Backwards and forwards

This morning I picked some baby spinach leaves and weeded between the lines

With the anticipation of a brand new year tomorrow I have been busy trying to re-organise the house (and myself) after Christmas.  It's a bit like at the start of a new school term, and being issued with new exercise books - I'm always full of good intentions.  Back to achievable lists, menu plans and keeping papers filed.  I've sorted through receipts, reckoned up the cost of petrol for the car this year (and was pleasantly surprised), checked through the utilities paperwork and sent quite a bit into the shredding bin and tidied up the sewing room.

Our new Year's Eve meal, made by N  - salmon en croute (the spinach from the garden was inside the parcels) and home-made chips, served on charity shop plates!  It was delicious.

I have jotted down some ideas for 2015, not resolutions as such but things I would like to do or sort out.  There are things for me personally (that's the 'being good to myself' bit and includes yoga), sewing projects that will be completed (but obviously that is an on-going list ;-))  ), challenges I'd like to have a go at, as well as the garden to tackle and quite a bit of 'snagging' in the house.  I hope that 2015 will be the year I finally make my own soap!  

This morning I came across this post from Frugal in Suffolk, a blog I've recently started to read, and related totally to the sentiments being expressed so eloquently.  Being frugal and debt-free is indeed liberating.  Knowing there is money to cover the unexpected is very reassuring but just because we have funds does not mean we spend recklessly.  We are very happy with the way we have chosen to live our lives and it brings us contentment.  Boredom doesn't cross our threshold and a productive garden puts a smile on our faces.  We can always find things to do because we don't rely on others to do them for us.  We try to use our time and resources mindfully.  Slowing down has been a lesson well learned.  Simplifying our lives has been a revelation.

2014 was a busy year for us with a house move (not without it's share of problems) and a wedding as highlights.  We've become volunteers, re-established contact with old friends, walked half the Wight (dare I tackle the full walk next year?), enjoyed some lovely holidays away, and were surprised at what we managed to do ourselves in the house renovation.  We've learned new skills and improved old ones.  

Next year, like that brand new school book, is waiting to be filled.  Whilst I may have plans in mind I have no doubt that there'll be a few surprises along the way - that's life - but I have every intention of getting as much out of life in the new year as I can.  I have my lists - I'm ready to go!

2015 - just some of the things I want to do:
try yoga
update/improve the layout of the blog
make soap
tackle some of the Island Trails (walking)
finish the bow-tie quilt
transform the garden

Slow and quiet

Our Christmas guest (DD) left us today to spend some time with other family members.  It was very white and sparkly when I drove her to the ferry - for the second day running, a really sharp overnight frost had touched every surface white.  The trees were picked out in a white dusting and it did look so pretty (no photos sadly as I was driving!) - it may be the closest we get to snow.  By late morning the temperature had risen sufficiently to thaw the frost although the water in the buckets remained frozen throughout the day.

The frost yesterday

Ice on the outside of the conservatory door

So now it is just the two of us again, and we're slowly sorting ourselves out.  We moved the dining-table back into the lounge (we have the dismantling and reassembling down to a fine art now) and the 'middle' room is once again our cosy snug.  It's interesting how the house is constantly evolving to meet our changing needs, and every time we have to move furniture around we see rooms working in different ways for us.  It's quite fun to have a number of options.

We took ourselves for a walk into town this afternoon, and although it was still a bit chilly, it was gloriously bright and sunny, and yet again we were reminded just how good it is to wrap up warm and get moving outside.  No post-Christmas sales shopping for us, though.  To be honest, by the time we ventured anywhere near the shops, there were a lot of empty shelves so I guess the bargains have been grabbed.  I'm always surprised that people still have money left to spend after Christmas, having been urged to part company with their cash on so many occasions on the run-up to the holidays.  There's no more spending for me now until 2015!

I'm pottering around, gathering bits of paper together, jotting down ideas, and yes, compiling lists.  There are some things I would like to do/tackle/try in the coming year, and I have found that writing things down helps me stayed focussed.  Hopefully by tomorrow evening the ideas will be a little more organised and committed to paper.  

