Attic24

Summer Snaps :: late August 2022

Hello, hello, hellooooooo!!!!! How're you all doing out there in the Big Wide World?

I've been meaning to check in here for the past week or so, well ever since Little B returned to school actually, and it's been tricky to find the right time of day/evening when I can be fully present without other things clamouring for my attention. Finally I've managed it - it's 7.30pm and I've come to sit cosy in bed with my laptop as it's been a surprisingly chilly day and I needed the comfort.

I had a long debate with myself earlier on today about how exactly to jump back in here, and in the end decided to give you something of an end-of-summer round up before everything starts to get forgotten in the seasonal shift. Although I'm embracing the return to the school and working routines and the fact that Autumn is sitting very close on the horizon, it's always lovely to look back and celebrate every last bit of Summer.

J had some time off work at the end of August which allowed me to take some time down south (more of that in a bit), but also for us to enjoy a bit of a staycation week here with the Little People.

We took a day trip up to Cumbria to visit a National Trust property called Sizergh. It's quite a grand old house with a huge estate, so we did a four mile circular walk with a picnic lunch, then spent some time enjoying the house and gardens which were at their peak in late August.

The kitchen garden was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't get enough of the abundant colours....

....oh, it was glorious!

I also loved this long walled border which was bursting with later summer colour....

....and attracting a good many bees and butterflies too.

It was a lovely day out and I'm hoping we can do more exploring of new places in the months to come.

Closer to home, we've been getting out and about to walk in the local countryside right on our doorstep. The weather at the end of August and into early September was seriously lovely, remaining bright and sunny and warm enough to walk in t-shirts. I can't adequately describe my constant levels of happiness in relation to the warm sunny summer we've had, but it has been pretty sky high. Finally a summer that behaved itself and truly felt like a Proper Summer!!

I walked and walked, often two or three times a day I would find myself keen to get out there and walk. J and I continue to enjoy our 7am fast-paced, slightly breathless power walks through the woodland (so good, love love love it), then a solo stroll around town sometime in the morning for me - walking along the canal, a trip to the café for coffee, errands to run, groceries to buy. And then sometimes an evening walk too, usually with Little B, to take in the summery evening skies and breathe it all in.

My daily coffee, taken outside most days through the warmth of late summer. I simply can't imagine life without this pleasurable mid morning pause, I love it so much.

I enjoyed being at home as the summer shone on through late August, our sash windows pushed up high to let the warm breeze blow through the house. 

At the every end of August I set off to travel south on the train down to Dorset. This seems to have become the norm for me now - frequent solo visits every 3 or 4 months to touch base with my Dad, making the most of these times when his health is still pretty stable. It's also lovely for me to be back in my childhood place too, and I find myself soaking in that deep-rooted familiarity and feeling very grateful for it. 

I hardly ever eat ice cream, but on this day I joined in with my Dad and Lady B and had an old fashioned Mr. Whippy with a flake. My goodness, what a hit of nostalgia that was, I felt like I was ten years old! 

We strolled slowly, slowly along the promenade - I think my Dad is honestly the slowest walker I have ever met in my life and I have to dig deep to find the patience to slow my own pace down to a dawdling shuffle. But promenades are good places for slow shuffles, so once I adjusted to it, all was well.

The sea was incredibly calm on this day with barely any waves at all, and even though I prefer it when it's noisy and crashing and salty, it was still lovely.

My trip to Dorset was only short this time, and after two nights I was off on my travels again. I took the train and journeyed east into Hampshire - destination Portsmouth Harbour. I was then heading across the water to the Isle of Wight, traveling at high speed on the fast catamaran that operates between Portsmouth and Ryde. It was all very exciting, and a first time for me to travel on a catamaran (you can see here what it looks like, it was much bigger than I expected). I sat next to the window and tried not to fidget too much with over excitement, wishing that the trip was way longer than twenty two minutes long.

It's been eighteen years since I visited the Isle of Wight - one of my best friends from my art/textile uni days lives here and I used to regularly come and stay with her in the years before I had children. We've been friends for thirty four years, isn't that something? It was absolutely wonderful to see her and her family and how much they have grown since I  last saw them (three ginormous, handsome boys, and I mean they are huuuuuuge, well over six feet tall all of them). We had such a fun time, some delicious meals out, bottles of prosecco, chatting in the garden, picking blackberries out in the countryside, walking the dog and generally just enjoying a massive, long over due catch up.

On my last day there we took a long walk all around the eastern coast and it was really interesting to see how different the beaches are. The coastline is very woody with trees coming right down to the beach in many places.

We stopped off for lunch at a really beautiful café nestled into the trees overlooking the beach. It was warm enough for us to sit out on the decking and enjoy a chilled glass of refreshment and some delicious food with stunning sea views. I felt as though I was abroad....I mean, just look at this beach.......

.............just WOW!!!! Isn't it beautiful? You can see the café tucked into the trees above, and imagine how bloomin' delighted I was with it all.

After three super happy days it was time to say goodbye and begin my long journey home. Back across the water to the mainland (that ship is HMS Warrior, an old Navy vessel docked in Portsmouth Harbour), then a train up to London.....

