Attic24

Autumn Feels

Well hello there my lovely Attic visitors, it's so good to see you again! Thank you very much for stopping by after I've been away from this space for a silly amount of time, my break was totally unplanned but it seems life had other ideas for me these past few weeks. October has been a bit up and down, a real mixed blend of feels and my main aim has been to take one day at a time and try to look after my physical and mental well being.

I find Autumn such a strange season to get to grips with as regardless of how visually beautiful it is, I really struggle with the reduced light levels and the underlying feelings of melancholy. It's an odd thing for me as I am generally such an upbeat person and am passionate about celebrating the changing seasons, but this time of year just feels tricky to navigate.

October has been extremely wet for the most part, so the days when the sun has come out to play have felt like the greatest gift. I've been pretty unwell for the past few weeks and have spent a lot of time at home, but short walks into town during dry spells have felt really good. I've had to go slow as my energy levels have been extremely low, but I've appreciated the cool fresh air and the chance to very gently stretch my legs. 

Today I woke up feeling very much better (thank heavens!) and have spent some time in my studio which was so good. I do miss my blog when I've been away for a while, it's become such an important part of my life during the past decade. So as it's been a few weeks since I opened my Attic window, I thought it would be nice to have a grand ol' catch up and share a little of what I've been up to, both at home and away. 

Just after Yarndale, J and I had the opportunity to escape for a very short break away just the two of us. It was such a blessing, a quick jaunt up into Wensleydale to stay in one of our favourite villages {the very picturesque and atmospheric Askrigg} and walk a couple of our favourite trails in the Yorkshire Dales.

It was very lush but incredibly wet, light rain falling almost non-stop and the ground completely waterlogged. Can you see in the above photo what looks like a small stream flowing at the bottom? Well that was actually the footpath! We had to wade through that little lot which was a very wet and soggy business - thank goodness for my hand knit socks which kept my feet reasonably warm even though my boots were absolutely sodden.

Whole fields had become picturesque lakes, but we managed to navigate the paths and enjoy the peacefulness of the landscape with very few people about. It was such a tonic, and arriving at our cosy bed and breakfast after miles of wet wandering was pure bliss. We had a delicious dinner and a few beers beside the open fire in one of our favourite pubs (The Kings Arms) followed by an early night in one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in.

We returned home the following afternoon, so it really was a short break (30 hours in total) but it was enough to recharge my batteries after the whirlwind that was Yarndale. I think short breaks away from home are bloomin' marvelous things, and J and I are very fortunate to have his wonderful parents close by to take care of the Little People for us from time to time. I appreciate it very much I have to say.

A few days after Wensleydale and I was preparing for another trip away, this time on my own. This is something that has become a fixture in my calendar in recent years, my annual trip to London to visit the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. I traveled down by train, meeting up with my fab friend Christine before heading to the show in the late afternoon.

We never seem to time it right and always end up rushing around trying to see as much as possible before it closes - it's a giant show with a huge number of exhibitors and displays and of course there is always a lot of socialising to be done! I stopped to chat to my good friends at Stylecraft Yarns, said hello to other lovely yarny folks I know and introduced myself to new folks too. I had a very brief but exciting little meeting with the two gorgeous ladies who run this company.....

...this is the Historial Sampler Company who design the most beautiful cross stitch and tapestry kits. I'm excited to be doing some design work with them next year - during the past year or two I've been love love loving cross stitch and designing in this medium is super-exciting I have to say. I'll keep you posted!

The other reason for my annual trip to the Knit and Stitching show is down to a little something known as the British Knitting and Crochet Awards. This was my fourth year to attend, and I absolutely love that I now know many of the other lovely nominees and award winners. From designers and authors, to bloggers, yarn producers and shop owners, this is a super group of passionate and talented ladies and gents who I am madly happy to call friends. In the above photo you can see me in the middle (looking pretty smiley and contented!), Christine on the right (who won a highly commended award for her book "More Super Socks") and my lovely friend Fiona on the left who owns an amazing local yarn shop in Harrogate called "Yarn Etc". Fiona's shop won a highly commended award for the North of England region, such a well deserved win for all the hard work she pours into her shop and local yarn community. We had a fun time catching up and celebrating, then out for a meal afterwards with other shop owners and retailers who have become friends over the years, gosh I can't remember the last time I was out after eleven o'clock, it felt very grown up!

I am really, really happy to tell you that I won first place in the "Favourite Crochet Designer" category, and gained a highly commended in the "Favourite Crochet Blog" category. I would continue to do what I do here on my blog regardless of any votes being cast my way, simply because it makes me unbelievably happy to share my creativity and inspire others. But recognition is still a truly wonderful thing, and I am so so grateful for the community that surrounds me and the friendships that continue to grow from it. Thank you very, very much if you took the trouble to vote for me, I appreciate it very much.

After a night on the town in London, followed by a yummy hotel breakfast and an extended morning coffee/pastry/chatter session with Christine, I left the city behind and headed home.............

................not home to the Attic, but a journey South-West to my childhood home town in Dorset.

Hooray for spontaneous decisions and trains that take you where your heart desires! 

I'd decided to spend the weekend in Dorset as it just so happened to be my Birthday, and my annual pull to be beside the sea was as strong as ever. 

My Birthday fell on a Saturday this year and there was only one place I wanted to go - my new favourite cafe by the sea at West Bay for a spot of brunch. Yeah, I'm still firmly on my brunch kick, I am quite addicted to this leisurely weekendish meal and take advantage of it as often as possible. So I was without J and the Little Peeps which felt a bit odd, but I trundled down to the sea with my Dad and Lady B to settle cosily into Rise cafe. Gosh, I do so love this place! Brunch was awesome and although the weather was very disappointing (it did not stop raining the whole weekend I was there, honestly, non-stop wet stuff falling from the clouds), I was still able to sit and swoon over the seaside views. 

My birthday passed in a blur of sea air, good food, good company, a trip to the local pub followed by cake, prosecco and cosy crochet sofa time, which was pretty perfect.

On the Sunday morning I had the pleasure of returning to West Bay to meet up with a group of local crocheters. This lovely group of Dorset ladies meets up a few times a year as a result of knowing each other online via the "Hooked on Attic24" facebook group. Isn't that just the loveliest thing? The get together was organised by Sandra who writes her blog Daffodil Wild, and it just so happened that the Autumn meet coincided with my own short jaunt down to Dorset. How could I stay away?! It was a fabulous few hours, loads of excited chatter, coffee, cake and crochet and lots and lots of blanket squishing. Thank you lovely Dorset ladies for making me feel so welcome, it really was a wonderful way for me to round off my time in Dorset before I had to whizz back up North again.

I arrived back late on Sunday night, exhausted but glad to be home after four days away. I had kind of forgotten it had been my birthday whilst I was gone and enjoyed opening some surprise cards and gifts from the Little People. I'm happy to report that chocolate featured heavily in the gift giving this year, how lucky am I? And in case you were curious - I've managed fifty one glorious years pootling around on planet earth. Pretty happy about that!

When I woke up on the morning after coming back from London/Dorset, I did not feel at all well. I knew straight away that it wasn't just tiredness from travelling, but something much yuckier taking over my body. Nothing serious you understand, just a cold, but my goodness what a beastly virus it turned out to be.

Last week I really felt pretty unwell, that cold really did a number on my energy levels and I've barely felt like doing anything, just the absolute bare essentials. I've been sleeping badly at night, then falling asleep on the sofa at odd times during the day, trying to keep up with Mum stuff, the shopping, cooking, laundry, school run, homework type of stuff which still needs to happen regardless of how bad the body feels. 

This week I've been feeling a little better, and J and I managed a short walk at Bolton Abbey on a day when it actually stopped raining and the sun came out.

Real, actual sunshine!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glorious, it really was. 

We spotted a heron soaking up the rays on the opposite side of the river.....

....and the woodland was looking super-pretty wearing it's early Autumn colours.

I enjoyed the walk enormously, although I was pretty much dragging by the end of it and so glad of the café where good coffee was inhaled for essential revival purposes. 

We walked in our local woods at the weekend with Little B in tow - actually it was his idea to take a walk on Saturday morning, with the promise of a stop off in town afterwards for hot chocolate. It was a tad muddy, but delightful all the same, and for the umpteenth time I gave thanks for this beautiful patch of tree-filled land which is there for us to enjoy right on our doorstep. 

So........that's about all that's been going on here this month -  a couple trips away, some serious germs to contend with and a few short local walks. Autumn has well and truly arrived.

I've still got some Yarndale things to share with you all, I've not forgotten about that and was part way through creating the blog post just before I became unwell. I'll try and get that finished off and published very soon - it's half term next week which I absolutely can't wait for, I really am longing for some slow days of family time. 

