Finished Objects! Yes...Really!!

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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......