Pink Green

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

...and the winner is....

...Lesley. Thank you to everyone for all your lovely comments. Lesley, your parcel will be on its way to you shortly - please email me your address. 

Well, the girls went back to school after a lovely half term. We went on the train to my parents house in Leicestershire and then Andy joined us for the weekend. We all had a lovely time being pampered by my mum, and had some glorious walks in the National Forest which covers most of Leicestershire and is my favourite place to be. Unfortunately you'll have to take my word for it as I forgot the camera!

Andy had Monday off and we went to Woodchester Park near Nailsworth, which was also gorgeous. The house was meant to be a gothic revival mansion in the 1850s but was never completed. It is very eerie, especially in the misty rain, and the carvings are very spooky too. 

Yesterday we had a girls day out to a restaurant and then High School Musical 3 with our best buddies. The girls all loved it, but came out feeling a little queasy after all the pick n mix they had scoffed on top of fajitas and ice cream! 

So, back to school for them today and me tomorrow. I am having a hectic time at the moment as I have three fairs coming up (which I am regretting now), plus work, and also a course starting next Tuesday. I apologise to everyone for not being a frequent visitor to your blogs. I do try to pop in occasionally but am spending evenings sewing and watching The Wire. We are so hooked. We bought Season 1 on DVD and are working our way through it, but I have to concentrate so hard on what is happening that I can't do anything else at the same time. So, what with that, Strictly Come Dancing and Little Dorrit, my evenings in front of the fire are complete! 

I just wanted to share with you this card that a friend of mine painted for my birthday. I am going to frame it and hang it somewhere prominent as it is so beautiful. I was a very lucky girl on my birthday, and had some gorgeous presents, including a knitted dress from Monsoon, some red boots, these lovely flowers,

this Greengate jug, necklace and choccies from friends, and the most perfect felt flower all the way from Venice from Sophie. 

The girls (and Andy) spent all of the Sunday afternoon making these flowers for me, which I will treasure. They also gave me the new Cath Kidston book 'Make', but I returned it as I thought it was really disappointing. Her other books are lovely to browse through, but I didn't feel this one was up to standard. 

I also treated myself to this pale blue wire shelf unit with some birthday money and spent a happy half hour filling it with treasures. It is the sort of thing that I can use to ring the changes and display my many bits and bobs. Unfortunately I didn't use a spirit level and so it is slightly wonky, but Andy is going to fix it for me. I had a blonde moment and lined it up with the door frame, which as you can see for the picture is slightly less than straight! I don't think we have a right angle in this place, but this is particularly bad, and I didn't notice until I had carefully placed all my things on the shelves. Oh well, I still like it!

Well, I'm off to price up my stock for tomorrow's fair. I hope you are all having a lovely week, wherever you are, and especially if you voted for Barack Obama.

Cathy X

Giveaway...

Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes. I had a lovely day despite being at work, and then enjoyed my romantic Cotswold tour on the Wednesday. Details to follow!! I was the grateful recipient of many lovely presents, which will probably make their way into pictures too. 

I just though I would let you know that the deadline for my giveaway is going to be on Sunday as I am away for the next few days and wouldn't be here to post you anything anyway. I am still working on the contents, but it may well include one of these.

Plus several other goodies to go with it. If you leave a message on the previous post I will do the draw next Monday morning. 

Sorry to love you and leave you but I'm in the middle of packing and am off out for a girls' night in at a friend's house in 20 minutes. I hope you are all enjoying the half term holidays (if applicable).

Felicitations,

Cathy X

To give and receive...

Thank you for all your lovely comments and emails from my last post. I am still not feeling great, but am soldiering on (I'm a real trooper like that), and not letting it get me down, although Andy has done more cooking and making cups of tea recently, so maybe I should go back to coughing and moaning quietly to myself for just a little longer!

Well, the last couple weeks have been busy as usual. Sorry for the lack of posts again - there just aren't enough hours in the day at the moment.  However, today has been different. The girls both had play dates after school, and Andy took them to school this morning as he was running late, so I didn't have to do the school run at all today, which make a pleasant change. I did some tidying and ironing, then popped into school for an hour, and then came home and made 3 cakes, with a little help from Bodie, who likes to wedge himself between me and the kitchen units when I'm cooking. I'd like to think it is so he can be near me and to keep me company, but I know it is really in the hope that I am going to drop something on the floor. His nose is covered in icing sugar, but I couldn't get a good picture without him trying to lick the camera.

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday and I am working all day so I have a Victoria Sponge (with homemade blackberry jam), an Apple and Cinnamon cake and some choc and walnut brownies to take in. It does seem a funny tradition that the person celebrating has to take the cakes in, rather than the other way around, but it has always been the case in every job I've had. Still, according to Women's Hour this morning it is National Baking Week, so I felt I should do my bit to support it! Andy has got the day off on Wednesday and we are going exploring and out for lunch, so I get to extend my celebrations too.
Someone asked me if it was a big birthday this year, and I was starting to get a little upset at the thought that I may look 40, but she went on to say I must be getting near to my 30th. Obviously a friendship to cultivate there!!

The last week or so has been taken up with meals out, trips to the pub, cooking and Literature Festival events, including a talk on Virago publishers. I was smugly rather pleased to note that I had read all of the ones they mentioned in the lecture, having had a spell of collecting them when I was a student. This is just a few - the others are dotted around the house (we only have 1 room that doesn't have books in it, and that is the kitchen!).

I also went to see A Good Read which was being recorded for Radio 4, and Sandi Toksvig, who did her straight comedy act. I have seen her several times doing interviews and panel events at the festival but never her own routine. It was, needless to say, hilarious. I was a bit disappointed with the programme this year as I normally try to see as many as possible, but not much leaped out at me this year. I did walk past Kate Adie in town the other day and was tempted to ask her never to write another book, having had the torture of reading one of her autobiographies for my book club. I did resist the temptation though and just smiled politely!

Sophie and I went to a car boot sale last weekend, and I got a few treasures - including some china, just for a change. Andy begged me not to get any more tea sets or plates before I went, but when they are gleaming up at you and a real bargain it is very hard to say no! I came home with a huge haul, including these little bellows for £2. The log basket was a charity shop find recently, but as yet only has kindling in it (logs to follow soon).

I got these Royal Worcester soup bowls for best,

and also some plain pale yellow ones for every day (well, you can never have too many soup bowls).

This basket makes a great magazine rack.

I fell in love with this tea set which is currently dumped unceremoniously on top of the piano, but I do have bigger plans for it - watch this space!

Sorry for the terrible picture quality - it was virtually dark when I took these.

On Saturday we all trooped off to the Racecourse to walk Bodie, forgetting that there was a race meet. We often walk around the fields behind the racecourse as it is a great place for Bodie, and also for picking Sloes (which we did, although the crop this year is sadly depleted due to the weather), and managed to watch a few races in the process. Yesterday we went on my favourite walk, which leads to this lake. It is breathtakingly beautiful and makes me think of a place in Canada called Sand Lake (which is a little larger) where I stayed in a log cabin when I was young(er).

Anyway, as it is my birthday, and I have long since passed my blogging anniversary I thought it was time for a little give-away. Please leave me a message and I'll pop you all into a hat to find the lucky winner. I haven't quite decided what the prize is, but I have a few ideas up my sleeve!

I hope you are all having a good start to the week.

Lots of love
Cathy XX

Having spent the last week or so battling a very heavy cold I have succumbed today and put the heating on! I am having a day of peace and quiet with not much occurring, which makes a lovely change. I have done some blog reading, tea drinking, and a bit of internet shopping from one of my favourite websites - dotcomgiftshop.com. If you don't know it already, check it out! It has some fab homeware, and is great for all things spotty and/or shabby chic! They also do wholesale, and Sophie and I toyed with the idea of selling some of it a couple of years ago, but decided we didn't have the time or energy to devote to it, so I just check in every so often and treat myself (or the girls, as in this case).

Despite my cold I finally made it to Anna's gorgeous cafe last week. Sophie and I went for lunch, and it was the best lunch I have had in a long time. If you can make it over there you must try the soup, smoothies and cakes - it was all fab, and I felt so much better for the soup and smoothie that I was able to force down a chocolate brownie too. I even got some allotment tips from her lovely Dad, who seems to be able to turn his hand to anything - he was serving that day, in between doing deliveries, rather than digging. Anna and I have been trying to arrange a coffee since long before she bought the cafe, so it was lovely to finally meet her. I am going back this week (cold permitting) when they are quieter, for a coffee and a good old gossip!

Last week we were doing some craft in class and I took in a big bag of fabric scraps to add to the pile that the class teacher had accumulated. There on the floor were these two quite large pieces of fabric brought in by the teacher.

As I spent most of the lesson drooling over the owl fabric, and it was not touched by the children, the teacher insited I took both pieces home (and who am I to refuse?!). Both pieces still have the Japanese (I think) label on, and although I love, love, love the owl fabric, I am not quite so keen on the other. If you would like it please leave me a message and the first one to do so will be sent it. It is a shame to see it go to waste, so I would rather it went to a good home. I will be doing a proper give-away soon too as I realised the other day I missed my Blog Anniversary and it is my birthday in 2 weeks time, so to celebrate watch this space!

I have been asked to do a few fairs again this year, and although I had decided a while back not to go down that route this year, I succumbed to the badgering (by one friend in particular) and have started to accumulate some stock. I am only doing 3 fairs, and I am changing my tack slightly. I am enjoying making things again, and as I have a bit more time at the moment I thought it was a good opportunity to make some extra Christmas funds. These are just some of my works-in-progress. The babushka brooches came out of a conversation with someone in the playground, and the badges below are something I have been meaning to try for a while. The 'Gracie' one is for my Gracie, and I found this fabric on eBay years ago. Most of it was made into a quilt for her bed when I got it, but I still have a few scraps lying around, so this will be perfect for her coat. She may well try to claim the owl one too as she has a slight obsession about them, but I have plenty more fabric where that came from so can replace it if need be!

Well, I am off for another Lemsip and some lunch. I hope you are all having a fab Monday. Thank you for all your lovely comments by the way. I do appreciate them, all the more at the moment as I have been rubbish at leaving them for you all. I'll try to do better, I promise!

Cathy XX