Attic24

Sociable Crochet :: Part II

Isn't this view divine? Dreamy? Idyllic looking? I would quite fancy waking up to a view like that. Ok, scrap that last sentence and lets say I would completely adore waking up to a view like that. There's that haziness in the sky which tells you it's going to a glorious day. There will be sunshine and heat, for dead cert. Oh what I wouldn't give for some Dead Certain Sunshine right now!

And what about this little street? Do you like the brightly painted wooden shutters, the pretty pastel coloured walls? Can you picture yourself strolling along, taking it easy, breathing it all in?

Come on, lets go wander around the local market and buy some fresh produce for our lunch! We can stop for a morning coffee and sweet pastry in a little cafe and soak up the atmosphere before heading out into the countryside.....

...oooo, this looks like a lovely place to stop for lunch....don't you think it would be amazing to picnic in the dappled shade of these olive trees? Spread out some colourful blankets or ease into a comfy chair, and have a delicious bite to eat. So relaxing. Such pleasure!

Ok, I think by now you must be thinking I have gone quite gaga, I am off in a dream world, a little detached from reality. This is most definitely not my neck o' the woods. Nah, this doesn't look like rainy, stormy Yorkshire at all! And no, I haven't managed to sneak off to somewhere hot and delicious without telling you. Not yet anyway.

So what is this all about? Where is this magical sounding place? And more importantly, WHERE IS THE SOCIABLE CROCHET I promised you?? Eh???     

Well let me enlighten you. These photographs were all taken in sunny Provence, a picturesque region in the south of France. It's a beautiful area, somewhere I have long dreamed of visiting. When I think of Provence, I think of the incredible landscapes captured by Van Gogh and Cezanne who did much of their painting in the region. I think of azure blue skies, twinkling stars, fields of lavender and sunflowers. I think of bright colour and light, of tasty fresh produce, vineyards and olive groves, of beauty and warmth, relaxation and inspiration.

So what has this got to do with crochet? Well.........this coming October 2012, I'm being given a very special chance to visit Provence for a most amazing holiday there. The week long holiday will provide a chance to take a luxurious break from every day life in the most beautiful surroundings. There will be a tempting mix of local visits (cafe's, markets, picturesque villages etc), cultural visits, and time for pure relaxation. Oh, and of course there will be lots of Hooky Time, yaaaaayyyy!!! As I (a confessed hooky addict) will be there, of course there has to be plenty of time to ease back, chitter chatter and crochet, crochet, crochet. Sometimes we will be in the gorgeous villa with tea and cake, sometimes we will be out in the amazing landscape with a picnic lunch, but crochet will always be at the heart of it.

Now to say that I am "excited" by the prospect of a week full of crochet, food, friendship, landscape, beauty and relaxation, well that doesn't even begin to cover it. I am fizz-popping with joy at the very idea of it, right from the top of my ditsy head to the end of my stripy-socked toes. Every time I am reminded of it (only thirteen weeks to go!!!) I get a shiver of excitement right down my spine. It promises to be such a happy, fun experience. I am SOOOOOOooooooo looking forward to it!

Truthfully I am quite overwhelmed by this whole dreamlike opportunity, and beleive me I do know and appreicate how incredibly lucky I am. Now if you'd like to find out more, please do go and visit the website at Provence Temptations and take a look at the little Crochet Tour video. Feast your eyes on the gorgeous images and the detailed itinerary. The lovely Petah who is organising this whole incredible event will be delighted to hear from you either by contacting her on the website or via Facebook, please do feel free to get in touch with her for a friendly chat.

I feel so very lucky to have found my way into the creative world of yarn, to have found a craft that lends itself so perfectly to social situations. I feel like I've discovered something so precious, and so full of happiness, and I LOVE to be able to share this experience with others. It's bloomin' MarVelouS!!!! So if you've never had the chance to crochet/knit/craft alongside like minded people, I really hope that someday you will find a way to make it happen. It's the best thing. And if you can make it happen with the most idyllic of surroundings, well a little slice of heaven will open up on Earth for you.

Right, I'm off to go find my hook and yarn, I'm absolutely bursting with energy and excitement now and I need to go unwind myself...........

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps the crochet element of the tour is going to be very relaxed and informal. I'm creating some special yarn packs and designing a new (colourful) project to introduce and work on during the week, but it'll be an easy going kind of approach. Just the way I like it.

http://www.provencetemptations.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ProvenceTemptations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorset :: a flying visit

Hello, hello my lovelies! Good to be back in the Attic after an unexpectedly long break, it's been half term week for us here which has meant my time has been taken up with the Littlies, oh and a home-from-work husband too. We've been quite lazy actually, staying close to home and using the time to recharge a little. We've all five of us had the same head cold, I'm the last one to get it so am just starting out but the others have been in full snot-mode all week.

But this post isn't about germs or staying home, it's about scooting up into the wide blue yonder and gazing at the clouds!

Yes, I've been away again, snook away by myself to spend a few days with my parents, much as I did in July. I booked my flight a few months ago so I've had the pleasure of looking forward to it as the weeks have passed and Summer has slipped into Autumn.

I absolutely love to travel by plane, it never fails to thrill me. The sky was beautifully clear when I flew last weekend, allowing me to spend the entire hour gazing out of the window watching the changing landscape unfolding below.