A post-Christmas walk

We've had a quiet but very pleasant couple of days.  Much-appreciated gifts, wonderful home-cooked food, one or two warming beverages along the way, phone calls to loved ones in other parts of the country.  And, surprisingly for us, we watched some television; some very funny, entertaining programmes that have added to the enjoyment.  We've also had some quietness, just right for reading, doing puzzles and crosswords.  It's been a really nice mix.

I usually try to get out for a walk on Boxing Day but it yesterday was a bit wet and a warm house seemed as preferable option!  However, today was bright and dry and I felt the need for a breath of fresh air.  Yes, well, it was blooming freezing!  N sat in the car and read while I buttoned up the jacket and set forth along the seawall.  There were a few dog-walkers out and about, and some parents supervising small children on new bikes and skateboards but actually there weren't as many people as usual.  It was cold.  No, actually it was very, very cold!  My ears and cheeks were stinging by the time I got back to the car and I'd only been out for half an hour.  It had been very windy last night and the sea was stirred up, banking up pebbles and shells along the beach.  

The beach-huts are all shut up for the winter, and look a little sad at present.

There's snow in some northern parts of the country, but I doubt we'll see any on the Island.  The weather has to pretty extreme to see the white stuff this far south.  I think we just have to content ourselves with some sharp frosts and very chilly winds, although I did manage to get the washing dried outside yet again.  

I'm trying to marshall my thoughts for the coming year into some kind of order.  It's always tempting to charge into new plans and challenges, with lists on clip-boards to organise the new year, and while there are things which I would like to incorporate into 2015 I think I have come to realise that nothing will be achieved, and indeed much might go quite the other way, if I don't take time to be kind to myself.  This is something that has been on my mind for some time, and I think it is important to start off in a state of positive well-being.  There is much to look forward to and I want to dive right in but I need to be in the right place to do that properly.  And actually taking a little time for me is certainly going to be beneficial to not just me but those around me, so for me it makes sense.  

But I think I'll still make sure that clipboard is to hand, just in case!!

Taking time out

All the making is done, gifts wrapped and under the tree, food prepared, guest safely collected.  After a rather frantic couple of days, Christmas Eve finds us surprisingly calm and at ease with ourselves.  

We had some fun baking Monday and yesterday, and have plenty of goodies to see us (and half an army, to be honest!) through the next few days.  I tried my hand at a stollen cake - well, it's huge but so superior to shop-bought.

 

N has made mince pies, and I've also baked cherry buns and chocolate chip cookies, adapting the ginger biscuit recipe I've had previous success with.  The grandchildren have tried them out and declared them to be better than the bakery ones so I think we may have cracked that one.

This afternoon, I made the most of the bright, sunny but somewhat chilly weather and took myself off for a walk.  N is still nursing a very troublesome knee (he had finally got an appointment to have it checked out) so he put his feet up and watched the original Robin Hood film with Errol Flynn (what a very well-dressed band of outlaws they were!!)  

My walk took me through the woods to the Quarr pigs - where else? - and it was lovely.  The low sun sent shafts of light through the trees, and it was beautifully clear across the Solent to the mainland.  

The pigs were very muddy but seemed to be blissfully content snuffling around.  Mama pig had seven youngsters to keep an eye on.

I walked through to Fishbourne and saw one of the car ferries loading before its return to Portsmouth.

I certainly wasn't alone on my walk, many people were out and about enjoying such a lovely winters' day, but it gave me some time to my own thoughts.  Being outside, enjoying the countryside always seems to bring some peace, and the opportunity for quiet reflection.  I have some things on my mind needing reconciliation and resolution, and my walk this afternoon at least allowed me to simply think.  It was good.

And tomorrow we will have a quiet, simple Christmas - with good home-cooked food and a few home-made gifts among the presents.  

