It seems I've entered a spell of early starts to my days as I've been waking up naturally around 5.30. But the good news is that I'm sleeping very well at the moment so despite the early hour I feel well rested and ready to roll. I usually get up and head downstairs, feed the kitty, empty the dishwasher, then make myself a frothy coffee to bring back to bed. I went through a phase of drinking hot water with lemon and ginger first thing in the morning, but in all honesty it didn't really send me twirling into the contentment zone like that first coffee of the day does.
Once I had my coffee in hand I idled around in bed for almost two hours watching videos about decluttering and minimalism which for some obscure reason I'm fixated with at the moment. To be clear, I definitely don't want to be a minimalist, but I do have a deep need right now for more breathing space and less chaos in my living environment. So yeah, maybe my watching this type of content isn't all that obscure as I can see the reason behind it, and I guess I'm looking to be inspired to start working a bit of zen magic in my home. I'll be sure to let you know if any magic happens.
Saturday again (a week since the first day of Spring) which means a walk into town for J and I to visit the market and a few local food shops. It was bitingly cold this morning so we hurried through town gathering food into our bags, picked up a very good latté each, then straight home before the coffee had time to cool. I'm really, really looking forward to some warmer weather I have to say.
The best buy from the market today was this glorious Romanesco cauliflower for £1.50. Wow, I just couldn't resist it. I'm fairly sure I meant to ask for broccoli, but the sight of all those enchanting lime green florets captivated me completely. The colour in this photo doesn't quite compare to the real thing - this is a majorly bright vegetable! J and I had some with our dinner this evening, I tossed some of the florets in some olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and some smoked paprika, then roasted in a hot oven for about 20 mins until the edges went slightly crispy. So, so good, and definitely on my list to buy again when I see it.
Do you remember my to-do list for today (I wrote it out at the end of yesterdays post)? Well, I'm pleased to announce that I achieved one whole thing today, yayyy!!!!!!!!!!! Go me!!!! The fourth item on the list was "stitch a greenfinch" and I've had the most wonderful stitchy time of it today. This little 4 inch hoop project from Craftpod is utter stitching perfection - it's the perfect size, just the right amount of counting and concentration, and so insanely satisfying to start and finish in an afternoon.
I sat myself down at the table at around 1pm and I did not stop stitching until that little greenfinch was sat on his pretty perch of mimosa blossom....
.....awwwwww, just look!!! I adore this little hoop, honestly, I couldn't love it more. I finished it off with a little green ribbon bow, then hung it on my wall straight away......
.....next to my Spring embroidery from three years ago.
I love having a couple of stitchy hoops hanging on the wall with the rest of my seasonal guff - I have Autumn, Winter and Spring hoops, but I don't think I have anything yet for summer. I'll have to see what Jo has in store for us with the Summer Craftpod in June, or maybe I'll design something myself for summer. Ohhhh...I just remembered I already designed this! Yes, it's all coming back to me now. Well I'll definitely need one or two more hoops to go with the Summer daisy as that one's only tiny. I also need to make a Summer wreath too, that's been on my to-do list for the longest time. So exciting, I love thinking about future makes.
Being that I got caught up in a stitch fest today, there wasn't any time left for Granny Jo or magazine pages. By 4pm I needed to rest my weary eyes and hands and sit down to enjoy some liquid refreshment. I've had a truly lovely, simple day today, and tomorrow there will hopefully be time to tick a couple more things off my weekend list. The clocks change tonight, jumping forward an hour as we move into British Summer Time....I'm tHrilLeD about this because it'll mean longer evening daylight hours......oh, my happy heart!
Hoping you've enjoyed a lovely day today, tell me what's been floating your boat - will it be as obscure as my green cauliflower and stitchy greenfinch I wonder? Do tell!
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