Attic24

In December

❆ In December we had a lot of rain, but there were also some welcome sunny days to lift the spirits.

❆ In December I made the most of the good weather days and enjoyed the quiet, pared back stillness.

❆ In December I tried to remember to stop every so often and look up.

❆ In December our winter season well and truly arrived.

❆ In December I got a bit giddy over the wintry perfection of frosty moss (like you do).

❆ In December I felt grateful for my morning walks to school along the canal.

❆ In December I turned my face to the sun at every opportunity.

❆ In December I often walked home from the shops the Long Way, just for the pleasure of being out in the fresh air and stretching my legs.

❆ In December I enjoyed pottering around the familiar streets of my town.

❆ In December I constantly searched out bright spots of colour amongst the greyness.

❆ In December I enjoyed the arrival of seasonal produce - specifically nets of whole nuts and boxes of leafy clementines.

❆ In December I remembered how much I love eating fresh fruit every day, especially zesty citrus and the lush flavours of more exotic offers - mango, kiwi and passion fruit all in my belly!

❆ In December a small miracle occurred and I actually remembered to buy the candy canes in the first week of the month.

❆ In December, for the first time EVER, I listened to the Little People and we decorated the house for Christmas on the First Day of the month. It was the best decision, and I am now converted.

❆ In December I crocheted 24 Teeny Tiny Stars (pattern here) and 12 Tassel Baubles to make a Festive Garland. I also photographed a tutorial for the tassel baubles but completely ran out of mental energy when it came to editing the forty-plus photos and writing it all up. I'm so sorry. Running-out-of-energy seems to have been the general underlying theme of my life just lately.

❆ In December I did actually manage to complete my Festive Garland and hung it in place mid month. I absolutely adore it I have to say. I still fully intend to share the pattern and create the tutorial for you, once all Dahlia happenings are under way. I'm so sorry that I haven't been very good at keeping up this year.

❆ In December we had some truly beautiful skies to start and end our days.

❆ In December I embarked on something of a personal healthy eating crusade and I can already feel it doing me good. I've cut right back on caffeine and alcohol, upped my daily water intake and am making a conscious effort to give my body all the good stuff it needs. My general health and well being hasn't been great this year, but I am trying to do what I can to help myself.

❆ In December I spent a lot of time in cosy cafés, including some lovely outings with Little B. He seems to really enjoy coming along with me when I go shopping or run errands in town, especially when we squeeze in a quick refreshment stop along the way.

❆ In December we had our first snow day on the 15th. It wasn't a huge amount, just enough to give us some winter feel-good for a day without too much disruption.

❆ In December I shook off my natural desire to stay cosy indoors and ventured out to the park at first light to take in the snowy scene. The light was very weird indeed, with a pinky purple hue cast over everything. It was eerily beautiful.

❆ In December I took the train to The City to do some Christmas gift buying a week before the big day. I carried a mild dose of anxiety along with me, but despite my usual lateness with this kind of thing, all ended well. I am just a last minute person and no amount of mental resolve seems to change my natural patterns.

❆ In December I also very much enjoyed shopping locally, using our thriving high street and supporting small independent shops where I was able.

❆ In December I enjoyed the daily ritual of lighting the Advent candle when we sat down to our evening meal. Little B was in charge of lighting and extinguishing, and he carried this out with great ceremony.

❆ In December I walked in the woods with Little B on the shortest day of the year, gathering in some ivy as we went. Poor boy, my chopping made him nervous ("Mum, is it actually illegal to do this?") but I assured him that with the huge abundance of ivy growing along the pathways, we were OK to remove just a little bit here and there. I added in sprigs of rosemary and eucalyptus snipped from my back yard pots, and wove the whole lot around a wire wreath frame (this sort of thing) to make a simple Solstice wreath.

❆ In December I quietly celebrated the Winter Solstice, enjoying the scent of greenery and a new red berry candle.

❆ In December we thoroughly enjoyed our before-Christmas time. The Little People finished school on the 20th, and the fours days that followed were spent gift wrapping (I wish, wish, wish I could manage to do this earlier, but alas, old habits die hard), gathering in food and drink supplies and generally idling about. We completed our two "Christmas Eve" jigsaws which is a Christmas tradition that I love, and I enjoyed the relaxed pace of holiday days spent at home.

❆ In December we enjoyed a quiet, happy Christmas day at home just the five of us. It was bloomin' lovely too. Little B (who is almost ten) still believes in the Big Fella in Red (possibly for the last year?) so we made the very most of the magic. And for the first time EVER, our day started at the late hour of seven o'clock which was hugely appreciated, we've had so so many years of very early starts on Christmas morning.

❆ In December we managed a walk through the woods on Christmas morning. We left The Big Teen in bed, but Little B and Little Lady came with J and me, and I enjoyed it very much. There was weak winter sunshine and lots of mud, oh, and chocolate too.

❆ In December we also went for a walk on Boxing day, venturing out in the cold winter to stroll along the riverside at Bolton Abbey. It was a tad bleak if I'm honest, a biting wind and low murky cloud, but nevertheless it felt good.

❆ In December we faced some tough times with family. J's beloved Dad was in and out of hospital, and we were beyond grateful when he was able to come home on Christmas Eve. He's slowly recovering and we are awaiting test results which are a very real concern to be honest, but not much to do at the moment except remain positive.

We also lost my Mum's partner Grandpa B unexpectedly, he took a fall a few weeks before Christmas and died shortly afterwards. He and my Mum were never married but they did share thirty years together and I've felt very sad saying goodbye to that part of my Dorset family life. 

❆ In December I worked on my upcoming Crochet-A-Long, which starts tomorrow! Yay!!!! It's such a blessing to have this to look forward to as we start the New Year, and I'm very excited to see it all finally unfold. I work on my CAL projects for much of the year (I start around May time) so they are a big part of my life, even though most of the planning and creative work goes on quietly behind the scenes. This will be my sixth annual blanket CAL (previous blankets were Cosy, Sunny, Moorland, Woodland and Sweet Pea, 2014-2019) and I absolutely love the crochet community that has grown around it. It makes me so happy, and a teensy bit proud too.

Well that pretty much brings us right up to date, and I'm so happy that I was able to chisel out time to make a December catch up post to share with you. Waking up at 4.30 am does have it's advantages sometimes!

I've got some things on my mind that I'd like to chat about, but today isn't the day for that. Today it's full-steam Dahlia prep, so I'd better get back to it......I'll be here in the morning to fling some floral colour at you!!! Haha!

Wishing you all a fantastically happy New Year and New Decade, may 2020 be filled with joy and sparkle, colour and creativity, love and kindness. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

With Hindsight

Hello!! So good to see you all, and I'm happy to be back here in my space after not quite feeling up to it in recent weeks. Today I've been pondering on my "re-entry" into Blogland, more specifically how to explain my absence or even whether there is any need to explain at all? There isn't a whole lot that I can tell you to be honest - I'm not sure exactly what has been happening inside my crazy brain, but something hasn't been quite right.  I hadn't actually made a conscious decision to take a break, I simply didn't feel like I had the mental and emotional energy to sit and create a decent blog post. Suffice to say, with hindsight perhaps I should have left you a little note here to let you know all this, rather than just disappearing. I am sorry that I didn't think to do that.

A dear lady commented on my blog yesterday asking "Is this blog dead?" - crikey, I was hit full force with a massive dose of guilt reading that, feeling like maybe I was unintentionally killing off my precious blog. No, no no! No deaths here in the Attic I promise you, just a necessary deep snooze period. It's needed every once in a while, a step back, a gentle decompression after a low or busy time. 

It's been three and a half weeks since my last post so not a huge amount of time in the overall scheme of things, especially not considering the eleven and a half years that I've been sharing my life here.

We had our half term week right at the every end of October and into early November. It was a wonderful, simple time I have to say, lots of easy days spent cosy at home with kids and pets snuggling up all over the place. I even found time to sit and read my magazines, the November issues which arrived shortly after Yarndale when I was in no way ready to think November-ish thoughts. I save my magazines to open when the appropriate month rolls around these days, and I find I enjoy them so much more.

Halloween and Bonfire night came and went, the usual child-orientated stuff taking place here. Little B and I carved a pumpkin each, and we had hoards of trick or treat children ringing our bell for a solid two hours. We had sparklers and a modest box of supermarket family fireworks for November the 5th - the Teens were both out with friends so it was just me, J and Little B oooohing and aaaahing over the sparkly, smoky pops and bangs. 

I finished a pair of socks which had been on my needles since the spring and I'm so happy with them! The yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply and the colour is called "Seascape" which floats some major colour boats for me. Seascape is one of four colourways designed by my friend Christine the Sock Queen and this one is by far my favourite. It was inspired by the colours of seaglass, so of course I simply had to have my feet in those coastal stripes. I adore them and find myself craving a cold, breezy beach walk whilst wearing them. It's on my list.

We've been walking when the weather has allowed, taking Little B and sometimes Little Lady to wander our favourite countryside pathways. The woodland at Bolton Abbey was looking especially beautiful at the end of October, all glowing and golden and uplifting. 

Closer to home and I've been appreciating the colours of the season in the trees and hedgerows as I've walked to and from school and town. 

Our clocks went back an hour at the end of October and our days are rapidly shortening now (it's just under 5 weeks until the Winter Solstice). I've been struggling with the low light levels and long hours of darkness, my mood is definitely affected by it and I've noticed it more and more as I've gotten older. I light candles and use a daylight lamp (when I remember) but I find myself fantasizing about trips abroad where the sun is still shining and there is light and warmth to be found at this time of year. I hope one day.

Getting outdoors and walking is one of the best tonics, and I've loved it so so much when the sun has shone for us.

The combination of fresh, crisp cold walking with warm, cosy café refreshments is hard to beat in November, such pleasure to be found in our local area on days like this.

Last year I recall that November was mild, but not so this year. We've had many frosty mornings with below zero temperatures for the school run.

Mostly I walk at speed during the mornings, delivering Little B to school in time for the bell, whizzing around the supermarket  then power walking home in the chilly air ready to unpack the shopping and get on with chores and work. Every so often I come out of the supermarket not feeling quite ready to go home, and so I walk the long way back along the canal and through the park.

It's an opportunity to take in the very familiar sweep of grass and woodland that sits just a five minute walk from my door. It's a window into the seasons too, the trees telling the story of where we are in the year. Right now in mid November we still have some leaves hanging on in there, although another week and I reackon most branches will be bare. Winter will be creeping in soon enough.

I walked home from school today at 4pm, stopping to catch my breath at the top of the street (it's a heck of a climb up at the end of the day). The setting sun was casting a beautiful ruby glow over the hilltops and it made me glad (just a weeny bit) for our shortened days.

Hyacinth bulbs are in the house this week - yipppeeee for small (but perfectly wonderful) seasonal pleasures! I adore this seasonal ritual, and love that in the eleven years since I've lived in this house that hyacinths have become A November Thing. Gosh, it makes me so happy, right down to the ends of my toes. They are in a metal Christmas pot as that's how the supermarket is selling them this year - I have pondered taking them out and putting them into a stripy Cornishware bowl, but with only 37 days till Christmas it seems I may as well embrace the Festive theme. I'll have bulbs on my mantel right through till April, so plenty of time ahead to have springtime bulbs instead of festive ones.

It's been so cold here the past few weeks that we've had our central heating on during the daytime when J and I have both been home. Our sofa sits in front of the living room radiator and it's become Tilly's favourite place to sleep. Often she is sprawled full length along the sofa back, with legs draping and head lolling. The combination of rising heat and cosy crochet keeps her content and in a sleepy kitty stupor for hours on end. There is something so heart warming about seeing a cat cosied up on top of colourful crochet, don't you think?

Talking of colourful crochet, during the weeks when I've not been sat at my desk, I've been sat on the sofa crocheting. A real lot of crochet has been happening in recent months as I've been obsessing (to the point of weirdness) about this colour palette of gorgeously warm and uplifting colours. This is my new Dahlia colour palette, inspired by one of my favourite flowers and I can tell you that the colour therapy it delivers is second to none. The dull Autumn days have been brightened considerably by these bright summer shades and I honestly can't get enough of them.

There will be a new Dahlia yarn pack coming very very soon, along with a beautiful new blanket pattern which I'll be sharing here on my blog for my annual Crochet-A-long (CAL).

I'm using a new stitch pattern which is loads of fun to crochet - super easy and relaxing to do, with minimal counting and a very easy intuitive construction. It's a great pattern for beginners, or for those of you like me who need some low-brain-matter therapeutic rows to amble along with during the evenings.

I'll be sharing a lot more about the Dahlia blanket here on my blog on Wednesday 20th November (oooo, yes, it's very soon indeed!). I've got so many inspiring photos to show you - when I say I've been obsessing, I really do mean it haha!! 

I've been making two different versions of the Dahlia blanket (hence the huge amount of crochet time needed) - all will be revealed on Wednesday. 

And on that bright and breezy note, I shall love you and leave you as I head back to my hook and yarn. See you in a few days time for some floral feasting!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Feels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

Summers End

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

....and along pathways like this ↑↑

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Life in August :: part 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You want to know the Number Two purchase?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Life in August

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everything looks so lovely in summertime!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Rain and Shine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

....and glowing sunbeams. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you soon! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Summer Days

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Golden Meadow

This light and golden time of year has me completely under it's spell and I feel like I can't possibly get enough of it. These early summer days are just so abundantly beautiful and make me very happy. It's just never, ever enough.

Last week I had my Dad and Lady B visiting from Dorset, and we had a lot of fun being tourists with them in our own patch. We took the train to Salts Mill to see Hockney's "Arrival of Spring" which was magical. We walked at Bolton Abbey, had brunch in one of our favourite places, wandered around Skipton market, pootled through local woodland and riverside meadows and drove along summery lanes through the Yorkshire Dales. It was really lovely, but mildly exhausting. Of course, school stuff and household stuff still had to happen alongside touristy activity and I also cooked us all an evening meal every day except for one (hello, very welcome and delicious curry delivered to the door!). It surprised me the difference it made cooking for seven people instead of our usual five, I felt like there was so much chopping and stirring in my life.

One golden evening last week I was hit with the annual pull to go and walk in the buttercup meadow. These seasonal rituals are so strong and I find it almost impossible to resist when they call. Little B and Lady B came with me, a short five minute jaunt up to the park and through the wooden gate into the meadow. It was utterly glorious, the perfect summer evening full of gentle warmth, low golden sunlight and long slanting shadows. Little B and Lady B spent an aaaaage searching for four leaf clovers (it always seem to be a thing we do when out with Lady B), while I pranced about with my camera swooning over the beauty of it all. 

The fairground was there in the background, setting up in the park ready for the towns' annual Gala at the weekend. It all felt very summery indeed, and hugely nostalgic and emotional somehow. I'm always so greedy for Summer to be way longer than it actually is. It's almost like I'm on the verge of a mild anxiety attack every time I happen to get a whiff of what date it is and realise we are so, so close to the summer solstice already and as such, these delicious mid-summer days are numbered. Wahhh!!!!! I am aiming to squeeze every last drop out of this summer, no matter what the weather throws I want to be out there drinking it in. Next up......elderflower cordial season, yippee for that little highly anticipated seasonal jaunt!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps, I've gotten a bit behind with my blogging, but will try and catch up this week if I can - I need to take you to Amsterdam and France, get your passports ready?! x

 

 

 

 

 

Green and Light

Twice this week I've had evening dates with Little B. At seven o'clock on the dot he comes to get me and no matter what I'm doing (crochet, knitting, social media-ing, blogging, laundry folding etc etc, the usual stuff that fills my evenings) I am not allowed to dally. Come on, come on Mummy, it's time to go! So of course I drop everything, grab a bottle of water and off we go, out into the beautiful early evening of our neighbourhood. We've created an hour long walking route this week which is uniquely ours and it's just so lovely. We start out along the canal, pass under the old mill bridge and follow the narrow footpath around the bottom of the castle. Entering into the woods by the bottom gate where the Huntress stands, the scent is overwhelming, oh my, I feel almost faint with emotion when I take that first deep breath in. Wild garlic and all the verdant growth, it's so fresh and light and green, green, green. We follow the path through the woods almost as far as the pond, then take the steep stepped pathway up, up, up into the trees which is something we've never done before (we are usually walking the opposite direction and coming down those steps). It's a huff-puff climb, but fun to go from the bottom of the woods to the top in mere minutes. Sunshine and shadows, laughter and chatter, it's just so precious, every single nano-second of it.

Just before Christmas, Little B (then aged 8 and three quarters) abruptly decided he was too old to hold my hand as we walked to school (well, walking anywhere actually). And once he decided on this he absolutely refused to go back on it. Sometimes I would catch him reaching for my hand without thinking, then a flash of remembrance and he would snatch it away super-quick. I understood it, but still, there was a persistent stab of sadness when I thought about the change and felt the loss. This week since I've been home from France he has started holding my hand again, and oh my heart feels like it wants to break free and fly up into the wide blue yonder. I haven't said anything to him about it, have allowed him to silently reach for me without the need to remark on it. It really has been the sweetest, most heart expanding experience. You hear the phrase "pulling on your heart strings" and never has this felt more true for me, I swear I can feel it happening.

 The weather has been delicious this week, truly May at it's best and I want to soak it all in and store up all the feels. My emotions are running high at the moment - I recognise it, and think it's in part due to this time of year. I'm not over analysing it, just holding myself together and allowing the days to pass gently, knowing that all is as it should be. 

Anyhow - Little B and I have so enjoyed our walks together this week, hand in hand, non stop chatter, it's an hour out of my day that feels like the greatest gift. I am so grateful......thank you for sharing it with me.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx