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Blogtober 2021 :: Day 19

Another rain-filled, blustery day with leaves swirling down from the trees as I walked my way into town. Raindrops bounced into the canal, and the roads and pavements were puddled everywhere, but do you know the air felt pretty warm for this time of year (my weather app said 17 degrees) so I didn't mind the wet at all.

My feet were toasty warm in my hand knit socks and beloved Fly London boots - this will be my fifth winter wearing them and I love them very, very much. 

This is the narrow street which runs from the canal side into the centre of town,  a very convenient short cut known mostly to locals. At the very top end, you literally emerge between two shops..... 

....onto this charming little street which is called Sheep Street. At the weekends it is a very bustling, busy street indeed but on a wet Tuesday morning it was extremely quiet as you can see.

Two minutes to nine, and I'm right on time to meet my friend at our favourite café for a much needed milky coffee and a natter. We've been meeting here for over a decade so it feels wonderfully comforting and familiar....

....and the coffee is absolutely scrumptious. Not pictured is the sourdough toast with homemade plum preserve, it didn't last long enough to be captured on camera. It was good to chat to my friend, she's the closest friend I have locally and knows me pretty well. We met when I was pregnant with Little B and she stopped me to tell me how much she loved the crochet scarf I was wearing. I made the scarf in the days before I started blogging, so not sure if I've ever shown it but I wore it so much it eventually fell apart (you can see it on Flickr here, I hope the link works as Flickr is very old skool these days!)

An hour and a half later and another coffee down the hatch, we parted ways and I made my way home....

.....turning down another one of the "cut-throughs" to head back down to the canal. I live less than ten minutes walk from the main town centre shopping streets, so it's no hardship to walk to and fro to meet friends, pick up groceries, grab a quick coffee or run errands.

My diet has been a bit rubbish of late with far too much chocolate consumption and not enough of a healthy balance, so I made sure to have something wholesome for my lunch. I went for poached eggs on wholemeal toast, followed by a plate of fresh fruit. I cannot imagine daily life without fruit, it's probably my most favourite food group of all and always makes me feel good.

After I finished my fruit plate I got up to go and grab a drink, and when I came back to my chair I found it had already been taken.......

.......ooooooo, cheeky kitty! You can just see by the look on her face that she was being oh-so-cute in an attempt to distract me!

I popped out into the rain-soaked back yard this afternoon to put some old magazines into the recycle bin and noticed that my flowers were looking very sodden out there. They are still flowering pretty well, but the days of rain have made them very droopy indeed and I felt a bit sorry for them. I decided to snip some stems to bring inside - popped into a little thrifted jug and placed beside my bed.

I love having little posies beside my bed, it's such a sweet thing to wake up to in the mornings. I washed my bedding this morning so it's all nice and fresh and waiting for me to enjoy tonight, I honestly can't wait.

I felt out of sorts this afternoon, it's day one of my cycle and I was not feeling the best so I took some paracetamol and made myself a hot water bottle to try and ease the discomfort in my lower abdomen. I decided that a frothy decaff coffee and a bit of snuggle time on the sofa would help.......

......and one of these too. Possibly my most favourite chocolate of all time, have you tried them? You know how much I love a good bit of descriptive blurb, well you just have to read this ::

" Experience bliss with Lindt Lindor smooth melting salted caramel chocolate truffles. The Lindt Master Chocolatiers combine expertise and the finest ingredients to produce the perfectly round milk chocolate shell with salt crystals filled with an irresistibly smooth melting caramel centre. Since 1845, Lindt has been dedicated to producing the finest chocolates and the recipes created by the Lindt Master Chocolatiers are of the highest quality to delight your taste buds. The Lindor salted caramel chocolate box is the ideal gift for every occasion, from Father's Day to Easter, birthdays and Christmas, as well as being perfect for indulging in a blissful moment all to yourself "

Well quite, they certainly do delight my taste buds.

The Little People did good with their gift-giving for my birthday this year, although I have been enjoying a good many "blissful moments", way too many actually. I need to ease off a bit, make them last.

The magazines are September issues which I had forgotten about, so the pages are a curious mix of summer and autumn. I found it ever so slightly lacking to be honest (lots of neutrals) but there were a few inspirational pages which made my heart leap. 

Later on in the afternoon I had to pull myself together and prepare to go forth and do parental things. Little Lady needed to go and have some blood tests done which meant a short walk to our local community hospital in town. Afterwards she asked if we could stop at the supermarket and buy pumpkins - I've no idea why she suddenly wanted to go buy pumpkins right after having a needle stuck into her arm, but I figured it would take her mind off things a little. We ended up buying a rather large orange one as well as two smaller squash which were only 50p each. The dark green one is especially lovely in all its knobbly autumnal glory. We'll carve the big'n' on Halloween (when I say we, I mean ME, obvs) - the smaller two will be accents only and then I fully intend to eat them. I seem to remember that green squash have a strikingly orange interior? Delicious.

