Attic24

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 20

Firstly, thank you all so much for your kindness after yesterday's post, I felt very much better just for reading your words. I think we can all relate to those days when the internal battery feels flat and yes I agree that it's good to acknowledge life's natural rhythms. There are bound to be downs as well as ups and both should be celebrated as they represent life in all it's richness. 

This morning I still felt incredibly tired, but my overall mood felt lighter which I was very glad of. The weather was extremely bleugh this morning, we had a lot of rain in the night and during our walk to school the clouds were still very low and heavy and a dark moody grey. It was very uninspiring out there this morning I have to say. I ended up coming straight home and just sitting for a while in the comfort of the Big Chair where I was soon joined by Tilly (hee-hee, I got there first!) I stayed as long as I could manage with her snuggled on my lap but eventually I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom, you know how it is when you hold it in for aaaaages and then all of a sudden you HAVE to go??!! Yeah, that. Sorry Tilly, I evicted you at great speed and I apologise for the dreadful indignity of it.

I made porridge for my mid morning breakfast, the theme of the morning obviously being Comfort with a capital C. It was really good stuff - I cook my oats with milk and a few chopped prunes (the plump sort that come soaked in juice) as they give a lovely hit of natural sweetness. I add fresh fruit to the top once the oats have cooked, usually half a sliced banana and whatever berries I have in the fridge. Yummmmmm, its a wonderfully comforting meal this one.

After breakfast I decided to get busy with my Granny bag WiP. This project is just begging to be completed, and well, I really want to be able to actually use the bag so I feel highly motivated to take it over the finishing line. I spent quite some time arranging the squares and deciding on the best layout, faffing with the colour placement and taking photos. It was fun! I love the thrill of immersing myself in a colourful crochet project, it certainly helps massively in the mood-lifting department. 

I had to down squares at eleven o'clock as J announced that it was time for our daily walk. Oh, OK then, I can come back to the squares afterwards, lets go.....!

Joy of joys, when I stepped out the front door the weather had completely altered and there were no more heavy grey clouds. They had all been blown away leaving a bright blue sky up above - happy, happy, happy me!

The first part of our walk is quite a steep climb, it's all residential streets but they are very hilly. Usually I can walk up here at quite a clip as I've been working hard on improving my fitness levels this year. However today was a much slower affair, I am definitely not quite at full throttle this week.

With the sun streaming through the trees, the woodland was looking mighty fine this morning.

J spotted this intriguing looking mushroom at the side of the path, it's not one that I've ever seen before I don't think. I figured it would be quite easy to identify so I've just googled "UK tall shaggy mushroom" and found it straight away. It's appropriately named a "Shaggy Inkcap" or sometimes known as a "Lawyers Wig", how cool is that? And furthermore, it's edible!! Would you eat it do you think? Chopped up and gently sautéed in a little butter and garlic? I don't know if I would be brave enough.

I found a beautiful big leaf too, it was so pristine as if it had only just fallen from the tree. 

I wonder how many photographs of the woods I've taken since the start of Lockdown? Hundreds probably. This place has come to mean so much to me, a sanctuary even on the toughest of days.

By this point in the walk I was ready to be home though, itching to get back to my granny squares. I felt like I could actually hear them calling to me, well not really, but I did feel kind of desperate to see them again. I'd left them all laid out ready and waiting for my return......

....awwwwwwwww, I'm back again sweet squares, and you are looking so very, very PRETTY!!!!!!!

I decided on a 4 x 4 square layout for the bag sides, so in the photo above I've got the front and back all laid out and they'll be joined into one flat piece. I'll then fold the piece in half and create a seam along the two sides. Well that's the rough plan - I am winging this project from this point forward, making design decisions on the fly as I go. I really hope it's all going to work as well as I am imagining it in my head.

I've chosen Duck Egg as the joining and edging colour, it's one of my favourite shades and I think it'll work well with the lining fabric too.

I'm joining my squares using the crochet slip-stitch method - this is a tutorial that already exists on my blog, but I've photographed the whole process of joining the squares for this bag so that I can create something of a how-to for you to follow, should you wish to create your own version.

The idea is that you first create all the long seams (three of them in this case). You can see in the above photo that I've completed the first two long seams and am just about to start on the last one. 

Once all the long seams are complete, you then swing the whole thing around 90 degrees and crochet across the short seams (seven of them). It's slow work, but I really enjoy it. It's repetitive and rhythmic, just the sort of thing you can sit quietly with and allow your mind to wander for a while as you perform the slip of hook and yarn. 

Soon enough it was 3pm and time to down my hook and pull on boots ready to head out on the school run. It can be irritating to have to stop right in the middle of something (I hate having to stop mid row, absolutely hate it) but that's the nature of the school day and there is not a thing I can do about it.

It's only half an hour round trip though, so not too bad really.....

......and the scenery isn't too shabby to look at either.

After coming home I immediately sat back down to finish off my seams, gosh it was so satisfying to fasten off that final end and have all 32 squares neatly joined together. As you can see in the above photo it all looks a bit uneven, but fear ye not, all is well. As I sit and write this, the squares are pinned out and blocking on a towel just behind me and I absolutely cannot wait to perform the magical unpinning tomorrow once it's all completely dry.

In a show of uncharacteristic impatience I decided to block the crochet without darning in any ends.....very un-Lucy-like behaviour and I can tell you that it is really bothering me. Twenty wiggly ends shouting at me, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight because they will be shouting so loudly. I hope I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to darn them in.

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 19

I have felt a bit out of of sorts today, nothing drastic, just a low grade weariness of body and mind that I don't often experience on a Monday. I felt a weensy bit irritable to be honest, and that's not like me at all. Maybe it's the hidden pressures of the weekend catching up with me, or maybe it's just the damn hormones, who knows?