Travelling by myself is a real pleasure, it always feels like so much more than simply getting from A to B. I love the feeling of lightness and freedom it brings, stepping off the plane, walking to the nearby train station, knowing that ahead of me lies ninety minutes of pure Time Out. A time to sit quietly, sip a latté and gaze at the passing landscape. Maybe a weeny bit of hooky, or a chapter of a book. Or maybe just allowing time to drift in and out of thoughts and memories.

The train takes me to Dorchester, the "County Town" of Dorset where I indulge in some minor retail therapy and treat myself to a new necklace in the sale at a favourite shop. From Dorchester I ride by bus through the familiar patchwork of fields, waiting for the exact point when I can finally see the sea, just like I did as a child. What an enjoyable four-part journey :: car, plane, train and bus.

The following morning I wake to the sound of seagulls overhead. It's such a novel sensation to wake of ones own accord, I am so used to being pulled out of my dream-sleep by Little B calling me "Mama! Mama! Mama!" 

Mid morning and I set out walking, through Bridport town and out across the green fields to the coast. I'm headed for the harbour of course, the place I am always pulled to on any first-morning-in-Dorset. 

It's very windy at the coast, great gusts of wind whip around the small harbour, tossing the boats to and fro on the water. The sky is heavy and grey. But oh my, it is completely deeeeeeeeeeeelicious. It is wild and windy and salty and fresh and invigorating, the best Sunday morning tonic e-v-e-r. 

I am heading to my favourite cafe to meet with family, to chit and chat over coffee and a bite to eat. This is only the second time I've been to this cafe, but it has really crept into my heart and taken hold. I love love love it here. I love that the condiments are kept in bright plastic seaside buckets. I love the light and airy decor, the strings of fabric bunting, the sweet artwork on the walls, the bright splashes of vibrant colour. And I love that on this day there is an incredible bucket of fresh scarlet amaryllis sitting on the counter. It's just my kind of place, the cafe of my dreams.

We are a tad too late for the breakfast menu, so we order lunch :: I go for "griddled halloumi and roasted butternut squash skewers". I am with my family :: my Dad and his partner, my Mum and her partner, and they are quite stunned when I get out my camera and photograph my lunch before eating it. But, I say, just look at it! It's so good to look at!! The colours are stunning - golden orange and vibrant green against red and white checks! And besides, I really want to remember this delicious lunch and the best way I know of remembering is to take a photograph. I forget sometimes what an oddity it is to record life in this way. Oh, and in case you were wondering, lunch was deeeeeelicious.

After lunch we head out to take a wild and windy walk along the pier. My-my, it is AWeSoMe to experience the sea in high winds. It smashes and crashes onto the shingle beach, the very noise of it is loud and energetic and fantastic.

We venture to the very end of the pier and prepare to get a little wet as the waves splash up and over. The feel of salty sea spray on my face and the taste of it in the air is something I vividly remember from childhood. It fills me with joy, truly it does.

Evidence of the local fishing industry is piled high around the harbour.......

......and I love to see all this paraphanalia here, love to be reminded that West Bay is still an honest, working harbour at heart.

This is my Mum's cottage beside the river, and I had the pleasure of staying the night here last Sunday. When I'm down in Dorset with the rest of the family in tow it's not possible for us to sleep here as it's waaay too small. But on my own I was able to stay in the small single bedroom, and I really appreciated the quality time spent with my Mum. She is remarkably well and in good spirits these days, so hard to believe that we almost lost her in June.

Would you like to have a little peek around my Mum's place? It's an incredible little patch of rural England, I'm sure you'll love it.

See in the picture above, the painted door in the old stone wall there? Well that's actually the entrance to a secret little bit of the garden, let's go through.........

...........this is a weeny little secret garden with a small patch of grass  and a beautiful view over the river. To the left is the log store, and in front is Grandpa B's shed which he built himself entirely from recycled materials. 

To the back door now, this is where you come into the cottage.......

......you have to walk through this old lean-to before entering the cottage kitchen. I adore this working part of the cottage, love that Mum has all sorts of plants growing away in here including an olive tree and a climbing clematis which scrambles right up and across the roof.

This is a corner of the small sitting room, the walls of the cottage are very thick making for deep, cosy windowsills.

And this is the magnificent old Esse multi fuel stove. There's no central heating in the cottage, and being so close to the river makes it prone to feel cold so the stove is often lit, even in summer. It's the cosiest feeling to sit curled up on the sofa in front of the stove with a hot cuppa to hand. Add in a bit of hooky and it reaches high on my Pleasure-o-meter.

This is the little bedroom window looking out onto the field beside the river. Such a lush green view to wake up to, and I adore those curly-wurly old window latches.

I slept so soundly that night, cosied up in the little single bed with a hot water bottle in it's crocheted granny-square cover. Lovely memories.

I was away from the Attic for three nights, it was so very good of J to suggest that I take this wee break away to see my folks. He is a such a sweetheart. In some ways the time whizzed by, but in other ways it felt like I'd been away for ages. I alternated between revelling in my freedom and missing the children like mad.

When the time came, I enjoyed travelling home, I really did. J and the Little Peeps came to meet me from the airport, and I got the distinct feeling that I'd been desperately missed. I was bowled over with so many hugs and cuddles, it made me feel great!

Ahhhh I'm one Lucky Lady I'd say, such a great little family I have.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx