Well, February has nearly passed us by, thank goodness. I am longing for some sunshine, a cup of tea on the bench in my garden, opening the windows and the doors and generally not feeling quite so cold and grey. I don't usually feel the cold but it has been the sort that gets into your bones. The fire and blankets have been working overtime, and we've taken to allowing Bodie on the sofa occasionally just for his warmth (which he is quite happy to provide in return for a cuddle).
We had a fabulous half term week in a cottage near Chichester. It was right on the beach, and we had a lovely time exploring places we had never been before.
This was the beach that was a 30 second walk from our front door.
This is a really pretty florists shop in Arundel, and it serves to remind me that the sun did shine while we were there!
West Dean Gardens were my favourite discovery. Even in the depths of Winter there were signs of life everywhere.
The fruit trees were all trained in the most perfect manner around metal supports. It must be breathtaking when the blossom is out.
I managed to squeeze in a visit to Clothkits in Chichester, which was a fantastic sanctuary from the blizzard outside. I took a couple of sneaky photos on my phone, but as I was with children and men I was only allowed a few minutes to browse. I came home with some little bits of fabric and lots of ideas!
One good thing about the weather is that I have been reading, knitting and crocheting much more than usual. I knitted a hat from this book, which has been keeping me warm, and I am currently working on a cowl from a pattern cobbled together from various sources in gorgeous mustard coloured wool. I will be taking this with me to tomorrow nights' Craft Night In at Cafe Moochoo, which is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours with friends (and cake).
Well, I had better go and start tidying. I've got friends coming round for wine and gossip tonight as Andy is working, and as always I've put off the tidying up until the last minute. In my defence it does get messy very quickly so the later I leave it the more chance there is that it will still look ok at 8pm!