Moments...

...this week of...

...happiness being back at home, my veggies surviving me being away for a week, sleeping in my own bed, a fun evening with a group of teenagers

...sadness hearing someone say they are terribly lonely

...creating to do lists, rows of knitting, ideas in my head, a very messy house

...reading an intriguing book, Nowhere People by Paulo Scott, to the children A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond and these picture books* 168. Little Red Riding Hood by Mandy Ross, 169. Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten by Trisha Shaskan, 170. Why Monkeys Swing in the Trees by Claudia Lloyd

...learning about addition, birds, habitats, maps, myths and legends

...thinking about oak trees for forest school

...hoping to finally have the time to tidy my house this week

...looking forward to time a home this week to rest, tidy and give the garden some attention

*as part of the 300 Picture Books Challenge

Community

Last week we were camping with a group of families who come together every year to celebrate midsummer, we have joined them for the last three years.  Each time I come home and ponder over this wonderful community that I immerse myself in for a few days each year.

Whenever I watch or read about communities or tribes who live simple lives with lots of other families, sharing the tasks required to raise their families and sustain their lives I wish I had been born into their lives.  I cannot fathom why my society feels that this way of life is somehow backward, primitive and worthy of the label second or third world.  Looking at this way of life from our own is to do so through the wrong kind of eyes.

We have water on tap, we don't have to walk for an hour to fetch it but to think that this is arduous and time consuming is to misunderstand a completely different way of life.  This time gives those that walk to fetch it a chance to take a break from what ever else they have been doing, they can talk and chat as they walk, putting to bed their troubles and worries, sharing ideas, perhaps noticing sources of food if they live a hunter and gather way of life.  The water tap when camping was a long walk away my storage container small I had to make the trip often but it never seemed a chore.  We are slaves to time, something I have written about before.  But if you don't live by your clock, but by the sun does it matter how long something takes?  How wonderful to not be ruled by time or the clock.  Whilst I was camping I rarely looked at my watch.  I  didn't need to know what the time was, we ate when we were hungry and went to bed when we were tired.

But the most significant and wonderful aspect of the camping was the community.  We came together to celebrate the midsummer and we shared.  We shared food coming together for some of the meals, we shared crafts and most importantly we shared the care of our children.  Without ever having to discuss it the children always had a adult nearby either at the tents or at the beach (where we all felt it appropriate for an adult to be if the children were there).  We weren't watching over them like a hawk but were there in the background keeping an eye out and able to help out if there was a problem or a hurt.  Most of the time I had no idea where my children were but as I knew that they would always be with someone (another 'rule' we had, don't go off alone). I never worried about them and I always knew that if I had to go off for water, washing up or whatever, that there would be someone else to care for them in my absence should they return to find me gone.  The way we live our lives is so artificial.  As isolated family units with the parents responsible for all the childcare, usually the mother for most of the day.  This is incredibly hard work.  The village I live in is a link back to the past in our own society with extended families remaining in the village and all of the individual families taking responsibility for each others children.  This is not without its own local pitfalls but as a premise it seems far better than the way most of us find ourselves living.  The community doesn't need to be based on family, for me I would want to be part of a community of like minded individuals whose vision of the community values are similar to my own.  I had a taste of that last week and boy would I love it to continue as I return to the madness of clock watching and my isolated family unit.

What about you?  Have you experienced community living?  Are you part of a community or want to be or would it be your worst nightmare?

G...

...is for Grass

Either love it or hate it, it is the most widespread plant type in the world.  We don't have any in our garden as we didn't want to have to mow it and wanted the space to grow veggies, but it creeps in from the gardens either side.  I rather like the look of grass when it is flower although of course if I let it get to this stage in my garden it leads to more weeding for me, such is a gardeners dilemma.  I am also not a fan of neatly manicured lawns (I wrote of this once before), they are a barren monoculture which don't help the wildlife so if you have grass full of daisies and moss be proud of it!

Once again joining in with the Alphabet Photography Project.

Moments...

...this week of...

...happiness at spending the week camping in the sunshine sharing time with friends and my children having the time of their lives with friends new and old.

