Lighter evenings

Welcome BST (British Summer Time) - the clocks went forward an hour in the early hours of this morning and we are now enjoying lighter evenings for longer.  The days of pulling the curtains at 4 o'clock to shut out the dark are just a fading memory!

Friday was warm and sunny and N spent the day working in the garden in shirt-sleeves.  Since then, however, we've been almost marooned indoors over the weekend, looking out at wet, wild and windy weather.  This morning the wind was really whipping the trees into a frenzy and whistling round the house in a way we've not experienced since moving here.  Hopefully things will calm down a little by tomorrow.

So, what's been happening?  We continue to make progress in the garden, stripping turf for another bed and trips to the tip to make contributions to the municipal compost heap.  More transplanting of seedlings, and we now have chilli seeds germinating in the airing cupboard (the central heating pipes there provide just sufficient heat to assist in germination). 

A spare moment?  I'll just alter some curtains, shall I?!

More sewing for me, and more curtains but this time I am actually being paid for the alterations - yay!  And I have to say they have been a joy to alter; it makes all the difference working with quality fabric (a linen/cotton blend).  I have had to commandeer the lounge floor on several occasions, to spread the curtains out flat, and I found myself yearning for a large table to avoid all the kneeling - there were a few creaking joints to be heard (that would be my knees, not the floorboards;-).  However, they are finished now and awaiting collection.  

I've got a couple of mending jobs out of the way today - a velcro fastening stitched back on, and a pocket in a pair of N's jeans.

I wonder how many pennies fell through this hole?

The pocket lining wasn't just thin, it was worn completely away (I'm always nagging him for carrying too much in his pockets!) so I cut the worn bit off and fashioned a new one using a bit of second-hand sheeting.  No-one will see it's a different colour and the jeans are now perfectly servicable for a long time to come.  The ability to 'make do and mend' has saved us so much over the years.

Almost at the end of March - another month that seems to have whizzed by.  But there's the promise of lighter days and, dare we hope, warmer weather.  It's just as well as there is a lot to do outside - gardening and outdoor maintenance.  It keeps us busy, fit and saves us money.  Sounds good to me.

Outside and inside

Another productive morning in the garden, preparing beds, digging up borders and making more plans.  We've pruned and re-tied the climbing rose which had completely sprawled over the lawn and discussed the logistics involved in moving the shrubs that we intend keeping.  There are seedlings emerging all over the place - greenhouse, conservatory, window sills - and more packets of seeds waiting to be planted.  The weather is being kind at present, doors are left open to let fresh air in, and Spring is definitely hereabouts, full of promise.

The sewing room (aka The Den) has gone from being neat and tidy to a total mess, yet again.  And so much for my intention of only having one project under way at any one time - at the last count I have one wallhanging on the go, two garments being altered, one pattern waiting to be made up . . . 

The light on the sewing machine suddenly went out this afternoon and no amount of cajoling seems to make it come back on again (bulbs have been changed but to no avail).  There is an on-going issue with the foot pedal, too, and once again I find myself wondering if it is worth investing in a new machine.  It's such a big expense, and there is now such a huge choice available.  I don't want to rush and buy on a whim but I think it might be prudent to begin looking at options.  And I am tempted by an overlocker, too, especially if I am to return to the amount of dressmaking I used to do but all of this hardware has a serious price tag so requires some careful consideration.

Some news today has made me pause for reflection, to look back with gratitude and look forward with anticipation.  As I get older I sense I am seeing the 'bigger picture' rather more clearly and feeling more at ease with the progress of age.  Dare I hope, perhaps, that I am gaining a better perspective on life.
Remembering Margaret with fondness and appreciation.

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?

Farewell February; looking forward to March

A new shopping bag - fully co-ordinated this time!  Another 'tick'.

A damp and grey end to the month but I am optimistic we have hopefully had the worst of the winter weather now.  Actually, this far south, we've really not had a harsh winter at all; no snow (boo hoo!) and rarely have the temperatures dipped below freezing, although it's certainly hovered around 0 degrees for a while.  There are plenty of floral signs of Spring - crocus, daffodils, snowdrops - and we have so much more daylight, so lots to be grateful for.

My main goal for February was to begin a sort out of my wardrobe, and I have tackled it with enthusiasm, although there have been moments when I have been quite disheartened by the process.  It's actually been quite an eye-opening project, and I have found myself pondering over more than just my clothes.  I have come to realise that there are some underlying factors involved that I perhaps hadn't wanted to acknowledge and deal with, but hiding them away isn't the most helpful approach; the problems need to be tackled.  And that is what I intend to do, gradually, one step at a time.  The inter-connectedness of these issues is, on some levels, quite interesting to someone who has studied sociology - the expectations society puts on us, and indeed we put on ourselves, the media imagery that has become part of everyday life, the way we see ourselves and the way others see us - it's a fascinating subject.  However, I think I need to spend a little time thinking about me, perhaps not something I tend to do very often, and sorting through my clothes has been a thought-provoking place to start.  

This is obviously going to be a long-term, on-going project, but I am becoming quite excited about it because I have now discovered the world of sewing blogs.  Why have I not come across these gems before?  I am in heaven.  Falling nicely in line with a simple life, what better way to create clothes that fit me than to make them myself, stepping away as much as possible from consumerism and clothes shopping.  I love sewing, and I am suddenly filled with eagerness for dressmaking all over again.  It seems like an unexpected but very welcome gift and I can't wait to get started.

And March?  Well, out in the garden at every opportunity, planting seeds, tending crops and looking forward to our own veggies in a few months' time -  there is nothing to compare to the taste of home-grown produce.  So much goodness all around, so much to be thankful for.

More up-cycling/repurposing

Another sewing project crossed off the list - hurray!  'Convert old sailing shirt into skirt' seemed so simple, and no doubt for many it would have been a walk in the park.  It's taken me almost three days, on and off - how the contestants in the Sewing Bee create their outfits in the time allowed, I just do not know.

I haven't had to buy anything to do this conversion (the zip -bright pink, but right size and weight and I thought, why not? - I rescued a few weeks ago from a very tatty pencil case) and I'm pleased with the end result; I shall be packing this for an up-coming holiday.  There was quite a bit of fiddling to do to ensure a good fit but it was worth the pinning, tacking and trying-on that is involved because this little skirt now fits very well.  I have conceded that I am not a standard shape, far from it.  Getting ready-made, mass-produced clothing to fit me properly is becoming almost impossible (and quite disheartening, if I'm honest) so it makes perfect sense for me to make my own clothes to fit the shape I am.  (Also I need to confess I am reading some wonderfully inspiring sewing blogs!!) 

Rocket seedlings

We have moved on from merely talking about the garden, to buying in some supplies to turn plans into reality.  A very large bag of gravel now adorns our front lawn.  It will be used in a number of different places around the garden and a spell of dry-ish weather would be much appreciated!  I think March will be 'Into the Garden' month.  But I shall try to squeeze some sewing in whenever I can.

Curtains, food shopping and staying grey

Peppers ready for the freezer - a bargain at the greengrocers

A Red Admiral found in the greenhouse

'Small' carrots pulled from the garden for Sunday dinner - the taste was just so good.

The curtain alteration is finished - hooray!  I will confess they very, very nearly got the better of me and I did a lot more than just mutter about the quality.  I have worked on those curtains for almost three days solid; everything else went by the way, and it required more patience and perseverance than I thought I possessed, so to say I am relieved they are done is a bit of an understatement LOL.  And so we move on.

We don't 'do' the commercialism of Valentine's Day - no cards, chocolates or flowers here - but N likes an excuse to mess around in the kitchen and we had a lovely meal of Indian-style tapas which he had made from scratch, including some delicious pitta bread.  I doubt we'd have got a starter in a restaurant for the price he spent on the whole meal - just another reason I love him so much ;-)))

We caught up with the final programme in the Eat Well For Less series and whilst I have been just slightly stunned by the way some people shop for food, there have been one or two interesting snippets we've picked up on.  Fruit juice from concentrate, for example, has exactly the same ingredients as 'pure' fruit juice.  Meat from a butcher is better quality than from a supermarket, and often cheaper.  Fresh produce, cut up and washed then packed in bags, has a very short shelf life.  Cooking from scratch is cheaper and of course you know what goes into it.  Use a meal plan and shop with a list.  Only buy what you know you are going to use, and don't get side-tracked  by so-called bargains.  The amount of money that some people spend on food for one week is double what we spend for a month.  And we eat very well indeed.  It was staggering.

