Little Treats

Breakfast was extra scrummy this morning as I had bought some little pink roses from Tesco - I so needed a little bit of Summer in my life. I did think that roses needed a glass vase - but I only have two and they are both far too tall for this small bunch - so into my prized milk jug by Emma Bridgewater they went. Do you see the matching butter dish? I've had that for years and years; when I was married, my ex husband didn't learn to drive until babies No 3 & 4 came along. One weekend, I heroically drove myself, him my eldest, then 2 - and the baby down to Cornwall for a few days and back again. I treated myself to the butter dish as a reward for all that driving. I remember it cost £27 - and this was 16 years ago!! But I so love it - and every day I think how pleased I am that I bought it. The jug came as a present from my mother a few months later. The moral of the butter dish, is that if you truly love something, then buy it. The years of satisfaction were well worth the expense.

So, yesterday, I managed to treat myself again!! I wanted these shoes from Principles when they had for sale in the Summer, at about £70 - they're not what I normally wear, but for some work occasions they are exactly what are needed. I waited until the sale - but as is always the case - they didn't have my size!! I tried several branches and the internet site, but the story was the same - no 38's. As I walked past Principles yesterday, I thought I'd just pop in and see if there were any bargains suitable for work - and look!! Size 38 - and guess how much???? £10!! So when the cold weather disappears and a certain work situation presents itself - I will have just the shoes for the job!!

New Year's Day

I haven't organised by pics very well, so today's blog is reading backwards, and you'll need to start from the bottom and work back to here! Oh, and my New Year's Resolutions are in pictorial form on Flickr!

After the excitement of climbing the tree, the 5 teenagers of the group recovered their cool and huddled together in a group, lagging behind the other adults who were way ahead, along with the 1 child who hasn't reached his teens and was running ahead with the dogs, unconcerned with any notion of appearances....
This poor tree had to suffer the climbing of all 6 kids, plus one extra grown one.... Mine often climb this particular tree - there a hundreds of trees on the walk, but they pick this one because there's a bench close by where I can sit.
For New Year's Eve we had another family over. They did the starters and puddings and provided Champagne, we provided main course and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and/or bacon, with Buck's Fizz for breakfast this morning. Breakfast didn't happen until 11.30am - and we finally managed to get out for our New Year's Day walk at 3pm! We went up to the Heath and found this tree, covered with multi coloured ribbons!! It looked very festive.

Yesterday, my end of year gift to myself arrived, from Amazon, via Royal Mail, at 7.05 am!! I have NEVER had a delivery that early. Needless to say, I was fast asleep, and managed to 'hear' the door after the event ran down the stairs in time to see a card on the door mat and the blur of the red Royal Mail van vanishing up the road into the still dark morning. Actually, I was so disappointed I felt like crying! I raced into some clothes, flew into the car and hared off to the sorting office, where I threatened to cry in front of all the postmen. Despite the fact that they had numerous signs up saying they didn't hand out parcels on the same day they'd attempted to deliver them, they kindly took my number, phoned me when the van came in and let me come back and collect!! I was over the moon as I'd taken advantage of Amazon's free delivery and they'd emailed me to say not to expect delivery until between 7th and 13th of Jan!

New Year's Day

I haven't organised by pics very well, so today's blog is reading backwards, and you'll need to start from the bottom and work back to here! Oh, and my New Year's Resolutions are in pictorial form on Flickr!

After the excitement of climbing the tree, the 5 teenagers of the group recovered their cool and huddled together in a group, lagging behind the other adults who were way ahead, along with the 1 child who hasn't reached his teens and was running ahead with the dogs, unconcerned with any notion of appearances....
This poor tree had to suffer the climbing of all 6 kids, plus one extra grown one.... Mine often climb this particular tree - there a hundreds of trees on the walk, but they pick this one because there's a bench close by where I can sit.
For New Year's Eve we had another family over. They did the starters and puddings and provided Champagne, we provided main course and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and/or bacon, with Buck's Fizz for breakfast this morning. Breakfast didn't happen until 11.30am - and we finally managed to get out for our New Year's Day walk at 3pm! We went up to the Heath and found this tree, covered with multi coloured ribbons!! It looked very festive.

Yesterday, my end of year gift to myself arrived, from Amazon, via Royal Mail, at 7.05 am!! I have NEVER had a delivery that early. Needless to say, I was fast asleep, and managed to 'hear' the door after the event ran down the stairs in time to see a card on the door mat and the blur of the red Royal Mail van vanishing up the road into the still dark morning. Actually, I was so disappointed I felt like crying! I raced into some clothes, flew into the car and hared off to the sorting office, where I threatened to cry in front of all the postmen. Despite the fact that they had numerous signs up saying they didn't hand out parcels on the same day they'd attempted to deliver them, they kindly took my number, phoned me when the van came in and let me come back and collect!! I was over the moon as I'd taken advantage of Amazon's free delivery and they'd emailed me to say not to expect delivery until between 7th and 13th of Jan!

Happy Birthday to Sally!! I work with Sally and a lot of the time wouldn't get through some of what I have to without having her to sound off at!! I work at an FE College as a literacy lecturer - and believe me, the acronyms, the paperwork, the evidence that we have to provide really does drive you potty. I was already getting my ALS muddled with my LSA's and at the end of term I suddenly discovered the new buzz word - ASL's!!!! - And this is just do with job titles - nothing to do with the students... directly... Can't show you what's in the present until Sally opens it -and I have a dreadful feeling she may already have been given it... But it looks sweet!!
I've started thinking about next year, what I would like to be different, how I can make things different. There are a lot of work changes coming up - I'm hoping for the better. Last term I had a 6 week secondment in a completely different role - and I've been led to understand that there may be some changes in my job role to put in place some of the work I was doing in the secondment. I've also been promised a place on a new higher education course - which would eventually lead my career down a different and quite exciting path - (think hotels and travel!!). But we shall see - the only thing that is a certainty in education is that change is constant.
In addition to my ripple blanket, I bought some Cathay wool in the John Lewis sale specifically for what I call, a 'handbag' project - no, not to make another bag, but a project that's small and so therefore easily transportable - so I can slip it in my bag and take it to work for during my lunch hour or the rare occasions when my students aren't in. It was such good value - about £2 a ball - alas, I would have bought hundreds -but the coffers are bare.
Thank you, Attic24, for reassuring my that my ripple blanket will come good!! Well, you asked to see the colours - but I couldn't manage to get a really realistic shot of the colours - the green here is slightly more green, and that pink is not quite so 'baby' pink. It's a mix of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK and Rowan pure wool DK - to be honest, as the blanket goes on, there will probably be more R than DB as the former is a whole £1 cheaper!! And I can already see that this blanket will need sooooooo much wool!! I want to introduce other colours into it - possibly some cyan toned blues..... Weather has got much colder here over the past couple of days. The water in my little raised town garden pond had completely frozen over - thank heavens I managed to remember to turn the fountain off a few days ago. I must remember to put some food in for the fish....

I've spent the day doing some very mundane tasks - a short Tesco shop, getting rid of Christmas day veggies that no one can face anymore, boiling up the turkey bones for soup tomorrow and emptying the bins...such is my exciting day!! I've been working away on my ripple blanket - it's still not looking right - I definitely lost count somewhere in row 1 and so subsequent rows were all askew - but hopefully I've sorted it...if I haven't I think I'll dismantle it (for the 3rd time) and think about a different blanket!!

Above is a shot of my Christmas berries. I bought these a long time ago, and every year when they emerge into the light, a little more paint has been lost and they're looking at little more tired - but as long as there are more berries than none I shall carry on hanging them off my dining room light!!

I also think of friends as the year draws to a close. My dear friend Zoe, who died two years ago, my aunt who died on Christmas day, my old friends, my work friends, my flickr friends, my new friends. Recently I re established contact with a very dear friend who I had met years ago when I was a Saturday girl at Laura Ashley, paying my way through university. She's had some success as as actress (she can be spotted in Bridget Jones and Sense & Sensibility!) and she and her house were featured in a glossy magazine; so I got in touch and she reminded me that despite all the years that have passed, there's too much history to ever forget our friendship.

And finally, back to decorations!! I've got to the stage where I want them to come down!!! - so, not a promise, but this may be the last of the decoration photos for this year!!

All my four are at their father's today - the eldest comes home tomorrow - she has A level exams in January and wants to revise. The younger three will return on New Year's Eve. Although I'm enjoying the peace and quiet, I do miss them - the days are always a little slower when they're not around.

I've been feeling so uninspired with my photography over the past week - the weather really doesn't help, nor do the abundance of 'dead' things in my garden - and the light is so difficult to work with; I hate using flash. I managed to produce something I almost like by slamming a texture over it - but I yearn for more light and warmer weather.

I had loads of lovely presents this year - this is the one I especially wanted and there, thanks to the DC, it was, under the tree!! To everyone's amusement, my eldest daughter had an identical looking present, from her Granny. We felt it and squashed it and lifted it and prodded it. E said it couldn't be a sewing basket, she already had 5 from other birthdays and Christmas's from Granny. But, lo and behold!! Granny came up trumps with sewing basket No 6!! And it was identical to mine!! We're still laughing. I told Granny today that E thought it was hilarious that she now had 6 - but she didn't want it changed - she especially loves this one too!!!

Oh, what else did lucky me get???? Some beautiful ribbon from East of India - will be able to use that in little knitted and crocheted gifts next year, silver earrings, the sweetest little pin cushion in the shape of a potted flower, a book I'd wanted, a film, chocolates.... mmm... and the most delicious sheepskin lined boots from Timberland. I have been keeping my feet so toasty when I go out!! I'll try and pics of some of these gifts later this week!!

My finished basket!! Inspired by Attic24, based on a cushion pattern by erika knight and using Attic24's shell edging to finish off. Inside is some of the new wool for the next project!! I used a mixture of Rowan cotton double knit, and a few bits of cotton glace from my stash. So pleased with it - it's rather squashy, but perfect for carting my new project round the house! Which, by the way, I think already, has gone hideously wrong. Something to do with my counting ability... non existent..

my stocking!

My favourite of today. Last night I heard the girls whirring away on the sewing machine - and this morning this is what I found at the end of the bed!! I took it downstairs to the chimney. It was filled with lots of little things: clementines, a pb book I've been wanting to read, a little purse, a fridge magnet - with thermometer - sweets, walnut whips (yummy), bath items... it was beautiful. There were even instant noodles - the girls had thought the DC wasn't going to contribute to the stocking - so they'd grabbed the instant noodles from the cupboard to fill up the void. Their fears proved groundless and as a consequence, the stocking was stuffed - this is it in it's re packed state!!

Ate far too much, and lay on the sofa this afternoon with my two youngest and the two dogs and we watched Kung Fu Panda - such fun!! We carried one eating, Quality St and Crisps with salsa dip -yum! So indulgent!!