Attic24

City Delights

I am very much enjoying having J at home with me this week, it's a treat for us to have so much child free time together and we're having fun going out and about. Today we went on the train to The City to do a little bit of Christmas shopping which is something of an annual ritual for me at this time of year. Having the Mister with me made it a different experience altogether, and also made me remember that we are both completely different when it comes to shopping.

Our first stop was a new shopping arcade which only opened in October, and wowsers, what an impressive thing it is. I wished that I had taken more notice of the outside of the building as it looks incredible from the pictures I've seen (have a look here to see what I mean). Inside was quite overwhelming, everything was just soooooo shiny!! So much gleaming, reflective, shiny materials, my eyes felt like they might just pop out of my head trying to take it all in. The floor completely did me in, those reflective zigzags made me feel like I was going to trip over any minute. The shops were all incredibly posh too, and were a little bit over the top for me, but then again I was kind of expecting it to be that way. Aside from wanting to just experience all the shiny new-ness, we actually needed to visit the new John Lewis store to pick up a particular gift.

I do have a soft spot for large department stores, there is something rather exciting about having access to so much beautifully displayed stuff on such a large scale. And I happen to love love love riding up and down escalators, it greatly pleases my inner child which I suspect is very much more giddy than is normal for my age.

I left J in the technology department and wandered across to the christmas department to gaze in wonder at the vast displays of ornaments. I had an urge to go and stroke household textiles on the floor below (I am inexplicably drawn to the shelves of fluffy towels arranged by colour), but J was having none of it. He shops like a missile - knows his target in advance and goes straight to it, acquiring it with the minimum of fuss and not a millimetre of diversion. I am the complete opposite, I am a browser and a wanderer and am so very easily diverted it's ridiculous. I have secretly decided to go back to this amazing store at another time and spend an age wandering and stroking, riding up and down through all the levels as many times as I can.

The older shopping arcades in Leeds city are just incredibly beautiful, and I love strolling around here.

I didn't see anyone else really taking in their surroundings, but to me it was impossible not to stand still and gaze about.

We were passing through this arcade so weren't shopping here as such....

.....but I couldn't resist taking some photographs of it looking so glorious and festive.

Ahhhh, gift shopping.....what can I say? I don't enjoy it all that much, and I'm not very good at it either. I picked up a few things from favourite shops for friends, and some small bits for the Little People. But ultimately, after going at it for 3 hours I felt drained and as if I'd failed somehow. 

J suggested we use our last hour in the City to sit and have a drink rather than traipse around more shops, and I was so happy about that idea. 

He took me to a place that he sometimes visits with friends - it's actually a hotel bar, but the fact that it's on the 13th floor makes it rather special.

The views from up here in the SkyLounge Bar are spectacular, so different from my green rural Attic view, but stunning all the same.

We ordered drinks and decided to sit outside on the narrow terrace which runs along the whole length of the thirteenth floor. Despite it being winter and the fact that we were so high up in the air, the terrace was sheltered and warmed by outdoor heaters above each table, and it felt absolutely lovely to be able to sit outside.

I was a bit naughty and ordered myself Hendricks gin and tonic to take the lingering edge off the shopping experience, gosh I really, really enjoyed that drink!

We had time before our train to have a little wander around this area which is a curious mix of historical and new, residential and commercial. It was interesting to see the canal boats here, and it suddenly occurred to me that this is the very same canal (the historic Leeds-Liverpool canal) that runs through my town.

Walking home from the train station along my own familiar stretch of canal this afternoon, I felt a surge of relief to be back. I do enjoy the occasional city visit and a change of scene every so often, but oh it is so so so nice to come home again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 More little snippets from the Attic....

Seasonal

Up Hill and Down Dale

Dorset Summer 2015

Drunk On Fresh Air

J is spending a little bit of time away from work in the run up to Christmas this year and we've been counting down the weeks for quite some time. 

Ages ago, when these precious days were marked in big happy letters on the calendar, I asked J if he might take me to see the sea one day, just the two of us, just because we could. We have just over six hours in a school day, so we figured it was do-able and I can't tell you how very, very much I've been looking forward to it. 