I'm still pondering the wardrobe/clothing situation.  The randomness of my clothes has been a bit of a shock; absolutely no plan at all.  I think some of that may have been due to wearing a uniform for much of my working life, so I only needed to throw casuals on when I got home.  Also I know I used to buy sale goods (in fact I don't think anything in my wardrobe was full price) because they were a 'good buy', not because they went with anything else.  And such a lot of colour, which I love, but not much to tone any of it down a little.  Many, many years ago (probably over 25, thinking about it) I had my colours done ('Colour Me Beautiful' I believe) and I took my little colour charts very much to heart.  So all the colours are the right colours, just way too many of them!  And it was a long time ago.  And now I have grey hair . . .  Just before Christmas I had a wobble about being grey, and convinced myself I needed to dye my hair again, but with a bit of time, and some perspective, I realise that it's what I wear that's the problem, not the colour of my hair.  I just cannot face, or justify, the time and money to have my hair coloured, not to mention the chemicals involved, and I'm relieved that, as so often happens, I have worked my way through the problem.  So grey hair is what I have and grey hair is what I will stick with.  Authenticity rules!!  The clothing declutter has brought into the open one or two other issues which have been 'cluttering up' my life for a while, and I suspect there is a connection at some deeper level.  I'm not saying a radical revamp of my wardrobe is going to sort everything out, but I am quietly confident that it is a place to start.  

More curtains (and clothes)

Another day . . . and another pair of curtains to alter =:o.  Do our children think I have nothing better to do with my time?  Or that I have so much time on my hands they keep finding me more things to do?  Only joking, I'm always very happy to be asked to help with sewing related projects.  However, yet again I find myself having to deal with badly made 'sale' curtains; it's on these occasions, when I have to deconstruct something to alter it, that I realise just how poorly some items have been made.  These particular curtains are attractive and 'in trend', but they are so thin even with a lining that they must still let light through and certainly not keep heat in.  Basically they are for decoration only rather than being functional.  Anyway, I am currently unpicking said curtains and I'll try to do the necessary alteration over the next week - it's the next job on the list so I shall give it my full attention - and no doubt mutter a bit more about shoddy workmanship in the process.  I have told the youngsters that next time curtains are required, it's either a charity shop buy or I make them from scratch!

I'm still pondering over the state of my wardrobe, after the grand clothing sort out I had earlier in the week.  Having gone through every item of clothing I possess I gradually came to the conclusion that whilst I am fortunate to have enough clothes to wear, not much actually goes together.  I have T-shirts and tops that go with jeans (then again, I guess most tops go with jeans), but I have a skirt that goes with nothing at all, trousers that I can't match to anything, lots of colours but very little neutral, and so on.  There is, I have come to the conclusion, no plan or order to my clothing, and I will readily admit how much I need order in my life.  I buy clothes rarely (I think I bought just one pair of jeans and one long-sleeved T-shirt last year, both from a charity shop, and swimwear for Spain), I tend to shop for clothes spontaneously rather than with any kind of plan in mind, and I can see now that I don't really give much thought as to how any new item will fit in with the rest of my clothes.  There's a lot of colour going on, too.  I love bright colours but perhaps I don't need quite so many of them ;-)  It has become clear to me now just why I used to stand in front of a wardrobe of clothes and simply not know what to wear if I had to go out somewhere particular.

