Things that make me happy: 4

My lovely studio...

a very happy place to be!

Rebecca

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Things that make me happy: 3

Blue skies make me very happy indeed...happy Wednesday from sunny Yorkshire!

Rebecca

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Things that make me happy: 2

I love making bread!  When our last bread making machine broke (we've worn out a couple over years!), I started making the dough in my Kenwood Chef.  I just pile in the the ingredients: 

 150g strong white flour

 500g brown flour

2 tsp salt

2 tsp brown sugar

 1 sachet of dried yeast

 1 tbsp sunflower oil

 14 fl.oz of warm water

 and then turn it on!  There's something quite reassuring about the clunking and rocking of my trusty, old machine as it sets to work turning the ingredients into a dough.  I let the machine have its turn at kneading and then I always like to give it a go myself so I tip the warm dough onto a lightly oiled work surface for a few minutes kneading by hand...nothing beats it for removing the stresses of the day!  Using an oiled surface was a tip that I picked up recently from a repeat of Great British Bake Off...it works a treat, so much better than using flour!

Put the dough back in the bowl and leave to rise.

Then, when the bowl is filled with pillowy dough, comes the joy of knocking it back and kneading again before shaping into a loaf or rolls.

Leave to rise again.  Then bake - Gas 7, 30 minutes for a loaf and 20 minutes for rolls - and enjoy the lovely smell that fills the house!

Last night's loaf!

The happiness continues...

with a big bite from a door step of sandwich made with last night's loaf....delicious!

Rebecca

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Things that make me happy: 1

Happy Monday...the beginning of shiny, new week so full of possibilities!

Primulas just fill my heart with joy!

55 pence for a pot of sheer delight!

What's making you feel happy today?

Rebecca

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Purple

 Without really thinking about it, I seem to be enjoying a lot of purple at the moment:

new towels

a work in progress for the studio

purple sprouting broccoli

and, very sad I know, but I'm even enjoying using my new, purple floor swiffer...it makes such light work of picking up all the bits and pieces on the studio floor!

Rebecca
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The best kind of post

A secondhand book I ordered from America and 10 packets of veg seeds I knew nothing about! 

(My lovely mum-in-law thought I might like them!)

Makes a nice change from bank statements and bills!

Rebecca

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Flea market finds

Today is flea market day, which means that I shall be taking a wander round the stalls at lunchtime.  Last week I found so many lovely things, I could hardly believe it...and all for a grand total of £5.60!

Old books, crochet cottons, vintage buttons & snap fasteners...I'm in heaven! A vintage embroidered table cloth for 25p - it has a huge hole in the middle, but I'm not worried about that as it will be used to make more handbag mirrors or magnets.  An enormous pillow case with a beautiful crocheted edging, also for 25p.  I usually end up paying a lot more for vintage linens like these so you can imagine my delight!

Two pressed glass bowls at 20p each.  There was a lovely pale blue one too, but it was damaged so I shall be on the look out for another one of those - I wonder if there are other colours too...green perhaps?  I found one lonely etched glass (20p) and this has now joined some others of the same design in our glass cabinet ready for when we next "pass the port"! A very grubby coffee cup in a box full of crockery grabbed my attention...I love Portmerion Botanic Garden and thank heavens for dishwashers!

As you will see, there are a lot of flowers amongst my finds:

I love these old books with floral designs on the front - this one is from the pansy series.  I've been crocheting pansies too using one the crochet cottons that I bought for 50p.

So much for so little...I wonder what I will find today?

Rebecca

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£1.50's worth of happiness

I love Sweet Williams

Great British flowers in a crochet covered jar


£1.50's worth of happiness!

Rebecca
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Raining, cats and frogs

Yesterday brought us rain...something that farmers and gardeners have been praying for over the past few weeks. However, it doesn't seem to have made much difference to the water level in the pond at the bottom of our garden, which is 7 or 8" down, lower than we usually see it at the end of summer.
Each year we have lots of froggy visitors who return to the garden to lay their spawn in the pond...they often arrive two by two, like this pair!

