Attic24

Life in August

These August days are flying past and already the first half of our six week summer holiday is over. We are having a lovely time of it and although nothing remotely exciting has been happening, it just feels really, really good. The days feel kind of light and easy and blissfully unstructured, with the exception of food provision which remains very structured indeed. Little B has a very sturdy, in-built food clock which will not be ignored, so 8am is breakfast, 10am is morning snack, 12pm is lunch, 3pm is afternoon snack and 5.30pm is dinnertime. It means that days spent at home are punctuated with these regular requests for fodder but I am not complaining in the slightest, in fact I like the way he gives some gentle routine to my own days. The Teens do not appear to have any routine at all and are completely ruled by their own weird and wonderful teenage body clocks. So aside from our evening meal which we all eat together, they will happily see to their own food throughout the day. I am so grateful for the fact that I can be at home throughout August, and I'm enjoying my Little People very much at this age.

J and I are both juggling working from home with family life this holiday and I think we are doing a pretty good job of it so far. On the days of the week when J isn't working, I try and take a bit of time out as well. I'm lucky in that I can work through into the evenings if I need to so that I can free up time during the day and it's so good to get out into the countryside together, even if it's just for a few hours.

Mostly we just have Little B with us and to be honest I think he really enjoys having our undivided attention when we go out and about. One day last week we decided to drive up into the Dales to walk one of our favourite paths along the riverside from Linton Falls to Hebden.

It was warm and muggy, and the countryside is definitely on the gentle slide into late summertime now. We saw so many butterflies and the tall dried summer grasses looked beautiful all along the river bank.

Little B and I are still going on our evening walks and it's always such a sweet hour of my day. Last week on our meander along the woodland footpath we spotted a huge heron perched on the fence ahead of us, he really was magnificent. It was a bit of a stop and awe moment - we do quite often see these amazing birds around the canal and the beck that runs through the woodland, but the size of them always amazes me every time.

You can't tell from the above photo, but as we strolled along this peaceful pathway a thunderstorm began to roll overhead. Loud rumbles of thunder followed by a heavy downpour of torrential rain meant that we arrived home looking a little soggy and bedraggled! It was fun though, and Little B seemed oddly delighted by the fact that neither of us had coats (I was wearing sandals too) and we were literally getting soaked to the skin. It was the nicest thing to come home and get changed straight into pyjamas (it was 8 o'clock by this time) and it really did fit the definition of cosy.

We've had some stonking wet and stormy weather during the past few weeks actually, with the kind of rain that makes a huge sound as it falls. But it's remained pretty warm and humid and there has been plenty of sunshine in between the downpours. I've loved the rain (now there's a surprise), the sound and smell of it has been refreshing and soothing.

Little B hasn't really asked to do much so far this holiday, we've been into town a few times to our favourite cafes and we've walked/cycled through the park to the farm shop. But one morning last week (Tuesday) he asked if I could take him on the train to visit Salts Mill. To be perfectly honest I didn't much feel like it at the time and I was very tempted to say no. But he asked me so sweetly in a way that gave a great big yank on my heart strings, so I found myself looking up train times and agreeing to go, and he was so happy! We only live a short walk from the train station, so last minute decisions to go places is made pretty easy really.

We enjoyed Salts Mill, and being fairly early on a weekday morning it was quiet and peaceful. Little B chose a new reading book (he is an avid reader) and I got to browse in the very-expensive-daydreamy-home part of the mill where Little B persuaded me to buy some very-expensive-daydreamy hand wash. I then had to recover with a stiff cappuccino and a slice of coffee and walnut cake in Salts Diner (I did share the cake with Little B), but it was altogether a lovely little trip for the two of us. And the hand soap smells delicious - the child has good taste it has to be said.

On Thursday morning last week we walked at Bolton Abbey, it's been a while since we'd been there.

It was a warm, still morning and we walked a fair number of miles along the woodland and riverside paths.

I do try and be In The Moment when I'm out with the family, but I am so easily distracted by nature's details and feel compelled to capture on camera the little things that catch my eye. 

Everything looks so lovely in summertime!

As delightful as the walk was, I absolutely couldn't wait to get back to where we'd parked the car to sit down and enjoy this.......

......ahhhhh, that was so good! Little B had a much deserved ice cream and J and I inhaled our frothy coffees and all was well in my world. We walked for a  good few hours so had covered some miles, that coffee was well earned!

We did a little bit of gardening last week, working on tidying up our very overgrown front garden. It was a joint effort - J cut and strimmed our unruly patch of grass and I trimmed back all the foliage. Our buddleia is flowering anundantly this year and we've had so many butterflies on it every day - peacocks, red admirals, large whites, painted ladies and small tortoiseshells. It's been wonderful to sit and watch them flitting about. I trimmed all the dead flowers off and tidied it up a bit - there were some casualties from the football so I snipped off the broken stems and popped them in a glass on the dining table with some other bits from the garden. Summer right there in a glass.

I've been trying to eat healthily this holiday and aside from the odd bit of cake here and there I've been keeping all my meals as wholesome as possible. Lunch is one of my favourites as I usually cook just for myself - nearly always an egg now I come to think about it. I love poached eggs soooooo much! Yum, yum, yum, especially with avocado on toasted rye bread.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post, and a doubly big thank you to everyone who made the journey to come and see me at Wool Warehouse on Sunday. I had such a lovely time! I traveled down on Saturday afternoon with J which was a treat in itself as we'd booked into a lovely hotel and enjoyed a gorgeous meal out and a welcome little slice of child-free time. 

I was so excited to see the Warehouse and it did not disappoint, oh boy, it was magnificent! 

The wall of Stylecraft Special yarn was inspirational and I love love LOVED that little mini Attic24 blankets had been made to showcase my colour palettes and designs......

......look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so neat, and really useful to see them all displayed like that. 

In the showroom there is limited space so it's not possible for all of the many thousands of yarns to be displayed. What they've done is so clever - there is one ball of every single type of yarn they stock, with a label giving you all the information you need (weight, yardage, price etc). You can then look at the colour ranges on the computers and request for any balls you might want to take a closer look at. I loved seeing so much variety and found my brain spinning with creative ideas.

It was a truly amazing day...super busy from start to finish and so many happy, friendly and enthusiastic visitors to chat to. I loved meeting everyone and hearing all about the projects you've made and those you've added to your list - lots of yarn packs went off to new homes so I know there will be some lovely new blankets in the making very soon. It makes me so very happy to think about it, gosh you just can't beat the feeling of starting out on a brand new blanket journey. I love making blankets very very very very very much.......you'd never have guessed that would you??!!

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A Sweet Day

Before I launch into my witterings for today, I'd first like to gift you this beautiful bunch of sweet peas by way of a heart felt thank you. Thank you all so very much for your comments on my last post, for your unwavering kindness, empathy and understanding, I am unbelievably grateful. The morning after I'd written, I read back over my words and truthfully I was a microsecond away from deleting it all, feeling rather embarrassed to be honest. It's not my style to wallow, and I was kind of surprised by what had tumbled out of my head and into that blog post. I don't generally plan my posts, nor do I edit or mess around with my words - what you read is pretty much what spontaneously enters into my head at the time, it's my weird inner dialogue and you can be sure that it is honest and genuine. So.....I can't really find it in me to delete that entry, as much as it makes me cringe to read it. It is what it is. But thank you again, for taking time to gift me your thoughts and allow me to see things from a different perspective, and for lifting my spirits. I bet you wish you could lean in to your screen and smell those sweet peas, they smell soooooo good I can tell you!

On Saturday we took a trip to visit the RHS gardens at Harlow Carr in Harrogate. I realised last week that it was the annual Sweet Pea Society show, and remembering how much I had loved it last year I asked the fam if they fancied going. The Teens were both busy with work and friends, but Little B seems to have very vivid memories attached from his few visits to Harlow Carr and was mega keen on the idea of being back there. I don't know exactly what it is that he loves so much about it - oh hang on, why don't I ask him......? Well, he says that he can't really explain it, but he just likes the feeling of it there. He says he enjoys smelling the flowers (that is so true, we did a lot of sniffing!), and he likes the way it always feels fresh (not sure what he means, maybe the air smells fresh? There is a lot of open green space). It really is a lovely place to explore with lots of different areas within the gardens, and as you would expect from a top class RHS garden, it is immaculately kept. 

The beautiful eco-building in the photo above is the Learning Centre (it has a living sedum roof, how cool is that?!) and is where the Sweet Pea show was held. I couldn't wait to get inside, and it was the first place we went to as soon as we were in the gardens (even before coffee, that's how excited I was).

You might remember me talking about this flower show when I introduced you to my Sweet Pea blanket last year? This year I knew what to expect so the shock of the rigid formality wasn't quite so great. J and Little B (who had waited for me outside last year) came in with me this time, and it was very funny to see their expressions - wide eyes and shocked faces!

Despite the seriousness of the show, it was still a breathtaking sight, and wowsers, the scent in this room was unreal. Being a warm, humid day they had a big fan blowing and the highly fragrant air wafting around was absolutely delightful.

It wasn't overly busy, but it was lovely seeing visitors enjoying the show and admiring the painstaking perfection of each little display of blooms. You could feel the passion in the air (the competitiveness too) - competition flower growing is such a weird and wonderful hobby.

I just had to show you these flowers, they looked as if they had been spray painted, aren't they amazing?

The thing I love best about visiting this show is the opportunity to buy flowers to take home. These are gorgeously large, blowsy sweet peas, a mixture of colours and varieties grown by experts and they are stunning. At only £2 a bunch I snaffled up three and donated a bit of extra money to the Sweet Pea society in gratitude for the inspiration and joy that they've given me.

I mean, just look at them - so, so beautiful, and the colours make me weak at the knees.

After the sweet pea excitement we continued to explore the gardens, following the many pathways past vast flower beds, around lily ponds, through modern show gardens and humble teaching gardens.

Being mid summer, the flowers were in abundance and absolutely stunning.

Even the pathways through the woodland areas were floral - I've no idea what these flowers are but the hot tropical mix of colours was really lovely.

Little B, nine and a half years old and possibly a tad too big for children's playgrounds these days. However, we spent an aaaaaage in the woodland visiting the various wooden play areas and waiting patiently while he clambered around. He really was the oldest child by far, but he didn't mind in the slightest. I have to say it was delicious being able to relax casually on a bench and wait for him to do his thing without having to hover around ready to rescue or offer assistance. I watched all the mummies and daddies with their toddlers and felt a deep sense of relief that those days are now behind me.

One of my most favourite areas of Harlow Carr (well of any garden really) is the kitchen garden. This one is large and immaculately kept with lots of different shaped raised beds and neat, bark covered paths. The beds were made from recycled plastic instead of wood which I thought was brilliant, and something I would love to investigate for our allotment. The mixture of vegetables, fruit and flowers was so visually appealing and very inspiring....

...you can guess where I was drawn to can't you?

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..

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...of course, how predictable! These towers of sweet peas were gloriously unruly and in such contrast to the stiffness of the formal Sweet Pea show.

I found it hard to tear myself away from sniffing them. Beautiful.

We took a fragrant stroll around the scented garden which was mostly roses, honeysuckle and lavender....

....we loved this secluded rustic bench which was designed with a lavender back rest. Little B was enchanted by it, in fact his delight in all the flowers was unexpected and really made the day extra special somehow.

As well as the floral abundance, Harlow Carr has a pleasing amount of open green space and when you have children this really comes into it's own. Little B has a massive amount of energy fizzing inside his little nine year old body and the lure of the grass could not be ignored. After much running, he threw himself to the ground and rolled his whole body length down the grassy slopes, squealing as he went. It was joyful to watch!

In fact, I think Harlow Carr manages to very successfully mix formal, adult appeal with a wonderful childlike delight and I love it for that. I love the super-neat formal flower beds, but I also love the wilder more natural areas and the playful willow sculptures dotted around. It was such a lovely day out and if you're ever in the area here in North Yorkshire I can highly recommend it. 

I was so thrilled to be coming home with my big bunch of sweet peas, gosh they did make me swoon.

I knew they would probably be at their best for just a few short days, so I decided to put them to good use........

.....awwwww!!!! Just look at how good the colours look!!

I couldn't resist taking some photos of my Sweet Pea blanket with the flowers that inspired its creation.

This photo makes me so happy!!!

The above photo was taken exactly a year ago, on the 17th July 2018 when I was finalising the colours for my Sweet Pea blanket. I remember the day so clearly, and how excited I was when the yarn palette finally came together and I just stood and stared at it and felt like I wanted to cry. That's usually how I know that I've got it right - colour-filled emotion is quite extreme for me! It means that every blanket of mine has ALL the  feels right from the very beginning. There is heart and soul and passion in my yarny colour palettes and creating them brings me so much joy.

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Attitude of Gratitude

I've been struggling with my days of late, feeling a little on the low side and experiencing a rush of Overwhelm which quite predictably for this time of year has come speeding in like a freight train. I am really just plain exhausted to be honest, and in dire need of a rest and a bit of a break.

However, I am not one to wallow and I do try very hard to practice a daily Attitude of Gratitude towards my life. I know how very lucky I am, and trust me I do thank my lucky stars each and every day for everything that makes up my daily life. I am truly grateful for all of it. I keep reminding myself that tiredness isn't illness and this Overwhelm phase will pass over soon enough. Just got to keep on keeping on for the time being.

I'm really enjoying my little potted dahliettas in the back yard, even though I am waging a constant battle with slugs and snails. I had to resort to liberally sprinkling some pellets down (the kind that are deemed safe for the environment), and that has stopped the nightly feasting for the time being.

This one is especially charming I have to say, and I find myself sitting and simply gazing in awe at those delicious raspberry ripple petals. I've never seen anything quite like it, and for £2 I feel like I've gotten the bargain of the century.

I've had very few still, quiet moments of late, and very little time to sit and think. It's all been go-go-go, and work-work-work. Lots of time at my desk which makes me a little grouchy it has to be said. I try and remind myself to go and sit outside for a short while in the early evening once the dinner has been made and devoured and the kitchen cleared and cleaned down. It's a brief spell before I return to my desk when I make a small fresh coffee and treat myself to a dark chocolate rice cake which is just the nicest thing. I never would have guessed that a daily rice cake would make me so happy. As it's been very warm and humid this week, I've started drinking my coffee on the cool side which is bizarrely satisfying. Instead of heating my milk, I pour it cold into one of my favourite melamine cups and add in a shot of decaff espresso. Finish with a dusting of chocolate powder, inhale and enjoy. 

I was upstairs dealing with the mountain of laundry earlier, sorting, folding, stacking. Like you do. I tend to do a big heap of washing at the weekend (4 or 5 loads usually) and for about 22.5 minutes the laundry basket is joyously, miraculously, completely and utterly empty on a Sunday afternoon. It blows my mind!!! Of course this isn't the end of laundry duty and probably every alternate day during the week I'm at one stage or another with a load of clothes, bedding or towels in transit. I actually don't mind it to be honest. I added a clean pair of hand knit socks to the top of my pile this afternoon and stood for a while just looking at that beautiful pile of colourful stripes. I'm mostly gadding about in sandals or flip flops at the moment (even when it rains) but I often find that I get cold feet in the evenings and there is nothing nicer than pulling a pair of hand knit socks over chilly toes. I love them so much, and I am grateful for the simple pleasure of them.

I've been despairing at the state of our house of late, wondering if there will ever come a time when we aren't too busy or too weary to deal with it all. We've lived here for eleven years and honestly, the place is falling apart. Our bed is broken, the bathroom light has started doing weird flickery on-off things, the carpet has worn out holes in it (actual holes), the fridge has a broken shelf and a door that won't shut properly, the stair banisters are broken, the toilet seat has cracked, there are holes in the walls, wallpaper falling off the walls, a glass light fitting that is smashed (J and Little B and a Nerf Gun fight, seriously) and on and on. Every single bit of every single room needs attention, and I just don't know where to start. I keep looking at it, and thinking that right now, in the run up to the long summer holidays which will be filled with the usual work-Mum juggle, it's just not do-able. House Overwhelm I tell you - another carriage on the freight train.

But still I am grateful for this old shabby house which is such a good home for us, for the way in which it has made me feel so content and secure after a lifetime of moving around and never feeling settled.

J and I walked in the Yorkshire Dales on Monday, a still, hot and humid day. We tramped over the hills that rise above the picturesque village of Grassington, making our way down through Grass Wood to eventually reach the riverside.

It's such a lovely spot right by the river where there are huge, flat stones to sit on and take a breather.

We had a picnic lunch and a flask of fresh coffee each, and honestly it was just so pleasurable. I really love my flask by the way (it's this one on Amazon if you're interested?!). It has a really cute little cup to sip out of and I'm sure coffee tastes better when drunk out of a flask cup. I am easily pleased.

So yeah....Yarndale. I'm working hard for it right now, that's for sure. The above was a little project that I designed and made last week for the brochure. It's harder than you'd think to come up with something new that can be written as a very short, simple pattern to fit an A4 page. I'm not all that good with the 'short' part, being the long-winded, gazillion-photo type of pattern writer. I'll show you more of this project next week I think, I took photos for a little tassel-making lesson which was really satisfying.

I'm still working on the lamp post wraps as and when I find time to actually sit and crochet, which is usually at the cafe. I haven't finished the sunflower yet, but I decided to start on another idea. I made a whole length of green stripes and now I'm crocheting a flock of sheep to fill it. I designed the sheep pattern myself and am quite proud of it actually. They look like sheep and don't look evil, which is always a bonus when doing animal faces.

Speaking of faces.....

......here's a little sneaky peek of something else I've been working on for quite a long time behind the scenes. 

It's a delightful project - Yarndale is teaming up with a fantastic charity this year, and I'll be sharing the Yarndale Creative Community project with you all next week. I very much hope you'll feel inspired to join in, it's for such a good cause.

So that's us all caught up for now. I'm sorry for the slight whiny tone carrying through this post - I really had intended to come here and be upbeat and overflowing with gratitude. But maybe I'm just a bit too tired this evening, so you've been delivered the honest version of the right here and now at the tail end of a long, busy day. 

I hope your days are ticking along nicely, let me know what's making you happy this week? I bet it's not rice cakes?!

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Rain and Shine

In a bid to fight the annual Summer Overwhelm and pretend that I've not been full of cold, full of hay fever, full of weirdly erratic hormones and full of not sleeping well, I've been turning my back on indoor life whenever possible and spending time outside. The house, my studio, work related stuff and anything that requires me to apply my barely functioning, sleep-deprived brain cells has been neglected and I am trying not to worry about it too much.

Rain or shine, I find such calm in being outside surrounded by nature and I am so so thankful that I can leave the house/Attic to run on neglect for short periods while I try and look after my own well being. 

J and I have been tramping familiar paths in all weathers....

....pottering around in the grey of warm, muggy afternoons. We've been making the most of these last few weeks of the term when we have a small number of child and work free hours to spend together. It's been lovely and very much appreciated by me I can tell you.

I've continued my evening outings with Little B too, as and when he's been willing to join me.

These photos were taken last week, around 8pm on Wednesday evening when we took a stroll up the farm track and into the woods.

The light was so beautiful at that time of day.....

....with dancing shadows.....

....and glowing sunbeams. 

The following evening we decided to make a picnic dinner and take it to Bolton Abbey which is something I wish we could do more often. It takes a certain amount of forward planning, but it's still possible to be fairly spontaneous with it when the weather looks promising. I marinated some butterflied chicken breasts (olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, honey, mustard) then cooked them on a hot griddle pan until they were seared and cooked through, then left them to cool. I also boiled up some baby Jersey Royal potatoes then tossed them in a little butter, heavily seasoned them and left them to cool too. I packed up some crusty French bread and tortilla crisps with an avocado dip, and a big bowl of easy finger-eating salad (baby plum tomatoes, baby cucumbers, carrot and pepper sticks). What else? Hmm yes, some easy finger fruit (strawberries, cherries and watermelon chunks) and some chocolate biscuits to finish. I made up a big bottle of elderflower cordial and honestly, it was so summery and delicious, and I wish I had taken more photos to share with you. Actually I took lots of lovely summery photos of the Little People, it was one of those precious evenings that you don't want to end.

Today there was very little shine at all but the rain didn't stop us getting out and about.

We walked through Strid Wood at Bolton Abbey this afternoon, enjoying the sound of the rain drops as they fell heavily onto the leaves above our head.

The scent of damp earth and abundant greenery was lush, and helped me to feel like my head was clearing a little for the first time in ages. 

Ahhhh, raindrops on a blade of grass....such simple beauty, but oh so worth stopping for.

After a quick coffee, we drove home over the moors and I was absolutely blown away by the sight of this field right next to the road. I asked J to pull into the lane so that I could take a closer look. I wanted to find out what kind of flower was growing in such abundance.......

......oh, hello Foxgloves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I honestly don't think I have ever in my entire life seen so many growing in one place, they stole my breath clean away!

They looked spectacular en masse and I just stood there at the edge of the road with my mouth hanging open in wonder. Amazing.

Right now the rain has stopped and the evening is warm and clear, and I am thinking about sitting down quietly to do something soothing. Maybe knit a few more rows of my seascape socks, or crochet up a few more rows of the Yarndale stripes I'm working on. I finished the first one and am now onto number two and I'm so enjoying the simplicity of it....I'll show you more of that tomorrow I think.

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Summer Days

We've not had the greatest Summer weather here lately, it's been incredibly wet and cool for June. The upside to all the falling wet stuff is the complete and utter lushness of the countryside, it's just so greeeeeeeen and beautiful everywhere, if a bit on the damp side.

On Monday morning J and I drove up into the Yorkshire Dales to walk around the picturesque village of Malham. This is only a short walk (around 4 miles), heading out of the village across lush green fields and into the small woodland that surround  Janets Foss waterfall. 

From there it's a steep climb up....

....until you eventually reach the top of the magnificent Malham Cove.

This limestone pavement is world famous (I'm saying that, but I'm not sure if that's actually true? It feels like it should be famous though!). Famous or not, it's an amazing geological feature and the subject of many school geography lessons.

It's not especially easy terrain to walk on and the "grykes" (the gaps between the limestone rocks) are pretty deep. But it's fun to hop from rock to rock, making a slow journey from one side to the other.

J really doesn't do well with heights, so I ventured on my own towards the edge of the cove to take in the spectacular view down the valley. It was drizzling with rain at this point so a little murky and grey, but nevertheless still very beautiful.

The descent from the top of the cove is via a very, very long higgledy piggeldy run of stone steps. Malham cove is 260 feet high, so that's a lot of steps....over four hundred of them believe it or not. It makes you very quickly realise you have a whole heap load of muscles in your legs that don't very often get a work out.

I took regular stops on the way down to admire the long distance views and to appreciate the close up details too. There was lots of wild thyme flowering amongst the rocks and the colours seemed even more vibrant that usual in the dull, grey light.

It always amazes me when we reach the bottom and look up to see how very, very high that limestone cliff face is.....and to realise that we were up there ON TOP just a short time ago. Wow....it takes my breath away. Every. Time.

The stroll back to the village is gentle and scenic.....

.....a beautiful meandering path through flowery meadows.....

....then a short jaunt down a quiet country lane.

It was lunch time when we arrived back into the village, so we decided on a welcome sit down in the local pub for a quiet drink and a very tasty light lunch.

It was a lovely day, and for the gazillionth time I said my silent thanks of gratitude for the six child-free hours that J and I get to spend together every Monday. It's such a blessing.

Back on the home front and summer is still blooming....it's Peony Paradise right there on my table this week, and I am so happy about it! One bud is still to open, but the other four stems are putting on a spectacular floral show. I am enjoying these flowers so much and drink in their beauty many, many times during the day.

Yesterday evening I rounded up Little B and asked him if he wanted to come with me on an elderflower gathering expedition. He was overflowing with enthusiasm (sweet boy) and so at 7.30, off we went into the soft early evening to see what we could find.

We have a place that we visit each year to gather elderflowers - even though they are very common hedgerow trees and grow in abundance around our neighbourhood, I prefer to go somewhere quiet and out of the way to snip and gather (rather than the local park where folk can be a bit on the blunt side when they see you snipping at trees, say no more).

The place we go now is a very quiet little lane off the beaten track on the edge of town - we can easily walk there, but it's out of the way and there are about eight trees that are can gather from so that we leave plenty behind for the wildlife. 

I put Little B on snipping duty which he was thrilled about - you can see how big and blowsy those flower heads are....

....we had no problem gathering in the fifty or so heads that we needed for cordial making. In fact, there were so many flowers this year that I'm probably going to head back again at the weekend if it stays dry and gather in enough for a second batch. 

I did two batches last year so that I could stash away some small plastic bottles of cordial in the freezer. It was such a delicious treat to pull them out in winter and have an instant reminder of summertime.

I called into the supermarket after the school run this morning and lugged back the huge two kilo bag of sugar along with the lemons and oranges that go with the flowers to make Elderfower cordial. It's extremely simple to make and the recipe I use is one that I adapted from Sarah Raven (I use less sugar in mine).

There you go ↑↑↑ I made this for me to print and keep, so thought I'd share it with you too.

Citric acid is magic stuff and super-easy to find online....Amazon sell it (of course they do, they pretty much sell anything). Although you usually have to buy it in 500g quantities, it's not too expensive and keeps for years if you seal it up well. Find it on Amazon ((here)).

The scent of this flowery concoction is a bit odd as it's "cooking" and to be honest it doesn't smell especially good. But........oh the resulting syrupy drink is absolutely divine I promise you. It's floral, sweet and citrusy and refreshingly zingy. I love love love it, it's a taste of summer that I never tire of.

You dilute the cordial with water (sparkling water is especially good), or add a splash to a glass of prossecco or gin/tonic for something a little bit more weekendish. Oooo, now I'm really looking forward to my weekend summer tipple....it'll probably be the highlight of my Saturday!

The sun was in and out today, with a surprising fall of light summer rain catching me out on my way home from the shops this morning. The kitty follows the sun around the furniture, usually finding a warm patch of sunlit crochet to curl up on for her extended daytime naps. She isn't really a laid back cat (she is a feisty little diva) but there are occasions when she really does appear to be very mellow indeed.

Over on the sofa this morning I found a monster lurking - like you do. Little B is running on Summer time and is getting up pretty early in the mornings right now. It's not unusual for him to be pottering around at 6am, immersed in his own nine year old world of play. He goes through phases where none of his toys interest him any more and all he wants is screen time (insane cartoons mostly) but at the moment there is a lot of playtime happening and I have to say it delights me no end. Long may it last. We've got four more weeks left of the school year here, then we are into the six week summer break, so I'm hoping the play phase carries on for a good while yet. Please let it (silent plea).

I've not photographed my view for a while, so I took a quick snap today as we walked to the top of the hill on our way home. The light was so clear after the earlier splash of rain, and everything is looking beautifully green and lush. 

Summer time always makes me want to feel lighter, healthier and more energised, so I'm making an effort to curb my sweet tooth and am forcing myself to stay away from the calorie laden pastries and biscuits when I go shopping. Instead I've been buying extra fruit, not just the ordinary every day fruits that we always have in (apples, pears, oranges, bananas), but special fruity things like mango and strawberries and passion fruit. I really love fruit so it's not a hardship to snack on a plate of it, I've just not got to be so lazy about preparing it for myself. 

I am so in love with these long, light days. Even when it's been raining and miserable and I've lit the candles to banish the gloom, I still love that the darkness doesn't creep in until well past ten o'clock at night. It's a magical time of year - Summer Solstice tomorrow and I'm keeping all crossed for a dry evening so that we can head out and celebrate. I'm not sure what we'll do - I kind of hope that there's cake or ice cream involved, and possibly a glass of chilled prossecco, but who knows whether I can motivate the family to head out into the greenery and be mid-summerish with me? I've been remembering this day, gosh, six years ago now, how is this possible? Our family dynamic has changed considerably since then and I am so grateful for my blog and the beautiful window it gives me back into the past. Happy memories indeed.

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I Have Been....

I have been....really enjoying my daily walks to and from school along the canal tow path.

I have been....loving the look of utter delight on Little B's face when we stop on the way home from school to get an ice cream from the tug boat. The best kind of Friday treat.

I have been....loving these early summer evenings, walking around my neighbourhood soaking in the views.

I have been....knitting socks using this delicious "Seascape" yarn by West Yorkshire Spinners. You can read more about this fabulous new yarn ((here)).

I have been....indulging in a new-to-me snack which I can't get enough of - why have I only just discovered these things??! Rice cakes covered in dark chocolate and topped with little bits of dried fruit (orange in this case, but the raspberry ones are my absolute favourites). Yum yum yum yum yum.

I have been....taking a break from my laptop and relaxing with my favourite summer edition magazines. Gloriously outdoorsy and colourful, a visual breath of fresh air.

I have been....dreaming about visiting the coast this summer, I am seriously craving  a sea fix.

I have been....lolling about in the Big Chair, day dreaming, reading and enjoying the warmth of the kitty on my lap when she decides to settle a while. I do adore this cushion, even though it's a bit saggy and baggy now after so much use.

I have been....inhaling the distinctive sweet/spicy scent of Sweet Williams in a jug on my table.

I have been....soaking in the brilliance of these floral colours.

I have been....enjoying a few rare and precious lie-ins and waking to the sight of fresh flowers beside my bed.

I have been....on a ship!

I have been....pootling along the canals of Amsterdam and absolutely love love loving it!

♥

In short.....I've been enjoying  a little bit of a relaxing break and it has felt so good.

Last week was half term and I made a real effort to detach from my laptop and social media and be truly present in the moment. The Little People have all enjoyed the down time too, and all three of them have been very content to please themselves for the most part. I enjoyed some precious quiet time spent in my own little day-dreamy world and some wonderful family time too. We took a trip across the North Sea to spend a day in Amsterdam (I'll share more of that very soon, it was fun!), but aside from that our week was super-slow and spent close to home.

It has been absolutely lovely, all of it, but I'm glad to be back.....more soon.

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Just Like Old Times

Helloooooooo!!! It's so lovely to be back in the Attic - as you may know I was away in France last week teaching the second of my two crochet retreats with Stitchtopia Craft Holidays.

I had a wonderful time and am really looking forward to going through alllllll my photos and creating a full blog post to share the details of the retreats with you. It was such a great experience and I absolutely loved spending time in France, it was extremely relaxing and uplifting. By the way, I've had a good number of messages on Instagram and Facebook asking for more details about my crochet retreats - you can visit the Stitchtopia website and sign up for their mailing list, or email them directly and ask to be kept in the loop about what I'll be doing next year. I've agreed to teach a further two weeks next year although at the moment I don't know when or where. It's very exciting and I am already thinking about what projects I'd like to create especially for these very special retreats.

Before I left I wrote up a short post to share with you while I was gone but unfortunately my scheduling timer thingy on Typepad didn't work (grrrr) and the post disappeared into the ether never to be seen again. I don't think you missed out too much (asparagus and ice cream and crochet squares amongst other miscellaneous observations), but even so, I was cross that it didn't work out. Still - I'm back again now, adjusting to life on the domestic home front after being gloriously un-domestic all of last week.

As is often the case after I've been away from home it's taking a while for things to settle. I've felt tired and discombobulated the past few days, and with J working away from home I've felt a tad lonesome too. This morning after dropping Little B at school I decided to walk through the park and visit the farm shop, partly for the fresh air and exercise, partly because I needed to buy something for dinner and partly because I just wasn't ready to go home.

I noticed that the elderflowers are still quite a way away from bloom-time (they were already in flower in France) but if the weather remains warm and sunny then I expect they will be ready to pick in a few weeks time.

I enjoyed the farm shop, it was a quiet time to visit and I took my time selecting produce and choosing something yummy for dinner (ingredients for a Greek salad and a simple Tabbouleh salad, with some sliced ham from the deli counter). I also picked up a latte and what d'you know, a little bit of something sweet fell into my basket from the bakery section too...no idea how that happened.

On my way back through the park I took a seat at my favourite picnic table near the cherry trees and enjoyed my sunshiny morning coffee and pastry very much. So good! It felt like early summer, everything so green and bright and the sun gorgeously warm on my face.

My shopping bag was on the bench next to me as I sat and drank my coffee and I just loved the sight of my farm shop purchases nestled all together. It reminded me of the early days of my blog when I used to share the results of my little shopping trips from time to time - this post was the third post I ever wrote back in March 2008, sharing the contents of my bag after a weekly jaunt through town. 

Tomatoes, asparagus and flat leaf parlsey to feed the family.

Tulips and chocolate to feed my soul.

This chocolate it soooo hard to resist and I've been enjoying it for several years since the farm shop started selling it. It's made by a little company based in York (Choc Affair) and is the most heavenly chocolate you can imagine. The flavours are incredible and as you would expect I am mostly drawn to the Summery ones....Lime and Sea Salt is my absolute fave, but my goodness the Raspberry and Rose is like summer melting in your mouth. A beautiful treat and one I never feel guilty about indulging in. I am worth it!

These tulips were in a bucket at the till and were half price, so of course I found myself picking them up and tucking them in my bag. Pretty irresistible wouldn't you say?

I chose my rainbow striped jug to go with these flamboyant blooms, oh my heart....such a b-e-a-u-tiful sight on my table today!!!

Love love love. LOVE them!

Something else that came home in my bag was a few springs of cow parsley. This stuff grows rampant along the edge of the trees at the top of the park and every year I like to bring a little bit home. I can't have it indoors as the smell is pretty disgusting but I love to have it on my back yard table.

When I came home from my walk it was around 10am and delightfully warm so I set up my outdoor table ready for a few hours of al fresco coffee/chocolate/planner-time/hooky delight. 

I just adore cow parsley and it's one of the many (many, many) reasons that May is my favourite month. It grows in great abundance around here so I don't feel bad about bringing a little bit of it home - those teensy flowers deserve to be observed and enjoyed in detail, they are just a delight.

So...........yarny goings on are currently revolving around my bag of scraps and I couldn't be happier. This colour palette is just so unbelievably pretty and perfect for this time of year, like Spring rolling into early Summer. It's light and fresh, airy and warm and I absolutely adore it. There are thirty colours in total (although a few colours are pretty much all used up now), left overs from the making of my Sweet Pea and Dune blankets. 

Last week while I was away in France I began making some Baby Bunting triangles. I wanted an easy project that could be hooked up whilst chatting and drinking fizzy rosé wine (haha, how very decadent!), and these were perfect. 

I designed this pattern in 2014 for Simply Crochet magazine, and over the years I've made quite a few versions of it (the original version was all in blues). It's a really lovely little pattern (if I do say so myself), three simple rounds of trebles, then a little decorative edging to finish. 

I'm planning on creating a tutorial for the bunting as I've been asked for the pattern a lot over the years and had always meant to find time to share it. Aren't the colours scrumptious? 

So today I finished making fifteen triangles and they are ready to be joined along the top with 3 rows of crochet and finished with some buttons.

I'll try and make time to photograph the step by step tutorial during the next week or so, all being well. I know many of you who have been making blankets along with me will have a stash of left over yarn just like mine, and might perhaps enjoy a little bit of a decorative project.

I've not forgotten about my granny bag either - remember me showing you the beginnings of my squares a few weeks ago? 

I've got enough now (I made 36, although I only need 32, I got a bit carried away), and similar to the bunting I'll be photographing my progress as I join them and create my bag so that I can make a tutorial for you. I am so excited about both of these projects, it feels just like old times when I used to get so caught up in my creative ideas and little decorative makes.

I am currently fighting the ridiculously strong urge to start making another blanket (the addiction is real) and these small projects are helping a lot. Must. Stay. Focused.

What blanket?!

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April Feels

April is treating us kindly for the most part and it really does feel like Spring has finally sprung here. We took a walk at Bolton abbey on Sunday morning, just a shortish stroll through Strid Woods to breathe in some cool fresh air and stretch our legs a little. Little B was in fine form, a non stop chattering, noisy little mouthpiece on two legs. He could talk the hind legs off a donkey, as my Mum used to say. It's still a bit bare and wintry in the woods, yet I don't mind it too much as it feels right and proper for the time of year. There is bluebell greenery to be found look, but unlike my friends in the south we are still some weeks away from blue floral bounty.

I can't wait for the flowers! Come on little buds, shoot upwards!

In the late afternoon on Sunday I found a quiet window of opportunity to amuse myself with some gentle creativity. The Little Peeps were all busy with friends and J was wearing his blue and white stripy pinny and cooking up a delicious smelling curry for dinner. I decided to sit and stitch for a short while - I started this cross stitch hoop last summer but it's been tucked away in my project bag waiting patiently for me to return to it. Autumn/Winter generally means allllllll the crochet for me with my annual CAL blanket in progress, so I don't often feel the need to look elsewhere for a creative fix. 

Cross stitch is such a beautifully slow and meditative hobby, and I honestly adore it. If I wasn't so completely obsessed with my crochet hook then I could easily imagine myself designing with these little crosses. The above design is by Tiny Modernist on Etsy, in case you feel the urge to stitch up some Love letters surrounded by flowers.

Monday afternoon, J and I took a very quick jaunt into our local woods in the hour before the school run. It was one of those days consumed by mundane jobs and admin, and by 2.30 I'd just had enough of sitting at my laptop. It was such a tonic to get out into the fresh air and soak in some sunny woodland feel-good....

.....and oh the wild garlic is looking scrumptious. I gathered some young leaves and made wild garlic pesto last year (using this recipe) but this year I am fancying some green, garlicky soup. I came across this recipe today and it is calling loudly to my leaf-gathering soul, so I shall see if I can make it happen.

I've had a jug of narcissus on my table for weeks on end now, they've become an essential weekly grocery item that I pop into my basket along with bananas without even thinking too hard about it. They are always right there near the fruit, long stems held together with elastic bands and laid out neatly in cardboard boxes. I simply cannot resist their happy little faces, and the scent too of course. I bought these ones yesterday, and the lady who served me in the supermarket literally scrunched up her nose with disgust as she passed them through the checkout scanner, telling me that she couldn't stand the smell of them. Not me, I LOVE the smell!

Today has been bright and sunny, and when I came back home after the school run this morning I found the kitty lounging around on the sofa basking in the sun. She looked so completely content, and I thought : yes indeedy, I know exactly how you are feeling. Isn't it just the loveliest thing to sit a while in a warm patch of streaming sunshine and soak in it's gentle warmth?

Yes, it's enough to make you want to roll around and delight in the pure deliciousness of it all!

Despite the Spring sunshine, it's been cold these past few days. I was chatting to the Ice Cream Tug Boat Man on the canal yesterday as he opened his boat up for the first time this season - he admitted that he had misjudged the weather and was absolutely frozen. He did look a tad chilled around the extremities I have to say.

I'm still plodding around wearing my hand knit socks and boots, and I am very, very happy with that arrangement for the time being. I folded up these freshly washed socks earlier today ready to take them upstairs - well the top pair will go upstairs to join my Sock Pile, the bottom pair will be wrapped up very soon and gifted (finally, finally) to my super-patient father-in-law. I certainly hope his toes adore wriggling inside those cosy, woolly stitches.

I bought a new duvet cover and pillowcases yesterday, a spontaneous element of the regular supermarket** shop. I absolutely could not walk past and leave this behind - a king size 100% cotton duvet with a very beautiful Liberty-esk design - reduced in price to a mere £10! TEN!! I came home, washed it, hung it outside to dry and had the utter pleasure of that clean-sheet-smell when I went to bed last night. I woke up this morning thinking that I was in someone else's bed, being that for the past ten years we've always had a plain white duvet cover. The pattern is taking some getting used to, I keep getting a mild shock every time I walk into the bedroom and see my bed looking so overly flowery.

Little B is truly horrified by the sudden change, he just can't understand why on earth I would want to have flowers all over my bed. He also commented on the fact that my beloved Sunny Log Cabin blanket looks out of place now ("the colours are all wrong Mummy"). I took his advice on board and swapped blankets this afternoon.....................

............oh, that's looking a bit yummy isn't it just? A newly FOTH blanket (that's Fresh Off The Hook in case you wondered), there is honestly nothing more satisfying than darning in the very last end on a blanket project that has spanned many weeks.

YAY!!! My Dune blanket is finished! I absolutely love love love it, and can't wait to show you more.

As I was crocheting the border this morning I was also photographing my progress in preparation for making the tutorial. It's a slow, slow process but I don't mind it too much and good coffee definitely helps.

I'm really happy to tell you that I'll be ready to share my Dune blanket with you next week, on Tuesday 16th April. Yarn packs will go on sale in my shop at Wool Warehouse and will include a full colour printed pattern. I'll also be sharing it all for FREEEEeeeEeEee here on my blog, my usual full photo tutorial to teach you the Seashell stitch so that you can crochet up your very own breezy seaside stripes.

I hope April is treating you well my friends, and that you are feeling happy and content.

A big hug from me to you ((XX))

ps ** duvet cover is from Morrisons, it was heavily reduced in price, a real bargain x

 

 

 

Early Spring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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February Good Times

It was our half term break last week. We seemed to have it a week later than pretty much the whole of the country and we were all so ready for some idle days of rest and relaxation. It was sooo good, all of it, even the low key days where we forgot what day it was and didn't bother to get dressed until after lunch. 

With the brood returned to school today and our daily routine restored, I've thoroughly enjoyed the gentle silence here in the house. It made me sit quiet and still this afternoon catching my breath (if you can have an emotional breath to catch) taking some time to reflect and think about how this year is going so far. I took a look through my February photos and reminded myself how very good this past month has been.

February can be a tough ol' month and I find that unless I make a conscious effort to seek out the things that make me happy, the days tend to drag by in a slow, dull blur. I really find bluuurrr days very trying so I do my best not to allow them to take hold. It honestly doesn't take an awful lot to make me happy right down to my toes - a short walk by water, a good coffee, a jug of fresh flowers on my table, something colourful and yarny in my hands. All those things would be at the top of my personal feel-good anti-blur list, and instinctively I incorporate them into my days as often as I can. 

It takes effort to get out for a walk in the winter months, and the Little People can be hard to persuade. But I find that when we do make it happen it's soooooo worth it and without fail I always return home feeling uplifted. 

These photos were taken mid month, a cold, brisk stroll around the reservoir one Sunday morning. I wore my short floral wellies and paddled in the shallow water, thinking that if I can't be beside the sea then this sandy little reservoir beach is not a bad second best.

It was one of those walks where we constantly felt like we were only a few minutes away from a torrential downpour that would ruin everything. The sky was so dark and heavy with the threat of rain, but despite the ominous clouds and eerie light it never actually came, and I was thankful for that simple thing.

February was pretty much consumed by the Sweet Pea CAL for me and there wasn't really any time for much else. I spent some days in the studio tidying up and taking stock of things, clearing my table, re-jigging my very full shelves and generally faffing around making everything feel good in there. It's been a while since I had flowers on my studio table so I treated myself to some tulips from the supermarket, and oh they did make me happy!

Over the days that I was working in the studio I had the pleasure of watching those petals gently unfurl in the warmth of my cosy room. Such a beautiful visual pleasure, I couldn't stop drinking them in.

Flowers reached a peak on my mantel last week, with red hyacinths flowering at one end and bridal crown narcissus reaching for the ceiling at the other end.

I absolutely adore narcissus, the scent of them is so sweet and beautiful and so very much a February joy.

Out in my front garden and the crocus patch all of a sudden woke up after its winter slumber. We had a welcome amount of sunshine last week and these flowers bloomed their little hearts out. I'm sure they are early (I think of them as March flowers?) but I'm not complaining, they have been a real treat to see every time I come home and climb the stone steps to my front door.

The starlings continue to murmur above our house each and every evening, and my goodness, it is a spectacular sight. During the past few weeks the numbers have swelled dramatically and the flock is now absolutely mahoosive. Being that they fly (at great speed) right overhead here at number 24 it's impossibly hard to photograph and hard to describe the true scale of it. I found a beautiful bit of video footage on YouTube - do go and look ((here)) to see the full murmuration effect. The downside is the mess - our street is a bit of a poo zone, our car liberally decorated for the season. Not complaining though, I don't think I'll ever forget this Starling Winter.

At the start of our half term holiday last week we were blessed with a short burst of the most incredible weather. Cloudless blue, blue skies and warm hours of sunshine, it was absolute bliss. 

Last Monday we took Little B on his bike to the park and even though it was February (truly a Winter month here in North Yorkshire) the temperature reached a balmy 18 degrees. EIgHtEen!!!!! It was t-shirt hot, lay on a blanket and soak in the sun hot, close your eyes and make-believe it's Summer hot.

It made me think of this....

.....I saw this online somewhere a while ago and it proper made me laugh! So I kept saying to J last week, this is Fool's Spring we're having you know, and he didn't have a clue what I was on about, but still.......it was glorious, an especially good memory as we appear to be firmly into the Second Winter this week. Won't be long until we can enjoy the Spring of Deception. Ha!

Coinciding with Fool's Spring, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a couple of short trips away from home at the end of February. The weather was utter perfection and we couldn't believe our luck.

J and I took off for a twenty four hour one night away from home just the two of us - we didn't go far, driving just 20 miles into West Yorkshire to visit the quirky little town of Hebden Bridge. We booked into a cosy little pub B&B high on the hill above the town, and spent our time walking and pootling in the sunshine.

During half term week, we decided very last minute to take a short family holiday over to St Anne's on the Lancashire coast. We've stayed here a few times before and were able to book the same house which was delightfully relaxing and familiar. I won't bore you with more weather details (just look at that sky!!!), but well, it was bloomin' wonderful. We celebrated J's Big Birthday (he reached the big 5-0 like me) and it was just the best little holiday. 

The tide very rarely comes right in at St. Annes but occasional storms bring the waves right up the beach to the base of the sand dunes, leaving behind a strandline rich with seaside treasure. I just can't resist the urge to collect and gather when I'm by the sea, it's such a deeply ingrained habit that has been with me since childhood. 

You can see how my creative coastal playtime took a hold.........got lots more to show you very soon!!!!

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