Rewind the clocks

The clocks went back at the weekend (end of British Summer Time, and an extra hour in bed) and the weather seems to have changed too - it's got cold.  We had the first hint of a frost Sunday morning, the windows were streaming inside, and as the temperature dropped to 11 degrees yesterday afternoon - that's inside the house - we sensibly decided the heating could be switched on for a couple of hours in the evening.  

The leaves are falling very quickly, it seems.  I keep meaning to get out for a walk to capture the autumn colour before it disappears; maybe tomorrow.  We've not been out much recently, we've been trying to catch up on a few bits and pieces at home, including some of those annoying little jobs that keep being put off.  I've had to remind myself of that mantra - 'Doing it gets it done' - and once I'd decided to, of course the work got done far quicker than I thought it would.  It's always the way.

I have worked my way through the pile of mending and sewing alterations that had accumulated (sometimes I think it would be far quicker to start from scratch rather than trying to alter shop-bought clothing) so I now have a clear conscience about spending some time sewing clothes for myself.  Having had such a thorough decluttering of my wardrobe at the start of the year, I am now in need of one or two extra layers for winter so I shall be giving this some attention in the coming days and weeks.  There's also a quilt to design and make, and I'd like to make one or two gifts for Christmas this year.  

Good intentions as ever, just running out of time, as usual!!

Winter preparations

With rain forecast on and off for the rest of the week, we took advantage of some sunshine yesterday to do some more tidying up in the garden.  This season we had a good number of pots in production (tomatoes, peppers etc) and now the veg has all been cropped, all those pots needed to be emptied and cleaned.  The compost is good to use again but needed to be put through a riddle to eliminate roots, stones and such like.  It's good exercise for the stomach muscles!  The sieved soil is now bagged up and will probably be used when we come to plant the garlic for next year.   Today N is in the greenhouse cleaning pots. 

The carrots planted in the summer have now been pulled - a really good crop to tide us through autumn and into winter:

When we returned from our break we were a bit alarmed to see the cabbage plants sporting a rather holey look, reminiscent of lace doilies ;( .   Despite netting the bed some time ago, the cabbage white butterflies have found a way in and the caterpillars have been munching away.  That is not the idea at all!  We are now having a daily caterpillar patrol in the hopes of stemming the onslaught of little green marauders!  Those cabbages are destined for our Christmas dinner table.

Having reacclimatised ourselves to English temperatures again, the heating has been firmly switched off and hopefully will stay that way until the end of the month at least.  The mornings are getting darker, and it always surprises me how our bodies readjust to that; we're waking much later than during the summer.  We've rearranged a couple of rooms, as we tend not to use the big lounge during the winter, preferring the cosiness of the dining-room; it also means we're not heating the entire house unecessarily.  The quit is now in use on the bed (and it keeps us lovely and cosy at night), and winter woollies are being dug out of cupboards.  Keeping busy and active through the colder months helps too, and we have more than enough projects lined up to keep us occupied.  The summer days of salad are now at an end, although there are just a handful of cherry tomatoes left on the kitchen window sill together with a couple of rather skinny cucumbers, and we are looking forward to warming casseroles and home-made soups.  I have promised myself a new pair of 'proper' slippers by the end of the month and I shall then be all set for winter.  

Maintaining a positive outlook helps too ;))

While we waited

The past few days have been a bit of a rollercoaster as we have first waited for, and then delighted in, the birth of the newest member of the family.  It has been a very special time.

We tried to fill our days beforehand but to be honest, our thoughts were always elsewhere, so it is surprising that much got done at all.  However, in between the waiting and anticipating of phone calls, the vacuum cleaner has been taken to pieces, cleaned and repaired, and we have saved ourselves the considerable cost of replacing it - a definite result.  If something can be mended to extend its use then we will certainly have a go, and it is quite satisfying knowing you have saved a few pennies in the process and prevented adding to landfill.

Not much room left in the preserving pan 

Our first sweet corn

When the weather has allowed us (we have had some torrential downpours recently) we have spent some time in the garden, preparing it for winter.  With the colder temperatures, fewer tomatoes and peppers are ripening now, and we had the usual glut of green tomatoes left on the plants.  Not wanting to waste them, we made them into a spicy chutney, adding the last couple of courgettes and the remainder of the cooking apples we were given.  The smell may linger overnight but the chutney looks wonderful.  And this evening we enjoyed our first full-grown sweet corn cobs - with a dab of butter, they were delicious!

I still make bread every week but I'm keen to learn and make improvements where possible. Although the bread is very tasty, I think it's a little on the heavy side, possibly because I think I get the dough too dry so I have been experimenting with a much wetter mixture.  It's certainly very sticky to work with so I have had to find something to assist with mixing it - I found the little plastic scraper used to de-ice the freezer is ideal!  However, using more water and working with wetter dough, and baking at a higher temperature for a little longer seems to be resulting in a much better-textured loaf.  I'm glad I persevered; a bit of trial and error seems to be paying of and my bread-making skills are gradually improving.  The loaves always seem to get eaten so they can't be too bad :)

When it's sunny, clean windows

There does seem to be a hint of autumn this week.  The temperatures are dropping off, and there's that nip in the air first thing in the morning.  We need lights on by 8 o'clock in the evening, and I'm reaching for long-sleeved clothing more often than not.  That's OK though, we're so much better now at working with the seasons than against them.  We've begun the tidy-up in the garden, keeping fingers crossed for just a little more sunshine, please, to finish ripening the tomatoes and peppers and sweet-corn.  We'll be having a closer look at what worked well, and what crops we won't be bothering with again.  There's quite a bit of sorting out to do outside so that we are ready and organised for next spring, and there's a few ideas for flowers and shrubs I'm hoping to implement, too.

N has finished sorting out all the screws and nails (and picture hooks - we could supply an art gallery!), and has realised that it's just the first of many similar jobs in the shed and storeroom.  I have taken advantage of some dry weather this week to clean the windows, all of them, inside and out.  It's been quite a good workout, lol, but at least the effort does appear to have been worthwhile.  It is just one more task to be ticked of the outside maintenance list, and as that particular list is quite long, every tick counts.

It's been 'back to school' week here - it doesn't seem that long ago that the kids were looking forward to the start of the holidays!   The days seem to go so quickly, I want to make sure I make the most of each and every one. 

Farewell, wet August

I suppose it was only to be expected that August should sign off with yet more rain; it has been grey and gloomy (and wet) here for most of the day.  I've got a bit fixated with the weather lately . . .

Thankfully the rain held off yesterday for the scooter ride-out, always a colourful spectacle to watch.  There were some eye-catching outfits - black and white dresses seemed popular with several ladies, and some very dapper suits for the men - and a great deal of gleaming chrome.  The rally brings a lot of business to the town and always seems to be a thoroughly good-natured and enjoyable few days.

It clearly wasn't gardening weather today but we have found plenty of other things to do.  The nothing like a wet bank holiday for sorting out hardware!!  Never one to throw away odd screws, nails and hooks, N had accumulated jars and pots full of them, squirrelled away in various cupboards and sheds (as you do).  We clearly won't need to buy any more for several years!  And I found myself cleaning the patio doors and conservatory windows, transferring photos from the old laptop to the portable hard-drive, and sorting and filing paperwork.  All those things were on my list of winter jobs, lol!  

We've pottered our way through August, a lot of work in the garden, tending and cropping vegetables, and a start on some house maintenance.  Lots of discussions, ideas and plans for the future.  A wedding, seeing family and friends, and sewing, knitting and general craftiness.  And September?  Well, September will be a very good month ;))

Off we go again

After the sunshine and blue skies of Sunday, it's been a real mixed bag of weather this week - drizzly and dreary off and on.  The rain has been very welcome for the garden and again it's topped the water butts up a little, but we are certainly noticing the shortening of the days.  And dare I say it's getting a tad cooler of an evening, too?  We're not quite halfway through August, a month I always associated with the height of summer (school holidays, I guess), but this year I am very aware that it's more of a run in to autumn.  Strange I'd not really considered this before.

Enough of the pondering, we're still very much on the go.  Quite literally, as we are off 'up north' for a family do at the end of the week.  We seem to have had one of those phases where one or other, or both of us has been popping on and off the Island, and whilst it's been lovely to see people and do new things, we've got to a point where we are looking forward to a bit of time in one place - home!    There is so much to do here (I keep saying it but it is true), in particular some outside home maintenance that we wanted to tackle while we still had good weather, and here we are teetering on the brink of autumn and some of those jobs haven't even been started.  Time to roll my sleeves up, I think.