We take pleasure in hearing their froggy noises and checking on their progress as spring progresses each year, but this year the pond has not been so busy and we were quite distressed to discover at least six dead frogs a few weeks back. At first we wondered if it was some sort of disease that had affected them but, on doing more research, it seems possible that these were frogs that had hibernated at the bottom of the pond over the winter and had not been able to survive the long period of extremely cold weather that we had. Apparently, the dead frogs float to the surface as the temperature rises.

It's such a shame, but I am not surprised. It was so cold for so long here. We had no end of problems with burst pipes and pipes that were blocked with ice. Here's the ice that my dad and son removed from the pipe that drains from the bathroom sink:
The pond was frozen solid too.

The dead leaves, twigs and bits have been removed from the water and there are several live frogs in the pond at the moment. We are also saving any rainwater (when it comes!) in buckets and containers to help raise the water level in the pond. The buckets are empty again at the moment...apart from when Audrey cat decides that they are for playing in!

Of course, rain is also much appreciated to keep things going in the raised beds, especially now that we have started to enjoy the taste of our labours! Rocket, cut-and-come again lettuce, and spinach all doing well
...except when sabbotaged by this shy one, Daisy, who has decided that these raised beds might just have been placed as giant outdoor litter trays!

Bring out the wire netting, twiggy sticks...

Back soon,

Rebecca

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A garden coffee break

Whenever possible I like to have one of these in the garden:
and take time to look around at what's happening and enjoy things,

like the fragrant wisteria blooms that are almost coming to end.

I like to see how plants are coming along, like this bay, which is a new addition to the garden. I shall be keeping a close eye on this one as we've never had any success with growing bay, but love to have it around as we use it so often in the kitchen. Hopefully, this one will survive!

I'm also excitedly checking the new raised beds daily for any signs of activity from all the seed planting that went on a few weeks ago. So far we have spinach, various salad leaves, including rocket, which is a real favourite of mine, spring onions, beetroot and, I think, a glimpse of a carrot seedling or two. Oh, the anticipation...I am so looking forward to abandoning the supermarket salad leaves and picking my own fresh from the garden again.
I also check up on the various plants and pots that are being taken in and out at the moment so as to avoid any sneaky overnight frosts. Can you see a glimpse of a yellow bean?
These seedlings are doing very well...

and, if they continue to do so, the garden will be full of these, which is no bad thing as we love tomatoes! After all, who can resist a plate of gorgeous homegrown tomatoes with basil and mozzarella drizzled with delicious extra virgin olive oil served with some crusty bread!

As I sit, or wander around, I am not alone...Audrey, or Audrey Hepburn as she is known when she is misbehaving, is at my feet. Here she is, having one of her funny moments, hence the blurriness: She has been a great addition to the household and has brought smiles and laughter to some very unhappy times this year.

When my 7 year old niece was staying with us in February, she could not get to grips with the name Audrey and kept calling her 'Ordinary'! She certainly is no 'ordinary' cat...I've never known one to lay like this:

Here she is beside me while I work...oh, what a life!

Bye for now,

Rebecca

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Chuffed

As you know, I love old books so I always have to have a good rummage through all the boxes of books whenever I'm in a charity shop, or at a jumble sale or flea market!

Just over a year ago I bought a 1949 edition of Dorothy Whipple's Because of the Lockwoods - you might remember me blogging about here. It's taken me a while to read it, not because it's a difficult read, but mainly because the only time I read is at bedtime and I tend to fall asleep, which is most annoying! Anyway, such was my enjoyment of this book from the outset that I vowed to look out for more of Dorothy Whipple's work. I have since purchased the Persephone edition of Someone at a Distance, but I really like to get my hands on old editions...there's just something about the old ones! So you can imagine how chuffed I was to come across this one recently at a local fleamarket:

No dust jacket and a little bit of damage to the spine, but I'm not bothered about that...I'm a book lover, not a book dealer! It has an inscription inside the front cover: "To Dad, With Best Wishes from John - Christmas 1941", which just makes me love it all the more! And, at 50p, I was even more chuffed!

