Attic24

Adieu, farewell, auf Wiedersehn, goodbye

Just a quick little post from me this morning to let you know I'm off.
Yeah, see-ya!! So-long!! Byeeee!!
Me and my sky blue crocs and my Cath Kidston/Tesco bag are away this morning on our summer jollies. Not solo I might add, nope it's a family affair. The Attic24 house is going to be oh-so-quiet for a week while we all scoot up north for a spot of holidaying.
Yippeeeeeee!
We're going to stay in Northumberland, a place I love dearly :: we've holidayed there for the past three years and adore it. Wholeheartedly. 
We are staying in the small coastal village of Craster, renting a cottage called Driftwood, which we know we're gonna love because we stayed in this exact same cottage last year. We remember the spectacular sea views, the sunrises, the early morning walks down to the sleepy village shop for fresh bread, the late afternoon walks along the clifftops, the fabulous pub, the smell of smoking kippers in the air, searching for sea glass on the tiny beach.
Its a wonderful place to return to year after year :: its one of those places that creeps into your heart and soul and puts down anchor.

I took this photo of my wonderful Attic view yesterday at 7.55pm. I shall miss my home a little while I'm away, I always do. But I shall be back to you all next month with the breeze in my sails and tales to tell.
See you soon my lovelies xxxxx

Bilberries

 

Morning my lovelies. Ah yes more scenery today as we were out and about again yesterday and I do so very much enjoy sharing it with you.
But first, just to say how much I loved reading your comments yesterday about the Money Tree, you are so generous with your words, and I thank you enormously for that. I generally write my posts quite quickly, without an awful lot of thought or planning it has to be said. So it does come as a delightful surprise when I realise that maybe I wrote something quite enjoyable to read. Just now I added a little edit on the end to tell you about the Discovery of the Money, so do go and have a little read to see how it ended up.

Yesterday in the afternoon we headed out into the Dales to visit Brimham Rocks. This was Little Man's choice for an outing, as one of the things he loves to do most of all is climb, and Brimham Rocks is chocker block full of climbing opportunities. Not surprisingly it was raining when we arrived and for the first half hour or so we wandered around these amazing rocks getting rather wet and soggy. I took quite a few photos of the amazing rocks, but they all came out rather dark and wet and soggy looking. Which was a shame because this place is really spectacular. It's also very popular and quite crowded. Its hard to find a rock without a child or two on it. Hard to find any views which are uncluttered with people.

But it is possible to walk up past the big rocks crowded with kids shouting, climbing and jumping, up past the cafe shack and the toilets and the shop until you find yourself  on the top of the most beautiful moorland, with space and peace and quiet and wonderful views. The climbing opportunities have been left behind with the crowds, but we find something else instead.

We find bilberry bushes.
We know they are here as we've been here many times before. But as we can never remember when exactly the bilberry season is (it's a very short season and easy to miss), we have always been unlucky in the past. But not yesterday. Yesterday we discovered that the third week in August is absolutely just right for picking bilberries. 

Now until I met J, I had never heard of bilberries, but he has them embedded in his childhood just as picking blackberries is a well remembered part of my childhood. He tells of his Nana's famous bilberry pie, of his love for bilberry jam, of many outings he had as a child to pick these little fruits.

We have a couple of cups in the rucksack (we never go out anywhere without a flask and brew facilities) and so we start to pick, and it's a messy, purpley business picking bilberries. The boys go off in search of Better Bushes and Little Lady stays with me. She knows I like to take pictures and she offers her solitary bilberry for a photograph, her purple stained fingers telling how many she has already picked. In fact not many make it from bush to cup via her fingers, but we still do good.

Its quite hard work stooping low down into the little shrubby bushes to find the berries, and after a while our backs are aching and we think we might have picked enough to make bilberry jam when we get home.

By now, the rain clouds have disappeared and the sun is shining in a blue sky as we make our way back down from the tops. It's turned into a beautiful late summer afternoon.

 

We arrive home and get straight down to business. J is the jam maker in our household :: he adores jam and is very good at making it, I think he inherited a jam-making gene. We have an old book which came from my Granny which has 500 recipes in it. It has Hints and Tips for good jam making. But J does not use the book, he knows what to do. It's Easy he says. And true to his word he does in fact effortlessly produce 1.5 jars of a most wonderous, deep purple jam, and we are all very Impressed.

