Attic24

Summer Snaps :: late August 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

....oh, it was glorious!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Heather Moorland :: Evening Edition

Mid August :: 14/08/22 :: 8pm

A spontaneous drive up onto the moorland to take in the sunset and the heathery scenery. It wasn't an especially good evening for viewing a sunset because heavy rainclouds had started to roll in by the time we got there, but I'm sure you'll agree the colours were still amazing. It was a memorable hour at the end of an ordinary, slow-paced Sunday, a time for us to pull the Little People away from their screens and head out in search of colour and light-filled views. How lucky they are living out their childhood surrounded by so much natural beauty!

These high moors are just four miles away from the Attic, and I always make a point of visiting every August when the heather is at its peak. It's part of my personal floral calendar (along side the likes of snowdrops, wild garlic, blossom, buttercups and bluebells), and I think it's so good to appreciate the colours that bloom throughout the different seasons. I really like the natural connection to the ebb and flow of the year and can't imagine a life where these things pass by unnoticed. 

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Summer Snaps :: early August 2022

♥ Enjoying my walks in the woodland with J, we walk most mornings at 7am and it's such a beautiful way to start the day. The smell of the summer woodland during a light rain shower is one of the freshest scents I know. It's the very definition of the word "lush".

♥ During the extremely warm weather of the last few weeks, I've really appreciated the dappled shade under the trees. Not just the cooling feel of all that greenery,  but the dancing light and shadows has felt soothing somehow.

♥ Woodland walking and a morning coffee - enjoying my daily rituals no matter what the weather. Yes, I do still love a hot milky brew even on the hottest summer days! Mostly I prefer to take time to go out and sit in a café (especially if they have outside tables) but when J is very busy and tied to his desk I fetch us a takeout. I'm still pretty obsessed with these pastel de nata and absolutely love that my local coffee shop sells them and will wrap one up in tin foil for me to bring home with my coffee.

♥ Crocheting outside in the yarden, enjoying the way the sunshine makes the colours of this yarn glow. Gosh I do really adore this blanket.

♥ An evening walk with Little Lady which involved a slight detour afterwards for some refreshments. We went to a bar in town with a gorgeous outdoor terrace and indulged in a pair of very good mojitos. It was lovely.

♥ A visit to the beautiful RHS Harlow Carr gardens, my goodness it was utterly gorgeous there in early August. The giant herbaceous borders are spectacular and I found all the colours really inspirational. It was the three of us (me and J, with Little B), we took a picnic and had a really enjoyable day. I took loads of photos (of course I did) and will pop them into their own blog post I think.

♥ A family walk out into the Yorkshire Dales, well it was more of a hike really as it was nine miles and a pretty tough climb up to the top of Simon's Seat. Walking over open moorland we found enough ripe bilberries to pick and bring home, and J made two delicious jars of jam with them.

♥ This was a challenging but brilliant walk (the four of us on this day) and again, I took lots of photographs because it was exceptionally scenic. Can you see in the above photo, the shadows of clouds moving across the hillside? I absolutely love-love-love when you get to see that happen, I love it almost as much as still reflections in water. I'll try and find time to show you more of this walk very soon.

♥ A sunny pub beer garden in the late afternoon, in the picturesque Dales village of Appletreewick. It was at the end of our long hike and my goodness, it felt so good to sit down and rest our weary feet! From the pub garden we could see the very top of the high craggy rocks where we had eaten our picnic lunch earlier in the day.

♥ The sky in my wine :) tasted soooooo good after such a long walk!

♥ Visiting the market every Saturday morning with J, it's something we both really enjoy and always a lovely start to our weekend. Right now the summer fruits are abundant and we are eating our way through enormous amounts of strawberries, peaches and plums. Our favourite fruit and veg stall has changed positions on the market and is now right next to a homemade brownie stall.....oh.......it's dangerous stuff.

♥ I couldn't resist bringing some home for the Little People and they were suitably grateful for the Saturday treat. They are too sweet for me (just as well to be honest), but I have it on good authority that they are extremely good.

♥ August so far has delivered us the very best kind of summer weather with endless days of hot sunshine and clear blue skies. To say I've loved it is a humungous understatement, I've been ridiculously overjoyed about the weather and just full of summer happiness. We had a stunning heatwave here last week with temperatures reaching into the 30's which is pretty unusual for us up in the North of England. Oh my, I loooooooooved it!! 

♥ Spending so much time outside has been a huge source of pleasure for me this month, from my early morning woodland walks right through to evening strolls as the sun goes down. 

♥ It's 8am in the above photo, and I'm walking into town to run a few errands before it gets too hot. 

♥ On my way home now, just after 9am and the streets are still beautifully quiet. The town seems to be extremely busy this summer with lots of visitors flocking in on market days. I get a bit of a quiet thrill walking around and playing tourist in my own town, pretending I'm on holiday when I'm actually just popping out to get groceries.

♥ Summer lunch in a bowl, full of fresh flavours. I adore this kind of meal and eat it regularly. Raw courgette noodles (this simple gadget is still one of my faves and I use it loads), with lightly blanched yellow beans (a homegrown gift from my friends allotment) and the sweetest cherry tomatoes. Toss the veggies in a little olive oil and lemon juice, then add some protein (cooked chicken and mozzarella this time) then season and add some fresh basil to finish. Yummmmmm.

♥ Finding a shady spot underneath the tangle of honeysuckle and clematis in the back yard on an incredibly hot afternoon. Can you imagine how happy I am with all this blue sky and bright sunshine to hang about it?!

♥ Coming to the end of my crochet blanket and picking up an old cross stitch project. This is a Cotton & Twine design from two years ago and I only had twelve little buzzy bees left to stitch, so I got busy and completed it.

♥ Ta-dah! I now have all four seasons complete and really love displaying them on my (dusty) mantel. One thing I haven't done much of this summer is housework!

♥ A gentle evening stroll up on the moors to take in the beauty of the heather while at its peak. Oh, it's ridiculously stunning up on those hilltops at this time of year, just breath taking scenery in every direction. It was around 8pm in the above photo and the sun was almost ready to sink below the horizon - yes, yes, I took dozens of photos and will show you some more very soon. 

♥ This last photo was taken yesterday morning as I was nervously pacing the floors, straightening out the blankets and tidying up random objects to keep myself busy. I was waiting for Little Lady to return from school with her A level results and I was suddenly anxious in a way that took me completely by surprise. My goodness, it was an emotional ol' parenting business yesterday! Thankfully I'm pleased to tell you that she did extremely well, and I burst into tears. She got the grades she needed to secure her first choice university place which is a major achievement......but she has made the hard decision not to take it for now. Knowing her as well as I do, I think she is absolutely making the right choice for herself and I'm so incredibly proud of her. Teenage life is such an adventure, it's a thrill ride for sure.

I hope you've enjoyed these snippets, I'm having the best summer this year, such a lovely balance of all good things. I wish I could find more time to share here, I've literally got hundreds of photos that I'd like to show you - we had an amazing holiday week by the sea at the end of July, and then some beautiful staycation days out (Harlow Carr and our Dales hike which I've touched upon in this post). I'll try hard to make the time to upload some more summer blogs. I hope this season is treating you well, grasp every bit of goodness in each day, there is so much to enjoy.

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Summer 2022 :: A Yarny Trip

During July I was lucky enough to enjoy three trips away from home - one of them was a family holiday just a fortnight ago (can't wait to share that with you!), but for the other two jaunts it was just me, myself and I. With J working from home and the Little People being of an age where they are pretty low maintenance, it's possible for me to take off for a few days here and there without too much to organise. I count myself very lucky to have a really supportive hubby who always encourages me to enjoy time away when I need/want it and I appreciate it a lot. Like, a LOT-a-lot.

As you will have seen by the title of this post, this particular trip involved yarn and I needed to hop on and off two trains, then in and out of a taxi to get to my destination. Train travel is a bit of a hit and miss affair right now in the UK and very rarely runs smoothly. Trains seem to be breaking down on the regular, staff shortages cause all sorts of last minute delays and cancellations and the unusually hot weather has played havoc too. So it took me rather a long time to get to where I needed to be....

...which was this amazing, historic boutique hotel down in the very middle of the country close to Birmingham.

I arrived hot, weary and late, the last one to join the table in fact.....

...but I was sooooooo happy to see some familiar smiley faces waiting for me. Hellooooooo Blogstars and lovely Stylecraft peeps, how I have missed you all!!!! You can see me in the above photo (bottom left) smiling widely with an ice cold drink in my hand, soaking up the chatter and laughter and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. We were a smaller group than usual as many of the  blogstars were unable to make it this time. But let me introduce you around the table - there's me bottom left, then moving clockwise around we have Sophie (Stylecraft), Helen Shrimpton (Crystals and Crochet), Bronagh (Stylecraft), Janie (Jane Crowfoot), Catherine (Catherine's Crochet Corner), Phil (who is hiding a bit - she's The Twisted Yarn) and Lucia (Lucia's Fig Tree). And taking the photo is Juliet who's part of the Stylecraft team and was the ninth seat in our party.

It's been a good long while since I was able to meet up with these yarny friends of mine, back in those long ago days before Covid put some huge spanners into all of our social works. Looking through my bloggy archives tells me it was in fact three years ago in 2019, can this be true? Well however long it's been, it really did feel good to be back in such creative company. We enjoyed a delicious evening meal and I personally also enjoyed the tremendous luxury of having a double bed all to myself, yes, it's often the little pleasures which unexpectedly feel like such a treat.

The following morning before breakfast I took a quiet stroll around the hotel grounds which were really lovely. This is a very ancient old building with over four hundred years of history, and in the peace of an early summers morning it was very atmospheric. But old stone walls and tall chimneys aside, there's yarny business to attend to so I better head inside and see what's on the agenda.

In case you were wondering, the Stylecraft Blogstars are a group of crochet and knitting designers who share their love of the craft across various social media platforms (not just blogs, but also Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Ravelry etc). We all really enjoy using Stylecraft yarns and it's been great to see this well loved UK yarn brand grow and expand over the years. There are currently seventeen designers in the Blogstars group and you can find us all listed on the Stylecraft website ((here)). 

The first part of the meeting is always a catch up session where we find out what we're all working on and what plans are in place for the year ahead. Often times when you see a new project released by a crochet/knit designer, it will have been many months (and sometimes years) in the making. It's exciting for us to be able to talk through our plans when they are still in the early baby stages and kept secret from the world at large.

The second part of the morning is all about Stylecraft and we are given a presentation where we gain insight into the year ahead in terms of design trends. This is where we learn about colour palette predictions, fashion shapes and details, and general "moods" for garments and interiors. The Stylecraft team also showcase their new yarns and patterns for the upcoming season  as well as any new colour additions to existing ranges. In the above photo you can see one of the brand new yarns that has just launched (I did double check that I'm safe to show you, because it would be just like me to get the dates totally wrong!)

To be honest with you, most of the new yarns are really lovely but not necessarily yarns that I would personally use, being more suited to knitting or to making garments. It's still fascinating to find out about them though, and we do get to fondle actual balls and have a really good squish. We are also given yarn wraps (shown above) so that we have reference to all the colours in new ranges to help with design decisions and to spark inspiration. In the above photo you can also see another of the brand new yarns which has just launched - this is called Colour Twist and is such a clever yarn made up from different coloured strands twisted together.

One thing I am always interested in, without question, is colour. Colour palettes form the beating heart of all my crochet designs and it's the very first thing I think about when I'm starting something new. In the above photo I was attaching the final squares to my blanket (yes, it's perfectly OK to crochet and have a meeting simultaneously), but in the background you can see a lot of yarn out on the table. We had been discussing the possibility of adding some new colours to an existing range of Stylecraft yarn and I am always, always up for this kind of chat. Colour, colour, colour, yes, let me at it!

I have to say, the team at Stylecraft who make the colour decisions are extremely talented and have art-based backgrounds, so every single range of yarn is always very well balanced and carefully thought out in terms of colour. However, it's still an exciting thing when we get asked for input from a design point of view and can help add some lovely new shades which we'll all be able to create with in future.

After lunch it's time for some gentle creativity and new skill learning, and at this meeting we were treated to a workshop by our very own Jane Crowfoot. We were taught how to add beads to our crochet which is one of Janes trademark design elements and something I've always wanted to learn.

My goodness, it's clever!!! Right from the start when Jane taught us how to actually get those teeny glass beads onto our DK weight cotton yarn, my mind was blown - did I mention how clever it is??! 

Jane actually has a video tutorial for this technique over on the Tube if you're interested in learning - you can find it by clicking the following link : {Janes beaded crochet tutorial}

We followed one of Janes patterns for a beaded flower motif and they turned out soooooo pretty!

If you are interested in using beads in your work, Jane recommends using these very pretty glass beads by knitting designer Debbie Abrahams, they come in around 30 different colours I think and you can find them online ((here)). 

The day passed by so quickly and soon it was time for us to pack up, say our goodbyes and head homewards. I generally enjoy train travel very much and find a lot of value in being gifted time to just sit quietly as you pass through changing landscapes, towns and cities. On this journey I was travelling up the backbone of England, through parts of the West Midlands, Derbyshire and into South Yorkshire, then finally tipping into my home county of North Yorkshire. It's always a sweet moment when I spy my hill view and know that I'm getting close to home.

My trains were delayed and running very slooooow, so it was almost eight o'clock in the evening by the time I was walking from the station towards home. The canalside always feels especially peaceful and still after the constant movement of a travel day...

....and I'm always glad to stop and catch my breath at the top of the steep hill climb and admire my familiar view.

Home.

I took a few photos of my finished beaded flower to show you, isn't it pretty? The whole technique of adding beads to crochet has lots of potential and I love the extra decorative element it adds.

Well I think that's a wrap and hopefully you've enjoyed a little insight into the "working" part of my life as a crochet and colour addict. A big thank you to Stylecraft for gifting us the opportunity to meet and enjoy such a happy, yarn-infused time, I'm already looking forward to the next get together.

⇧⇧ I've got some salty seaside tales to share with you next......yes, July was a very, very good month

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Summer Snaps :: July 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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English Bluebells

The bluebells are spectacular this year and I'm so glad that I got to walk through the woods at Bolton Abbey last week to enjoy them at peak floral perfection. All that glorious colour to feast on, I was absolutely beside myself. Native English bluebells are such a stunning deep purply blue (darker than their Spanish cousins), and every single year I forget how wonderful that particular colour is, then fall in love with it all over again.

I read recently that almost half of all the world’s bluebells can be found in the British Isles, apparently our damp climate provides the perfect environment for them to thrive. Isn't that something? Having read that, it makes me love them even more, if that's possible.

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City and Country

Our Easter holidays were slow and quiet and aside from my solo trip to Dorset we hadn't made any plans to go anywhere or do anything out of the ordinary. J was working during the second week and the Little People are now at an age where their own agendas take priority over what Mum thinks they should do. 

At the start of each school holiday I always ask Little B if there is anything special he would like to do, or anywhere he would like to go, and the answer is always a very firm No. He is simply not bothered, preferring his own company and to stay within the comfort zone of his bedroom. Last week however, I was making plans to go to the City with Little Lady and he unexpectedly said that he would like to come along too. Well, I was absolutely delighted and I immediately booked a table for a meal and got our train tickets sorted before he could change his mind.

Little Lady said she preferred to shop for clothes by herself so for some of the time it was just Little B and me. We pootled around the shops, mostly just looking but he was very encouraging when I said I might like to buy myself something new to wear for the Spring, perhaps just a t-shirt to wear with jeans or something. He helped me choose, and well, I am pretty surprised to tell you I bought something yellow! I hardly ever wear yellow (most of my clothes are on the blue/green part of the spectrum) so it came as quite a shock to find that yellow was calling my name. If you are curious to see, it's ((this top)) from my fave brand Seasalt.

The other thing I wanted to shop for was new bedding, something I've been thinking about since back last year. Again, Little B was a huge help, offering suggestions and assisting me in my choices and he really seemed to genuinely enjoy himself. I'm SO happy with my new bedding, I had ummed and ahhhed over it last time I was in John Lewis in November, so finding that I still loved it as much 5 months later convinced me to splash out and buy it. I'll remember to take some photos of it to show you in another post very soon. It's just lovely.

Little Lady chose where she wanted us to eat, it was a restaurant that we'd visited last summer for lunch and it had obviously made an impression on her. It's right in the middle of the city centre, a restaurant chain called Bill's which serves Mediterranean inspired food. We had booked for an 11am breakfast/brunch and I can tell you that it was very yummy.....

.....doesn't it look good? I went for the Mediterranean breakfast (poached eggs, feta, chopped salad, labneh, chilli oil & toasted flatbread) and the only thing I wasn't too sure about was the labneh. It was quite sour tasting (like a tart yoghurt dip) which put me off a bit, especially when eaten with eggs? But overall, yup, my belly was very full and satisfied after polishing off that little lot. 

Truthfully I was still feeling a bit under the weather for most of last week and wasn't sure how well I would cope with a whoile day in a busy city centre. I'm happy to report that the change of scenery and pace was surprisingly refreshing and although by the end of the day I was absolutely dead on my feet (having walked over 17,000 steps) I really enjoyed myself. The Little People were great company and I think/hope they had a good day out too.

Little B is 12 so still a child (albeit an exceptionally mature one) and I do still like to treat him according to his actual age for the most part. For example, I think it's important for him to take breaks from his screen and gaming from time to time so that he can benefit from being out in nature, and this isn't something he readily agrees to. Its takes a firm parenting stance to make it happen and he always grumbles about it, but then seems to really enjoy walking and being with us out and about once we get going.

We drove out into the Yorkshire Dales on Easter Sunday morning to do a six mile circular walk which we know very well and love in all seasons.

Because we knew the village would get very busy, we made a huge effort to set off early so that we would be easily able to park the car. Honestly I am amazed that we manage to do these kinds of things, it does take some considerable planning and determination to get out of the house by 8am.

As you can see, it was well worth the effort - blissfully quiet footpaths and the most stunning morning light were ours to enjoy.

It was good to see the horse chestnut "sticky buds" already beginning to unfurl in the spring warmth - another month from now and the treetops will be full of the most delicious fresh greenery and my heart will be so happy to see it.

We weren't the only ones out and about on this early morning!

Strolling along beside the river is a very tranquil thing to do on a sunny bank holiday Sunday....

.....and even the noisy rush of the falls at Linton seemed peaceful to me. I mean, it doesn't fill my soul in the same way that the sound of the sea does, but I've grown to love riverside walking since I started living here.

Time to leave the water behind and head out across the fields now....

....up, up onto the top of the hills...

....enjoying the sweeping views and wide open skies.

It really is a lovely walk this one, with plenty of little twists and turns through fields and gates, over stiles and stone walls and winding up and down quite country lanes.

We arrived back into Burnsall around 11.30 which was perfect timing for a spot of refreshment. There is a really lovely little café on the edge of the village green called the Riverside, and we'd been told by friends that the coffee and home baking was well worth some attention. The café was really busy so we took our drinks as a takeout to sit beside the river on a bench and enjoy the views. Well, what can I say, it was absolutely outstanding. It was so hard to choose a cake because they all looked amazing, but in the end I opted for a generous slab of courgette and pistachio loaf cake which we shared (it was pretty huuuuge). My goodness, it was one of the best cakes I've ever tasted and I've not been able to stop thinking about it since. To give you an idea, I found ((this recipe)) which looks similar, so I think I'm going to have to try it. Either that, or else I need to plan a trip back to Burnsall riverside sometime very soon. I don't think a twenty mile round trip for cake and coffee is too much, do you?

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A Quiet Week

Hello, hello, how are you all doing this week? Things here in the Attic are the usual mixture of ordinary family life and familiar routines interspersed with bursts of creativity, which is how things generally tick along for me these days. Despite the ordinariness of it all it's still a pleasure for me to string together some photos to share snippets of my days with you, so thank you as always for calling in to visit. 

Last week we had snow! I know, it was very strange to see snow falling at the start of spring but sadly not unheard of here in the north of England. I learnt many years ago when I first moved here not to expect any spring warmth until the very end of April at least.

J and I were out on our usual early morning walk and the park looked so, so wintry, it was one degree so most definitely more winter than spring. The trees which line the pathway in the above photo are cherry trees which flower quite late in the season and I absolutely can't wait for the blossom to arrive. You can see photos of them from two years ago at the end of April (here) so hopefully not too much longer to wait.

I had to share the above photo with you as it made me laugh at the time - it was the same freezing snowy morning and a certain Little Somebody did not want to go out in the cold and walk to school in the snow. This was his "I'm not leaving the house" protest, and quite honestly I know exactly how he felt. I think we all have those mornings from time to time where we wish we could simply wrap up in a yarny blanket and stay home.

The kitty had the right idea - make the most of a sunny patch where a crochet blanket provides the perfect level of snuggly comfort. I absolutely love love love her little kitty feet, she has a mixture of colours on her paw pads, mostly black and brown but it's her back right foot that I love the most. This foot has the cutest pink pads (Little Lady calls them toe beans, which always makes me laugh). Such a sweet, comforting thing to see them all stretched out in the sunshine.

After the snowy weather, spring started to peep back in to our days again although it remained ever so chilly. I don't often walk out on a Saturday morning because I usually enjoy having a slow start before we head into town to the market. But on this last Saturday when I was sitting in bed drinking my coffee, I noticed a golden glow outside the window and realised that the sun was just coming up. The light looked irresistibly golden and beautiful so I made a snap decision to go and chase the rising sun - oh, it was SO worth it!

If you remember back when I introduced my Meadow Blanket to you in 2020, the meadow field is about five minutes walk from my house and has become a place where I'm often drawn to walk when I need to clear my head or feel some sense of calm.

Right now in very early spring the meadow is still pretty muddy and uninspiring and it seems impossible to believe that in only a few months from now it will be absolutely filled with flowers. The blackthorn trees are in flower in the hedges but other than that, there is no sign of the floral goodness that I know will come. Mother Nature really is astonishing, don't you think?

In the bottom corner of the meadow field there is a little gap in the hedge where you can access the canal. This is the opposite side to the paved towpath where most people walk and it's a just a narrow, muddy footpath but it's always nice and quiet and makes a nice return walk home for me.

I always smile to myself when I catch sight of the above sign nailed to the tree there - "PLEASE SLOW DOWN" - heehee, well of course it's for the boats (there are two swing bridges up ahead to slow down for) but I can't help but take heed of the message. Okaaaaaay then, time to slow the pace and take it gently, after all, it's the weekend and there's no real rush.

Saturday mornings are one of my favourites of the whole week, and I've often talked about it here on my blog. The morning is for walking into town with J to buy food at the street market and independent shops, followed by a stop at one of our favourite little cafés for breakfast on the way home. It's a simple thing really, but it ticks so many of my feel-good boxes and always makes me feel very grateful for this life that belongs to me. It's not glamorous or exciting, but there is a lot to be said for spending happy time with your other half enjoying simple pleasures.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but I grew up in a family where only my Mum worked and we existed on a very low income which meant continuous money worries. My Mum planned the weekly food shop to the penny with simple meals all made from scratch on a very tight budget. Eating and drinking out was never a thing I experienced growing up, except on very rare occasions. If you have grown up like this, I can tell you the memory of the hardship never leaves you. Now as an adult I can afford this luxury and I have a genuine gratitude and appreciation for the fact that I can eat out regularly and enjoy a daily coffee at a lovely café. I feel so, so lucky!! Every single Saturday I feel lucky beyond even being able to put it into words, it's a deep feeling I get right into the very bottom of my stomach.

My Saturday afternoons are usually slow, leisurely things. It's a time when as a family we all seem to be busy doing our own thing - we are usually all at home but mostly occupying different parts of the house (the Little Peeps in their bedrooms and J usually in his computer den in the cellar). As it's a rarity for me to have the downstairs room to myself (well, shared with the kitty) I love, love, love settling down in the Big Chair to read, crochet or stitch. I really value peace and quiet and never listen to music or have the television on during the daytime. It's a lovely thing I think to simply enjoy the gentle sounds of the house going on around me - the ticking clock (I have a really satisfying ticky one on the wall in the sitting room), laughter or chatter from the kids online with friends, the low rumble of the washing machine. It's a peaceful domestic soundtrack which I've come to appreciate very much.

I decided on a whim that I fancied some slow stitching, my mood just felt like something slow and mindful. I settled on some embroidery - this really cute little wild violet design is one of the projects in the current Spring Craftpod. Oh, it was wonderful to stitch, very dainty using mostly just one strand of embroidery floss, and yes I definitely needed my glasses! 

Sunday mornings are made to be taken slowly and I really, really take full advantage. I'm usually awake quite early because during the past six months I've worked hard to establish a good sleep routine and this means I generally go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day, even on weekends. The difference on a Sunday is that I can extend the time I spend loafing around in bed, and goodness me, I absolutely adore being in bed! The sheer comfort of a cosy, slept-in, still-warm bed is hard to beat. I'm burning my favourite "Late Summer" soy wax melts from the Botanical Candle Company, although I've just ordered myself some Orange Blossom ones for spring so that I can save Late Summer for actual summertime.

On Sunday mornings it's not unusual for me to have two or three coffees in bed before I'm ready to get up and get ready for the day (only the first one is caffeine, I then switch over to decaff)....ahhhh, isn't it sometimes the ordinary little moments in life which deliver the most pleasure?

Above photo.... 9:09 am....

.....and two hours later we were sitting on the river beach at Bolton Abbey - ta-dah!!!

It was unplanned, but after a quick family chat about maybe heading out to walk somewhere seeing as the sun was shining after a very wintry week, we quite quickly managed to all get it together to go out. It's becoming more and more rare for us to have both Little B and Little Lady out walking with us at weekends so I really relish the times when it happens.

J and the kiddos spent most of our beach time skimming stones across the still surface of the river, while I occupied myself building a pebble tower, like you do. So satisfying to balance them just right.

I am always in "mummy-mode" when we go walking and never leave the house without a snack in my bag. Honestly, Little Lady turns 18 in a few weeks time and yet I still think I need to pack a snack for her. I need to get a grip. Mind you, she didn't complain when the chocolate egg came her way, so I'm letting myself off the hook with the over the top mothering. 

It was a lovely, fresh, sunny walk and I really enjoyed the family time. Got to make the most of it these days, because by the end of the month I'll have two adult teenagers, and only one child left.

I finished my embroidery on Sunday afternoon. Although the original project was for a sunglasses case, I decided to add in some herbs (these were given as an alternative design) and keep my embroidery in it's hoop as a little spring picture. I really love how it turned out......

.....ta-dah!! So, So sweet. As it happens, I have wild violets growing in one of my big back yard pots right now so I picked a couple for my photo just to be a bit extra. They're now popped into a teeny polka dot egg cup of water and sitting pretty on my mantel, and my sweet violet and herb hoop is hanging on the wall there too. I've not yet gone all out to decorate my mantel for Spring, mainly because it still feels so much like winter here, and also because I'm really, really enjoying my Winter Garland. Gosh that thing is so flippin' pretty, I adore it. I'll try and remember to take an updated mantel photo for you soon, and note to self, that dried out finished-up hyacinth bowl needs replacing (adding to my to-do list).

I mentioned at the start of this blog (waaaaaay back two thousands words ago) that I've had bursts of creativity recently, and I wish I had something better to show for it. I worked obsessively on my new blanket during the past few weeks, making and joining  around 24 complete squares before coming to a rather crushing halt. I realised that it just wasn't working quite as well as I'd hoped (my heart didn't soar when I looked at it) and so I decided to step away for a bit and try and decide whether to start over, or if maybe it might be OK once I've taken a breather. I'm really not sure right now which way it'll go, and I feel like I can't really show you at the moment until I'm sure of it myself. 

So that's about where I'm up to - life in the slow lane and I'm absolutely OK with that. I'm going away tomorrow, a solo journey on the train tracks down to Dorset for a short break to check in on my Dad. I'm hoping that when I come home that I can look at my blanket with fresh eyes and make a decision on how to go forward with it. In the meantime, I'm about to start work on a smaller crochet project which has spent far too long on the back burner, so that should keep me happy while I'm away from home. Fingers crossed for weather which is more spring-like down south, here's hoping.

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ps this second verse from John Masefiled's poem always sings in my head just before I go to the coast :

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

 

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

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Visual Pleasures

It's Sunday evening and earlier on this afternoon I was looking through the photos on my camera and thinking to myself how lovely my days look from a purely visual point of view. All the photos in today's post have been taken this weekend, and nothing out of the ordinary has happened at all. Really it's been a very run of the mill sort of slow mid-March weekend spent mostly at home, and yet I look at these images and I confess I'm a little bit in love with the visuals of my life. And how wonderful that simple thought is! Lucky, lucky me. 

Yesterday my new house arrived, another absolutely adorable little bobbin cottage made by Helen of Thimbleville. I am really delighted with these houses, they make me sooooo happy and I have no idea why, so I'm just rolling with the joy they bring me and leaving it at that. They look unbelievably cute sitting on my mantel with a backdrop of old Observer books.

I had to pop into the supermarket on Friday and they were selling pots of hyacinths for £1.50 so of course I popped one in my basket to bring home. Yesterday I spent a little time re-homing the bulbs into an old stripy bowl, adding some homegrown moss and a little toadstool for good measure. What a difference it made, massively increasing the visual pleasure which I'll enjoy for many days to come.

Every time I bring bulbs into the house I get a thrill  of anticipation, and I hope that I never stop finding pleasure in keeping up these small seasonal rituals for myself.

I took some photographs of my lunch yesterday, like you do. I honestly have no idea what compels me to want to capture images like this, but there is something about observing the visual details of everyday life that really appeals to me. In the case of the above bowl of courgetti noodles, it was the beautiful colour of them - so vibrant and fresh looking, and somehow perfectly suited to mid March.

I don't know if you remember, but it was around this time last year when I bought this very clever little spiralizing gadget and got way too obsessed about eating courgette and butternut noodles for lunch. I haven't had them for a while (this kind of lunch is better suited to Spring and Summer I think) but yesterday I had a craving for them.

I added a little drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice to the noodles, with a liberal sprinkling of sea salt and a heavy grind of black pepper. I then plonked on my toppings - half an avocado which needed eating up, cucumber and tomatoes, with crumbled feta cheese....

....and ohmygollygosh it was exceptionally good. Such a simple meal that looked as good as it tasted.

After my lunch, I took advantage of the fact that I had the Big Chair to myself and settled down with a blanket, a cup of coffee and the latest issue of Country Living magazine. I drank in the Spring vibes on those pages and enjoyed soaking up all the little floral details and light, airy springtime colours. I adore this kind of seasonal inspiration and always feel uplifted by the stylish photographs and beautifully laid out pages.

Little Lady spent some time with me downstairs yesterday afternoon, and it was lovely to have her company. I noticed that she was carefully watching me as I danced around photographing my lunch and my flowers and my yarny pursuits and I have to say it was a bit odd being observed. I'm used to inhabiting my own world when I'm photographing and talking to myself inside my head, wrapped up in my own colourful bubble. Eventually I think I wore her out with my carryings on because she quietly snuggled herself down on the sofa with the Harbour blanket and had a nap with the kitty. It was as if she was four years old all over again.....ah, happy memories.

This weekend I've been crocheting, of course I have - I've been working on some designs that I'm doing for Stylecraft, a little secret project that I'm really, really enjoying but can't show you just yet. I can show you the yarn I'm using, it's the Organic Cotton which I love, in a pretty palette of sherbet shades. I can't wait to show you what I'm up to.

Part of my dancing around yesterday involved these beeeeeeautiful flowers, oh, they really are so, so lovely. I bought them yesterday,  and although they look rather posh and florist-esque, they were in fact from good ol' Morrisons. Not only that, but they were reduced in price - I found some buckets which had small bunches of single flower varieties which were only £1.25 for five stems, so I bought snap dragons and some very unusual carnations....

...just look at them!!! I've never seen carnations this colour before, kind of a dirty, vintage pink, aren't they stunning? And the tulips are also very beautiful and were only £3 a bunch. I need the flowers for some photographs I want to take for the aforementioned Organic Cotton Secret Squirrel project, so I felt justified in buying them. If you scroll back up, you can see how well they match the colours of the cotton yarn - I'm super pleased with it all, and have thoroughly enjoyed my creative time this weekend. 

I had some of the tulips in a jug in the kitchen and yesterday for a very short while the sun was streaming in through the window and lighting up the petals. Oh, I just swooned my woolly socks off right there by the fruit bowl, the sight of those sunlit flowers honestly took my breath away.

Today was a day with no plans, so I enjoyed a beautifully slow start to my Sunday. I was awake quite early when it was still dark but spent some time sat quietly in bed with a scented candle lit and a mug of milky coffee in hand.

You may think from these photos that all I do is idle around swooning over flowers, crocheting things and eating bowls of pretty food, but the weekends always include a number of chores too. There is the market food shop of course, and the cooking of the family meal each evening, plus laundry, always laundry. I typically do four loads of laundry over the weekend (whites, blacks, bright colours and pale colours) which entails a lot of running up and down stairs (the washing machine is in the cellar), plus sorting, shifting, carrying, folding and piling. I did get a little moment of visual pleasure when I folded up my freshly washed and dried woolly socks though, so there was that.

J and I went out for a walk this morning. The weather was grey and damp, but it's always good to get out into the trees to soak up a bit of nature. Look how green the wild garlic is looking, such a welcome sight.

I noticed that the early blossom is now blooming, and that really did make me happy.

These blossom trees at the edge of the woodland are always stunning, and the view over to the castle makes for a very photogenic Springtime scene.

We walked past the blossom hedge on the way home and my goodness it's looking so, so pretty. You might remember me showing it to you last year, it's just too lovely to walk past without wanting to capture it on camera. 

It made me think of the pile of crochet blossom waiting patiently for me to add it to my Winter-Spring Garland.

I had every intention of getting that finished this weekend, but then I remembered the Stylecraft project which has an actual deadline looming, so I needed to be sensible and prioritise my crochet time. Soon though - the garland will be coming to fruition in the next few days I hope.

Well that's all my photos from this weekend, I hope you've enjoyed seeing the little snippets that have brought me some very welcome visual pleasure, and that in turn they have delivered you some feel-good too. Ordinary day-to-day life can be really beautiful don't you think?

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Winter Weekend

I wonder how many times I've talked to you about coffee in my one thousand, five hundred and ninety three blog posts? Rather a lot I think is the answer, especially in recent years since J decided he wanted to enjoy a slice of my enviable "cafe lifestyle" and now actively encourages a good many of our quick jaunts to enjoy a coffee together. The above photo was taken on Saturday morning after we'd finished our market food shop - a chance to sit still for a short while and practice some gratitude before the busy day continued to gallop away. Small, cosy cafés are the perfect place to be on a cold wintry morning, and I thoroughly enjoyed that mighty fine frothy cappuccino. 

Crochet time nearly always features in my weekend, and I'm forever grateful for this soothing creative pastime. Similar to my morning coffee break, I find that sitting down to crochet presents a really great opportunity for some mindful moments. I adore crochet for that - it's such great therapy, and very restorative for the mind and soul. My Harbour Colourwash blanket is now long enough to snuggle under while I'm adding extra ripples and it's ever so toasty under there.

On Sunday I had a deliciously slow start to the day and enjoyed some crochet in bed - oh the cosy factor was sky high! Tilly very rarely comes onto my bed, but I'm pretty sure those yarny stripes lured her in.

We took a short, bracing walk at Bolton Abbey, wrapped up in warm layers as it really was very cold.

I really enjoy coming down to this little river beach, the river is very still here (I find myself wishing for waves, even just teeny ones) but I still find it soothing to crunch along the pebbles and take in the watery reflections.

It felt really good to be out walking, even on a cold, rather bleak day....

....and there was beauty in the quiet stillness of the winter landscape.

The sheep were out and about enjoying themselves at Bolton Abbey too!

Back home, and one of the highlights of my weekend was the arrival of the first daffodils of the year. Yay!! I started this ritual many years ago (before the children were born) and absolutely love to begin the year with these cheery yellow blooms on my table.

I really appreciate that they are so readily available in the supermarkets these days - these bunches cost just 65 pence each so I splashed out and bought two. They bring such a lot of visual pleasure to each day, little rays of sunshine brightening up the room.

I always make time to enjoy a healthy breakfast every day, so there isn't any change at the weekends, but I do enjoy the slower pace of weekend meals in general.

I've got a new breakfast obsession - overnight oats made with coconut yoghurt. This past weekend I tried plain yoghurt with coconut for the first time and oh my word it is SO GOOD!! There is something about the creamy taste of the coconut paired with the slightly sharp flavour of natural yoghurt which makes me squirm with pleasure. This is quite a runny yoghurt so it's perfect for making overnight oats (they're hiding underneath all that fresh fruit in the above photo). I measure out 20g oats and mix with 100ml of yoghurt (it's this Alpro soya one), then leave in the fridge overnight, adding the fruit on top when I'm ready to eat. Yummmmmm.,,,happy me.

Fireside loafing always makes me happy too, and the grey dreary weather we're having right now can be totally ignored when I'm sat beside the hearth. Add in a warm crochet blanket and a mug of frothy coffee, and right there is a truly wonderful winter moment. I hope with all my heart that there will be many, many more happy moments this winter - did you know that there are only eight more winter weekends before the Spring Equinox? Holding that thought.

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