Attic24

Beating the Gloom

Helloooooo my lovelies, thank you so much for stopping by the Attic for a catch up, I hope you're doing OK out there?!! Tell me, how was your weekend? Here at number 24 we've had a beautifully slow few days and I've been grateful for the gentle pace. There has been time to sit and ponder, time to rest and recharge, time to spend with J and the Little People watching films, chatting and eating together. It's been restorative I'd say.

On Saturday morning J and I kept up our usual routine and walked into town together. Yes we are on lockdown here and most shops/cafés are currently closed but we are committed to supporting our small independent retailers whenever we can. This meant a chilly walk to visit the few stalls on the market that are permitted to trade, to stock up on fruit, veg, eggs and cheese. Our butcher and baker are still open too, so I called in for meat, a loaf of bread and some sweet treats for the Little Peeps. It was very, very quiet on the streets as you would expect, but it felt good to be out for a little while. Combining exercise with essential food shopping seemed like a good weekendish thing to, and I was equally glad of both. Our final stop was the coffee shop where I picked up some takeaway coffees to bring home. It wasn't quite the same vibe as our lovely little café, but it was warm and cosy on the sofa and the coffee was excellent.

We set out to walk through the woods in the early afternoon.....

.....and despite the murky gloom....

....there were the occasional glimpses of blue sky from time to time. The blue didn't last for long, but I promise you I appreciated it fully while it was in evidence, casting my vision up through the mostly bare branches to drink in the beautiful light and colour. 

As is my thing, I paused at the top of the hill to take a deep breath and spend a mindful moment - this ritual has become important to me in recent weeks. I am so thankful for this homely town where I live, and I like to take a moment to stop and practice some gratitude for that fact, in a place where I can look out across the rooftops and feel the connection. I can highly recommend making time for moments of mindfulness during your day, I do think it really helps to lift the mood and beat the gloom. 

I spent the afternoon catching up with some chores (sadly the laundry basket doesn't empty itself) whilst also squeezing in a little bit of stitchery. It snowed onto my green fabric - pretty little stitchy white flakes!

Sunday came and went in a blur of grey, gloomy weather. Unusually for me I didn't take any photos on Sunday so I'm hard pushed to remember much of it. We walked in the woods but the light levels were very low. Plus we had Little Lady walking with us so it was lovely to appreciate her company and to be fully present without having my attention pulled this way and that by potential blog photos, if that makes sense. We lit the fire in the early afternoon and I cooked a roast chicken for dinner, and that's about all I can recall. Oh, there was stitching too - more of that in a bit.

Today we remained embedded in the gloom, the grey just refused to lift. 

In fact, it's been foggy for days on end here so that it feels like we are in a constant state of twilight. I can't say I like it very much.

After dropping Little B at school, J and I decided to walk through the park.

It rained last night and I loved how this shrub was glistening with big fat raindrops. The way the droplets caught the light fascinated me, they looked like precious jewels.

You can see what I mean when I talk about The Gloom - our whole landscape has been shrouded in this heavy, low slung cloud which has made it feel cold, damp and well, gloomy. There is no better word for it. Having said that, it still felt remarkably good to stride out in it, breathing in the grey and feeling the cold freshness of it doing me good. 

As you can see, yesterday I made good progress with my cross stitching, and the snowflakes were joined by cute little trees, leaping reindeer and some pretty evergreen foliage.

I got into that addictive zone yesterday where I just could not put it down and I stitched right into the evening, sat squished on the end of the sofa with the Little People and Tilly taking up the rest of the space (they were watching a film while I was obsessing over my weeny crosses). I have a very handy light which I use for evening stitching, it's one of those bendy ones that hangs around your neck, do you know what I mean? I'll see if I can find a link for you..........here you go....on Amazon ((here)). It allowed me to stitch golden reindeer in a darkened room lit only by the glow of the fire and my mulled wine candle. It's a marvellous gadget, truly. 

Well, it's been lovely catching up, but right now it's around 8pm and yes, you've guessed it.....I'm going to go and cosy up by the fire now and stitch, stitch, stitch. I do believe there's a bough of holly and a couple of robins which need my attention.

Byeeeeeeeeee, see you tomorrow!

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ps I haven't forgotten about blogging about my exercise/diet routines for those who've been waiting. Hoping to do that tomorrow xx

 

 

 

November Rituals

After a very murky, foggy start to the day and a bit of a bleugh morning in general, things were looking very much brighter by lunch time. I'd been waiting patiently for J to finish up on his work call so that we could get out of the house and enjoy what looked to be an unexpectedly lovely November afternoon.

Every day when we visit the woods I wonder just how many leaves will be left. I know pretty soon there will come a day/night when we have strong winds and the whole lot will literally come tumbling down in one swoop, it always does seem to happen very quickly at the end. Right now there are still leaves to be seen, and they are looking glorious. I am constantly reminded of my Woodland Blanket at this time of year as I find these bright sunny autumn days very inspirational. The colours in nature lift my mood and never fail to bring on the happy vibes even when life feels like a bit of a slog.

During November I notice the sun stays pretty low in the sky even at midday, creating long shadows and a gentle slanting glow across the woodland paths. This low sunlight even manages to make the mud look good, and that's pretty amazing in my book.