Busy days

Nothing says 'Christmas' quite like a pointsettia

Apparently today was 'Panic Saturday' when every man and his dog went shopping for all those last-minute must-haves that are essential for Christmas.   Oh good grief!  I read an article on-line this morning and was gob-smacked by the figures (money) that were quoted.  

There's still quite a lot of making going on hereabouts.  The box N is working on is looking lovely; he will begin polishing it tomorrow to get the finishing sheen.  I've started my part of that particular present today, fingers are crossed that the measurements I'm working on are accurate.  

We have both been walking in and out of town quite a lot this week - the weather has been dry (hooray!) and chilly, ideal for brisk walking.  We reckon a round trip is probably four miles and generally takes about an hour and a half, maybe two.  I've done a trawl of the charity shops for puzzles, books and a DVD, and as there are, I think, 9 such shops, it takes a while to check them all out ;-)  However, bargains are there to be had if you're prepared to take the time, and I've been surprised just how busy those shops are at the moment.  Seems I'm not the only one happy to give them my custom.  

We've got a menu plan sorted for the next week, and some alternatives to hand should there be last minute changes.  The bread is baked and two of the three loaves are in the freezer; that will see us through next week.  I have a couple of cakes and some cookies to make, probably tomorrow or Monday.

There are many things on my mind and most, to be honest, are not Christmas-related.  I'm going to start jotting these things down as I think of them, because I need to come back to them in the New Year.  I need to give time to these issues, deal with them and allow myself to move on.  And there are lots of new challenges and ideas I'm looking forward to next year so a clear head will be a good start!

Festive makes

I've been retreating to the sewing room at every opportunity this week in an effort to finish off some festive makes.  In past years I have tried to make a little decoration for each of the children/grandchildren but in my gloomy mood this year, that didn't quite happen.  However, I have done a bit of sewing for us and our new home.

Every house needs Christmas bunting!

A bit of crazy patchwork in the process

The end result . . 

. . . and two more, one sparkly and golden, the other sporting more free machined snowflakes.

There will be three of us here for Christmas, and we now each have a cheerfully colourful stocking.  I may have a root around to find a few little bits and bobs to pop in them but even if they stay empty, I'm really happy with the way they have turned out.  And the best thing of all - they didn't cost me a penny to make.  All the fabric came out of my stash, the wadding was offcuts sewn together and all the trimmings I already had.  Even the tape for the bunting was home-made.  Yep, I enjoyed making these.

And I have certainly enjoyed eating these!  N made some delicious mince pies earlier in the week and they were just the thing with morning coffee, and afternoon tea!  We could do with some more.

I finally managed a tidy-up in the sewing room (after several days of stocking-making, the room was a tip, I confess) and discovered a secret present I'd forgotten about.  It just needs a pocket to finish it off, and hopefully, now I've cleared up a bit, I'll get around to doing that.  

We've got a busy day tomorrow - the car goes in for a service, bread to be made, grandkids collected from school and shopping for a few presents for each other.  We go for the useful, practical and therefore much appreciated gifts and we'll probably both have a tour of the charity shops as part of our search.  We'll be on a tight schedule (while the car is being serviced) so a list is crucial and I must make sure we have a supply of bags with us (we don't need any more plastic bags, thankyou).  It could be fun. 

Talking it through

I knew I'd get my head around Christmas eventually.  As with most problems or dilemmas, it just takes time and talking things through (a couple of shots of brandy seems to help, too!) and eventually some kind of resolution is reached.  Perhaps it's having the courage to make decisions based on your own values rather than attempting to conform - whatever, we are at ease with the stance we have taken.  

We finally managed to get some cards in the post today.  Oh dear, it happens every year, this last minute rush, and it's always of my own making.  But there is a bit more of a plan for the next few days emerging, and organisation in any shape makes my happy ;-)

We walked into town this afternoon (to post said cards) and on the way back, as the light was fading, we spotted a large dog fox slinking into someone's garden.  I never fail to be thrilled to see any wild animal, and even in such an incongruous setting of a residential road, the sight of that fox made my day.  Those are the things that are special and to be treasured.

