weekends

The last week has run away from me and with it the end of February. Friday saw me returning to work. The day was a bit of a disaster. I spent Friday evening drinking wine with Mr B and lamenting my ill fate. Luckily Friday is followed by Saturday and Sunday.

Oh how I LOVE the weekends. Always made more sweet by having been at work. Saturday was full of industrious business. The pook had a birthday party in the afternoon. He was picked up and dropped off. This gave the moos, Mr B and I the opportunity to get out for a visit to the park. The moos had the most wonderful fun swinging and sliding. Good fun all round mas had.

Sadly Sunday saw the arrival of near biblical rain. It felt that it rained all day. In fact it did rain all day. However we had things to do and people to see. Firstly off to some local allotments to join there enormous waiting list. I have been fancying an allotment for quite some time and can be found on every waiting list in a reasonable distance.

I dream of all the fruit and veg I Would grow if I ever get one. There will also be a swing to amuse the moos and the pook wants to grow strawberries. It is good to dream.

Allotment list joined we walked to chiswick in what started out as light drizzle. Half way there the heavens opened. Arriving in chiswick we looked like drowned rats. It was wonderful to get home and dry off. And what better to do in this dreadful weather. We cooked a roast. Altogether an excellent weekend.

T x

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Planning for a fruitful summer

As spring is close to springing I am thinking ahead. Planning for the summer. Well planning some fruit and veg planting. Although we live in a flat without a garden it does have a scrap outside and lots of window sills. My plan is to grow as much as I can in the available space. I can also plant some stuff in the Mother garden.

So I have been doing some serious research on what to plant where and how to grow it. I have found this site about making the most of limited gardening space very useful - http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/ Filled with brilliant information telling you how to make the most of your small spaces. I am already planning tomatoes, courgettes and herbs. Also strawberries. There defiantly needs to be some strawberries.

I love a bit of planning. Nothing puts me in a better mood. So I am off to browse some more and plan some more and ream.

X

counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds

On friday I return to work. I am desperatly trying to avoid this but have somehow not managed to come up with a reason not to go. Well appart from the fact I don't want too.

So I am preparing. I have made some nice lists of things I need to get done over the next few days. I have yet to manage one of them. I wander about the house thinking about the lists and how important it is that I get on with them. Instead I have been having fun. The fun is more delicious as I know I should be sorting washing and changing bedding.

This weekend was were blessed with the most wonderful blue skies and mild days. We spent the days when I should have been attending to my lists out and about. Walks to Chiswick and bumbling around the shops. Watching the rugby at the local whilst eating the most wonderful lunch. Sunday was spent pootling about in Richmond soaking up the sunshine by the river.

I have realised I have begun trying to cheer myself up what with the impending DOOM of returning to work. I have baked a lot. Cookies, cakes, muffins. I have also been cooking wonderful meals. Stuff that requires more preperation than I will have time for when I go back to work. Today I may have a go at peanut butter brownies which sound great.

I have also been trying to really enjoy things that I won't be able to do as much. Long and relaxed lunches with the moomoos. Spending the days taking her out to fun things. Also quizzing the pook about his day when he arrives home from school. Being able to spend a precious hour just the two of us whilst moomoos naps.

Well thats enough with the doom and gloom. I have some photos to sort from the weekend and will pop them up shortly.

X

The days fly by approaching spring

Yesterday we had our first wonderful sunny warm day. The first taste of spring. The sky was blue and the air warm with that taste that promises long sunny days wandering. I have been rather neglectful of my blog these past two weeks. Busy with first birthdays and preparing to return to work. I have but a week of maternity leave left.

The crafting has been somewhat missing over the last fortnight. Pushed out of the way by other pursuits. I have been doing a great deal of baking spurred by the baking of the moomoos first birthday cake. I baked a simple sponge filled with buttercream and strawberry jam. It was rather delicious. Here are some photos of the finished cake. The butterflies I made myself. Spraying them pink and decorating them with edible glitter. I was rather pleased with the finished effect.

After the cake success I was griped by a baking fever. From my oven sprung amongst other delicacies sour cherry and oat biscuits, banana blondies and breakfast muffins. All this baking is doing nothing for my waistline but the family are loving it.

I am sure I will be back on the crafting bandwagon soon.

X

Brussels

A wonderful day was had in Brussels. The -10 temperature was a bit nippy. Here are some photo highlights. Not as many photos as I would have liked but as I have mentioned it was rather cold!

A view from the eurostar as we raced through the french countryside.

More train, snow, reflection fun!

Long shadows as we begin at Brussels Midi

 Sampling some tradition beverages in the Toone Bar. Sadly we were not there on the right day to see one of the marionette shows.

My mum checking out some artwork. I forget what the gallery is called but it is HUGE and free!

Some of the wonderful things I saw and managed not to buy at the flea market. It was very difficult.

We stumbled upon this wonderful frozen fountain. It was still working however it had the most wonderful ice formations. I took a lot of photos of it. Completely enthralled with its beauty.

Look at all the icicles and the prettiness! The pond must have had about three inches of ice on it. Oh so beautiful!

Is it not the most magnificent frozen fountain that you have ever seen?

A panorama of Le Grande Place

An Febuary is running away with us with a flurry of snow!

Today I am sitting in the window looking out at the melting snow. On Saturday night it began. A light but consistent flurry that lasted throughout the night until about 7 am on Sunday morning. What it left behind was a beautiful world of White. The pook has always adored snow and with up with the larks to play outside. Crafting snowmen and having snowball fights. I introduced the moos the snow. She seemed rather indifferent towards it.

Look at my street all blanketed in snow! I love the way that it makes the world tinged with blue.

The pook out with shovel and a plastic colander to use as a makeshift bucket.

As it was no weather to be going out I got down to some serious crochet. First I completed the border on my granny stripes blanket. What a task! It seemed to take forever. I then started on the long process of sewing in all the ends. I have never enjoyed this (Does anyone?) and have still not completed it with 42 ends still to sew in. I decided that a wonderful day snuggled up at home was not a day to spend sewing in ends. Instead I started on a small project that I had been meaning to do for some time.

I have the most delightful little crochet book called Baby Crochet by Lois Daykin. I adore this little book full of wonderful projects. For a while I had fancied making the moos one of the little beanies in the book. So I settled down with my hook and some random yarn that I had hanging around the place and got going.

It took me about four hours to finish the beanie with a few breaks for drinks and lunch and interruptions by little people. I am very proud of the finished piece. It looks adorable on the moos. Here are some photos.

I love its simple stripes.

I also love the curly pom pom for the top.

Here is the moos sporting the new hat on our walk today.

We had a rather wonderful walk today despite the melting snow. Here are some pretty bird steps we spotted by the path.

We also picked up some beautiful daffs for the table.

I will of course pop some photos of the completed blanket up when I have finished sewing in the pesky ends. I am off to Brussels for the day tomorrow so hopefully I will have some nice photos to share.

X

Still alive...

Busy with bake sales, poorly little ones and of course crochet! I promise to post something more substantial over the weekend.

X

And the wind it blew driving the rain!

It is not a very nice day in West London. Grey and raining. So what better to make a dull grey day great than a spot of baking?

I love baking at any time. I love baking on a cold wet and windy day even more. The oven warming the kitchen and the smell of baking spreading through the house. Nothing like it for lifting the spirits! Today I have baked a very wonderful sticky lemon and poppy seed cake by the WONDERFUL Dan Lepard. You might remember that I got his Short & Sweet baking book for Christmas. I am in love with it and intend to slowly work my way through all of the wonderful recipes.

The cake was a masterpiece. Sadly with the dull light and its tastiness we scoffed it before I could take any photos. I did however take a photo of a wonderful rainbow that the moos and I spotted when out scurrying to the shops.

When out I could not resist popping into my a wonderful chocolate shop on Turnham Green Terrace where I sipped hot chocolate and nibbled marzipan whilst the wee one slept in her buggy.

Look at all the perfect chocolate wonderfulness!

I tried my best not to scoff them too quickly. They were truly divine!

Eventually the moos woke up and we had to make our way home through the rain and cold. Luckily there was a nice slice of cake waiting at home for us.

X

Today has been simply

WONDERFUL!

Sometimes being trapped in the house due to bad weather gives you the time and space to do things you really need to do. Sometimes you spend the day doing things you really want to do rather than the things that you really need to do. Today was one of those days.

I set out with good intentions of cupboard reorganisation, cleaning, tidying and other boring tasks. In fact I did get some of these less than thrilling things done. I washed clothes and packed away washing. I cleaned the kitchen. Then I thought do I want to spend all day doing this? Really? The answer was no so after lunch I set about improving my day. This involved playing with the moomoos. When the moos was occupied or napping I whipped out my sewing machine and some scraps of bits and bobs that I had picked up with a project in mind.

The table was covered in thread, paper, cloth and ribbon.  Creative happy mess and and muddle. Here are a few pictures of my crafty and fun day.

The start of the pretty pink and white bunting for the moomoos room.

My trusty John Lewis mini helping me to zip through the bunting. So much fun!

Bunting finished and ready to hang. I do love a project that is finished in one day. The bunting is double sided and spells of the moomoos name. It will make a pretty addition to her room.


And here are a few update photos of my granny stripe blanket which is coming along nicely. I hope to be all finished and ready to show it off at the end of next week.

A rather good day.
x

Today

It is raining and pouring. Cats and dogs! It could well be described as a monsoon!

The moos woke up especially early today and is therefore having a nap now. But what to do with the day? I was planning a walk and some nice picture taking. The weather does not appear to be on my side.

So today I think will be an indoors day. I have things to be getting on with. My housekeeping has become somewhat slack since christmas and the new year. This is mainly because we have been away or very busy every weekend since the begining of December. It is very hard to get anything done when it is just me and the moos as she wants to join in. I don't mind this helping and her love for our vacum cleaner Henry is adorable. I don't get much done with all her helping though. What usually happens is that I end up playing peekaboo with her over the sofa instead of cleaning.

Well I better make an attempt at something before the moos awakes. Update pics of the granny stripe to follow.

X

Repetative actions

... are soothing at times.

I have been putting some serious work in on the granny stripe blanket. Back and forth and changing colours. I think the stripes will be finished soon and that I can move onto the border. I am itching to start on a new project. Maybe a nice waves blanket for the moomoos or some pretty bunting for her room. The pook would like some slippers. Or there is a wonderful pattern in this months Mollie Makes. So many things to do and try!

Keep on crafting in the new year

So I have but two short months of maternity leave left. I will be returning to part time work in March. I have mixed feelings about this. But hoo hum it has to be done. I have really enjoyed my year off with the Moomoos getting to know her and her getting to know me. I will be slightly sad not to be spending all my time with her and the pook. I have also love love LOVED having more time to craft and bake and just generally take life at a slower pace. This year I have learnt to crochet (sort of), silk paint, screen print, lino print and other crafty stuff. This has been the most unbelievable fun.

I really hope that I am able to keep up the crafting once I am back at work!

Today I have been experimenting with machine embroidery. Having seen Kirsty Allsop have a go on TV I have had it on my to try list. Recently I ordered some fabric samples from John Lewis that were wonderful. All bug floral prints, boats and little dogs. I had been wondering what I should do with these swatches and then it dawned on my that they would be perfect for having a little machine embroidery experiment.

I decided that I would have a play around with just two of the samples. One by adding embroidered highlights and detail. The other would be head to toe sewing machine magic. I had so much fun making these. Although I need to practise a bit this is defiantly something I would try again.

Photos to follow. It is all dull and dark here. Not at all the right light for jolly photo taking.

I have also booked myself in for a decoupage evening with some other mums. I was inspired by Attic24 and her very pretty lamp. Of course I will share some photos of the crafty fun afterwards.

Now off to craft something for the littles to eat for supper and pop the heating on.

X

A ramble through Wales

A great weekend was had wondering through Wales. Here are some pictures.

Moos having a go in the driving seat on our journey to the west.

The pook meeting one of his three new cousins!

The moos loves her aunty and uncles dog Ice.

Walking in my Dads woodland

I forgot my wellies and so had to use a couple of plastic bags.

Beautiful trees



Off again for a weekend away

It seems that in the past few weeks we have been as a household far too busy rushing here there and everywhere. The husband returned to work on Tuesday and the pook is back at school. Today I need to do some preparing for a weekend away. We are off to inspect new little people in Wales. The husband is welsh and we are going to visit his sister who has new twins and his brother who has a new little boy. The family is full of babies at the minute. Four little ones all born within six months of each other.

We are also going to pay a flying visit to my father who is is the welsh residence. I love my family home in Wales. It is a little stone cottage perched on the top of a hill surrounded by woodland. My Dad purchased the rather large field next door to the house about fifteen years ago and has since then been planting it up with trees. Hundreds of them. All mostly native species. One of the first challenges the husband had to endure when he first met my father was helping to dig holes to plant sixty trees. This will be the last visit for a while with my brother as he moves to Perth on the sixteenth for two years.

Hopefully it doesn't rain the whole time we are down there and I can bring back some beautiful photos to show you.

X

A look back at the year

I thought I would mark my first new year writing this blog with a photo review of the year. I have had a wonderful time this year topped off my a fantastic new years eve spent in Brighton. New years day was spent strolling along the coast taking in the view. Magic!

Look at the sea and the sky!

One of my christmas gifts was a chocolate making course at Chocoholly. I have been wanting to do one of these courses for quite some time. It was brilliant.

I have scoffed lots of the chocs!

Now here are my favourite blog photos from this year.

 A wonderful year. Lets hope that the next is equally as wonderful!