Happy Friday

Happy Friday to you all.  

We're actually seeing a little bit of sunshine here today, but it's been blummin freezing and rather wet for most of this week.  How about you?  Have you managed to get out and about?

I promised Violet a Children in Need teddy bear this morning, so we ventured down to Sainsbury's only to be told they don't do Children in Need, they support Red Nose Day instead. 

Next we tried Toy's R Us - no, nothing there either. 

Not looking good. 

Lastly we tried Boots - oh dear, they sold out of everything over a week ago.  

Sorry Violet, you won't be getting a new teddy bear today, I'll have to order one off their website.  

So, what have I been up to during this 'stay indoors' weather?  Well, I've managed to finish reading a couple of books.

I was really looking forward to reading The White Queen by Philippa Gregory, but I was a slightly (only ever so slightly) disappointed.  I loved learning about this period in history, but I didn't like the Melusina (water goddess) thread running through the storyline.   Nor did I feel as 'on the edge of my seat' as I did when I read The Other Boleyn Girl.  Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable book and I'll definitely be reading the other books in this series about the Plantagenets.

In the edition I read, there is a conversation with Philippa Gregory printed in the back, which I found very interesting reading.  I especially loved the answer she gave to this question:-

If you could go back in time and live in any of the royal courts you've written about, which one would it be and why?

I would be absolutely mad to want to be a woman of any of these times.  A Tudor or Plantagenet woman was wholly ruled be men: either father or husband.  She would find it difficult to seek any education, make her own fortune, or improve her circumstances.  Her husband would have a legal right over her which was equal to his ownership of domestic animals, and the chances of dying in childbirth was very high.  If one could go back in time and be a wealthy man these would be times of adventure and opportunity but still tremendously dangerous.  I think I would prefer the Tudor period rather than this period (Plantagenet) of warfare to diminish the danger of being killed in battle, but there were still regular plagues and foreign wars to face.  I cannot sufficiently express my enthusiasm for modern medicine, votes for women, and safe contraception.  No woman of any sense can be nostalgic for the past.

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Here, here - I couldn't agree more.  

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd was also an enjoyable book and I've placed them both in my book box if any of you are interested in reading them too.

My knitting needles have been rather busy these past couple of weeks.  When we were on holiday I realised how lacking Violet's wardrobe was for warm jumpers, so I set about knitting her a new one, and used 4 balls of the lovely Rowan RYC Cashsoft 4 ply in Amethyst, which I purchased in the House of Fraser sale a few weeks back.  It's absolutely beautiful yarn - so, so soft.

Violet wouldn't let me take a photo of her wearing it, so you'll have to make do with Minnie Mouse modelling it on her behalf.

It's a gorgeous colour - though my photos never seem to show the true colour of things properly

Pattern: Sirdar Country Style DK (2233) Easy Knit

Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft 4 ply (I used 4 balls)

Colourway: Amethyst

And, because I seem to have my knitting mojo back at the moment, I've decided to try and finish off my Embrace Sweater.  So what if I started knitting this way back in February!  I'd already done the hard graft, it just needs seaming, the collar and shoulder cuffs to knit, then it'll be a really huge TA DA moment for me.  I spent a King's ransom on the yarn, so I really don't want to mess it up, but I'm gonna take the bull by the horns, bite the bullet, get those stitches picked up and get this baby finished.  Wish me luck - I'm giving myself until Sunday night to finish it.

For anybody who is interested, the house-hunting isn't going well.  It's making me totally fed up.  So, because I want cheering up, please leave a comment on today's post telling me what period in history you'd like to travel back to and why.  For every comment I receive, I'll make a donation to Children In Need.

Thanks for visiting today. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

X

Christmas is coming.....

and I'm so behind with the projects I want to get finished.

I've picked up a cross stitch I started earlier on in the year, and have been working like a demon on it.  I'm just about half way.  I really want to get this finished and off to the framers as I'd like it out on show when all the other Christmas decorations come out, which is probably gonna be very early December.

  So many WIP's to finish off - sometimes it's hard to see the woods for the trees isn't it?

I love, love, love Christmas time though - How about you?  Does it fill you with dread or does it make you feel like a child all over again?

In my blogging absence I've caught up on a little reading.....

 3 books, which I've really enjoyed.

I've read a couple of Philippa Gregory books in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed them, but I just couldn't put The Other Boleyn Girl down.  I could have sat up and read it through the night.

It was the same with Sara Young's, My Enemy's Cradle, about a young Jewish Girl hiding away in a Lebensborn Maternity Home in Munich. 

The Proposal by Lori Wick was one of my bargain buys from the local charity shop.  It cost me the princely sum of £1, and it turned out to be a very easy going, enjoyable read.

I would highly recommend all these books - and I've put them in my Book Box if any of you fancy giving them a go.

I've loads to tell you, but I've just received a telephone call from an estate agent informing me that a house I loved has just had an offer received on it - so I'm off to make Maria's Lemon Curd & Blueberry Loaf Cake in the hope that it'll cheer me up.

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A catch-up

Sorry I've been absent for a week or so, but I can assure you all that I have been kept very busy.

Before I start boring you all with what I've been upto, let me just say a very big thank you for all your heartwarming comments regarding my previous post.  I've been doing alot of thinking about those projects and have decided that I'm going to get them all out of their carrier bag for good, and get them out on display. 

Over the past few days I've been spending rather alot of time on the computer, checking out all of the potential nursery schools for Violet - no easy task I can tell you. 

 Lots of coffee has been drunk, lots of sweet things have been consumed and lots of headache tablets have been taken. 

What a sodding nightmare this has been, and it still isn't finished.  I've whittled it down to 5 schools and have made arrangements to go and view all of them.  I was hoping that I'd be able to do this over the peroid of a couple of weeks - the other half finishes his job this Friday and has just over two weeks off before starting with his new employer - so this would have been the ideal opportunity. Things are never that simple though are they?  I've only managed to arrange one viewing for next week.  The others have had to be arranged over the coming weeks, the last one being 20th October.

Violet will be starting at a 'Two's Club' this Friday, for a couple of hours.  Even though she is a very socialable child already, I thought it would be the perfect activity to do prior to starting nursery.  I know she'll love it, and the good thing (for me, rather than for Violet) is the fact that I have to accompany her and am responsible for her whilst we're there.

On the making front, I've finished yet another Lavender Pouch.

Check this one out.

I think this is my favourite so far.

Do you remember me showing you my original design???

I then stitched this.

I didn't want the back of the Lavender Pouch to just be bare linen, but I also wanted to keep with the same sort of theme - what better thing to do, but reverse the pattern that I'd already stitched.

Then it was just a case of sewing it all together, and attaching a cute ribbon.

Hope you like it.

The flat we currently rent is all very cream and lacking in colour - we aren't allowed to put any pictures or posters on the walls, so it all feels rather impersonal - so, to add alittle bit of colour to Violet's room, I decided to make her some bed linen, and started with a pillowcase in some Amy Butler fabric.

I love, love, love it and wish it were on my bed.

It's uber bright too. 

The pillowcase was made using just under a meter of fabric (it's about £10.40 a meter), so I have plenty left to make a couple of make-up bags for Xmas presents, all I'll need to buy are two zips.

I can't wait to get started on a duvet cover to match the pillowcase.  Though rather than do the whole duvet in the same material, I'm thinking that some applique in the same material might be more suited to a little girl. You'll have to watch this space though, as you know I'm not the most skillful of person with the old sewing machine.  Nor the fastest.

I've been quite disappointed in myself over the lack of books I've managed to read this year.  I'm not the world's fastest reader, but I thought a book a month would have been achievable, even for me.  I'm ashamed to say that I've only managed to read 7 books in just over 8 months. I must try harder.

Whilst I'm on the subject of books, I've decided that I'm going to open up a Book Box on my sidebar.  This will have a list of books that I'd like to pass on to other folk.  If you want one of the books that will appear in there from time to time, then all you need do is email me which book you'd like and your address and I'll send it to you.  After you've read it, please feel free to keep it should you so wish, or pass it onto someone else, it's upto you.  The only condition will be that these books are not for resale. Does this sound like a good idea to you?

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