Attic24

Eventide

Seven thirty and my lovely Little Lady asks me if I'd like to head out for a walk with her. She is old enough to go out by herself if she wants to, but how can I resist when she asks for company? I immediately close down my laptop (I'm working on a magazine article for Yarndale), pull on my boots and off we go into the chill of the early evening. Not a cloud in the sky, and that glorious dusky pink end-of-day glow over the hills.

We walk up, up, up - a steep lane with views over the town, then over an old wooden stile into a steeply sloping field. Up, up, chatting and puffing, stopping every so often to catch breath. We reach the dry stone wall at the very top just as the sun is almost down - it is unexpectedly bright and breathtaking and makes us both squeal with pleasure. We sit a while a-top the wall and watch the sun disappear over the horizon. We gaze out over our town spread out in the valley below - we can see our neighbourhood, our street, our house.  We can see the schools, the church, the shops. We know where the canal runs even though we can't see it, and we know where our friends live and where we walk every day as we go about our routines. We both say how much we love living here, agree on how comforting it is to be surrounded by green hills and countryside, how joyful it is to climb up high and see the sun set, take in the view.

We begin to feel chilled and so we climb down from the wall and walk on over the huge field. Down, down, down until we reach the farm track at the bottom. It's an easy stroll now, downhill all the way. The sky is quickly darkening, the moon bright and a blackbird singing loudly from his perch in the bare treetops. We are walking along residential streets now, houses lit up from inside, all cosy and settled for the evening.

Eight thirty, and we arrive back at number 24, rosy cheeks and a slight ache in the back of the legs from all that steep climbing. Little Lady is glowing, she looks and sounds so happy and content. She tells me she loved our walk, and could we do it again tomorrow if the weather stays nice. Yes, yes we can. I am already looking forward to it.

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April Feels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

Early Spring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Stepping out of the Attic

In my day to day life I spend much of my time alone, either at home or in my studio at Coopers Cafe. I don't mind this, not at all, in fact I really adore my quiet life and love that I can pretty much organise my days as I please. Having said that, I do enjoy a little change of scenery from time to time and every so often I like to step out of my solitary Attic life and engage with other creative yarny folks. Sometimes it's just for a day, and sometimes it involves an overnight stay away, and it always, always makes me feel very excited.

As part of the Stylecraft Blogstars team, I am fortunate enough to get a twice yearly invite to spend time at the mill enjoying a concentrated amount of yarny chat and pleasure. I look forward to it so much, it's guaranteed to be inspirational on so many levels, and it's always huge fun getting to spend time with other crochet and knitting bloggers/designers who have become good friends over the years. I've lost count of how many times I've visited the Stylecraft mill now, but it never fails to impress. It's huuuuuuge! A tall, solid building, steeped in history and full of character. We get to ride the cranky old industrial elevator right to the top floor which is where the design team work, and where visitors are made to feel very, very welcome.

I was there a few weeks ago, on a blustery, wild and wet weekend here in Yorkshire. We were gifted the pleasure of an overnight stay in a nearby hotel so it was only a short jaunt to the mill on the Saturday morning. I adore walking into this light and airy room with its wooden floors, rustic brick walls and huge windows with glorious views over the surrounding countryside. But it's always the yarny colour which steals the show every single time, oh it's just fabulous!! I didn't take many photos on my camera, but I did snap a few pictures to share on my Attic24 Instagram Stories which I thought you might like to see.

We generally begin the day with a cuppa and a bit of a show and tell sesh which is always a gasp-worthy event. There is so much talent gathered around the table as you would expect from a giddy tribe of colour-loving yarny designer types.

Lucia {Lucias Fig Tree blog} had three blankets to show us - you can see two of them above look. She is holding up her "January Blues" blanket, and on the table is her completed "Havana CAL" blanket. Both show her exuberant love of colour and pattern and are absolutely breathtaking in real life.

Phil {The Twisted Yarn blog} shared her recently finished knitted picture. The word "picture" doesn't remotely describe the magic that came forth from her needles to create this intricate yarny waterscape. Honestly, this girl is a genius with pattern and yarn, and this is a truly unbelievable work of yarn art. You can read more about it {here}

The morning moves on with a full presentation given to us by the Stylecraft team which tells us about the seasons ahead (in this case we are looking at Spring/Summer 2019). The start of the presentation gives a general overview of the trends which will be featuring in both the yarns and the garment and accessory designs. I am fascinated by the idea of "trend forecasting", and even though it isn't something that carries any weight with regards to my own projects, I just really enjoy seeing sources of inspiration, creative trains of thought, background stories and ideas, and general creative workings in action.

Stylecraft shared two trends which they are using to inspire their yarns and pattern collections this coming season.....want some inside info on what these are????

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Tribal Eccentric :

"a clashing soft & strong colour palette that focuses on vibrancy. This palette has hints of folk-inspired colours reminiscent of tribal textiles that temp a new rhythmic dialog that oozes mystery. Loose lightweight shapes that dance with playful spirit, layers of lace boldly smudged with strong textures that incorporate exuberance and energy."  

Does't that sound amazing? I love how the words and the colours conjure up an overall feeling so that you can begin to picture what sort of knitted garments and decorative details might come from these ideas.

Radiant Romance :

"A sumptuously soft palette of pastels that give a watery fluid feeling. Blush pinks blend with soft lilacs and periwinkles to create a feminine romance that lead into stronger fresh pigments that bring together a more interesting perspective for the use of colour. A compelling blend of man made and natural fibres teamed together with open pointelle structures, simple elegant silhouettes that drape beautifully against the body."

Oh yes, I can imagine this, can't you? It sounds dreamy!! 

The remainder of the morning is spent oooohing and aaaaahing and squishing a huge pile of delicious new Stylecraft yarns. Some of these are absolutely brand spankin' new to the market, and some are additional colours added into existing ranges. It all feels very exciting I can tell you, like the best kind of secret inside intel! I've already shown you the new Special DK colours, and my friend Helen wrote a great blog post outlining the other yarn newbies if you wish to see what they are ((here)).

After lunch we are treated to an informal creative workshop led by one of the Stylecraft team. In the past we've learnt how to do basic Tunisian crochet, how to work colour pooling (which I failed spectacularly at) and how to make Dorset Buttons (LOVED doing these). During this last meet up we learnt how to fold and stitch our own notebooks which was surprisingly therapeutic - it's lovely to make something useful which also has major decorative possibilities I think. We were told in advance that this is what we would be doing, and encouraged to create a cover for our notebooks which are A5 size (like a piece of A4 printer paper folded in half).

I decided to make some little crochet flowers and leaves and stitch them to some pretty pale pink wool felt - I really like how my idea took shape and must make time to finish off the stitching. My handmade notebook is currently sitting on my desk looking forlorn and bare, it needs it's floral cover *adding to my to-do list*

Our next Stylecraft Blogstars meet up is in July and promises to be very special indeed with some extra special tea-party-shaped celebrations. I'm already excited for it, I told you I don't get out much.

Very occasionally my life seems to get extra busy all at once, and hot on the tail of the Stylecraft weekend I found myself packing up all my blankets and preparing for another trip away from the Attic. This time I was heading in the opposite direction out of Yorkshire and into Cheshire, to a shop that I have wanted to visit for many years.

Black Sheep Wools is a fabulous local yarn shop - well, truthfully it's very much more than a shop and is known fondly as The Craft Barn. Sara who owns and runs this well established family business asked me if I would like to be a guest there, to hang out with my crochet blankets and spend the day chatting to customers and eating cake.....what's not to like about that invitation?! With the exception of my role at Yarndale it's not often that I choose to do these kind of events as I am generally a quiet, introverted type and busy public things are a challenge for this solitary Attic dweller. 

I needn't have worried though - I was made to feel so very welcome as soon as I walked in the door, and surrounded by colourful yarn and my beloved blankets I very quickly settled in and felt at home.

The other great thing about the day was getting to spend it with my good friends - those two cheeky rascals with me in the photo above had agreed to come and keep me company for the day. On the left is Emma Varnam and on the right is Christine Perry (AKA Winwick Mum), and they came to Black Sheep Wools to be very famous doing author-ish things and signing their books alongside me and my blankets.

photo credit : Emma Varnam

Emma is probably best known for her Cute Crocheted Animals but she has recently published a brand new book called  "Crocheted Succulents", which as the name suggests is a brilliantly written and humorous project book designed to help you crochet your very own indoor yarn garden. You can read more about the inspiration behind the book on Emma's blog ((here))

Many of you will know Christine already as she is responsible for my own personal sock knitting journey and I know many of you have also taken up sock knitting using her fabulous beginners tutorials. She published her second sock knitting book last Autumn and visitors to Black Sheep Wools were able to tap into Christine's vast knowledge about all things Sock related.

This was the calm before the storm (well less of a storm and more of a tidal wave of yarn enthusiasm) - we were all set up and ready for the day to unfold.

Oh, it really did unfold in style! The day was tremendously busy from start to finish with a huge number of ladies (and gents) travelling to see me and my friends, and to enjoy the hospitality and charm of the award winning Craft Barn. When I say charm, I'm really meaning yarn with a side helping of tea and cake (there is a cafe actually inside the Craft Barn, how perfect is that?!). It's one of those places where you could happily spend a whole day - in fact Sara encourages you to stay as long as you feel like and there are squishy sofas and little knitting/reading/crochet nooks dotted all around the shop. There is also cake, did I mention that? I sampled not only the most delicious home made Yorkshire Ginger Parkin, but also a generous slab of the most divine Coconut and Lime cake which hit the sweet spot like you wouldn't believe.

It's hard to describe the true scale of Black Sheep Wools, but when they tell you it's the UK's largest yarn shop they aren't exaggerating - it's humungous! I took the above photo to show you the racks of Stylecraft Special DK, don't they look scrumptious?

This is the Rowan Flagship area - Black Sheep carries a large number of different yarn brands, from familiar favourites to more unusual and exclusive choices. There's Christine and Emma look, taking advantage of the sofa comfort at the end of a busy, busy day.....we were all a little exhausted I have to say!

At the start of the day, my crochet blankets (all fourteen of them?) were folded oh-so-neatly on the table, stacked and draped in a way that made me feel rather proud of all my years of blanket making. They always look so good when I see them all together, a happy fiesta of colour and pattern and cosy comfort.

By the end of the day, the table ↑↑↑ resembled a glorified rummage sale (albeit a colourful, creative one), and it did make me laugh! My blankets received a lot of love and touchy-feely admiration and I was so happy to learn that a good many ladies decided to set off on a new blanket journey of their own, inspired by my creations. I met some truly beautiful people at Black Sheep Wools, so much kindness, kinship and good spirit. Bravery too, I heard first hand how colour and crochet has helped people rise above life's worries and struggles. I felt humbled and so grateful for this wonderful yarn community I am lucky to be a part of.

So if you took the time to come and see me there - ((THANK YOU)) - I had such a wonderful day.

Here we are look, a little weary at the end of it all, but very happy smiles all round.

Sara, Emma, the Attic Lady and Christine.

If you are ever up north and in the Cheshire area, I can highly recommend a detour to this wonderful shop (directions and practical details are HERE). Don't forget there is tea and cake as well as yarn....you won't be disappointed with either and you will be made very welcome.

Last week I took some time to write up a little Q&A interview for Black Sheep Wools, gosh I did get a bit carried away (sorry-not-sorry) and wrote rather a lot of long winded answers to some really great questions. I talked about many things, including the start of my crochet journey and the very first project I ever made (granny squares for my first blanket, shown above).

If you fancy a read, I suggest you maybe grab yourself a cuppa first and settle yourself somewhere comfy...!!

((Black Sheep Wools and Attic24 interview))

Thanks so much for reading, I hope I haven't bored you too much?! 

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February Good Times

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It made me think of this....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Oh, Snowdrops!

We walked up to the top of town to Appreciate the Snowdrops on Friday. It was after lunch, a cold, sunny afternoon when it felt just right to be out doing such a simple thing. I've been visiting this patch of ground every February for a decade and it never fails to make my heart expand with happiness, which is especially welcome in the middle of an often weary, grey month.

It's funny doing these sorts of things with J, he never quite knows what to do with himself when I set off on a giddy moment out in public. He kind of loiters nearby as if he doesn't really want to be drawn into my particular kind of crazy, but at the same time he is quietly accepting and supportive. I took loads of photos, just as I do every single year when I am faced with this glorious carpet of living floral beauty. I can never seem to get enough of the way flowers makes me feel, I want to drink in the emotion of it, absorb the visual pleasure right into my very soul.

It's not just flowers though, it's the whole seasonal thing that continues to inspire me year after year after year. Which reminds me, now that I've ticked Snowdrop Patch Appreciation off my list, I really must head up to the allotment and see how it's all looking. It's nearly time for that particular seasonal year to begin again - my To-do list has >>Contact Poo Lady<< on it, which means calling up the lady who will come with a trailer load of well rotten horse manure. I've got big Floral Plans for my allotment patch this year, I am beyond excited thinking about all that I want to do.

I hope you've got some beautiful things on your to-do list this week, in amongst the chores and errands, there is definitely room for beauty and floral appreciation. 

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Wintering

I seriously love the above photo in all it's faded, wintry mellowness. It was one of those misty, murky mornings that we seem to have experienced quite often this winter, when the days have felt very slow to get going. This type of weather makes me want to cosy up inside and drink endless mugs of strong, frothy coffee, and yet there is also something refreshing about being out and about and breathing in that damp, cold air.

Its snowdrop season, and our tiny clump of front garden flowers have pushed their way back through the earth for another year. Earlier today, we drove past the huge patch of snowdrops which always grow wild at the top entrance to the woods (see this post) and I made a mental note to walk up there very soon to see them. Whizzing past in the car just isn't good enough, these sweet flowers deserve to be given a thorough dose of heart-felt appreciation.

Top of my to-do list :: Go Appreciate Snowdrop Patch.

My weekend was slow and quiet, just the way I like it at this time of year. I spent much of Saturday sat at the dining table drinking coffee, knitting bits of sock and drooling over the pages in the latest Sarah Raven catalogue, specifically pages 4 - 21 which showcase the Exclusive Dahlia Collections. Oh my heart. Dahlias are just the bees knees, and I've been swooning over them for a great many years (just re-reading this post where I quite literally "fell" for the dahlias at Cragside - ha! True story, I do get giddy to the point of not being able to remain upright at times.

It was so nice to get back to a bit of knitting after such a lot of Sweet Pea-ing of late, and I did enjoy being quietly industrious with all those neat little knitty rounds. I turned heels and knitted gussets and made great progress on these belated Christmas gift socks for my patient father-in-law. For anyone interested, I knit my socks using the continental knitting method which allows me to tension the yarn in my left hand in exactly the same identical way as I do when I'm crocheting. It's absolutely marvelous and allows my hands to almost think they are crocheting when in fact they are being very clever and knitting instead. You can read more about my methods in this post. 

Something amazing has started to happen here in Atticland this winter, and it is SOoooooOoo amazing that I'm still feeling a bit in awe of it all. We've been living here for eleven years and have never witnessed it before - a daily starling murmuration. It's an absolutely incredible natural display (you can read more about it here, which includes a short video clip) and the fact that it's started happening literally right over our house is just mind blowing. It starts just as dusk is beginning (around 4.45pm at this time of year) and lasts around half an hour. The birds gather gradually and the flock gets bigger and bigger as the minutes pass until there are literally thousands and thousands of birds fluttering overhead. They fly together in the most mesmersing of ways, in twists and turns and undulating waves, it's impossible to take your eyes away and inspires you to take around 267 gazillion photos of the sky.

All my photos were pretty rubbish (I was doing the giddy thing again and leaping excitedly across the furniture), but I enjoyed myself trying. I really, really, really hope this is going to be an annual winter thing around here. 

We walked at Bolton Abbey on Sunday for the first time in a while, and it was just lovely. A bit cold, grey and dull but still so good to get out and about amongst the trees. We left the Teen in bed, waved Little Lady off to work (she has just started her very first weekend job waitressing in a cafe), and set off to walk with Little B in tow.

Despite the leaflessness of the winter season, I was overjoyed to see so many fresh new bluebell shoots already peeking through the undergrowth.

And moss too of course, I'm always excited to see how well it thrives at this time of year.

Mossy trees are just super aren't they? Kind of fairytale-ish and magical.

Sunday was also a day of doing allllllll the laundry which I didn't manage to do on Saturday because I was too busy knitting my gussets and slavering over photos of dahlias. I worked through four whole loads, washing and drying, then up to the bedroom to fold and stack on my bed. I am so in love with my bed, and can't tell you how much I look forward to climbing into it each night. I mean, I really do enjoy my days, but bedtime is always such a highlight! With the chilly weather I've got a double layer of blanket warmth on my bed at the moment, and as I was sorting through all the laundry yesterday I found myself really appreciating the spread of colour and pattern. The bottom layer is my beloved BB which is almost ten years old now - you can see more photos of it here). It's a big 180cm square beast made from Rowan Pure Wool DK and is extremely heavy and warm. On top of that I've got my Sunny Log Cabin blanket, and this stays on my bed all year round as it's quite light and is OK for the Summer months. Gosh, I do so love this blanket, it's one of my all time favourite makes. It uses 18 balls of Stylecraft Special DK which is called the Sunny yarn pack. I made this blanket as a CAL project at the end of 2015 - all the CAL installments are still on my blog if you fancy creating your own dreamy blanket.

Back downstairs and I've got a new candle on the go this week. It's another one from Next, I do so enjoy their scented candles as they are very economical and burn for aaaaages (50 hours in this jar, seriously!). Oh, and they smell gorgeous too - this one is Bergamot and Green Tea which I think I had last winter too. It's fresh and sweet without being overpowering and makes the living room smell really good.

We're still lighting our fire every day and appreciate it very much. The kitty is often sprawled out on my floor cushions right next to the hearth (one of my favourite places to sit and crochet) and I never have the heart to turf her off. So I feel as if I've not had the real benefit of quality fireside time just lately, although I do so love to see it (and hear it) as much as I like the warmth and comfort it provides.

This morning, and another outing to Bolton Abbey, just J and me this time. We hadn't planned on going seeing as we were only there yesterday, but after school drop off and a quick supermarket shop I just felt like I wanted to be back there again. The sunshine was calling me to go tramp those winding pathways....almost impossible to resist!

We walk further and faster when it's just us two, crossing bridges and taking a big loop around on both sides of the river.

I adore this tree and always feel compelled to photograph its magnificent roots every time I walk past it. Have to say, they were looking mighty mossy and even more magnificent than usual. #mossaddict (yes, this really is a bonafide hashtag, I tell you, I'm not alone!)

Another tree which caught my eye with its fabulous bark - it looked like it had been smocked! It reminded me that I went through an obsessive smocking phase when I was in my mid teens, painstakingly embroidering a whole collection of hand stitched and smocked dresses for a ragdoll that I made at school. I would so love to see those handmade things again, I was such a shy, quiet, daydreamy, stitch-obsessed type of teenager, always away in my own little private, creative world. Don't suppose I've altered all that much, come to think of it.

As well as mossy roots and smocked bark I spied catkins galore, gosh they are putting on a spectacular show this year.

I find them so charming - little dangly reminders that Spring isn't too far away. I dearly wanted to pick some to bring home, but didn't feel that it would be acceptable to steal from the trees so I left them hanging in the morning sunshine.

We stopped off at the farm shop on our way home to pick up a joint of meat (I'm making smoky barbecued pulled pork in the slow cooker tomorrow), and rather predictably I found myself drawn to the floral offerings before I could make it anywhere near the meat counter. I decided to treat myself to a small pot of Narcissus "Bridal Crown"which I know from past experience will smell divine when they flower. Having pots of bulbs growing in the house is such a pleasure, I can highly recommend it if you want to bring a dose of Spring cheer into the winter time.

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Winter Colour

We ventured out into the cold, cold wintry countryside yesterday, J and I, for a brisk walk around Grimwith reservoir. As you can see, the water levels are frightening low (photos from April last year show how full it was then) and I hope very much that we're not headed for any sort of water shortage situation.

It was blinkin' freezing out there in the Dales yesterday, and even though I was bundled up in extra layers, with my woolly hat pulled down low (yes I'm still wearing that very same hat), the cold wind seemed to reach my bones.

I am always fascinated by moss at all times of year (it's an enduring crush that I have), but in Winter it really makes me love it to distraction. It's so hardy and vibrant, like a bright beacon of natural positivity amongst all the muted dullness out there, and I adore it.

Now get this ---- I just did a quick online moss search and found a mossy blog!! It's called "Moss Musings" (seriously!!) and the tag line reads "for all the buzz about your favorite fuzz..." Oh. My. This is utterly brilliant. I'm laughing into my tea at this point, that tag line is just...well, beyond words really. Life is fantastic when you discover such small and quirky things that make you laugh out loud.

I like lichen too....any lichen fans out there? Its such a subtle and sublime colour, like the true essence of winter (along the lines of eucalyptus, that soft grey-green is just lovely). I do so enjoy the small details of a walk as much as the bigger long distance views.

Being out in the winter countryside is such a tonic, not just physically for the fresh air and exercise, but mentally too. It's like opening a window when the room becomes too stuffy, I find that having a stuffy brain can feel very draining at times, and fresh air and open views make a huge difference to my thought processes. It's liberating, and I really appreciate being able to do this on a Monday morning.

I like to chat to J about my crochet and blogging plans as we walk, I know he doesn't really "get it" but I enjoy offloading onto him regardless. I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind me laying it all out as we walk, it certainly helps me to feel clearer in my mind and more energised for the days that follow. I made massive in-roads into my ridiculous to-do list this morning, and I'm sure it was because of my outdoor walking therapy session yesterday. I can highly recommend it.

And to end the walk........a rainbow, the best winter colour of all.

Back here in the Attic, and Winter colour is mostly yarn related, of course it is. I gathered up a pile of clean socks this morning to take them upstairs - they'd been drying on the radiator downstairs and honestly I just swooned a little at the sight of all those delicious stripes. For those who don't know that I knit socks (I do, I do!), you can follow my "Socks" category in the sidebar for all previous sock posts with yarn and pattern details etc. I didn't make many pairs last year (I'm not sure why .... oh hang on .... yeah .... cross stitch happened!), but plan to have a few more pairs on and off the needles this year. 

I fear I am obsessing about my eucalyptus in a way that is a bit weird, but I can't seem to help it. Gawd, I love it so much. It's become my daily ritual....I sit and sip that delicious first coffee of the day, and rub a little euc leaf between my fingers to inhale at the same time. I think smelly pleasures are highly underrated. 

My sofa is a bit of a colourful mess right now, but I am really loving the riot of colour and pattern. In fact, the whole house is a mess, but I am going against the current January trend of decluttering and clearing and simplifying and choosing to embrace the cluttered, lived in look, just for the time being. Clearing may happen in the Spring, I'm in no rush. 

I was working on my sweet pea blanket for lots of hours over the weekend, and found myself wishing (for the umpteenth time) that the yarn would magically smell like sweet peas. Actually, I read on Facebook somewhere about a lady who puts a scented soap in her organza yarn bag along with her yarn and current project, and I thought that would be well worth a try. So I'm off to search for sweet pea soaps now, I think this could be a Good Thing.

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December Chitter-Chatter

 

Helloooooooo!!! I'm giving you a big and long overdue enthusiastic wave from the Attic window as I sit here on the very last day of the year and think about the weeks that have passed. I've been trying to write this post for the past few days and am happy to have finally managed it now that we're on the flip side of Christmas and teetering on the brink of the New Year.

D you know, I wrote the title of this post and then wondered if chitter-chatter was actually a proper word so went to look it up. Turns out it is indeed and means "informal and inconsequential conversation", which about sums up the overall gist of this post (well most of my blog posts actually). So I hope you're up for a some inconsequential chitter-chatter and a few photos to go with it? Onwards!!

 

 

Little B remarked to me this morning that this holiday has already felt super-long and I had to agree with him. It seems like aaaaages since we managed to exit the house at 8.30am and walk to school along the canal. This past week has been lazy in the extreme - there have been late nights and late mornings, entire days spent in pyjamas, erratic meals and way too much chocolate and screen time. It's been relaxed and restful, a much needed respite from the routine and clock watching of our school and work days. I for one have relished it all, have loved the slightly chaotic nature of having us all home together enjoying the long slow hours of nothing in particular.

 

 

I made a journey down to Dorset a few weeks before Christmas, travelling the 300 miles by train and bus. This is the second time this year that I've been to Dorset on my own, and although I'd much prefer to have J and the Little Peeps with me, I've come to appreciate the pleasure of travelling alone. I do enjoy a solo train journey where I can divide my time between reading, listening to music (Christmas tunes on this trip), browsing Instagram/blogs and crocheting, with some idle scenery gazing and day dreaming thrown in for good measure. 

 

 

I was pleased to find my Dad in good spirits and although we don't always see eye to eye on things, we generally manage to rub along OK for a few days at a time. Obviously I was mainly visiting to spend time with Dad and Lady B, but there is also a really deep need in me to be back on my home turf from time to time, for personal, nostalgic, feel-good reasons. Oh, I miss it there, I really do.

 

 

We walked to West Bay on a bright and breezy day in mid December and it was everything that I needed it to be. It was fresh and brisk, with blue skies and sunshine, noisy, pounding waves and salty sea spray. We walked around the harbour and out along the pier before heading to the cosy warmth of a local pub for a quick drink to fortify us for the two mile return walk.

 

 

I was away for three nights and J did a fabulous job of keeping the home front ticking over in my absence. In fact, I'm sure the Little People didn't really miss me at all, although I did receive the biggest hug from Little B when I got in through the door, so I think perhaps he missed me a smidge even though he insisted that he didn't.

 

 

In the days/weeks since I returned from Dorset, life has been steady. I lost track of the number of people (both friends and random strangers) who asked me if I was Ready For Christmas, and each time I would shake my head and tell them no. I never, ever feel ready for Christmas until that particular hour in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve when all the presents are wrapped, all the food has been bought and all the fire-fuel (logs) and festive-fuel (prossecco mainly) are in the house. Only then do I sit, breathe deeply and feel ready. Up until that point, there is not a jot of readiness to be felt within me, but I am absolutely OK with that. It is how it is, I am a last minute person and I try very hard not to stress it, even when people give me the wide eyes when I tell them I haven't bought presents and our tree isn't up (this being the 2nd week in December - PLeNty of time yet!!)

 

 

This year, as is the norm for me, I treated myself to a few little from-me-to-me Christmas gifts. J and I don't exchange gifts with each other and never have done in the twenty five years we've been together, so I feel it's absolutely ok to gift to myself. I bought the above book which I've been curious about for a a few years, and I would love to tell you I carved out time to read it but I don't want to lie to you. I've flipped through the pages (some glorious photos and illustrations) and dipped in and out of the chapters, but I'm saving the serious reading and absorbing of it for January.

Two other things I treated myself to - a Sweet Pea scented candle ready to light on 4th January when the Sweet Pea Crochet-Along begins, and a tree. HA!! Yes, I bought myself a tree. It's only a small sapling (1-2 foot high) and it hasn't been delivered yet but I'm beyond excited about the idea of it, mainly so that I can have access to it's leaves to squeeze and sniff to my hearts content......yes, it's a eucalyptus tree. I plan to grow it in a large pot in my back yard as I know they can grow into beastly big things, and I am just giddy about it. I'll show you when it comes!

 

 

I've been yarning along with myself during the past month of course, but haven't got anything much that I can show you. I've got a pair of socks on my needles which  are a belated Christmas gift for my fabulous father-in-law. I'm not going to show them here just yet as I have a feeling he occasionally peeks in through my Attic window. They are stripy and fairly manly (blues and greys) and I'm enjoying the little stitches very much.

As you can see above, I also tried my hand at making a critter a few weeks ago which was unexpectedly challenging (not the crochet so much as the facial features). I've got lots more to show you about that but can't just yet as this was a pattern test for a friend, so I need to wait for her nod. But if you know her critters already you will know that this is going to be one cute little thing. Oh it's so difficult to make animals look cute though, I had no idea!

 

 

In other creative news, I've been totally obsessed with my Sweet Pea blankets. In previous years I've crocheted the blanket more or less at the same time as I run the crochet along (just a week or two ahead so I can get the photos ready in time). But this year, as soon as I made the decision to offer two versions of the blanket I really had to get cracking as a LOT of hooky hours are needed to create two whole blankets. So I made the Posy version first and I'm now working on the Colourwash version, and I'm really, really, really looking forward to Friday and sharing the pattern and first colour installments with you. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has bought a Sweet Pea yarn pack from my shop at Wool Warehouse, I'm just thrilled to bits that our online crochet community is such a happy, positive and thriving place.

 

 

In the week before Christmas I finally started to think about gifts for family and friends. I decided for various reasons not to write Christmas cards this year, and instead I gifted potted bulbs to friends who I knew I was going to see. I bought some single hyacinth and amaryllis bulbs from the farm shop, wrapped them carefully in gold tissue paper and popped them into paper gift bags.

 

 

I know how much pleasure I get from watching hyacinths grow and bloom, there is something so optimistic and simple about them, the slow anticipation is just perfect. I hope they are bringing a smile to my friends as we head into the New Year, a dash of living greenery and a bloom of colour to welcome in 2019.

 

 

We decorated for Christmas at our usual time this year, around ten days before Christmas. This is early enough for me as I like to have the tree up until the Twelfth Night, or there abouts. And wonders will never cease - I even remembered to purchase the candy canes in time!!!! 

 

 

We have our usual haphazard arrangement of colourful mismatched decs on our old faithful artificial tree. Little B and I did the honours together, and I think we did a pretty good job. The tree isn't especially twinkly as we opted for battery powered lights after last year's kitty disaster (she chewed through a set of lights). But still, I do enjoy the gentle glow of it especially first thing in the morning when we come downstairs and it's still dark.

 

 

I decorated both mantels as I usually do, pretty much the same as last year and I've really been enjoying the twinkly little lights and the various candles. I don't think you can ever have too much sparkle and glow at this time of year.

 

 

Coffee Yeah!!!! Not much to add to that really is there??!! In fact, I'm not sure why I took this photo, other than to remember that there have been many happy little moments of daily sitting, sipping and taking stock during the past few weeks. It's not always easy to stop still and grant time to just be in the moment and allow thoughts to flow, but I think a mug of good coffee does aid that practice rather well. Yeah!

 

 

On Christmas Eve we woke up to the most perfectly perfect winters day, brrrrrrrrrr it was freezing! Being that we were firmly in holiday mode and therefore not able to get out the door before midday, it was early afternoon by the time we set out for a walk. The above photo was taken from inside the car around 2pm, and with temperatures still well below zero the ice crystals on the windscreen were mesmerising to look at.

 

 

We walked at Bolton Abbey with Little Lady and Little B, striding through the cold, sunlit woodland......

 

 

......following the frosty pathways through the trees.

 

 

There were plenty of people out on this crisp, clear afternoon enjoying the fresh air, yet it still felt tranquil. 

 

 

Heading back towards the car in the late afternoon, and the prospect of snuggling up in the cosy cafe suddenly seemed very appealing. Did I mention how cold it was? Uh-huh, below freezing, and definitely frothy coffee/hot chocolate weather. 

 

 

On the way home we stopped  a while on top of the moors to take in the sun - I think this was the exact moment when I finally felt ready for Christmas actually. So beautiful, those long distance, glowy golden views on the eve before Christmas.

 

 

From one day to the next and the weather couldn't have been more different. If Christmas Eve was full of sparkly gold, then Christmas day was a dull pewter grey. We had an early start on Christmas morning thanks to Little B who woke us all up at 5.45am absolutely fizzing with excitement. Gosh, that boy, his mood was highly infectious and the pleasure we had from watching him delight in his presents was worth the lack of shut eye.

 

 

J and I knew that we would meet huge resistance if we attempted to make the Little People venture outdoors on Christmas morning, so we took the decision to leave them behind. It was only for an hour - a quick walk into the woods as far as the pond, then back to the warmth of home. They barely registered that we'd been gone, all engrossed in new games and gifts. Although it was very gloomy out there, the fresh air was invigorating and I felt so glad of it.

 

 

We spent a quiet day at home just the five of us, and I am so grateful for the gentle ease of it all. Since then, our days have merged  into one long idle, contented blur. The kind where you wake up without an alarm, have no idea what day of the week it is, and wonder if you even need to bother getting dressed at all. It's been fabulous, and we are all rejoicing in the fact that we still have another week left to enjoy. I'm hoping to get out and about a bit more this week though, possibly to the seaside if I can get the family into the car to head west to the coast. Fingers crossed on that one.

 

 

Right now it's almost 9pm on New Year's Eve and I am going to take myself back to the fireside with a glass of fizz. We are choosing a gentle close to 2018, it's been such a contented year for us as a family and I am truly grateful every single day for the happiness and fulfillment that I find in my life.

Wishing you all a magical New Year, I hope you find happiness and joy in the little things and that life sparkles for you.

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Chasing the Light

Yesterday we woke to yet another day of low, grey skies and an eerie damp mist clinging to the landscape - down in Dorset we would call this mizzle (a combination of mist and drizzly light rain), and honestly it's my least favourite type of weather. We've had so little light here in general this month, day after day where it barely feels as if the sun is there at all, and I miss the sight of clear skies and brightness very much. However, Monday is my day with J and that's something that I always wake up feeling glad for, so even though the weather was grim, we still made plans to venture out together.

First stop : Breakfast. Well, technically it was the second stop as we first had to deliver the Littlest B-boy to school. Once we were free of offspring we walked through the damp park and up over the hill where we stood a while and marveled at the mist  swirling through the valley. Down the hill and along the footpath to the farm shop where all was cosy and bright, and we treated ourselves to a very fine spot of breakfast. It's not an elaborate affair (I usually have poached eggs on toast and a cappuccino) but there is something about going out for breakfast that always feels like the biggest treat.

I bought some stems of fresh eucalyptus (my annual festive treat in lieu of not having a real Christmas tree to inhale), and some potted bulbs to gift to to friends. I enjoy gifting living, growing things, there is something so optimistic about a humble bulb still in it's green-shoot stage, don't you think?

On our walk home from the farm shop, we noticed that the sky was ever so slowly beginning to clear, and by the time we arrived home in the late morning, we'd decided that the promise of a little sunlight was just too good to miss. I set about making a flask of fresh milky coffee and gathering together a light lunch snack of sorts (I know, not especially nutritious, but I did at least include some fruit), and off we went, out of town to chase the winter light.

We decided to keep ourselves below the mist still swirling over the high moors and headed for the riverside. Bolton Abbey was near deserted on this damp, quiet Monday, so we parked the car right next to the riverbank and settled down for some good old fashioned in-car relaxation.

The river was running high and loud after so much rain in recent weeks, and as the sky cleared a little we were treated to some blinding sunlight shafting off the surface of the water. Oh, it was glorious! I got out of the car for a while and just stood to soak it in.

There is very little colour to be found at this time of year, but the low sun illuminating the seed heads and grasses made it all look beautiful. I am trying my best to embrace the winter season we are in, digging deep to find appreciation and gratitude for this time of year which sees me struggle. I think I'm doing OK, and I am really (really, really, really) looking forward to celebrating the solstice on Friday. I think I love that day more than Christmas. I said to J, if it weren't for the children, I should like to celebrate the Winter Solstice with greenery, candles and feasting, then go abroad for the remainder of December to lie in the sun somewhere warm and bright. One day maybe.

One thing I know for sure - colour and yarn most definitely helps maintain the feel-good and I'm so very, very grateful for it. I sat in the warmth of the car yesterday afternoon and crocheted a few rows, glancing up frequently to take in the flow of the river and the sunlight bouncing around. J was reading beside me and we chatted a little about this and that, but mostly we were content to just be there in the quiet of the moment, enjoying the light and tranquility. It was a small slice of calm at the start of what promises to be a hectic week.

I hope all your pre-Christmas preparations are going well, it's the usual last minute cray-cray here, but I refuse to allow any anxiety to creep in. It's the winter Solstice on Friday (yay!) and I have fresh eucalyptus!! All will be well, I'm sure of it.

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