...sadness at the women who took my words given in good faith and used them in her bitter feud with her neighbours, a situation I had no idea existed.

...creating a few rows of knitting, a fairy, lots of food to take camping.

...reading a few lines from The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton, to the children A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond but no picture books this week.

...learning about friends, friendships, co-operation, sharing

...thinking about community living and how much better that would be than isolated family units

...hoping to get my house tidy this week, at the moment it looks like we have been burgled!

...looking forward to going to a forest school group this week for the first time

F...

...is for Fairy

We have spent the past week camping, some time on our own and some time with lots of other families celebrating midsummer.  My youngest took part in a scene from Midsummer Nights Dream which they performed in a glade in the woods.  She loves fairies and anything to do with them, so dressing up as one is her favourite.  She didn't want to give the dress back......

Joining in belatedly with the Alphabet Photography Project.

Watchtree

We found ourself in a different, and fairly unknown to us, part of the county last week with a huge courtesy car for the day.  Our car need a safety recall sorting and the garage needed the car all day.  We set off with a picnic and bikes in the van with a scant plan in mind as I had not been able to find anywhere to take the children on a bike ride.  I remembered as I was driving a new reserve that was near to the city I was heading but couldn't for the life of me remember its name.  It was so new that it was not marked on the map I had.  We headed into the city after sorting the car to find more about this nature reserve.  We got ourselves a leaflet and very very wet as we I left the coats in the car at the moment the rain came down.

The reserve was a treasure, a place that we will be returning too, despite the distance from us it is worth it for a day out.  Watchtree Nature Reserve is on the site of a disused RAF airfield, the land originally having been farmed has been semi returned to that state as there is still farming very much in evidence in and around the site.

The old runways are perfect for riding bikes.

The old control tower is visible just outside the reserve with a wonderful elderflower growing on its side.

There are a number of bird hides round the site where you can sit and watch the wildlife.  Sadly we forgot our binoculars so we were struggling to identify what we could see as it was so far away.  All the more reason to return!

Several of the trees around the site were labelled.

There was a wee garden near the Visitors Centre where we found a newt.

Some Marsh Fritillaries which are part of a breeding/reintroduction programme in the county, this beautiful butterfly has declined in numbers over the twentieth century.

And an unidentified caterpillar anyone know what it is, or what it might later become?

Not only has the land been a airfield it was also used a burial ground for the thousands of carcasses as a result of the 2001 Foot and Mouth epidemic.  It was out of this tragedy that the reserve came into being, the site needed careful management to ensure that the surrounding land and the water table were not contaminated by the intensity of carcasses.  It takes its name from two trees, which are sadly no longer standing, which were used by local people to 'watch' for raiders from North of the Border!  They were felled to make way for the airfield.  We spent five lovely hours on this reserve and didn't manage to explore it all I am sure we will return some day.

Moments...

...this week of...

...happiness camping, finding a new nature reserve to visit, a wonderful day with friends doing a river study

...sadness at the through that some children don't get to enjoy being outdoors

...creating rows of knitting on my t shirt, a sucessful camp weekend for twenty four

...reading The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton and these picture books*, 166.  Help We Need a Title by Herve Tullet, 167. Peepa Meets the Queen.

...learning about money, coins, addition, birds, mammals, insects, letters

...thinking about a peaceful and quiet week in the woods 

hoping for a dryish week

...looking forward to a whole week of camping this week (hence wanting the dryish weather)

*as part of the 300 Picture Books Challenge

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Sorry if I have not visited your blog for a while, I have been busy getting ready to be away for week, and now I am going away this week, I will catch up when I return!

Slow Living

It is always lovely to look back and reflect on what you have done over the previous weeks or months, taking stock, observing changes and celebrating achievements.  Even better if you can join together and see what others have been doing too in their part of the world, blogging is a wonderful way of making the world a smaller place.  Christine over a Slow Living Essentials hosts a monthly link up of reflections here are mine for May....

...nourish this month has been all about eating outside whether at home or out and about.  If the weather is warm enough in the morning we have breakfast outside our back door, it just started to be by the end of the month.  We have picnics all year round, in the cooler months these tend to be eaten inside at museums etc.  Now we are enjoying them outside and it is fun to come up with ideas to ensure that we don't end up with sandwiches several days a week.  We have been eating pasta, rice or couscous salads, homemade pasties, veggie 'sausage' rolls, tarts and of course rolls and sandwiches!

...prepare as you never know when you might need a picnic lunch I have bulk cooked some pasties this month and put them in the freezer.  I have filled them with a spicy lentil mix and a spinach and feta mix.  They freeze fairly well although the spinach pasties are a little soggier on defrosting!

...reduce with the weather warming up it was time for me to sort out the children's clothes and work out if they needed any more.  I never actually put away their autumn/winter clothes as it has been known to be cold all year round in these parts.  My eldest had only one pair of shorts but several pairs of trousers with holes in the knees.  I have cut these as near as possible to where they are worn and sewed a hem, now he has several pairs of shorts!

...green I have posted before about trying to remember to drink enough water, I really struggle with it.  Life gets in the way of me remembering too.  I was talking to a friend about this and she recommended drinking 1.5 litres or 3 pints of water on waking up, then eat nothing for an hour.  During the day she was drinking a further one or two pints and never with a meal/food.  I have been trying this for the last month and boy does it work!  On the occasional day that I forgot I felt terrible, really dehydrated, groggy and tired.  The days I struggle with it are the ones when we have to be someone very early and I can't wait an hour before eating but it seems to be ok on the rare occasion I have done this.

...grow we are now heading towards our growing season it is very short, just a few months, so it feels like you have to devote much of your attention to it, to ensure any results.  May has been about caring for seedlings and a small amount of sowing.  I have always been tempted to plant my seedlings out in this month but it isn't really warm enough.  Night time temperatures are often just above freezing between 0 - 5°C, far too cold for tender seedlings.  I have kept them in the polytunnel for the whole month.  The only sowing outside has been potato chits and onion sets which have both survived the cooler temperatures.

...create it was my daughters birthday in May so I was busy making presents for her.  I made some  dolly clothes for a wee dolly I made her a couple of years ago.  I attempted to follow a pattern to make a dress which ended in disaster (it was completely the wrong size/shape) so I used a dress that I  knew fitted to make a pattern, and I wrote a tutorial so I could remember what I did for next time.  I also made a skirt.  She had a little party with a few friends and I made them all a wee bracelet to take home with yarn and buttons from my stash.

...discover I have not had much time for reading this month as I have been really busy making and creating.  My reading time is the hour or so before I go to sleep and this has been taken up with secret present sewing and knitting.  I have been dipping in and out of an interesting book on child rearing around the world.  This is not a book filled with expert advice but rather an interesting study of how cultures around the world approach child care.

...enhance in the last week of May our village outdoor pool opened for the season.  This is a wonderful resource to have so close to home, it is a ten minute walk from our house as opposed to a twenty minute drive to the nearest alternative.  We do a lot of open water swimming too but the season for this is really only August/Sept when the rivers and lakes have warmed up enough!  As we home educate it is easy for us to hide and not engage with the village community we live amongst.  It is great to spend a few months of the year fully immersed in it as we visit the pool four or five times a week.  It also means that our village is full of really good swimmers which is a vital skill for all to have.

...enjoy the highlight for me this month has been celebrating a wee gal's fifth birthday.  I cannot believe I have been the mother to two children for five years, the time seems to have flown.  I have treasured every year of her life and I am so blessed to be able to spend all that time at home with her. She requested a small party with a few friends, a few games, some delicious food and lots of play.  It was wonderful to watch and listen to all the children sat on a picnic blanket in our living room (it was too cold to be outside) chatting together and eating their picnic tea.

E...

...is for Energy

A device capable of dividing a community if there are plans afoot to install them.  But should we be accepting of them, are they the future of energy production small scale and local?  Or perhaps we should be using less energy?

They were surprisingly quiet, especially as I have heard so much about the terrible noise they make.  We were close to them, right below, and no they weren't silent but not intrusive either, not like a busy road or an airport.

Are they a sign of progress, a sign that we must fight to resist.  In the past did folks feel the same about pylons?  Or Windmills?  Maybe one day in the future they will be everywhere and we will have got used to them.  What do you think?

Joining in with the Alphabet Photography Project

Moments...

...this week of...

...happiness swimming in our village pool, time with my parents, listening to my children playing together, a quiet weekend at home with my family, 

...sadness at the news that a friend is emigrating this month, most likely, I always knew she would one day but the circumstances are not what I expected at all

...creating a cardigan, row of knitting on my tee shirt, two play capes, a sheath for a dagger, a rubber band guitar

...reading The Last Gift by Abulrazak Gurnah, to the children The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, and these picture books* which you can read a short review of here, 162. Aristotle by Dick King-Smith, 163. Ivor the Engine: The Dragon by Oliver Postgate, 164. Don't Dip Your Chips in Your Drink, Kate! by Caryl Hart, 165. I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis

...learning about swords, Romans, wild flowers, sewing, Tanks, erosion, fossils

...thinking about menus and food for this weekend, a camp, with twenty four mouths to feed

...wondering what was going through a drivers mind when he nearly hit my family and another family  in the van he was driving

...hoping that I can get a whole pile of packages and letters in the post this week

...looking forward to camping this weekend!

*as part of the 300 Picture Book Challenge

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I hope you have had a lovely week too, do you have any moments you would like to share?

Tending....

It is now June and I have been pottering away in my garden for a few months but have yet to share any of my hard work.  I am once again using the biodynamic method as a framework for my gardening, it ensures that the garden does not get neglected as I get distracted by life.  Last year I went away a lot, lots of short trips with the children.  I found it really difficult to get any gardening done as I was either away or preparing to go away.  This year I have reduced the going away to more manageable levels and hope that works, it is all about striving for a balance that I haven't quite found as yet.

My potatoes planted out in April are growing well....

....as is the garlic sown in January.  I thought this would not come up at all as we had such a mild wet winter.  The ground was so waterlogged when I put the cloves in that I thought they would all rot.  It remains to be seen how big they actually grow.

The onions are shooting well and I hope they start swelling soon.  These were sown in seeds trays in April and then planted out in May.  I also sowed some straight into the ground in May too, I wanted to see if the head start made any difference.  It doesn't really look like it has made any difference as the later sown sets appear to have caught up.

Broad and French beans seedlings planted out.  I cleared the last of the leeks to make space for these. A mild winter meant they overwintered well and we will eat those last ones in a soup over the weekend.  It was the best crop of leeks I have ever had.

We seem to have an abundance of strawberry plants in the garden.  They have popped up all over the place, none of the sown.  I assume these are courtesy of the birds, like many plants in my garden.  My youngest has taken over the care of these clump which she checks and weeds daily, reporting back on their progress.  We rarely have enough of a harvest for a meal but they make a great snack, especially for the children.

The chives have now taken up residence in all the cracks on a small patio behind the garage.  They are a mass of flowers at the moment and buzzing with bees.  I rather like their tenacious nature but I might have to keep them in check, just a little, less they try to take over.  You can just make out a marvellous supply of wood in the background, a wood shed full to the brim seasoning for next winter.

The fruit bushes are brimming with supplies for later in the year.  These are enclosed in large cage to keep those pesky birds at bay.

It is not all produce, the lilac is coming to end its beautiful fragrant flowers still filling the garden with their opulence.

The Actinidia kolomitka is starting to display its variegation as the sun catches its leaves.

There is a path through here, the euphorbia and ferns are meeting in the middle....

A blackbird searches for grubs on the green roof, atop our garage/workshop building.

I was delighted to discover two frogs in the garden this week.  A very small one in the polytunnel and this larger one in our wildlife pond, shading itself from the midday sun.  Lets hope they feast on the slugs before they get a chance to rampage through my seedlings!

You can see more pictures from my garden here, on almost the same day last year here when the garden looks a lot less lush, and here.  It is raining here now which means one less job to do today.  I am hoping that the hail forecast for Monday does not materialise!

What are you up to in your garden?  Enjoying the fruits of your labour or relaxing in the sunshine?  That is usually what the children are up to, in a hammock, whilst I am busy tending.....

D...

....is for Daisy

A delightful wild flower which is everywhere at the moment.  It reminds me of long hot summers as a child, making daisy chains and trying to explain the expression upsa-daisy to a French colleague which I have since learnt has nothing to do with the flower at all!

Linking up with the Alphabet Photography Project.  I know the alphabet doesn't start with D but I have only just found this lovely linky project and better late than never, right?

Dress Tutorial

I recently made a dress which I devised a pattern for using a dress that I knew fitted.  As I made up the pattern I had no sewing instructions to follow and had to make them up as I went along.  I decided that in case I wanted to make another one, which I probably will, I was best off taking pictures as I went to remember what I did.  So here they are, a tutorial with pictures of a lined shift dress with an invisible zip.

This dress was made from two different pieces of material for the front and back if you are using one you can skip this stage.  Pin the outer material pieces right sides together and sew.

Pin the shoulders right sides together on both the outer material and the lining and sew together (independently).  Outer to outer and lining to lining.

Pin the outer material to the lining around the neckline with the right sides facing and sew.

Cut the material down to your stitching, taking care not to cut through your stitches, in slits about 1cm apart all the way round the neckline.  This will enable the neck to sit flat without bunching.

This is what it should look like on the right side:

Next up is the zip, pin this to the outer fabric so that the right sides are together, and tack (sew some temporary stitches).  Lay the right side of the lining over the top and do the same. If you want to check you have got the right side of the material and the zip turn everything the right way out at this point to check. Then machine sew using a zip foot, if you have got one.  I had to look this up to find out what it looked like!

Now for the other side of the zip.  I have turned the side I have just sewn to right side facing the part I need to sew the zip to and pinned and tacked as before.  Then repeat with the lining and machine sew the zip in.  Again check before you machine sew that you have everything the right way round.

It should look like this when you have finished sewing:

Now for the armholes.  Lay the dress on the table with the right side facing down and the lining uppermost.

Roll the edge nearest to you away from you:

Reach underneath and bring on top the outer fabric that is not rolled up, the armhole edge of the lining is uppermost in this picture the outer fabric is at the bottom:

Fold the outer fabric over onto the lining so that the right sides are together and your roll of fabric is in the middle.  Pin and sew, take care when sewing to ensure that you don't end up sewing the fabric rolled up inside.  I failed to take a picture of this bit but the picture below shows the armhole sewn and cut as per the neck piece to prevent bunching of fabric.  The armhole is at the bottom of this picture:

Now for the magic bit, reach inside your tube and gently pull the fabric out until you have everything the right way out.  It took me ages to work out how to sew the armholes and the ta dah moment when it looked like this was amazing.  I had a very wide smile at that point!

When you have sewn both the armholes turn the whole dress inside out and pin the outer fabric and lining as one long seam:

Sew both sides up, hem as desired and your dress is complete:

Joining in with Nicole for sharing of making and creating, head on over to see what others have been up to.

Moments...

...happiness my youngest's face during her birthday party, the wonderful homemade presents she received from her friends, my parents coming to stay, swimming in our village outdoor pool for the first time this season.

...sadness at feeling helpless to know what to do for a dear friend who is having a really hard time of it right now.

...creating a knitted vest, a dress, a hood on a cardigan, a birthday 'fairy' cake, five bracelets, a beautiful painting

...reading How Eskimos Keep their Babies Warm by Mei-Ling Hopgood, and these picture books*, which you can read a short review of here, 156. Esme's Eggs by Neil Griffiths, 157. Superworm by Julia Donaldson, 158. Hog in the Fog by Julia Copus, 159. Horse by Malachy Doyle, 160. Pip and Posy, The Scary Monster by Axel Scheffler, 161. A Royal Fairytale by Ink Robin

...learning about the letter F, the Hittites and their empire, ants, transplanting, weeds

...thinking about a weekend camp I am running for twenty Explorer Scouts in a couple of weeks time

...hoping that we have warm enough weather this summer to swim in our village pool often

...looking forward to a visit to Hadrian's Wall again this week

*as part of the 300 Picture Book Challenge