Attic24

Geranium Love

I can't tell you how happy I am this year pottering about in my little  4m x 4m back yard, prettifying it for the summer. It really is the tiniest of spaces but it feels cosy and manageable and gives me just enough outdoor space to play in without any tremendous responsibility. It is somewhere that I can sit with a morning coffee, crochet a little, chat with friends, play with Little B, grow flowers, sip a chilled drink on a sunny weekend afternoon with J and hang my laundry out to dry. And really, that is absolutely all I require from an outside space. Open greenery and a view would be lovely but at this busy time in my life, truthfully I am glad that I'm not burdened with hours of garden labour. Small and easy suits us just fine.

So I've got this collection of old pots which have been cleared of weeds and dead things, waiting to be planted up with summer colour. It's exciting! For various reasons I'm without a car so I can't indulge in any major garden retail therapy at a nursery or garden centre. Instead I am trickling in a few pots at a time when I can manage/remember, picking them up from the market or with the supermarket shop and carrying them carefully home with the groceries.

This year, I am mainly filling my pots with cheap and cheerful geraniums. I love these humble flowers very much, love that they don't mind a bit of drought, and that the substantial local mollusk population don't seem to like nibbling them either. In short, they are resilient and that suits my rather slap dash approach to gardening.

But most of all I love the colour of geraniums. I absolutely adore the bright and bold shots of red and pink dancing above all that greenery, it just makes my heart sing a happy song!

When I bought these plants, the flower buds were very tightly closed and so I only have a vague idea of what colour they will turn out to be. The plants all had labels so I was able to leave the white ones behind, picking out the reds and pinks, but I am still waiting for them to bloom....

...ooooooh, I am really looking forward to seeing this one open fully, I think I may swoon a little at that delicious red/pink petal combo!

Back in the Springtime before geraniums were really on my mind at all, I happened to catch sight of a pretty geranium mosaic on Facebook, made my the talented Felicty of Just Mosaics. There is a whole bouquet of mosaic flowers that you can choose from on Felicity's website, and you may remember that I already have a vase of tulips here in the Attic. That's her beautiful studio up above there look, where she creates her mosaic pieces, isn't it lovely?

Well, I loved the original red geraniums design that first caught my eye, but decided to write to Felicity and ask if she might possibly make me my very own picture which had both red and pink flowers in it. I also asked if I could maybe have my sky background just a little bluer please, if at all possible, and sorry to be so demanding, please, thank you! Bless Felicity, she is the kindest and most accommodating person, and she assured me that I could indeed have flowers in two colours, and a nice blue summer sky.

An extra-special thing that Felicity also did was to email me little progress updates as she was making my picture. Such fun! I watched each day as the flowers bloomed (in red and pink!), and then as the stems and leaves grew. I saw the terracotta pot arrive, and then the most gorgeous blue sky surrounding it all. And then, oh, what the heck??!! I got to see a mucky mess!! I think Felicity really got a bit of a kick out of sending me that particular progress report, naughty thing! But then finally, the finished picture was there on my screen and I was absolutely thrilled. It was just as I had imagined it in my mind.

The real deal is very much more beautiful than the screen images, I have to say. The colours are beautifully vibrant in real life, and of course it is all glossy and shiny and bounces light around the place which adds to the colour intensity of the tiles.

I can tell you (cos I just this minute counted) that there are seventy six individual pieces in this mosaic. I just love thinking about things like that, like wondering how many thousands of stitches are in my crochet blankets. I love handmade things very, very much. The talent, the time and the love that goes into designing and making handmade things is incredibly inspiring and a little bit mind boggling.

I've hung my mosaic geraniums in my kitchen, above my kitchen sink. Sorry I can't show you them in situ but my kitchen is rather small, dark and dreary and it's very hard to take pictures in there. I tried, but they all turned out fuzzy and pretty rubbish. You'll just have to imagine it, and know that it makes me smile many, many times each day.

Now tell me.....what are your favourite summer flowers for growing in pots?? I'm going to visit the plant stall at the market tomorrow and wonder what would look terrrifc with oodles of geraniums. Marguerites? Petunias? Marigolds? Go on, throw some floral ideas at me!

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ps if you like to bob about on Facebook, do go say hello to Felicity {Just Mosaics}, her page is a riot of colourful creativity ♥

 

♥...more little snippets from the Attic...♥

2012 :: Year End Review :: flowers

Open Studio :: June 2013

Summer Days

Oh I just love these glorious summer days so, so much, the long hours of daylight and the sunny warmth makes me feel very happy indeed.

I went up to the Attic for a short while earlier and drank in the lush green and blue of our summer landscape, marvelling at the fact that this was 8pm and all was still bright and golden. I love the feeling of Summer, the sweet emotion of it all.

I love coming downstairs in the early morning to find the sunlight streaming in through our front east-facing bay window. I love wearing my light cotton jammies covered in printed roses. I sit at the table and drink my frothy coffee and savour the still of the house with only one small child up and about, mentally preparing myself for the busy day that lies ahead.

This morning we were up early, Little B and I, greeting the day just after 6am. It meant that I found time for some early morning ripples, which pleased me enormously. I had thought last week that I was almost at the end of my coastal blanket, but after measuring it (then mercilessly stretching it and re-measuring it), I've come to the conclusion that it's just not quite long enough. I was disappointed for about a nano-second, then immediately thought yippeeeeee, cos truthfully I hadn't been ready to face The Edge just yet.

I have summer flowers on my table, a scruffy little posy plucked from the front garden with a few stems of alchemilla, some campanula, a few daisies and one single, beautiful rose. Much as I do every year, I wish very much that I had more roses to go at, more blooms to bring indoors. I should really see to that, how hard can it be to purchase and plant roses? Anyone?

I continue to balance and juggle my days, and it is getting easier. I am forcing myself to be more disciplined, more organised, making better use of my hours. This past week I have been working on a Christmas project for Simply Crochet magazine, which has felt a weeny bit bonkers in mid June I have to say. I've been continuing to work my way through a daily dose of mandalas (over 700 now, from 43 countries!), and I am now into my third week of working in schools on our Woolly Bike Project. I've taken some pictures as I've been working with the children, I'll share them with you in a day or two. It's getting easier, I am less fraught and more organised and the children have been absolutely wonderful.

