Padiham Knitter

Home improvements and hilltops

2012-01-29T21:05:00.000Z

Another week has passed us by. I have a finished object to brag about but unfortunately have completely forgotten to take any photos... doh!

It's an aran gilet. From the Favourite Arans series of books. I'm very pleased with it. Took my time knitting all the bits which were tedious at times. Especially the back which was entirely in rice stitch and took ages to do. The cables were relatively straightforward on the front but that didn't stop me regularly cocking them up and having to frog back to correct. I took particular care when sewing up and I feel I can justifiably say it's the best finishing I've ever done! Just a bummer there are no pics. Will get some next week I promise.

Usually I would get DH to photograph me modelling my finished garment but he's been rather busy this weekend. Having got the windows done, thoughts have turned to decorating.

Newly painted stonework

Yesterday he painted the stonework around the windows and the front door. The window fitters very kindly patched up some of the rendering after putting the windows in - a real favour as the render was falling off in places. They look very smart now and the new windows look very posh!

We decided to paint the front door a new colour and we decided on "Hot Mustard". I was expecting a sort of dull colman's mustard kind of hue but this is what we got...

Not so much mustard.... more banana I'd say

I'm sorry but that is NOT mustard. It's banana yellow! It's very bright and I have to confess that I don't really like it much at all. To add insult to injury though, it just won't dry properly. 2 days later it's still sticky. Looks like we'll have to sand it down and start again. Annoying, but also a bit of a relief as we can now pick another colour.

The never dry paint...

Next it was time to decorate big girl's bedroom. To make life easier, she has moved into her sister's room. Little girl has the biggest bedroom of all of us (she has the most stuff) so fortunately we've managed to squeeze everything in without too much effort really.

Room for two... spot the crochet blankies...there are 3.

Here's her room all stripped down. The paper was a darkish red and it was very cosy in there but she wanted a change. She has picked her own paper which has a bit of a contemporary take on 70s wallpaper but you will be able to see that for yourself when it's done.

The orangey/apricot colour above the picture rail is now a lovely lilac colour. Really pretty. I really like the picture rail but it is a bit of a dust catcher. Looks like N has been dusting with his head!

After 4 years the dust doesn't get any worse - Quentin Crisp

Now Nick needs to be left alone when undertaking mammoth decorating tasks so I took little girl shopping for big girl's birthday next week yesterday. Today they were invited to go swimming with Little Friend M across the road for the afternoon so that left me twiddling my thumbs. Got the goulash in the oven and decided to head out on my extra small Giant for a ride.

Puffed and panted up White Hill to see if I could do it. I couldn't... well not in one go... had to keep stopping and catching my breath. Whilst ascending I saw one of the mums from school. You know the one I mean, there's one in every school year, perfectly organised, taller and thinner that you, children always starring roles/head girl or boy, never a hair out of place. You really want to hate her but she's actually quite nice....grrr... well she was walking downhill with a friend. I was sooooooo glad I was actually pedalling at that point in time and not flaked out on the handlebars gasping for breath!!!

The carpark at the top of the hill. Snow on the ground

Got to the top and stopped at the carpark to check out the view and congratulate myself for getting there. Good News it's downhill all the way from now on! Had a whale of a time on the way down. And, very gratifyingly waved as I flew past perfect mum on my way back home.

Padiham Wildlife and an extra small Giant

2012-01-22T21:00:00.003Z

Hello there

Ooh it has been a very busy and exciting week here.

Firstly, new windows. After over a decade of umming and ahhing we decided it was finally time to sort the windows. The back two upstairs windows in particular were in a terrible state and on the verge of dropping to bits. We really didn't think that they would take any more patching up. The front windows were single glazed and rather draughty. They were, however, real sash windows so we were ridiculously over-attached to them. They were not the original sash but some relatively recent replacements so the wood was not properly seasoned and would swell in the rain making the windows impossible to open (or shut if left open!) again when damp. The condensation was atrocious and there was mildew forming in places. During the last couple of cold winters they actually froze on the inside even with central heating on!! Sadly, double glazed modern sash were completely out of our budget so they have gone but we have replaced them with lookalikes that aren't too bad. They are wood effect and look really, really nice. Very pleased. The back windows tilt and turn which means the bottom half totally swings inwards which will be fantastic on balmy summer evenings (you can stop laughing now.... it has been known to happen).

When I was busily showing off the windows to the girls we saw the deer again. Two of them
mooching around in the back. At about teatime too. Amazing. Saw them again this morning.

If you look carefully, in the middle of the picture, you can just about make out one of our deer visitors,.

Hope they stay around as they are almost impossible to photograph but I keep trying!

All the window work happened on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. As there was a teeny bit of cash left over we have ordered some new paper for the girls bedrooms. They ripped off what is there when they were little and assure us that at nearly 9 and 7 1/2 they are much more responsible now! They'd better be. Anyway, younger girls has picked some colourful flowery paper and older girl has gone for bright hearts. All very girly but lovely too. I feel a burst of matching crochet throws and cushions in the offing!

We've also booked a week in a yurt in the Lake District at Easter.

A-glamping we will go in this very yurt!!

We though it would be huge fun and a lot warmer than our tent as there is a wood burning stove in it. Also we can't manage to take all the camping gear and the bikes with us in one go. If we stay in the yurt we can take the bikes and get lots of cycling in.

The above plan does herald some sad news though... sigh... the Duchess, my current bike, is not up to the task. If all I did was nip to the local shop, then all would be well, but I need to travel along rough tracks, tackle big hills and generally have a bit of an adventure. So I have a new bike as of yesterday. It's a Giant bike, only being such a short arse, it's an extra small Giant, of course!!

This it my new extra small GIANT!

It is brilliant and I love, love, love it. Rode it home from the shop in Burnley yesterday and it was awesome. Didn't quite have the seat height right so got a bit of the old sore buttocks today but once height adjusted it's just fine. I am used to a large, well padded and sprung seat so it will take a bit of getting used to the sliver of plastic they call a seat on this type of bike. I will just have to HTFU. (This apparently, is a technical term which stands for Harden the F@@@ Up!).

Despite, the tender derriere we decided that we needed a foray to Gisburn Forest.

Gisburn Forest. We rejected the basic route and went straight for the more exciting moderate route!

So off we went and a marvellously muddy time was had by all. It was a bit cold at times but the girls were intrepid and fearless and got stuck in.

Quite early on in our ride. We are all mud free!

I got stuck in too and went flying around the course whooping and giggling and ripping through puddles like a madwoman. I can highly recommend it!

Frosty morning and last minute socks

2012-01-14T19:41:00.000Z

Oops, I forgot to mention this earlier. Managed to finish the socks for little friend E's birthday just before midnight last night.

Took a few pics before wrapping them for the party this morning

Lost the ball band but I think this is a Rico sock yarn

I've knitted socks for this girl for the past few birthdays. She seems to really like them.

I quite like the way the colours have pooled

Gratuitous arty sock shot!!

Must just mention what a gloriously sunny and frosty morning it was today. The third day of decent winter weather. It was really frosty and I love the way that frost outlines everything in white.

Frosted bark chippings

Everything looks like it's has some kind of photoshop effect applied to it. Took Sally out on the emergency trip to the shop to get the birthday card I forgot to buy and had oodles of fun jumping on and cracking icy puddles!!

Wintery morning at the back of the house.

A rainbow in my project bag

2012-01-14T17:34:00.004Z

Top Row: Fondant, Lipstick, Shrimp, Saffron
Bottom Row: Spring Green, Cloud Blue, Bluebell, Wisteria

I am skint as anything at the moment, totally brassic, but decided to splash out on some rainbow loveliness. It is bargainous Stylecraft Special DK so it's a fairly low key splurge. I'll be embarking on a ripply blanket for younger daughter. It will be a mix of Attic 24/Sucrette in looks.

I've noticed some pain in my hands and especially in my elbow lately. I think I may have Knitters Elbow (otherwise known as Tennis Elbow). Eek... I will just have to shovel in the ibuprofen and take it easy. Can't possibly not knit. Apparantly, you can get some kind of support bandage.... may have to check that out. Curse the onslaught of age!! Bits of me keep giving up the ghost. My teeth and gums are knackered, my eyes are going and now I have achy joints. It'll be stay press slacks and incontinence pants next..............

Sunshine came softly through my window today

2012-01-12T18:42:00.002Z

Oh at last! A break from this incessant gloomy drizzle we've had so much of lately.

Blue sky and fluffy white clouds

Took some pics on my phone so the quality is lacking but I just had to try and capture it as it is all so fleeting. The sky was blue, there were fluffy white clouds and it seemed as though everyone was out for a stroll at lunchtime to enjoy it - just as I was

A fading vapour trail in a clear blue winter sky

I love the long shadows you get at this time of year. The sun is still pretty low in the sky even at midday. I took these photos while out for a stroll at lunchtime in Leyland today.

Long winter shadows

I was in early today and able to leave work at 4 o'clock. What a treat to be driving home in the daylight. Sunset started happening on my way to pick up the girls from after school knitting club and it was blood red, almost apocalyptic. Had to try and capture it but sadly my phone just hasn't done justice to the light and pink, red and orange light. It was fabulous.

Simonstone under a blood red sky

If at first you don't succeed...

2012-01-08T12:28:00.002Z

Hey ho, and it was all going so well last Wednesday. Should have finished the week before commenting about it really. Clouds have descended again, lurgy has struck and those negative voices keep on telling me how hopeless, pathetic and worthless I really am. It is pants. Big old stinky pants.

I am not going to renew the pharmaceuticals. I need to get my stinking thinking kicked into touch. It's a destructive cycle to be in and so cruel. There's no way on earth I would be so hard on another person. It's time I was nicer to myself.

The dog is fed up as I haven't taken her out since last week and this is the face I am greeted with most of the time;

Come on woman! Take me for a walk!!

The girls went to see the Nutcracker yesterday. Their first ballet and they loved it. They went with their grandparents and have stayed over. Nick is working this weekend so I've mostly been on my own. This is a good thing I think. Got some time to think and plan and kick myself up the bum.

I have found three things that have made me feel a bit happier today.

Took the dog out for a walk! She was so chuffed. Found a discarded pint glass while we were out so that was an unexpected bonus. God knows what people were thinking when they saw me walking around with a pint glass in my hand!!
The bulbs I planted last year are starting to pop up. I had completely forgotten about them so that cheered me up no end. Haven't got a clue what I put where but it will be a pleasure to wait and see what comes out.
Sock yarn blankie - lots of ends need to be sewn in so I decided to keep them in a jar. They look pretty and make me smile when I look at them.

Sock yarn blankie ends... so far

Good Start

2012-01-04T08:31:00.001Z

Wow! We're ready. Dressed, bags packed and sitting around with 15 minutes to spare before we need to set off. There must be something major that I've forgotten...mustn't there?

Even got some sock stuff packed for lunchtime knitting. Also got up a bit earlier and took the dog out this morning. Blimey... hope I can keep this up!

Time to get back in the groove

2012-01-03T21:05:00.000Z

Well that's it then. School hols finished and the girls are back at school tomorrow. I'm back at work too so we will have to get our act together instead of lounging around for ages in dressing gowns watching telly and chilling out. None of that sort of thing tomorrow. It's all go, go, go!

I am very pleased with myself though. I've managed to be organised for once and there is a full compliment of clean and ironed school uniform hanging in the wardrobe, bags have been located and made ready for the morning, PE kit washed and ready to go back and lunches done and dusted ready for tomorrow. Hooray! Let's hope this organisation isn't a one week wonder.

Nipped to have a look around Skipton today. It's really not that far from us and it's a while since I had a look around. Took the girls and the plan was to get chips and find the shop where a friend of ours works. The river near the town had burst its banks and was impressively flooded which was a matter of great interest to the girls. Shamefully, I can't tell you which river it is - blush.

The weather was pants. Bitterly cold and biting wind, hail at times and lots of rain. We had to keep diving into shops to escape and get warm. This is how we found the shop of our friend - Emma's Apothecary- and it was full of gorgeous and lovely things. We also wandered through Rackhams and tried out lots of perfumes so were a bit pungent when it stopped raining enough to venture back out again.

Might try to cycle to Skipton as it's on the canal so should be relatively easy riding. Will wait for sunnier weather and temperatures first though!

Sock yarn blankie progressing nicely. It's very, very addictive and has been the perfect way to pass all the stuck indoors rainy days. 121 small squares and 7 big ones so far.

Got some other stuff to finish but it's all on a bit of a back burner at the moment. Must tear myself away from the blankie or limit the amount of squares I do at once.

Blowing away the cobwebs

2012-01-02T22:41:00.000Z

You can see some sunshine in the distance. Honestly.

