Handful

Joining in today with This Moment http://www.soulemama.com

Dishcloths - Yarn Along

Joining in today with Ginny over at http://www.gsheller.com

Books and Knitting, knitting and books, these are a few of many favourite things.

I've hit my annual mid-summer slump of knitting, where every project cast on is wrong for one reason or another and ends up ripped back and discarded.

An almost finished Griffin vest for O was taken apart and abandoned due to a yarn join, right in the middle of the front, that bothered me so much it had to go, not content with taking it back to the join, I kept winding until all the yarn was back in balls and stored a way for another time.

It's not that the weather is hot, this is the UK after all, it's muggy, windy, showers and full on rainy, sunny, not so much, it's just not, well, autumn, winter, cosy, fireside, soup kind of proper knitting project time.

So dishcloths it is, because I certainly can't be without needles and yarn.

Cotton is perfect, bright, fun colours, pops of yellow, blue, orange and dishcloths, just the right size for an afternoon or evening, in the garden, watching a movie or listening to the rain.

No thought provoking, summer reading classic, just a fast paced, action filled thriller by my bedside.

This is my fourth Jack Reacher novel and I don't feel quite done with him yet, his time will come, I'm sure, I have a habit of binging on authors, Patricia Cornwell, Faye Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, only to grow fed up with the same old, same, still good while it lasts.

Potatoes

Nest

She made her nest right outside my kitchen window, nestled tightly against the wall, tucked in the yellow rose bush. She had collected straw from the chickens, plastic tape from somewhere, ribbon, paper and a whole load of stuff from somewhere else. She had woven, tucked and tended and created a masterpiece, ready for her babies.

Our relationship got off to a very difficult start, this Mama and me, she darted off whenever I was near, no time to chat, no time to get to know each other, no chance of letting her know I wanted to be her friend.

Slowly and I've no doubt the mealworms, I left out, played a huge part, we became friends, she was less inclined to fly away or snuggle down deeper over her brood.

We began to chat, she listened to me singalong to the radio, watched me hanging out the laundry and collect it in, she accepted me being around.

She began calling when I was in the garden, like a neighbour over the garden fence, I would wish her Good Morning, ask after her health, all with a smile.

Like any proud Mama, she was eager to show off her babies when they hatched and I was excited and extremely honoured to see them.

Such a delight, we all began to take time wishing her well, cooing and making all the normal new baby remarks.

She preened and fussed, flying in and out with meals, we saw more and more of her two babies as they grew, bulging out of the nest, demanding food and plenty of it.

Then came the wing stretching, the sitting on the very edge of the nest and at this point, we knew our days of having these beautiful, new neighbours were numbered.

Saturday was a long day away from home, while we visited with K, laughed, swam and enjoyed time together, that wonderful Mama and her two children moved out.

We came home to an empty nest. 

Our own nest is emptying with L ( 21 next month ) still in Leeds, now living with his girlfriend and K  (17) out of hospital and doing very well, in a supported living placement near Manchester.

Thankfully, O with his nearly 8 year old zest for life and all it has to offer, fills our nest to bursting.

Garlic

The bed revealed a meagre harvest, sad, sodden, rotting, with few exceptions.

I'm thinking the days and days of rain, the lateness of Summer and then lack of continuous sunshine have taken their toll.

I'm drying out, in today's sun and wind, what did come good and we will certainly celebrate this small but delicious harvest.

Sourdough

On a recent trip to Ireland I ate my body weight in fabulous bread - soda farls, potato, wheaten, Veda   

( oh my goodness, Veda bread, who knew ) and sourdough, home tended, home made, divine sourdough at Siobhans. Their daily bread, my slice of perfection.

Ireland was a fabulous adventure, there have been many since I was last here, lucky lady that I am, days out with friends, festivals, trips to Florida, the Keys and my beloved Isle of Lewis, much has changed here but as is life, much is still the same.

We still home educated O ( nearly 8 ! ) I still knit, read, sew ( occasionally ) cook, forage, create.

We still live in the same house, in the same village.

Friends have come, some gone and thankfully those very dear, family of the heart friends are still here.

There have been heartbreaking goodbyes, to dear loved ones including my Grandad.

Celebrations of birthdays, births, long lasting marriages, achievements and the every day, each day has something to put a smile on your face, like restarting this blog and seeing your lovely comments, thank you.

Eager to have my own sourdough going on, I bought a starter and set to feeding it, nurturing it, celebrating all it's bubbly goodness and then finally I made bread.

So now I have my own daily bread happening, my own slice of heaven.

Life is good.

It's been a while, a really long while

Feeling my way around the new look blogger, thinking about things to say and cleaning up this space.

Hello, how are you ? Anyone there ?