Five Daily Happies

:: Happy #1 :: my back yard ::

Daily pleasure guaranteed in this teeny tiny little outside space of mine. I potter around out here many times a day, deadheading, watering, inspecting, and sometimes just sitting peacefully and breathing it all in. And by the way, I've decided not to paint the wall after all. Next year I want to grow lush leafy things up against it, I want it to become a wall of living greenery.

Things are really growing like billio out here, like really thriving and not just merely surviving! Little B's pumpkin is going great guns and this week I noticed that I have actual strawberries on my strawberry plants, so I'm very happy about that.

:: Happy #2 :: elevenses ::

I wonder if this is a particularly English thing or whether it's worldwide, do you know of "elevenses"? I really love this little ritual when I make time to sit a while in the late morning and enjoy something sweet to eat with a hot drink. This week I baked banana bread (this recipe) which makes rather a fantastic 11 o'clock treat.

I drink a good few mugs of fresh coffee each morning, but I especially enjoy the one that washes down the sweet treat at 11 o'clock.

:: Happy #3 :: flowers ::

Flowers always make me happy, but never more so than when I'm snipping them from my own pots. The snipping isn't a daily thing actually....

....but enjoying them indoors certainly is. Such simple pleasure, and a source of daily happiness for me.

:: Happy #4 :: crochet ::

Of course, I have to mention my daily fix of hooky feel-good!

Weirdly I've not been crocheting much of late, but a few days ago I got out my jolly bag of colourful chunky yarn and immersed myself in those gorgeously squishy rows (I'm making background stripes for my YARNDALE letters). It felt really good to be back with it again after an unplanned break.

:: Happy #5 :: sky gazing ::

I blame my Dad entirely for this habit as it was him who taught me the wonders of sky gazing when I was a small child. When I was growing up we had many books about the night sky and I used to know a lot about stars and the constellations. Clouds too, my Dad has some serious books on clouds. Today the clouds have been especially lovely, all puffy, fluffy and white, and I've spent rather a lot of time watching them breeze across the sky.

We had a terrific storm here yesterday afternoon, torrential rain, thunder, lightening, the works. A few hours later after the storm had blown out of town we were left with a most incredible evening sky and the whole house was lit up in a glorious glow of pink.

♥

I hope you are enjoying your days too and finding plenty of happy things to make you smile...

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

Funky Lamp Yarnbomb :: Ta-dah!

Crocheting Daffodils

Creative Swapping

Artisan Bread

May Rose Wreath :: Ta-dah!

Comments

[helen]

I am from Hungary, and we also have a custom which we call as 'tizorai' which means: at 10 o'clock. Usually we have a little bit of snack, fruits, biscuits, etc, you know something yumm between breakfast and lunch.
We had tizorai frequently at school, which meant a cup of milk with a piece of bread or a soft bun...

Good old times :)
Thanks for reminding me of our tradition, I completely forgot about it.Especially that my school years were looong time ago and we live in a different continent now...

[Angela Morton]

Dear Lucy
I run a small independent wool shop called Ripping Yarns in Saltburn by the Sea and have recently started stocking Stylecraft Special DK. Would it be possible to use a photograph of your Coastal Ripple Blanket on my Facebook page to advertise the fact that I now stock these colours.

Regards
Angela
Ripping Yarns

[María Carmen]

Hi Lucy! Could I say like to subscribe to your scrapbook ?. I have over a year on trying and do not get it.
I love your blog, it's great.
A greeting,
Mary

[Heide]

thank you so much for your postings. I am from austria and found your blog via my new zealand friend...but that's a different story ;-)

reading your words and looking at your wonderful photos really touched and reached me.
after a very demanding day it's like a healing plaster, like a soothing song!

thank you and blessings Heide

[Anne E. M.]

Dear Lucy,
I just love the hexagonal granny square blanket.I want to do one of those myself.

[barbaraschaap]

Hi Lucy, your elevenses makes me think of Pooh, saying: 'I always like a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning.'

He's not the only one, I've quoted him frequently ;-))

Love, Barbara

[Julie]

We don't do "elevenses" here in the US, but I wish we did. We Americans are too in a rush all the time and don't seem to take the time to sit and relax. I guess that's why I love all things British. I love that you all take the time to enjoy your lives instead of just being busy. I just love your blog and it's one of the few I always read. I'm very inspired by all your beautiful crochet work and all the gorgeous pictures of England. :)

Blessings - Julie

[Barbara]

I always love reading your beautiful blog. Thank you so much! I particularly enjoyed reading about the English elevenses. In Swiss German we have a "Znüni" (from nüni which means nine)and in the French speaking part of Switzerland it's "les dix heures" (dix = ten). So it looks like Swiss people have their morning snack earlier than you do. By the way, we also have an afternoon snack ("Zvieri" or "les quatre heures" = four o'clock snack)!

[Gena Resende]

I follow you for a long time now, used to comment under another identity, from Sapo platform. I must say that reading you and looking at your pictures, your way of looking into life, always give me strengh to go on. I could, ( I believe) be your mother, and want to thank you for the way you are, and the good you have been doing, in this case to me, as I passed through a tremendous depresion, not absolutely cured yet, even so, you were one of my "supporters"...Thank you Lucy, beautiful and gorgeous girl, mommy and crafty for what you are, and for what you are doing for who reads you. You help people love life and like what we have. Congratulations!

[Jen Heninger]

Lucy-- In Canada there is no elevensies...too too sad. I never heard of it until The Lord of the Rings...but we all wish there was! everyone is so worried about calories in North America that they would die before admitting to needing a meal before lunch!!! You have a lovely life! Thank you for sharing it with so many.

[Emm.A]

Life without coffee wouldn't be the same! ;)

[Louise]

such a beautiful little oasis ....enjoy...

[Sonnya Hasselbach]

Dear Lucy, today I write to you for the first time 'cause I wish to thank you for your wonderfull blog - I love it! :-)
Lately I ordered the chunky yarn pack from Wool Warehouse, to work the Jolly Bag and the Rainbow Cushion and I enjoy to do it in my holiday soon.
Your "happy #2" - the "elevenses" - we also know it in Germany, Lower Saxony, where I live. We call it "elführtje" :-) ...maybe translated as "eleven o'clock something"...
Well, thanks again for sharing so many good ideas for daily routines! ...and sorry for my English, it's more than fourty years ago, that I learned it at school...
Best wishes, Sonnya

[Kay Phillips]

Good decision regarding the wall. Love your back door garden.

[Lizy Tish]

Five really wonderful things. I love the idea of "elevenes"!

[Carolina Creates]

Ha! I would never guess there's a name of a habit/ritual which I follow...And it absolutely doesn't matter whether I stay indoor or go outside. It is a must to have a hot coffee and some cake before or around noon.Kind of an extra energy shoot to sustain my kids pace ;))

Full of positive energy post! Just great.

[Shirley Ann]

Elevenses

Hi Lucy, I think elevenses is definitely an English thing. We live in England now but are originally from South Africa - it's not something marked there. I grew up knowing about it as I was born in Rhodesia which was an English colony where lots of English ways were part of everyday life - elevenses being one of them. In South Africa - not so much :)

[Alison at Sylvan House]

"Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning..." - Winnie the Pooh. I like to think of Elevenses as a moveable feast - anywhere between 10am and lunch! If it includes a dear little slice of cake, then so much the better. I've just caught up on your blog, having been on holiday. I loved your Dorset posts, especially your beach pics. X

[Sandra]

I love love love your positive Energy. It is just what I need.........THANKS

[Pam]

I love Love your blog! Your photo's are so amazing that I think I can actually smell the flowers. Of course I am madly in love with your hooky work. Such an eye for color! Thank for sharing all of this beauty with us.

[Shirley]

I just found you! I love your photos, especially Happy #1 & #3. I live in an apt w/o a balcony and this is the first time I don't have my container gardening. I really miss it. However, I just turned 79 and I decided to try crewel embroidery again - it's been years. Also will try adding more color to my apt.

[Anna-Marie Field]

Your back yard is looking gorgeous!!!! Hard to believe you and little man planted the pots up just a short while ago!!! Have a happy crafty week!!!
Love
AMarie xxx

[Susan Erickson]

Hello from Canada! I have English relatives and can always remember my great Aunt in Worthing never missing her Elevenses! Which was a glass of Dandilion Wine!

You do beautiful work, the Mandelas are gorgeous!

[Naomi]

Things making me happy? Your two delicious recipes for oaty biscuits and chocolate chip cookies! So tasty, so easy and sooooooo good! Thank you for the continual inspiration and your bright outlook on life, you're always a tonic.

[Gillian]

My dad always has to have elevenses - even if it's at 10 or 10:30!