Attic24

A Little Village by the Sea

On Monday morning we miraculously managed to get ready (with a picnic and everything) to leave the house at 8.15 am. We kept our fingers crossed for  fine, dry weather and set out to spend the day pootling and pottering at our closest seasidey place on the Fylde coast.

Our first stop was at this delightful little village - doesn't it look quaint?

This is no ordinary village, as it is very teensy-small indeed. So small in fact, that you can walk the streets and feel like a great big lumbering giant.

Yes, you probably guessed right away that this is in fact a model village. And maybe you might also have guessed right away that I absolutely loved it to bits! I was soooooo excited to visit as I adore model villages - I was that child who obsessively played with her dolls house for hours and hours on end and was in love with the whole idea of miniature houses. Still am actually. 

So this is Blackpool Model Village, and it's a very quirky little place that's been here since the 1970's. I've wanted to visit for ages, and managed to persuade J and the Little Peeps that we really needed to go see it. Oh, it was really good! It's quaint and ever so slightly faded, but I just fell in love with it all. As we arrived early we were the very first visitors so pretty much had the place to ourselves (only one other family arrived whilst we were there). We had a quiz sheet which led us around the little twisty-turny pathways, and we had loads of fun answering all the questions. The was plenty of gentle humour too - for example, one of the questions on the quiz sheet was "who's in charge of the school?" and the answer was Mr. Terry Bull and Mr. P. Brain. We had to work a little to explain the names to Little B, but when the penny dropped he nearly wet himself laughing.

 This is a family outing very well suited to those with Little People (or adults who still have rather childish minds), and it's all very simple indeed with no gimmicks and nothing extraordinary. Its old fashioned charm certainly pleased me no end, and it was  a lovely start to our day.

Blackpool Model Village is on the edge of Stanley Park which is absolutely huge (over 300 acres). The formal gardens are spectacular, with exuberant, colourful flower beds designed to wow.

I particularly loved the dahlias - these fiery coloured ones with the dark foliage were amazing, and made me want to scoop them up and run back home with armfuls of blooms to fill my house with.

I'd heard about the famous art deco cafe in the park, and was keen to see it for myself. It really was stunning inside, quite grand and very 1920's stylish. We chose to sit outside on the terrace.....

....to enjoy a morning coffee and a little bit of a breather. Gosh, I realise that so often a good strong milky coffee is one of the true pleasures of my day. Not sure if I need to worry about that or not?!

After the village and park (and coffee) excitements, we drove the few miles to the coast, choosing as usual to leave the bustling crowds at Blackpool behind and head a little further south to St Annes instead. As you can see, the day was grey and overcast, but that certainly didn't stop a good many families enjoying the vast sandy beach.

We found a bench on the busy promenade and sat a while to eat our picnic and partake in a bit of people (and dog) watching. It fascinates me to visit our rather old fashioned British seaside towns and ponder on the fact that families have been promenading and taking in the sea views for over a hundred years. According to Wikipedia, St Annes was a 19th-century planned town, officially founded on 31 March 1875. Eighteen Seventy Five!!!

After lunch, we took to our feet and leisurely promenaded along the promenade before dropping down to the beach and slowly strolling back again. 

By this time it was mid afternoon and the weather had dramatically improved since the morning. The low grey clouds had completely blown away to reveal these perfectly summery white wispy ones.

As with all of our previous visits, the tide was waaaaaay out, exposing the vast open sandy beach. It was decided between us all that we weren't all that bothered about trying to reach the sea this time, it was enough to simply kick off our shoes/flip flops and enjoy the sand between our toes. There were lots of kites flying - some really simple ones flown by children, as well as bigger two-string stunt kites flown with varying degrees of skill by adults. 

I enjoy the atmosphere so much in St Annes, there is something incredibly tranquil about it. It feels calm and peaceful, a town built purely to provide gentle leisure and pleasure. We sat a while on the beach, then walked out onto the end of the pier to eat ice cream and take in the views. 

Our walk back to the car was through our favourite Ashton Gardens which was looking as beautiful as ever. We flopped around on the grass for a bit, watching the oldies play bowls on the green whilst keeping an eye on Little B who was flinging himself relentlessly down the slide in the playground there. 

It felt like a perfect little slice of English Summertime, and all was content in my summer-loving world. Even the fountain was making rainbows as we walked past, which just added to the quiet charm of the whole day. 

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A Reflected Landscape

We ventured out into the misty grey yesterday morning to take a walk around Grimwith Reservoir. We are generally an early-to-rise family (with the exception of The Teen, who's body runs on teenager time these days), and it's fairly easy for us to be up and out the house by 8.30am in the summer.

I have to confess that I have mixed feelings about this walk. It takes just short of 2 hours to do the 4 mile round route, and there is a part of me that finds the whole thing ever so slightly dull. There, I said it. I try not to voice this in front of the Little People, because really this is a great walk for them and us as a family - very easy footpaths, a known distance/time that they can cope with, toilets in the car park. 