I didn't care if it was raining (it wasn't) and I didn't care if it was freezing cold (it was). I just wanted to wrap up warm, wander on the vast sandy beach, stroll leisurely along the deserted promenade and drink a mighty fine Italian coffee in our favourite little cafe on the pier.

So this morning saw us walking along the beautifully quiet beach at St Annes on the Fylde coast - you might remember we spent a few days there back in February. It's such a lovely, peaceful kind of a place in winter time, very good for mind, heart and soul. 

Our agenda was sparse and consisted of slow walking, gentle pottering, good coffee and a little picnic. We talked a lot, laughed a lot too. 

In some ways it felt a bit strange to be without any accompanying Little People (I kind of felt we should have had a dog, as pretty much everyone else we saw was dog walking), but it was rather lovely to be just the two of us.

As the hours passed, I felt myself slowly filling up with giddy joy. The wide open views, the break from routine, the gentle exercise, the laughter, the soft winter light, the togetherness. But it was the fresh sea air that filled me the most, I just couldn't breathe it in deeply enough. 

On the way home in the car, I suddenly had a flash of a memory - I recalled a beautiful paper cut by the fabulously talented Rob Ryan. I couldn't remember the exact words, but I knew that they perfectly described this kind of a day.....

 

'Can We? Shall We? One day very soon, let us go away together just you and me. Can We? Shall We? Call in sick one day and travel to the sea and hold hands all day. Can We? Shall We? Eat our sandwiches on the train, get drunk on fresh air and come home tired and never tell anyone.... Ever'

Exactly that....except of course I've shared it with you...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn/Winter Walking

The seasons are on fast forward here right now, and Autumn is very quickly being chased out by a sudden snap of Winter. It's been wet and blustery and down right cold, and everything has felt so fast all of a sudden...the clouds race overhead, the sun appears then quickly disappears, rain starts then abruptly stops, rainbows appear then disappear a few minutes later. It's the weather on high speed!

During this past week we've had that curious mix of rain and snow known as "winter showers". Rain that all of a sudden morphs into wet snow, then just as quickly turns back to plain old icy cold rain again. It's been really cold too, and although I'm not a massive fan of Autumn, I really think it could have stuck around a bit longer before letting winter slam in. We've not had any snow on the ground down here in the town this week but the surrounding hills are wearing a permanent dusting on their tops.

Yesterday morning we decided to take a walk in the woods at Bolton Abbey to catch the last of the leaves before the storms come and swirl them all away. We took the road which goes up over the moors and were stunned by the amount of snow up here and were in for a bit of a shock - we hadn't really considered the fact that the high ground would be snow-covered (doh!)

It made me laugh actually - I've been so fixated on my photos of the heather this week that in my mind the moorland is still in late summer mode. Discovering Winter sitting up here was a real eye opener! Still beautiful though, in a bleak, shivery sort of a way.

By the time we reached the woods it had started to rain, and although we all had boots and waterproofs on, it was still quite harsh walking weather. 

Despite the rain, the trees were looking glorious and still very leafy (pheeww) which means that it must still be Autumn despite the snow we've had.

It's not always easy to encourage the Little People to see the good in Weekend Walking, and in many ways I do get that. The house was warm, cosy and snug when we left it, and the woodland was very cold and wet. Little Lady was quietly resigned, but Little B was seriously cross. And then he was very upset. He said his feet were so cold that they were hurting, not just hurting a little bit but hurting loads. He started to cry, real big sobbing tears and snot. I was torn between telling him to snap out of it and stop being so selfish, and feeling really sorry for him (I'm sure many of you will be familiar with that Maternal dilemma!) In the end, I crouched down and pulled off each of his wellie boots in turn and loosened his socks a little, rubbing his feet and telling him they would be ok if he just kept on walking. I told him gently that if it would help, I could always sit on his feet and have a go at puffing some hot air out of my bottom to warm him up....well you should have seen his little face, I don't think he could quite believe what I had said. But it hit the funny spot, and he burst out laughing which seemed to trigger a much happier outlook for the rest of the walk. Feel free to borrow that line at any time you are out walking with reluctant offspring complaining of cold feet/hands, it works a treat.

