Comfort

Good morning my lovelies, and thanks for dropping by. You doin' OK? I wonder what the weather's like today where you are?
Here in my patch it is wet-wet-wet. Grey and wet. Rainy and wet. Puddly and wet. I made the school run wearing an old raincoat and (stubbornly) still wearing my crocs, and consequently returned home feeling a little damp and sodden. My raincoat leaked making my shoulders wet and soggy. My feet got wet (quite understandable really, as there are a lot of holes in Crocs), as did the bottom of my too-long jeans.

It's OK though, I do quite like summer rain providing I'm not expected to picnic/camp/party in it. But the lack of light levels and the heavy, misty greyness that has settled across the landscape is rather dismal. In fact, today I'm finding myself in real need of Comfort. I am not expecting to do a great deal today. I'm having a moochy stay-home day. I've taken my soggy outdoor clothes off and have put on some rather unattractive but supremely comfy baggy jersey bottoms and a soft (dry) cosy jumper. Pink fluffy slippers have been dragged out from under the bed.
Right-oh, I am Dressed for Comfort :: bring it on.
First up is a mug of frothy chocolate-dusted coffee.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

This morning my crochet is still in situ after last nights little hooky session, the blanket laid out on the floor like an elaborate rug. I need to lay it out like this so that I can check the colour choices as I complete and join each block. I'm part way through block number 31 (only 5 more to go after this one, yiipppeeeeeeeee!!) and although I very rarely crochet during the day (excepting on knit and natter cafe days) today I am allowing myself the pleasure.
I feel the need.
Don't try and stop me.

As I was waiting for my coffee machine to warm up this morning, and while I was still wearing wet, soggy school-run clothes, I grabbed some scissors and nipped outside to snip a few blooms to bring indoors.
Five to be precise.
Snip-snip-snip-snip-snip.

Such beautiful, vibrant flowers, laden with rain drops.
Cosmos, cape daisy, marigold, marguerite and verbena.
Pink, purple, orange, yellow red.



I popped them into my little old ink bottle and put them on the coffee table amongst all my crochet paraphernalia while I went to make coffee.
When I walked back into the room, it really struck me how beautifully these little summer flowers match the colours of my Summer Garden blanket. How I must have held the memory of just such a posy of flowers in my mind on that cold day in January when I drew up the design and purchased the yarn for this project.
Love that.

Ok, so :: comfy clothes, frothy coffee, fresh flowers, crochet....what else is missing from my Day of Comfort??
Ahh yes, of course.....reading material and edible material....

I wonder how many of you have had your hands on this months divine copy of Country Living magazine (the UK version)?? Its the August issue, and Oh, My. Goodness, WHAT an issue this is!!!!!! I finally found my Perfect CL Moment on Sunday morning and I practically hyperventilated my way through the whole thing. It's the most gorgeous, inspiring, colourful, mood-enhancing collection of pages I've had the pleasure of gazing at in quite a while. Total happiness from cover to cover. As you can see by my copy above, it has been very well thumbed through, I have looked at it over and over and over again.
And will be inside those pages again in a very short while I expect.

Finally, the edible element of today.....chocolate, sweeeeeeeeeet chocolate!

I was not intending to actually eat this chocolate you understand, rather I bought it as an essential ingredient in the Caramel Shortbread recipe I mentioned to you on Friday.
I was thinking that if I had time amongst my intended crocheting, flower-gazing, magazine strolling activities, I might do a spot of baking this afternoon.
For you.
Because I promised you the recipe and I cannot possibly give you the recipe without some accompanying photographs.
Which means I need to bake in order to photograph the baking.
And needing to bake, meant the necessary purchase of ingredients.
Silly thing is though, that I've just realised that the recipe calls for 140g of chocolate and I had a bit of a memory lapse in the supermarket this morning (must have been the sogginess in my trousers that did it) and bought a 230g bar by mistake.
Damn and blast.
That means I've got 90g of spare chocolate hanging around.
Ah well, guess I'll just have to deal with it, all part of a days work eh?

Enjoy the little Comforts of your own day my friends, whether rain or shine.
Treat yourself kindly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comments

[melanie galloway]

What a lovely post, I really enjoyed reading it, it made me feel so cosy and warm. xxx

[sally]

Oh Lucy, that is just what I needed today! Thank you! :-)
What a lovely day you have planned, I would love to join you on the sofa with my crochet and some chocolate in my comfy trackies! And CL is indeed a mighty fine issue this month, a great deal of it has been snipped out and pasted already into my big scrapbook of Inspiration and Ideas!
Enjoy your afternoon!
Sally x

[Anna-Karin, Sweden]

Lovely, as always. I'm trying to finish my blanket now. I have it by my side where ever I go. The kids are playing and I am crocheting. When I'm finished, I will send a picture of it so you can see, it's very inspired of your BB.
Have a lovely day, even if it rains. Here in the south of Sweden it's warm but no sunshine today. Yesterday was so nice, with the blue sky and shining sun, so it's a bit disappointing to wake up to this grey. But, now we're off to my parents in law, where the kids will bath in the lake and I will do some crochet. Really nice!! xxx

[Rosie]

I need some comfort today, too. Wish I was curled up on the sofa with my knitting and some choc. Sounds close to perfect! Enjoy being good to yourself.

