Twixmas - a bit of this, a bit of that

After a few family filled days, at this moment, it is just myself and a mug of tea. The house is remarkably still and restful with just the hint sound trailing from the radio as it cheerfully plays hits from 2008. The overly youthful DJ announcing that she was only seven when these 'oldie-but goldie' tunes came out - what on earth is she talking about?? - it was only 'yesterday'! Gah - what does she know! 

What I do know is that this year gifts were definitely more thoughtful, more considerate.Something else I know, we quaffed countless mugs of tea - teas of all flavours with many differing varieties of milk. Keeps me on my toes - making sure everyone has the correct combination.

I find at this time of year - the kitchen becomes the engine room of the house, churning out not only meals for hungry tums, but festive treats and bakes too. I've tried a couple of new to me recipes (inspired by the unreachable perfection of instagram) but will need to practice/improve/give up/admit defeat 😆😆. 

The weather has been rather predictably rubbish - that pristine but brittle cold blue sky slid into a driech grey wet blanket with on off miserable rain. It does make hunkering down by the fire rather enticing while dog walks are more a feat of endurance that a pleasure. We have had a couple of gently splendid soft grey and peach sunsets sprinkled liberally with hail - they were bracingly joyful made all that much better by returning home and putting the kettle on with mincepies and ginger biscuits calling out to be eaten.

We will have a couple of days to ourselves, Himself and I, while the boys spend time with their extended families and although a walk or two has been discussed - the weather, once again - will feature somewhat!

There is something about this time of year - it makes me restless - I feel the need for an adventure, not quite on the level that Bilbo Baggins undertook however - I can feel that need rising.  

Do you get that stirring of restlessness or (if you are in the northern hemisphere) happy to hibernate?

 And one last image - a fuzzy-zoomy photo of Moss as we performed a double quick march to get home before the hail shower pinged our respective noses even more!

 

Something to get your teeth into🍪❄️🎄

On Thursday - the only day we all had time spare - we baked our marathon-relay-tag-team gingerbread festive biscuits. Making sure we had enough to share and to scoff, there was a lot of rolling and cutting and cooking. 

Whilst we were waiting for the biscuits to dry, Moss took us for a quick dog-loop before the weather closed in

Once we'd returned there was a bit of a mini panic when I could not find my icing kit, so Himself and I galloped off to purchase a replacement icing nozzle set (which in the end meant going to five (yes 5) different shops until we eventually found enough to get started.

It could be said we had fun! We now have aliens, snowmen, gold and silver stars, festive trees and pigs ... yes pigs!

Despite all the 'taste testing' and 'pre-icing nibbling' we still managed to fill three jars - perfect for sharing😊🍪

And if you fancy a mad marathon baking sesh of the gingerbread kind - here is the recipe....

350g (12oz) self raising flour

10ml (2 tsp) ground ginger *

100g (4oz) butter

175g (6oz) light brown sugar

60ml (4 tblsp) golden syrup

1 egg - beaten

sift flour and ginger*, add sugar.

Soften butter in the microwave, stir in the syrup then add the egg - mix well

knead til smooth, roll out to about 5mm (¼ inch) thick. Choose your favourite seasonal cutters and have fun!

Lay on to baking trays (either greased or lined)

Bake at 190°c  (375°f) for about 10 - 15 mins until golden.

Cool slightly then finish on a wire track

Decorate to your heart's content and scoff!

* I doubled the ginger, added mixed spice and then for good measure a pinch of ground cloves - I wanted a very festive hit in each biscuit!

They don't last long...

Holly & Happy

 Thank you.

I have been greatly touched by your comments about my tentative return - I was not only surprised by it's sudden return to me but also by the fact I hadn't realised how much I had missed the interaction with you lovely folk whilst posting my version of normality💙💜

Sunday - today, is miserable. The weather has gone from that crisp Baltic blue sky winter to a driech mushy grey wet disappointment. 

So, Himself and I busied ourselves inside, trying to keep warm whilst tackling a few jobs which have been on our list of 'things to do' (some of them for quite a while).  I will share one of our tasks once the family have seen - don't want to spoil the surprise!

I can share with you (and heartily recommend) my latest baking - Mincemeat Shortbread from Jules of Along the Way. I have made them before, a couple of years ago but had forgotten how absolutely delicious they were.  I can see another batch needing making fairly quickly😊

The tree is up - over the years, I have not felt the need to plaster the house in festive decorations, paring it down each time until I feel gently satisfied with the result. This year is the most minimal (the most Scandinavian) I've ever gone and it feels right. 

Time to put the kettle on, Youngest and his lovely girl will be here shortly and I think those mincemeat shortbread will not eat themselves 😆

Before I go - are your decorations up? have you gone for all the glitz and pizazz you can to brighten up the season or simple and minimal?

And do try Jules' recipe and if you do - drop her (and me!) a note if you can and report back - coz they are definitely nom nom nom!

Wow - a second post, I think I might be on a roll.....

Weaving on a tiny scale

 With rain falling outside and this morning's work completed just in time (despite bumping into an acquaintance I'd not seen to talk to in nearly a decade making me run 45 minutes late) I am now sitting at the table with the radio quietly singing to the kitchen and a mug of tea which - if I am honest - I am not enjoying as much as I would like. Covid has left me with a distaste for dairy......

I thought I would use this quiet time to get started on another mending request. However - this one is not all about the show and tell but the invisibility of the patch. A form of Kaketsugi (because my version will never be as amazing as the Japanese artform) which entails finding a piece of fabric which matches, then gently unravelling enough thread on all four sides to weave in to make the original pattern.... easy right? Nope. It is a wonderful form of meditation and frustration in equal measure. I will get it done, I am determined to do so but I am on hold at the moment as I need a new needle threader - I just can not find mine. 

Fortunately these trousers have a pocket on the back which had been stitched shut which meant I could 'harvest' a decent sized patch. The hole was tatty and shredded so I neatened the edges and cut off the surplus threads.

Then began the enjoyably mindful task of gently' un-weaving' a row at a time until there was enough fabric to cover the hole but sufficient thread to weave back into the main body of the trousers.

Lining up the weave turned out to be a little problematic when I discovered that within the plaid patterning there were further smaller weave stitches which are different in each block, I knew the patch could only go one way otherwise it would not match - eek.

All the photos I have taken through my magnifying crafting light - something I sigh a sigh of relief each time I use it as it make dealing with the teeny tiny so so very much easier!

My biggest hiccup was the size of my needle. I had the perfect super slender bead needle which slipped through the weave with ease, the problem was threading it - even with a needle threader it was nigh on impossible. The next size up was also too difficult to thread so I finally settled on a slightly thicker one again and finally managed not only to thread up but to weave through.

I have just woven the cream and mustard threads (where my snippers are pointing) and I am pleased with the effect. Time to slurp a mug of tea with the barest of drops of milk and get on with it!

All I can say is .... watch this space (I won't say hold your breath - I may be quite some time weaving in those threads) this is super slow sewing at it's best!

The 'hole' weekend

It appears that a three day weekend seems to go as quickly as a two day one. Today, being a bank holiday, was a quiet one. There had been a palpable sombre tension in the air, although now mid afternoon, life seems to be returning with cars driving through the village and dog walkers scattered on every path and lane.

Himself's jeans before (with massive knee tear) and after with the Ganzezashi pattern also known as the sea urchin stitch

Having finished Himself's pullover and with a serious crafting/sewing itch, I tackled a pile of jeans with various holes and tears.  I am still inspired by Sashiko and used motifs from a book which Eldest and his lovely girl gave me a little while ago.

Eldest's jeans with a simple concentric circle pattern and a Jujitsunagi named after the kanji character for ten which suggests prosperity with ever increasing tens - I left one character unfinished to imply future prosperity still to come

Eldest had managed to tear holes in a couple of pairs of fairly new jeans so they too were reinforced with supporting fabric and more Sashiko inspired stitching. We'll be seeing them this weekend and I will happily hand over two pairs of hole-free jeans.