The garden continues to provide us with almost all our food for dinner; we do enjoy a good salad.  There's been some tomato sauce made, using what's being cropped right now, and I think I shall have to attempt some 'bread and butter pickles' to deal with the surfeit of cucumbers.  It's been a good year for them!

Keeping busy

A busy few days (this seems to be a recurring theme at the moment, being busy) but productive, too.  

• painting the side gate - very time-consuming but looking much smarter now
• some very enjoyable hand-sewing - patchwork over papers
• clematis cuttings - fingers crossed these take
• the cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) grown from a cutting given to us finally in flower
• the greenhouse overflowing with wonderful things - dinner from the garden all week

I have had lists everywhere to remind me of everything I'm trying to fit in; it looked a little daunting at first but gradually things have been crossed off and lists amalgamated until I am now in the happy position of just having one piece of paper with a manageable number of items that still need my attention.  Yay!

I feel back in control, at least for the time being.

The evenings are beginning to close in, just a little each day; I find I need a light on by 9pm.  I suppose autumn is not so very far away really but hopefully August will continue deliver plenty of summer sunshine and warmth. 

A dramatic sunrise this week

Blooming at last

The rambling/climbing rose has proved itself a winner:

When I think of the state the poor plant was in this time last year, sprawled across the lawn in a tangled mess, it has certainly benefitted from a little tidy-up last autumn.  It is smothered in buds and should be an absolute picture in a few days' time.

Laundry liquid has been made again, using Rhonda's recipe from Down to Earth.  This batch has cost me less than £2.50 and should last for several months (and I know exactly what's in it).  It's been a great weekend for washing - sunny and breezy - the wash basket is empty and everything's put away. 

In this sunny weather it's a real pleasure to spend time pottering in the garden, there's always weeding to do and veggies to crop.  More and more of our meals are accompanied with home-grown produce and there is still so much more goodness to come.  We are definitely winning the battle of the weeds (grim determination on our part) and just a few minutes here and there keeps on top of them.  We must surely reach a point where there are no more pesky weed seeds left lurking in the soil!  

It's been a purposeful weekend with quite a lot achieved and plans and ideas discussed.  A drop of rain wouldn't go amiss for the garden - we now have a small barrel by the back door for 'clean' kitchen water, as there are a lot of crops needing watering now - and there is some rain forecast for this week.  We'll wait and see if we actually get any or not.

Bountiful days

It's all busy, busy, busy round here at the moment.  The garden is fairly bursting with goodies, there are interesting things lined up, lots of WIPs on the go and several days of glorious sunshine to put smiles on faces.  Doors flung open from very early in the morning, and much pottering about outside.  I do believe summer has finally arrived.

The lack of posts is due primarily to the impending (and previously well-documented) demise of my laptop, an elderly model who is very near the end of its useful life.  Switch it on and it proceeds to spend many happy minutes in a never-ending loop, and is showing an increasing tendency to simply go blank without any warning (I can relate to that; obviously a middle-aged thing ;-o ).  I'm not sure I can put off the inevitable much longer *sigh*.

The garden is rewarding all N's hard work with goodies in abundance, and last Sunday we sat down to a roast dinner from the garden (with the obvious, for us, exception of the chicken) - new potatoes, carrots, beetroot, spinach and beet leaves.  So tasty.  The thrill of our own veggies never fails to delight us.  The sweetcorn have finally got going (or should that be growing?), pea-pods have formed, the cucumbers are taking over the greenhouse and the tomatoes are beginning to colour.  The sprouts for the winter have germinated; fingers crossed we will see the end results on our Christmas dinner plates.

Our 'social calendar', usually very quiet (ie non-existant) has suddenly filled up, and we're making notes of dates, times and places to go and people to see.  Makes quite a change for us.  Trips to the mainland, family visits for various occasions, entertaining here - lots of fun things going on.  And now, into the mix, something quite unexpected has turned up, and we are taking a bit of a step into the unknown, but sometimes when a door opens it's worth at least a little look.  I think it will be interesting on a number of fronts and we'll just see how life pans out over the next few weeks.

