What's a witch's favourite lesson at school?

Spelling of course!

What a witchy day it has been, filled with laughter and silly hats. 

Where trick and treaters flooded our village in a mishmash of zombies and nurses, 

St Trinians and cute cats, masked monsters and sparkly witches.

 Our home was invaded by two special witches, 

... they immediately started casting spells with their pretty patterns

 and halloween imagery,

 it was magical!

Youngest and Himself soon joined in with our witchy coven of laughter and feasting,

all the while being surrounded by lights, pumpkins, candles and bats. 

Now, all witches flown home, food all eaten,

candles finished - we sit quietly,
having had a wonderful day
and special evening.

Thank you my dear sweet witches
for bringing such magic to today :)

October's Scavenger Photo-hunt link up

Welcome to October's  Scavenger photo-hunt participants - enjoy!

If you have joined in with my

Scavenger hunt, please link

with me on your blog :)

Please add your name to the

link up tool below,
just follow the easy instructions,
don't worry - if I can do it so can you!

Now, lets all visit and see your lovely pictures!

#photos #photographs #photohunt #scavengerphotohunt

Scavenger-Hunt for October

'A' is for ...

An Awfully Aggrandised Autumnal Afternoon Adumbration of me! The only time I have long legs ... sigh :)

Lunch

It was leading up to Eldest leaving for uni and I went into 'mother-overdrive' mode and made him practise cooking, ensuring he had many  'how-to-keep-yourself-fed-and-live-to-tell-the-tale' lessons. Three weeks in and he is still alive having not succumbed to food poisoning. One of the first things he chose to learn to cook were Potato Rostis.  They proved to be rather successful and appear to have been cooked a number of times and shared with friends - sigh of relief from his 'trying not to be a helicopter-mum'!

11 o'clock

I'd wondered why the name 'Hosta' had been given seeing it was a wild and moorlandy field on a small Scottish island. Any self respecting garden hosta I knew would not be able to survive the local conditions,  until I realised it was an anglicised corruption of the word Traigh Stir (pronouced something like traystir) then it made sense that to 'Sassenach' ears it would sound vaguely similar to 'Hosta'.

Black and white

One evening walk, when the light was low and the colours muted, the sun softly shone between the clouds making the seed heads glow I loved the contrast of their pale diaphanous forms against the rock of the walls. However in the colour image they looked insipid. When I took it in B/W it suddenly changed. The flimsy twigs came to the fore and became delicate yet striking architectual forms.

Looking up

On Wednesday we spent a day in York and as we are not often found in a city, or a town for that matter, it always fascinates me what goes on 'up there'. Craning my neck as we walked through the winding streets provided many strange and intriguing decorations or plaques from hundreds of years ago. I was spoilt for choice. I did eventually plump for the most craniest of necks photos - a shot of the York Minster. I nearly fell over backwards for this one! It does look like a fairisle knitted yoke jumper at this angle. Or is that just me ...?

'T' is for ...

Hidden in the undergrowth, on the grounds of Malham Tarn Estate, a series of orienteering tags.

This one caught my eye last week when I walked down from the walled garden with wildaboutworld one lunch time. It would be silly to miss this opportunity :) snap - job done.

Landscape

Last weekend, while Youngest was at his weekend job, Himself, Eldest, dog 'n I went for a walk around a local reservoir. I took my usual plethora of photos, but none stuck a chord. Until I saw this one. Two of my three men, the dog, sky, water, hills all bathed in marbled sunshine. An image, a view worth treasuring. 

Two

As we exit our back door, we can see in the far distance these two sentinels. High on the sky line, last week I noticed how striking they appeared against the autumnal skyscape.

Swing

In my mind, I'd already chosen an image for 'swing'. However, when searching for it, I rediscovered this little group of happy pictures. It took me back instantly to that day, when the boys were little, Giddy Dog was still young and well, still giddy. We'd stumbled across a homemade tree-swing and spent a happy half hour as the boys flew around squealing with delight or demanding to be pushed ever higher. A gentle reminder of a lovely day.

My own choice

We have a Stag's Horn Sumach tree in a large pot at our back door. Every autumn it gives us a blazing display of colour as the leaves change before falling and entertaining the cats who 'hunt and kill them'. This year was no different. However, this time, I noticed the leaf variation from summer green to autumn red were all still on the tree, so I collected one from each shade, laid them in as best a gradient I could and took a picture. Now, ten or so days later, the tree is only clothed in faded golds, the green shades all forgotten.

#photos #photographs #photohunt #scavengerphotohunt

Broadening one's horizons ...