I've been slowly buying plants to fill my back yard pots, bargain buys from the supermarket for very little money. Lots of geraniums have come home with my shopping this year (they were on offer at £1.33 each!), lavender and herbs too. I'd like some daisy type flowers and possibly some nasturtiums, but really I would be happy with just geraniums to gaze at. I do need to plant them now, rather than just looking at them and thinking about planting them. These big pots will go up on top of the wall when they are planted so that they get more sunshine, but I would love to have more greenery at ground level actually. Maybe some big pots of foliage might be good to stand against the wall?

When I cleared the yard a few weeks ago, I made space at the far end to put a couple of chairs. There used to be some old potting benches here, laden with lots of old flowerpots and miscellaneous rubbish, but after six years it finally dawned on me (talk about slow) that this is actually the sunniest spot in the whole back yard and should really be used for sitting in, not storing rubbish in. I'm hoping to get a bench here at some point, but for now, some old chairs and my much loved patchwork blanket do the job nicely. It's a lovely place to sit with an afternoon cuppa, face turned up to the sunshine and the gentle sounds of the neighbourhood in my ears.

I don't have much time for sitting outside at the moment actually,  but Little B and I do pootle out here most days. Mostly it is me hanging out laundry, or bringing in the laundry, with Little B looking for signs of wildlife. He was thrilled to discover this empty moth pupa yesterday, I just love his excitement over new discoveries and the way his face looks when he is absorbing so much new information about the world around us. He is soooo ready for school in September.

I am taking great pleasure in my little homely routines, the domestic tick-tock of my Mothering days feel so good at the moment when I stop to really see it and appreciate it and not just let it all rattle by in the blink of an eye.

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♥...more little snippets from the Attic...♥

A Jar of Summer

Juggling Act

Mandala Wheels for Yarndale

2012 :: Year End Review :: flowers

Last Week

Last week we were home from school and work, enjoying some relaxing family holiday time, a stay-cation if you like. There was much imaginative play going on around here, with dens and hideouts and simple fun with wool.....

....and buttons. Who knew a tin of buttons and a clothes peg could keep a four year old entertained for sooooo long?

I spent an embarrassing (but delicious) amount of time in my pyjamas, pottering about the house doing pleasurable homey things.

I baked (little iced lemon buns) and tried not to eat the baking. Damn hard work that. I do believe my waist line has reduced ever so slightly and I am thankful for that.

I bought Little B a new drawing set so that he has "pens of mine very own" and sat with him whilst he produced endless pages of drawings narrated with stories. Pirate ships sailing under big sunshiney skies, flowers and birds and robots and giant spiders webs.

We ate late breakfasts every day, and I even made scotch pancakes one morning which the Little Peeps smothered in syrup and strawberry jam.

I drank a lot of coffee and spent time catching up in Blogland and on Facebook and Pinterest, immersing myself in other people's creativity. I have sooooooo many ideas buzzing around at the moment for new projects I'm driving myself slightly mad.

I tried very hard to keep up with the mountain of mandalas that arrived each and every day. I had bizarre and funny chats (on the doorstep in my pyjamas) with my posties, and I marveled at the way the world wide web can reach so many corners of the planet. I have approx 500+ mandalas in the Attic now, from 38 different countries, you can see them all on the Yarndale Pinterest boards. The scale of it blows my mind somewhat.

I allowed the Little People to take over the house, spreading themselves messily in and out of rooms and across all available surfaces. This was the result of 4 children one morning (my youngest two, and my neighbour's two), colouring and stickering. There was much more mess when the lego came out to play, and when furniture was rearranged and all bedding from upstairs brought downstairs to make a Batman cave.

I gratefully received some tiny scraps of cut out paper from Little B, little notes of affection which touched my heart.

I enjoyed (for one morning only) crochet in bed with a cup of tea in that blissful early first half hour of the day before the Little People awoke.

We made a spontaneous up-and-out-the-door trip to the river beach, to drink coffee and eat chocolate after dinner one evening.

I sat and slurped coffee with J as the sun lowered in the sky and the Little People paddled, built dens and skimmed stones. It was pretty damn good.

I found beach treasure at the river which pleased me no end.

I swallowed down my loathing of public swimming pools and took the Little Peeps to the local pool early one morning. Walking through the quiet park, trying not to think bad thoughts about forcing myself into a too-small swimsuit and putting myself into a chlorine-filled box of water with semi-clad complete strangers. The Little People reeeeeeeeeeally enjoyed it, I did it for them.

I cleared out my back yard, yaaayyy!! In a fit of spontaneous, sweaty activity one afternoon, I cleared and emptied, swept and scrubbed, shifted and de-cluttered, with help from Little B and Little P (my neighbours 4 year old).

We evicted an enormous number of mollusks, relocating them to the back street (sorry neighbours), although of course they will probably re-home themselves back at number 24 at some point eh.

So I am all ready for some new colourful plant life now, yipppeeeeeeee!! After leaving my back yard to rest and lie fallow last year, I found I missed my homegrown flowers way too much. I am ridiculously excited about planting my pots up again this year, and am planning on a visit to Mr Plant Man's nursery this weekend.

♥

Last week was such a tonic, a lovely, leisurely relaxing stay-home week. Much needed as it happens, cos this week has been the total opposite. I'll update you soon on all that I am trying to juggle during these forthcoming weeks, I really hope I manage to keep all my balls in the air. Some days it seems like an impossible task. All I can do is try my best.

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Virtual Gardening

When my Dad and Lady B came to stay back in May, one of the lovely day trips we took was to Salts Mill in Saltaire. My Dad is a David Hockney fan and as it's only a short journey away from Atticland it seemed like a great idea to hop on the train and go to gaze at some artwork.

I really love Salts Mill, I've written about it before on my blog when I've been with the Little People. It's hugely inspiring, with an atmosphere that is both refined and exuberant. The building itself is really amazing, as is the artwork (I am also a Hockney fan) but it's the merchandise which blows me away every time. There is soooooooo much Good Stuff for sale here! Art materials, cards, stationery and a truly jaw dropping selection of books, all beautifully displayed and utterly desirable.

Even if you end up keeping your purse firmly shut in here (near impossible), it is still hugely enjoyable to spend a good hour or two browsing. Ahhhh the joy of browsing....not quite so easy with a three year old. But actually, to be honest Little B was remarkably well behaved in here, and he loved looking at all the books.

