Attic24

Out and About

Mid April, and the season is balanced with one foot  leaping into spring, and the other (booted) foot still planted firmly in winter. I am absolutely loving these lengthening days though, especially since the clocks went forward into BST at the end of March and we have light evenings back again. All these extra hours of daylight are making me really happy and it goes a long way towards balancing out the high levels of rain and very cold winter temperatures that we're still putting up with.

This morning it was zero degrees when we set out to walk, a gorgeously still and quiet morning with a hard frost dancing over the landscape. It's Springfrost time, and the gentle muted colours keep reminding me of last year's blanket...colour really does have the amazing ability to evoke memories and emotions, don't you think?

I huffed my way up these wooden steps this morning, climbing through the trees all the way up without stopping. It's a great workout and my heart is always dancing a fast jig when I reach the top, reminding me that I'm alive and reasonably fit and well. Good health is pretty high up on my list of priorities these days, and not something I take for granted.

Yesterday morning was also freezing, but honestly I'm not complaining - the clear skies were very welcome and the sun definitely more than made up for the cold. Ahh, sunny-sun......do please stay for a while.

Doesn't the Blackthorn blossom look stunning? It's so pretty and always blooms abundantly, I don't think I've ever met a half hearted blackthorn hedge. The delicate little flowers erupt in an exuberant cloud and I really love it for that. More is more when it comes to flowers, always.

So I was away from home over the weekend, spending three nights in the wilds of West Yorkshire on a crochet retreat. It was my first Stitchtopia retreat of 2024 (I'm doing five in total this year) and after a busy week preparing for it I was really looking forward to meeting everyone and sharing the new project I'd designed.

The country house hotel where we stayed was lovely, quite old fashioned but in a way that immediately welcomed you in and made you feel relaxed and at ease. These retreats are a pleasure to do, mainly because I get to meet and spend time with the loveliest ladies. In the above photo to the right of the magnolia tree, that's the huge window of the "Blue Room" where we spent two days hooking and chatting away. I designed a really pretty wreath with some new flower and leaf designs, and it was loads of fun to see my design brought to life. I'm keeping my photos offline for the time being as I'll be teaching the same retreat again in May and June* and don't want to spoil the surprise for those who are coming along then.

To round out the retreat, we had a visit to Stylecraft at their historic mill building on Monday morning. We were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour giving a fantastic insight into the history and workings of the mill as well as getting to see the design studio and learning about the creative development of their yarns and patterns. 

Of course I'm no stranger to the workings of Stylecraft and have been to the mill many times over the years, but it was such a great experience being a part of this very enthusiastic group of crocheters.....the excitement was real!

Enjoying cake and yarn on a Monday morning....I think we all felt very happy with life at that point in time.

*June 2024 - a little note to say that due to an unexpected cancellation, there is now one place available on my Yorkshire retreat in June (Mon 3rd- Thurs 6th) if you fancy it, details are ((here))

I've spent the past couple of days recharging my batteries after the retreat. I love teaching, but I do find the very full days of socializing take a lot out of me (I am a very introverted person used to spending a lot of time in my own company).

I've enjoyed being out and about in sunny Atticland (blue skies! sunshine!), pottering around, catching up with errands, food  shopping and generally recalibrating after being away.

I took myself out for coffee yesterday morning. It felt like a luxury to sit in the quiet of this café where it was just me on my own for a while, basking in the sun and sipping my chocolate dusted frothy cap. Bliss.

At the start of last week before I got mad busy preparing for the retreat, J and I went out onto the countryside for a walk. It's funny that I had totally forgotten about it until today when I was looking through my photos to see what April was looking like so far. Thank goodness for the Me that always takes photographs every single day, I am grateful for these images that capture and preserve my days, weeks, months and years when my memory is not up to the job.

As you can see, it was very, very grey and damp out there with low cloud swirling just above our heads as we walked across the windswept moorland.