After we dropped Little B at school we took a slow walk to the bakers for a loaf of bread, walking along the narrow pathway that runs between the canal and the beck. This is the same pathway (and beck) that eventually winds it's way up into the woodland. The building on the right in the above photo is a row of very old terraced cottages, they are extremely cute with windows that look out directly over the water. Some are permanent homes and a few of them are holiday lets - I actually booked one of them for my Dad and Lady B to come and stay in the Spring but of course it had to be cancelled when Covid arrived. Next year I hope.

Coming home from the shops I felt like I couldn't decide what to do with myself. I didn't particularly want to be indoors but J said he didn't want to go for a walk and fancied a quiet, slow day at home. I didn't have enough concentration or patience to get to work on my Granny Josephine crochet bag, so instead I decided to bake.

I don't bake nearly as much as I used to but every so often I will turn to an old recipe that I know by heart and produce something sweetly edible. It was flapjack today with dried apricots.

This is my recipe from my blog archives of 2008 ::

Fruity flapjacks

Into a heatproof bowl, put the following ::

80g soft brown sugar
100g butter/margarine
60ml Golden syrup

Into the microwave for a minute or two until the butter and sugar are melty. Stir well.

Add 200g porridge oats and 80g dried fruit (snipped apricots, sultanas or cranberries are my usual choices)

Press into a lined tin (make the flapjack around 2cm deep) and bake for 20mins at 180C.

Press down the mixture to firm and cut into flapjacky size squares.

Leave to cool in the tin before hoiking them out. Consume with a steaming hot brew/glass of milk, depending on age. Indoors or outdoors, preferably not in rain. 

On the spur of the moment we did venture out in the early afternoon, driving a few miles out of town for a short amble across the moor tops. This is one of J's favourite places, it's quite a bleak place in many ways but there is such a peaceful atmosphere up here and it's remarkably good at "blowing the cobwebs away".

We heard the unmistakable sounds of red grouse doing their thing as we walked along the track. They're such comical birds to listen to and I found a short clip ((HERE)) if you wish to familiarise yourself with grouse language.

You can see one in the photo above as it ran across the track in front of us.

We didn't have enough time to do a full circular route so we simply walked and talked and admired the view until we'd had enough fresh air and scenic therapy, then turned to walk back again. 

I felt a smidge better when we got back to the car, but the feeling of mental fatigue is still with me. Hoping very much that I'll feel more like my normal self tomorrow.

I guess that if I wasn't committed to Blogtober, then today would be a definite no-show for me in Blogland as I find it very hard to write when my energies are low. But I do think it's good to be honest and let you know that I don't feel full of beans all the time, I have my off days, of course I do. My instincts are usually to retreat until I feel more like myself again, but as it's Blogtober (which I am really, really enjoying by the way) I am here in the Attic giving you the slightly washed out version of myself today.

Keepin' it real, my friends! ;)

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 18

Thanks to the fact that we were the first delivery on the list for the humungous white Ikea lorry this morning, I was up and dressed by 7.15am and that doesn't usually happen on a Sunday. Seven Fifteen!! It was a bit of a shock to the system  as I was still completely and utterly sound asleep at 7am, so good job they phoned to a) wake me up and b) announce they were only twenty minutes away. I quite impressed my self at the speed in which I managed to make myself presentable.

It was all good though, because it meant we could get on with our day a little earlier than usual, heading out into the cool grey morning while everything was still sleepy and quiet.

We had Little B with us on our daily walk this morning, which basically meant that I did much of the walk in solitude (he is very much a Daddy's boy at the moment). I didn't mind, really. No really-really I didn't mind at all. It's so sweet to see him and J get along so well, and I was left to trail behind at my own slow pace taking photos as I went.

I notice different things when I am on my own as I generally walk a lot more slowly. I take time to notice the small details as well as the bigger picture around me - nature delights me constantly and I can't imagine living a life where these things go unseen. 

I have to tell you I am really, really, really, really missing the sea at the moment. October is usually a time when I feel an incredibly strong pull to be at the coast and most years I strive to make it happen. We've still got thirteen days of October left, so there is an uber-slim chance that I might be able to see the sea before the month is out, but I'm doubtful.

I stood next to this small waterfall today and appreciated the sound of it filling my ears. I thought to myself - this isn't the sound of the sea, but I mustn't start to be ungrateful wishing for things that I can't have right now.

I ambled along this pathway wondering if J and Little B would think to stop and wait for me to catch up at any point. You can see I was so far behind that they are nowhere to be seen up ahead....

....but I was too busy climbing up muddy banks and photographing my own feet to really mind too much. 

Eventually we caught up with each other and meandered out of the lower gate and along the little access road with it's cute view over to the castle. 

Paused at the top of this hill to take in the town like I always do, saying my silent thanks of gratitude for my home place. There is something very special about this little town, the history, the lively community and the rural down-to-earthness of it. It suits me very well indeed, even if there aren't any waves crashing on the shore here. 

We turned left at the bottom of the hill to head into town instead of going straight home. We had promised Little B a trip to a brand new café in town which specialises in all things chocolatey. The excitement was understandably high. Unfortunately, the exciting new café was unexpectedly closed, oh dear, the disappointment was tangible and Little B was very, very downcast and droopy. He's still at an age where his emotions play out across his little face in vivid openness, and it can be heart breaking to witness.

So we did the only thing we could think of to ease the upset and detoured to our favourite friendly coffee shop where the girls know our order and have it on the go for us before we have chance to even take our coats off. I guess we are "regulars" now then, how lovely is that? Cappuccinos for J and I.....