Despite me feeling very wobbly today, there have been some happy moments. The October Cotton & Twine subscription box arrived in the post and I couldn't be more excited to stitch this beautiful seasonal design. I made a start and managed a few snowflakes but today was one of those days where the hours felt like minutes and the whole day seemed to slip away very quickly.

Ahhh, but here comes the weekend and I'm hoping for some little pockets of quiet stitching time, fingers crossed. I love love love the way that cross stitching slows my mind right down, and the repetitive, slow, rhythmic nature of it is very soothing. It's an extremely therapeutic craft I think, I can highly recommend it.

In other happy November news, I have hyacinths in the Attic!!!!!! YIPPEEEE!!!!!!!!!! This is one of my most favourite rituals of the season and I've been buying these pots of bulbs from the supermarket ever since I came to live here thirteen years ago. The tin pots change every year (you can see last years design in this post - you'll need to scroll down, it was a rambling one!) and I love this years offering. I don't usually go for gold, but I do rather like the shine of it on my mantel. Judging by the colour of the actual bulbs, I think these will be white flowers but there was no label on to tell me so they may well be bright pink. It'll be a festive surprise, and I am probably way more excited for it than I should be. I honestly can't wait, I bloomin' love hyacinths.

We had the most stunning cloud display this afternoon as we walked to school, I was absolutely transfixed by them. It's quite hard work walking down a steep hill whilst also trying to photograph the sky (we were running late so J wouldn't stop to wait for me), but I managed just about.....

....look at this one! This was me pointing my camera directly upwards where the telephone wires spread out to all the houses in my street. It kind of makes me feel dizzy just looking at it!

We were walking at a fair old pace down the hill....

....but I managed to stop and snap a quick photo of the canal as I crossed over the bridge. It was looking extremely atmospheric I thought, and very Novemberish. 

I lit the fire as soon as we came home from school as the house felt chilly and also I felt in need of some comfort and cheer as well as some warmth. We opened our mini bottle of prosecco (this seems to have become a Friday evening ritual) and everything suddenly seemed to settle for a while. I've felt out of sorts today, and despite managing to find so many things to be happy about, I've still had this underlying feeling of melancholy. I guess it's all part of lockdown life, emotions ebb and flow and I try to allow my feelings to surface without attempting to analyse them too much.

I did still get that wonderful Friday Feeling though, especially once Little Lady came home from school and all my brood were safe at home again. There is something so fundamentally settling about having all the family together under one roof, especially at meal times.

J always cooks a simple dinner on a Friday which I really appreciate, it's a treat for me to sit by the fire and have him in the kitchen for a change. Tonight he cooked up some meaty butchers sausages and served them hotdog style in bread rolls with fried onions and skinny French fries, and the Little People were allowed to eat in front of the TV. It's a Friday ritual which goes nicely with the prosecco I find. 

Oh, and I'm still madly in love with my mulled wine candle. It's just so perfectly Novemberish. The house smells delicious.

Before I go, there is something I just want to tell you about, something that always makes November a very exciting happy month for me.......

..........uh-huh, it's almost time for me to tell you about my next blanket adventure!!!! I've been getting lots of enquiries about the next Attic24 CAL on my social media so I thought I would give you the dates now so that you know what's coming.

I've been working on a new blanket design called "Meadow" which is inspired by the place that I walked almost every day during our months of lockdown (March-June) when I really needed to feel calm and grounded. The little wild flower meadow at the bottom of the park became my sanctuary and the colours of the flowers, grasses and distant summery hill views inspired a truly beautiful colour palette. 

I'll be able to show you a little more of what I've been working on in the next few weeks - yarn packs will be going on sale in my shop at Wool Warehouse on Tuesday 24th November (just under three weeks from now), and as in previous years I'll be sharing the blanket pattern as a Crochet-A-Long project at the very start of 2021. I can't wait to show you more.

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Sunday Vibes

I had another slow start to the day and have really enjoyed my long morning sleep-in's this weekend. I feel as if I've needed them after a few weeks of poor sleep and it's just wonderful to feel more like my normal self again. Hoorraaaayyy!!! I think it was almost 9am when I finally got myself out of bed, I was awake before then, but sat a while to catch up with all your comments left on my blog yesterday - THaNk YoU!!!!! Thank you so much for all your enthusiasm and positive feedback on my Blogtober endeavour, I truly appreciate it. I'm secretly quite proud of myself for managing a whole thirty one days as it was quite a commitment of time and energy. But here I am on day thirty two of this blogging streak and I don't seem to have run out of things to say.....I mean I've still got coffee cups to show you!

J and I snook off at around 10ish to sit a while at our favourite table next to the window in the café and enjoyed coffee (of the outrageously good variety) and a plate of toast. I am very aware that our café-going days are numbered as from Thursday we go into another whole month of national lockdown. Sigh. I don't yet know whether cafés will be permitted to stay open if they offer a takeaway service, I am keeping all digits crossed.

When we stepped out of the café the weather was unexpectedly lovely, so on the spur of the moment we decided to walk home "the scenic way". This involves following the tow path from the canal basin as it runs under the little hump-backed road bridge....

....and keep walking along the water's edge as we wind our way out of town. I love the above photo, I have a slight obsession with reflections in water and am absolutely mesmerized by them. I could stand and gaze at the water for ages when it is still and clear like this.

This is such a cute little pathway - the canal is on the right and to the left (hidden from view) is the beck. It's lovely to walk with water on both sides, and I enjoy the contrast of the still canal water on one side and the rushing of the beck as it tumbles over rocks in a series of mini waterfalls on the other side.