I have to tell you it really was flippin' freezing actually as the icy rain fell quite heavily and plopped down on us through the trees. Even I began to shiver and long to be indoors in the warm. But the woodland was absolutely enchanting, and I tried my hardest to ignore the coldness seeping into my bones and soak up the glory of the colours.

Oh the colours were simply stunning, I couldn't get enough of them.

We walked for maybe an hour or so, perhaps more, a circular route which eventually brought us right back around to the warm, cosy Cavendish Pavillion Cafe for some much needed defrosting and hot liquid refreshment. We pulled chairs right up alongside the radiator and devoured big mugs of hot chocolate/cappuccino. It felt sooooo good to feel warmth return to frozen fingers and toes, and although I did enjoy the seeing the woodland in all it's Autumn glory, I was very glad to hop back in the car and head home to light the fire.

Talking of which, I think it's about time for me to go and light the fire now, I can feel a spot of fireside hooky coming on this afternoon.

But before I go, I want to say a massive big THANK YOU for all your kind words about my Moorland Blanket. The response to the yarn pack and the crochet-a-long has been overwhelming, and I am so grateful for your support. During this next week I'm going to put together a Q&A post as there have been many similar questions asked about this blanket, the pattern, the yarn, and the crochet-a-long which I feel could do with some answers.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps the above glorious image is a painting called "Autumn Leaves" by Janet Bell and is one of her new pieces for November. Isn't it stunning? You can get 10% off Janet's new November prints until the end of the month, more details on her website here. 

 

 

 

 

 

British Knitting Awards 2016

I feel like my feet just aren't really touching the ground at the moment, I just cannot seem to catch my breath somehow. The weeks are taking on a warp-speed feel, and here I am, stuttering around in a dither, wondering how on earth it can already be three weeks since Yarndale. Three weeks? How is that even possible, surely it was just the other day?? But I am not complaining, I am very happy as I scoot about my days and I have so much to be grateful for.

At the end of last week, I took myself rather spectacularly out of my comfort zone and and hopped on a train, journeying all the way down to London. It's been a couple of years since I was last there and it felt rather odd for me to be out and about in the Big City. I feel so at home in my little rural market town surrounded by green hills and trees, and am less inclined to venture out of it than I ever used to be. But I believe it's good to do these things every so often, plus I was rather excited by the prospect of a night away staying in a hotel. How very Grown Up and Adultish!!

The occasion was the annual British Knitting Awards, held at the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace. The results were announced in the week before Yarndale, and I honestly nearly fell off my studio chair (which does have very wobbly legs it has to be said). Some of you may know that I was in the top five nominations for two of the crochet categories, and some of you may even have voted for me back in the Summer - thank you so very much if you did! I am really chuffed indeed to tell you that I won first place in both  categories - Favourite Crochet Blog and Favourite Crochet Designer. I still can't quite believe it, but I have my lovely framed certificates and rather a warm happy glow to remind me it is indeed true.

The award ceremony in London was well attended and fun - a champagne reception and lots of lovely friendly happy yarny peeps to hang out with. I am especially thrilled to tell you that as well as my own two awards, Yarndale also won first place in the Best Knitting Event category which is a huge honor for our quirky little homespun show held in the sheep pens! We are honestly very, very chuffed indeed, and it was wonderful for me to be at the award ceremony with two of my fellow Yarndale organisers. All the results are listed in the current issue of Lets Knit magazine, as well as online here. It's a real tribute to the talent and passion that exists in the yarn industry as well as the tremendous support which is so great amongst the yarn loving public. Thanks ever so much to everyone of the 14,000 people who took the time to vote.

It's hard for me to put into words my heart felt thanks for your support and friendship, not just with these awards but with everything I share here in the Attic. It honestly does mean a huge amount to me, and I couldn't be more grateful. Lets keep spreading colour and creativity, finding happiness in the little things and hooking up colourful blankets together, it's a happy way to be!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

ps I've almost finished my Weekend Bag tutorial, it's a huuuuuuuge picture heavy tute and has taken me an age to pull it all together, but it's very nearly ready - just in time for the Weekend (hopefully Saturday, fingers crossed my Little People play along!) x

That September Feeling

Ahhh September, such a nostalgic, emotional, heart felt time of year this is, don't you think? The slow changing of the seasons, the return to school routines after the gentle pleasure of summer holidays, and the excitement of a new year beginning. In so many ways, the start of September always feels more new-year-ish  than January does for me, it's a thoughtful, meaningful time full of new plans, new ideas, renewed routines and a delightful kind of optimism. I love it for that, but also feel ever so slightly overwhelmed by it too. Only ever so slightly though, which is good.

