Pickled!!!

This year DH decided that we were going to grow some beetroot in the front bed, mainly cos he really likes the foliage and if we got some decent beetroot then that would be a bonus.

As well as beetroot the front bed also has carrots in and several tomato plants in. We didn't put the tomatoes in they have grown from seeds that were in the compost! There are also 2 or 3 of our "weird" plants - no idea what they are called in real life.

Anyway this weekend we got around to seeing how the beetroot have done and this is what we got.

Not bad eh? Though I think we'll be planting lots more next year.

We knew none of the kids would want beetroot as a veg so we have pickled them. They need to stand for a few weeks yet but I am really looking forward to home grown and pickled beetroot.

Winding down a bit now.....

Following our seaside trip with have been taking it a bit easier this week mainly just pottering about at home and chillin out. DH has even been into work!

The kids have been playing on the Wii quite a bit and in the garden too. I'd say in spite of the rain but judging by Beans appearence he has thoroughly enjoyed having puddles to jump in!

I took DD and DS1 to meet a friend for coffee in town on Thursday lunchtime. We managed to fit all seven of us round a table for 4 and had coffee and doughnuts. Lisa and I even managed to have a bit of a chat too! It was lovely to catch up with her. I normally see her at the tots group we go to each week so I've missed our chats over the holidays.

On Friday I took the boys up to Lotties for a chat. Again I somehow don't seem to have managed to see much of Lottie over the summer so it was nice to sit and knit and chat for a while. Then it was off to Tesco (DD came too) and then later I took the boys over to a friends so she and I could chat and the boys could play with their kitten.

Yesterday I took all the kids over to my mums, we met her new chickens and collected the World War II stuff she has for DD to use for school. Then in the evening DH and I went to Pizza Hut (cos we can't do that with the kids anymore) and then to the cinema! I think the last time I went to the cinema was to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!!! I'm trying no to think about how long ago that was.

Of course this chilling time has allowed for lots of knitting too.

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside.........

When I took DD swimming last Thursday I asked DH to have a look on the internet and see if he could find anywhere for us to stay overnight so we could take the kids to the beach. When we came out of her lesson I got a call saying he thought he had found the perfect place so I said go for it and by the time we had walked home our nights B&B was booked.


When we went to our Centre Parcs holiday in Jan the kids had been a bit disappointed that they wouldn't be going to the beach so I told them I would take them later in the year even if it was just for the day. Funnily enough they didn't forget and have been regularly asking when we were going all through the holidays so we though we had better get organised and take them.


We stayed on a working farm in a village near Mablethorpe. Having travelled over there Sunday morning we dropped our stuff off and headed for the beach with a picnic. We had a fab afternoon walking on the beach, collecting shells and building sandcastles.


DS1 had a donkey ride too.

And of course there was ice cream.


In the evening we went for a meal at the local pub which was lovely.


We liked the farm so much we are going back next year :)

Hmmmmmm..............

Despite my best intentions it has of course been ages since my last post so there will be a bit of a catch up here.

I've been lucky enough to get over to Babylonglegs a couple of time this month. The second was for a dyeing day with Lottie and Nik (another Rav member) which was brilliant fun. I have to admit to being quite proud of my yarn. I'm looking forward to knitting it up.

I've got a couple of finished items to show off firstly my August socks which are for Bean and have been done in some of my leftover Enchanted from Mamalonglegs.

The second is my Calorimetry which I am very pleased with. So please in fact that I am going to knit another and then I'll search for some different headband patterns. I do love Ravelry.

DH has received final confirmation of his place on the GTP course. Everything is sorted out and ready, just waiting for term to start now.

We've managed to get together with friends a couple of times in the last few days which has been good for me and the kids. J and I took all 6 kids over to Bosworth Park to play on the swings and slide etc and feed the ducks. Bean just loved the slide he went up all on his own over and over again.
Then earlier this week we went with DD's best friend and her sister and mum to Sutton Cheney Wharf. We stopped for tea first cos of the rain and then went for a walk. We got fairly soggy but it was lovely to get out for a bit.

DD has just finished a swimming crash course. She did really well but I think she still needs some more lessons.

My last bit of catch up is to report my last night at work, unsuprisingly it was pretty much like anyother night but I did get some nice leaving presies. Hopefully now I'm one of the great unwaged I will have a bit more time to keep my blog up to date. You never know ;)

Carrotts!!!!!

This is our fourth year of trying to grow veg in one way or another. This year after two rather disapointing years we abandoned our veg plot. I think both me and DH felt a bit sad about it but we have had to be honest and accept that it just doesn't get enough sun early enough in the year to work well. We toyed with the idea of moving it but then the kids would loose alot of garden space and we didn't feel that was fair to them.

So we have set up lots of pots of stuff on the patio. The beans are doing well and so are the courgettes but we normally do fine with them anyway. However this year our carrotts have grown. For the first time ever we have grown decent carrots that I can cook, OK so we had them raw in salad today but still...

So here they are

Can you tell that I am rather proud of them?

My Little Egyptians.

I took the kids into town yesterday so they could play in the sand! Every year the council organise a series of days around the county where they set up some sand pits and other bits and pieces for the kids to play on. They also have an entertainer on hand and this year a belly dancer. The theme last year was pirates, the year before was dinosaurs and this year it way the Egyptians. We took a picnic met up with a friend, saw some other friends (Hi Lottie) by chance and generally had a nice relaxed morning.

Today we all went over to the local park for the Worldfest music event and sat around for a bit listening to the bands. The great thing about where we live is that when the kids get bored and restless we can go home, open the windows or sit out in the garden and carry on listening to the bands. :)

Getting old?

Today is my birthday but funnily enough I don't feel as old as I have done recently. Do you really think that doing some regular exercise courtesy of the Wii Fit might acctually be having an effect. I'm not as tired as I was and though I haven't noticed DH reckons you can see a difference.

And of course today being a special day I have been thouroughly spoilt. DH and the kids, DD knows what she wants to buy and is very capable of making sure it is brought, have done me proud. I got chocolates, two Willow Tree figures and a new watch which I love.

Today we went to Straford Upon Avon for the day. We try to do this once a year. We visited the Butterfly Farm and then crossed the river on the Foot Ferry its the second pic down in the link. The kids and I love it. We went for lunch in town (note to self - I really must get this milk free eating out sorted) and a quick wander round the shops including a visit to Lush where I spent some Birthday money. Then it was back to the car and home for tea and birthday cake.

Looking forward to the coming year I am going to have a go at the Photojojo Project 365 which means taking a photo everyday for the next year. I will probably set up a new folder in my photobucket so I might not blog all of them but I am hoping that as well as making me think more about the simple things I do it will encourage me to blog on a more regular basis even if its just a few pictures. Hopefully it will also get me understanding photobucket better and using it more effectively. Now if I was an organised person I would be able to tell you where I saw the Photojojo first linked, I know I was reading blogs linked to Ravelry as I mouched about doing nothing much but beyond that I'm afraid I really have no idea. So thank you very much to the person whos blog sent me in that direction, I do appreciate it loads and I hope you are having a fab day!

Well here we are again

It seems ages since I posted last but life has been very busy and there hasn't been alot of time for sitting and uploading photos etc. I am promising myself to be better from now on and also not to let DH be the only one who takes photos.

First pics are from a Rock Band night that we went to at a friends house. We had a fab time though we were completely shattered by the end of the night. We're planning more in the future! Though maybe without the dressing up ;)



Since the kids broke up from school I've been extra busy in the days too. Went to Burbage Common on the first Monday and did a nature trail with them which was great fun. The weather wasn't brilliant but the rain did hold off.

Other than that we've just been taking life easy and chilling out quite a bit. The kids are enjoying doing just everyday stuff for now. We have a few days out planned for the rest of the holiday so that will keep us entertained.

On the knitting front I have done a large shawl for DH's Gran, it still needs the tassels adding though so no photos yet. And my July socks are finished, I did wonder at one point if they were going to get done on time but they are. I'm thinking of doing some for Bean for August just so I can get them done a little quicker. However I have hit a small snag in my knitting plans. All my Woolfest stash is still in skeins! I have ordered a ball winder and I will try to get my Dad to make me a swift but in the meantime I am back to knitting from older stash for a little while longer.

And finally a picture of DH's new "toy". We had a tank a few years ago but for various reasons we let it wind down and so haven't had one for a while. This one is a tropical set up and having let it stand for a while we have today added some fish. There is one lurking in the picture honest - the rest hide when I approach with the camera.

Tonight...

... I have lit a candle for my friend Sasha and her family in remembrance of their son Thomas.

I think of you all everyday and I wish you peace and strength now and always.

Catching Up

I don't feel like I have stopped for the last couple of weeks and I know that next week isn't going to be much better but I have finaly found some time this morning to start catching up a bit.


I got back from Woolfest on Sunday evening and spent the night chilling out with DH and the kids.


Monday morning at school I discovered it was sports day in the afternoon so I had to get all my stuff done in the morning so I could still go and watch DD. She was brilliant and even won her heat of the Egg and Spoon race!


Thursday was filled with trips to and from school. It was transfer day so DD spent the day with her new Yr 3 teacher (who she loves already) and DS1 had an hour in school with his new teacher. Then it was back to tots to grab a quick coffee and to pick Bean up. Then I took the boys into town for lunch (getting soaked in the process - gotta love that rain) and then over to my friends so I could look after her youngest while she took her DS1 into school for his hour with his new teacher.


Friday was DS1's playgroup concert. They did the story "We're Going On A Bear Hunt" and it was fab. Tesco shopping the in the afternoon and suddenly the week was gone. I can't even remeber what I did on Tuesday and Wednesday but I know I didn't get any spare time to play online much let alone do my blog.

And today is the school fair!


Roll on next Friday and the end of term. At least the pace of life can slow down a little then!

My Very Own Colourway

And I LOVE it.



Thank you so much Sarah.

Woolfest Stast

I've done a separate post for my Woolfest shopping cos even though I didn't go mad there is still quite a bit of it and or course several photos to be shared.

First up is my sock yarn from The Yarn Yard. Natalie was lovely and I am really looking forward to starting the Orange/Brown colourway. It is next on my sock list! DD is trying to lay claim to the purple/green skien but as she has a specially requested yarn on its way she can wait to see whats left over from my socks.



Next is 3 skiens of Alpaca/Silk DK from The Natural Dye Studio. I spent forever trying to choose this but managed to make a selection in the end. It is destined to be a shawl for my MIL.



From KraftyKoala I got some 50% merino 50% tencel 4 Ply sock yarn in Carnival. It has a beautiful shine to it and it is very soft. I also got a skien of Organically Farmed Merino DK in Waterlilly.



Whilst visiting KraftyKoala I also fell in love with Nic's fishy fabric so I just couldn't resist the Fishy Sock Project Bag, I have ordered a DPN roll to go with it ;)



My final yarn purchase was 4 balls of Regia 6 ply. Not as exciting as my hand dyed yarn but at a price that couldn't be resisted.



I got a collection of bits and pieces including a set of crochet hooks (can you belive that apart from two small ones I didn't have any till now), some small bamboo DPNs for knittting dark coloured socks, stitch markers and some little heart shaped tags which read "made with love" for attaching for finished objects.



And of course my Ravelry/Woolfest vest top which is just fab!

Well What Can I Say??????

It was my first trip to Woolfest and it was fantastic!!!!! I just had such a fabulous time.


I left just after the school run on Friday and drove over to pick Sarah up and then we were officially off :) Despite being long the drive up was OK and thankfully dry.

We went straight to Woolfest of course and spent a few hours wandering around, meeting people and just drinking up the atmosphere.





It was just stunning to see so much wool and fibre in so many different colours in one place. I just didn't know where to start, I think I only brought 3 skiens on the Friday and some stitch markers. Oh and tea and some rather yummy carrot cake ;) And of course Sheep and Alpacas.





Sarah tried her hand at long draw spinning




Then it was off to the campsite (the long way round ;) ) to set the tent up. And my wasn't that fun! By this point it was pouring down and the wind was howling but at least it was daylight. It took some doing and we got soaked through in the process but we did get the tent up in the end and it stayed dry inside.



Lottie arrived in time for tea and then we just crashed out and chatted.




Saturday was bright and clear and we went into Cockermouth to Sarah's favourite cafe for breakfast which was lovely and then we called into shoe shop on the way back to the car. Sarah was trying on Crocs but it was me that ended up buying a pair!!! You have to admit though they don't look like your average Crocs and they will show off my hand knitted socks beautifully.



Once back at Woolfest I brought more yarn and more goodies and wandered around again just looking at everything. We tried on hats.





Later we just sat and knitted for a while before a last spend and a last look round.


Sunday morning we had to take the tent back down, pack everything away in the car and then it was back to real life. In the rain again so not such a nice drive but the music was good thanks to Sarah's DH.


I had a wonderful time with fantastic friends and it was great to meet new people particularly Ambermoggie (thanks for the vest top)

and Woolydoodles (Hi Jack) and ClaireUK, if you want to see pics of everybody we met then I'll send you over to Sarah's blog cos she took loads of people photos.


The only question now is do I do Woolfest again next year or do I try out Wonderwool? And no I can't do both!

A Day On The Farm

The Tuesday before Woolfest was DS1's playgroup trip. We went to Broomey Croft Childrens Farm for the day.

I had originaly planned it to be just me and DS1 but then my babysitter had to cancel so we had to give up our places on the bus so I could take Bean with us. However when the day of the trip came I managed to get another sitter at short notice so I rang playgroup and managed to get us back on the bus.

We were lucky and got a gorgeous day for the trip bright sunshine but no so hot that it was uncomfortable. The farm is a little one which makes it a perfect size for entertaining 3 and 4 year olds for a few hours. They provided animal food for us DS1 loved feeding the goats though he did get very cross with the one who stole Z's paper bag of food from her and ate it bag and all.



Before lunch we went on a tractor ride round the back of the farm which DS1 declared to be great fun but very bumpy!



We had a picnic lunch and later the kids had a lolly from the shop before it was time to get back on the bus and come home.



Once home it was time for the dieticians appointment. To be honest she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. He is now confirmed as lactose intolerant and we have been advised to continue with the lactose free diet but to challenge him every so often to see if his tolerance has improved any. The dietician suspects (as I have done for a while now) that the intolerance is hereditry (from me) in which case he will never totally grow out of it. Hopefully though things will improve for him as they have for me. They checked his height and weight again and reviewed his diet with me, suprisingly she seemed quite happy with it and just suggested giving fruit or veg with everymeal in order to get him in the habbit of eating some each meal time.