We spent a a lovely if not a little (I may be understating that somewhat) busy afternoon in York before adjourning to York University for a spot of highbrow (so high in parts it completely flew over my head) entertainment - 'Analysis of mitochondrial DNA variability in Western Eurasia' in relation to tracing the movement of early man from Africa to populating the rest of the world. Himself enjoyed it thoroughly and Youngest seemed to be quite at ease at the scientific 'jargonary' thrown at the auditorium at an unrelenting pace of information.

Earlier in the afternoon we sat in gentle but delicious sunshine watching a new university rowing team being put through their paces. Step one being how to 'shoo the geese away from the oars'! The coach/coxswain was a rather stridently voiced young man who seem to delight in making his trainees 'step in time ...on the count of ... 1 2 3  ... canoe up ... 1 2 3 ... turn to riverside ...1 2 3...'  The new recruits looked rather nervous as he told them to step in and sit down. Their first few pulls of the oar were predicatively  a little slap stick but I am sure with a bit more 'pull in time ... 1 2 3  ... don't bend your arms only use your legs ... 1 2 3'  they would get the hang of it.
The only negative part of our jolly out - York Minster.
It was on top of our visit list until we saw how much it cost to get in. So we chose to contend ourselves with admiring the beautiful stone work and extensive soaring scale of the building from the exterior.  It is a well documented fact that buildings such as the Minster run enormous running and restoration costs and that these need to be met some how. I felt the initial door charge in itself was a lot, but if you wanted to visit the tower you had to add a further amount, add more if you wanted to see the crypt and so it went on .... Hey ho.

Through out the city were green spaces filled with folk sitting in the sun, fat pigeons strolling around looking out for crumbs and well rounded, well fed, blasé squirrels. We watched them bury acorns in lawns, flower beds, in parks, in gardens, next to pathways, alongside roads in fact wherever there was a space, however small, was a fat squirrel digging up or patting down the soil as they stashed their winter horde - it was rather amusing.

Gentle reminder that the Scavenger Photo hunt is for Friday (a reminder for myself as much as any one). Don't forget to add your name to the link up tool so we can pop over and see what you have been up to :) I am looking forward to seeing all your lovely interpretations and stories :) Until then!

I see that Susan from Granny Smith's Quilting has already posted her lovely selection - talk about being organised!

A photograph inspired by a word, words inspired by the photos - October's Scavenger photo-hunt list - enjoy!

1. 'A' is for ...
2. Lunch
3. 11 o'clock
4. Black and white
5. Looking up
6. 'T' is for ...
7. Landscape
8. Two
9. Swing
10. My own choice

#photos #photographs #photohunt #scavengerphotohunt #york #yorkminster

We get the last laugh - eventually...

Well.
It started when I, blurry-eyed and feral-haired, stumbled out of bed.
Still half asleep I shrugged my dressing gown on and went to the bathroom.
When it all went a little awry - wait, let me show you ...

Remove one cat from the basin and the other from the loo-seat. 

Turn round to clean teeth - remove first cat from the basin again. 

Trip over second cat.

Evict both cross felines from bathroom.

Return to the bedroom to get dressed.

Fettle in a pile of 'scruff-clothes', find suitable gardening clothes.

Put clothes on.

Put socks on.

Start to make bed.

Vaguely notice trousers don't feel 'right'.

Look down - trousers appear misshapen.

Further investigation needed,

trousers on ... back*to*front ...

(Do not, at this point, raise an eyebrow or snort in derision, dear reader - thank you.)

Remove disgraced trews with a flourish of scorn, 

have an excuse ready ...

they're a variety with the zip on the hip, not worn for some months.

Turn them round, 

put them on,

zip up on the correct side.

Hmmpfh.

Return to bed making.

Notice right sock.

On inside out.

Sigh. 

Finish making bed, bend down, 

remove offending sock, 

flip round, put it back on.

Two inside out socks.

What??!

Sit down on made bed,

take both socks off - double check status of 'inside-out to correct-way-round' ratio

put back on (again).

Put glasses on head of unruly hair and go down stairs.

Hear the kettle,

see a mug of waiting tea,

try to remove glasses from top of head,

discover bed-hair has spitefully enveloped glasses and tangled tendrils into the hinge.

Pull.

Swear.

Tug and untangle and swear a little more.

Look pathetic at long suffering husband.

He will chuckle.

Grrrrrr.

Pull again. 

Stand, look fed-up as he patiently unwinds what feels like yards and yards of hair .

Feel contrite.

Make porridge.

Know how Goldilocks felt when eating it.

Finish the lump off reluctantly.

Watch amazed at Himself as he eats his with relish.

(actually relish or pickle or some sort of condiment might have improved it!)

Escape to the garden.

Feel the early morning sun.

Feel the chill of the autumn air.

Smell the gentle decay of the end of season.

Close eyes.

Stand.

Breathe.

Feel better.

Feel happier.

Reach for the tools - for today, 

Sunday, 

we remove that final ginormous, stubborn, ugly, sullen tree stump 

so we can reclaim the garden for us.

Let the day begin. (Again!)

This was the stump. This picture was taken at the end of last weekend.

The tree (well, the leylandii from hell) has been taken down branch by branch,

over the last month, dependant of weather/mood/sons/husband/time. 

I tried to find a photograph of the tree prior to we launched our attack.

Not one is to be found, 

I have managed to avoid including it in any picture of the garden 

due to an insane hatred of it!

Like a rotten tooth - now out!

Woo hoo!

PS That hole is over 2 metres wide and nearly meter and half deep.

Just to fill it in now and re-design the garden. :)

#gardening

While waiting for the rain to cease ...

A harkening* back to my school days,

I have rediscovered a love.

 

And, while the rain is hammering down outside,

 what better accompaniment during 'the making',

than listening to a podcast or three.

KnitBritish 

*US spelling

The joy of knitting!

The sound of the whirling squeak and clunk of my wool winder,

The satisfying feel of the yarn slipping off the knitting pins,

The squashy goodness of yarn - cakes,

The unravelling of self-striping yarns revealing unexpected patterning.

The creating of gifts for special people - 

sshhhh can't tell you who it is for though coz it is a S*E*C*R*E*T!

October's Scavenger word List!

A photograph inspired by a word, words inspired by the photos - October's Scavenger photo-hunt list - enjoy!

1. 'A' is for ...
2. Lunch
3. 11o'clock
4. Black and white
5. Looking up
6. 'T' is for ...
7. Landscape
8. Two
9. Swing
10. My own choice

Please don't be intimidated by this list - it is not as scary as first impressions,

just enjoy the hunt and remember it does not matter what YOUR interpretations are. 

This is the best part - reading your words and seeing your photos, 

enjoying the stories you weave and the images you share.

You ALL have such a wealth of words and ideas.

I will post a reminder in a week or so - any queries, just get in contact :)

Remember to think laterally, interpret as YOU fancy,

be it a current photo or a favourite one from your past. 

We'll reconvene and post our words and photos on Friday 29th October.

Have fun!

Accepting Autumn (a bit of a Ta-d!)

I had greedily become used to the unexpected late summer warmth 

making the softer autumnal days quite delicious and balmy.

The nights have started to contain a crisp feel, 

clear skies making for chilly mornings. 

One afternoon last week, returning from a Moss walk, 

I could feel the crunch of leaves beneath my boots.

They are a bitter-sweet reminder of the season

so instead of just crushing them and feeling grumpy,

I collected a few that had dried reasonably flat.

Later at home, I rummaged out a couple of cones from last year's festive craft box,

to add to the windfall and crab apples I had already gathered, 

as well as a vine wreath I'd twisted a week or two ago. 

With trusty mug of tea at my side, I spent a happy half hour

trying out different designs

with the leaves, cones and fruits. 

Glued them on, then weighed down with pebbles.

 Ta-da!

 

And, true to form, a feather or two tucked in between the leaves.

Stepping back, with, my now empty mug (thank you for all you lovely comments of my mug :) )

I feel quite happy with my little token of accepting autumn, 

I shall be hanging it on my front door as soon as I have finished this post.

Thank you too for your lovely photos for the Scavenger Photo hunt (a few of you have emailed with apologies for missing last month - don't worry! We do this for the fun and the pleasure of it - it is not compulsory!!)

I will be running the photo hunt for October and November but giving it a break for December, I have something else planned for that month (mind you I suspect most of us do too). So here is a little hint of December's plan.

I will be still doing my chrimbly-count-down but with added chrimbly crafting. From the 1st of December until the 24th, I shall be posting a craft a day. Each one will be a quick and easy one and will be ranging from last minute gifts, festive baking, seasonal crafts, decorations and wrapping/making gift containers. 

I am so looking forward to sharing with you all these little tutorials and ideas!  

I shall be posting this month's list of words for our photo hunt over the weekend,

a slightly different slant this time - enjoy!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Happy FRIDAY to you all❤❤❤❤❤❤❤