By the way, isn't the above image beautiful? I am more than a bit in love with it (it's the September month on my Country Homes calendar which I gaze at to the left of my desk), oh those blooms! I seriously love dahlias so much, and can't wait to see them arrive in the pavement buckets of the market very soon. An armful shall be mine, I shall swoon!

There is a big part of me that gently mourns the end of the summer holidays, as much as I enjoy the return to routine that comes with the start of the new school year. This morning I was re-folding and re-arranging my rather impressive stack of crochet blankets which has  been under constant attack during the holidays. Little B has carried out an obsessive daily den-building mission during the past few weeks, turning various bits of furniture into his own private, cosy, blanket-filled snug. It's been sweet to see, he's been wrapped up like a little door mouse playing games, watching films, even eating his lunch which I've delivered to him through a blankety gateway. As a result I've enjoyed my own obsessive daily blanket-folding missions too, it's been comforting and lovely to fold, smooth, stack and get lost in a good many blanket-making memories. Soon these blankets will begin to migrate upstairs to the beds as the weather cools, not yet though. Right now my friends it is Still Summer, yes it is! Summer, summer, summer I tell you, and blankets don't go on beds until Autumn arrives.

I have love love loved our walks to and from school this week, we are so lucky to have an easy ten minute walk along the side of the canal, with swans in attendance if we're lucky. I am overflowing with gratitude for the beauty and simplicity of our school day routine.

We became ridiculously lazy during the summer holidays, with the exception of the last week when I whirled around the town with one or more of my Little People in tow, scowling at the price of shoes etc and the ridiculous amount of money emptying out of my bank account. I blinkin' hate the annual torture of school uniform shopping, the footwear part of it most of all. We purchased nine pairs in total. Nine! I am still wearing my £1.50 bargainous flip flops bought on holibobs in St Annes in May. Bright pink. I need new shoes for the Autumn myself but can't bare to face the fact just yet. Not whilst it's still summer and I've just repainted my toenails in peacock blue.

The LP  went back to school this week in dribs and drabs, so that Tuesday was Little B, Wednesday The Teen and finally on Thursday off went Little Lady. This gave me and Little Lady one precious day together with no boys to worry about, she was beside herself with happiness I can tell you. We started the day with coffee/juice and sourdough toast at a local café, then went on to do some light and enjoyable shopping for new pens and the such like. Don't you just love the smell of shops that sell pens and stationary? It is so unique and nostalgic, I breathed in the air and felt as if I was ten years old all over again.

I dug out my planner on Monday, my poor neglected planner with its six weeks of blank pages as I simply refused to plan my time during the summer holidays. Bizarrely it made me very happy to sit and write lists again, even if they were rather worryingly lengthy and a tad scary. Soooooooooo much to do during the next two weeks, with Yarndale so close and some exciting new projects in the pipeline for the Autumn too.  Chocolate definitely helps when there is a lengthy list crisis, I discovered this divine Lime and Sea Salt chocolate at the farm shop this week, good grief, it is sinfully good.

The late Summer landscape is looking lovely around here, the mix of green and brown telling the story of the slow season changeover creeping in.

We were up and out very early this morning, brought about by the clear blue skies and gentle sunny warmth that greeted us when we woke up. We took off  just a few miles up the road to have a picnic breakfast beside the resevoir, wanting to make the very most of these last days of warm summer time. But oh how the Little Ones moaned !! It was comical really, but not unexpected with a 7.30am shout to get dressed and ready. Poor things. But to be fair, they were awake and up at 6.30am so it's not as if we actually pulled them from their beds or anything. And as ever they seemed to enjoy it once we were there, sitting on a sun warmed bench to eat soft bread rolls filled with butter and jam, fresh orange juice, and (for J and I) a flask of hot coffee. It's so nice to sit and eat whilst looking out across water, so tranquil and uplifting for the soul. I would do it every day if I could.