I've had a look through some capsule wardrobe blogs and I think this is the way to go for me.  And then yesterday evening I watched the second episode of The Great British Sewing Bee and had a light-bulb moment.  I can't afford to buy a new wardrobe of clothes - and I couldn't justify that sort of spending anyway - but I can make clothes myself, to fit me.  Also, I can't rush something like this, I need to take my time.  So, one step at a time.  I think I may start with colour - base colours, neutrals and reduce the number of brights/accents.  Sounds easy when I write it down.  I have a feeling it may not be quite that simple!  

Not on the list

Brrr, still cold here with temperatures hovering a couple of degrees above freezing during the day; no snow here, although when I drove to my voluntary job Friday morning I was really surprised to find a dusting of snow just a few miles away.  We're trying to get out if we can, even if it's just a walk into town and back.

I'm making great efforts to tackle this pile of projects in the sewing room but I seem to be adding more than making any inroads.  So yesterday I made a cover for my newly-acquired hot water bottle (since the electric blanket gave up on us we have been sharing a bottle - very cosy but not so practical!).  Road-tested last night and deemed a resounding success.  But not on the list.

Also not on the list was N's thermal gloves.  He's had them a few years and they are just so warm (having borrowed them, I can testify to this).  However, the glove cuffs are worse for wear and tear - the velcro fastening has caught and pulled the fabric badly and they really did look a mess.  I had a look at them and decided that if the damaged cuffs were removed, I could make some replacement cuffs in ribbed knitting.  So N sat and unpicked the old cuffs and I sat beside him knitting some new ones - how's that for teamwork?!  I sewed them on this morning and we're both very pleased with the finished result.  If I hadn't been able to do that, those gloves would have been thrown away; as it is, there is plenty of wear left in them so a few pounds saved with little effort.  

More meals from the freezer today - a portion of veg stew, one pot of beef rogan josh (both home-made) and some spare rice; at least it hasn't gone to waste.  To eke out the remaining frozen vegetables, N decided to investigate the carrots that he sowed back in the autumn. We didn't bother thinning them out and to be honest we had almost forgotten them. However, all is not lost - N came back with more than enough carrots for dinner tomorrow. A little pale but the taste is fantastic.  Nothing to beat home-grown veg.

I managed to catch up with the Sewing Bee this evening, and as usual I'm itching to do some dressmaking.  And I will do, just not quite yet.  The 'project pile' is still too big, but I am working on it ;))

Feathers and cosies

We've had some chilly old mornings here recently, -2 degrees a couple of times, very heavy frosts but to date no snow.  I see reports and pictures of snow 'up north' and, well, it would be nice to have something to show for the freezing temperatures here, too, but it doesn't seem to have ventured across the Solent yet.  In the meantime, I had to spend 20 minutes scraping ice from the car windscreen before I could drive to work yesterday morning, but the ice on the fields and trees was incredibly pretty, and the creek at Wootton was frozen as I drove over the bridge.

I went to the second half of the 'feathers' workshop yesterday afternoon and spent a most enjoyable three hours practising machine quilting.  It's such a treat and I was surprised how much more confident I became as the afternoon progressed.  Lots of hints and tips picked up along the way, and so many ideas and inspirations.  Now it's just a question of lots and lots of practising.  The only down side is the amount of thread I seem to be getting through - a great way of using up strange colours and oddments but I'm getting quite a collection of empty cotton reels on the window sill!

I mentioned, a few days ago, that I was knitting a hat to take away with me, but forgot to post a photo.  N refers to it as my 'tea cosy' (goodness, so sweet!) but as it keeps my head and, most importantly, my ears warm and toasty, I guess 'cosy' is a very apt description.  It's made from Shetland wool bought in Orkney, so it is very dear to me.  I used this pattern (aptly named Gin and Tonic hat!), but added a few extra rows as the wool was quite dense when knitted up and didn't slouch quite as I had hoped.   

After some deliberation, I finally decided on a self-bind for the bowtie quilt; I was going to do a separate binding but decided to opt for a bit of a short-cut. 