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Summer Solstice 2019

Yesterday it was the longest day of the year and we were blessed with a very beautiful sunshiny evening to celebrate.

19.15 :: Dinner done and dusted, chilled glass of white wine in hand, sitting in my back yard doing nothing but look up at the sky. Appreciating the warmth and light of a mid summer evening, being in the moment with it all.

19.58 :: overcome by a mad craving for cake, I launch myself into action in the kitchen and bake a small batch of buns, top them with elderflower cordial icing and rice paper butterflies. Delish!

21.52 I decide to head out for a short walk to watch the last of the day fade away. Sadly nobody wants to come with me, so off I go on my own to celebrate a Solo Summer Solstice. I climb up to the foot of the steep grassy hill which leads to the woods and spend a while leaning over the wooden fence just breathing in the colour of the sky. Almost ten o'clock and still beautifully light and blue.

22.01 :: Walking slowly home along the canal, sounds of music and laughter coming from the outdoor pub terrace. Feeling mellow and so happy in the moment, me and myself enjoying the outdoor ambiance (who needs company anyway?!)

22.38 :: Back home again and it is still daylight.....seriously! I make myself a big mug of tea, grab a crochet blanket and a candle and snuggle myself up in the back yard to enjoy the very last of the longest day. 

22.48 :: A bat flits around right overhead and I make a stupid number of attempts to photograph it. Most of them look like a streaky smudge in the sky, but the above one at least shows some blurry wings. I'm calling that a result.

22.57 :: suddenly yawning my head off, the day has finally caught up with me. The sky is still blue, but I feel the chill of the night descending and so I head indoors to the comfort of bed.

Happy Summer Solstice......!

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May Bank Holiday

We had such a lovely long weekend of it here, celebrating the start of May with three days of leisure and pleasure. May is my absolute most favourite month of the whole year, I just adore the abundance of it - so much daylight and greenery and fresh blooming things. Love love love love love all of it.

We walked at Bolton Abbey on Saturday to take in the bluebells. They are early this year because of the unseasonable warmth we had in February and are already just tipping past their prime.....

....still looking gorgeous though, carpeting the woodland floor with a gentle haze of sunny blue. 

We walked along the side of the river Wharfe....

.....admiring the stunning wildlife (this is a Mandarin Duck, we often see them on this stretch of the river).

Several duck families were also paddling up stream, the teensy little ducklings looking impossibly fluffy and small as they danced about on the wide surface of the river.

We sat a while here on the low rocks while Little B leaped about and did boyish things, exploring and poking and the such like. It was such a lovely thing to see him so happy in his own little world, singing some crazy ditty to himself as he hopped around on the rocks.

Green, green and more green, the woodlands honestly take my breath way at this time of year and I don't think I will ever not be wowed by it. Wild garlic in abundance (not quite in flower just yet, but almost) and the freshest zingy green beech leaves newly unfurled in the treetops.

It was the very definition of the word f-r-e-s-h and the scent was intoxicating. Damp earth and wild garlic, sunshine and oxygen. Beautiful in every way.

The May Bank Holiday weekend here in Atticland is always joyful and boat filled as the town celebrates the historic canal with it's annual Waterway Festival.

Boats start arriving and mooring up during the week before....

....and the canal becomes a busy, festive hub of activity. Each year there is a theme (this year is was the 1960's) and it's all very jolly indeed.

The abundance of bunting always makes my heart leap, I just love the bright colours and the festival atmosphere it creates.

Early on Sunday morning, J and I took a walk along the tow path to take it all in. Little B was at a sleep over with a school friend and the Teens were still tucked up in their beds so it was just the two of us, and I did miss my Little Peeps I have to say. I have many layers of memories of doing this very thing (have just re-read this post, when the Big Teen was still a Littl'n' and only six years old), and although I relish seeing my offspring grow into beautiful, independent, strong young people, I do miss their Little Days sometimes.

As usual, the boats were looking glorious.

I love to take in the decorative details, and have a real fondness for the old fashioned painted enamel "barge ware" which is traditional decoration for canal boats.

The folk art floral style and bright colours are very inspiring.......

....I'd love to translate this into crochet one day, maybe a folksy floral something-something with roses and daisies and stripes and pompoms.....(Creative Mind is whizzing now!)

Its easy to forget that these boats are homes to people and animals....

....and that they aren't just there for show.

There is something so appealing about this type of lifestyle, although for me personally I would much prefer to keep my tootsies planted on terra firma. I do adore the cosiness and the prettiness of canal boats though.

Oh look! I can spot a crochet blanket at a hundred paces and immediately zoomed in on this beauty casually draped over the bow of the boat. Doesn't it look so at home?

This was my favourite boat of all, all Loved Up and decked out in 1960's style finery. There was yarn too.....

.....colourful crochet flowers, pom poms, hearts and birds, what a visual delight!

Back on the home front and there was yarn and colour here too......of course there was!

You might remember me telling you last week that I've started on a stash-bust project using yarn left over from the Sweet Pea and Dune blankets? Well on Sunday I tipped out the bag of circles that I've been making and began to turn them slowly, one by one, into squares. 

I'm using an old pattern of mine from years ago (seriously, years and years!) the Summer Garden Granny Square. 

I created this pattern a whole decade ago and used it to make a couple of wool blankets (a big one here and a small one here). It's been lovely to re-visit it, and I'm really enjoying the freedom of working these little squares just for pleasure and without much of a plan. 

However, over the weekend I decided that these squares won't become another blanket because they are shouting GRANNY SQUARE BAG to me very loudly, and I just can't ignore that type of creative shouting. The idea has been so loud in my mind that I dreamt about the exact granny square bag on Monday night, I kid you not. So now that my Creative Mind has seen the bag image (with some delightful decorative details)  I simply must make it a reality. I am ridiculously excited by it all, and I can't wait to share more of this with you as it unfolds.

On Monday morning, with no work or school we decided to leave the car at home and set out to walk around our neighbourhood. It was a grey, overcast day but nevertheless it felt so good to stride out and climb up high to take in the views over this lovely little rural market town that we call home. It delights me that we can see the actual Attic from the top of the hill, and see our home sitting in it's friendly terraced street amidst the rolling green countryside. 

Coming into the woods from the high hill, we enter along the top pathway. It's oh-so-green, beautiful in it's airy lushness. 

Isn't May such a delight? I can't get enough of it, the bright colour is almost overwhelming in the woodland after so many months of drab brown.

Ah, here is the Stalking Horse, quietly standing in place, awesome in it's willowy stillness. 

There aren't a huge number of bluebells in these woods, just a  few here and there - they make me so happy. 

Another week or so and this huge bank of wild garlic will be in full flower, it's a beautiful sight I can tell you.

We came out of the woods via the bottom gate and as we were close to the edge of town we decided on the spur of the moment to go and have coffee. We chose a cafe close to the canal, a lovely little place where you can sit in a pretty courtyard outside when the weather is decent enough. The Waterway festival was in full swing and as we sat to drink our cappuccino's (banana milkshake for a delighted Little B) we were entertained by a full-force marching bagpipe band. It was glorious! Such a rich, full sound, and not your average Monday morning soundtrack that's for sure.

Little B was ecstatic at the prospect of so much naughty, edible festival temptation. He swayed dramatically between wanting freshly cooked crepes, candyfloss or fresh donuts, and in the end the donuts won. They came on a paper plate, hot and fluffy, smothered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream......his face was a picture, and it reminded me of our Bruges trip last year and the whole waffle experience....such good memories.

Monday afternoon and I decided to bake a cake. I think Little B's sweet cravings had rubbed off on me and all I could think about was the taste of an old fashioned Victoria Sponge. I had a bit of trouble with my cake tins as some of the cake mixture managed to leak out through the removable bottoms somehow, making the layers a little on the flat side. No matter though, as this cake wasn't made for show it was made for eating, and goodness me it went down well! Despite it's flatness it tasted very good indeed and the whole family agreed that I should bake cakes more often.

I hope that you are all doing OK and enjoying the ebb of flow of your days whatever season you are in. I'm enjoying my days very much, I love May, I really do. It's all good.

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December Chitter-Chatter

 

Helloooooooo!!! I'm giving you a big and long overdue enthusiastic wave from the Attic window as I sit here on the very last day of the year and think about the weeks that have passed. I've been trying to write this post for the past few days and am happy to have finally managed it now that we're on the flip side of Christmas and teetering on the brink of the New Year.

D you know, I wrote the title of this post and then wondered if chitter-chatter was actually a proper word so went to look it up. Turns out it is indeed and means "informal and inconsequential conversation", which about sums up the overall gist of this post (well most of my blog posts actually). So I hope you're up for a some inconsequential chitter-chatter and a few photos to go with it? Onwards!!