Himself knocking holes in the lounge chimney breast, and in the attic wall, 

Eldest and Himself up on our roof - manhandling the  flue into the chimney

Speaking of holes, Himself has been mending holes too. Our woodburner flue - the liner running up our chimney came to the end of it's life - which entailed removing the degrading pipe and replacing it with a new and substantially better version. The original plan was Youngest, Himself and I would do it several weekends ago before the weather turned.  Himself had already demolished sections of the chimney to be able to reach and remove the offending flue then covid hit us and we could not continue. Neither of us felt well enough to lift and pull over 12 meters of metal piping up on to the roof and feed it down the chimney - we had to wait until we felt less rubbish. Fortunately last weekend Eldest came and with the three of us - I tried my best limp wristed help when ever possible - hoisted the piping up and fed it down. They were fantastic but it did take all day and they both came away with bruises and grazes.

Holes everywhere! But definitely being filled back in!

Now this weekend, Himself filled the holes, cementing the bricks back in. We then tidied and cleaned up the construction mess - it felt really good (read exhausting) to get the attic room looking nice again.

Who could resist?

Whilst we were having lunch, a little furry face appeared around my knee and asked if we could go for a walk - so we did. Via the 'dog lead-o' (lido) and that little furry face was so happy (and wet!) It is a while since we visited the neighbouring village well.  It is a year round dog favourite (hence calling it the dog lead-o). The water is bone cold even in summer but it does not seem to deter a certain dog!

Water dripping off her face as she had been trying to get her frisbee out of a rather deep hole in the 'lead-o'

Himself has lived in his new pullover and mended jeans (which I am secretly rather pleased about) and even let me take photos of him modelling them on our walk this afternoon.

I may have been looking on the internet to find another pullover for him - a simple Guernsey - I shall blame my need to knit!

And, does the fire work now the flue has been replaced? Well, it seems that it does and someone is rather pleased it has been lit.

The final note - the swallows have gone. So has summer. I am trying not to let it get to me. Bring on the knitting!

Have a good week xxxxxx

Take it easy Tuesday

There is definitely more than a hint of autumn in the air today. I can taste that metallic toffee tang which curls around the garden at this time of year. I am having a quiet day, first day back to work on Monday and despite all good intentions of being gentle with myself and allowing the garden team to continue with their fantastic efforts - I ended up walking nearly five miles (I have just checked my tracker) which goes someway to explain when I returned home last night I could barely move off the settee! So today's private gardens will have to wait another week - fortunately I have a very understanding client and it was she who suggested I take it a bit easier today.

I have finally (after how many attempts? over how many years?) finished Himself's North Ronaldsay Aran  light grey jumper. I bought a bumper pack of the wool when it was still affordable (just) and it sat in the stash cupboard until I was ready for it. I have just been on the website and see that the price has more than tripled, very glad I purchased it when I did. 

As a bit of an aside - with all the knitting and unpicked the various attempts, it meant that I ended up with several pieces of wool which needed joining together. Years ago, I used to knot the wool together until I learnt to splice - which I find give a far better finish. I might be showing 'how to' do it to those who already know but if you don't - hope this mini tutorial helps 

• Make sure you have a nice length to work with - about 5cm on each piece of wool to make the splice
• Untwist the ply - I used a large tapestry needle
• Splay the individual strands
• Combine the two pieces together by alternating the strands then ensure they lie against the opposite piece of wool
• Dampen your free hand slightly and begin to roll gently between your palms, checking to see if the strands are still in place
• Finally roll quite vigorously back and forth to 'felt' the fibres together until you are happy with the join.
• You can - if you fancy being brave - tug reasonably firmly to check if your splicing has worked.

The splice I made is in this bit of knitting - about half way up on the left. So all that remains is to gently soak the finished jumper and block into shape, Himself and Youngest have both tried it on and considering what it had to go through to get to this point - it looks good 😊🧶The only problem now is I have caught up with all my wips ....hmm so what to do now?

Fortunately Eldest has supplied the perfect antidote to my 'Down Time Stress Syndrome' (yes it is a thing!) by producing two sets of jeans which need a little first aid here and there .... watch this space👖👖🪡🪡🧵

Soothing the not so savage beast

Friday - hopefully my last day home from work, I should be - all things being equal - back on Monday but I am definitely going to being gentle on myself. 

I popped in on Wednesday for a meeting (I say 'popped in' - that makes it sound rather cheerful and bouncy, I should have written ... I shuffled in or I dragged myself in ... to a meeting) and after just over two hours I wobbled my way back to the car and drove home. I can't remember much after that, apart from appreciating the back of my eyelids beneath a duvet. 

Now today, Friday, although not fully fit - I feel alive, actually feel positive and even though I am not full of my normal bounce - I am getting there.

I spent most of Thursday knitting - it certainly made me feel as if I was mending. Then, reports regarding Queen Elizabeth's death hit the news and swamped every form of media from edge to edge. I found I was watching from that edge, an outsider, observing how the country was being engulfed. Knitting and observing.

Then a little later J from Winters End Rambler said this ...

1. Home alone and having just turned off the telly. Sad news, but on repeat was just making me feel awful. I think this could be the winter to get more reacquainted with my knitting needles and crochet hook. I used to wing many a knitting project...not sure I'm brave enough any more. x

   ReplyDelete

I thought carefully and replied with ....

1. kjsutcliffe9 September 2022 at 11:12

   knit - even if it is only one row - knit - it soothes an awful lot of things. Anxiety, lack of mojo, over active mojo, sadness, frustrations, knit and if it doesn't come out right, rip it back. The beauty of knitting is that you can remake it again and again and again. Knit xxx

1. 
   

I then realised that is exactly what I was doing - knitting for my wellbeing. The comfort, the feel of being 'busy' when in reality I was washed out and languishing beneath a duvet. Knitting to keep an increasingly busy brain and a want-to-be-entertained set of fingers satisfied. Having had fairly long separation from knitting made me appreciate it that whole much more.

And - if a little guilt was to slip in and say that the jumper I am knitting is one which I'd retrieved from the naughty bin. For the third time. I sheepishly dragged it out and unceremoniously flung it on the carpet to see how much more was to do ..... to find that all that was required was to complete the raglan decreases on the back and the neck shaping on the front ... then to stitch it together. The sleeves are done, finished and waiting..... ? why had I not completed it?? I don't honestly know.

So - today between gently pottering around the house tidying it after 12 days of neglect - I am knitting. 

So knit, even if it is only one row - knit - it soothes an awful lot of things.

And it feels rather empowering. 

Pass me a tissue - no the whole box

I am, as I type this, late to the party nobody actually wants to attend - both Himself and I have been unceremoniously added to the 'time to get covid' guest list.  

All I can say is that I am grateful (very very grateful) that we have been jabbed.  I would not like to have been poorly without the vaccinations - I felt rough enough as it was. 

Now - starting day eight, I am still testing positive and feeling rubbish but can sense I am over the worst and am (finally) heading in the right direction.  I have had 'standard' flu before and in comparison - this was definitely ramped up however in the grand scheme of things - I know I got off lightly.

Funnily enough (I must be feeling a little more human if I can see the 'funny side') the cat has rather liked the sick bay vibe we have had recently - lots of bed time, duvets at every opportunity, dozing all day and just the minimum disruption to a cat's daily sleep pattern. However, a certain all action hero🐾, despite being such a good girl and so so patient, is about to pop!  I am almost dreading my first day back to work as Moss will surely explode and round up everything and everyone until we are all dizzy and then for good measure I am pretty sure she will do it again just to make sure she got it right the first time. But until then she lies on her bed as if she has melted and oozed off on to the carpet, tongue hanging out and eyes half closed - a coiled spring ready for action.... (you will just have to use your imagination....)

Strangely - time has both stood still and completely disappeared. I can't really recall what happened to last week yet there has been moments when I have sat and watched the clouds move, birds fly, listened to the wind in the trees, watched autumnal leaves fall and felt time stop. 

Yesterday Himself encouraged me to sit outside in the garden (swaddled in a duvet) to get some fresh air, although he was also struck down - he seemed to recover quicker although I feel he was initially hit harder.  Whereas I seem to be 'drifting' and I am well and truly fed up with it. So, today, dressed, with a mug of tea (about the only thing I've lived on this last week) I am kick starting the 'feeling more human' momentum by blogging.

All photos are from our holiday - which seems a life time ago.