Early Spring

It's been cold here today, an un-spring-like three degrees, and as I sit here at my desk I can hear J cleaning out the grate ready for me to light the fire. We are straddling the seasons it seems, with one foot tentatively tiptoeing into Spring and the other foot staying wrapped up in woolly hand knit socks and winter boots. I haven't taken a photograph of my hill view in ages, mainly because it has often been covered in low cloud or fog and has been very murky indeed. But as our days lengthen I'm beginning to notice more sunlight and shadows across the landscape and more subtle changes in colour as the winter slowly comes to an end. I'm so ridiculously happy that our clocks jumped forward an hour into BST (British Summer Time) at the weekend and we now have the beautiful pleasure of light evenings again. I popped outside to put some paper into the recycling bin last night at 8pm and it was still (almost) light......happy, happy, happy me!!

It was the Spring Equinox on the 20th March, so exactly two weeks ago. Since then we've had a whole mixed bag of weather thrown at us but there have been the most delicious signs of early Spring showing in my neighbourhood, and I'm mainly talking about the florals. 

This golden beauty is at the end of my street in someone's front garden and I walk right past it every day when I come and go up and down the hill. It's a Forsythia and is absolutely laden with bright yellow flowers at this time of year. In the late afternoon when I'm on my way down the hill to school, the sun is low in the sky and shines right through the branches - it makes the flowers look as if they are glowing.

Blossom season is usually May here in my patch, but some of the smaller more sheltered trees in my neighbourhood are already in flower. This beautiful pink offering is very conveniently in my next door neighbours front garden so I am treated to the sight of it up close and personal. It's only a small tree which was planted around 3 years ago so the blossom is actually at face level which I absolutely love! Usually I'm gazing up through blossom branches high above my head, but having these beautiful flowers right in front of my nose is wonderful. 

I was walking home from our knit and natter morning at Coopers Cafe on Friday and snapped this photo when I felt overcome by nostalgia. Walking along this narrow pathway next to the little beck always makes me smile and reminds me of the many times I've walked back from playgroup holding hands with a very small chattery Little B. We used to call this our "tricky way" home as it involved the act of walking very, very, very carefully as close to the wall as we could manage - it was a little bit nerve wracking for this Mummy, but how could I deny him this simple bit of adventure? Little B would beg me to take him this way home...."please, please Mummy, can we walk home the Tricky Way?" He absolutely loved this pathway as I think it felt a little bit dangerous to his three year old self. I mean, look! No fence, no hand rail, nothing to prevent a three year old Little Person from tumbling into the water below! How very risky!!

What you can't see in the above photo is the flight of well worn stone steps at the end of the path - these take you straight up to the canal tow path. Yes, that bridge at the end is actually an aqueduct and carries the canal over the beck below. Don't you just love quirky little pathways like this?

I've no idea what this Tricky Way tree is called, but it's newly unfolding leaves are absolutely beautiful. They emerge at this time of year a very, very soft and pale silvery green so that they almost look like blossom. I would love to know it's name**, it somehow niggles me when I can't bring forth this sort of vital information.

**edit** I sent a photo of the tree to Christine who has a huge bank of gardening knowledge in her brain alongside all the sock knowledge, and she told me it's a Whitebeam tree. I am SO HAPPY to know this!!! Whitebeam, whitebeam....I shall try my hardest to retain that information inside my chaotic scramble of a brain. I love this tree!

On Saturday we ventured out as a family of four (sadly no matter how much I plead, I cannot persuade our 16 year old BoyTeen to come with us any more). It was a sunny day and as Little Lady was due to work on Sunday at her waitressing job, we loosely called this jaunt a day-early Mothers Day treat. We are very lucky to live on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales national park, and have an enviably large number of destinations/walks we can choose which involve only a short car journey. On Saturday we picked one of our favourite family walks, an easy riverside meander with the added bonus of a top notch refreshment break built in. 

The walk starts at Linton Falls (there is a small car park there) and follows the river Wharfe (in the direction of Burnsall) as far as Hebden suspension bridge. Here you turn off and follow the half mile footpath to the small village of Hebden which is home to one of my most favourite rural cafes {The Old School tearoom}. If you live around here or are planning to visit in future I can highly recommend this easy walk - it's not circular, but with the tea-room stop in the middle, the return walk still feels very pleasurable even though you are effectively walking back the way you came. 

There are some huge Horse Chestnut trees growing along the riverside, and I was delighted to see the "sticky buds" already beginning to open. Spring is here, even when it feels like Winter still has us in it's grip.

I wish I'd taken some photos of our tea room stop, it was soooo good! It was just about warm enough to sit out in the garden (along with the goat, chickens and guinea pigs) and as well as the very, very good coffee, the home baked cakes are to die for. It was midday, so the rest of the family opted for brunch style sausage and bacon rolls while I went my own unique way and chose carrot and orange cake. It was utter cakey perfection and I enjoyed every single mouthful.

