Happy Things

♥ A bowl of hot porridge for breakfast  ♥

Mmmmmmmmm!! I have the same breakfast every morning at this time of year, porridge made with milk, a tablespoon of sultanas, half a chopped banana and a swirl of golden syrup. It really does hit the spot and fuels my busy mornings.

♥ Tilly the kitty ♥

Awww, this kitty! She is so playful and fiesty and demanding and loving and exasperating and amazing - all the kitty things! She has a very strong personality, at times a right little b*gger to be honest, but she is a delight and I love having her around the house.

♥ Baking with Little Lady ♥

A rare occurrence with my 12 year old these days, but we made this together yesterday and it was sooo good (the experience and the end result). She had made this recipe {Finnish Fruit Plait} at school last week in her Food Tech class and we all loved it very much. So I asked her if we could try it again at home - it's very easy to make and comes out like a dense and well flavoured fruit bread which toasts beautifully.

♥ Autumn Leaves ♥

The colours of these leaves make my heart flutter! They are from the cherry tree in my neighbour's front garden a few doors up the street. I love the way these leaves just lay around on the pavement looking all casually gorgeous and just begging to be picked up and admired. I've pressed them inside a heavy book - must remember I've done that.

♥ Sitting by the fire ♥

After our cold, wet woodland walk on Saturday we lit the fire  almost as soon as we came home. The warmth and comfort our fire brings to our home is huge, gosh I love having an open fire place so so much. I light up most evenings now, it's getting dark here around 4.30pm and especially on days like today when we have Storm Angus raging outside, the extra home comforts are very welcome.

♥ Finnish Fruit Plait ♥

The aforementioned baking efforts fresh from the oven - superb when sliced and toasted, slathered with butter and washed down with a hot cuppa.

♥ An afternoon/evening on the sofa ♥

I managed to fall over on Saturday, a rather undignified flying slip-up on a neighbours pathway leaving me with a scraped knee and some pulled muscles in my leg. This was not a Happy Thing I might add. But I decided it would be best for all concerned if I totally milked my injuries and spent many hours sprawled out on the sofa yesterday, covered in blankets with a hot water bottle on my leg to ease the muscle ache. In the above photo that's me with the red and white stripy socks, Little Lady is underneath the cosy stripe blanket with Tilly on her lap, and believe it or not, Little B is underneath the Cupcake Stripe blanket AKA The Boy Den. It was very cosy indeed, we watched films and I took myself off into Festive Magazine Wonderland.....

♥ Festive Magazine Wonderland ♥

I have to be in the right frame of mind to soak up any sort of Christmas imagery and suggestion - I'm not normally with it until the start of December. But something about being cosied up with the family yesterday, wrapped in blankets with the warmth of the fire put me right in the mood to sink into a bit of a Christmas day dream. It was delightful, until I got to thinking hmmmmm - christmas tree + kitty cat = possible disaster!!!!! haha!!

♥ Surprise Flowers ♥

A surprise flower delivery is a Happy Thing Indeed, my heart was full to bursting when I opened up the humongous box and was greeted by all this amazing floral colour. A very thoughtful and generous gift from a friend, it was truly appreciated.

♥ Hyacinth bulbs ♥

Oh Happy Day, the cheap pots of hyacinth bulbs are back in the supermarket!! I love this about mid November, it really cheers me up no end when there are hyacinth bulbs in the house. I keep an old Cornishware bowl especially for hyacinths so that I can do away with the plastic pot and have blue and white china stripes instead. I've gone for white flowers, and I am already massively looking forward to them.... although now I'm thinking hmmmmm  - hyacinths + kitty cat = possible disaster!!!!!

♥ Yarn Stripes ♥

Yarny stripes never fail to make me ridiculously happy and I'm loving this little project I've got on the go at the moment. I've gathered together some oddments of Stylecraft yarn from my rather mahoosive stash of leftovers and am making a cushion cover. It gives me a chance to practice the Neat Wave pattern and have a bit of an indulgent colour play at the same time. I'll show you more of these stripes towards the end of the week - I'm planning a CAL blanket Q&A post for Friday.

♥ A really rather exciting delivery all the way from the USA ♥  

A very, very happy day today when my brand new 2017 Life Planner was delivered, yippeeeeeee!!!! I was so excited/nervous it took me a while to actually get past the blue tissue paper, but oh! Ooooohhhhh!!!!! It is a thing of beauty, and I am so very pleased with it! I can't wait to show you more, it needs it's very own post me thinks.......more soon.......

Here's hoping you're finding oodles of Happy Things in your days xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Comments

[Robin W.]

Hi Lucy,
I hope you are feeling better. I have been busy here with Thanksgiving and company and have not read blog til today.
GET WELL SOON!

[Helen]

I like reading your blog. I like the fact that you discuss pleasant soothing topics and don't mention politics. Your kitty is so cute!

[Elvira]

hi Lucy, it's my first time here and I'm glad I stumbled upon your blog. Look at those pretty crochet <3. I just started learning to crochet and making my second small project. Thank you for sharing happiness. Btw, those leaves are super pretty. I wish we had such autumn here in Northeast India :)

[madalena leal]

hi lucy :) i think i'm in love with your work.
any workshops? i know the basics of crochet and knit but, as a portuguese woman, sometimes i don't understand the instructions. i would love to go for a workshop.
can be private. just tell me the price :)
i like porridge as well but not as much as i like your blankets :)

[Christiane]

Dear Lucy,
lovely post! :-)
The blanket kitty is lying on, is it the Hexagon blanket of 2008...or have you crocheted an new one since then? The colurs look similar and different at the same time, to me.

