Spring Weather & Knitting News.

Spring: I can feel it in the air; see it in the hazy light & slow unfurling flowers; hear it in the increasingly loud birdsong emanating from outside our window where finches flit frantically from branch to branch. And today I felt it in the hot sun as I walked across the beach.

It is close enough to touch and even if the weather should turn icy the clock still ticks toward the brighter months with the promise of all that brings.

The seas have been brisk and swirling myriad shades of blue. Oyster-catchers and herring gulls skim across the foamy waves in a dance of catch-me-if-you-can, sea spray fingers reaching up to cast silvery trails into the sky as wings dip and dodge and hover.

Sunlight turns the dullest patches of seaweed into illuminated tableaux full of vibrant citrusy yellows back lit to render them a stained glass quality. Spring light does this. It takes the ordinary and humble and shouts,"look at what is here! Take note!" ... and I do.

It is precious time, though I am spending far too long walking Pepper. The air is so fresh, the waves so enticing that the thought of being shut indoors does not appeal so very much. I think, "I'll just see what the next wave does," and so it goes on.

Plus, as ever, there is treasure to sort through and search out. The strong stormy winds have thrown plenty for us to turn over and that sun, when it is there, is telling me there is no rush.

 Pepper is in no particular hurry either. She has friends to play with on busier days or, when I find us a secret spot hidden away as is my favourite, she pootles through rockpools with me, her lump-of-coal nose shuffling around under stones to chase out something special to amuse her for a while. Then we sit and watch and listen and just breathe it all in.

Eventually home calls but even here I am filling the shelves and sills with signs of spring. On Saturday I decided it was time:our first duck egg shone bright white in the duck pen and told us that the ducks are ready for a change of season even if the calender isn't. The first egg from the ducklings I hatched and hand reared last year. I must admit I feel quite proud! 

Bowls and baskets of shells are popping up everywhere so that the light can bounce off their surfaces.. pretty flat winkles, cowries, whelks ... so many.

My pockets are always full of things I find.

Evening time is still so chilly though and so we light the fire and I pick up my knitting. Yes, I finally settled on a pattern from the masses saved to my Pinterest knitting board. Not an easy thing when I want so many of the things I have on there, but I have started with Deco by Kate Davies.

It's a lovely cardigan which I am knitting in Sirdar Sublime extra fine Merino DK. The shade is as you can see but with more depth than my photo shows. It is giving me the chance to use my Knit Pro circular needles from a set I treated myself to a long (long) time ago. They come with a gorgeous range of coloured interchangeable tips and are very comfortable to use. The patterning is simple with enough going on to keep things interesting.

Of course, I bought a few more balls in another colour at the same time as I was having trouble choosing. Davey encouraged this as he was heading off to purchase a little more yarn himself. I call him ' The Enabler!'

The blue I am using is called Spruce & the other is aptly named Gorgeous, which it is.

 And so that's me for now.

 Bye for now x

Winter's Fond Farewell...I hope!

Our one Cornish day of very little snow seemed to give Clarence & Pecan something to think about. The very idea of swimming in an icy pond makes me feel ill, but they are ducks and care not a jot.

However, the hens had never seen snow & were thoroughly disgruntled, staying in their tree until hunger drove them down.

And then it was gone with not so much a a snow day off from school. Hey ho, I want spring now and the signs have been there, though this week has opened with the Arctic chill returning. So many layers needed to keep warm when sewing or indeed, for doing almost anything.

Whatever the weather, the beach calls and I love seeing all the moods from soft golden melancholy  

to bright & breezy. 

Of course, I also love coming home to comforting food such as Mr Davey's gorgeous meatloaf with all the trimmings,

followed by a slurp or two of something lovely by the fire.

The sun has made an appearance on and off, and even felt hot once or twice. The shadows remain long throwing deep contrasts onto river scenes.

Dear Castle Beach - what would we do without you? (Have now had a hair cut and can see without drawing the curtains)!

Isabella has already been in the sea. She just cannot keep out it seems. My little mermaid was always such a water baby.

Warmth and chill tied together in a dance of seasons. Spring will win out...eventually.

We can see the promise of it

Can you?

But for now, the fire draws me close in its warm embrace, crackling and hissing and sending wafts of scented smoke. 

Keep warm x

Spring Unfolds.

So much is happening in the garden now, the promise of more to come while pretty blossoms break out all around. The Merryweather damson is frothing away in the little woodland bed.



Tulips in all shades of orange and red and pink are opening, more by the day and yellow ones still only beginning to show colour.



The sloe is in full flow, pretty bright white blooms against dark, brittle stems. It will scatter its confetti onto the campfire below.




All around scarlet tulips vie with blue, blue muscari, the gooseberry bush forming a spiky contrast.



Snow white magnolia stellata is covered in cup-shaped blooms in the duck pen. The shape is so much prettier than is usual as they have 'pruned' the lower shoots over the years to form an elegant posy of the branches. Good things from bad maybe?



These are some of the tulips I planted at the end of February proving that anything in horticulture is worth a try if you don't mind the odd failure. All the ones I planted this late are covered in buds and seem none the worse for it....this time.



A hazy-ish view through part of the garden to the old, battered greenhouse behind.



On another note, Elias makes amazing pasta and he and Dave made this wonderful ravioli filled with homemade pesto. So delicious.



This morning Isabella and I went to Swanpool beach and saw these beauties sailing serenely past on the calm ocean waters.



So beautiful



I could have stayed there for ages with the hot sun beating down even this early in the day.



And on they swam oblivious to anything but themselves.



Last post update: it was Belgium - we mostly stayed in the pretty town of Ghent which I loved for its very chilled out Cornish feel, but there are also one or two pics of Brussels in there. Well done to those who guessed and I truly will catch up on blogs soon!

That's all for today. Have fun x

A Flowery Post.

Hello again. Thank you for all the lovely get well wishes for my sweet friend who is indeed recovering a little now. Wouldn't some sunshine help? Today we have rain...again. It was bright first thing and I raced out with the camera before the wind rose bringing torrential rain in its wake. A touch of spring is what I was after and I found it in these clusters of primroses



The winter flowering cherry is very late this year, but looks so beautiful now with its froth of blossoms.



Forget-me-nots scatter there vibrant blue throughout the borders



and will eventually entwine with the myriad tulips now showing promise despite being planted so late (February!!!). Just goes to show it is always worth a shot doesn't it?



Inside, the window is lit by this pretty miniature rose



Such swirly skirts and even a delicate waft of perfume.



All very lovely, but in truth I want the sun to accompany me, warm on my back as I plant these little beauties.


I can't wait.



Have a lovely Monday x