Right now, this is what I'm viewing just beyond my laptop. I've moved the jug of lilies by the way, after many of you told me how toxic they are to cats, so thank you for that. I had no idea. I've put them up on top of a tall chest of drawers where the kitty cannot get near them and I'm still able to adore them, so all's good.

I don't think the pumpkins can stay on the table until Halloween as the orange one is pretty massive, but for now I'm really enjoying the seasonal appropriateness of it.

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Blogtober 2021 :: Day 18

Today has been one of those days that passed in a blur of not-a-lot-ness, and to be perfectly honest I've not felt inspired to capture any of it in photographic form. It's been another grey and rainy day, the kind of light drizzly rain that seems to be fairly non existent and yet it leaves everything soaking wet. The raindrops caught on the alchemilla leaves stopped me in my tracks earlier when I was coming home after running a quick, wet errand. It's one of those occurrences that always amazes me even though I've seen it dozens and dozens of times.

The lilies on my table are in full throttle now and they are spectacular, I can't stop looking at them and the scent is something else. I know the colours are completely artificial, but I really am enjoying them. I've spent a lot of time at my laptop today doing some housekeeping. My jaunt down Memory Lane yesterday prompted me to take a good look at the files I store, and I've given them all a thorough sort out. Lots of deleting and a complete reshuffle of my word documents into folders so that things are easier to find. And then finally an up-to-date back up of everything onto my external hard drive. It feels good to have done it, but my goodness it was a time suck and didn't leave a lot of space for anything else in my day. 

I've felt a bit on the low side today to be honest, I've got some worries going on with family and it's playing on my mind a lot. I'm trying to decide whether to head down to Dorset next week to check on my Dad, or whether I need to be here to offer support for Little Lady (it's half term next week). I think I'll most likely be heading south, and a few days by the sea is actually very appealing.

Right now I'm going to go and sit by the fire and crochet for a bit and hope those soothing stitches calm my mind a little. Crochet is really, really good for that, especially the colourful rows I'm working on at the moment. I hope you've had a restful day, and I'll try harder with the photos tomorrow xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Blogtober 2021 :: Day 17

Slow Sunday vibes here today, and it's been good. I enjoyed a little bit of a sleep in (till 7am) and then spent the next few hours sat up in bed with my tablet and several cups of frothy coffee, browsing on Instagram and watching YouTube videos about cute camper van conversions which is my latest fixation. I just can't get enough of watching them and love seeing how people of all ages and walks of life have created their dreamy little homes on wheels. It's insanely appealing, although I swing between desperately wanting to own a camper van and wanting to own a small apartment by the sea somewhere. Of course it's all just day dreaming at the moment, but daydreams do seem to bring me a lot of pleasure. I'm quite happy living in my own fantasy world.

Late morning we ventured out into the drizzly grey of the day to go and have coffee with a distant relative of mine who got in touch out the blue to say she was visiting the town where I live. She's my Dad's cousin which I think makes us second cousins, and although I didn't remember her at all (I think I was around 8 or 9 years old when we last met) her face was instantly familiar when we met up. Her Mum (my great Aunt, who is still alive at age 99) I definitely know and remember and there was a striking resemblance which I recognised immediately. It was a lovely hour to chat about family times and exchange news, and I was glad to make the reconnection.

This afternoon I cooked a chicken and lentil curry in the slow cooker, and spent more time with Little Lady who still seems very down. I'd been looking through my photo archives earlier in the day, diving right back through the years and getting thoroughly lost down Memory Lane. I was actually looking for blogging photos, but in amongst the crochet and flowers and hill views there were of course many, many images of the children going back over the years of their childhood. Oh, it was so sweet to spend time back in my thirties when I was a mum of two little ones, and then in my early forties when life with two young children and a new baby played out in my photos. And then I found the file with years of video clips and I was thoroughly lost back in time for a good while.....in the end I took my laptop up to Little Lady's room, squeezed into bed with her and made her watch endless little reels of her and her brothers when they were small. It really cheered her up I think, well that was the idea. 

Anyhow, I am rambling - what I'm trying to say is that earlier on it dawned on me that there were precisely two images on my camera roll today, and that would make for a very short Blogtober post indeed. So I began to wonder about what this particular day looked like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that? It's an interesting concept and due to my obsessive photography habit I was pretty sure I'd be able to plug in my external hard drive and dig out thirteen 17th-of-Octobers.

Would you like to see what I found? I'll work backwards, starting last year.

17:10:2020 ↑↑ I was sharing my completed cross stitch hoop and chatting about creating a little corner in my bedroom where I'd recently put a small desk. 

17:10:2019 ↑↑ I was working on my Dahlia blanket behind the scenes before launching the yarn pack in November 2019, and by the looks of it I was also poorly (blackcurrant Lemsip in the mug). 

17:10:2018 ↑↑ Snuggling up in the Big Chair with the kitty, working on a design for a woolly bag. I was making it out of a pure wool yarn with the idea of felting it in the washing machine - this project never did get finished, but it's still on my to-do list!