 

Truth be known, I am slightly miffed that I have had nothing whatsoever to do with producing the delicious jam. And so this morning I declare that I will produce Scotch Pancakes so that we can have Pancakes with Bilberry Jam for breakfast. Its Easy I say. I've never made scotch pancakes before, but I find an easy recipe on the web and lo and behold I produce a most marvelous stack of warm pancakes.

I am delighted. It's a delicious breakfast. The Little People wholeheartedly approve of this home-made breakfast, of Mummy and Daddy not having to go to the shops to buy jam and pancakes. They somehow think it is magic that we can make food.

And in a way it is. A little bit of domestic magic.

The Money Tree

Yesterday we spent the afternoon out :: it was just what I needed to get me out of the unwelcome grey mood that had settled on me this week. It was so good to be out, I was glad to be surrounded by fresh greenery and tall trees, didn't even mind the rain (much).
I hope you don't mind coming along with me whilst I show you the scenery. I am aware that my blog has been very full of Scenery lately. I do try and balance the subject matter as best I can from day to day, but sometimes my life takes on certain patterns, and right now its quite outdoorsy. I'm sure sewing and crochet and indoorsy things will take over again soon. And as Mrs Magpie so eloquently said yesterday :: "blogs follow life and not vice versa". So you'll just have to follow I'm afraid while I take you back to Bolton Abbey to discover the Money Tree.

This is a two mile circular walk and its a walk the Little People love to do because there is something quite magical about the Money Tree. On this walk you come across it about half way around, high up in the woods. It causes much loud excitement.

This is a tree that apparently fell in a great storm in 1980. No one knows how it then came to be embedded with coins like this, but after a little bit of surfing on the net yesterday, I found out that there are other Money Trees round and about the country. They are said to bring good luck, to ward off bad spirits.

My two Little People use it to make a wish. They solemnly place their hands on the money-encrusted bark and wish very hard for the magical tree to bring them money. I shamelessly do the same.

We are high above the river now, and its grey and drizzling with rain. We are concerned because it's almost 2pm, the excitement over the Money Tree has worn thin and the Little People are complaining loudly about how hungry they are. Lunch is still a mile away and consists of a barbecue by the riverside. But it is not barbecue weather. Its raining quite a bit.

However, by the time we get back to the car down at the river, miraculously it has stopped raining and the sun even has a go at pushing it's way through the clouds. Relief and hunger floods over me. We get down to business and set up lunch-camp :: table, chairs and a brand new bbq. We are short of a wind break so J and I sit strategically behind the bbq to act as human windbreaks and  the Little People are distracted from hunger and hot coals by playing football and slinging twigs into the river.

The barbecue goes well, and we enjoy a delicious late lunch of beef kebabs in "chargrilled" pitta breads with salad and a minty yoghurt dressing. Coffee and chocolate cake for afters, followed by a spot of marshmallow toasting over the hot coals.

The marshmallows are possibly just as exciting for the Little People as the Money Tree.

We toast a whole packet.

5pm and we are ready to head home, it's been a lovely afternoon.

We choose to drive back over the moors, and it is absolutely breathtaking.

Its the start of the heather season and the hills that are usually black and bleak looking are glowing with the purple haze of the heather.



We stop a while at a viewing point and the wooly locals come to say hello. Actually they come to stick their heads right in through the open car windows looking for food, which causes the Little People to hyperventilate with fright/excitement.

Later on at bedtime, when we quietly chat about our day and talk over the "Bestest Bits", I am informed that The Sheep Incident was in fact more exciting than the Money Tree and the Marshmallows put together.
But they haven't yet discovered the shiny golden coins hidden for them in their bedrooms.
Haven't yet discovered that the Money Tree has in fact made their wishes come true and sent them some money.
Can't wait for that moment.

Edited to add :: Oh my :: that moment of discovery was absolutely priceless I tell you. It happened about an hour after I'd made this post yesterday morning. It was magical. They were excited beyond belief. Funny that they did not even question for one second where the money had come from, they beleived absolutely that the Money Tree had sent it. There's nothing like unexpectedly discovering a shiny gold pound coin to bring complete and utter happiness to four and five year olds who do not yet get pocket money.  They carried the coins round with them all day, they talked non stop about the magic of the Money Tree. Eventually they got to spend the money on an ice lolly in the late afternoon when we were out, and it made them so happy. Me too.