Hooray! Not raining this morning. Almost sure we saw a spot of blue sky. A walk is planned. As it is highly likely that this window of weather opportunity may be rather small Pendle is where we are off.

A light scattering of snow on Pendle

It's a bit blustery and there is a bit of snow on the ground but a lot of people are trudging up. Obviously, they are all as fed up of being stuck inside all holidays as we are. There's a lot of grim faces and exchanges of comments about the amount of wind up top. But really we are all proud that we made the effort and got out. Plus there was some remnants of bunting at the trig point. Bunting? I wonder who put that up there.


Playing with the bunting at the top of Pendle!

The girls and Nick are all kitted out in Bear Grylls gear. Not fair. I haven't got any. Sob!

Look at them. It's like an advert for Bear Grylls clothing!

Windy it may have been, but it was still a fun way to pass a couple of hours and we most certainly got a good old blast of fresh air. Holidays are over for most people tomorrow but we have one final day left for us girls. Nick back at work.

Revamp

2012-01-02T16:03:00.000Z

Hmm.. not too sure about this new template. I have been using the same look for yonks now, primarily because I am too lazy to make any changes. But it is a new year so the change stuff muse is upon me. I think I will live with this girly template for a while.

Must figure out how to make my own pics small enough to use as a backdrop.. for now the colourful one will do.

Edited to add - couldn't live with all the nicey, nicey birdies so have revamped again to a more subtle and plain affair!!

Sock Yarn Blankie

2012-01-01T13:34:00.000Z

Slurrrrrp!

Oh I am so enjoying this project. It makes me feel less bad about all of the leftover little bits of sock yarn I've held onto for quite a while.

Do you know what? I can pretty much remember every one of the socks I've knitted with each bit of yarn. It's a big old sock nostalgia trip! Hmm... that's a bit sad isn't it? Oh well. Nothing new on that score!

Starting as we mean to go on

2012-01-01T13:17:00.000Z

Happy New Year again to you all.

Guess what. We all awoke to another dank, drizzly and wet day. So what we all cried. We have had enough! We absolutely, categorically, unequivocally, simply must must MUST get outside. So we wrapped up and headed out for a bike ride together.

It rained, the wind blew but do you know what? We had an EPIC time. It was all a bit money supermarket (love that ad!). The girls were intrepid and no puddles or mud was going to get in their way! A great time was had by all and a lovely hot bath on our return the reward.

Marvellous

Back home, wet, muddy and happy!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:24:00.001Z

Welcome to 2012.

Watched the fireworks, had a toast, returned to Jools Holland.

In the midst of a sock yarn blanket addiction at the moment. I have so many scraps of sock yarn that I've hung on to and hung on to, you know, just in case. And I have finally found a use for them.

So far 104 small squares and 5 large squares. It's so satisfying making these little mitred squares. You can knit them onto each other too. No sewing.... marvellous! Just a few ends to weave as you go.

Pics to follow if this blasted rain ever stops!

2011 - the Curate's Egg

2011-12-31T22:57:00.001Z

Bishop: "I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr Jones"; Curate: "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!"

Pretty much sums up my year. I refuse to say it's been an annus horribilus... there have been some really excellent bits but sadly, there have been some not so good bits. Much of it my own doing but not entirely... at least I don't think so. There has been over-reaction, a few moments of too much to drink and a bout of depression. I am proud to say that even with all of that I am still not smoking. Hurray for me!!

But there was cycling, walking, camping, beach-combing, the two deer we saw in our garden this morning, birdsong, a cosy home, lovely children, a fantastic husband, good friends (even if I sometimes think that everyone hates me), lots of knitting and crochet, some good reads, a cow attack, laughter, tears, views, paddling, a new hairdresser that I really like and so many things that have slipped my mind at this moment.

Aims for 2012

attempt to use up stash
learn to sew properly
lose the weight I've gained since giving up smoking
more cycling
more walking
walk the dog every morning!
have an adventure

Well off to watch the hootenanny shortly

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Gloomy but we do love to be beside the seaside!

2011-12-31T17:16:00.001Z

Oh how miserable the weather has been these holidays. We were so full of plans to get out and about but it just isn't any fun at all in this incessant rain we've been having. It makes the days short, dank, dark and strangely tiring. We are all clawing the walls with a desperate desire to get outside. Having to resort to checking out the IKEA sale as our only excursion of the day.... sigh...

However, having said that, we did get over to Morecambe to visit Nick's dad earlier in the week and decided to have a walk along the promenade. Despite the gloomy looks of the day, it didn't actually rain so we set off. There's been a big project to regenerate the promenade that we didn't know about so it was a really good walk. There's lots of bird-themed artworks to see and the Stone Jetty is full of interesting bits and bobs.

Love these bird posts

A rock island. Art Deco Midland Hotel behind

Boats on the Stone Jetty

Looking out to see

Colourful fishing boats

It was great. Will go again with bikes as you can cycle right along the front to Hest Bank and into Lancaster so could be a good day out. Ice creams, picnic, sounds like a plan! Only when it's a bit better weather.

Early Christmas

2011-12-11T23:27:00.001Z

Oh I have been rather spoiled this week. I am taking part in a couple of swaps on Ravelry - the UK Sock Knitters secret santa and the UK Swaps Falling into Winter swap.

Both of my parcels have arrived this week. Both left at oddball neighbours house who left them in vestibule without knocking or anything and therefore freaking me out a bit! They are a funny bunch but that's a whole other story that I may tell one day...but probably not....

Anyway, the first parcel was the UK Sock Knitters secret santa....

Lovely Christmassy parcels

Willing opening package volunteers who know that sweeties are often involved in mummy's parcels!

Under such massive pressure from the girls opening had to happen straight away... no waiting under the tree until Christmas if sweeties might be involved... sigh...

So here's what arrived: some lovely mitts which have already moved into my coat pockets and are in use! Two skeins of scrumptions sock yarn in colours I really like. Old fashioned sweeties... yummy... all gone now! A little lip gloss/balm shaped like a russian doll. A mini sock blocker kit and some stitchmarkers. Awesome. Feeling super spoiled.

Been out and about visiting as usual on Saturday and found that my next lovely parcel from the UK Swaps Falling into Winter Swap had been hand delivered while I was out. I missed the lovely lady and am so sorry. Very impressed with the dedication though!

What a lovely collection of treats. Enough sweets to open a sweetshop (according to the girls) lots of lovely yarn including some rather special hand spun. Some jolly yarn for the girls too! There was a delightful mini-shawl which has come in handy quite a lot of late. A pencil case and contents. A fantastic piece of hand made glass too which is difficult to see on the pic but very lovely and just needs a well lit home. Utterly spoiled for the second time.

First Snow

2011-12-04T20:26:00.001Z

Just looked out and it's snowing. Sleety snow but snow non the less! Really feels like winter now. Good job I am prepared and have knitted new hats and scarves! Yay!!

Also started an item for me. A snug gilet in the nice James C Brett Rustic aran that I used for Little Friend M's cardie recently. Same colour too.

Only problem is, there's no picture of the back and it's all textured so is taking AGES to knit.... sigh.... It will all be worth it I'm sure. Eventually

Here's where I'm up to so far. Just decreasing for the armholes.

Never ending back of gilet

This is described as "Rice Stitch" in the pattern.

If you are interested it's a design from the Favourite Aran Knits 3 book by Sirdar. Last design in the book.

Come, come thou bleak December wind, And blow the dry leaves from the tree

2011-12-04T17:28:00.001Z

So said Coleridge. Mind you there aren't many leaves left to blow off around here anymore. It's been a dank and dreary sort of a day here in Padiham. The only reason we got out at all today is because it's the annual Toy Service for the girls' school. So we went to that.

Nick wanted to go out on his bike but the weather just deteriorated. Lots of rain and hail today. Really nasty stuff and no fun to cycle in. So he's been like a lost little boy for most of the day. Looking out of the window and sighing a lot.

As it is now December we have put the Christmas tree up. The usual routine ensued. Phil Spector's Christmas Album and plenty of chaos. But it's done and we all think it looks lovely.

Typical Christmas tree silliness

I even managed to crochet some little stockings for the tree. There was meant to be 24 of them and they were going to make up an advent calendar but I didn't do enough of them in time so we'll just gloss over that one shall we. Pattern courtesy of the lovely Monde de Sucrette blog.

Cute crochet stocking

Another cute stocking

Despite all of the festive stuff, it was still a pretty dull old day. We should bake a cake was the general consensus. However, we were a bit short of ingredients so we managed to cobble together a ginger cake. Total comfort food fix.... it's got treacle, golden syrup, dark brown sugar and oodles of ginger in it. A sure fire winner. We had it with some custard and it was most definitely comforting....

Mmm... sticky ginger cake

Birthday Bag, Industrial Action and finished items

2011-11-30T21:34:00.001Z

Well it was my birthday on Tuesday. Beginning to get to a point in my life where I only take notice of them every 10 years now! Marking off decades rather than years. No matter, it was a very nice birthday as it happens. Out for lunch with my lovely family on Sunday, cards from some dear friends and family and a new bag.

Oh how I love my new bag...

I really, really do....

It's a Cath Kidston oilcloth daybag. It's great. Just roomy enough for all of my stuff plus a small knitting project (socks, mitts, that kind of thing). Younger daughter rather likes it too and apparantly I am to leave it to her when I die (also got to leave her my bed!).

Got some money too which I have unashamedly spent on me for once! Got a couple of new tops for work and a big ball of the aran that I used for Little Friend M's cardie to make a gilet for myself. Gets pretty chilly in my little office and it's nice to have something to slip on when it gets uncomfortable.

I also made Knitcol Hat number 4 - for me this time. It's lovely and as I have a small noggin it is being modelled admirably by younger daughter.

I'm developing a bit of an addiction to Adriafil Knitcol at the moment. It is just soooooo gorgeous. The colour combinations are delightful and I don't think there is a single combo that I don't like. It's merino so is amazingly lovely to squish and is a joy to wear. Have been out on a cold, dark morning wearing it and it was fab.

Just look at the lovely colours...mmm...

I am also having a bit of a mitten fest at the moment.

This pair was knitted in Stylecraft Life Special DK. Cast on 52 stitches, alternated 4 rows of knit and 4 rows of purl to make the springy wrists. Followed guidelines in the "Knitters Handy Book of Patterns" by Ann Budd. It really is a handy little book too. Highly recommend it.

Today was the national day of action and I took part as did many other public sector workers. It also very handily coincided with the all day knit and knatter at Pendle Stitches so I showed my solidarity to the cause by sitting in a nice wool shop, crocheting tiny festive stockings and eating some fabulous home made biscuits from Sue's Mum. Thanks they were really delicious and sooo crisp.

December tomorrow. Where has 2011 gone to already?

Instrument

2011-11-23T19:13:00.001Z

There's a great scheme to get really cheap tuition from the Lancashire Music Service for primary school kids at the moment. Natasha went along to see what was on offer and decide which instrument she fancies having a go with.

It was a fun chaotic evening with lots going on and I assumed she would go for something popular and 'girly', like a trumpet or a clarinet. Oh no, not Natasha. Here's what she brought home...

It's a euphonium and it's almost as big as she is. It's what she fancied the most and is happily parping away on it! Quirky child!

Feeling Better

2011-11-19T13:40:00.001Z

Well it's been a week of lurgy here. Girls off school and then bug kindly passed onto me. Spent almost all of Friday zonked out on the sofa, groaning, wrapped in crochet blankets. Too rough to even knit...sigh.

However, all is much better today. One of our neighbours was clearing out the guttering along the street so we all grabbed brooms and swept up the debris. It was a real-feel good thing to do. It's nice and sunny and it only took about 5 or 10 minutes between us.

Ladder up to nicely cleared guttering

Also finally sewed on the button for the Tree Cardigan I made for friend M across the street. Pattern from the lovely Petite Purls website. Very pleased with it and it fits just right.

It's a really nice pattern. Knitted in one piece from the bottom up. Only a teeny bit of grafting to do under the arms. Used Rustic Aran by James C Brett. A really nice yarn to knit with. Surprisingly soft - sometimes the "big" balls of aran you can buy are a bit stiff. Love the colour. It's kind of greyish, purplish, brownish and should go with lots of stuff.

Some Knitted FOs

2011-11-14T11:58:00.001Z

I've been quite productive of late.

Hats - 3 hats made from the gorgeous Adriafil Knitcol. Two the same for the girls and one for Baby O who is now 1 - blimey, where did the year go??

Knitcol Hat

Isn't he adorable? Can't believe how quickly they grow. Had enough for a bobble on his hat. Again used lovely Knitcolfor this one too.

