Thursday 30 August 2007

veggie update

Well I spent a bit of time at the vegetable patch last week. I'm ashamed to say it's been pretty neglected this year, and what with the summer never really happening and lots of lots of rain there are a LOT of nettles and not much else...

But there were a few surprises amongst the stings...


A cabbage seems to have survived the chickens and rabbits and slugs and floods


And a surprise squash (surprise because the ink washed off the label and it could be any one of 4 types...)


But one thing that seems to have really thrived in the odd weather conditions is the garlic. Some have rotted, but the majority have turned into huge garlicky lumps of loveliness (and considering last year when all the tiny bulbs I grew tasted vaguely of grass. hmm)


Although I'm not sure what's going on here!? Looks a bit like a bird to me...


Anyway, I'm off on holiday again next week (a proper holiday this time!) To a quiet cottage on the coast, so I'm hoping to get in a bit of this...


(They're sunbathing by the way. Have you seen chickens sunbathing before? Oh, they love it :) So have a good week, I'll be back on the 10th)

Wednesday 29 August 2007

more spots

I think sometimes that I have a lot to say; a lot of thoughts and words, when I've got a problem, when I'm feeling down or annoyed or fed up. I can go on for ever analysing my feelings, pondering... And sometimes I think I forget to notice when I'm feeling happy and enjoying life. Perhaps it's because I'm off doing things and don't have time to dwell, perhaps it's because I don't want to jinx it (oh, I'm such an optimist you know!) perhaps it's because I don't want to sound all smug, but anyway... today I have decided to make a point of saying I think I'm feeling pretty good!


I had a nice week last week to spend time to myself, and get on with what ever it is I like to do, bit of sewing, walking, reading (watching rubbish uncool TV without my boyfriend turning it over...) I got to spend lots of time with my dog and all the chickens and generally get back to nature a bit. When ever I spend any amount of time back home I come back thinking I can't live in the city that much longer. Anyway.



Yesterday I went back home again for my sister's birthday tea party. I've got quite a big family, lots of aunties and uncles, 10 cousins, and we always get together for birthdays. Nothing fancy, just tea and cakes. I'm the youngest on my dad's side of the family and oldest on my mum's, so there was always lots of people to play with growing up, but when my youngest cousin turned 15 four years ago it seemed that perhaps we were a family of adults now. It all got a bit civilised! No more fashion shows with clothes from the dressing up box, no more treasure hunts in the garden, no more general bossing about of my cousins...



But yesterday I arrived late (after missing my train, by about 3 seconds, why are they never on time when you're there early?!) to find a house full of kids again. 5 to be exact, and 2 babies. And I suddenly realised that the apparent adultness in my family was just a few years whilst everyone got old enough to have babies! Hurray! So I had a lovely evening playing games and chasing chickens and pulling silly faces at babies (and I tried not to boss them all about too much...) It was a total mad house but definitely great fun.



And I think Amy (my sister) liked the bag I made her, an adaptation of this. This time I wanted the bag to be less wide and more tall, I changed the front to just one big pocket with a button to keep it shut, and I added an inside pocket. The more sewing I do the more I enjoy it. Yes I definitely must make one of these bags for myself!

Tuesday 28 August 2007

pea prints

Wild sweet peas have taken over a flowerbed in the garden. No flowers have appeared, just lots and lots of twirly curly sprouts and pairs of leaves and little tendrils wrapped tightly around each other. I like them. And they make nice prints...



Monday 27 August 2007

monday


Where to start? I feel like I've been away for ages, what with the internet deciding not to work at all... So anyway, I've had a lovely sunny week (except for those 3 days of rain, they weren't sunny at all) just pottering about and generally taking advantage of having a whole big house to myself. Lots of room for sewing and printing and cooking, it's been lovely!


I spent quite a lot of time wandering and exploring the woods and fields where I used to play when I was little. I realise that I was so lucky to have all that space to play, all that freedom. I'm starting to think that that accounts for why I like to spend so much time on my own, and why I get all cranky if I'm around too many people for too long (oh I'm so lovely!) I used to play for hours amongst the trees, making things from sticks and drawing maps and weaving grass and who knows what. Talking to insects, making fairy outfits from flowers etc etc.


So every day this week I walked up through the woods to check on the horses, to make sure they had water and take them a little something to snack on...


And on the way back I sometimes filled the bucket with a little something to snack on myself...


Yummy. The only downside is the little grubs that live in the odd blackberry, not my idea of a treat, even if my Auntie does insist it's all protein...

Sunday 19 August 2007

scrambled eggs for breakfast?

3 perfect eggs. Stolen still warm from under a fluffy chickens bum...


Not this chicken though...

Or this one...

Nor this...

Or even this one...

Can you tell we like chickens round here?!

Saturday 18 August 2007

home again

Well I'm back, back in the country side in the house where I grew up. And although it felt strange arriving to an empty house late yesterday evening, it is good to be back again. And to know I have a whole week ahead of me to spend how I like...





Now the internet is a bit erratic here to say the least, something to do with the hills or something, so I'll probably be having withdrawal symptoms by Tuesday. But perhaps it will do me good!? Anyway, I feel like I've got lots to talk about this week so perhaps I'll write the posts anyway and just publish them when the wind blows in the right direction (or what ever it is that makes the internet work round here...)



Anyway, today I took my new wellies for a spin, up to see the horses and through a bit of mud. My feet stayed dry and the parrots seemed to like it, so all in all a success!

Wednesday 15 August 2007

perfect little birds

I've had a bit of a busy stressful day at work today, on the phone all day for clearing, so I though I would tell you about something that will definitely cheer me up...


The other day I received the most lovely gift in the post, from Marianne at applehead. One of the beautiful Japanese books she found in Melbourne, can you imagine my reaction when I found out she wanted to send one to me!





I'm actually lost for words at the generosity and just... perfectness (I know it's not a word) of this gift. It's so me in every way, I think she certainly knows me, even though we've never met!


And she included some of her lovely postcards, what a treat! Of course I'm trying to make her something extra special in return, although I doubt it could make her as pleased as I am... I really love this aspect of blogging, both giving and receiving really is such a joy. When I began blogging it never crossed my mind that all this fun parcel sending would be part of it, but it's such a treat to be involved, to post something out to someone that makes their day, and to hopefully do the same in return. Look at the little birdies!


Yes blogging is definitely good for the soul!

Sunday 12 August 2007

endbands?

Today I've been playing around with bits of paper (what's new?!) experimenting with ways to sew end bands (is that what they're called?) Now I know I could probably go and find some instructions in a book somewhere, but I thought I'd see what I could come up with...


First go, fairly scruffy but you get the idea...



Hmmm, thread too thin (and I think I got distracted by trying to make it into a concertina as well, oh and by sewing it onto tabs... sometimes combining structures works, sometimes it's just overkill!)


Thicker thread (and not too much fancy stuff going on...) This one uses a cover with slits cut in it to support the pages, the thread goes round that and the signature inside, this seems to work better I think...


A finished end band (and sorry for the blurry photos, they're from my phone, my digital needs charging and to get the lead I would have to root around at the back of a cupboard full of stuff, and I've got a feeling that when I open the door to the cupboard the stuff might fall out on my head, and knock me out, which would be bad, right? So the phone camera it is.)


Another go.


Oh, and this is off at a bit of a tangent (the best things often are) but I just liked the look of it!

Saturday 11 August 2007

oops...

Today I bought two pairs of shoes.


Now this isn't like me at all... I'm not really that into shoes. I can appreciated them from an aesthetic point to view, the colours and styles and shapes, my best friend buys what seems like a pair of trainers a week. But I can't walk in heels, and I've got wide feet so I can't fit into pointy or strappy or... well you get the idea. Back to school shoe shopping was always a trauma for both me and my mum... so that's why I think it's worth noting that today I purchased two pairs!


A lovely little black number in the sale (perfect for work, as although there is no dress code I think having holes in my toes is pushing it a little) And what do you think to my parrot wellies? Parrot wellies! Hurray!


Just in time for my little holiday in the country next week! (Yes I'm animal sitting again, lets hope they all behave themselves this time...)

Thursday 9 August 2007

much better

I love theses flowers. Crocosmia. They grow like nobodies business round here, big persistent bushes that almost double every year. They remind me of my mum, when I was little she used to pick big bunches and fill vases round the house. She used to mix them together with the pink roses that grew up the side of the house.


Last year when I was clearing a bed of flowers to plant vegetables at my parent's house I very carefully dug up all the crocosmia corms (like little fat caterpillars) and put them round the back where the chickens like to dig up worms. Now this year the bed has garlic and leeks and onions... and more bright orange flowers than ever! Why can't everything I grow be this successful...


And here in Leeds the green leaves and orange flowers line the drive. They make me feel at home.


The last few days have been so lovely and sunny, the tomatoes are ripening and the orange flowers seem to have absorbed the warmth and light, they're so orange they're almost purple. I brought some inside to draw but my lines don't quite capture the orangeness...


So I took these photos instead!

Wednesday 8 August 2007

peppers...

Matt has had the computer with him at work for the last few days, so that's why I've been quiet...


But really I think if I had been able to write something here it probably would've been complaints. Because I'm not sure what's wrong with me at the moment. I feel a bit like I'm trying to walk through treacle or something. Like everything is taking longer than it should.



My head just seems to be full of lists; lists of things to do today, things to do tomorrow; lists of things to buy and make and finish; places to go, jobs to do phone calls to make... And it's all on tiny scraps of paper scattered about, upstairs and downstairs and in various handbags...


So yesterday night collected all the lists and wrote everything on one big bit of paper. Everything I could possibly think of. And it does look like lots of stuff but it felt good to get it all in one place.


And actually, looking at it now, it's not that bad really, seeing everything together had made me realise there's probably not as much in my head as I thought (hmmm... drama queen?) I just need to deal with everything one step at a time, in fact somethings don't really need dealing with at all, just remembering... perhaps I just need to pull myself together! You know, I spend all day at work sorting things out, being extra organised, prioritising my work load and generally getting stuff done... If only I could transfer those skills to my real life...


Anyway, I'm going to go and mess around in the garden, plant some seeds or something and stop my head whirring...


Oh, and the peppers and chillies are ripening in all this sun, I wonder if they'll be spicy...