I'm still finding time for a bit of sewing here and there, and making the acquaintance of my latest gadget (ooh, an overlocker, much excitement!!)  And two more chairs have been recovered, and they now match the ironing board, all being revamped from the same £5 remnant of curtaining.  Fully coordinated on a budget  ;))

Chairs re-covered for free

The first carrot

I think June is going to be one of those 'busy' months, with lots going on, planned and unplanned.  The weather is finally getting more summery (if we could lose the breeze, which is decidedly chilly, I might manage to stay in short sleeves and skirt all day) and there is always plenty to do in the garden.  The greenhouse is bulging - I think next time we may have to invest in a larger one to accommodate all the plants - and there are tomato plants on every spare inch.  We are both diligently weeding whenever we have a spare few minutes, and I do believe we are beginning to win the battle - hooray!

Before and after 

The dining-room chairs have been recovered with a remnant of curtaining fabric from when I altered some curtains a while ago, so that's a great big tick off the list for this month.  As is so often the case, a job I had been putting off doing actually took me far less time to accomplish that I thought it would - another example of that new mantra, "doing it gets it done".  I had to call in N to finish off with the staple-gun (it scares me, I'll be honest) and a couple of hours' work sees us with bright new chair covers that haven't cost a penny.  Little projects like that are so satisfying.  And surprisingly simple.

It was bright, sunny and breezy today, ideal conditions to get the patchwork quilts washed and dried (ooh, another tick!).  Those quilts proved very useful during the winter, providing a snuggly extra layer to wrap up in on cold afternoons and evenings.  They are well over twenty years old now, made when my children were little, and wash up so well, time after time.  You can definitely never have too many quilts around the house ;-)

We've had a couple of trips to the mainland in the past few days, specifically for me to make some sewing purchases which weren't possible on the island.  We did our homework before we travelled, and made full use of travel deals and discount vouchers to cut the cost.  I came back with exactly what I was after so I was very happy.  

Several things on the horizon at the moment, some visiting to do, lots of gardening and plenty of sewing and DIY.  The green woodpecker has been back feeding on the front lawn, and the house-martins are flitting about over the rooftops.  Our little tail-less blackbird has finally grown some tail feathers and found his voice, and a robin uses our washing-line as a stop-over early each morning, often with a worm in its beak.  Little things, and maybe quite ordinary and everyday, but it is a pleasure to just stop and watch.

Is it summer yet?

Hello, June!  Cold, wet and very windy - so not quite summer yet.  We still have the winter-weight duvet and a quilt on the bed, and last night someone was even heard muttering about a hot-water bottle!  It really has been a bit of a strange time, weather-wise.  

A quick reflection on May; it's interesting to look back over the previous month to see what progress has been made.  The garden was our priority and we have pretty much achieved what we set out to do (edging beds, a bit of planting and beginning work on the lawn).  The veg plot/greenhouse is the main focus, and we continue to learn as we go, dealing with the inevitable blips along the way. A start has been made on the snagging projects in the house, odd bits of finishing off that somehow got overlooked (deliberately left!) in the renovation last year.  And I met the challenge of walking the Wight - yay for me!  May has also been a month for mulling things over, discussing and deliberating over what may be in the months to come, talking over possibilities and probabilities.  

And so to June.  As usual, I have made myself a list to act as a guide, to keep me focussed when all I really want to do is knit and sew - making things is such a distraction ;)  I have found there is much more likelihood of tasks being completed if they are on my list, primarily, I confess, because I do like to be able to cross things off!  Anyway, I will state here that I will recover the dining-room chairs (using a remnant of curtaining, so that's a freebie), I will finish a knitting project, and I will give the hallway a second coat of emulsion (we were a bit slapdash with our original painting there).  There are several other jobs to do, and most of them will get done or at least started, but those are ones that I shall make a real effort to achieve.

We will potter along, keeping things as simple as we can, enjoying the very real pleasures that simplicity brings with it.  Life has a habit of throwing up complications along the way - that's the way of things - but there's no point, IMHO, in making life more complicated than it needs to be.  

Don't forget to stop sometimes

Calm waters at Gurnard earlier this week - very tranquil

I have a few days 'home alone' while N visits family on the mainland.  To stop myself from mooching about and wasting time while he was away (as if I would) I drew up a very comprehensive list of things to do while I had the sole run of the house and garden.  Ahem, I think I may have been somewhat over-ambitious.  I haven't stopped the whole time, I've been so keen to get things done.  I have again been reminded that this isn't a race, not a competition to get as much done as I can, and that it's OK - indeed, it's usually a pretty good idea - to stop from time to time.   A cup of tea (and homemade cake, of course!), a bit of knitting, even, dare I say, the odd bit of TV.  