School Christmas Fair is looming and items need to be donated to the stalls. The colour scheme for our stall this year is black and white so am knitting up 2 hats. Hat number one is finished. It's black and white. Hat number 2 is on the needles and is white and black. Photo to follow when done...

There was also a pair of 6ply socks for Nick

And another Noro striped scarf for me. Used James Brett Monsoon this time. Love how the stripes worked out.

Little Knitters

2011-11-14T11:22:00.001Z

Ahh...

My girls are getting to grips with knitting at the moment. They are both having a go at knitting a scarf for one of their toys. They are concentrating so much here .

They have joined the knitting club at school too so it's all very much the rage. They have their very own project bag to keep it all in (well.... to keep them off my stuff really!!)

It's very sweet to watch them.

Thunder. Enter the three witches

2011-11-13T23:18:00.001Z

Double, double toil and trouble

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble

All ready for a Halloween party.

Vampira and Witchy Gaga

Crochet Crazy and a bit of a ta da!

2011-11-13T23:03:00.001Z

Ooh control yourselves! Yes some actual crafty content. I have been having a few mad dos on things lately. Crochet is at the forefront and I am slowing covering almost the entire house in bright crocheted stuff!

Square in a square cushion. Pattern by Sarah London. Love it. Love the regularity of the squares. Love the neatness of it. It's great!

Fab! I think there will be many more of these to come!!

Then I got a couple of round cushion pads and here's what I did.

As I've used relatively inexpensive acrylics for this, I haven't bothered to make an opening. Just crocheted the 2 sides together.

Like it... it's cheerful.

Then I decided to do a granny circle for the other one. Using a combination of Andie Hanley's granny circle and Crochet with Raymond's mandela.

Hmm... it's ok but it's not as cool as the square in a square one. So after lots of faffing about I give you .... ta da!... my circle in a circle! It's not quite finished yet but I have taken copious notes and will post full instructions shortly!

Can you see how it goes with the square in a square. All the clusters line up in the same way and it looks very pleasing to the eye. I'm very excited about it.

There are also blankets. Lovely, lovely colourful blankets.

Finally - the finished Granny Stripe

Dog and daughter hijacking bright ripple

Wycoller and the Coppice Walks

2011-11-13T22:53:00.001Z

It's been really rather pleasant weather wise in October this year and we got out and about aplenty.

At the request of the girls we decided to revisit Wycoller and the Atom panopticon. It was a lovely chilly, hazy, sunny afternoon so the ruins of the old Hall were looking especially spooky and atmospheric. It's said to be the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in the Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre.

Just up the hill from the village is one of the East Lancashire panopticons. This one is called the Atom.

You can walk around and inside it. It's fun. Sadly the large metal ball inside it seems to have disappeared. Don't know why. It's nice to sit in the windows and admire the view.

It must have been pretty mild because on the way back to the carpark we saw about 40 ladybirds. Just kept spotting them on the brambles and nettles alongside the footpath.

A week or so later another nice day turned up so we set off for another favourite local haunt, the Coppice in Accrington. A pleasant walk around the hill and then a little sit on the memorial at the top to admire the view. It's had a clean up recently and all the graffiti is gone.

Zoo Keeping, hiking, and a bit of gardening

2011-11-13T22:23:00.001Z

Wow! Half term really was an adventure packed time for all of us. There was a day zoo keeping for the girls, hill walking for us and a garden clearance.

My mum entered a competition in her local paper earlier this year and won a day zoo keeping for the girls at the South Lakes Wild Animal Park. What a great day they had. It's a fabulous place for just visiting but to get the chance to go behind the scenes is just awesome. They went on their own but got so embroiled that we don't have too many pics of their actual keeping. They fed penguins, polished and dusted the giant tortoises, fed the tapirs and the giraffes and handled a 14ft long python. I'm sure there was much more but that was all I could coherently get out of them! They were both rather smitten with Nathan the zookeeper and he was a major topic of interest!!!

Feeding the Giraffes

Nathan, 14 ft python and the adoring girls!

Holding the snake

While all this was going on Nick and I were having an adventure of our own. We went for a good hike up to High Street from Haweswater. High Street is the site of a roman road (you've got to admire those romans - it is high up!)

Setting off purposefully at the end of the Haweswater reservoir

It was a little dull but fine at the start. Another one of those glorious autumnal colour schemes. Greyish cloud really setting off the rich orange tones of the grass and the trees. Fabulous. Took a ridge route up and it was rather windy but not quite as bad as the Wernside walk.

Bit of a scramble on the way up

Sally the dog was in her element. I think there may be some mountain goat in the mix somewhere she is so nimble and had virtually no problems getting up some pretty big scrambles. It was probably the smell of pies in the rucksack that kept her going

Please sir, I'd like some pie!

Haweswater in the background

Got to the top and the weather started to gradually improve and got quite sunny on the way down. Walked round to Mardale Ill Bell and then came down

Mardale Ill Bell

Glorious autumn colour on High Street looking down over Blea Tarn to Haweswater reservoir.

Also got a bit of gardening done over the break. Bought a few primroses, violas and pansies to add a late splash of colour. The old fence has totally dropped to bits so got some lonicera plants too to hopefully form a decent hedge in the not too distant future

Surprisingly now that the fence is gone we don't miss it. It's a bit like having an infinity garden in that you can't really tell that the back path is there and it all seems to carry on forever into the wood beyond. Quite like it.

Pendle in September

2011-11-13T22:15:00.001Z

Yes I know that it is November right now but life and the dark clouds have got in the way a little bit recently. There were some good bits along the way and I would like to share them with you.

Had a lovely trip up Pendle Hill while Nick was working. Just us girls. We packed a picnic and the girls took their own little packs with drinks and biccies for those got to stop and nibble moments. It was a surprisingly nice day despite rubbish forecasts and although a bit cloudy now and then, overall it was rather splendid.

We parked at the Nick of Pendle and set off up the mushy path

The good weather seemed to have brought out lots of people so when we got a little way up we decided to veer off the usual path and explore a bit. It was great if a bit boggy at times.

There were lots and lots of big hairy caterpillars which I think may be Garden Tiger Moths. In fact, they were all over the place. Don't think I've ever seen so many caterpillars all in the same area like that before.
Then after a nice picnic stop we headed back down and came across a group of brightly coloured paragliders. So we stopped to watch them get ready to fly off and both the girls decided that this was something they definitely want to try when they are bigger!

There's something about the way the colours look at this time of year that is so lovely. It's not pretty and green like Spring. It's intense. Grey skies really setting off the colours of the fading heather and grasses. Gorgeous. You just have to stop and take it all in sometimes.

This is my favourite picture at the moment. It was a moment in time that happened quite naturally - not posed at all.

Art?

2011-09-09T20:29:00.001Z

We nipped up to the delightful Towneley Hall and Park at the weekend to meet my parents, walk the dog and let the girls loose on their new bikes.

Youngest girlie stopping for a quick drink and allowing Sally the dog to catch up.

It's such a great place. Lots of trails to walk and cycle. Beautiful woodland, the odd unexpected sculpture and a cafe to indulge yourself. However, I'm not really sure what this installation is all about. Can anyone explain it to me?

Massive Balls

2011-09-09T20:25:00.002Z

While out and about today I nipped into a charity shop where I came upon these magnificent things.

GIGANTIC 800gr balls of dusky pink aran yarn. 20% wool content. There were two of them and it cost me £7.90. Absolute bargain. Man I love a bargain!

Got my mojo working

2011-09-09T20:18:00.002Z

Finally, after months of inertia, my knitting mojo is back! Lots of things going on to tell you about.

Firstly the never ending socks. Must take a picture (forgot when I got the camera out during a brief break in all the miserable rain we've had lately). They are in Rico bamboo and are nice. Just been going on forever. At least I've finally got past the heel of sock 2. Started them back in July so really need to pull my finger out!

Then there is the hoodie cardigan for baby O. Sadly the lovely orangey offering a few months ago was already too small when I made it so never got worn... have made this one a lot bigger. In any case, it's a much stretchier thing as well so should last a while!

It's in Sirdar Supersoft Aran, colourway cargo. Lovely to knit with and washable. The buttons were recycled from another cardie. It's Design D from the Farmyard Girls and Tractor Boys pattern book, simply called boys ribby hoody. I like the hood and the cable detail on the arms.

Just hope it fits him this time. Fingers crossed. It's also his mum's birthday on Monday so have almost finished a Noro Striped Scarf for her. Only not in Noro but lovely (and much easier on the pocket) King Cole Riot Chunky. This yarn is lovely. Really soft and yummy and I'm loving the randomness of the stripes and colour combos that are appearing in it. It's a bit compulsive and addictive which is nice in a scarf as they are normally a bit boring to do!

I'm really pleased with the colours. They are sort of muted and autumnal but still quite striking. Might just be a repeat project with other colours to see what happens!

This yarn is sooooo squishy and touchy feely.

There is also a girls short sleeve cardigan on the go. Supposed to be for little friend M who lives across the road but I think I have picked the wrong size and it will be a bit small. It's in obscenely bright King Cole Wicked so please forgive the following pictures. My camera can't cope with very red stuff.

It IS very bright and colourful and sort of hurts your eyes to look at. I like it though. So there!

Will remind you to put on your sunglasses when the finished item is ready for viewing!

Cath Kidston inspired cushion

2011-08-31T20:28:00.000Z

While camping I treated myself to a lovely Cath Kidston mug. From the lovely Poppy Reds in Hawkshead.

It inspired me to make a crochet cushion as I like the colours so much.

Joined the squares as I went along using and made the back stripey.

Found some pretty pink buttons to fasten it and ta da! Very pleased with how it turned out. It has already been taken over by daughter the younger who is fond of chilling out on it!

Long Time.. no blog

2011-08-31T20:21:00.000Z

Hello there! It's been quite a while since I last wittered away. Been pinned down by black clouds these last couple of months. I'm pleased to report that I'm beginning feel a lot more normal so time for a catch up.

Well, there was another birthday and another pamper party.

Lots of lovely body shop smells filled the room and the girls had a whale of a time.

Progress has been made in the cycling department with the girls both now riding confidently. More of this in a later post.

Here we are saying hello to some cows on a little cycling trip just outside Padiham. Traffic free route and lovely countryside. Brilliant.

There was also camping - need a separate post for that too.

The school hols are almost over. Back to work and school on Monday. Can't believe that it will be September tomorrow. Where did August go?

Cardigan Crazy

2011-06-07T21:32:00.000Z

Yes I've been a bit cardigan crazy of late. I suppose it makes a change from socks. And, you will be very impressed to learn that I've actually finished them too.

Cardigan 1. Cabled cardie for elder daughter in dusky pink aran (DWW - Dead Woman's Wool). DONE!

Cardigan 2. Lacy cardie for younger daughter in cheap purple Aldi wool. Just needs a button sewing on - otherwise DONE!

Cardigan 3. Shawl collared baby cardi for baby O in sirdar snuggly DK Honey colourway. DONE!

Hills and Fells and Herdy Sheep

2011-06-07T21:25:00.000Z

Couple of walks to tell you about.

We had a trip up Pendle the day after Windy Whernside with my parents. Quite blustery up there but nothing like the hurricane of the previous day

Here we are at the summit. Not quite the elaborate troll hairdos of windy Whernside!

It's just been half term and we had the rare treat of a full 24 hours child-free time. Well 2 nights and a whole glorious day to suit ourselves. So it was back to Crinkle Crags to revisit in somewhat nicer conditions than last time (see this post) The clouds came down, visibility was terrible and I sat down on a rock in tears demanding to go home immediately! Also ended up with very dodgy knees for some time afterwards. It was definitely time to return and conquer this beast.

As you can see, not a cloud in sight! Hooray! Had my decent boots on and managed to get up and down with no knee issues at all. What a good do. Could see around and it was altogether much nicer than last time.

Here's a gratuitous sheep shot. It's a Herdwick sheep with her lamb in their natural habitat on the fells. Love em. Pity the wool is like wire! Stickle pike in the background.

Blooming Lovely

2011-06-07T21:11:00.002Z

It'

So far, it's been a great year for flowers. My peonies were so gorgeous this year and the rain held off for once so I was able to actually enjoy their vibrancy for a day or two before they fell apart and sprinkled all of the vivid pink petals around the place. Mother's Day roses are now out and very pretty and peachy they are too. Also been lots of white blossoms this spring. Next door's clematis was an explosion of white loveliness and there was an abundance of hawthorne this year. Bluebells were pretty good too and it's still a bit garlicy around here.

Windy Whernside

2011-05-01T19:42:00.002Z

Glorious sunshine, got to take advantage. Packed a picnic and set off to walk up Whernside - walk 23 from the Walks in Limestone Country book by Wainwright if you are interested. Started out from the Station Inn at Ribblehead and walked past the famous viaduct. We counted the arches and there are 24 of them if you are interested in that kind of stuff.

Ribblehead Viaduct is impressive. Built in the late 1800s by hundreds of men who lived in a sort of shanty town there. There's nothing much there now apart from the pub and a few farms dotted about. 2 trains crossed it while we were walking past, one in each direction. Then a bit further up a third train passed and we waved at the passengers like some kind of refugees from the Railway Children! I am pleased to tell you that most of the people on board waved back too! Life is good and simple pleasures are hard to beat.

As you see from the photos, it was a fine and sunny day. Really lovely in fact. Brilliant blue sky, not a cloud to be seen and really sharp and clear. We are in for spectacular views today we felt. It was a bit windy but hey, that's ok, kept us nice and cool. Could have got a bit hot otherwise.

Did I tell you that it was windy? Really windy. Really, really, really, really windy. I mean, it was seriously blustery. We're talking Marcel Marceau walking into the wind blustery.

I'm having a sort of Yorkshire Dales facial exfoliation by means of wind and grit in the above photo. Just check out the hair!

Younger daughter looks like a troll doll!

Sally looking a bit windswept.

Nick doing a Marcel Marceau.

It was SOOOOOOOO WINDY. I have never experienced anything like it. It was so funny, a bit scary, exhilarating and a bit bonkers all at the same time. We were laughing our heads off. As was everyone else out walking.

And it was seriously busy up there. So many people out walking. Lots of them taking advantage of the fine weather and lots of them doing the Three Peaks walks (Whernside, Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough). It was so crowded when we reached the summit and took the traditional trig point pic. It was heaving in fact, so I'm glad we'd taken advantage of a sheltered spot slightly earlier on for our sarnies and pies.

It was too windy to take lots of pictures of the views up there which is a shame because it was fabulous. Just impossible to keep the camera steady enough in the gale force winds. Did get a shot of the viaduct from near the summit though. How small it looks from this height...

...but how impressive when we got back there again!

As it was now afternoon, there was an impressive shadow to be seen at our starting point.

Called in at the Station Inn for a well deserved sit down and refreshments. Noticed the following advanced weather forecasting system kindly provided by said establishment.

Please note that the stone is, in fact, swinging!

I want to ride my bicycle...

2011-04-20T22:14:00.000Z

In a slight moment of madness, I bought myself a bicycle. I thought as I've done so well with giving up smoking I deserved a treat. Also I think it is probably wise to get a bit more active as giving up the fags often goes hand in hand with an expanding waistline. Sigh...

The initial idea was to look out for something cheap and cheerful. Nick got a bike for £50 from our next door neighbour and has been using it to get to work. I was hoping to greet something similar.. However, it looks like Nick got a bit of a mega-bargain. The nice man at the local bike shop had nothing in second hand that was suitable for me and then it happened. One of those almost heavenly moments. There at the back of the shop was my dream bike, the definite one for me, and I had to have it.

May I proudly present to you, the Duchess.

Isn't she lovely? Like something out of Miss Marple. I love the vintage looks. I love the large, comfortable saddle and handle grips. I love the covered chain (means I can cycle in any gear and not get caught in the oily chain!) and I especially love the basket on the front. It's great!

As the weather has been so great lately, I've been out and about quite a lot on my bike. We live quite close to the Leeds Liverpool canal and there are lots of cycling routes around and about here. There's the Padiham Greenway which is a section of disused railway that has been revamped and resurfed. It's now a fab place to walk or cycle. It runs from the local park up to rosegrove. At the end of the track you can get onto the canal and head towards Burnley or Blackburn. Really great. Nick has a virtually road free ride to work. Sadly cycling to work isn't really a possibility for me. Too far (22 miles unlike Nick's 4). Oh well.... Just have to keep nipping out when I can.

Took the camera with me last night and took some pics

Blossom in the park is stunning at the moment. It has been a particulary good year for the blossom so far. Perhaps because it hasn't been too windy or rainy lately. It's all so sumptuous and lovely.

Swing bridge on the canal. Somewhere between Altham and Huncoat.

These two gave me a cheery wave as they passed. Must confess they were probably travelling along faster that me at that point!!

The Padiham turnoff near the farm shop. Carried on a bit further though to get onto the Padiham greenway.

Disused building in the middle of nowhere by the canal.

A sheep wondering what I was up to!

And another derelict building.

Just loving the cycling at the moment. Lots of interesting things to see, people to chat to and a different view of familar landscapes. It's great. I have a big smile on my face when I'm out and about.

Wisdom of the day. In the evenings, try not to cycle with your mouth open. You will end up eating a whole ecosystem if you do! This is the voice of recent experience!!!

A Dreaded Sunny Day....

2011-03-24T22:02:00.000Z

... so I'll meet you at the cemetery gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
While Wilde is on mine

Some lovely pink blossom

I've been out walking the dog every morning for the last couple of weeks. It's to help stave off those first thing in the morning cigarette craves, to stop too much weight gain and the dog likes it too. I've been able to get up at 6am with no problems - despite the broken sleep - must be better quality sleep or something.

Anyway, last week was rather chilly early on - even frosty some morning. Fortunately, I am rather well supplied with a choice of woolly hats, scarves, socks and mittens for just such occasions. This week though things have really changed. It's been a lot warmer and it truly feels like the seasons have shifted. It has been a long and cold winter and the signs of spring are popping out quick and fast now.

There are lots of lambs and the birds are loud and flirty. There are crocuses, daffodils, forsythia and even some early blossom in the trees. There is a hint of green in the hedgerows and small trees and buds getting bigger on the larger trees. It's just sooooo exciting. Every day there is something new to spot. I adore spring.

I have even managed to get out for a stroll at lunchtime at work and got some lovely pics from my stroll around the graveyard in Leyland today. I like walking round graveyards. It's probably an 80s goth throwback thing

Cheery yellow forsythia - always the herald of spring

Who doesn't love daffodils.

Yellow is such a spring colour. There's forsythia, daffodils, crocuses, primroses and lots more I'm sure. Just so bright and cheery.

Bench Shot

2011-03-20T22:19:00.000Z

Took a stroll around Spring Wood. Far too early for bluebells but decided to take a bench shot while we were there in any case so here it is!

Big Sky

2011-03-20T22:16:00.000Z

Pendle Hill under a big sky

Saturday was lovely weather. A big sky kind of day. A decision was therefore taken to go to Pendle Hill and truly revel under the big sky. It was fabulous. Sunny and blue with lots of big clouds. The kind that you can sit and watch and look for interesting shapes in.

Girls cloud watching

Sally checking out the clouds too!

It was such a pleasant day. It really felt like spring. And lots of people were out too. Had to pick our moments to take pictures as it was so busy on Pendle. We took our little camera with us so that the girls could take some pictures and some of them were pretty good. As you can see below.


Group Shot

Sky shot

Cold Turkey

2011-03-20T21:56:00.000Z

Nick and I have given up smoking. A spur of the moment decision and cold turkey the selected method.

Day 1 - Ok. Knew what to expect and the excitement of it all and the positive mindset got me through.

Day 2 - Hmm... pretty spaced out day. Fortunately a weekend day. Lost track of time a bit and was a bit "foggy". Intermittent sleep too. A few irrational psycho rage outbursts.

Day 3 - Still a bit foggy. Sleep still intermittent and disturbed.

Milestone 1 - 72 Hours At this point all nicotine is out of your body and the physical withdrawal is over. It's all recovery and psychological stuff from now on in!

Day 4 - 7 A full week at work without smoking. Not as bad as I thought. Cravings under control and fogginess going. Sleep still not right.

Day 8-9 Second weekend. Time back to normal now. Finally sleeping properly. Going great.

Conclusions. I think this will be the successful attempt because of a few things. We both want to stop so that's a big help. It's just too hard when you live with someone still smoking. Times have changed. It's getting increasingly difficult to be a smoker and the temptations aren't there in the same way these days. It's sooooo expensive.

On the whole it hasn't been that difficult so far. The cravings aren't so much "I want a cigarette so badly" but more of a case of thinking that I'm going to have one and then remembering that I've stopped... just for a moment I'm a bit sad about it. Daft but there you go. It's all over in a minute or two.

The question we all want to ask

2011-03-10T23:53:00.000Z

Baby Boy Blankie

2011-03-08T21:47:00.000Z

A work colleague has just had a baby boy. Missed the collection so decided to make something for the baby. Decided against knitting something to wear as I still have the cardigan I made for another colleague's baby (in need of buttons). Said baby is now 2 so that didn't go quite as I planned.

Decided on a crochet blanket. Quick and easy and something to do over the half term break.

3 balls of Hayfield Bonus DK in three shades of blue. Just a big granny square with a wide border of trebles. More importantly, finished and gifted before the baby starts school!!!

Vroom Vroom

2011-03-08T21:40:00.000Z

It was my dad's birthday on Saturday. So we decided to take him on a mystery day out. We arranged to meet my mum and dad in a layby at the Kendal turnoff of the M6, told them to wear outdoor gear, leave the dog at home and all would be revealed!

They followed us to Grizedale where the Malcolm Wilson Rally was taking place. We took a picnic and what a great day we had. Weather was ok - no rain which is always a good thing in the lakes. I didn't really know what to expect as I've never been to a rally before but it was quite exciting.

Me and the girls picnicking and watching the cars whizz by

Nick found a good spot for photos and got a little bit carried away with the continuous shoot mode. We ended up with over 800 pics of the passing cars..... iPhoto is running a tad slowly now!

Subaru Impreza zooming past

The Winner - A Peugeot Cosworth

The noise was great too. Lots of backfiring and roaring engines - even saw flames coming out of the back of some of the cars. Despite a few wobbles no-one swerved off this corner although we heard that a couple of the cars rolled over in a different part of the course.

Bit of a christening do

2011-03-08T21:27:00.000Z

There was a christening. H & O (stepson's boys) were christened at the end of half term. Naturally, a bit of a do followed the ceremony.

We had four generations of men there and here they are all together. One great grandad, one grandad, two dads and three sons. And a fine looking bunch they are too.

The girls had better things to do.

Ooh... cakes!

More Bloody Thievery

2011-03-08T21:21:00.000Z

Sigh... again there has been some criminal activity.

I live on a quirky street with nothing much behind the house but a footpath and a wood. You don't realise this at all from the front of the house and this is probably why it's been relatively trouble free in all the years we've lived here. Sadly, this is no longer the case and we have been discovered. Last year lots of burglaries. More recently scrap dealers helping themselves to stuff without asking and now this

Our lovely victorian flagstones. Stolen. It makes me so angry.

On a slight positive, the culprits were spotted loading them onto a van at 7.30am on a Monday morning and the reg no has been passed onto the police. Hope they catch them.

New Old Things

2011-03-08T21:14:00.000Z

My mum is having her kitchen redone and has had a bit of a clear out. I now own a couple of fabulous old tea sets. They belonged to my grandmother and she got them as a 21st birthday pressie so that makes them 1930s.

They are just lovely and I'm longing for some sunny days so that I can sit outside and sip tea from them while crocheting doilies. Might have to have a floppy sunhat and a floaty frock as well. Oh and maybe some gloves......

So pretty, so delicate

Loving the Art Deco colours of this set

Gloomy Days and Dog Parades

2011-03-08T21:07:00.001Z

Hmm... it's been 2 weeks since half term already but here's an update on what we all got up to.

Firstly the weather. As usual it was a typically gloomy and murky February half term. Of course, we've had some glorious weather since going back to work/school but hey ho - so it goes.

Not really nice enough to venture very far we mainly stuck to nipping to Memorial Park in between downpours.


A rather gloomy Memorial Park

As it turned out, everyone else seemed to have the same idea and it was like a dogs day out. Looks like we were all seizing the moment and dashing to the park before the rain came down again. We had to avoid this jolly get together as Sally is not the most sociable of dogs and gets a bit apoplectic when just one other dog is nearby. Can you imagine the fuss we'd have with this veritable canine crowd?

Bit of a doggy get together!

What do you mean you think I'm a dog!

We took another path and checked out the bird box. The girls took part in a bird box making event last year and have decided that this one is absolutely, definitely, without doubt the one that they made. I just agreed and took the photo as instructed!


Could this be the box that the girls made?

That was pretty much the sum of our outdoor forays over half term. We did go and see Tangled which was great fun and the best Disney film in a long time.

Hooray

2011-02-24T14:46:00.000Z

On closer inspection my LYS isn't closing down. They're having some work done. Phew! Don't use it that much but it's nice to have when I need to go and squish stuff.

Bad news

2011-02-23T15:58:00.002Z

On the way to the dentist I noticed that my local wool shop is looking decidedly empty. Looks like it has closed down. What a bummer! I could be wrong, and it could be that it's being done up or something but I suspect not. Sigh...

Dental update

2011-02-23T15:56:00.000Z

The girls were due for a check up today so I made an appointment for me too. Sat in the chair with a huge sense of impending doom to be told that it wasn't a hole in my tooth but some tartar build up that had chipped off leaving a sharp edge. What a relief!

So £45 worse off and an industrial power-washing (scale and polish) later I have lovely stain-free and smooth teeth again. Phew!

Tooth Problem

2011-02-22T16:26:00.002Z

Not the children for once - but me!!

A piece of one of my lower front teeth has fallen off. There's a hole now. It's sharp. I can't stop fiddling with it with my tongue. It's going to cost a fortune to fix.

Still, at least it doesn't hurt. Yet.

Chilling out at home

2011-02-22T16:24:00.000Z

The weather over the weekend wasn't so great and yesterday there was even some sleet for a while. It's been rather chilly at times too. Nothing for it but to find a cosy nook and get on with some knitting or crochet.

Not to mention, enjoying a lovely blazing fire of an evening too.

New camera joy, Rotten Wood and appalling stink

2011-02-22T16:20:00.000Z

My old faithful Kodak camera finally conked out for good last year. It was only a 4.2 megapixel camera but always took lovely, lovely shots. So we decided we needed a new camera, set a budget and got a little fujifilm finepix compact camera. Full of anticipation we have tried all the different modes. It's pants. Really, really, really, REALLY pants. The pictures are too overexposed, you can't focus properly with it, there's no view finder ( thought I could get used to not having one but I can't) and we hate it. We realised that it isn't about the megapixels - it's all about the lens. The Kodak had a really great lens hence the good pics.

So I started looking on ebay to see if there were any of the kodak camera that we had for sale. There were, all bids unsuccessful so in the end we have got a second hand Nikon D40 digital SLR. And it is justawesome! Just getting to grips with it but it's looking pretty fab so far.

We trundled up the road to Rotten Wood so that the girls could let off some steam and to play with the camera a bit.

There aren't many signs of spring there just yet but the amazing brilliance of all the green moss is spectacular. I particularly like the almost furry look it gives to some of the branches. There are lots of interesting fungi about too. We all love the fallen trees as they are so much fun to clamber about on.

And of course, we had to visit the elephant tree.

The only downside of our little trip was an appalling stench near the entrance. Like something dead. Honestly, I was retching at one point and I really thought I was going to be sick - it was so bad. Fortunately, it did disappear after a while but it was quite possibly the nastiest smell I've ever smelt. Not the usual manure/muckspreading kind of thing... definitely a rotting flesh kind of thing.... ughhh... And even now a few hours later I keep catching a faint whiff of it. Yuk!

Half Term Begins

2011-02-22T16:01:00.000Z

Well it's half term at last. There are a couple of those pesky 'inset' days tacked onto the beginning and end and despite working term time now I still don't have quite enough days off to cover those as well.

Friday inset day the girls were home with daddy and nipped out for a bit of a walk. Barbie 1 and Barbie 2 just simply absolutely definintely had to go along too and were happy to pose for a couple of glam outdoor shots.

Barbie 1 and Barbie 2 proving that outdoor activies can be glam!

As usual, older girlie managed to find something interesting. And many fables were invented and elaborated upon concerning the 'death skull'.

Weather hasn't been too good over the weekend so there hasn't been a great deal going on really.

Birthday Pampering

2011-02-06T22:28:00.002Z

Well my older girl is now 8. How time has flown. I just can't believe how quickly the years have passed. It seems like the blink of an eye sometimes.

Anyhow, we decided no more big parties so we had a Body Shop pamper party for some of her friends from school. It was a blast. A really fun time was had by all. Vicky, the lovely (and rather glam) Body Shop consultant came along to pamper and preen them... there was some facial treatment, a foot scrub spa and some toenail painting. There was a little bit of glitter and lippy too but nothing to American Beauty pageant!

The Birthday girl in the middle of the foot spa session. Lots of fun being had at this point.

Loving the spa caps! Also check out the latest granny stripe just muscling into this picture on the right!

And of course, there had to be cake. The most chocolate-y cake ever. Which is what we made yesterday afternoon. Smartie decoration done by the birthday girl.

A super fun girly time was had by all. It was gorgeous!

Best socks ever!

2011-02-06T22:18:00.000Z

I am taking part in the Sole Sisters swap on Ravelry and my package arrived yesterday. You make either socks or mittens for your partner. My parcel came from Norway which filled me with excitement as it was sure to contain some woolly and warm wonderfulness. And I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was completely bowled over by the socky magnificence. In fact they go far, far beyond mere socks. They are stockings. Fantastic, awesome stockings! Just look at these babies....

Ooh they are soooo toasty. I shall wear them under my bike pants on chilly rides and they will be just perfect for chilly evenings on the campsite when we head back to the lakes. Just love them!

Many, many thanks to Ann from Norway

Sunday Night Indulgence

2011-01-23T22:11:00.000Z

a bottle of champagne left over from Christmas, brand new series of Being Human and a new granny stripe thing to do. Bliss! don't think life gets much better?

You're never fully dressed without a smile

2011-01-22T23:06:00.000Z

Just had to share this fabulous photo of baby O. Oh and just wanted to point out my ripple blanket in the photo too!!

Good Stuff

2011-01-21T22:38:00.000Z

Things that made today a great day to be alive;

Glorious sunshine, tweeting birds in the morning and some fabulous socks from the lovely Sorbus (her Ravelry name). This lovely lady sent me some gorgeous socks to brighten up a grey January. And they do, they really, really do. They are blue, yellow and shocking pink and I adore them. There was also a selection of Scottish tea which I shall quaff over the weekend - hmm may need to make some cake to go with it. What do you reckon?

So bright and cheery. Love them. There's nothing nicer than socks made for you by someone else!

Finished Objects! Yes...Really!!

2011-01-15T14:49:00.001Z

Well, amazingly there has also been lots of knitting/crochet action of late. The usual mad rush of finishing off Christmas knitting. No photos though but there was; socks for Dad, hat and mittens for mum and crochet mitts for my sister-in-law.

Was feeling rotten over the holidays and the only thing I could be bothered to do was crochet. So that's what I did. I used up some Sirdar Denim Ultra that's been lying around for I think 4 years. Originally it was meant to end up as an aran jummper but is now a gigantic granny square instead. It was all I could manage when I was under the weather. Quite pleased with it though. Did an edging which makes it look a bit more finished off.

I love its simplicity and it gave me an enormous sense of well being to complete it when I was feeling so lethargic and rubbish!

There have also been socks. 2 pairs for friends of the girls. Nice and bright socks.

A pair of garter rib socks done using a Zauberball, colourway Tropical Fish I think. Lovely and bright - if they weren't a tad small I'd keep them for myself!

More kids' socks. Plain stocking stitch this time done in Opal Surprise. Again lovely bright colours. Love them.

In progress are the above beauties. Pattern is Nemesis and they are done in some fabulous EasyKnits bamboo/merino sock yarn that I got in the UK Knits Winter Warmers swap just before Christmas. Slurrrppp! These are for a swap I'm doing and I will have a hard time letting go of them I can tell you... sigh...

So there you go, a crochet blanket and 2 1/2 pairs of socks so far this year. Pretty productive n'est pas?

Catch Up

2011-01-15T14:32:00.001Z

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I posted. Lots been going on though, including of course, the above mentioned celebrations. Lots of flu-type lurgy here though and we were all under the weather at some point during December. All better now though and set for the New Year.

Just before the bad weather and the lurgy struck the girls had their bessie mates round for tea and a fun time was had by all.

We had a walk round the park and the tale of the "Terrible Trumpeter" of Memorial Park was born. There's an old bandstand that is all overgrown and the path that runs past it is a bit spooky. A spooky path just has to have a ghost story and so it began.... and got elaborated on all the way along the path. The gist of it is that the trumpeter got hold of an enchanted trumpet that took him over so that when the band finished playing he carried on playing until midnight on a full moon. When the sun rose he had disappeared and all that was left was the trumpet, innocently awaiting its next victim. On a full moon the sounds of his amazing playing can be heard at midnight until dawn when it fades away....

Well the girls were enthralled and lapping it up. A man suddenly appeared round a corner and you should have heard the shrieks!! Poor chap didn't know what to do with himself! He was only walking his dog....

Baby O finally arrived on Bonfire Night and is doing well.

All together now.... aaaahhhhh! Aren't they lovely when they are so little.

Then the cold weather came. It's lovely when you can sit inside and look at it but a bit of a nightmare when you are trying to get on with normal life.

Off to the park for a snowball fight.

Christmas came and everyone stopped by on Boxing Day. The kids had a whale of a time as they rightly should too! Loving the Batman costume!

Little O fascinated by the Christmas fairy lights.

After all the excesses and lurgy that was part and parcel of this year's seasonal celebrations we all felt well enough to venture up Pendle Hill to blow away the cobwebs.

The snow is all gone now and it's the usual rainy and miserable weather. Bit frustrating as it's just too wet to do much of anything at all at the moment. Here's to some brighter weather soon so that we can get out some more.

Crimewave returns

2010-11-17T22:45:00.000Z

You may remember that a few months ago some cheeky gits burgled us. Well it's happened again! In a weird kind of way the thieves have sort of done us a favour. You see the oven was on it's last legs so we recently got a new one. The old one has been sitting in the back yard for about a week - we just haven't got around to taking it to the tip. Anyhow, after the last burglary we got a webcam with motion detection and fixed it and up until today nothing of any interest ever turned up.

Well apart from this cat burglar, of course

But today, well see for yourself. Two dodgy lads came into the garden and helped themselves to the old oven.

Have contacted the police and passed the images on to them. Apparently, there has been a scrap van going around lately on account of one or two skips in the vicinity. If they'd knocked on the door when we were in we would have gladly given them the oven. Just can't believe the cheek. They've walked around the back, come into our garden and helped themselves. That is just not on! Hope they catch them and throw the book at them!

Darwen Tower

2010-11-07T15:57:00.000Z

Making the most of a bit of decent weather we all decided to go for a walk to Darwen Tower. The Tower is pretty dominant in the skyline around those parts and it kind of looks like a rocket from a distance. Thus with a vague bonfire night connection it seemed the ideal place to head for.

Darwen Tower - looking a bit dark and satanic!!

The octagonal tower is on Beacon hill and was completed in 1898 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and also to celebrate the victory of the local people for the right to access the moor. It was opened to the public on 22 September 1898.

We decided to get there via the very lovely Sunnyhurst Woods.

Sunnyhurst Woods - A lovely late Victorian/Edwardian park

We strolled through the lovely woods and then climbed up to the reservoir before heading across to the tower itself. A gloriously crisp and clear day - we could see for miles and miles. To the coast, the lake district, yorkshire dales, saddleworth moor and lots more. Lovely.

Taking a break and admiring the stunning views

Kept stopping to admire the lovely views and say hello to other walkers. Then we bumped into a couple with a pair of donkeys. They were taking the donkeys for a walk! Must have taken them quite a while as everyone they passed would stop and make a fuss of them! Us too!

Donkeys out for a walk too!

Now the girls want donkeys for pets....

Got to the tower and went up to check out the view even more. Grandparents had brought biccies and hot chocolate so we sat in the sunlight and tucked in.

A great little walk. Well worth it, if you are in the area.

Please to remember the 5th November...

2010-11-06T21:58:00.001Z

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

Bonfire at Clitheroe

Due date for my stepson's baby has long gone. It was due 24th October. Must be all the fireworks but a hospital induction this weekend was narrowly averted and baby O decided to arrive on Bonfire Night (well afternoon actually but night sounds better!!). A healthy baby boy, 7lb13 and the home birth that the parents wanted. What a good do. My prediction totally wrong - I was convinced that they were having a girl.

The bonfire we were going to go to last night was postponed until tonight on account of the rain. So we had to make an emergency trip to the firework shop to pick up something to let off in the back garden as all of us girls were dreadfully disappointed. 5 reasonably decent rockets and some fountains. plus sparklers -you've got to have those. So not too bad on the night after all.

Tonight we changed our minds about the bonfire and went to Clitheroe instead of Higham as it was £10 to go to the one in Higham which is a bit steep. Just a donation of your choice in Clitheroe. Plus we met up with some friends that we haven't seen in ages so that was pretty cool too. Massive bonfire with a guy and impressive fireworks so all in all worth the trip.

