Christmas 2015

It's Easter Sunday as I type this and these photos are of Christmas and I'm not sure I even have anything to say about it now as I'm getting very forgetful in my old age!

We had the usual family shenanigans - Christmas dinner and banter and bickering.  Star Wars seems to have featured quite heavily this Christmas and sherry was also involved!

I was Santa this year and, once again, I tried to stuff it up so that I never have to do it again.  Don't think it worked.

Oh, and books.  Lots of books!

Not entirely sure what's going on here - I think this is Rat showing off his Christmas Dinner baby!

And this is me and Finn chilling out once I got home that evening.  Another year over!

Wintry Marshes

Well, I'm excelling myself with the lateness of my posts lately - I still haven't posted the photos of Christmas yet!   A week or so before Christmas, we were blessed with a beautiful (but cold) day so took full advantage by heading over the marshes.
 

The colours were beautiful and the sky was stunning.

I can't quite remember why Finn was on the lead - perhaps he'd been naughty?!

I loved that someone had hung this little bird feeder up on one of the trees - so thoughtful, although I'm sure there was enough wild food for all the birdlife already?

We are so lucky to have these so near to the house - just a ten minute walk.  Very lucky indeed.

Tada! "It's a Boy!" Baby Blanket

I do love my wave blankets - I love that I can use as many colours as I like and, for some reason, people don't think they're lary!

This was a commission for my friend Elle, whose baby Molly was a recipient of a REALLY lary colourway a year before!  But that was because we didn't know if Elle was having a boy or a girl, so I used lots of colours to cover all eventualities!  Elle knew that her sister was definitely having a boy - Arlo, what a lovely name! - so it was blues and greens all the way.

I actually think this might be my favourite so far - it's just gorgeous.  Fourteen Stylecraft colours which sing out - there was no plan, I simply had them all in a bag on the floor beside me and picked one out at random when the next stripe was due.  I love it!  (And, luckily, so does Arlo and his Mum!)

Seeds and Stuff - February 2016

As I type this (12 March), I can give a bit of a progress update - not that there is much to say! 

From the sowings in January, the mustard seedlings are romping away and I've been chopping up the leaves to put in some of my food.  The lobelia has only just started to sprout but there is still no sign of the garlic chives - it has been very cold though and rainy, so not much sunlight or warmth to get them going.

For February, I've sown aquilegia - my garden is always full of them, as I had plenty of seeds from Maria and then Mary and Jim - and they are beautiful - dark burgundy colour and a bright pink colour.  But the seeds I've sown this time are mixed so even more colour to come - lovely!  I've also sown some carrots (mainly for Finn) and some French marigolds.   Nothing showing from this latest lot though.  Progress reports to come.

For March sowings - I'll wait a few weeks yet - it's lavender, rocket and poppies - I'll probably just sprinkle the poppy seeds liberally around the garden so need to go back to my seed box to see what else I can sow inside in its space.  Now I've got rid of one of the shelving systems, I can only really sow three varieties of things a month for now and need to use my seed trays wisely!

Odds and Sods - February 2016

February has raced past - like all months seem to do now.  I've been down to Whitechapel for another weekend with Andy;  I've been wedding dress shopping around Norwich with the girls for my friend Tracey; I've had a lovely day at Walsingham Abbey to see the snowdrops with Mum; I've been shopping and lunching in Bury St Edmunds with Rachel; and I spent a memorable Saturday afternoon and early evening in the pub with my friend Lynne to catch two Six Nations rugby matches!   I've also had a few health issues which have resulted in a prescription for iron tablets (and hopefully some Guinness) to try and sort my iron levels out.  I've felt, for a while, that I've been running on empty - but perhaps that's just because I try and fit too much in anyway?

Finn and I have had a few walks along the Wensum, although we've mainly been going over the park behind us lately.  I think we'll probably venture further afield once the weather cheers up a bit.

Here's Finn coveting his Grandad's sandwiches!

And here we are having a sofa snuggle.

I've bought some new purple shoes for me .....

And I've made some pink socks for Amanda!  (Although here I am modelling them!)

Final word - as always - goes to my boy!

Golden Wedding Anniversary

Mum and Dad celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in December, so this called for another family gathering.  Fifty years is a massive achievement nowadays - with couples getting married later in life now and not everyone staying the distance, fifty is massive.  (For Andy and I to have a golden wedding anniversary, we'd have to get married immediately and live to 104 and 99!)

And what to get as a present?   Amanda came up with a fantastic hamper idea - a huge box of foodie items (although I think there might have been some washing powder in there too!) from her local supermarket, the only stipulation being that all items had the word "gold" in the title, or were gold in colour.  Genius!

We were a select little bunch - Mum and Dad, offspring and grand-offspring; Ed and Chris had come over from Aylsham; John and Jenny also from Norfolk; Ann and Richard from Surrey; and Mick and Alayne from Dorset.  Sadly, Mary and Jim couldn't come as Mary was getting over some very major surgery and it's a bloody long drive from Coulsdon for a weekend.

Not only was Mum and Dad's anniversary a major celebration, but Amanda managed to get a photo of Nicholas and Shannon - and they're both smiling! 

(Andy's unusual cheese board had a little bowl of brussel sprouts with it - following some good natured banter with one of the waitresses!)

A really lovely evening - which, as always, ended up with many promises to meet up more often and not leave it so long the next time.  We'll see!