This time of year makes me very reflective - for a number of reasons - and although I'm not usually one for New Year resolutions, which have a nasty habit of running out of steam by mid-February, if not before, I have found myself pondering over a few options and challenges for the coming year. When I turned 50, a few years ago, I cheerfully wrote myself a 'bucket list' of 50 things to do before I was 60, although I have a feeling I ran out of ideas by about number 38 or so.  I cringe as I recall some of the items which I felt, at the time, were crucial and quite indispensible to my future happiness (owning a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes was, apparently, vital - I am quite ashamed to admit to that).  A big shift in perspective and a desire for a far simpler life have changed my conception of what constitutes happiness and contentment.  I think, come New Years Eve, I shall reconsider my 'bucket list' and jot down a few alternative ideas that resonate far better with me than the consumeristic diatribe I wrote last time!  

I also think I need to take some more photos - my melancholia this week seems to have curtailed my artistic flair!

Is it just me?

A bit of a moan . . . 

I am trying hard to embrace Christmas but I suspect I'm not really succeeding.  It's a time of year I always have difficulty with and that seems to get worse as I get older.  There's such a frenzy of pointless consumerism and 'must have' surrounding the whole season, an obligation and expectation on everyone to enjoy it all.  I think I must just be a real humbug, because I struggle with it.  I want to enjoy it, have fun like I'm supposed to but ...

I suspect much of my problem stems from a fragmented family.  I seem to be in the position of trying to please everyone, trying to do the right thing by everyone, worrying myself silly over what other people think, and of course the end result is that I'm the one that's left with that rather disappointed feeling.  There is a temptation, which has been voiced several times this week, that it would be quite nice to simply disappear over Christmas and come back when it's all over!  Not really a viable option, I guess, but still fun to contemplate.

I know the feeling will pass.  I give thanks that we are in a position to buy food and presents for one another as I am only too well aware that many do not have that option, but it's the waste that I think gets to me more than anything.  We are so fortunate that there really is very little we need and not a great deal we want; our small list includes sandpaper for N and a large reel of sewing thread for myself - items which may seem mundane and boring to many but which will be very gratefully received and be used by us.  Our voluntary work at the donation centre has really brought home to us the 'throw-away society' that we live in now; so much unwanted stuff, hardly, if ever, used.   N and I will both be scouring the charity shops for books and puzzles which will be read, completed and probably returned for someone else to enjoy again.

Anyway, enough of the wingeing.  I'm having fun making bunting and Christmas stockings.  We've found that our decorations were fine at a two-bedroomed flat but look a little thin on the ground in a much larger bungalow.  Any excuse to sew, I say.  There's an assortment of cards and wrapping paper strewn around (the cards should have gone in the post by now but it happens every year) and there are scrawled lists on scraps of paper, presumably to remind us to do something terribly important on the appropriate day.  It will all come right on the day, these things always do, and perhaps this indecision and uncertainty is all part of the build-up.  We will have food to eat, a few gifts to unwrap, and a warm house to cosy up in.   Many people would happily trade places.

Busy winter days

We seemed top have escaped the worst of the 'weather bomb' onslaught but did watch a video clip online of stormy seas and huge waves at Birsay, Orkney.  It's always a bit breezy in Orkney, even on a good day, but yesterday's weather certainly was dramatic.  Here it's just a bit windy, which is great for clothes drying!

We are loving the pine scent from the tree, and the droplet of resin that catch the light in the morning

After a bit of prevaricating, the tree is now decorated.  We try to keep things fairly simple and most of the ornaments are ones that have been around for quite a few years.  One or two sentimental bits, many others hand-made.  

Both of us are kept busy through the days, me generally sewing (mending, presents being made on the quiet, and things that we find we need but haven't got eg draught excluder), N busy with woodwork (cutlery canteen, emergency repairs to guest room door).  We're glad to have the time to do these things, and it connects us, little by little, to this new house.  Gradually we are moulding it to our requirements.  It was always going to take time, and so it is proving.  Yesterday we had to move a piece of furniture out of the hall (to accommodate the tree) and into the 'middle room' where we spend much of our time.  It was, we anticiapted, just a temporary measure over Christmas but it looks right at home in it's new location and will, I have no doubt, stay there come the new year.  I have no idea what will go in the empty space in the hall but I'm sure the solution will present itself.  