Clitheroe Fireworks

There was some additional entertainment too. There is a Norman castle in Cliheroe which is floodlit at night and some cheeky young whippersnappers had discovered that if you stand in just the right spot you can cast a huge shadow on the castle wall. There were all kinds of rude shadows going on which whilst completely immature were also pretty funny.

"Look, they are dancing together again" said the girls. "So they are", said I laughing my socks off.

Half Term Happenings

2010-10-27T21:09:00.000Z

Well here we are already halfway through the half term break. It's been a mixed bag weather wise. Quite chilly a couple of days ago. Chilly enough, in fact, to light the first fires of the season. Lovely, lovely coal fire.... sigh... it's so cosy and toasty. Sadly, weather has turned and it's wet and mild now so no more fire for a while. The problem with a real fire is that you can't exactly turn it down or off so you end up lounging around in shorts with all the windows open if it's not really cold enough (hmm.... does this sound like the voice of experience you all wonder. And you are right!)

Monday was a wonderfully cold and frosty but sunny day. We had a hard frost and the leaves on the trees were simply throwing themselves to the ground. Almost like some kind of leaf snow at times. Lots of crackly noises too.

Such rich autumn colours edged with frost. Gorgeous.

It was just too nice to stay indoors so we wrapped up and headed off to the park.

I really like this snakey park bench.

A carpet of leaves just begging to kicked and foraged in...

The grass in the bottom end of the park was smothered in a sumptuous golden carpet of fallen leaves. So we just had to spend ages kicking it about and foraging for late conkers.

What a result. A truly MASSIVE conker!

Lots of stuff to see at this time of year. We especially like some of the fungi you see around the trees. Haven't got a clue what sort of fungi it is but it looked lovely.We thought it could be a tiny fairy village and that each mushroom was the roof of a cosy little fairy cottage.

Clump of mushrooms or fairy village? I vote for the latter!

Then off to the river to have a quick game of Pooh sticks. Lots of leafy mess on the steps to kick about.

Lovely, leafy messiness

Waiting for the Pooh sticks to appear.

So that was Monday. Lovely cold crispy day. Back home to a roaring fire and hot chocolate. Fab. Tuesday was a damp squib of a day and we lounged around until lunchtime in our PJs watching scooby-doo. Also great fun. Then we finally roused ourselves and went out to do some shopping. Made some progress on socks for me which I'll remember to photograph for you this time!

Today we went to see Despicable Me. We always go to see a film in the hols and sometimes the offerings are a bit hit and miss. Fell asleep during the Cats and Dogs movie so slim was the plot and interest. Today's choice was really good though. If you haven't seen it, you should, it's very funny and a bit moving too at times. I love the minions and want one as a pet.

Older girlie wants to go and see the Owl film that's out at the moment. In fact the Raptors were at the cinema today with some beautiful owls. There was an eagle owl, a barn owl, a couple of tawny owls and some other but I'm ashamed to say that I couldn't tell you what they are. Beautiful though.

Finished my socks!Yay! Bit too late and dark to take a picture. Tomorrow I promise.

October Begins

2010-10-24T21:12:00.001Z

Well it's finally the half term holiday. Yay! A week off to regroup, recover and get organised. Not been much in the way of blogging from me but will attempt a bit of a catch up.

What have we been up to. Well, the walking boots have been on. Only one major trip this month for all of us when we went up Pen-y-Ghent one of the three peaks of the Yorkshire Dales. Nick has been working quite a few weekends lately so we've been out with the Grandparents a couple of times and then on Nick's birthday weekend had a childfree day to go out and about on the bike. This involved a trip down to Leamington to visit my sister-in-law and the obligatory trip to Web Of Wool to pick up some lovely sock yarn for one of the swaps I'm currently doing on Ravelry. Then called in on stepson the elder to see how he's getting on. He's doing ok and due date for baby is today! Nothing doing yet though.... it's a waiting game now.

Pen-y-ghent

Pen-y-ghent, some say it looks like a sleeping lion.

It was a bit of slow start for the girls on this walk taken from Wainwright's "Walks in Limestone Country". But once we hit a limestone ledge they got going and had a whale of a time scrambling around and being "queen of the castle".

Who's queen?

On this walk you take a little bit of the Pennine Way and a little bit of the Three Peaks walk.

The famous Pennine Way - typical weather shown...

Reached the summit and the cloud came sweeping down. Ate our butties in the clouds with nothing much to see. But it finally lifted and we got the obligatory summit shot.

Clouds leaving... we can see at last!

Despite lots of cloud and a bit of drizzle on the summit it was a really good day out. After all the Lake District love over the summer it was nice to rediscover the Yorkshire Dales which, while not as dramatic as the Lakes, is a truly beautiful place with a unique charm of its own. Rugged and wild and unlike anywhere else I can think of really.

Silverdale

Nick working the following weekend and forecast looked good. We teamed up with my mum and dad and headed up to Silverdale for a walk around Eaves Wood and the Pepperpot. The PepperPot is a quirky little tower that was built to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 and marks the summit of Castlebarrow. At Eaves Wood the whole hillside consists largely of ancient and undisturbed woodlands. The bare limestone with its thin soil is home to lots of yew trees, while deeper soils support oak and lime trees. There is also ash, beech, birch, hazel,larch, pine, hawthorn and holly (Not to mention areas of grass and heather.) Really lovely and deserving of its AONB status. (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)

Hmm... seem to have a bit of signpost obsession at the moment!

Nice viewpoint for bouncing and admiring Morecambe Bay

The Pepperpot

Fleetwood

Not the first thing that springs to mind on a glorious late autumn sunny day but well worth a stroll along the coastal path. Also the home of Fisherman's Friends throat lozenges. Contrary to what's shown in my piccies there were lots of people about doing all kinds of things. Walking dogs, playing on the beach, flying kites, fishing, cycling, jogging, really making the most of a treat of a day weather-wise.

Looking for shell along the shoreline at Fleetwood

The views across the bay to the Lake District was gorgeous but a combination of low, strong sunshine and a dying camera battery prevented any photos of that. But honestly it was great!

Such a glorious day

We walked along the coastal path to Cleveleys and it was fabulous. Cold and crisp and so bright. The sun is so low in the sky at this time of year that at times it's almost blinding.

Low sunlight turning the girls and Sally into silhouettes

Sally really enjoyed herself walking along the sea wall. Made everyone who passed us smile too.

So you seen been up to quite a lot recently. There has also been some knitting/crochet action too. Some birthday socks for Nick and an iPod sock for a work colleague with the leftovers. There's been a couple of hats and an infinity scarf, another BSJ, some fiddlehead mittens and a pair of socks for me. Have I taken any photos. No. Doh!

Ripple Baby Blanket

2010-09-13T21:33:00.000Z

This is done! Based on the Attic 24 neat ripple pattern. Intended for elder stepson's imminent offspring. They haven't found out what they are having and I don't really do neutral so here it is in all it's gaudy glory!

It's purple and lime green. I love it.... not so sure they will but hey ho!

Bike Accident

2010-09-13T21:27:00.000Z

Elder stepson is currently in Wythenshawe hospital after coming off his motorbike. Broken elbow and badly damaged foot as a result. Very bad timing since first baby is due in 6 weeks. Could have been so much worse though. No other vehicles involved, no head or spinal injuries. We are thankful for that.

Will take some time to sort out though. Surgery on the day to fix the top of his foot but more needed to sort out a smashed up heel.

What a bummer.

Lost Things

2010-09-13T21:23:00.000Z

Elder daughter's ability to find and proudly show off the most bizarre stuff never ceases to amaze me. On Pendle hill she found a dentist's scaling tool. Weird. Then there was the mohican-ed Barbie hairdressing head in the woods at the back of the house which was converted into a decidedly spooky scarecrow. And the animal bones, and the ripped painting, and the £10 note on the way home from school. Don't know how she does it.

Doggy Doings

2010-09-13T21:03:00.000Z

Sally has been rather spoiled lately.

A dog grooming parlour opened in Padiham recently called Shampooch. Now up until now we have trimmed Sally ourselves using some dog clippers. This invariably starts off pleasantly until we get to feet, posterior and ears. Things turn a bit testy then and she always looks a bit wonky by the time we give up. So I decided to book her in for the works. She had a wash, trip and nail clip. Brilliant.

Also treated her to a new collar from Podgy Paws in Keswick. I can't believe all the stuff you can get for your canine buddies these days. Goretex jackets, life jackets, rucksacks, walking shoes.... the list goes on. Check out their website to see some of these items being modelled!

Sally looking smart with her new hairdo and collar

These Boots Are Made For Walking

2010-09-13T20:49:00.000Z

New boots taken using new camera

After all the misery of a dodgy knee it was definitely time for some new boots. Also got some shock absorbing insoles so it was off for a hill walk to test them out. The girls needed some new boots too so they had some trying out to do as well. In fact, as I only have teeny tiny feet I've actually got the same kids boots as them!

Off we trotted to Pendle Hill to test them out.

Pendle looking lovely, no sign of mist or witches.

In a fit of nostalgia, Nick ordered some Ron Hill Tracksters for the girls and I must say they did look the business all kitted out for our walk. Expected a lot of whining and moaning but the boots were a huge success and were no impediment to the usual haring about that they do.

Off-road testing of new boots

Everything seems to be breaking and wearing out at once at the moment. The camera conked out at the weekend which was really annoying as the Tour of Britain cycle race passed through Padiham on Saturday and I really wanted to get some shots. It was dead exciting. They closed the road and I think just about every single Police motorbike in the county came zooming through followed by a shedload of support vehicles and then the cyclists. Very impressive and exciting. Sadly, not a single photo could be taken to show you. Grr...

Nipped out just before the walk to get a new one. Can't live without taking pics for too long. First time I've ever had a camera with no viewfinder so that is taking a bit of getting used to but I like some of the picture 'modes ' that it has and am having oodles of fun trying them all out.

Other items to conk recently out include the iron, the washing machine, the fan part of the oven (I'm pretty sure the rest of it will go quite soon as well) and the toaster. Sigh...

End of the Holidays

2010-09-13T20:19:00.000Z

Well we are all well and truly back in the routine. Girls back at school and me back at work. Sigh... it's been another fabulous summer break. If only it could always be like that. Still it gives us all something to look forward to. It will be great again I'm sure but a little different as the girls will be that bit older and independence is slowly creeping in. Got to make the most of it while I can.

Not feeling too glum though as it's only 6 weeks until the half term break. Hooray!!

Catbells

2010-09-12T22:14:00.000Z

Words cannot adequately describe the rare charm of Catbells, or its ravishing view. But no publicity is necessary: its mere presence in the Derwent Water scene is enough. It has a bold 'come hither' look that compels one's steps, and no suitor ever returns disappointed, but only looking back often.

Younger daughter admiring weather and view on Catbells

So says the mighty Alfred Wainwright. So undeterred by a dodgy left knee we decided to take the girls for their first lakeland fell walk. Catbells was the perfect choice. It's gorgeous, it's not too high or hard to get up and it's mentioned in the Tale of Mrs Tiggywinkle by Beatrix Potter. Lot's of searching for the little wooden door to occupy the girls. We had such a great time. The weather was changeable but didn't spoil anything. You could actually watch the rain approaching in great hazy curtains sometimes from more than one direction.

At the summit of Catbells

I was fine going up but coming down was not nice. Knee painful and came down in a weird Quasimodo style fashion. Realised that it was time we all got some decent walking footwear as I clearly need something to absorb the shocks coming downhill and the girl's trainers aren't really tough enough.

Love affair with the Lakes

2010-09-12T21:59:00.000Z

The camping trip was brilliant. The tent was amazing and I am so in love with the Lakes at the moment.

The girls went off to Ibiza for a week with their grandparents and we went off to Hawkshead to try out the new tent. Went prepared for rain but the weather was pretty good while we were there apart from a mega rainy day on the Friday.

Enjoying a refreshing ale in Hawkshead

As you can see from the above picture - fabulous weather.

Behemoth Bivvy

Here's the tent. It's huge! I'm knitting a pair of socks by the light of our trusty old tilly lamps. Lots of the other campers passed by to have a nosey at the tent - caused quite a stir. Love it.

We'd decided to do something we haven't done before and hired a kayak to canoe around Lake Windermere. It was great fun. Once we got our act together we were really zooming along. Got absolutely wet through though as lots of water drips down the paddle. When we were done went to have a look around Bowness looking like we'd peed our pants! Stopped off at one of the little islands which will be brilliant for a picnic next time. We'll take the girls and have a whole island to ourselves. Can't wait.

Island hopping on Windermere

Took the bike with us and had a great day out riding up the Cumbrian coast. I always forget that there is a coast there as the mountains and lakes are so compelling that it simply goes out of your mind. Followed the coast from Millom to St Bees. Went past a very bleak MOD firing range and then cut across to Muncaster (added Muncaster Castle to list of places to visit) and down to Ravenglass for lunch. Arrived at the same time as a biker couple on BMWs and then some Germans (also on BMWs) parked alongside. It was like some kind of BMW convention for a moment! The couple were from Keswick and we chatted over lunch. Bumped into the lady again in Booths supermarket in Keswick a few days later!!! What are the chances of that? On to Whitehaven and a quick look at the harbour, then to St Bees which is truly lovely but way too popular with the shell suit brigade.

Next activity was a walk in the Langdales. Nick's very favourite bit of the lakes and he decided to take me up the Band to Crinkle Crags. All began very well indeed. Good weather and fabulous views.

Stickle Pike in the Langdales

Admiring the view on the Band

You can see the cloud in the first of the above photos. Got to the top of the band to find Crinkle Crags in cloud. Pressed on in the hope of it lifting. It didn't. I didn't like it. Very dismal and disorientating. Couldn't see much of anything and lost all sense of direction. Hit the bad step and didn't fancy it at all. Retraced steps to find and alternative route an ended up back at the Bad Step. Lost the plot at this point and sat down on a rock and burst into tears. Had had enough. Was told to stop being such a girl and we found our way back to the top of the Band and out of the cloud. Me snivelling all the way. At this point my knee was beginning to protest and the descent was a weepy, wailing and painful experience. To quote the Smiths.... I can laugh about it now but at the time it was terrible. Knee has been pretty dodgy since! Would I do it again.... oh yes...

Last planned event was Go Ape at Grizedale forest. Unfortunately we forgot to take the camera for that but it was brilliant. Loved the zip wires and even managed the tarzan swing at the end. With a dodgy knee too.

All in all a really fun week and can't wait to get the tent out again. Need to seriously rethink the packing though as we filled the boot, the roofbox and the back seats with all of the camping gear. Not sure how we'll fit the kids in as well......

Tent Fever

2010-08-12T19:58:00.000Z

I posted earlier about our week in the Lakes staying in my parents' caravan. It was great for a few days but there are some real annoyances with staying in a caravan. While every bit of space is put to use in an efficient and useful way, this leaves very little room to actually live and you spend your whole time inside shuffling around each other awkwardly. Throw in a couple of boisterous kids and it's all a bit of a squash and a squeeze and causes any number of frayed tempers. It's also really hard work constructing and deconstructing beds every night. By necessity, meaning the lack of aforementioned space, it's a one-person job but it's really hard work and fiddly to do.

This led to thoughts of camping and the tent that we already have. We'd lent it to Nick's son who brought it with them when they came to stay for a couple of days where it was masquerading as a caravan awning. Loads more room to move around in there.

The only real advantage of a caravan over a tent is security (because, of course, you can't really lock a tent) and all the gadgets you can therefore have with you (ipad, tv, games consoles and chargers, etc etc). But then surely the whole point of that kind of holiday is to go off grid and really get away from it all.

Our poor old tent is looking a bit the worse for wear after 8 years so it's time to upgrade. Went looking at a couple of places that have tent displays, fell in love and bought this behemoth of a bivouac.

It's a Gelert Corvus Beyond 6+2 tent. That's right, it's an 8 man tent. It's enormous. It has a carpet. It's got windows. It's bigger than some peoples houses.

The girls are off for a weeks holiday in Ibiza with their grandparents and we are going back to the Lake District to try out the tent. Can't wait. Might take the whole week to put it up. Soooo excited!

Meteors and Mars

2010-08-11T20:48:00.001Z

For the last few nights I've noticed a very bright light in the sky at around 12.30-ish at night. The first time I saw it I thought it was the police helicopter so didn't think anymore about it. Saw it again the night after and thought it was a bit odd that the helicopter should be in the same place at around the same time 2 nights running. On the third night I watched for a while and it wasn't moving and so couldn't really be the police helicopter.

The answer came from a very surprising source. There's a free magazine in the area called the Padiham Herald. It's a mixture of local business advertising and lots of silly articles, dubious jokes and columns. Columnists include the News From the Hardware Shop and the Grumpy Old Git. I love it and always enjoy reading it when it pops through the letterbox. Actually here's a link to the Hardware Shop. I love this shop it's an Aladdin's cave of stuff. You can get anything from a single nail to a mason cash mixing bowl. It's great. Plus they have a lovely shop dog called Ken! Oops, I digress somewhat from the main topic, sorry I'll get right back on track straightaway. Anyhow, there was an article in the latest copy that said that Mars is apparantly the closest it's ever been to Earth at the moment and is therefore the brightest object in the night sky other than the moon at the moment. Now I know what I've been seeing these past few nights.

Of course, I did some further research and there is also the Perseids meteor shower over the next couple of nights. We did see a couple of shooting stars on Monday night as it was a nice clear night. Utterly crap and dismal day but lovely clear night. Will have a look outside later to see if there are any more to be seen.

Knitting Angst

2010-08-11T20:34:00.000Z

There are a few perennial things that are really driving me nuts at the moment.

STRIPES Grr.... All those bloomin' ends and I can never ever do a good job of disguising them. So frustrating. Just in the process of knitting a cardigan for Natasha and will have to pull it all back as it's a hideous mess at the ends of the rows and looks horrendous. That's it no more stripes... ever... and that's a promise!
SEAMS Hate them... they always look terrible and I have actually thrown a garment away in frustration on account of hopeless seaming. Also impossible to unpick seaming....grrr. Well my seams anyway.
STAMINA I'm just not good at finishing things off (e.g. baby jacket finally finished when intended recipient was 18 months old and way too big for it) Just can't help myself starting something else before completing the current project.

Tea Cosy

2010-08-10T22:02:00.000Z

There wasn't much opportunity for knitting while at the caravan but I have since finished off my tea cosy. It's TeabytheSea's pattern which can be found here. Great pattern.

I knitted it in King Cole Merino Blend DK which was lovely to work with and made a really lusciously cosy cosy. It was for a friend who has just moved house and we tested it out when I gave it to her. I am proud to report that it kept the tea absolutely toasty warm. Very pleased with how it worked out and am planning more for pressies at christmas.

Home Grown Produce

2010-08-10T21:56:00.000Z

Got some free seeds from the BBC earlier this year and here's our first success! Carrots. Lovely little carrots... aren't they lovely. Tasted good too!

Padiham Duck Race

2010-08-10T21:54:00.000Z

Got back from the lakes in time for the annual Padiham Duck Race. It's such fun. You pick a duck for a pound and then they are all thrown off a bridge on a river and race downstream to the weir. Everyone follows their progress and it's always an exciting finish.

And they're off! The Duck Race begins.

Excitement mounting as the ducks pass under the bridge.

Didn't win anything. Maybe next time.

Terror in Simonstone

2010-08-10T21:47:00.000Z

How could I forget to post about this shocker!

Police Hunt Armed Man in Simonstone

Last week of school, was dropping girls off as usual and noticed the road I usually use on the way to work blocked by a policeman. Assumed it was a traffic accident and carried on as usual. Another parent came rushing up to me as I was getting girls out of car and told me that there was an armed man on the loose in the area and that the school was in "lock-down". Sure enough all the children were being escorted straight into school and there were police patrolling around.

Turned out to be over cautious but in the light of Derrick Bird and Raoul Moat I suppose no-one is taking any chances these days.

Fortunately, it was all over by lunchtime but a worrying morning at first.

Summer Hols Week 1

2010-08-10T21:34:00.001Z

Aged parents kindly towed their caravan up to the South Lakes for us and we spent a few days getting away from it all. The weather was mostly kind to us and we didn't have too much rain.

Caravan life is not really for us. Poor Nick kept banging his head on things as he's rather tall and it's a real pain forever putting beds up and down. However, we were inspired to get out about a bit more and have upgraded our tent. But more about that in a future post.

Here's Milly Molly Mazda looking very at home and outdoorsy in the lovely woody caravan site. Top box fitted the roof bars so we managed to take all our stuff too.

So what did we get up to. Well, we took the boat all around Lake Windermere and encountered many different weather systems throughout the day. Watched the heavy rain that drenched us in Bowness rolling down over the mountains and then an hour later it was sunny again!

Oh well. I do now possess a rather fetching floral waterproof poncho. Makes me look like a walking tent but I was oh so much drier! All in all a very fun day and a really good way to get around Bowness, Ambleside and the lake in general.

On board - a fairly sunny moment!

We were joined for a couple of days by Nick's son, girlfriend and the boys. That was 8 of us and only a 5 berth caravan. This called for some innovative thinking. There is a teeny tiny porch awning but it became clear that this simply wouldn't be big enough. So They brought our tent along (which they had borrowed) and voila - a caravan awning extension was born.... well more of an annexe really. Anyhow, it meant we could all stay. Us and kids in the caravan and the other two in the tent. Oh and a couple of visiting hedgehogs. They arrived in the awning on the first night to nab some of the dog's food and came back every night. Very snuffly and noisy but also very cute!

Lots of great little walks around the caravan site. We needed some supplies so we decided to walk to the farmshop at Sizergh barn. A lovely stroll through the woods and some fields. Lots of gorgeous wild flowers and some interesting road signs!

Off to the Sizergh Barn

The unusual road sign - lots of looking but nothing spotted!

Got our supplies and ate like kings. All of the following day to look forward to. A day out in Grizedale Forest.

I just love Grizedale forest. There's so much to do. You can walk, cycle, check out the wood sculptures, and swing from the trees at Go Ape. We packed a picnic, picked an interesting path and finished up on the cairn picnic-ing on the top of the crag with the most spectacular view of Morecambe Bay and the Cumbrian mountains. There were also lots of whinberries growing up there and lots of purple faced children!

Nature highlight of the day was the awesome dragonfly spotted on the way up by elder daughter.

We had a really good time.

School's Out, hosepipe bans and lots of rain!

2010-08-10T20:47:00.000Z

Blimey, I can't believe that it's the third week of the school holidays already. Not managed to post for ages. It rained on St Swithin's Day. It was bound to rain, of course, because a few days prior to this North West Utilities announced a hose pipe ban. It's rained virtually every day since!!

If you don't already know, St Swithin's Day is 15 July, a day on which people watch the weather for tradition says that whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin's Day, it will continue so for the next forty days.
There is a weather-rhyme is well known throughout the British Isles since Elizabethan times.

'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

dost = does
thou = you
nae mair = no more.

Gunman

2010-07-09T22:59:00.000Z

Why is Raoul Moat being given food and water. What a waste of public money and police time. They should just shoot him. It will be a complete waste of time trying to fix him. He's a thug. Even his mother thinks he'd be better off dead.

Crime, Community and Random Pianos

2010-07-08T20:31:00.000Z

Well it's been over a week since the burglary and nothing much to report. However, one good thing to come from it is the fact that everyone on the street is just so much chattier. There have been 3 other burglaries recently and people are swapping info and warning each other to be more vigilant. There's been a renewal of interest in a resident's association which can only be a good thing. We've been advised to go with a resident's group rather than a neighbourhood watch because there will be more opportunities to go for funding for other stuff (litter picking, painting the railings, general housekeeping). Anyhow my first meeting will be on the first Tuesday of August and I'm looking forward to it.

Also been hearing a lot of piano playing lately. All a bit strange. So last night wandered down to the leisure centre and sure enough there was a piano sitting outside the front door. Must be some kind of project as apparantly there is one in Burnley Town Centre next to the Mechanics institute. I was kind of relieved really.... thought I was going potty!

Daughter the elder has lost 2 teeth today. Had to nip out for some money. It's getting quite pricey as they seem to be falling out all the time at the moment! Unfortunately, she managed to lose one of them just before bedtime so there will need to be a nice note from the tooth fairy to console her I think! Sigh... the things we do eh?

CSI Padiham & DWW

2010-06-29T21:41:00.000Z

Despite the fact that the burglar will probably never be brought to task and we'll probably never get our stuff back I have to say that I am very impressed with the police. We rang them and they said someone would call within the hour which they did. And then at teatime today the CSI chaps came to get some forensic evidence.

They found a footprint and reckon that the thief definitely got in via the window. He must have stood on the window sill and put one leg through the window (it's quite a big window) and leaned down to grab the Wii. Probably only took a couple of minutes.

Still pissed off though.

Got my third lot of DWW today (that's dead woman's wool). A colleague at work sadly just lost his mum and brought me some of her old knitting stuff. Typical acrylic type yarn although some of it isn't too bad and will definitely crochet up into something. However, there were some awesome vintage patterns including a copy of the classic Baldwin and Patons Woolcraft. It's ace. There are lots of interesting patterns from baby things to women's knickers! I love it. I have decided to work my way through it and so have set up a new blog to chart my progress on this undertaking http://woolcraft.wordpress.com. Don't dash over there just yet though as there's nothing to see at the moment. Got a load of emergency school gala knitting and scarecrow making to finish first. It will be just the woolcraft stuff on there, all my usual wittering will still be here!