I couldn't resist bringing home the needlework and dressmaking book - again 50p! It was a text book at Bingley Grammar School for Joan, Kathleen, Mary and Barbara, girls of Form 5A - I cannot be sure when, but the book is the 1937 edition. It is full of useful information, as well as snippets that make me smile, such as the advice when choosing the style and colour of a garment: "The Stout should always avoid bouffon style. Taffeta, for instance, is never a suitable material for a stout woman"!

I'm home alone today so, if I finish this now and speed through all my chores, I must just have time to read a little without nodding off!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Muddy delights!

Thanks to our allotment-keeping friends, whose son plays rugby with ours, this is what came home from rugby training on Thursday evening:


Crates of mud-covered beetroot, courgettes, squashes and spinach...a very pleasant change indeed from the muddy boots and dirty washing that usually lands in the kitchen after training!

Spinach and potato soup is simmering away as I type, the beetroot is ready for the oven and I've been consulting my Women's Institute Book of Preserves and Pickles for chutney recipe ideas as the courgettes are more of marrow proportions! I love pottering around in the kitchen...the simple things make me so happy!

Back soon,

Rebecca
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Summer

One of the things I love about summer is watching the garden come alive with colour. I love the vibrant shades of orange of this gorgeous lily that has come into bloom this week. It was gift from a good friend of mine some years ago and I am always amazed when it bursts back to life from its seemingly empty, weathered terracotta pot that stands on the patio all through winter. This winter its pot was even piled high with snow and ice for days on end, but it's still grown back...the wonders of nature!

Another thing that I love about summer is being able to have breakfast in the garden...I sit on the bench and just watch for while...bliss! Ooh, and another thing I love about summer...the fruit: the other morning I had muesli with yoghurt and nectarine, which was delicious! I know you can buy so many summer fruits all year round now, but I tend not to: I prefer to keep to the seasons. It might be all in my mind, but I think the fruit just tastes better that way!


I do hope the summer weather continues as I shall be at Hooton Pagnell Summer Fete on Sunday and I've been soaked there too many times before! Hooton Pagnell is a gorgeous South Yorkshire village with a fascinating history and the Fete is always good fun...even in the rain!

I've lots to do to get ready so I had better go...

Back soon,

Rebecca
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Proud & Smiling

At the beginning of May I taught my 9 year old niece, who lives on the Sussex coast, how to knit. We began with my very simple egg cosy topped with a pom pom - she seemed to grasp it really well and has been knitting ever since!

This morning I received such a lovely surprise in the post...a knitted lavender pillow accompanied by a handwritten letter from my niece! I am so touched, especially as it is her own adaptation of the egg cosy pattern...I shall treasure it!

I think that her knitting has come on beautifully and I love receiving handwritten letters because, as you know, I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl!

Back soon,

Rebecca
(proud & smiling auntie!)
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Gifts from a handsome, young man...

my 4 year old next door neighbour gave me a love heart that he had painted and a bunch of radishes from the garden!

I was so touched!

Bye for now,

Rebecca
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1 today!

It's been a year since my children persuaded me to start blogging and what fun it has been!

I have loved taking photos of little things that I would never have bothered with before (like these Easter chicks waiting to go to one of my craft workshops!) and, looking back through my posts, blogging is such a wonderful way of keeping a record of happenings and life's simple pleasures that I might otherwise have forgotten about!

I have also enjoyed discovering other people's blogs over the last year...there are so many wonderful, funny, thought provoking, interesting and inspiring blogs out there - thank you all!

Some might call it being nosey, but I think we are all a little curious about what other people get up to and blogging gives us a peek!

So, to celebrate a year of blogging, I thought I would have a giveaway! I'm not sure exactly what it will be yet, but it will be a collection of goodies that relate to things I have blogged about over the last year - more details will be revealed in future posts! As it's Easter and the children are at home, I shall make the draw on St George's Day, 23rd April, which gives everyone plenty of time to enter.

To be in with a chance of winning, just leave a comment in response to this question:

• What do you enjoy about blogging/reading blogs?

I look forward to reading your comments...

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Positivity=Creativity

Despite all the not so cheery things that are going on in our lives here at the moment, I have decided that I am going to keep my blog as a place of positivity and creativity...or at least I shall try to!

I was back with the Brownies this week to finish off the egg cosies and here are some of the end results:


I was delighted when one of the girls told me that her dad had bought her some knitting needles this week and when another was excited to tell me that she had started to knit a scarf. All the girls seemed to really enjoy themselves, knitting and nattering, with a few exclamations of "I can knit!" along the way - so pleasing bearing in mind the "I can't do it" and "It's too hard" from the first week's session! How sweet too that one Brownie asked Brown Owl if I could join them on Pack Holiday next week!

The lovely Calico Kate asked me for the pattern for the little egg cosies, so here it is:

Most of the Brownies used 7mm needles and DK yarn, which gives quite a loose knit, but grows quickly!

1. Cast on around 20 sts - needs to measure at least 12cm when stretched across your needle.
2. Knit until your work measures approx. 7cm.
3. Cut yarn, leaving an end of approx. 30cm and, using a wool needle, thread this through all the stitches on your knitting needle.
4. Remove knitting needle and pull yarn to gather the top. Then, with right sides facing, stitch the side seam. Fasten off and darn in loose end at beginning of cast on edge.
5. Make a small pom-pom and stitch it to the top of your egg cosy!

Well, as my boy is pleading starvation, it would seem that it is time to go into the kitchen, but I shall be back tomorrow with a First Anniversary post - it's hard to believe that I have been blogging for a year already!

Bye for now,

Rebecca
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Springing back

The garden is 'springing' back to life...these 'Dorothy' crocuses have begun to flower this week:

There's some froggy business going on in the borders:

Fortunately, I heard these two rustling around as I hate being surprised by frogs when I'm hanging out the washing! We have a pond at the bottom of the garden and each Spring we see lots of frogs springing their way back there - it's quite amusing to watch. There's always one that wants to come into the house, which completely freaks me out! I refuse to open the back door until I know that it's gone, especially after having a frog join me in the kitchen a few years ago! Of course, the children think it's hilarious - "look out Mum, there's a frog!"

It's such a glorious day here today - the sun is shining, froggy noises are coming from the pond, Spring flowers are beginning to colour the garden, washing is drying on the line...and all's well! The arrival of Spring may have been delayed, but there's no holding it back now.

Back soon,

Rebecca

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I'd forgotten...

how difficult it is to learn to knit! Trying to teach sixteen Brownies how to do it soon reminded me though! Most of them seemed to enjoy it and were keen to learn but, of course, there were also some "I can't do it" and "It's too hard" girlies! I am hoping to have them all knitting away by the end of next week's session!

Pink was a popular choice!

So...I now have 16 balls of wool attached to 16 pairs of knitting needles, each with a row of cast on stitches (or not!/or knots!) that, by the end of next week's session...

will become one of these:

Looks like I have a bit of untangling and knitting to do this week so that each of the Brownies will be able to take home a little knitted egg cosy in time for Easter!

In the meantime, I've been inspired to have a boiled egg for lunch!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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Time

Blue sky...such a welcome sight after so many cold, dark, wintry days!

On Sunday, I decided to move the garden bench into the sunshine and sit for a while with a cup of coffee and a piece of flapjack...and just enjoy! Oooh, it was so lovely to feel the warmth of the sun on my face - the last time was so long ago! It was not sunbathing weather by any means as I was wearing my thick cardi and fleece for warmth elsewhere, but it lifted my spirits no end!

It was lovely to see signs of spring around the garden, to watch the birds come and go, and hear them twittering from the tree tops. It reminded me of one of my favourite poems, 'Leisure' by William Henry Davies (1871-1940):

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

I am so looking forward to spring and more opportunities to sit and stare...it didn't take long and made me feel very happy indeed!

Back soon,

Rebecca

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