17:10:2017 ↑↑ I was making leaves and acorns for my Autumn Garland and the 17th of October four years ago contained loooooooads of leafy images. I remember having a fantastic time photographing the making process, it was very photogenic.

18:10:2016 ↑↑ I didn't have any photos for the 17th, but on the 18th Ocober 2016 I was in the studio getting all giddy over dried hydrangea flowers. Similar to the Autumn garland, I took lots and lots of inspiration photos of hydrangea flowers as I worked through ideas for a colour palette and blanket.

18:10:2016 ↑↑ October 2015 and I was walking in the woodland, it's certainly a place that you are probably extremely familiar with if you've been visiting with me for a number of years. It's interesting to see that the leaves were very much more Autumnal back then - they are still very green here this year.

17:10:2014 ↑↑ A walk home from town and a photograph of my feet. Ahh, it's the stuff that good seasonal blogs are made of!

18:10:2013 ↑↑ A slightly out of focus but very pretty little jar of back yard flowers on my table. Note that the zigzag baby blanket hanging over the back of my yellow chair is still in situ seven years later. I find it fascinating to see how little changes around here over the years.

18:10:2012 ↑↑ Oh yes, this was a nice surprise! These three little ceramic bowls reminded me that this time nine years ago I'd just returned from teaching on a crochet retreat in the South of France, and I bought these bowls from a market along with a bag of highly scented Provence Lavender. Such wonderful memories - you can read my posts about that trip here, here, here, here, and here. And of course, the project that I designed especially for this trip was the French Bower bird, which you can read about here. 

18:10:2012 ↑↑ a bit of a terrible photo I'm afraid, but I remember that the camera I had at the time really didn't like artificial light. You can see my beloved Big Blanket on my bed, and my colourful Interlocking Ripple blanket in it's early stages. It's been a long while since I made a blanket with anything other than my favourite Stylecraft Special DK.

18:10:2011 ↑↑ Oh, this photo is a bit special because it took me on a jaunt to Mallorca! I was lucky enough to have a long weekend away in October ten years ago (my first time away from Little B, who was only 10 months old at the time), and on this exact day I was wandering around the beautiful Sunday market in Pollensa Old Town. It was soooo photogenic, and I've just spent a gorgeous time re-reading my posts from that trip here and here. 

16:10:2009 ↑↑ Oh look, Little B is still in my tummy here!! Awwww!! I was showing off my stripy crochet wrist warmers and working on a little tutorial for the bobble edging.

17:10:2008 ↑↑ This was the first October in my blogging archives thirteen years ago. My hill view has featured a lot over the years, in all weathers, seasons and at different times of day. Today when I walked to the end of the street and gazed across the valley I could only see a very faint outline of the hill because it was obscured by a damp, grey mist.

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Well, I must say I've really, really enjoyed putting this post together, and it's something I think I'll do again in the future. I know a good many of you have been following me for many, many years, but for those of you who are newer visitors, my archives are listed at the bottom of the right hand side bar so you can dip into them at any time. 

And just for the record, this is post number one thousand, five hundred and sixty two. That's a lot of sharing.

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Blogtober 2021 : Day 16

It's been a couple of weeks since we walked in the woods (Blogtober Day 2) and it was good to be back. I think a woodland walk may well become a new Saturday morning thing for J and me, a prequel to our market jaunt and café breakfast. I think I'd be pretty okay with that kind of weekend arrangement.

Signs of Autumn were plentiful....

...but it felt fresh and is still surprisingly green in the treetops.

It was beautifully quiet along the woodland paths this morning, and I appreciated the sounds of the little beck as it tumbled it's way over the rocks. No matter how many years I live here, it always comes as something of a surprise when you reach the end of the narrow walkway in the photo above and find yourself suddenly in the town centre. 

Out of the woods and straight into town, how convenient is that? We finished our shopping not long after nine and right on cue my tummy made a really loud "feeeeeeed-me" type of a growl. Time to leave the town behind, head over that little hump backed bridge and into the warmth of the café for some outrageously good coffee and a bite to eat.

Ahhhhhhhhh, that's better!! Saturday morning coffee with J as we waited for our eggs on toast to arrive, and I felt overwhelmed with a feeling of deep gratitude. This simple lifestyle of mine is something I used to dream about when I lived a hectic city life, and I feel so, so lucky to be living it.

During the week we eat wholemeal brown bread, but as a treat on Saturdays I always bring home a traditional baguette from the bakers. Crusty bread always makes me crave soup....

....so today when I got home I decided to make some ready for lunch. I had some leeks which needed using up so I made a simple leek and potato soup (I loosely follow this Delia Smith recipe). 

It was yummy, and I even managed to do a pretty drizzle and a garnish with chives from the yarden. All very wholesome I think you'll agree.

