Pink Green

Mission completed.

It's done! Hurrah! My broken leg blanket is now keeping Ruth cosy at night, and she loves it. Not as much as I love it though, and I have to confess I very nearly kept it for myself. I am actually feeling a little bereft without it to work on of an evening, so I think I may need to start another project asap.

This is my favourite square.

And this is the blanket spread out on my bed, away from the clutter and debris of Ruth's room. 

I'll be back soon to show you the inspiration I got from the Malvern Gardening Show put into practice in my own little patch. 

Hope you are all having a good week. Sorry I'm not very good with the whole comment-leaving thing at the moment - I am checking in but am trying to curtail the amount of time I am spending on the laptop so as not to be anti-social at home. Comments had been made!

Cathy XX

10 Things Making Me Happy...

1. My garden in the sun. Did anyone participate in National Naked Gardening Day on Saturday? I didn't, I hasten to add (Cheltenham isn't quite ready for the shock!), but the thought of it did make me chuckle.

2. Finally joining the squares of the 'broken leg' blanket for Ruth. Just the ruffle border to do now.

3. My new Kitchenaid mixer. I know, it's red and not blue, but it's a long story. I also got a huge bargain and tons of free stuff with it so I am happy to live with the colour! It makes very tasty bread too.

4. Having my dog home. He had a lovely holiday with my parents but I think he's secretly pleased to be back!

5. The anticipation of the Malvern Spring Gardening Show on Saturday.

6. Being back at work - I love my job, and missed it.

7. Planning our Summer holiday to Sweden with our friends.

8. Gin and tonic with lime.

9. 'Lady Audley's Secret' - my new book.

10. Summer....it's on its way!!

What's making you happy?

Yippee!

Hooray!! The brace is off! I went to the hospital yesterday and was told I can now walk normally without a brace or crutches. After 3 and a half months 'normally' isn't quite how I would describe it, but I am now hobbling around the house without aid. I will probably stick to crutches or a walking stick when out and about for the first few weeks, but it won't be long before I'm back to normal. I have even had my first shower standing up, which was bliss I can tell you!

So, I hope you all had a very happy Easter and the Easter bunny visited. He doesn't usually bother with me as he knows I will eat most of the girls' eggs while they aren't looking, but this year I must have looked like I needed feeding up as he (well, Andy), gave me this gorgeous one. This picture was taken today - aren't I being good?! I must confess I have eaten the orange choc buttons, but am saving the egg for a moment of great need. That, and the fact that I am still eating some of the girls ones!!

We had a really restful and happy week at my parents' house in Leicestershire last week. Leicestershire isn't widely thought of as a beautiful place, but it is in the heart of the National Forest and is the place that I love more than anywhere. The countryside is just astounding, and there are some really lovely places to visit, including this one called Staunton Harold.

I have been going here since I was tiny and I try to go every time I'm visiting my parents. The house used to be a hospice, but is now a private house. There are walks around the lake, and in the old stable block there is an arts centre with all the different parts housing a different craft. They always make such an effort with the pots and I have taken several photos for inspiration. There is a garden centre and aquatics place here too, and I can heartily recommend the ice cream in the cafe!

Aside from Staunton Harold there are many other treasures to be found in Leicestershire, including this one,

Bradgate Park (photo from National Forest.org),

and a gorgeous plant nursery called Ulverscroft, which started off as a few bedding plants grown on the windowsill by the daughter of the farm owners, and is now a really well stocked (and reasonably priced) place and I always try to get my plants there. This is some of my stash from this weekend in the foreground - I'm just waiting for a few nice days to get them potted up. The view is from my dining room window. Despite being neglected for some time due to my leg, the garden isn't looking too bad with the clematis and the lilac out together, and I have several plans afoot to make it even better....watch this space!

Well, I'll leave it there for now. If anyone from the Leicestershire Tourist Board is reading then please contact me - I have heaps more things I can plug!! I'm now off to hobble into the kitchen to make lunch before there is mutiny.  

Cathy XX

Happy Easter!

I know it is a little early to wish you all a Happy Easter, but I am off to my parents' house until after the Easter weekend and won't have much blogging opportunity. We are leaving Andy (with his trusty companion Bodie) here for the week adjusting to his new job which involves working shifts. He will probably get more sleep without us here! 

We had a great day on Wednesday in Cribbs Causeway and Ikea in Bristol. We needed a few bits and bobs and thought we'd make the most of a child free day to get organised. Andy hates shopping but we actually had a really nice time chatting and browsing (although we didn't go much further than the John Lewis as I knew Ikea would finish me off). I spent the next few days sorting out the girls rooms and building the storage units we got for them. No photos as yet - it's still a work in progress as it takes twice as long due to the crutches!

The end of term couldn't come fast enough for us - the girls were dragging their heels in the mornings and getting a bit crabby, which is a sure sign of tiredness and end-of-term fatigue. Grace had her first violin exam on Thursday which seemed to go very well, although we won't know for a couple of weeks. So, we are now into PJs all morning and pancakes for breakfast - weekend and holiday treaty stuff. We've already watched Mamma Mia twice and we are only into day 2 of the holidays - and it does mean that we are all singing Abba songs for the rest of the day. 

So, I hope you are all making the most of the holidays and enjoying the sunshine, and the Easter Bunny visits you. See you soon,

Cathy XX

Just chilling!

Thanks for all your lovely messages. I can assure you I am not overdoing it (most of the time), and to prove it here is a photo of what I spent most of yesterday doing.

During. The Price's Venetian Candles box is my crochet hook store, and came filled with all sorts of hooks and measures.

After.

I was in need of a rest - Weds was lunch in the Bathurst Arms near Cirencester with my lovely friend Gill, followed by a mooch around Cirencester. Thursday another friend came for lunch and some crochet (not too arduous a day!). Friday I was at school all day, followed by a Singstar night with several friends (none of whom were as competitive as I was, so I hope I get invited back to do it again!). I am making the most of my free time before getting back to normal!!

Sunday was spent at the allotment - the first time I've managed to get Andy down there this year. Sophie (who you may remember has the other half of our double plot) had her parents to stay from Sweden, and with usual Scandinavian efficiency, they had cleared all the brambles and debris from the edge of the plot during the week. We went to help burn the 3 mountains of brambles (again I was sans camera, sorry) and had a picnic. I managed to do some hoeing and we planted shallots, potatoes, lettuce, spring onions and radishes. Andy still has 2 huge beds to dig over, and has promised to do it this week so that we can get more stuff planted asap. I did however manage to take a photo of our first harvest of the season - white sprouting broccoli. It is exactly the same as purple sprouting, only white. 

My favourite thing to do with it is to steam it briefly and then eat it with toasted pine nuts, a knob of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. I also sometimes add some shavings of parmesan, but had run out. This makes a great lunch dish, and we have enough to keep us going for every meal for about 6 weeks! I think I'll be giving plenty away again this year as I can't bear to see it go to seed.

2 weeks and 1 day (and counting) until the brace comes off (fingers crossed). I'll still need to crutches for a while when out and about, but hopefully the end is really near now. Bodie comes home on Friday from 2 months at my parents house, and the girls are already making Andy promise to bring him to school to pick them up! I'm not sure I'll be joining them on walks for a while, but it will be nice to have his big soppy face resting on my knee of an evening (Bodie, not Andy). 

Hope you are all having a great week. 

Cathy XX

I know I usually start my entries like this, but I am sorry for the delay in posting, and for neglecting all your lovely blogs too. I am checking in with them still, but haven't been very good at leaving comments at the recently. 

Well, it's now only 3 weeks to go until I can lose the brace and crutches (YIPPEE), although I will probably need a walking stick for a while. I am going to have a huge celebration when the crutches go at last - they are the biggest hindrance, and prevent me from carrying anything. I have started using just one occasionally to get from the kitchen to living room with a cuppa, and that has improved my quality of life no end!! I am back at work and have done several mornings, a full day, and also a school trip to a Science Fair! Nothing like easing in gently. 

I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday (if it applies to you). We went for a picnic on Minchinhampton Common, and I sat in the sun feeling very at one with the world. We then went for a stroll (or hobble) around Nailsworth and saw the most amazing vintage bed in a shop there. We have been after a new bed for ages and this really fits the bill, and was a bit of a bargain. I am on tenterhooks waiting for the store owner to ring me about delivering it and getting a new mattress. We came back from there to a dinner of Rump Steak (my favourite cut) and feta salad, followed by creme brulee. Unfortunately I forgot to take the camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it all! I did manage to take a photo of some Easter decorating that we did yesterday though. It isn't much, but it is a start!

(Please excuse the wheelchair and detritus in the background - tidying isn't the easiest of jobs on crutches in confined spaces!).

So, pretty good Mother's Day all round. The girls (with a guiding hand and wallet from Andy) got me this heavenly Paul Smith Rose perfume and body lotion, which is the nicest perfume I have ever smelt. It is really light and smells like the perfume I used to make out of rose petals in the garden as a child. The back of the box is covered with the rose print too, so perfect for storing little bits and bobs of jewellery in.

Talking of jewellery, just take a look at the scrumptiousness of my latest Etsy purchase. Isn't it gorgeous? A little treat to myself for all the hard work I'm doing getting my bones to knit together again! 

Whilst mooching around the house, which is something I am doing a lot of at the moment, I decided this mirror... 

...would be better off blue. 

I tried white but it didn't look right, so I mixed up a few splodges of blue acrylic with the white and I much prefer it. What do you think? It goes nicely with the jug of Mother's Day flowers from the girls, and Ruth's handmade card too. 

Well, after the lovely, sunny, happy day yesterday it's back to normality today. I've been to the dentist this morning for a couple of fillings, and have just tried slurping a hot chocolate, but got most of it down my front. I'll have to stick to orange juice through a straw for a few more hours I think. I did manage to hobble all the way into town and back, which is the furthest I have been so far. I have spent the rest of the day on the sofa with a magazine though, and don't think I'll be going far this afternoon. The best bit is that Andy will approve of this behaviour for once - he keeps telling me I shouldn't overdo it, and I am taking him at his word! I need to make the most of it - once I'm up and about 100% I won't get away with lounging around crocheting and reading all day! 

Hope you all have a happy week.

Cathy XX

Back to normal...

...or getting there at least. Thank you all for your lovely messages - they really mean a lot. The last few weeks have been very difficult, not just for me, but for the girls who have been abandonned for the second week this year, and for Andy who has been looking after them (and me). Still, we are on the way to getting life back on track. I saw the physio today who said I can go back to work if I take it easy - no full days yet, but a slow build up. So, I am back tomorrow, despite still having crutches and a brace (for another 5 weeks). Hurrah!

I used to have a job in a financial services company in a large office, and I hated every minute of it. I worked there until I had Ruth and then did some temp work in the same office. However, working as a Teaching Assistant is a totally different kettle of fish, and I love every minute of it. I have really missed the children, staff and the job, and even though it is only a little bit, I am glad to be getting back. It is the start of normality returning at least.

Usually about this time of year I have a big Spring Clean, which takes a week and is a very therapeutic occupation. Unfortunately it isn't so easy with crutches, and I had been twitching to get going. I tentatively suggested to Andy that we could get a company in to do a thorough clean instead (which wouldn't be the same or have the same therapeutic benefits), but to my complete astonishment Andy offered to do it with me. You see, having a broken leg isn't all bad! So, cloths, polish, windowcleaner and a bowl of hot water at the ready we made a start over the weekend. We did 2 rooms fully - our bedroom and the living room, and I managed to wash ornaments, windows and anything that didn't move. 

(Sorry about the dull photo - it was dusk by the time I took this.)

This is the room I am spending most time in at the moment, and it is feeling very Spring-like in here. This little table was a car boot find a few years ago and I absolutely love it to bits. I love the colours, the chippiness and the octagonal design of the trays. It was hidden down the side of the sofa, but I brought it out so as to see it a little better. 

As I have not had a great start to the year I have decided to treat myself to one of these!!

 

 I am going to get one in the next few weeks and am having colour traumas. I love the ice blue ones but think they are discontinued. I am even considering having either the ice blue or the Martha Stewart one (below) shipped over (by my lovely Aunt, who, fortunately, understands the importance of the right colour). Isn't this just gorgeous?

However, if I can get one in this country that would be even better. Does anyone have any ideas? Any shops with old stock that didn't sell? I can't believe they would stop making such a fab colour and replace it with some of the slightly odd versions they have out now. Please help!!

Well, the girls are going to be home from school soon, so I had better brace myself! See you all soon,

Cathy XX

I'm sorry my return to blogging has not turned out as planned and it has been ages since I posted. My grandmother died last weekend and I have been staying with my parents to help support my Mum. I don't want to discuss it in detail as I don't feel this is the right place, and I am trying to keep this a positive, light blog, but I thought I should explain my absence. I loved her very much and will miss her. The funeral is on Thursday.

Hello again!

Well, I've had quite a long break from blogging, but I now have much more time on my hands due to this:

I have a very badly broken leg thanks to this:

(Bodie with his favourite Christmas present)

Bodie got very excited on a New Year walk with friends and ran straight into my legs, sending me up into the air and down again onto frozen ground. He knew instantly he'd been a very bad boy and kept licking my head as I was lying on a path in the middle of nowhere. Sweet, but not that helpful! Anyway, the long and short of it is after a week in hospital and surgery to pin my leg and reconstruct my ligaments I am off work and on crutches for at least another 2 months (having been off for 5 weeks already). I thought initially I would be off the crutches in another couple of weeks, but it is not to be, and I will be forced to drink my cups of tea in the kitchen for a while longer as I can't carry tea and use crutches at the same time!

Although this has been a real pain (literally and metaphorically) it has made me relax properly for the first time in ages. I am not a TV watcher so daytime TV has not sucked me in, and I have been spending my time reading, crocheting these (a blanket for Ruth made from all different squares - total 18 and counting)

and these - although the flowers are still to be added (idea courtesy of Posy)

and sorting out recipes etc. I have been so touched by the kindness of my friends who have been taking me out in a wheelchair, coming armed with flowers, cards and treats, and bringing the children home from school. We live very near the school that I work in and children have been putting cards through the door on their way home and waving every night as they go past. Several people have said I am looking 10 years younger, which either means I was looking 43 before, or I'm now looking 23! 

Andy has been an absolute star - he is a fab cook anyway, but he has also been dealing with all the washing, ironing, cleaning (ish) and lunch boxes etc whilst I recline on the sofa directing operations! All this and he's still working full time. He is pretty weary, but we are off to Northumberland tomorrow for a week in a cottage with my family, so he will get a break from the responsibility and be able to play golf to his hearts content! I may have to treat him to a weekend away when I can walk again, too. He even cleaned the bathroom for the first time in the 14 years we have been together, so having a broken leg isn't all bad!

I have been following all your blogs and was in 2 minds about whether to start mine again, but I did miss it and the community that I felt a part of through my blog, so I thought I'd give it another go, even though I don't have a huge amount to talk about at the moment. I'm looking forward to the next week and a change of scenery - hopefully some pics of ruined castles, deserted beaches and pretty countryside (and also some great shops including RE and Barter Books) will give me inspiration for blogging!

Well, I'm off to leave you all some comments! Hope you have a relaxing and fun half term (and a romantic Valentine's Day).

Cathy XX

TTFN...

(for those of you who don't know, that's ta ta for now). I have decided to take a break from blogging for a while. I know that most of you think I already have as I am less and less frequent in my posts, and by taking an 'official' break I will feel less guilty about not leaving comments for everyone in response to all the lovely comments that you all leave for me. 

I may be back at some point in the future, but having 2 children, a job, an allotment, a craft business, a dog, a house, and a sadly neglected husband, is taking up all my time and energy at the moment. I will still read my old favourites from time to time and may resume once life has calmed down more, but for the moment I have lost the blogging urge. 

Thanks to everyone who has left me a comment - I really do appreciate all the kind messages, despite failing hugely to respond in kind. 

So, maybe au revoir rather than goodbye,

Cathy XX