Our return walk along the river was slower (bellies full of good stuff!) and included a stop at one of the pebbly river beaches. The water was beautifully clear and dappled with dancing sunlight, it made me happy just to stand and gaze at it.

Little B won the prize for the very best river beach find - I was a tad jealous until he gifted it to me without a second thought. I've kept it in my coat pocket and every time I get a hold of it I'm reminded of this sunny afternoon and the joy of spending time with family.

How about that ↑↑↑ for an impressive set of roots??!!

It was around 3.30 by the time we returned to the falls, and all felt ridiculously happy in my personal internal world. I do so love where I live, and getting out to enjoy the countryside with J and the Little People is one of my all time bestest most favourite pleasures (especially when you add in coffee, cake and pebbly beaches).

And here I am, engaging in one of my other favourite pleasures - a little spell of fireside crochet. Actually, this was Sunday afternoon and I don't think we'd lit the fire by this point but I still like to sit on the floor there. I've got a couple of surprisingly comfy, boxy square floor cushions and when my blanket has reached full-body length it's lovely to sit crocheting on the floor with the blanket stretched out in front of me. It's a visual feast!

Dune blanket is coming along beautifully and I am so very happy with it. It's hard to put into words - saying "very happy" seems rather lame when I look at those soothing yarny colours worked into cute little seashells and feel an overwhelming sense of joy. For me, this blanket is chockablock full of the best kind of seaside memories and I like to think they surround those stitches like an invisible magical aura. Crochet blankets are just fantabulous, in every way. Love love love making blankets!

I need to chat to my friends at Wool Warehouse and settle on a date for the Dune yarn pack - I've got to finish making the blanket (four more stripes, then the border), work on the printed pattern (which will be included in the yarn pack) and create the full photo tutorial to share here on my blog. I'm thinking it'll be in about two weeks time.......I am also thinking........scenic photos of the blanket at the beach will most definitely be required......sea fever springs to mind......!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Comments

[barbara woods]

going for a walk always brightens my world

[Karen Dodgson]

Oh the excitement! Your Dune blanket is nearly ready, which means it’s very nearly time for us all to get excited about making our own! And you must be squealing even more than me about the possibility of a photo shoot in St Anne’s! Have a wonderful day, and I’ll continue waiting with baited squealy breath until the Dune pack is ready to buy!

[kazzy]

always enjoy your walks~ simple pleasures of just taking in the seasonal changes and the blossoms...I love this time of year when winter lifts and lets the light flood in and little shoots begin to appear...I shared a post on my blog about the blossoms and the joys of seeing Spring arrive. Though, like you said, the weather has been completely mad here too we've had heavy hale and even a sprinkle of snow where I am near Dartmoor then suddenly its back to bright blue heavenly skies!!but very cold! it cannot make its mind up.
Feeling sorry for the bumble bees and butterflies that have come early. The Dune blanket is just beautiful!!~ I absolutely adore pastel shades and really am tempted to try this. I seem to have so many makey projects on the go still trying to finish my embroidery hoops to hang up and illustrations for a childs birthday...Im trying to shake off my cold/flu/bug...Lovely to catch up on your lovely blog as always. I noticed your on instagram I'm Kazzyloves on there ;)

[Susan R]

I love poems by Masefield and Sea Fever is my favourite.

[Sue Laverack]

After several warm spring days we had snow this morning here in SW Wales and it has been cold and wet and grey all day. Ascending to be in from of the fire and I wish I hadn't finished my blanket! Yours is lovely and the colours are so summery!

[sew]

I too have sea fever and will soon venture forth to the North Wales coast - only an hour away and have the compulsory paddle, regardless of the weather. I was in Llandudno a couple of years ago, happily rippling along, when a lady jumped up from her seat on the prom and declared, ' I'm going to ask her!'. It transpired that she was a hooker but your ripple pattern had so far eluded her so, on seeing what I was doing, decided to ask! I was delighted to be able to help her but it just goes to show what the seaside does!!xx

[Jackie]

I love the colours in this blanket 🤩. I love anything to do with the seaside!

[Caz]

I love that photo from the attic. Beautiful!

[Rachel]

Can’t go without saying how fab is that poem? Thanks for the link.

[Sandra Chilvers]

The blanket looks fabulous and the colours are gorgeous and was looking forward to taking it with me for my project on our narrowboat , but unfortunately it looks like the pack won’t be out in time as we set off mid April for the summer 😢

[Liz]

If you would like a circular walk, follow the 2nd footpath on the right after the bus garage in Hebden and walk across the fields through the nature reserve then High Lane into Grassington and down through the village to Linton.

[Crysella Smith]

The blanket is beautiful. I retire in July... I think this might be just the project for me. Lovely photos too. My forsythia is in full flower and such a treat to look out on from my kitchen window.

[Winwick Mum]

It sounds like you had the best kind of Mother's Day, and that new blanket is so lovely. It reminds me of ice creams, beach huts and - perhaps - Easter eggs at this time of year too! :) xx

[Amanda Jones]

The Whitebeams are at their best when the new leaves are opening - have one in my front garden and the house is named Whitebeam.