Attic24

Tales from Connievan :: York III

 

 

I continue to absolutely adore our sweet little Connievan. I am really in love with the simplicity and cosiness of caravanning and I get SO excited when the days/hours are leading up to a trip away.  One of my favourite bits of a caravan trip (and I have sosooo many favourite bits) is when we arrive at the Destination, manoeuvre our girl into place and know that this will be Home for the next week or so. That "home" feeling arrives the instant the caravan door is opened and the little metal step put in place. It really is the best kind of feeling, and I know with complete certainty that I was always meant to own a caravan.

This was our third year staying in York, and I had picked out a new-to-us campsite to try. It was a farm site in a teeny village close to where we used to live. The site itself (Moor End Farm) is small and peaceful, and wonderfully family orientated. There are two fields given over to camping, with plenty of green space for the Little People to play, some fab swings and lots of other caravanning families with offspring to provide instant playmates.

We eat a lot of fruit, salad and pasta when we holiday in Connievan. It pleases me to cook/eat so simply and I am thankful that we all love pasta very much and don't mind having it virtually every day. At Moor End farm, every camping pitch had it's own wooden picnic table, and luckily the weather was generally warm and dry all week which allowed us to enjoy al fresco dining. Only on our first evening did we have rain, and boy, it really chucked it down.

A huge storm passed overhead on Sunday evening with thunder, lightening and a terrific torrential downpour. It was completely thrilling (and very, very noisy) being tucked up inside Connievan as the storm raged outside, weather-watching through the windows and wondering if it was ever going to stop.

Of course the storm did eventually move on, leaving behind it some impressive puddles at the campsite. Little Lady seized the opportunity to indulge in some vigorous Wet Play, inviting an eager Little B to join her. I can tell you that it was a raucous, noisy affair and they put a lot of effort into getting as wet as possible.

Waking up on that first morning, we were paid a breakfast visit by the local feathered residents. This became a daily occurrence and something we all came to look forward to....sometimes the Little People would race excitedly outside in their pyjamas with slices of bread in hand, and sometimes (as in the above photo), they chose to stay comfortably inside and throw chunks of bread out of the window instead. Either way, the ducks seemed content to gobble up their bready breakfast before waddling away to the next pitch in search of more nourishment.

As in previous years, J went off to work during the daytime leaving us behind to do Mummy-Children stuff. It's a good arrangement made possible by the great friends that we have still living in York, and our week was pretty much mapped out with a full schedule of social engagements. We were still able to enjoy a leisurely start to each day though and I really enjoyed our morning routine. I generally made sure the Little Peeps were fed, showered and dressed first, then ordered them to go off and do boisterous outdoorsy stuff around the campsite. I was then left free to gently potter about in my pyjamas and have Connievan all to myself for a while. I would tidy up (put the beds away, wash up the breakfast things and faff with my blankets) drink coffee and munch toast outside with the ducks for company.

Monday was our first full day without J, and the only day in the week which the Little People and I had to ourselves. We walked into the village and caught the bus into the centre of York for a day out in the city. We lived in York for almost ten years before moving across the hills to where we are now, so it always feels lovely to be back in a place that is so familiar and holds so many memories. It really is a gem of a place to visit, very picturesque and beautiful with oodles of history and charm.We spent a while just walking around the pretty and ancient streets, taking in the atmosphere, enjoying being somewhere so much bigger and busier than our own quaint little home town.

We found ourselves in the midst of the Old Quarter and I immediately felt the need for some mid morning refreshment. I remembered some very Good Times spent with friends in this gorgeous little Bistro in the years Before Children....ahhh so long ago!!

It was lovely sitting in this sunlit courtyard enjoying a coffee/juice and afterwards I felt energised enough to allow the Little People to dictate the schedule. It was really sweet, funny and predictable to be pulled in by their excitement and see where they chose to go. Of course it ended up being one great big ToyShopTour resulting in Little B charging about in Overexcited Hyper-mode by the fourth shop. So I declared No More Shops until we'd had a rest up somewhere green and calming.

Thank goodness York has some perfectly lovely green-and-calming options for the shop weary tourist to sit and chill out in. This is the beautiful Museum Gardens which provided a great picnic spot and a chance for the Little Peeps to charge about without causing me to have a mini breakdown (that toy shop experience traumatised me slightly)

After our lunch, I made the decision to stick with the Outdoor stuff and walked us all away from the crowded streets to visit Rowntree Park. Actually, it was quite crowded here too, but a nice, fun kind of kid-infested type of crowded.

Rowntree Park really is a lovely peaceful place to walk once the noisy playground is left behind.

If you walk right through the park, you come out of the gates beside the River Ouse where the famous Millennium Bridge spans across the water. The Little People love this bridge, they love that you can kind of lean your body at a rather scary angle on that wire mesh and look right down onto the river and the frequent boats passing below. I don't love that so much, sort of squiggles up my tummy in slightly nervous knots.

Eventually I persuaded them to leave the bridge and get safely across to the other side where we then ambled the mile or so back into town along the river.

Back into town and we spotted this amazing old fashioned merry-go-round outside the Castle Museum. Hard to say which one of us was most excited, it made me feel so happy just watching it spin and dance around.

It was so beautifully decorated, I was completely mesmerised by all the spinning colour and pattern combined with old fashioned music and lights. So deliciously over the top!

Of course we just had to take a ride, and it was brilliant. The Little People rode a horse each, and I sat sedately with Little B in a red leather sleigh seat, all wide eyed and squealing with excitement (that was me, not Little B). Whhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Round and round and round, it was the best fun!

Right next to the merry-go-round was this equally incredible old fashioned Helter Skelter....wow, it looked amazing. The Little People didn't even have to ask me, I thrust £2 into each of their hands and told them to go for it and enjoy the ride.....

....they came whizzing down on their rush mats, flying off the end of the slide with wide grins and fluffed up hair, much to Little B's delight. Fantastic stuff, I so wish I could have gone on that too, but most likely my bottom is far too wide these days.

After all the thrill of the fair we wandered back to the busy streets and did a little more shopping (essential mundane shopping sadly, no sneaky trip to CK for me this time, sniff sniff), then made our way to the train station where J was picking us up. I could hardly believe we had been out for seven hours, the day went so quickly.

The rest of the week passed by in a haze of hot sunshine and precious time spent with good friends. Picnics and play, coffee and chatter, it was really great to reconnect with such lovely people who I'd not seen for far too long, and to watch our children re-kindle their old friendships too. On one of the days when we picnicked in a favourite park, there were eighteen children and eight mums, with Little B being the youngest addition to the gang. The eldest children are now ten years old, a whole decade since we all first met with our weeny first-borns. Not so weeny now though, cripes, they are growing up so fast.

On the last day of our trip when we had exhausted local play parks and friends gardens, we splashed out and spent the day at York Maze along with two other families.

This was a first time visit for us, and to be honest I wasn't sure about it at first. I wasn't sure about the high price of admission and the fact that we are not generally a family who does "tourist attractions" very successfully. Truthfully I thought it would be tacky and a bit of a rip off. Very happy to say I was completely wrong, we all loved it and had the most enjoyable, fun filled day there. It wasn't in the least bit tacky, in fact it was beautifully designed and full to the brim with great activities for children of all ages.

There was so much variety in the activities on offer, and it was oh-so-much more than just a field of corn to get lost in.

The large inflatables provided lots of fun for the Little People (this giant Jumping Pillow was especially good and we went back to it several times during the day)

This is the Bale Mountain....

....and this is possibly the most ginormous sandpit you have ever laid eyes on.

Wow, this sandy play area was so well designed that children of all ages were kept very happy and entertained here.

I was happy to kick off my flipflops, bury my hot feet in the cool sand and sit quietly while Little B played.