 I machined around the edge of the quilt, trimmed the top border fabric to about 1", the backing and wadding to 1/4", and turned the border fabric over the edging and hemmed it in place on the back.  The quilt police would probably have something to say about that but the finished result is neat and, amazingly, the opposite sides are the same length!  It's being pressed into service tomorrow - we have visitors for a couple of days - and an extra layer on their bed will not go amiss.  I'll get around to quilting it later in the week.  I feel some feathers may be in order ;-)

Progress on cupboards, knees and quilts

The kitchen cupboard sort-out is continuing.  Having moved on to the pots'n'pans cupboard yesterday, we've found a few bits and pieces that are no longer used so they will be either recycled or sent to a charity shop.  I hope to finish the last three cupboards tomorrow.

N had another session at the physio yesterday and surgery is looking unlikely now, which is good news.  More exercises to do; if the effort (ie grunts and groans!) in is reflected in the progress, then he should be running a marathon soon!  We didn't do much in the way of walking last week - a combination of inclement weather and not wanting to aggravate recovery - but hopefully now we should be able to manage a few more miles. 

Having sorted out the borders of the bowtie quilt (not perfect, but certainly much better than they were) I have now spray-basted the top, wadding and backing, and this afternoon I have quilted in the ditch along two of the borders.  A walking foot makes the task so much easier and it's really encouraging to begin to see the quilt itself coming together.  I'm using up what thread I have; as it's a multi-coloured scrap quilt, pretty much anything goes.  

We're having a few days in the New Forest next week which we are very much looking forward to.  We had hoped to do a bit of walking but the weather is looking decidedly iffy - freezing temperatures and even the possibility of snow - so we are packing thermals, wellies, rugs, thermos flasks, and plenty of library books, sewing (of course) and puzzle books.  We'll have the cameras and binoculars to hand and hopefully there will be opportunities for some good wildlife photos.  It's a lovely part of the country and we are fortunate it is just across the water from us.

I have been informed we now have 43 garlic plants growing.  Not bad from 50 corms planted.  There's still time for the others to put in an appearance ;-)

A simple life for me

It's howling a hoolie here at the moment, rain lashing against the windows, and it's forecast to get a little wilder during the night.  Compared to many parts of the country, currently experiencing snow, gales and other wintery weather, we get off relatively lightly this far south.  It's no fun being without power in freezing temperatures and I feel for those folks who have been hit hard by the weather.

Today I started in on another task on The List, sorting out the kitchen cupboards.  As I previously mentioned, I've taken the plunge and joined in with the 'Pantry Challenge' on the Down to Earth blog, so I thought I'd better make a start.  It'll be done over two or three days to fit around other things that are happening, and today I did the wall cupboards.  Everything out, shelves wiped down, bottles, jars and packets checked and sorted before putting back.  Two glass jars emptied and recycled, several packets emptied into storage jars and recycled, jasmine rice used up for dinner, a container with nothing in it (!) recycled.  Out of date stock?  About a quarter of a packet of curry paste, BBE May 2012!  All in all, not too bad.  We keep a fairly close eye on the food cupboards, and are much better now at only buying what we know we will use.   Once I got going I really enjoyed the task and the end result was very satisfying.  It's tidy, we can see what we have, and everything is accessible for use.  I'll carry on tomorrow.

This afternoon was a bit of a treat for me.  I took a workshop at our local quilting shop; three hours of machine quilting - wonderful!  The shop owner and tutor, Vendulka, is a very inspiring teacher, and under her guidance I produced some creditable feathers.  Lots of practice, learning to relax and letting the fabric and stitches flow.  It's quite a different technique to the precision of hand quilting, which I do enjoy, but I find I don't have the patience to undertake weeks of hand sewing that I used to have.  I want my quilts finished and to be used, not remain as pieced tops never to be quilted and completed.  So, machine quilting it is, and I'm really enjoying the challenge.

This post is my 350th, and marks two years of blogging.  The blog is nothing fancy, just an online diary of our days 'pottering along', enjoying what our chosen lifestyle brings us.  Living within our means, free of debt, being self-reliant, and not being caught up in consumerism.   Thrifty, frugal, simple - whatever the label, we're loving our simple life.