So yesterday I did my best to adjust my mind, and I set out to appreciate the scenery, feel the benefits of the fresh air and exercise and enjoy some chatty-time with the Little Peeps.

I took the above photo to show you the water levels here in North Yorkshire which are still desperately low despite us having a very wet summer. It's odd to think that our drinking water may very well come from right here (this is one of five reservoirs in our area owned by Yorkshire Water). It makes me not want to moan about the summer rain quite so much!

This time around Grimwith (our third time walking here), we decided to walk the reverse way around the water and see how it felt. For some reason it worked a treat and I enjoyed the walk so much more than in previous times. Maybe it was the fact that we walked the most boring part first, or maybe it was the weather which although grey was blissfully still and just the right kind of warm. But perhaps it was simply the fact that we enjoyed our time together as a family, making the absolute most of these last days of the summer holidays. 

There is definitely something about being beside still water which is extremely soothing and restful. You can feel the peacefulness seeping into your soul, and although I generally prefer to feel invigorated by crashing waves and salty surf, I am finding a new appreciation for quiet, still waters.

We saw very few people yesterday as we walked, just a few dog walkers and a few sheep taking in the morning air.

The surrounding landscape was looking beautiful, with a purple blush of heather across the hilltops and so many shades of green all around. I stood still and breathed it all in. So so good.  

There are several of these carved stones set into the walls around the reservoir, but the poetry of this one is my particular favourite. I've just made a quick Google search and found out that this is the work of local artist Fiona Bowley. 

"A reflected landscape of shadows calling out from under the water" - isn't that such a lovely thing to ponder as you wander around the waters edge?

At this point in the walk we were about 2/3 of the way around, and the light and weather was beginning to alter almost minute by minute. 

The low grey cloud was beginning to lift a little, allowing a gentle brightness to creep into the morning.

The swaying summer grasses, as usual, stopped me in my tracks and made me hold my breath. I have no idea why they affect me so much - I feel like there is an old, old childhood memory tucked deep down just out of reach. I love how tall they are at this time of year, so delicate yet strong at the same time.

This was quite some hill, an unexpected climb which took us by surprise. Of course, as we were walking this route in reverse we would've been jaunting downwards not upwards when we walked here before. It felt good to get the blood pumping though - Little Lady and I proper power-walked up this bit, flopping down on the grass at the top of the hill gasping for breath. So unfit - jeez. I really could do with improving my fitness.

The light was extraordinarily beautiful as we neared the end of our walk, and the contrast of colours was just incredible. The water had turned a dark shade of grey under a heavy grey rain cloud, whilst the sun lit up our little patch of high ground. It was absolutely breathtaking. 

Ragwort (that yellow flower) is a funny plant, mostly ignored as an annoying weed (a bit like dandelions) and hated by land owners as it is poisonous to animals. But the colour of it on this grey day was nothing short of magical.

That grey and yellow colour combo is pretty powerful don't you think? It instantly reminds me of my dear friend Vanessa who used to love seeing yellow and grey together......I really do miss her very much. I think I might take a pootle through her blog archives later, she left behind such an inspirational treasure trove of words, images and ideas for us to dip into. Blogging at it's very best.

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Summer Moments {four}

☀ Humid, hazy weather here right now, with low slung cloud and the constant threat of rain in the air. It feels warm and muggy, and I find myself lacking in energy and slowing down to a lazy dawdle. I fantasize about loafing around on a well padded garden lounger sipping chilled wine and taking afternoon naps, but that really isn't happening at all, in any way, shape or form. Well, possibly the chilled wine might be happening a little later on.

☀ Drinking a mug of fresh coffee out in the back yard in the mornings, listening to the  rooftop jackdaws calling to each other and the neighbourhood gently going about it's business. We bought our Nespresso coffee machine almost five years ago now and I love it more than ever. The ritual of making and drinking my morning coffee is something I enjoy very, very much. I add quite a bit of lightly frothed up hot milk to my lungo coffee shot, then finish with a liberal dusting of chocolate powder. Deeeeelish. 

☀ Stripping off my bed and pegging out the freshly washed bedding on the line, keeping fingers and toes crossed for the rain to stay away long enough for it all to dry. I absolutely adore these Cath Kidston pillow cases, for some reason it really pleases me that each side has a different design. Gosh, there is honestly nothing nicer in the summer months than climbing into a bed made up with freshly laundered, sun-dried bedding, it's one of life's pleasures for sure.

☀ Tilly kitty, curled up on my Moorland blanket enjoying the quiet warmth of a sunny spot. I don't think she appreciates the constant noise and movement which comes from the Little People being at home during the holidays, but in the times when all is quiet downstairs she definitely makes the most of it. 