I've started on those odd little snaggings that were left over from the renovation last year, those silly little tasks that often only take a few minutes to do, like cleaning off the ceiling roses and light switches and sockets - no matter how carefully I painted around the fittings, the paint inevitably ended up on them.  They have all now been cleaned off, and the paint touched up in one or two places.  Just a little job, but now it's done.  

I'm continuing my daily fight with the weeds, working on the principle that 'a little and often' is the best way to tackle them.  I don't really mind weeding, it's a good opportunity to see how the plants are doing.  And I often have company as I work; a male blackbird often comes within a couple of feet, seemingly unfazed by my proximity.  He's so close I could touch him.  It's a very calming moment.

  

A year here

I watched the sun rise this morning (05.15 ish).  It's always a sight that stops me in my tracks and makes me just pause for a few moments.  The forecast was for a bright and sunny day, indeed the Bank Holiday weekend promised good weather.  By 9.00 it was drizzling, and it continued to do so, on and off, well into the afternoon.  Doh!!  I know we Brits whinge about the weather, but really, why get us all excited with the promise of sun when it was going to rain?   The water-butts are really quite full now, which is good, of course, and the ground has been well-soaked with all the previous rain - I think the weeds have certainly made the most of that, there's a new crop after every shower!

It hardly seems possible we've been in this new house now for a year.  All that renovation work, the upheaval and chaos, the mess and the dust and the endless trips to the tip to dispose of the rubbish.  The wallpaper-stripping, floors up, the sanding, washing down, filling in, painting - did I mention the dust?  Everywhere.  I look back and it seems oddly surreal that we did all of that.  The anniversary has got us thinking, pondering our next step, and indeed our next move.  Because this is not our 'forever' house.  It is where we are at the moment, and we will make the most of being here, but there will be another move.  Not quite sure when or where - that is something we will continue to mull over.  

In the meantime, we potter along here, quite happily.  I turned my attention to the conservatory last weekend, as it was the one room we didn't get around to doing anything with last year.  There's not much we can really do with it, but a thorough clean, a couple of superficial cracks filled in and a coat of cheerful yellow paint, and it looks so much brighter and part of the house.  The little sofa-bed we have in there could really do with recovering and I might keep an eye open for some suitable thrift shop curtaining that would do for that particular project.

Despite my best efforts to finish one project before starting the next (really, what was I thinking?!!), I seem to have several odds and ends on the go - the workroom is getting messy again.  My head is full of ideas and plans but my time-management skills appear to be somewhat lacking; I'm not sure how it's Friday again, which is a little disconcerting!  This weekend I promise myself to finish one knitting project, one recycling project, and one clothing alteration (these are all currently on the go).  I also need to pot on some annuals that are waiting in the greenhouse.  

I keep meaning to update this little blog, it would benefit from a fresh look and perhaps a new header, but I am sadly lacking in the required technical know-how.  I shall have to read up on it, do a bit of research online, and see what I can manage.  I don't always check in to the blog daily (probably too busy reading sewing blogs, oops!) and I really ought to.  I think that needs to go on the list, too.

A new mantra

Forgive me if I witter on again about the walk on Sunday but I am still elated that I completed it - and it's a tick off the Bucket List.  For several days beforehand I had something of a confidence crisis and was convinced that I would have to drop out en route, and it wasn't until I had actually started walking that I felt the pressure i had put on myself begin to  ease.  As I passed each checkpoint my confidence increased, I was feeling pretty good and the task seemed more doable.  Walking for 8 1/2 hours non-stop gives you plenty of time for reflection and I did quite a bit of that.

