Knitting

31 October 2012


I am joining in with Ginny for this weeks sharing of knitting and reading and Tami for this weeks work in progress.

On the needles this week is a hat for my husband for Christmas, I finally managed to finish knitting his socks, so my Christmas projects are now progressing in the right direction!

I am still working my way through the book about the Crusades it is holding my interest still and I am nearing the end now, I have a big pile of books to read next!

What are you knitting and reading?

Projects

30 October 2012

Continuing the World War II theme which is engaging my eldest we have been on a visit to one of the RAF Museums.  I had to drive south from my parents to get there into the northern edge of London.  I don't think I have driven that way since I lived at home.  I am not a fan of driving in cities, I find the push and shove really daunting these days, but I managed to come out of it unscathed thank goodness for sat nav!

I took a camera out with me but completely failed to get it out of the bag, so no pictures.  The Musuem was busy as it was half term but it is so big there was room for everyone.  We visited a hanger of planes from World War II, a hanger charting the milestones in flight, a hanger of bombers from both World Wars and a brilliant interactive gallery with loads of hands on exhibits all to do with flight and flying, we spent over an hour in there at the end of our visit.

If you ever find yourself in that part of the world give the place a visit the museum is free but you pay a small amount for parking.  It is great for all ages!

Gratitudes

29 October 2012

I am joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday (I know it's Monday) tradition.

A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for.....

...the beautiful autumn colours.

...clear blue skies which I have not seen all Summer.

...a friend who provided a listening ear.

...vegetables from the garden for soup and tea.

...being able to spend time with my Mum and Dad after a long period of not seeing them.

Apprehensive

27 October 2012

I am going to visit my parents today, I have not seen them since February I am really looking forward to seeing them again as are the children but, I am also slightly apprehensive too.

My parents are building a house in their garden for them to move into, this house is almost ready but not quite.  Their old house is big, too big for them as they move through the years hence the decision to build a slightly smaller one in the garden.  The old house is our family home, they moved there when I was two.

One of my brothers is more than likely going to live in the old house, in fact he has already moved in.  He was renting, the new house was supposed to be ready at the end of August so he gave notice on his rental property to move out in August.  Since then six people and two houses worth of stuff is in the old house!  Slowly, since then, my parents have been moving their stuff into the new house to give my brother and his family more room.

So why am I apprehensive?  Since the building started last year I have visited every couple of months and watched the land change from a garden to the beginnings of a house, when I last visited the house it was a shell, it had a roof but no windows or internal walls, outside the landscaping there was, was the same as when I lived there.  I know this has all changed.  Since my parents mooted this idea many years ago I have always had a tinge of apprehension about them moving out and changing the land that was my family home.  My childhood memories are all locked up there, I have visited many many times as an adult, I have a strong connection to it even though the house has been almost completely redecorated since I moved out.  I have seen pictures of the new house it looks, as I expected, beautiful inside my parents have very good taste.  Beautiful as it may be I will have no connection.

I am apprehensive because despite the fact that my parents have not moved out of their own home my sister in law has already started to redecorate.  She is the sort of person who wants everything sorted and right very quickly, as a result she has to do so as cheaply as possible to be able to afford it.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach it does mean that we have very different tastes.  I fully understand that if my brother and his family are going to stay in the old family home long term they will want to make their mark on it.

I am also apprehensive that my parents, brother and family have had time to get used to these changes.  They have lived alongside the changes happening and have had time to get used to them. I have not,  I am going to see all these changes at once.  I hope they give me the time and space to get used to them too and don't force me to think they are wonderful straight away.

I am highly likely to be absent from this space in the next week as my parents have no phone or Internet connection yet, so if I am away have a lovely week and I will catch up again on my return.

Better leave this space and go get packing......

Kale

26 October 2012

I have masses of this at the moment, it is growing in my garden and I had some delivered in my veg box.  I also still have a glut of courgette despite the fact that we are experiencing regular frosts ( they are warm and cosy in the poly tunnel).  I searched through all my recipe books to find something that I could cook with both and found nothing, a search in the net was also to no avail, not one to be stumped by such things I made something up.  Lasagne.  I did not write down the quantities so I leave you to decide I was feeding one adult and two small children there was a fair amount left.