☀ This was a bit of a bitter sweet Summer moment as I drank the last of the homemade elderflower cordial this week. Oh, the cordial tasted soooo good this year, the perfect combination of fresh/sweet/zesty and I am missing it now that it's no longer around. Commercial elderflower just isn't the same.

☀ We walked through the park to the farm shop one afternoon last week, partly to  buy some fruit and salad which we needed, but mainly just for something to do when the sun suddenly came out to play. It's about a 20 minute walk each way, and we always stop in the park on the way back. I loved this view from the picnic bench, the sunshine and shadows along the tree lined pathway reminded me a little of a Van Gogh olive tree painting. 

☀ Part of the trip to the farm shop generally includes a small treat for the Little People, which always goes down well. There is an amazing bakery at the shop and these cookies are a real favourite. These short local jaunts with a pit-stop-picnic are so simple and summery, but I love how much the Little Peeps seem to enjoy them. 

☀ Ahhh, let me introduce you to my latest salad crush - fresh pea shoots. Actual pea shoots!! Who would have thought you could really buy a bag of these tasty little morsels from the shops, they are so yummy and I could honestly eat a whole massive handful straight from the bag. They taste so good that I'm quite happy to devour them in the nude (the shoots that is, not myself), but I'm thinking this Asian inspired salad dressing sounds amazing. Or perhaps a simple lemon vinaigrette would be good. 

☀ A little fruit haul from the *eh-hem* untamed section of our allotment plot. Much like the elderflowers, the blackberries seem to be especially good this year, maybe due to a very dry spring followed by a shockingly wet summer? Whatever the weather whys and wherefores, the brambles are producing some mighty fine fruit right now, and we are loving it. We tend to eat them as nature intended as they don't last long enough for me to contemplate turning them into cooked up food stuff.

☀ A morning walk around the reservoir on a day when it was warm, grey and moody-looking. The low light levels and pervading shades of grey weren't particularly inspiring, but it always feels good to get out a bit with the Little People and remind them of the natural gorgeousness we are so blessed to have on our doorstep. Plus, the summer grasses swaying in the breeze made me happy!

☀ This is such a beautiful old tree tucked next to a dry stone wall that runs alongside the reservoir, its trunk is huge.  I always feel like I want to wrap my arms around it and give it a hug when we visit, although I'm sure J would have a fit if I became a tree-hugger. The colours of the bark are so soft and lovely, and I find myself beginning to think of a tree-inspired colour palette (the new Lincoln green is right there!)

☀ A second outing for Little B's pocket kite, this time up on the windy tops of Barden Moor near to where we live. We took a short walk up there last weekend so that we could see the heather at it's peek - oh, it did not disappoint. In fact, I think this year is the best display of moorland purpleyness that I've ever seen, it is absolutely breathtaking. As you would expect, I took a mahoosive amount of photographs......and I took my Moorland blanket up there for the first time too, for a little bit of a photo shoot. Oh yeah! I realised a short while ago that I never wrote up an official Ta-dah for the Moorland Blanket after I finished it, so I really think I need to put that right pretty soon. It's the right time of year to do it, for sure!

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Summer Moments {three}

☀ The upside to the rainy downside is that  sometimes we get to see the most beautiful colours arcing across a stormy grey sky. 

☀ A bunch of sunflowers gifted to me by my lovely friend and neighbour as a thank you for popping in and feeding her goldfish for ten days. The fish amazed me by acting like they were on the brink of starvation every single day, and the flowers amazed me because they just look so impossibly unreal. 

☀ A hand written note passed to me whilst the Little People were engaged in some sort of a who-can-go-the-longest-without-speaking challenge. This was Little B, sweetly (and silently) asking for a hot chocolate. How could I refuse?

☀ Still loving my weekly get togethers with friends and visitors at the cafe on Friday mornings. It feels like a blissful full stop after a rather long and rambling week-long sentence, a time to sit still, breathe out and just take time for myself. I look forward to these precious few hours soooo much.

☀ A lovely walk at Bolton Abbey a few weekends ago, it was a rare morning where we woke up to blue skies and no rain. It was a great walk, the Little People were in good spirits and we enjoyed our coffee/cake/ice cream at the cafe afterwards.

☀ Stopping to appreciate the way the sunshine was lighting up these leaves and making them look like they were glowing. Loving that Little Lady also stopped with me and instantly "got it" when I told her what I was looking at. It delights me that we seem to look at the world in a very similar way.

☀ Ahhhhh, that very first mug of coffee each morning, how I love it and look forward to it! Such pleasure in the gentle ritual of making the coffee whilst inhaling the aroma, then sitting quietly, sipping, thinking and savouring the start of a new day. 

☀ Sofa snuggling - me at one end of the sofa and Little Lady at the other in the early morning before the day properly gets underway. There is something so precious about these quiet, ordinary little moments of calm.

☀ Baking with Little B, partly to keep him occupied on a rainy afternoon, and partly giving in to my craving for a cookie with an afternoon cup of tea. These Oaty Cookies are so quick and easy to make (perfect for baking with children), the recipe is on my blog {here}. 

☀ The kitty loves sleeping in this chair, but especially when the sun streams in through the large bay window and creates a very cosy, warm spot for her to snuggle in. 

☀ I brought my yarn pegs home from the studio so I could work on a new colour palette idea that I've had in my mind for quite some time. As ever, I am hugely excited by the thought of a new blanket in it's early stages of design and planning, I just love the start of a new blanket journey so so so much. This will be my Autumn/Winter CAL blanket which I'll be able to tell you about in November.

☀ We were away last week down in Dorset, and my holiday photos tell a tale of many lovely Summer Moments spent pottering over hilltops, through gardens around harbours and along beaches. I'll share some Dorset Tales with you in a day or two, it'll be lovely, as always, to have your company. See you then!

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Summer Moments {two}

☀ My current late breakfast / early lunch summer food crush. A scoop of homemade museli (oats mixed with sultanas and roasted nuts and seeds) mixed with fat free vanilla yoghurt, topped with fresh fruit (banana, strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate). It's not especially photogenic, but trust me it is soooooooo good to eat. 

☀ Enjoying the fact that we live less than ten minutes walk from the centre of town. A few times during this past week I've needed to pop to the shops, and Little Lady has jumped at the chance to come with me. In amongst the errands and shopping, we've managed to sneak a quick cappuccino/frappuccino at her favourite town centre coffee shop which has felt like a real treat.

☀ Lots of snuggling up and watching tv/films this week as the weather has been absolutely dreadful with a huge amount of rain. Happy to report that Little B's thumb has healed very well after his surgery and we are hopeful that so long as he keeps exercising, it'll keep bending as it should.

☀ With so much wet weather, we have grabbed any opportunity to get out when we've been able. This was a late evening walk up a huuuuuuge hill, taking the giddy Little People to the Rec high up above the town to burn off some energy just before bedtime. It's a lovely time of day to be out and about in summer (9.30pm in the above photo), such beautiful golden light.

☀  During the summer holidays, we manage to keep our Creative group going at Coopers Cafe on a Friday morning. I absolutely LOVE this part of my weekly routine, and it's always pure pleasure to sit down with something happily growing on my hook/needles whilst drinking a very good latte and chatting with all the lovely friendly ladies who come to join me. 

☀  My usual juggling act is well underway as I balance out the needs of the family with my own need to crack on with working commitments. I'm pretty used to blocking out the mayhem and working at the dining table, which is just as well really as I've got  a huge workload right now. I'm busy organising the big Creative Community project for Yarndale which I hope to be able to tell you about this week. I'm so excited by it!

☀  We had a few Movie Nights here last week, complete with requested bowls of the stickiest, sweetest toffee popcorn for the Little People. It's been fun - we watched {this} a few nights ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it, the humour really tickled me, and the sound track was fabulous.

☀  The morning after movie night, and the sight of the blanket-strewn sofa never fails to make me sigh with happiness. My blankets are sooooo well used here at number 24, and that makes me unbelievably happy I have to say.

☀  So. Much. Rain. Every day this week it's rained, sometimes a persistent light drizzle, sometimes short, sharp torrential downpours. I've watched the storms roll overhead and have longed for clear blue skies. I've lost count of how many mad dashes I've made out to the back yard to frantically pull in a load of almost-dry laundry at the start of yet another a rain shower. But when the blue skies appear, oh, it feels so good!

☀  A short morning walk up into the woods yesterday morning, a gentle stroll after a couple days of not being well. I felt rather drained of energy as a result of fighting off a stomach bug, but the fresh woodland air (soooo fresh after all the rain!) was a delight.

☀  The waterfalls are usually gently trickling at this time of year, but at the moment they are gushing at full force. Yes, that'll be the rain again....I'm sure there is a positive spin to put on all this wetness, but really I would love love love for it to be dry and sunny for a while.

☀ I can't deny the visual appeal of so much fresh, zesty greenery though, the woodland and surrounding countryside is absolutely thriving.

☀  I continue my love affair with nectarines, they make me so happy! Sometimes I just launch myself at a whole one (often outside as it's a juicy, messy business), and sometimes I take the time to cut the fruit up into neat slices and actually use a plate. Deeeelicious either way.

☀  A solitary little flower picked from my sparse back yard pots, so cheery and such a vivid shade of yellow....

☀  ....perfect to bring a dash of summer colour to the bathroom windowsill. 

I hope you're enjoying your days, whether you are swinging through Summer or cosying up through Winter. And I hope you manage to find some lovely moments which make you stop and take note, feel gratitude and happiness. 

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Summer Moments {one}

☀ A Sunday morning walk along the damp river Wharfe at Bolton Abbey, dodging the rain showers. 

☀ Loving the abundance of wild flowers along the riverside at this time of year...I have just managed to look this one up and discovered it's called "Great Burnet" or Sanguisorba officinalis. Trying hard to commit that to memory! 

☀ I know this one is Knapweed... 

☀ ...and this one is the Common Spotted Orchid - go me! I remember looking up the names of these flowers last year,  and am thrilled that my crazy-bad memory has retained the words. 

☀ I didn't have much success photographing the beautiful grasses, but I loved observing them all the same. 

☀ We pottered around a little on the pebbly river beach... 

☀ ...finding a few more feathers for my collection (much to Tilly's delight - she has already had at them). Please also note the freshly painted nails of my resident Nail Guru - she isn't allowed to wear polish to school so it's something she really looks forward to at the start of the holidays. 

☀ I love eating fresh fruit all year round, but in the Summer I feel like my fresh-fruit cup runneth over - so many to choose from, and all so sweet and juicy. The nectarines are especially good right now - this was the plate I had for my lunch today. 

☀ Enjoying some quiet afternoon hooky, with Tilly keeping me company. She does seem to really love this blanket.

☀ A little bit of impromptu baking this afternoon, when I was hit by an almighty craving for shortbread right after my plate of summer fruit. I used a fab recipe that was shared a while back by Julia, oh this is just soooooo good!  The little cookie cutter is from Amazon {here}.

☀ Mmmmmmmm......I just love homemade shortbread, so light and melt in the mouth and buttery and zesty, you really must give it a go. 

☀ I've almost finished joining the squares on my Summer Harmony blanket this weekend, 91 done, and only 9 more to go. I'll show you how it's looking once all the joining is done, while I contemplate the business of creating a lovely wide border. 

☀ Burning this gorgeous scented candle today, as it rains steadily outside and doesn't feel very summery. The rosy smell is filling the room and making me happy.

☀ I've been resting on the sofa a little this evening, listening to the rain gently pattering against the window and the goings on of the Little People drifting down from upstairs. It shouldn't really be blanket weather in July, and yet it felt really rather good to be snuggled underneath my colourful stripes.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend, and whatever the weather I hope it feels good where you are. 

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ps  This is the first post of my "Summer Moments" - I'm going to try and capture as many little snippets of our summer holiday as I can to share here on my blog. The Little Things really are the Big Things x

 

 

Today Looked Like This

A journey west to reach the coast...

Morning coffee sat at the end of the old pier...

The very huge beach at St Annes, on a most glorious Monday July morning...

J and I, enjoying a few precious child-free hours ambling about on the beach...

Paddling our toes amongst the teeny fishes swimming in the shallow pools...

The light was fantastic, so bright and sharp and crystal clear...

And there was just the right amount of sea breeze whipping across the open beach to keep us cool.

Such a beautiful day, I came home to the Little People with shells in my pocket and sand still on my toes, full of summer spirit and salty sea breezes.

Later.....7pm.....and the day still held so much summer warmth and light....

I walked out with Little Lady, purely to feel the sun still warm on my face...

Along the canal with it's beautiful still water...

Stopping to drink in the reflections under this old bridge, just as I always do...

Little Lady, full of life and chatter, as happy as I was to be out walking at this end of the day...

Up into the cool shade of the woodland, where the sun danced through the greenery...

Along the little lane, stopping to chat to the chickens and admire the castle view...

Then onwards down the hill and gently back towards home.

Summer days like these, so beautiful in their simplicity. Warmth and love, sunshine and light, chatter and laughter, sea breezes and dappled cool greenery. Fresh Italian coffee, ripe juicy nectarines. Sitting and walking and paddling and strolling and completely loving the here and now. Today was all kinds of wonderful.

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Early July

These sweet days of mid summer are just beautiful, and I feel like I need to soak up every tiny little summery thing and absorb it right into my soul. I feel a strong desire to stock pile these visual details, preserve the sights, sounds and memories of summertime in preparation for Autumn when it all fades away. My view is so green and lush right now, and every day I stand at the end of my street and breathe in the sight of it, even in the grey mist/rain that we've had of late it looks lovely. 

On Saturday morning I walked through the park with the Little People to visit our rather fabulous farm shop. It was a lovely day and we were on a mission to choose and buy some things to put a picnic tea together, it was such fun seeing what they chose and how they thought our picnic should be. We came home with a full bag - pork and apple sausage rolls, garlic stuffed olives, Italian salami, cherry tomatoes on the vine, fresh crusty bread, eggs to hard boil, a punnet of strawberries, chocolate chip cookies. J wasn't particularly keen on the picnic-in-the-park idea, but I showed him the chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and reminded him that all he had to do was sit on a blanket, eat yummy food from a plastic plate and drink wine from a plastic glass. What's not to like? Besides, the Little People were sooooooooo happy about the idea of picnicking, he didn't stand a chance really. 

