All wrapped up

Yesterday, I mentioned about the Spring-fling arts festival we'd happened upon. Another delightful installation had my heart singing out with love. Not only was it based on my favourite little cottage (in-the-world!!) but it was gift wrapped and we discovered it on my birthday.

This wonderful wonderful wonderful cottage was called 'COUCH' and had been covered in stretchy sofa material - apparently it had taken 3 months to make. It fitted like a dream with the corners being joined by zips and the chimney being completely covered - each brickwork lump and bump fitted and dressed in the fabric. I could have cried for the love of it.

I walked around and around. Took so many photos and stroked the house. We chatted to the installation artist - Alice Francis who was dressed in the same fabric too!

One day - I will live here, till then I will just have to look at these photos and dream!

The bare bones of it all.....

Once upon a time I had this really really good mad idea that I would knit something special for my mom's 70th birthday - it would be magnificent, it would be wonderful and it would be made by me!!

I did loads of research on the tinter, planning and calculating - checking out places like Ravelry and actually doing a grown up thing called -a swatch...yes, a swatch, I did one of those things and finally I decided on a very pretty (but VASTLY too complicated for me) shawl - oh I did fall for this one, I could just see me knitting up this gorgeous little number and  seeing I had three and a half weeks up to her birthday - I was sorted!

Did my head swell at the thought of the cleverness of it all!! *oh yes*

Any hoo, I started. I unwound the hank carefully and re-wound it (with a few inevitable knots and the equally inevitable cuss words) I cast on the required 4 stitches, did three rows of garter, then turned it one quarter and knit on the other side, then reading the pattern turned it one quarter again and did the same.... and ended up with a sort of square lump - hmm..... so I frogged it, started again and did three rows of garter, then turned it one quarter and knit on the other side and found I was soon heading for that same mashup I had had at my previous attempt. Hum. So I frogged it and put it away coz I still had three weeks to go and I was still buoyed by the audacity of it all.

That weekend, I started again, I cast on, I carefully read the instructions several times, wondering whether to contacted my beloved knit-perfect sister-in-law for help when suddenly it dawned on me and I understood the gobbledygook written on the paper. I started again, and despite a wonky start, I was getting some way and I actually felt that yes, I would get this done in the remaining two and half weeks.

The first half of the shawl grew off my circular needles as I got closer to the impending lacy pattern. I managed to only frog the odd bit as I launched myself into........ the lace.

I could actual feel my heart beating as I tried to translate the pattern. You could have heard a pin drop - I sat with my mouth open and my brain empty...huh? I have to do what?  I read it again. And again and still you could hear the tumbleweed rolling through my head as I tried to comprehend the pattern instructions. I put it aside - I needed to think about this part....never mind I still had two weeks to go.

A few days later I sat myself down and had a serious heart to knitting needle discussion with my shawl and managed to finally (after a practise run and frogging session) understand the pattern - but wow was it mind blowingly hard to concentrate - I marked, in pencil, each stitch I did as I went along. I would get so far and would reach for the pencil eraser and frog my knitting and frog my pencil marks....for several days. I put it aside - Himself could see I was struggling and made typical husbandy type soothing sounds of - 'just go and buy her something' and 'just unpick the ****** thing and give the wool and the pattern'. I hid it from him (and me) and went away for the weekend....never mind I still had about 10 days and I was over half way.

Back from our weekend I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the lace pattern again, I knew I could do it, it was just I was incredibly painstakingly slow. Then. Then I noticed the pattern was not working... I frogged it back, re-knitted and it was the same. I looked at the pattern and looked at my knitting and the lacy pattern was not lining up. I tried again.

And re-frogged.

I had a sinking feeling as I knew I would have to frog back about 10 rows of lace to start again when I spotted where the error was.... I carefully threaded another needle through and frogged back down to it. I also decided that now was the time to change from a circular needle to needles as I was struggling to see what I was doing.
Despair.

Right. Fed up to the back teeth I put it aside and composed myself by having a small controlled temper tantrum in the kitchen which entailed gorging myself on everything and anything fattening I could lay my hands on and washing it down with copious amounts of tea. Grrrrr.