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ your day sounds just like the kind of day that I would like to be having myself, but alas it is not to be! I am keeping my copy of CL for holiday reading as we are off on a little jaunt this weekend! Hope you thoroughly enjoy your lovely day ahead and please try not to indulge in the caramel shortbread before you have taken the essential bloggy photographs :O)

[slugs on the refrigerator]

Fantastic and cozy post!! And I'm glad you are taking it upon yourself to "deal" with that extra 90g of chocolate. Someone has to do it.

Kat
(from hot and thundery Scotland)

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ I forgot to say that I love the photo of your little posy of flowers and the matching wool, it is indeed a very beautiful and colourful mixture of lovliness :O)

[lucy@theantidote]

What a perfect day.
That blanket really is looking amazing.

[Sarah]

You are making me want to subscribe to CL... what a great day you had. I believe that a great baker MUST taste the chocolate prior to using in the recipe to insure it is HIGH quality so you were only doing what is RIGHT..

[Nina - Tabiboo]

Mmmmm chocolate - you are making my sweet tooth very twitchy!!

I love the colours of you big blankie and 'oh' Country Living I finally found my moment yesterday afternoon curled up on the sofa with the sun pouring in. It's pouring today here again though big fat ploppy raindrops and even more annoyingly on and off - no consistancy 'at all'

I think I'm with your today with comfy clothes, slippers and chocolate!

Nina x

[Rie]

The blanket looks brilliant, great use of colours and a great twist on tradtional granny squares....Granny Squares rule!

[Liz]

Can't wait to see your finished blanket! It looks amazing already and so colourful!!

[Carole]

Thanks for the inspiration too. It`s been raining here in Rossendale, Lancs this morning. The sun is out now. I`m going to do a small peice of ripple blanket to try, because i really want to make a large one for the spare bedroom. So keep you fingers crossed i can manage to do it

[cathleen]

Oh Lucy....I adored this little post of yours today...made me feel comfy and cozy sitting here this morning in my jammies and drinking my coffee. But you know what I liked best??? Well, I will tell you. You sounded so much like YOU, you know, the usual happy-content-chatty Lucy. Sounds like your day is sailing along very sweetly. Sending my love to you Miss Sweetface Lucy.

[Vera]

What a wonderful post. You have such an artist's eye!!! Oh, and the heart of a poet...

[Emily Valli]

Greetings from beautiful northeastern Pennsylvania, USA...sorry about your soggy weather, but look at the joy it's bringing you...crochet by day!
We are having a glorious day...sunny, low humidity, a few large puffy white clouds overhead. I love to sit in my "sunny window" and take it all in and crochet, of course. My sunny window = your Attic 24. It is a large window in a small room (all mine) where I read, crochet until all hours of the night)... and daydream.
Love the pics of your blanket squares and of your flowers. I have always thought of colorful granny squares as little flowers...yours are especially beautiful.
Emily V.

[Meagan S.]

Thank you Lucy,
I will promply head to the grocery store now to buy myself some chocolate! Wasn't sure what was missing in my day, but now I know. Hope your day is the coziest ever! By the way, pretty amazing how your flowers match your yarn...beautiful.

[Wendy Wager]

Thank you Lucy - you have poetry in your soul. This post was just what I needed after a trying phone call to my husband on Monday. After not speaking to us for 12 years for reasons known only to her, my sister-in-law rang out of the blue. We don't know why, but in the course of the conversation, she said my husband's brother died 3 years ago. We are shocked and confused. Had to get this off my chest. Sorry. Do not worry - your lovely blog has restored my equilibrium, Wonderful Lucy!

[Michaela]

I'm also having a quiet day. We're all hiding inside the house because it's 42* outside! I love summer, but I could do without the heat wave.

[Isabelle (France)]

Hello! First comment from me, although I've been reading you for a couple of months now :o). You describe so well the feeling I always have when I flick through Country Living: hyperventilation!! I love it! I used to have a subscription when I was living in the UK but I am seriously thinking of having it delivered here every month! Hope you're enjoying your day. It is hot and grey here today, I can here thunder in the distance.
Bye for now and thanks for your great blog!

[Camilla]

I'm having fun learning how to crochet granny squares for a Babette blanket - I think it's finally clicked! As well as looking after my 5 month old. Enjoy the chocolate.

[Giselle]

Good morning, Lucy. What a wonderful way to start my Wednesday! Today will be cooler thankfully~only 91F~a 10 degree drop from yesterday. Although I would LOVE to curl up with my crochet, I will have to wait until evening as I must get the little one, the hubby AND myself dressed and off to a full day of daycare/work/work respectively. In fact, I hear our Princess waking and demanding Hot Milk. See you again tonight when I will re-read your simply amazingly Comfortable post and lay out the pieces of my (still very tiny) BB.

[Lisa Sasser]

Your blog has kept me from completely burning into a crisp as it has been over 100 degrees here in the middle of the States for over 9 days. I dip into your attic and feel the rain, cool breeze, and the total comfort of your space. Thanks.

[emy]

The colors of the crochet blocks just brightened up my day!

Thanks.

[michelle fallon]

just stumbled across your blog via seaweed roses & wool blog ... you did make me smile when I read your glowing review of Country Living mag - I totally adore that magazine and literally arrange a day to sit down and devour it each month :o) I have years of editions that I can't ever part with. Lovely blog. M x