It was lovely, with that particular quality of summery light when the day starts to gently fade and early evening creeps in. It was round 8pm in the above photo, Little Lady and I lazing on the picnic blanket at the top of the hill chatting about this and that, whilst J and Little B ran round after a football. 

We found a new place to walk at the start of the month, a little bit of an accidental discovery. We were driving around familiar lanes in the Yorkshire Dales (J and I, one Monday lunch time) looking for somewhere quiet and scenic to enjoy a bit of a picnic lunch. We had food and drink, I had my crochet, he had his Kindle, and we had in mind that we might spend a few hours partaking in some pleasurable idling with a view. We saw a sign for Grimwith Reservoir and on whim J swung the car off the road and up a teeny lane to take a look. Turns out that it's rather picturesque and has 4 mile footpath running around the whole perimeter. So just like that we abandoned the idea of hooking/reading and took off to walk instead. I happened to be wearing flip flops at the time, and as I always feel like I could happily walk miles in them I decided to give it a go - turns out that I did just fine.

The following Saturday we went back to the same place, this time with the Little People. They moaned a little and said it was boring (four miles translates to just under 2 hours with Little Feet) but you can't win them all can you? On the plus side, I found some gorgeous pheasant feathers and indulged in my summer grass fixation. Very lovely grasses grow plentifully around Grimwith, in case you are ever in the area and fancy checking it out!

Talking of grasses, I discovered the beautiful work of artist Hannah Nunn just recently - do go and feast you eyes on her blog and have a look at her stunning photographs of summer grasses {here}.

The clouds were pretty spectacular on that day.....

.....ganging up on the horizon and looking rather spooky and unreal (these are Lenticular clouds which we see quite often up on the hilltops here in Yorkshire)

I added the pheasant feathers to my mug on the mantel, which doubles up as a nifty kitty amusement device. I'm sure you can picture the scene - she is very adept at extracting individual feathers which she carries proudly around the room as if she hunted them down in the wild. 

We are devouring punnets of strawberries at the moment (well not right at this very moment as I've run out), we eat these ripe sweet fruits on homemade museli for breakfast, with lunch, after dinner and many times in between. Interestingly, if I were to offer up a lowly apple as an after dinner Pudding Option, the Little People would look at me as if I'd grown two heads. But if I present a plate of chopped strawberries, they descend like locusts and forget to be disgusted that I've given them fruit for pudding instead of something "proper".  Works a treat, every time. Some of the fruits we are getting are massive, and can easily please three children.

Not a lot happening in the vicinity of the back yard just now as I keep forgetting to water the pots. I've got some slightly wilting herbs and some rather leggy lavender plants which are hanging on in there, but my best success at the moment is the clematis which is flowering really well this year.

I love the colour of the petals against the blue of the sky....

....and I'm enjoy a few blooms on my table too.

Isn't lavender just so very summery? I do love it for that.

This past week has seen quite a bit of rain fall here in my patch - I'm NOT complaining (my peas are happy! And the countryside is lush!), but it has made flip-flop wearing a real no-no. There have been pretty rain droplets caught in the Alchemilla leaves though, which never fails to delight me every year.

Awwwwww Tilly, you sweet and naughty little kitty cat! She is soooooo exasperating at times, so deliberately attention seeking and Diva-ish, but I love her ways all the same. My Summer Harmony blanket is growing so beautifully and I fall a little deeper for it's colourful charms every day. More on that journey soon.

My Daffodil socks are coming on nicely too and I'm loving the very stripyness of them. The yarn is inspired by the daffodil emblem used by the Marie Curie charity - more details here.

This picture is to remind me that amongst the Summer sunshine and picnics, the colourful yarn and flowers, the ambling walks and jaunts, there has also been quite a bit of quiet stay-home recovery time for us just lately. On Thursday last week, Little B went back into hospital to have another operation on his hand. He had his first op back in November 2015 which was partially successful in that his left thumb was fine and dandy but his right thumb refused to be fixed first time. It's been tricky for him at school during this past year as he's right handed, but we are hopeful that the operation has worked OK this time, fingers (and thumbs) crossed. It's not always easy doing this parenting thing, and I admit I've felt the strain of it this past week.

Thank goodness for yarn and crochet - total feel-good therapy and stress relief right there in that bag.

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Summer is Happening

June is almost at an end and honestly, if it wasn't for the assortment of photos gathered on my camera, I would be hard pressed to tell you anything much that has happened during these weeks of early summer. Every year is the same, in that this month generally feels quite hazy and sluggish to me (I think maybe it's due to the onslaught of the hayfever season). I know I've spent very little time at my desk/computer and a lot of time outdoors enjoying the weather which has been beautifully summerish for much of the time. I adore this time of year and my summer-loving soul is very happy soaking up these lengthy, light-filled days. The warmth/heat we've had has been fabulous, but it's the light that I love the most. Oh, and the green, green lushness of the countryside too. It's just lovely. 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this already, but back in January J had the opportunity to change his job which involved staying within the same company but moving to a new role in a new department. Most importantly (and after much deliberation) he took up an option of cutting back his working hours and now only works a three day week. Although the days sometimes change, he usually chooses to work Tues-Weds-Thurs which essentially gives us a four day weekend. Every. Single. Week. It's taken us a while to stop feeling ridiculously guilty on Mondays and Fridays when it feels so much like we are bunking off from real life! But it's been the BEsT thing for us as a couple and for the family too, and I can't tell you how much I am appreciating this change to our lives.  

Monday mornings now feel amazing, and if the weather is good then we nearly always choose to head out of town and into the Yorkshire Dales. Sometimes this might be a gentle pootle along the riverside and sometimes we might decide to take a longer walk with a picnic lunch. The photos above are from one of our Monday walks around the picturesque village of Grassington a few weeks ago. It was warm and muggy with a threat of rain which never came, and I loved being out in the green of the countryside eating a picnic lunch beside the river.

The Little People have been enjoying the long light days too and when the weather has simply been too good to ignore, we've taken to heading up to the park for an hour or so after dinner.  This suits me just fine as I get to sit on a blanket with a little bit of crochet happening whilst the rest of the fam engage in more energetic pursuits. I sky gaze and watch the swallows swoop low over the grass, throwing out the odd words of encouragement to my frisby-throwing offspring when it seems appropriate. 

Our eating habits have altered with the hot weather and easy-to-make meals with lots of salad have been the thing. I'm not sure why I photographed this pizza at the time, but I think it had something to do with the fresh Summery look of it. This is me loading up a basic pizza - basic thin crust Margarita pizza's which we always have in the freezer, with some extra goodies piled on top. Sliced tomatoes, crumbled goats cheese and rocket, drizzled with a little olive oil and seasoned with herbs....

....which makes for a beautifully tasty, quick and easy meal. We have buttery corn on the cobs and a mixed salad to go with it, and I can tell you the Little People thoroughly approve. 

J and I have walked a lot at Bolton Abbey during the past month, well during the past six months actually. We have a season ticket which gives us access to the whole of the estate for a year, and we've really made the most of it. Some days we just take a short stroll and have coffee at one the cafes, sometimes we walk for a good 4 or 5 miles all along the woodland footpaths which border both sides of the river. 

The summer when I was eight years old, I woke up one morning not being able to open my eyes and that was the start of my hay fever. Growing up in Dorset I suffered quite badly every Summer, but I seem to do a bit better up here in Yorkshire. Despite my allergy, I am fascinated with summer grasses (in a similar way to my moss obsession) and love to look at them up close. There is something so delicate and fleeting about these pollen laden plants, a reminder of how short our British Summers are and how fleeting the good weather generally is. Sigh. Right now it's pouring with rain and I want the sun to come back!

Sun-dappled woodland paths are just a delight at this time of year - this day was really hot (well, it was  around 26 degrees which is considered sweltering in Yorkshire, borderline heatstroke you know). The woodland pathways at Bolton Abbey carry you quite high above the river level, but at times they do drop down so that you are right beside the water where the play of light and shadow is magical.

A couple days before the Summer Solstice last week, we decided to bring a picnic dinner to Bolton Abbey. As it was a school night this was seen as quite a treat and the Little People were appropriately excited for an impromptu jaunt out and an al fresco meal. I made up a big batch of chicken and bulgar wheat salad with a red pesto dressing (my own weird recipe, but surprisingly good), which we ate out of bowls with some crusty french bread. We had cherries and strawberries after, elderflower cordial to drink. It was delicious I can tell you, and such a lovely treat to eat outside whilst twiddling my bare toes in the cool grass. My crochet project is travelling everywhere with me at the moment, these Summer Harmony squares are super addictive and I cannot get enough of the joyful colours. 

We stayed at Bolton Abbey until 8pm or so, then drove back over the top of the moors which were looking glorious in the early evening light.

Sheep roam freely up on the moors  as there are no fences or anything to keep them in, so they wander around as they please. They are obviously used to people and don't seem at all bothered by us parking up and talking to them. 

Ahh, Little B, he enjoyed this evening so so much, delighting in the fact that he was still prancing about on top of the moors after 8pm on a SchOOl NighT. His excitement matched my own!

I should probably have entitled this post "Summer is Happening at Bolton Abbey" as I realise now that so many of these images were taken there. We are getting some good use out of that season ticket aren't we just?! This was last week (Wednesday) when my lovely friend Christine was visiting for the day. Usually we spend our get-together hours at Coopers Cafe catching up over coffee and cake but last week we took our continuous chatter into the wilds and nattered our way along the riverside instead. We walked along to the Strid which was as spectacular as ever even though the water levels are ridiculously low here in Yorkshire at the moment.