Then feeling fortified (read that as feeling really sick) I tried again, and by the evening I had managed to get myself almost back up to where I was before when........ sitting on the settee next to Himself, there was an almighty thud upstairs which made me jump out of my skin...... and pulled out the knitting needle - scattering nearly all my stitches at high speed.  Himself sat there and looked at me. I shut my eyes momentarily, then frogged back the entire shawl. I put it in a bag. I put it away.

I went back on to the tinter to a pattern I had looked at initially but had been enticed away by the gloriousness of my now poor choice. My inexperience was an excellent lesson of over achievement. I cast on for the Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West. I had found it on his blog and followed it over to Ravelry to get the pattern. I had only about 5 days left.


Humbled I knit a simple stockinette stitch and purl 'bones' with a garter stitch border and it slowly grew. At every opportunity I knitted. As it got larger I only managed a row or two after work as I was just too tired to do any more without making mistakes.

My mom's birthday came and went.

 The rest of May came and went -I knitted.  June came, my birthday - I knitted. Every time I was a passenger in the car - I knitted. We went on holiday. I knitted. I sat on the beach and I knitted, I was eaten alive my midges and still I knitted. Then on our return home, I knit the whole way home. And we got back - all I had left to do was the border.

Two weeks of double shifts at work certainly didn't help but finally finally last night I gave my mom her birthday shawl - a mere five weeks late for her birthday but I got there in the end :)

I was given a lot of support by my dear knit and natter friends as well as bloggy friends  -  Jane (hook and yarn) - who also made a boneyard shawl - thank you too for your encouragement.


PS - because someone will ask - Pattern - Stephen West's  Boneyard Shawl. The yarn is The Natural Dye Studio - Nymph 4ply in Wisteria, I used two x 100gm skeins (800 metres)  and had a small amount left over.

Breathing

*Warning - this posting contains excessive amounts of photos!*

While we were away, Himself asked me if there was something specific I wanted to do on my birthday. Oh yes there was. For two years I have dwelt upon a walk we'd done before and yearned to do it again. It encapsulated all that I love about a coastal holiday. Ragged cliffs and screeching gulls. Sunny rolling hills and secret dark green valleys. Beach combing on sandy stretches and rock pooling in tiny tiny sparkling oceans filled with mini-beasts, pebbles and seaweed. I really really wanted to do this soul-satisfying walk again.

The first part of 'my' walk took us through dark cool rhododendrons dripping in sweetly scented purple and pink blooms. Every now and then a break in the densely packed foliage gave us flashes of sunshine and glimpses of the sea.

I love the way Heston island sits in the bay - Himself told me that during low tide you can walk to the island and we could just make out that it was covered in grazing sheep.

Suddenly we escaped the dark cavern-like path and burst out onto high craggy cliffs. I love this next part, lichen covered rock with sea-thrift hanging on precariously to non-existent ledges. Their papery pink heads bobbing in a delicious lightly salted breeze. We found ourselves a large enough ledge for lunch and sat and just absorbed the view.

It was a wonderful euphoric feeling high up with the wheeling gulls. 

 We were the only ones out on the narrow pathway that led us through sea-thrift and foxgloves.

Suddenly this airy path drops down to the sea to a pebbly beach - a beach combers delight. Sun bleached, sea washed wood litters the way. The occasional bright Wellington boot or fisherman's glove added a bright splash of man-made colour.

There is something about coastal light the lifts my soul.

The boys delighted in hunting for treasure and to see them enjoying themselves so much gave my heart such a happy squeeze.

At the end of this beach, a small hamlet of wooden houses nestles in the lee of a  protective forest.  Some are holiday escapes and others, well we think are occupied as homes and on a day like today, a hot and sunny afternoon - what a wonderful retreat, but in winter wet, I am sure it would be wild and cut off.

We followed the path around the forest and then turned into its dark and cool interior. I was surprised to see that there were still carpets of bluebells. Only just beginning to fade but the air still filled with their delicate scent. We emerged from the cool forest into early evening air to find a lochen surrounded by wild flowers, wild looking ponies and swallows.

Try as I might I could not capture the swift darting movement of the birds as they swooped low over the water to catch insects.

We lingered a while, watching and enjoying then set off to return to the car. I was feeling really satisfied by 'my birthday' walk but was not prepared to 'give it up' just yet, so asked Himself if we could drive a little way down the coast and park up and have a tea and watch the tide turn.

While we were sitting on the rocks, drinking tea and finishing off the remains of our picnic lunch, something caught my eye......  

The sheep that had been grazing on Heston island were being herded back towards the mainland. We sat and watched, amazed as four modern day horse-powered shepherds brought back their flock across the wet sands just ahead of the returning tides.

It took them a long time to cross the sands and as they drew closer you could just make out the sounds that sandy wet hoof steps make. There was the occasional shout to the dogs but on the whole it was a quiet event unfolding in front of our eyes. One of the outriders, once they had almost reached the shores, cantered ahead and open the gates to the coastal field. Then in a well oiled operation, the sheep returned to mainland and began to graze as if nothing had happened.

What a wonderful way to end a wonderful walk - it made it a perfect gift and it made me so very hap-hap-happy.

*happy sigh*

PS told you there were lots of pictures!

Cake - oh for some cake!

 Some time during the spring break I may have accidently had another birthday - I am still on the record as being '21 again' but I could not see the day pass without at least sampling a cake or two...... And ooh talk about YUMBLEDOCIOUS MAXIMUM!!

Youngest was in charge of the camera and must have taken a photo of every cake in the cafe -

I had the most heavenly carrot cake - it was gorgeously succulent and spiced ever so lightly. The cream topping was gorgeous and I would have (if allowed) licked the plate clean......

Himself had a plum and fig hot pudding swimming in a toffee sauce with a  huge lump of extra thick cream for good measure (you can just feel the calories can't you!!)

While the boys plumped (no pun intended) for rose scented cheesecake with a strawberry covered rose leaf jelly on a vanilla cake base

And all this calorifically wonderous stuff was washed down with copious amounts of tea served from a silver teapot and sweetened by rose decorated teacups and sugar lumps - a treat we have had before - we love Kitty's Cafe in New Galloway.

Birthday weekend round up

The house has the ever so slightly rumpled look...... you know the one. Cushions need plumping, curtains are awry, carpet needs vacuuming - definitely needs vacuuming. I had written a different word there - a well known brand of vacuum cleaner who's name is synonymous with the action of electrically sucking the carpet clean when I realised that unintentionally  I could be advertising one brand over another, so changed the word to vacuuming. The spell check underlined it in red - flagging it for incorrect spelling,   I typed the word the second time, another red line......hmmmmm. I looked at the word - v.a.c.u.u.m.i.n.g..... yes it did seem odd but then don't you find that if you look at a word often enough it begins to look different. The spell check certainly didn't like it, but mind you, the laptop's spell cheque doesn't lyke meny ov the wards eye right.....

Right, where was I? - oh yes - basically the house is a tip..... We have had a lovely weekend and the evidence is everywhere.
It was Eldest's 14th birthday on Friday and we have this family tradition that the weekend nearest to a birthday belongs to that person. So, Friday night we had a surprise family party for him. He was delighted at family arriving unannounced with gifts and yummy nibbles.  The celebrations carried on into Saturday as we spent the day in the Lakes for him, it was wonderful - so so lucky with the weather.

It is an odd feeling - having a 14 year old in your house. He's part child with feet bigger than mine, he is still young but he discusses huge issues like politics in the middle east and the student riots last summer.  He wholly delves into huge historical books and can cook a mean gingerbread biscuit but can't remember to put his clothes to the wash or clean his teeth unless reminded.

 Happy birthday my dearest boy !

A beautiful day with lovely long reaching views over Lake Windermere.

 I have to say that I am touched by the amount and the content of the comments from my last posting - I am really glad to have made you chuckle or snort or laugh out loud - thank you :)

Galloway birthday gettaway!

A secret weekend getaway was planned......bags were packed.....boys were excited (all 3)......maps, camera and crochet organised....hen sitter sorted......hotel not booked (what? Not booked??) weather atrocious...(aah that's why)

I'd arranged everything I could except the weather. Eventually I had to confess my plans to Himself - this weekend was for him - to celebrate his birthday and it looked like it was going to fall through. Finally late on Friday evening I decided that we would go grotty weather or not. It was forecast to rain pretty much everywhere so we might as well get wet out and about and have fun doing it rather than stay home and sulk. Woo hoo!

Clockwise from top left : Collecting shells for Bumpa's secret project..... Welcome sign through rain streaked windscreen.... Red squirrel! - albeit a bit wooden...... how could I resist a sign with a name like that? It has a beautiful loving reason behind it's name.

Clockwise from top left : The lobby of our hotel.... view from the rather grand staircase....look at the Victorian tiles and stained glass windows..... The books and candlestick in our room.......The view of the house hotel -{our room was on the second floor and took the two windows on the right}.....Our rather wonderfully huge four poster bed!

Clockwise from top left : We saw cliffs (!) and wildlife (!!).... beautiful lochen scenery in Dalbeattie Forest......totem pole - carved by Canadian First Nation artists....... Huge granite sculpture by a French artist {forgot to note his name}.......The coast {it is there - promise. No we couldn't see it either!}.. 

Clockwise from top left : Giddy dog insists on walking between himself and I.... 'walking' in Knowetop Loch reserve {well I hobbled and was carried!!)....Scottish Wildlife Trust board down to a natural arch.........beech leaves......board walking/puddling at Knowetop.




Considering we only had one night up there we packed in so so much. The boys were absolutely delighted and took every advantage of the meals on offer - I have not seen so much food consumed by two boys on holiday before. Sadly I have no photos to prove we had such delicious delicacies - the eating and quaffing and enjoying took precedence.  - It was a brilliant weekend.

I do have some other stories to share....like the missing pajamas and the Mu-u-u-um there's NO toilet paper in here! and the no-money-after-you've-eaten-in-a-cafe situation....normal every day things like that :)

The only damper (pun fully intended) was when we returned, our bathroom roof decided to sulk while we were away and sprung a leak. We now have to do a slalom between several buckets to get to the loo and back! Ho hum - never mind, poor old Himself will have to get back up on the roof as soon as it stops raining long enough to get the ladders out.



Well, better stop here, got to get on with mundane domesticity - I have decided that I am the most undomesticated goddess around here but I do still make some sort of an attempt.

Have a lovely and Happy Monday!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

the hawthorn tree - now open!

After a few late nights thrashing out problems and with the encouraging and timely words from my guru (or dragon?.......!!) we have hopefully sorted out the major glitches and hitches and now the website just needs tweeking.................  So without further ado -

To celebrate two (yes 2!!) years of blogging I now share with you.............  

      the hawthorn tree 

with woolly love hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Holiday - gone but certainly not forgotten....

Well, where to start?

• I could just list all the things we got up to - nah that's far too clinical and boring............
• I could insert a photo with a caption of what we did - good grief - I've just checked - I took 375 photos (may be a tad long for a post).........
• Umm....
• I could be selective and show a few good photos, add a few choice words, insert a couple of funny moments and be done with that - nope, that's too concise and organised for me...........

OR!!

I could do my usual and just waffle about holiday happenings and see how it goes - yes, that's it, my usual format of stuff and guff and hope for the best!

Right, got the hard planning over with - let me get started!

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After our last drenched camping lark we did put a lot of hope on this second attempt and we were not disappointed.  

We had beautiful sunsets..............

We walked for miles and miles (until - t.h.e  o.u.t  o.f  k.n.e.e  e.x.p.e.r.i.e.n.c.e....) ............. **

We felt intoxicated by the vastness of sea and sky........

There were moments of solitude..........

There were moments of cacophony and loud and cheerful celebration.........

There was cake................lots of cake..................(err, had an excuse - Youngest's birthday and umm, we were on holiday. AND yes BEFORE you ask - I have put on a teeny weeny bit of weight erhem but we won't dwell on that.......)

I'll stop here, I know I could go on but post-holiday clear-up calls and so does breakfast! Oh yes before I forget -

** the out of knee experience - more about that later, suffice to say - OUCH!!!

Despite longing to be back in Northumberland with the surf and the sky it has been lovely chatting with you and sharing some of our moments. I will catch up with you in the next few days - I promise!

Have yourselves a terrific Tuesday with love and sunshine where ever you are!

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