Through the shed window something is taking shape

We are fast approaching the shortest day and I had to switch the light on at 3.30 pm today, in order to see to sew.  

It seems strange to think that in a fortnight's time, Christmas Day will be drawing to a close.  As usual, it has caught up with us and I'm in a quiet panic.  Things to do and so little time left - my own fault.  Every year I fervently promise myself that next year I'll be better organised, that I will plan ahead, that I won't leave everything to the last minute.  I clearly don't listen to myself!  I wish I did.  Everything will be done, of course, but the rush will take the edge off the enjoyment just ever so slightly, and I rather wish it didn't.  So next year . . . .

A real tree

Gosh, it's all gone a bit twinkly round here.  Over the weekend, multi-coloured fairy lights have appeared in the gardens and around the houses of many of our neighbours.  Flashing lights, icicles, reindeer and sleighs, snowmen - they're all out in force.  In comparison, our house stands out in all it's unlit glory.  We've always known we were different ;-)

We did haul the boxes of Christmas decorations out of the loft yesterday and unpacked the tree.  Within a minute it had shed so many bits of greenery that we had to take serious stock of the problem.  It seemed to illustrate the 'love-hate' view I have of Christmas; there are many aspects of Christmas I love but so much has been spoilt by the rampant consumerism that seems to take over that there are times I struggle with it.  The idea of enjoying a simple Christmas seem completely out of synch with life today.  Well, I can't remember how or why we've made do with an artificial tree for so many years but seeing it in such a sorry state demanded action.  'We're getting a real tree this year' I announced.  N did a happy dance in the middle of the lounge floor and grinned like a little boy - it's made his Christmas!

So today we went to select our tree.  We did the usual thing of trying a few out for shape and size before we made our decision.  It got 'wrapped' and thankfully fitted very neatly into the car.  Back home we had some fun finding the appropriate container to stand it in and inevitably there was yet more furniture moving involved.  But we're there and the tree is now standing proudly in the hall.  The smell of pine is glorious.  

Today N has fitted a bedside shelf and a aerial socket in the guest room, and I have made a fitted sheet for the bed (from an old flat sheet).  There seems to be a never-ending list of things to do at the moment and while that keeps us busy (and we certainly prefer that to being bored) just occasionally we'd quite like to put our feet up for a few minutes!  

In pieces

Many years ago - possibly 30 years ago, good grief - I began a quilt.  It was a grandmother's flower garden quilt, using the English piecing method (over papers).  The quilt was entirely hand stitched.  

Over the years I added another round, then some some more to link the flowers together.  Then more hexagons to go all around the edge, and finally a dark border to set the quilt off.  There was no planning and no real colour scheme.  It was made from 2 1/2" hexagons, all over papers and all hand-stitched.  When I came to take the papers out, just three or four years ago, I found bits of newsletters from my children's primary school! 

This quilt top has seen three house moves.  It has been packed up from one attic and moved on to the next.  Each time I think, 'I really should do something about that' but the thought of quilting it has always put me off.

On this move, the quilt top ended up in the 'sewing room'.  It's sat there for a few weeks, brooding.  Last week I took it out, photographed it . . . .  and took it to pieces.

The truth was, I don't like it.  I have felt compelled to carry it around with me, all these years, because I knew how much work had gone into it.  Hours and hours and hours of laborious hand-stitching.  It became a burden, something I felt obliged to complete.  Funnily enough, once I had made the decision to undo it all, I felt liberated - it wasn't a burden any longer.  There is a fair amount of fabric in the dark brown border, sizeable yardage so I know that will be used.  The 'flowers' could, I suppose, be used for pot holders or place mats, maybe I'll feel inspired to make them into something.  The pink and brown hexagons will most likely be unpicked completely and I could get triangles or squares out of them.  Whatever I decide to do, I am so glad, so relieved to see the back of that quilt top.  

