Attic24

Autumn Feels

Well hello there my lovely Attic visitors, it's so good to see you again! Thank you very much for stopping by after I've been away from this space for a silly amount of time, my break was totally unplanned but it seems life had other ideas for me these past few weeks. October has been a bit up and down, a real mixed blend of feels and my main aim has been to take one day at a time and try to look after my physical and mental well being.

I find Autumn such a strange season to get to grips with as regardless of how visually beautiful it is, I really struggle with the reduced light levels and the underlying feelings of melancholy. It's an odd thing for me as I am generally such an upbeat person and am passionate about celebrating the changing seasons, but this time of year just feels tricky to navigate.

October has been extremely wet for the most part, so the days when the sun has come out to play have felt like the greatest gift. I've been pretty unwell for the past few weeks and have spent a lot of time at home, but short walks into town during dry spells have felt really good. I've had to go slow as my energy levels have been extremely low, but I've appreciated the cool fresh air and the chance to very gently stretch my legs. 

Today I woke up feeling very much better (thank heavens!) and have spent some time in my studio which was so good. I do miss my blog when I've been away for a while, it's become such an important part of my life during the past decade. So as it's been a few weeks since I opened my Attic window, I thought it would be nice to have a grand ol' catch up and share a little of what I've been up to, both at home and away. 

Just after Yarndale, J and I had the opportunity to escape for a very short break away just the two of us. It was such a blessing, a quick jaunt up into Wensleydale to stay in one of our favourite villages {the very picturesque and atmospheric Askrigg} and walk a couple of our favourite trails in the Yorkshire Dales.

It was very lush but incredibly wet, light rain falling almost non-stop and the ground completely waterlogged. Can you see in the above photo what looks like a small stream flowing at the bottom? Well that was actually the footpath! We had to wade through that little lot which was a very wet and soggy business - thank goodness for my hand knit socks which kept my feet reasonably warm even though my boots were absolutely sodden.

Whole fields had become picturesque lakes, but we managed to navigate the paths and enjoy the peacefulness of the landscape with very few people about. It was such a tonic, and arriving at our cosy bed and breakfast after miles of wet wandering was pure bliss. We had a delicious dinner and a few beers beside the open fire in one of our favourite pubs (The Kings Arms) followed by an early night in one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in.

We returned home the following afternoon, so it really was a short break (30 hours in total) but it was enough to recharge my batteries after the whirlwind that was Yarndale. I think short breaks away from home are bloomin' marvelous things, and J and I are very fortunate to have his wonderful parents close by to take care of the Little People for us from time to time. I appreciate it very much I have to say.

A few days after Wensleydale and I was preparing for another trip away, this time on my own. This is something that has become a fixture in my calendar in recent years, my annual trip to London to visit the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. I traveled down by train, meeting up with my fab friend Christine before heading to the show in the late afternoon.

We never seem to time it right and always end up rushing around trying to see as much as possible before it closes - it's a giant show with a huge number of exhibitors and displays and of course there is always a lot of socialising to be done! I stopped to chat to my good friends at Stylecraft Yarns, said hello to other lovely yarny folks I know and introduced myself to new folks too. I had a very brief but exciting little meeting with the two gorgeous ladies who run this company.....

...this is the Historial Sampler Company who design the most beautiful cross stitch and tapestry kits. I'm excited to be doing some design work with them next year - during the past year or two I've been love love loving cross stitch and designing in this medium is super-exciting I have to say. I'll keep you posted!

The other reason for my annual trip to the Knit and Stitching show is down to a little something known as the British Knitting and Crochet Awards. This was my fourth year to attend, and I absolutely love that I now know many of the other lovely nominees and award winners. From designers and authors, to bloggers, yarn producers and shop owners, this is a super group of passionate and talented ladies and gents who I am madly happy to call friends. In the above photo you can see me in the middle (looking pretty smiley and contented!), Christine on the right (who won a highly commended award for her book "More Super Socks") and my lovely friend Fiona on the left who owns an amazing local yarn shop in Harrogate called "Yarn Etc". Fiona's shop won a highly commended award for the North of England region, such a well deserved win for all the hard work she pours into her shop and local yarn community. We had a fun time catching up and celebrating, then out for a meal afterwards with other shop owners and retailers who have become friends over the years, gosh I can't remember the last time I was out after eleven o'clock, it felt very grown up!

I am really, really happy to tell you that I won first place in the "Favourite Crochet Designer" category, and gained a highly commended in the "Favourite Crochet Blog" category. I would continue to do what I do here on my blog regardless of any votes being cast my way, simply because it makes me unbelievably happy to share my creativity and inspire others. But recognition is still a truly wonderful thing, and I am so so grateful for the community that surrounds me and the friendships that continue to grow from it. Thank you very, very much if you took the trouble to vote for me, I appreciate it very much.

After a night on the town in London, followed by a yummy hotel breakfast and an extended morning coffee/pastry/chatter session with Christine, I left the city behind and headed home.............

................not home to the Attic, but a journey South-West to my childhood home town in Dorset.

Hooray for spontaneous decisions and trains that take you where your heart desires! 

I'd decided to spend the weekend in Dorset as it just so happened to be my Birthday, and my annual pull to be beside the sea was as strong as ever. 

My Birthday fell on a Saturday this year and there was only one place I wanted to go - my new favourite cafe by the sea at West Bay for a spot of brunch. Yeah, I'm still firmly on my brunch kick, I am quite addicted to this leisurely weekendish meal and take advantage of it as often as possible. So I was without J and the Little Peeps which felt a bit odd, but I trundled down to the sea with my Dad and Lady B to settle cosily into Rise cafe. Gosh, I do so love this place! Brunch was awesome and although the weather was very disappointing (it did not stop raining the whole weekend I was there, honestly, non-stop wet stuff falling from the clouds), I was still able to sit and swoon over the seaside views. 

My birthday passed in a blur of sea air, good food, good company, a trip to the local pub followed by cake, prosecco and cosy crochet sofa time, which was pretty perfect.

On the Sunday morning I had the pleasure of returning to West Bay to meet up with a group of local crocheters. This lovely group of Dorset ladies meets up a few times a year as a result of knowing each other online via the "Hooked on Attic24" facebook group. Isn't that just the loveliest thing? The get together was organised by Sandra who writes her blog Daffodil Wild, and it just so happened that the Autumn meet coincided with my own short jaunt down to Dorset. How could I stay away?! It was a fabulous few hours, loads of excited chatter, coffee, cake and crochet and lots and lots of blanket squishing. Thank you lovely Dorset ladies for making me feel so welcome, it really was a wonderful way for me to round off my time in Dorset before I had to whizz back up North again.

I arrived back late on Sunday night, exhausted but glad to be home after four days away. I had kind of forgotten it had been my birthday whilst I was gone and enjoyed opening some surprise cards and gifts from the Little People. I'm happy to report that chocolate featured heavily in the gift giving this year, how lucky am I? And in case you were curious - I've managed fifty one glorious years pootling around on planet earth. Pretty happy about that!

When I woke up on the morning after coming back from London/Dorset, I did not feel at all well. I knew straight away that it wasn't just tiredness from travelling, but something much yuckier taking over my body. Nothing serious you understand, just a cold, but my goodness what a beastly virus it turned out to be.

Last week I really felt pretty unwell, that cold really did a number on my energy levels and I've barely felt like doing anything, just the absolute bare essentials. I've been sleeping badly at night, then falling asleep on the sofa at odd times during the day, trying to keep up with Mum stuff, the shopping, cooking, laundry, school run, homework type of stuff which still needs to happen regardless of how bad the body feels. 

This week I've been feeling a little better, and J and I managed a short walk at Bolton Abbey on a day when it actually stopped raining and the sun came out.

Real, actual sunshine!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glorious, it really was. 

We spotted a heron soaking up the rays on the opposite side of the river.....

....and the woodland was looking super-pretty wearing it's early Autumn colours.

I enjoyed the walk enormously, although I was pretty much dragging by the end of it and so glad of the café where good coffee was inhaled for essential revival purposes. 