I was amazed, and still am, that I didn't have one blister as a result of my 26+ mile jaunt; paying very careful attention to my footwear really paid off.  The walking socks I bought last week were so comfortable and cushioned my feet wonderfully, and I wore trainers rather than walking boots as they were wider and allowed my feet to swell without pinching which would have resulted in rubbing and then the dreaded blisters, so I was pretty chuffed that my preparation paid off so well.  Apart from sore hip joints, I don't seemed to have fared too badly.  I found the secret is to keep moving; if I sit down for too long, things tend to seize up ;) 

Anyway, it's all back to business this week, and I seem to be energised by my success.  Lists are being compiled and steadily worked through; things are getting done.  I recently came across a phrase on a blog I read (and I wish I could remember or had made a note of which blog it was so I could acknowledge it) which really resonated with me.   "Doing it gets it done".   Simple, obvious and so very true.  Why try to complicate matters?  If I want something done, I need to get on and do it; it won't get done if I only think about it or just talk about it, I need to action it.  So that is what I am trying to do now, and it seems to be working.  

It's bright and light by 5.30 in the mornings now, and we're up and about soon after, making the most of these wonderful long days.  By 9.30 we're looking for our mid-morning cuppa, lol!  Lots of work in the garden, and I'm making a start on some of the odd jobs in the house that were put to one side in the renovations last year.  It's quite a long list but breaking it down into small tasks makes it much more manageable, and I keep reminding myself that 'doing it gets it done'.  And so it does.

And now the counting starts ....

. . . but first, some shopping trials ...

Some days, I potter along very productively, getting things done and feeling that I have achieved.  I had high hopes that today was going to be one of those days.  Hmm, perhaps I was being too optimistic ;)  We had planned a shopping trip for a number of items, and all was fine at the first shop - exactly what we wanted, no problem.  Onto the next stop, where I discovered the item I was after wasn't made in the length I required; you didn't get a choice of lengths in the smaller or the biggest sizes.  The item in question is a pair of jeans and I was really pleased to find some that actually have a pretty good fit on me so I went ahead and bought them anyway, using a giftcard I'd been given for my birthday, and I'll just have to take the hems up myself.  OK, we press on.  The haberdashers didn't have any magnetic bag catches, they sold out yesterday *sigh*.  I'll have to go back in next week.  Next shop, and after a lot of deliberation and consultation with the assistant (who was very helpful), I bought what I wanted, some walking socks to replace my very old ones which now have holes in them.  Next up, another birthday gift card (I was spoiled this year) to be spent on some toiletries/cosmetics.  I hadn't got more than 4 steps inside the shop before I was accosted by the assistant who bombarded me with questions as to what I wanted.  Now, if I have to go shopping, and it's not my favourite pastime, I like to do it on my terms.  If I want help, I will ask for it.  Needless to say, I did not buy what I intended to, indeed I walked out without buying anything.

Back home, and I spent some time outside trying to finish off a gardening task that has been hanging around for a while.  It should have been straightforward  but, as so often happens, it was being anything but, and it's still not completed.  It did seem to be one of those days.

I decided, late this afternoon, that I ought to try on the walking socks I bought.  First pair fit beautifully and are really comfy.  Second pair are about 2 inches too long in the foot.  They are a completely different size, maybe mens 9-11, not ladies 4-7.  I am not happy.  Not at all.  Back in the car, back into town, back to the shop.  Grrr!  The assistant agreed that the socks were not the size stated and found me an alternative.  I now have a second pair of socks of the style I wanted, in a size that fits.  Hurrah!  

Today was also election day.  I dutifully toddled off bright and early to cast my vote - votes for women were very hard fought for (and, indeed, died for), so I feel it is important to use mine.  My daughter is being a polling clerk in her local constituency today, and at the 1997 election, I was a counter of ballot papers after the polling stations had closed.  It was a fascinating opportunity, but I was surprised just how nerve-wracking it was.  I think it made me aware, possibly for the first time, that elections are a serious business, regardless of personal politics. I remember feeling a real sense of duty, and when there are party agents prowling around the counting tables, demanding you recount the papers because they think you got it wrong, it can actually be a bit scary. (I didn't count incorrectly, and they knew I hadn't, but they just wanted to unnerve me.)  We will probably stay up for some of the results, and I will be thinking of all the people working through the night to get the results in.  And I shall sympathise with any constituency that faces a re-count!

Brrr - it's Bank holiday weekend

Bank holiday weekend, so it goes without saying the weather is cold, wet and windy.  Actually, it's really cold, or certainly feels it, we even joked (I think) about putting the heating back on.  We didn't - phew! - just dug out an extra layer or two instead.  The rain has, of course, been great for the garden and replenished the water-butts again, so I shouldn't complain too loudly.

Unpacking the shopping bag (home-made) after walking into town and back (saving petrol), fruit in home-made produce bags (so no plastic bags) and yes, it was cold enough for gloves (handmade) in May!

It's been a weekend for pottering about the house and keeping an eye on progress in the garden.  I have some knitting on the go, a small sewing project cut out and pinned, and a quilting project being calculated on the back of a used envelope (where else?)  I've also spent some time altering a pair of walking trousers, and by the time I had finished it might have been easier to make a new pair from scratch.  The waistband came off, two pockets removed, another pocket replaced, side seams taken in and waistband lowered and replaced.  All in all, a lot of unpicking and fiddling about but the end result is a pair of trousers that fit better and doesn't look two sizes too big.  And it hasn't cost me a bean.

And now it's May

May.  One third of the way through the year - good grief!  

I had a lovely walk yesterday, clocking up about 8 1/2 miles in just under 2 1/2 hours; the pace was a bit fast and as it was all along pavements and tarmac surfaces, my feet did complain a little by the end.  I think I should slow down a bit next time.  A good walk, nevertheless, there's so much greenery about now and everything just looks fresh and new.  

At the end of each month I've got into the habit of looking back over the month and looking forward to the next, and it's been quite an interesting exercise.  Unlike the first three months, April didn't really have a focus or particular project, and that may be why it has seemed a bitty sort of month.  It was a time to take stock, I guess, and see where we were heading next.  Lots of odd bits were sorted out and we finished off most of the garden projects we had planned and the veg planting is well under way. We had a lovely holiday in Spain which we made the most of.  There have been some things that have required our attention and made us stop and consider, and that has been quite thought-provoking.

So if April was a stock-taking month, then May is time to move forward again, and to that end I have a list again.  One project remains in the garden and that will be done this month.  I have a long-outstanding task (which has been cropping up on lists now for several months to no avail) which I will do this month.  I have some sewing projects that have reached the top of my craft list and I intend to at least start those this month, too.  And there is a personal challenge I have set myself this month.  Quite a few other bits and pieces besides, but I shall be more than happy to achieve these specific items.  And along the way, stuff appears that wasn't expected or planned for, and that needs to be factored in, sometimes at the expense of something else.  That's how it goes.  That's life.  It's all about the balance.

Disorder

It's been a few days since we returned from Spain, and I am struggling to get back into my normal routines.  Usually, once I've cleared the inevitable washing piles, I find I'm back into gear but for some reason, this time it doesn't seem to have happened quite so readily.  One or two unexpected bits of news have thrown me a little, but enough, it seems, to cause disruption to my ordered days.  Apparently it doesn't take much.  A stern talking-to last night, and I am ready to gets to grips again with all those plates that are spinning!

The weather since our return has been decidedly wintery - really cold and windy, and plenty of heavy rain, great for watering the garden and replenishing the water butts, but not so conducive to much walking, but checking out some favourite north American blogs I see the snow there is only just melting, so I really shouldn't whinge about a bit of rain!

I have a few knitting and sewing projects I am trying to get started on, but in the meantime there was a rather pressing mending task required, and N now has matching patched pockets on his jeans:

 This morning is bright and sunny, still breezy but at least it's not raining.  I think I may go for a long walk, clear my head and make the most of some time outside.  It seems like a plan.  I shall take my camera and see what's about.

Housework, house-keeping - and itching to get stitching

 Monday morning = cleaning the house.  I have got this down to a fine art now; one room at a time, dusting first (damp cloth/dry cloth), putting things away (although in reality we're pretty good at tidying as we go) and then vacuuming.  Close door, move onto to next room.  We don't have a lot of 'clutter' and it makes for streamlined cleaning which I'm all in favour of.  I take my time, don't cut corners and there is the satisfaction at the end of having a clean and tidy home.  I also managed to get a load of washing on the line and dry before the rain started (bonus), bake a lemon cake and make a veggie quiche for dinner.  I've make a start on the next quilting project (the pile is definitely going down at last); hopefully once I get going it shouldn't take too long to complete.

