You know those moments when.....

....when, after huffing and fuffing you think - oh blow it, I'll do it and be damned, then you wonder if just may be you were a tad hasty?

Ummm. Yeah, I have those quite often, this is my latest...........................

No, no , Let me tell you in the correct order...

This morning I thought I'd give my ripple blanket and 'stern looking at'. Whilst I'd been away I managed to get a fair bit done, but since being home, the ripple had been shelved.

I pulled it out of it's bag and decided that I should actually measure it up against the bed. But before that, I played around with the colours, deciding whether the pattern should be repeating stripes...............

Or should the stripes be mirrored..................

When I noticed how long the blankie was turning out to be, more of a bed scarf than a blankie.

I went upstairs and placed the ripple on the bed.  Good grief. Although still only as wide as a scarf, it's length was staggering. Let me explain. It started on the pillows, ran down the entire mattress, over the foot-board, over the table at the end of our bed and hung down about 10cm. Hum.  

What to do, what to do? 

Frog it? 

Buy gallons more wool? 

I put a pin in where I thought the blankie/ripple/bed/scarf should have ended and went back downstairs.

I stared hard at the now in disgrace blankie - well bed scarf.. Then had that... damned if you do and damned if you don't moments and holding my breath ....... did this.....

And before I knew what I was doing and still holding my breath was left with this.....

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I had to sit down after this and with a trembling hand and thudding heart just had to have cup of tea. Having calmed my palpitations down to a more acceptable level I thought thank goodness that crochet is so forgiving, can you imagine doing this to knitting?

You will be pleased to know ( I certainly was!) that with a bit of gentle teasing and unpicking, I was able to tie off each colour and when I reach the end I will weave the tails in - phew!!

And look how much 'extra' yarn I have to use!

Off to bed now, thank you for popping by, enjoy your weekend my dears, may if be filled with sunshine and not too many showers xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2 Brave Women

I have to share something with you -

2 Brave Women...

thank you 

to all you wonderful women whom I know, have got to know and have yet to know, thank you for your wonderful help, time, creativity and thoughtfulness, to make blankets for Japan, together we can do it!  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Somewhere in the middle of the week

I am suffering.

Suffering PHD*.  I originally posted about this ailment here back in August 2010.
So, in order alleviate or probably aggravate the symptoms, I am going to share some of my photos with you xxx

We do love walking, you probably will have gathered that by now, and after a weekend of walking, I am, by Tuesday already thinking about where we will be walking the next weekend.

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The sun was the clear sharp warmth of a glorious spring day. Not the heavy weighted dusty sunshine of mid summer, but lighter and encompassing and very welcome. The boys ran on ahead, a game speeding them along. Imaginary enemies were hunted down while our young heroes were magnanimous in their victory. They were so engrossed they did not see the huge sky or feel the miles disappear under their feet.

We left vastly open fields and slipped into deep ancient lanes where hedgerows became green tunnels.

The air was filled with the buzz of insects and the scent of the early apple blossom. Delicious. We did this walk on our last morning of our jolly which was, in reality a few days ago but feels a life time away!

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Ah well, not sure if I have helped my serious dose of PHD or worsened the symptoms...... hmmm.

Right, off to see if the washing machine has finished - ho hum.

Any way, Wednesday in our family is known as 'tipping day' Why?

Well, imagine the working week as a see-saw. Wednesday is tipping us towards the weekend - it can't be bad!

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Please pop over to Kyōyū kyōyū - share as I am about to post some lovely pictures from last night's knit and natter I want to share with you.

Holiday musings ..... 5

Walking - a form of meditation. 

Breath and booted foot moving in harmony. 

Cathartic and exhilarating.

On our walks during our holiday we kept meeting these wonderful footpath signs. Each one beautifully made and representing the landscape, farming and wildlife with some having an  historical or modern theme

 Some had historical references to both pagan and religious festivities 

Others showed a link with the farming past - Here a farmer with his oxen and plough....

...And in the background a hill with lynchets caused by mediaeval ploughing

Some references were modern - such as this one with the helicopter. The hill in the distance is a MOD (Ministry of Defence) zone where war games and tactical manoeuvres are practiced by the army. We sat and over a tea we spotted tanks through binoculars.

I think if we walk there again, I will take paper and crayon and make 'brass-rubbings' of them.

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Thank you for popping by and for all your lovely comments, I do enjoy getting them :)

Time to end, it's getting late and outside I can hear the rain clattering down, my poor garden will be happy, it had become very thirsty with all this glorious sunny weather. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Holiday musings......4 - there is a big sky

Inside the car we are being gently deliciously warmed by the early spring sunshine. We drive along, high over the moors above Appleby. The sky is an intense blue that goes on forever and forever.

Can we fly kites Dad, please, please..Youngest seems to have the most angelic and persistent charm that makes you do almost anything. Himself pulls over. I look up over my hook and see a huge landscape of rolling heather covered hills, distant mountains and sharply twinkling tarns. There is a big sky.

Behind me the boys are unclipping their seatbelts and the dog is fidgeting with anticipation.

Right boys, says Himself, one door at a time please....


He opens his door and gripping it firmly steps out, I can hear the wind thudding against his back, he turns and shuts his door. His dark curls flying wildly around his head. The boys, ignoring the sound advice both open their doors and are almost ripped out of the car. With difficulty they shut the doors and proceed to pretend to be blown like tumble-weed across the moors. Youngest somersaulting backwards for some yards and Eldest pretending to scream in mock horror as he hangs on to the bumper of the car. Miming out some image from a movie - safe in the knowledge that as soon as he has had enough of the pretence he can step back into the real world. Both blondies, their hair flaps and tears around their faces.

I am still in the car.

I zip my fleece firmly around me and tentatively get out. The door, although I am prepared for the blast, almost wrenches my arm out of it's socket. I brace and lean into the breeze and almost blinded by my hair, shut the door and go to help the boys assemble the kites.

The bright ripstop fabric, moments ago inert in the car, is now flapping urgently, desperately trying to fly. Himself holds, with some difficulty, the kites up and they rip from his fingers and soar immediately.  The delight on the boys faces is wonderful. Only I can't really see as my hair is whipping and whirling in and out of my eyes. I return to the car and find my hat, which I firmly tug down and tuck as many strands of hair away as I can. Relief.

The kites scream above our heads, their fabric vibrating violently in the air. The boys aggressively fly them in huge circles, fighting them all the time.Their faces alternating with concentration and delight.

We, Himself and I, take turns in re-launching the ditched kites then we take over as the boys arms tire. I am thrilled by the power of the drag. I force the kite into sharp figure of eights, zig-zagging it across the sky. Up and down, round and round. Feeling flush with the success and speed I am obtaining I try an ever decreasing circle motion, the kite spinning furiously to the right when one of the strings is pulled from my hand and the kite  does a frenzied whirl and crashed heavily. Himself, lying on his back in a heathery hollow whilst flying his kite looks over to see what caused the thud.

We used this as a cue to stop our aerial antics and move off the tops and down to a quieter valley.  We drop onto all fours and untangle the strings.

Later, once we had found our perfect picnic spot, out of the blustery breeze, we drank tea and ate the most heavenly biscuits. Over my hook, I watched the boys as they diverted a stream. Another wonderful day.

Well my dears, just writing this small part of our holiday makes me yearn to be back there....... never mind. Thank you for popping by and sharing my musings :) have yourselves a lovely Friday and a wonderful weekend xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Holiday musings ..... 3

There is something quite lazy therapeutic about sitting near running water and crocheting while the boys - all three - build dams, skim stones, paddle and generally bumble about leaving me in peace to hook away happily.

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Can you 'smell' things when you see a photo? I can - want to try?

Ok breathe deeply and tell me that you can't 'smell' these in your head too..............

The trees had blocked out most of that brisk breeze making the air warm and sultry. The air was heavy with the scent of bluebells. It was so delicious. We followed the pathway as it wandered through the woodland and almost fell over a lady who insisted that the only way to fully appreciate their glorious scent was to lie down amongst the flowers. Umm - yes......

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So, nuff waffling for today - my blogging activities have been cut short by a combination of looming work and blogger messing me around.

Thank you for popping by and here's wishing you a wonderful Wednesday filled with sunshine and the scent of bluebells xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Holiday musings ..... 2 (well not really)

BUT.......

I won't bore you to tears by rattling off everything that happened over our break, oh no, I shall give you little bite sized pieces for you to digest at your leisure. Sort of trickle feed you little bits of nonsense until you have been rendered senseless - or something similar to that.

Having had such a brilliant weekend over the Easter break, we were keen to continue it over the wedding weekend (all together now...what wedding?) Oops, forgot, I wanted to mention something else first..............


Remember this?




Well look what happened!

I had been watching her closely, as the last thing I wanted to happen, after all the mother duck's care and patience was that she and her precious brood (of mongrel ducklings - let's be realistic here) would become road kill as soon as they left my front garden.

Then last Wednesday, as I hot footed it home after work I could hear peeping emanating from under the duck. Great excitement and celebration and duck related jokes abounded in the house-hold. The next morning I sneaked a peep and saw 8 happy little bundles of yellow and black fluff. I carefully lifted my camera, took the all important photo, had a quick head count and as I stepped back carefully and quietly as possible so not to disturb the brood - almost tripped over mother duck who was standing right next to me!

Oops sorry.

At work I shared the happy news as well as my concern as to when the duck would take her babes across the regularly busy road and down to the beck (some 50 metres away). Finally-finally at the end of the working day, I set off for home only to see as I arrived there was an army of women around my front garden.  Oh no - what had happened?

It turns out, about 15 minutes before I arrived, the duck decided (with feather-brained wisdom) that this was the moment to launch her family into the world and on to the road. Directly into the path of the bus, and several cars.  She panicked and the ducklings scattered.

Fortunately I have many good hearted neighbours and one particularly animal friendly (read that as wonderfully dotty) lady spotted the duck getting very flustered and frightened. She rushed out and with a couple more heroic lady neighbours each armed with a broom and bravado stopped the traffic dead, ushered up all the separated ducklings into a cat basket and scooped up the by now almost faint with hysteria female duck.

This wonderful WI-esque gang then marched off purposefully down to the beck and released the family safely.

Unharmed and only slightly ruffled. 

Thank heavens for my neighbours! 

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Well, having decided to bring you up to date with ducky-happenings I see I have waffled on a fair, bit so, in keeping with the drip-feeding you stuff and nonsense, I shall stop here. It has been lovely chatting to you again, I hadn't realised how much I had missed sharing waffle and pictures with you all :)

More waffle tomorrow - you have been warned!

And welcome to my new followers, it's always lovely to see new 'faces'.  Enjoy the rest of your evening :)

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