Pyjamas

Morning :o)

Now I'm not sure what you're gonna make of this, but I desperately want you to see my pj's. Yes, I think I may have lost the plot slightly, but I do have this bonkers streak you understand. I just love my pyjamas, love the cottony feel of them, the soft comfiness, the prettiness of the fabric.

They are nothing fancy, I think most of my pj's were bought as separates, a kind of mix n match collection of  bottoms and tops, mostly from supermarkets (my newest ones, in the top photo came from Tesco). But to me they are a little bit of luxury.

 After the Little People are in bed, I like to sit and read or crochet, drink tea, lounge around and feel comfy. I look forward to this part of my day very much, its my wind-down, cosy time, and I simply cannot wind down and feel cosy in day clothes. It has to be pj's.

When twilight falls and the lights of the town are twinkling beyond the rooftops, I like to take a while to reflect on the day just gone by, to sort of ease it off and put it behind me.
I know I am blessed to be living this life of mine :: my days are full of goodness right now, happy days full of Little People, baking, flowers, crafting, outings, laughter and fun. But the odd day comes along which feels tiring and tricksy :: yesterday involved the buying of school shoes for both Little People, urgh, it was not good. So many emotions involved in the buying of school shoes, most especially the little size 9 girl ones. I managed not to sob in public, but folks, I am feeling the strain.

Yes, it was a tricksy day alright, and I was very very glad to finally get into my pyjamas.
All cyber-hugs gratefully received.

Choc-chip cookies

I've done a lot of baking throughout this summer holiday. Almost every day I've had a house full of Little People, its been quite rare for my own two LP to be home alone. One day last week I ended up feeding six kids for lunch :: big plate of sandwiches, a bowl of crisps, a big plate of fruit. And baking to finish. Flapjacks, iced buns, cookies, my spotty tin is not often empty and I think it's muchly   appreciated by my own offspring and the neighbours kids/play date kids who visit.

Yesterday I made these squidgy chocolate-chip cookies using a recipe from Cathleens blog :: My Sewing Serenity. I like this blog enormously, it was only started a few weeks ago and I think it's going to be a great one to watch develop. As soon as I read this post about the chewy cookies she made,  I was drooling and immediately requested the recipe. Oh my. This is one exceptional baking experience, and if you have Little People who like to "help" by hanging around waiting to lick out the bowl, then they will adore this one. But be warned it's a sticky, messy, chocolatey  business :: my two had to have a full wash and wipe down afterwards.

Cathleen's recipe was written in US cup measurements, so I halved the quantities to make roughly 24 cookies, and translated it into grams. If you click on the photo above it should enlarge and you can read it a bit better :: you just HAVE to try these. I gave J one to sample warm off the rack and his words were (and I quote) :: "mmmmmmmmmmm MMMMMMMMmm MmmmmMMMMMMM-Oh!! I've died and gone to Heaven!"

They are incredibly more-ish. Superb with a morning coffee. Or afternoon tea. Or just rammed in with no drinks involved. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

ps :: J is off work this week on hols so my normal daily routine is currently up the swannie. I'll do my best to blog as usual, but it may be short and sweet stuff, and may not occur in the mornings xxx

A Weekend Away

Hello! Here I am, back under the Attic24 roof after spending the most wonderful weekend away with my little family. I do very much like to arrange Weekends Away. Enjoy looking for places to visit, somewhere to explore that takes us out of our lazy At-home Weekends and off into a short mini adventure. This particular weekend away was booked on a whim about a month ago :: it was a visit to a part of the country we've never been to before, so it was all new and exciting, and as it was only forty-seven miles away it was very do-able for a one-night weekend jaunt.
The building in the photo above is where we stayed on Saturday night :: its a rambling old Edwardian building which is owned by the Youth Hostel Association. Its the first time we've stayed in a youth hostel, and to be honest we weren't quite sure what to expect, but oh it's fabulous! This particular youth hostel is a real gem of a place, and if it looks full of character from the outside, then you can imagine what it's like on the inside. It's old and quirky, lots of high ceilings, big wide corridors and sweeping staircases. Slightly faded and old fashioned, but we immediately feel it's our kind of place :: cosy, welcoming, down to earth and unpretentious. We love it as soon as we walk in.

