to take the next bite. She would peel the skin off with her teeth, slurp the juices, suck at the apple, experiment with different techniques of chewing the apple in her mouth. It is fair to say she thoroughly enjoyed the apple.

It got me thinking, how often do I actually sit down and focus on what I am eating. Usually I pick up some food and eat it whilst busy doing something else. I remember those times as a child, eating my food so slowly, finding the best place to take a bite from that apple. Food was truly a pleasure. Even if I did get told off for "playing" with my food.

Whilst I have been reading and trying to be mindful of the things I do, it looks like I have the best teacher right here in our midsts.

Rudolph is ready to fly

2011-12-14T13:18:00.000Z

Here he is all finished. Trying to get him in natural light is pretty hard at this time of year. Trying to get hold of him full stop is pretty hard too, as a certain little girl seems to think he is rather cute, and doesn't want him to go to someone else!!

It is a great feeling at this time of year, having had so many projects on the go, to be slowly ticking them off, and I must admit that I rather like Rudolph, even if he looks nothing like the original pattern!

As for reading, I've been working my way through "The Heart of the Buddha's teaching" by Thich Nhat Hanh. So much makes sense to me, I just wish I could remember all the words that are used to describe a concept, it makes my brain hurt at times!!

Linking up with Ginny for her weekly yarn along.

Seven Days

2011-12-12T10:30:00.001Z

Well, it started with a "bang" quite literally! We have a horrible feeling this will be the end of this 20 year old Mazda MkI.

Ethan was in a school play, where he was a redundant teacher (a modern day slant on the Christmas Carol, and perhaps a tad topical!)

We did some baking.

Had a mini celebration of Bodhi Day.

Made decorations with our first attempt at drying orange slices.

More pictures of the Guild meeting.

And this last picture isn't from this week, but links to Gimli's very brief adventure in a tumble drier! Thank goodness Sophie had seen him climb in there, she really did save his life.

Joining in with Jacqui at the Barefoot Crofter, for a glimpse at our seven days. Which, if I am honest, have been a bit too eventful for my liking this week!

The Guild competition

2011-12-10T12:46:00.001Z

The day of the bag competition. Three tables jam packed with handmade bags. I dread to think how many hours of work was represented there! There were woven bags, felted, and knitted, of all shapes and sizes. One thing is for certain, there is alot of talent represented within the guild. We all were able to vote for our favourite bag, not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. But the overall winner was this beautiful felted, appliqued and machine stitched bag by Ruth.

We then turned our hands to some needle felting. It is something I have wanted to do for ages, and have even asked for some needles for Christmas, so to get to have a play before hand was a real treat. I made too little plaques, one abstract...

...and one more seasonal.

Needless to say I am "hooked"!!

A lovely evening, which ended all too soon (a sign of a good time!) Came away with the programme for next year, which looks to introduce me to even more elements of fibrecraft I have yet to discover!

The hazards of being a crafting cat owner

2011-12-09T12:05:00.001Z

I seem to have a little helper at the moment, although there have been many moments that have not been caught on camera too! My latest lot of bunting had some feline help.

And he also decided to rearrange my fleece! It makes a very good bed apparently!

The crocheted blanket is for his use alone.

And he even started when he was really young, helping me ply some wool! Wish I had my camera when he was trying to investigate the flyer on the wheel! Or the time he strewed wool from my stash in the lounge, all the way upstairs into the study!

He's a multi-talented cat!

The journey

2011-12-07T13:25:00.001Z

Back in about March time, it was a bag of golden "fluff". Not sure what kind of sheep this wool had come from, or what it had been dyed with but a bought some from a friend who had got some from a guild she attended. Despite it being carded, it was still fairly bobbly, and quite a coarse feel to it. But as a beginner it was great to practice on. So it slowly moved on to this...

...and then got plyed...

...and the the Guild I attend announced a competition to make a bag, to be made for May 2012. The golden spun wool sprang to mind, as it was really too rough for anything to be in touch with your skin. And I fancied having a go at cable. Found a pattern for an easy cable bag.

As I started knitting, ideas developed as to how to adapt the pattern, so I decided to add a wide shoulder strap, with cable down the middle and moss stitch at the side. I also decided I wanted a flap to make the bag hold together a bit better. I had wondered about felting it to make it more sturdy, but decided that was a risk I was not willing to take, so decided to line it instead, and this is what I have come up with.

The competition has been moved forward to this Friday, so finished just in time. I know there is no chance of winning, as I am only in my first year of spinning, but hey, I am so proud of my first proper make with my homespun wool.

I am joining in with both Ginny and Spinspiration this week, and figure this covers both. But as for reading, there have been way too many deadlines to meet to be able to settle to anything!!

More bunting

2011-12-07T13:04:00.001Z

Just added these to the shop, on the off chance that someone would like some festive bunting.

No blessings this time, just plain old bunting!

Preparations Davies style

2011-12-05T10:08:00.001Z

The advent reindeer has taken it's place in the dining room again, with each sack full of ideas for the day, ranging from making things such as paper snowflakes, or beeswax garlands, to more simpler things for those busy days such as hot chocolate with marshmallows.

We have put the Christmas tree up, with Alec playing jingle bells on the guitar, and Luke playing drums on anything he can hit!

We had Gene Aubrey (I think) singing many winter-y/ Christmas songs to us whilst we decorated the house, and that prompted our dancer (aka Ethan to strut his stuff!)

We had a Christmas angel!

And Gimli was eyeing up the tree with great interest.

Sophie insisted that we were not having a fairy at the top of the tree, but a dinosaur! So Luke very kindly drew a dinosaur to adorn the tree. You never know, it might have been a part of the Christmas story that was overlooked!!

I love the way our Christmas tree has a history to it, with many homemade decorations on it. Alec made this lego Father Christmas and sleigh the other day...

...a ping pong ball covered with papier mache and painted, ready for our first Christmas tree in our first house together 16 years ago...

...A pine cone the children decorated a few years ago, and a reindeer made by Ethan at Beavers last year...

...a terracotta Christmas tree made by Luke a few years ago...

...the Christmas fairy that Ethan made, which has been relegated to further down the tree (I love the vines that he has going up over her dress).

Sophie also has her own Christmas tree in her room, complete with dinosaur atop!

We are trying to make this Christmas special, and different. It will different in many ways, and hard too, but for the sake of the children we are trying our very best.

Rudolph the body-less reindeer

2011-11-30T11:57:00.001Z

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things for her weekly yarn along.

I have spent much of this last week trying to solve the problem of Rudolph. I had done the legs, and head, but had underestimated the amount of wool it would take (I had been using remnants from other projects). So after going round every yarn store I could find in the local area trying to match the wool, I could not even get close. I eventually remembered that the wool I was using was sat in the wool basket as part of an unfinished hat. So, hopefully that is the problem solved, and I will have enough wool to finish Rudy off in time for Christmas.

And as for reading, well, not really managed to find a spare moment this week, you can tell it is busy, as my copy of The Mother magazine came through the door this week, and I haven't even managed to flick through it yet!

Bunting

2011-11-29T21:51:00.001Z

An order completed. An excited me, who cannot wait until morning to try and get enough natural light to take pictures (although if today was anything to go by there isn't much of the natural light about at the moment!)

I hope that the recipient is happy with it.

I have loved putting this together, and have ideas for the future along the rainbow theme.

"NO"

2011-11-28T09:34:00.001Z

The usual suspect has reared it's head again. Trying to find balance in life. I have a tendancy to take on alot of things, and then get the feeling I never do anything properly, because my time is split so much. But then I get bored doing the same thing day in and day out, so I need some distractions! The trouble is, it is always the things I enjoy that I feel need cutting out to make time for the important things such as the needs of the family.

One of the things I have already cut down on is computer time, and that is working quite well. The other thing I was contemplating cutting out was the allotment. I always feel guilty when I am down there, that I ought to be doing something else, but then when I am not down there I feel guilty that I am not down there, if you see what I mean!

But then I look at photos of some fairly recent trips down there, and see the work I have done (clearing the strawberry patch of bindweed, couch grass, and some invasive wild strawberry) and I remember how much I enjoy it. The solitude and peace it gives me, and the produce it gives the family too.

There have been particular crops I have never been happy with, ie potatoes, carrots, beetroot, so I think this next year I will just grow more of the crops we seem to do well at and enjoy. The allotment will be staying, and organisation will be more evident (hopefully!).

I think organisation is the key to it all, a skill I lack in quite dramatically. And I really think I need to learn a word that is spelled N...O. I don't need to say it to others, just myself. Just because I can do something myself, eg knit something, crochet something, make something in the kitchen, grow something, doesn't mean that this is the way it should be done every single time, it is ok to take the short cut occasionally and either buy it, or let someone else do it.

I am hoping this new mindset will help me feel more in control, and give me time with the family. Rather than feeling I am firefighting every second of the day, being pulled every which way. Fingers crossed.

Yarn along - a bit late

2011-11-24T11:00:00.001Z

Ok, a day late, but it's the joining in that counts isn't it? So here's my belated contribution to Ginny's yarn along.

But one thing I am determined not to be late with is the granny stripe blanket. Definitely over half way now, and aiming to do a colour a night, although life seems to be conspiring against me this week! Time is becoming more and more precious as we up the activities leading to Christmas along with all the preparations, so spare moments are grasped here and there to achieve my target.

Nights are getting later and later too. And reading is probably one thing I struggle with at the best of times. But taking part in a book swap, my partner realised my inability to devote much time to reading before falling asleep, and sent a couple of books of short stories. I have started on this one, which is all based in China. Ironically I have probably read more this last week, as I keep thinking, it's only a short story, I'll just finish it!

So there we are, late with my yarn along, but trying not to be late with the important things in life.

Seven Days

2011-11-22T20:29:00.001Z

Celebrating the ordinary that makes up our week. Joining in with Jacqui at Barefoot Crofter.

* trip to the park with neighbours from the present and the past.
* a working dishwasher, oh the relief!!
* play tent for the children, don't be daft, they're made for cats don't you know!
* just one of those moments
* needing cake, feeling virtuous with the gluten free flour, best not mention the cocoa Sophie insisted on adding, and the chocolate spread I thought would enhance the overall effect. Very nice they were too!
*Beginning to get Christmas-sy with my first attempt at Christmas cake
* Making Christmas cards, with contributions from Luke, Alec, Ethan and myself.

Thank you again Jacqui for this opportunity to celebrate normal, everyday life.

84

2011-11-21T09:42:00.001Z

It would have been Jean's 84th birthday today. A day that should have been full of celebration has such a tinge of sadness today. Jean, we celebrate the love and kindness you gave us in your life, and everything that you meant to us. Of course, we wish you were still here with us, and feel your absence every day.

Happy Birthday Jean. xx

Snow, school, and a touch of irony

2011-11-17T11:00:00.001Z

Not your usual idea about schools being shut due to snowfall! No, this is joining in with Ginny at her Yarn Along. In between the rows of the granny stripe blanket I have been crocheting snowflakes ready to put in my misi shop.