....and a hot chocolate for Little B. Not a bad second best, and it certainly put a small smile back on his face.

To put it into context, yesterday morning Little B sat the 11+ entrance exam for the grammar school, so it was a Very Big Day for all of us. Quite stressful really to be perfectly honest, even though he was quietly confident and unrattled by the whole procedure. When it was all over we took him to the new chocolate café afterwards for a very well deserved treat, but it was incredibly busy and we couldn't get a seat. So we promised to come back first thing this morning as soon as it opened, hence the ensuing anticipation and huge disappointment when it didn't happen for a second time. Shame eh....but we can look forward to it another day, maybe on Friday after school when we finish for half term.

Today was a slow cooker day, oh the joy of comforting foodie smells filling the house all afternoon! I bought some stewing steak from the butcher yesterday with this recipe in mind, and it was absolutely wonderful. I cheated a little and used a packet dumpling mix where you just add water to the dry flour mix - there is something about using "hard animal fat" for making dumplings which I just can't get excited over. I hate buying that white lardy stuff, let alone getting my hands into it. I made a big tray of roasted potatoes and parsnips to have with the casserole, and we also had sprouts and tenderstem broccoli. It was such a lovely meal, really comforting and tasty and perfectly suited to Autumn.

Part of my Ikea delivery this morning included four boxes of Jubla candles, the plain white unscented ones that are just right for my candelabra. I've missed not having these as they give off quite a lot of light alongside the glow from the fire, so we don't usually have any lights on downstairs in the evenings. It makes for a very cosy atmosphere.

The rest of the Ikea delivery was for Little Lady to finish off her bedroom that she spent weeks tidying and decorating at the start of lockdown. She did such a good job as her walls, ceiling and all the woodwork were painted pale blue, so it took a lot of work to make the whole lot bright white. She did it all by herself, and I was so proud of how hard she worked to transform her space. We bought her a new dressing table, two new mirrors and a bedside table, plus a desk lamp and a planter so that we could re-pot her very healthy and rapidly growing plant which she takes great care of.  J took on the flat pack business, and I got stuck in with the re-potting business, and she is absolutely delighted with it all. The only thing we need to do now is order some new carpet (replacing the dark blue one with a mid grey/neutral). Yeah - her colour scheme is white and pale grey, that's how sophisticated Teenagers are these days, it's all very tasteful and photogenic. I certainly wasn't like that at age 16, I was still all about the rainbows at that age, no real surprises there I guess.

And that about brings us to the end of Sunday, it's been a lovely gentle day full of nothing much, but I have felt contented and grateful for the low key nature of the day after the intensity of yesterday. 

I hope your Sunday has been perfectly weekendish, do tell me a little about your day, I'd love to hear x

 

 

 

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 12

Ahhhh, Monday rolls round again and I am delighted to be seeing in a fresh new week - I may well be in the minority but I absolutely LOVE Mondays. J and I started today in our usual fashion, yup, you guessed correctly - outrageously good coffee! Blimey, maybe I should stop with the photographic evidence of my daily addiction....but in my defence it is only one coffee treat a day, I always switch to decaff after that first delicious cup.

I do so enjoy that morning caffeine pick-me-up though. I'm not sleeping too well at the moment, I am pootling towards the end of year three of the peri-menopause and over these years I have discovered that the symptoms ebb and flow as the months pass. But at the moment I'm in the midst of a full-flow episode where my brain is in a constant fog during the day and my nights are packed full of heat and anxiety. At least I know it will eventually pass over for a while, but this week I am feeling a little tired from these strangely disturbed nights. 

After coffee and attending to a little bit of life admin, we decided to totally ignore the terrible weather and head out to enjoy the countryside regardless of what was falling from the sky. As you can see from the above photo, I took your advice about the jeans and decided to keep them and wear them into submission. I can tell you that even after just one day they feel sooo much more comfy and most importantly I felt warm and cosy tramping around in them. Thank you also to the lady who suggested M&S jeggings, I'm going to look at getting a pair of those too I think, maybe in a colour of some sorts. 

For our countryside ramble we drove to the picturesque Yorkshire Dales village of Malham. It's been a while since we visited as it's become such a popular tourist destination in recent years that it gets incredibly crowded and hard to park in the summer months, well all year round it's a busy little place really. Today with the weather being so bleugh it was quieter, but still plenty of walkers out and about. We decided not to do a proper over-the-hills hike (too wet and muddy), but instead to make like tourists and wander through the village to take in the spectacular sight of Malham Cove. I snapped the above photo on our walk up the hill to give you a smile :) It was on the side of a hotel/restaurant ((Beck Hall - gosh, I've just looked at the website, it looks like somewhere truly lovely to visit in better weather, adding it to my list for 2021 potential jaunts!))

As you can see, it was incredibly murky out there today with that really, really low misty cloud and endless grey drizzle that just feels very, very wet. 

But no matter, we were in good spirits and set out happily along this easy pathway towards the famous Cove.

The pathway follows the meander of the little stream and the sound of the running water was really soothing.

Getting closer to the cove......

......closer still.....

.....until we were able to stand right under the natural amphitheatre and marvel at it's vastness.

WOW.

No matter how many times I come here over the years it never fails to take my breath away. Every time. It's just so damn BIG!!!!!!!!!

It's hugeness makes it really difficult to photograph, but if I tell you that it is 260feet high, then possibly you can imagine the scale of it.

If you look at the above photo, you may just be able to make out a couple of climbers about half way up on the ledge, preparing to climb up the sheer rock face. That really does blow my mind a little, imagine having the courage (and the desire) to do such a thing?! Nope, it's not for me. I'm not afraid of heights, but oh, I would much rather have my feet on solid ground, thank you very much.

