A Good Life.

It has been so good to finally feel some sun in Cornwall at last. Sun with warmth in its rays and that bright zingyness that lights up the fresh greens of new growth. Yes, the winds have been cold but at last the mist has lifted and I can see further than the gate, far enough to want to venture out with vegetable plants, pots and seeds to hand.

My little helper set up the 'wicked chair' by the cutting patch and made sure her sunglasses were to hand...just in case. Of course, she hardly sat still for more than a brief moment before digging around in the dirt as is her wont.

In fact, she spent most of the afternoon in the hen pen digging earth for the 'poor girls' (her term, not mine, as she is convinced they need help) and they were quite happy to join in. I do love that she and all the other children have this experience of dealing with livestock in the form of our hens and ducks, though I do wish she would stop letting them out into the garden where they wreak havoc and claiming it was the cat that must have done it!

Love the way she moves them along with the back of her trowel or the boot of her welly just like her Mama....gently of course.

What can be better than mucking about in the soil with friends who enjoy it as much as you?







We finished off our session by gathering in some herbs from the courtyard ready for a casserole for dinner.

Totally delicious and a lovely way to end the day - digging around with chickens, sowing more veg

smelling beautiful spring flowers fresh from our very own garden and filling the house with their perfume

and popping down to make the most of the amazing Cornish coast we are so lucky to see every day.

Not a bad old life really is it x

A Return to Normality.

So, the pain that is the Tax Return is now done and life feels free and carefree once more. How sad it is that I put this task off every year and yet actually enjoy doing it when I finally have no choice. Actually, on reflection perhaps the enjoyment of it is the sad part in that sentence? Whatever, it is done and I can return - see what I did there? - to life as I know it: design commissions pending; orders continuing to roll in; Mothering Sunday round the corner and my journal in the Notonthehighstreet Spring Gift Guide due out soon. Busy, busy.

Oh, and then I found my knitting calling....

A skein of the most beautiful hand-dyed wool which I can't remember the name of now, but it came from here rather a long while ago. The colour is just amazing with a dense squashed blackberryness to it mixed with velvet and flecks of deepest purple. Does that help?

And so the paperwork was put to one side for a little longer in order that I might cast on for these pretty fingerless mittens. The pattern is called Veyla and is one of the wonderful designs by the equally prettily named Ysolde Teague, available here. I just love this picture.

Photographing oneself is always a challenge don't you find? I should have got the tripod out, etc but then, if I were capable of such effort I wouldn't be fooling around with knitting at all when I should be working would I? I found it quite funny trying to get a shot which didn't make my arm look too disembodied or impaled on spiked needles, but in the end this was the best I could do.

The mittens have a certain elegance with dainty picot edging to the buttoned cuffs and a delicately lacy leaf pattern. Too dark this morning to show the depth of this gorgeously rich yarn here or the beauty of the patterning. Maybe when they are finished I may just take the time to photograph them properly but in the meantime my hands are snuggled daily by my gift from Jane who has kindly popped the pattern for her mittens over here

So much knitting inspiration (thank you dear Kate for your wonderful Pinterest boards where I while away too many moments!) and so little time. Have I given you enough places to visit when you should be working yet?

Now, I really must do some work ... or perhaps I'l knit a round or two first. Well, it is cold after all! x