One of the most entertaining parts of the day was called "Crowmania" and consisted of a ride in a tractor trailer around the maze fields. Think pop-up toy crows and scarecrows that squirted water, think water fights and pantomime style acting (the scarecrows were real people). It was good, wet, screamy-shouty fun!

Because there was so much to do (did I mention the water wars? The motorised quad bikes? The farm animals? The remote control boats?), it was mid afternoon before we got to explore the maze itself.

Due to the very poor weather this year, the maize crop hadn't grown very well and was quite sparse and short in some places. But it didn't matter one jot, in fact I preferred it as it made it easier to find the number stations and search for the quiz clues, not to mention keeping track of all our children. I personally don't like mazes very much as I find them very claustrophobic, but this one was great with it's wide sandy paths and fairly open structure.

The maze designs change every year, and the 2012 design (the Mayan God of Corn) was incredible I thought. Obviously you have no idea of it when you are actually in it, so I was really intrigued and impressed when I saw it on a postcard afterwards. We were really in amongst that lot? Wow!

All in all it was a fabulous, entertaining day out and we were there for almost eight hours. Can definitely recommend it if you are ever kicking around with children in Yorkshire during the summer months.

The week we spent in York this year had a good balance to it, with lots of full on sociable playtime and activity during the day, followed by lovely, slow family time back at the campsite in the evenings. Due to the rather glorious weather we were lucky to have during that week, the evenings were truly fabulous. They were long and warm and golden, and I loved our evening time at the campsite very much.

The Little People were mostly outdoors in the evenings, swinging, biking, running and playing ball. But every so often they would head inside to rest and pick up a quiet activity. Little Lady usually chose colouring, Little Man chose reading (he had new books ), and Little B.....hmmm, hard to remember what kept Little B out of mischief? He has a little bag of toys which we keep in the 'van, an assortment of cars, trucks, phones, books, keys and other bits n bobs. Mostly he just sort of pottered about.

There was generally some sort of den-building activity going on at the back of the 'van, and a fair amount of gentle leaping, jumping and rolling about.

Me, well when I wasn't sat outside enjoying the evening light, I snuggled up with my blankets and a cuppa and tiptoed through late summer Magazine Wonderland. Visual deliciousness in those pages you know. Yummy.

We were so blessed with the weather, with day after day of beautiful blue summer skies and beaming sunshine. It made outdoor living so pleasurable, it really did.

I adored the peaceful, green view through Connievan's door.

I loved sitting out in the sunshine in my pyjamas, wrapped in a blanket in the early mornings as the campsite slowly came to life.

And I loved that we were staying on a farm.

A real farm.

A farm with tractors that came in and out bringing in the hay harvest. The Littlest member of our family was frequently heard squealing with excitement due to all the tractor activity going on. His little Cup of Happiness (a tractor shaped cup) overflowed I think. Bless.

This green, open space in front of Connievan was like a magnet to the children of the campsite. When we were shopping in York I bought a giant (2ft) inflatable football on imulse from a toy shop....what a super-duper purchase that turned out to be! It provided hours of fun for all the campsite kids, including our Little B.

Den building came outside a few times with this ingenious use of blankets and towels over the picnic bench...

...but I am also happy to report that unlike previous years, there was a welcome amount of Lounging Around at the campsite this year. I learnt the lesson from our garden day in Bridport and when an afternoon of Doing Nothing unexpectedly presented itself, I grabbed it with both hands and headed us straight back to camp. Blankets were spread on the grass, cushions and pillows were slung on top and there followed some light afternoon snoozing, reading and daisy-chain making. It was bliss.

It was interesting spending time in such a flattened out landscape again. Since moving to Atticland, we have become so accustomed to the hills around us that it seemed very strange when there suddenly weren't any. York is situated in the middle of an open and fertile Vale which is farmed intensively. The landscape is therefore very two-dimensional, with huge fields patchworking their way over flat land. Sometimes the fields are lush and green (potatoes, beet and maize) and sometimes they are light and golden (ripening corn, wheat and hay).

I certainly did miss the hills, but at the same time I enjoyed the openness of the golden farmed landscape around us.

Lack of hills makes for big skies too, and we enjoyed some terrific sunsets at the campsite.

I was thinking earlier about camping and pondering on my favourite times of the camping day....I would generally say early morning when the sun first comes up and the grass is still damp, but the evenings during our week in York were really beautiful too. The fast changing light and the colours in the wide open skies were just magical.

It was a wonderful time away, creating yet another layer of happy family memories for us. Good, good times. Thank you Connievan ♥

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edit to add :: the knitted squares blankets were bought some years ago from Oxfam. They are our outdoor/camping blankets and I blogged about them way back here x

 

Tales from Connievan :: Blackpool

It's hard to beleive we are now into our third season as a caravanning family, and that Little B was only four months old when we took him on our first Connievan trip. My, my how time has flown! As you may have guessed by my recent posts, two years on and my love for all things Caravan is still going strong. I'm having so much fun with it all! Aside from all the exciting creative stuff that is filling my days, the great thing about owning a caravan is of course the wonderful holidaying opportinities it provides. I really, really LOVE taking Connievan on holiday, it's fab!

We are members of the Caravan Club which gives us access to thousands of small caravan sites in rural locations. These are called "Certificated Locations" and are generally small (a maximum of five caravans) and beautifully rural, and suit us much better than the larger more "caravanny" sites that we've come across. They are unpretentious, peaceful, spacious and green (I hate to feel like I am holidaying in a glorified car park), and very reasonably priced too. The one we chose to stay at last week was called Puddle Cottage Park and was an absolute gem, it suited us down to the ground.

Puddle Cottage is roughly a 75 minute drive away from Atticland, up out of Yorkshire and across to the Lancashire coast. The site is beautifully kept and surrounded by lovely green trees and fields.

Our closest neighbours were a little vocal at times, but we loved them all the same.

The Little People were kept happy by this simple play area, and it was especially welcome by us Big People as it was all so safe and secure. It meant that for the first time J and I could send all three Little Peeps out to play and take time to sit and relax in Connievan, knowing that we could see/hear them from where we sat and that even Little B was ok doing his own thing out there. It was fabulous, and that extra adult breathing space made such a difference to the whole trip.

We arrived at the site around 5pm, and one of the very first things I did was to walk around the field gathering a few springs from the hedgerow. A handful of cow parsley, buttercups, forget-me-nots and vetch went into the strawberry jam jar, and I instantly felt "at home". 

The main reason we chose this place to stay (aside from it looking completely idyllic) is that it is only 5 miles away from the coastal resort of Blackpool. Yes, Blackpool. Now I have a bit of a thing about Blackpool, and that "thing" is not especially good. I don't much care for the place, it doesn't really contain anything that pleases me much. Even the sea (which you know I Love) is a dirty shade of grey/brown and pretty yuck.....BUT, this trip was to be mostly for the Little People and they  certainly do care for Blackpool.

The first evening we were there, we drove to the sea after dinner and took a little stroll along the south end of the enormously long promenade. Blackpool is seriously long and strung out, there is mile upon mile of it stretching out along the coastline.

There is an abundance of concrete. It's not very picturesque, but....it turns out that it is most fabulous for scootering/running around. That first evening the Little People really did let themselves go. They scooted/ran themselves ragged along here and it was a lot of fun to sit and watch them expend so much childhood energy (a huge bowl of pesto pasta provides a lot of fuel I think)

I was particularly entranced by this ginormous rotating mirrored disco ball, it was absolutely stunning.

You can see the scale of it from the tiny looking bench in the above photo, it really was mahoosive. And when the sun shone on it, it cast thousands of tiny dancing lights onto the ground as it moved, it was truly mesmerising. I loved it.

This is the central part of Blackpool seafront, we were here on Thursday afternoon in the sheeting rain. The weather was pretty grim for much of our stay, but we did try to make the best of it and still ventured out. You can see Blackpool Tower in the background, it's probably Blackpool's most popular Tourist Attraction (along with the Pleasure Beach). Both of these attractions are hideously expensive to visit, so on this occasion we chose not to go there, despite much protest from the Little People.