Despite my photos looking decidedly leisurely and weekendish, I did also manage to get a few jobs done. Two loads of laundry washed, dried and put away, the kitty's litter box and eating mat all cleaned and disinfected, bins emptied, a quick swish and swipe around the bathroom surfaces. I'm very slap dash when it comes to housework, and truthfully there is a lot more that I should really be doing on a more regular basis, but I try not to stress over it. I find that clean clothes and good homecooked food are priorities and everything else will get done as and when.

It's been cold today, so I lit the fire in the mid afternoon and settled down right beside the hearth to knit for a little while. It was a slow and pleasurable hour or so - the Little People were all doing their own thing, J was sat in the big chair reading, and I enjoyed those knitty stitches very much.

I finished the leg of sock one, then I cast on and knit the rib for sock two on the second needle. I have two identical small circular needles because I like to knit both socks at the same time. Actually, I've had a few questions lately about the needles I use for knitting socks, so I thought I'd show you what they look like.

After trying out the recommended 30cm short circular needle at the start of my sock making journey I found that it was just a bit too big for my knitting tension (it pulled my stitches too much and kept catching). A friend suggested I try a slightly shorter needle so I switched down to a 23cm length and found it suits me perfectly. They are much harder to find in this length - I would recommend looking for HiyaHiya or ChiaoGhoo brands (you can find HiyaHiya 23cm / 2.5mm short circulars at Wool Warehouse).

Right now I'm sat at the dining table and I've been trying to write this blog for the past three hours. Three HoUrs!! I've had approximately 249 interruptions from the Little People as well as the TV (a supernatural horror drama with lots of screaming), and so I've not got any idea if my writing even strings together properly. I hope it's not too jumbled because I'm too tired now to check through it. I'll just press Publish and hope for the best.

Hoping you've had a great day with lots of happy moments which have made you thankful.

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Blogtober 2021 : Day 15

Ahhh, it's the end of the week and to be honest I feel a little bit done in. Some weeks just feel longer than usual and leave me feeling a weensy bit ragged around the edges, do you know what I mean? Or is it just me? My alarm woke me at 6am and I was so hard and fast asleep it felt like my eyelids were glued together. After a much needed coffee (which I sneak back to bed to drink) and a splash of cold water on my face, I was ready to head out 40 minutes later, and oh, what a truly gorgeous start to the morning it turned out to be.

There is no mistaking the season now, the crisp chill in the air could only belong to autumn. Despite walking much of our early morning walk in semi-darkness, it's still amazing how much we get to see and appreciate. 

Three hours later and I was heading out again, by myself this time. Friday mornings always bring about a feeling of excitement as it's one of my favourite parts of the whole week - precious time spent with my yarny tribe, yippeeee!!

Just look at that sky, isn't it radiant? There wasn't a cloud in sight this morning, the sky was completely clear and blue and it made me feel so good. I hope we have many more days like this before the year is out. Isn't it strange to think that there are only eleven more weeks left in this year - that's right, only seventy seven days left of 2021. How??? I've no idea how, the passing of time honestly baffles me sometimes.

I thought you might like to see the above view which I don't think I've ever shared before. In the morning when I set off on my jaunts, I head down the steep hill from the end of my street, round the corner at the bottom before crossing over the canal via a swing bridge which opens from time to time to let the boats pass through. Once I've crossed the canal I can either turn right to head along the tow path to the park or turn left to head along the tow path towards school town. Or I can walk straight ahead and continue down that steep hill which runs between the mill buildings and takes me to Coopers café and the supermarket etc. Believe it or not this is actually a road where cars drive (cars can also drive across the swing bridge) - I wonder if you have any unusual roads like this where you live? I do enjoy living in such a historical town, and especially love the textile heritage of the old cotton mill buildings here.

Coopers café was a really fun place to be this morning, it was buzzing with friends and all things yarny and I loved it, every single minute of it. It was extra special too because my old friend Tracy (who I used to share the studio with) was visiting for the first time in twenty months since she moved with her family to a very small island far away in Orkney. It was wonderful to see her again, and to catch up with all her news, I've missed her and she hasn't changed a bit which was lovely. 

I spent much of this afternoon with Little Lady, doing my very best to offer advice and support, she is really coming through some wobbles right now. These teenage years can be tricky to navigate, there is so much decision making expected at a time when I don't think they are always ready for it. Add in a dash of sky-high hormones and the melting pot is quite likely to bubble over. The main advice I could offer is that whatever happens at the end of this school year, she will be OK. She will have our unconditional love and support no matter what grades she gets and what she decides to do (or not do). All will be as it should be. I hope that doesn't sound too vague, I mean it with all my heart.

It was definitely time for a little bit of liquid refreshment come four o'clock, that's for sure. We decided not to cook this evening and had a very rare Chinese takeout instead. J and I shared crispy duck and pancakes which is quite the treat I have to say - it was very yummy, but now I am overly full (I ate too much) and feel extremely thirsty. Like I could drink a bath full of chilled fresh water, I am parched dry from head to toe. Water, water, water, it's all I can think about. I want to lie down and rest my full tummy, and drink water for ever.

We are pretty much half way through the month of October now, day fifteen of thirty one. I hope you're still enjoying our daily get togethers during Blogtober and not yawning your way through the sameyness of my daily routines. I wonder if you're visiting any other blogtober blogs? Christine? CJ? Barbara? Do tell me your thoughts, I love to hear them. I'm thinking about doing an "ask me anything" type Q&A sometime next week, is there anything you've always wanted to ask or wanted to know? Gosh, here's me asking you lots of questions, haha, please do feel free to ask me any burning questions and I'll put them together in a post of some sorts.

Right............w....a.....t.....e....r......

I really need to go and get a drink or ten, so I shall love you and leave you and will be back again tomorrow.

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Mandala Hoop Love

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time now, and today seemed like it would be a good time to do it. I wanted to document the collection of mandala hoops I've made over the years so that all the blog post links and pattern details would be easy to find in one place.

I've been making mandala hoops for years, ever since I was involved with Yarndale and had the idea to create colourful crochet decorations for the yarny event. 

At first I was just making these gorgeous starflower mandalas for the creative thrill and excellent colour therapy. But after I'd made two in quick succession and realised how large and eye catching they were (45cm across), I thought that if I could work out a way to attach them to hoops then they would make really excellent hanging decorations.

I made the Starflower Mandalas in 2014 -  the blog post and pattern links are below >

♥ Starflower Mandala blog post ♥

♥ Starflower Mandala pattern by Zelna Olivier ♥

Two years later in 2016 and I was at it again, working on more large 45cm mandala hoops to hang in the trees at Yarndale.

The above two hoops were made using the central part of a free doily pattern I found on Ravelry. Doilies are traditionally made with very fine crochet thread, but the patterns work equally well when crocheted with DK cotton, only they are obviously very much larger.

The blog post and free pattern details for the mandalas shown above are linked below >

♥ Mandala Hoops blog post ♥

♥ Autumn Spice Doily pattern by Elizabeth Ann White ♥

A short while later and I was still obsessing over making these mandala hoops, I just couldn't seem to get them out of my system.

The one pictured above was taken from a pattern for a summer shawl which was published in Simply Crochet magazine (issue 47). Similar to the doily patterns, the shawl was made using much finer yarn, and the original design made a substantial circle. Upscaling to DK weight cotton, I simply crocheted the first 19 rounds to make a 45cm mandala which fit the plastic child's hoops I'd bought.

You can find blog and pattern links below >

♥ Mandala Hoop blog (includes photos showing my method of attaching the mandala to a hoop) ♥ 

♥ Mandala Love Shawl by Elisabeth Davis de Herraiz ♥

Another couple of years later in 2018 I began to make a collection of slightly smaller 30cm mandalas designed to fit into metal craft rings. 

These are quick projects to work on and insanely satisfying, I can highly recommend them if you want to have fun with colour and make something pretty to hang on the wall or dangle somewhere eye catching.

The blog post and pattern links are below >

♥ Mandala Hoops blog (including my own design) ♥

♥ Spirit Mandala pattern by Lilla Björn (shown above) ♥

♥ Dream Catcher Mandala by Emily Littlefair ♥

The mandala pictured above is my own design and I named it the Positivity Mandala.

You can find links below >

♥ Blog post showing colours and photos of the Positivity Mandala in progress ♥

♥ Positivity Mandala pattern and photo tutorial ♥

The above photo shows the first six mandala hoops I made to fit 30cm metal hoops - I LOVE them so much!

Another year on and it's the Spring of 2019. The rather grand building in the photo above is a chateau in the French Alps which has been converted into a beautiful hotel, and I had the pleasure of staying here during the Spring of 2019. Lucky, lucky, lucky me!! This was a working holiday for me as I was invited to be a tutor on a week long crochet retreat, how splendid is that? As it happened, the retreat was so popular when it was released on the Arena Travel website that it sold out in less than 24 hours, so I was asked if I would do a second week. Did they really have to ask??! 

Springtime in the French Alps is absolutely delicious and I had a wonderful time teaching two groups of very lovely ladies. I created a workshop which focused on some elements of colour theory, as well as giving lots of help and advice about planning and creating colour palettes for crochet projects. 

I decided to use mandalas as a way of experimenting with colour and putting some colour theory into practice and I designed some new patterns especially for the retreats.

This is a smaller 20cm hoop and I called this the Daydreamer Mandala. The simplicity of the pattern allowed for the focus to be on the colours, and the decorative dangly bits were a fun way to finish it off.

We used a combination of crochet with felt feathers, wooden beads and ribbons.....

....and the ladies really enjoyed this project. The resulting mandala hoops were so lovely!

I also designed a bigger 30cm mandala hoop which I named the Chateau Mandala. In the photo above, my hoop is the one at the top left of the photo. It was fascinating to see how the ladies selected and ordered their own colours, and how unique each mandala looks even though everyone started out with the same yarn palette. 

Another year on and it's 2020, the year of the pandemic. I crocheted the above rainbow mandala for no other reason than I needed some colour and yarn therapy, and mandala hoops are most excellent at delivering in times of need. This is the same pattern I used in France - the Chateau Mandala - made using a rainbow palette of Ricorumi DK. 

I love the way it turned out, and really enjoyed working from my own pattern which added another layer of satisfaction to this sweet project.

The rainbow Chateau Mandala is here in the Attic right now, but not for too much longer. You see, I've offered to donate it to a charity raffle which is happening this coming Sunday 17th. The raffle has been organised by my lovely blogging friend Helen to raise money for a charity which is very close to her heart. There are prizes to be won every week, and they are all of a yarny nature - my mandala is only a small part of a larger prize this week and it's absolutely fabulous - you can see more on Helen's blog .

The raffle is run via Just Giving, so the idea is that you donate to buy raffle tickets. So £2 will buy you two tickets, £5 five tickets etc. You can donate right up to the end of Sunday, and the winner will be announced on Monday, does that makes sense? It's open worldwide too. Here is the direct link to the raffle page >>>

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/helen-kurtz

Helen has raised more than £21,000 in the past two years which is a remarkable achievement, please support if you can.

Well, I think that's all my mandala madness for now, I hope you've enjoyed seeing my projects from the past seven years all in one place, and who knows, perhaps you might feel inspired to make some for yourself?

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ps I forgot to add links in for hoops, so here they are for reference >>

♥ 30cm white metal craft hoop

♥ 30cm wooden craft hoop

♥ 45cm child's hula hoop

 

 

 

Blogtober 2021 :: Day 13

Ahhhh, I've had a slow, slow day here today and it's been good. My battery has felt a bit flat so I've been thankful to have a day with very little in the way of plans or any real need to do very much. There has of course been the usual before-school jobs  to get through, most of which I pretty much do on auto pilot. Emptying the dishwasher, making the bed, putting a laundry load into the washing machine, making packed lunches, getting breakfast together for Little B etc etc. Speaking of the littlest child, he has settled really well into secondary school life and seems to be enjoying his days very much. He still needs a fair bit of parenting in the mornings to ensure that he actually gets out of bed at 8am and gets himself clean, dressed, bag packed and all the rest of it. I'm happy to do the parenting, I like to still be involved with his boy-life on some basic level as he is becoming increasingly independent and needs me less and less these days. 

J and I are sticking to our new morning routine which takes us out the door at 6.30 (ish) for a 45 minute walk around the neighbourhood. I am still enjoying it, or more to the point I find I really enjoy the way it makes me feel when I walk back in the door. It's definitely an energy booster.

At 10am we head to the café for our morning cappuccino, and it's honestly such a nice thing to do. It's a short half hour or so for J to take a break from his screen and for us to enjoy a little bit of time together and it's a lovely perk of us both working from home. 

When I got home from the café I felt at a bit of a loose end, not really sure what to do with myself. I do have a big project on the go at the moment (I'm working on the next CAL blanket) but I felt like I wanted to start something new. In the end I decided to cast on my socks because the yarn was sat on the table patiently waiting for me to play with it. 

It's been cold and gloomy today and my bones have felt chilled and achy, so I lit the fire just after lunch. It gave me an excuse to move away from the table and sit next to the hearth to knit, well I had to take care of the fire but also the warmth greatly helps my joints and eases the discomfort a lot. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing those knitty, stripy rows appear in my hands, and I made some good progress on the first sock.

The Little People are both home from school by 3.45 so I generally stop whatever I'm doing and make time to talk to them both, to find out about their days and chat about anything they feel like sharing with me. It's one of my favourite things at the moment, the little catch-up conversations we have each day at this time in the afternoon.

After mentioning it yesterday, I thought you might like to see my Birthday cake (it's this one from Tesco, and I can highly, highly recommend it). It's now just a beautiful memory as we polished it off tonight, but oh my gosh it was seriously yummy.  By the way, thank you SO MUCH for all of your sweet birthday wishes on my last post, I'm very touched by all the good vibes you send my way. Thank you, thank you.

I've just spent the past hour being interrupted by Little Lady as we continue the university research. We are booked onto another couple of open days (Sheffield and Manchester) so there will be more travel in my immediate future. There is so much to think about and organise it seems, especially as she's not quite sure exactly what course to go for - the vast number of choices is blowing my mind somewhat. My brain is now very, very tired indeed.

I'm going to head up to bed in a little while, maybe I'll switch on my new little house lights (bought from Foxtails and Feathers which is a small online business I came across on instagram), and try and relax myself a little. 

I've got a new candle to light too, it was a birthday present from a good friend who knows me well, and it is absolutely wonderful. You know how much I love the scent of eucalyptus, well this is the main scent of Quiescent and it's so refreshing and calming.

Here is what the blurb says about it...

" Eucalyptus is uplifting, cleansing and fresh and the floral notes of lavender soften this scent and provides a sense of calm. Frankincense delivers a resinous base note that's grounding, complex and earthy. Overall, Quiescent is comforting, pure and luxurious "

I am very much looking forward to being calmed and comforted a little before my eyes close....

........see you tomorrow, sleep tight xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Blogtober 2021 :: Day 12

This morning my friend messaged me and told me to be ready at 9am prompt, because we would be going out for breakfast. Not one to argue about an unexpected breakfast invitation, I quickly got myself together and shortly after nine we were strolling through the park in the direction of the farm shop. It's very Autumnal out there now, my boots are on and leaves are falling down everywhere you look.

This is the view from the top of the hill before descending the steps down to the farm shop footpath - it was cool and overcast today, excellent weather for eating a proper good breakfast with a frothy coffee or two.

With less than three weeks till Halloween there are pumpkins on display everywhere, and the ones at the front of the farm shop looked very seasonal and lovely. But it was the bucket of tulips that caught my eye and stole my heart....oooooo, those frilly orange ones were very flirty indeed and I was extremely tempted by their charming ways.

However, I already have fresh flowers on my table this week......

....these exuberant lilies are lighting up the room, and although they aren't the kind of flowers I would usually buy for myself, they are very lovely indeed. Little Lady bought them for me, knowing that I would love the bright colours (and the scent which is already filling the room), and I came downstairs early this morning to find them on the table waiting for me. 

Today is my birthday, fifty-three years of life on planet Earth. The Little People really hit the jackpot with the chocolate-and-salted-caramel theme, and gifted generously to support my addiction....very happy about the current chocolate sitch I have to say.

When you've been eating a healthy diet for a length of time, in particular the restriction of sugary things, it can be difficult to remember how very, very good the sugary things taste. It's like your brain erases the sugary memories so that you adapt to the new low-sugar normal. Then when your friends surprise you with a plate of the most wonderous and extravagantly sugar filled slice of baked goods at your knit and natter sesh, well, the resulting pleasure high is next level. It was utterly delicious, in every way. 

I had a great little outing to the supermarket with the Little People this afternoon once they'd returned from school - we went to purchase a collection of party foods for tonights Birthday Tea. I let them choose, and we ended up with all sorts of tasty morsels - baby sausage rolls, a variety of salamis and cured meats, olives, sundried tomatoes and baby mozzarella balls, chorizo and chicken koftas, spinach and feta filo pastry parcels, baby plum tomatoes and a french stick. We also chose a birthday cake (chocolate and salted caramel, of course), and a bottle of pink prosecco. It was absolutely heavenly - all I had to do was heat up a few things on a tray in the oven for ten minutes, and the rest was just plonked on the table so that we could all help ourselves with minimal labour involved. I served up pink prosecco in my vintage champagne saucers (allowing the Little People a small slurp each in their own glasses) and it was a most excellent birthday tea.

Ahhhh, I've had the best day, and I'm so grateful for family and friends, good food and good company and for the easy happiness that fills my days. 

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Blogtober 2021 :: Day 11

A few weeks ago we decided that on this particular Monday we would drive the fifty or so miles to the west coast to spend some hours seeking out the shoreline. J knows how much I love being by the sea and that a day spent pootling around on the beach would be guaranteed to make me happy.

Being a Monday morning it was very quiet indeed, and the usually bustling promenade was pretty much deserted. Oh, I forgot to say, in case you didn't recognise the photos, this is Lytham St Annes on the Lancashire coast. We've been here many times before, and it was the place that inspired my Dune blanket. 

There you go - away from the promenade and to the north of the pier area, the huuuuuge sandy beach is backed by miles of sand dunes.

The openness of this coastal land/seascape is very captivating, even though I definitely prefer cliffs to dunes. I also really happen to like pebbly beaches, and beaches with rock pools to explore at low tide. I like harbours too (love them actually), and cute little harbourside cottages. St Annes has none of these things, but what it does have is space. Loads and loads and loads of space, and on a quiet, sunny Monday in October it was an incredibly relaxing place to be.

By the time we were walking in the dunes it was lunch time (the morning had been spent strolling along the promenade and stopping for a morning coffee in the park). We hadn't taken a picnic lunch with us, but after a quick call into the local supermarket we had the makings of a really super al fresco lunch. This is one of my favourite types of meals to eat and I crave it often. Salty crackers, Spanish salami, impossibly thin slices of Iberico cheese, herby Italian ham. Sweet cherry tomatoes, grapes and crispy apples, thickly cut salt and vinegar crisps. Salted Caramel dark chocolate to finish off. 

Oh my. So so so good.

We spread out a picnic blanket in a sheltered spot in the dunes above the beach, and settled down for a while to eat and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

I found a tiny, perfect stripy snail shell in the sand, isn't nature just amazingly mind blowing at times? I have a particular love of shells of all forms (land and sea), in fact it's probably right up there with my moss obsession. 