....where everything was it's usual hectic, noisy, crowded, busy city self. Then it was the final three hours on the train back up to Yorkshire, and I tumbled in the front door at around 9.30pm. It was a lot of hours on the move (eight in total) but I happen to like travelling by myself and really enjoyed every bit of it.

I was away for six days in total, and the day before I left decided to cast on a pair of socks. I've not done any knitting since last year and had this yarn waiting patiently to be transformed into stripes. Socks make great travel projects and I really enjoyed knitting the hours away as I journeyed up and down the country.

The sock yarn matches perfectly with my latest blanket too, a delightful happy accident which is making me very pleased with the visual harmony. I'll be able to share my new blanket with you very, very soon - yarn packs will go on sale on Wednesday 21st September. I'll be here to tell you all about the blanket which I've named "Fireside" (cosy, warm and comforting vibes) , and as always there will be a free pattern and tutorial for you too. I'm really looking forward to showing it to you.

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Full Tilt Autumn

We are full tilt into the autumn season now and there is so much to love about it. This past week the weather has been cold and still, and the stillness was the biggest surprise after the high winds we experienced the week before. At first I couldn't quite place what felt different, but gradually I realised it was simply that there was no wind whipping the trees and mussing up my hair. It felt like a quiet sort of relief, the kind you don't know you need until it happens.

As is usual for me at this time of year, I find myself enchanted by the colours in nature and every day there are moments when I can't quite believe how beautiful it all is. It's an intense feeling and very distracting - J often says that I rudely interrupt our conversations because my attention is suddenly caught by some fallen leaves or the way a cloud looks as if it is lit up from the inside (I wish I'd been able to capture the cloud-light in a photograph, it was magnificent, and really did stop me in my tracks and bring a halt to the conversation).

We haven't been anywhere this week, so all my photos come from my walks around the town, either on my way to do something or meet someone, or sometimes just walking around for the pure pleasure of it.

 I know I'm very lucky to have some pretty scenic places to stroll within a few minutes of my front door, and I appreciate it very much. Mind you, even when I lived in very un-inspiring urban environments I still used to walk for pleasure - for most of my adult life, heading out for a walk has been my go-to solution when I need to clear my head, think things through, unwind, or just feel grounded in the moment. I think a simple walk around the local neighbourhood is a highly underrated pastime for pleasure, but also for mental health benefits.

The tourist season is beginning to slow down now that half term is over, although we do get visitors all year round here. In summer the canal is very busy with holiday rental boats coming and going, but now in early November there are mainly day-trip boats on the move.

Along certain parts of the canal the boats don't move at all as they are permanent moorings. Some of them are lived on all year round, and others like the one above are used like summer holiday cottages and get put to rest in the colder weather.

These photos were taken in the mid afternoon one day last week, Thursday I think it was. The weather was bright and clear and like I mentioned earlier there wasn't a wisp of wind in the air.

The still air and bright skies made for the most beautiful reflections in the water, I was absolutely enthralled by them. I've no idea why I find reflections in water so pleasing to look at, but I could honestly stand and stare for ages getting lost in the visual perfection of them.

J and I are still doing our early morning walks and on Friday we had the first frost of the season. It was certainly "crisp" out there at 6.45am, and I was glad I'd put on an extra fleece layer. It was very beautiful though, especially in the park where the grass was frosted to a pale minty green....

....and the fallen leaves were edged with delicate ice crystals.

Our woodland walks are now a weekend treat because it's too dark to walk amongst the trees during the week when we head out so early. 

With only walking this way once a week the seasonal changes are really noticeable, and it's a lovely feeling to observe nature doing her magnificent thing. I am very in tune with the seasonal rhythms of the year and always feel a sense of comfort when I see that all is on track and as it should be. Early November, Autumn is in full swing and all is well.

These woodland photos are from yesterday, J and I walked reasonably early for a Saturday (it was about 8.30am I think) so it was blissfully quiet along the leafy pathways. Strolling in the woods before pootling into town to buy groceries from the butcher, bakery and the market is such a wonderfully weekendish thing and I can't tell you how much I love it. Every single Saturday I get a little jolt of happiness when I realise that this is my life, and I get to do this every single weekend. I just can't seem to get over the happy surprise of it somehow. I think this must be a true definition of contentment, when you keep getting surprised by the routines of life and feeling delighted that they belong to you.

⇈ OK, I'm documenting this as an Autumn-in-full-tilt moment, because honestly it's just too good not to share. Some of you may recall that J and I recently started enjoying a coffee together a couple mornings a week in the teensy little coffee shop at the bottom of our street, it's the one with the William Morris wallpaper. Well, alongside the most yummy coffee they also sell a modest selection of sweet treats, and have recently introduced these traditional Portuguese tarts - "pastel de nata". I've eaten them in Portugal before but never here in England, and J had never tried them so I felt it was my duty to introduce him to the delight of them. Have you ever eaten one? Oh. My. Word. They are utterly delicious in every way, the perfect amount of sweetness and flaky pastryness, and they go ridiculously well with a cup of strong coffee. We are addicted, honestly.

I seem to be all about routine at the moment, and I'm really enjoying all the ordinary, repeating, familiar comforts that make up my weeks. And pastel de nata is a very, very welcome addition.