We walked in our local woods at the weekend with Little B in tow - actually it was his idea to take a walk on Saturday morning, with the promise of a stop off in town afterwards for hot chocolate. It was a tad muddy, but delightful all the same, and for the umpteenth time I gave thanks for this beautiful patch of tree-filled land which is there for us to enjoy right on our doorstep. 

So........that's about all that's been going on here this month -  a couple trips away, some serious germs to contend with and a few short local walks. Autumn has well and truly arrived.

I've still got some Yarndale things to share with you all, I've not forgotten about that and was part way through creating the blog post just before I became unwell. I'll try and get that finished off and published very soon - it's half term next week which I absolutely can't wait for, I really am longing for some slow days of family time. 

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Summers End

Today marks the Autumn Equinox and there's no denying it now - Summer is officially over for another year. The past week has been absolutely glorious, a truly beautiful end to my favourite season and I've been drinking it in at every opportunity. 

On Monday last week J and I took a flask of coffee and some chocolate and set out to climb The Crag - it's been a while since we were last up there and I'd forgotten what a beast of a climb it is. I felt like every cell in my body was screaming in protest, but the stunning views combined with the deep down feeling of achievement (and sheer relief) once I hauled myself up to the top was definitely worth it.

It was a lovely walk in perfect late summer weather and I was so glad we made the effort to get out there to enjoy it.

Our days this week have often started out in a very foggy way with a thick bank of whiteness hanging low over the landscape. It's been atmospheric and beautiful, and has made our morning walks to school feel very Autumnal.

There is something very unique about the morning light in September, don't you think? There is a softness to it which I've come to really love, and even though it signals the end of summer I find I really don't mind it at all.

Coming home after the hectic morning school run, I try and make time to sit quietly with a coffee for a short while to gather my thoughts and just breathe in the stillness. It never fails to make me feel that all is right in my world when I have a hot milky drink in my hands. 

I've been walking around town more than usual this week as I've somehow had a lot of errands to run which have taken me from one end of town to the other.

It's certainly no hardship to run errands in my town. I've lived here for almost twelve years now and I absolutely love being able to walk from my house to the shops via roads like this ↑↑

....and along pathways like this ↑↑

I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to walk along these watery pathways every day and never take it for granted.

We gathered up Little B on Saturday and drove into the Yorkshire Dales to walk alongside the river Wharfe. This walk has become a firm family favourite during this past year, ever since we discovered the delights of the Old School Tearoom. In fact it was Little B's idea for us to walk there at the weekend, and I'm pretty certain that his decision was entirely banana milkshake induced.

Even though I've been holding onto the idea of Summer still being with us, the trees along the riverbank were most definitely displaying their Autumn colours. Most trees are still very green (hooray!) but the horse chestnuts are always one of the first to turn.

They look lovely though, especially when the sun lights them up.

Little B was on a conker-finding mission, although really it's still too early for them. He was overjoyed by the very small ones he found and we now have a very teensy collection of them sitting in a bowl in the kitchen.

The tea room was delightful as ever and it was warm enough for us to sit outside to eat an early lunch. Note the banana milkshake of dreams (!), he was so happy with his drink and his conkers, bless him.

I used to have a major addiction to buying tea towels, I wonder if you remember? I've not exactly grown out of it but have learnt to curb it and haven't indulged in a good few years now. I was looking on the Cath Kidston website for a new purse as my current 22 year old one has finally fallen apart. Somehow I found myself looking at tea towels instead (old habits die hard) and well, the 'shrooms just called out to me and had to come and live in my kitchen. I think they look very Autumnal and so blinkin' cute, I love love love them.

I've got some glorious sunflowers on my table at the moment, a gift from a good friend for no other reason other than she knew I would love them. She wasn't wrong, I do absolutely adore them and every day they make me smile. They are very Septemberish I think, a real end of Summer treat.

My mantel is still in Summer mode, and it shall stay that way until after Yarndale. We are forecast some rotten weather this week so I am doing all that I can to summon up some sunshiny summer vibes, just enough to get us through the weekend would be good. 

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Across the Moors

Last Sunday on the first day of September we set out on a morning walk across the moors. It was our last jaunt of the Summer holidays, a chance for us to stretch our legs, breathe in the fresh air and mentally begin the process of winding down our holidays and preparing for the start of a new school year. 

As is pretty usual for us these days, we were walking as a family of three with both the Teens working that day. Mind you, even if they weren't working I doubt that it would have made a difference to our walking plans - Little Lady does still like to walk with us but more often than not she's made other weekend plans for herself. Her social life is like a non stop merry-go-round and she is always on the go with her gorgeous group of friends, which of course I'm super happy about. She is in such a great place right now, happy, confident and loving life and I couldn't be more pleased for her.

So we are a threesome for walks these days, and that's quite OK, the transition has been gradual and it feels more normal now than it did a year ago. 

We mapped out a circular five mile walk around the two reservoirs (Upper Barden and Lower Barden) which sit high up on Barden Moor. We drive this way often en route to Bolton Abbey, but it's a beautiful place in it's own right and well worth an outing when the weather is fine. It can often be very wild and windy up here with virtually no place to shelter, so you do need to come prepared with the right clothes and some refreshments tucked in your bag.

We passed a few other people walking as well as some woolly four legged residents but mostly we enjoyed having these vast moors and spectacular views all to ourselves.

Upper Barden reservoir can't be seen from the road so it's always a lovely sight when it finally comes into view. Being that this was roughly the half way point of the walk, we had told Little B that we would stop here for a rest and something to eat and drink, so he was ridiculously happy when we arrived at the waters edge.

Before leaving town, we made a quick stop off at a café which opens it's doors for the early morning breakfast crowd and filled up our flasks. J and I had frothy lattés and Little B had his very own flask of hot chocolate which he was delighted with. On the spur of the moment I'd also picked up a couple of chocolate croissants which I felt would hit the spot rather nicely once we were high up on the hilltops.

Sitting out in the wide open countryside with a picturesque view laid out in front of you is one of life's glorious pleasures and one of my most favourite things to do. If you add in a picnic blanket, a hot drink and a bit of something sweet and naughty, well the whole experience is elevated up a notch or two on the pleasure charts. It was just so good! It also really helped to give Little B an extra energy boost as he'd been dragging his little legs somewhat. Hot chocolate has magical properties I'm sure of it.

We walked past the old Victorian reservoir keepers house - we were last here in the depths of Winter and I found myself very intrigued by this remote house back then too. I wonder what it would feel like to live there? Blissful or lonesome?

The heather was beautiful but definitely not abundant this year and there was far more brown than purple.

There was lots of green though, and it made me immediately think of the first part of my Moorland Blanket. I don't think I'll ever walk up here and not think of the colours in my Moorland blanket to be honest, it's impossible for me to look at this very familiar landscape and not see Cypress, Lime, Khaki, Meadow, Pistachio, Mocha and Walnut!

The winding track back towards the Lower Reservoir felt quite long and a little hard going - you can just see the reservoir in the distance there. 

But eventually we made it to the water's edge...

...and continued to follow the track across the embankment and up, up, up over the moors.

This felt like a veeeeery long part of the walk, and I was glad that Little B seemed to still be powering forward on hot chocolate energy because I was definitely dragging my heels.

I loved this Rowan tree which was absolutely covered in berries, it looked so bright and cheerful against the more muted backdrop of the hills and water.

I love walking in the countryside and taking in all the colours and I find myself mixing up virtual colour palettes inside my Creative Mind all the time. I've always been this way, even as a teenager I can vividly remember walking in Dorset and being so drawn to particular colours around me, wishing back then that I'd had a camera to capture what I was seeing. Owning a digital camera has completely changed my life and I absolutely wouldn't be without it. I always carry my little pocket point-and-shoot camera with me wherever I go (it's this Sony one, in case you wanted to know) and love that taking photographs has become such an essential part of my everyday life.

Hard to believe it's now three years since I  was working on my Moorland Blanket, it's still one of my most favourite makes.

I'm currently working on my next blanket design which I'll be ready to share with you in mid November (it'll be run as another CAL which will take place in Jan/Feb 2020). I'm super excited as I'm heading off on Friday for a little inspirational visit somewhere special. I might share some sneaky photos with you, I've not decided yet - it's hard to know how much to share and how much to keep as a surprise.

Let me know what you think? Would you like to know what the colour inspiration is for my next blanket, or shall I keep it under wraps for now? I'm so so so so so excited about it by the way!!!!!

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Life in August :: part 3

I've loved writing my blog during this past month, and know from experience that these types of everyday-life posts are the ones that I'll most enjoy looking back on and re-reading in future years. Blogging is such an excellent way to capture memories and record the essence of time and place, and I so enjoy seeing my random photos come together to describe the little everyday joys of spending summer at home with the Little People. I guess this is my own personal window into the summer of twenty-nineteen, but I'm glad that you also enjoy peeking through my window with me.

24th August, a random Tuesday morning. We drove out to the beautiful village of Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales and strolled along the riverside, it was sunny, bright and fresh and a lovely morning for a walk. Most of the river along this stretch is fast moving and quite noisy...

....but I loved this bit close to the riverbank where the reflections played on the still surface of the water amongst the mossy stones. 

Turning away from the river, this part of the walk passes through beautiful fields and meadows. Mid morning and the sun is still low in the sky and the shadows are long in late August.

There is a definite feel of summer drawing to a soft, gentle close......

....and the very beginnings of the Autumn season beginning to show. 

We walked as far as our favourite watering hole in Hebden and for the first time all summer we chose to sit inside instead of out in the garden. This was in part decided by the wasps, but it's sooo cosy and gorgeous inside I felt I could quite happily move in. A leisurely brunch is definitely the most enjoyable meal of the day I've decided. I know it doesn't really work on school/work days but that's probably why I love it so much because it's so very weekend/holidayish!

We've continued to make the most of the long days when the weather has been good, enjoying early evenings out and about after our dinner. It's mostly just Little B and me, the two of us seeking out the sunshine and enjoying a bit of playtime. We head to the park close to our house where I sit a while and daydream while he runs, balances, jumps, climbs and spins his way around the place.

There is another small park that we sometimes visit, it's a bit further to walk and sits at the top of a veeeeeery long, steep, hilly residential street so I need to be persuaded to take that particular jaunt in the evening. Little B is very, very good at the whole persuasive thing though, and I do love the peaceful tranquility up here.

It was definitely worth the steep walk as we got to watch the sun go down just after 8pm. There were rabbits nibbling the grass and a couple of people walking dogs, but mostly we had the whole place to ourselves.

Another evening, and this time it's Little Lady who asks me if I'd like to walk with her. I immediately sense that she is feeling restless and needs to walk and talk, and I am more than happy to be the legs and ears that she needs. We climb up the big grassy hill to sit on the dry stone wall and look out over our neighbourhood....

....well, that was the plan! As you can see, our usual peaceful long distance view was interrupted by the local residents who were very interested in coming to see us. Nosy things.

7.20pm and already the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are delightfully long. You can just make out myself and Little Lady in the photo above, well not us in person but our shadowy selves. Little Lady has grown tall this summer and is now around three inches taller than me (I am a shorty at only 5ft 3"), and I am still adjusting to that fact. It feels all wrong somehow.

On our way out of the woods we found ourselves at the top of the high street and with a tilt of her head and a big persuasive smile, Little Lady gently asked if perhaps we might go for a drink together. It was a beautifully warm, clear evening and I could tell she wasn't ready to head home, so I did the decent thing and obliged her.....

....oh, it was really no hardship, as you can see!!! Haha!! We were drawn to the outside terrace of Alexanders Bar which really comes into it's own on a warm summers evening. I treated Little Lady to a mocktail, she chose a White Russian (a "coffee and vanilla infusion with crushed ice & cream topped with salted caramel" in case you wondered) and I went with a very delicious chilled Sauvignon Blanc. It was such an unexpectedly good end to a long, warm lazy day, a delightful memory that has stayed fresh and bright in my mind ever since. My sweet girl, I do love her so.

Days have been gentle and rather lazy during this past week or so. I've found myself lolling around the house in Holiday Mode and sometimes I've felt guilty about it and sometimes I've just been delighted by it. I found the above photo on my camera roll, and it just describes these kind of lolling days perfectly. I'm sat outside in my back yard, it's 5pm ish and I'm kind of in the midst of cooking dinner (well when I say "cooking" I probably mean plopping various bits of salad stuff onto a plate along with some cold roast chicken and appropriate condiments, crusty bread and dips). I remember it had been a warm sunny day because there is my duvet cover folded up ready to go upstairs after drying on the line (isn't that one of the most wonderful things about summertime weather?). I had been reading through some magazines after deciding to carry out a bit of decluttering around my desk that afternoon. Of course I had to read the magazines before passing them on to a good friend. Of course! And yes ok, that is a cheeky little gin and tonic there, hmm....I don't often drink during the week, but realise that these last two photos make it look like I really do. Holiday Mode and a relaxing drink go hand in hand, no?

I have to say that I don't enjoy the shortening days at this time of year and although I try not to allow it, I do experience a creeping melancholy at the thought of summer starting to wane. I try hard to be positive about it, but it's not easy for a summer-loving soul like me. I've been lighting up my candles in the evenings instead of putting the light on, and that does kind of ease the transition a little. I'm so enjoying this particular candle which was a gift to me from Lady B when she came to visit a few months ago. The scent is just beautiful, and it does feel like a real luxury to light it up and enjoy the fragrance as well as the dancing light.

On the mornings when I don't have any particular agenda or anywhere to be, I've been getting up at around 7am ish. I head downstairs, empty the dishwasher, bring the milk in from the doorstep, feed the cat and see to the laundry, then set about making myself a cup of coffee. I like my coffee with plenty of hot milk and a dusting of chocolate powder, and always in a mug that feels morningish and good to hold. I tiptoe back to bed and sit and sip my coffee in the quiet of the house before Little B wakes up. It's one of those lovely little pockets of time in the day when I can be still and quiet and allow my thoughts to meander. I appreciate this slow start to the day very much as it's not something that can easily happen during school time. By the way, do you like my new mug? I came across it in the supermarket and couldn't resist it's wonky charms....it cost £4, a little treat from me to me. Happy Summer, Lucy!!

Actually one day last week I woke up with a start at 7.15 and was just about to start my dishwasher-cat-laundry-coffee-back-to-bed routine when I remembered that I had a train to catch......and I only had 50 minutes in which to perform the catching!!!! Yikes, I had to rush around like a crazy thing to get myself ready and out the door in time for the 8.05 train, I only just made it. My destination was Hebden Bridge....

....and can we just stop a moment and appreciate what a picturesque little train station Hebden Bridge is, it's really very lovely!

Setting off so early meant that I was strolling the streets before it got busy, and that's a rarity in this popular little town. I don't know Hebden Bridge very well having only been there a few times before, but from what I've seen it's a truly amazing  place with a very creative, quirky vibe. There are lots of independent shops and cafés and a real feeling of community spirit (it's very much like that where I live too).

To make this trip even more special, I wasn't wandering the streets on my ownsome. I had journeyed to HB to meet up with my very good friend Christine as we'd not had the opportunity to get together since before the summer holidays began. We thought it would be a fun place to spend the day together, an easy(ish) train journey for each of us and a great place for a leisurely pootle with plenty of cosy places to sit, sip, munch and chatter.

I hadn't really considered the shopping possibilities in HB, but of course the temptation was there and it was hard to resist the lure of pretty things. We called into a few different shops but this was definitely my favourite - it's the very lovely Yorkshire Soap Co. I didn't know until about 5 seconds ago that there are actually eight shops in Yorkshire, which just goes to show how gorgeous the products are and what a treat it is to step inside the fours walls.

Everything was just so very pretty, not only to look at, but the array of sniffing possibilities blew my mind!

I fell in love with the glycerine soap bars - the combination of beautiful glowing colours and tempting scents made me a bit giddy (to be fair, it doesn't take much to tip me over). There are more than 40 fragrances to choose from, and rather predictably I chose this one................

.......uh, huh.......Seashore. I've not used it yet but I have sniffed it excessively and can tell you it is delightful in every way. Fresh and zingy, it is meant to "capture the essence of a bracing walk along a seashore" which is right up my street. 

Our day was such a tonic, a chance to take some hours to be just Me and not Mum or Wife. I do really love the summer holidays and being home with the family but towards the end I always find myself craving just a weeny bit of breathing space. Christine and I meandered along the very picturesque canal, wandered in and out of shops and spent an extensive amount of time drinking coffee and eating cake in the cosy upstairs of a small café. We attempted a little bit of planning which ended up being just a bit of list making for me, but that's not a bad thing by any means. All in all it's often such good therapy just to talk things through with someone who knows you well enough to offer honest opinions and objective advice when it's needed. I certainly always feel like my head space is clearer after spending time with Christine, it's like whipping a feather duster around my cluttered Mental Cavities and opening up a window or two.

This week has seen us preparing for the return to school after our six week break and there has been a definite feeling of wanting to make the last few days count. On Sunday we decided to head up to to high ground and stride out across the moors. I was hoping for lots of purple but as you can see the heather on our local moor is pretty sparse this year. Still, we had a really lovely walk and I took lots of panoramic photos which I'm saving for another blog post. Lucky you.

Yesterday was the very last day before school returned today, and I'd promised my time to Little B. The previous day (Monday) I'd given it over to Little Lady, going with her on the train to Leeds for a day of shopping and lunch. She'd managed to save up a fair bit of money from working so many extra shifts at her waitressing  job over the summer, and was excited for a little bit of a well earned spending spree. It was a lovely day for us both, but honestly utterly exhausting.

So back to Little B - I asked him what he wanted to do, suggesting all sorts of things including swimming, the cinema, a trip on the train to Leeds (even though the thought of doing it two days on the trot made me wither a little inside), and in the end he was adamant that he wanted to go here...................

..........Skipton Castle. Yes, that's right, this is the castle that sits at the top of the High Street, less than ten minutes walk from home. He had it in his head that he really wanted to see inside it - we had taken him years ago when he was toddlerish size so he was too young to remember it. So off we went yesterday morning, just him and me (J was suddenly very busy, funny that), walking through that grand archway to buy our tickets and go on a jaunt through an eight hundred year old building.

I adore this tree which sits proudly in the centre of the inner courtyard. It's an ancient yew tree, planted as a sappling waaaaaay back in 1659. Sixteen-fifty-nine!!! 

I don't know how many times I've visited the castle over the years, we used to go when the Little People were small using an annual voucher from the local newspaper which gave us free entry. But no matter how many times you walk the rooms and take in the views and soak up the immense history of the place, it never fails to impress. It's just so very, very, very old!

I especially loved looking out of the windows to the side of the castle which overlooks the woodland as we've walk along that narrow pathway pretty much every week during the summer. There's something appealing about getting an aerial perspective of a well known place don't you think?

We really had a great time actually, and Little B absolutely loved it. We read every single information panel in every single room and being that is was first thing on a Tuesday morning we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. We were able to freely wander in and out of all the magnificently huge rooms and generally breathe in the historical importance of it all. I'm not much of a one for historical appreciation, but even I felt impressed by the absolute ancientness surrounding us.

After buying a pencil from the castle souvenir shop, we ventured back into modern day life and went for a coffee in Starbucks, followed by a last minute dash to the school uniform shop. It's all about balance.

The afternoon was spent like this ↑↑↑↑ (well for Little B, not me, although I was very tempted). You can just see his hand waving out of his "den", telling me that he is still alive and hasn't suffocated under the huge weight of allllll the crochet blankets and alllllll the cushions. 

And so......there endeth our summer holidays and it's been back to school and work for us all today. I think we've had a pretty great summer this year and it has felt beautifully long and lazy for the most part. Our trip to Dorset seems like it was ages ago now (well I guess it was six weeks ago), and although we haven't had any big exciting holidays or trips out this summer it's still been extremely lovely. Oh, I almost forgot, we did have a second short break three weeks ago up to Saltburn  - I started to upload some photos for a seasidey blog post so I'll try and finish that up and write about it quite soon before it all fades and becomes too distant.

Yes, summer has been so, so good. And you know, it IS still summer, right up until the Autumn Equinox on Monday 23rd September. It really is still summer (it is, it is), so please don't talk to me about Autumn just yet. I'm not quite ready.

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ps. Here are links to previous summer posts ::

☀ Life in August PART 1 ☀

☀ Life in August PART 2 ☀

 

 

 

Life in August :: part 2

First things first - I want to thank you for the truly lovely comments that you've written to me recently when I've posted here in my precious Attic space, I've really enjoyed reading your words on my last couple of posts. I do so love to hear from you and I am grateful for the time you spend visiting with me and gifting me with your thoughts. Carving out quiet time to sit and write a coherent blog post during school holidays is actually quite the challenge for me, and it's really great to hear that you continue to enjoy my slightly random narrative. I am thankful for you!

I continue to keep my camera close, and pretty much every day I manage to capture a few images here and there which describe these August days. The randomness of the photos means that they don't always feel like they make sense together but I still  really enjoy seeing the visual story unfold when I sit down and string them along in a blog post. These images create an honest narrative that's for sure - I guess that summer holidays are in themselves a collection of utter randomness with no two days ever being the same?!

We took a short stroll around the reservoir on Sunday morning which we've not done for far too long. Little B moaned like crazy about being dragged out of the house - it was half past nine so not a ridiculously early time, but still you'd think we were asking him to take an all day mountain hike in some remote, far away place rather than a short 30 minute walk a few miles away. As usual, as soon as we stepped out of the car and began to walk he was pulled immediately out of his funk and absolutely loved being outdoors with both J and I. I resisted the rather strong urge to yell "I-TOLD-YOU-SO!!!" although crikey, it hovered on the tip of my tongue for most of the walk as he was just so happy!! A shame we had to go through such angst to get him there, but it was totally worth it.

Short local walks seem to be the way to go for us at the moment. The weather is so unpredictable that even if you set out in bright sunshine, the likelihood of getting drenched in a sudden downpour is remarkably high. It suits me though, I really don't seem to crave new things or new places at the moment, content to tread familiar paths in well loved locations. I seriously love where I live, and I don't think a day goes by when I don't see the hills surrounding the Attic and give quiet thanks for the fact that I am so happy here.

I think I mentioned in my post last week about visiting the farm shop, we go once or twice a week during the holidays, partly for the amazing fresh produce but also for the chance to walk a couple of easy miles. Plus (and this is a big plus for me personally) you can get really good coffee there, either to drink in at the farm shop café or as a takeout. 

I don't eat a lot of bread (although I do love a bit of sourdough occasionally, or some dark rye bread for my poached egg addiction) but the bakery at the farm shop is fabulous. The bakers make the dough and bake it right there behind the counter so you can watch them doing it and it always smells soooo good. We picked up a ciabatta loaf this time, freshly baked and still warm, gosh it was hard to resist!

If we decide not to spend time in the café then a takeout latté is the next best thing - strolling home through the park while sipping on a hot fresh milky coffee is pretty great - small daily pleasures, I'll take them. I try and remember to pack our bamboo cups in my bag if I think we might be getting a takeout (J has one as well, his is a manly black and red design). I love my cup, it works really well at keeping the coffee hot all the way to the bottom of the frothy deliciousness and best of all it can go straight into the dishwasher when I get home.

As you can see from the splodge of red child in the distance, our walk to the farm shop is very good for a certain nine year old with a shed load of energy humming inside his body. Sometimes he rides his bike, but on Monday he decided to walk, which actually meant he needed to run. And run and run. J and I strolled along with our coffees as Little B raced ahead - I've said this many times on my blog over the years but don't you think there is something so brilliant about the way that children run for the sheer joy of moving their bodies? It's just so lovely to witness.

I love coming home with brown paper bags filled with all the fresh stuff, it makes me feel all inspired for cooking and healthy eating. Those tomatoes......ohmygosh, the flavour, so so good. 

Yesterday morning was a time for errands with my Little Buddy, and lookeeee.........the hand holding is back and I couldn't be more delighted (silent, internal happy mummy dancing). We set out early, first stop a haircut (for him, not me).....

....second stop was some mid morning refreshment for the both of us. We had a lovely little chat over our hot chocolate/cappuccino, about food and books and school and holidays, just the general stuff of life that sometimes needs talking over.

Third/fourth/fifth and sixth stops were a mish mash of essential shopping (drain unblocker, batteries, a birthday present) and non essential shopping which Little B somehow talked me into.

Do you want to know what two things he most wanted me to buy for him, with a heap load of begging and persuasive argument thrown in?

Number One........................

......a giant two foot long bubble wand.

As soon as we got home he was straight out onto the back street making the BIGgeSt bubbles you ever did see....

....and I was right there with him attempting to photograph the BIGgeSt bubbles you ever did see, which is much harder than you might imagine. It was windy and the giant bubbles went sailing up to the rooftops before I could even think about aiming my camera. I managed one very poor shot of a low-flying pair, aren't the colours pretty? 

You want to know the Number Two purchase?

He was so desperate for these that I just didn't stand a chance, I had to allow the indulgent purchase......

......bath marbles. Of course! Just what any boy would want desperately?!

You can see the appeal mind you......they're little mini scented bath bombs and are set out a bit like a pick-and-mix sweet shop, with paper bags for you to select your own collection. You get to choose ten for £3, and well, I figured that if it helps make the whole bath-bed routine a little more fun and not such a grind then they would be worth it. 

Life on the home front has been pretty easy this week to be honest. The Teens pretty much take care of themselves, both of them have been working extra holiday shifts at their weekend jobs (Little Lady waitresses in a café, Little Man works in a really lovely local pub in town). I'm so proud of them, they are saving up their money and seem to be enjoying their independence very much. Little B has perhaps been a bit bored at times, spending his time watching films and gaming a little, but also reading, dressing up and building dens as well, so I guess it all balances out one way and another.

Laughing now, remember at the start of this post I told you about the randomness? Well this is a case in point - here I present to you my breakfast.....crikey, how can you stand the excitement of all this???!!!!!

However....I have the same breakfast every day pretty much and I have to tell you I love it. LOVE it. I put 40g of oats in a bowl with a little splash of milk and some fat free vanilla yoghurt and leave it to soak overnight in the fridge. Then in the morning I add in half a sliced banana and some warm/smushed up berries (frozen "wonky" berries, defrosted/warmed in the microwave for a minute so they go all gloopy). OH my goodness, it's like eating pudding for breakfast, you really must try it.

A cute little posy of the brightest, sweetest summer flowers on my table too, cheering up my days no end. The mini dahlias are surviving the mollusks in the back yard and I am so in love with them.

There is crochet happening too of course - some things that I can't show you just yet which are making me giddy with excitement, and some things that I can show you and will gather together in a separate blog post. I finished off my third lamp post wrap for Yarndale this week, and I think I'm going to write up the little sheep pattern I designed for it. Would you like that? I'm not sure what use a little appliqué sheep will be to anyone, but maybe you would like to give it a go - let me know?

Last week we snook off for a few days for a short little family holiday beside the sea....it was absolutely blissful and I loved every minute of it. I took my usual stack of photos so will share with you in a few days while it's still fresh in my mind. We were so lucky with the weather, it rained of course (this is English summertime after all) but not ever enough to stop us in our tracks. We had such a good time, it was exactly what we all needed last week I think, a blast of fresh sea air and a little bit of somewhere different. Wonderful stuff.

I hope your week is shaping up nicely and that life's randomness is making you happy - tell me what you're eating for breakfast these days, I really would like to know. Honest!

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Life in August

These August days are flying past and already the first half of our six week summer holiday is over. We are having a lovely time of it and although nothing remotely exciting has been happening, it just feels really, really good. The days feel kind of light and easy and blissfully unstructured, with the exception of food provision which remains very structured indeed. Little B has a very sturdy, in-built food clock which will not be ignored, so 8am is breakfast, 10am is morning snack, 12pm is lunch, 3pm is afternoon snack and 5.30pm is dinnertime. It means that days spent at home are punctuated with these regular requests for fodder but I am not complaining in the slightest, in fact I like the way he gives some gentle routine to my own days. The Teens do not appear to have any routine at all and are completely ruled by their own weird and wonderful teenage body clocks. So aside from our evening meal which we all eat together, they will happily see to their own food throughout the day. I am so grateful for the fact that I can be at home throughout August, and I'm enjoying my Little People very much at this age.

J and I are both juggling working from home with family life this holiday and I think we are doing a pretty good job of it so far. On the days of the week when J isn't working, I try and take a bit of time out as well. I'm lucky in that I can work through into the evenings if I need to so that I can free up time during the day and it's so good to get out into the countryside together, even if it's just for a few hours.

Mostly we just have Little B with us and to be honest I think he really enjoys having our undivided attention when we go out and about. One day last week we decided to drive up into the Dales to walk one of our favourite paths along the riverside from Linton Falls to Hebden.

It was warm and muggy, and the countryside is definitely on the gentle slide into late summertime now. We saw so many butterflies and the tall dried summer grasses looked beautiful all along the river bank.

Little B and I are still going on our evening walks and it's always such a sweet hour of my day. Last week on our meander along the woodland footpath we spotted a huge heron perched on the fence ahead of us, he really was magnificent. It was a bit of a stop and awe moment - we do quite often see these amazing birds around the canal and the beck that runs through the woodland, but the size of them always amazes me every time.

You can't tell from the above photo, but as we strolled along this peaceful pathway a thunderstorm began to roll overhead. Loud rumbles of thunder followed by a heavy downpour of torrential rain meant that we arrived home looking a little soggy and bedraggled! It was fun though, and Little B seemed oddly delighted by the fact that neither of us had coats (I was wearing sandals too) and we were literally getting soaked to the skin. It was the nicest thing to come home and get changed straight into pyjamas (it was 8 o'clock by this time) and it really did fit the definition of cosy.

We've had some stonking wet and stormy weather during the past few weeks actually, with the kind of rain that makes a huge sound as it falls. But it's remained pretty warm and humid and there has been plenty of sunshine in between the downpours. I've loved the rain (now there's a surprise), the sound and smell of it has been refreshing and soothing.

Little B hasn't really asked to do much so far this holiday, we've been into town a few times to our favourite cafes and we've walked/cycled through the park to the farm shop. But one morning last week (Tuesday) he asked if I could take him on the train to visit Salts Mill. To be perfectly honest I didn't much feel like it at the time and I was very tempted to say no. But he asked me so sweetly in a way that gave a great big yank on my heart strings, so I found myself looking up train times and agreeing to go, and he was so happy! We only live a short walk from the train station, so last minute decisions to go places is made pretty easy really.

We enjoyed Salts Mill, and being fairly early on a weekday morning it was quiet and peaceful. Little B chose a new reading book (he is an avid reader) and I got to browse in the very-expensive-daydreamy-home part of the mill where Little B persuaded me to buy some very-expensive-daydreamy hand wash. I then had to recover with a stiff cappuccino and a slice of coffee and walnut cake in Salts Diner (I did share the cake with Little B), but it was altogether a lovely little trip for the two of us. And the hand soap smells delicious - the child has good taste it has to be said.

On Thursday morning last week we walked at Bolton Abbey, it's been a while since we'd been there.

It was a warm, still morning and we walked a fair number of miles along the woodland and riverside paths.

I do try and be In The Moment when I'm out with the family, but I am so easily distracted by nature's details and feel compelled to capture on camera the little things that catch my eye. 

Everything looks so lovely in summertime!

As delightful as the walk was, I absolutely couldn't wait to get back to where we'd parked the car to sit down and enjoy this.......

......ahhhhh, that was so good! Little B had a much deserved ice cream and J and I inhaled our frothy coffees and all was well in my world. We walked for a  good few hours so had covered some miles, that coffee was well earned!

We did a little bit of gardening last week, working on tidying up our very overgrown front garden. It was a joint effort - J cut and strimmed our unruly patch of grass and I trimmed back all the foliage. Our buddleia is flowering anundantly this year and we've had so many butterflies on it every day - peacocks, red admirals, large whites, painted ladies and small tortoiseshells. It's been wonderful to sit and watch them flitting about. I trimmed all the dead flowers off and tidied it up a bit - there were some casualties from the football so I snipped off the broken stems and popped them in a glass on the dining table with some other bits from the garden. Summer right there in a glass.

I've been trying to eat healthily this holiday and aside from the odd bit of cake here and there I've been keeping all my meals as wholesome as possible. Lunch is one of my favourites as I usually cook just for myself - nearly always an egg now I come to think about it. I love poached eggs soooooo much! Yum, yum, yum, especially with avocado on toasted rye bread.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post, and a doubly big thank you to everyone who made the journey to come and see me at Wool Warehouse on Sunday. I had such a lovely time! I traveled down on Saturday afternoon with J which was a treat in itself as we'd booked into a lovely hotel and enjoyed a gorgeous meal out and a welcome little slice of child-free time. 

I was so excited to see the Warehouse and it did not disappoint, oh boy, it was magnificent! 

The wall of Stylecraft Special yarn was inspirational and I love love LOVED that little mini Attic24 blankets had been made to showcase my colour palettes and designs......

......look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so neat, and really useful to see them all displayed like that. 

In the showroom there is limited space so it's not possible for all of the many thousands of yarns to be displayed. What they've done is so clever - there is one ball of every single type of yarn they stock, with a label giving you all the information you need (weight, yardage, price etc). You can then look at the colour ranges on the computers and request for any balls you might want to take a closer look at. I loved seeing so much variety and found my brain spinning with creative ideas.

It was a truly amazing day...super busy from start to finish and so many happy, friendly and enthusiastic visitors to chat to. I loved meeting everyone and hearing all about the projects you've made and those you've added to your list - lots of yarn packs went off to new homes so I know there will be some lovely new blankets in the making very soon. It makes me so very happy to think about it, gosh you just can't beat the feeling of starting out on a brand new blanket journey. I love making blankets very very very very very much.......you'd never have guessed that would you??!!

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Yarny Weekends

A few days before I went down to Dorset at the end of July I packed my bags, hopped on and off a couple of trains and journeyed across to West Yorkshire to spend a few days with the Stylecraft team and some of my gorgeous fellow Blogstars. We are lucky enough to enjoy two get-togethers a year (one in the winter and one in summer) and it's something I really, really look forward to. Over the years that the Blogstars have been meeting I think it's fair to say that we've all become very good friends. We obviously have a huge amount in common in that we are all crochet/knit designers and bloggers and I love being able to chat about all things yarn/crochet/blog to others who not only get what I'm on about, but who are willing to share their own thoughts, projects, advice and experiences so freely. It's a nurturing, uplifting and super-kind group to be a part of and I value these yarny friends very much. You can see who all the Stylecraft blogstars are and find links to their blogs {{here}}

After a fun social on Friday night and a relaxing stay in a local hotel, we made our way to the Stylecraft mill for some serious yarn chat on Saturday morning. The team at Stylecraft gave a detailed presentation to us, showing new yarns and patterns that will be coming in the season ahead (Autumn/Winter 2019). We were given a little insight into fashion influences and design/colour trends (which fascinates me beyond measure!) and shown new yarns and new colours coming to existing ranges. I absolutely love all this - much of it isn't directly relevant to the way I work (a lot of knitting patterns and yarns that are more suited to garments) but I still get a real buzz out of seeing how design collections are created and photographed and how themes and colour palettes work their way through from concept stage to finished item. It's an insight into the yarn industry that I feel very privileged to have.

Usually we all make our way home after the day spent at the mill on Saturday, but this particular meet up was a little bit special. As well as the Blogstar get together, it was also party time! Stylecraft are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year and as part of their celebrations there was a going to be a much anticipated Sunday tea party. A part of the working mill had been cleared and spruced up and the Stylecraft team did an amazing job of making it all look very welcoming. It was to be a very busy day with 60 guests (winners from a competition) and 30 local yarn shop owners invited to the party.

I loved the schedule of the day which included yarn-themed party games, prossecco and birthday cake, I mean, how can that not make anyone giddy?!

One of the games involved this wall of mini jumpers made from Stylecraft Special DK - there were fifteen colours missing and I can tell you I had a load of fun with the blogstars attempting to nail down the missing ones. I know these colours inside out, but it was still quite a challenge!

There were a couple of other really fun games too, including "Stylecraft Special DK Bingo" - the winners of a full line and full house were gifted with these beautiful yarny bouquets which I thought was amazing.

photo credit : Stylecraft Yarns

Oh, did I mention that there was cake??????? There was cake!!!!!!!

You can read more about the purl party and see more photos on the Stylecraft blog {{here}}

After lunch, it was time for some workshops. The blogstars who were teaching had each set up a little display area - as I had traveled by train I was limited with what I could carry but I was really happy to give some of my blankets a little outing. It's always so nice to see people enjoying my blankets and telling me about their own crochet makes, I love our creative crochet community very much.

For my workshop I had chosen to teach a simple mandala using Stylecraft Classique cotton DK.

I had ten gorgeous ladies at my table..... 

.....and a whole lot of colourful yarn. The pattern I designed uses 8 different colours and it was great fun to see everyone making their choices and working out which order to place them in.

I say I was 'teaching' a workshop but honestly, these ladies were all very, very good crocheters and picked up my pattern with ease. I gave a little bit of colour advice, but mostly I just watched in awe as the most beautiful mandalas grew in front of my eyes.

Oh......there might have also been cake involved........did I mention cake already???

Cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

The workshop lasted for two hours so it was quite speedy and before we knew it, the afternoon was wrapping up. I managed to get a quick snap of the mandalas made by all the ladies, it was one of the most fun (and fast) workshops I've ever done. Don't they look amazing?

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photo credit : Wool Warehouse

This coming weekend also promises to be very, very yarn filled as I am heading south to Leamington Spa to visit Wool Warehouse for the very first time. Over the years I've met the WW team on many occasions but I've never had the opportunity to actually go to the very building where all the magic happens....I'm so excited to see it! There is a beautiful new showroom which I am really looking forward to exploring, but best of all I get to share the day with a whole heap load of yarny friends.......................

.....yipppeeee!!!!!!!!!!! You see, this isn't a personal, private visit for me on my own-some, but a whole OPEN DAY where you are all invited too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so sorry for the very short notice, August has kind of crept up on me a little and suddenly it's nearly blanket show time.

But if you are able to come along, it would be fabulous to see you - it's this coming Sunday 11th August, 10-4. I'll be there with ALL my blankets, and guess what? There. Will. Be. CAKE!!!!!!!!!! 

Yes, I have it on good authority that there will indeed be tea, coffee and homemade cake, and of course there will be yarn, loads and loads of yarn. You can browse and shop and have a chat with me if you like, and generally have a really lovely day out I hope. There is a page on the Wool Warehouse website with all the visiting information (including local pubs where you can have lunch or park the other half for a few hours) - click {{here}} for the details.

I've spent much of today running up and down the cellar stairs with armfuls of blankets, giving my entire pile a wash and a spruce up. That's one of the beautiful things about Stylecraft Special DK, it washes like a dream. I put three blankets into the machine at a time on a short wash (40 degrees) with my usual laundry liquid and fabric softener. I gave them an extra spin to loose as much of the water as possible, then popped them in a cool tumble drier for around 30 minutes. They come out feeling sooooooooooo soft and delicious, I just wanted to cuddle up and snuggle them to bits. I love my blankets so, so much.

So I hope to see some of you on Sunday, and I'll be back in the Attic next week to share some more yarny goings on and some general summery chit chat. 

Have a fabulous weekend, I hope there is yarn (and cake) involved xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

A Sweet Day

Before I launch into my witterings for today, I'd first like to gift you this beautiful bunch of sweet peas by way of a heart felt thank you. Thank you all so very much for your comments on my last post, for your unwavering kindness, empathy and understanding, I am unbelievably grateful. The morning after I'd written, I read back over my words and truthfully I was a microsecond away from deleting it all, feeling rather embarrassed to be honest. It's not my style to wallow, and I was kind of surprised by what had tumbled out of my head and into that blog post. I don't generally plan my posts, nor do I edit or mess around with my words - what you read is pretty much what spontaneously enters into my head at the time, it's my weird inner dialogue and you can be sure that it is honest and genuine. So.....I can't really find it in me to delete that entry, as much as it makes me cringe to read it. It is what it is. But thank you again, for taking time to gift me your thoughts and allow me to see things from a different perspective, and for lifting my spirits. I bet you wish you could lean in to your screen and smell those sweet peas, they smell soooooo good I can tell you!

On Saturday we took a trip to visit the RHS gardens at Harlow Carr in Harrogate. I realised last week that it was the annual Sweet Pea Society show, and remembering how much I had loved it last year I asked the fam if they fancied going. The Teens were both busy with work and friends, but Little B seems to have very vivid memories attached from his few visits to Harlow Carr and was mega keen on the idea of being back there. I don't know exactly what it is that he loves so much about it - oh hang on, why don't I ask him......? Well, he says that he can't really explain it, but he just likes the feeling of it there. He says he enjoys smelling the flowers (that is so true, we did a lot of sniffing!), and he likes the way it always feels fresh (not sure what he means, maybe the air smells fresh? There is a lot of open green space). It really is a lovely place to explore with lots of different areas within the gardens, and as you would expect from a top class RHS garden, it is immaculately kept. 

The beautiful eco-building in the photo above is the Learning Centre (it has a living sedum roof, how cool is that?!) and is where the Sweet Pea show was held. I couldn't wait to get inside, and it was the first place we went to as soon as we were in the gardens (even before coffee, that's how excited I was).

You might remember me talking about this flower show when I introduced you to my Sweet Pea blanket last year? This year I knew what to expect so the shock of the rigid formality wasn't quite so great. J and Little B (who had waited for me outside last year) came in with me this time, and it was very funny to see their expressions - wide eyes and shocked faces!

Despite the seriousness of the show, it was still a breathtaking sight, and wowsers, the scent in this room was unreal. Being a warm, humid day they had a big fan blowing and the highly fragrant air wafting around was absolutely delightful.

It wasn't overly busy, but it was lovely seeing visitors enjoying the show and admiring the painstaking perfection of each little display of blooms. You could feel the passion in the air (the competitiveness too) - competition flower growing is such a weird and wonderful hobby.

I just had to show you these flowers, they looked as if they had been spray painted, aren't they amazing?

The thing I love best about visiting this show is the opportunity to buy flowers to take home. These are gorgeously large, blowsy sweet peas, a mixture of colours and varieties grown by experts and they are stunning. At only £2 a bunch I snaffled up three and donated a bit of extra money to the Sweet Pea society in gratitude for the inspiration and joy that they've given me.

I mean, just look at them - so, so beautiful, and the colours make me weak at the knees.

After the sweet pea excitement we continued to explore the gardens, following the many pathways past vast flower beds, around lily ponds, through modern show gardens and humble teaching gardens.

Being mid summer, the flowers were in abundance and absolutely stunning.

Even the pathways through the woodland areas were floral - I've no idea what these flowers are but the hot tropical mix of colours was really lovely.

Little B, nine and a half years old and possibly a tad too big for children's playgrounds these days. However, we spent an aaaaaage in the woodland visiting the various wooden play areas and waiting patiently while he clambered around. He really was the oldest child by far, but he didn't mind in the slightest. I have to say it was delicious being able to relax casually on a bench and wait for him to do his thing without having to hover around ready to rescue or offer assistance. I watched all the mummies and daddies with their toddlers and felt a deep sense of relief that those days are now behind me.

One of my most favourite areas of Harlow Carr (well of any garden really) is the kitchen garden. This one is large and immaculately kept with lots of different shaped raised beds and neat, bark covered paths. The beds were made from recycled plastic instead of wood which I thought was brilliant, and something I would love to investigate for our allotment. The mixture of vegetables, fruit and flowers was so visually appealing and very inspiring....

...you can guess where I was drawn to can't you?

..

..

..

...of course, how predictable! These towers of sweet peas were gloriously unruly and in such contrast to the stiffness of the formal Sweet Pea show.

I found it hard to tear myself away from sniffing them. Beautiful.

We took a fragrant stroll around the scented garden which was mostly roses, honeysuckle and lavender....

....we loved this secluded rustic bench which was designed with a lavender back rest. Little B was enchanted by it, in fact his delight in all the flowers was unexpected and really made the day extra special somehow.

As well as the floral abundance, Harlow Carr has a pleasing amount of open green space and when you have children this really comes into it's own. Little B has a massive amount of energy fizzing inside his little nine year old body and the lure of the grass could not be ignored. After much running, he threw himself to the ground and rolled his whole body length down the grassy slopes, squealing as he went. It was joyful to watch!

In fact, I think Harlow Carr manages to very successfully mix formal, adult appeal with a wonderful childlike delight and I love it for that. I love the super-neat formal flower beds, but I also love the wilder more natural areas and the playful willow sculptures dotted around. It was such a lovely day out and if you're ever in the area here in North Yorkshire I can highly recommend it. 

I was so thrilled to be coming home with my big bunch of sweet peas, gosh they did make me swoon.

I knew they would probably be at their best for just a few short days, so I decided to put them to good use........

.....awwwww!!!! Just look at how good the colours look!!

I couldn't resist taking some photos of my Sweet Pea blanket with the flowers that inspired its creation.

This photo makes me so happy!!!

The above photo was taken exactly a year ago, on the 17th July 2018 when I was finalising the colours for my Sweet Pea blanket. I remember the day so clearly, and how excited I was when the yarn palette finally came together and I just stood and stared at it and felt like I wanted to cry. That's usually how I know that I've got it right - colour-filled emotion is quite extreme for me! It means that every blanket of mine has ALL the  feels right from the very beginning. There is heart and soul and passion in my yarny colour palettes and creating them brings me so much joy.

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Rain and Shine

In a bid to fight the annual Summer Overwhelm and pretend that I've not been full of cold, full of hay fever, full of weirdly erratic hormones and full of not sleeping well, I've been turning my back on indoor life whenever possible and spending time outside. The house, my studio, work related stuff and anything that requires me to apply my barely functioning, sleep-deprived brain cells has been neglected and I am trying not to worry about it too much.

Rain or shine, I find such calm in being outside surrounded by nature and I am so so thankful that I can leave the house/Attic to run on neglect for short periods while I try and look after my own well being. 

J and I have been tramping familiar paths in all weathers....

....pottering around in the grey of warm, muggy afternoons. We've been making the most of these last few weeks of the term when we have a small number of child and work free hours to spend together. It's been lovely and very much appreciated by me I can tell you.

I've continued my evening outings with Little B too, as and when he's been willing to join me.

These photos were taken last week, around 8pm on Wednesday evening when we took a stroll up the farm track and into the woods.

The light was so beautiful at that time of day.....

....with dancing shadows.....

....and glowing sunbeams. 

The following evening we decided to make a picnic dinner and take it to Bolton Abbey which is something I wish we could do more often. It takes a certain amount of forward planning, but it's still possible to be fairly spontaneous with it when the weather looks promising. I marinated some butterflied chicken breasts (olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, honey, mustard) then cooked them on a hot griddle pan until they were seared and cooked through, then left them to cool. I also boiled up some baby Jersey Royal potatoes then tossed them in a little butter, heavily seasoned them and left them to cool too. I packed up some crusty French bread and tortilla crisps with an avocado dip, and a big bowl of easy finger-eating salad (baby plum tomatoes, baby cucumbers, carrot and pepper sticks). What else? Hmm yes, some easy finger fruit (strawberries, cherries and watermelon chunks) and some chocolate biscuits to finish. I made up a big bottle of elderflower cordial and honestly, it was so summery and delicious, and I wish I had taken more photos to share with you. Actually I took lots of lovely summery photos of the Little People, it was one of those precious evenings that you don't want to end.

Today there was very little shine at all but the rain didn't stop us getting out and about.

We walked through Strid Wood at Bolton Abbey this afternoon, enjoying the sound of the rain drops as they fell heavily onto the leaves above our head.

The scent of damp earth and abundant greenery was lush, and helped me to feel like my head was clearing a little for the first time in ages. 

Ahhhh, raindrops on a blade of grass....such simple beauty, but oh so worth stopping for.

After a quick coffee, we drove home over the moors and I was absolutely blown away by the sight of this field right next to the road. I asked J to pull into the lane so that I could take a closer look. I wanted to find out what kind of flower was growing in such abundance.......

......oh, hello Foxgloves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I honestly don't think I have ever in my entire life seen so many growing in one place, they stole my breath clean away!

They looked spectacular en masse and I just stood there at the edge of the road with my mouth hanging open in wonder. Amazing.

Right now the rain has stopped and the evening is warm and clear, and I am thinking about sitting down quietly to do something soothing. Maybe knit a few more rows of my seascape socks, or crochet up a few more rows of the Yarndale stripes I'm working on. I finished the first one and am now onto number two and I'm so enjoying the simplicity of it....I'll show you more of that tomorrow I think.

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Summer Days

We've not had the greatest Summer weather here lately, it's been incredibly wet and cool for June. The upside to all the falling wet stuff is the complete and utter lushness of the countryside, it's just so greeeeeeeen and beautiful everywhere, if a bit on the damp side.

On Monday morning J and I drove up into the Yorkshire Dales to walk around the picturesque village of Malham. This is only a short walk (around 4 miles), heading out of the village across lush green fields and into the small woodland that surround  Janets Foss waterfall. 

From there it's a steep climb up....

....until you eventually reach the top of the magnificent Malham Cove.

This limestone pavement is world famous (I'm saying that, but I'm not sure if that's actually true? It feels like it should be famous though!). Famous or not, it's an amazing geological feature and the subject of many school geography lessons.

It's not especially easy terrain to walk on and the "grykes" (the gaps between the limestone rocks) are pretty deep. But it's fun to hop from rock to rock, making a slow journey from one side to the other.

J really doesn't do well with heights, so I ventured on my own towards the edge of the cove to take in the spectacular view down the valley. It was drizzling with rain at this point so a little murky and grey, but nevertheless still very beautiful.

The descent from the top of the cove is via a very, very long higgledy piggeldy run of stone steps. Malham cove is 260 feet high, so that's a lot of steps....over four hundred of them believe it or not. It makes you very quickly realise you have a whole heap load of muscles in your legs that don't very often get a work out.

I took regular stops on the way down to admire the long distance views and to appreciate the close up details too. There was lots of wild thyme flowering amongst the rocks and the colours seemed even more vibrant that usual in the dull, grey light.

It always amazes me when we reach the bottom and look up to see how very, very high that limestone cliff face is.....and to realise that we were up there ON TOP just a short time ago. Wow....it takes my breath away. Every. Time.

The stroll back to the village is gentle and scenic.....

.....a beautiful meandering path through flowery meadows.....

....then a short jaunt down a quiet country lane.

It was lunch time when we arrived back into the village, so we decided on a welcome sit down in the local pub for a quiet drink and a very tasty light lunch.

It was a lovely day, and for the gazillionth time I said my silent thanks of gratitude for the six child-free hours that J and I get to spend together every Monday. It's such a blessing.

Back on the home front and summer is still blooming....it's Peony Paradise right there on my table this week, and I am so happy about it! One bud is still to open, but the other four stems are putting on a spectacular floral show. I am enjoying these flowers so much and drink in their beauty many, many times during the day.

Yesterday evening I rounded up Little B and asked him if he wanted to come with me on an elderflower gathering expedition. He was overflowing with enthusiasm (sweet boy) and so at 7.30, off we went into the soft early evening to see what we could find.

We have a place that we visit each year to gather elderflowers - even though they are very common hedgerow trees and grow in abundance around our neighbourhood, I prefer to go somewhere quiet and out of the way to snip and gather (rather than the local park where folk can be a bit on the blunt side when they see you snipping at trees, say no more).

The place we go now is a very quiet little lane off the beaten track on the edge of town - we can easily walk there, but it's out of the way and there are about eight trees that are can gather from so that we leave plenty behind for the wildlife. 

I put Little B on snipping duty which he was thrilled about - you can see how big and blowsy those flower heads are....

....we had no problem gathering in the fifty or so heads that we needed for cordial making. In fact, there were so many flowers this year that I'm probably going to head back again at the weekend if it stays dry and gather in enough for a second batch. 

I did two batches last year so that I could stash away some small plastic bottles of cordial in the freezer. It was such a delicious treat to pull them out in winter and have an instant reminder of summertime.

I called into the supermarket after the school run this morning and lugged back the huge two kilo bag of sugar along with the lemons and oranges that go with the flowers to make Elderfower cordial. It's extremely simple to make and the recipe I use is one that I adapted from Sarah Raven (I use less sugar in mine).

There you go ↑↑↑ I made this for me to print and keep, so thought I'd share it with you too.

Citric acid is magic stuff and super-easy to find online....Amazon sell it (of course they do, they pretty much sell anything). Although you usually have to buy it in 500g quantities, it's not too expensive and keeps for years if you seal it up well. Find it on Amazon ((here)).

The scent of this flowery concoction is a bit odd as it's "cooking" and to be honest it doesn't smell especially good. But........oh the resulting syrupy drink is absolutely divine I promise you. It's floral, sweet and citrusy and refreshingly zingy. I love love love it, it's a taste of summer that I never tire of.

You dilute the cordial with water (sparkling water is especially good), or add a splash to a glass of prossecco or gin/tonic for something a little bit more weekendish. Oooo, now I'm really looking forward to my weekend summer tipple....it'll probably be the highlight of my Saturday!

The sun was in and out today, with a surprising fall of light summer rain catching me out on my way home from the shops this morning. The kitty follows the sun around the furniture, usually finding a warm patch of sunlit crochet to curl up on for her extended daytime naps. She isn't really a laid back cat (she is a feisty little diva) but there are occasions when she really does appear to be very mellow indeed.

Over on the sofa this morning I found a monster lurking - like you do. Little B is running on Summer time and is getting up pretty early in the mornings right now. It's not unusual for him to be pottering around at 6am, immersed in his own nine year old world of play. He goes through phases where none of his toys interest him any more and all he wants is screen time (insane cartoons mostly) but at the moment there is a lot of playtime happening and I have to say it delights me no end. Long may it last. We've got four more weeks left of the school year here, then we are into the six week summer break, so I'm hoping the play phase carries on for a good while yet. Please let it (silent plea).

I've not photographed my view for a while, so I took a quick snap today as we walked to the top of the hill on our way home. The light was so clear after the earlier splash of rain, and everything is looking beautifully green and lush. 

Summer time always makes me want to feel lighter, healthier and more energised, so I'm making an effort to curb my sweet tooth and am forcing myself to stay away from the calorie laden pastries and biscuits when I go shopping. Instead I've been buying extra fruit, not just the ordinary every day fruits that we always have in (apples, pears, oranges, bananas), but special fruity things like mango and strawberries and passion fruit. I really love fruit so it's not a hardship to snack on a plate of it, I've just not got to be so lazy about preparing it for myself. 

I am so in love with these long, light days. Even when it's been raining and miserable and I've lit the candles to banish the gloom, I still love that the darkness doesn't creep in until well past ten o'clock at night. It's a magical time of year - Summer Solstice tomorrow and I'm keeping all crossed for a dry evening so that we can head out and celebrate. I'm not sure what we'll do - I kind of hope that there's cake or ice cream involved, and possibly a glass of chilled prossecco, but who knows whether I can motivate the family to head out into the greenery and be mid-summerish with me? I've been remembering this day, gosh, six years ago now, how is this possible? Our family dynamic has changed considerably since then and I am so grateful for my blog and the beautiful window it gives me back into the past. Happy memories indeed.

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