Looking forward...

Tomorrow we return to everyday life.

Work and school.

A gentle wrap up of the weekend before Monday.

Stranger things have happened,

but to see Pepper washing Pan

and

Pan ACCEPTING 

is 

nothing short of amazing.

My waistcoat grows......

Tomte is still loitering as he needed a little more work on him. 

He needed ears! 

Now, resplendent with little matching flaps,

he and I are happy :)

In my chrimbly hyacinth bowl...

I placed two vintage china 

hen's eggs.

*smile*

Giving a hint to

the coming spring... 

They look perfect there. 

Ah... spring is not that far away :)

*happy*happy*

Dolly-tubs and Possers

Morning!

What a snowy-road-icy-cold-hands-frozen-toes-day it is today! Youngest was so hoping for what their school calls a 'Snow Day' where it is deemed unsafe to open and advises students to stay home. Unfortunately for him, school is 'business as usual!'

I on the other hand had today pre-booked off months ago so am at home with the fire and the cats, feeling a mixture of smug and sympathy for the boys.**

Firstly thank you (again) for your lovely comments recently - it still amazes me that you are out there and take the the time to comment. It makes my heart SkiPPiTy SkiP with happiness:)

I do try and reply to your comments, especially if a direct question has been asked. Today, I thought I'd reply as part of my posting.

My crafty Ta-Da with the posser brought up lots of queries and comments, so I will chat about that.

The posser is an old fashioned clothes washing tool used like a plunger. The clothes would be put into a 'dolly-tub' a ridged galvenised steel large bucket filled with soapy water on wash-days.  The posser was then pounded up and down to 'pummel' the washing clean.  Possers often have a concave base which helps with suction, lifting the washing before being 'possed' back down again.  The word 'poss' comes from the Middle Ages and means to pound or to beat.

I use our posser as a door stop - which is why I wanted to cover the wooden handle as we lift it several times through the day - mainly to allow a cat through... they deem it beneath themselves to push the door open.

** Thank you to my 'hand-model' - Youngest (with his feet on the footstool) and yes- today did turn into a 'Snow Day' I received urgent text messages from the boys saying their bus had become stranded, a truck had slipped across the road and everyone was walking back to the village.*sigh* He got his wish!

Simplex No1 copper Victorian posser, complete with dents and green paint from the now covered handle - love it!

The posser and dolly-tub photo comes from an image from the Museum of Welsh Life as does the next image of a Welsh Quarryman's wife doing the washing in a wooden dolly-tub and posser.

Well, it is still snowing - lighter now though and the traffic is picking its way down the hill very carefully. Most folk seem to have opted to walk rather than drive.  Anyhoo - have a lovely day today - whatever your weather!

xxxxx

A knitting ta-da! and Chrimbly count down 2

Firstly I would like to welcome my new followers - it is such a pleasure when new faces appear and it always amazes me that you actually find my wafflings worth reading - thank you ! x

Day 2 of my advent calender

Two images today - the first is of a pebble in a rather quaint cafe in the town of Kirkcudbright  (pronounced kir-coo-bree) in Galloway. 

The first time we used the cafe we'd blown in after a particularly wet and windy day and sank gratefully on the seats at the only free table.  It must have just been vacated as it was piled up with used cups and sauces and eaten off plates. The waitress very quickly removed the detritus, took our order and as we steamed dry in the warm cafe we chatted about the enjoyable (if damp) day we'd had.

It came time to pay so I went up, leaving the boys to put coats on and pulled out my card......only for the waitress to shake her head and inform me that they did not have a card machine....oh  X*//~"! (so leaving my boys as collateral) I rushed off to find the nearest bank, which thankfully was not that far away. I soon paid and took two rather embarrassed boys home.  We have since returned to that cafe (with cash!) and had another enjoyable visit. We even returned to the same table :)

 My second offering occurred over the summer hols.  The boys school keep changing the uniform every so slightly each year and insist that all students comply - So one warm and sunny day, Youngest and I spent a day hunting down the essential item.  We were foot sore and starving so we left the centre of town and sat by the canal and ate our lunch and look what we were right next to!

Voila!

Festive bauble knitting - I completed by knitting by last Friday and took it for a walk over the weekend so I could take photos.

I have almost completed writing out the pattern - will share soon :)

Joining up with Julie every day as we celebrate the chrimbly count down :) Why don't you take a look and see who else has joined :)

Hats off to Shakespeare....

To 'Ta daa or not to Ta daa' that is the question -
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to knit with
the needles and threads of outrageous stash
or to take a crochet hook against the sea of yarn,
and by opposing - weave in the ends. To knit, to knit
no more and by a sleep to say we cast off
the heartache and the thousand stitches (thanks Will S.)

 

Now. To ta daa or not to ta daa?
Well, on a positive note - Yes I have finished my slouchy and yes it is indeed that - a slouchy. The knit was fast and soft. Squishy soft without being fluffy or nose-tickly. It is warm and cozy to wear. Actually, I am miss-leading you here, it is not cozy, coz cozy implies a warm and snuggly close fitting hat.

 Which, this slouchy is neither. Snug nor close fitting.

My slouchy is bordering on big. Soft and big and almost with poncho-sized qualities. Draped down over my brows and ears and almost resting on my shoulders....again I am miss-leading you. It is not THAT big, but ALMOST!

Again with the positives -it was super easy to knit up, I loved making it as I found it flew off the needles in a soothing and creative way. The colours are my favourites and (I keep returning to this) it is so so super soft and squishy.....but LARGE. Hmmmmmm

A quick rendition of Paul McCartney's The Frog Chorus can be heard in the back of my head - think it is frogging time!

Oh and my apologies to William Shakespeare for my shameless rip off of his famous soliloquy  - and to make amends - here is the correct version......

To be, or not to be, that is the question—
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep—
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks

Now, got to go, we're on the hunt for school pants for Youngest. His school has the endearing habit of slightly updating their uniform every year and making it compulsory for all students to have the new style. This time there is the small alteration of an added embroidered  logo to the trousers - creating a major shortage of that particular style as all the students are required to have them......deep joy. I just *love* shopping (not) particularly for extra school clothing when he already has two pairs of his own (and has just inherited 2 pairs from Eldest) of perfectly fitting and good condition pants......