  

We  had booked a family room which contains two sets of bunk beds, a comfy chair and a little wash basin.  Each bunk comes with a pillow and duvet and a set of  beautifully starched cotton bedding which we put on ourselves. There's much excitement amongst the Little People over the allocation of bunks, the thrill of being allowed to sleep on top. And I get my thrills from the view, out across the terrace and garden to the estuary beyond, it's beautiful.

Once the excitement over the beds/view subsides, we go off to explore the rest of the hostel. We locate the bathrooms, the upstairs lounge where there is a tv (not necessary), book shelves laden with books, puzzles and games (useful) and a sink/fridge/kettle for making brews (most definitely essential).

We go downstairs and out onto the terrace, breathe in the fresh air. The Little People are waaaaay beyond excited by now, they go haring off, then come back at intervals to breathlessly report a bird box, a nature pond, a giant wooden chair with a grass seat, a woodlouse and a slug.

We go back inside and discover a wonderful sitting room with squishy comfy sofas, a wood burning stove and more books, puzzles and children's toys. There is a dining room with views out over the garden where we will be eating dinner later on, and breakfast in the morning. We feel at home, could quite happily squidge into the sofas and stay there all afternoon. But we prize ourselves away and set out to explore :: ten minutes walk down a sloping track and we emerge at the edge of the estuary.

This is the Kent estuary which eventually leads out into Morecambe Bay, and the little village we are staying in is called Arnside.
Technically speaking, it's part of the Lake District, but it's one of those off-the-beaten-track kind of bits that most tourists over look. It's not easy to explain where it is in the country, you need to look at a map to get it. See, it' is sort of up near the Lakes, but doesn't feel like it. It's part of Lancashire but feels more like Cumbria. It's quiet, genteel, tranquil, scenic, open. Wide water which feels like the sea but is actually a river. Cute little shops, a deli and craft bakery, two fabulous pubs. We buy some pasties and a huuuge chunk of chocolate tiffin and eat it sitting on the pier, gazing out across the water.

We marvel at the viaduct which carries the little train line over the estuary to Grange-over-sands. We take in big wide skies and the ever changing tide, currently on it's way out.

Later we stroll along the beach eating ice cream.We paddle in the riverletts which flow down from the woods, we draw in the sand, we find fossils. Eventually we choose a lovely spot on some rocks to sit in the sun and enjoy the warmth of the afternoon . Then it's back along the beach and promenade to the village for a pint of beer in Ye Olde Fighting Cock (yes, I know it sounds rough, but its far from it).

At 6pm we are sitting down to eat dinner at the Youth Hostel and we are hungry. We are served homemade organic bread while we wait :: then follows a three course meal which is utterly delicious. Even the Little People are seriously impressed by the homemade organic wholemeal pizza whilst J and I mmmmm our way through three courses. We end with a very large pudding each (Eaton Mess for him, lemon syllabub for me) and retire to the squishy sofas to rest/play. We are all in bed by 9pm, reading/crocheting/drawing/gaming in our bunks. We are tired and happy, we sleep soundly.

Next morning. we enjoy a most scrumptious buffet breakfast  :: fresh croissants, homemade bread and jam, fresh fruit, then manage to squuuuueze in a cooked breakfast with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. I eat with abandon and enjoy it enormously. The dining room is busy :: a group of cyclists, some other families with children,  couples and singles. Old and young. We are not the noisiest table, but we come very close so we finish up and take coffee outside on the terrace. Assess the weather and decide to take a walk up above Arnside to a viewing point called Arnside Knott.

It's a climb up through woodland to reach Arnside Knott, and you know what, we don't actually make it. No, we don't actually officially reach the summit, but we do end up high on the hillside where there is a fabulous Mountain Viewing Point, and we spend a good long while spotting the various mountains and hills of the Lake District. We also watch the weather change minute by minute as the clouds roll in. The Little People request food and so we spread out a blanket and sit a while to eat chocolate buttons and biscuits. More clouds roll in and the little patches of sunshine on the surrounding hills get smaller and smaller. J says he can smell rain in the air. I feel I could walk for miles and miles, but by now I have to admit that J might be right and rain begins to fall. So we say goodbye to the view and head back down the hillside to the car.
We suddenly decide that we might actually be ready to head homewards, perhaps via a gallery/cafe for mid morning coffee and a slab of carrot cake.
A detour for carrot cake is always a Good Thing in my opinion.
As are Weekends Away.

Buffers

Yesterday, we had arranged to meet up with friends :: my good friend K and her two Little People who're the same age as my Little People.
Now K's Little People are very, very boisterous, and K has to exercise them daily in order to achieve some kind of harmony on the home front. So when we arrange to meet up, we know it's going to be an outdoorsy event. Rain or shine. And yesterday it was rain. Nothing too heavy, just a persistent grey drizzle, but yes, it was wet.

So  K suggested a walk to Buffers. Never heard of Buffers, said I, but I will trust you on this one. We meet at 11am, in one of the car parks belonging to Bolton Abbey, and off we set. Down through the field to cross the bridge over the river, admire the spectacular Abbey ruins. Its all very green and lush. And wet. The Little People are running, running and shouting excitedly, K and I following behind. We start to climb up from the river, following  a track. Up and up, looking back to admire the view. The track narrows, lots of stinging nettles. We are still climbing, the track goes up and up and up. And eventually, after just under an hour or so of walking, we emerge in a small lane, high up in the hills. And the lane leads up and round a  corner to a very old dairy farm, called Back o' th' Hill Farm.

It is very remote, the "Back of Beyond" as my Mum used to say. I still have no idea what Buffers actually is, so don't quite know what to look out for. This looks like a delapidated old farm, is this where they keep The Buffers?

We go through the farm gate into the most beautiful little courtyard, bursting with flowers. There are baby cows in the sheds, moooooooing in an absurdly loud way. The Little People are thrilled to see farm animals, I'm more taken with the geraniums and the ancient bicycle.
And then I read the sign up there on the wall :: Back o' th' Farm, Buffers Coffee Shop, Railway Models, Selection of Books, Farm Produce.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, so Buffers is a Coffee Shop and Railway Gallery! But of course! So we troop in and it is indeed a most gorgeous little cosy cafe and shop. What a gem of a place! Up some creeky wooden stairs into the loft of the old barn and oh!

Trains! Old, old, old, very old and dusty, but oh such a delight for the Little People. Cabinets full of ancient toy trains and trucks, and lots of track with working trains which clatter round at the push of a button.

It's hard to photograph this place, it's very cramped and quite dark, but perhaps you can imagine the scene, and imagine the excitement it generates for the Little People. They don't mind about the cobwebs, the faded hand made scenery, the broken bits. They are busy pushing buttons and sending trains off round the track, and they are loving every minute of it.

Eventually we manage to drag them away and  back downstairs to the cosy cafe for lunch. There's wonderful, honest, hearty, homemade food to be had. Beans on toast, homemade soup, toasted sandwiches, apple juice, coffee. Big slab of chocolate cake, smartie cookies. Down the hatch.

1pm, when we emerge from all that warmth and cosiness, the green and the wet comes as a bit of a shock :: I had forgotten temporarily where we were, forgotten that we were high in the hills, out the Back of Beyond with a fair walk to do to get back. But it's easy going back because it's all down down down. And I'm nicely full of soup and cake.

2pm and we are back down near the Abbey ruins for a stop at the river beach. K and I sit under a tree to keep out of the rain, the Little People get stuck in doing what they do best :: getting as wet and mucky as possible.

The Little Ladies take spades and dig in the sand, making "chocolate icecream". Which is then flung to the ducks, who understandably look slightly traumatised and do not want to know.

The Little Men set about making a den in the roots of this magnificent Ash tree. Trap doors are constructed and elaborate passwords set to get in and out. No girls are allowed in. Not that the girls are bothered you understand, they're too busy getting wet and soggy and sandy and scaring the bejeezus out of the local duck population.

3pm and it's time to head back, I'm suddenly very tired and in desperate need of a brew. Bolton Abbey is always a good choice for a day out, but Buffers was a  wonderful new discovery and we'll be back again for sure. J insists upon it, he was most miffed he missed out. He is partial to a bit of old train track and chocolate cake.

Fruity oat squares and flapjacks

Morning all. Weather today? Grey with high prospect of rain. Plans today? Baking, meeting with friends to eat baking, possibly a (wet) woodland walk to walk off baking.

So today I thought I'd share a couple of my baking recipes, ones which I come back to time and again. This first recipe I've been making for a few years and we think it's fabulous. Its reasonably healthy in that there is no sugar or butter involved (honey and peanut butter instead :: genius), and as such it's often a component of school packed lunches, of mid morning snacks and of afternoon pre dinner I'm-staaaaaarving- locust-attacks by the Little People. I like to think I'm providing them with wholesome,  Energy-baking, something a bit more nourishing than an iced bun.

I adapted this recipe from one I found in a low GI cook book, altering the ingredients to suit my store cupboard (puffed rice? Nah! Toasted coconut? ooo no!)

So here you have my version of Fruity Oat Squares.

200g dried fruit - eg sultanas/raisins/chopped apricots/cranberries (my usual mix is 50/50 sultanas and apricots). Put the fruit into a food processor (snip apricots up first) and whizz hard until the whole lot is thoroughly blitzed. Set aside.

Find a large heatproof bowl and put in the following ingredients ::

2tbs vegetable oil
2tbs peanut butter
3tbs clear honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

Pop bowl into the microwave and heat for 1min or so until peanut butter is melty. Give  a good stir. Add the blitzed fruit and the following ingredients ::

125g porridge oats
25g sunflower seeds

Mix well.

Press mixture firmly into a lightly oiled/lined shallow tin (19cm/8inch square)

Bake for 20mins, 180C/350F/gas 4

Take out of the oven and press the mixture down lightly, then cut into 12 squares. Leave to cool in the tin. The squares in the picture below had a bit of Cadbury's Flake crumbled over them whilst they were still hot, just a little extra mmmmmm, but it's not often I bother to do this.

Now my Little People adore these, but I know other Mums who've tried this recipe say their offspring will not eat them. I think it's because they are not particularly sweet. They're wholesome, and some kids have a built in radar to protect them from Wholesome Foodstuffs.

No, for sweetness you need a bog standard flapjack recipe, and I have just the thing. I've tried many flapjack recipes, and this is one I find irresistible. It's sweet but not sickly sweet, and has that lovely chewiness which I love about flapjacks. I cannot stand rock-hard flapjacks. And it's simplicity itself to make.

Fruity flapjacks

Into a heatproof bowl, put the following ::

80g soft brown sugar
100g butter/margarine
60ml Golden syrup

Into the microwave for a minute or two until the butter and sugar are melty. Stir well.

Add 200g porridge oats and 80g dried fruit (snipped apricots are my choice here)

Press into a lined tin (make the flapjack around 2cm deep) and bake for 20mins at 180C.

Press down the mixture to firm and cut into flapjacky size squares.

Leave to cool in the tin before hoiking them out. Consume with a steaming hot brew/glass of milk, depending on age. Indoors or outdoors, preferably not in rain. 

Enjoy your day xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

One hundred

Actually, one-hundred is not strictly true :: I am behind schedule as per usual. Today is in fact post number one-hundred-and-four.

My hundredth post occurred last week, last Thursday, on the Ripple-reveal day. I had a feeling a few days ago that it might be approaching and spent a while (more than I care to admit) counting my posts. Yes I found this great long list of all my post titles (I have many in draft as well as those officially published) inside Typepad and I duly went back to The Beginning on March 12th and counted them all.

I've been reading blogs long enough now to know all about the little rituals that take place, and that at Post-One-Hundred there is usually a Giveaway. So when I realised I'd missed my one-hundredth-postiversary, I figured it wouldn't matter too much, I could still do a Giveaway right?  A kind of belated sorry-I'm-late one? Yeah, course I can, it's my Bloglett and I can haul it around any which way I like!

This is the yarn that was left over from making the Ripple, I think you would officially call this a Stash. It's quite a small stash because I tried not to spend any more money than I really had to on yarn for this  blanket. This yarn is darn expensive at  £4.35 a ball, but then it is the most scrumptious Cashmere-Merino and worth it.

So with the bits that were left, I decided to make some flowers, the same pattern I used to embellish my bag. They're so much fun to crochet, these little Button Flowers. I had this idea that maybe I could make a flower garland. I could crochet a looooooong string and some little green leaves and string them all together.

A pretty bit of fun to keep me smiling and keep fingers busy whilst stuck in on wet days. I make these whilst sitting at the table with the Little People :: they do colouring/drawing and I sit and hook.

I am actually rather thrilled with the way this garland turns out.
I love garlands and bunting, love the fact that they are completely useless items, their only function being to look pretty and possibly festive.
If you look on Flickr, there's a lot of garland-love to be found, buckets of inspiration. There is even a group pool I joined called Ga-ga for Garlands with 441 members, you have to check that out, its brilliant.
And if you type in "crochet" and "garland" in the Flickr search box, there are 150 photos which pop up, top of the list being this wonderful one, which I love.

 

I peg it up in the hall to see what it looks like (it was devilishly hard to photograph, so forgive the poor quality of these images).

I think it looks pretty strung along my book shelf.
Or hung over my mirror in the hallway, which is where it is right now.

Yes. it's there right now and I love seeing it when I walk in and out of my front door. But I'm going to give this one away, I can easily make myself another one.

So :: Lovely people, always so generous with your comments on my blog, which absolutely brightens my day like you would not believe. On Thursday of last week, when the Ripple was the star of the show and it was post-one-hundred, there were thirty seven wonderful comments.

So I'm using the fantabulous world of computers, specifically that marvelous thing called the Random Number Generator and :::::::::::::::::::::: the number chosen is 13. Yes, it really is Lucky 13!

So is it you? Were you comment number 13 last Thursday?

Shall I tell you who it is? You're never gonna believe it, but I honestly promise you it was random. Completely and honestly the computer chose the number. Sally it's you hun. If you'd like this garland, it's yours. Funny isn't it how fate works out, there's that saying "what goes around comes around" which is something  I really believe in. You can read more about Me and Sally here.

When time allows, I'm going to write a tutorial/pattern for making this garland so you can have a go at making one yourself. And when time allows, I'm gonna be making me another, cos I'm good to myself like that.

Entertaining the Troops

A box of chalks, eighty sticks of colourful goodness for one-pound.
Excellent value for money.

Little People and the neighbours children spend a huge amount of time outside chalking pictures on the wall, and making hopscotch/noughts and crosses games on the pavement.
Day after day the rain washes it all away and they start again.
This IS a most excellent way to Entertain the Troops.

I went browsing at our local Antiques and Collectors Centre at the weekend.
I like to have a good rummage, it's that sort of place.
Little stools, wicker baskets, chipped enamelware, glass bottles, faded eiderdowns, an old meat safe, a tin globe (as in globe of the world). These are the things that almost-but-not-quite came home with me.
Instead I ended up spending the grand sum of three-pound-fifty-pence for this old Snakes and Ladders board. I had an idea that it would be a good game to keep the Little People entertained.
So far so good.


The board doesn't come with dice and counters, but no matter, we improvise beautifully. Little Man does a sterling job creating a dice out of some yellow card and selotape. I'm very proud of his construction abilities.
Counters are sought and found :: a Barbie shoe and a hideously grim plastic model.
Still doing great.
The game begins.
I have to assist fully. Little Lady does not comprehend the meaning of Ladders = up and snakes head = down. She needs a lot of help.
Every time a snakes head is reached there is hideous crying from the one going down.
Every time a ladder is climbed there is much yelling/howling/tantrumming from the one left behind.
It is not going well.
I remind them it's a game and supposed to be fun, that going up and down is all part of the fun.
The crying/yelling/howling/tantrumming continues.
I snap the board shut and declare the game over.
Even more yelling and crying.
This is NOT a good  way to Entertain the Troops.

Painting by numbers, one-pound forty-nine-pence each, two bought.
Huge initial thrill that I am allowing them to paint in a grown-up manner, but novelty soon wears off.
There's quite a lot of mess to clear up.
My table runner gets painted.
The pictures remain unfinished.
This is NOT a good way to Entertain the Troops.

Baking buns and allowing Little People (and neighbours children, always in our house) to decorate.
Allow "stealing" of chocolate buttons.
Much laughter and more "stealing".
Chocolate sprinkles go everywhere, but we are still laughing.
Buns eventually get one button each, and a few measly sprinkles.
They're quickly scoffed before icing has chance to go hard, only two remain in the tin.
This IS a great way to Entertain the Troops, especially as Mummy also gets to eat the proceeds.

Today it's pouring with rain. Again. But today we have an Entertainment Plan. We're driving across the hills to go here today, look there's over 70,000 sq ft of fun to be had!
I for one am looking forward to being out of the house, to sitting with good friends drinking cappuccino while the Little People run and climb and slide and crawl and swing to their hearts content.
I'm looking forward to paying a (relatively) large amount of money and letting the Troops crack on and Entertain Themselves.