I've never noticed this rock carving before at the Strid so maybe it's new? New LOVE.... it did make me smile :)

We walked for a good 5 miles or so (that's a lot of footsteps and a lot of chatter) so of course we were in dire need of refreshment by the time we returned to the cafe. I can report that the generous slab of homemade coffee cake hit the spot rather nicely, and definitely replenished the expended energy caused by walking and talking for two solid hours. 

 Ahhhh, sweet elderflowers, the very essence of a June Summer! 

We went to gather in the floral booty on the day of Summer Solstice last week, which secretly delighted me no end. I didn't voice this out loud to the family (yes, it was a family affair this year, even J came to witness me getting all giddy over the free hedgerow gatherings), but I have this fanciful idea that somehow picking the flowers on the longest day of the year makes them extra special. 

The flowers were almost, (almost but not quite) on their way out and many were already at the not-nice brown stage. Even so, we managed to gather fifty frothy white heads from a good number of trees which was enough to make 3 litres of extra special solstice-infused elderflower cordial this year. My, my, it really does taste like Summer in a glass.

In other summery tasting news, we are celebrating our very first allotment crop!!!!!!!!!!!! Lots of excited exclamation marks for this event I can tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, this row of greenery really has delighted us, and we are stupidly proud of our humble first veggie growing efforts. I was a bit confused for a while as I thought we were growing sugar snap peas here and have been checking on progress daily, waiting for the pods to swell and look more like pea pods. However, yesterday I was informed by friends-in-the-know that these are more likely to be mange tout which will stay flat and so I should be picking the things right now and not waiting for any swelling to take place. Righty-o then, I am beyond excited to go forth later today with Little B and gather in the harvest!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Allotment progress in general has been slow and sporadic, and I don't have much of anything else to show you just yet. We have a weird shaped yellow courgette which has grown round like a golf ball instead of long like a sausage. We have some baby cucumbers which are still very teeny tiny and we have some green leafy things which are still recovering from a savage slug attack. But we do have baby plum tomatoes, and I am chatting to them daily to encourage growth and hopeful progress towards colour change. I've got a whole set of progress photos of our little half plot which I will spin into an allotment story at some point, it's nothing much really, but we are getting there slowly.

I was chatting to a friend the other day about the whole business of being engaged in The School Run, and how this routine dominates our lives for so many years. For my family with an age gap between second and third child, my years of doing the primary school run will be lengthy. I'm talking fifteen years in total......currently with four more left to go. 

But I am in no way complaining - I have come to LOVE this daily routine, especially as we have such a great walk to and from school, and I know I shall miss it when this part of my mothering comes to an end.

At this time of year, our school run is just beautiful, and I love to see so many boats coming and going along the canal. Only three more weeks after this one and we will break for our summer holiday, I really can't wait actually. That break from routine is so liberating when it happens and I am looking forward to it hugely.

Before I pop off and make myself a mug of tea, I wanted to thank you for all your lovely chatty comments about my Summer Harmony blanket in progress - ThAnK YoU! I'm so excited by the whole thing and it makes me beyond happy that you are also loving the idea of it too. It's coming on a treat, and I've almost finished writing up Part 2 to share with you, hopefully tomorrow if I can manage. 

Thank you so much for reading my witterings, and for taking time to write back. I appreciate your words more than I can say.

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...more little snippets from the Attic...

Up Hill and Down Dale

Harmony Home Stretch

Blue Bluebells

The bluebells came early this year, starting to gently bloom at the end of April instead of waiting until May like we've come to expect here in my patch.

J and I walked in the woods about ten days ago, a sunny Thursday afternoon at the start of the month and it was magical.

As per usual I took a shed load of photographs, and as per usual I wondered out loud why I can't for the life of me just appreciate the bluebells without feeling compelled to capture the visuals, share them and talk about them with the world at large. It's the same thing every year - I absolutely have to show you how bloomin' gorgeous it all is, you just have to see what I see!

I feel an almost obsessive need to try and convey the beauty of this beautiful and fleeting time in May, when the woodland glows with shades of sunlit blue and green.

It's a living sea of colour, the woodsy equivalent of looking out to sea perhaps?

Sigh.....I love this time of year so much.

Last week I enjoyed the most delightful little posy of bluebells on my table at home, well, when I say bluebells I also need to say pinky-purple and creamy-white bells too. Aren't they pretty? I wouldn't usually pick wild flowers, but these ones are growing in abundance all around the edge of our allotment plot and I couldn't resit picking just a few to bring home.

I love having little flower posies on my table and am really looking forward to planting up my back yard pots for this year.....once my little veggie seedlings are planted out safe and sound I'll be all over the flowers.

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...more little snippets from the attic...

Bluebell Time

On My Mind

The Colours of May