Theiving Bastards

2010-06-28T21:41:00.000Z

I can't believe it. Someone has stolen the Wii. Tonight. While we were in. Left the window open. We think they must have reached in through the window and taken it. I can't believe the bare faced cheek. The dog didn't even notice. Some guard dog she is!

Lovely Parcels

2010-06-28T20:40:00.000Z

What a day I've had for getting lovely stuff. Be warned there will be a LOT of gushing in this post

Got to work to find choccies and a thank you note from a colleague for getting her through her ECDL. Really nice of her considering it's my job to do just that! It's great to be appreciated though.

Then postie had been and I had to go and collect a couple of parcels from some swaps I've been doing lately.

Firstly, the Baktus exchange. A fantastic scarf in some lovely Violet Green sock yarn in awesome colours. I absolutely love it and am half hoping for a return to frosty weather just so I can wear it. But there was more.

A pair of socks - also done in super funky Violet green yarn. I love getting socks. I knit them all the time but not so often just for me so it's a real treat to get a pair made just for me by someone else. They are just the right size and not too long which is perfect for my short little legs! And finally, there were some mitts. Big and there was no need for an apology as they are just right for Nick and he really likes them. Many thanks to Angrymum aka Heidi for all the time and effort that must have gone into her parcel. I am so spoiled.

Just check out this bodacious Baktus scarf!

And I so love these socks! Didn't realise how tricky it was to take photos of your own feet though! I am just so shaky!

Also got my UK Swap parcel courtesy of greenpixey aka Ewa. Another complete and utter spoiling. She really went with my current crochet obsession and I have a selection of Stylecraft and Rico yarns to play with in fabulous colours. There was also some soft touch crochet hooks (no more achey wrists for me dear readers!), sweeties, a fab felt purse and some cute crochet critters that the girls have spirited away immediately. Also some scented loveliness in there too.

Right. I think I need to go and have a lie down now!

Woolfest

2010-06-28T20:02:00.002Z

OMG it was awesome. I'm still speechless. Loved it. Amazed by the creativity and fabulousness of the yarn, dyeing, spinning, felting, clothing, objects, all of it. Definitely going again next year!

Father's Day

2010-06-21T21:24:00.000Z

What a glorious day it was too. There was a Classic Bike show at Gawthorpe Hall - good bit of planning to have it on Father's Day as it's hard to refuse to go on that day! Very well organised though, there's an ice-cream van, the National Trust tea room is open, there's a children's entertainer and the glorious hall to admire. A grand day out.

Gawthorpe Hall is a fabulous Jacobean house that is just on the edge of Padiham. It's really lovely. There's an amazing textile collection there too which is well worth a visit if you are ever in the vicinity. Some say it's the model for Thornfield Hall in Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre". You could imagine poor old bonkers Bertha locked up in the Attic here couldn't you! And of course, there's the classic bike show on Father's Day too!

We really enjoyed ourselves. Lots of standing around and admiring bikes by DH and my dad. I quite like seeing all the bikes around the old hall - really strange mix. And the chap in the full vintage gear was quite a character. Love the outfit! And the socks!!

There was face painting and an entertainer for the children so everyone had a good time. Looking forward to doing it all again next Father's Day.

June is Busting Out All Over

2010-06-19T22:34:00.000Z

Oh it's been a lovely month so far. Not as hot as it was at the end of May but some gorgeous days and lots of lovely things coming out in the garden at the moment.

I am loving my roses this year. The yellow ones are looking especially delightful.

Also very pleased with my window box this year. It makes me smile every time I look at it either from the inside or out in the garden.

Also got some fabulous rhododendron flowers at the moment but I think they may be later than usual on account of the cold winter we had - I'm sure they are normally out April/May time.

There's also the promise of treats to come as the bramble/blackberry flowers are also out. This will involve lots of berry picking by the girls but not so much brought home. Purple faces and stains that will never leave clothing will be the order of the day in a few weeks time. The flowers look so pretty though.

Oh and I mustn't forget the cheerful stripy petunias. They're great. So in your face and improbable looking. Like someone has been colouring them in.

The upshot of all of this loveliness has been the start of a new project. (hopes you won't notice a distinct lack of finishing of other recent projects at this point.....) Couldn't resist joining in with the Granny Stripe Blanket hookalong that's going on at the moment so here is my version so far. Got a load of Stylecraft Special DK from the knitting stall on Leyland Market. Run by a very patient lady who was most obliging when I asked her to get lots of different colours out so I could look at them all side by side to find the shades I was after. Lovely lady. Highly recommend a look at her stall if you are ever in the area.

I am really enjoying this blanket. The colours are working out beautifully and it reminds me a little bit of all the lovely flowers that are really zinging in the garden at the moment. Every row I add is making me smile. What a fun project.

History Lesson

2010-06-11T20:09:00.000Z

Conversation on the way home from school...

Dad - So what did you learn at school today?
Younger daughter - we did history.
Dad - Who did you learn about?
Younger daughter - erm... I think it was someone called concreter.
Dad - (after pausing for a few moments) Was he called William?
Younger daughter - Yes, that's it. William the Concreter!
Elder daughter - Don't be daft. It's William the Conker!

Been making me laugh for days!

The Boys Are Back In Town

2010-06-04T21:41:00.000Z

Well we've just had a fun couple of days with H & O visiting for a couple of days. They were last here in February so their arrival was much anticipated and all the kids on the street turned up for a nosey at the girls' nephews. It was rather sweet.

So what did we do? Firstly a walk in the early evening. No chance of a runaround on the cricket pitch as there was a match on. Then on the first full day - a trip to the beach at St Anne's. It's on the edge of a river estuary so the tide goes out for miles and miles which means a huge expanse of beach to play on and build awesome sandcastles.

We set up camp quite a way out on the sand next to a funny little pier that is all on it's own in the middle of the beach. There's usually some water left underneath which is just what you need for the sandcastle moat. We took a picnic and set up the beach tent. Yummy.

I'm not entirely sure what this lonesome bit of pier is for but it's strangely beautiful. Form or function? I couldn't honestly say. Looks so interesting though. On with the beachcombing because you have to find fabulous stuff to decorate your castle with. And there was lots to find. Loads of razor shells, mussel shells, cockle shells, interesting bits of driftwood, mermaids' purses, bits of seaweed, crabs .... allsorts if you take the time to look.

Then stand back and admire your work.

In the end there were two castles and a couple of rockpools. Lots and lots of digging was involved. We were all extremely busy! Time for a play on the bouncy slide followed by an ice-cream.

We were all hot and tired but had a really great time. The weather was fabulous and silly old me forgot the sunscreen so am a bit of a lobster.... ouch!

Today we were all a bit whacked out so we decided on a little trip to the park. Had fun on the playground and just larking about.

Needed to pick up some supplies - how can 4 small children devour over 2 pints of milk and a bowlful of fruit before 9 o'clock in the morning? Passed the skate ramp and had to stop for some urgent sliding!

Fun, if a little hot on little bottoms! As you can see another glorious day today. We were all hot and flustered so it was definitely time to dig out the paddling pool. The one I bought on a whim a couple of weeks ago that is a bit bigger than I thought. Blimey, it doesn't half take some blowing up. However, Nick came up with a brilliant way to get around the endless pumping. We have a Kirby vacuum that was a real ebay bargain and it blows air as well as sucks. This blew up the pool in no time. Hooray! Virtually effort free! Also very good for unblocking drains we've found!

Rain rain go away!

2010-06-01T22:01:00.000Z

Hmm... a very drizzly start to the month. Oh well definitely a cinema kind of day. So off we went. Saw Shrek Forever After in 3D. First 3D film I've been to since it came back into fashion and I have to say I was impressed! It was also a return to form for the Shrek movies and we laughed our heads off all the way through. There was a bit of a green cast to the film which I got used to after a while and thought was something to do with the 3D. Turns out it was a fault so we got some free tickets to use for any film at any time! What a good do. A free trip to the cinema!!!

It's half term at the moment so I'm off work and at home with the kids. I just love my term time hours! Got stepson the younger's boys coming to stay for a couple of days at the end of the week which we are all looking forward to. Little boy next door especially as he's always outnumbered by the girls! Should be lots of fun. Will be quite restful going back to work!

Nipped to Clitheroe in the afternoon to get some fabulous coffee from The Exchange Coffee Company. You may have seen their Caffeine Rush vans at various locations. Anyhow got some "Clitheroe Blend" for a swap I'm doing and some Indian Monsoon Malabar for us. The house smells fantastic at the moment.

Also wanted to visit the Witches Galore shop in Newchurch-in-Pendle but got hopelessly lost and ended up back in Clitheroe without knowing quite how that happened. The girls thought it was hilarious (especially as I got lost on the way to McDonalds earlier in the day) and I am now referred to as "Mummy Lost Pants".

Plan B

2010-05-31T15:49:00.000Z

I joined a Baktus exchange group on Ravelry and signed up for the early swap. Only problem - ran out of yarn. And the woolshop was closed for a couple of weeks while the owner was on holiday so no chance of getting any more for a while..... sigh

Plan B. Knit another one and here it is!

Lots of lovely garter stitch. Really easy to knit and great for doing while watching telly!

Hexagon Love

2010-05-31T15:45:00.000Z

I've got the six-sided bug. It's great! Just randomly joining as I go. No rhyme or reason. Loving it.

I think I'll just keep going until I run out of yarn!

Don't speak like you know yoga

2010-05-31T15:41:00.000Z

Is what daughter the younger said to her sister in the car on the way home from a day out in the lakes.

We went up to Esthwaite which is just down the road from Hawkshead village and a favourite spot of ours for picnic-ing and general pottering about. It's not too well known so you don't get many people. There's only a fishing tackle shop and boat hire there so it's great.

It's such a nice spot. Windermere and Bowness are nice enough but just too full of people shopping in full walking gear for my liking! This was the first "proper" day trip in the new car so we did wonder how we'd manage to transport the four of us, the dog, a picnic and all the other essential bits and bobs (crochet stuff today). In the event it just took a bit of canny packing and we managed just fine. Here's Milly Molly Mazda looking quite at home among the trees on the car park. Luckily, there are picnic tables so we didn't miss sitting in the back of the Land Rover too much. It was a bit blustery with a chilly edge to the wind but otherwise no problem at all.

I just love my little green car. So easy to spot on the carpark!

On with the business of the day then. The rope swing was still there so everyone had a go. It was a bit shorter than last time so help was needed to get the smalls onto it.

It's just so much fun swinging over the water though. Nick decided to have a go and I was busy taking lots of action shots when there was an almighty thud and he was on the floor! Mostly ok, bloody gash on a hand and seriously dented pride but nothing requiring a trip to casualty. Phew! We were all free to laugh (aren't we mean!!)

This was the moment. I pressed the shutter and thud! We decided to leave the swinging alone for a bit and tried out hand at skimming stones instead.

Then paddling! Ok it was cool and a bit blustery but who can resist the urge to dip their toes in. The girls can't.

We had a really good time. There were lots of ducks with unbelievably cute babies to feed and a slightly scary and hissy swan that Sally wasn't too keen on.

The hissy swan. Looking rather lovely in this pic but a bit big and scary close up! And here's a gratuitous Sally pic to finish off. Check out the wind swept ears!

Kicking a ball about

2010-05-23T10:14:00.000Z

Was outside last night around 10.30/11.00pm ish and could hear someone kicking a ball around. Just to explain - across the river at the other side of the wood there is a "youth" hangout spot. It's next to the leisure centre and there's a skating ramp and a shelter that have been put there for youngsters to hang out in, which they do. It's a good thing generally as it's not right next to any houses so doesn't disturb too many people.

Anyhow, due to the acoustics around here if there's anyone there at night when the general noise of the day has died down it can be rather loud and annoying up here at the house. Especially if someone has a car with loud (and usually rubbish) music blaring out.

So I could hear a ball being kicked against the skate ramp. How annoying I thought and was about to start wingeing and complaining to DH when I had second thoughts about it.

It's actually rather sad. There were no voices so it was a solitary person (can't actually see it for the trees you see so this is all supposition). Then I wondered what age they were likely to be. An older teenager would probably be hanging out in town in the pubs or certainly where they can be seen. So I reckon they were between 8/9 and 15. Hopefully anyone younger would be home. How sad is it for a youngster to be on their own kicking a ball around at that time of night. Why aren't they home? Is it so much better to be alone kicking a ball than to be there?? You see... really quite sad...