Attic24

Resting

Well hello my lovelies, I'm really happy to be back here in the Attic after two whole weeks of feeling like somebody hijacked all my coherent thoughts and replaced them with a thick layer of grey fluff. I've had one of those stubborn, heavy head colds which took up residence and is proving  hard to evict - I'm feeling loads better this week and almost back to full bean thank goodness. I've tried a few times in the past week to sit here and string some words together, but today is the first time when I feel like my thoughts might actually make some sense - no guarantees of course, but I'll give it a good go!

During the first week of being unwell I was forced to take my resting seriously and spent quite a few afternoons/evenings in bed. I've got the Dune blanket in residence on my bed at the moment and the gentle colours and happy coastal memories really do seem to have a healing effect. I tried not to resent the "wasted" time I spent in bed, and instead tried to embrace the cosy vibes and dig deep for gratitude (not easy when you feel like sh*te). I'm lucky that my days generally have a lot of flexibility in them and I'm at liberty to take time for myself when I need it. J stepped in and cooked dinner for us on a few evenings so that I could stay horizontal - I  seemed to feel my worst towards the tail end of the day so I was very grateful for his help.

Close to my bed I have an old painted cupboard which I re-homed when a friend of mine was moving house and having a clear out. It's painted a gorgeous soft duck egg blue, and although it's obviously old and chipped (delightfully vintage) I absolutely love it. I keep my precious handknit socks here as I can't bring myself to hide them away in a drawer and love to see all that colourful stripyness on display.

I've also got a framed print propped up so that it's right there where I can see it from my bed - it's such a beautiful reminder of the importance of rest and embracing the Dark Season. The illustration is by artist Jessica Boehman and after falling in love with the image online many years ago I treated myself to the print. I can't tell you how much it has helped me through the last four winters, there is something about it which makes me believe that the dark months of hibernation deserve to be cherished and not simply endured. 

The past few weeks have been a bit of a grey blur to be honest, but I did still try to keep some important routines going. I walked into town when I felt up to it, taking my time and appreciating the fact that I wasn't completely out of action. I didn't feel at all well, but getting some gentle exercise and fresh air into my body felt like it did me good.

I went to the market on Saturday mornings and bought home fresh veggies to make soup....

...and on one or two mornings I even felt up to taking an early morning walk with J. We've let this habit slip a little through the dark winter months but now that we've got daylight again at 7am I feel more motivated to get up and get out there. It definitely improves my mood and energy levels and I always feel good for doing it.

I spent many hours sat beside the fire drinking tea or mugs of Lemsip and keeping warm and cosy. It's such a simple pleasure, but honestly this fireplace makes me soooo stupidly happy. 

I found a bag of special pine cones which I'd completely forgotten about, they're the ones that have something on them which create blue and green coloured flames in open fires. They're called Northern Lights cones and I bought them two Christmases ago, they're pretty expensive and a bit of an indulgence but oh, they do make my fire-loving heart happy. The Little People love them too and as a family we've spent lots of time in the evenings gathered around the fireside just enjoying the light and warmth.

A few weeks ago we were looking back at summer photos from last year and got talking about barbecues and making s'mores. It made me think that we could try doing them on our open fire - no idea why that had never occurred to me before?? It was a huge success and Little B in particular got super excited for making his own after dinner "pudding" over the hot coals. I don't have any photographic evidence of s'more making to show you, you'll just have to imagine the marshmallows on a skewer and the skilled act of toasting them without setting them on fire. It was tense!

Dealing with germs hasn't left me much energy for creativity, but after I completed the border on the Springfrost blanket a couple weeks ago I dug out my Fireside cushion and managed to bring it over the finishing line. You might remember that I started making this large circular cushion in October when I was on my retreat in Carcasonne so the ta-dah was well overdue. It was really satisfying using up the yarn leftover from making my Fireside blanket and I'm happy with how it turned out, even if it is a bit of a giant beast. I'll show you the finished cushion in my next post, I know it's not all that exciting really, but hopefully you'll enjoy the colours.

Thanks as always for visiting, I do so appreciate it. I hope you are managing to keep germ free and if you've been resting like me, then I hope it's been nurturing. Stay cosy!

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Autumn Snaps :: November 2022

♥ Early November brought the first frosts and our seven o'clock morning walks were suddenly very chilly. Such a beautiful and invigorating way to start the day though, I love the energy it gives me.

♥ Continuing to walk around my lovely little rural home town, observing the beauty of the changing seasons.

♥ Even on damp, dull days the autumn colours cheered my spirits and I took so much pleasure from being out underneath the trees.

♥ Most weekday mornings I head out by myself for an hour or so, mostly to pick up groceries or run errands around the town.  I realised just the other day that this has kind of taken over from the school run that used to be such a big part of my routine, and the thought of that made me smile. 

♥ Two weeks ago we celebrated a whole fifteen years living here at number twenty four. This house, in this friendly town with this remarkable hill view fill me with gratitude every single day. I'm so glad we live here!

♥ Ahh, a random photo of a leaf, of course. This is the exact kind of thing that literally stops me dead in my tracks as I'm walking up the street. The colours in nature fill my brain to bursting, it's no wonder I can't remember stuff - there's just no room for information in amongst the leaves.

♥ November is a month full of cosy. The rapidly shortening days and cold, snappy weather makes me appreciate the comforts of being indoors, covered in the all the yarn. Socks, mitts and blankets, layers and layers of warmth.

♥ Waking up and realising it's Friday - allllllll the happy feels. I get to jaunt down the hill to the café to spend three delicious hours drinking coffee, hooking up something colourful and chatting with my very good friends. I bloomin' love Fridays.

♥ The joy of sharing a love of yarn and colour with my tribe. Sitting opposite my talented friend who's been knitting a circular blanket in the most glorious shades of Autumn. My Fireside cushion really looked good with her blanket, such a photogenic pair.

♥ Haha - mid November, and I was still hanging onto the last remains of summer, I just couldn't seem to let it go completely. The little wood and wire sculpture is a recent purchase from one of my favourite makers Helen of Thimbleville. I love the simple words because they remind me to stay positive on days when it feels like a struggle.

♥ Cheap and cheerful autumn flowers on my table, bringing colour into the room for almost three whole weeks. 

♥ November has long been the month of the indoor hyacinths, ever since I first moved here and found them in the supermarket in November 2008. I've had them in the house every single year since and look forward to them very, very, very much.

♥ Here's an observation though - they really don't seem to smell any more? The scent of hyacinths would easily fill the room once upon a time, but in recent years, not so much. They are still the most beautiful things to observe though - there are six days between the two photos above, don't they grow fast?

♥ A weekend family walk at Bolton Abbey, taking advantage of some unexpected afternoon sunshine.

♥ The low sun was blindingly bright at times, but I couldn't get enough of it. Sometimes I just stand still and face the sun with my eyes closed - J says I'm solar powered and need to recharge my panels. I think he might be right.

♥ Gorgeous, gorgeous light as we drove home over the moors - it's just after 3pm in the above photo. The long, tall shadows are me and Little Lady prancing about while the boys sat patiently in the car waiting for us to finish.

♥ Cosy crochet by candlelight - very, very Novemberish I'd say.

♥ The first mice pie of the season, such a perfect little afternoon sweet treat. I adore these little mini ones that you can buy from the supermarkets and much prefer them to the big filled ones.

♥ November is generally waaaaay too early for me to think about anything Christmassy, but it's hard to avoid as little signs creep in everywhere you look. I can cope with the odd bauble here and there, and maybe some extra twinkly lights about the place.

♥ All in all, November was a good month, really good actually. Ohh....yes! There was also this.....

....a few days spent by the sea which was absolutely, wonderfully restorative and energising. I'll show you some more photos in  my next post xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Home into Autumn

Hellooooooo to you all, how have you been? It feels like a good long while since I was here chatting to you but that's mainly because I've been away from home, and I think time away often moves at a different pace to the normal, everyday sort of tick-tock time on the home clock.

Actually, this time last week I was still travelling, making my way from the south France to London, then up along the backbone of England all the way north to Yorkshire. It took thirteen hours in total, a coach, a plane, the underground and two trains, with some weary walking up the hill at the very end. 

I've spent the last week resting quite a bit and easing myself back into gentle home routines. It's been a pleasure to allow my days to gently unfold and soak up the quiet, comforting homely vibes here at number twenty four. 

There has been a distinct chill in the air this past week and honestly, it has felt really beautiful. I've often said that I am happiest when our English seasons run true, and so far autumn is feeling wonderfully autumnal. Happy me!

It was my birthday last week and I celebrated fifty four trips around the sun. I had coffee with my good friend (we have a standing date at a favourite café every Tuesday morning) and she gave me a card, a little wrapped present, a bag of pears and a solitary beetroot (complete with roots and soil attached) which she'd dug up from the community veg plot on her way to the café. It was the funniest gift which made me double over with laughter, and that reminds me I really do need to cook it! I think I'm going to roast it in the oven. She also very kindly gifted me the most stunning bunch of fragrant stocks and I inhaled their sweet, peppery scent all the way home.

Don't they look lovely? Stocks and a muddy beetroot - what more could a girl want, eh?!

My birthday was on Wednesday and the day was bright and blustery, perfect for a lunch time stroll. 

J doesn't often take a proper lunch break when he's working (something which we often argue about), but on this day he made time  to come to the woods with me. We had Little Lady with us too, and I must say I am really, really loving the fact that I still have her at home for the time being. 

The leaves are just beginning to fall in the woodland and although it's still mostly green in the treetops, there are lots of leaves now on the ground. There is seasonal beauty all around, and I am absolutely here for it.

We are continuing to manage without our central heating, and I'm kind of getting used to the house being a bit on the cold side. I can't say I like it that much (I take after my late Mum, and really don't like to feel cold), but I am coping. I'm dressing in multiple cotton layers, adding a thick jumper when I need it, woolly socks constantly on my feet and blankets, blankets and more blankets. If I'm sitting, then I'm covered in at least two blankets. I shall be known as Lucy Layers this season. Thank goodness for the fire, my gosh I worship this thing, it brings me immense pleasure and comfort and I absolutely would not be without it.

Since I came home from France, I'm taking even more pleasure than usual from my every day views. I really do love where I live and looking at it as if I were a visitor is something I do quite often. Do you do the same I wonder? Or is this just another of my weird and wonderful habits?!

I walk along this narrow road beside the canal almost every day as it's the quickest route into the centre of town, and it's such a sweet way to observe the changing seasons too. 

On bright days when the sun has felt juuuuuust about warm enough for us to sit outside, J and I have had our morning coffee al fresco. There are a couple of small bistro tables outside our regular coffee shop and I've really enjoyed having the October sun on my face as I slurp my frothy coffee. These small pleasures bring such a lot of joy to my days.

I don't really have much to say about the above photo to be honest! It was an afternoon walk to the supermarket to pick up a few bits that we had run out of. The flowers caught my eye as I walked along the tow path to Tesco, and my immediate thought was to take a photo so that I could show you. Blogging is such a deep-rooted way of life for me that I very rarely stop to question myself over it. Take a photo of a boat with some flowers to share with the twenty thousand strangers who visit the Attic every day (give or take a few)? Completely normal.

I almost forgot that in between the slow, mundane, restful days at home last week, I took off on a very quick jaunt. Good job I snapped a photo of the platform or else I would have forgotten! So yeah...three days after returning from France I was back on the trains again, but a quick journey this time just over to York to visit some of my dearest friends. It was a reunion with the ladies who kept me sane during those very early new born baby days, celebrating twenty years of motherhood and friendship. It was honestly the best night, so full of laughter that I had to work hard not to actually pee my pants. I count myself very lucky to have these kind of friends, it's something special to be able to pick up with each other over the years and feel like no time has passed.

I haven't had chance to chat to you much about the Fireside blanket which launched about a month ago. But I just wanted to say a massive, heartfelt THANK~YOU to everyone who bought a yarn pack and started out on this cosy blanket journey, it's been wonderful for me to see so many new blankets taking shape in recent weeks. I know that many of you are new to using Stylecraft Highland Heathers yarn and it's been great to hear how much you've liked it. 

My own blanket is in constant use and it's the perfect size to wrap around my shoulders (my name is Lucy Layers, remember) or cosy across my legs.

A few days ago I came across a photo on Facebook which made my heart skip a beat, and I knew I had to show you.....

......what do you think?? Isn't it BEaUtiFuL??? It's made using the twelve Fireside colours following my random stripe order which you can find ((here)). The pattern is the Seashell Stripe (which I used to make my Dune blanket) and I think it looks absolutely stunning. Amanda, if you are reading this, I just love love love your blanket, thank you so much for sharing on Facebook, what an inspiration.

At the moment I'm using the leftovers from my Fireside blanket to make a circular cushion and I am absolutely crushing on the colours all over again. They somehow look different when in a circle, a bit brighter and more lustrous? Is lustrous a real word or did I just make that up...hahah....I kind of want to say Lush-trous?!! 

Anyhow, this is the second side of the cushion and I'm almost finished so I'll show you later in the week when it's done. I started the project when I was in France as I needed something fairly easy to work on in the teeeeny gaps of time when I was free from teaching and wasn't out walking and falling in love with stone walls and cobbled streets.

Speaking of France, I had a wonderful, amazing time teaching on my Stitchtopia retreat and I fell a little bit in love with beautiful Carcassonne. It was ridiculously picturesque and atmospheric and I took a gazillion photos which I've spent aaaaaages organising and editing over the past few days.

I'd like to share my trip with you, if you'd be interested to see what an Attic24 Crochet retreat looks like? It was pretty colourful (of course) and there was lots of crochet and coffee and beautiful views and the sunniest sunshine.....more soon!

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September Seasonal Shift

September was such a lovely month here this year, an absolutely perfect mix of summer and autumn. This seasonal shift has caught me by surprise in the best possible way, and I have to say that one week into Autumn and I am really loving it.

Early September still felt very summery with warm, dry weather and many days of sunshine. My toes were certainly happy :)

Little B went back to school in the second week of September and setting an alarm again after the ease of the summer holidays was a bit of a shock to the system. I do enjoy the school routine though, and once the youngest, noisiest child is out of the house for the day a rather delicious quietness settles on the home front. 

The kitty has wanted to be close to her humans just lately and in the quiet of the morning I really enjoy her cosy company. She's not a cat that you can entice onto your lap very easily, so these kind of snuggles are always very much on her terms and it's lovely when she decides I'm the place to be!

I bought summery flowers for my table and gave our downstairs living room a bit of a tidy up and a refresh. I don't mind telling you that I was very lazy over the summer months when it came to housework, but there is something about the back-to-school vibe which returns the focus to home routines.

I continue to really enjoy my weekly yarny meet-ups at the café and in September I was obsessed with knitting these socks. I managed to finish one sock down to the end of the toes, and the second sock is ready to start with the heel I think. I had to put them away while I concentrated on creating the Fireside tutorial, but with the colder weather snapping in I really want these socks off my needles and onto my feet. It's firmly on my to-do list.

Middle of September I was gifted some beautiful produce from my friend's allotment plot which almost made my cry with gratitude and delight. A punnet of the most delicious sun ripened tomatoes and a bunch of flowers for drying so that they'll last right through the winter months.

Such beautiful late summer colour wrapped in newspaper, a nostalgic reminder of my childhood too as my Mum used to grow these flowers on her allotment.

I made a caprese salad for my lunch with some of the tomatoes and ooooohmygosh it was ever so good. Such simple, fresh flavours and a real taste of summer.

This was a sunny Saturday afternoon walk around local fields and lanes because it was just too nice to stay indoors.

 I stood for ages watching that tractor ploughing up and down the side of that huge hill, it was crazy satisfying to observe the slow but pleasing toil of it somehow. I remember also thinking that the colours of the landscape in mid September perfectly matched the seasonal shift from summer to autumn.

I love this view as we get near to home after our walks out to neighbouring villages. We live in quite a hilly area of the town and I love to see all the old Victorian terraced streets following the contours.

We had some really beautiful weather once we'd passed over the autumn equinox, the sort of bright, clear skies that invite you to walk just for the pleasure of it.

I found myself wandering through the park and up to the farm shop one morning, just to get a feel for the season and see what was fresh and inviting. Lots and lots of baby pumpkins greeted me as I walked in the door, leaving no doubt about the season we are now in. Bye-bye summer.

I didn't buy baby pumpkins, but I did buy chocolate. This is one of my favourite local chocolates made in York and I just love it. I love the packaging and I love the gorgeous flavours they come up with - dark chocolate is my preference and this Blood Orange Gin flavour did not disappoint. Crikey it was insanely good.

Some days have felt very much more autumnal than others, and although September was a pretty dry month we did have our fair share of the damps. Low, low cloud pressing down on the landscape....

....spinning teeny, tiny droplets of water into the hedgerows and over everything, us included.

Other days were just amazingly golden and gorgeous, I mean, look how StUNning this light is!! Seven o'clock and the sun is just rising over the hilltops at this time of year, my goodness it really is something special to be out in the world at that time of day.

A gorgeous reward for those early alarms and a reminder that a brisk morning walk is so, so, so good for the mind and soul as well as for the body.

I am still wearing my sandals on days when it's dry and not too chilly, but I often find that by mid afternoon my toes need a little snuggle time. So far we've managed to keep the central heating off and have been making very good use of the crochet blankets and woolly layers as the temperature continues to drop. I light the fire most evenings now, and am truly embracing the cosy vibe of the autumn season.

So here we are into the beginning of Autumn and summer is most definitely over for another year. I've got an exciting trip coming up though, and I'm hoping for some wonderful, warm sunshine which will be such a treat. On Monday I'm going to be travelling south, all the way down to south west France in fact to spend a week in the medieval walled city of Carcassonne (pictured above). This is a working holiday for me - I'm travelling with Stitchtopia and will be teaching on a crochet retreat with a lovely group of ladies, and I'm pretty bloomin' excited I can tell you.

I'll look forward to catching up with you all once I'm back here in Atticland, I will probably have one or two photos to show you from France.........! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Snaps :: July 2022

♥ a rose blooming just outside my front door.....I'm gifting it directly to you, to say thank you! I've just been reading through all the wonderful comments after my last post, such beautiful words and such lovely sharing of news and happy chat and just thank you, thank you...SO much....for taking the time to write to me in the comments. I read and treasure them all, they bring a lot of joy in through my Attic window xx

OK....on with the July snaps.....

♥ a single rose bringing instant happiness into the room, making my heart sing

♥ hot sun, blue skies and fluffy clouds - July weather was a dream come true

♥ in the heat of the summer I was drawn to the quiet shallow waters of the riverside

♥ I can never resist a pretty feather and found four stunning duck feathers on this river beach

♥ enjoying someone else's roses on an evening walk to the meadow

♥ dreamy, slow evening walks at the end of a hot summers day, warm and golden

♥ the summer meadow is in full tilt, swaying with tall grasses and eye catching seed heads

♥ taking a little time to sit, savouring the golden moment of quiet and still. It's 8.30pm in the above photo, the stuff of my winter dreams.

♥ an intense heat wave came and went, we reached 33 degrees (in the 90's!) here in my patch and honestly, I loved it

♥ morning walks with the fam, enjoying the summer warmth and clear views

♥ evening walks just me and Little B, a gentle stroll across dry fields and along quiet country lanes

♥ still enjoying my daily morning coffee break with J, sitting outside in the café garden making the most of the sunshine

♥ many of my meals eaten outside too, I'm sure they taste better this way?!

♥ working away on my latest crochet blanket, falling madly in love with it all over again

♥ this yarn, these colours = cosy, snuggly joy!

♥ this kitty, checking that all is well with the yarn and taking it very seriously by the looks of it.

I know I haven't shown you very much of this blanket in progress, it's been a crazy journey and at times I've felt quite unsure of it to be honest. But now that I am almost at the end (I'm finally on the edge!), well, I am just head over heels in love. It's one of the snuggliest blankets I've ever made, and seems to glow with warmth and cosy vibes. This week I'm starting on the lengthy process of photographing a tutorial and creating a full colour printed pattern for the blanket kit which will be available in September.

So that was July - it was a beautiful month full of sunshine, heat and glorious summer vibes and I tried my best to soak up every golden minute of it. And now that we're all caught up with the ordinary day-to-day snippets of the month, I'm looking forward to sharing my trips away with you. I had a good many wonderful, happy, memorable summer days in July, so much summery goodness came my way and I'm beyond thankful for it. I feel rested and recharged and excited to see what August brings.

Thank you as always for your most excellent company here, I appreciate your visits so very much. More soon!

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And so into June

So here we are, racing through June at such a pace I can hardly catch my breath. Just this morning I happened to catch sight of the date and was astounded to find out that we are already in the middle of the month and goodness me, the Summer Solstice is less than a week away! Say what???!!! I remember it was just the same last year, so maybe this is what May-June feels like at this time in my life? I think it's because our winter season seems to take foreeeeeveeer to be over and done with, that once Spring finally arrives it rushes in and out like a flood tide. 

Towards the end of May my Dad and Lady B journeyed all the way from Dorset to visit for a week, it was a holiday that had been postponed since 2020. Back then in pre-covid times my Dad's memory and general health was very much more robust, so I was a little worried about how he would cope with the lengthy train travel and also being out of his usual environment and routine. Lets just say it was a challenge - whether he was really aware of it or not I'm unsure, but his level of general confusion was pretty heart breaking. So yeah, it was a very intense week, not stressful as such, but highly emotional and draining nevertheless. 

On top of the worry about my Dad's health decline, I also tend to experience a surge of emotions at this time of year - ever since I lost my Mum five years ago, the month of May weighs heavy on me. I'm the kind of person who tends to deal with these things silently and inwardly which is probably not the best way, but keeping everything tightly wrapped up is just the way I am. I'm still trying to come to terms with many things to do with my Mum and the way her life came to a very sad and abrupt end, gosh this kind of deep rooted stuff isn't easy is it?

Anyhow, I'm not here to dig into my past because my childhood and my relationship with my parents has always been quite the messy tangle which I keep locked down tight, but I did just want to let you know a little of what I've been going through lately. Thankfully these times never seem to last for long and I'm pretty adept at bouncing back - boing! I'm here, it's mid June with summer almost upon us and all is warm and well.

At the beginning of June the UK commemorated the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and as such we were treated to a four day bank holiday weekend. The weather was mixed (of course it was) but it mostly held dry if a bit on the chilly-breezy side. The town was hugely busy with visitors, both on the pavements and the waterways and I love the hustle and bustle of a high season holiday weekend when the atmosphere is joyful and celebratory.

On my friendly little street with it's terraced houses all tucked together in close proximity, we collectively organised a laid back Jubilee street party. We applied to the council for a permit to close the road to traffic, hung up strings of red, white and blue bunting and gathered together enough food and drink to feed a small army.

It was a lot of fun just being able to sit in the middle of the road and chat to neighbours from up and down the street, most of whom we did already know (thirty houses in total). There was cake....

....and of course there was Pimms served in paper cups. It was really ever so British and made me remember how very much I love Pimms (and cake) in the summertime.

May and early June is such a l-u-s-h time in the countryside and the abundance of greenery and general floral frothiness has really lifted my spirits lately. 

My daily morning walks in the woodland have continued to keep me simultaneously grounded and uplifted and I'm so thankful for this place that I call home.

Up until this week, the weather has been unseasonably cold (and very windy) during the past few months. I really hope that Summer will bring plenty of warmth and sunshine as I desperately feel a need for both.

I've been keeping an eye on the elderflowers around and about as I'm hoping to make a nice big batch of cordial again this year. The above photo was taken nine days ago, and since then most of the bushes I walk past are now in full floral froth. It's a glorious time of year and I absolutely love to (literally) bottle it up - I'll go and buy the sugar, lemons and oranges tomorrow so that I can get busy with it over the weekend if it stays dry. The recipe is on my blog here >> {Elderflower Cordial recipe, scroll down through the long-winded chatty blog post to find it}

What else to tell you? Building work finished here early last week, resulting in the safe dismantling of an old disused chimney stack and the back wall of our house being repaired and repointed. We asked the builders if they could leave the actual chimney pot for us as I thought it would be fun to plant something in it - my goodness, we were totally unprepared for the monstrous size of it, it's gigantic! It must stand four feet tall and was on top of a stack of heavy stone which was as high again - imagine, an eight foot tall chimney sitting very precariously on top of our bathroom roof, it blows my mind every time I think about it.

Our back yard is still in disarray because the scaffolding hasn't yet come down. I'm impatiently waiting for that to happen and then I can get busy with cleaning and tidying and planting up my pots for the summer.

The past few weeks I've been in full Mum-mode, supporting Little Lady as she revises and sits her A level exams. I think she's doing remarkably well in terms of managing both her time and her wellbeing, putting in many hours of revision and coping with a certain inevitable level of daily anxiety. She's only got two more exams left to do now, so next Tuesday I anticipate there will be much rejoicing, and I will finally be able to breathe out again.

This past week or two I've been working steadily away behind the scenes, finalising the colour palette for my next CAL blanket which will be revealed in November. I generally work around five months in advance which can be quite challenging for someone like me who much prefers the do-it-right-now spontaneous approach. Ahhhh......I can't wait to show you more, so exciting! I'm now working on the stitch design and it's been the usual frustrating, stop-start affair, but I spent a good few hours noodling with yarn and hook today and think I'm finally getting somewhere.

Goodness knows how many hours I've spent at the dining table during these past few weeks as it takes a LOT of time to work through the colour and pattern design process for one of my blankets. My whole heart and soul goes into each and every blanket and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well I think that's about all for now, I hope you are doing ok out there in the world and enjoying these mid year months. Despite the emotional ups and downs, this really is my very best favourite time of year by far.

Thanks as always for popping into the Attic to visit, it's always so good to be here for a chat and a catch up....see you again soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

This Week...

This week...the Huntress wore a delightful Spring dress decorated with fresh wild garlic flowers and it made me smile big and wide.

This week...I enjoyed coffee in the park with a good friend, loving the sunshine on my face while we chatted and caffeinated.

This week...I received a beautifully wrapped gift in the post, a surprise from a very generous friend. It turned out to be the most inspirational book, I promise I'll show it to you very soon because I think you'd like it.

This week...I enjoyed running errands on a gorgeously warm and sunny spring afternoon. Walking to the shops is always a visual pleasure and I often feel like I'm on holiday as I go about my quiet business.

This week...there was a lot of  noise (and mess) as we have builders doing emergency work on the back of our house. That glorious old chimney stack is going to come down because its leaning dangerously, and the whole of the back wall is being repaired.

This week...I admired the old Yorkshire stone that our century old house is built from. I'm looking forward to seeing it repointed and brought back to life.

This week...yesterday in fact, I took my Little Lady out to breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and her good natured, chatty company.

This week...my Little Lady officially left school to begin her A level study leave and it's proving to be a highly emotional time for yours truly, unexpectedly so. She dressed up so beautifully for her farewell celebrations and it reminded me of this long-ago post when she was just four years old. And now....she's eighteen and no longer a school girl. All the Mummy feels, alllllll of them.

This week...I finally finished my umpteenth round of sampling and came to a decision about my latest blanket. It needs reworking with a bigger hook size and less colour changes, so I'm preparing to start all over again from scratch. Weirdly I'm not unhappy about starting over (I'd already made about a quarter of the blanket), I'm just excited to get busy with it again.

This week...I tried hard to find the joy in my working-from-home situation. It's been noisy with the builders knocking seven bells out of the back wall and the whole house needs a good tidy and clean. Everything has felt a bit overwhelming this week to be honest. But the kitty has been such a sweet companion and despite the messy chaos, I felt grateful for this rather haphazard home-based working life of mine.

I hope your week has been a good'n' - tell me something you're grateful for, I'd love to know....

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Spring Joy

After a long winter, the spring season has exploded all of a sudden here in my patch and it really is quite something. Despite the temperatures often remaining very wintry, it's been utterly beautiful and I've been out there drinking it in at every opportunity.

The blossom in the park reached it's peak at the start of May and it was absolutely breath taking this year. During my early morning walks I would stand underneath those floral branches and sigh with pleasure. They filled me with joy every single morning (even in the drizzle).

I went for a little rummage in the antique centre one morning and realised it had been a good few years since I'd last been in. It's a very quirky old place set across three floors, kind of ramshackle and chaotic with an old fashioned, nostalgic atmosphere. It's a wonderful place for a poke about as you never know what you might find - I picked out this teeny old glass bottle for £2 and it was love at first sight. It's perfect to display some miniature spring blooms, and yeah I'm a bit in love with that cute little viola too.

Do you remember me telling you a while back that I've got some new bedding? I've wanted to change my bedding for ages as my bargain £10 supermarket set has faded a lot with constant wash and wear over the years and was looking very tired. As I only ever own one set at a time, it's important to me that I really, really like it because it will be on my bed all the time for many years to come.

I fancied something relaxed that had the look of faded linen and I fell for this Pyjama Stripe design which has exactly the relaxed holiday vibe that I was after. It's not actually linen but is 100% cotton so it feels ever so soft, and I bought some blush pink linen covers for our second set of pillows. It occurred to me when I was plumping my pillows that my Dune blanket would go really well with this new look, adding to the coastal feel. It's inspiring me to think about decorating and refreshing our bedroom, it's about time we gave that room a bit of attention I think.

May weather so far has been very mixed, and in amongst the unseasonal cold we've had a few warm sunny days here and there. You can be sure that I've been out and about making the most of it and we enjoyed our first al fresco morning coffee of the year a few weeks ago. One of our favourite cafés has the cutest little courtyard garden for customers to enjoy, and it felt so good to be sitting outside enjoying the early spring warmth. 

The past couple of Sundays we've taken a local walk along the canal, setting out quite early before the tow path gets busy with cyclists and walkers. We have a good reason to walk this way, and that reason has feathers......

......which belong to this flock of chickens!

They free roam in this large field right next to the canal, and close to the farmhouse there is a wooden stand where you can put money into a little flowery tin and pick up a box of eggs. It's one of the joys of living in a rural area, and being able to see the chickens looking so happy and content going about their clucky business makes the eggs extra special.

The eggs in question are very fresh and are excellent for poaching because the whites hold together in a very satisfying blob (if you've ever made poached eggs using this method, you will know the utter satisfaction of whites that hold tight).

The yolks are super-golden.....

....and make my oat pancakes turn out bright yellow. As a result of our canal side jaunts, my Sunday brunch meals have mostly been of the eggy variety, and have made me very content with weekend life.

I'm getting a lot of joy from food at the moment, there is something deeply satisfying about making a meal for one that sits beautifully in a bowl and looks colourful and nourishing.

This was my lunch on Monday, a roasted sweet potato and chickpea salad with a simple olive oil/lemon juice/maple syrup dressing that really hit the spot. The secret ingredient was little snippets of sundried tomatoes, gosh, the flavours were something else.

J and I are walking every morning still, and have gone back to our woodland route now that mud season is over.

The wild garlic is in full flower and looks unbelievably beautiful at the moment. I think any flowers en masse have a really striking effect and although I get to see this spectacle every single year, I can never quite get over the sheer abundance of it.

The flowers are so, so pretty, and don't get me started on the heady scent in the woodland after a night of rain....I can't find words to do it justice.

On the morning when I was taking the wild garlic photos above, I came across a huuuuuuuge feather just laid in the middle of the pathway waiting for me. It was absolutely pristine and so big, just like you would imagine an old fashioned ink quill pen to look. I can't imagine what bird it would have come from as it's way bigger than any feather you'd expect to find in the woods. Any ideas?

Tilly was beside herself with the Wanties so I've had to hide it from her for now because I just know she would have hunted it down if it joined my feather collection on the mantel. Yes, I have a feather collection - of course I do. In fact, if you cast your eyes downwards and look at the photo below, you'll see it on the left of the mantel next to my Observer books....

.....do you see the feathers? Or were you too mesmerised by my gorgeous tulips!?! It's a good time of year for shop-bought tulips, they are plentiful and affordable and I really love having them on my table.

Talking of tulips, I came across something last month which I've squirrelled away in my brain for next year - a possible visit to an actual tulip field here in England, wouldn't that be something? The field in question is down in Norfolk and opens to the public for a few weeks each year to raise money for charity...oh my heart....I pretty much hyperventilated with excitement when I saw the photos. The open season is ticketed and in high demand I think, so it's a trip that needs careful planning with some good fortune thrown in. 

Ahh, it's been really good to catch up with you here in the Attic, I love sharing snippets of this and that, the little joys that make up my days. The spring season is extremely short here in the north of England because we have such lengthy winters, but in a way it makes them even more special. I hope you're enjoying this season too, and finding lots of little joys in your own days xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Routine Days

I was reading back through my very early blog posts the other day, the ones that I wrote in March 2008, fourteen years ago. I went back to find the first Easter I ever wrote about, and once I was re-living my memories I carried on reading through a whole chunk of the first spring and summer that I shared in Blogland. It was fascinating, honestly, to see how my writing style has changed over time - in my head I haven't changed the way I write at all, but reading back I see that my written voice has definitely altered with age and experience.

One thing that really struck me was how massively my word count has increased as the years have passed. In the early years of my blog I pretty much posted daily Monday-Friday but my posts were often super short with just a couple of photos and a few paragraphs of blurb. It made me ponder on which style makes for better reading - longer, chatty posts published less frequently, or short blog entries posted four or five times a week? Which do you prefer? I think I really like a mixture of the two, and that's because I like to keep my posts spontaneous and true to how I'm feeling at the time. 

Anyhow, that's what's been on my mind of late, in case you were wondering. And in other news, I've got fresh flowers on my table again and they are giving me all the happy, joyous feels, I absolutely adore tulips.

On Monday the Little Peeps returned to school and that meant that my 5.30 alarm clock was back in action. I was weirdly excited to get back into my morning routine which included my first workout since having covid over a month ago (boy, that was a killer ten minutes), followed by a 45 minute walk with J. 

I've missed these early morning adventures, the light is really beautiful at this time of year and for the past three mornings I've been drinking it in with gratitude.

These photos were taken this morning as we walked through the park around 7 o'clock, and as you can see it was bloomin' cold with frost still clinging to the grass in the shady areas.

Oh, but just look at the trees, the blossom is finally blossoming and it is absolutely glorious. What a beautiful way to start the day.

Always enjoying my morning coffee (yeah!) but then you know that by now :)

I'm back to healthy eating this week, a reset of sorts which I feel is much needed. I indulged quite a bit over the Easter holidays eating and drinking a lot of things that I very much enjoyed in the moment (hello gin and tonic, also hellooo cake and hot cross buns and chocolate) but which made me feel sluggish and disrupted my sleep patterns. So I'm cutting right back on refined sugar and I'll stay alcohol free for a little while now too. It feels good to be nourishing myself with healthy food choices again, I do genuinely love eating this way so I'm happy creating meals that make me feel energised.

I'm trying to drink more water too, because coffee is fabulous for the emotional feel-good but our bodies really need to be properly hydrated throughout the day. I've started adding cucumber slices to my water bottle and oh-my-gosh this has been such a game changer for me. I don't usually find plain water especially appealing, but cucumber-water, well, that's on a whole new level - so refreshing!

Getting back into routine also means getting back to my hooky life. I'm currently crocheting a new bag made from pure wool in a lovely squishy aran weight and I'm really, really enjoying the yarn therapy. The squish factor is delicious, it really is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter 2022

Thank you for all your lovely messages following my last post, you always show me such kindness and support and I am ever so grateful for that I can tell you. After a slow, restful week I'm feeling a smidge brighter so I thought I would spend some time trying once again to catch up here.

At some point I'll tell you a bit more about what's going on in Dorset, my Dad isn't doing so good and it's a huge cause of worry for me. I try and shake it off because worrying doesn't really help - at this point in time there is very little to be done other than to wait things out. So although I still absolutely LOVE to be in Dorset to reconnect with my special place, it takes a lot out of me emotionally.

I was really glad to come home after five days away, but I came back to a house that desperately needed attention on all fronts. J is really great at making sure the Little Peeps (and the kitty) are fed and safe, but that's the extent of his housekeeping. Things like laundry, basic bathroom and kitchen cleaning (which needs doing every day in house with three children), recycling, tidying, food shopping - it all got a bit neglected. It made me realise that even though I am very slack when it comes to cleaning, I actually do way more daily housekeeping jobs than I give myself credit for. Put it this way - there was a LOT that needed my attention when I got back, so I spent pretty much a whole day getting on top of the jobs, including four loads of laundry. I know I was missed, I got multiple hugs from two out of three children and J was definitely very happy to have me home again.

I've come to realise in recent years that having familiar routines and gentle structure to my days is a highly underrated source of contentment. I always used to say how much I value my freedom, but what I only recently realised is that freedom only feels good for me if it's underpinned by routine. I wonder if this is connected to me getting older, or if it's always been that way and I just never realised it before? Either way, I am grateful for the ease of my days and the familiar rituals which bring me pleasure.

Yeah, it's often all about the coffee for me - well, more specifically the little outings with family or friends which surround the coffee drinking. I just love hanging out in cafés, there is something about the happy, relaxed ambience of a good indie coffee shop that greatly appeals to me. It's been a part of my life ever since I moved here fourteen years ago and found my way into an unexpectedly wonderful "café lifestyle". Having J able to join me on many days of the week now is a real pleasure, I happen to really enjoy his company which is something to celebrate after being together for almost thirty years.

During the school holidays we've continued to take our daily walk but it's generally been mid morning rather than our usual early morning jaunt. Sometimes it's just us two and sometimes we manage to persuade Little B to come with us. Since I had covid I haven't had enough physical energy to do my home workouts but my daily walks give me some much needed gentle exercise each day.

Our little town has been very busy during the Easter holidays with a lot of folks holidaying here, but I don't mind it at all. I love it when the town feels jolly and bustling and thriving, it's a special kind of feeling to know that I live in a place where people actually choose to come on holiday. I quite like strolling leisurely around the place pretending that I'm on holiday myself and wondering if I look like a local or a visitor, have you ever done that? 

The canal is getting busy again now that the holiday season has started and there are many boats coming and going along the waterways. The boat in the above photo is a local resident, it's a small open air one which offers short 30 minute cruises. We've been on it a few times in past years when the Little People were small, ah, fond memories of playing tourist in our home patch.

We hadn't made any plans for  Easter weekend and that felt absolutely just right for me. I've been trying to conserve my energy and rest when I feel like my body needs it, so have kept socialising to a minimum just lately. Since my blanket making has been put on hold (sill undecided what to do with that) I've been spending time doing other creative things instead of crochet. Over the Easter weekend I occupied myself with this unbelievably cute little stitching project from the spring Craftpod box. 

This was stitching on a teeeeeeeny tiny scale - delicate little lines of blanket stitch to join the felt pieces together, and simple black embroidery to create the face....

......awwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!! Such a sweet project and well worth the effort involved in creating it.

My little lamb became the guardian of the mini eggs over Easter weekend - I think I refilled this dish three or four times but that's exactly how it should be at Easter. I bought the Little People a modest sized Lindt easter egg each (this one) and they were very happy with my choice (we are all huge fans of Lindt chocolate in this house). But for me it was enough to have these little eggs to enjoy, gosh, I do so love them and Easter is not complete without them.

I went into the Attic eaves and dug out the old shoe box marked Easter which contains much loved decorations gathered over many years.

Some are shop bought and some are handmade and I love the happy, colourful chaos of it all.

The pattern for the little flowers is ((here)) and the Mini Chicklet pattern is ((here)), with Mini Bunny variation ((here)).

On the absolute spur of the moment I crocheted some new decorations for my twigs on Easter Monday, but you'll have to wait until next Spring to see those. I know, so mean of me! But I've written up the pattern (they are crocheted eggs with little flowers) and have made a note to share it next year in good time for you to purchase the polystyrene shapes and make them yourself if you want to. 

When I unpacked my Easter box I discovered these really pretty paper honeycomb egg decorations that I'd purchased last year, but which had arrived too late to use for Easter '21. It was a lovely surprise to find them and I hung them up across the archway where I have fairy lights all year round. I bought them from eBay ((here)) - I don't think I'll ever tire of decorating for seasonal celebrations and in many ways I love Easter decorating more than Christmas.

Right now as I sit and write to you there aren't any flowers on my table (shock horror!) and the whole room feels bare without them. I had a beautiful jug of spring blooms flowering away over the Easter weekend, a mix of hyacinths, tulips and the most fabulous frilly daffs, oh, I did enjoy them. Having fresh flowers in the house is high on my list of priorities and I consider them a weekly essential on the same level as milk or pasta. I think we're lucky these days that supermarkets sell beautiful seasonal blooms for just a few pounds so you can easily pop a bunch into your basket along with the groceries. Highly, highly recommended as a feel-good treat.

I've managed to do quite a bit of gentle walking this holiday and  I think walking in a woodland is such a wonderful way to appreciate the seasons and feel connected to nature. Right now in the north of England the trees are just starting to show the very first signs of greenery, but it's on the ground where you really take note. The wild garlic is at its peak (in terms of leafage) and as usual it's looking (and smelling) absolutely magnificent in the woods where I live. As you can see, it grows in abundance so I always feel OK about picking a small handful of leaves because it doesn't harm the plants at all and there is just soooo much of it.

I made some delicious pesto using around 100g of wild garlic leaves combined with a small handful of fresh basil, olive oil, lemon juice, 50g parmesan and 100g cashew nuts. It was absolutely insane - the flavour was incredible and we've eaten it for several meals simply tossed through with a good pasta.

I've spent some lovely time with my Little Lady this holiday, making the most of these last few weeks of her childhood before she turns eighteen next week. She is such a delight and I love our easy friendship, in fact I was thinking just the other day how grateful I am for the fact that all three of my offspring are very low drama and cause us the minimum of parental concern. I am truly grateful and make sure to tell them often.

Little Lady is coming through a fairly stressful period in her life right now (A levels begin in just a few short weeks, and then the BIG decision about university), so I've been supporting her in every which way I'm able. Often times it just means regular check-ins with her to make sure she's doing OK, a quick chat to catch up and hear her current thoughts and plans. But sometimes I find the need to parent more strongly, to dig in and pull her out of her anxiety and over thinking. If the weather permits, the pulling is usually something physical - a walk through the woods or a visit to her favourite coffee shop to get her to detach from screen time and breathe in a different environment. I've found it's much easier for her to offload her worries when we are walking, it's less intense I guess and a more natural way for us to talk things through.

In the above photo we had walked into town to pick up her favourite iced latté as a takeout, then strolled along the canal and into the park to sit, sip and chat. We spent almost an hour sat on the grass with the sun on our faces, taking in the view and talking about all sorts of things and later that evening she came to me just before bed to thank me for it. Sweet girl, she really is.

I absolutely love love love this time of year, in particular the light evenings that we are gifted after what seems like the longest dark season. In the above photo it's just after 8pm and I was walking home from my weekly Slimming World meeting. It's what I dream about in October when darkness closes in around 4pm, these beautiful, long, light-filled days of spring and summer are what my soul lives for.

I mean, how beeeeeeautiful is this sky? No filter, no editing, the sky really was this colour the other night.

It's been really nice to catch up with you, and I hope that my words are reading OK because I generally don't edit them once they have spewed out onto the page. What you read is what comes directly forth from my brain pipes, so here's hoping it all makes some kind of sense.

Today it's Saturday and we are back to work and school on Monday. I've enjoyed this much needed restful holiday but at the same time I do feel ready for some gentle routine to underpin my days again. It's all about the balance I guess.

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