You can see in the above photo that the sea is a long way away, in fact you'd be hard pushed to actually see any of it from the dunes but you could certainly hear the waves. It was around 1 o'clock and we knew the tide was on it's way in and that high tide was sometime after three. So we decided to take advantage of the tranquil location and indulge in a bit of total relaxation while we waited for the water to come a bit closer. We lay down on our picnic rug, and with the sounds of the distant waves and the breeze blowing through the grasses we both had a little afternoon sunshine snooze! It was unintentional - we both kind of dozed off at around the same time and it felt absolutely amazing to be so totally relaxed and in the moment. 

Eventually we were ready to pack up and walk down to the sea....

....over the wet sands....

....stopping every so often to collect little bits of beach treasure.

We saw some kitesurfers having fun in the shallow waters, and I couldn't wait to reach the waves. It took about 15 minutes to walk from the dunes to the sea....

....and as you can see the waves were very small and dainty because the sea is very shallow as it moves across the sands here. 

The tide on this coast is famous for the speed at which it moves, and you can honestly see the sand disappearing by the second as the water rushes in. It's mesmerising to watch and I could have stood there for ages but sadly it was time for us to head back.

These little day trips on a school day are short and sweet, I think we spent about four hours in total by the sea today and I absolutely loved it. It was such a relaxing way to spend some time, and I'm hoping that we can do it again soon. Sea air is so good for the soul.

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Blogtober 2021 :: Day 10

I had that thing this morning where I woke up and looked at the clock, saw that I'd slept in till seven which immediately set off an almighty panic that I was running late for a school morning, only to then realise that it's actually Sunday. It was such a massive rollercoaster of emotion all contained within about five seconds - panic, dread, relief. It left me feeling a bit strung out for a while, but eventually my brain got the memo that it really was the weekend and all was well. After so much walking and travelling yesterday I slept really well but I still woke up feeling tired, so it was lovely to have a slow start to the day.

At 9.30 I made myself breakfast and decided to take it back up to bed for the full-on slow Sunday experience. I was craving a bowl of comforting porridge, and I remembered that a little while ago I bought myself a giant soup mug which I hadn't yet used. It's the sort that comes with a lid with an air vent in it, designed for you to heat up your soup or noodles in the microwave, do you know what I mean? I think I only paid £3 for it in my local sells-everything shop, and it's absolutely lovely to use, really chunky and satisfying to hold and eat out of. If my porridge looks a bit weird and lumpy it's because I stirred in some passion fruit pulp and sliced banana to sweeten. It was a delicious breakfast, if a bit on the chewy side.

I'm back to taking a daily dose of vitamin D with my breakfast, after finding that they did seem to help my mood last year through the very darkest months. October till April, these little golden things are a must for me. Do you take any vitamins or supplements, anything that you would not go without?

Today might have had a slow start, but it wasn't a day without plans - we had a lunch date over the border in Lancashire with my in-laws. J is the oldest of four siblings, with two younger brothers and a sister, and they all live reasonably close by (well, within a 90 minute drive). J's Mum and Dad are the loveliest people imaginable and it's obvious how much they absolutely love having their children and grandchildren all together. It makes for a slightly chaotic gathering in their Victorian terraced house but there is always a lot of good humour to the proceedings. 

After lunch we decided to take the dog and the children for a walk to the local park which is just ten minutes walk up the hill.

We used to regularly visit this park when my own Little People were small - it's a lovely open space high up above the town, with far reaching views out to the high peaks of the Yorkshire Dales in the distance.

It was such a beautiful Autumnal afternoon, bright and breezy but still surprisingly warm for this time of year. The light was so beautiful, very soft and mellow and exactly what you might think of when you ponder on a sunny October day.

While the Little People ran around and played, J and his brother sat on a bench and talked about work and man stuff. And me? Well I wandered around drinking in all the seasonal beauty, of course I did. It's my speciality.

Soon it was time to head back, a slow amble down the steep slopes with weary little children ready for home. 

When we got back to the Attic it was after 4pm and once I'd gotten settled with a cup of coffee I suddenly felt unbelievably tired. So I declared to the family that I was having a night off from cooking and they took it in stride, everyone agreeing to do their own thing as and when they felt like it. It's rare that I don't make us all an evening meal, but every so often I simply feel too tired to do it, and besides, I think it's good for the Little People to learn how to fend for themselves. Little B decided he would make himself some pasta, so I did supervise his endeavour because it was the first time he'd ever done it for himself and boiling water was involved. He did good - it was simply done, a bowl of penne tossed in a little butter and seasoned, then some grated cheese on top, but he was super chuffed with himself for making it with minimal help from me.

I lit the fire this evening for comfort and cheer more than the need for heat, and I'm so glad I did. It's one of my bestest and most favourite seasonal pleasures, and never fails to make me feel content with my lot. Add in a pair of hand knitted socks, light some candles and suddenly the darkening evening feels very blissful indeed.

It's 9pm now, and I'm still sat in front of the fire with my laptop in front of me on the coffee table. J is watching an old favourite film - "Withnail and I" which is making me hoot with laughter in between trying to write coherent blog sentences. I think I'll go and join him on the sofa and watch the rest of the film....I'll see you tomorrow xxxxxxxxxxxx