They have been stiffened and are all ready to be hung on a Christmas tree.

All a bit ironic as we still haven't had any frost!

And as for school? Well, I have been reading "Life with School" by Veronika Sophia Robinson. A wonderful insight into their journey as an unschooling family. Ironic again as all our children are in school, but so many snippets can be taken and applied to our own lives, and our time outside of school.

Seven Days

2011-11-14T10:35:00.001Z

Joining in with Jacqui's lovely idea about looking at the extraordinary ordinary from the last seven days.

Beginning to use up the apples from the allotment (thyme and apple jelly, and apple chutney)

Helping make some banana and chocolate chip muffins (well, what else do you do with those really mushy bananas?

Making playdough.

The boys discovering toys that have been sat on the shelf for far too long.

Home improvements restarting

The best picture (how I wish for a fantastic zoom lens!) of the thing that makes me smile every morning. I hear the parakeet every morning, and it graced us with its presence in the garden the other morning.

New looks for the younger boys.

Thank you Jacqui for making me look at our week with fresh eyes.

Look what happens when...

2011-11-10T13:52:00.000Z

... you get asked to do some painting with your youngest, the day after watching Grand Designs!

Obssessed? Me? Probably!

And just to prove that Sophie did some painting too, lots of pictures of submarines!

Yarn along- it's all progress

2011-11-09T13:07:00.000Z

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things.

Well, after thinking about the granny stripe blanket, and pondering lots of different solutions to the oversized problem I decided I would play it safe, and just continue with it as it is, it will just be extra snuggly! So, in order to get it done in time for Christmas I have to do at least a stripe a day, which is fine if I don't have anything else to do, but that never happens does it! Anyhow, I am managing to do it, and if I skip a day (like Monday when I fell asleep taking Sophie to bed!) then I am making it up at other times.

As for reading, I have fallen in love with this book. It is just my kind of thing. Short little snippets that I can pick up and savour. I do not need to be able to concentrate for long (5 minutes at night and I'm asleep!), but the wisdom held within it's pages is retained, and I can apply it to my days, which at times can be anything but peaceful! If you have never read this book, I seriously recommend it.

Inspiration for crafts

2011-11-04T10:41:00.000Z

I have been thinking for a while how nice it would be to have an inspiration board. But it would take up precious space, and would (knowing me) accumulate all manner of irrelevant things just for want of somewhere to put something! Also, alot of the inspiration I find about me can easily be stored as digital images, so I thought the best place would be as an element of this blog. So interspersed with everything else that goes on, will be a few posts tagged as inspiration.

It also struck me that if I am to create seasonal things for Aisling Designs I am going to have to work a season ahead of myself, so these leaf pictures are to give me ideas for some painted clay leaves to incorporate into a mobile. This will be for 2012 though!

Other inspiration came in the form of an order for bunting. It has given me an idea for doing some bunting that can be easily personalised, but can mostly be made up in advance, therefore making turnaround much quicker from order to delivery.

More inspiration for bunting has come from this lovely lady, who visited us at the Guild the other week. Michela creates the most beautiful pieces on felt, which are embellished with stitching. From the beautiful small badges, to enormous wall hangings on felted blankets, she really is amazing, and has inspired me to have a mess about in the new year to make some seasonal bunting on felted flags. And if you are around Coventry in December, check out her exhibition at the Herbert Gallery.

What inspires you? How do you keep a record?

Planning - Woolly Wednesday

2011-11-02T12:59:00.001Z

Not much in the way of spinning as such, but a plan for a big project!

The other day I saw my neighbour wearing this lovely knitted dress in a really chunky knit, and my initial reaction was, I bet that would be easy to knit! So I asked to borrow it to see if I could work out the pattern. It is only 119 rows from shoulder to skirt hem.

So pattern hopefully figured out, my next task was to price up the yarn. But it was over £40 for the yarn (in the sale), and I bet the dress was less than that bought in the shops ready made up. I had promised myself not to buy any yarn now, and just spin my own, and the lure of doing this from scratch became too much! After all, I still have the best part of an alpaca sat in the dining room, and an alpaca dress really would be lovely and soft, and the brown colour is definitely a colour I would wear. Soooo, my plan for this...

...is this!

I just have to work out how to spin chunky wool now! I am hoping that perhaps spinning it slightly thicker than I usually do, and doing three ply would result in the right guage. It's a heck of a lot of spinning, and will probably take up the good part of a year, but it is a challenge, and ultimately creates a dress that is local, handmade and hopefully one that fits!!

Check out other projects on the go this Woolly Wednesday at Spinspiration

Autumn at long last?

2011-11-01T21:55:00.000Z

It's official, Autumn has finally arrived!! My favourite tree in the whole wide world is in it's full glory. Apparently it is a special kind of maple, I think, which this photo really does not do justice to, the colours are radiant, and it looks like it is on fire. It makes me smile every time I walk past it.

The majestic oak tree on the green is also looking autumnal, bathed in the soft light of the setting sun.

Hallowe'en has been again. I was thinking it might pass us by, but Ethan had other ideas. So a quick dash to get a pumpkin, a tiny pumpkin at that, as they had sold out!

Some goodies to give out to trick or treaters. (and a few for ourselve too!)

And an evening meal with pumpkin light helping.

Of course there had to be the dressing up, and Alec and Ethan were invited to go out with some neighbours trick or treating.

But despite all this, it still really doesn't feel like autumn. Sophie and I went to feed the ducks (and got dive bombed by some seagulls). No coats were needed, still comfortably warm.

Just had to include this as she was really going for it on this rocking car!!

Playing the drums in the sun.

And apparently this is her best friend!

But really, I am still harvesting tomatoes off our plants, which are just about still going. Gardens around here still have bedding plants such as begonias and geraniums in full bloom. But it is the 1st of November! So I think autumn has finally arrived, as long as I don't look too hard.

A blogworthy half term?

2011-10-31T10:42:00.003Z

Well, I really wasn't going to write anything about half term. No photos were taken, children played out with their friends, jigsaws were made by Sophie, plenty of soft toys were played with, Luke made some wargaming banners for a chap at the club. We did manage to get to the park whilst looking after a friends lad one afternoon, Luke was went to the cinema with a friend, and we managed to overcome the logistical nightmare of the parent to child ratio when going swimming! (Admittedly we all ended up in the training pool, and pretty much cleared it, I hope everyone decided it was lunchtime, and didn't disappear because it had been invaded by our four!)

Stuart's brother visited for a day and a bit, which included a meal at our favourite Indian restaurant. We had an engineer look at the dishwasher, declare it needed lots of parts replacing, and it couldn't be done for another week and a day! And then we were struck by a horrid stomach upset :( And in amongst all this I did some spinning, knitting and crocheting (and lots of washing up!)

I really wasn't going to post at all, as nothing really stood out at me that made me think that I should either take a photo or blog about it. But then I thought better of it, because after all, as the title of this blog suggests, it is simply...life!

Catch up!

2011-10-21T08:53:00.000+01:00

What a busy week! Sunday, Luke and I took three bags of apples to an apple pressing day at a local craft centre. 2 bags of cooking apples from the tree at the allotment, and a bag of "eaters" we had accumulated from various places, oh, and a small bag of pears. When I was washing them all, and putting them all into bags, I thought we had quite a lot! But when we got there it was a meagre amount compared to what most people had brought!! The apples and pears were tipped into an electric hopper which chopped them up finely, then put into a hessian sack and pressed in the green and wooden press at the back of the first picture. We then had to decant our juice into bottles.

We had collected plastic milk bottles to store the juice, as it could be frozen that way. the juice oxidises very quickly, as can be seen by the colour of it in the bottles already!

Given how few apples we had taken, I was rather pleased to have come come with 11 pints of homemade apple juice, although that really won't last long in this house! 4 pints disappeared during Sunday lunch! Next year we will definitely be doing more. and may also venture into cider making!!

Sophie, with a little guidance from Luke wrote her name, although she would only acknowledge the S as for Sophie, the rest were just shapes!

Sunday I also decided that the air was getting a little nippy, so I decided I needed a hat that wouldn't look daft with my hair, and that would also fit on my rather large head! So, I figured a tam, would work quite well. And in amongst the apple pressing, Sunday lunch, family and everythig else, I was able to sit and crochet a hat, and by the night time, it was finished. The wool, I had been given, and was using for a cardigan for myself. But I didn't like the way it was knitting up, so I thought I'd use some of that, and I love how it has crocheted up, it looks jewel like in place, and I think I may just add a tassle to the centre of it with a few beads or gems on.

Blimey, so that was Sunday. The rest of the week zoomed by so fast no pictures were taken! Monday was busy preparing for visitors. Stuart's nephew, Tom, and his partner, Denise, were coming to stay for a couple of days, as Denise had a training course nearby.

Tuesday was my Grandma's funeral. Stuart took the day off work to look after the children, and Mum and I went to Northampton to say our farewells to Grandma. A sad day, one I was not looking forward to, as I still feel rather raw from the loss of Jean. Grandma was buried in a lovely green burial site (I love these places, they feel so alive), and they held a service of celebration afterwards, which was not exactly how I would have liked to say my goodbyes, but is what Grandma would have liked, so I guess that is what counts. I returned home to our visitors, and Tom disappeared with Luke and Stuart to the Warhammer club, whilst Denise and I chatted about knitting, spinning, crochet and all things woolly, plus she has come up with a solution to the crochet blanket problem, which I will attempt to sort out this next week! A lovely end to a busy, emotional day.

The rest of the week has been entertaining guests (Sophie was excellent at this!!), and all the usual stuff. But we have now reached half term (teacher training day today) and we can all breathe out and relax for a week.

Whaddya reckon?

2011-10-14T09:52:00.002+01:00

Meet Gimli and the siamese cat from up the road. 6 months separates them, and they are best buddies. This is the scene this morning.

"What do you think is down there? It smells interesting."

"I'll check out this other one while you and Sophie-cat keep on with this one"

"I'm fed up, I'll go and check out those magpies on the green"

"Darn, they flew away! Back again, these things not moved yet?"

Bless them, they were there at 8.45am when we were walking up to school, and they are still there at 9.50am! How long do you think they'll be there? And what conclusions will they draw?

Granny Stripe strife

2011-10-12T13:28:00.000+01:00

You know the Granny Stripe blanket I am working on? Well, I hit a snag! When I did the foundation chain I didn't think to measure it against the bed!! So, 16 stripes in I thoughts Id better make sure it was ok, as it seemed a bit big. Our bed is a king size bed, and just look how much I overestimated the length!! So I am now faced with the idea of either starting again (which would be heartbreaking) or trying to salvage this one by cutting it, and retying the ends. I am sure it won't be as easy as it sounds! I was wondering of any of you more experienced crochet-ers (better than hookers!) could advise me the best way to do this

Some other stuff I've been up to this week is knitting a hat for Sophie for the winter. A rainbow hat, which actually ended up fitting me, but is nice and baggy on Sophie, which is how she likes things. (Please excuse the state of her face, she had been refusing to wear it, and when Grandad threatened to wear the hat she plonked it on her head, so I quickly snapped a photo, before she changed her mind, if I'd had more time I would have cleaned her face!!)

Can just about see the green and blue on the top of the hat.

Unfortunately there hasn't been much time for reading, too much produce to try and process from the allotment!!

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things and her lovely yarn along.

There seems alot of this about.

2011-10-10T11:01:00.000+01:00

Everywhere I turn at the moment there seems an awful lot of pain and suffering. Whether it be through bereavement, ill health, stress or other things. I don't know whether it is because I am more sensitive to these things given what has been going on in our lives recently, but I seem to be spending alot of time recently trying to make sense of it all, which to be honest, could drive me a little insane!

I came across a couple of quotes by the Dalai Lama, that really struck a chord with me, and I thought I would share with you, so if you are in need of some comfort, I hope you can find some in his ever wise words.

"It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others."

"Encountering sufferings will definitely contribute to the elevation of your spiritual practice, provided you are able to transform the calamity and misfortune into the path."

Cosy

2011-10-07T20:10:00.000+01:00

These Autumn morning are getting decidedly chilly now. An excuse to find out my boots, and wear a rather lovely skirt that is soooo warm!

Finding out the bag of woollies that has been living under the stairs all summer!

More of an excuse to wear new woollies. A scarf from a lovely mama in a Green Parent swap, and those beautiful wrist warmers from Rosemary in Ireland. (And I'm afraid a mug shot of me!)

Porridge with apple butter (yes, more apple butter!)

Sitting making the blanket is getting more and more appealing as it keeps me nice and warm!

And finding new uses for fabric to make the house look cosy. This was some fabric I picked up at the farm shop the other week, thinking it would make a nice wrap, but it is a little too coarse for that, however, it is the perfect size for the dining table, covers all the scratches and paint marks, and looks gorgeous to boot!

Candles are also making a reappearance, and I can imagine the quilted bedspread will awake from its summer slumber very soon!

How are you keeping cosy as the temperature drops and the nights close in?

{this moment}

2011-10-07T19:52:00.001+01:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Joining in with Soulemama this Friday.

Alpaca for my Mum

2011-10-06T10:19:00.000+01:00

My Mum is a knitter, so what better present for her birthday than a skein of homespun alpaca wool? It was lovely that Ethan wanted to help, and he is getting rather good at carding, which is wonderful, as that is the part that I really don't particularly enjoy doing!

So this last month I have been spinning, and spinning, trying to get as much done as I could in time for Mum's birthday this week. It was a close call, and it had just about dried in time to give it to her!

It was lovely as the realisation hit her as to what it was. The alapaca fleece from the farm shop, carded by Ethan, spun by me, and looks like it will be knitted into a scarf by my Mum. If she ever needs anymore, she knows where to come!!

Happy Birthday Mum. xx

The rollercoaster of life

2011-10-06T10:09:00.000+01:00

It was my Mum's birthday in the week. Unfortunately it was a rather rushed affair, as we had to go and view a prospective high school for Luke that same evening. So a tea of fish and chips, followed by the above cake (filled with homemade apple butter, of which I am a bit of a convert to!) Along with a homemade card (on it's side again, blinkin' camera!) and some home spun wool, which I will talk about in the next blog post.

We had some sad news the following day though. We had been told on Mum's birthday that my Dad's Mum was very ill in hopsital. They had discovered she had stomach and bladder cancer, and being so frail, they didn't think she would have long left with us. The very next day we had that phone call to say she had slipped away in the night, with a Macmillan nurse by her side. She was a woman with a very strong Christian faith. My wish for her is peace, and freedom from pain, and for those left behind to find comfort in those around them, along with many happy memories of her time with them on this earth.

Mum had popped over that day so we could spend a bit of time together, and comfort one another, when out of the corner of my eye I saw something unusual out the window. Closer inspection showed a strange flying insect that was hovering by the honeysuckle, sipping the nectar through it's proboscis. It flew so quickly it was really hard to get a picture of it. If you zoom in on the middle of the picture you can just about see it.

A google later and we discovered that it was this, a hummingbird hawk moth. I had never heard of such a thing, but was fascinated, and Mum and I were suitably distracted whilst we researched a little more about it.

Life continues all around us, which I seem to be continually reminded of, even in the darkest of times. Not really feeling like doing much, I finished off a present for a friends little lad whose 2nd birthday was the other week. Sophie was the product tester, and very graciously handed it over to Joel, but I have a feeling I may have to make her one too!

And to try and lighten things a bit, my cello case got transformed! I had plonked a couple of recently spun skeins of wool on top the other day, and it made it look a little like a grey haired lady. So I just helped it a little to complete the look. So meet "Chell" the cello case lady!

And another lighter moment...

...he was like that for a good hour or so!!

Such stark contrasts this week, making me appreciate the good things all the more.

One of those silly questions!

2011-10-03T09:56:00.000+01:00

Do you ever get one of those silly questions stuck in your head? It all started in the week, with an impromptu trip to Aldi. I know Luke (and I) like those round biscuits with chocolate in the middle that disolve as soon as they touch a cup of tea. So later in the week, whilst dunking a biscuit, I began to wonder, what is it that makes some biscuits go all mushy so quickly, yet others just don't?

Initially I thought it might be the fat content, so those with high fat content, as the heat hits the biscuit, the fat loosens the structure of the biscuit. Then I thought it might be capillary action, so the finer the particles in the biscuit structure, the more liquid gets pulled in, and makes it mushy.

I can feel plenty of experimenting coming on, but I thought to save myself, and my waistline I would first ask here if anyone had any thoughts or hypotheses on this subject! In fact if anyone fancies joining me in a fun experiment, or get the kids to join in, (all in the name of science you understand ;) ) then let me know!!

Hope this week is full of fun for you all, and not too many silly, niggling questions!!

A good day!

2011-10-01T21:22:00.000+01:00

When the phone rings whilst you are still in bed, and the person on the other end informs you that you have won a hamper in a raffle you entered (entered because it was in a wicker basket, and I had been hankering after one of those for a while!), you get a feeling it might just be a good day!

I went to the farm shop to pick up the basket (and a few more things!), it did look prettier than in the photo too, it just got opened for the goodies as soon as I got home! Whilst I was there they had a stall where you just put in a donation and took whatever you fancied. So I found a beautiful embroidered folder that will be home to my knitting and crocheting patterns, some fairy wings that have been secreted away, and some material I have had my eye on for a while too!

I also managed to fit in a bit of this...

...and this (apple butter, never made it before, and rather worried that it says it has to be eaten in 3 weeks!! Hmmm, if anyone local wants to try some, let me know!)

Some family painting time...

Added to the mix, a naked toddler running around most of the afternoon (everyone else secretly jealous they couldn't do the same, it was rather warm!), along with Alec and Ethan barely being seen all day, and if they did turn up it was either with neighbourhood children in tow, or they needed a drink or some food! And Stuart being exceptionally brave and attempting to sort out the attic space so we can try to get straight upstairs, it really was very much like a sauna!

And then to top it off, sat in the conseratory this evening, I hear a roaring noise, and then voices from on high! Before I could gather my thoughts Sophie (sat naked on the trampoline) points up and shouts "BALLOON" Sure enough, the lowest I have ever seen a hot air balloon over houses, they were desperately trying to get it to rise, with the heat on virtually constantly!! Sophie was very upset she couldn't get to have a go in it! The photo doesn't do it justice, it was further away by the time I got my act together and grabbed the camera!

All in all, a wonderful day, making the most of the unusual weather. Still makes me smile when I am breaking into a sweat just being in the sun, whilst the warm breeze blows through the trees and the leaves all fall off!!

{this moment}

2011-09-30T13:29:00.000+01:00

Yarn along - A bit of this, a bit of that!

2011-09-28T20:37:00.000+01:00

Haven't really been able to settle to anything this last week, well that's not quite true, I have, but there are various things I can't do with different members of the family around. The cable bag is my default, so that is coming along nicely.

I missed a friends little lads birthday, so am making a present as a belated gift. A fishing game, whose pattern is here on ravelry. But am now awaiting some stronger magnets to finish it off. So I will get everything to the point of having to add the magnets, and then hopefully it will be done soon after they arrive.

The granny stripe can only be done in the absence of my FIL, so it is coming along, but a little slowly.

And I am also working on a project that can only be done in the absence of my Mum, but as that is not strictly knitting or crochet, I will talk about that at a later date!

My reading has been similarly ad hoc. Introducing myself to a little yoga (oh my how awful is my balance!!), and plodding my way through Everyday Blessings. A lovely book, but when the day is done, and I am exhausted I only ever seem to manage a couple of pages before sleep overtakes me. This is not due to the book, I am like it with most books I try to read at bedtime!!

Thank you Ginny for providing a little bit of focus for my projects, it's about as focussed as I have been all week!!

Feeling Frugal

2011-09-27T20:22:00.000+01:00

A trip to the allotment this afternoon gave me this haul! I had an hour down there, and the whole hour I was harvesting things (there were three plums and a strawberry too, but they got eaten by a certain fruit monster that accompanied me!) Luke asked me this afternoon how much the allotment cost for the year. It's £30, and this was really brought home to me today what a saving it is, as we are growing things organically, compare just todays haul with the organic fruit box and veg box we got delivered today for the same price as a year at the allotment! So not only was I feeling pleased with myself for the amount of produce brought home today (especially given the neglect the allotment has suffered this year), but also very pleased about the money saved.

Combine this with a lovely trip to a charity shop this morning. Sophie was at pre-school (she has settled in amazingly well!) and I was due to meet up with a friend for us to do some crocheting, however it was such a lovely day she suggested we walk up to this charity shop. Well, I found some real treasures, a basket of crochet cotton (basket and all!), more cotton thread of the variegated kind, a skirt, jigsaw puzzle and some books, all for £5!

A lovely day from start to finish!

WarHammer Young Bloods

2011-09-26T09:56:00.000+01:00

Luke has been working on this model for the last few months in preparation for a painting competition at the massive Games Workshop exhibition known as Games Day. The competition he was entering was the Young Bloods competition, for those aged 14 and under.

(apologies for pictures on their sides, my camera got confused!) The detail he went into was astounding. So much better than anything Stuart or I could create. In fact Stuart reckons he is the best painter in the whole of RedWarSoc.

Can you see the purple gem on the leg below, that is all made to look translucent with shading. And the diamond tapestry down the side is free hand. When you think the model is about 2 inches high at the most, that is very fine detail, and one very steady hand!

The word "courage" was also painted freehand, and is about a couple of millimetres high.

The cape was pretty hard to do, trying to get the shading right.

With all this hard work that he put into it, you can imagine his disappointment when he didn't get through to the second round. Out of 100 competitors, only 6 got chosen to go through to the second round, this is what Luke was aiming for. He was truly deflated. And I honestly think an injustice was done. Unfortunately we don't know where out of the whole event came, he may well have been 7th but that will never be known.

How do you pick yourself up from this? How do you support someone when they feel their best is not good enough? You talk about experience, what you have learned from doing it, and you plan for next year. Competition is hard, but entering this has really pushed Luke, and he has produced his best work yet. He likes a challenge, and his painting will always be a winner as far as I am concerned.

{this moment}

2011-09-23T10:34:00.001+01:00

Joining with Soulemama, on her reflections of the week.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

So much to share

2011-09-22T12:06:00.000+01:00

For ages I have been meaning to do an update on Gimli. He gave us a scare a few weeks ago with a suspected bout of intussuseption, which is where the intestine telescopes inside itself causing a blockage. The vet could have left hom for 24 hours to see how things panned out, but if it was intussuseption then it could have made him so weak he wouldn't survive the op, so we had to have an emergency operation for him. Thankfully it wasn't as serious as we feared, but he still had an operation to recover from. He has well and truly recovered from it, and us up to all kinds of michief. He discovered the fish the other day, he thinks the chickens are great to play 'chase' with. He likes the new windchimes in the conservatory (this picture was when we were supposed to be limiting his movements after the op, try telling that to a kitten!)

He is so good with the children, Sophie spent the whole afternoon pushing him around in the basket under her pushchair!

Now he is allowed outside, he is investigating all the neighbours houses, and many trees, as well as standing his ground with cats that have been in the area much longer than he has!!

Other things...

I thought I'd got a picture of this, but it must have been on Alec's camera, but back in April Alec and I saw a parrot type bird in the back garden early one morning. A beautiful bird, green, with a blue tail and red beak. I didn't think anything else of it until recently when I kept hearing this unusual bird call. I saw the bird the other morning, and it is the same bird!! I think we have identified it as a ring-necked parakeet, which can apparently survive British winters, so hopefully this one will, and will have a long free life. I must try and get a piccie of it if I can ever lure it close enough!

Remember a couple of weeks ago, Alec had buried his nose in a book? Well, thanks to Laura, we managed to pick up some more in the series of a diary of a wimpy kid, at a knock down price. The books arrived yesterday, Alec is about 20 pages from the end of the next book. He even woke in the middle of the night and did some reading (he thought it was later than it was, and when realised how early it was he went back to sleep!)

And yesterday I went shopping with a lovely friend to a fabric shop. I know I don't need any more fabric, it literally falls out the wardrobe when I open the door, but I really could not resist this. I think I may have bought enough to make a summer dress with it, so I think it will be a project for the spring! It was a real eye-opener going into Birmingham, I haven't been in for a long time, and many places are unrecogniseable to me. Sophie made me smile by asking to see the yellow tractors, by the end of it she did call them diggers, but I suppose she's more used to tractors than diggers around here! It was truly a lovely day, I never really see shopping as a pleasure, but it really was, I guess it must have been the good company (and only one child to keep track of!)

Win some, lose some

2011-09-21T20:42:00.000+01:00

Joining in with Ginny again at Small Things, for her yarn along. This week there are some successes and failures. I was messing about with a heart last night, started making it with some left over yarn from some wool my MIL treated me too (King Cole Riot). I then thought is would be very symbolic to stuff it with some of lavender we dried from the wreath from her coffin. So now I have a personal memento of such a special lady. The lady who, in fact, taught me to crochet.

The failure was this Ipod case I made to put in my Misi shop. Lots of little niggly things that make me just not happy with it. The sides aren't straight, the butterfly isn't quite symmetrical, and it just doesn't seem right. So if any one wants an Ipod/Iphone cosy for free, let me know, as I don't even have one!

And as far as reading goes, this is probably a bit of a cheat, as I only got lent this book today but am already loving it, and it is feeling very right, and am looking forward to doing some experimenting.

This weekend...

2011-09-19T10:03:00.000+01:00

... we learned about wasps nests. Ethan found this little nest on the way up to the shops on Saturday morning. So we talked about how they get the wood, and make a paper out of it, and how each cell has a grub that will form into a wasp.

Once we got to the shops there was a little fair on the green which had a local beekeeper with his bees there, along with the honeycomb. So we were able to compare the bee and the wasp. There was also an apple press there, so we learned how to first of all break up the apples, then put them in a cheese bag, and press them. Both Alec and Ethan had a go at the pressing, and we all had a go at the tasting of the end product.

Sunday we went to a local craft centre, and they had a sculpture trail. One of the sculptures fascinated them all, a moving, balanced sculpture which you could get spinning in all fancy ways. However, when it got knocked over, we then had an opportunity to learn all about balance, fulcrums etc, and an increased awe at how this particular structure was made, as we attempted to put it all back together again!

Luke also learned alot about time management, doing himself proud with two projects and two other pieces of homework completed along with more painting on his model for a WarHammer competition for next weekend. Although, I may have to have a word with the school about the amount of homework (we're only two weeks into term, and it already excessive!)

So just a few examples of things that we picked up this weekend, nothing special, but lovely nonetheless!

{this moment}

2011-09-16T14:29:00.001+01:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Joining in with Soulemama this week.

60

2011-09-15T22:14:00.000+01:00

Today should have been a day for celebration. Stuart's parents would have been married for 60 years. What a cruel twist of fate that the first significant date following Jean's death was such a milestone.

We made new memories though. Stan, Sophie and I went to the tea room at the farm shop for lunch, then we sat and watched the animals whilst Sophie played in the sandpit. Then an afternoon watching the children and all their comings and goings once they returned home from school. An evening meal, talking about everyones days at home, school and work, a new routine that is becoming normal to us all. Today has been a good day, full of good memories old and new, and for that we are blessed.

Granny stripes and juice

2011-09-14T20:48:00.000+01:00

I am joining in with Ginny again this week, with her "yarn along".

This is a long term project I am working on. Following the death of my Mother-in-Law a couple of months ago my Father-in-Law gave me all of her wool. She would create the most beautiful, colourful fairisle jumpers, and whilst I cannot even hope to recreate anything like that, I thought a blanket for my Father-in-Law, using his wifes wool would be a nice gesture. It is going to be double bed sized, so I have a long way to go. I think I may have made a slight error though, I decided to do the stripes lengthways, which means I need more wool of a particular colour to complete a stripe. I have already had to remove one stripe as there was not quite enough wool to complete it, and I have a horrible feeling that the brown stripe I am currently working on will be the same. I was hoping to have it done by Christmas, but I think that may be a little ambitious!

As for reading, well, I must admit to being a bit of a convert to juicing. My diet was needing a serious overhaul, and for now, juicing is giving me that opportunity to focus a little on what I put into my body. It also making me feel alot better, and less likely to reach for those sweet nibbles in the cupboard that I eat and then regret doing so within seconds. So my book of the week is a recipe book, full of lovely ideas as to what juices you can make, and a sister book to this also goes into the health benefits of each kind of juice.

A Teenager in our midst!!

2011-09-09T11:12:00.000+01:00

I know it is a cliche, but really, where does the time go? That tiny 6lb 8oz baby, that turned our lives upside down, pacing back and forth in the evenings wishing that the colic would go away, gazing in wonderment that we could be blessed with such a beautiful baby, but scared that we were going to get things wrong. It certainly doesn't seem 13 years ago. But it is! Luke is now 13!!

He was rather disappointed that the first day back at school fell on his birthday, but looking on the bright side, he decided it was probably better than a few days into term where he would be expected to do some work!

The war gaming theme continues throughout his birthday. The cake with dice that add up to 13, along with point counters.

We decided that a key to the house would be a symbolic gift for him turning into a young man. We commisioned a key fob with the Protectorate of Menoth symbol (Luke's current WarMachine army) on it from Pippa. He was absolutely over the moon with it, and was more excited about that than the surprise Xbox!

The day before his birthday was RedWarSoc (the wargaming club), so they took some cakes along that we had decorated with a template of more WarMachine symbols and cocoa powder. It went down a storm with the geeks! So simple too!

And just to show what happened when I got complacent about knowing the recipe for the cake! Added baking powder by mistake!! It did make for a nice flat top on the cake though!!

Bobbins and dyeing

2011-09-08T17:33:00.000+01:00

I have spent this last month trying to free up bobbins. I have four bobbins, and am coming to the conclusion that this simply is not enough! I had some zwartble on one bobbin, so needed to spin another to ply it with, which therefore needed another bobbin to ply it onto, but I really wanted to start spinning the alpaca as well! So patience has had to be the order of the day, finish one job before I can start another. Perhaps it's a good thing I only have four bobbins, otherwise I'd be tempted to start so many projects, and knowing me, never get to finish them!

So really out of curiosity I was wondering how many bobbins other people had.

I also went along to a Guild day at a members house. I could not stay for long as it was during the holidays, and I had two of the children with me. They were doing all about dyeing, both natural and chemical. It was definitely worthwhile going as it made me realise how little you actually need to do natural dyeing, as I had always had visions of needing piles of onion skins, for example, to get any colour.

Hoping to get alot more spinning done in the next few weeks, so I have some alpaca to work with, and hopefully a skein to give to my Mum for either her birthday or Christmas.

A sight for sore eyes

2011-09-06T18:54:00.000+01:00

Alec picked up this book (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) yesterday at WHSmiths. He has barely put it down since then! We had to steer him around town as he was reading it as we returned to the car. He has been sat on the sofa for hours last night and today reading, and he is nearly finished.

He really struggled to learn to read, and it really has only been the last couple of years when it has started to click. It really warms my heart to see him reading more than any of his siblings now. And it gives me the confidence to not push Ethan with his reading, as it will come when he is interested enough in it.

I think we may have to get a few more of this series of books for Alec though!!

WarHammer weekend

2011-09-05T10:38:00.000+01:00

As an early birthday treat for Luke, we had a trip to WarHammer world in Nottingham on Saturday. Inspiration was all around us. We found the model (above) that Luke is painting up for the Golden Daemon Young Bloods competition at the end of September. And his is comparable, which is amazing for a nearly 13 year old!

I was awestruck at lightening effect on the cloak of this Dark Elf. When you think that all these models are just plastic or resin, it is a real testament to the talent of some these artists that they can do such amazing things with them.

There was awesome scenery.

There were wood elves (my current collection)

And amazing artwork. I'm a bit of a sucker for a dragon!

Father and son in admiration of the models.

And besides the gorgeous food we had in Bugmans Bar, which is decorated a la Goth, Sophie managed to pluck up the courage to give an ork a very quick hug! (I wasn't quite fast enough to capture the complete hug!)

A great day out, followed by a day of WarHammer at the club as a special event. I think it is fair to say we were both inspired, and worn out by the end of it all! I even neglected the knitting and did some painting, but I won't show you as it is nowhere near as good as the stuff they have on show at WarHammer World!

Clent

2011-09-03T09:09:00.000+01:00

How can we have lived in the West Midands for the whole of our lives, and never visited the Clent Hills? We've known about them, driven past them, but never visited. We have really been missing out! Stuart came home from work yesterday, after his half day of work on a Friday. The sun was shining, there was a warm breeze, and he suggested we went to invesigate the hills. What a fantastic idea. I will let the pictures tell the rest, needless to say, we will be going back there many times in the future.

The boys found a good sliding slope!

The views were breathtaking.

The colours were beautiful, and a glimpse at what it will be like once autumn arrives.

Luke used Sophie's pushchair to go down inclines big and small. We found him at the bottom of hills having used it as a go-kart!

The highest spot.

We reckon the green field on the hillside would be perfect for our hobbit hole!

We will be back!

Adventures in sourdough

2011-09-01T19:38:00.000+01:00

Back in June we got given Herman. If you have never heard of Herman,let me explain. Herman is a sourdough friendship cake, which you have to nurture over the course of a week and a half. He is fuelled by sugar, flour and milk, along with yeast that he has picked up on his travels. At the end of the process you have a cake to bake, and starters to pass on to friends.

We have loved having Herman with us, but it is time for him to move on now, as there really is only so much cake you can eat, and my waistline is slowly expanding!! I wish I could have passed him on to many of my friends online, but it would be a very messy parcel that arrived in the post, as he does not like to be confined!! However, our Herman has travelled to Wales,and down to London, and has quiite a few off-spring in our local area too!

One of his off-spring then underwent a spectacular transformation in the capable hands of our friend Paul, and has returned to us as a starter for Sourdough bread. Sourdough bread is something I have wanted to try to make for a long time. So I made my first loaf last night.

I think the verdict is out on it at the moment. A lovely tasty bread, but makes very heavy sandwiches. Would be great for rolls for soup, or as a dipping bread, but we tend not to use that kind of bread very much. It is a shame, as I really hoped we would enjoy sourdough bread more. Although, I was wondering how I was going to fit in all the little things you have to to it over the course of 24 hours to get your loaf! I have been spoilt with my bread maker I think!

Thank you Herman for letting us join you on your adventures.

Chuffed with cable

2011-08-31T19:12:00.000+01:00

I have always admired the jumpers my Mum has been able to knit in cable, and had set myself a challenge to learn how to knit cable. With the Guild Challenge being brought forward to December, where we have to create a bag using spinning, weaving or dyeing, I thought I had better try and crack this nut. The wool I am using is my first real attempt at spinning, ie once I had sussed out what I was supposed to be doing, and it has quite a bobbly effect, which is as much down to the wool as my spinning, and the wool is quite coarse,so lends itself to a bag rather well.

I sat down and googled "how to knit cable", and I was off! I'm sure there must be some more complicated patterns, but I am really rather chuffed at the effect, and how simple it is. Combine that with using my own wool, and my new wooden circular needles, this is turning out to be a wonderful experience. I like the rustic effect that is being created, and am excited to watch this grow day by day.

The book I am reading is "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh which I think is adding to the enjoyment of knitting this bag even more, as I am mindful of the stitches, of the wool, of the process of making the bag... can you tell I am loving making this?!

I thought I would join in with Ginny today sharing my knitting and reading, and the joy of both.

Handmade

2011-08-27T11:25:00.000+01:00

Last year I bought some wool, a bit of a cheating kind of wool that would give a Fair Isle effect. My plan for this wool was some wristwarmers for me. But as usual, projects for me never seem to happen! So, having been given a little money for my birthday, I decided to treat myself and buy some wrist warmers from a dear friend in Ireland.

Rosemary, over at Selkie Crochet, has filled her etsy shop full of all kinds of woolly wonderful-ness, and I know she spends so much time by the sea, the thought of some of her creations being made whilst sat watching the Atlantic Ocean role in, is really quite peaceful. I am looking forward to the days getting cooler so that I have an excuse to wear these beautiful wrsitwarmers.

Another wonderful friend provided Sophie's birthday card. Shell over at Handmade Haven had some owl cards that I fell in love with the moment I saw them. I also got a wedding card, but as the wedding hasn't taken place yet I felt it unfair to blog it! She has so many wonderful things for sale, a multi-talented woman.

I suppose, as we start looking towards the end of the year, and dare I mention it, Christmas, we start looking for gifts for people. I know, whilst I am hoping to be able to create many myself, I know there are wonderful talented people out there that will be able to help provide gorgeous gifts for you to give, and help us all to work towards a simpler, homemade festive period.

Thank you Rosemary and Shell, your talents are very much appreciated.

3 already!

2011-08-26T08:58:00.000+01:00

My littlest is 3!! In one respect it seems like a blink of an eye since she was born, but it also seems she has been around for so much longer! She had alot of experience of birthdays recently, so was very specific about what her own birthday was going to consist of. One of those things was a "George" cake with Peppa, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig on it. So I spent the other evening despairing as to how to recreate 2D figures in the 3D, and they still be recognisable. But I think we got there, and the important thing is Sophie was pleased with it!

After waiting a couple of hours for the rest of the house to wake up on her birthday morning, she opened her presents. A Sylvanian family playground...

A balance bike, which was ridden by much bigger children too!

And a little bag I had been working on...

...filled with knitted animals, and an acorn, so she can recount her favourite story of Chicken Licken.

We went out for a few hours, found a lovely little bistro place, which served the most delicious food, and were so accomodating with the children. I can see us frequenting that place again.

Sophie was insistent she wanted a pink cupcake. The lady took her behind the counter, and got the chef to prepare a very fancy presentation of the cake. Sophie, being Sophie, just ate all the icing, but it was lovely all the same!

We then stopped off at Bidford-on-Avon, had a play in the park, and then headed home...

...for a birthday tea of jelly and of course cake!

(There was other food, but those were the only things Sophie was interested in!!)

Happy birthday Sophie. Our wonderful, funny, independent (when she wants to be!) 3 year old!!

Games

2011-08-24T10:25:00.000+01:00

It might have escaped your notice that this is a family that is keen on its games. The other evening I came downstairs to a wonderful scene. The boys were sprawled out on the floor creating a board game out of paper, and they then disappeared off upstairs to create another game from lego.

With rules and all, that only a seasoned table top wargamer could understand!

The above picture is the game they were initially making. Alec was in charge of illustration, Ethan was the overall decision maker, and Luke was the game designer!

Stuart and Luke disappeared off to a new game shop they found over the weekend, and came back with yet another game. This one really appeals to the minds of all young boys. It's name? Poo! You have a hand of cards, and see who, via their hand of monkeys, can fling the most poo at their apponents, but you can block incoming poo, suffer poo mishaps etc.. you get the picture!! Fortunately it only involves cards and counters! Although the the cry of "anyone want to play Poo?" has been shouted around abit!!

Clay and paint

2011-08-22T13:43:00.000+01:00

Luke had some money to spend in a local craft store, so he bought a whole load of clay. He had an idea in mind that he had seen on Art Attack. So when he got home he set to work, not letting any of us know what he was doing.

A pizza, with toppings that can be interchangeable, and it's own pizza dish to go in. It just needs painting up now.

On the same trip to the art store, Mum picked up some paint it by numbers for Alec and Ethan. Ethan finished his pretty quickly, and did such a good job. We just have to find a picture frame now!

And here are some of Sophie's creations. She piles all kinds of paint onto the clay shape and we let it dry. Rather effective, and I can guarantee if I did the same thing it wouldn't look as half as good!

Trying to make sense of it all

2011-08-20T23:39:00.000+01:00

2011 has in all honesty been a tough year for us. Starting with Stuart's brother being hit by a car, breaking ribs, pelvis and suffering a punctured lung. Many trips taking Stuart's parents down to see him in London, and a long slow recovery for him. I then had a health scare, involving a mole, which turned out to be not so innocent. In the midst of this being resolved Stuart's Mum died.

In the scale of the year's events, today's events pale in significance, but all mounded together they can bring an air of depression and hopelessness over everything. Today, our new kitten was taken to the vets because he had been being sick for a day, keeping nothing down, and I had never seen a cat of ours behave like this. I was shocked when he was taken in for emergency surgery for a suspected intussessption of the intestine, which if left untreated would be fatal. Fortunately, through the surgery they discovered that it was not what they had suspected, and was simply an inflammation of the intestine, probably caused by an infection. Gimli now has to recover from the surgery, and I cannot wait for him to be home, although that will present a new range of issues with trying to stop Sophiw from picking him up!!

Anyway, as I was saying, how do I make sense of it all? We often say to each other how we just want 2011 to be over with, and start afresh. I face the future with a bit of trepidation, wondering what else can be thrown at us to try to grind us down. But then if I look at the blessings, I can start to make a little sense of it all. Stuart's brother has recovered remarkably well. I am blessed that the mole I discovered was in an area I could notice it, and I am now aware of my body more, and keep an eye on it. Stuart's Mum's passing was desperately sad, but has shown us the value of life, how to live each moment, and to cherish family. To try to include some of the values she had into our own lives as part of her legacy. With Gimlli, we are fortunate it was not as serious as was initially thought. We can already see how he has become such a part of our family in the few weeks he has been with us, as he has been missed sorely today by us all. I am glad I listened to my gut feeling about his illness, even if it has resulted in an operation that could possibly now be seen as unnecessary, as if it had been what the vet thought it was (symptoms all the same) by the end of the weekend it could have been a completely different story.

It is through these unpleasant events that we grow, we appreciate the good things all the more, we become more compassionate to those around us when they experience similar events. So really, we should just count our blessings.

Custom bunting

2011-08-18T09:40:00.000+01:00

Made with more Per Una material from my neighbours sister, a lovely ethnic feel with the batik design on the fabric. This was particularly appropriate as the recipient has spent alot of time travelling before the birth of her daughter Loes.

I liked the effect of three different colours for the flags on the back, might try that one again.

Really enjoying doing these buntings, finding ways to make each one unique, and filling them with love, which I hope will be felt by the recipient.

Self-medicating

2011-08-17T13:42:00.000+01:00

All my uncertainty over the allotment has been washed away. Our allotment is not one of the tidiest or weed free places, it does sometimes feel like a burden I could do without, and the things we produce are not going to win any prizes either, but my goodness, it is so much more than a source of food.

I managed to convince the children to spend some time down there this week, and they were busy digging potatoes, picking beans, pulling up the spent broad bean plants, watering, playing tug of war with the hose pipe, and fighting with hoes and rakes! We munched on plums, and raspberries and made the most of the blackberries that had overrun the currant bushes.

After having had a rough week with my own head and emotions, the allotment was the salve my body needed, grounding myself, calming, and basking in the sun I have recently started to fear.

The promise of the bounty to come as we head towards harvest...

And surprise successes, the onions I grew from seed, was late planting out, and thought if I got spring onions from them I would be lucky, but look, they are actually proper onion sized, not whoppers, but they'll do very nicely thank you. I won't show you the courgettes or sweetcorn, as neither are amounting to much at all.

So I promise the ground I will nurture it over this next year, and as a friend told me, a gardeners motto is that "there is always next season!"

Starting but never...

2011-08-12T11:07:00.000+01:00

...finishing!

This seems to be the pattern of my life at the moment. Well, if the truth be known it is probably not just limited to this moment!! I am very good at starting projects, having ideas for things, getting things started, and then I lose interest, or something more appealing comes along. I have so many works in progress at the moment, it really is getting to the point of ridiculous. I am knitting characters to make up a story bag for Sophie's birthday, crocheting a double bed sized granny stripe blanket, making a sack boy for Luke's birthday. I started on the alpaca fleece yesterday, did 10 minutes, then went on to something else!

At the end of the day the house can be a tip, not just from the children, but from all the things I have half done before getting distracted!

In my bid to clear space in my head, I am going to finish the works in progress before anything else gets started (well, I think the crocheted blanket will have to overlap with some new projects, as I have Christmas things that I need to get a start on!)

It's not just crafting projects and housework though, I go through real fits and starts with many ideas I have. I wish the enthusiasm would last long enough to complete each project, rather than it all becoming a chore. I think I will have to do some serious work on my mindset, as it really is not a good example to set the children, and not a really good outlook to have on life in general.

I was wondering whether it is my version of consumerism, collecting ideas and projects, ticking boxes, being able to say I've been there, done that, and move on to the next thing. Perhaps I just have to be more organised, another area that I lack in! Or learn how to find joy in things I have lost the enthusiasm for.

Right, better go and make a start on this pile of half done projects. See you in a year or so!!

Indescision and a birthday

2011-08-11T14:10:00.000+01:00

I tried to impose a month long ban on myself from using the computer, which lasted all of about 4 days! My will power is shocking!! I enjoyed having some time just to read and craft, but the need to interact with people is obviously rather strong, and with children who are thoroughly enjoying being at home and not wanting to go out anywhere, I figure the computer does serve a purpose. The reason for my ban was to give myself some headspace, lots of things going on that I didn't want to be part of, and lots of things happening at home that I did want to be part of! The few days that I was away did do me some good, perhaps I was being a bit harsh on myself to deny something I enjoy for a whole month, but I do need to look at how the computer seems to creep into my life all too insidiously, and before I know it, it has taken over!!

We had the second birthday of August on Monday. (We have four birthdays in total in 5 weeks starting from the beginning of August!) I like to play down this one, a sign I am getting older! Had some lovely books by Thich Naht Han, and some circular wooden knitting needles, and some bamboo straight needles. So all I need now is a month or so to secrete myself away and read and knit to my hearts content!!

For a few years now I have wanted to visit Kinver Edge, so the trip out for my birthday was to see the rock houses there. Unfortunately the rock houses weren't open to the public on the Monday, but we were able to see them from outside, and the boys were once again talking about hobbit holes!! Apparently 11 families lived here, and the last one moved out in 1967. The National Trust have restored them, how wonderful to have been able to live in one of these.

There was plenty of moorland and woodland to explore too.

A lovely birthday topped off with a trip to the Harvester restaurant, not as relaxing as it might have been with Sophie in tow, as she was not in the slightest bit interested in sitting down to eat (until it came to ice cream sundaes!)

I have been umming and ahhing about the allotment too. Whether I can realistically keep it going. The children don't like going down there, and my first visit was the other week for well over a month, what with all the coming and goings we've had happening. Is it realistic to be able to run a household with four children in it and keep an allotment? Each year I vow that this year will be different, I will dedicate more time to it, but every year, life seems to get in the way. Whether it be illness, weather, or stubborn children, I never seem to manage more than a trip a week, if that. This season will not be our best, I know that, but I will wait and see how much I can do in the lull period once Sophie has started pre-school. Hopefully then I can really get my teeth stuck into it, but if it doesn't work out, perhaps I will have to admit defeat. A shame when I really do enjoy it, but I suppose only time will tell.

Double figures!

2011-08-02T08:14:00.000+01:00

This is what birthday mornings are all about for our smiling, lego mad 10 year old!! Although he did actaully abandon it for a little while to go and check out his other presents too! He was perfectly happy to stay at home all day and play, but we eventually managed to think of somewhere he could go with his broken finger, that didn't involve trying to keep Sophie quiet for 2 hours, as would have been the case if we had gone to the cinema!

So we went to a nearby craft place, where we had drinks and icecream, sat outside in the perfect August weather, not sunny, but warm with the slightest hint of a breeze. All of us were admiring the location and talking of hobbit holes again!

We had brought some bread to feed the ducks, but it was actually the fish that ate most of it. We then saw some horses and went over to have a look. There was a man tending to them, and he was telling us about them. He then asked if any of the boys wanted to it on "Roxy" a beautiful, 7 year old, Gypsy Cob. Ethan was very eager, but when it came to it, decided not to. So Alec took the lead. He thought it very strange having her skin twitching to disturb the flies.

Ethan then decided he would like a go!

And even Sophie joined in, and looked quite at ease. (Luke was too heavy to lift over the barbed wire, but I think he was grateful for that excuse!)

This photo doesn't do the place justice, but it really was beuatiful, and so relaxing.

We returned home to a birthday tea.

And some playing, in our newly cleared out conservatory.

Did the necessary cake stuff!

The boys were suggesting I should do a portfolio of all the cakes I have made, perhaps one day, if I have nothing else to talk about!

And then, to top of his birthday, what would a ten year old request as a snack at bedtime, whilst reading his new Beano annual? Grapes, raisins and cucumber of course!!

Our lovely, smiling, lego mad, funny, sweet, always wanting cuddles, Lally is 10!! Happy Birthday Alec!

Just a little something

2011-07-29T12:43:00.000+01:00

Another little thing I have enjoyed doing whilst convalsecing! Clay heart, hand painted and inscribed with the word "blessings". Now available in my Misi shop

Convalescing

2011-07-28T10:43:00.000+01:00

A quiet day for me yesterday letting my shoulder start to heal. Alec's finger seems to be loads better already, they do bounce back quick don't they, children! So he was playing with his friends all day, both in the house, outside, and eventually at their friends house.

I made up a mix of rosemary, lavender, lemon balm and chammomile to put into some sleep pillows I have made for members of the family that have had trouble sleeping recently. The idea being that you slip the sleep pillow between the pillow and pillow case, and the smell slowly aids sleep. Can't really see the embroidery particularly well on the following picture but they each have a little message on them such as "night night" or "sweet dreams". There's enough of the herbs to make up a few more too, so some might make it into the shop.

My peg bag broke, so in a few minutes I was able to make a new one with a scrap of material I got from freecycle a while back.

And here is the start of the granny stripe blanket for Stan, my Father in Law. Using Jean's wool, it will hopefully be enough to make a double bed sized blanket. 399 stitches for the length, and for the width? Well, I'll just keep going until I run out of wool!

Luke decided to make another castle from another Abel and Cole box. He spent a good couple of hours sat in the front garden with a mix of PVA glue and sand, covering his model!

What a week!!

2011-07-26T20:31:00.000+01:00

Taking photos of us in our Grandma jumpers to go in the coffin for Jean's funeral. Sad, sad times, but family supported each other fantastically, and my brother came down to look after the children, which was a huge weight off my mind. Family and friends came from all over the country to pay their final respects to her,and many good times were remembered. We visited a local woodland burial place, and I think we are all but decided that this should be the final resting place for her ashes, so peaceful, and full of wildlife, she would have loved it.

And as life has a habit of doing, it carries on, whether we want it to or not. I have been kept busy with accomodating visitors and ensuring everyone has some food. Such wonderful business, lovely to see so much family again, I just wish the circumstances were happier.

Lego rock band kept young and old alike entertained, and Ethan drew a lovely picture of it all.

Stuart found some printouts to make model buildings, so many buldings were made, and no doubt more will be when more ink cartridges arrive!

Alec and Ethan came racing in very excited the other evening, and insisted I went to watch them. They had sussed out how to do front flips on the trampoline!

Luke is definitely in model making mode. Take a guess what this ruin started out as... go on, bet you can't guess!

An Abel and Cole box of course! Sophie saw it and said "oh no, castle broken, dragon blow down castle...huff...puff!"

And then just to curb any thoughts of a physical summer holidays, Alec managed to take a knock to his little finger on Sunday night, whilst playing football. By Monday morning it was very swollen and bruised, so a trip to A&E confirmed he had a chipped bone in his little finger. He now has to wear this for a week, and to take things easy for a further 3 weeks. He's gutted!!

I too have had to undergo a minor op to remove a mole. There are at least 20 stitches on the wound! Which makes me feel squeamish each time I think about it!

I do count my blessings, all that we have been through recently could have been worse, but you know, I would like it very much if things bad things could stop happening now, and let us get back on our feet.

New title

2011-07-24T14:09:00.000+01:00

This last couple of weeks has brought home to me that we are not a family of 6. Family is so much more than our nuclear family, the influences upon us are from many sources, and they all make up part of our lives. The responsibilities we have are not limited to the six of us either, neither is the love.

The name change therefore reflects this feeling. A space to document our lives in all their fullness and complexities, as well as some of the nice stuff and fun we get up to!

Limbo

2011-07-19T20:38:00.000+01:00

We have felt very much in limbo this last week. Preparing for Jean's funeral, not really knowing what the future holds for us, but at the same time trying to keep things as normal as possible for the children. The children had a few days off from school, and went back at varying times last week, as and when they felt able. One of the days off we got the air drying clay out. They have made some sculptures to give to their
teachers, and I have been experimenting with an idea for Aisling Designs, my experiment is the next picture.

I had about a week where the thoughts of doing any crafting just seemed so wrong, and the bunting that I had started just lay there neglcted. It is coming together now, my crafting has returned for now, here is a glimpse of the order for Sarah.

What brought the crafting mojo back? My father in law giving me all of Jean's wool. I had told myself I would not get any more wool, as I really should be spinning it myself, but I felt so honoured to have Jean's wool. I then thought it would be lovely to make something for my Father in Law with this wool. So I have embarked on a mammoth project of a granny stripe blanket. I'm hoping it will offer him some comfort, as well as being my personal memorial to her.

As for Stuart, he has been looking after his Dad in such a wonderful, caring way. Staying with him, ensuring everything is dealt with, reminiscing til the early hours of the morning. Being a wonderful legacy to his Mum.

In other news, Gimli has been making himself very much at home, with plenty of adventures (yes, that's my cello case is sat on top of!) and finding comfort in the many forms, especially a big bag of alpaca fleece!

I know this new normal will be turned upside down again by Friday, which is when Jean's funeral is. I cannot think beyond that at the moment, but have a feeling that flexibility and the here and now is what will be most important.

Jean

2011-07-14T22:27:00.000+01:00

This week, our family has suffered a huge loss. Jean, Stuart's Mum, died early Monday morning. Stuart had seen her on Sunday, spoken to her Sunday evening on the phone, and all was well. By the early hours of Monday morning, she had suffered a massive heart attack, and our world was turned upside down.

Jean was a remarkable woman. A talented woman with her painting, knitting, gardening, cooking She was the only person I know who could keep a parlour palm alive, and make them thrive! She would knit at an amazing speed, combining colours in wonderful ways through her fair isle knitting, we are all so proud of our "Grandma jumpers" She had just started going into a local school to help with needlework class, and had been quite a hit with them. She also made the most fabulous scones, through no recipe!

But talents aside, she was so warm and welcoming, gentle and loving, hardworking, and a rock for all those around her. Family was her everything, and she was everything to her family.

It has shocked me that the world is still turning without Jean there, really! And I know I am not alone in that feeling. She truly was an inspirational woman, and will be very, very sorely missed by us all.

Aisling Designs

2011-07-10T19:57:00.000+01:00

Just in case you hadn't noticed the little tag at the side of my blog. I have now opened a Misi shop, and will hopefully be filling it with all kinds of lovely goodies over the next few weeks. It all stemmed from our holiday to Cornwall, seeing all those things that were handmade being sold and it gave me the confidence to think that I could do it too. So as a step towards my dreams, I have started this shop, with the idea being that it will all contribute to "dream" funds! Aisling, in case you didn't know, is an Irish name meaning "dreamer".

Some bunting that I completed recently for a custom order. I am now working on another.

I was rather pleased with the effect of the contrast stitching.

Some little things in there too, a bobble and two matching grips. Planning on making similar things with butterflies and flowers too.

I have another idea too, I will make a prototype which will end up as Alec's birthday present, but hopefully will have some in the shop soon after. A bag to put all those precious lego characters in. Can't work out whether crocheted or sewn yet, we'll have to wait and see.

Questions, questions, questions!

2011-07-07T19:35:00.000+01:00

I'll start with my successes! I have finished spinning that gold coloured wool for the guild competition, even if I have changed my mind over the pattern I am going to use, as I don't think there will be enough yarn there. Which leads me to my first question regarding this. How do you work out if you have enough wool to cover a project? How do you determine whether it is DK or Aran weight? How do you determine yardage? And finally, how the heck do you get it into those nice neat balls I see around? I asked at the Guild about equipment, and whether ball-winders were a good buy, and the answer I got was basically they use a broom handle! Fine, but how do you use a broom handle?

Next project... Alpaca wool. I have started to card the alpace fleece I have, and it is very rewarding, to create these bundles of barely discernable softness, but my goodness, it is time consuming! I have some hand carders, and I am thinking it may take me all year just to card it all, let alone spin it and make something!

Just look at all this I have to get through...

...and this!

So is there a technique to speed up this process, or do I just need to invest in a drum carder? Answers on a postcard please! ;)

May I introduce...

2011-07-02T08:22:00.000+01:00

Gimli! The cutest little bundle of fluff ever!

A chance conversation at Breastfeeding Support group last Monday got the wheels turning. I mentioned to Stuart that a woman at the group had got a long haired kitten that was going to be ready for a new home any day now, and he suggested we got in touch with her.

Lots of secrecy, a viewing whilst the boys were at school. Then buying food, litter, and digging out all the old cat things we had kept just in case we were ever blessed with another cat. Resulted in some wonderfully surprised children when they came home from school. Stuart had said that we had a surprise for them at home, they were thinking along the lines of sweets, or perhaps a game. When they came in and I asked them not to dump their bags down in the usual place, as their surprise had just taken up residence under the shoe rack, the look on their faces was classic. The excitement, the puzzle, the questions! Is it a pet? Yes. A puppy? No Alec not a puppy. A hamster? No. A kitten? Yes!!!

I retrieved Gimli and introduced him to the family, but really all he wanted to do was sleep and hide. He seemed happiest in the dining room, as that is where the kittens had been kept with their mother. But as the evening wore on, he started to play, and then another nap, play some more, another nap! A bit of an explore followed by yet another nap!

The children are lovely with him. And last night as they were going to bed, they were so grateful for us getting them a kitten. I can see that Gimli is never going to be short of playmates!

Welcome to the family Gimli!

Random Week

2011-06-27T21:30:00.000+01:00

Peas! Our first harvest, and we just got enough for a meal! Well, there would have been more, but they are just too good raw! One for the pan, one for me! Well, that was Luke's way of podding them!

A birthday present for a girl in Ethan's class, hair slides and grips. I hope she likes them. Ethan is such a popular little lad. Invited to so many parties, and this last one he was the only boy invited. He took it all in his stride, and I am proud that he still enjoys playing with girls, when many at his age are only playing with children of their own sex.

We have a bit of a family obsession/dream of hobbit holes at the moment. Luke is creating one from scratch. A papier mache balloon, some balsa wood and filler has so far created this.

Ethan has been busy designing a hobbit hole too.

With an inside plan too.

And just to add to the random nature of this post. I have some new storage for my unspun wool. Still have half the alpaca fleece in a bag, but this should keep me busy for a while, and means there's a few less plastic bags dotted about the place!

My idea.... revealed

2011-06-19T18:41:00.000+01:00

Last week I started working on a gift for a beautiful baby, for his baby naming ceremony. Blessing Bunting. Just like standard personalised bunting with his name on the front.

But the difference is on the reverse. Each flag has its own little blessing...

...hope...

...grace...

...love, peace, happiness, joy and friendship.

I was really pleased with the result, and would love to make some to sell. So I now have to think how to market myself. With it being a personalised service they would have to be made to order. However, they are ideal little gifts for Christenings, or baby naming ceremonies. I had also thought I could do short verses on each flag, or even symbols.

Please bear me in mind should such an occasion arise.

Sweet Sophie

2011-06-17T10:19:00.000+01:00

Two days in a row, we have come home from being out somewhere, and Sophie has loitered from getting out the car. I have left the front door open for her to come in in her own time. And two days in a row I have rushed back outside with the camera as she has got distracted.

I would love to say that the pictures above are the enduring memories of her childhood, but to be honest, it is more likely to be the latter two pictures!!

Oh, how she loves mud, and soil, and play. The real stuff that childhood memories are made from!

The Guild Competition

2011-06-13T21:37:00.000+01:00

Do you remember this wool? I had earmarked it to make myself a cable bag, but then at last months Guild meeting they announced they were going to run a competition to make a bag which had to be using at least one of the processes within their name ie Spinning, Weaving or Dyeing. I could have continued with my idea for a cable bag, but as the meeting was a show and tell meeting, I had taken this skein along, and lots of people seemed to comment that it would be good for felting. So this then got me thinking, and after a bit of browsing on ravelry I have found a lovely pattern for a felted satchel.

I have a year to get this done. It will be a great experiment, and steep learning curve I feel, seeing whether I have enough yarn etc! I suppose the good thing with bags, is it really doesn't matter how big they are. The competition will be a bit of fun for me, there is no way I could compete with the talented women there, some who have been spinning etc longer than I have been drawing breath! I will post progress as and when it happens!

Keeping busy

2011-06-12T16:53:00.000+01:00

Keeping busy has been the order of the week, and to that effect, there are not many photos! I have just finished my first attempt at a sock monkey, in readiness for a friends little boys birthday tomorrow. And as ever, I now have orders for 3 more, for the boys in this family!!

A trip to the farm shop resulted in the usual hefty food bill, topped off with a whole alpaca fleece!! I enquired the last time I was there, and in the meantime they have been shorn, and I am the lucky owner of this fluffiness, that is so soft you can barely touch it. Unfortunately I've been too busy to get as far as processing it!

Much time has been spent down the allotment, planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting. At last, most of the seedlings are in the ground, and things are looking ok (as long as you ignore the big wild patch in the middle!!). I am hoping that the day of rain we are experiencing today will go some way to repleneshing the water butts. We are possibly facing a hosepipe ban, and whilst I don't use the tap water at the allotment, it is a useful back up if the waterbutts do run dry, but it would be a long trek with a watering can to the tap and back each time!!

Sophie is in her element down there. I am managing a good couple of hours now before she gets fed up, but of course it is made better with the distraction of strawberries and raspberries!!

I also have been tending our garden here, which is seriously neglected at the moment. Trying to introduce splashes of colour into the farm yard (sorry, I mean back garden!)

I have also come up with an idea for something to sell. I am working on the prototype this next week, so will hopefully do a big reveal next weekend.

That's all for now. Planning another busy week next week, but I will try to remember to take more photos!!

Dreams and inspiration

2011-06-09T09:48:00.000+01:00

I came back from Cornwall full of inspiration, having spent time surrounded by such loveliness, as well as seeing many crafted goods for sale, along with lots of examples of renewable energy scattered around the place, I was so excited about getting home and getting started on a few changes. So, whilst nothing has changed yet, life seems to have a good way of slowing you down, I am planning on creating a few items to see if they will sell, as well as trying to make our home a more beautiful place. We have started talking about the possibility of solar panels, and most exciting of all we have a beautiful joint dream which involves land, wood, stream, sustainability, self-sufficiency and a hobbit hole!

Watch this space!

Beach Days

2011-06-06T09:56:00.000+01:00

A week's holiday in Cornwall, in our favourite cottage at Rinsey. We arrived to a thick sea fog, but that didn't stop us from going and checking out Praa Sands. We drove down to a carpark previously unknown to us, and we couldn't tell where on the beach we were, it was that thick, and incredibly eery.

An evening later we went back to Praa sands, this time walking along the coast, with buckets and spades at the ready, and yes, Ethan walked the whole way there with a bucket on his head!!

A lovely evening walk.

We ate out every night, and this one evening we ended up at Gwithian. A surfer hot spot, which was Luke was quite pleased with, and wants to go back there for surf lessons, perhaps for his birthday.

Lots of pebbles meant we ended up creating a bit of a Zen-like garden. As well as discussing sedimentary and igneous rocks!

Along with some sand dunes to explore.

And finally, what Luke had been wanting to do all holiday, but the weather was too cold! He spent the whole day in the water! I think next time though, we will have to invest in some waterproof sunscreen!

Alec joined in the fun too. Sophie also had a fantastic time in the sea, no photos though, too busy trying to stop my skirt from falling in the water!!

What to do though, whilst all the children are down at the water with Daddy, and in the absence of knitting? Find cuttlefish and carve sculptures of course!!

We got up to many more things which will be subjects for subsequent posts.

This week

2011-05-27T11:04:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to blog all week, but just never really got around to it, so here's an amalgamation of all the different things I was going to post about!!

Do you remember around this time last year, Luke suffered a real disappointment with his swimming, they didn't think kis swimming was up to scratch, and whilst trying to get his 2000m badge they asked him to stop? Well, he has been working hard, his teacher has been working on his style, and last Saturday (at a silly time of 9.15am (that doesnt usually exist at the weekends, well not in terms of being out the house!) Luke got into the pool and started the first of his 100 lengths. An hour and a half later, he got out the pool with a beaming face, as he had achieved his goal.

In the meantime, Alec was going for his 100m badge, but did not stop swimming! In the end he ended up swimming 400m!! And Ethan was attempting his 10m, and swam 20m! So a very successful morning all round. Well done lads!

Over the autumn we put up a bird box in some "dead space" at the back of the shed. We had been wanting to put in a camera, as the tv was only the other side of the wall, but we didn't get around to it. Wish we had now, as we have a family of blue tits in residence! Can you see it sticking it's head out the bird box? This is the closest we can get, which I suppose is perfect for the birds, but I would love to be able to have a closer peek!