Blackpool has three piers (that's the Central Pier above), and all three are chocka block full of amusements and fairground type rides. It's noisy, money-grabbing and not especially nice in my opinion.

The old fashioned idea of simply Promenading along the piers to enjoy the views is almost impossible now due to the piers being so crowded with so-called attractions. Such a shame. I love the old fashioned wrought iron benches and would love to have sat a while, but it was really bloomin' wet and cold. More like winter than mid summer.

By the way, I found an amazing collection of aerial photographs of Blackpool if you'd like to have a look. I'm fascinated with this type of photography, such a different perspective seeing it all from the air. You can perhaps get a feel for how BIG the seafront is, and see the three piers with the tower in the middle. 

When the weather allowed, we spent some time promenading (on feet and scooter wheels) at the north end of the town where it is much more peaceful. All along the north seafront, there are these wonderful green painted shelters, relics from Victorian times when Blackpool was a hugely popular holiday resort. I love them, and they were very welcome in the cold wet weather we had last week. We sheltered in them several times, and even wrapped up in blankets and ate a picnic lunch in one.

This photo was taken on Thursday evening, around 7pm I think. It had rained All Day without let up, but in the evening we decided on the spur of the moment to take our dinner out of the caravan and down to the seafront. It was a bit mental as it was very cold and damp, but we wrapped up and off we went. We ate hot dogs with ketchup and fried onions wrapped up in polka dot napkins, a tub of fresh strawberries and some chocolate. A flask of hot tea and biscuits to finish. The Little People took it all in their stride, the weather never once seemed to bother them really. They played out in the rain without complaint, acting as if it wasn't even there. Ditto the picnic. So what if it's cold and dismal, yes, lets have a picnic dinner outside!

After the food was gone we walked along the seafront, it was bracing I can tell you. So hard to believe that this is supposed to be our mid summer. But still, it was invigorating to be battered by the winds and to breathe in the damp salty air. We sang and walked and ran and jumped, and it turned out to be one of the best bits of the holiday for me. Simple pleasure, no matter what the weather.

Yes, the weather. So hard not to be overly influenced by it. Thursday was particularly challenging, and the morning was spent hunkering down inside Connievan wondering what on earth to do. We had planned a trip to the zoo which we reluctantly had to cancel, the Little People were hugely disappointed. But really on reflection, it wasn't so bad. Connievan provides an extremely cosy, comfy little hideaway and I was pretty happy just sitting inside with the window open, listening to the rain battering down on the roof.

There was lots of tea and biscuits.

There was some feet up time, with a stroll in the delicious July edition summer magazines.

The Little People spent the wet days coming in and out and in and out of Connie. They put coats on and played on the swings in the rain. They played hide and seek in the rain with a couple of other young children who were staying on the site. They played some complex looking game which involved running between two trees in the rain. They helped look after Little B who was happy enough just wandering around playing with his toy cars in the rain. And every so often they would come back to the van, shed wet coats and shoes and settle down for a little bit of indoor time before going back out into the wet.

I was especially proud of them this holiday as their behaviour was really great. Not once did they say they were bored (which we often hear from Little Man these days when he is without his buddies and without a gaming device of some sorts, typical nine year old really). They managed to amuse themselves with books, card games and some new drawing pads and pens and a wonderful assortment of poems, inventions, designs and drawings made their way onto paper. We discovered some old vintage colouring and puzzle books in the storage area under one of the seats, and I also treated them to a magazine each which kept them happy.

Of course there was a little bit of electronic activity, but that's quite ok with me, it's all about balance I think. Oh and there was also quite a bit of den-building, singing and general monkeying around which kept Little B happy and entertained. All in all, I think the hours spent inside Connievan this holiday were happy, relaxed and fun, and personally I breathed a huge inner sigh of relief about that. Phew. It could so easily have been something different.

Friday was our last full day and after a very wet and stormy night the rain finally eased up. After a brief financial discussion we decided we would throw some ££'s at the day and go all out to enjoy some Tourist Activity. This decision was met with excitement and enthusiasm by the Little Peeps, especially after the washed-out disappointment  of the previous day (a soggy walk on a pier, a short stint in an amusement arcade and a stick of Blackpool rock was not really up to much I don't suppose). So in the morning we headed into the centre of Blackpool to visit the Sealife centre. We decided to make it a little more exciting by driving to the north of the town, parking the car for free in a quiet residential street and catching the tram into the centre of town......

...WOW! What a great decision that was! The newly refurbished Blackpool tramway is absolutely great, the modern trams run for eleven miles along the coast and are comfy and super speedy. Little B was honestly beside himself with excitement, you should have seen his little face and heard his excited chatter! It really was a great way to travel, we all enjoyed the experience very much.

Attractions such as the Sealife centre are so expensive for families like us. Even though we received a discount by booking in advance online, it still set us back £38. But the whole experience was really good, the Little People loved it all.

There is lots to see, not just fish but all sorts of watery creatures to wow and surprise.

This was the largest tank and was my favourite, although I also loved the Interactive Rockpools where we got to hold starfish and have big shrimps walk all over our hands. The photograph is lousy I'm afraid as it was dark and no flash was allowed, but you can get the idea. The tank is huge and houses some amazing sharks as well as fish. Around the other side there is a tunnel that runs through the tank so that you get to watch the sharks swimming over your head, it was quite something.

After the Sealife experience, we rode the tram back to the car and had a picnic lunch in one of the green shelters on the seafront looking out to sea. Boy, it was cold! I sat the Little People all in a row like three little monkeys and covered them in blankets, it made me laugh to see them actually. Poor wee things, I'm sure they would rather have been in some warm steamy cafe somewhere, but their mother insists on picnicking when by the sea.

When lunch was done, we set out for our second splurge of the day, a £48 trip to Blackpool Zoo. It's a large very well kept zoo with lots of open space and a huge number of animals (1,500 to be precise).

The animal enclosures were imaginative and lovely to see, I especially loved the above enclosure which was open to the air although fenced in. It was called Amazonia,  and was full of the most wonderful birds and animals. We adored the cheeky little Squirrel Monkeys who leapt about all over the place, one even tried to jump on my shoulder as I bent down to see to Little B!

We walked a lot on this afternoon, miles of pathways took us past an incredible array of birds and animals.

The penguins were gorgeous (how fabulous to see them swimming!), but our absolute favourite were the Sealions. We timed our visit to see their display at 4pm when they came up out of the water to perform with their trainer. I wasn't able to take photos as I was kept incredibly busy keeping Little B under control in the arena, but it was truly amazing....you can see some pictures of it here.

So many incredible animals.....

...lions, tigers, wolves, zebra, elephants and these stunning giraffes. We all enjoyed it so much.

By 4.45pm we were all absolutely worn out from so much walking, and the rain had begun to fall again. We made our way back towards the exit via this really fun "Dinosaur Safari". I thought it was very well done, with lots of huge model dinosaurs in the shrubbery and some awesome sound effects playing as you walked your way through.

Little B especially loved it, I think the noises and the sheer scale of it all was pretty great for Little Ones. All in all, we had a super day out, I think the Little People did really enjoy it very much.

Back at Connievan, it was sooooo good to take off wet clothes (again), snuggle down in the cosy blankets and drink steaming mugs of tea with some hot toasted buttered crumpets. A great end to a hugely busy and happy day.

On the journey home on Saturday, we chatted about our time away from home and all the things we had done and seen. I hope so much that in years to come the Little Peeps will look back on these funny little holidays with affection, I really do. They do seem to enjoy themselves, well yes, me too. I enjoy it all enormously.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Caravan Stuff (again)

I'm sorry if you aren't remotely interested in Caravan Stuff, I really am. Cos I don't seem to be able to stop going on about it right now. That little box on wheels has taken over my creative life for the time being, there is still so much I need to do! I really want to make her into the prettiest, cosiest, cutest, most colourful and lovely caravan in the whole wide world. So yeah, appologies for the caravan-heavy posts of late, I promise other normal things will creep back in soon enough.

Do you remember back last year I had a bash at crocheting a cafetiere cosy? The pattern/idea came from the wonderful book "Cute and Easy Crochet" by Nicki Trench, and it was my Summer Connievan project last August.

You may remember that it didn't quite turn out as it should've. It was very wonky. And it didn't really fit my cafetiere cos the button was in the wrong place and I made the whole thing too tall and thin. In short, I was quite disappointed with it, and although I did use it for a little while it irritated me too much and I ended up abandoning it. Chucked it in the bin. I know, such a shame, but there you go.

I must stress that it was no fault of the pattern/idea (which I loved), I just hadn't really thought hard enough about the shape of my particular cafetiere in relation to what I was actually making. My fault entirely.

But the idea never left my mind and I knew at some point I would give it another go. That point happened on Tuesday night to be precise. On a complete whim I pulled out  my yarn and started to crochet up some stripes, just like that. It was absolutely wonderful to take a little diversion from the business of stitching curtains and sit hooking up easy stripes instead. Perfect escapism for a few hours. I used my lovely Rico Merino yarn on a 3.5mm hook, started at the bottom and worked my way up in double crochet stripes, working all my rows from the front. I enjoyed it so much!

This is the side view, you can see how I left a gap that would go around the handle, and constructed a tab with a buttonhole at the top. When I'd finished all the crochet, the whole thing ended up rather wonky and twisted, so I gave it a good blast with the steam iron on the wrong side and kind of pulled and eased it into shape whilst it was still warm and slightly damp.

I'm happy with how it turned out, but then I am pretty easily pleased where colourful stripes are concerned. Not bad for a a few hours work eh?

I wanted to show you a few more pictures I took in Connievan last week so you can get a feel for how she is slowly becoming "Lucy-fied". The large front window looks a little bare in this photo, but I've now hung up the big curtains and it looks terrific, it really does. Do you see those brown velvet sort of cushiony sofa arm thingies? I'm going to crochet some covers for those, just as soon as I've finished the last two curtains and made fabric bunting/pelmet covers for above the windows.

This is the back end of Connievan where the Little People sleep/play. Gosh it looks so drab without any hooky goodness or pretty stitchy businesss! I'm hoping to eventually find a way to cover these cushions without spending too much money on fabric, and another granny square blanket will be starting quite soon for this seating area too. And of course, those big back curtains will be getting the gingham/floral/ricrac treatment just as soon as I can face doing it. I'm a bit stitched out at the moment.

But oh my, all that tedious stitching was sooooooo worth it, just look how lovely the curtains are!

They make the caravan so cosy at night, and so pretty in the daytime, I just love them.

Do you like the cards I stuck up on the wall? They're postcards that I bought from Paperchase last year sometime, I fell in love with the colourful folksy images and knew immediately that they would be perfect for Connievan.

I love Connie's kitchen area, it's so compact and well designed. There's a fridge, sink/drainer, hob, oven and grill, a cutlery drawer and two storage cupboards. Oh that little cutlery drawer.....waiting patiently for it's cute vintage cutlery tray (yaaayyy, I won the ebay bid!) and it's spotty dotty new cutlery.

Opposite the kitchen is a wardrobe cupboard and a full bathroom (basin, toilet and shower), I'll take some more pictures soon to show you so you've had the whole tour then.

We had a lovely few days away, just got back this afternoon. The weather hasn't been great (in fact it's been dreadful) but we made the most of it and enjoyed the holiday and family time. I'll pop back soon with more Tales from Connievan, see you then..........

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Still Stitching

I am still stitching. Stitch after stitch after tiny weeny stitch. I've been working on the curtains in odd moments in between other things, a little bit of stitching in bed with my morning cuppa, a little bit at the table before breakfast, a little bit out in the back yard when the sun was shining. It's been slow, slow, slow, but somehow rather nice to sit and work so patiently and methodically. I will be glad when it's done though.

On Saturday I popped down to Connievan to hang up the four small curtains that I'd finished (there are 6 small ones and 4 big ones altogether), and I have to say they look rather fabulous.

When the stitching marathon is finally over (I'm currently on curtain number 8/10), my next job will be to see to the mucky velvet pelmets that sit above my gorgeous new curtains. I'm thinking maybe some fabric bunting will look good, to match with the cushions. Brightly coloured patterned triangles hanging from gingham ribbon.....mmmmmmmmm!

We are off this afternoon, taking Connievan up country for a few days to the west coast of Lancashire. I can't wait to see the sea! Will be back next week to tell you all about it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Caravan Dreams

This week, I've mostly been obsessing about all things Caravan related. I've spent a disgusting amount of time on the internet soaking up some amazing caravanny inspiration and making one or two caravanny purchases. I am currently awaiting delivery of some Mod Podge (to carry out inner cupboard and door makeovers with wrapping paper/wallpaper, inspired by this and this), plus some amazing sticky back plastic that I found on ebay (see here). Oh and I'm bidding (with fingers and toes crossed) on a sweet little 1970's cutlery tray to house my most extravagant Connievan purchase (see here). My oh my, I am having SO much fun!!

On Wednesday afternoon I spent a truly pleasurable few hours with Connievan, it was great being able to walk down the road to her with Little B (she's about a mile away). I made us a little packed lunch so that we could eat when we got there, and I took down the two cushions that I made last month. It was a sweet moment when I put the cushions in place, they look amazing with the crochet blankets look.....

The colours match incredibly well to say that I made them without actually seeing the blankets.

The blankets have been in the 'van all winter (forgot to fetch them out), and thankfully they are absolutely fine. Connie has a wee bit of a damp issue on one of her side panels, but it's kind of inside the panel itself if you see what I mean and doesn't affect the interior at all. In fact, she is remarkably warm, dry and cosy for a twenty year old gal.

As soon as I arrived I opened up all the windows to let some air breeze through and spent a bit of time cleaning around the kitchen area. Then it was time to begin with a little bit of prettifying, yipppeeeee! I stuck up some lovely little hen hooks that I bought last year using a magical "No More Nails" type of adhesive, wow, what great stuff that is! I had plans to put up lots of little pictures that I've been collecting too, but forgot to bring the blutack with me, so that will wait till next time.

I also did a little bit of outside prettifying too.....remember me telling you I'd bought some flowery stickers? Well...........take a look................

♥

Ta-dah!! I put a few around the door, plus some on the front and back. I couldn't go too mental with it as J has already been raising his eyebrows at  the whole idea of me sticking things on Connievan. So I had to be restrained, but they do look so sweet. A bit silly maybe, but I don't much care, they make me happy and that's what counts.

Now then, are you familiar with the Little Grey Rabbit books? They're the sweetest, most adorable books written in the  1930's by Alison Uttley and illustrated by Margaret Tempest. I LOVED them as a child, and the top two books on that pile there are from my own childhood collection, published in the early 1960's. The others were bought for me from a car boot sale by my mother in law for 50p each, and were published in the '80's.

The characters and the stories are enchanting (I re-read them regularly even now as an adult), but it's the illustrations that really make my heart squeeze.

Oh sooooo incredibly sweet, don't you think? That wonderful patchwork quilt calls out to me every time!

Little Grey Rabbit lives in the cutest woodland cottage. It's furnished simply, with brick floors, green painted windows, buttery yellow walls and THE MOST ADORABLE blue and white gingham curtains.

For some reason I have always loved these curtains. So it'll come as no surprise to you if I tell you that I am making blue and white gingham curtains for Connievan. Yeah, you already saw that coming didn't you?

I bought a great long length of gingham fabric from Ebay last year and made a start with them, but didn't get too far at the time. I'm determined to get them finished this week though, as we're taking Connie out on a trip next week.