The sunshine was so welcome, especially as the weather forecast had been full of stormy-laden doom and gloom. I had to keep reminding myself that today is the first day of November as it really didn't feel like it.

Onwards along the raised walkway with the castle standing high above us on the right.

I don't know if you can see the little robin perched on a branch in the above photo? He was sat in the sunshine singing his little heart out, such a sweet sound for a Sunday morning.

We weren't going into the woods today as we didn't have the right footwear on for a muddy walk. Instead we followed the little lane round as it curves away from the woodland towards my "gratitude view" out over the town that I often share with you. I am very drawn to this ramshackle old tin shed - over the years it has blended more and more into it's surroundings as moss and ivy have claimed it. I think it's charming even though it is very dilapidated.

I was admiring my yellow chrysanths earlier, still going strong more than 2 weeks since I bought them (on Day 13 of Blogtober). What amazingly good value they turned out to be, I think they were only £3. They are just beginning to go over now though and the petals are beginning to drop - I think I'll go and see if I can find another bunch this week before we go into lockdown. 

I sat a while and did a little bit of slow hand stitching on my bag lining this afternoon, so that I'm now ready to get going with attaching the handles. This project really, really needs to be finished, it's top of my to-do list for this week. Item number one - Finish The Bag. 

Underneath the Summer Harmony and Tilly cat combo is Little Lady. She spent an extended time on the sofa this afternoon watching children's cartoons on TV - she isn't well right now. No, not the virus, just a bit of a head cold I think as her sinuses are blocked (she does seem to frequently suffer with this kind of thing). I don't like it when one of the Little People are ill, even though the eldest two are no longer children really, I still feel anxious when they aren't well. I made her a mug of warm lemon and honey with a Lemsip powder thrown in to try and help decongest her little blocked up tubes. She was feeling very sorry for herself, poor love.

The weather turned really mean and nasty this afternoon with high winds and heavy rain lashing against the window. I lit the fire and settled down on the floor cushion beside the hearth to soak in some of the warmth and comfort. I finally managed to finish reading October Country Living (I feel like it's taken me all week) - I can now pass it on to my good friend who will devour it cover to cover before taking it to the hospital where she works. I like the idea of actively recycling my feel-good magazines. I love to think of the many patients who will be sitting in the hospital waiting room in the weeks to come, enjoying some colour and uplifting imagery to take their mind off the business of sitting and waiting.

I started putting together a Blogtober round-up post earlier, but realised quite quickly that it was going to take some time to create it and that I wouldn't manage it for today. I'm making some collages of images (I used to do a lot of these at one time) and I want to chat a little bit about how daily blogging has been for me. I think it's important to stop and reflect back at times, to gather in thoughts and feelings and give them fair consideration before moving onto the next idea, the next phase, the next project.

I also just wanted to say - I don't expect that I can manage to be here in the Attic every single day throughout November, but I will try to be here as often as I am able. With Lockdown coming along once again, my life is going to be running in very small, rhythmic circles of sameyness and I am predicting that some days will feel quite tricky. I am really loving being in my little Attic space though, chatting through the window to you all around the world. Aren't we so very lucky to have this connection with one another? Thank you for sticking around - see you soon

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 31

I woke up with a lovely weekend feeling this morning when I realised it was Saturday, and as there was nothing much that needed my immediate attention I dozed in bed for a while. I always look forward to heading into town with J on a Saturday morning to gather in food supplies, especially as we usually call in at the café for our breakfast on the way home.

It was wild out there this morning! Very, very windy with glowering dark skies promising imminent rain at any moment. When we got into town we realised there was no street market due to the stormy weather forecast, so we made do with what we could get from the shops. Breakfast and some very very most excellent cappuccinos were still on though, and my goodness I did so enjoy my plate of eggs on toast this morning. Perfectly weekendish I'd say.

In the early afternoon we noticed that the weather had brightened a little, so we set out for a walk while the rain held off. I love these little post boxes that are built into old walls, there is something so endearing about them I think. 

We took Little B with us on our walk this afternoon, even though he wasn't too keen. Sometimes you've just got to drag them away from their screens and force-feed them fresh air because it's the right thing to do when you parent a ten year old who thinks he's a teenager. 

I do so love getting out into the fresh air - I expect you've gathered that by now, eh?!

We had wrapped up in raincoats expecting it to be wet, but the strong winds actually blew in some very welcome blue skies for us to enjoy. It was such a treat to look up and suddenly see patches of blue when it had been so dark and grey earlier.

I'm certainly appreciating all the autumn colour at the moment as I know we are on borrowed time as far as the leaves go. Soon enough the branches will be stripped bare and brown will be the prevailing shade. 

I found myself really appreciating the simple beauty of these dead seed heads and I was reminded of the "dead-things wreath" I made some years ago. Haha, I just re-read that post and made myself laugh!

It was blessedly quiet in the woods considering it was the weekend, and we passed just a handful of dog walkers making the most of the unexpectedly dry afternoon. Hello, Stalking Horse, you look so at home right now with the copper beech leaves falling all around you. I love that you are here in our woodland, making me smile each time I walk past.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what a beautiful sight, would you just look at that glorious SUNSHINE!!! A very brief break in the clouds and the sun suddenly burst through the trees up ahead, it was absolutely magical I tell you.