I've got a very, very busy week ahead of me, and I am trying not to allow myself to be swept up in a tidal wave of panic. All will be well. I shall wear my pink flip flops and admire my peacock painted toe nails and hope for blue skies and sunshine as I work work work. All is good!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps Autumn officially begins (for me) at the Autumnal Equinox which this year is on 22nd September - I know lots of people think it starts on the 1st of September, but it's stiiillllll suuuummmmmmer right now in my book! :)

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Yarn Infested Thoughts

Whilst I was away from the Attic through June and early July, a great deal of my time was filled with yarn infested thoughts. This is a busy time for me with a huge amount of Yarndale work happening behind the scenes, so I really appreciated a chance to take off for a couple of days at the end of June to visit Woolfest in Cumbria. Being one of the organisers of Yarndale means that unfortunately I don't get to experience our fabulous festival in the same way that a visitor would. And as I had never been to Woolfest before, a visit with no agenda other than to delight myself with a great deal of yarny goodness was a real treat. I loved being at the festival - as expected, it has a very similar feel to Yarndale, but I would say it's rather more "woolly", with a strong emphasis on natural fibres. Where Yarndale focuses on Creativity, Woolfest has it's focus very much on the Wool. It was a joy to see so many beautiful, real, live sheep, to be able to squish and stroke so much lovingly produced yarn and chat to the amazing people who love to share their talent and passions.

But even better than all the yarn put together was the fact that I was away from home for two days and one whole night, child-free (holy smoke, the luxury of that!!), and got to hang out with my most lovely friend Christine. We had such a laugh, and I came home feeling very inspired, relaxed and energised after my break away.

Two weeks after Woolfest and I was off again on another yarn infested jaunt, this time a short train journey across Yorkshire to rendez vous at the Stylecraft Mill in Slaithwaite. Now this was something I'd been really looking forward to for many weeks, a day to meet up with a small group of wonderful knit and crochet bloggers, a day for a heap load of yarn chat over a delicious lunch, a day to inspire, connect, share and make friends. It was completely brilliant I have to say, and there is nothing like chatting to people who share a combined love of yarn and blogging. It was fun, friendly and hugely inspiring to hear everyone's blogging stories, to share our thoughts and inspirations and our plans for the future.

I have been lucky enough to visit the Stylecraft Mill a few times now, but being a part of an amazing new Bloggers Meet-up was a completely new thing for me. I don't always find social situations easy as I am naturally quite a shy person (I am getting better though), but everything about this day was designed to make us feel good from the moment we walked in the door. I was truly delighted to realise that once we all sat down together I immediately felt I was amongst good friends and the day just got better and better.

So you may be wondering what all this was actually about? This is a brand new initiative created by Stylecraft Yarns to celebrate and support the knit and crochet blogging community. Twelve bloggers have been chosen to make up a Stylecraft "Blogstars" group, with the idea that we can all learn from each other, share ideas, preview new yarns, and generally help spread the yarny love. Spreading the joy of yarn and creativity is something each of us does already through our blogs, so this is a way of bringing us together and celebrating the sharing I guess. In the photo above there are nine of us, so three who sadly couldn't make it to the first ever Blogstars meet up. Do you recognise the other bloggers in the photo with me? I'll tell you who they are and give you links to their blogs so you can go have a pootle.....

From left to right > Katherine of Crafternoon Treats : Sandra of Cherry Heart : Heather of The Patchwork Heart : Julia of Hand Knitted Things : Phil of The Twisted Yarn : Helen of The Woolly Adventures of a Knitting Kitty : ME (!) : Sarah of Annaboo's House : Sue of Susan Pinner Yarn Art.

The other three who were there with us in spirit were > Emma Varnham : Jane Crowfoot and Angela of Get Knotted Yarn Craft.

You can also read more about each of the Blogstars here.

Aside from the thrill of having so many amazing writers and designers all on one room, we were treated to a fascinating insight into the way Stylecraft designs and plans their yarn and pattern ranges. As someone who is very much Of-The-Moment when it comes to designing and making, I am really rather in awe of the huge amount of forward planning that goes on in the yarn world. It's the norm for yarn manufacturers and designers to be working at least 18 months in advance, and "trend forecasting" is used to predict the moods, colours, shapes and fashion elements that will be influencing all things yarny in the seasons to come. We were shown a couple of mood boards which will lead the way for  the Autumn/Winter 2016/17 season, and honestly it is so hard for me to grasp that this was all put together way back last year! I can barely think about what I might be doing next week, let alone next month/season/year. The above mood board is influenced by a trend named "The Humble Labourer" and is all about rustic textures, patterns and an earthy, natural colour palette.

And this one is named  "World Marauder" which is all about rich jewel colours and intricate decorative patterns. Fascinating, no?? We got to preview some beautiful new Stylecraft yarns inspired and influenced by these trends, and my favourite (by a long chalk) is this.................

..........oh, so delicious! This is a brand new range of yarn called Stylecraft Batik - can you see how the rich colours were inspired by the Marauder mood board I showed you up above? This photo isn't particularly good I'm afraid (was in too much of a giddy spin to focus properly at the time), but let me tell you the yarn is absolutely LUSH. It's very very soft and springy, surprisingly soft and tactile actually, to say that it contains 20% wool (it's an 80/20 acrylic/wool blend).

The yarn is DK weight and comes in 50g balls. Interestingly it's been designed specifically with crochet in mind - the twist of the fibres is quite tight which makes it smooth and non-splitty and lovely to hook with. At the Blogstars meet up we were given a very generous goody bag to bring home, which included the above 16 shades of Batik. Lucky, lucky me. This yarn has sparked a tonne of ideas to whizz into my Creative Mind, but so far I'm only at the stroking and smooching stage. Did I tell you how soft and springy this yarn is? It really is. So Batik has already hit the shops this summer in all it's pretty yarny yumminess. Do let me know if you start a project with it, I'd love to see!

Here in the Attic, there is lots of yarny stuff simmering on multiple creative burners as usual. I'm already working on a colour palette and new pattern samples for my next blanket which will begin at the end of the year - I'll be launching a new yarn pack in November, ready for an Attic24 Crochet-A-Long to start in January. The colours are really beautiful, inspired by the Yorkshire Moorlands which I love - can't wait to show you more!

In the meantime, I'm working on adding printed patterns to some of my yarn packs which don't yet have them - the first will be the re-make of my Original granny stripe blanket....

....then an updated pattern for my Rainbow Raindrops cushion.

At the end of September I'll have a new bag pattern to share with you too - this is my Weekend Bag, and it's been a long time coming!

I'll be making a full tutorial for this cute cross-body bag to share for free here on my blog, and I'm thrilled that there will also be three new chunky colour packs launching at Yarndale, then online in my shop with Wool Warehouse after that. Two of the chunky colour ways are shown above, plus there is a third one in shades of blues and greys. I am excited to share this with you at the end of next month - better get busy!!

 

Gosh, this feels like it's been a long, overdue catch up, I feel a bit dizzy from spilling it all of a sudden! And breeeeeeathe.............

One last thing to mention whilst I'm on the subject of bloggy stuff and yarny carry ons - I was thrilled to find out that I've been nominated in the British Knitting Awards again this year - these awards have become pretty prestigious and a great acknowledgement of the dedication and passion found within the yarn industry.

I've reached the top five nominations in not one but two categories (sooooo chuffed!) - "Favourite Crochet Designer" and "Favourite Crochet Blog". Wooohooo! If you fancy casting a vote for me, that would make me very happy indeed....voting is for UK residents only (due to the fabby prizes up for grabs), and ends on 28th Aug. Here's the link...

http://www.letsknit.co.uk/britishknittingawards/

♥

As ever, it's a pleasure to welcome you into the Attic for a chat and a catch up, thanks so much for the company as I bungle through my busy yarn infested days. Now I'm going to go grab a cup of tea and take a bit of a breather before cooking dinner.....see you again soon xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Riverside