Here I am look, taking a spontaneous selfie to remember this day when I celebrated fifty two years on planet Earth. Happy Birthday to me!

Despite the drizzle, we spent a happy time at the Cove perched on a rock under some trees drinking coffee from a flask and eating Birthday chocolate. I am a very, very low maintenance kind of Birthday Girl, and I'm pretty sure J is thankful for this each and every year.

When the coffee had run out we ambled back into the village, chatting about this and that and thinking (as we do every Monday) that we are so lucky to live this life. I wouldn't swap it for anything, well, maybe a bit more sunshine wouldn't go amiss actually. 

On the way to collect Little B from school I made a quick detour to the shops to purchase an essential birthday item, ie cake. Cake is a major treat these days as you know I've been on a healthy eating kick since the start of the year and eat very little refined sugar now. But I had such an undeniable craving for it this afternoon that I decided to indulge myself and make sure that I enjoyed every single crumb. I was gifted a little mini bottle of birthday prosecco (one of my all time favourite tipples) which arrived in the post this very morning, so that seemed like the perfect accompaniment to the salted caramel and chocolate cake I chose. I was in Birthday heaven!

I lit the fire and settled down to enjoy cake and fizz with J and the Little People and honestly, I've felt so much happiness and contentment today. I am really deeply thankful to be enjoying this stage in my life with good health and a very contented home life. Not a day goes by when I don't give thanks for the way I am able to live my days. I am so, so grateful for all of it.

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Blogtober 2020 :: Day 11

Hello!!!! It's been a beautiful Autumnal day here today and I would like to say that we made the very most of it, but truthfully we've been very lazy and Sundayish. I had a slow start to the day, getting up late and making myself a frothy coffee to take back to bed where I snuggled into the still-warm duvet, slurped my drink and caught up on social media. I made myself some oat pancakes for breakfast mid morning, then we gathered together the two youngest Little Peeps, fed them and forced them into clothes, then manoeuvred them out the front door and into the bright outdoors for some fresh air and exercise. Isn't manoeuvred a funny word, I had to spell check that one (twice)!

It was truly GorGeOus out there today, and every step felt like walking through pure Autumn. We walked our usual woodland walk, it was pretty busy along the pathways today with lots of families out enjoying  the day....I do selfishly prefer it when it's quieter. It was still exceptionally beautiful though, and ten out of ten for seasonal vibes.

This afternoon I ventured out to shop for clothes, taking Little Lady with me to advise. We don't have a huge choice in our small town when it comes to fashion so I opted for FatFace which I do like. I bought jeans. And I bought a warm jumper and a long sleeved stripy T-shirt to wear with the jeans. Of course I wasn't able to try anything on in the store, but the lady assured me I had thirty days to try on at home and I would have no trouble returning anything that didn't fit. I wish I could rave about the success of the jeans, but alas I am very unsure. The fit is slim, which Little Lady and J both tell me look really good with my new shape, but I felt a bit stiff and trussed up in them after a long summer of bare legs and wafty, oversized dresses. I shall try them on again tomorrow I think, or maybe even keep them for longer and try them on again next week or the week after. Thirty days is a good, long deciding time, perfect for an indecisive, insecure, out-of-practice new-clothes-noob like me.

I cooked a really scrumptious roast dinner this evening, a tasty chicken with roasted baby new potatoes and parsnips, carrots, green beans, sprouts and broccoli, and some exceedingly good Yorkshire puddings made from scratch. I always used to be too scared of failing with Yorkshire puddings to even try making them (my mother in law makes the BEST yorkies, so I had a lot to live up to). A Sunday roast is a very traditionally British thing but not something I've ever really been into to be honest. But at the start of lockdown we began having a roast dinner every alternate Sunday, a comfort thing I suspect and the routine has stuck with us ever since. So I decided to overcome my fear of Rising Failure and now I have to say I'm pretty good with the ol' Yorkshire puds. 

And that's pretty much the extent of my day - add in two loads of laundry, a little bit of light cleaning, and about 3.5 rows of sock knitting and there you have it. Sunday in a nutshell.

I've got some crochet plans for next week, so hopefully I'll have more than trees, trees, leaves and more trees to share with you going forward. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Home Safe :: Week Nine

Hello, hello, how are you all doing? I'm once again late to my own bloggy gig, being that week nine was over some time ago, but better late than never eh? I've been doing Ok, a bit up and down I guess, but the downs never seem to last for long thank goodness. So shall we have a little catch up? 

Middle May was an absolutely gorgeous time, full of warm breezes, blazing sunshine and much green lushness.

We continued our daily walks, appreciating the very fine weather and being inspired and uplifted by nature.

I love that these daily walks have become such an important part of lockdown for us, and I really appreciate the precious little snippets of family time that it gives us. As you know, I adore walking for pleasure and find that being surrounded by nature has a very positive effect on my well being, but family time adds a whole extra dimension to the experience. We usually walk in the early afternoon as J is ready for a break from his working day round about then. We walk the same route each time, day after day, and the familiarity of it is extremely comforting somehow.

Having said all that great stuff about family togetherness, every so often I find myself craving some outdoorsy solitude. It's easiest for me to sneak this in during the early morning before the demands of the day have a chance to catch me. I walk down through the park and around the meadow, ducking through flower-laden hedgerows and following well worn pathways.

I've been keeping my beady eye on the elderflower trees in the hedgerows as we are approaching cordial making season. I think after all the sunshine that it'll be early this year, so I hope to take a jaunt out to my usual place to gather some in when the time is right.

I brought some more cow parsley home while it was still in it's prime but my goodness it was totally laden with pollen so it didn't last long on my table before I had to evict it. It was certainly pretty while it lasted.

I've been trying out a new routine where I start my day with a little bit of healthy re-hydration instead of diving straight into my coffee. I think I've mentioned that I'm only drinking decaff coffee at home right now but I've been making a conscious effort to drink more water too. I add a couple of fresh lemon slices and a sliver or two of fresh ginger to my cup, then top up with hot water. I think this cup holds around a third of a litre and I do so enjoy the refreshment of it first thing in the morning. Somehow even inhaling the steam feels like it's doing me good. 

I'm continuing with my healthy eating and am absolutely love love loving preparing wholesome meals for myself. During these stay-home days we mostly all please ourselves for breakfast and lunch - even Little B has started making his own food for these meals after some encouragement and basic lessons in kitchen skills. So I get to faff with my own breakfast and lunch to my hearts content, making simple meals that please me enormously. I think breakfast/brunch is my most favourite meal of the day, especially at the moment when I get to take my time and truly savour it.

Middle May was peak asparagus season and as you might expect I've been absolutely making the most of it. Asparagus bundles come home from the supermarket with our big weekly shop, and in week nine we took a walk to the farm shop for the first time in two months especially to buy Yorkshire grown asparagus. My favourite way to cook it is on a griddle pan - first pour a teeny bit of olive oil onto the spears and massage it in well so that they are completely coated and glossy. Then pop them straight onto a hot griddle for around 10-15 mins until the spears are softened and lightly charred but still retain a little bite. A squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper and eaten pronto while they are still hot. Yum yum yum yum.

I finally found time to mount up my Spring cross stitch sampler from Cotton and Twine and I really love it. I took some photos of the seasonal samplers I've made so far (Autumn, Winter and Spring) and plan to show you those in a separate post, if I can ever catch up with myself. I have all the good intentions, just gotta try and follow through with the actual doing. I will try, I promise.

Week nine saw me dancing on the very, very exciting edge of The Edge of this  - my beautiful, joyful Aria blanket. When I picked out the colour palette for this blanket it was early December and of course back then we had no idea that Covid-19 would become a global pandemic. As I've worked on the design this Spring, it has been nothing short of magical. I have felt really uplifted by the positive, happy colours and the gentle creativity it has brought into my life at a time when I most needed it. I can't wait to share it with you.

I snapped the above photo on a random morning, two pairs of hand knit socks freshly washed and dried and waiting on the stairs to go up to my bedroom. The chore of doing the laundry made happier by pretty yarny stripes, domesticity at it's finest. Actually, the photo reminds me that during middle May we did have a bit of a cold snap, well certainly the evenings felt cold. I would spend all day wearing flip flops, wiggling my bare toes very happily, only to find my feet would be freezing in the evenings. Wooly socks to the rescue!

The kitty continues to try her best not to be irritated by her humans, occasionally deciding that we are worthy of her company. I find at the moment that I am very rarely sat still in one place for any length of time as I feel quite restless and unsettled most the time. But when I took the above photo I had settled into the big chair with a blanket on my lap to read, and of course I provided the perfect warm spot for a daytime kitty nap. There is nothing more comforting than the warm weight of a soundly sleeping pile of fur on your lap.

These home days are certainly strange things, bringing about a restless apathy and an almost permanent sense of unease, but at the same time delivering a huge dose of gratitude for simple home comforts and the closeness of family. I have relished spending more time with the Little People, although sadly that doesn't include the eldest Teen who at 17 is very much keeping himself hidden away in his lair. But Little B and Little Lady have been great companions during our days spent at home and I've really enjoyed their company.

I've been cooking with Little B, teaching him how to make simple meals for himself. I have always made his meals for him whenever he's home, partly because I like doing it, but partly because I just didn't figure that he might enjoy doing it for himself (he is ten years old). So I showed him the tin opener, instructed on how to make up the perfect mix of tuna/salad cream/mayonnaise, let him handle a sharp knife to slice up cucumber and tomato for a sandwich, and taught him how to fry an egg. We started making scotch pancakes together on Sundays, a joint effort whereby he measures and mixes the batter, I heat the pan and do the dolloping, and he handles the spatula and flipping. It was fun, and that giant stack fed both Little B and Little Lady.

Little Lady is now 16 (strange to think that she was just 3 years old when I began writing my blog?!) and we get on extremely well. I have loved chatting to her about all sorts of things during these past months when we've been home together, and she has very kindly made herself available to me as my personal nail technician. Yes, once again I am attempting to grow and strengthen my nails. We play music in her bedroom parlour as she deals with my cuticles, files the nail shape and then paints 2 coats plus a topcoat. It takes time and is certainly way more of a procedure than I have ever afforded myself (cuticle conditioning???? It's all new to me). It's certainly soooo much easier having someone else faff around at the end of my fingers than trying to do the deed myself! My nails have never looked so good.

We often walk together in the evenings which is her favourite time of day - in middle May, this is around 8 o'clock when the sun is very low in the sky and all is glowing and golden.

The buttercup meadow is just starting to bloom and it is absolutely glorious, especially on warm, sunshiny evenings.

It's breathtaking, so, so beautiful and such a visual treat.

After lingering in the meadow we head out of the park and walk along the canal towards town....

....past the canal basin....

....then along the narrow footpath that runs underneath the castle. This path has been made one-way during the pandemic to prevent us having to squeeze past anyone coming in the opposite direction. 

Every time we walk out in the light golden evenings I am reminded why I love May so blooming much. It's just so  joyful, and I adore having so many glorious, light-filled hours at my disposal. Winter feels like a million miles away and I am beyond glad for the season we are in and the amazing weather we are being gifted. Thank goodness - I'm so grateful.

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Home Safe :: Weeks Seven and Eight

Hello my friends, I hope you are all well and doing ok out there, finding your way gently through these strange, strange days. Finally I feel I have just about the right kind of head space to be here opening up my Attic window for a chat, after what has felt like a very flat, deflated week or two. I have felt ok really, just a bit drained and lacking in any kind of motivation to get things done.

The days flutter past and I allow myself to drift rather listlessly through the hours, keeping a hold (just about) of the small, mundane routines that I've managed to form for myself during these stay-home days. I honour my natural body clock which always sees my eyes opening just after 6 am and wanting to close just after 10 pm. I make time for a morning workout, prepare and eat healthy food, drink more water and less coffee. Enjoy my daily walk around and about the neighbourhood. 

And yet I seem to spend lots of time in the day feeling like I am simply trying to fill the hours until the next meal time or snack time or bed time. I can't seem to settle on anything much and find myself doing the most random things at random times, as and when the mood suddenly strikes. Getting down on my knees and scrubbing those awkward tiles right behind the toilet. Defrosting the iceberg out of the freezer. Potting up some baby petunias that a friend gave me last week. Some stop-start crochet here and there, a flick through a few magazine pages.

It all feels quite disjointed as if I've somehow slipped out of the groove I'm supposed to be on and don't quite know how to get myself back into it. I guess it's just a symptom of these strange times and actually I haven't been too worried about my lethargy. It seems to be a natural result of spending so much extended time in the house, and I am quite sure I'll find my way back into a more productive state of mind soon enough.

It's funny because at the start of Lockdown (a whole eight weeks ago now) I felt convinced that I would be blogging way more than usual, using my days to write, to connect, to chat, to share, to remember. There would be loooooads of time to catch up with blog posts that I've fallen behind with (hello Dahlia Ta-dah post, I'm looking at you, half written in draft and waiting oh so patiently for me to return). But it hasn't been like that at all, has it?! Hahaha! I will try to be here more from now on as I really want to start feeling more productive and balanced again, and to ease myself away from this permanent sluggish weekend-vibe. Have to admit that I am deep down AdOrInG the perpetual weekend vibe mind you, but maybe after eight weeks it's time to make my days count for something more.

As you can see from these photos, I continue to find a huge amount of pleasure in the season we're in and my daily walks make me soooo happy even though they are extremely repetitive. The shadow above shows me and Little Lady, taking our walk one evening and loving the light and warmth that was still so glorious at 8pm.

The woodland is utterly captivating in May, and I absolutely love being out amongst it all. 

The wild garlic began to flower profusely during week 7.....

.....and the sight and scent of it all was almost overwhelming. So much natural beauty right there, and I'm extremely grateful that walking through the woods has become a part of our daily lives. It never fails to lift my spirits even on particularly flat days.

I'm still on with the Aria blanket, although it spent almost a week in the naughty corner. Poor thing, it wasn't at all the fault of the blanket. I started work on the border but didn't pay enough attention to what I was doing and managed to miss out a few colours which meant pulling out two big huge rounds to put it right. It took me almost a week to work myself up to the business of yanking out all those neat stitches, but once I got over myself and stopped sulking it was all OK again and I fell straight back in love.

As you can see, the Aria blanket is already being used around here, and truly the Little People seem to really love it especially as they've been quite involved in watching me making it during the past month. I am so close to finishing it - I'm currently poised ready to tackle the edge of The Edge, all very exciting. 

The kitty is her usual aloof crazy self, seeming to love having us all around but managing to look utterly bored by us all at the same time. I snapped the above photo of her early one morning when the Little People had yet to surface and all was still quiet and peaceful downstairs. She definitely finds Little B a challenge, he makes her ears constantly twitch as he is sooooooo  noisy and boisterous all the time. I do feel for her, my own ears are pretty twitchy these days as it's very, very hard to find any quiet space in this house.

Another week and another tray of lockdown flapjack, dried apricot this time. I don't get bored of making it (recipe HERE if you are interested in how easy it is) and the Little Peeps certainly don't seem to be bored of eating it.

I spent some time jaunting in Magazine Wonderland in week 7, allowing myself to finally open and devour the May issue magazines which arrived at the end of March. My, my, such beauty in those pages, even if the dreamy aspirational quality of the photos makes them ever so slightly deflating at times. I look at the huuuuuuuuuuuuuge grassy gardens and wish for some green space of my own.

I gaze at the huuuuuuuuuuuuuge roomy rooms and sigh with longing.

And then I remind myself to continue appreciating my modest house and tiny back yard as I always have done and not get swept up in a tide of envy as no good can come of it.  But isn't the above kitchen just so dreamy? I would really dearly love that kind of space.

Another weekend arrives and so we take our longer walk (around 6 miles), leaving the woods behind and striding out over open fields instead.

Cows have suddenly arrived in the fields to join the sheep and they are always curious about us humans as we pass by their open air homes.

We walk past a farm right next to the canal and have been watching these goslings grow over the past few weeks. Sometimes they are wandering about in the field and sometimes they come down to the water, they really are so fluffy and beautiful. I can't resist stopping to chat to them, even if  J and the Little People roll their eyes and look at me like I'm crazy.

It's extremely relaxing walking along this stretch of the canal as it's a few miles out of town and very quiet. Usually in May it's busy on the waterways with boats sailing back and forth, but of course there are no boats moving about on the water at the moment and that definitely adds to the tranquillity.

I love that lonesome blue boat, moored up quietly right on the bend there. I have no idea whether it's someones permanent home or a holiday boat but every time I walk past it I find myself wondering what it would be like to call a boat home?

The cow parsley is just starting to burst into flower in hedgerows and along footpaths and it is so beautiful. It's treated as a bit of a weed I suppose (it is very prolific and grows everywhere) but I absolutely love it, those delicate little froths of flowers are enchanting.

Another weed growing absolutely everywhere is the dandelion, and due to this long spell of dry warm weather they are already in seed. I don't love them quite as much as cow parsley, but those seed heads do hold a lot of childhood nostalgia. Even as we walked past this clump, Little Lady (age 16) plucked up a stem and blew away the seeds "to see what time it is". I wonder, is this a worldwide thing? Do dandelions grow everywhere on this planet, and do all children use them as clocks? 

Sometimes towards the end of a long day I'll find myself in desperate need of some alone time. I make myself a drink (often a peppermint or fruity tea infusion which I've recently rediscovered after not having them for ages) then head upstairs and gently close the door to my bedroom. I pull on some woolly knitted socks for comfort and settle on my bed to sip my drink and just relax my mind a little. I don't do anything specific, sometimes just sitting and allowing my mind to wander and ponder is enough, and sometimes I pull out my tablet and browse through favourite blogs, Pinterest, or YouTube.

I'm pretty new to YouTube as generally I much prefer digesting photos and written words rather than videos and audio. I don't really have much idea of what to look for on YouTube yet, or what sort of content might inspire me, but I'm quite enjoying discovering a new-to-me medium. I've been enjoying some food channels mixed with photogenic slow living, lifestyle/interiors and a little bit of motivational stuff thrown in. Pick Up Limes is a current fave and although I'm not contemplating going vegan, I have always been very inspired by wholesome, healthy cooking and eating. Also, I really love the passionate and beautiful way in which Sadia prepares, presents and adores her food, it's just so beautiful! If you have any recommendations for YouTube I would dearly love to hear them.

Another thing I do when I retreat to my bedroom in the evenings is light this jar candle beside my bed. It's an old one from last summer and I adore the clean, soft scent of it. It's these little rituals and pleasures which are really keeping me grounded at the moment, I'm holding onto the little things that bring quiet pleasure to my days.

Well another day has passed and this blog post is coming together veeeeery slowly in stops and starts, I'm so sorry if it all seems a bit disjointed here in the Attic. As you know I don't tend to edit my writing (other than a basic check through for typos) so I've no idea if my words are even making sense to be honest, but I hope that even if I'm writing absolute tripe you can still enjoy the pictures :)

Week 8 has very little to show for it as I didn't seemingly feel very inspired to point my camera at anything much. 

There is wild garlic of course, as I can't seem to stop myself trying to capture this season that I love so very much.

Almost every single day we walk this same route into the woods to feast on the green and white display.....

....it's just so abundant and fresh, both the visuals and the scent, and I wish I was better able to describe it to you.

Beautiful, intoxicating, uplifting, every single little bit of it.

We've only seen a smattering of bluebells this year as they are scarce in our local woodland (the garlic more than makes up for it mind you), and I think they are almost over now for another year. 

The lambs in the big field are growing large now, and they aren't at all bothered by us humans. We always linger a little at the top of the hill, partly to recover from the long climb up, and partly to take in the sweep of the view which has our home nestled into it. Sometimes on quiet, still afternoons when I'm sat in my little back yard, I can hear the lambs and sheep baaaaaaing from their hilltop field and it's such a comforting sound somehow. I do really love where I live.

Last week was quite a cold one, and woolly jumpers and socks were most definitely needed even inside the house. My hands don't do so well when I'm cold so I do my best to keep warm especially when I plan to crochet. Little B took the above photo of me warming up my fingers before getting on with the Aria border - this was after I had finished sulking and pulled out the Wrong Rows and I was happily enjoying this blanket all over again. 

The kitty doesn't take more than 2.5 seconds to jump in and claim my space if I happen to get up and leave the Big Chair for any reason. Mind you, I can't blame her as this over sized old chair is such a cosy spot and one of my favourite places to sit during the day. She really does seem to appreciate my crochet (especially after it has been warmed up by my backside first). 

I'll be working on the pattern and tutorial for the Aria blanket this week - it's a lot of work but I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into it. I'm sorry I don't have a release date for this yarn kit and pattern just yet but as soon as I know when it's possible for my friends at Wool Warehouse to make it happen, I'll be sure to let you know. 

Well I think that's about all for now, thank you as always for taking the time to digest my witterings and keep me company with your lovely, lovely comments, I appreciate them so much. I hope you are all keeping cheery, and that your spirits are positively inflated and not deflated. I am sending you all the brightest, cosiest happy stay-home vibes.

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Home Safe :: Week Six

Hello my lovelies, thank you as ever for calling to see me, and for so many wonderful chatty comments which I have loved reading on my last post. I'm sorry I'm late in writing up this instalment of my weekly not-muchness, I've been feeling a weeny bit off kilter this week and not really in a chatty mood to be honest. I find that when I feel this way it's best to just stay low and quiet, keeping myself to myself until I feel my bounce return. 

Week six (as far as I can recall) passed by in a slow blur of familiar routines and sameyness. I went just once to visit the cherry trees and saw that they were already on the wane, shedding their delicate petals like snow. I was so glad that I made an almost daily pilgrimage to see them the previous week when they were absolutely at their peek, the floral beauty has been spectacular this year, a real mood lifter for sure.

The start of week six was sunny and lovely and like many of us in the UK who are used to very changeable and inclement weather, I was full of gratitude for the dry, sunshiny days we were gifted throughout April.

On days when J isn't working and we feel in the mood, we can make our daily walks a little longer than our usual woodland strolls. I like the feeling of striding out across open fields, soaking up the warmth of the sun and enjoying the miles pass by under my feet.

We see very few people on this walk and absolutely no traffic along these small lanes at the moment. It gives a  lovely sense of freedom to be able to stroll along in the middle of the road, admiring the views and taking in the details of the season.

I love seeing the bracken ferns gently beginning to unfurl in the hedgerows, another layer of fresh greenery to remind us that Spring is in full swing.

On this day last week we extended our route to make a big circular loop, walking the last two or three miles home along the canal towpath. 

It's been a long while since we walked this far along the canal and I had forgotten how tranquil it is to walk beside such still reflective waters. 

On Wednesday last week the rain finally came, after more than a month of exceptionally dry weather in April. It was really rather lovely to experience it after so long - the sight, sound, smell and feel of it was delightful. It wasn't especially heavy rain, more a series of light showers which continued on and off for a few days.

We still took our daily walk on the wet days and actually we didn't really get too wet walking under the leafy trees.

I absolutely loved being in the rainy woodland that afternoon, the scent of the warm, damp earth mixed with fresh wild garlic was magical. It's just unbelievably beautiful out there at the moment and I can't get enough of the bright light and colour that is flooding our days after what has felt like a long, grey winter. The woodland suddenly seemed to green up last week, with the beech leaves fully open but still soft and droopy and that amazing vibrant bright green.

Talking of greens, we have entered asparagus season and I am so delighted by this simple fact. Fresh, locally grown spears are in the supermarket now and I am eating as much of it as I can. Asparagus x 6 on the shopping list if I could get away with it, although it's still quite expensive as vegetables go. Gosh, I do love it so.

We've been muddling through with Little B and the whole business of home schooling, some days working better than others. Last week was a bit hit and miss to be honest, some days he seemed quite engaged and productive, working away in his bedroom and uploading his work to the online portal so that his teacher can see what he's up to. Other days the procrastination levels were sky high and he did everything possible to avoid sitting and actually doing anything. I had to keep my frustration in check (it's soooooo tiring trying to keep them going with it all), and we pretty much limped through the week.

Probably the most fun thing we did was the stuff about Healthy Eating (I'm sure this is on the curriculum every single year) - I took charge and suggested we could make soup from scratch, encouraging Little B to do most of the work. He did good, and we made a simple tomato and red pepper soup which he ate (at great speed) and then wrote up the recipe to share with his class online. 

When I'm not doing the Mummy/teacher things with the youngest offspring (which seems quite time consuming some days), you can usually find me sitting at the dining table. I'm continuing to put healthy food into my body and feel so good for it. My breakfast is usually oat pancakes, or a bowl of oats/seeds, greek yoghut, grated apple, banana and berries. I really love breakfast, it honestly gives me so much pleasure to make and eat that first meal of the day. 

Oh my gosh, do you see that??? That thing of utter beauty right there ↑↑↑ ???  That's my new mug which arrived in the post last week, and is most definitely one of my most favourite mugs ever ever ever. I am a long time huge fan of the ceramicist Ken Eardley and when I saw on Instagram that he had some fresh new mugs for sale, well my heart was invested within a nanosecond. Pink and turquoise is one of my all time favourite colour combinations and this mug honestly couldn't be more perfect for me. That beautifully excessive  handle is everything, and every coffee in this mug is an absolute pleasure. Sigh......so in love with my mug!

So yeah - lots of hours sat at the table, eating, drinking, pondering and hooking. Last week I worked a lot on my new Aria blanket, every day making the most delicious colour decisions, crocheting like the clappers and joining squares to make row upon row. Building a blanket from squares is huge fun, and although it's more stop-starty than working a striped design, I get such a kick from seeing it all come together. After a whole week of solid work I managed to join all one hundred and forty four squares. I am beyond excited by it and very proud of it too as it's been a major testing of my colour-design skills I have to say.

I find it easier to crochet join-as-you-go squares sat at the table, but throughout the making of this blanket I've had to frequently use the floor to make layout and colour decisions. I think it's been interesting for the Little People to see me at work actually, and they've been commenting, encouraging and occasionally making suggestions as I've spent countless hours on my hands and knees trying to work everything out.

I took the above photo a week ago on the same day when we took that drippy wet walk in the woods. The day felt chilly and even though I thought we were finished with the fire for this season, I couldn't resist a few hours of cosy warmth and fireside comfort. I really love having the fire lit, but it IS Spring and I really hope that there won't be another fire in that grate until October. Well possibly September would be acceptable, if it really came to it.

I had a few more bluebells and cow parsley stems on my table last week, very modest pickings from the verges and allotment.

I keep thinking about Bolton Abbey as this is the exact time of year that I so love being there, but I'm trying to be content with what I can find close to home and not dwell too much on what I'm missing. A couple of little bluebell stems in a glass jar on my table has been making me absurdly happy, so there is that. Pleasure in the little things - always.

And even though I'm not able to feast my eyes on the glorious bluebell banks this year, I've certainly been having fun stitching them! Last week I put the final crosses into my Spring sampler from Cotton & Twine and have to say I was a bit sad when it was all over - I've LoVeD stitching this design so much. I need to make time to get it mounted now, the Aria blanket has really had me in it's creative grips this past week and I've not been able to think of anything else. 

Well I hope you're all keeping well and content out there in your own stay-home bubbles, and that life is giving you more ups than downs. Remember to seek out the little things that give you pleasure and I really hope you're having a peaceful, restful week.

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