Summer Moments {three}

☀ The upside to the rainy downside is that  sometimes we get to see the most beautiful colours arcing across a stormy grey sky. 

☀ A bunch of sunflowers gifted to me by my lovely friend and neighbour as a thank you for popping in and feeding her goldfish for ten days. The fish amazed me by acting like they were on the brink of starvation every single day, and the flowers amazed me because they just look so impossibly unreal. 

☀ A hand written note passed to me whilst the Little People were engaged in some sort of a who-can-go-the-longest-without-speaking challenge. This was Little B, sweetly (and silently) asking for a hot chocolate. How could I refuse?

☀ Still loving my weekly get togethers with friends and visitors at the cafe on Friday mornings. It feels like a blissful full stop after a rather long and rambling week-long sentence, a time to sit still, breathe out and just take time for myself. I look forward to these precious few hours soooo much.

☀ A lovely walk at Bolton Abbey a few weekends ago, it was a rare morning where we woke up to blue skies and no rain. It was a great walk, the Little People were in good spirits and we enjoyed our coffee/cake/ice cream at the cafe afterwards.

☀ Stopping to appreciate the way the sunshine was lighting up these leaves and making them look like they were glowing. Loving that Little Lady also stopped with me and instantly "got it" when I told her what I was looking at. It delights me that we seem to look at the world in a very similar way.

☀ Ahhhhh, that very first mug of coffee each morning, how I love it and look forward to it! Such pleasure in the gentle ritual of making the coffee whilst inhaling the aroma, then sitting quietly, sipping, thinking and savouring the start of a new day. 

☀ Sofa snuggling - me at one end of the sofa and Little Lady at the other in the early morning before the day properly gets underway. There is something so precious about these quiet, ordinary little moments of calm.

☀ Baking with Little B, partly to keep him occupied on a rainy afternoon, and partly giving in to my craving for a cookie with an afternoon cup of tea. These Oaty Cookies are so quick and easy to make (perfect for baking with children), the recipe is on my blog {here}. 

☀ The kitty loves sleeping in this chair, but especially when the sun streams in through the large bay window and creates a very cosy, warm spot for her to snuggle in. 

☀ I brought my yarn pegs home from the studio so I could work on a new colour palette idea that I've had in my mind for quite some time. As ever, I am hugely excited by the thought of a new blanket in it's early stages of design and planning, I just love the start of a new blanket journey so so so much. This will be my Autumn/Winter CAL blanket which I'll be able to tell you about in November.

☀ We were away last week down in Dorset, and my holiday photos tell a tale of many lovely Summer Moments spent pottering over hilltops, through gardens around harbours and along beaches. I'll share some Dorset Tales with you in a day or two, it'll be lovely, as always, to have your company. See you then!

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Comments

[Denise]

The beginning of the school year usually heralds the end of summer here in the north. This year has been no different.Autumn is on its way. But with your beautiful photography Lucy, along with the vibrant colours of the summer harmony blanket (still in progress) I can have summer every day in the Lilly van. Thankyou.

[Maria]

I have just learnt how to crochet in the past 6 months and my first project is your Cosy Blanket. I ordered the kit about 2 weeks ago and was amazed when it was here within 48 hours. I have only done 5 stripes so far but have to say I love, love, love the colours already and they are most definitely NOT my usual choice.
I had to write today to say how much I am enjoying your blog and to tell you how amused I am that I can relate to all the places you mention in your posts. I come from Poole in Dorset, Cornwall is one of my favourite counties in Great Britain and we live not far away from you in Lancashire and love days out in Skipton. We are off down to Dorset for a holiday in a few weeks and reading your post will have me counting down the days.
Thank you for all your inspiration. My cosy blanket is going to be the first of many

[Marion McIntyre]

I have taken advantage ofbeing on sick
Leave to do a great deal of crochet and knitting. I have finished a ripple blanket
Made the moorland blanket And have nearly finished my harmony blanket. Cold wet
Weather has been perfect for crochet.

[Linne]

Love your summer moments posts, but this time what caught me most was the blanket you seem to be working on; I'm assuming it's the Summer Harmony border. I am still close to speechless at the colourwork in that one. I am very colour oriented, like you, and can spend a couple of hours in a paint store getting them to mix just the right colour for me. So your blanket has been a great joy to me. Looking forward to the one in November, but it seems such a long time . . . All the best to you, Lucy. ~ Linne

[Kathryn Ashe]

Oh my! It doesn't seem so long ago we read that little B was born...and now he is writing in cursive! How proud and pleased you must be!

[AnnieOB]

Lovely summer moments filled with love, colour and simple pleasures - for me they are the most precious.

[Trish Annie Stevens]

Hang on to those precious notes the children write, Lucy, they bring back such memories! One of my favourites was a long rambling note left on the kitchen table by one of my sons for us to find after an evening out, explaining that it was not their fault the dog had got hold of some forbidden food and been sick in the kitchen....

As always, I so enjoy reading about your gentle pleasures and your love affair with colour and yarn. Can't wait to see the finished Summer Harmony blanket!

[Tuula Maaria]

The colours in the blanket are so lovely that just looking at the photos make me happy :)

[Wendy Constantinoff]

I have finally mastered crochet :) Oh the years I have wasted. I am hoping I will be able to make one of your beautiful blankets before long :)

[Angela-Southern USA]

Lovely moments, none are as sweet as those with family. L.B. and his note, would melt anyone's heart. I look forward to hearing more about your next hooky blanket journey. I'm currently hooking one up (a chunky one with many strands as one with front and back post double crochets (US term)for my youngest daughter's birthday. x

[Jessica]

Thanks for bringing some sunny colour to my damp afternoon here in Manchester. The latest blanket is looking fantastic :-)

[Truus]

Your last picture of the sandy beach with the sea rolling in is very inspirational! Wouldn't it be beautiful to make a blanket with this colour scheme?

[Carol]

Lovely photos and the way you have presented your blog. Great idea and I can't wait to see your new CAL.

[Live and Let Pie Blog]

Beautiful photos, and really looking forward to seeing what the new Blanket will be like!

[Caz]

I used to have a "who can go the longest without speaking" contest when delivering a car full of small boys to Beaver Scouts. It was the only way I could cope with the drive. It was only about 8 minutes but oh my goodness could those children wind each other up if given a chance! Luckily for me the worst offender thought it was a great game!
The coastal blanket is coming along but the university start date is now only a month away.....should have started it earlier!
We will be in Bridport next week. I'll send it a wave from you!

[Astrid]

Early in the morning , drinking tea and reading your blog.
Quiet en nice start of the day.
Curious about New Blanket in novenber.
Enjoy your holiday!

[Teresa Kasner]

I'm so glad you got to go to the sea for a visit, I know how you love it there and I'm looking forward to the photos. I just started a little baby blanket today for my son's best friend's expected little one. I'm using a soft yarn that has rainbow pastels since I don't know if it's a boy or girl yet. I love all your colorful blankets! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

[Linda]

What lovely summer pics although I can't abide even the thought of a blanket in my lap right now, what with temps in the 90's (also in the southern US)! It will be cooler soon enough though. No summer trips for us this year, so I look forward to pictures and vacation, or rather "holiday" stories of your trip to Dorset.

Like the poster above, Yorkshire has won a place in my heart and is on my "must see someday" list. I'll even plan a visit to Coopers as well and hope that I can take a peek into your studio, too. I'm smiling at the idea that a small English cafe has gained such notoriety! I hope you have a visitor's book for all who make a trip there to sign.

[Elizabeth Waggoner]

I know you love more color than that, but I think a blanket in the colors of that last photo would be glorious!!! :-)

[Betty]

I'm currently working on the Moorland blanket and hope to have it completed before your new CAL. I love looking at your pics of scenery and hearing of your life. Love the pics of your blankets. Thanks so much for sharing!

[Margaret Simpson]

Lucy, you always evoke so many happy memories for me with you beautiful photo's, of the Yorkshire scenery. Thank you so much, you have just given me a beautiful early morning read your blog. 😊🇦🇺

[Spécialiste de l'éphémère]

I would have said "yes" for the hot chocolate too!
Those little things are soooo precious!
So are the moments you captured and shared here.
It's always a GREAT PLEASURE to read your posts, as a GREAT lover of England who had the chance to live in the fabulous Derbyshire for a few months.
Enjoy!

[Susan Smith]

Thank you for a lovely 'summer' moments post, which although I'm not a fan of heat, I could do with a little sunshine just now. It's blowing a gale, chucking down with rain & utterly miserable here in Oz. Good to see you enjoying Friday coffee mornings, precious family time, kitty cats & thinking up new projects. Now for me, the thinking of a new quilt project is great, until you realise half way through, that you've not enough fabric that you've been using from your stash. OK, I can usually think outside the square, but it's seeing it come together that is exciting. I think you feel the same when you are near the end of a project too. Oh dear, sorry about the babble. Have a great weekend, hopefully sunny & take care.

[Margit]

Looks so nice and cool, well at least cooler than the Southeast United States. Temps in 90s feeling like over 100. Lol Fall will be here soon enough. Our kids are back in school (having been out since May) and mothers are taking a sigh of relief. Love reading your blogs and looking at your pictures. Next week am looking forward to photographing the change of one scene during the eclipse we will be having on the 21st. Here in Georgia we will get only 96% eclipse but still excited just the same. My grandson will get out early and has asked me to pick him up and we will view the eclipse together.
enjoy the rest of your holiday.

[Louise]

It's so lovely to wake up on a miserable winters morning on the other side of the world to such glorious summer images! I think when Spring kicks in I may have to throw some sunflower seeds around in my garden! xox