The little posy of geraniums is just about still going on my table, but they are well past their best and I'll need to think about buying in some fresh seasonal flowers this week. Last year I fell a bit in love with some tiny little yellow button chrysanths, do you remember them? I might see if I can find something similar tomorrow when I'm out and about.

I made a batch of fresh soup on Saturday, again this has become another of my weekly routines which grounds me and feeds my sense of domestic contentment. This week I made carrot and coriander and it was sooooo good. I toasted some pumpkin seeds to add to the top because I've been trying to add seeds into my diet every day for the healthy fats. They added a perfect little crunch and I'll definitely do them again as a soup topper.

In creative news, I've been thoroughly enjoying having woolly socks on my feet every day this week as it's been so cold and it inspired me to knit some more of my Cool Kaffe socks. I can't wait to actually have these beautiful stripes on my feet, so I'll try and get the heels turned this week if I can.

Thanks as always for the lovely, lovely comments you wrote about my Harbour blanket, thank you! I'm really enjoying crocheting this blanket ahead of my CAL, it has a very special rhythm to it which makes for some of the most relaxing crochet I've ever done. I can't wait to share more with you, especially more of the photos from my coastal jaunt earlier in the year. Such happy memories.

Well, I think that's about all my seasonal banter for now, I hope you're enjoying the autumn if you're on this side of the globe, and if you're down under, then I truly hope that Spring is bringing you joy.

Right now it's already starting to get dark (it's 4.30pm) and I'm going to go and light the fire and get on with making the dinner. We're having a roast today, for the first time in a long while and I'm really excited for it - we've got a stuffed pheasant parcel wrapped in bacon which we bought from the local game man who comes to the market. It's very Autumnal fodder I think you'll agree - can't wait!

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December Thoughts

#1 : Pomegranates are just the most fantastical fruits, and despite the fiddlesomeness of them I can't help but love them. Thank you for the advice about the extraction process - I tried the method you recommended, cutting around the equator and banging with a wooden spoon but I just could not get it to work. No matter how hard I banged, no seeds tumbled forth, not one! I wonder whether it's because it wasn't quite as ripe as it could've been? I've got another one sat in my fruit bowl so tomorrow I'll try the cut and bang method again. I shall report back on proceedings.

#2 : I think fresh fruit has to be my all time favourite food group, trumping even chocolate or cake. I've proven to myself this year that I can very easily go days/weeks without eating refined sugar, but I would find it very, very difficult to go a day without fruit. 

#3 : I have a massive, overwhelming hankering to try my hand at colourwork knitting, more specifically I desperately want to make this hat. A month or so ago I spotted a lady at the market wearing the most stunning fairisle beanie hat and I couldn't take my eyes off it. Afterwards I had major regret and wished that I had asked her about it and found out more about the pattern. Then on Saturday when I was queueing at the market to buy cheese I happened to see her again wearing the same gorgeous hat, so I stopped to compliment her and interrogate her about it. Thankfully she was the nicest lady and told me that her Mum had knitted it for her, and she thought it had something to do with the Shetland MRI Scanner appeal. It's so brilliant to have the internet to provide hatty info when you most need it - I came home and immediately found the pattern, woohoo!!!!! It's called "Harriet's Hat" by Harriet Middleton and you can find it here . I need to learn the twisty technique for knitting with two colours in the same row, but I'm determined to give it a go. 

#4 : Beady eyes arrived in the post last week and my festive creature got stuffed and stitched and is now happily living out life on my mantel. Animal faces are extremely tricky things to get right, and I'm not too sure I achieved the elusive Cute Factor with this chappy. He looks ever so slightly vacant and bewildered. I promise to show you more just as soon as I take a few photos of him in situ.

#5 : We had our first snow on Friday, a chilly morning of dancing flakes and white dusted hilltops. It didn't last and it didn't linger, but it was fun watching it from the cosy comfort of home.

#6 : I love my fire, I love it so so so so much. I never used to like the brick fireplace and dark wooden surround but over the years it has really grown on me and I couldn't imagine it being any other way now. It really is the heart of our home.

#7 : I spend a lot of time sitting on the floor at this time of year. The kitty obviously doesn't seem to mind too much - a warm lap is good enough no matter how low to the ground it is.

#8 : It's bauble time, and once again I am swooning all over the place at the sight of these glorious colours. These are definitely my kind of Christmas colours and I doubt very much that I will ever change. Little Lady told me yesterday that in the future when she has her own place and her own tree, she will smother it in white lights and have only white, silver and glittery decorations on it. Oh dear, I was honestly lost for words after that declaration. 

#9 : Coffee, coffee, coffee!! My mornings are simply not complete without it, and I am so happy that Lockdown 2.0 has ended and my favourite cosy cafés are open once more. It's such a pleasurable, treasured part of my daily routine, a luxury that I appreciate very much.

#10 : After a fair amount of wet grey weather last week, I've been so so happy to see blue skies and sunshine during the past few days. What a treat. It has put a welcome spring back in my step as I was seriously dragging my feet last week, weighed down by the heaviness of the gloom. 

