Tag: homemade & crafts

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dear diary :: just stopping by

Just thought I would drop by and say hello – where has the time gone? (That same old question!!)

I have been battling recently….not with Covid or any illness, apart from my old age aches and pains, but just with life in general and in particular the pace of my life. Recently I have not had the time to stop and think let alone write a blog post as I am experiencing many upheavals that I hadn’t actually bargained for.

Currently, both my daughters are on the move and requiring a little bit of help. One daughter rents and her move is imminent the other daughter is trying to prepare her house for sale and although we cannot help inside we are allowed to go in the garden now so we have been giving that a bit of an overhaul.

Added to which we have had the usual trips up to north Yorkshire to visit and check on my mum whilst my sister has had a little respite from caring.

Since my last post both Mother’s day and Easter have been and gone (both quiet affairs for us this year) and little Freddie has gone back to nursery. The house fell extremely quiet when our services were no longer required but we had a load of jobs to catch up on and we are still wading through the list.

In between the usual jobs around the house I managed a few hastily made cards – including these 3 tiny Easter ones for each of the grandchildren…..

….a few simple stamped ones for my family and friends…..

….and one for a friend who sadly lost her daughter this month a few years ago.

We have continued to walk without little Freddie with us and discovered more new tracks and paths near to where we live with glorious views stretching out towards the moors.

One day we had to collect a machine part from Buxton for the chain saw so we packed up a picnic lunch to eat in the car and then took the opportunity of stretching our legs around the lovely Pavillion Gardens.

I was overjoyed to see that the Crescent has now been completely renovated – over the years we have watched its demise but now it stands once again as it would have looked in its prime. Originally designed by John Carr of York it is a very significant building and popular in Georgian England as a very stylish hotel and spa attracting people from all over the country to bathe in the thermal waters of Buxton. It became a spa destination as far back as in Roman times, when a settlement was built around a clear, warm-water spring that still sends up more than one million litres a day from the original source underneath the Buxton Crescent.  

I have almost forgotten now exactly what I have been doing day to day over the last weeks – but it hasn’t been lounging around thats for sure. There has been a lot of catching up to do in the garden – we lost quite a few plants over winter and the frosts have been quite vicious here attacking the new shoots on the hydrangeas more than once.

Most days have been bright and sunny although still very cold but it has been quite cosy in the greenhouse where I have at last managed to sow some seeds.  The garden is starting to take shape as everything springs to life once more after some very persistent wintry days.

I wish I could say the same for inside the house where we seem to be continually on high alert ‘mess wise’ with a growing pile of things to be put away everywhere I look.  There is still unpacking to finish from the recent trip up north to see mum, this task being abandoned mid week to attend to urgent paperwork, which was not on my task list as it related more to someone else’s problems rather than our own, but nonetheless had to be dealt with.

I managed a few days catching up with my own paperwork – balancing statements, scanning bills and setting up payments online.  DH has made another start on the Laundry room fixing the damp floorboards by the back door where water seems to be coming in.  We ordered a Karcher commercial style vacuum cleaner (like a Henry) on the internet as there is no shop around here that stocks them. We used to have one at the cottage which had to be skipped after the flood; they are really good for those excessively dirty or dusty jobs like cleaning out the car or when decorating and should help preserve my lightweight Dyson which doesn’t take kindly to swallowing up chunks of plaster and grit.

I have in mind that I need to get back to doing a little exercising to ease my stiff back, hips and shoulders which occurs every morning after a night in bed.  I used to be very flexible and even now have a good range of motion but my joint and muscles have been a problem since I had my thyroid removed and I am dependant on taking the synthetic Levothyroxine each day, which does the job of the thyroid but not nearly as well. A lump appeared in my neck a few weeks ago so my consultant sent me for an ultra sound and I am now waiting for a CAT scan so they can see more – after this it might be a biopsy – I am trying not to think too hard about what it might be – hopefully not serious and not a return of the cancer.

Presently, I do feel rather lethargic – more in mind than body and with the new ‘ease down’ everyone is out and about but I am finding the crowds and the busyness out there quite overwhelming and even after a short walk to the village I can’t wait to get back behind our own front door, back in the peace and quiet we have grown accustomed to now.  Up until today we have not even attempted to go out to the shops (other than the usual supermarket run for food) or to sit outside in a café – I just don’t feel I want to mix in this overloaded environment.  It all feels rather artificial and for the moment I am quite content staying at home. Having said that we are about to pack to go up to Scotland to our cottage but we will be keeping ourselves to ourselves up there; I feel certain the jungle of a garden will keep us quite busy. It will be amazing to be back by the sea though I have missed the sound of the waves at night.

I have little other news to tell so I won’t ramble on but before I go I must say welcome to my new followers that have appeared in my absence; even though I have written no new posts for a while – I can only apologise for the lack of attention I have given to this little space and hope to do better. And thank you Cathy for your kind message it has spurred me on to write this post.

I hope all my readers are well and enjoying the better weather. Once again I have so much catching up to do – story of my life! I might even manage a post or two when we are up there. Until then…..