 We saw lots of frogs out and about, they seemed very at home in the damp wet grass minding their own business, or in pairs getting happy with each other ('tis the season!)

This circular walk is just under five miles I think, and during the whole time we were out we only saw one other person (a runner), a fair few grouse and a whole lot of frogs - it was incredibly peaceful even though in all honesty it felt a little bit bleak at times.

This is a walk I love to do in late summer when the purple heather is in flower, but there is a quiet beauty at this time of year which I can appreciate.

As we were walking the last mile, the weather rapidly changed and the clouds lifted and shifted to allow the sun to peek through. What a difference it made to the the landscape, it was like seeing an old sepia photo translated into full colour. Beautiful.

I really love a country walk for blowing the cobwebs away, it always leaves me feeling energised and full of gratitude for our open landscapes and public footpaths. We are very lucky indeed.

Thank you by the way, for all the lovely comments you wrote on my last post, I do so love to read them and hear a little bit about your days and also to find out what you enjoy about your visits here to the Attic. Often I think my posts are verging on the mundane, and yet I do really enjoy creating them for you (and for me to read back and remember things too) so I keep going. Photos stack up and then the words flow around them, it's a rhythm that is very familiar to me now after sixteen years of cultivating it.

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ps. in case you were wondering, I've not forgotten about Amsterdam.....I'll be working on sharing my trip soon before it fades into the rearview. 

pps. there is one single place now available on my Portugal retreat this summer following a cancellation....want to come with me?? Details ((here)) 

ppps. canal boats are still on my mind, they have taken up permanent residence. More on that soon x

 

 

Easter 2024

HeLLOoOoOooooo to you all out there in the world!!! I thought I would pop in for a quick catch up in amongst me being a mad busy thing as I prepare for my first retreat of the year this weekend. We're fully back to work and school this week after the Easter holidays - schools here in North Yorkshire had the Easter weekend in the middle of the two week break and it's honestly been the loveliest time for my little family. We've had the usual mixed bag of weather which included some glorious spring days and some hideously wild, wet and stormy ones too, so we've been out and about whenever we could but also enjoyed our quiet stay-home days too.

As I'm short on time today, I'll try and keep my word count to a reasonable digit, but I do hope you enjoy the visuals. I absolutely LOVE taking photos of everyday life, it's my most favourite type of blog content to create and also to enjoy on other peoples blogs (although there are so few active bloggers left these days).

Eastertide twenty-twenty-four....here are twenty snaps to tell the tale......

1. Laaaaaaambs!!! I'm sure there've been lambs around for a while already, but these were the first ones we saw in the fields close to home. Cute, playful little things they were too.

2. Sunday stroll. This is a walk we do when the fields and footpaths are still too muddy and wet, it's a 4.5 mile circular route which passes through a couple of small villages, then all the way back to town along the canal tow path.

3. Canal boats. Quite a number of people have suggested to me that I should design a blanket inspired by my daily walks along the canal. Of course this creative seed has now been sown and you may or may not be interested to know that it is taking root and sprouting leaves. I've spent the past four months building up a photo gallery of the boats I've walked past and the colours and decorative details are really making me feel the joy. It's not a done deal yet, but I'm beginning to form an idea of how this blanket might look and it's a distinct possibility for the 2025 CAL. Do let me know what you think of this idea by the way, I'm always open to hearing your thoughts. You can look ((here)) if you want to see a little of what's inside my Creative Mind!)

4. The Blobby Tree (!).....well, that's what I call this tree, I've no idea exactly what these blobs are but it tickles me every winter when we walk this way. They are tangled, dense balls of twiggy stems which I think are a parasitic growth (like Mistletoe, but these aren't mistletoe I don't think)

5. Naughty Pancakes. Not mine I might add, no, I've been on a health kick aside from a small daily ration of mini eggs and some Easter biscuit therapy. This plate was in front of Little B, and was an Easter Holiday breakfast treat at the pancake café in town. Triple chocolate American Pancakes, down the hatch in record time and one very happy Little B.

6. Bees and Blossom. My neighbours cherry tree was spectacular this year and I enjoyed it very much in the few weeks while it bloomed. On sunny days it was a buzz with bees which is such a happy sound, easy to miss if you are rushing past but lovely when you happen to slow down and catch it.

7. My hill view. Always a daily delight,  I love the way it connects me to the landscape and the seasons (and the weather).

8. My yarn tribe. We had a lovely get together at Coopers on Good Friday - coffee, crochet and some upbeat chatter, you just can't beat it. I finally finished my Blooming Sungold cushion cover, but it needs some gentle blocking and then the two sides joining together, so it's currently still in the WiP pile until after my retreat.

9. Easter celebrations......one of my favourites of the whole year. I'm not religious, but I do enjoy celebrating the return of the light and the start of spring. This sweet little lamb was a Craftpod project some years ago and I adore it.

10. The Mantel Twigs....how many years old now? I've no idea, but well over a decade (they were in situ in 2011, most likely earlier than that). They have seen many years of Easter and Christmas decorating and even though they are nothing fancy I just love them.

11. Chocolate eggs. I bought the Little People one medium sized boxed egg each this year, and then decided to pretend that I'm still the Mother of Little-Little People and bought a whole load of these egg hunt foil wrapped eggs. No actual egg hunt for us now of course, but it was lovely to have a little stash of egglets to offer as an after dinner treat. The giant Little People approved.

12. Seasonal Colour Inspiration. I pulled together this basket of yarn as I was contemplating colours for a future project, and then realised that I was being heavily influenced by the Eggs. The colour palette wasn't quite right in the end and has been shelved, but it's undeniably pretty.

13. Double daffs. These were on my table over Easter and I really enjoyed watching them slowly open and unfold. Gorgeous things.

14. Wild garlic. I was all intent on going to forage some from the woodland myself, but my good friend has it growing in her abundant woodsy garden and gifted me a generous bag. The scent....oh, how I wish you could smell it!

15. Wild Garlic soup....yummmmmmmmmmmm!! I made it as you would a basic leek and potato soup, wilting in the wild garlic right at the end to keep the green colour and the fresh flavour. It was wonderful, truly a taste of springtime.

16. Pub life. I'm not a big drinker, but I do enjoy going to our local pubs every so often for a few drinks with J and meeting friends. We have some really lovely local places to drink all within ten minutes walk - in the above photo we are settled into the Narrowboat on Easter Saturday around 5pm, waiting for friends to come and join us. The drink is mine and J's current favourite, it's a Belgian cherry kriek beer served in a lovely half pint glass. Delicious.

17. Easter Sunday walk. We went early to Bolton Abbey to beat the crowds, a gentle stroll up and down the woodland paths, over bridges and along the river bank.

18. Resting.... in the gentle warmth of the sun on this log, wondering as I always do about the quirky history of the money trees at Bolton Abbey. I was waiting for J who'd had to run back to pick up his hat which he left on the bench, what a treat to have hats off and feel warmed by the sun.

19. Slow travel. Oh, how I love love love a bit of slow travel!!! Last week we took a little holiday, travelling from the east coast across the north sea to the continent. We've taken this journey before (I think this was our seventh time) so we knew what to expect, but the excitement of large ship travel and also a night away in a hotel was real.

20. Holiday memories....just the loveliest things to have swimming around in my brain! As you can see, our trip last week was to Amsterdam, and it was fabulous and fun and I hope you're going to be OK about me showing you some visuals next week because I'd really like to share what I saw and how we spent our short time there.

Well, it's been really lovely chatting to you - I hope you all had a great Easter and that April is shaping up to be wonderful wherever you are in the world. Tell me something you're excited for this month, I'd love to know.....