When a weeny amount of tension started to creep into the browsing, we headed straight through to Salts Diner for a spot of refreshment.

I had a frothy cappuccino and some rather delicious toasted crumpets slathered in butter and Tiptree jam. The tension slipped away and I felt refreshed and revitalised.

After finishing round two of browsing in Salts Mill and after I had made one or two purchases (nope, my purse did not stay shut, it refused), we went out to stroll in nearby Roberts Park.

This was back in mid May and the blossom and magnolia trees were in full magnificent bloom. It was so pretty!

Our walk around the park ended in an impromptu detour to the decking of the Boathouse Inn right beside the river. I don't usually drink in the daytime, but having my Dad there made it feel like I was on holidays so I ordered a beer at the bar without even thinking about it. Goodness me, it felt rather naughty to be sat beside the river sipping ice cold beer in the middle of a School Day afternoon! Naughty but rather nice. Mmmmmm, happy memories :o)

Anyhow, sorry, didn't mean to get caught up in Memory Lane. I have to show you what made me open my purse in Salts Mill...........

It was this. Port-a-Plant. What do you think? Isn't it just a delight?

Look! Plants you can't kill, and no watering or sunlight required!  Instant, virtual gardening, and in full colour too.

I've been waiting for an opportunity to bring my Port-a-Plants to life, and with me not being able to crochet at the moment, today seemed a good day to get creative with cardboard instead.

All the components (pots, plants and leaves) are printed onto sheets of card and pre-cut, so all you have to do it press out the pieces and slot them together. No cutting, no gluing, just happy, mess-free assembly.

Oh I had the best time growing my plants!

It was really great fun. A little bit fiddly at times (my leaves did keep popping off), but with a little bit of concentrated effort I was soon well under way.

Oooooo I like this kind of gardening, I like it very much. I like how instant it is, and how insanely satisfying and nostalgic.

I think the finished results are great, well they pleased me enormously at any rate. Simple but effective.

I think they look very at home on top of my studio shelves, they've delivered some big happy smiles today for sure.

If you'd like to try this sort of indoor gardening (and I can highly recommend it), here is where you can equip yourself....

Port-a-Plant (Amazon.co.uk) :: Port-a-Plant (Amazon.com)

On our way home from the studio this afternoon, Little B persuaded me to walk back "The Tricky Way". This involves walking down Back Bridge Street and then along a precarious narrow path with no fence and a sheer drop straight down into the beck below. The path finally (with a huge sigh of relief) comes up a steep flight of old stone steps to emerge on the canal tow path. It is a short cut of sorts and very picturesque, but boy oh boy, I swear I hold my breath the whole time and almost feel like I want to pee my pants with nervousness. Anyhow.....walking along Back Bridge Street, I was completely captivated by this gorgeous garden outside a small run of town houses there.

I just loved the exuberant climbers under-planted with a mixture of plants and flowers and crucially the way it looked delightfully low maintenance.

This is definitely giving me some inspiring ideas for my own little back yard. I would love a more permanent set up with much more greenery. Maybe some raised beds for climbers that I can under-plant with shrubs, bulbs and perennials. Perhaps not this year, but I would love to alter the way I garden so's that I can remove the annual guilt factor. I think this year I will mostly be a Virtual Gardener. A Planner and a Dreamer in readiness for next year.

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Back Yard Busy

Aren't the above little flowery pansy faces adorable? They don't belong to me, I spotted them in my neighbours front garden this morning and tiptoed in to photograph them. It's been a terrific day here, really, really lovely! Not only was it dry for the whole day, but it was also properly warm for the first time in many, many weeks. It felt absolutely wonderful to walk across town in the late morning with No Coat for a change, gosh I even rolled up my sleeves to let some air to my skin. The warm sun and blue sky made me want to skip with happiness, truly it did.

I had an hour or so to myself this morning with Little B away at playgroup, so I made the very most of the weather and decided to spend it being busy outside. Pretty much as soon as I walked back through the door, I dumped my shopping bags, flung on my dirty gardening apron, rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in.

I've been wanting to get going with my back yard for weeks, but the weather has not been kind. As I am currently shed-less I cannot carry out garden tasks in the wet. It just isn't doable. I do have this ok little area with benches and stuff to work on, but it would be so much better if there was a roof.

But today I didn't need a roof and it was perfect for a little bit of Back Yard Busy.

My first job was to pot on my lovely basil seedlings, oh I've been worrying my heart over these little things as they began to grow leggy and crowded in their small two inch pot in the kitchen. I desperately needed to give them room to stretch their roots and grow, but I've been scuppered by not having any compost (not an easy thing to cart home in the pushchair), and not having the right weather to see to them. Thank goodness they now have a bright yellow pot each, and their new greenhousey home to keep them snug for a few more weeks until it warms up a bit outside.

My nasturtium, cosmos and morning glory seedlings which were sown in March were also in dire need of more space. They germinated and grew well on my kitchen windowsill, but had become a little lanky and spindly (should have been potted on weeks ago of course). So I'm hoping that they'll be OK now that they also have new pots and a cosy home on the greenhouse shelves.

After the emergency re-housing of seedlings, I was still buzzing with the joy of being outside with the sun on my face and my hands in the soil.  I wanted to plant more seeds, but time had run out and I was forced to wash my dirty hands and dash across town to collect Little B. I couldn't wait to get back and pick up where I left off, this time accompanied by my Little Helper.

I decided to go with some edibles today. These seeds are all left over from previous years, and I can't tell you how good it felt to be actually Doing Things with them instead of just gazing at the packets. Yippeee for Actually Doing Things!!!!  So yeah, edibles....I planted some dwarf French beans look, purple and yellow ones (variety Purple Queen and Sonesta)....

...I also sewed some rocket seeds and some kind of mixed salad leaves that I found. Looking forward to a little bit of scissor-snipping in weeks to come, I am really rather excited at the prospect of eating my very own Home Grown produce.

A few more flower seeds were sown into my windowsill pots too...Nigella (variety Midnight Blue) and Rudbeckia (variety Rustic Dwarf). Busy-busy in my backyard today folks, I was really on a roll. Oh and I also sewed some sunflower seeds into my collection of empty toilet roll tubes. These were also seeds that I bought last year but failed to open, and they are not your average sunflowers. Nope, these are red ones called "Evening Sun", and I am so willing them to work out. I need them in my life, I really do.

This is my new greenhouse in action, and I am sooooo pleased with it! It cost £10 from a local discount shop, and is just perfect for what I need. I took some advice from friends and a) lined the shelves with bubble wrap to keep off the chill (our nights are still very cold here) and b) weighted the whole shebang down with a few spare bricks and bags of compost to prevent Blowing Away accidents.

Awwww my little plantlets look so happy in their new cosy home! Grow little plants, grow.

I love it when a day turns out to be so full and productive and satisfying. Sometimes being Busy is really very good indeed, especially when it's the outdoor variety.

Tiring though, cripes, I was proper worn out by 2.30 when all was done and dusted. Thirsty too, I was overcome with a sudden craving for a cold glass of juice, and I never normally drink juice at all. So I walked with Little B down to the newsagent at the bottom of the street and purchased a bottle of Robinsons apple and blackcurrant. He was thrilled at the whole idea of buying and drinking juice as it's normally strictly water and milk here. His juice-drinking face was a picture of pure pleasure, I wish you could've seen him. The juice was good I have to say. And I loved the colour of it glowing all pink in the sun.

Sigh. It's been such a lovely day, did I say that already?

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ps suddenly had this warm fuzzy thought about going outside in the morning to unzip my greenhouse and chat to my plantlets/seeds. Can't wait!

 

 

 

 

The Magic of Seeds

Yesterday morning I really fancied a good cup of coffee, you know a Proper Coffee made from freshly roasted and ground beans, with hot, well frothed milk on top. I didn't just fancy it actually, I was absolutely gasping for it. I cut back my caffeine intake a few months ago, switching to drinking decaff at home, but I do confess to loving the hit from a decent caffeine-fuelled cappuccino. A few times a week when I'm out and about in town I indulge and enjoy, it's become a real pleasure and something I look forward to during the week. Somehow it tastes better because I'm not having it so often.

Anyhow, yesterday....late yesterday morning I walked the two minutes to the bottom of my street where miraculously there happens to be the most fantastic coffee shop. They roast and grind 35 different types of coffee beans on the premises, and my-oh-my the take out coffees are superb. But they are made of strong stuff. Uh-huh, s-t-r-o-n-g. About half an hour after drinking my delicious cappuccino yesterday, I was hit sideways by a wave of caffeine, the sort that leaves you feeling jittery on the edge of your seat and unable to sit still. I kind of like the feeling, it causes me to rush about and  DO Things.

So yesterday's caffeine rush combined with the sun shining induced a frenzy of outdoor activity. It was marvellous! I got such a lot done!

I decided to do something quite rare and impulsive for me and Plant Seeds. It's been quite a few years since I did this, as although I reliably buy seeds each year, I don't actually ever plant them. I tend to put them in a bowl in my kitchen, gaze sweetly at the pretty packets each day, and leave it at that. Not so this year!!!!! No, no no!! This year, aided by that terrific cappuccino, I got down to some dirty work and seeds have really been planted. I'm so happy!

I find the whole idea of planting seeds absolutely mind blowing, I really do. They never fail to astound me, these little tiny brown dry things. How marvelously clever they are! It really does seem like magic to me, that you can stick them into the dirt, provide water and warmth and lo and behold they will germinate and sprout and push their little shoots skywards.

The first seeds to hit the earth were Pot Marigolds (calendular), which I adore. I decided to plant them directly into this old colander which I bought last weekend in a second hand shop. I'd remembered seeing one on Steph's blog planted up with flowers and the image had stuck. I thought it was a fantastic idea to use one of these for flower growing, it has in-built drainage holes and everything. A little bit of Kitchenalia Chic.

On Friday I purchased a couple £1 pots of sweet pea seedlings from the supermarket. Now as with the seeds, I also buy these every single year then forget about them, leaving the poor things to become spindly, tangled and root bound in their pots. The resulting plants therefore begin their growing lives in rather a traumatised fashion and never recover to grow as they should. I always then feel dreadfully guilty and annoyed at myself, but not so this year! No, no no!! This year, aided by that terrific cappuccino, I got down to some dirty work, gently separating the seedlings out, pinching out their growing tips (as advised by Mum) and transplanting them into some large pots. Happy, happy, happy :o)

The caffeine was still coursing through my body at this point, so I rushed down to the cellar and located my Tub Of Old Seeds. These are the seeds that have been reliably bought-but-not-opened during the past four years. Four years of flower dreams that never came to fruition. Hahaaaaaaa!!!!!! Not So This year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This year I am making it happen!

First out of the seed archives is Morning Glory, how I love love love these exuberant climbers. I am very excited at the thought of having them twining around and about the place this summer, producing their gorgeous trumpety blue flowers each day.

I found some old chipped china bowls in my back yard and thought I could sow my seeds into them instead of the usual little plastic plant pots or trays. That way I'd be able to bring them inside to my teeny-tiny kitchen windowsill and they would look quite at home. Also, they wouldn't leak water everywhere cos there aren't any holes.

After the Morning Glory came the Nasturtiums, variety "Jewel Mixed". Love love love Nasturtiums. L-o-v-e 'em. Love their sweet, humble beauty, love their vibrant colours and love the way they are always so cheerful and happy looking.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I planted Nasturtiums!

After the Nasturtiums came Cosmos, variety "Dwarf Sonata Mixed". These will hopefully become foot high daisy type flowers in shades of pink and white, with delightful feathery soft foliage.

Sweet little magic seeds, I am willing you to grow. I am already dreaming of pyjama clad early morning summer forays into my back yard to snip away at nasturtiums, sweet peas, cosmos and marigolds. I'm hoping to create the most gorgeous little cutting garden out the back here, I can hardly wait. I don't need armfuls of flowers to be happy. Just enough to fill a little glass ink bottle or a weeny hand painted jug will do.

Of course, I do realise that planting seeds is a relatively easy thing to do, and that it's only the very first stage in a long line of stages before the flowers appear. I do realise that I am now responsible for the upkeep of these seed bowls, need to administer correct amounts of water, need to sing and chat daily to them in order to encourage growth. I do realise that there will then come the business of PrickingOut and PottingOn, and then possibly some HardeningOff? In actual fact it's quite a lot of sustained effort to nuture a flowering plant from seed. But I am up for the challenge. Yes indeedy. Bring on the magic.

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Doing my Job

I have my off days like anyone else, but mostly I have to say I adore my job as a stay-home-mum. It suits me down to the ground and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to do this job, a job I love with all my heart. I'm not a worker really, no not really. By nature I'm far too idle and ditsy and free-floating to be a good employee, I do pretty much hate being told what to do. I like to feel free, I like to feel that (within reason) I can pick and choose what I want to do each day, set my own schedule according to my mood and the weather.

That's not to say that I don't like routine, cos I do. I like to have some basic structure to my days,  and certain things do need to be done each day, and I do need to be in certain places at set times each day. But that all balances out with the deliciousness of being able to free-float in and out and inbetween the must-do's and must-be's. Like I say, it suits me down to the ground.

I'm really enjoying this stage of Motherhood, I like the playgroup/nursery years a great deal more than the baby years I think. We get to have quite a bit of fun, Little B and I, he is terrific company. I'm enjoying the pace of our days and weeks and feel we're finally achieving a good balance between together time and away time, catering for each of our needs pretty well I'd say.

Thursday is the one day which I leave open without plans. No music groups, no toddler groups, no playgroups, no arrangements. Sometimes my in-laws come across and look after Little B so I can skip with my bag to knit and natter at the cafe. Sometimes I take Little B with me to knit and natter, where I spend much of my time trying to keep him away from the coffee machine which he is obsessed with. But lately, we've just been hanging out together at home on Thursday's, and it's been lovely to enjoy a bit of quiet down time together.

Yesterday though, well yesterday was declared (by me) to be a day for Going Places. The sun was shining and I suddenly thought how grand it would be to walk down to the station and take a train ride. I ran the idea by Little B, and he responded with a great big Yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! and an excited kicking of his legs. So down to the station we went to get on a red, shiny train.

Little B had selected suitable reading material for the occasion, and we chatted about various forms of transport for the whole fifteen minute journey. Actually, no that's not true as we did look out the window quite a bit and pointed out things we could see. Sheep and tractors and lorries and the such like.

We journeyed to a nearby town in search of essential clothing supplies for my offspring who will not stop growing. Destination Large Supermarket. We got to ride in a lift. I bought Little B some incredibly dinky-sweet Fireman Sam underpants and new pyjamas with dinosaurs on. New socks and jammies for the Little People too. And one or two wee things for Mummy which snook into the basket, I'll show you those in a bit.

Once all the shopping was done with, we walked the few minutes back to the station and jumped on the train back again. But instead of going all the way back to our home town, we got off a stop early, at the village we visited a month or so ago,  the one with the fabulous play park. What a grand plan that was, Little B was all smiles, and I felt all puffed up and pleased with myself. Doing a Good Job today I thought, what a happy day of Going Places and having fun being Mummy!

Unlike last time we were here which was during the school holidays, today the park was deserted when we arrived. Totally empty and all ours. It was great.

We had the whole run of it, even the giant sandpit which is usually full of kids on busy days.

It was a beautiful day yesterday, still quite chilly, but unmistakably an early Spring sort of a chill and not a late Winter chill.

I was delighted to see some early blossom, it looked so very, very pretty.

And full blown pussy willow too, a sure sign that Spring has most definitely sprung in my patch.

After a good while playing at the park I began to feel peckish, so I persuaded Little B to pause and come have lunch. He was devilishly busy collecting up handfuls of wood chippings and shoving them through a hole in one of the little stone walls, but at the mention of food he came running. We sat at a wooden picnic table in the sunshine and ate some sandwiches, biscuits, bananas and grapes that I'd bought with us. How I love to picnic eat outdoors, I really do love it. So simple and so satisfying. I did have a little bit of picnic envy as a family arrived at the next table and the other Mummy had thought to bring a flask. Damn, I slipped up there, I suddenly felt most desperate for a cup of tea when I spied her pouring smugly from her flask.

The sky was a hazy blue, the sun a sort of pale, watered down version of it's usual bright self. But it was truly blissful to have hazy blue and pale yellow shine down on me as I ate lunch.

It took a lot of persuading to get Little B to leave the park, we were there quite a long time. But eventually I really did kind of Need To Go if you get what I mean (no facilities at the park unfortunately), so I scooped him up (literally) and trotted the few minutes to the little station to wait for the next train back.

I sat on the platform bench and crossed my legs (getting desperate for Facilities), and Little B sat and crossed his legs too. He has new pumps this week look, dinosaur ones, very cute. Already well worn in.

By the time we arrived home, Little B was flat out asleep in his pushchair, worn out from the mornings excitements. I had about an hour and a half before the school run so I quickly chopped and mixed and got the dinner on to slow cook (a curry, this recipe but made with red lentils and mixed peppers. It was delish). Then I set about playing with my new purchases.....

This is what I bought for myself from the Large Supermarket, I just couldn't resist their happy, carefree, colourful charms. They were only £1 each and I felt so giddy putting them through the checkout and stashing them away in my bag. 

I spent a while jigging about in the back yard, clearing away the dead things from some of my big pots so that I could satisfactorily "plant" my windmills. Oh what fun! They look so charming!

I can see them from my kitchen window, spinning round and round in the breeze. I love them.

After all that, I had a weeny window of time left to make myself a brew and sit out in the sunshine a while. I've positioned a chair and cushion right outside my back door for just such occasions as that's where the afternoon sun hits at this time of year.

I sat and thought about our day, and what a good time we'd had together, Little B and I. In fact, our days and weeks are really full of simple pleasure I have to say, we've settled in to a very lovely weekly routine. You may remember I told you he had started going to playgroup two mornings a week? Well the first fortnight was hideous and I felt constantly wrung out with the emotional strain of leaving him when he was crying so much. But then on the 5th day, his lip wobbled considerably, but he Did Not Cry (oh joy!!), and on the 6th day he was subdued but no quivering lips. And by the time we hit the 7th day (which was last week), he positively beamed with happiness when we arrived, waved goodbye to me and ran in to play. Such a humongous relief, I can't tell you.

Right, all this talk about Doing My Job is making me think that right now I should not be sat at my desk chatting to you. Sorry, I do need to go now. Need to scoot off and attend to the business of cleaning. It's Friday morning, Little B is happily at playgroup (yiipeppepeeeeee) and I've got some Home Blessing to do.

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Outside Potential

One of the things I love about this time of year is the subtle shift of focus from indoors to outdoors. It's still a bit early here to spend any great length of time outside, ie it's still bloomin' cold! But I am starting to spend little pockets of the day out in my backyard, pegging out the laundry, checking over my rather forlorn pots, pottering about with Little B. And it feels rather good.

I had a good squizzy into all of my pots this week to see what's alive and what's not. I'm happy to report that the honeysuckle is re-sprouting, as are the chives. The rosemary has bright new tips growing, and the mint is having a good think about waking up. Not too sure about the rest, lots of dead looking stuff, but then I did have a lot of annuals in the pots that are not supposed to carry on.

My Creative Mind is starting it's familiar annual journey into all things Outdoors. My head is buzzing with the possibilities, and it's simultaneously thrilling and exhausting. I am conjuring up all sorts of mental images (my Minds Eye is boggling!), plans to prettify. I'm thinking new bunting. Crochet seat pads. A bench (with cushions). More vertical planting involving trellis. More big planting involving erm..Big Things in Big Pots. Shrubbery? Small trees? I am hugely excited about it all.

One thing I think blogging is especially good for is Recording Progress and documenting Before-and-After endeavours. So with this in mind, I took a few photos in my back yard yesterday, even though at this time of year it all looks a bit grim. Consider this the "before" element of a work in progress.

I stood on a chair in the corner with the camera held above my head to take a photo so that you can get an idea of the scale. It's L shaped and tiny. Each stone square measures 60cm, so I've got about 12m² in the main bit as you come out the kitchen door and then a little bit more under the kitchen window.

This is the view directly out of the kitchen door. I love that old stone wall, although I would equally love to see some greenery scampering up there. Ivy perhaps?

This is the outer boundary wall that you'll probably be familiar with as this is where I plant up and photograph most of my summer annuals. Funny, I remember writing about this wall in one of my early posts about the back yard...here it is, June 2008. The ideas I had back then for topping the wall with a bit of fence and creating a narrow raised bed to grow climbers in are still in residence. I'm currently looking for a builder who can do clever things with stone as I've decided the raised bed must be made of stone. Like the house.

This is the view down to the teeny bit of "working" space I have outside, where I keep my pots and tools and gardening paraphernalia. It's not very pretty. But I'm visualising (in my busy Minds Eye) a weeny potting shed at the end there. Painted aqua blue and strung with bunting. Can you picture it?

And now we're looking back again, into the main square of space. To the left is the window into the dining room, my desk is under that window. I'm thinking of moving my herbs and putting a wooden bench under the window, as the sun hits that spot just in time for early morning coffee in the summer.

I have to say, although this is a small, humble little space, I really do quite like it. It has potential to be an awful lot more than it is, and isn't the Thought Of Potential one of lifes most exciting things??

J very frequently says how much he misses our old garden, which was quite a substantial corner plot. Lots of green hedges and flower borders, a large lawn, apple trees, a playhouse for the Little Peeps, a vegetable bed. Of course, he forgets how much work is involved with a garden. He forgets how irritated he used to get when the grass needed mowing and the hedge needed trimming and the large shrubs needed pruning. He says he feels guilty that Little B is growing up without a garden to play in. Pah, what rubbish I told him!! So to prove my point I took a whole load of photos and some (very sweet) video footage of Little B at play last week, to show him just how much fun can be had in our small back yard.

I filled an old washing up bowl with warm soapy water, and out came the watering can. Lots of watery, soapy fun was had.

The dumper truck was also brought outside, I wish you could hear the babble that accompanied this play. It was joyful!

A little water and a few pebbles, what good, clean fun.

We pottered and played with the water for a  good while, then I decided to introduce a bit of dirty fun.

Ahhhhhhh yes, lets get dirty! Digging and filling up pots with damp earth, it was wonderful. A lovely little time spent outdoors before cold hands, wet clothes and sleepy eyes told us it was time to head back inside for afternoon nap.

And just as I was packing the play things away, I happened to notice the fresh buds on my sweet Little Nut Tree. Oh joy! I was given this small sappling in the summer when it was in leaf (it's a hazel tree) and of course being a deciduous tree it lost all it's leaves when the weather turned. I was very worried that it might've died, but I hoped with all my heart that it was just going to sleep. I am soooo excited about those leaves coming back again.

In fact, I am excited about an awful lot of things right now. So much Potential, so much creative fun to be had in the great outoors. I am brimming over with the thought of it all to come.

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July 2011

Ahh July, what a sweet month you are turning out to be!

Life has been very full and busy during July but my overall memory of the past three weeks contains much happiness. The weather's been a mixed bag but mostly I recall it's been pretty good around  here really. Warm and summery, sometimes quite humid and thundery, but beautifully warm yes, and plenty of sunshine. We've spent quite a lot of time outdoors taking it all in, appreciating all that these long summer days have to offer. Picnics and barbecues by the river. Impromptu trips to the park. Ice creams. Water fights. The sound of children playing out till well gone 9pm. Chilled white wine with friends. Lots of salad meals that involve No Cooking. Bare arms, flip flops and silver painted toe nails. The smell of high summer in the evening air. Delightful.

At the very beginning of July I went off on a little solo adventure. In an airplane no less. I tootled off to Manchester airport very early one Saturday morning, climbed on that there white metal bird with it's slightly scary propellers and flew down to Southampton, which took all of 45 minutes. It was an amazing flight with clear blue skies and the most fabulous views of the landscape below. At one point we flew right over a hot air balloon, I was quite beside myself with the beauty of it all. When I arrived in Southampton I hopped on a train and travelled a further 100 minutes west to arrive in Dorset by ten am. Wow. Yorkshire to Dorset by ten am! Never done that before!! It was a really great journey and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole business of being on the move. Just me by myself with a small rucksack on my back, making the journey to visit my dear Mum in hospital.

Later that same day after I'd spent all afternoon at the hospital, I got onto a local bus and travelled a further 40 minutes west to get to Bridport where I was staying the night. When I got off the bus, I had a sudden realisation that I had no door keys, and that the house where I was staying would be empty till midnight (everyone was off making merry at a wedding). It was a beautiful early summers evening, so I decided to while away an hour or two by travelling some more. I journeyed on foot this time, a mere 45 minutes tramping south across familiar fields until I reached the blue of the sea.

West Bay harbour was an absolute picture, the evening light was incredible, and at 6pm it was still very hot. I went to a bar with the above view and sat on the terrace drinking an ice cold beer in the sunshine.

Enjoyable as it was, I was still in a bit of a predicament re getting to my bed for the night. So I decided on one more jaunt on foot, this time an hours journey along the coast to a neighbouring village where the wedding reception was taking place and where my host and hostess would hopefully be found with The Keys to The Door. I walked up over West Cliff....

....and enjoyed some wonderful peaceful time being Me-by-myself on top of the cliffs, gazing out across the bluest of blue seas with the sun on my face and a spring in my step. I have some fabulous memories from this little snippet of time, it was such bliss finding myself quite unexpectedly on a familiar sunny clifftop beside the sea. All By Myself. Just Me. I can't tell you how good it felt, such a rare luxury at this stage in my parenting career to have time so completely to myself.

I did eventually end up at the wedding reception after a lot of huffing and puffing (hugely steep hills in that village don't you know). I felt a little conspicuous walking into the venue wearing my crop jeans and a sweaty teeshirt when everyone else was done up to the nines, but hey, I carried it off with a broad smile.

The next morning I joined a large post-wedding gathering for a spot of brunch in a rather splendid posh local place. An old coaching inn which has been transformed in recent years into a top notch hotel with fine dining and plenty of ambiance. 

Behind the rather grand facade of the hotel lies a rather beautiful rustic courtyard which totally captured my heart. Fabric bunting strung across, casual wooden furniture and lots of vibrant geraniums, it was a little slice of heaven I thought. Perfect for sitting with a mighty fine cappuccino and allowing my  divine "eggs benedict" to settle. I didn't want to leave.

That sweet little Sunday morning courtyard really stuck in my memory, I'm glad I had my camera with me to capture a little of it's atmosphere. It's exactly how I like to think my own small outdoor space should look. Kind of pretty and casual and rustic and homely.

This is a snap of my July back yard. I took the above picture by standing very precariously on my bedroom windowsill and holding the camera out of the top opening window. Since I took this photo a few weeks ago, the geraniums in my wall top pots have really started to flower their hearts out, it's quite lovely if I say so myself. I feel quite proud of it. And I love my windowsill too, I love that our house is made out of old, old stone.

I have a rather amazing hanging basket next to the kitchen door in my back yard, it's chocka block full of my favourite colours. It was given to me as a surprise gift actually, and my goodness, it totally delivers a bolt of pleasure on a daily basis.  I even remember to water it daily and religiously deadhead the flowers, it's very well treated I can tell you.

I wasn't actually around to take my usual first-day-of-the-month photo of the Attic view, but I took a few pics when I remembered on 12th July.

Yes, now I think about it we did have a bit of a cruddy cold, wet spell near the beginning of the month but like I said earlier, July has mostly been bright and beautiful I think.

Something else I did earlier this month was to participate in a fund raising event at a local school. I was asked if I could provide a few hand made items for the craft stall and I was happy to give it a go as I knew I'd be in very good company. One of the things I love  about where I live is the growing number of friendships I have which are connected by The Yarn Thing. Other people who lead a creative life and share similar passions and excitements to my own. Its marrrrrvelous to have those connections with friends, it really is. I like nothing better than a get together over a coffee/glass of vino (depending on the friend in question and the time of day) and a natter about arty-crafty-yarny-handmade type of things.

And if those particular friends happen to live just two streets away, well then, it's all very handy and supportive and creative and jolly! I watched some of the above knitted cupcakes take shape each week at the pub you know (yes, we frequent the local pub on a Monday night to do hooky and knitty things, my friends and I). Aren't they totally scrummy?

These beautiful appliqued and embroidered cushions are made by another friend....I adore them, and you may remember me bringing one home to number 24 last year? I'm the proud owner of a round birdy cushion with colourful felty triangles (scroll down this post and you'll see it second pic from the end...cor isn't it weeeeeird looking at frosty winter pics in high summer???!!!) Anyhow...yes, these cushions are a complete joy to behold, they really are.

The same clever-pants lady who knitted the cupcakes is also a hugely talented stitcher. Her work is un-be-leivable. She makes the most gorgeous patchwork and applique cushions with a homespun, folk-art feel to them. They are true works of art, just lookeee at this.................

...........yay, chickies have landed in the Attic! How could I resist??? I just had to have one of these beautiful cushions for my very own, just had to. The Wanties hit hard.

There's an insane amount of hand stitching going on here, such a labour or love. You can tell this is made by a lady who completely lurrrrrrrrrrves to sit and stitch can't you?! Gorgeous.

So my contribution to the abundant craft stall was rather thin on the ground I have to confess. I simply didn't have the available time to make all that I wanted to make as my daylight hours are mostly filled by a demanding Little B shaped object. I managed to make seven little crocheted and stuffed keyring fobs (pretty colours don't you think?).......

..........and three little rabbits. Ahhh I did LOVE making these rabbits! Two of them hopped off to find new homes, and one remains here in the Attic with me.

The pattern came from Kate's blog Greedy for Colour, of which I am an adoring fan. I love Kate's  work. I practically begged her on bended knees to write up her pattern for these bunnies when I saw her making them last year. And being the kind and obliging soul she is, she did just that. Isn't she a gem? You can find her Flora Rabbit tutorial here look.

Well now.........I think I need to finish up, it's quite late and I've just realised I'm sat alone in the dark whilst the other four-fifths of the family are tucked up in bed. We are in full school holiday mode this week, taking it leisurely day by day with no plans to speak of. Lots of mess, lots of time lounging in pj's, slap dash meals eaten as and when. Mid morning breakfasts. Lots of hooky time too as I'm getting a welcome amount of help entertaining Little B (free child labour, oh how I love school holidays). I've got a huge amount still to share with you and something wonderful and new on the hook already this week. More soon.

Toodle-oo for now!

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Edited to add :: ahhhh fear-ye-not, Snakey-chops is still in residence here! He was on the craft stall purely to serve as colourful eyecandy, although I could have sold him I'm sure, he got loads of attention! Did you also spot my granny buting hanging on the front of the gazebo? Will have to show you that sometime as I realised just now that it never received it's Ta-dah moment. Thanks for all your lovely comments today! ♥

 

 

 

 

 

June 2011

8.38pm and I just this minute legged it up two flights of stairs to go take in the evening light. GORgeous, isn't it just?? My June view is looking lush and green and typically mid-summer after rather a lot of mixed up sunshine-and-rain this month. We've had a lot of wet weather of late. Oodles of it. But today has been bright and golden and gorgeous and I've loved feeling the heat of the sun on my face as I went about my day.

My June calendar has a lot of scribbles on it. Mixed up dates (I keep getting things ludicrously wrong), cancelled appointments and re-scheduled visits, forgotten birthdays. But here we are almost at the end of the month and it's not been so bad really. We've muddled and we've scribbled and we're nearly through. Tweet-tweet-tweet, aren't those little fabric June birds sweet?

My Ideal Home calendar hangs by my desk and I find the images so restful and calming, such a pleasure to gaze at day after day. I look at that picture and I think to myself, oh yes, I remember our last house where we had an expanse of lawn dandelion infested grass, and how lovely it was to set the table for an al fresco Summer meal, to sit and eat whilst feeling the cool twiddle of grass between bare toes. I don't have a lawn any more to twiddle my toes in, but neither do I have to hold heated debates with J over who's turn it is to get the lawn mower out.

 

No lawn then, but oh I am enjoying my weeny walled back yard this year! My pots are looking fuller by the day, the wet weather has certainly been good for growth. I'd still like to have a lot more greenery out here (I'm fancying some big oversized tubs to grow small trees and bushy-leafy things), but for now it does very nicely. Morning coffee, a quick lunch, a glass of something chilled in the late afternoon, I'm really enjoying my time spent out here.

That funny old wall with it's chipped render and green mould has really grown on me this year. I was all for painting it and sprucing it up last year, but am glad now that I left it be.

I've got lots of geraniums on the go at the moment, a mixture of upright ones and trailing ones. The above flower has just bloomed for the first time this week (it's one of the trailers sitting in a pot on top of the wall), and oh my the colour is magnificent.

My sweet peas are a bit slow/late in getting going but that's ok. I'm really looking forward to them, I bought some old fashioned variety that supposedly has amazing scent.

This little blue bench thingy sits right outside my kitchen door and brings me a lot of pleasure I have to say. I've got mint, chives and flat leafed parsley growing here, and I absolutely love love love stepping out with a pair of scissors to snippety-snip a little something to go in the cooking. Today I made sweet potato and smoked mackerel fishcakes, with fresh parsley from right there. They were yum. I had to chuckle to myself, nipping to my desk, firing up my laptop and Googling "Attic24 Fishcakes" in order to find and recall my own recipe. Bloody marvelous thing this blogging you know.

In the sunny part of my back yard I've got thyme and rosemary growing, lovely little snips to go with garlic roasted veggies. I'm trying to eat as healthily as I can at the moment, trying to resist the (alarmingly powerful) urge to combat stress by comfort eating all manner of sickly sweet but hugely desirable foodstuffs. It's working to a point. I'm eating an awful lot of fruit. I really wanted to show you the amazing ripe cherries I bought from the market at the weekend (deep red glossy fruits in a beautiful blue-glazed mexican dish, a fantastic photo opportunity), but by the time I got my camera I realised that I'd eaten nearly all of them. There was rather more mexican bowl than fruit. Only six cherries left actually.

I've been keeping very busy this past week or so, busy doing the things that need doing around here. Taking pleasure in piling, hanging, pegging, un-pegging, folding and re-piling. And sniffing of course. Lots of laundry inhaling been going on, it calms my soul to inhale the scent of sun-dried and freshly laundered cotton articles.

Mid summer, and I dug out my snuggly winter socks last week.  My feet have been feeling cold, especially in the early mornings. And when I say early I really do mean it :: Little B is waking up his bouncy little body shortly before five ay-em most mornings. I went through a spell last week of really wholeheartedly resenting this fact, my-my but I was getting my knickers in a twist over these enforced early starts. Not so this week. I'm taking a different approach this week and am embracing the 4.45am starts, bringing Little B downstairs for some lovely sofa snuggle/playtime before the rest of the family awakes. The ripple blanket has been such a comfort on these mornings, I love it's instant warmth and cosiness, it's quite the perfect blanket to have hanging around the place.

One of the things that has not been happening much in recently weeks is The Tidying. Quite frankly, I simply cannot be bothered to do it at the moment, it's such a thankless task. When I stopped to think about how many times each day I was putting Little B's toys back in that basket there it was mind boggling. I seemed to be continuously stooped over tidying things up, only to find them slung back on the floor minutes later. So now I just leave it, and hope no one trips over and breaks any bones. The upside to this messy existence is that when Little B begins his toddling day at 4.45am, his toys are all ready and waiting for him right where he left them. What a Marvelous Mummy I am!!

Little Man is an early riser too, not quite in Little B's league, but usually around 6am or so. This morning he decided to bake and ice a batch of buns before breakfast. Uh-huh, before breakfast. I don't know if this is freaky-abnormal for an eight year old boy, but I don't much care, I love that it happens. Very much so.

It's been such a long time since any hooky business appeared here in the Attic, and for that I really am sorry. I have been hooking away quietly in the background, but haven't managed to find time to share all that I've been doing. Right now in my bag is a lovely stash of bamboo/cotton yarn and a few little animals. I'm making some crochet toys to sell at a summer fayre in a few weeks time, but so far the sum of my efforts amounts to two finished rabbits plus the head (minus ears) of a third so I'm not doing very well really. I promise I'll share more yarn and pattern details when I can find time to photograph and write, but at the moment I really do need to crack on with the actual making part.

Ahhhhhhhh my cherished Attic View (again)...see how green the hill looks now compared to the beginning of May!! Beautiful. And on that happy note I'm going to have to love you and leave you as my bed is a calling. It's not quite dark yet, but it is 10:10pm and waaaay past my bedtime.

Can I just say before I go that I am tremendously grateful for all the wonderful words and positive thoughts that you've sent my way about my Mum. I really, truly appreciate it. She's doing ok, we are doing ok. One day at a time and all that.

Lots of love....be back soon!

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