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dear diary :: moving swiftly into March

It feels like winter again here – we awoke to a dense grey landscape of fog this morning and I could easily have pulled the covers over me and stayed put. There was no wind but the damp coldness seems to penetrate through to the bone and after a jaunt around town for paint samples, plastic water pipe and screws I was glad to get back home and in the warm.

It is perhaps just as well no gardening was undertaken this weekend as the little shoots springing up here and there are better off hidden and protected by the dead leaves and stems of last year’s plants which I leave for this reason. Our garden is 700 feet above sea level here with the Pennine hills looming above us at about 1600 feet over the ‘Isle of Skye’ road (a local name – you can read about it here) …..and Holme Moss not far away at about 1720 feet. So we know about cold and chilly weather and I can guarantee we will lose some of the plants over winter.

I bought a nice little terracotta planter from B&Q for my friend’s birthday. I would have planted it up with herbs but couldn’t find any so I bought 3 pots of dwarf bulbs instead. I took it round to him later in the afternoon, rang the doorbell and stepped away. He was delighted with his gift and once the bulbs are over he will be able to grow herbs in it.

Before tea I looked at the February task list to see which of the tasks remained – anything without a satisfying tick against it is rolled over to the March list – to my surprise there were only 3 tasks out of 28 not completed (two of which are craft related and not urgent by any means).

  • Sand down the DAS clay tags I made
  • Cut out the interfacing for the tablemats and tack together
  • Email the new owner of the caravan site by our cottage

I like to have my plan of action mapped out for the month in my year book. I assign a few pages each month for jotting down any tasks and ideas, books to read, websites to browse…..whatever takes my fancy. I stick in cuttings from magazines of recipes, decorating ideas that catch my eye or a new beauty product I might try. It is basically a catch all. Each year I begin a new notebook and the old one is placed on the shelf for reference. This month will be all about Mother’s day and preparations for Easter and I have no doubt a lot of gardening notes.

And birthdays…….. there are lots of those in March.

I am not sure how much longer we will have Master Freddie with us but I know I am going to find it hard when he goes back to nursery; I have got so used to having him here and taking him for walks. He is an absolute joy.

Must go and get some sleep now ready for the early start tomorrow. x

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dear diary :: Sunday snooze before the Monday madness

Do you have days when you feel more on top of your game only to find yourself a bit lethargic the next day? Sunday (yesterday) was my day of very little achievement and after lunch I found myself curled up on the sofa watching Pauline Collins in Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War and trying hard not to fall asleep.

DH was under the floor most of the day yesterday, literally, trying to sort out the leak we had discovered when he had taken some of the floorboards up beneath where the old washer had stood. It smelled damp and further investigation uncovered a pipe with wet lagging. It was the hot feed pipe to a previous washer and although the valve was off it had obviously been leaking a tiny amount of water over 16 years (as that is how old the washer is now). So then more floorboards had to come up in the pantry to trace the hot water feed back to where it diverts off to the kitchen hot water tap. As most washers are cold feed only now and my new one is (we checked) DH was able to cut off and cap the hot feed so there should not be any more problems.

I had to spring back into life and leave the comfort of the sofa when I suddenly realised that it was the last day of February and the 1st March is the birthday of a very good friend and a milestone one too. During this lockdown I have tended not to bother with the date very much – as long as I know when it is Tuesday and I am ready for Master Freddie’s arrival (Mary called him that in her comment and I like it so much that is his new name!) then all is well in my world.

I had to set to and make a card quickly – I copied one I had done before for another male friend’s 60th birthday a few years ago and luckily he likes gardening and has an allotment so I should be able to pick up a gift for him from the garden centre. I wish I had realised before though as we were only up there on Friday getting the seed potatoes. Still any outing no matter how brief is welcome at the moment.

Ideally, as it was a sunny day (though still bitterly cold here) I should have been busying myself in the garden, as all my neighbours have been, but I didn’t want DH to think I had left him with all the rotten jobs whilst I had fun gardening. Not that I can do much to help him at the moment until he gets the pipes sorted and the floorboards back down – I am only the tea maker and plumber’s mate……….so during the morning I had turned my attentions to making a batch of soup for lunch with the bowl of very ripe tomatoes in the pantry – I have stopped keeping them in the fridge now and they do gain a lot more flavour. The pantry is cool and perfect for keeping the fruit and ripening avocados – it always looks quite colourful and healthy in there at a glance. Whilst the soup simmered I finished the last of the ironing pile. I ironed all the bedding on Saturday and changed the bed so apart from a shed load of washing I am at a straight edge with the laundry.

So today is going to be spent whizzing round to B&Q (for paint and sundries), Screwfix (for more screws – never the right ones in the garage) and possibly a garden centre to pick up a gift. I will pack a flask of hot chocolate in case it takes longer than we think. Then I need to gather pace at home to try and make some order of the chaos – we have the big larder fridge from the utility standing in a corner in the dining room and a table full of the utility cupboard’s contents covering the table. Master Freddie is going to have a whale of a time getting into all sorts if it can’t be moved.

DH will also have to gather pace putting down the new flooring – he has lost a good two days now because of the leak and the clock is ticking.

In and amongst all this I have decided that it is time I reorganise all our financial paperwork – I have been using the same system for many years now and it has been fairly good and reliable but I need a change and one that reflects the fact that we have many bills and receipts come in by email and all my banking is done online.

But that is another post.

Have a good day x

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dear diary :: capturing daily life

I suppose in true British and blogging style I need to comment on the weather. There has not been one telephone conversation with friends and family this past week (and there were a lot) when we did not discuss the weather. Ice and icicles everywhere and that biting cold wind. The only exposed part of me when we ventured out was around my face so I doubled up on a very thick moisturiser to try and prevent me getting, what felt like, freezer burn.

Last weekend we stayed home in the warm not even going out for the daily allowed constitutional and I thought I would quite like to have another go with some DAS air drying clay that I bought about 2 years ago…… another project hanging around and overlooked for too long.

I wanted to have another go at making some gift tags and maybe try my hand at some little wall hangers. Although, I enjoyed experimenting with it I can’t say it is my favourite craft and so this might be the last time I do actually use it but it was good to have another go and now I can put that craft to bed. One of my aims this year is to simplify the craft materials that I have by making a decision on just which crafts I am going to focus on as I seem to dabble a bit here and a bit there and never really get to grips with any of them.

So these are some of the little tags and hanging plaques I made – quite cute but a lot of work and they still need sanding and smoothing – but that will be another day.

In the meantime my next knitting project will be for the two girls – Little L and Sweetie – a lightweight summer top in a 4 ply Rowan yarn that I bought last year from the lovely craft shop in Castle Douglas on our visit to Scotland. As I have two tops to knit I will keep it simple and have chosen the plainer of the two styles but have yet to decide on the higher or lower neckline. I am starting now with the hope that I can finish them by the time we see some sunshine and warmer weather. Casting on might even take place tonight if the mood takes me.

The childcare went well this week with little Freddie – he produced some lovely masterpieces with stickers and wax crayons and we managed a walk each day despite the temperature never getting above zero. Stopping to watch the ducks on this resourceful tiny duck pond in the backyard of a nearby terraced house is a favourite but it does make you feel even colder watching them splash about in the freezing cold water.

Even though we felt quite exhausted from looking after little Freddie we made the effort to drive up to see our ‘bubble’ daughter in North Yorkshire yesterday complete with a large homemade trifle and chocolate cake. She is currently on her own with the two girls, Little L who is only six and now being homeschooled (when Sweetie allows). Being just two Sweetie is rather a little whirlwind and a bit disruptive in the home classroom set up! My daughter is also finding it hard to get her own work done to the deadlines she has and many an evening is up until well after midnight trying to work while the children sleep.

She needed a break as it has been a long haul for her since Christmas especially with the schools being closed. There are far more subjects to get through in a day than there is time. We spent the day entertaining the grandchildren to give her a bit of a break and then we had a brisk walk together around her lovely village well wrapped up against the freezing cold.

Sweetie insisted she took a wooden spoon with her on the walk and spent most of the time trying to scoop and eat what was left of the snow on the verges!

Unfortunately, the picture I took is rather blurred but I think you can see that I have captured the fact that she was certainly on a mission.

We went back home to thaw out with some welcome hot chocoate and a piece of the Valentine’s cake I had made as a treat for all of us. Nothing special other than it was heart shaped, filled with fresh cream and topped with as much chocolate and sprinkles as I thought was indulgent but still permissable (which was a lot).

We all tucked in and consumed it without a murmur. Not a crumb left today.

My attempt at making a Valentine’s card for DH was altogether less successful – I was very short of time and had to resort to a rubber stamp again like last year – but, I am told, it is the thought that counts – mine is the one on the right. He made one for me, the one on the left, which is much better and quite sweet.

Homemade is so much nicer and must have saved us a tidy £6 or £7 on bought cards.

So another busy week for us and we are preparing for an even busier one next week which will include Shrove Tuesday and half term – but, like any pancake lover, I have my lemons ready. As far as housework is concerned I have done very little and I feel as if my world is in a bit of a muddle; with Covid, the cold spell and having many of our family dependant on our help it is hard not to feel both stretched and overwhelmed.

 My focus word this year is consistency and how strange then that an email dropped into my inbox about a podcast entitled ‘Why consistency is the key to Success’

It grabbed my attention and I am all ears.

In a nutshell the author of the podcast believes that many of us overestimate what we can do in a short period of time and wildly underestimate what we’re capable of accomplishing over a decade or a number of years. Above all, he is a believer in process over outcome, the journey not the destination.

So my blog is aptly titled as I am all about the journey and my chosen word could be the key to a good year for me.

Then coincidently on the 5th February Freda at Live Simply Simply Live asked her readers ‘are you remembering your word’ …………well, surprisingly, yes I am………does my life reflect my chosen word………well maybe not yet but I am on a journey and little bits of consistency, like the snowdrops in the garden, are appearing slowly here and there.

Have a good week everyone. x