#11 : With two weeks to go until the Winter Solstice, I noticed today that the rise and set of the sun is oddly in tune with the school day. I see the first rays of sun peeking over the top of the hill just as we round the corner to come off the canal tow path in the morning. And I see the last of the sun dipping down beyond the hills as I come off the canal in the late afternoon.

#12 : I lit our Advent candle yesterday, six days late. It meant keeping a vigil until we had burned down exactly the right amount to catch up with the days. We are currently two thirds decked out for the season here - two trees are up, the wreaths are up and one of two mantels is wearing it's seasonal finery. I've still got the other mantel to do and my Advent garland to hang, but I'll be able to see to all that tomorrow when J is back to work and I have a little time on my hands to faffle it all into place. 

And that about concludes my thoughts for now. I hope you are all doing OK as we plummet through early December, and that you are thinking happy thoughts and finding some joy in this season of twinkly lights and shiny things. I shall be back here very soon to show you the Bewildered Festive Creature, I bet you really can't wait ?!

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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 16

❣ 8:39 ❣ walking to school along the side of the canal chatting to the swans and ducks as we go

❣ 8:40 ❣ the swans are diving for their breakfast - bottoms up!

❣ 8:.41 ❣ walking right next to the wall so that I can crunch in the leaves

❣ 11:10 ❣ café time! My second coffee arrived to the table and I started knitting the second foot

❣ 11:58 ❣ time to pack my knitting away and head home after a lovely morning

❣ 12:32 ❣ walking home - this is an unusual place where the beck (stream) flows under the canal

❣ 12.35 ❣ half way up the hill, stopping to catch my breath and take in the blue, blue sky

❣ 12:39 ❣ home again, and noticing my teeny violas sitting pretty on the step. I really must plant them!

❣ 12:43 ❣ that's better, all planted and watered in. Big smiles all round.

❣ 13:10 ❣ daily walk with the Hubster, along the farm track which leads into the top of the woods

❣ 13:26 ❣ sun dappled and beautifully peaceful, how I LOVE this little patch of woodland

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Right now it's ❣ 14:50 ❣ and in ten minutes I'll need to head out again, back down the hill to collect Little B from school. I usually sit and write my blog in the early evening after dinner, but in a grand change from the norm I'm actually going to eat out tonight, woohoo!!!! I'm really, really looking forward to it. I'm heading to the pub to enjoy a meal with one of my bestest friends, she is treating me to dinner for my birthday which is rather a lovely thing. As I think there may well be several glasses of Sauvignon Blanc involved, I thought it wise to do my writing before I go out so's that you get the sober version of today's events and not the slightly inebriated one. And you can be sure there will be absolutely no photographic evidence either. It's for the best.

So today's blog is rather short and sweet, it's been an extremely ordinary sort of a Friday, but nevertheless I think all the little moments that make up an ordinary day are well worth recording and documenting. Also, lets just note that I am celebrating because I slept extremely well last night, woke up feeling full of beans, and it has felt exactly like a Friday ALL DAY!!!! YAY!!!! Happy, happy Friday my friends, I hope  your day has been full of the most glorious ordinary goodness...

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 10

Helloooo my lovelies, so good to see you in the Attic on day 10 (ten!) of my Blogtober journey. Today has been so, so nice in a very gentle, quietly productive weekendish way. Firstly, I relished not having an alarm waking me up and slept in until almost 8 o'clock which was heaven. During the school week my alarm goes off at 6.30am which is actually OK for me as I am most definitely a morning person. 

I'm really happy with my weekday routine and love getting up early and doing my morning workouts, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy my weekends off! I love the change of pace at the weekends, and Saturdays and Sundays still hold something of a special feel for me even though I spend every day of the week at home.

Around 9.30 J and I walked into town together to do our rounds of the market and local shops. We visited the cheese stall and the fruit/veg stall on the market, then called into the baker, the butcher and finally a quick whizz into M&S foods for a few weekend treats.

Saturday is generally the only day of the week that I don't always cook from scratch - we bought pizzas for the Little People and J and I had a ready-made meal tonight, a really delicious Thai veggie curry from the M&S "Plant Kitchen" range. Often I do cook for J and I on a Saturday when the LP have pizza, and I choose something that would be harder (and way too expensive) to do for a family of five. It might be steak for example, or pan fried seabass fillets which are a fave. But honestly, I do really appreciate the times when all I need to do is cook up some extra veggies, pull a pizza out the oven and wait for the microwave to ping.

After our shopping we walked home with heavy bags full of fresh produce, stopping off on the way to recuperate over a coffee (ohhhhh, can you see a pattern emerging here? Please don't judge my coffee habit!). I don't need to tell you that it was outRAGEously good haha! I practically inhaled it, well honestly at one point I really did literally inhale it because J was making me laugh so much.

We always buy looooooads of stuff from the fruit and veggie stall, enough to last us almost a whole week. I load up on masses of fruit as all of us eat fruit daily so I fill two huge fruit bowls in the kitchen with apples, pears, satsumas, bananas, and then berries and grapes etc in the fridge. I buy whatever veg looks good as the variety of produce varies from week to week. Today I bought the most beautiful looking red pointy peppers which inspired me to make my "Red Soup". The Little People named it the red soup when I first started making it years ago as it has red peppers, sweet potato, red onion and tomatoes in it, making it the most glorious colour.