For quite some time, I have kept a note of the money we spend on food - it's just a little notebook in which I jot down the figures and at the end of the month I total it up.  In January we spent just over £100, and last month it was not quite £160.  We made a point of running the freezer down through January and using up what we had in the store cupboards; this month we have restocked and done a meat shop.  We were both pretty surprised at how little we have spent.  But - we cook from scratch, we meal-plan, we shop around, we aren't brand-led, hardly anything gets thrown away and we eat very well indeed.  It is possible to eat well and not spend a fortune.

Those sewing blogs I mentioned previously - I think I'm addicted!  So many lovely fabrics, clothes, buttons and trimmings.  So many beautiful patterns just waiting to be bought.  So many ideas - now all I need is to make the time.  I'm in serious need of a dressmaking 'fix' and the fact that I have cleared out half my wardrobe is obviously enough reason to getting sewing.  However, I am being sensible and clearing the work-table of other projects before I get too carried away, and in the meantime I am planning on what I'll make first.  Will it be a blouse, or a skirt, or a pair of trousers?  Colour?  Design?  When I used to make clothes many years ago there were only a handful of pattern companies - Simplicity, Butterick, New Look, Burda, McCalls - but now there is so much more choice with lots of small independent designers producing great patterns for the new generation of home sewers.  There are a few patterns I may treat myself to, and I think a quick trawl of the charity shops is in order, too; some of the older patterns (does '70s/'80s fashion count as 'vintage'?) seem to be having a bit of a revival, and a vintage pattern collection is a pre-requisite for any serious dressmaker.  Reading through these blogs has also made me realise that I could do with brushing up on some of my sewing skills and techniques, and I have always wanted to learn more about pattern alteration and making toiles.  

Hmm, I think I may need to start a new list.  Most definitely.

Anyone else planning some dressmaking?

Full tilt into February

Hmm, interesting.  This post went to Drafts rather than Publish last night.  Let's try again.  This was from yesterday . . . 


Today has been a full and productive day of pottering in the house.  Both of us have cheerfully got on with things that needed to be done, a few things that we wanted to do and a couple of things that cropped up as we went along, but what was so good was that we were both perfectly happy and content to get on and do them.  The day has passed with each of us busy, creative in various ways, enjoying a bit of quiet as and when, and satisfied with jobs achieved.  One thing we haven't been is bored!

N has plaster-boarded two walls in the garage store, partly to use up some oddments of board left over from the conversion, and also to make good a wall we feel could be put to good use with some shelving/storage; it's all about making the most of the space we have.  In order to do this, however, he has had to move everything out of the storeroom and into the house (again) and it is now piled up waiting, I suspect, for a bit of a declutter again.  It's a never-ending process, this decluttering business, but after several months in the new house we are finding things which are no longer required or not going to be used, so they're on their way out.  We are also vigilant about what 'extras' come into the house (ie acquisitions of one sort or another) and between the two processes, we can keep 'stuff' to an acceptable level.  As we have recently begun to discuss the option of moving and down-sizing at some point in the future (and maybe the not-so-distant future) we don't want to have to pack up any more stuff than is necessary.  The decluttering continues.

My lovely DIY-ing other half has also fitted some storage clips in the airing cupboard so we now have somewhere to store the vacuum tools.  Just one more little job off the list.

Another apron day for me - I think I may need to make myself a few more aprons just to ring the changes - washing (another breezy day to make the most of), ironing, and cleaning/sorting out the cupboard under the sink.  One or two bits thrown out (dried-up shoe polish no longer fit for purpose), cleaning rags organised, and bottles rearranged.  Always satisfying.

I boiled up the chicken bones that were in the freezer, and stripped the little bits of meat off, it all adds up.  Tomorrow we'll make a chicken soup for lunch for a couple of days.

I made a paper pattern from a well-loved fleece polo-neck jumper - I find it so comfy and warm in this cold weather - and I have seen some suitable fleece fabric locally.  I think I shall make this one of my sewing projects for February.  I've continued unpicking hexagons for a future quilting project, done a quick repair on a pair of jeans, and caught up with some paperwork.  As usual, as I'm pottering around, other things spring to mind and I've taken to jotting them down on a notepad so I don't forget them.  Then, when I have a spare moment or two, a quick look at that list will remind me and I can make the time to get deal with them.

This cold weather is really playing havoc with my hands - they are so rough and dry - so I am going to watch 'Last Tango' and give them a soaking in moisturising mitts to see if that will help at all.  I'm going through hand cream like it's going out of fashion!