Being grateful

A morning at the donation centre yesterday, and a chance to catch up on everyone's Christmas and New Year news.  Things are getting a little more organised there, and I managed to get a fair amount of work done.  I always find myself pondering over the problem of 'stuff' while I'm sorting through the donations.  A lot of the goods that are donated (in good faith and for a very worthy cause) are good quality and suitable for resale through the charity shops on the local high streets, but every so often I open a bag or box that is just full of, well, rubbish.  We salvage what we can for scrap value, but sadly rubbish is rubbish, even if it has been donated in a charity bag.  When did the accumulation of all this 'stuff' become so important to us?  

Back at home, we were delighted to be given two big bags of shredding which we are mixing in to the compost bin.  We're novices at composting, and the grass cuttings and veg peelings were getting a bit sludgy, for want of a better description, so a bit of shredded paper will hopefully help the mix.  We'll wait to see in a few months time.

Lots of crafting going on here.  N has another model kit on the go, and can be found most mornings at the kitchen table, glasses perched on the end of his nose, meticulously painting some tiny piece of kit.  It's all about having the time, taking the time, and enjoying the time spent creating.  

Absolutely loving these colours!

I've been knitting (this wasn't even on the list but it was a quick and easy 'tick').  And I'm now tackling one of the projects that has been bugging me for a very long time.  It's a quilt top I began piecing many, many years (that sounds familiar, doesn't it?), and over time it has been put away, forgotten about, rediscovered, had a bit more added to it, stuffed in a bag . . . 

I have promised myself it will be the next project to be completed, and I would really like to have it done by the end of the month.  I think that may be a little optimistic but I am determined to get it finished.  Once I had spread it out on the lounge floor, I saw straightaway that I was going to have to begin by unpicking the borders, which were just too wavy for me to ignore (did I really measure those sides first?)  That was today's task, sort the borders out.  They were clearly too long, which made the edges wavy, so I've shortened and resewn each side and it all looks a lot better.  I dug around in the bag of sheets from the charity shop and have found one that will do for the backing, and I have enough offcuts, if I do a bit of joining, for the wadding.  Making do with what I have.  It's fun.  

We have had two phone calls in the past 24 hours which have served as a timely reminder to us of just how fortunate we are.  We both enjoy good health, something that is so often taken for granted but which I find I am becoming increasingly thankful for, and secondly, we are in the wonderful position of being debt-free.  We are not beholden financially to anyone, and it is the best feeling and one we made a conscious decision to achieve.  We have never regretted that decision.  It has allowed us to leave work early knowing that everything was paid for and it has given us choice and freedom.  We are happy to live within our means but we don't feel that makes us poor in any way; we are far more self-reliant than many.  Our life may be simple in comparison to some, but we consider ourselves rich in so many ways.  We have much to be grateful for. 

Tick

It poured with rain this morning then turned into a lovely bright afternoon but it left the ground very wet

I think the most apt word for this, the first week of 2015, must be 'busy' for that is what we seem to have been.  But in a really nice, happy sort of way.  It is such a pleasure to be doing things that we chose to do rather than have to do (there's even a sort of satisfaction with the housework, probably to do with wearing an apron!!)  For the moment, anyway, I am going to make the most of this sense of purpose and fulfillment; I dare say there will be days that don't have the same productivity or enjoyment and on those days I will remember that it isn't always like that.

A visit to the physio has confirmed that N has torn the cartilage in his knee which does explain the on-going problems.  He now has daily exercises to do and hopefully it can be resolved without recourse to surgery.  And the BP issue appears to have been a blip; yesterday's readings were more than acceptable.

The project list for this year has the first 'tick' - I have finished lining the curtains.  However, no time to sit around congratulating myself, the next project is already on the go!  Actually, I need to be honest here and say I seem to have 3 projects on the go at the moment.  I don't think that was really the plan but one is definitely on-going (and long-term; a bit at a time sort of project) and another is a quick knitting project (a few lines here and there) so they will all probably muddle along together fairly well.  I am mindful of not taking on too much at any one time - that just becomes a massive juggling act and any pleasure rapidly goes - so I think this is my limit for the time being.