I love this patch of the garden at the moment, so colourful, and it always brings a smile to my face. I also love the fact that at other times of the year, the interesting areas are in different parts of the garden.

I was doing a bit more spinning the other evening, when Sophie wanted a turn. I slipped the drive band off, so she wasn't pulling the wool through, but felt like she was spinning by pushing it with her hand. I was impressed with her technique though, she's obviously been watching, as she was treadling, and holding the fleece and yarn correctly, she was also trying to get the yarn to feed through. I guess soon enough she'll have to have her own bobbin to spin on to!

And finally, we had so many downpours yesterday there was no hope in staying dry when picking the boys up from school. No problem though, we embraced the wetness, and set off early for some puddle jumping. By the time we were back home, we were truly sodden, but it didn't seem to put Sophie off doing a tad more puddle jumping!!

So there we are. Random glimpses of the week. I would have hoped to have shown you all the plants I have transplanted down the allotment, but the weather keeps putting pay to that at the moment. Got so much to still get planted, but we'll get there, slowly but surely!!

Sophie's plans

2011-05-20T11:01:00.001+01:00

Ethan had a birthday party to go to straight after school the other day, and I think Sophie was feeling a little left out. Therefore, she decided it was her birthday, and she needed a birthday cake with candles on. Well, I had to oblige her! My excuse was that we were out of nice things to eat, so it would serve a dual purpose!

Once Ethan returned home, we sang happy birthday to us all as a family. However, the candles got blown out by one individual (not naming anyone!), which upset the others. The candles were relit, only to blown about by another individual (the idea was that we would blow them all out together ... how wrong was I!). I think we had to relight the candles another 3 times to keep everyone happy. Then we tucked in. Very nice too! Good idea Sophie ;)

Then, this morning, in the midst of the chaos of getting everyone fed, washed, dressed, sandwiches prepared etc prior to getting out the house for 8.30am Sophie decided she wanted to decorate a biscuit! This takes a good ten minutes, as she has to do it all herself, no help from Mummy at all, and if I dare help as she seems to be struggling, we have a bit of a tantrum! All tubes of writing icing also have to be used! I was trying very hard to be patient, and giving her my attention without hurrying her. The red icing went on first, and I commented that it looked like eyes and a mouth. Sophie then decided to do white hair, black cheeks, a yellow nose and one more green cheek and a bit of green hair. She knew exactly where they should all go, and I am so pleased that I took the time out to facilitate what has become her first recognisable piece of art.

The family addiction

2011-05-17T16:33:00.001+01:00

Boxes in all kinds of places, stacked awaiting their contents to be spilled, and created. From dining chairs, to corners of rooms...

...dining tables, bedrooms...

and even kitchen window ledges!

These role playing models (mainly WarHammer) are taking over the house! Luke has been interested in them since he was about 7, even though the general earliest age of interest is around age 12. He has been working his way through armies, perfecting his painting, and getting his head around all the game play strategies. His book of choice is a rule book of one army or another. One of his recent paintings is of this boar.

Considering it is made of metal, you would never know, to me it doens't even look painted, just so natural. He has got us all hooked on this. Stuart has set up a local wargaming society which has been a roaring success, with geeks coming out of the woodwork left, right and centre!! So now Luke has people he can talk to about this, who actually understand the passion, and the rules! He has been introduced to new armies, new rules, and he is in his element.

Stuart and I have also indulged a little, havnig both admired games workshop models from afar for many years! We have been known to be sat at the dining table into the early hours of the morning, building models, filing them, painting them. I am very slowly workig my wat through my wood elf army, these are some of the dryads that I have painted up. It takes forever! Whenever I see some of the armies that have been created, it really brings home to me how many weeks or even month and years these things take up!

Having said that, it is a wonderful hobby, it is keeping Luke stimulated, it is creative, tacticle, and now has a wonderful social element to it, with the weekly group.

Allotment

2011-05-07T09:29:00.000+01:00

Have I mentioned before how I love my allotment? I'm sure I have! Not only does it provide nutrients for our bodies, along with exercise. It also nourishes my soul. It's like walking into a magical wonderland. We get to it through a hole in a hedge, wander past the chickens (not mine!)...

...wander down the grassy paths lined with plum trees and blackberry bushes...

...and then we reach our plot. Not the prettiest, but I'm working on it!

And, as ever, I have my little helper! This time last year I really wondered how I could keep going with the allotment, as Sophie used to think it was just a time to breastfeed. However, she is getting much better now. She is getting over her fear of tiny creatures, and is enjoying getting stuck in, and just a little bit mucky too!

Most of the potatoes are in and beginning to show through the mounds, so I'd better go earth them up again next time.

We have promise of another bountiful harvest of strawberries. One of Sophie's favourite! Not sure I'll get to make quite so much jam this year if Sophie has her way!

Redcurrants already beginning to start to blush red. I love how these look when ripe, little red jewels. Still don't know what to do with them though!!

The last of the purple sprouting. Some of the plants are still producing a bit, and I'm loath to pull them up, but we need the space for the root crop, so I think their time is numbered.

The allotments are the prettiest allotments I have ever come across (apart from mine, which lets the side down a bit!), I always thought that allotments were a bit... utilitarian! But these, they combine practicality with beauty. Little compounds which have a few plots in. Our compound is mainly women plot holders, some who have many, many years experience, which is a delight to draw upon.

I hear news that the government is banding about the idea of councils being able to sell off allotments. I really do hope my little piece of magic is safe. I have missed the consultation deadline, but will fight tooth and nail to protect my source of food and sanity.

Shiver me timbers!

2011-05-06T10:40:00.000+01:00

Another dressing up day for school. This time they have to go as pirates, and taking "pieces of eight" to raise money for the school funds. I could have gone to the shops and bought a ready-made outfit. But I'm always up for a challenge, so the last couple of days have found me raiding my fabric stash and creating a pirate outfit fashioned on Jack Sparrow!

Of course, there has been a little helper too. Her job here was to pull the pins out whenever we got to the next one, safest way I could think of getting her to help, whilst keeping fingers away from sharp fast moving needles, and feet away from the power pedal!

And here is the result (not the best photo I'm afraid, I keep forgetting to use the flash indoors)

The boots are some black material sown onto the trousers, with some elastic going under his shoes to keep them in place, a red sash of polycotton, same as his bandana, the shirt is actually Alec's school shirt which he donated (unknowingly!) with lace around the cuffs, and buttons removed from the top half, replaced with a leather shoe lace, and finally a long waistcoat from some thick green denim-y type material. Ethan was very pleased with it all (and so was I!)

Woolly Wednesday - spin, spin, spin

2011-05-05T16:18:00.001+01:00

Well, what have I been up to this last month? A fair amount of spinning actually! I got some unknown wool from a friend, which had been carded on a drum carder, there are however, some bobbles in it. Don't know whether that is due to the type of wool, the age of the wool, or the carding. It made it quite difficult to spin into a regular yarn,

The stuff on this bobbin doesn't look too bad, but at times it would really get very bobbly, and I was unsure whether I'd be able to do anything decent with it. However, once plyed it has created quite a pretty yarn. Too rough to use as clothing, but I'm going to try my hand at cable knitting, and make myself a bag or two with it, as I still have alot of fleece to spin! Is there a way of getting bobbles out of carded wool? Or does it basically need re-carding? Not that I will with this, as I quite like the effect, but for future reference it would be handy to know.

I also acquired some zwartble wool from Dawn (thanks Dawn!). I have been able to try my hand at carding, after picking up some carders that were slight seconds, from a link on Spinspiration a while ago.

I was able to get some lovely fluffy clounds of zwartble wool.

Looks like I might have another source of spinning fibre too! No Luke, it isn't a hair brush!!

The wool once spun looks like it might be my first "proper" looking yarn. I'm beginning to feel I am getting the hang of this!

Patriotism, party and community

2011-04-30T10:04:00.000+01:00

The wedding of Will and Cate could quite easily have passed us by. But the influence of school had sparked Ethan's interest in it, so we watched the wedding, with Alec and Ethan waving union jack flags on the sofa, whilst Sophie found blowing bubbles far more interesting!

Our lovely neighbours surrounding the green thought it sounded like a good excuse for a party, and they were right! The organisers pulled off a wonderful afternoon and evening of games, food and wonderful company. There were egg and spoon races...

...sack races...

... of course Sophie wanted to join in too!

There were also three-legged races, and adult races, all of which were far too embarrassing to post photos!

An improptu cricket match was set up, as were games of hide and seek, tennis, and many more games that us adults were probably unaware of.

Sophie was adopted by two of the older girls in the close, and so I barely saw her for the rest of the day/evening! But it did give me opportunity to meet a few people who we didn't know.

Food was prepared and eaten, from sandwiches, scones and cakes, to chilli and hot dogs! We sat with the bunting flapping, drinking whatever we fancied, and chatting, whilst the children played, and played, and played, until we all flagged at about 10.30pm! A fantastic day of community, friendship and fun.

I think the general consensus was that we are all very fortunate to have a lovely space where the children can play safely, where adults can mingle, and how we really ought to do this far more often!!

Little

2011-04-26T17:52:00.000+01:00

Our friendly chicken, Little, who would follow you around the garden had become increasingly ill over the last month. Something wasn't right with her. Anti-biotics worked for a while, but she was still obviously not well, but she still enjoyed scratching around the garden, and a bit of apple. However, over the weekend she became slower, and in obvious pain. So today was a very sad trip to the vets. I stayed with her to the very end, saying my goodbyes. Some might say I'm a sentimental old fool. But we did the best for her, she had a longer, more free-range life than many chickens.

Rest In Peace Little xx

Woodland days

2011-04-25T21:53:00.001+01:00

Meeting up with friends at a local woods, personally my favourite woods, which are so quiet even on the most summery of days. Walking up a hill to a nearby church we spotted a rather impressive looking caterpillar. He was a very big chap, probably about 6 or 7 cm long. Research, when we got home, suggests it is a drinker moth caterpillar, apparently named as they like to drink dew drops.

We reached the top, admired the views, investigated the church, and decided we'd retreat from all these very strange, black flies that were everywhere, to go and have a picnic in the wood.

Some impressive bark. Easily pleased, me!

Some recent woodland management left a wonderful playground for the children. Sophie spent a while playing with the sawdust. Others were walking along felled trees, and we also looked at the rings of the tree, but it wan't clear enough for us to tell how old it was.

Some bracket type fungi adorned this tree stump. I showed Sophie and asked her if the fairies lived there, her reply was "why not?"

This wood, in the past, has had loads of dens made from fallen branches. Many of the dens were not there anymore, but we found one, which the boys added to, and then Luke went off to build his own den, with the help of younger friends.

Sophie reckoned it was the little piggies house from the three little pigs, here she is taking Stuart along to look.

A wonderful afternoon passed, with the adults sat on a mossy bank, watching the children playing to their hearts content in such a natural setting.

This evening, Ethan said that today had been as good as legoland. So it sounds like it was the perfect way to finish our Easter break.