Trundling tractors

On Sunday (what a wet and dismal day) we were in the lounge when Himself noticed a vintage tractor trundle by. Then another and another and several more. We stood watching and grinning affectionately at the absurdity of ancient workhorses out for a damp Sunday run.

Suddenly Youngest asked for my camera and stood at the window and snapped as many as he could - I could have kicked myself as the first few tractors were positively archaic and would have been wonderful to photograph.

Never mind.

Here is a selection of the ones that Youngest managed to capture.

A few of the drivers were grinning but most were wrapped up and hunched over their vehicles, not surprising really seeing the weather was being up to its usual standard.

The weekend before we had a vintage car rally through the village however, we were out on the hills having a wonderful walk so missed it!

Let there be light

Our loft conversion for Youngest kinda slowed down - circumstance, work, enthusiasm, the weather, life, whatever all got in the way and the progress shuddered to a halt.

But now with the first tentative hints of spring we have both felt a little more enthused to start again and what better way than to have a window put in!

We have been bowled over by the wonderful effect it has had on the house.

And on us!

Look at all that sky out there!!

Finally the 'building' is nearing an end and the 'decorating' can begin - that can't be bad :)

Prickly as a Pan-cat

Our dear little Pan is somewhat of a prickly character and we affectionately call her our 'catcus'.

Recently something has set off an allergic reaction and she has scratched and scratched and shredded her face with her back claws.

Much to her horror she was carted off to the vets and was prodded and poked and pronounced to have sensitive skin, given an anti-itch injection and a cone of shame.......

Not surprisingly she ABsoLUTEly  hates wearing it and turned her back on us. However, after the first 24 hours she realised that we have hands that can scratch and tickle and brush all the bits she can't reach. She has for the first in her short little life has allowed us to brush her and stroke her with out  the usual grumble and quick get-away.

After a few days, her sore head was looking a lot better so we thought that we'd tentatively remove the cone of shame and see how she would cope. She frantically washed and washed herself and then ran around and skipped about like a spring lamb......then.....started to scratch again.

Back went on the cone of shame...............she was mortified and sat in the corner.

We tried not to laugh (too much or too loudly)

It wasn't easy - don't think she noticed (much)

*Sigh*

Wild life and witch craft

We don't live that far from Pendle Hill - famous for all sorts of witchy happenings and spooky things.

A couple of weekends ago we walked up a sister hill to Pendle which has been peppered with sculptures. Aitkin Wood clings to the side of the hill with a winding pathway meandering through the trees, here huge spiders and flying bats lurk above head height.

A witch hunter, carved from a single piece of wood, stares solemnly out from the undergrowth. In his wooden grasp he holds the deeds to hunt down Alice Nutter. Down the valley a chained sculpture of an incarcerated Alice walks to her doom.

Further down the hill swarms of bats and a huge spider web catches the sunlight.

 

I loved this gateway -  the roots  jammed in the circular frame seemed tortured as they tried to stretch free.

 A tall totem of pot 'stones' with it's spirals and glazed circles stood quietly in a glade -

 inviting touch and investigation 

 Trees - already felled had taken on a new life - with sinuous snake like forms.  

Magic still lingers in this area.....................

To love or not to love.

You know when you live with someone or something and you accept them for what or who they are? Then suddenly you realise that this acceptance is a form of laziness or self denial? (Gosh this is getting deep!)

Well, this is how I was. All last week I was getting more and more annoyed and cross - with the CARPETS in my house.

They (the carpets) were less than fresh, seeming to actively hang onto dirt and look generally grumpy and grubby.

They had certainly rubbed me up the wrong way! 

I borrowed a super all-dancing-all-singing-all-washing carpet cleaner and AmaZiNgLY I now have gorgeous clean carpets, sweet smelling carpets that make me smile and the cat sniff suspiciously at - but oh so cleeeeeeeeean! Happy ? Too right!

And to celebrate such springlike cleaning effort my boys took over the kitchen and baked some heavenly (and calorie loaded- but I wasn't going to count) goodies.

Eldest made a delicious mountain of orange scented Shrewbury biscuits and Youngest made a succulent lemon drizzle. Himself was delighted!

I on the other hand will not dwell long on my efforts.....I have been put to shame by my two mini-bakers....I made scones and forgot to add the baking powder........so ended up with wizened briquettes - sigh.

And you?

Did you fall out of love then back into love with some one/something?

Did you 'forget' to count calories?