I bought a basil plant to use in the soup, and to (hopefully) keep growing on the kitchen windowsill - I wonder who remembers my crochet herb pot which I made forever ago? I still really love that quirky little make.

I had soup on my mind when I came home from the market so decided to make it straight away so that I could enjoy a bowl for a late lunch. Here is the recipe in brief....

Chop up 2 red peppers, half a large sweet potato, two large handfuls of baby plum tomatoes, 2 onions and 2 cloves of garlic. Spread it all out on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, then season well. I used this salt which I recently bought after reading an article about the Dorset Sea Salt Company in Country Living Magazine, it adds a real depth of flavour to cooking which I love. Plus, it comes from Chesil Beach which makes it extra special, a little taste of home.

Roast the veg at 200C for about 40 mins, giving it all a toss around at the half way point.

Make up 600ml of vegetable stock and stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato purée.

Mix the roasted veggies in with the hot stock, then whizz it all up in a blender, doing it in batches if necessary.

Last year we bought a new blender and it's one of our most well used kitchen gadgets - we absolutely LOVE it and use it almost every day. The Little People regularly make smoothies (we keep a bag of frozen berries in the freezer at all times), and I use it to make cooking pastes and sauces, pancake batter, and of course soups. It has a powerful motor so doesn't complain at the frozen lumps of fruit and ice cubes, and it whizzes up a very smooth soup in no time at all. I can highly recommend this one if you are looking for a multipurpose blender (find it on Amazon HERE, it's the 1200W one).

So yeah, I put half of the stock/veg mixture in the blender at a time with a large sprig of fresh basil and whizzed it all up.....

Oh. My. Goodness. SO GOOD!!!!!

This red soup has a very rich, satisfying flavour - I grated a little strong cheddar cheese on top and had it with fresh sourdough bread. I think I'll be making weekend soup more regularly from now on as I really, really enjoyed it - do tell me, what is your favourite soup to make?

My lunch was a late one (2pm ish) and afterwards I noticed the weather was bright and I fancied pottering outside for a little while. I had a sudden urge to bring some colour into the front garden, it was honestly a MaJoR compulsion to go do it right there and then. So before I could even question myself, I had pulled on my coat and was racing down the hill to find me some floral colour. Just like that - one minute eating soup and the next minute I absolutely had to go buy plants!! I do wonder at myself sometimes.

Twenty five minutes later and I was home again with five little pots tucked in my bag. They cost £1 each from the supermarket - two ivies, two cyclamen and a winter cherry, aren't they cheery?

↑↑ This was the place I had in mind for them - this little old wall basket sits to the right of our lower cellar door at the front of the house and it's been making me feel a bit sad just lately. It still has the old stalks in it from last year's deceased geraniums and every time I caught sight of it I would feel bad about it's neglected state. 

Time to make amends!

↑↑ This little pile of green gorgeousness made me so happy because it is Home Grown!! There is a patch of grass beneath our old wooden bench in the front garden that has become more moss than grass, so I was gently able to lift some of it up to use in my wall basket, to stop the earth tumbling out of the gaps. You know how much I adore moss (like I love it very, very much) and so to have my very own growing mossy stuff is like a dream come true. 

And this is how it looks after my £5 investment, plus a little bit of time and minimal effort really. There is still a bit of a gap at the front so I think I might look for some pretty violas to go there as I do love those cute little things. 

Whilst I was searching for floral colour in Morrisons I found this ready-planted terracotta pot for only £4, so that came home to number 24 too, to sit on my front step.

I love the little splash of colour that greets me now as I climb the nine steps to my front door. Note to self - do not forget to water the new growing things. Must. Not. Forget. 

After all the gardening activity, everything came to a sudden halt inside my brain, and I needed to sit down and re-group for a bit. I think I just got over excited being all domesticated, what with making (and eating) soup from scratch and gardening all crammed in together...well, I needed a small frothy coffee and a little bit of gentle yarny stitching to quiet myself. 

I finished off the second half of the gusset decreases on the second sock (I'm knitting two socks together), so that was a good job done. Now I've got the pleasure of whizzing down those easy foot rows and before long I hope to find myself at the toes. J will be pleased I think, he's wearing the other two pairs I made him every day on repeat.

Just as I was cooking dinner retrieving food from the oven and microwave, J shouted to me to come and look out of the window. We'd had a sudden heavy rain shower and the most beautiful double rainbow was arcing over the rooftops right in front of our house. It was so beautiful, a real uplifting sight for sure.

I hope your day has been wonderfully weekendish, do tell me a little of what you've been up to, I'd love to hear......

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 4

Yesterday it rained aaaallllllllll day without stopping and so assuming we would most likely have the same kind of stormy wet weather today we made no plans. A Sunday with no plans is actually a rather blissful thing in my opinion - going to sleep on a Saturday night knowing that there will be no beep-beep-beep of the alarm clock and that you are at liberty to sleep as long as your mind and body needs is such an underrated luxury. 

I actually woke up quite early (6am) but as soon as I remembered the no-plan-plan I quickly closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift back into a light sleep, oh....so good! I truly value my ability to do this, I used to think that everyone could take themselves back off to sleep after waking but I know that J absolutely can't. As soon as he wakes he is WIDE awake and usually gets up straight away. Me, I can snooze like a pro.

I eventually got up around 8 am and when I opened the curtains imagine my delight when I spied bright blue skies - yay,  happy, happy me!!! J and I had a quick chat about what to do with this unexpected gift of a fine-weather day and decided it would be lovely to take a walk at Bolton Abbey. So we ran the idea by the Little Peeps, popped some croissants into the oven to warm for breakfast and gently got ourselves ready to head out.

Bolton Abbey now has a ticket booking system in place so that you choose a specific car park and a time slot to arrive as a way to avoid the pathways becoming too congested. There is also a one-way system around the more narrow footpaths which took some getting used to at first (isn't it funny how walking "backwards" along a route that you are so used to feels very strange?!). I'm really grateful that we have such lovely places to walk within a short 20 minute drive, especially when you just want something easy-peasy. Easy paths, minimal mud, and essential refreshment stops to sweeten the whole affair. Count me in!

The river was extremely high and fast flowing after a pretty wet week, and the sound of it rushing over the rocks was surprisingly loud. I love it when it's like this, it feels like there is an almost palpable energy in the air when the river runs at speed. It doesn't quite speak to my soul in the same way that the sea does, but it's not a bad second best.

We had such a beautiful morning walk, the pathways were quiet and the sunshine was warm on my face which made me feel ridiculously happy. 

We chatted and laughed our way around the riverside (it's about a 2 hour round route) and even Little B reluctantly admitted that he was enjoying the walk after making a big dramatic song and dance about not wanting to come when we set off. His shoes felt all wrong apparently, which is a pretty big deal when you are ten.

We treated ourselves to drinks from the Strid café when we finished the walk - bottles of cloudy lemonade for the Little Peeps and cappuccinos for J and I. It was warm enough to still be able to sit outside (although a little damp on the nether regions) and I thought to myself as I sat there in the midday sun that early Autumn doesn't feel half bad.

We arrived home around 1 pm and I set about making the dinner as it needed a four hour cook time in the slow cooker. I picked out a favourite chicken recipe from my slow cooker book which is extremely easy to make with very simple ingredients but tastes amazing. The addition of pearl barley into a basic chicken stew is genius, it's such an old fashioned ingredient somehow but adds a delicious texture and really helps to thicken the stew.

Incidentally, I've had this little recipe book for years, it's my go-to for slow cooker recipes and I can highly recommend it. Every recipe I've tried has been amazing - easy ingredients, fantastic flavours and it never fails to give us a great family meal.

It's called "Easy Slow Cooker" by Ryland Peters and Small, you can find it on Amazon ((HERE))

The recipe called for a tablespoon of fresh herbs, so I pootled out into the back yard to pick some rosemary and thyme (rather straggly looking thyme bush pictured above). It's all looking a bit bedraggled out there to be honest, but I did notice (with rather a huge amount of joy) that my miniature Christmas Tree from last year is looking very healthy and quite a lot taller than it was in January, yipppeee!!!! I'll try and remember to photograph it to show you - I ordered it from Bloom&Wild last year,  it was one of those fabulous ones that somehow manages to get packed into a box and posted through the letterbox - yes, really, a real living christmas tree in a box! It came with a pretty pot, miniature decorations and twinkly lights and everything.....hang on, let me see if I can find more details to show you....

.... here you go....click ((HERE)) to see what I mean - I chose the Party Time tree. I'm so excited to bring it indoors again in December :)

Having the Sunday dinner in the slow cooker was really pretty wonderful, the delicious aromas wafted right through the house throughout the afternoon and even Little B came downstairs and said that dinner smelt amazing. It gave me the chance to sit down on the sofa for an hour this afternoon knowing that I only had to make time to cook potatoes and green veggies.

I did a little more sock knitting, I'm working on the heel flaps now which use straight needles, and it'll soon be time for me to perform some knitty magic when I miraculously turn the heels. It never ceases to amaze me, I have absolutely no idea how a heel turn actually works, but the instructions somehow make it happen. Unless you are drinking gin and tonic at the same time, and trust me on this, it's all a bit uncertain then.

I waited until 4pm to light the fire as it wasn't really all that cold this afternoon, but we are in that first-fire-of-the-season giddy phase where having the open fire feels really special after so many months without it. It did feel very cosy sitting with my knitting and feeling the warmth from the fire. It's one of the very best things about Autumn.

Hmmm......it still seems to be Summer on my mantel though, I must make time to faff around up there and make the switcheroo over to Autumn. Time to dig around in the cupboard of doom for the crochet pumpkins and Autumnal guff. 

Well it's 8pm now and I've got a few jobs to do to get ready for tomorrow. Then I think I'm going to tuck up cosy in bed for a while with a cup of tea and a magazine, a gentle end to a lovely slow Sunday.

I hope you've had a fabulous day full of simple pleasures.....see you tomorrow (daily blogging is feeling oh-so-good!)