Ahhh the summer holidays, I can't tell you how much I love these long sweet, slow days we are having here. J returned to work today after having the past two weeks at home, and although we haven't done anything much in this time, it has been soooo good. At the start of the holiday our car broke rather spectacularly and expensively, so we were without wheels for almost the whole week while it was being fixed. At first I was stupidly cross about it, stamping about the place and complaining endlessly about how we weren't able to get out and about like I had thought we would - I had all sorts of ideas for going places that suddenly shrivelled to nothing. But after a few days I realised that everyone else was completely OK staying at home, the Little Peeps were happy doing their own thing with friends, J was content just being home and not in the office, and it was only me being ridiculous. So I adjusted my mind set and slowed myself down, and all was right in my world again. We enjoyed some lovely little local pootles close to home instead - we walked into the green of the woods one day (in the rain haha) and down into town to have a pub lunch another day. I took Little Lady and Little B out into town on separate occasions, small treats and one-on-one time for each of them (new lego for Little B, a new top for Little Lady). The Teen went about his independent ways as usual, happy doing boy-things on two wheels with his buddies. It was relaxed and slow, and the perfect start to the Summer.

Having our car back last week meant that we could finally head further afield, although we still didn't end up going that far. We made the most of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales countryside right on our doorstep and took the Little Peeps to Grassington and off on a five mile walk across hill and down dale. We also enjoyed a couple of strolls along the river at Bolton Abbey, it's a such a beautiful time of year to be at the riverside.

We are still an early rising family even in the holidays and are usually up out of bed at six am here, sometimes earlier. I've grown used to it over the years with the Little People growing up, and have come to love the early part of these long, light summer days.

These photos were taken around 8.45am one morning last week, we hadn't planned for it but the warm sunny weather had tempted us to get together a flask of fresh coffee, some jam sandwiches and orange juice and head out early.

It's not a long walk this one, just a few easy miles along the river on the edge of the Bolton Abbey Estate.

The Little People don't mind it as they know it well and know it's a breeze of a walk (along one side of the river to the big stone bridge, cross over, then back along the other side of the river)

The light was so lovely on this morning, all dancing shadows and lush greenery.

The weather has been very mixed these past two weeks, well this is a British Summer after all, we expect nothing less in this country! It means that the warm sunshine days are even more special when they arrive, and I for one certainly appreciate the snippets of summer time that land on us amongst the days of grey and rain.

We love this river beach and have often stopped here with the Little People.....

....the river moves slowly here, a gentle, shallow babble over small rocks and smooth pebbles.

The beach is mixture of smooth pebbles, golden sand, grass and flowers and the atmosphere is incredibly peaceful. It's a lovely place to spread out a blanket and enjoy a morning coffee and a bit of a quiet ponder.

There is also the usual gentle riverside activity - lots of stone skimming (oh Little B, so nearly able but not quite yet, keep trying!), drawing (Little Lady with her sketch book), stone tower building, feather gathering, duckling and cloud spotting.

After a chatty stroll back to the car, we all unanimously decided that a quick stop at the nearby Strid Wood Tea Rooms would be in order, well it is the holidays after all.

So we treated the Little Peeps to ice cream....

.....and a most delicious cappuccino with a hot buttered toasted tea cake for J and I.

Our Summer holidays are slow and gentle, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Save

Save

Constitutional

Isn't it funny how some words ease into our language without us even really noticing? I was thinking this morning about the word "Constitutional" which J introduced me to many, many years ago. I doubt I even knew exactly what it meant back then, but nevertheless I got the jist of it and over the years it has become a familiar word in our family. I looked it up in an online dictionary just now, and in this context it means "beneficial to one's general physical wellbeing eg. a regular walk taken for the benefit of one's health". Did you know that?

Taking a short, feel-good walk is something we do quite often, most especially at weekends or during the holidays. You know the feeling when it suddenly seems Very Necessary to scoop up the moany, lethargic Little People and deposit them in the great outdoors to  blow away the cobwebs and let off steam? I always think of it as being primarily good for the spirit, but obviously there are physical benefits from stretching one's legs and breathing in lungfuls of country air.

We've started the long six week summer holidays here, and oh-my-word, it does feel good to ease up on routine and relax at home. The weather so far has been dull, grey and muggy, but at least it has been warm and (mostly) dry. We've made the decision to try and venture out most days for a short walk somewhere if we can, so on Sunday we decided to go for the early morning approach and set out not long after 8am. It was grey and overcast, with very still air that felt heavy somehow, but the calm waters of the reservoir were serene and peaceful.

We sat a while on a bench and played a frustrating game of I-spy (Little B chose something beginning with 'M' which after much failed guessing turned out to be M for Milky Way. Difficult child).

We pottered about on the sandy beach and collected some small fragments of pottery to add to our collection.

We walked and talked.....

.....took in the greenery of the scenery.....

.....and examined flowers and beetles and a very hairy caterpillar. It was a very pleasant way to start the day I have to say.

Yesterday, we took our constitutional in the evening after dinner and set out on foot to walk up the hill.....

....and into the cool, shady green of the woodland.

We had some rain yesterday which made the air smell amazing, all earthy and leafy, damp and fresh.

I'm always bowled over by the intense shades of green of the summer woodland....

....and being out in the evening meant that soft sunlight shafted in low through the trees as we walked.

It was muddy and damp, shady and cool, but really rather lovely to be out amongst it all.

We walked back home feeling very relaxed....

....and I thought to myself that there is a lot to be said for strolling about for the benefit of one's health. We should do it more often.

xx

 

 

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Bluebell Appreciation

I absolutely love and adore this time of year when Spring is in full throttle and there might even be some teensy whiffs of early Summer in the air. The days are long and light and the trees are slowly starting to green up again after their sleep. It's all so uplifting and beautiful out there!

A trip to Bolton Abbey to take in the bluebells has become something of a May-must-do for us, and despite the long winter and slow start to Spring the bluebells have arrived pretty much bang on time this year.

Over the years, I've noticed that not one member of my family appears to care much about whether bluebells are flowering or not. They don't arrive at the start of May with Bluebell Anticipation at the forefront of their minds like I do.

Year after year they look completely baffled when I tell them it's Bluebell Time and therefore it is completely imperative that we go forth into the woodland to Appreciate them.

They are happy enough to indulge me though, and on Saturday we did indeed take a beautiful stroll through the woodland to breathe in the scent of wild garlic and the incredible shades of bluebell blue.

As in previous years I manage to achieve walking harmony by having a large bar of milk chocolate in my bag, and delivering a firm promise of refreshments in the cafe afterwards. I promised all sorts of fizzy drinks and sweet treats, and do you know what? We enjoyed a really peaceful stroll with only the minimum of stick fighting and associated tantrums. Boys eh, the stick thing is only to be expected. 

Walking along this quiet pathway through the trees gave  me such a jolt of happiness, and made me so glad that we made the effort to get out there amongst it all.

It's not always easy for us to walk as a family of five these days, but gentle persistence (along with edible bribery) does indeed pay off. It was such a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning.

I love bluebells. I love May. Happy me.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Like Sunday Morning

We woke to a really gorgeous, cold, sunny Sunday morning here in North Yorkshire with frost on the ground and a most brilliant bright blue sky up above. We managed to be out the house before nine (all five of us, even The Teen! Hear me exclaim!!!) to enjoy and savour this gift of a day.

An easy circular walk at Bolton Abbey, riverside, woodland, ancient buildings, pebble beaches. Strolling, chatting (the Little People have launched a can-we-get-a-dog campaign, and their persuasive reasoning is ferocious), running, jumping, pebble skimming (The Teen has a gifted right arm), treasure hunting, paddling. Home made oat cookies, chocolate, bright sun, cold air, fresh, fresh cold air.

At the end a leisurely rest at the bustling pavilion café, sitting outside in the sunshine for the first time this year. Ice cream, cloudy lemonade, frothy chocolate dusted cappuccino. Then home via the scenic route, a windy little country road where lambs leap about in the sunshine. A stop at the farm shop to pick up a beef and ale pie for our dinner, then home just in time for lunch.

So easy. So good. Sunday morning, you were totally wonderful xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx