A Bit of a Mix.

The sun has left us again and there is a cold wind in its place. Yesterday was such a contrast with warm sunshine far too good to miss by staying indoors, so Isabella and I headed into the garden with a basket of bulbs. Far too late for planting now, but I was sick of seeing them heaped outside the back door, tiny green shoots already appearing. They can take their chances in the cold soil instead and next year the task will be done on time as this is the Year of Unprevarication! Hmm, we'll see.



Once I was crouching down I could see so many signs of spring, from the masses of striped crocus leaves clustered all around



to the soft unfurling of the new alchemilla leaves. Such a beautiful word - alchemilla. I also love its common name of Lady's Mantle and the way it is so often spangled with crystals, each one holding and reflecting shimmering rainbows in its delicate depths.



In my last post I talked of making a cake and I had just the one in mind: pecan and maple syrup cake. It looked so good in the picture and sounded so good on the page claiming a cake that would be nutty, moist and coated with fluffy mousseline butter cream. It got better as the coating would be flavoured with maple syrup (lots of it), vanilla essence and whisky! Oh Yum! So why did mine come out looking like this?



Each half of the cake sort of fell into pieces. It tasted wonderful - sweet, but wonderful with no flour, only masses of crushed pecan nuts making up the bulk of the mix. One seriously expensive cake this; oh, and sweet too, did I mention that? The coating needed one whole bottle of maple syrup which had to be boiled and then whisked into beaten egg yolks, flavoured with the vanilla and the whisky and then spread onto the cake. Well, I boiled and I boiled...



and I whisked and I whisked, but no way was this butter cream being spread. It was far too liquidy for that and ran off the spoon, but oh the taste. Just gorgeous and rich and so very sweet. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I decided to trial a little portion of the cake with the supposed buttercream as a pouring syrup. Lo and behold: tonight's pudding!



Meanwhile, Dave and I are still knitting like furies (did they knit?) and have both finshed the backs of our various projects. I have actually finished the back and front of my tank top - so love that term - and it looks something like this...



I even discovered thatnks to the wonders of the internet that I had been sewing up shoulder seams the wrong way all these years, now having such neat seams as to make you sigh and bring a tear to an appreciative eye. well, it did to mine anyway. See, you can't tell it's a seam ccan you?



Just the dreaded neck and armbands to go, followed by more seaming, sewing in of loose ends and blocking. Was hoping to head off for a new pattern this weekend, but I think I have a little way to go. However, in my New Year's endeavour to do more crafting for myself as opposed to the never-ending sewing I do for my business I have joined Marmalade Rose's challenge to sew/knit/crochet for at least 20 minutes a day.



Another New Year's revolution was to try to do more for other people. I do a lot for my own family like most of us do, but I have become increasingly aware how lucky I am in my little world. Yes, money is usually a problem to be worried over, the house is an eternal problem which needs sorting, the children I fret over because I am me BUT I really do love my life and think I am very blessed in the amount of fun and love that flows through it. This year I want to see if I can just think outside myself a little and find some time - that precious commodity - to do a little for those who are not so lucky.



Not sure quite what that will be, but by putting it here I hope I will feel the push to act on it, to unprevaricate and just 'do'. I intend to start by popping over here to find the link to Shelter Box, a wonderful organisation based in Cornwall who helps those coping with disasters such as Haiti is in the aftermath of right now. Perhaps you might join me by clicking and seeing if maybe you could spare a little too to help Diana raise enough for one of these life-saving boxes?



That's me for today. Thank you for all your get well wishes for Miss Lucy who is so much better at last.
have a lovely weekend all xx

Convalescence and Sunshine.

The sun has shone all day today and there is no snow to be seen anywhere in my little corner of the world, so off the girls and I headed after a hasty lunch with Tom (eldest son) who popped in briefly. The need for fresh air and open spaces sent us to our favourite woods at the nearby village of Mylor Bridge. Along the field path...



over the stile...



Finding things for our nature table, though we decided this pretty sphagnum moss was better off where it lay.



Burnished leaves stuck to our wellies and made the muddy footpaths slippery underfoot.



Lucy has been very poorly for quite a long time now, spending most of her days sleeping as in the picture below and I could see her getting more down as the days wore on; I know I have grumbled on about this before, but I really believe the way we live now doesn't allow for the restorative powers of convalescing and that we feel we must keep children shut away while they are truly 'bad' and then send them post-haste back to school the very instant they recover, only to see them fall ill again because their immune systems haven't properly got back to normal. I am obviously not commenting here on the fact that many have to work and therefore feel no other choice is open to them - in fact, I have myself found the last year beyond challenging as one after the other of the clan needed looking after with work being very much fitted around them resulting in late nights for me, manic working to fulfill orders, etc.



No, I am talking about the way we almost fear being seen with them because the view seems to be that if they are well enough to go out then they are well enough to be at school. Today I said 'arse' to that and did what I felt my girlie needed: fresh air, a gentle amble outdoors and a reminder that there is life outside our four walls. It has worked and though she is tired out, her cough still hacking away, there is colour in those cheeks and a smile on her pretty face. Another day home should see her right I think.



These spikey aliens came home with us



The King Alfred's cakes didn't!



Back to the car and a quick look at the river



then home once more where Lucy is now fast asleep under her quilt again and Isabella is telling me her legs hurt thus requiring chocolate to mend them. Could do with some myself really, but as there is none to be found (!) I suppose I will have to bake a cake instead...sigh.



have a peaceful evening x

P.S. the gorgeous bird was indeed a redwing, so many thanks to all who helped (very similar to a fiedfare it seems).

P.P.S. Recent chat with Isabella: "Mummy, let's play ships. I'll be the Captain and you be The Lovely!"

How sweet is that? x

What We Did.

Constantly popped out to free up drinking water for hens and ducks, and break through the thick, thick ice on the pond. Biscuit and Mustang preferred sitting on the ice than on the snowy banks; no sense, no feeling?



Mustang takes a bow. Both he and Biscuit are Silver-cheeked Appleyards, for those who asked and are much, much larger than they may appear - about two to three times the size of wild ducks and quite heavy to pick up, especially when you are tryintg to rescue your precious plants from their heavy footed waddling. Many a time and oft have I almost taken a turn in the murky waters of the duck pond while trying to manhandle them after a breakout!



Turned this



and this



into these for the wild birds which are flocking to our garden in search of food. I really do seem to have a need to feed the world don't I?



Lucy used her new fondue set, a fab present from one of her sweet friends.



Dipping chunks of melon and banana into rich, warm, chocolatey sauce...Mmmm.



Been very grateful that our dear hens are laying so well for us. Tiny eggs as they are newly in lay, but beautifully deep freckled brown in colour with bright orange eggs thanks to the huge amounts of fresh stuff we give them.



Struggled to get this girlie back into the warmth, only managing it with promises of card games and chocolate. Doesn't matter what the weather, this one likes to be outdoors.



tried to identify this little chap. he looks like a thrush and yet I am not sure at all. What do you think? The breast is actually pinkish which doesn't really show here.



Bit obsessed now, but he was further away than the lens makes it seem and I nearly broke my neck balancing on the icy raised herb bed to photograph him (her?). Exaggerate? Me?



Well, that's me for today apart from directing you here to one of my New Year's resolutions as suggested by Diana (possibly the key to good living, this one) and here for quite possibly one of the most romantic things I have seen in all this snow. Just beautiful.



Have a great unproscrastinating Monday xx

Some Winter Sights.

Some sights from the last few days: bright cotoneaster berries



A single berry fallen on icy crystals



Dark purple ivy backlit by early morning sunshine



Fun in the snow



Gotcha!



A little girl who couldn't bear snowball fights in the February downfall now races to pelt us all. Funny how things change.



The strangeness of delicate sugar-pink flowers of the Ballerina rose against chilly sky



Biscuit having a stretch to work out the cold from her feathers.



That's better, I am ready for my close up. She is such a pretty girl isn't she?



And finally, a snuggle down under soft quilts in even softer pyjamas



and a play on the sofa with teddies and bunnies close to hand



while dave and I knitted by the fire - me feeling sooo cosy in my new pj's...bliss.



Stay warm won't you? xx

P.S. for those who asked, the Crofter wool in the last post knits up in Fairisle type patterns without the bulk of Fairisle (though I do love knitting true Fairisle too). Pop to Tracy's pretty blog over at Cupcakes at Home as this is where I first saw it being used...just gorgeous! x

Nature's colours (and a bit of a sale).

I have been so out of touch with my poor blog and I miss it, so now the New Year is here I intend to get back in the groove so to speak. I almost felt overwhelmed by the thought of writing a catch up post until I remembered that it's my blog and I really shouldn't treat it the way I use to my diaries as a young girl, always apologising on the paper for not writing regularly and feeling the need to relate every tiny detail of the missing days. Instead I shall let things unfold as they choose merely pausing in the flow to say that the festive season was wonderful, the New Year brought the usual feeling of hope and excitement at what may lie ahead and yes, I do have a few Revolutions (Lauren's word from when she was tiny) as I love things to aim for and shall reveal those another day. But what has taken my eye today is the amazing range of nature's colours in this cold month of January.



I have noted on many blogs that January is not popular with most of us, though I must say that I have warmed to it over the years: it often has the most sparklingly beautiful days of iced sunshine with the bluest skies where the sea glitters and the yellow coconut-bun-scented gorse lights up the hedgerows. Of course, there are many bitterly frozen moments of grey and dulldom, but for me it is less so than the shorter month of February. Perhaps it is the hope of the year ahead that makes it bearable for me or maybe it is the contrasting colours so evident in all around.



Mr Davey and I are creating our own works in nature's colours with the knitting bug firmly having bitten us during the recent stint of Christmas present making. Dave knitted Lauren a scarf to accompany the hat I made her (no photos as yet!) and has decided to move onto a little jumper for Isabella, while I am busy knitting myself what used to be called a tank top, but now seems to be a vest for some reason. The wool is called Crofter and has the beautiful shades of charcoal, plum and heather pink running through reminding me of the long shadows cast by the north coast cliffs in late afternoon sunlight at this time of year. The back is finished...



but as ever, my photos don't show the delicate tones in their true warmth. The wool is so soft and tactile



and a dream to knit with; a lovely Christmas present thank you Dave x



But as I said, January is a month of contrasts and yesterday morning saw the river bathed in a golden light as Isabella and I trugded our way to nursery yet again. I have missed this view over the Christmas period as I have spent so much time forming my own chronicles of it with my camera that it now feels like a true friend, one I have neglected a little in favour of other Cornish views for several weeks, but am rapidly reaquainting myself with as life returns to its usual routine.



From the slate and granite tones shot through with ochres and umbers to golds and rose and nutty browns. A change which lifts my heart and warms me through.



We spent a grabbed hour of childfree time in the local wool shop entertaining the lovely people there with our pattern choosing and deep discussions of which colours would be 'right' for Isabella. What I found heartening was the way the shop owner related stories about my eldest children, remembering perfectly their different personalities even though I had not shopped there with them in tow for at least 13 years or so. So funny to think I am still shopping for wool for one of my little ones after all this time.



This wool is again Crofter which comes in so many gorgeous shades. Dave chose this beautiful one with its base of rose pink. lilac and cream. He is doing really well and is finally learning to pick up his own dropped stitches thanks to my bellowing loudly at him!



Time for me to head off now and spend a little time catching up with all of you, though before I go I want to just let you know that there is a little sale on the Christmas Emporium on my website with all things there reduced by 20% for this month: a chance to be incredibly organised next year maybe? I'll leave you with the warmth of the sun over Pendennis Point early this morning before the rosy light changed to steel grey and back again. January - month of contrasts and also, as it happens, the month of my birthday (which I thoroughly enjoyed!).



Happy New Year x