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EDIT >> Thank you so much to Alison for the intel on the blobby tree! Apparently called "Witches Brooms" (which I LOVE), it's a deformity which creates "a dense mass of shoots  growing from a single point, with the resulting structure resembling a broom or birds nest" . So now the blobby tree is renamed the witches tree..

 

 

 

 

Dorset :: March 2024 (part 2)

At the start of March I spent a few days down in Dorset, renting a holiday apartment in Weymouth so that I could visit my Dad, but also take some time to recharge and enjoy a short holiday. I travelled with a good friend and we had such a lovely time - you can read  Part 1 of my Dorset tales in my previous blog post ((here)).

Staying in Weymouth was really great, I LoVeD being so close to the sea and our first floor apartment was in a fantastic location with floor to ceiling windows and views out across the harbour. 

I am an early-to-bed-early-to-rise person and when I'm on holiday my body clock remains pretty consistent. In early March the skies were just starting to lighten around 6am and I was very happy to naturally wake up at this time in the morning to enjoy the early daylight. I promised myself that if the weather was clear in the mornings, then I would make the effort and get myself outside onto the beach to catch the sun rise over the sea. It's one of my all time favourite things to do, so on Sunday morning when I woke up to a very crisp and clear sky, I was up and out the door at 6.40am when the moon was still hanging above the rooftops. 

I strolled around the harbour and straight down onto the sandy beach....

....where it was still and quiet and oh-so-tranquil.

At five minutes to seven, the sun peeped over the horizon and I strolled along the shoreline watching and waiting for the Full Rise.

Ahhh, there it is, at 7:06, the promise of a gloriously sunshiny day ahead. I was soooo happy that I kept my promise to myself and gave myself the gift of a seaside sunrise. What a joy!

I spent a while idling on the beach, then eventually made my way up to the esplanade to slowly meander back to the apartment. That rather grand building in the above photo is the Royal Hotel which opened in 1899. I really do love the slightly faded grandeur of seaside resorts, there is something so charming about these old buildings with their many decades of history.

One thing I didn't know until this recent visit is that Weymouth has its very own microclimate. Because it is situated in an east facing bay, it's much warmer and drier than the surrounding areas. Don't be fooled by that tropical looking palm tree (although isn't it impressive?) - on this morning the temperature was only slightly above freezing, so very chilly indeed.

Spring had definitely arrived on the south coast at the start of March, and despite the cold air, the glorious sunlight and delicate blossom more than made up for the chill.

I enjoyed exploring some of the smaller side streets at this early hour before many people were about, loving the quaint and olde worlde feel of the old buildings and bowed windows. In the summer months, these little streets are absolutely jam packed with hoards of holiday makers, so it was really lovely to get the chance to see it out of season.

A bit later on Sunday morning, and here we are back at our local café again, enjoying the sun on our faces as we took in the harbour views over a delicious frothy coffee. Absolute pleasure, right there. It's almost ten o'clock now so we must drink up because we have somewhere to be and people to meet and we can't be late....

....we have a date at this very lovely little place right at the end of the Esplanade. This is the charming Alexandra Hotel, and this gorgeous, light-filled room was soon to be bursting at the seams with an excited crowd of yarn lovers.

WOW, just look!!! This was a very last minute get together organised by the "Friends of Attic24 : Dorset" Facebook group. They meet in various locations in West Dorset, and on this occasion very kindly worked the gathering around my visit to Weymouth. I think this was by far the biggest turn out with around thirty of us all chatting and hooking and enjoying some Attic spirit. I had been a teensy bit nervous before hand because I really don't like being the centre of attention at all, but everyone was soooooo lovely and the atmosphere was incredibly bouncy and uplifting  which made it very easy for me to relax and enjoy the morning.

Just outside the hotel there is a small fairground with a few rides aimed at young children. This old fashioned carousel caught my eye because of all the glorious colours, look......

.....isn't it beautiful??