I'm going to join you on the moorland cal!

[Lynne Gill]

Lovely lovely colourful post, Lucy - it fair cheered me up! I've got my Moorland pack but oh! the colours in your latest cushion cover just sing!

[mamiyomani]

ohhhhhh!!! So pretty the cat!!!!! And enjoy so much the blanket jajajaja

[Joy]

a lovely colourful warming cosy post - hope the leg soon sorts itself out and isn't too painful xx Joy xx

[zozie]

Love happy things lucy, thank you for posting more posts at the moment i do enjoy them!
I today posted on my website, full of positive things - my first post on CROCHET! and you were mentioned!! I am going to do lots more in time.
https://whimsyandcosy.wordpress.com/2016/11/23/crochet-love-scarves-blankets-and-a-hat/

[Ali]

Hello, sorry about your slip, hope you're soon recovered. On the subject of trees and kittens... we used to tie the top of the tree to a curtain pole so that even if the kitties went climbing the tree stayed upright!

[Lyla Paulson]

Hi, Lucy, Once again the distance in miles becomes small as your CAL for the Moorland blanket popped in today! It's the perfect cold season to crochet blankets and the perfect colors, too. This coming summer, my daughter and grandson will be spending nearly four weeks in the British Isles. Gifting them Morrland blankets on their return will give them a cozy reminder of the beautiful heather hills!
frosty greetings - ND USA

[Kitty]

As someone else already said, please do put a safety grate in front of the fire, for the whole family as well as the little cat.

[Kath]

Those wet leaves can be treacherous, just glad it wasn't more serious. As for kitties and Christmas trees, one of my two cats (both sadly gone now) used to love hiding underneath ours. I think he felt safe there, no-one could see him, or so he thought! The other liked to play with the lower baubles, and if he managed to get one off, had great fun chasing it. Take care, Lucy. Give those muscles time to heal. A good excuse to rest and enjoy a bit of hooky time!

[Cornelia Borer-Waser]

Thany you for de recept. Im can not translate the "mixed peel". What is that? The Granny-Blanket are very beautiful. Gretings Cornelia from Switzerland

[Tracy Sutton]

Just started crocheting and wished I'd picked up the hook years ago. I now knit, crochet and cross stitch. Currently practising a mini granny striped blanket and loving it using my stash of double knitting. Just ordered the sunny wool pack. Thank you for the inspiration. Xx

[Karen L. Green]

I love your breakfast but have one question--what is golden syrup?

[Judith Solecki]

You need a pair of ICESPIKES.

[Rena]

Dear Lucy,
I love to read your blog. I am a crocheter too and that is why I came here at first... but now I have to say that it warms my heart to read about your home, your family and the family life and all that comes with that.

My three kids are grown up now and living on their own, my eldest daughter got married this summer and reading about your life reminds me of the days when they were kids.

And - of course - I like your crafts! I will start with your Cosy Stripe Blanket in 2-3 weeks, after finishing my current project.

Have a nice evening and get well soon.
Kind regards from Duesseldorf, Germany.

[Lucy Caitlyn Wynne]

I've had kitties for 30 years and never had a problem with my tree and them.
Lots of hissing when she approaches it and she'll soon stop.
Tilly is gorgeous and a pet really makes a family complete.
Love the posts and pics get well soon.
Tilly might enjoy autumn leaves tied with string and suspended from a stick. My 5&6 year old cats are loving them to play with

[Susan E]

I wish I knew when I signed up to start following you and your blog. It was before Facebook and Instagram for sure. I love this post. You reminded me to make "porridge" tomorrow. Here in the US we say oatmeal but I love the word porridge better. I also was inspired to make the Fall leaves and acorns crochet seeing when you made those wreaths. I need to find your pictures and look at them again. We are ready to celebrate being thankful for Thanksgiving in a few days and starting to prepare some dishes to bring to my brothers. I hope to get to crochet while I am there too. :-)

[Helen]

Wow, the HAPPY bubbles out of that post.

[bekki]

Loved seeing all of the snuggly blankets with people almost invisible underneath them. Thanks for the reminder about hyacinths, must get a stock of them.

[Nora McGRANN]

LOVE all your blogs..and as a novice crocheter..have ordered and received the yarn for the wave blanket, come January!
I often wonder how you have all these beautiful crochet rugs etc and if you never have them damaged with your cat and the paws!!? I would have my heart in my mouth if I saw the cat anywhere near..lol

You always sound so happy and I love this plait...once tried one around Easter time..so maybe give this one a go
You are so fortunate to have an open fire..no toast ever tasted as good as one made on a long fork..remember them well, back in the day!....

looking forward to future newsy bits and pieces...
thanks Lucy x

[Maria João Machado]

I also like porridge made with milk, a tablespoon of sultanas, half a chopped banana/or pear or apple in small cubes and a honey instead of golden syrup - we don't have it nearby. Occasionaly I spray some cinnamon on the top. Love it. The true happynness is made of several little things.

[Millimari]

Sorry to learn about your fall! I frequently visit your lovely, colorful blog. As a reader from Finland, the fruit plait looks very familiar although I've never toasted it. Maybe I should give it a try. :)