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 2

Over the summer I kind of mislaid my crochet mojo somewhere along the line, and it was the strangest feeling I have to say. I finished hooking the Aria blanket in late May and then I couldn't really seem to concentrate enough to decide what I wanted to do next.

In June/July I was working on the design for my next CAL blanket which I'll be able to tell you more about towards the end of the month. So I wasn't exactly idle on the creative front, but there isn't really a lot to show at the moment for the many hours that I spent faffing with colours, crochet stitch samples and colour palette ideas. It's exciting though, and I can't wait to share more with you when the time is right.

In August I created the Leo granny square in celebration of Granny square day and worked on a tutorial to share with you. Again, I guess I was still creating in a slow, gentle way, but this year has had such a different pace and feel to it don't you think? Kind of subdued and introverted, well at least that's what it has felt like for me.

So in September when the Little Peeps finally went back to school and life regained a bit more of a routine feel, I found myself looking for an easy project to keep my hands busy and my mind settled. I decided on socks as they provide a bit of familiarity and a portable project for days when I felt like taking something out and about with me.

I chose an Opal yarn which is probably my favourite brand of sock yarn on account of the delicious stripyness of it, and the fact that it is very accepting of a 40 degree machine wash. There are sooooo many ranges of Opal yarn to choose from, and I had a fun time searching through them all to find something that would be just right for the recipient. Yeah, these beautiful denim blue stripes won't be keeping my feet warm, they are another pair for J who has now decided that stripes are perfectly acceptable and he will happily wear whatever I choose to make for him (oh happy days!)

You can find the yarn I've chosen ((HERE)) - it's part of the Fairytale range, the colourway is "Heroic Deed".

And if you are remotely interested in the business of making Man Socks, you can see the two pairs that J already owns and wears to death in this blog post.

I knit socks using short circular needles (23cm / 9 inch ones), following my friend Christine's excellent basic sock pattern (which you can find HERE). I have two sets of needles so that I can knit two socks along side each other, and I find this method works really well for me.

I've certainly been enjoying my cosy time spent indoors at weekends, snuggled up in the big chair with a frothy coffee and my sock knitting on the go....

.....and these beautiful blue stripes are making me very happy indeed. Self striping sock yarn is just so bloomin' clever and it never fails to wow me. I adore the way it plays out as the rows build, and the way that it very cleverly takes on the look of fairisle as if by magic. If you have a spare six minutes, there is a brilliant video clip on YouTube which shows how Opal sock yarn is made, it blows my mind every single time - so, so, brilliant. You can find the video ((HERE)).

My hands haven't been too happy with the drop in temperature just lately and my poor joints have been pretty achey this week. I find that if I keep my hands cosy and warm then I can still manage to knit/crochet without too much pain, so I am hugely grateful for these delicious woollen mitts that Christine knitted and gifted to me a short while ago. They help my hands enormously and I pretty much wear them all day, every day at the moment. Yarny friends are the best!

So this is where I'm up to after two or three weeks - I've finished both legs and am now ready to begin the heel flap. Please do note how well I've done with matching the stripes, I'm pretty happy with my matchy-matchy skillz!

Oh, those perfectly neat little knitty stripes get me all of a jitter, they are just beautiful.  I LOVE them!!!!!

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I Have Been....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I have been....on a ship!

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

♥

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

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

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

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Delicious December Days

It's hard to believe that Christmas only happened a little over a week ago as it already seems so far behind us, but I suppose it was last year now wasn't it?! We had a truly lovely Christmas Day with a super early pre-six-o'clock start thanks to Little B who woke up absolutely radiating with excited energy. The early morning unfolded leisurely and with much happiness, gosh it's always such a relief when the present unwrapping has finished up and there is gratitude all round. The Teen and Little Lady had both chosen their (rather grown up) gifts this year but I did still do my best to give them some small surprises as well. I mean, I don't think you can ever be too old to hang a stocking up on the fireplace, can you?

We had some beautiful weather on Christmas morning, so after a late breakfast we decided to head out for a short walk through the woods.

It felt so good to be out breathing in lungfuls of fresh air.....

.....whilst making frequent stops to inhale chocolate. It had to be done - the satsumas just weren't doing it for me this year I'm afraid.

I really love the above photo so much, it's been such a long time since we had the pleasure of The Teen coming with us on a walk. Just lovely it was.

As in previous years it was just the five of us at home for Christmas, so dinner was the usual casual affair. I forgot to buy party poppers and festive napkins, but I did remember the crackers so that's something. It surprised me that The Teen had the most to say about the type of crackers I should buy ("Mum, can we have proper crackers this year with decent stuff inside instead of those stupid wind up toys that you race with?"). So I went for "Childish Traditional" which included classic cracker gifts like a fortune telling fish, a spinning top, a plastic hair comb and a fake mustache. It was all good, traditional nostalgic fun.

In recent years we've settled on the tradition of having a chocolate yule log to follow the overflowing plates of roast dinner on Christmas Day. I'm delighted by this as there is minimal effort required on my part - all I have to do is remember to purchase the aforementioned log, top it with plastic wildlife and a little snowy tree and voila! Thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Little B asked me to show you this photograph as it was his main focus for much of Christmas day. He asks for Lego every year but this is the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" set he's received. Oh my word, I've totally fallen in love with baby Lego Groot, unbelievably cute in every way. Currently he is lost in the Galaxy of the Untidy House, but I'm hopeful he will find his way back to us soon.

We've had  an extensive amount of cosy hours spent at home this holiday, day after day of candlelit idling, and a serious amount of sofa loafing. It's been relaxing, warm, cosy and therapeutic. We've had germs to contend with as all three Little People have been hit with a really horrid cold that is doing the rounds, so it's been a blessing that our holiday has had very little in the way of plans or expectations. They've needed the down time that's for sure. 

The end of December brought us a very mixed bag of weather, and although we've been content to stay indoors for the most part, it's always good to head out and breathe in the cold winter air from time to time.

We went on a short, freezing cold walk at Bolton Abbey one afternoon last week, arriving back at the little cafe rather cold and in need of refreshment. Cappuccinos and hot chocolates all round, with a side of toasted tea cake and all warmth was restored. When we came out of the cafe it was just after 4pm, with the moon already rising above the bare tree tops. It was very atmospheric and utterly wintry I thought. 

During the past few weeks we've enjoyed a lot of fireside relaxation, and I've so appreciated it. Often times we don't really need the physical warmth of an open fire, but the lure of the visual and emotional comfort is hard to resist. My mantle is lit with a mixture of candles and lights, oh I do so love my Christmas light-ups things! I bought these two years ago (bell jar scenes and snowflake arches) and they look so pretty all lit up at night. It's not like me to go with all-white Christmas decorations, but I made an exception for these as they really are lovely.

I think Tilly has had mixed feelings about having the whole family around for days on end. Sometimes she gives off this distinct back-off vibe (see above) which very clearly says "for goodness sake, can't you see I need my space?" And then other times she is near desperate for attention and closeness. But it's always on her terms and we've learnt to read her pretty well in the eighteen months that she's been living with us. She's not an easy kitty to interact with, but we do so love her. 

Friday of last week brought us a snow day, and it was beautiful while it lasted. The flakes fell for half a day, giving us an inch or so of snow on the ground - it wasn't really enough to play in, but the Little People still took to the street and flung themselves around in it, throwing snowballs and larking about with neighbourhood friends.

As it was a Friday morning, I was off to my weekly get together with my yarny friends down at Coopers cafe. I so look forward to this every week and it would take more than a bit of white stuff to keep me away. On my way there, I couldn't resist taking a quick detour up to the top of the park to take in the wintry scene, oh I do love to see a bit of snowy woodland, it's all kind of magical and Narnia-ish don't you think?!

Heading down the hill and into the warmth of the cafe was just the loveliest thing, and spending a few hours hooking and chatting with friends  while the snow continued to fall outside was the absolute definition of cosy. It's almost four years now since the start of my studio adventure at Coopers, and our twice-weekly "Creative Coopers" social groups continue to thrive. It's one of the best things to feel that sense of belonging and friendship that comes when like-minded creative people get together to share and inspire. I value it very, very much and it makes me so happy to have that regular social connection in my life. 

When I arrived at Coopers on Friday, I realised that with all the snowy excitement I'd totally forgotten to bring any crochet with me! No worries there though, as my studio shelves are bulging with yarn and creative possibilities and all I had to do was pick out some colours and get started on something new. For a little while now I've had in my mind to make myself a new Weekend Bag as I've been using my Heatwave Weekend bag constantly for the past year or so and it was starting to look a little worn.

I chose 12 colours of Stylecraft Special chunky and decided to change it up slightly by making one-row stripes instead of the original two-row stripes. It all happened very fast - I think it took me about 3 minutes to choose the colours (I literally just pulled my favourites down off the shelf one by one until the whole lot looked happy together), then found my Weekend Bag pattern on my phone so that I could get started straight away. I have to say it was really great to be able to follow my own tutorial haha!!!

Anyhow, I finished the bag the following day (yes, that fast) and I'll be able to show you next week once I've take some photos.

On a creative roll, I cast on a new pair of socks on New Years Eve and have spent some very enjoyable time during the past few days sat at the table knitting by candlelight. These socks are for Little B who has been pleading for them for many months now. He chose the yarn himself, adamant that he wanted rainbow stripes for his size 1.5 feet, so who am I to argue? This delicious looking sock yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply, part of their very popular cocktail range. The colourway is called Rum Paradise and is absolutely gorgeous :)

I've put the socks to one side for now though as I immerse myself in all things Woodland. As many of you will know, my Woodland Blanket Crochet-A-Long begins on Friday, so I'm very busy working on the tutorial and getting everything ready for this wonderful journey to begin.........eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek, I'm so excited!!!!!!!

For those of you who might have missed all the Woodland excitement, you can read all about my forthcoming blanket plans in this post. There is still time to gather in your yarn and join me if you wish - Woodland Wandering is sooooo good for the soul at this time of year, these colours really do lift the spirits when all is dreary and grey outside. 

Before I hop off and get back to my pattern writing, I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! Next week I'll be putting together my "Year End Review" posts to share with you which is something I always look forward to. 

But in the meantime, I'll be back here in the Attic on Friday to give you everything you need to get started with the Woodland Blanket................can't wait!!!!!! 

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