Inside the hotel there was a spontaneous idea which sprang to life like wild fire - what about we all take a ride on the carousel, and what about if we all take our crochet blankets with us and add even more colour to the whole proceedings? A good idea??? Shall we???? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Load, Ride, Play!!!

Oh, it was BRILLIANT!!!

Such good spirits..... 

....and a lot of fun for me to see my crochet designs out in the wild in such an unexpected way. Love love love love love.

What a wonderful, uplifting, slightly emotional and very happy time I had with my Dorset crochet gang. I loved it, and felt so grateful to be surrounded by so much friendship and good vibes. HUGE thanks to the lovely Sandra (wearing the bright pink tee and sitting front right) for organising and rallying us all to the Alexandra, truly a very memorable time.

I thought I would show you a map ↑↑ just in case you have no idea about Weymouth and Dorset and were curious. You can see it's down on the south-west coast of England, and how the curve of the coast puts Weymouth bay in an east facing direction even though it's on the south coast. You can see the Isle of Portland connected by a very narrow causeway, and the long thin stretch of chesil beach to the west which is separated from the land by water. It's a wonderful coastline, and in the future I'd really like to spend longer down there, with time to explore Portland. I've been there before in years gone by, as a child and also once or twice with J, but I'd love to go back and really spend some time walking and exploring.

On Sunday afternoon after the crochet meet was over, my friend and I decided to take a walk around the coast. The weather was really bright and gorgeous still, and the blues of the sea and sky were breath taking.

We walked for a few miles following the South West coast path, stopping off  at this near deserted beach called Castle Cove.

On the horizon you can see the Isle of Portland stretching out - I feel it calling to me for some reason, like I need to make the journey to go there? I get these strong feelings from time to time, like my soul is being pulled to be somewhere. 

It was such a lovely walk, we made it as far as Sandsfoot Castle and gardens which has a very popular little café with a super-sunny terrace and outdoor seating. What a treat to be able to enjoy this sea view with an afternoon cup of tea and biscuits before slowly re-tracing our steps and walking the 2.5 miles back again.

It was 5.30pm by the time we arrived back at the harbourside, the sun had just set and the early evening light was beautifully calm and tranquil. 

A very busy and long day, and my heart was full.

Monday morning, and almost time to pack up and begin our long journey back north again. I decided to take one last walk along the beach even though it was quite grey and cloudy out, I just couldn't resist the pull of the shoreline when it was right there just minutes away from my bed. 

I made it onto the beach for 7.30am....

....and spent a while beachcombing and ambling along, lost in my own thoughts for a while. The day before had felt like an Enormous Day with a lot of high energy expenditure, and as an introverted soul I always feel the need to recalibrate and reset after a big social event. The sea worked its magic and I slowly felt the return of my inner calm. It's such a lovely thing to be able to take solo time when I need it and I am thankful for these pockets of quiet time I can create in my days when I need them.

 We had to leave our lovely cosy apartment by 10, so we spent the morning exploring some of the historic parts of Weymouth over on the other side of the harbour. Lots of old buildings and small cobbled streets and up on the headland the impressive Nothe fort. I have some childhood memories here - my grandparents really liked Weymouth and I remember often coming with them to picnic in the Nothe Gardens in my summer holidays.

It was a chilly, overcast end to my time in Dorset, like the weather was making my goodbye easier. One last stroll round the harbour and a coffee with a beautiful boaty view before it was time to slowly make our way homewards on the train. 

It was a really good holiday this one, and more than anything I'm really happy (and relieved) that I was able to feel like I was on holiday in Dorset for the first time in years. Thank you for coming along with me, and an especially big thank you to those of you who left a comment on my last post {Dorset part 1}. You are so kind to share your own stories with me, it has helped me feel very supported and understood as I navigate this rather sad journey with my Dad. Thank you so, so much for that.

Dorset Spring 2024 - it was wonderful.

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