 

 

Little B remarked to me this morning that this holiday has already felt super-long and I had to agree with him. It seems like aaaaages since we managed to exit the house at 8.30am and walk to school along the canal. This past week has been lazy in the extreme - there have been late nights and late mornings, entire days spent in pyjamas, erratic meals and way too much chocolate and screen time. It's been relaxed and restful, a much needed respite from the routine and clock watching of our school and work days. I for one have relished it all, have loved the slightly chaotic nature of having us all home together enjoying the long slow hours of nothing in particular.

 

 

I made a journey down to Dorset a few weeks before Christmas, travelling the 300 miles by train and bus. This is the second time this year that I've been to Dorset on my own, and although I'd much prefer to have J and the Little Peeps with me, I've come to appreciate the pleasure of travelling alone. I do enjoy a solo train journey where I can divide my time between reading, listening to music (Christmas tunes on this trip), browsing Instagram/blogs and crocheting, with some idle scenery gazing and day dreaming thrown in for good measure. 

 

 

I was pleased to find my Dad in good spirits and although we don't always see eye to eye on things, we generally manage to rub along OK for a few days at a time. Obviously I was mainly visiting to spend time with Dad and Lady B, but there is also a really deep need in me to be back on my home turf from time to time, for personal, nostalgic, feel-good reasons. Oh, I miss it there, I really do.

 

 

We walked to West Bay on a bright and breezy day in mid December and it was everything that I needed it to be. It was fresh and brisk, with blue skies and sunshine, noisy, pounding waves and salty sea spray. We walked around the harbour and out along the pier before heading to the cosy warmth of a local pub for a quick drink to fortify us for the two mile return walk.

 

 

I was away for three nights and J did a fabulous job of keeping the home front ticking over in my absence. In fact, I'm sure the Little People didn't really miss me at all, although I did receive the biggest hug from Little B when I got in through the door, so I think perhaps he missed me a smidge even though he insisted that he didn't.

 

 

In the days/weeks since I returned from Dorset, life has been steady. I lost track of the number of people (both friends and random strangers) who asked me if I was Ready For Christmas, and each time I would shake my head and tell them no. I never, ever feel ready for Christmas until that particular hour in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve when all the presents are wrapped, all the food has been bought and all the fire-fuel (logs) and festive-fuel (prossecco mainly) are in the house. Only then do I sit, breathe deeply and feel ready. Up until that point, there is not a jot of readiness to be felt within me, but I am absolutely OK with that. It is how it is, I am a last minute person and I try very hard not to stress it, even when people give me the wide eyes when I tell them I haven't bought presents and our tree isn't up (this being the 2nd week in December - PLeNty of time yet!!)

 

 

This year, as is the norm for me, I treated myself to a few little from-me-to-me Christmas gifts. J and I don't exchange gifts with each other and never have done in the twenty five years we've been together, so I feel it's absolutely ok to gift to myself. I bought the above book which I've been curious about for a a few years, and I would love to tell you I carved out time to read it but I don't want to lie to you. I've flipped through the pages (some glorious photos and illustrations) and dipped in and out of the chapters, but I'm saving the serious reading and absorbing of it for January.

Two other things I treated myself to - a Sweet Pea scented candle ready to light on 4th January when the Sweet Pea Crochet-Along begins, and a tree. HA!! Yes, I bought myself a tree. It's only a small sapling (1-2 foot high) and it hasn't been delivered yet but I'm beyond excited about the idea of it, mainly so that I can have access to it's leaves to squeeze and sniff to my hearts content......yes, it's a eucalyptus tree. I plan to grow it in a large pot in my back yard as I know they can grow into beastly big things, and I am just giddy about it. I'll show you when it comes!

 

 

I've been yarning along with myself during the past month of course, but haven't got anything much that I can show you. I've got a pair of socks on my needles which  are a belated Christmas gift for my fabulous father-in-law. I'm not going to show them here just yet as I have a feeling he occasionally peeks in through my Attic window. They are stripy and fairly manly (blues and greys) and I'm enjoying the little stitches very much.

As you can see above, I also tried my hand at making a critter a few weeks ago which was unexpectedly challenging (not the crochet so much as the facial features). I've got lots more to show you about that but can't just yet as this was a pattern test for a friend, so I need to wait for her nod. But if you know her critters already you will know that this is going to be one cute little thing. Oh it's so difficult to make animals look cute though, I had no idea!

 

 

In other creative news, I've been totally obsessed with my Sweet Pea blankets. In previous years I've crocheted the blanket more or less at the same time as I run the crochet along (just a week or two ahead so I can get the photos ready in time). But this year, as soon as I made the decision to offer two versions of the blanket I really had to get cracking as a LOT of hooky hours are needed to create two whole blankets. So I made the Posy version first and I'm now working on the Colourwash version, and I'm really, really, really looking forward to Friday and sharing the pattern and first colour installments with you. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has bought a Sweet Pea yarn pack from my shop at Wool Warehouse, I'm just thrilled to bits that our online crochet community is such a happy, positive and thriving place.

 

 

In the week before Christmas I finally started to think about gifts for family and friends. I decided for various reasons not to write Christmas cards this year, and instead I gifted potted bulbs to friends who I knew I was going to see. I bought some single hyacinth and amaryllis bulbs from the farm shop, wrapped them carefully in gold tissue paper and popped them into paper gift bags.

 

 

I know how much pleasure I get from watching hyacinths grow and bloom, there is something so optimistic and simple about them, the slow anticipation is just perfect. I hope they are bringing a smile to my friends as we head into the New Year, a dash of living greenery and a bloom of colour to welcome in 2019.

 

 

We decorated for Christmas at our usual time this year, around ten days before Christmas. This is early enough for me as I like to have the tree up until the Twelfth Night, or there abouts. And wonders will never cease - I even remembered to purchase the candy canes in time!!!! 

 

 

We have our usual haphazard arrangement of colourful mismatched decs on our old faithful artificial tree. Little B and I did the honours together, and I think we did a pretty good job. The tree isn't especially twinkly as we opted for battery powered lights after last year's kitty disaster (she chewed through a set of lights). But still, I do enjoy the gentle glow of it especially first thing in the morning when we come downstairs and it's still dark.

 

 

I decorated both mantels as I usually do, pretty much the same as last year and I've really been enjoying the twinkly little lights and the various candles. I don't think you can ever have too much sparkle and glow at this time of year.

 

 

Coffee Yeah!!!! Not much to add to that really is there??!! In fact, I'm not sure why I took this photo, other than to remember that there have been many happy little moments of daily sitting, sipping and taking stock during the past few weeks. It's not always easy to stop still and grant time to just be in the moment and allow thoughts to flow, but I think a mug of good coffee does aid that practice rather well. Yeah!

 

 

On Christmas Eve we woke up to the most perfectly perfect winters day, brrrrrrrrrr it was freezing! Being that we were firmly in holiday mode and therefore not able to get out the door before midday, it was early afternoon by the time we set out for a walk. The above photo was taken from inside the car around 2pm, and with temperatures still well below zero the ice crystals on the windscreen were mesmerising to look at.

 

 

We walked at Bolton Abbey with Little Lady and Little B, striding through the cold, sunlit woodland......

 

 

......following the frosty pathways through the trees.

 

 

There were plenty of people out on this crisp, clear afternoon enjoying the fresh air, yet it still felt tranquil. 

 

 

Heading back towards the car in the late afternoon, and the prospect of snuggling up in the cosy cafe suddenly seemed very appealing. Did I mention how cold it was? Uh-huh, below freezing, and definitely frothy coffee/hot chocolate weather. 

 

 

On the way home we stopped  a while on top of the moors to take in the sun - I think this was the exact moment when I finally felt ready for Christmas actually. So beautiful, those long distance, glowy golden views on the eve before Christmas.

 

 

From one day to the next and the weather couldn't have been more different. If Christmas Eve was full of sparkly gold, then Christmas day was a dull pewter grey. We had an early start on Christmas morning thanks to Little B who woke us all up at 5.45am absolutely fizzing with excitement. Gosh, that boy, his mood was highly infectious and the pleasure we had from watching him delight in his presents was worth the lack of shut eye.

 

 

J and I knew that we would meet huge resistance if we attempted to make the Little People venture outdoors on Christmas morning, so we took the decision to leave them behind. It was only for an hour - a quick walk into the woods as far as the pond, then back to the warmth of home. They barely registered that we'd been gone, all engrossed in new games and gifts. Although it was very gloomy out there, the fresh air was invigorating and I felt so glad of it.

 

 

We spent a quiet day at home just the five of us, and I am so grateful for the gentle ease of it all. Since then, our days have merged  into one long idle, contented blur. The kind where you wake up without an alarm, have no idea what day of the week it is, and wonder if you even need to bother getting dressed at all. It's been fabulous, and we are all rejoicing in the fact that we still have another week left to enjoy. I'm hoping to get out and about a bit more this week though, possibly to the seaside if I can get the family into the car to head west to the coast. Fingers crossed on that one.

 

 

Right now it's almost 9pm on New Year's Eve and I am going to take myself back to the fireside with a glass of fizz. We are choosing a gentle close to 2018, it's been such a contented year for us as a family and I am truly grateful every single day for the happiness and fulfillment that I find in my life.

Wishing you all a magical New Year, I hope you find happiness and joy in the little things and that life sparkles for you.

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Winter Solstice 2018

Yesterday we celebrated Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. Celebrating the Winter Solstice (and the summer one) isn't something I've always done, but during the past decade or so (since living in this house and sharing my thoughts from the Attic) I have become increasingly aware of the changing seasons and the way they subtly weave and flow through my days. Personally, I much prefer to think of the seasons according to the Astronomical calendar rather than the meteorological one, and so the passing of these four points in the year always makes me stop and take note. I think Winter Solstice is my most favourite of all, and even though this is the start of Winter (and I'm most definitely a Summer Spirit) I just adore the celebration of light and greenery and the magic and optimism it evokes.

Late yesterday afternoon in the last hour of daylight, I ventured out into the small woodland at the top of the park to gather in some greenery.

It's been raining on and off for most of the week and everything was dripping wet and very soggy and slippery under foot.

There's not a lot of greenery to be found in the winter woods but I was after some long vines of wild ivy which grow rampant all over the ground under the trees.

Long lengths of ivy make a great base for an evergreen wreath as the stems are very bendy and can easily be twisted and wrapped without needing to be secured with wire.

As well as the ivy, I gathered some evergreen stems from the allotment, and added in my best favourite greenery of all - eucalyptus. I have to buy the eucalyptus from the farm shop, but I love it very very much and to me it is the scent of the season, much more so than pine. It's my annual seasonal treat, and kind of makes up for the fact that we always have an artificial Christmas tree which generally just smells a little dusty. 

The wreath base I use is an inexpensive florists wire one (like this), and it's pretty easy to weave the stems in an out and around the wreath without really needing to do any tethering. 

I work fast as the light is fading and I'm out in the cold, damp back yard. Ahhh, I love love love eucalyptus, did you get that already??!! I'm snipping and weaving and twisting and poking, inhaling that fresh evergreen scent and thinking about Winter beginning and another year coming to a close. It's kind of serene and frantic all at once.

And then oh, gosh, my wreath is finished and well, it's erm...............well, a bit shaggy? A weeny bit unkempt looking and not especially magical, but there you have it...................

......................ta-dah! One rustic, evergreen Winter Solstice wreath.

I've just looked at the time stamps on my photos, and am kind of oddly proud to tell you that I made my wreath in 12 minutes flat. Ha!! Twelve minutes very well spent in my opinion.

I don't make my Solstice wreath to hang as I like to use it as a table decoration to surround my candle of choice. This year I went for a festive star candle with a Mulled Wine scent, and it's absolutely wonderful. It smells of orange and spice, of Christmas and warmth, and I can't stop sniffing it.

I managed to have all this in place by the time the Little People came home from school, which was something of an achievement. It was the last day of term yesterday so there was a fair bit of excitement in the air and our home felt cosy, happy and upbeat.

The other thing I like to do to celebrate Winter Solstice is to make a Yule Log for the fire, but this year we didn't have any proper logs to hand. We're burning smokeless coal and those eco friendly heat log thingies , so I decided to improvise and create some Yule Pine Cones instead. I collect pine cones from the pavement every summer  as they fall from the extremely tall pine trees which sit at the end of our street. Wrapped in ivy and eucalyptus, they make perfect little handfuls to throw on the fire for a solstice wish.

J wasn't interested in being Solstice-ish (which was rather lucky as I only made three cones), but Little B and Little Lady were happy to join me. I wished hard for 2019 to be brim full of health and happiness, and although I would dearly love to know what the Little Peeps wished for, they refused to tell. Top Secret Wishes, obviously. We rounded off the evening with hot chocolate and a film, and all was blissfully peaceful.

I was thinking about the very first Winter Solstice we celebrated here in 2008, and how I've managed to create this annual seasonal tradition for my family. Way back then, Little Lady was 4 and the Teen was 6 and Little B wasn't even a faint notion. It really makes me happy to think that the Little Peeps have these memories embedded in their childhoods, a gentle antidote to all the technology and a reminder to stop and reflect and be grateful for the year that has passed. And of course, extra precious minutes of daylight every day now, gosh, that thought alone makes me so happy!!

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Chasing the Light

Yesterday we woke to yet another day of low, grey skies and an eerie damp mist clinging to the landscape - down in Dorset we would call this mizzle (a combination of mist and drizzly light rain), and honestly it's my least favourite type of weather. We've had so little light here in general this month, day after day where it barely feels as if the sun is there at all, and I miss the sight of clear skies and brightness very much. However, Monday is my day with J and that's something that I always wake up feeling glad for, so even though the weather was grim, we still made plans to venture out together.

First stop : Breakfast. Well, technically it was the second stop as we first had to deliver the Littlest B-boy to school. Once we were free of offspring we walked through the damp park and up over the hill where we stood a while and marveled at the mist  swirling through the valley. Down the hill and along the footpath to the farm shop where all was cosy and bright, and we treated ourselves to a very fine spot of breakfast. It's not an elaborate affair (I usually have poached eggs on toast and a cappuccino) but there is something about going out for breakfast that always feels like the biggest treat.

I bought some stems of fresh eucalyptus (my annual festive treat in lieu of not having a real Christmas tree to inhale), and some potted bulbs to gift to to friends. I enjoy gifting living, growing things, there is something so optimistic about a humble bulb still in it's green-shoot stage, don't you think?

On our walk home from the farm shop, we noticed that the sky was ever so slowly beginning to clear, and by the time we arrived home in the late morning, we'd decided that the promise of a little sunlight was just too good to miss. I set about making a flask of fresh milky coffee and gathering together a light lunch snack of sorts (I know, not especially nutritious, but I did at least include some fruit), and off we went, out of town to chase the winter light.

We decided to keep ourselves below the mist still swirling over the high moors and headed for the riverside. Bolton Abbey was near deserted on this damp, quiet Monday, so we parked the car right next to the riverbank and settled down for some good old fashioned in-car relaxation.

The river was running high and loud after so much rain in recent weeks, and as the sky cleared a little we were treated to some blinding sunlight shafting off the surface of the water. Oh, it was glorious! I got out of the car for a while and just stood to soak it in.

There is very little colour to be found at this time of year, but the low sun illuminating the seed heads and grasses made it all look beautiful. I am trying my best to embrace the winter season we are in, digging deep to find appreciation and gratitude for this time of year which sees me struggle. I think I'm doing OK, and I am really (really, really, really) looking forward to celebrating the solstice on Friday. I think I love that day more than Christmas. I said to J, if it weren't for the children, I should like to celebrate the Winter Solstice with greenery, candles and feasting, then go abroad for the remainder of December to lie in the sun somewhere warm and bright. One day maybe.

One thing I know for sure - colour and yarn most definitely helps maintain the feel-good and I'm so very, very grateful for it. I sat in the warmth of the car yesterday afternoon and crocheted a few rows, glancing up frequently to take in the flow of the river and the sunlight bouncing around. J was reading beside me and we chatted a little about this and that, but mostly we were content to just be there in the quiet of the moment, enjoying the light and tranquility. It was a small slice of calm at the start of what promises to be a hectic week.

I hope all your pre-Christmas preparations are going well, it's the usual last minute cray-cray here, but I refuse to allow any anxiety to creep in. It's the winter Solstice on Friday (yay!) and I have fresh eucalyptus!! All will be well, I'm sure of it.

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London Celebrations

I'm playing a bit of catch-up here on my blog as October has turned out to be quite a busy month and I haven't quite managed to get my blog posts to keep up with my feet! I was looking at these photos earlier today and couldn't believe it's already two weeks since they were taken. 

I always enjoy a brisk walk along the canal when I know I'm headed for the train station, because as much as I adore my rural home town and my quiet, rather simple life, I do quite like a dose of Big City spirit every now and again. Heading to London in October has become something of an annual ritual and this was the third time that I've traveled to the city to attend the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace. This year was to be an extra special celebration as I had an extra day to enjoy the very last smidge of my forties, kind of a pre-Birthday treat from me to myself.

Arriving on a gloriously bright sunny Wednesday afternoon, I met up with my lovely friend Christine and we hopped on the underground to journey a short way to the River Thames. This wasn't a spontaneous thing by any means, because for once in my chaotic, unplanned life I had actually planned in advance and  PRE-BOOKED something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy smokes, are you shocked????!!!!!!! I think I was a little dazed myself, I had to keep checking the tickets and making sure that the whole thing wasn't just a figment of my crazy imagination. 

Luckily for me, Christine is a very accommodating friend and when I told her that I would really like to be a London tourist and take a boat trip on the River Thames, she instantly agreed. I don't know why this appealed to me so much as I'm not a massive fan of boats (I much prefer to be on dry land), but there is something very appealing about the idea of gliding along a river to take in the landmarks of a city. Add in the notion that you set sail at 3.15 pm in time to partake in a spot of afternoon tea whilst gliding along, with the possibility of a glass of fizz to accompany the aforementioned refreshments, and yeah, you can maybe see the appeal.

And so that was how we found ourselves sailing along underneath the great Tower Bridge, oohing and aahing at how very huge and enormous it looked from down below at river level. The boat we were on was a sight seeing boat, sitting low and wide on the water, with huge windows all along the outside (see here for pictures). The river was surprisingly choppy, but I'm happy to report that we didn't really feel much movement while we were sat comfy on the boat.

Maybe that was because we were easily distracted........

.............ooooooooooooo, afternoon tea has arrived! To accompany our actual cups of tea (which were pretty much kept filled by the lovely waiting staff), we had the above three tiers of deliciousness to nibble on while we sailed the river. It was really yummy, especially the very generous scone which we slathered in clotted cream and strawberry jam....mmmmmmm!!

A glass of prosecco seemed appropriate for the occasion too, and for a little while I did feel like I might possibly be leading someone else's life......it was all very decadent for an average Wednesday afternoon.

I have to say I really enjoyed just looking out the window and taking in all the amazing buildings that line the river. We passed by some ancient historical buildings and ships (the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast), but it was the modern buildings that I loved the most. Some of them are so tall and striking, you just can't help but be in awe of them. I didn't know the name of the above building, but thanks to the marvel that is Google, I can tell you that this is One Blackfriars (also known as "the vase") and was only completed this year. It is full of luxury apartments, and you have to be seriously loaded to live here - prices start from £1.15 million for a one-bedroom studio. Imagine that?!!! I absolutely cannot imagine for the life of me what it might feel like to call that place home, it's so far removed from my humble, rather shabby but well loved old terraced Victorian home. 

We couldn't have asked for better weather for our trip, it was unexpectedly warm with clear blue sky and bright sunshine, a late blast of summertime lighting up the city.

Ah did I mention the fabulous scones? No English afternoon tea is complete without them, and these ones were delicious.

As you can see, the boat was pretty full of afternoon tea-ers and the atmosphere was happy and celebratory. With the golden sunshine pouring in through the windows and music playing, it was a very relaxing way to spend a few hours in the city. 

All too soon we arrived back at Tower Pier and our round trip was complete. We had a really lovely time being boaty tourists and I wondered whether the Little People would have enjoyed it, or whether it was too sedate for them? Little B doesn't always do well when he is cooped up, he is still a bit like a puppy dog who needs space and freedom to burn off energy.

Tower Pier is right next to the Tower of London, and this isn't an area of London that I've visited before. We decided that as it was such beautiful weather that we would simply wander around for a while and see where our feet took us. I couldn't really get any sense of where exactly we were in the city (other than knowing we were near the river!), but we soon found out that we were slap bang in the midst of The City - the square mile of London that is the heart of the financial and business district.

I did recognise the above building though, honestly it's hard to miss if you are anywhere in this area. This is 20 Fenchurch Street, also known as the "walkie-talkie" building, and the scale of it is breathtaking when you are up close......

....it made me want to gasp out loud, it was just so impossibly monstrous!!! We called in to the reception area to ask about visiting the Sky Garden at the top of this building which I'd heard is fabulous, but much like the cruise boats this is something you have to plan and book in advance. I would so love to go up there! I think next year when I visit London, I shall definitely book a sky-high treat instead of a watery one, I absolutely can't wait.

Wandering around this area of London was fascinating as so many commuters were on the move at the end of the working day. It was fast paced and business like and so very urban, and I was once again struck by the contrast to my own picturesque commute along the side of the canal at the start and end of my week days. I am so grateful for my lifestyle, for the place (and pace) that is mine.

The above monument is called.......The Monument. It commemorates the Great Fire of London which raged through this part of the city in 1666, and I've just discovered that you can climb up inside it, via three hundred and eleven steps. Oh, I would so do that! In fact, I am thinking that I would quite fancy doing a tour of all the high-up viewing places in London, just to take in a whole load of panoramic views. I do really love love love a good, scenic long distance view from high up.

I loved the side view of the modern building next to the monument, which was mesmerising to look at with it's twirly silver bits spinning down over the windows (just found out ((thank you Google)) that this is called the Monument Building).  London does often surprise me with how beautiful it is, especially when you least expect it.

When Christine and I venture to London together we stay in the same hotel each time, so it has begun to feel comfortingly familiar. It's a small, quirky hotel right in the heart of Kings Cross St Pancras, set back from the hustle and bustle along a quiet side street. It's part of a row of tall London terraced houses which have been knocked together, so inside it's all multiple staircases and uneven floors and different levels. It's rather lovely and has great character, and we always enjoy a fun and relaxing stay there.

The following morning we had hours stretching ahead of us to fill with more city delights. As with any capital city in the world, London is a humongous place and there are endless things to do with your time there. Over breakfast we noodled on all the possibilities - art galleries? museums? shopping? yarn-related things? but neither of us were really in the mood for those things. I suddenly realised that all those activities involved being inside buildings, and more than anything I felt like I wanted to be outside. I love walking, and given the choice I would very much rather be outdoors than indoors, so we set off in search of London's famous Royal Parks.

Oh, it was such a lovely morning! We ambled through Hyde Park, strolling around the edge of the Serpentine in the morning sunshine - it was such a treat to be walking without a coat at this time of year. There are plenty of small refreshment points around the park, so we bought ourselves a coffee/hot chocolate and found a bench with a lovely blue watery view, to sit a while in the sun and chat. And chat some more, with lots of laughing, discussion, sharing of ideas and more chat. We are very good friends, Christine and I, and our chat is a mixture of personal friendship and work-ish blog/design talk. Its super-useful to have somebody to talk to who understands the uniqueness of blogging and designing, because so much of what we do is solitary and involves only our own thought processes. Having someone else's outside view point on ideas/concepts/projects is invaluable, and it works especially well when taken al fresco. Best of all, it works both ways, and I think we both felt lighter, happier and more energised after our "session". It was great - like therapy,  counselling, time management and mentoring all rolled into one!

It was so great in fact that we completely lost track of time and only realised it was past lunch time when we had gotten stiff from sitting for so long. 

We walked out of Hyde Park and into Green Park, eventually making our way back under ground and traveling north to our next destination........

......yes, this was our annual trip to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace which was in full swing by the time we made it there at 3pm. I do enjoy being able to visit a show as an actual visitor, with no other agenda other than to enjoy what's on offer.

It was lovely to see the work of friends (above are beautiful blankets by Jane Crowfoot)....

....and to admire the work of artists too. In fact, I really enjoyed the textile galleries this year, they were very inspirational and diverse, and displayed such a huge amount of artistic talent.

However, the main reason for visiting the show was so that I could attend the British Knitting and Crochet Awards. These annual awards are very highly regarded, especially as the nominations and votes come directly from the public (over 28,000 this year, which is incredible). The awards are organised by Let's Knit and Let's Get Crafting magazines - Let’s Knit editor, Sarah Neal, says: “These awards are an opportunity for the nation’s knitters and crocheters to honour their favourite brands, and they’ve done so in their thousands. That’s such a fantastic accolade for all the winners and runners-up and true recognition for all their hard work.”

And that does make me feel very honoured indeed, and hugely thankful for the support and enthusiasm that I experience every day here on my blog and via my Facebook and Instagram pages too. 

The awards ceremony itself is fun, most especially because over the years I've gotten to know quite a number of people so it's a lovely chance to socialise and catch up. There are yarn shop owners, yarn makers, designers, bloggers and authors, and it's a really super friendly atmosphere. We drink glasses of fizz, listen to inspirational speakers, then collect our awards and pose for the camera...............SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That camera bit I find tricky, but the rest is a breeze - I'm pretty good at drinking fizz and socialising!

Sadly we couldn't stay until the very end as we had trains to catch, so it was a bit of a crazy whirlwind as we journeyed back down the hill away from the beautiful palace. It made for a very long day as I didn't get home until around 12.40am.......which was actually the very early start of my Birthday, and I had a day at the coast to look forward to, yippeee!!!! From busy city to calming sea, the complete contrast was not lost on me. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention..........my awards!!!! Haha!!! SO busy telling you all about the jollity and I totally forgot the important bit!! I am so happy to tell you that I won "Favourite Crochet Designer" and "Favourite Crochet Blog". It was made even more special as this was the third year running for me and these awards, and I am so very, very grateful to everyone who took the time and trouble to cast a vote or two. It was also fabulous for me with my festival hat on too as Yarndale won "Best Knitting Event" for the third year running. We are so blinkin' chuffed about this!!! Thank you, thank you, to everyone who makes Yarndale so amazing. My lovely friends at Wool Warehouse also won multiple awards too, well they are wonderful aren't they?

So I've had lots to celebrate this month, and I am beyond grateful. Awards and a golden birthday....oh, and one more thing too. I've got one last post to share in my catch-up mission, as J and I celebrated twenty five years (half our lifetime) together. We remained true to ourselves and took off for 2 days up in Wensleydale at the start of October - nothing glamorous, but oh, it was so very lovely! I'll show you some photos from there very soon - lots of green greenery, and as far removed from city bustle as you could get. Just perfect for the likes of us.

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ps if you'd like to see all the awards results, I think you can access them ((here))

pps I feel like I would like to give you all a big ((((HUG)))), as I'm feeling quite emotional all of a sudden. Consider yourself squeezed with my thanks!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Fifty

When I first started writing my blog in the Spring of 2008 I was dancing through the last year of my thirties with two Little People aged three and five. It seems so long ago now (and I've got the two teenagers to prove it), and yet at the same time if often feels to me as if hardly any time has passed at all. I so clearly remember celebrating my fortieth birthday with a weekend away at the coast, thinking that my life was pretty well settled. I thought that my forties would be a slow, happy continuation of my gentle stay-at-home-mum life, with a return to a little bit of stitching work at some point. At that time I had NO idea (absolutely none whatsoever) that by the time my forty-first birthday would rock around that I'd be carrying a baby bump along for the ride!! My my, that was probably one of the biggest surprises in my life journey to date, and completely changed the way my forties unfolded. I also had no way of knowing how my simple blogging hobby and my new found passion for crochet would develop and change my life in such an amazing way. I am so so so SO thankful for this patch of Blogland which allows me to look back through archives which represent a whole decade of my life. I love that through my own words and pictures I can remember so many beautiful little details of extraordinary everyday-ness which tell the story of my Forties.

On Friday, I said goodbye to that precious and surprisingly changeable decade of my life and welcomed in a brand new one - I'm SO flippin' excited to be stepping into my fifties!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't explain why, but I just have a deep down feeling that the next ten years will be absolutely marvelous in so many different and as yet unknown ways. I am absolutely full to the brim with happy optimism, and it's a truly great feeling.

It'll come as no surprise to you that for my big birthday day, I wanted no fuss and no special attention. I wished for it to be peaceful and preferably full of sea air, cake and a lot of love and laughs. I was away in London for two days last week (more about that in another post), so I had had my fill of hustle and bustle and all I wanted was a quiet day beside the sea. So after depositing the Littlest Little Peep at school, J and I drove to St Anne's on the Lancashire coast to pootle and potter and be just a teensy bit Birthdayish. 

Our first stop was one of our favourite cafe's which sits at the entrance to the old Victorian pier. This cafe is run by an Italian family and the coffee is always extremely good indeed - I was so enchanted with the chocolate windmill dusted on top of my froth, honestly, it takes very little to make me happy. I just had to have some carrot cake too, as it's my favourite cake (just about beats a good lemon drizzle) and one that I often have on my Birthday if I am anywhere that is cake-ish. 

After the coffee and cake with a beautiful, cosy sea view, we wrapped up and took ourselves outside to walk along the promenade. Despite a truly awful weather forecast thanks to storm Callum blowing in, we were extremely lucky to find dry weather in St Anne's on Friday. 

But blinkin' heck, it was soooooooo windy!!!

There were very few people braving the fierce winds, and we pretty much had the whole expansive beach to ourselves. 

The surface of the sand was being blown about making it appear like a moving, living thing. It was mesmerising to watch, as were the seagulls battling to fly in one direction.

I adore coastal walking and felt like I could have happily walked for miles and miles along the expanse of sandy shoreline. The openness of this vast sandy beach is so calming and uplifting, and the gulps of tangy salty air filling my lungs was wonderful. Did I mention that it was a tad windy?? It gave me the most insane hair (which reminded me so much of my 40th Birthday)!!! 

There are no cliffs along this beach as the land is very flat along the Lancashire coastline. But the wide sandy beaches are backed by low-lying grassy sand dunes instead and there is something so beautiful about that particular shade of silvery beach-grass green.

I fall in love with it every single time I see it, and love the overall breezy, subtle colour palette. Soft, sandy colours mixed with shades of sun bleached wood and moody, silvery skies and that stunning marram grass green......

.....oh, and the delicate pinks of the pretty shells too. There are always a tonne of razor shells all over the beach at St Anne's, but it's these teensy little stripy pink shells that I love the most. I am sooo tempted to have a play with this natural coastal colour palette, to see how it looks when I start to describe my feelings and memories in yarny stripes.......oh, such an exciting thought!!

We didn't have nearly long enough on the beach really, but the morning was marching on and J and I had a Birthday lunch date on our horizon. We hopped in the car and drove along the coast from St Anne's to Lytham proper. Usually when we visit this part of the coast we stay at the St Ann'es end as we love the down to earth charm of it there. The Lytham end is altogether more upmarket with a thriving high street full of lovely independent shops and cafes. The windmill on the green is a very well known historical landmark (hence the chocolate windmill on my cappuccino) and always amazes me with it's out-of-place feel. 

We walked all along the main street in Lytham and I so wanted to linger and browse and take photographs but we didn't have a lot of time to play with. The shops are a true delight, and if you ever get a chance to visit I can highly recommend it. I love places that have a genuine sense of community, and it was amazing to see the old fashioned greengrocers and fishmongers which are becoming a rarity in our small English towns. Next time I'm there, I will snap some pictures to share - the pumpkin display outside Strong's was especially photogenic!

We were headed to a small brasserie restaurant which specialised in Mediterranean and modern Greek food. J chose it after reading reviews online, and it was absolutely beautiful inside as you can see from the above photo. 

We ordered from the "Lunch Pronto" menu which included a cheeky glass of vino, and it was utterly delicious I have to say. Such a treat! J and I sat at a table in the window, the sort of table which has tall legs so that you perch on high stools, and it was really very lovely to watch the world go about it's breezy business as we sat and enjoyed lunch.

We left the coast full of good food, sea air and feel-good, and a heap load of very happy Birthday memories.  

Back home, and I was content to be cosy and snuggled up with J and the Little People. I opened some lovely presents, drank chilled prossecco and inhaled my latest candle crush (sea salt and lemon, just the most gorgeous zesty, summery, sea-breezy scent). I've not yet changed my mantel from Summer to Autumn, but I'm so looking forward to hanging up my Autumn garland and arranging my little crochet pumpkins from last year......I'll pop that job at the top of this week's to-do list.

And so my fiftieth birthday came to a gentle snoozy end, snuggled up on the sofa with Little B feeling so grateful for my happy home life.

Over the weekend I spent rather a lot of time idling and pondering, running through a good many ideas and thoughts and plans for the year ahead. I feel deep down that good things are going to happen, and I very much hope that I'll have enough energy to keep up with it all. I think this next decade is going to be fabulous!

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Easter 2018

Hello!! I can't explain how happy I feel to be back here in the Attic, sharing photos of this and that and sitting down to chat with you all. Life has been slightly strange for me of late in that quite a bit of what I'm up to can't be shared just yet, and the knock-on effect is that it's made it harder for me to blog. But I've really missed being here, my weeks just don't feel right without this precious outlet to share and chat about what's going on in my life, so I really want to make time to be here more. 

Behind the scenes I'm working on Yarndale things and some exciting design commissions as well as two new blankets, so I'm busy busy but in a Secret Squirrel kind of a way which doesn't really suit me all that well to be honest. I'm so looking forward to the sharing bit of all this creativity, in fact I absolutely cannot wait to unzip myself and blurt it all out. Hmm...is blurt even a word? I think it absolutely should be, don't you? 

This week the Little People returned back to school and J took himself back to his desk after a whopping 18 days of Easter holidays. It's felt like such a long break from routine but in a deliciously good way. As we did last year, we decided to stay home for this holiday, enjoying some much needed relaxation and family time on the home front. Little Man (who is really not very little any more) will sit his GCSE exams next month so we needed to give him time, space and encouragement to focus on some revision.

For the rest of us, the focus of the past two weeks has been mostly about lazy enjoyment of home comforts, with a little bit of out-and-about thrown into the mix when the weather was right. We also made a start sorting out Little B's bedroom, which included all sorts of juggling of furniture, a mass clear out of old toys, books and clothes and the building of a new High Sleeper bed. It's a work in progress still, but it feels wonderful to have finally made a start on sorting out this rather tired, cluttered, chaotic old house of ours.

As the Little People grow into themselves, it's becoming very much easier to find guilt-free time for myself during our stay-home holidays. The two Teens are both very independent young people with very active social lives, so much of their Easter holiday revolved around going out with friends. Or sitting in their bedrooms talking to their friends. And at eight years old, Little B is more easily able to please himself for longer periods which has opened up some rather delightful little windows of opportunity for Yours Truly. I've mostly filled the resulting me-time with obsessive stitching and hooking, and honestly I have love love loved it.

Continuing my adventures in cross stitch, I sat myself peacefully and stitched little crosses endlessly into black fabric to complete my second Zodiac hoop (Pisces design by Jody Rice of Satsuma Street on Etsy). I need to photograph it properly so that I can overshare the beauty of the design and colours with you all, I'm so so pleased with it and it was an absolute joy to stitch.

On a roll with the stitchin', as soon as I'd finished the Pisces hoop I couldn't help myself and immediately prepped a piece of Fiddler's Aida (yes, it really is called that) in a 7 inch hoop ready to create this super-sweet cross stitch by Zindagi Designs on Etsy. I fell in love with this design during one of my marathon searches to fuel my new found cross stitching obsession. I really like the sentiment as I'm quite the coffee addict, but truthfully it was the flowers that I was really itching to stitch. I made good progress during the two week Easter break - I'll show you very soon how it's turning out. 

After a whole week of being pretty idle at home, we woke up one morning to blue skies and sunshine and decided it would be a good idea to head out and take in something of a watery view. I really wanted to go to the coast but I was outvoted in favour of a closer trip to inland waters. So I went with the flow and we set forth to wander around the perimeter of Grimwith Reservoir. I was relieved to see it looking pretty full of water after our visit there in August when the levels were worryingly low.

It was an interesting walk this one, mainly as it was just the three of us for a change. Oh I did miss my Little Lady very much (she was staying with friends at the time), and I think Little B did too. He was in a slightly whiny mood, deliberately dragging his feet and complaining that he was bored. Yeah - not a huge amount of fun to be honest, but we made the best of it and did what we could to cheer him along.

I love the above photo! It's hard to make out what's going on with the scale/perspective, but the gorgeous greenery in the foreground is actually the top of a wide mossy wall. I tell you, I find moss completely irresistible. 

It's four and a half miles around this reservoir, and all I can say is I'm so glad I insisted on packing refreshments to bring with us. Thank goodness for flasks of hot beverages! Stopping at the half way point to rest a while and have a hot drink put an instant halt to Little B's whinging - I mean, cups of milky hot chocolate, what's not to like?

I've come to really like this walk - I think this might have been our fourth or fifth walk here in the past year or so and it grows on me a little more each time. 

There is a peacefulness to the open landscape/waterscape and a reassuring sense of calm that comes from walking along a very clearly defined circular route where you can see exactly where you are headed at all times. 

I really love this time of year for the absolutely gorgeous floral joy it delivers. My table hasn't been without flowers upon it since the New Year when cheap and cheerful daffodils and narcissus began appearing in supermarket buckets. Just recently I've opted to pay out a few more pennies so that I can snag the "fancy" varieties of daffies on offer, oh they are so worth it! Sometimes these will be beautiful pale, creamy white flowers, and sometimes (like the above ones) there are bright orange petals tucked up inside each flower. 

I always buy the bunches with the buds tightly closed up so there is an element of surprise when they finally unfurl and show their petals. The sight of a jug of daffodils sitting on the table makes me feel so happy, especially when I first come downstairs in the early morning. 

I've got some pots of bulbs flowering away on my mantel too, and I love to watch their daily progress as they grow, bloom and then gently fade. 

The hyacinths have grown a lot since I took the above photo and right now are in full floral swing, oh they are spectacular! Four flower stems grew and produced the most beautiful bright pink flowers. Our days are really long and light now since the clocks changed at the end of March and put us forward into British Summer Time, but I do still enjoy my fairy lights and candles in the evenings. I've got a green candle burning right now which is "bergamot & green tea" - the scent is gorgeously fresh and uplifting for this time of year.

I did a little bit of baking during the Easter holidays, partly for the pleasure of pottering in a warm kitchen and getting to inhale the aroma of cookie dough and mixed spice, and partly for the pleasure of having a sneaky homemade biscuit with my afternoon cup of tea. I love these biscuit cutters and every time I use them I think to myself that I really should make many, many more biscuits just so that I get to use them more often.

I made Easter biscuits for the first time, and they came out OK although they were a little bit on the dry/soft side. I thought they would come out a little crisper somehow, and with a bit more flavour too. Although it could well be that my jar of mixed spice was a little on the ancient side and perhaps needs to be replaced. I should maybe check the sell by date.......

We had a lot of chocolate in the house over Easter which was to be expected - the Little People certainly weren't complaining but it did make me feel like I needed to put my Mummy hat on and provide some healthy stuff to balance out all the sugar. We always have a big bowl full of fruit in the house which I'm happy for the Little People to dip into whenever they like, but there is something really extra yummy about a plate of  fresh fruit prepared and chopped up into bite sized pieces. I really need to do this more often. I mean, it's not that hard to peel and slice kiwi/mango/pineapple or chop up some strawberries but it's surprising how often I tend to feel like I just can't be bothered. Bad Mummy. 

I also made some batches of baked kale crisps last week, oh my word this stuff is blinking good! J and I devoured it fresh out of the oven - I found myself absolutely shoveling great handfuls of it into my mouth as if I'd been starved for a week, quite ridiculous behaviour really. I can highly recommend making some if you are partial to salty, savoury snacking material, it'such a good way to eat green veg, it really is.

In other green related news, the woodland is looking mighty fine right now with its carpet of wild garlic looking and smelling divine.

We took a short walk through our local woods one Sunday morning, it was quite early and we pretty much had the place to ourselves with only one or two dog walkers out and about. I do really love this time of year - the early greenery is such a welcome sight after what has felt like a very long drawn out winter.

It'll still be a while before the treetops burst into leaf - that'll happen in May and I absolutely cannot wait of for that. 

I've really, really enjoyed my hooky time during the holidays, it's been the perfect cosy thing to occupy my lazy self during the cold days we had at the start of the month. We had the fire lit for a while when it still felt very much like winter and it was all so very hygge with the flames flickering and my toes all warm inside my hand knit socks and the kitty draped across my lap as I hooked up some beautiful ripple rows. I know I haven't told you much about the blanket I'm currently making, but I was trying to wait a bit as there will be a new Summer yarn pack coming but not until late July/early August. I'm wary of peaking too soon with my blanket induced giddiness so was trying to wait until Summer felt a bit closer, but what the heck, a sneak peek just needed to happen at some point so why not now?! The colours I'm using are extremely light and full of summer freshness, I'm so enjoying the playfulness of it all.

I think one of the very, very, very bestest things that happened to me during the Easter holidays is being demonstrated in the above photo. Little B, begging me to teach him to crochet until I made space in my self indulgent day to give him my full attention. He is a very tenacious, determined and focused little boy and not one to give up easily once he sets his mind to doing something. The flip side to all this strength of mind is that he can often get very frustrated and upset if he can't manage to achieve what he has set his sights on. So with the whole crochet thing, I had a feeling it could either go brilliantly or end in an absolute melt down. In the end it was a bit of both. The meltdown happened quite swiftly when he quickly realised that crocheting was actually a lot harder than he had originally thought. However his determination won through and once he'd gathered himself together he came back to the table to try again. The second attempt went much better and it didn't take him long to master chain making. He was so happy!!

I let him choose what colours he wanted to use and he decided to make a rainbow.....

....it just made me so happy to see him sitting and crocheting, I can't tell you the depth of emotion that passed through me that day. 

He was so proud of his rainbow chains - I ended up tying them all together at the top to make a tassel that he could hang on his school bag.

We had a little go at learning double crochet rows, but I think the excitement of actually being able to crochet had worn off a bit by then! Still, I think he did remarkably well for an 8 year old.

The sequel to this story  is even sweeter - the very next morning, Little B woke me up, full of excitement, telling me that he'd taught his Dad to crochet. My poor sleepy brain didn't comprehend what he was telling me at first, but once it clicked into place and I figured out that Dad=J (J???? J is crocheting?????!!!!!) I couldn't get out of bed fast enough. I came downstairs to find that J was indeed sat in the Big Chair casually crocheting a chain, taught by Little B. Well I never. This would be the equivalent of me attempting to write some computer code, so yes, I was very impressed. I do love my sweet, crazy family.

The second bestest thing about the Easter holidays happened at the weekend, when in a fit of a spontaneity I booked us a very short holiday which required passports and sea travel. We set sail on Friday evening, returning on Sunday morning so less than 48 hours away but still, it was absolutely brilliant. BRILL-i-ant.

Holiday Tales coming soon................!

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Making the Seasons :: March

Now that the season is finally showing signs of shifting from Winter to Spring, this past week we've ventured back to our allotment. Our main tasks right now involve clearing up the winter mess (sadly, a storm damaged tree which fell right across our plot), admiring the wildlife (huuuuuuuge frogs and a mass of frogspawn in the pond), and sitting quietly on the bench at the top of the sloping site to take in the view (it's a south-facing sun trap). Behind the bench, our plot becomes a wild kind of shaded bank beneath a very large tree. It's covered in ivy and honeysuckle with bluebells that will flower in early May, but right now it looks extremely pretty with primroses, primulas and narcissus planted by the previous plot holders. There is blossom in abundance too, as the tree I told you about in last month's Making the Seasons post is flowering it's heart out. I popped up there yesterday to pick a few blooms to bring home, and it delighted me so much to do this simple thing. They are slim pickings as I wanted to leave plenty flowering at the plot - I gathered just enough to bring into the house so that I could create a little spring/Easter visual celebration.

A few years ago, I saw a photo in a magazine showing a small spring flower arrangement where the stylist had used painted eggshells as miniature vases. It was so simple, beautiful and inspiring that the image made a lasting impression in my mind, and I knew that at some point I would love to try doing this for myself. It's taken me a while to bring the idea to reality, but I can tell you that it was worth waiting for! 

I usually buy my ordinary brown free range eggs from the local butcher, but this week I happened to have some gorgeous "Bluebell Auraucana" eggs in. I deliberated about painting them (the magazine eggs were painted in soft chalky pastel shades, perfect for an Easter display), but in the end I decided that I really loved the natural blue shade of the egg shells, and actually I was feeling far too impatient to carry out the whole painting/drying waiting game. So I simply chopped off the tops of my egg shells with a small sharp knife and emptied out the eggy innards to save them for some baking.

I went down to the cellar to dig around for a suitable vessel and found a vintage cake stand that I bought a few years ago from the local collectors centre. I wish I'd photographed it to show you before I covered it in moss as it has such a pretty floral design in the middle. Speaking of moss....................

................isn't it an absolute delight??! Also from the allotment, I seriously love this particular green colour - it's so vibrant and fresh looking and it's pleasing me on a very deep level to actually have some real live moss in the house. I L♥ve moss so much! I used some blobs of blutack to secure the eggshells on their ends, but the mossy hillocks also work to keep them nestled in place. Also, note the kitty feet in the background, she is always so curious about the things I do here in the Attic.

I really, really, really, really enjoyed arranging my little spring flowers in their eggy vases, only the process just didn't last long enough! So I took them all out and did it all over again, just for the sheer pleasure of doing it. I think possibly I overdid it in my typical more-is-more way and maybe I should have used less flowers as it all looks a bit jumbled. But honestly? I simply don't care - I love the sweet exuberance of it all.

I plucked a few beautiful deep purple violas from the hanging basket at the front of the house to add to the yellow and white.....

...... and added some little feathers from my extensive feather collection too. 

I thought it would be a nice touch to add some foil-wrapped easter chocolates which I'd bought for the Little People.  I always enjoy Easter for the opportunity it gives us to enjoy sneaky bits of chocolate whenever we feel the need - I don't think this is something I've ever grown out of actually.

Whilst I was photographing and faffing with my flower arrangement, it occurred to me that something felt like it was missing. A little crochet bird perhaps, to nestle amongst the feathers and moss?

You might remember my mini chicklets from three years ago.................

well, I found some duck egg blue yarn and started to crochet a mini chicklet to perch on my table decoration.........

except that instead of adding wings.......................

I added...................................................................

EARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, my chicklet decided it wanted to be a Bunny instead, so who was I to argue??!!!!

I scribbled down the pattern as I made the ears, just in case you might feel a pressing need to hook up your own mini-bunny.

I used DK weight yarn (Stylecraft Special DK) and a 4mm hook.

I'm writing in UK crochet terms.

You make the body in exactly the same way as described in the Mini Chicklet pattern. 

MINI BUNNY EARS (make 2)

Using pink yarn, chain 7; work 1 dc in 2nd chain from hook; 1 dc in next stitch; 1 htr in each of the next 4 stitches. Fasten off.

Change to same colour yarn as used for body of bunny. Insert hook in beginning dc and pull through a loop; chain 1 in same stitch; 1 dc in each of the next 4 stitches; 3 dc in next stitch.

Continue working down the opposite side of the ear, putting your hook under the single loops of the foundation chain, as follows: 1 dc in each of the next 6 stitches; slip stitch into beginning chain-1 to close round. fasten off, leaving a tail end for stitching.

Stitch the bunny ears to the top of the head, then use scraps of yarn to embroider eyes and nose, plus a little flower if you fancy it.

I made a little bunny tail by creating a miniature pom pom - I wound a length of white yarn around two of my fingers, then pulled the yarn-wrap carefully off my fingers and secured it around the centre with a tight knot. I trimmed the loops with sharp scissors to form a pom pom shape, then stitched it securely to my bunny's bottom.

I think my bunny secretly wants to be a mouse actually, as her face looks suspiciously mouse-like.....

.....but with bunny ears and a fluffy white tail, I think she passes the bunny-test.

I really love my table flowers and mini bunny. And of course I adore the moss too. I'm wondering how long I could keep a plate of moss going indoors if I watered it, do you think that could be a thing? I could decorate it with daisies and butterflies in summer....little toadstools in Autumn.....

Well anyways......enough gushing over the moss. Would you like to see the rest of my Easter decorations?

I always decorate the dining room fireplace for Christmas and Easter, it's one of those little rituals that makes me insanely happy and properly in the mood for the holidays. I treated myself a few days ago to a couple of lovely little papier maché birds from a local shop, I just couldn't resist them. I'm pretty sure that I won't be packing them away in the Easter Shoebox as I'd like to be able to look at them all year round.

I bought this greetings card earlier in the month as part of my quest to have cards for every season. It's a triple fold-out card called "Nest" by Mark Hearld. I'm a big fan of Mark Hearld's prints (I'm sorry I couldn't seem to find a website to link to, but if you google his name, you'll see lots of his amazing work. )

The rest of my easter decorations are all things that I've collected over the years, things that get stored away in the Attic eaves and which I very much look forward to seeing each year. There are painted eggs, a little decorative nest, some hand stitched felt egg cosies. My jug of twigs stays on the mantel all  year, but the twigs really work especially well at Easter time.

I kept my twigs simple this year, hanging my small collection of little hand painted wooden eggs (you can find similar ones on Amazon), and my crochet blossom from 6 years ago (SIX YEARS????!!!!!!!)

I made these little cotton flowers in 2012 and if you click on the link, you'll find the pattern for them at the end of the Easter Blossom blog post.

Little Lady came in from school yesterday and squealed with delight when she saw the mantel (a happy Mum moment!), but the boys haven't batted an eyelid or made one single comment. That's OK - I feel certain that I would decorate to celebrate the seasons purely for my own delight if I lived alone, so I know deep down that I do this sort of thing for myself rather than expecting the Little Peeps to be grateful for it. But I do hope that in some small way they will absorb their creative home environment and remember it fondly, even if those memories are just hazy, nostalgic snippets of their childhood in years to come. Crazy ol' Mum and her Seasonal Mantels.....remember that?

I'd love to know if you decorate your home for Easter - do you make an Easter tree? Decorate eggs? Make an Easter display on your table?

Whilst I was searching for Eggshell vase ideas, I found a few lovely random images that I thought you might like....

Putting a weeny bit of earth into egg shells and actually growing little plants in them - I seriously love this idea (and there is moss!)

These egg heads with their cress hair made me smile, and I think would be fun to do with Little B. I also love the simple painted faces on these eggs too.

And how about using egg shells to sow seeds in? What a fabulous environmental alternative to plastic pots.

♥

I find so much happiness in seasonal creativity, even just thinking about all the possibilities makes me completely giddy with excitement. I'm all set to do some seasonal baking tomorrow - I've got speckled candy eggs to go on top of some chocolate crispy nests, and I'm going to have a go at making Easter Biscuits  too. We always had Easter biscuits when we visited my Mum at this time of year, they are a true taste of the season for me.

Hoping you have a fabulous weekend doing things that you love - please do pop over to Gillian's blog and catch up with her Making the Seasons post, it's choc full (literally!) of creative inspiration. Enjoy! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps all my Seasonal posts are tagged in the Making the Seasons category so you can find them. Gill and I also created a #makingtheseasons hashtag on Instagram for you to tag in your creative makes for us to find - it's a visual feast!