Courgette (I used about 300g, I think, it was a section of a large one)
Kale (I used about 400g)
Ricotta approx 125g
Feta approx 100g
Soft Goats Cheese approx 100g
Oil/Flour/Milk to make a white sauce
Mustard 1tsp
Grated Parmesan
Lasagne Sheets

Chop the courgette into bite sized pieces and cut the big stalks from the kale leaves and shred.  Steam both vegetables until soft (courgette) and wilted (kale).  Drain water and put the veg in the pan.

Mash the ricotta, chop the feta and goats cheese into small pieces and mix with vegetables.

Put oil and flour into a pan and mix into a paste.  Add milk gradually until mixed.  Put on gentle heat and stir occasionally until starting to thicken, add mustard.

Put half the vegetable and cheese mix in a dish and spread to make a flat layer.  Top with lasagne sheets and some of the mustard sauce.  Repeat and cover the sauce with a thin layer of grated Parmesan.

Cook at 180°C for about half an hour.

You could use any combination of cheeses to make this, and change the vegetables with the season.

Knitting

24 October 2012


I am joining in with Ginny for this weeks sharing if knitting and reading and Tami for this weeks work in progress.

On the needles today is a scarf for my youngest.  The yarn is from one of my favourite wool shops it is very close to a friends house so every time I visit her the shop just has to get a visit to and it's hard to come out empty handed!  This yarn is hand dyed merino and is lovely to work with.  I tried various stitch patterns before settling on basketweave, it is a bit lumpy at the moment but hopefully it will flatten out with blocking.

Reading wise I have been dipping in and out of this magazine this week in my rare free moments.  My lovely husband bought me a subscription for my birthday so I have many more editions to look forward to.

What have you been knitting and reading this week?

Weekending

23 October 2012

I am a few days late with the weekly round up, I had a very full weekend and had no brain space to write it.

We started the week with our usual trip into town for shopping and a library visit.  I found a book on knitting stitches to give some inspiration for a project that I would like to put together in the future.  I have really enjoyed doing do much knitting recently as I make Christmas presents.  I don't want to get to Christmas and have no knitting.  So I am thinking about post Christmas present knitting, a project for myself of my own design.

We spent time with out home edding friends on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Catching up after time away, visiting a new house for the first time, eating lunches together,  drinking tea whilst the children played.  They had, as they always do, a great time.  It doesn't matter what time we arrive they never want to leave!

On Friday I spent the morning writing a shopping list and cooking tea and most of the afternoon shopping!  Many months ago a good friend of mine had asked if I would cook for a weekend camp to celebrate 10 years of Explorer Scouts in our area and I agreed.  The numbers were approximate at that stage but ended up being about forty five.  I had to provide a supper meal (hot drink and cake) on Friday, all meals on Saturday and up to lunch on Sunday.  The shopping filled the boot of my car and my boot is very big!  After emptying the food out the car into the kitchen of the village hall we were using I travelled up the road to our friends where we were sleeping for the weekend, most others were camping in the grounds of the hall.  After sorting out tea I headed back to the hall to meet everyone and get myself organised.

Saturday was a very long day, up at six at the hall for half past breakfast ready for seven.  I provided cereal, tea, coffee and hot chocolate and bacon roll or vegetarian sausage roll.  I also had to put out ingredients for everyone to make sandwiches and bits to make up a packed lunch.  By ten we had cleared and washed up and had a break before starting on tea, shepherds pie.  I had someone helping without which I would never have got everything done.  We peeled 12 and a half kilos of potatoes and made up a large pan of sauce with mince, veg and herbs, it took nearly hour to put together the six large pies sauce at the base with mashed potato on top.  I also made a vegetarian version.  I also put together a vegetable soup as a starter.

They were having a party in the evening so I put together party food late in the afternoon ready for the evening.  Some of this was provided by the young people themselves some from the shopping I had done.  I made mini pizzas using english muffins cut in half, cooked sausage rolls, made dips, cut up bits to dip and emptied crisps into bowls.  By the end of the cooked meal, there was plenty of food phew I was starting to feel tired.  I cleared up with help and got the party food out before heading up the road to our friends house for a much needed bath.

Up early again on Sunday for a slightly later breakfast, cereal and toast.  Lunch was to be all the leftovers from the previous day plus more soup which I needed to make.  We had to be out of the hall just after lunch so it was all hands on deck to clear and wash up and clean the hall.  By the time I got home I was exhausted and missing my children.  I had hardly seen them all weekend.  They had been out canoeing and driving a power boat on the Saturday with their dad and a friend and headed home after breakfast on Sunday.  It was an interesting experience not one that I would want to do regularly but good fun!

Orange...

22 October 2012



...and warmth

Joining in with Bumbles and Light and Live and Love out loud for this weeks Nuture Photography celebrating the autumn colours.

Gratitudes

21 October 2012

I am joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.

A time to slow down., to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for......

...the kindness of strangers helping me when laden with shopping and trying to hold children's hands!

...a morning cup of tea in bed.

...my children smiling at me each morning when they wake, a beautiful start to the day.

...my friends who welcome me into their homes and feed me with wonderful food for lunch.

...my comfortable bed after a long day on my feet on Saturday.

...my eldest taking his sister's hand when they had to leave me again, and go off with their dad, he sensed she needed comfort.

...the heartfelt thanks after cooking for forty five people for the weekend.

...being able to enjoy a gorgeous sunrise.

Rope

18 October 2012

When I was employed and working in a paid jobs I had a boss who once said to me with regard to managing people I give them enough rope but not so much that they hang themselves.  He was of course referring to metaphorical rope!  At the time I was starting out on the managing road, it was a hard and slow journey to gain skills that are crucial to managing others, but I always returned to the rope analogy.  That boss was one of the best I ever had in my working life.  He always knew when to leave staff to get on with it and when they might need a hand to hold, he was supportive but not intrusive, skills to me that make an excellent manager.

Mothers are managers.  Having been in both roles they are, without a doubt, one and the same.  I still use the metaphorical rope to let my children explore and learn but not so much that I put them in a place that will be unsafe.  It is hard to let you children go, to let them explore it takes a great amount of trust.  You have to trust that you are doing the right thing and you have to trust that your child will not come to harm.  But if we don't how will they learn.  If we keep the rope too tight all the time, so there is no or little chance for exploration, how can learning take place?  If the rope is loosened as the child gets older if there has been little chance for self directed exploration and learning will they know what to do or will they come to harm and so the rope is tightened again.

I know a child who I feel is in a situation where the rope has been too tight until recently when it has been loosened.  The result is that they have come to harm, seriously enough to warrant an over night in hospital and then came home, did something else and vomited all night.  Mother feels the child is on a self destruct path, I disagree.  If this child has been as I suspect, on a tight rope they have had little or no opportunity to be trusted, to learn, to explore the world for themselves.   The sad thing is, is in my view, and this is my personal opinion so I may of course be totally wrong, I hope this does not lead to a continuing breakdown of the relationship between mother and child.  As the child grows older I hope it does not lead to resentment, anger and distrust.

If you are not able to trust your child how can they learn to trust others or themselves.  Will they think that they are not capable of doing what they thought they could do.  As mothers we have to learn to trust ourselves and then we are comfortable trusting our children so that they can go out into the world and trust others.

Knitting

17 October 2012


I am joining in with Ginny for this weeks sharing of knitting and reading and Tami for this weeks work in progress.

This week on the needles is my second pair of socks, progress is slow. They are a Christmas present for my husband, who is around all the time at the moment!  We have just had a two week holiday together which was not conducive to progress!  My husband is self employed so his work is usually sporadic, however it does feel as if he has been around a lot lately just when I would rather he wasn't, in the nicest possible way.  I am wanting to knit a few more pairs as presents which also need to be done out of his sight, I may have to reconsider as I am not sure I am going to get them all finished, hey ho need to have a plan B.

Reading wise I picked up this book in the library during my last visit there.  I am wanting to knit something for myself and have not been able to find a pattern that fits the bill, so I thought I would make one up.  I hope the book will provide me with what I am looking for stitch wise.

What are you knitting and reading this week?

Garden

16 October 2012

Joining in with Rachel for this weeks catch up of what I have been doing in my garden.

 Carrot Harvest

As much as I love to go on holiday there are a few things I dread on my return unpacking for one, another is going into the garden to see how over grown it has become.  I have been away twice in the last eight weeks so my garden has been rather neglected of late.  However this time I returned to find amongst the weeds a surprising amount of vegetables ready for eating.  We usually have a small vegetable box delivered each week but we were away for a delivery so came home to empty cupboards.  So I managed to put together a few meals using from the garden potatoes, onions, turnip, beetroot, carrots, kale and courgette.

We had Courgette and Cheese Bake with coleslaw using our carrots but sadly not our cabbage as the mice had them.

Potato Fritters with kale fried in garlic and turnip cooked in honey with coriander seeds.

Carrot Fritters with roasted beetroot and potatoes.

I also made Potato and Leek soup using a carrot and potato from the garden and Courgette and Brie soup.

Over the weekend the weather was dry so my husband and I spent several hours weeding, pruning and deadheading.  We are far from done but it is certainly looking a lot better.  In the next few weeks I need to buy some garlic for sowing and plant out the lettuces into the poly tunnel for overwintering.

You can see some more photos from my garden in this post about autumn colours.

Sewing

15 October 2012

I have been able to find the time over the last weekend to get my sewing machine out.  I love to sew but often find that there are other pressures on my time which take priority.  I also need to have a clean and clear dining room table, not a common occurrence in our house, as that is the best surface for laying out material to cut it and for using the machine on.

I have recently bought material to make a few things including bags for Christmas presents.  I have loosely based mine on this bag and made up this one over the weekend.


I have material for three more and am still searching for the right fabric to make one for my eldest.


I have a fairly full week each week so sewing is best achieved at the weekend, trouble is they are often busy too, so I may have to look at ways of trying to fit it in during the week, if I am to get all the bags made for Christmas!

Joining in with Nicole for this weeks sharing on Keep Calm, Craft On.

Weekending

14 October 2012

I haven't done a catch up of the week post for ages.  It has been neglected due to holidays.

So, this week started with my birthday.  We were at a friends house in the morning making our way back home from our hol's.  We stopped by for the night to pick up some stuff we left from the previous week.  We journeyed home and then had the delightful task of unpacking, never my favourite job.  Our house is not particularly big and is very easy to feel overwhelmed by all the stuff that comes in from the car.  It was a lovely sunny day which made it easier to get dry the wet things we had such as the tent.  My lovely husband cooked tea which was my own request for the day!

We ventured in to town on Tuesday for our weekly trip to the library and to do a much needed food shop.  We usually go on a Monday as it is quieter, it is not really that busy on a Tuesday compared to some places but I do like quiet.  The afternoon was spent putting stuff away and generally pottering around and enjoying being at home.  That evening whilst enjoying a quiet night by the fire a mouse ran across the floor in front of me, it didn't get far before a shouted and it ran off.  A closer examination of the house the next morning revealed that they had most likely taken up residence whilst we had been away.

So the next morning we spent cleaning and looking for evidence, they had visited every room in the house it seemed.  The pantry were we keep the food is shelves with wicker baskets, no door in sight keeping them out is a nightmare and they had been in.  We had to throw a fair amount of food out, actually we put it on the bird table.  I don't think the house has had such a thorough clean in ages.  My husband set about sealing various places that they could have got in and we set several humane traps. Later than usual, we set off to join our friends who who we usually meet on a Wednesday, after lunch.  It was good to catch up with them for a play and chat.

On Thursday we had friends join us for lunch.  They bought me some beautiful flowers as a birthday present.  The children played all afternoon, the adults sat and chatted to catch up.  It was good to see the little ones reconnect after a few weeks apart.

Friday saw us popping into a local town to pick up a few bits such as more mouse traps!  The rest of the day was remarkably productive which was unexpectedly fulfilling, not that I don't enjoy my days at home with the children!

The weekend continued with more productivity.  The weather was dry so we ventured into the garden for a much needed tidy up, there'll be more on the garden next week, weeding, pruning and dead heading.  We filled two green wheelie bins with stuff plus our own compost bin and womery are looking pretty full.  The garden looks much better but there is still more work to do.  I managed to get the sewing machine out to make a Christmas present, a bag for a friends son I will share pictures on that tomorrow.

Throughout the week my eldest has been continuing to expand his knowledge with all things World War II, he has drawn many pictures of battles at sea and on land, read books on rationing, the blitz, tanks and planes, watched programmes on HMS Hood and Bismarck and episodes of Wartime Farm, set up battles with coloured bricks to represent armies of each country moving them about as if on a battlefield and built tanks and planes out of Lego.  He has also been asking me and my husband if we ever met anyone who was alive during the war.  He is looking forward to talking to my parents when we visit in a few weeks time as although they were both born at the end of the war their parents all played an active role during the war.

Hope you have had a fruitful week too?

Gratitudes

I am joining with Taryn for the first time for her Sunday heartfelt tradition.

A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I've felt grateful for....

...a tea cooked for me on my birthday.

...feeling recharged after our recent holiday.

...catching up with friends after time away

...the produce from our garden which has fed the family this week.

...the fine weather this weekend which has enabled us to tidy the garden ready for the winter.

...the beautiful flowers from this lovely mama for my birthday.

...the seasoned wood my husband has been chopping and stacking all year which is now keeping us warm each evening.

...the lovely books I received for my birthday which I am looking forward to reading.

Yellow

13 October 2012

The colours at this time of year are wonderful.  I love how nature provides us with a beautiful colour palette to look at.  I remember as a child watching the tree covered hill I could see from my bedroom turn from green to yellow through orange and red before finally turning brown for the winter.

I have taken some photos of my garden this morning to share with a wonderful idea I found whilst surfing.  So joining in with Bumbles and Light and live and love out loud with Nuture Photography celebrating the autumn colours, my yellow offerings.

Fulfilling

12 October 2012

I have had a day of wanting to go really slow today.  I had no desire to rush, or do anything quickly and do you know what it has been a really full day but I don't feel exhausted.  I seemed to move with ease from one thing to another finishing as I went with no interruptions.  This is rare accomplishment for me, so often I go upstairs and wonder what on earth I went up there for or return to a room that I was doing something in and wonder what it was that I had been doing, sound familiar?

So I am going to blow my own trumpet, please indulge me, this is what I have done today. I have put two loads of washing through the machine and hung them both up, put away two loads of washing.  Made a loaf of bread using a sponge left overnight.  Made soup for lunch with vegetables from the garden.  Went shopping for a few bits and bobs.  Knitted several rows of this sock when my husband went out for a few hours.  Cut out the material to make a bag for a Christmas present.  Made biscuits with my youngest.  Watched a programme about HMS Hood and Bismarck on 4od with my eldest.

I had no intention of doing much today, much like any day really, I just see where it takes me and today I had a great journey one which I hope I can repeat.  I hope you have had a fruitful day too?

Dorset

11 October 2012

Whilst we were on holiday recently we spent some time in Dorset.  This is a county that I have spent little time in but one which I enjoy returning to, like so many parts of the beautiful country I live in there is so much to see and do.  We only scratched the surface for the few days we were there but we had a great time.

We had a walk on the coast around the Lulworth area we visited the wonderful cove and walked around the bay, having lunch on the shingle.



We also walked over to Durdle Door where there is a rock arch and another lovely bay.  My youngest walked almost the whole way probably about five miles, asking to be carried right at the end of the day when she looked exhausted.




We had a day in Swanage travelling there on a steam railway had an explored around the town and returned via the village of Corfe Castle we did not have time to visit the castle instead we spent our time at the delightfully quirky model village with its interesting garden.







We spent a day in Weymouth were we spent most of our time exploring the amazing Nothe Fort.  It is a place steeped in history and has been turned into a really interesting Musuem looking a the history of the fort and coastal defences.  We went for a wander into the town and onto the beach it was a really warm sunny day.

We also spent a whole day at the Tank Museum which was, surprisingly, interesting.  My eldest is currently interested in anything to do with World War I and II.  I don't think I had realised the extent of his knowledge.  We had a tour around one of the halls housing the history of the tank from the first  one ever built to modern day tanks.  The tour guide was excellent, we were the only people on it, he was impressed with my eldest's knowledge as we approached each tank he would state correctly what each tank was!

It was a lovely few days I am sure we will be back for another visit.  We really wanted to go fossil hunting and attempted to go and see the large ones on Monmouth Beach at Lyme Regis on our way to Devon but as we got there the rain started to pour and somehow it no longer appealed!



Knitting

10 October 2012

I am sharing with Ginny and  friends for this weeks knitting and reading and Tami for this weeks work in progress.

I have several projects on the needles at the moment all of them Christmas presents, I hope I can get them all made in time!  I have started this cowl.


The wool is a double knit from Colinette Yarns the shade is Fruit Coulis.  It is knitting up really quickly I hope it will be finished soon!  I also have a sock, two scarves and a dress on the needles too.

Reading wise I now have a big pile of books waiting to be read. I have had a birthday recently and they were all presents.  I am still reading the book about the Crusades.


One of the books, Call the Midwife is one that I have been meaning to read for a while.  I know that whilst I am reading it it will, for me, invoke memories.  The author was my piano teacher as a teenager, for me she will forever be a tall elegant lady who loved to sing and who introduced me to some wonderful music.  I coveted her beautiful hands with long fingers she could play a tenth, an octave plus two for those in the know, with ease whilst I struggled, and still do, to play an octave.  Not only did she teach me to play the piano she also used to take groups of her pupils on the train to London to music concerts.  There is something special about hearing live music and she introduced me, and all her pupils, to a very diverse range of music I will always be greatful to her for that.

What are you knitting and reading this week?

Camping

09 October 2012

I love camping.  I love it enough to camp in the autumn as we are now in.  We had a frost shortly before we went away but that was not enough to deter me.  We have good, warm sleeping bags and room to pack plenty of clothes so the cold would not be enough to stop me.

We camped for eight nights in total. The first night was bitterly cold, one of the coldest we had.  It was a glorious night, almost a full moon and completely clear, hence the cold.  We were camping at a special place, for one night.  The place where I worked for a while and where I met my husband.  We were there to celebrate their thirtieth year of operation.  It was great to meet up with old friends and acquaintances, to see how much the place had changed over the years.  We had a lovely twenty four hours there.

Our next campsite was further south, at Corfe Castle in Dorset.  It was very quiet, as you would expect during term time in Autumn.  The bare earth on each pitch should really have served as a warning to us when the rain poured down for the whole of the first night.  As the days went on the inside the tent became more and more like a swamp.


We were camping on clay which did not drain at all and remained sodden despite the sunshine.  There was plenty to do in the area so we didn't need to spend much time in the tent!

The next campsite could not have been more different in every way we were the only tent on the site and the only facilities were a toilet and a tap.  It felt like we were camping in a slightly wild Victorian  garden!



For me camping is about reconnecting with nature.  I am so aware of the skills that we have lost as we have moved into our warm, snug houses.  It is much more difficult to be in tune with the seasons and nature when you cannot feel, see and hear them around you all the time.  We came to know when sunset would be in a few short days due to the birds, mostly starlings 'singing' at dusk as they were looking for somewhere to roost.  It never felt that cold, partly because as we had travelled south the temperatures were slightly warmer, but also because I am sure that you adapt.  I always eat more when I camp as I am sure I am using the energy to keep myself warm but at no time did I feel remotely cold.

It is good to be home but I am already missing the connection with the environment I love in.


Home

08 October 2012

We have been away from home for the last two weeks.  Visiting friends and new places.  We had some great weather. We visited some interesting and beautiful places.  We camped in all weathers in two completely different campsites.  We had rain, wind and sun.  There is something rather wonderful about living with a few possessions, with having all you need fit in the boot of the car.

I will catch up and blog about where we have been and what we have been doing but for now it is good to be home but my bed is calling, the day needs to be put to rest.