So now I only have one quilt top to make up, and I am happy with that.

I think perhaps there's a lesson to be learned here.  It's not always easy to let go of something, especially something that a lot of time or energy has been invested in, but clinging on to it just for the sake of it isn't necessarily the right thing.  Sometimes we need to let go.



Time out this weekend for family stuff - 'life' does have a habit of barging in - but it meant spending a few hours, quite unexpectedly, with my children, just we three.  It was precious. 

Parcels and new toys

Well, I think it's safe to say that winter is here.  We're in low single figures (celcius temperatures, that is) all through the day, layering the clothing, long woolly socks and yes, I am wearing my fingerless gloves to keep my mitts warm.  Fashion doesn't really come into it at all!

Lemons were on offer at Aldi yesterday, so we bought some to freeze -  we haven't tried this before.  I zested them first and froze that separately, then cut each in half and froze them on a tray.  Obviously the juice expands and creates an interesting effect.

We had a visit from a very good friend today, and she and I had a much-appreciated girlie chat about this and that.  N has spent some time starting to sort out the shed, or 'The Pavillion', as it has now been dubbed, and I suspect a run to the tip will soon be required.  I have pottered around in the sewing room, ticking two jobs off the list, and adding four or five more.  That's not how it's supposed to work at all!  I'm in need of more shelving and some is earmarked for future use but at present it is still required in the hall cupboard.  We have to wait until N is able to dismantle the wooden single bedframe, strip out said cupboard, fit it out with new shelving to free up the current arrangement which can then go into the sewing room.  Are you following this so far? ;-)  It will happen.  Sometime.

We had parcels in the post today.  Quite big parcels.  A double bed for the new room and a de-humidifier.

A bit bare at present, and very high!

First, the bed.  Having searched the internet, and the major bedding stores, we finally found exactly what we were looking for, in our budget, at a local shop in town.  It is a family run Island business, the delivery charge was far and away the lowest we have encountered, and the husband and wife team who delivered the bed not only brought it into the room, they then proceeded to fit it together and take all the packaging away.  N and I have been really impressed with the service from start to finish and are pleased to have been able to keep our custom local.  We can't always but we are glad when we can.

The de-humidifier resulted from a fair bit of research, and we feel it could be money well-spent.  We have had it running this evening and have been amazed at the amount of water collected in just a short time, and the drop in humidity in the various rooms; we've been able to measure the levels with an electronic reader we acquired a few years ago.  There is a long way to go but early signs are that this should prove to be a sensible purchase, and if it helps keep N's asthma in check then it will be very worthwhile.


Apart from all this, there are one or two other things on our mind at present.  Things that deserves time and, I hope, wisdom.  It's one of those times in life when it is so important to be careful, thoughtful and, above all, kind.  Those involved deserve nothing less.

Getting colder

We're fitting comfortably back into our quiet, simple life here.  Washing on the line (it does come in cold but at least it's had a good flap around in the fresh air), knitting (another pair of fingerless gloves), cooking (salmon cakes with chips, all homemade and very delicious) and two or three DIY jobs and general sorting out and tidying up tasks tackled to boot.  Every little job done has a purpose in the bigger picture, and gives us a feeling of satisfaction - that we have been able to do these things ourselves, and that it brings a little more order.  There are many things we have little or no control over, and often we just have to go with the flow and see where we end up, but we are happy to take responsibility for as much as we can.

It was certainly cold today.  N is really struggling with the colder temperatures this year and it seems to be aggravating his asthma, which is a little worrying.  Consequently we are using our heating sensibly and wisely.  If we are cold, the heating will go on.  We don't run it all day, not do we have the thermostat set too high (being in an over-warm house is just as uncomfortable as being cold).  We read the meters so we have a good idea of our consumption.  This is the first winter in this house and we are learning what is needed to make it comfortable in the colder months.  The property was empty for several months before we bought it and there were one or two signs of damp.  Added to that the fact that we had a lot of plastering done during the renovation, and it is likely that there is still some residual dampness in the fabric.  The heating will help tackle this but we will keep an eye on things as we don't want damp to become a problem.  

Whilst we were in Manchester, we were treated to a private wildlife show from the lounge window.  A grey squirrel burying nuts in the back lawn:

Compared to our little red squirrels here on the Island, these greys seem so much bigger

and a family of jays also visiting for nuts and seeds.  We don't get to see these lovely birds very often as they are quite elusive so it was quite a treat to see them so close.

 We also spotted a bullfinch and a nuthatch, too brief for a photo but a pleasure to see nevertheless.

December

A wintery feel to the start of the month - cold and windy but thankfully dry.  I can't believe we're almost at the end of the year, where have these last few months gone to?

Garden photo update for December:

Well over 30 garlic now

The spinach in the raised bed did really well to begin with and now seems to have stopped making any further progress.  We've not tried an autumn planting before and we had intended to get a hooped cover for the seedlings but for various reasons never got round to it.  I have a feeling that it's probably now too cold for much more growth.  We'll see how things go.

A lot of lawn and some unimaginative planting.  Hopefully we will have done some work, front and back, by Spring next year.

Outside the back door, all looks much the same . . .

. . . but on closer inspection I noticed these shoots popping through the ground.  I suspect bulbs of some sort but as we didn't plant this area, it's going to be something of a surprise  to see what these actually are.

It was good to visit 'up north' with family, and the wedding was pretty spectacular!  We were really pleased to spend time with some relatives we wanted to re-engage with, and others to get to know better.  Much chatting and discussing (football results, wedding fashions . . . !!)  

We were ready to return home, though.  The big city sights and experiences are OK but we found ourselves missing our little bit of quiet simplicity.  And there is still work to be done, the little homely touches that will make it our own.  So while it was good to see everyone and be part of the celebrations, it was also good to be back.  Today we began the process of cozying our nest, just little bits and pieces to begin with, but I am in need of some kind of order and routine, however vague that may be.  Washing, mending, knitting, decluttering a pile of paperwork - it all helped us slow down and consider what we are doing, and what needs to be done in the days and weeks ahead.

And we found the Christmas decorations - well, it is December!

And now for a short break

It's seems to be all go at the moment, just when we could really do with staying put.  A few days away for a family wedding, a chance to catch up with those we only see very occasionally, and maybe a bit of shopping for fabric, if I'm very lucky!  

On our return we will hopefully begin to resume some kind of order and routine.  We just need to establish ourselves in this place, to make it our home, not just the house we live in.  And we will.  

Wondering what to do, and another wedding cushion

Now that we have called time on the renovating (and again I say, phew!!) we find ourselves at a bit of a loss as to know what to do next.  It's an odd feeling, having had work stretching ahead for what seems to have been such a long time - six months in all - to now not have anything immediate and pressing lined up.  We've put a few bits and pieces away (paintbrushes, cleaning cloths, dust sheets and so on) and had a bit of a mooch around (if it would stop raining so heavily and persistently we could actually get outside) but really we seem to be in a 'what do we do now?' sort of state.  It's a bit weird.  Having sought out a simpler lifestyle, we allowed it to become rather more complicated, and I think we just need to take some time to find our way back again.

Ideas to start with

From the back

When all else fails, I've always found chocolate and sewing - either, or, or both, preferably - seem to help in these situations.  So I have sewed (and eaten chocolate) and have finished the wedding cushion with a day to spare.  It's going to be a little awkward to take on the train and Underground along with the other bags but no doubt we'll manage somehow.

Changing the subject completely.  All the little dark blobs in the photo above are birds.  Almost everyday, from our back doorstep, we see the flock in this tree, chattering incessantly.  I want to discover what sort of tree it is (my knowledge of trees is poorly lacking) and also identify the birds that use it as a roost.  I may ask N if he can get a closer shot using the more powerful zoom on his camera.