Could this be the start of spring?

Last Sunday we went for a walk and I was delighted to find little hints of spring.

Only very little hints mind you - but enough to give me a skip-skip-skipperty heart!

What do you think?

Is it spring?
Is the end of this rather slow and lingering winter?
What do you think?

I certainly hope it is the sign of things to come!

This little piggie.....

Went to the veterinary surgery................

He brought his three little piggie brothers**

Who snorted and snored and snuggled

And grunted and snuffled and made us all smile

We oohed and we aahed and we laughed

As they snorted and snored and snuggled

and grunted and snuffled.

Poor little piggies, one, two, three and four - they'd all come to be neutered - what a way to start a day!

So - what's been going on?

A lot seems to have happened between posts, lots to natter about and photos to share. Think I will start with today and work backwards if that is ok with you?

A dear friend asked me to do the flowers for her mother's funeral, so with her help and Jak's (my mom) and many mugs of tea we set about celebrating a life using flowers.

My friend wanted her mother's favourite flowers and her favourite colours to be incorporated in the bouquets. Fortunately and completely coincidentally I had taken a couple of days off from work so the three of us spent a creative few hours assembling bunches and a wreath, family arrangement, a heart and a 'meadow' for the coffin.

This one - the 'meadow' I was the most concerned about - how to make a 'meadow' out of flowers........?

 So we started with the wreath and once we got into the 'doing' of the flower arranging it became a lot easier. The morning sailed by and we stopped for a delicious lunch that my friend had brought along then we returned to the rest of our arranging.


It was late afternoon when we stood back and admired our work. My back ached from leaning over and arranging and placing the flowers.

But it was worth it.

So - that was my day, I am tired and know that despite enjoying doing the flowers that being a florist is not for me. Tomorrow is the funeral - my thoughts will be for my friend and her family.

xxx hawthorn

very quick ta da!

One reggae-style beanie.
(Well - two)
One happy chappie :)

(Phew - means I can get back to knitting the ronaldsay wool!)

PS - Don't be too grumpy lovely lady - he's very happy (although the beanie is a little too large if I am honest but once on his head he would not take it off!) and you did make the Yarnival very cheerful!

Well, Eldest is off - not a smooth journey start for him, apparently the airport was crawling with police and the flight was delayed by several hours, but he is there, in Iceland and hopefully things are improving!

Today is a lazy day...

...Such a lazy day.

After the last couple of very  hectic days (a combination of lambing time, being at work over easter weekend, stock-take, helping Eldest pack for Iceland as well as squeezing in a goodly walk) I have been sitting and knitting, eating chocolate (the boys are very generous with their easter treats - who am I to refuse!) and just generally being lazy. Oh bliss.

A little while ago I found this pattern and thought I'd make it for Himself, so a few days ago I tentatively cast on and started. A little daunted at the size of the project I had taken on. It will be the largest item I have ever knitted.

So far it is going along nicely but! I have had to put it aside as Youngest has put in a request .

Like everything that has something to do with Youngest - there is a story.......... At Yarnival he fell in love with and bought a teeny-weeny reggae reggae hat**. He brought it home and found a pebble that fitted it, drew on a face and pronounced it 'Stoned'....

A day or two later he was found trawling the internet looking at hats - red, green, yellow and black knitted hats and decided that he had a serious case of the 'wanties'. (sigh)

He has the uncanny knack of wielding just the right amount of pester power and now I am knitting a beanie in the ubiquitous reggae colours.

 A quick cast on of 120 stitches, a K2 P2 rib band then 4cm of each colour in stockinette to cuminate in the black at the top. Hopefully it will be finished this evening then I can get back to the more soothing colours of the Isle of Auskerry Ronaldsay wools.

Oh well, Sunday is quietly meandering to an end. Tomorrow I am back to work and Himself is taking Eldest and his friend to catch the coach for the airport.  It will feel odd not having him around for the week.

And you?
How was your easter weekend?
Have you a favourite project put aside to complete another?
Have you eaten too much chocolate?
Who will you miss this week?

I will, some time during the next few days blog about lemon shortbread, herons and probably post a few more snow photos.

Enjoy the rest of your break :)


** Thanks Lovely Lady - I put the blame of my son's reggae reggae 'hat wanties' firmly at YOUR feet!!!

I finally succumbed.....

...and am writing a post sharing snowy pictures.
*sigh*
 I am so 'over' winter now....

Our village has four routes in and out of it and during the snow we were down to just the one and it was only barely one car width. A friend of mine lives up this lane................. haven't seen her in days!

Youngest 'strolling' over a 15 foot snowdrift.

Guess who?

Well, Left to Right...Himself, Youngest, Eldest, me then the dog......


And right now?
Well, I can smell the lemon shortbread cooking in the kitchen. Think I will go and pop the kettle on and undertake the serious task of test-tasting....I will report back!

It's a hard job, but some one has to do it :)

Ta da-a!!

It's finished and it's on his head!  I tried his hat on a couple of times as I was going along and it is so-oo-oo snuggly and warm and yumscious and I just might have to cast another one on!

Happy? Yup, we both are :)

And to celebrate, I did a bit of super quick baking - 3 oz of butter, 2 oz sugar, 41/2 oz plain flour, rub together until crumbly crumbly then press into a circular baking tin and put in a hot oven (180 deg) until gently brownily-gold on top -about 10 minutes-ish.

Whilst cooling, prick in a pattern, cut into 'petticoat-tails' and then having decided that as delish as short bread is................melt chocolate and drizzle (a bit too generously in places) on top.

 Eat - feeling guilty at the probably calorific damage each one can cause but lick your fingers and hmmmm hmmm and hmmm as you pick off the crumbs and eat them too..............

PS in my defence, I only ate one (promise!) and the boys (all three) finished off the other 7 between them.

Aaah - yum yum.

All gone.

Thank you all for your comments and thoughts as I waffle on, it is lovely to hear what you have been up to as you go along your day.

So - what naughty things have you eaten recently? (Lovely Lady - I am looking at you!)
What  'ta da-as!'  have you to declare?
Hope you all are as warm and cozy as Eldest in his Iceland-hat !
And if you have any warm hats to reveal (art teacher girl!?!) - I would love to see them :)

with love hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ticking over.............

Sitting.
Knitting.

Catling snoozing in front of crackling fire.


Homework done, pjs on.
Computers being switched off.

Youngest wants to read me a story.

Wind still howling.
Snow still falling.

Work still busy.


And you?
What little things have happened through your day?
What little things make you smile?
And are you keeping warm?

love and blessings xxxxxxxxxx hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxx

Iceland Hat

Not quite a ta da - that is, it will be before the end of the week but for the time being I thought I'd share this.....

Eldest 'test-driving' half-a-hat.

He's happy with this half, now to get it off his head and complete the next half!

See the 'line'? Not sure what has caused that, it's definitely not the pattern coz I have checked and it is correct, Himself suggested that I had the tension a bit tight at that point, he could be correct, will do a bit of pulling and shaping in a bit and see if it improves.

How was your weekend?

As fast as ours?

As snowy as ours?

As cold as ours?

Ah well, Monday tomorrow - bring it on!

What I was going to do.............

I was going to talk about the snow we've had in the last 48 hours but seeing that nearly every other blogger has mentioned the 's' word and included lots of white coloured photos, I decided not to.

So,  instead I shall mention what's been cooking in the hawthorn household's kitchen after we'd been out for a walk in that white stuff! (ssshhh wasn't going to mention it!)

A favourite of the boys (all three and me if I am honest) is home made pizza.  So I set up the the breadmaker (which joy of joys has a pizza dough setting) and while it was pounding and rolling and warming the dough I made a rich onion, garlic and tomato sauce, chopped peppers and grated cheese (cupboard a little bare at the moment) - so a simple topping was the order of the day.

It was munched.................rather quickly.

Years ago - bc (before children) I used to make a tarte aux pommes but in the way of life and little children, recipes and meals simplified and changed and in some cases favourite recipes became forgotten. Til today.


I rediscovered my original recipe and decided that today, today was a good day (due to being kept indoors by a blizzard - oops wasn't going to mention that.....) to revive it.

Funnily enough that was all eaten up too - 

I have been knitting too, my deadline looms closer (Eldest flies a week on Monday to Iceland) and the hat is growing nicely but not quick enough, so I better stop waffling and get on with knitting!

Right, managed to not mention (too much) any snow ! 

Enjoy the rest of your evening - I'm off to knit in front of the tv and the fire - bliss xxxx

Snow day

Despite the weather reports and the news items - I was still surprised at the amount of snow that had fallen over night. We checked the school website and much to the boys delight it was declared closed due to the weather conditions.

I was very hesitant about driving to work - it is a 40 minute drive over some gorgeous (wild) moorland and in places the road is very high and exposed. So I resorted to a less icy occupation for the day - knitting!

The original hat I was doing for Eldest was just...not...working......grrrr

I was frogging after every few rows. The yarn was splitting, twisting and felt too 'cotton' like despite it being a wool cashmere blend. I was not happy and I was wasting time on attempting this wip, so I frogged it for the last time and started another.

Eldest came and rifled through my stash and chose a dark grey in Merino DK by 'Knit by Numbers' for himself, we then went to Ravelry and he chose a design called 'Graham' and now I am happily knitting (well, I am knitting, but not necessarily happy as my beloved camera seems to be on the blink.......b****r)

So Eldest has been taking photos of the wool and pattern but....bless him..... it is not the same!!

Gratuitous catling photo

It's growing! Soon will be time to change the pattern.

So - how was your Fri(snow)day?

Did you get any crafting done?

Is YOUR camera working???

Right, nuff now, off to get a few more rows done. Stay warm and keep knitting !