errare humanum est ummmm.....

Back after a short break, I know its only been a few days, but after a stint of writing a themed post for the last 21 days, I suddenly had had enough of being a mouse potato (huh?)***

It's been rather hectic around here recently. Our Yarnival plans are going full steam ahead and some days I feel that I can not keep up with all what's going on. Don't get me wrong, its all exciting and positive stuff and I am not a laggard but wow some days my feet (foot) hardly touches the ground (metaphorically speaking seeing I still have the gait of a one legged pirate on the deck of a ship).... but I digress.

I have, my dears never fear, had some excellent hooky time with string bags flying off my hook. I am also writing the pattern for them and testing them out to make sure all errata are eradicated (ooh a bit of alliteration, gosh my brain is all a whirrrrrr) *note to self - drink less coffee first thing in the morning and drink more tea instead*

I found it really easy to make the bags from the recipe in my head, it was only when a friend asked for the patten back in December that I started to have difficulties. Easy peasy I smugly thought as I quickly wrote down the instructions. Umm, I read through it and realised that I better make the bag following the written words rather than what was floating around in my head.  A rather wonky bag began to appear.
Scrap that. Start again.
So, this time, as I went along, I wrote down the instructions. Feeling a little better about it, I typed it out and with a few drawings to illustrate the steps, I handed over the pattern feeling rather happy about it.  Until I was asked for the pattern by another friend, easy peasy again I thought (think I should stop using that phrase - coz it usually ends up being far from it!) and printed out another copy. Said friend sat down immediately with me and started to make the bag.....uh ohh, I could see an issue happening. So using her as a test pilot (had to give her incentive to continue) and plying her with a mug of tea (nothing stronger as I needed serious test flying with this hooky pattern) we went through the pattern again.
Ah Ha! Sorted. She went back home (mind you - she's not reported back if she finished the bag....) and I continued using the now modified pattern (stored in my head - not good)

Now..... I am trying again, to write the pattern in proper terminology, with photographs and easy to follow directions - why? Coz I want to be able to sell a kit complete with yarns and instructions for people to buy at the Yarnival - easy peasy. Why do I set myself these tasks??

All my test bags are finally coming out the same and I'm love loving the jumblement of colours and yarns

The obligatory brew without which, all is lost - oh by the way - did you know I was a tea drinker?

Hmm, needs two grams more then it's correct! Told you it was a 'recipe'!

Well, better get on, have loads of ends to weave in and labels to stitch on, easy peasy! (Oh - hang on, also have to weigh balls of wool, type in correct version of pattern,  take and insert photos as I go along, match colours, bag up and label - err..... easy peasey!)

Ooh almost forgot ***mouse potato? Well - you have heard of couch potatoes - yeah? Well, a mouse potato is someone who is permanently attached to their computer or laptop and today that is certainly me! You heard it here first :)

Friday

.....this morning has been a time for.............

crafting...............

thinking........ (thanks Lovely Lady)

calculating and measuring......................

wondering and planning.....................

knuckling down to stringing along yule pressies.............

drinking tea and thinking................

illustrating and..............

.....playing with colours

And you? What's been keeping you busy today?

I've got such big thoughts and ideas frantically whizzing around my head that I am sure they will spill out soon and get lost or confused. Fortunately I have some wonderful friends and family who are there to support my off the wall plans. I will keep you posted and who knows, some of you might get involved! 

But - as ever - work stops play - whatever you get up to this❤weekend❤ - enjoy!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ hawthorn xx

**walking* baking* thinking**

Walking:

**********************

Thinking:

Further to my last post (Japan) things have progressed, I will let you know soon x

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Baking:

At this very moment I am baking buns for Youngest's fund raising at school for Red Nose Day, the kitchen is wall to wall with chocolate buns in various stages of completion. When the boys come home tonight we will have a marathon icing session - oh the mess the mess!

I love, love, love these silicone baking cases, the colours are really cheery and bright.

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Japan

I feel that I can not waffle on today about my life when so so many people are destitute, traumatised, missing or trying to survive the awful conditions over in Japan. 

I sit in silence with my hands on my mouth trying not to cry every time I see the footage of their bewildered faces as they try to pick through their damaged environment.

I dearly want to help and am in the throws of trying to sort something out. I will let you know as soon as it is all in place - you might even want to get involved too.

That is all for now.

***********************************

.

Hello 2011!!

Back.
Been rather ill - in fact very ill.
Got dem festive time flu's - in a big way - but hey! I'm back - albeit I lost some days (bad) and some weight (good) and I am still as limp as a two week old shop bought lettuce.

Thank you for all your 'get better' messages, I may not have responded at the time, but believe me I was very touched - thank you.

Any hoo - to get the blog ball rolling I thought I write myself my New Year's Revolutions list (yes you read right - REVOLUTIONS!!)

1. Crochet more - try to complete at least one item every two weeks
2. Sew much more - attempt braver projects and keep on improving my hand sewing
3. Blog about #1 and  #2  on a regular basis
4. Attempt more 'How-To' posts
5. Continue or rather restart my 52 New Things Not Cooked Before - I know I didn't reach the full 52 last year so would like 2011 be the year to try again - Colouritgreen is also up for it - are you? C'mon join us - it isn't as hard as it sounds
6. Continue revamping the house - the bathroom was a good start
7. Sow more seeds, take more cuttings, plant more flowers
8. Pick more fresh flowers from the garden for the house
9. Grow more of our own vegetables - have had variable success over the last few years - partly down to the weather and partly down to me
10. Walk more, ride more
11. Go to Copenhagen with the bicycles
12. Complete my work-based coursework
13. Start a new course - a craft one - for me
14. Learn an instrument - I started one a couple of years ago and was made to feel rather inadequate by the music teacher - I turned tail and ran. But now I have been given contact details of some one who sounds a lot more understanding - they need to be - I can't read music....... 
15.  Draw and paint. Like I used to. Life just seemed to get in the way.
16. Find myself and reconnect with the earth - I feel to have lost that connection over the last year, I know why and know I need to fix it
17. Become greener.

A short list (snort...) but aim high and then nose dive -  a good policy that has kept me going all through life hehehe!

And you? What have you got planned? 

Happy New Year to you all, 

including those anonymous bloggers who dip into my day and leave silently 

- I thank you for participating in a slice of my life

It is a new year -  let it begin!

27.05.10 - Normal transmission will be resumed shortly.....

Well, not that shortly, we are off for half term. We are soo-oo looking forward to our holiday. 

The usual list of 'things-to-be-done' has been written (and lost).

The pre-holiday washing pile seems almost as large 

as I know the post-holiday wash pile will be.

Camera batteries have been charged.

Cell phone charger has been located (don't worry Mum - I will text!)

The chicken and cat sitters have been booked.

Holiday plans have been made by the boys.

Beach combing

Castles

Lochs

Forests

Freedom

We will turn feral and love every minute of it. 

I promise lots of photos and stories when I get back.................

Until then.

Hello Scotland here we come!!

10.05.10 - lists and 18 days to go

My head is filled with lists. Sometimes these lists spill over and either get lost or if I am lucky land on paper and continue to remind me that I still haven't done them yet......

lists like

1. Boys:-

• sort out Eldest's shoes (bit difficult as they are on his feet and he is at school)
• find missing socks (might actually let the boys look for their socks for a change)
• sort out the 'school shelf' before it cascades off and lands in an untidy heap on the floor (oops too late)

2. Mom :-

• sort out birthday plans (in progress but can't say too much shhhhhhhhhhhh) blogs have readers - is this a updated version of walls have ears?

3. College :-

• Start next module (and stop blogging)
• find enthusiasm to start next module (and stop crocheting)
• find enthusiasm to find the enthusiasm to start the next module (and stop gardening)
• stop groaning at the thought of the next module....... (and generally stop procrastinating)

4.Greenhouse/garden

• continue sowing seeds (2nd and 3rd sowings of some of the vegetables to give continuous cropping)
• prick out veg seedlings (running out of compost - need to get some more)
• pot up larger seedlings (running out of space)
• sift compost (see above)
• weed 
• mow
• re-seed some bare patches on the lawn (think I might enter the village garden festival)
• there is a lot more to this list, but sadly this is part didn't reach  paper and has got lost in the ether...

5. WIP

• finish 1 x cave man (needs arms and face detail)
• start 1 x cave girl (has head but nothing else)
• finish 1 x Rolf Harris (No - don't know why this one was ordered - and I haven't asked either!)
• Put faces on the 4 of the 5 guinea pigs I have made for a school fayre
• start another guinea pig for a separate order (I am getting heartily sick of guinea pigs)

A tanglement of guinea pigs, cavemen, cones of wool and a celebratory 

6. Holiday planning

• try not to get too excited (too late!)
• need to arrange pet care/cover (phew for cat and chicken sitters - my Mom and Dad)
• find/fix/replace any holiday gear for the boys (which in itself is a HUGE list)
• get caravan and tent ready (that's on Himself's list but I like to have it on mine too :) )
• plan where and what we will do! (know where were are going but it's nice to have a goodly list of places to see, beaches to comb, hills to climb, valleys to walk - getting extremely excited now!!)

It's been a while since we've been away - our last holiday was in August in the Orkneys, since then we have had commitments or unable to get leave off from work and made do with walks and bike rides on weekends.

I am sure there are more lists lingering in my head, but they have evaporated with thoughts of going away - only 18 days to go :)

Today's Hearts are......

Just a select few from the previous 27 days entries.

*******************************

Last night, well, where do I begin..... Actually it went quite well, as far as sleep overs do.  We collected the boys up on Saturday afternoon and immediately wished that we had earplugs in for the journey home, we somehow managed to survive the journey. 

Once home,  the sleepover gang played themselves tired with a good outside game and then played themselves silly with a good indoor game.

At the chosen hour, we bundled them up into the land rover and set off for our evening picnic.

The grand plan was to go to one of our favourite villages in the Dales, buy a banquet's worth of fish and chips and head for the hills. The volume of excited voices was almost to the point of excruciating, but as it was so good humoured and happy we gritted out teeth and grinned at each other in moral support.

We successfully confused the spotty teenager who served us in the chippy with our order. Eventually we left triumphantly clutching three steaming hot bags of food. Back in the landie, the boys drooled and complained at the emptiness of their bellies as the tantalising scent of piping hot chips with salt and vinegar and the appetising aroma of fish and sausages tormented them. 

We bumped and lurched up the green lane into the hills where at the top we spilled out a hungry horde ready for the feast.  For a few blissful minutes it was quiet - barring the slurping and smacking of lips and licking of fingers.

Suddenly as if on cue, the sleepover gang grabbed torches and scattered into the night. 

Up on the hills. 

In late winter. 

With snow still on the ground. 

In the dark. 

Miles from anywhere.

Gone. 

Vanished. 

Himself smiled benignly at their disappearing act whilst I felt incredibly responsible for losing all the children we were in charge of! Visions of lost, broken or at the very least partly dented boys kept whizzing through my head.

For nearly an hour a game of hide and seek with torches ensured. Shrieks of laughter and snorts of excitement came from all over the hills.  Then, with a wolf whistle I gathered them in. 

The sleepover gang were still buoyed up and galloped off in a frenzied pack along the green lane. Ahead of us, as we followed gingerly in the land rover, was the occasional bobbing of torches and the now increasingly primitive calls from the sleepover horde as they pretended to evade capture. 

We did eventually round up the savages and herd them into the land rover where they gnashed and snarled like the wild beasts they had become as they free ranged over the moors and dales.  One offer of juice and chocolate tamed the beasties and they calmed down and started to sing.

At home, they were dispatched upstairs to change - most of them had come back plastered in snowy mud and slushy water. Soon the kitchen was churning out hot dogs and tea.(One only ate the sausages and left the bread half chewed whilst another requested seconds and then thirds - despite all the sausage and chips and bread consumed on the picnic) The DVD chosen was a killin' fightin' alien vs human boy-friendly film. 

Finally we managed to usher the tired but resisting-sleep gang upstairs where, once in their PJs (one had forgotten both his pyjamas and his toothbrush) and shoe horned into various sleeping bags , we left them to sleep (err - nope, not a chance - a impromptu midnight feast occurred). (Only - one of the sleepover gang didn't like the flavour of crisps hidden away and another kept asking for more food)

Not counting the various loo breaks at 1.30am and again at 2.35am, or the furtive whispers of Youngest as he came to report that one of the sleepover gang had got up and dressed and was ready to come downstairs at 3.15am. Nor counting the various loo visits at 6am them again at 6.30am - it was a peaceful night. 

By 7.15am they were all up and playing on the computer, taking in turns to be troopers or aliens whilst one of the sleepover gang, still swaddled firmly in his sleeping bag, was fast asleep across the floor.

Once again the kitchen began to churn out food - bacon sandwiches, tea or coffee or juice (except one boy who didn't like bacon.....or bread..... could he have something else) so more sausages were grilled.

More games, more nibbling. Then, finally, thankfully, mercifully the clock said it was time to bundle the sleepover gang back into the land rover and return them to their rightful owners...............

We were all shell shocked...................... but apparently it was a successful sleepover. 

I might take some time to recover...........

27.02.10

Today's Hearts are........

....the life line of a certain computer game.

Today, in front of me as I type is a gang of boys. Eldest is having a sleep over for his birthday and we have five (yes I know, I know - I need my head read) boys staying. The plan is to go on a night time picnic and whilst we wait for it to go dark enough, they are eating popcorn and tortilla crisps whilst building model battleships and robots and playing some sort of storm-battle-star-trek-war-game. 

They had just come in exhausted from a very loud and physical sword-light-sabre-magic-staff-shield-wooden-dagger-bow and arrow game in the garden and collapsed on the floor.

Plans of midnight feasts and ghost stories are being made and friendships cemented whilst the deadly serious wheeling and dealing of pieces of leg0 and Knekx goes on. Oh to be that age again......

Holiday rituals

25.10.09

It's half term.
The boys are home for a week.
We always make a list of things to do and places to go, and the first is always - can we go to the cafe??

Our village has it's own cafe - within walking distance,

far too close if you are calorie counting,

far too close if you are dieting,

far too close if you are watching your weight.....

But - just the right distance for a pot of tea and a piece of carrot cake - aaaah delicious.

I do like half term and carrot cake!

Mine

Eldest

Youngest

24.10.09

Having added to my stash,
I had to justify - to myself - that there is a reason for purchasing 'sable'*
So I have started making Yule gifts.

A soft wintery scarf for favourite sister-in-law.

That is - if I decide to give it to her.....

I have fallen in love with it :)

I could always make her another.

As long as I don't fall in love with that one too.

Oh dear.

*sable = Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy

15.09.09

I had this plan.

You see - I would have it finished in time for Saturday. Now I am not so sure. But then, this is how I am. Shrug..........