Five on Friday - Gratitude

A gentle way to end the week - to be grateful for small pleasures over the past seven days which have made my life a happier place.

Fruit cake, cheese and coffee
A hug in a mouthful. If you've not tried it - why not? And how soon can you give it a go? Heartily recommended.

Stout walking boots
Been walking a lot this year - as part of my #walk1000miles and particularly now, as the deadline looms, I have to knuckle down to over 4 miles daily to make sure I complete. With the shorter daylight hours, commitments and general December busy-ness, we are doing a lot of dark walks. Knowing my boots will keep my feet warm and dry make it so much easier.

Crochet
The rhythmic action of hooking the yarn along the row - very calming and almost meditative. Allows me to think, satisfies that 'downtime stress syndrome' demon, keeps my fingers busy and my lap warm. It also seems to satisfy a certain small cat who deems it necessary to weigh down any crochet work as part of her daily routine....

Decent hand cream
My hands suffer this time of the year and lately have taken a real hammering. - I have recently inherited the family eczema (I am late to the party) and now the tips of the fingers of my left hand are cracking and splitting. As long as I slather on the cream and top up target places after every time my hands are wet - it seems to be working.

Cat Purr
There is nothing more comforting.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wow

Then this happened this morning......

Now it has to be said, I don't 'do' pink.

To the point of revulsion - the men in my life 

will take the pink mug or pink bowl I am offered 

and I get to have the blue/green or any-other-colour-but-pink.

I am not even keen on pink flowers in the garden

(ESPECIALLY next to yellow - that to me is an absolute affront to my eyes!!)

However, there are some very noticeable exceptions.

This.

This I love.

It might because it is not insipid baby pink, 

or tutu neon pink or plastic gender-specific toy pink.

It is a symphony in shades of tangerine, peach and orange 

right through to tempestuous purples and angry blues.

Delicious.

❊ ✱ ✲ ✳ ✴ ❂ ✵ ✶ ✷ ✸ ✹ ✺ ✻ ✼ ❄ ❅  ❆ ❇ ❈ ❉ ❊✱ ✲ ✳ ✴ ❂ ✵ ✶ ✷ ✸ ✹ ✺ ✻ ✼ ❄ ❅  ❆ ❇ ❈ ❉ ❊

And a gentle reminder that tomorrow is going to be a link up for Five on Friday - Gratitude. I have added the link up at the bottom of my post - if you are joining in, just follow the link up instructions and lets gently celebrate the good things in our lives xxxxxx

One Word Wednesday

Sublime

Wool-gathering

That fuzzy glow. 

That spark from the sun giving bright highlights. 

The kink in the ear from the short horn.

The margin of chin hair shining brightly through a few random long whiskers.

That supercilious look down a rather handsome nose.

Wonder what goes on in that woolly brain?

Thoughts like .... 

...'oh, it's ewe. With that camera thing again, sigh, 

will you stop clicking your tongue to get my attention,

oh bugger - I fell for it again ....'

or,

'Ah, baaaa-ling, sOo good of ewe to stop by, I was just thinking 

how good I was looking today...'

or even....

'I wish the sun would come out, I can't feel my ruddy feet'

how about...

'Today's improv, I shall be doing my best tea-cosy impression ... Ta-Baa!'

probably something more akin to this.....

Wool-like tumbleweed drifting slowly across the sheep plains inside that small brain,

rolling gently along

whilst being accompanied by banal lift music.

Morning. Welcome to my world......

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

On Friday I will be doing a link up for a 'Five on Friday - Gratitude' and if you are wondering what to do, just have five things that have happened this week that you are grateful for, no need to waffle huge amounts unless you feel you need to, you can just simply list them. If you have a photo to add, that is fine but if not - that is fine too. If you want a hint how I did my last 'Five on Friday - Gratitude' have a look HERE  

Until tomorrow xxxx

Morning Monday

Crisp underfoot

Crisp air

Icy cheeks 

Icy fingers and nose tip 

Freezing hot air in my lungs 

Clear brittle cold skies 

Never have I been so pleased with the cold,

.....me, 

a lizard, 

a cat,

a fire side creature.

We have walked every day this weekend and it was brilliant.

Thank you everyone who joined in with last month's scavenger hunt - once again there were wonderful photos and stories - it has been such a delight seeing and reading all your posts all through the year. 

As I mentioned that the scavenger photo hunt is being rested for December - I am sure we all have enough to do during this month. However, I will be doing a 'Five on Friday - Gratitude' on each Friday, a gentle round up of the week and what has made me feel happy and grateful. If you fancy joining in, just let me know and if there is enough interest, I'll do a link up with that post - shall leave it in your hands :)

I best get on, the next two weeks are already shaping up to be busy and it is only the second day in December!

Have a lovely and Happy Monday

November's link up party

Welcome!

*

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

*

November's words and photos

Previous post edited to reinsert the photos - hopefully everyone can see them now xx

It is time to share our images with this month being the final one for 2019. There have been some amazing images and lovely accompanying stories with them - thank you everyone who has joined in during the year. We will pick up again in the new year for January's Scavenger Photo hunt. Keep your eyes peeled for the words which will be released some time during December.

Until then - here are my words and pictures for November 2019 - enjoy.

Seasonal view

The view through the studio door a week or so ago - was a rather dismal day and it took so long for the space to warm up that I retreated back to the house to work - being closer to the kettle as compensation does go some way to make it better however, I do miss that 'setting off to  play work' feeling of shutting the back door and going through the garden with the cats and dog tagging along.

Oops

Oh dear - a rather muddy Moss. 

Seashore

The view from the edge of the Rubha Hunish Peninsular, Skye, it was this holiday that made me realise that my job and the people who were there (not all I hasten to add) had been the reason for my stress and I would have to do something to sort the problem out.  It was a major step to leave, but I did and although still not fully the person I used to be, I am so very much better. It was also, coincidentally, the last time I've been anywhere near the coast and I do miss it.

Card 

A birthday card to my brother. It still gives us a giggle when we see it.

stripe

This is one from the archives, it was a slouchy beanie and the description did say it was comfortably large and ideal to tuck hair into. I felt to be knitting for ages and when I stitched it together I could not believe how big it really was. It was ripped back the same day as it was finished. 

mega beanie on Eldest's head

My own choice

This had been a candidate for 'oops' but when it did not make the grade, I still wanted to share this little snippet about the county I live in.  Charming.

 Any hoo - happy Friday and all that :) Off now to check out all your lovely photos - speak soon xxx

Sunshine, you are my sunshine (not)

Edited to reinsert the photos - hopefully everyone can see them now xx

Sitting in the gloom - who turned down the colour button?

It is so grey and dank today that I am on line trying to sort myself out a daylight lamp so I can work. I do already have a really good one which lives in the studio, however has a clamp type arrangement so is not easily portable and it requires a sturdy surface to grab on to. The light also has the tendency to turn into a large and unwieldy monster as soon as I release it from the table. I have never known a lamp take on Houdini like characteristics as this one. 

So I am just looking for a table top version ............ but why, I ask myself ........... has it taken nearly and hour and a half and required a dip into Pinterest, a dabble on FB, a bit of blogging and tea drinking to decide that .... yes ... getting a daylight lamp is a good idea and ..... no I have not chosen one yet.

Procrastination medal of the day just about to be awarded to..... Me!  

And yes, that is another daylight table top lamp there, but as you can see - someone small has decided to top up her Sunshine D levels. We need one each .......

Right, I seriously must get on, I have feather paintings to do, ACEO paintings to finish and a lamp to order. Until tomorrow!

xxxx

Wednesday waffling

Firstly - hello to my new followers - there have been a quite a few recently - welcome to my little corner of the blogisphere - do say hello and I will pop over to your blog and say hello back!

We've been painting Youngest's bedroom - his room is in the attic and has exposed brickwork which is making painting hard going, no sweeping strokes or easing rolling. The brush has to be loaded with paint and 'scrubbed' into the brickwork making sure every vintage nook and cranny in the hand made bricks are painted a clean bright white .... I can see it taking several coats. 

We opened the window letting in the cool night air and I was gently surprised to see a inky black sky full of stars -hopefully the skies will still be clear today - I am getting cabin fever as is the dog and we both need to get out and walk.

Still on the theme of painting, my sketch from yesterday - still work in progress but as the colours began to appear - it made me feel really happy - need to finish it today.

Right best get one, must also finish the needle felting commission and start my next one. Have a lovely 'tipping day' (Tipping day I hear you say? What's that? Well Wednesday is known as tipping day because it is tipping you towards the weekend!)

xxx happy tipping day to you too xxx

'Bear'ly 'hare'ing along

The house is gently quiet, I can hear the occasional vehicle trundle by, the tap tap of the rain on the roof and as usual the radio entertaining itself in the kitchen.

I am contentedly drawing and designing patterns for an upcoming idea I have - shall see how it plays out - but first my mug is empty and that needs rectifying.

What are you up to today? Not sure what the weather's like where you are, but yet again it is wet here. There is a damp looking female blackbird hopping up the pathway - good thing the cats are fed up and have gone back to bed!

Best get on, out this afternoon at knit and natter - except I'll be taking needlefelting, working on a commission at the moment - a BooBoo the Bear keyring.

Yea gods, they are playing festive songs on the radio - gah!

Monday musings

Good (damp - again) Monday morning. I am sure when I last looked it was still Friday - where have you gone dear sweet weekend? You are sorely missed.

Thank you everyone who voted for my work - every little bit helps - the closing date is end of the year so no one will know the results for a few weeks yet.

Although we did manage to get out between the driech drizzle and the essential weekly shop over the weekend - these photos are from Friday's walk.

I best get on, still working on commissions for chrimbly and have to make festive type stock for a festive fair coming up in a couple of weeks - which is difficult as I am not inspired in the slightest - I get annoyed at the jingly music making inroads on the radio, the festive adverts being bombarded at me from all corners and I don't want to be part of that - however, I have to get on - so, I shall stick the kettle on and make myself a large and frothy coffee and walk determinedly down to the studio and 'get to it' - wish me luck!!