January seems to be a month for making do with what we have, running the freezer down (it's always surprising what you find lurking in the depths!) and not buying unless we need to.  I am gradually working my way through various cleaning products, finishing up odds and ends and not replacing them.  Two more bottles were emptied today.  It seems slow progress but I'll get there eventually.  A bit more room in the cupboard under the sink.

We finally took the Christmas tree down today; it had started to shed it's needles so it's time was up.  We so enjoyed having a real tree this year and it is definitely something we will do again.  

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. 

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. 

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.  

Have we finished?

I have just discovered, having downloaded the photos this evening, that whilst I have 'before' photos, I don't have any 'after' ones so I think I will leave pictures of the conversion until tomorrow and write myself a note to remember to take photos of the new room furnished.

The carpet waiting to be fitted!

The carpet fitter did a grand job yesterday, all done in half an hour (again, just why did we think we could do that ourselves?).  Needless to say, N and I were straight to work moving pieces of furniture from various locations in the house into their new, and hopefully permanent positions.  Oh, it was good to begin reclaiming the house once more.  There is more to do, and I think quite a bit of decluttering (again) in the process but there is such a sense of relief that the building, decorating and renovating is, for us at least, completed.  By the evening we had quietly collapsed into our chairs.

We had visitors last night, complete with birthday-eve excitement - the anticipation of nearly being seven was almost too much to bear!  These grandchildren seem to be growing up way too quickly; the eldest will be into double figures next year.  But it's lovely to be able to cosy up on the sofa with one or the other and have the latest electronic game patiently explained ;-o

Sunrise yesterday morning

It's been clear and bright for a couple of days, but chilly.  We're quick to winge about the drop in temperature but really it's nothing compared to the snowfalls that eastern American has experienced this week.  A couple of new England blogs I read had photos of snowmen, so we really shouldn't complain too loudly (but we still do).

I had a mammoth baking session yesterday while we waited for the carpet to be fitted.  A loaf of wholemeal bread, soft bread rolls, a tea loaf and a batch of ginger biscuits.  I think I may try adapting the biscuit recipe as the basis of chocolate chip cookies, the ones I made with the grandchildren during the summer weren't quite right but these were wonderfully chewy and I think would work well.  

Having had a bit of a block with the wedding cushion (a bit stressful as it must be finished by Monday), today I just sat down at the machine and sewed, successfully.  I think it must be something to do with the fact that finally 'the sewing room' is actually beginning to look like one, and therefore far more conducive to sewing.  That is probably just as well as there is a huge pile of projects waiting to be started and/or completed.  I had such grand expectations and hopes of a handmade Christmas this year and I don't think I will be able to achieve a great deal (I was told yesterday it's now just five weeks to the day - oh dear).  But then I stop and think what we have achieved since we moved in here and I guess I shouldn't feel too despondent.  A bit of perspective is what's needed, I think, and we'll get that over the next few days.  In the meantime, we're sorting ourselves out, yet again.

Slightly disorganised

The first Christmas cactus flower of the year

We have four plastered walls in the garage/bedroom, and for a few moments we even had a door - very exciting - but that has now been temporarily removed to the shed.  This is because tomorrow the ceiling is being plastered and clearly we don't want the door being plastered as well (or the meter boxes; another use for old plastic bags).

It was cold and wet today, and the workforce got, well, cold and wet.  However, the end is in sight, and I should start referring to the new room as the guest bedroom rather than the garage.  It will be good to get ourselves straight again; this state of upheaval with nothing in it's proper place goes against my sense of order.  Apparently the shed is in a similar mess and N is longing to have time to sort that out too.  By the end of the week we should be in a position to begin reclaiming some kind of order again, thankfully.   I find dis-organisation very unsettling (I always had to tidy the messy office at work) and know that the house runs far better if it is clean and tidy and I feel better if I have done the cleaning and tidying.  At the moment, even if I do know where something is I probably can't get to it.  *sigh*  I know it's only temporary but I think I need to take some lessons from it . . .
  

In the meantime, I have a sewing project that requires my attention.