Just about bordering on odd, I see things through different eyes.The heading says it all - I live, I love, I craft, I am me...

30/04/2020

April's link up Party!



💚💙Welcome to April's link up party!   💛

Whether you are a regular contributor or a newby (just follow the simple link up instructions below) thank you  💛 for joining in - it is lovely to see your photos and read your stories, and if you are a regular reader or a newby - hello hello hello! kxx

Hope you enjoy our posts this month, just follow the links and please do comment - we all love💕 hearing from you and especially at this time when we all need that little bit more contact when we are having to do with so much less!❤️💚💙


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❤️💚💙   💛

April's words and photos

Hello all,
this month's prompts have been supplied by this lovely lady  Here are my photos and stories, I hope you enjoy x

Happiness.....
is the scent of warm cat fur and damp earth, the emerging seedlings and the promise they bring

Makes me smile ...
Her face when I talk to her - I know she listens.

Relaxing with ....
a new book - I vanish into the pages and walk with the author, I hear his words, see his landscapes - hungry for more

Busy with ...
Weeding, lawn edging, hedge cutting, flower bed rejuvenation, weeding, compost turning, seed sowing, gutter clearing, plant pricking, weeding, corm planting, brick paving clearing, plant splitting and weeding... did I mention weeding?

Positive about ...
difficult this one. I am keeping myself and my family as safe as possible, we are following the restrictions, we cook and eat meals that keep our morale up, I garden and walk and bake. We craft, we talk, we laugh and we do discuss the situation, but we do not dwell on the news or the negativity. It is hard but we know that we need to try. We each have our ways to deal with this strangeness, this difference, this world challenge.  And each day is a day nearer an end and that is what I am being positive about.


My own choice ....
Evening sun on Pendle Hill from Wednesday evening - a blessed escape on the hills as part of our daily walk.

thank you for reading my wafflings, I am off now to read all the other links - #staysafe and keep in touch xxxxx

28/04/2020

In which I tell you a tall 'tail' ...

Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then I shall begin.....

Once upon a time, there were two brothers. One big and one small. Both cute and lovely and sweet and alone.

Both fell out their nest and into our hearts....(ah - yes - I know they are vermin, I know they are an introduced species and I know they are not popular - but they were babies and hungry and frightened)
One, the smaller was so dehydrated we could 'tent' his skin and it would not return, we struggled getting water in until I found a very narrow teaspoon and we poured water into the little mouth.
And he drank and drank and drank and drank and then fell asleep.
The other fell so hard that he bloodied his nose and we suspect had concussion. I held him until his nose stopped bleeding then Youngest took over, holding him and keeping him safe and warm. His mouth must have been bruised too as he refused to take water not matter how we tried. He was so afraid that he tried to growl but he soon gave up as he succumbed to the gentle cuddling.

After a while both lads seemed steady enough to go back up the tree and home to their dray, which they did, both a bit wobbly but up they went.
Later Moss and GF found a dizzy and sorry feeling squizzer halfway up the fence, a little tangled up in the plants - we rescued the confused little fellow, more gentle handling, water offered and refused. He was getting more dehydrated, his skin was 'tenting' too but his mouth was too sore to even contemplate drinking. He grumbled and growled and we returned him to his tree.

Youngest made a feeding platform and we filled it with nuts and a bowl of water and the little one very quickly got the message and began to eat and drink and scale the tree happily even giving us a little sing-song growl if we got too close - brilliant!
However, the larger baby was still struggling, his dehydration and probable hunger drove him out on a tree limb and he fell again - heavily. Once again Moss and GF discovered the now perilously weak squizzer kit, this time at the base of the tree. 
I put my hand out and he weakly climbed in, his little face was covered in blood again. So we once again cuddled and mopped his nose and tried again to get some water into him with the narrow teaspoon and fortunately this time it worked. He too just drank and drank and drank and like his little brother fell asleep. We carefully washed his face as he slept. 
Eldest, GF and Youngest sat patiently with him until he awoke, less wobbly and certainly not thirsty any more, but equally unable to eat - his poor little mouth must have been very sore. Once again he was put back up in the tree and he carefully climbed up past his little brother who was stuffing his face happily.
The last few days have been of gentle intervention - trying very hard not to become attached to the lads, trying not to imprint ourselves on them. Gentle encouragement to eat, trying peanuts, trying sweet potato, trying grapes - anything to get the larger one to eat. Then a sudden break through - when after another wobble and tumble out of the tree, he was tucked in Youngest's fleece to warm up and he suddenly started to eat. 
The little lad lay back and gnawed and gnawed at a peanut until he was full and this time he scampered up the tree a lot brighter and chirpier.
Yesterday , as we sat in the sun in the garden, quietly watching the lads in the tree eating we suddenly noticed that the larger one had come down and was lying in the sun near us. He must have felt safe.
Once he'd had a good nap he bumbled over to ask for some food then found himself another patch of sunlight for another doze. 

When it was time for us to go inside, Youngest carried him over to the feeding shelf and there he had another good snack and went up the tree to bed!





So. Yes, they are vermin, yes - they are seen as pests but, these two little small furry fellows are survivors and with our gentle guidance they will leave the safety of their tree in our garden and find their own way in the world. 

The End,

well, no, not really the end, however, we hope it will end well - furry fingers crossed!

What I have learnt -
they growl, little kitten-growls when they think you are going to take their food,
they grumble and chitter happily while they are eating and they make little chop slapping noises when they are chewing,
they rest their hands on their little tummies when they are full.
They like to be stroked and will gently hold your fingers and lick them when they are hungry and they do like sitting on shoulders ... a lot.

But no we are not getting attached....!

26/04/2020

When walking ...

Rules of Engagement

*Shoes, lightweight converse style with shorty socks 
*Camera - always a camera 
 *Dog - who, at this point may have noticed and begun to get excited🐾 
*Lead  
* Dog poo bags   ✅lo plenty  
Step counter set and ready  
Action Plan

*Step out, turn left, left again then right....
*Follow the dog's nose🐾, she leads the way,
pulling us towards the walk.
*Up the cobbles to Claire's field or the bowling green or 
down the main road and up Rock Lane 'S' bends,
via 'fridge farm' or 'Ol' Joe's Lane'
At the whim of the nose of a dog 🐾
Capturing moments 
Small spots of hopeful talismans 
 Gifts of positivity and love❤️💛💚💙💜
All over the village.
❤️💛💚💙💜
They come and go.
❤️💛💚💙💜
Sharing a colourful message of hope and encouragement 
❤️💛💚💙💜

23/04/2020

What to do next time you stick the kettle on :D

If you are a regular blogger you might remember the little option on the left hand side of the top bar which allowed you to go searching for new blogs to read and follow. That disappeared a while back (all around the time google+ updates and the Cambridge Analytica debacle) any hoo - where this is leading - that ability to go and find some new blogs was lost.

There is another way - one I have used on and off for several years and quite successfully - my most recent 'find' is Mad Englishwoman and Dog. I thought that you might like to try this method of search to look for some new regular reads.

This system works if you have a  account - if you are on another platform, please try it and see if it works for you too and let us know - thanks x


Right here goes......

Go to your own 'About Me' on your page and open the 'View my complete profile'

You will see all the things you listed under your interests,
tap on one that you really fancy seeing more about 

A new page will open with thousands (and I do mean thousands) of blogger accounts. All with the same link you chose. You could choose any of your interests and someone somewhere will have a similar list!




This is not an invasion of privacy - these are up for you to see, it is a directory and if the blogger you open happens to have a private blog, then you will be directed to a page that will tell you same and prevent you going further.

Each one has some indication of where in the world they are, their blog name and a few details of themselves. Just a quick tip - if you see one that you fancy reading - open and check it out - always notice how current it is, I have been caught out once or twice, finding one I thought I would like to follow only to discover that they last posted in 2013!

I have found that, once I am having a look around, I will see a different 'interest' and follow that. It does take a bit of falling down a rabbit hole until you see something/some one who resonates with you, so stick the kettle on, crack open the laptop and have a look :)


Let me know how you do! Good luck and good hunting - EnJoY!

20/04/2020

One for me

Recently I have been making rainbows for folk to hang in their windows. Just a small 'something' that gives me pleasure to make and pleasure to hand over.... this weekend one was made for me and I was absolutely delighted .....


Thank you Fran💖🌈

18/04/2020

Saturday's drop in and say hi post

Good afternoon dear ones,
how is everyone coping?

I am still taking the one day at a time school of thought, with simple plans and a gentle routine, finding the merits and joys in even the smallest things. The fire is on and the house is warm, the dog has been outside with me while I was gardening, seedling emerge daily, house martins circle the sky above our garden, buzzards whistle to each other over the fields behind us. All heartening things.

I'll be honest, I have cut back on the news, only half listening to the radio or ignoring the television, in fact I think we all have reduced our media-consumption - and it feels good. It feels lighter to avoid the bombardment of news and facts which seem to change daily and some times hourly.

Life in our house and the garden quietly bumbles on, and we fill each day with love and companionship, gardening and walking, baking and eating, bird watching and weeding, support and crafting.

It seems that a lot of folk are doing the same - finding simple pleasures doing gently mundane things and feeling unexpectedly rewarded. It goes to show that we do not need the excesses that were pushed on us as essential. 

A simpler life is so much more rewarding in my opinion - and hopefully so much less damaging.

How are you all doing? hope you are not feeling too isolated or at a loss, we are all in this together - reach out and keep in touch xxxx

Some reading and brain fodder that might be of interest ...

Prepare for the ultimate gaslighting   and  Not all Super Heroes wear capes, some wear medals and finally Global C02 emissions fall 

Things I have done today.

Made a Cushion Den for the dog....


 Read a page or two in the greenhouse


Admired and weeded around the rainbow radish seedlings 


Sprinkled sawdust along the edge of the seedling bed to deter slugs, watched intensely by my very able (ish) assistant....


Eaten a brownie with a coffee in the garden


Sifted home made compost - the finer stuff makes perfect potting soil, the rougher left overs are added to the veg trenches to feed them and to help give the heavy soil structure and texture


Making crochet rainbows to swap for surplus books



So, yes - a day full of gentle rewards and positive activities - hope you have had one of those too xxx

#staysafe #staylocal #staysane

16/04/2020

April's Five on Friday - Gratitude

Five on Friday - gratitude

What am I grateful for?

Every night after I have read a bit then turned the lights out, I quietly settle down and run through what I am grateful for. This small ritual has made a huge difference to me.

My family - immediate and extended, human and furry
My home - the roof over my head, the food in the kitchen, the fire in the hearth
My garden - a space to gather, to breathe and to feel refreshed -  now all the more special
The walks we do - all local and even more important now
My very precious other half





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15/04/2020

What is your coping strategy?

During times of stress, different folk use different coping mechanisms.  This particular situation is peculiar in so much that the entire world is having to deal with the same invisible threat.
My escape is my garden and my greenhouse is my sanctuary. 
I love collecting the home made compost from the back of the garden,
 then sifting it so I can fill pots.  
 Then, the wonderment of pricking out of the seedlings and pot up ready to grow on.
The pleasure of making seed blocks with the block maker,
totally plastic free, I bought this one a few years ago and love that I can,
as an adult, still make mud pies!
Pop a seed in each little depression,
sprinkle soil on to cover the hole and....
voila - little magical things grow. 
I love that our cats share the space too - finding sun spots 
and melting into warm and furry puddles.
Today, during a break, overhead I thought I saw swifts, cue a happy dance,
bit later we decided we may have actually seen house martins,
either way - it was a precious moment of joy. 
I try to utilise as much space in my greenhouse, sort of running a combination of a squarefoot system and forest gardening,
a three layered growing layout.
My floor level is in the centre of my greenhouse and along one side,
 where I will plant directly into the soil - this is the squarefoot section.
The midlayer are large pots filled with homemade compost, 
and the top storey are the hanging baskets.
 Kneeling down, close to the soil, hand picking out the weeds, as a solitary-ish pastime 
is quite liberating. It frees my mind to wander and think, 
or not,
it allows me to breathe in the scent of the earth,
it allows me to hear the birds who seem to be in fine song at the moment,
it allows me to watch the small mini-beasts
 that occupy the compost in the trenches.


 And, you will have to humour me here, I love the way my gloves, the watering cans and soil sifters hang above the waiting beds .... sigh .... (a happy sigh)
For the last couple of nights and again tonight, I have been in and 'tucked up' my little emerging shoots beneath newspaper. The frosty nights and early mornings are still quite sharp.

I come out of my happy place a whole lot happier,

how do you cope?
What is your strategy to survive?
what is your coping mechanism?

Do share, it might help others who are struggling -  #staysafe #staylocal #staysane #gardening