Amazingly the rain stayed away and we made it home un-wetted. I always love this view of the terraced streets running steeply down and then back up again - these are the hills I was referring to a few days ago when I mentioned that daily exercise has really improved my fitness levels. You do need a reasonable bit of stamina to walk these streets at a brisk pace and there was a (long) time when I struggled, although I hated to admit it. By the way, I will be chatting about my exercise stuff in a separate blog post as so many of you seemed interested in what I'm up to.

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Around 3pm I made a start on the pumpkin carving. My top tools for the job are rubber gloves and a metal ice cream scoop - these are a winning combo and I had the innards scraped out in no time at all. I've saved some of the flesh to make pumpkin soup tomorrow and I'm already looking forward to it. To do the actual carving I just use a small vegetable knife, nothing fancy. I print or draw a design onto paper, place the paper onto the surface of the pumpkin and trace the design with a pencil, making sure to press down hard. This leaves the design lightly scored onto the pumpkin surface, it's just enough so that you can see where to cut.

I carved three pumpkins this year, one large one and two small ones. The Little People watched on with a mixture of fascination and annoyance - they know full well by now that pumpkin carving in this house is strictly a Mummy Activity, and they will not be permitted to "help" in any way, shape or form. I am just a weeny bit mean with it, I am sorry to admit it, but also.......not sorry. Mine, all mine.

In previous years I have purchased additional pumpkins and helped them design and carve their own creations, so I feel I have done my bit. This year nobody was at all bothered when I mentioned pumpkins to them earlier in the week, that is until they saw me at the table this afternoon and then suddenly they wanted in. Ah, shame, but then there's always next year.

As there was no trick or treating this year, we had a beautifully peaceful evening compared to the bobillion rings of the doorbell we usually get on Halloween night. I bought some large foil trays (the sort you buy for roasting a chicken) and spread out a variety of mixed sweetie treats, then left them on the steps for any passing witches or ghouls to help themselves. It seemed like the right thing to do, and I hope that the Littlies liked my pumpkins this year............

...........Ta-dah!! I think they turned out ok.....Happy Halloween🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷!!!

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PS....I know it's the 31st today and Blogtober has now officially finished, but I think I shall continue to be around in the days to come. I have thoroughly enjoyed being present here each day, it's been fun, hasn't it? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 29

Today has been a thoroughly wet affair from start to finish. It was raining when I got up, and as far as I know it's still raining now, although of course it's dark out there beyond the cosiness of home so I don't know for certain. I'm currently sat on the floor in front of the fire with my laptop on the coffee table and my legs stretched out underneath. It's warm and very snug in here as I lit the fire about six hours ago - it really is so lovely having an open fire, I know I keep saying it but it's absolutely one of the highlights of the season for me. J has just made me a cup of tea so I'm all settled in for a chat, although I do need to warn you that I feel pretty tired so I apologise in advance if I begin to drift or ramble.

We went for a jaunt around Bolton Abbey this morning and yes, it was a very drippy wet walk. We started out in a light drizzle and ended up in full on wet rain, but it didn't take away from the pleasure of it. The river was rushing by at a super fast speed, the trees looked amazingly beautiful and despite the crowds we still managed to find a sense of tranquillity in the woodland. Little B was in good spirits and very chatty - I had the pleasure of his company for much of the walk which is a rarity these days. You will be shocked to hear that we didn't stop for coffee (I know!!), we were just too sodden to think about sitting in a café and decided instead to come straight home to change into dry clothes and light the fire.

I spent the early afternoon snuggled under a blanket in the Big Chair with Tilly for company, drinking coffee and catching up with my October issue magazines. I'd only managed a quick browse through before today, but I do like to take the time to read through all the articles and examine the inspirational images in great detail. There was a "seasonal makes and bakes" feature in Country Living which obviously influenced me massively because I began to really crave ginger biscuits. So much so, I could not stop thinking about it so I did the only thing possible in the circumstances and went into the kitchen to bring some gingery goodness into my life. Unfortunately I very quickly discovered we had no ground ginger, so ginger biscuits were a no go. Waaaaahhh!!! I was so disappointed! But I was on a biscuit mission by then so I made an instant decision and knocked up some lemon shortbread biscuits instead. I had fun using some little leaf cutters for seasonal appropriateness, and the biscuits tasted wonderful - buttery and zesty and the perfect afternoon munchy material.

I haven't felt like stitching or hooking today so poor Granny Josephine is still in a state. I shall pick her up tomorrow and forge on with her recovery journey I promise.

Right my lovelies, I really do need to go now as I can feel my brain beginning to perform a bit of a spontaneous shutdown. I hope you've had a great day whatever you've been up to and I shall see you all tomorrow....

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 28

Today has been a blissfully slow kind of a day, the very best kind of pace for a stay-home holiday week. J and I were both up and about early this morning so we decided to take a walk up to the farm shop around 8.30am. We walked through the park which was very quiet and peaceful and as you can see, it was sunny - yes, actual, real sunny-sunshine, yaayyyy!! It was so so so lovely to feel the sun on my face for a little while, no matter how brief it was.

Many of the trees are looking bare now, although there are some still managing to hold onto their leaves. 

I stopped for a moment to look up through the treetops at the blue sky, loving the brightness of the still early day. My feet were cosy in my hand knit socks and boots, and my hands were cosy in my hand knit mitts. I was wearing a new sweatshirt top which has a hood that kind of sits quite closely around my neck (it's this one) so I was toasty warm, but the chill of the cold wind on my face was really exhilarating. I felt happy and full of morning energy, it was such a great feeling I have to say.

We paused at the top of the hill to take in the view of the hills before jaunting down the steps and following the footpath all the way to the farm shop. Because we were so early it was wonderfully quiet in the shop. This is something I've come to appreciate when we have to wear face coverings as it can feel very claustrophobic very quickly when it's warm and busy. We only really wanted one thing (well two things if you count the coffee) so it was a speedy in and out pop-n-shop, just the way I like it. 

By the time we were walking back through the park the weather had already begun to change and the sun was gone. I appreciated my al fresco on-the-move latté very much, it tasted pretty good with a back drop of Autumnal nature.

The thing we had walked all the way to the farm shop for was meat, specifically lamb. The meat at the farm shop is always great quality and super fresh so I always think it's well worth the walk to get the good stuff. I made another favourite recipe from the slow cook book for tonights dinner - Lamb Rogan Josh. This is a truly excellent curry, one of the best recipes I've ever come across. As well as dried spice and a generous dollop of spice paste from a jar, this recipe uses fresh cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods to add a really rich, aromatic flavour. It's a long, slow cook (up to 8 hours) which makes the lamb melt-in-the-mouth tender....oh it really did not disappoint, it was absolutely delicious. 

With dinner in the slow cooker, the rest of the day was open for me to get busy with my own thing. So after lunch I fetched Granny Josephine from the naughty corner and prepared her for surgery.

It was a tricky procedure, unpicking parts of the lining, then unpicking the carefully darned in ends so I could frog back the joining seams enough to release the top four corner squares. Granny remained calm, and even with a bit of her top missing she still managed to hold it together. 

I am so so glad that somehow in the midst of my foggiest of brain-fog times last year I managed to not only create a half-square from scratch, but also miraculously managed to write up the pattern for it. I am not kidding when I tell you that I really do not remember doing any of it, it's a complete blank (hahaha, I just type "blanket" instead of blank, and had a little chuckle to myself). 

So I had the joy of following my own pattern to create four new half squares......

.....to replace the ones that I extracted from Granny earlier. I used the same colours for some sort of continuity, although I'm well aware that the photo tutorial is going to be a bit of a mess because of having to re-do this bit but not being able to photograph it properly. Ah well, I trust that you won't mind too much and I'll do my best to explain it all as best as I can. 

In the dwindling daylight this afternoon I managed to join the four half squares into Granny's top half, giving her some dainty sloping shoulders. Ideally I would have liked her to have more depth, but in order to make the handles work, this seemed to be the least tricky path to take. 

As I ran out of light and energy in the late part of the afternoon the lining is just pinned in place for now. Tomorrow I hope to really make some good progress and advance to the handle attaching stage. I am determined to drag Granny Josephine into her Ta-dah spotlight, and take her out on the town when she's all embellished and ready to wow her public. I absolutely can't wait.

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 27

I had a lie in this morning and it was absolutely lush, I woke up around 6.30 but immediately gave myself permission to go back to sleep and my second wake up was around 8am I think. Getting a little extra morning shut-eye is one of the very best bits of the school holidays, especially when the weather isn't playing nice and there are no plans to speak of. As is my usual weekday routine I got up and did a workout this morning and actually really enjoyed it - I never thought this would be me as I've always been more of a lazy pyjama person than a lycra fitness person. But life is full of surprises and finding my way into an at-home exercise routine was one of the very best things that happened for me during Lockdown.

Seven months later and I am really feeling the benefits from regular exercising, not necessarily in the way I look (although this is certainly noticeable) but more to do with my energy levels, state of mind and ability to climb hills without feeling like I'm about to pass out. The latter advantage is a real bonus living in a place full of hills. I generally do five days a week (weekends are for slobbery) and only about 30 minutes maximum a day. If anyone is remotely interested I'll happily give you more details of the kind of things I do - it's all free YouTube stuff where you don't need any equipment, just a small amount of floor space, probably a decentish sports bra and the willpower to commit to it when you are only accountable to yourself. I always feel great afterwards, a bit of a red sweaty mess, but those endorphins are really super little things when they go swimming around in your brain. 

As it was raining this morning, I decided to enjoy my morning coffee treat in the comfort of home. It did mean a wet dash to the coffee shop to collect a take-out, but it's a very short dash which I'm very grateful for. When I came home I cosied up in the hydrangea and felt all kinds of happy just being home with J and the Little People and having nowhere I needed to be, and only the basic chores to get done. I changed over my bedding today, sorted out some recycling, cleaned around the bathroom a little and that was about the extent of today's housework.

Breakfast was a bowl of milky porridge topped with fresh fruit and seeds, my current fave. I ate it quite late this morning (10.45) and by then I was really ready for it. I try and practice some sort of mindfulness when I eat my meals so that I can savour the flavours and enjoy the pleasure of freshly prepared food, but I confess that sometimes I do just scoff the lot without a whole lot of mindful activity. I devoured the above bowl in a matter of minutes, but I'm pretty sure it was utterly delicious.

The weather has been wet, wet, wet all day long and as I sit and write this it is still raining. We were expecting it, the weather forecast for the whole of this week is pretty bad. J and I ventured out to the shops for a few groceries that got forgotten when I placed my online supermarket shop at the weekend. It was nice to get out for a bit of a leg stretch and some fresh air, but honestly it was pretty horrible walking with hoods up and heads down against the driving rain.

We walked along the wet canal, and I took the above photo as I was sheltering under one of the bridges. It was so gloomy and dark, even though it was just after midday.

The churchyard stopped me in my tracks though, all that glorious autumn colour looked spectacular in the gloom of the wet, grey afternoon.

When we got back, I set about making some soup for a late lunch, even though I was pretty sure that I would be the only one eating it. This was to be a green concoction made without a recipe but I was hopeful that the giant market celery would make the soup into something special. My green soup contained two leeks, two cloves of garlic, two ginormous celery sticks, a little bit of broccoli and a whole big handful of fresh green celery leaves. Oh, and a potato, and veggie stock.

It turned out green, but not the vibrant green I was expecting - maybe I needed spinach for that kind of colour and I didn't happen to have any. Taste wise it was very good - I think I overdid the celery leaves a bit but it was kind of like a leek and potato soup with a very strong hint of celery. I made rather a big batch of it, so I'm hoping Little Lady might be tempted to join me for a soup lunch tomorrow, otherwise I guess I'll be freezing it to have at a later date. 

The soup gave me an energy boost and afterwards I felt inspired to finish J's socks.

I have the magic kitchener stitch written out on a piece of paper so that I can chant it out loud as I work the needle, it's a bit like casting a magic spell.

I in no way understand how it works, but by meticulously following the chant with extreme concentration I can manage to make it happen. It really does feel like magic and when it's done properly you can't tell that the darned stitches weren't knitted as it makes a seamless graft. Clever eh?

As soon as I'd finished darning in the ends I asked J if he would like to try them on and he honestly couldn't get them on his feet fast enough....

.....Ta-dah!!!!! One pair of Man Socks complete and already in situ on size ten man feet. I asked him to take them off so that I could wash and block them (they always feel so much nicer to wear after they've been washed and blocked) but he point blank refused. I could not persuade him to remove them, so as far as I know they are still on and keeping his extremities cosy and warm.

I've had a few people on social media ask about the yarn, and I'm sorry to say that since I bought it I've found out that the range has been discontinued. It may still be possible to find it online if you search for it - it's Opal yarn ::

Opal Fairytale : shade 9797 "Heroic Deed"

So I think tomorrow may well be the day for the Naughty Granny Bag to be given a seeing to, I feel ready to get stuck in again and kick that WiP into shape. Wish me luck, and I'll keep you posted!

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 26

Daily blogging is such a strange thing to embark on, and if you've ever tried to describe your days in photos for any length of time you will recognise the slight craziness of the attempt. I was in the café this morning with J having my usual very-very-good cappuccino, and I had to force myself not to take a photo of my coffee to show you. Yet again. I mean, there is only so many times you would want to see evidence of me drinking coffee, surely?? Taking photos for a daily blog means that there is bound to be a slight obsessiveness creeping in, as I think about my blog content a huge amount throughout the day. But at the same time I'm mindful of living my life as normal and pointing my camera only when something really inspires me. Oddly enough, my daily coffee nearly always inspires me haha! There is something about the quiet familiarity of enjoying a favourite drink in a cosy environment which just feels a little bit magical to me. And even though it's something I do most days, it still feels special because I view it as a luxury (both having the money to indulge, and having the time too). I feel almost compelled to try and capture the feeling I get when I am there, to share it with you, to tell you how happy it makes me. But yeah, daily coffee reports are probably a bit unnecessary.

So today I'm showing you my £2 Very Large pumpkin instead of my coffee because it is seasonal and because I am thrilled to a) have the excitement of the upcoming carving fest on Saturday to look forward to and b) chuffed that I remembered to buy a pumpkin a whole five days in advance. That's something to be celebrated, especially after last year when we spent a ridiculous amount of time on the actual day of Halloween driving around various supermarkets and farm shops desperately trying to find one. You'll be pleased to know that I have decided on my design already, but I still need to buy a couple of smaller pumpkins for the effect I have in mind. I don't think trick or treat will be happening this year, but I know we have a few neighbours with young children who still plan on dressing up and going on a pumpkin-spotting trail without knocking on any doors. I'm all for that, and will do my bit.

Speaking of Halloween, I couldn't resist buying some spooky chocolates for my own Little People. I know they are way beyond an age where they get excited when Mummy buys them special seasonal treats, but I don't think you can ever be to old for chocolate.

Today we were back on familiar paths as we took to the woods this afternoon for our usual daily tramp. 

We had a slightly reluctant Little B with us, but he is of an age where he can recognise the benefits of taking some exercise and getting fresh air, especially as it does always feel really good to come back into a warm house afterwards.

It was beautiful in the woods and miraculously stayed dry for us right up to the point where we were about 5 minutes from home and then it absolutely lashed it down. So yeah, we got wet, but it made coming back into the house feel even sweeter.

After changing out of my wet clothes I decided to light the fire a bit earlier than usual.

I made myself a milky coffee and settled on a floor cushion right in front of the fire to soak up the warmth. Nothing beats the comfort of an open fire, I absolutely love love love it. It helps me cope with this long stretch of low-light months and I wouldn't be without it.

I sat there looking at the flames and thought about my yarny projects and pondered grafting the toes on J's socks or tackling the Naughty Granny bag, but I wasn't really in the mood. I am finding it ridiculously hard to concentrate at the moment, my brain feels like a big floofy thing with holes in it, incapable of any kind of decision making or anything that requires me to pay attention for longer than a few minutes. Thoughts and decisions kind of waft away before I can grasp them which makes life quite interesting. I'm looking forward to this crazy hormonal phase passing, I'd quite like to have my old self back again. Any time soon would be good.

So it's been a very average kind of a Monday, and honestly I am more than grateful for this fact. As the days, weeks and months slowly tick by and we are all still in the grips of Covid, I keep saying my quiet thanks for the fact that so far it hasn't troubled me too much. I had/have worries for friends who have been struck down with the virus, and of course like most of us I have been frustrated many times this year by the disruption to planned events and travel. But I am well and healthy and even during weeks like this past one when my sleep has gone haywire and I have felt bone tired, my wellness and health remains good. Like I say, I am grateful.

I hope you've had a tip-top day, and that your head isn't full of airy floof like mine! If you've had yarn in your hands, do tell me what you're working on, I'd love to know xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 24

I had the best nights sleep last night (finally) and woke up thinking that after a pretty tiring kind of week physically speaking I can feel my energy slowly coming back. I am beyond thankful as I really haven't felt like myself this week and I think it's mostly down to my sleep being so disturbed by my crazy out of whack hormones.

I've also come to recognise that during my forties and now into my fifties I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. I can definitely feel the SAD creeping in as our daylight hours shorten, it's the strangest thing to recognise and witness it in my own self, as if I'm looking in from the outside. I find I can cope because my life is generally very happy and low in stress, but close friends tell me they do see a noticeable dip in my mood, energy levels and general wellness between October and March. Time to dig out my daylight lamp, wherever it may be, I have a feeling it might be under my bed so will need to go rooting later. 

Saturday mornings are market mornings, and J and I set out around 9.30 ish usually. I really do appreciate this gentle routine we have going on, it's just so ordinarily lovely and weekendish. In the years when we lived our city life in York we often talked about how much we would like to live in a small market town one day. We fantasised about walking to the market for fresh produce, visiting little independent shops and stopping for coffee in a small cosy café. And here we are, living the life we once dreamed of, and how very beautiful is that thought?! I feel so lucky, really I do, and trust me when I say that I do not take it for granted. 

Up this little cobbled street we go.....

....and half an hour later here I am walking back down the same cobbled street laden down with fresh produce and looking very pleased with myself. The monstrous green leaves you can see poking out of my bag belong to the biggest bunch of celery you ever did see. It's absolutely ginormous and I couldn't resist it's leafy charms and impressive size. Today's market haul consisted of apples, pears, plums, grapes, oranges, cherry tomatoes, Yorkshire black tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, sprouts, celery, leeks and a butternut squash. Oh, and a dozen eggs too. I'm planning on making more soups this week - I'm thinking a green "swamp" soup using some of the celery leaves and the leek (along with some other greens and potato), and a roasted butternut squash soup too. 

Following the road as it crosses over the canal, it was raining and I suddenly felt a little weary with my heavy bag of veggies. But in just a few minutes we were heading into our usual Saturday morning café spot.....

......ahhhhhhhhhh, that's better! Just what I needed! We treated ourselves to breakfast today, just a simple plate of eggs on toast but what a treat to sit in the warmth of a cosy café and wait for someone to bring me food. I love cooking and I especially love making myself breakfast but it's still a nice experience having someone else do it for a change. And did I ever tell you how outrageously good this coffee is (?!) I start to look forward to it around Thursday, no joke. 

The weather has been absolutely horrid today. HORriD I tell you. Gusting winds and driving rain, the poor trees are being stripped of their leaves at a fast rate of knots. The little cherry tree in the above photo is in my neighbours garden - you can see how it looked just four days ago (4th photo down on Day 20) and now look at it, it makes me feel a rising sadness for the loss of the leafage and the true onset of the cold season. It's less than nine weeks till Christmas, can you believe this is true? 

Mind you, horrid weather makes it feel all the more cosy inside and I made sure to set myself up for a top notch cosy afternoon with full blanket coverage and kitty warmth. She was on my lap before I had even spread the blanket out properly, having spied me settling down on the sofa and reaching for the hydrangea blanket she came leaping across the furniture to make herself comfy. Fortunately I already had my phone and my knitting to hand (plus a mug of hot coffee which isn't in the photo) so I was all set for a lengthy cosy-sesh.

Forty five minutes later and we were both still in situ, Tilly having spread herself right out making me feel super-warm, sleepy, comfortable and cosy-content. I managed to keep my eyes open and my brain engaged long enough to finish J's second sock (yay!!). Well I mean I finished the knitting but still have the kitchener toe closing business to see to, and I shall do that tomorrow when I'm not nearly so sleepy.

I lit the fire at four o'clock and J and I enjoyed a small glass of prosecco together. I've started buying the mini 200ml bottles as it's just enough for us to have one glass each in these beautiful vintage champagne saucers. These were given to me by my Dad's partner Lady B, she remembers them from her own childhood in Canada and tells me they were gifted to her mother in the 1940's. I absolutely adore them.

Before I go, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the commiserations you shared with me over the granny bag debacle. I was upset and cross yesterday but I woke up this morning with a workable solution of sorts in my head and in the next few days I think I'll be able to free the bag from the naughty corner. It's all good, and a reminder that the design process doesn't always run smoothly, but that's absolutely OK. For this particular project though, it means that the tutorial will be a bit out of kilter as the photos won't quite match the reality. But I'm hopeful that if I explain it as a general How-to, then you'll be able to understand the basics of it enough to give it a go should you wish to.

Right my lovelies, on that positive note I shall love you and leave you for today, thank you so much for reading my ramblings and for your wonderful comments and dialogue here of late. I appreciate you!

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 22

Well today hasn't quite been the productive go-go-go hive of creative activity that I thought it was going to be, but the slowness has suited me very well to be honest. After the school run I went to have coffee with a friend which was really enjoyable. I appreciate my modest social life very much, and meeting up each week with different friends is just the nicest thing. I missed this part of my life very much during our lockdown months and am making the very most of it right now while it's still possible to go to a café with a few others.

I had a late breakfast when I got back home, then faffed around seeing to the laundry, catching up with emails, and generally just excelling at procrastinating. Even though I am so excited about finishing my bag, I couldn't seem to settle down and get on with it this morning. Oh, I've just remembered that I did go for a woodland walk with J very late on in the morning, but I decided (for once) not to take any photos and just appreciate being in the moment. 

I made carrot and coriander soup for lunch today, and it was absolutely delish. By the way I forgot to thank you for your wonderful soupy suggestions on my Day 10 post - Thank You! I made a little list of the ones you mentioned in the comments and am excited to extend my basic soup repertoire. Here they are, in no particular order.....

Swamp soup - love this! (it's leek, potato and spinach)

Red lentil and bacon

Curried butternut squash

Roasted butternut squash

Chicken leftovers with root veggies and a little milk

Potato and corn chowder

Green soup (watercress, spinach and kale, green pepper, stock and a bit of potato)

Broccoli and stilton

It was especially nice today because Little Lady now comes home from school for lunch and the timing was just right for her to have a hot bowl of fresh soup with some buttered toast. She is more than willing to rustle up her own lunch, but the mother in me still jumps at the chance to provide nourishing food whenever possible. I just can't help myself.

I've got some of the biggest, juiciest oranges in the fruit bowl at the moment, they really are magnificent. The above plate is just half of one (I ate the first half before thinking about taking a photo), and I ate it while browsing through the October issue of Country Homes and Interiors. It's very autumnal and a bit brown inside those pages I can tell you, but dahlias and pumpkins are always good for a hit of seasonal colour.

After lunch I set about catching up with the October #yarnfriendsrock challenge, only a day late. I don't know what it is about Wednesday but I can never seem to hold that day in my head properly. I either think it's Wednesday on a Tuesday or a Thursday! The prompt for this week was " Granny Squares" and although I have lots of archive images involving granny squares I thought it would be fun to take a new photo. I moved furniture, gave the floor a quick whizz over with the vacuum cleaner and set about having a play with my blankets. I do have a good few granny square blankets, shall I list them out for you? Ok, well in the above photo, starting from the back....

1. Patchwork Granny - this was a stash bust project using up lots of odds and ends of yarn.
2. Colourwash Granny - 44 shades arranged in a rainbow-ish wash of colour.
3. Summer Harmony - this uses my Harmony Square pattern worked with my Original 17-colour yarn pack.
4. Aria - my current crush, I love it SO SO MUCH.

And not pictured but still in residence we have....

1. Sweet Flower Granny - a stash bust blanket made for our old carava.n
2. Harmony - a rectangular blanket which uses 14 colours for the squares, all edged in Parma Violet.
3. Baby Granny - cashmerino blanket made when Little B was born.
4. Big Blanket - huge monster double bed blanket.

After all the blanket excitement I did eventually settle down with needle and thread and began making weeny stitches to attach the lining into my granny bag. Very gentle, therapeutic work, slow and steady.

I got about half way round before I felt the need for a refreshment break, then half way through my milky coffee I realised that crikey it's only ten minutes until I need to shoot out for the school run. It's been that kind of day, the hours have wafted by and I feel like I didn't really achieve a huge amount. 

I needed to use up these tomatoes which we bought from the market on Saturday, aren't they strange? The veggie man calls them "Yorkshire Blacks", they are a variety of heirloom tomato which is very juicy and has a great flavour. I'm rather thrilled that my basil plant is not only surviving but thriving on the kitchen windowsill, and I've remembered to water it twice, which is something of a miracle. 

I sliced up the tomatoes, drizzled them with a little olive oil, seasoned them, then ripped up some basil leaves to add that unmistakable summery flavour. They really were delicious. Tonight's meal was a bit thrown together, we had the tomatoes with some other salad things and some falafels (not homemade, but very nice). It wasn't really salad weather to be honest, but I enjoyed all the fresh flavours, plus it was a doddle to pull the meal together - the only thing I actually cooked was some garlic bread which meant I had some time to knit.....

I managed a few rows of my sock in the lull between ripping up the basil and putting the garlic bread into the oven. I pulled the wooden coffee table right up in front of the fire and sat with my feet in the hearth, it was oh so cosy, warm and comforting. My hands have been achey today (cold, wet weather I suspect), did I tell you I've started taking turmeric capsules to see if they help ease the discomfort in my joints? I hope they help, I really do. I've got socks to finish, bag handles to attach and a CAL blanket to work on, I need my hands to be tip top. Fingers crossed.

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