Would you like to see where I'm at with my curtain revamp?

Squeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had the nifty idea of combining blue and white checks with a little bit of red floral and a dash of ric rac. Do you like?

The floral fabric just runs as a band across the bottom, to add an extra bit of va-va-voom to the whole effect. I confess I am quite madly in love with them. It's proving to be a tough ol' job though. I'm keeping the original curtains as they are lined and in good shape, and am *simply* stitching the gingham panels on top. It's not easy. I tried to do the first one with the machine, but the curtain fabric was too thick (it's a thick velvet) and it all went pear shaped. So I painstakingly unpicked the dreadful machine stitching and began the whole thing again by hand.

It's laborious work, and probably my least favourite type of sewing. Little invisible hemming stitches, hundreds and hundreds of them. Thousands probably.

I sat last night in the Big Chair by the bay window and managed to do one whole curtain. Only nine more to go then. But as I sit and stitch, my mind wanders off into Caravan Dreamland. I start to think of fairy lights and paper lanterns and pretty floral bunting and dotty tablecloths and stripy picnic rugs and granny square blankets and piles of squishy patchwork cushions.....it's so happy and colourful and cosy and carefree in Caravan Dreamland!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps I've got a Caravan Dream board over on Pinterest if you want to go have a peek

I also found a couple of fabulous websites yesterday whilst getting lost in Pinterest, they are full of lovely caravanny things.....

http://getcampie.com/

http://littlevintagetrailer.com

pps one last thing....you can read my original post about Connievan here. I'll take some more pics of her interior soon to show you. I love her SO much! ♥

xx

Edit to add :: Thanks for the pincushion love, I made it a few years ago using the Anna Maria Horner pattern here.

 

 

 

 

 

Tales from Connievan :: Lakeland Coast

Do you remember us taking Connievan to stay at "Bunnyland" last year? After that wonderful holiday we became enchanted with this type of small, rural caravan site. Known as "Certificated Sites" they are limited to a maximum of five caravans, with a sprinkling of tents also allowed. They have to provide cold running water and waste water disposal facilities, and many also provide electricity, but that is usually the extent of the facilities on offer. The idea is that you experience a "get away from it all" feeling in a beautiful rural location.

There are more than 1200 CS sites in the UK, and choosing a Good One is tough work, it really is. The sites are listed in a comprehensive directory, in tiny print with no pictures. You have to basically have a rough idea of your destination/area, then spend some time scrutinising the listings to work out whether the place will suit. I delegate this job to J, place the directory firmly in his capable hands and instruct him to Choose a Good One. 

So at the end of May/beginning of June we had a weeks holiday from school/work and took a little jolly up country with Connievan. J selected this site for us (and blow me, it took him all of two minutes to do it) and we had high hopes for it. After all, it had a lot to live up to after the Bunnyland experience.

It took us about 90 minutes to get there with Connievan, the roads getting smaller and more countrified the closer we got. Finally we turned off down this narrow track leading to Templands Farm, to see where we would be living for the next five days.

It was absolutely delightful. A down to earth, unpretentious working farm surrounded by glorious open countryside, with a spacious field for the caravans and an old stone outbuilding which contained a toilet and a rather rustic shower room. But more than anything else there was fresh air, expansive green views and the intoxicating feeling of open space. So different from the built-up, hemmed in Victorian Terrace living that we experience day to day.

And being a working farm there were animals in residence, oh the joy!! The Little People absolutely loved all the animals around and about in the surrounding fields, but in particular they completely adored the free range chickens. Every morning we would wake early and open Connievan's curtains to find them pecking around outside, it caused Little B to shriek with excitement at the sight of them so close by.

Ahh caravan life is just sooo warm and cosy and sweet, I continue to love love love it. A comfy, cosy bed to sleep in, crochet blankets to snuggle in and a red enamel mug of steaming hot tea :: pure delight.

My stack of Rice tumblers make me smile every time I open this cupboard, well all of Connievan's enamel and melamine does. The tumblers are a recent purchase, but the assortment of melamine plates and bowls have been gathered over many years. I think I've always secretly dreamt of owning a caravan or campervan.

A jam jar of freshly picked hederow flowers, what could be prettier? Connievan wouldn't be complete without them, I pick some to have inside on every trip.

As you have probably sussed by now, I am still completely bowled over by Connievan, I love her to bits. These sweet little family holidays that she's providing us with are such a dream come true. I'm very slowly beginning to add some decorative bits and bobs and am slowly making changes to her interior (I'll show you the curtain progress soon)...like I said once before, this is sure to be an ongoing and enduring love affair. And just whilst I'm on the subject of caravans and love affairs, if you've got a spare minute or two, click on "this link" Go on, you'll be transported into a world of complete loveliness on two wheels!!

But of course, the week wasn't all about sitting inside a 14 x 7 foot box on wheels, as cute and cosy and lovely as it is. It was also about exploring the local area and enjoying the great outdoors. The nearest town to Templands Farm was five miles away :: Grange-over-Sands. And what a lovely, simple, quirky and pretty place it is. Walking down the main shopping street (above) makes you feel almost as if you've stepped back in time, it's very English and decidedly traditional and old fashioned, but I liked it very much.

It's a bit of an oddity though, in that although it's labelled as a seaside town, there isn't actually a seaside. There's no beach. And you can't actually get to the water either, even though you can see it.

There's a super-duper long esplanade designed for the old fashioned pleasure of promenading. It's one mile long.

One side of the esplanade is planted with an inspiring mixture of trees, shrubs and flowers, and is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

The other side of the esplanade looks out over the Sands to Morecombe Bay beyond. You can't actually go down and walk on the grass/sands as there are numerous signs with red writing in capital letters warning of dangerous quick sands and fast incoming tides. The Little People were hugely intrigued by this Potential Danger, they were fascinated by the idea of quick sand. Luckily we managed to divert their attention with this........

....a wonderful and imaginative play area (Little B adored this wooden train) with adjoining tea room serving local icecream. We were all suitably wowed by the thunder and lightening flavour, it was amazing. Described as "chocolate with an explosive cinder toffee crunch" trust me, it was a complete Taste Sensation.

On a couple of days we ventured further afield into the Lake District proper. Life at Templands Farm was so quiet and tranquil, it came as a bit of a shock to find ourselves suddenly amongst so many hoards of people. The car parks were jam packed, the cafe's and shops were heaving with tourists, I can't say it was very pleasant. On this particular day we had set out early to visit the home of Beatrix Potter, but on arriving at 10am (the house opens at 10.30am) we found the car park already full, with a possible four hour wait to tour the house. After getting over that disappointment, we decided to drive on a bit further and visit the village of Hawkshead instead. The cafe pictured above is in the centre of Hawkshead, and was a sweet spot in an altogether bonkers and over the top place. Walking around Hawkshead is like walking round an overcrowded, overrated, overpriced, twee, fake village. It wasn't our thing at all.

But this cafe was sweet.

 A bit over the top, but I liked it. J, on the other hand did not like it. He hated it. He balked at the £14 it cost for our drinks and cake, he said the chairs were uncomfy, he said it was cramped, he said his coffee was not nice. He was in a Bad Mood. He walked out.

We winded up eating our picnic lunch by the amazing church which is high on a hill overlooking Hawkshead, and thankfully the views and peaceful atmosphere did help ease the tensions of earlier. We decided there and then that it would suit us better if we stayed clear of the Popular Destinations of the Lake District, and head to the more untrodden places in future......

.....such as Ravenglass. Now what a gem this little place is. Much more our thing. We arrived here early one morning and I was immediately captivated by the quiet, sleepy and unpretentious atmosphere of the place.  The above picture shows the main street of Ravenglass, see how deserted it looks (hoorraaahh!)

You know how much I love little seasidey places, and this one really did make my heart skip. I just loved how there were boats parked up alongside the cars, isn't that something?

Many of the gardens were beautifully planted, such an abundance of colour spilling out over old stone walls.

Further on towards the end of the main street we passed this stack of lobster pots and realised the sea must be somewhere close by.....

....and sure enough the street suddenly ended and there we were on the beach. Kind of unusual to find grass and flowers growing right on the beach, it was lovely.

As you can see, the tide was way out when we arrived, the boats stranded and lopsided on the sand. We spent quite a long time just pootling about on the beach and in/near the water (aren't crocs great for just this sort of thing), breathing in the fresh salty sea air and enjoying the simple pleasure of hurling big fat pebbles into water with a satisfying plop.

As the morning moved on, the tide began to come in, lordy, it really does rip in at quite a pace here. Luckily we were safely off the beach and sat outside a wonderful little tea room having a spot of lunch with a sea view. Delicious homemade soup with generous hunks of homemade tomato bread. Just as well lunch was delicious as it made up for the huge barny J and I had earlier when we discovered we'd left the picnic behind. Correction....HE had left the picnic behind, although of course he swears that I never gave him the bag, that it was all my fault. But you and I know full well that of course I DID give him the picnic bag. That he took it from me and then absent mindedly put it down and left it behind. Nuff said.

Ravenglass is definitely somewhere I'd like to return to (with full picnic facilities next time, I love eating lunch on the beach). We'll be back one day I'm sure.

We drove away from the coast in the afternoon, J deciding that he'd like to take us up up up over this famously high piece of road called the Hardknott Pass. It's one of the steepest roads in the whole of England, with a gradient of 1 in 3. Not only that, the roads are narrow with some stomach-churning hairpin bends, this is not a road for the faint hearted or nervy driver. J is neither fainthearted or nervy, but cripes, I certainly am. I sat in the back seat and tried not to squeal with terror.

But the views from the top.....oh my. Breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking and I admit that yes it was worth the nail-biting and breath-holding.

We stopped a while up here, it was unbelievably quiet and peaceful. Felt like the top of the world.

Back at Connievan HQ, life was for the most part peaceful and relaxed. We did have a few minor issues with Little B intent on running off across the field and down the lane in search of the chickens, but then that's where the Little People were marvelous assets. They would happily go running after their wee brother, grab his hand and persuade him to stop harassing the chickens and come back to the van.

There were some very hot afternoons during that week. It was wonderful to return from our excursions to the cool green grass of Templands Farm and enjoy the hot summer sunshine. Blankets and chairs for sitting/lounging upon, cold juice/beer/wine to hand, and nothing whatsoever to do excepting for a little bit of light cooking and a smidge of lazy childcare. It was amazing how long a bowl of water and two cups kept a certain someone entertained for. Joyful.

We cook very simply when we're in Connievan. We eat a lot of pasta with pesto and salad. Sometimes it's a simple do of crusty bread,salami, cheese, fruit, crisps, chocolate. And sometimes I do decide to actually rustle up a little something more substantial...in this case it was noodles, peppers and chicken in a chow mein sauce. We ate it out of bowls, sitting outside on the grass, slurping and nomnomming the noodles. It was such fun!! Little B was so, so happy eating this meal, he was a complete messy delight.

Most evenings after dinner was all done and dusted, we would walk the mile or so into the local village to visit this lovely little childrens playground. It was a sweet way to round off the days.

I really enjoyed walking back to Templands Farm and Connievan each evening after our playground trips, it felt like coming home. The light at this time of day (between 7 and 8pm) was warm and golden and it made the grass look extra green and the views extra beautiful.

We would settle down in Connievan for the evening with books/radio/crochet and wait for the ducks to arrive. Every evening they would waddle up the field to come and take a drink from the old stone trough. And every evening the Little People would wait patiently for them to arrive. It was lovely to observe how these little routines of Caravan Life formed according to what was happening in the landscape around us. Chickens in the morning. Ducks in the evening. Lovely, happy memories.

It's been a great experience for me putting this together, I've enjoyed it so much! It means a lot to me that I'm able to use this patch of cyberspace to record these precious times. I hope that one day the Little Peeps will enjoy this peek back into their childhood. Hope so. xxxxxxxx

Edit to add :: I've been writing this post over the course of two or three days and hadn't quite realised how long it had become until I read it through just now! I hope you're not yawning and falling asleep over your kepboard. Thanks as ever for dropping by to share and indulge me in my memory-preserving. Lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Tales from Connievan :: York II

This is the river Ouse which flows through the city of York in the North of England. We love this city, it's a truly beautiful, vibrant and historic place about 40miles east of Attic-land. J and I moved to York from Down South in 1998 and lived there throughout our 30's. It holds many happy memories for us :: we bought our first house together there in 1999, we were married there in 2001, and the Little People (minus Little B) were born there in 2002 and 2004. And friends, oh lets not forget the many good friends we have still living in this lovely place, cos they make the memories. And that's the draw for us.....yes there is architecture and history and a plethora of maaaaarvelous eating, drinking and shopping possibilities, but it's the friends that call us to return time and time again.

This doesn't look much like a city centre road does it? It runs alongside the river a mere ten minutes walk from the very heart of the city, and is the road that we drove along with Connievan a few weeks ago.

If you've been visiting the Attic for a while, you'll know that we took Connievan to stay in York for a week last year. The idea for this jaunt last year was mine, and I think it was rather inspired actually. In a nutshell, this was the plan :: we would take Connievan to our old home place for a week, but J would in fact still be going off to work. So during the week days, J would trot off to be Important in his job, leaving the Little Peeps and I lots of time to spend with good friends doing the familiar Mummy-offspring stuff of old. J would then return to us at 4.30pm each evening to join in the jolly activities and would feel as if he were on holiday even though he had been at work all day.

We chose a different camp site this year, with the central location being the main deciding factor. Actually it wasn't so much a camp site as a caravan park. One hundred and five caravans to be precise. It was ever so slightly off putting in it's orderliness and it's greyness. There was an awful lot of grey concrete and grey stone chippings and very little greenery. And it was very, very, ever-so-very Caravanny, if you get that. Lots of plush, modern, sparkling white caravans with fancy awnings attached. Flat screen tv's. Microwaves. Furniture. Equipment. Neatness.

With three children in tow, we were placed in an out-of-the-way corner, and that suited us just fine. Ahhhh sweet little Connievan, two decades old and so cute and humble and uncomplicated! No awning! No microwave oven! And *gasp* no television!!! However will we manage?

Sit outside in the fresh air, surely not???? Play games?????? Make conversation???? Cook easy one-pan meals on the little caravan hob, why how quaint!! How terribly old fashioned and wholesome!!

But no matter what we thought of the camp caravan site, it's location was fantastic. Situated a short riverside walk from the city centre, it was also right next door to a beautiful park. A lovely lake, with large expanses of daisy-speckled green grass and a terrific play area for the children which we visited on a daily basis. It even had an ice cream van in residence. Super.

As was the case last year, much of our time in York was spent playing. The Little People had a great deal of fun swinging, sliding, climbing, spinning, rocking, jumping and balancing. For them it was a very, very active holiday, cos when we weren't out visiting various parks we were walking/scooting along the river or through the city streets, or running wild in friends back gardens. Back at base, there were plenty of other children at the caravan park to play with, so the activity went on from early in the morning until nightfall.

We were generally lucky with the weather last week, it was really hot and summery, but we did experience some incredible storms. There were a couple of torrential downpours with impressive thunder and forked lightening, even pea-sized hailstones at one point. The storms were short and sharp and left behind them some welcome fresh, clean-smelling air and some sizable puddles. If I tell you that the above puddle (Little Man wearing my crocs in the above picture) at one point contained eight soaking wet children, you can probably imagine the scene. Three of those children were mine, two of them fully clothed and soaked to the skin, the other one wearing baby-sized crocs and a soggy nappy and also soaked to the skin. Lots of screaming, splashing and laughter, it was a joy to watch. You've gotta LOVE the way that children seize the moment and find fun in the simplest of things, it made my heart sing with happiness to watch them enjoy this puddle to The Max.

This year I did manage to find time for a little quiet caravan hooky too. Once Little B was settled down for the night (the timing of which varied enormously) I would sit and work up a few stripy rows. Sitting on stripes whilst making more stripes is a pretty good way to spend an hour I think.

My camera came with me everywhere last week but I didn't end up taking that many photos. Somehow the days were quite jam packed with activity, and especially where the Littlest member of the family was concerned, I was kept very, very busy indeed, too busy to take pics. Looking after him and keeping him safe/happy/out of trouble when out and about is such an all consuming job.

But no doubt about it, York is one incredibly photogenic city. Some amazing buildings....

....lots of floral colour....

...and the cutest, quaintest little streets you ever did see.

One evening, I decided on the spur of the moment to take a walk around the city All By Myself. It's around 9pm in these pictures, would you like to come on a little evening walk with me, to see the sights and take in the evening ambiance???? Ok...here we go................

Doesn't it look picturesque?? It was. It is. A very picturesque kind of a place.

Atmospheric.

Drank a lot of coffee last week, ahh I do like me a good brew of fresh morning coffee I have to say. York is inundated with fabulous places to rest ones feet/wheels and refresh with a brew/smoothie and a slab of cake.

And refreshments aren't too bad at Connievan HQ either.

My holiday hooky project was this sweet little jacket for Connie's cafetiere, the pattern taken from Nicki Trench's wonderful book Cute and Easy Crochet. I confess the results are a little disappointing, as for some obscure reason it never occurred to me to actually measure my work against the cafetiere as I was going along. So the finished Ta-dah moment turned into rather a disappointing strop when the cover refused to fit. It just doesn't fit. It's not wide enough and is all stretched and sloping and the button isn't in the right place. No fault of the pattern I might add, just the fault of me, merrily working up the stripes without thinking about what I was doing. Of course it could also have been the fault of the tumbler(s) of vino which accompanied my evening hooky (yes, when in Connievan I always drink wine out of a tumbler, makes me very feel rather giddy and holidayish)......hmmmm......I Love the idea of a cafetiere cosy though, and fully intend to give this project another go. Maybe I should do it here in the Attic without the tumblers of vino to hand. Yes, that sounds like A Good Plan.

 x

 

 

 

Tales from Connievan :: York

Well here we are, half way through our six week summer holidays and for the most part I really am enjoying it. Sometimes it feels a bit too hectic, a bit too stressy, but mostly I feel like we're managing to successfully find the right balance between being lazy and being active, between staying home and going out and about. My favourite days this week have without doubt been the lazy ones, and we've become quite slobbish around here (like still in our pj's at lunch time, eh-hem). But it's been necessary to have these lazy days in order to recover from the days of rather frantic activity.

Last week as you know we were away in Connievan and if I'm honest with you here, the lazy/active balance was a bit skewed really. There just wasn't enough slow time or slobbishness for my liking. Not enough lounging around in our pj's. It was a busy, sociable, scheduled, active type of a holiday involving lots of friends, lots of get-togethers, lots of outings. The Little People had an absolute ball. I did too, but oh boy was I exhausted by the end of it!

Staying in Connievan for a whole week was absolutely, undeniably BRILLiAnT though. We were pitched in a busy campsite a few miles outside of York city, right beside the river Ouse. The above picture shows you the view through Connie's door, which was rather scenic it has to be said. It looks like the perfect backdrop for lazy, lounging, slobbish outdoor days doesn't it? Such a pity they didn't occur!!

No, there wasn't a lot of time spent lazing around the campsite but there were certainly Moments. Moments of peace and tranquility, of sitting beside the river in the early mornings before the rest of the campsite was awake, drinking that first delicious cup of tea. Kingfishers skimming, swans gliding.

Moments in the early evening after a long day's play when I would sit quietly by the water and watch the clouds scud overhead. These moments were short, but very very sweet.

Of course, Moments To Myself were extremely limited, no matter what the time of day. The Little People were my constant companions, but it was wonderful to watch them enjoying the outdoor life so much. I was totally in awe of their energy levels. They honestly did not stop. All day. Fourteen hours (minimum) of frenetic activity each and every day. Running, cycling, swinging, sliding. Den-building. Rocket-launching. Frisbee-throwing. Duck-feeding. And plenty of other children to do all those things with. Like I say, the Little People had an absolute ball.

York is the place that we used to live before we upped and moved across the hills to Attic-land, so of course we know it well and have lots of friends still living there. It's a beautiful city, bustling and vibrant.

Lovely shopping streets. 

Lined with lovely shops....

....ahhhhhh yes, I did make it into the divinely wonderful Cath Kidston shop. Squuuuueeeeezed it in between School Uniform buying and a bit of stressy parenting in this shop and this one. It's not all about The Kids you know :: us Mums need to be catered for too.

The Little People couldn't remember the centre of York very well (they were aged 3 and 5 when we moved away), but certain things did jog their little memories. A fountain. A toy shop. A clock. And this unusual cafe. Situated in an old church right in the heart of York, it's a gem of a place for harassed mothers with children/babies in tow. Exceptionally child friendly, and a bloomin good range of homemade cakes to sit beside a bloomin good cappuccino. I remembered it well, it hadn't changed one bit.

But it's not all about The Mums you know :: the Kiddos have to be catered for too. Cartons of juice and some rather huge iced cupcakes and everyone was happy.

We did a great deal of the above last week in York. The city has some wonderful parks with wonderful play areas for children. My Children did indeed think it was wonderful. They played and played and played. And I enjoyed sitting watching them do it.

One of the outings we made was to Beningbrough Hall, which is a National Trust property just to the north of york. The working gardens here are breathtakingly beautiful.

A mixture of flowers, fruit and vegetables, it was just wonderful. Beauty around every corner.

Scrumptious.

Delightful.

Vibrant.

Incredible.

And then we stopped for tea in the tea room. And that was pretty darned good too. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes there was a very long time spent at the Wilderness Play Area. More swinging and sliding and climbing. And sitting/watching.

It was wonderful to spend time last week with good friends. Friends I met almost eight years ago when my Little Man was a babe and we were all first time Mums together. Our children grew up through babyhood and toddlerhood together. Special times and special friends.

But you know, as lovely as it was being so sociable, going to this park and that park, here for playtime, there for lunch, to the pub for dinner, barbecues and drinks and playdates at this house and that house, it was blissful to come Home to Connievan each evening. It really was. She was so cosy! So welcoming! And already so familiar and so very much Ours if you get what I mean.

About half way through the week I suddenly really missed having fresh flowers about me. I very rarely live without fresh flowers at home, as you know. So early one evening I took the Little Lady on a short walk around the campsite and began gathering a few wild blooms from the verges and hedgerows. Buttercups, clover, balsam, ragwort, yarrow and honeysuckle.

So beautiful! Oh I just adored this little posy soooooo much!! Popped it into a jam jar and it made my little heart go skip-skippety-skip with delight.

Being all domesticated with Connievan is such fun. At home I love and adore my Dishwasher. Hate washing dirty dishes at home. But not so in Connievan. I can happily stand at the little pink enamel sink, hands in hot soap sudsy water washing up the pretty plastic stuff. Gazing out the window to the view of field/hedgerow/river feeling totally blissed out. Amazing. Washing up and feeling Blissed Out. Who would have thought it?

In fact, Connievan life in general feels quite Blissed Out. Last week the Little People didn't spend a whole lot of time inside cos they were generally busy being hugely busy outside. Frenetic remember. But sometimes they did choose to settle themselves down at the table and occupy themselves with books and pens. Truthfully, quite a lot of bickering banter accompanied the above scene, and there was some nasty falling out over The Black Pen but hey-ho, it was mostly good.

My time inside, when I wasn't being all Blissed Out at the sink or tidying up or looking after Little B was mostly spent gazing at my stripes. I didn't have one single moment to actually crochet last week (my crochet never even made it out of the car, that's how hectic the week was) but oh I did manage some serious gazing. I can't tell you how fabulous it was to install the Granny Stripe. I unfolded it and draped it and arranged it, then stood back and kind of felt like I could jump up through the roof with happiness. It was heart-bangingly exciting, yes it was!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it was maaarrrrvelous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Need to address that cushion and those curtains, but ohmygoodness, the blanket is so great.

Perfectly Connievan-ish.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ps...There is now a Flickr group dedicated to the Granny Stripe, so please please do add in your own pictures if you're working on a stripe. And if you're not hooking, please please do feel free to pop over and gaze upon all the stripy gorgeousness anyways, cos it'll make you feel good I promise.

Connievan Jolly Holiday

Hello, so lovely to be back! Been pootling through my photographs over the past couple of days putting together the visuals for the latest installment of Tales From The Connievan. I surely hope you're not going to get fed up with hearing about all things caravan related cos I have a feeling that this'll be a long-winded, enduring, obsessive love affair and I can't see it letting up anytime soon. I just can't get over how happy being a Caravan Owner is making me :: I am love love love love love loving it! So much!!!

We had such a fabulous Jolly Holiday last week, it was pretty much perfect. We went across to the north east coast, to a magical little place that we've never visited before called Saltburn by the Sea. So it was a double whammy for me really, as not only did we get to spend 5 whole days jollying with Connievan, but we were beside the sea too, woooohhoooooo!!!

We booked onto a very small campsite called Bunnyland (I kid you not) which was a combined small campsite/boarding kennels/cattery/rabbit breeding/bed and breakfast type farm. It was in the midst of beautiful moorland countryside, with the sea sparkling in the distance and a green and golden buttercup field given over to a very informal campsite. We rolled up with Connievan on Monday afternoon and were given a fabulous pitch in the corner of the field with uninterrupted views all around. There was a swing under a small clump of trees for the Little People, and yes there were rabbits. Lots and lots and lots of rabbits, plus a few cats, chickens and a stunning peacock too. The Little People were so happy with this setup, they spent their whole time bicycling up and down the track between Connievan and the rabbits, with frequent detours to the swings.

I didn't take that many pictures inside Connievan as she isn't particularly photogenic just yet. I did want to show you our bed though, oh how wonderful our caravan bed is! So cosy and comfy and lovely, although I do apologise for it's unmade state, I certainly didn't bother to style this picture for you did I? 

Waking up early each morning was such a pleasure...drawing back the curtains and opening the window to take in the glorious weather and the green and golden scenery was bliss. The above view was mine-all-mine as I sat in bed with my tin mug of tea each morning, I couldn't have been happier.

Saltburn by the Sea is a very charming old Victorian seaside town. The beach is huge and expansive, the sea comes in across the sands in big, rolling waves making it perfect for surfing. And considering the weather (FABulous, glorious sunshine), it was very, very quiet too.

You can see my Little Man there look, sitting in the sea just chilling by himself....

....and this is Little Lady, putting the decorative touches to her sandcastle.

Little B, wiggling his toes in the sunshine....

....and this is me look....sitting in our newly purchased (and quite brilliant) beach tent, hooking myself into a delirious granny striped frenzy complete with sea views.

 

Hooky, hooky, stripy, stripy, glance up to the see the sea, squeeeeeeeeeal with happiness, then back to the hooky. It was blissful.

Saltburn has a rather splendid pier look, it's been beautifully preserved over the years and is blessedly free of Entertainments.

You basically stroll along it and view the view. Breathe in the air and admire the rolling waves. Think salty thoughts then stroll back again. Wonderful.

Saltburn also has this :: an amazing way to get from the seafront up to the top of the cliff where the town lies. There are steps of course, but why toil up the steps when you can ride up in fantastical Victorian Style??

It was a wonderful feeling, rising gently up and up above the beach and pier below....

....sitting cosily inside these cute little painted carriages with the most beautiful stained glass windows.

The view from the top of the cliff was breathtaking.

I think Saltburn was at one time a little run down and neglected, but has enjoyed a revival in recent years. It was all beautifully designed and well kept....

....and a real pleasure to stroll about in the afternoon sunshine taking it all in.

The town itself is small and quaint and wonderful. Very ornate and pretty. Lovely swirly whirly bits. I really liked it a lot.

After a stroll about town where we picked up some provisions from the local bakery and superb deli, we made our way back down the cliff, via the steps this time. Ahhhh coastal views, you can't beat 'em, they make my heart soar.

After a day at the seaside, it was so good to return "home" to our little corner of buttercup field. The days were hot last week, and it meant that we were able to happily sit outside enjoying the sunshine well into the evenings.

Connie's table lived almost permanently outside and we ate breakfast out here as well as evening meals.

Outdoor eating was kept simple :: crusty bread, chevre goats cheese, ripe tomatoes, crisp apples...

...and chilled white wine. Connievan has a super oven and gas hob which we very successfully cooked on, but I do love the ease of picnic style food eaten outdoors on a warm evening.

After the food was cleared away, we continued to sit outdoors and indulge in a little relaxing hobby-time. Colouring, building domino runs, reading and hooking were all carried out around the table as the sun descended in the sky. It was absolutely blissful.

 

Such a wonderful week, we were all sad to see it end. Little Lady cried when it was time to leave, it was quite heart breaking. Connievan is surely helping us some build some wonderful family memories. I'm cherishing them, holding them close, full of gratitude for such happy times.

Tomorrow I'll show you another little place that we visited, so do drop by for more sea breezes....see you then xxxxxxx

Getting Ready

I worked my way through five whole loads of laundry yesterday. I felt like I did not stop all day. Not sure how it happened but I just I got waaayy behind with it all last week, and my laundry basket was completely overflowing. But it's all done now, well thats to say it's all clean and dry and is now sitting in a huge mountainous pile waiting to be sorted and put away. Oh, and some will be packed into a bag this morning ready for our five day jolly-holiday to the coast *squeeeeeeeeaaaaal*

I spent a little time yesterday packing up a small box with Connievan Kit ready to take with us :: things we had forgotten on the last trip, things we discovered would be Very Useful for Connievan to have and some new purchases too (I got my new pink polkadot kettle a few days ago yippeee!)

Can I show you a few recent bits n bobs that I'm very excited about?? These are a few little things I picked up on Saturday when I took a happy jaunt to a vintage fair. A vintage First Aid tin found it's way to me and I am so happy to have it. It's perfect for Connievan, don't you think?

I also couldn't resist these french inspired tins, they're reproduction ones so are all nice and shiny clean inside.

But my bestest and most heart-skippy find was these little vintage painted coat hangers. Do you know, when I first saw them I really honestly thought my heart would come flying out of my mouth, I was sooo beside myself with falling in complete love with them.

Aren't they adorable?? I LOVE the truly vintage colours, the way they are worn and a little paint chipped, and the fact that one of them has a little name written on the back. So sweet. And only 50p each, I nearly passed out with happiness when they became mine-all-mine for £2.50.

They'll be perfect to hang in Connievans wardrobe cupboard, I'm planning on crocheting some little flowers and hearts (stuffed with lavender) to hang on them, and every time I think of this Pending Project I get to feeling sooo giddy! Such fun!

This delightful heart was not a Vintage Purchase, but a gift for Connievan. How wonderful it is to have friends who are brimful of kindness and thoughtfulness and do such sweet things like buying our caravan a present, wrapping it in brown paper and string and posting it through the letterbox. I just love that I can take this heart with me today and hang it up and feel at home-sweet-home, yet be on holiday at the same time. Perfect.

Have a wonderful week everyone, see you when we get back :o)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx