How time flies ...

...Previously on...

Me: 'What do you want to do for your birthday?'

Eldest: 'Nothing special'

Me: 'Do you want something different to eat or to go out or...?'

'No, nothing special ...unless..'

'Go on'

'Errr - Fondue?'

'Ok - fondue it is then'

So, a fondue it was on Friday evening. Complete with the usual shenanigans between boys (ALL boys of ALL ages) how is it when my family get together all the boys instantly revert to naughty teenagers (I am looking at you Dad!) Mind you my brother and Himself were no better :) 

But it all made it a rather fun evening.  There was the usual accusations of 'theft' when fondue forks were 'accidently' taken and the morsels eaten and there was the usual out of control and breathless giggles from my mom and *whispers a confession* me too! 

The type of laughter that renders you incapacitated with tears rolling down reddened cheeks. We can get giddy and high on life and laughter.

Earlier in the day,Youngest painstakingly made nine origame serviettes - cranes, dragons, owl, cat and elephant for the table. It kept him quiet for nearly an hour, that, when I passed him a mug of tea and piece of cake halfway through he was so engrossed in his creating that he barely noticed! 

The table, originally groaning under food, was eaten practically bare and we retreated to the lounge to sit around the woodburner to chat while Himself and my brother nailed the washing up and my mom and fav sis-in-law put the finishing touches to Eldest's birthday request - a pavlova. Not just any pavlova but a Meringue Tranche complete with 18 candles.My mom is a Mary Berry Super-fan)

Youngest started to light the candles...

...but soon looked to need assistance...

Sis-in-law joined in......

Soon, my mom lend a hand to light the rows of candles...

Then Eldest did the honours and blew ... it was a rather special moment:)

Thank you everyone who made this evening so special,

I know that Eldest enjoyed his birthday,

as did we:)

Before I press submit - just a quick hello to my new follower - welcome to my little corner of the world :) and just in case any one was wondering who's laptop/tablet/computer I am using ...It's MINE ... all MINE   Mwahahahahahaha!!

Oops sorry - not sure what happened there! (note to self - show some restraint when discussing the return of the laptop).

It's snow fun with snow laptop!

Morning my dears!

I am at home (partly planned and partly enforced) I'd wangled the Friday off so that I could blitz the house and get ready for a certain rather important birthday bash (hint - Eldest has just turned 18 - gah where has the time gone???) when the weather gods decided to hurl a bucket of snow at us and (change that to several buckets) the schools and local roads have been closed.

So I have two teensloths draped on the lounge furniture with their eyes and fingers attached to some sort of mobile device, two cats huddled up by the fire and a husband who managed to dig his car out and slip his precarious way to work.  How plans change in a blink of a weather-god's eye!

My ideas of tidying the house, collecting my much-better-and-ready-to-come-home laptop, spending some solitary me time have all gone **** up and I have already had to stem a momentary wave of manic laughter.

I am using Eldest's laptop as blogging on the tablet is not a pretty thing - it did take a bit of persuasion - to include a 'sad-mummy' face and steaming hot mug of coffee bribe and a cheerful - 'guess what?? It Is A Snow Day!' So while he is perusing his mobile and slurping coffee I am quickly tapping away at a working keyboard.

So, what has happened while I have been away - well I have missed you lot and could spend a happy morning catching up but I best not (especially as Eldest keeps looking at his laptop longingly and making deep sighs and vague remarks in a 'are you nearly finished yet' vein...)

It is a funny thing - a teenager's birthday - it brings back all sorts of memories from a long-away time and country, of hotter climates and hotter times.  18 years has been a lifetime (for him) and a blink of an eye for us, as Himself and I contemplated how much has happened and how very little has changed.

Life is like that. The day to day 'living' often seems to get in the way of doing things, following up plans and dreams and suddenly you remember that years ago you had this amazing idea over time things that seemed so important or desirable have become less so or less achievable. Makes you aware of your own mortality.

When you are younger - life is an impending and exciting challenge with so much 'out there' to sample but now I look back I realise that over the grand scheme of things - life is more of a gentle roller-coaster with the occasional sharp bump or deep dip that over time fade to a minor irritant or niggle.

How ordinary.

Woah! Where did that come from? If this monologue is a result of irregular and snatched blogging moments then the moral of the story is 'blog more and blog often' ..... just not right now - Eldest has now sat next to me and sighed rather loudly, don't think I can ignore that hint.

Well, weather permitting I shall try and rescue my laptop sometime over the next few days and then give back Eldest his laptop and Youngest his tablet. Then all will be right in the universe!


'til then,

speak soon xxxxxxx

Keep on taking the tablets. ...

Sitrep.

1. Laptop still critically ill. 
2. Still using the borrowed tablet. ..hence the blog title. 
3. Been told that I should change my vocation. .. to tattoo artist. 

Hmmm not sure about that but if you were wondering what brought that up, see what you think.

This is just part one,  there more which I'll show you as I go along. 

As for tattoo artist - na, not for me,  I'll stick to scribbling with a black marker pen.

Well the weekend just evaporated in a blink of an eye. .. hey ho, Monday tomorrow,  bring it on!!!

The irksome inconvenience of a non functioning laptop

The irksome inconvenience of a non functioning laptop ... sigh ... blogging from a borrowed tablet is not a pleasure.

However, I had the urge to say hi and see how you all are as I have missed you x

I was lucky enough to wangle some time off and had plans to spend time with my boys.  However a combination of foul weather and the need to complete two very essential power points for work kinda put paid to a complete break.

Now, on a wet and windy Sunday evening I am quietly sitting and knitting. I did manage to get some crafting done, it was almost like a release coz as soon as I'd handed over the power points I got busy. However, you'll just have to believe me coz I don't have the brain power to get my photos off the camera and on to the tablet. So you will just have to be content with a blurred, dark and poorly lit photo of the knitting on my lap snapped by the borrowed tablet.

Right, excuse me, got knitting calling loudly! Enjoy your Monday xxxx

Valentine Dates - a day full of so much xx

 What a beAUTiFUL day it has been!

The sun shone (almost) from start to finish - isn't amazing how sunlight can lift the mood!

As soon as he opened his eyes this morning, Himself was ready for a walk up in the Dales so he chivvied Eldest and I with the tenacity of a terrier until we'd got ourselves ready, breakfast eaten, picnic packed and walking boots on.

(Youngest was staying at a friend's house so they could go and watch 'their' ice hockey team thrash the opponent team 10 : 3 - one happy teenager).

(But before I share our day with you - my laptop has given up or rather, the keyboard part of it has died so I am on Eldest's laptop so please excuse any deviation from my usual layout :) )

 We arrived late morning in Littondale - an extremely beautifully wild and isolated valley. A bitterly cold wind cut right through us, however the pull of the sun covered hills was enough to get us off and out.

I only took the one photograph, the rest were taken by Eldest. He loves using my camera and seeing how cold the air was, it seemed a good excuse to keep my hands snug in my gloves and he takes some really good pictures.

The first photo of the Pixie cup lichen is mine, the rest of the pictures are his.

 Despite the area being limestone, there was certainly a lot of water about so we resorted to our usual puddle hopping. It was all part of the enjoyment and pleasure after being cooped up for so long due to the rains.

 It was such a delight to see snowdrops - they seemed to coat the ground in a delicate spread of white and glaucous green - they made my heart sing.

Along they way we met the softest noses and the hairiest faces around. A couple of Shetland ponies greeted us and graciously allowed me to tickle their whiskery chins.  

The first half of our walk took us along the valley bottom alongside the river then, as we reached our furthest point we turned upwards onto the ridge.  High up on the slope and before we reached the more exposed tops, we stopped and sheltered against a limestone outcrop. We managed to keep out of the sharpest of the breeze as we bathed in the early springlike sunshine - oh it was so delicious - we all felt so 'sun-starved'.

We could not stay too long though, despite the sun we soon chilled down and had to set off again to keep warm. We followed a grassy path alongside an old fence.  Most of the posts had replacement ones alongside and the wire was rusty and red. 

 I loved the way the yo-yo top of the fence posts caught the light while the old roads gouged into the far slopes left dark scars.

 As we stood drinking in the view, we watched a snow shower drift down through the valley. It looked like a veil as the sunlight shone through.

With the area being so remote and wild, farming is difficult so fences and walls are repaired only if vitally essential.  Old gates with even older hinges and latches are commonplace.

I love the tactile nature of rusty metal worn smooth by the action of generations of farmer's hands as they have opened and closed latches, fasten gates, tightened hinges. 

And the title of my post ? Valentine Dates? Well, we love above all other outings - our walks together. They seem to bind us closer and make us stronger. We sit in the lea of the wind and drink tea in silence, alone, together. We listen to the birds, the wind, the river, the rustle of the trees. We breathe in the air, smell the grass, feel the sun, the ground beneath our feet. It is a good time to talk, a good time to listen. We are one... 

We also love eating dates, as seeing that today is Valentine's day, seeing we ate dates whilst out on the hills, seeing Himself thought of putting the two together and seeing Eldest suggested the perfect photo-opportunity - it seemed just right. 'Valentine Dates - a day full of so much xx

 What a wonderful way to spend a sunny (if chilly) Sunday - happy happy happy :)

Rediscovered hearts❤

A while ago, as I was tidying up, I came across a small bag of unfinished felt hearts❤.

Hearts❤ I'd cut out over three years ago

and never completed.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I pulled out the few that were almost done

and with a stitch here and a stitch there and a little bit of stuffing ...

they have been added to my Pask-tree.

Job done :)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

My pompoms now share their space with daffodils -

initially tight green pencils with the tiniest hint of yellow tips,

Now joyously open and gloriously cheerful!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

When I posted these pictures, I remembered I'd been playing with my incense bowl. 

I love the play of light on the wall

while the room fills

with the heady scent of my favorite incense.  

 Think I might go and light it up again -

I love the magic it exudes :)

I usually post a hearty❤ story a day, but work has been so busy that I come home, 

flop on the settee and morph into a cushion.

I can't muster the energy to do anything much more than stodgify!

I have even let my knitting sleep.

It goes to work with me every day,

 and then comes home again.

I don't disturb it,

so my knitting sleeps on ...

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Sweetie ♥♥ Graffiti

As we walk, we often spot trees adorned with various forms of declaration of love.

♥♥

Most are fairly crude but to the point.

♥♥

Some are at beauty spots,

others we have found in quite remote areas, 

miles and miles away from anywhere ... 

♥♥

However, nature seems to make hearts too

In all weathers, these trees look so wonderfully heart-shaped.

And on a smaller scale, this tree wears it's heart ...

on the base of it's trunk :) 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Sweetie Graffiti = the name given to the carving of your sweetheart's name into a tree :)