Did you forget to add baking powder?

Go on spill the beans -  make me feel better against the baking competition!!

Blue skies and skylarks

Yesterday we walked with our heads in sunshine. We were surrounded by blue skies and skylarks. Each time we stopped for a break we found ourselves a small babbling stream to sit next to. The boys built 'dams' as we contemplated on the reflections.

There was an awful lot of view appreciation and treasure finding.

 It felt wonderful being outside after all the weeks of less than encouraging weather.

The sun was warm and the boys and I now have a  fresh sprinkling of freckles emerging. 

Our walk took us through farms and over moorland

The fields nearest to the farmsteads were filled with lambs, some tiny little bleating slips 

and others already chunky lambs, happily running and playing in 'schools'. 

 

I took along my knitting, managing to finish and cast off the back and start the front. 

 The sleeves are still proving to be challenging - down to the translation or lack of translation 

so I am going to find another pattern and adapt it to fit.......wish me luck!

 As we neared the car, we were met and accompanied by several Swaledale sheep. They, unusually, seemed fairly unconcerned about us. This breed often comes across as semi-wild, preferring to leave a safe distance between walkers and themselves. This flock's apparent disinterest allowed me to finally get some decent photos instead of the usual fleeing woolly backside as they disappear over the hills!

A good good walk - leaving us all feeling refreshed and ready to tackle Sunday and a day with a borrowed carpet cleaner.......Ah, I know where I'd rather be - back out on those hills with my boys.

And you?
How was your Saturday?
Did you get out in the delicious sunshine?
Do you sprout freckles?


PS: the carpets are a lot nicer to live with now.

Grrrrrr

Sorry sorry sorry..... but I have had to reinstate the comment verification again.

For the last 48 hours or so I have been bombarded with spam comments all ending in ....and for more information go to my blog at www.madeupname.con or congratulations I love what you have written but it could have been better if you did it like I do - check it out on my blog at www.upmyselfnbetterthanyou.net.

However, as a sort of compensation - when you do the word verification, don't bother with the number part - just ignore it and you will still be able to submit your comments.

Not much of a post, sorry, it has been a strange day at work. It was if all the good karma had been jumbled up and come back spiky. We seemed to be rattled yet not one of us could give a good reason why.  Even the weather was unsettled, the sky brooding and the hills felt cantankerous.

Here's hoping for a calmer day tomorrow.

Ta da!!

Just a quick ta da post.

My 'fat shady' which is more of a 'chunky empire bell' than the elegant drum shaped one that originally inspired me. 

 The knitting is all wonky where I attempted to angle the rows to fit the curve of the wire frame.

 

But, once the light is on and the bedroom is filled with the soft glow of a woolly
light - it is love love love xx

Still on the knitting front, the Skepp-o-hoj continues to grow - slowly - a row here and a row there, when I have time and energy, I suspect that Himself will have to wait until next winter before he will be able to wear it. Never mind. 

I did discover that skepp-ohoj  that means ship ahoy in Swedish and there is a 1931 Swedish film of the same name.

Today.

The door clanged open - it has a distinctive sound as it swings wide then clacks shut. I was in the dispensary completing a parcel for a farmer and could hear a gravelly voice speaking to my colleague. I continued with my task in hand when I heard my name being called....
I turned to see a grizzled elderly fellow with a scowly face leaning over the reception counter. His tweed cap and jacket having seen better days were now faded and tattered and his work trousers were covered in muck. I drew a deep breath and went to see if I could help.

The old chap frowned at my cheery greeting and sighed. He started again.....he needed  '  t noyst fer is effa t woon tha were tha green in. Tha wuld know it were t betterun than t newun'

I looked at my colleague who gave me a winning smile and completely confused eyes and said - that's why I called you - I knew you would know...... (great I thought). I turned back to the farmer and asked if he had had it before?

He gave me a long hard stare and said...'ay, t vit brung it round las wek an ee ad used it then but t effa were down agin'
(ok so that question didn't give me any clues as to what he needed)

Then he said.....t vit sed it were in t dispensy fer my an t make sure its t green in'

If there ever was a light bulb moment - it was then......

OOooooh I replied - I know what you're after, excuse me (so that's who the lump of metal equipment on the dispensary floor was for!)

I lifted up the cow hoist and yes it was the green one, the old one which works far better than the new one.  It was the one the vet had taken to the farm to help lift up a down cow and here was the farmer, to borrow it again....now why on earth didn't I get that in the first place?!

I struggled to lift the wayward metal hoist to the waiting man as I offered to carry it to his van. He, with a swing of one hand lifted if off me with ease. He must have been about 70 years old. His eyes deep in his creased tanned face twinkled at my girly weakness, the initially cross demeanour, ingrained with years of toil and hardship lightened up at my apparent ineptitude as he said..na then lass thy needs t git more muscle gi it t me befer yer ert yessel'

All the while I could hear my colleague trying to stifle laughter and failing dismally. Hmmmm.

On my needles...

.......Himself's Skepp-o-hoj.......

 

..............and a Fat Shady - inspiration courtesy of Pickles

I know, I know - I haven't even completed the back of the Skepp-o-hoj but I needed some light relief and a fun shade for my bedroom lamp. I had seen the Pickles Fat Shady a while back and thought love love love, but never actually got round to it. 

Until now......

It has been a 'hard' day today, Himself has been labouring away in the attic re-wiring it and we have been spring cleaning the boys bedroom of doom. We are all shattered and traumatised however we have managed to beat back the mess monster (until next time that is...)

We have however managed to SeRIOusly declutter boxes of outgrown toys and clothing - woo hoo! 

What happened to our weekend?

One blink - and it was gone. 

One swallow does not......

....mean a summer, but it certainly helps!


That and something else I've not seen in ages - shadows.

Yup - Shadows mean sunshine :)

 Giddy dog

Yeah- I know there is a layer of snow still on the ground - but LOOK! 

A ShAdoW!!!!

Eldest 

Us!

Himself, me, Eldest and Youngest striking a pose......

Firstly - thank you for your kind comments about the flowers, I still have a jugful of tulips and daffodils left over from the arranging.

Their sunshiny faces certainly help bring an air of spring into the house :)

Progress report on my knitting - slow and steady (mainly due to my lack of understanding the pattern which is written in Finnish or Swedish) but with help and hints from my knit and natter friends,  the back is nearly complete.

There have been another batch of piggies at work, just as cute as the last lot, only this time I'd not taken my camera in - that will teach me to leave at home.....grrrr.....

And finally - Grammy - the colourful patches on the lambs and ewes are sprays of paint put on by the farmers. 

When the ewe lambs, she is numbered and the lambs are given the same number. Some farmers are quite methodical and will number the entire flock as they lamb. Others will use the alphabet if there are only a few ewes......then there are some that just spray haphazardly a vaguely similar pattern on mum and baby.

Ok, that's enough waffle for now. My knitting, tea and little piece of chocolate are all calling to me and I had better go and see!

How was your Saturday?

Did you get out and about?

Have you seen swallows?

Have you seen shadows?

I certainly hope so! Enjoy the rest of your weekend xxxxxxhawthorn

What a giggle!

On a cold and windy Monday (Himself and I are on a brief break with the boys) we, plus a friend, were out walking on the hills. Said friend had bought himself a 'gopro' camera and was experimenting with it.

The boys decided in a moment of teenage madness to attach the camera to the back of the dog. Not as barbaric as it sounds as our giddy dog wears a walking harness. With much teenage cussing and discussing they finally managed to make it attach firmly enough and stepped back to watch as the dog had a mad moment and galloped around the hillside. We had a good giggle at her antics but it was not until we got home and downloaded the footage that we laughed until we cried.

Why?

All we got was footage of a hairy back and tail and an awful lot of happy huffing and panting as she ran around the field chasing the butterflies in her head!

Another dog made us laugh - not ours this time. As we walked through the final village before returning to the car, we spotted a rather cute house shaped postbox, so we stopped to admire and photograph it.

Only problem was the resident dog took a severe dislike to our interest. However, we could not take it's fierce protective bark seriously as it did wuffed and growled at us whilst holding it's teddy firmly in its mouth....

We did get to see frog spawn - the first we've seen this year! Spring is trying very hard to break free of a lingering winter.   The fields are also finally filling up with lambs. Farmers have had it hard this year with their ewes and lambs - the weather has played a cruel game in their survival - it has been heart-warming seeing wobbly legged lambs appearing.

The easterly wind was still nipping at our cheeks and cutting through our coats when we finally landed back at the car - foot (and knee) sore - but what a lovely walk :)

And you?
What hints of spring have you noticed?
Are the fields near you filling with the sounds and sites of lambs?
Have you seen frog spawn?