Starting with a night in York...

Hello

Well, I think it is just a quick round up for this blog post. 

Half term has been and gone. We offered daughter a choice of activities/short breaks but 

she chose a staycation - for her at least. Husband and I had a night in York while she had 

friends (all female!) round for a sleepover. 

Husband and I travelled by train to York, my favourite mode of travel, offering the 

chance  for a coffee, a read of my book and a few rows knitted on my socks. 

We have visited York several times but this was the first occasion in a long time for us to 

visit without children, an indication of how our life is changing as the children grow up. 

We felt in need of exercise and despite the rather grey skies and occasional 

shower of rain we decided to shun the museums and just walk. 

And we walked the city walls - something I have not done before but the walk took 

us through some interesting parts of the city and the heights of the wall gave a slightly 

different perspective of the city too. 

On the way home from York we stopped in Sheffield and had lunch with 2 sons and one girlfriend. The meal wasn't great but the company was fantastic which is the main thing isn't it? 

I didn't take lots of photos while away as I just wanted to walk and enjoy a wind down. 

York was a bit of a welcome break from this.....

Umm.... stripping wallpaper from the hall, stairs and landing. We haven't decorated these 

rooms since we moved in 15 years ago - we always knew it would be a big job and so 

kept postponing it but we decided we could do this no more!!

Underneath we have revealed a variety of paints and I quite like the rustic look we have

on some parts of the wall. What do you think? I have tried to persuade the family that 

maybe we don't need to decorate, we can leave the walls like this but I'm not sure they 

are so convinced!!

And please don't expect a "ta-dah" revealing a beautifully decorated halls, stairs and 

landing any day soon - it all needs a lot of preparation so this is definitely 

a slow-burn project. 

(The picture is one I cross stitched years ago for younger son.)

The weather has been bright recently here in the Midlands and I have made the 

most of it in between stripping!

  

These photos were taken on a now-regular walk of mine round the wood at the 

back of our house and across to the science park. 

I have made a few of these recently - yes toss-in-fruitcake, mainly for daughter. These are

 so easy to make. As the name suggests you literally toss everything in a bowl and mix! 

A friend recently gave us a typewriter.

Only a few weeks ago I had mentioned in passing how I thought daughter would like one. 

It was very kind of her to remember my words when she found one in the back of a 

wardrobe while having a sort out. Daughter thinks "it is sick!" and has even been typing 

up her physics notes.

 The rhythmic sound of the keys tapping, the ping of the bell as the feed roller 

passes the margin and the sliding back of the feed roller is almost musical. 

We have been watching more ladies football matches. Brrr, it was cold yesterday but boy

 was it a nail biting cup match. Sadly our local team lost 2-1 in extra time. But the crowd of approximately 100 was testament to how far the team have come this year.

And the chilliness continued this morning, a very sharp frost with a hazy sun filtering

 through the mist gave the hill behind our house a  warm glow. 

So nothing very exciting to report. Just a round up of recent events. 

Has the sun been shining for your recently?

Do you feel like spring is on its way?

Wishing you a good week

xXx

PS. Thank you for the lovely comments on my socks in my last post!

It can't all be good...

Hello, 

'An enjoyable few hours spent in Sheffield on a beautifully sunny afternoon, 

all in the company of elder son.'

'A late afternoon, wintery walk up to The Outwoods - when we came out of the woods

 it looked like Christmas lights were on in the town spread before us.' 

As some of you may know, I reduced the number of days I work each week a few 

months ago. 

There have been some unforeseen benefits of this.

1. I drink fewer coffees. 

At work, a mid-morning trip to the coffee shop provided me with a bit of exercise and a bit of a treat too to keep me going through the rest of the day. Sadly, a bag of crisps often accompanied my coffee purchase - not a good thing for either my expanding waistline or rising blood cholesterol!

2. I've cut my wine intake

I have never drunk copious amounts of wine but I did find that a glass or two, several times 

a week was a particularly satisfying way to relax. I'm not proud of this; it is just the way it was. 

I think in celebration my liver is having a party, but obviously an alcohol-free one and 

most probably a slumber party!

 It's having a long-awaited and well-deserved rest from alcohol!! 

It is said that when you reduce your alcohol intake your skin improves, so in a couple 

of weeks time I'm hoping to look 20 years younger! ;-)

3. I've bought fewer magazines

As with the wine, I've never bought many magazines, but again a bit of a treat for me was

to browse the shelves of the newsagent, viewing all the craft and home magazines, 

dreaming of all the projects I would start (and finish!) when I had the time. 

And sometimes feeling that I could justify spending £5 for a magazine as 

"I'd worked hard this week"!

Magazines are pretty extortionate in price now aren't they? 

It's not uncommon for magazines to cost £8 - and I can't help thinking I can buy a 

book for £8!

4. So, as a result of 1, 2 and 3 above, I'M SAVING £££s

So all in all, this is looking very positive. 

But it can't all be good can it?

I am finding it hard to stick to my resolve to cut my spending on yarn. Again, I don't think I'm outrageously extravagant but I do have a few balls sitting in bags waiting to be knitted. 

And at the moment I'm so tempted by more sock yarn! 

And I can't help thinking that I can justify buying a couple of balls because of the 

amount of money I'm saving on coffees and wine! 

Oo, I can't decide between iceburg, frost or delphinium......

(this is 'iceburg' below)

Well, writing this post has distracted me from the wool website for a little while 

(thank you!), I'm now off to tidy the kitchen and then to bed, 

so delaying hitting that 'checkout' button for another day.

I hope you have been enjoying the wintery weather and the 

excuse it brings to snuggle up in front of a fire.

Best wishes

xXx

Out and about and at home.....

Hello,

 

It's been a funny few weeks. We have been out and about quite a bit and yet had odd quiet

days at home, nursing colds and catching up on long-overdue DIY jobs while daughter has been absent for some considerable time, enjoying the start of half term with her friends.

 

So this is another post of photos with few words.

 

 

Pure gold! Early morning sunlight at work.  

 

Woke one Sunday morning to find that autumn had arrived overnight,
heralded by the first fallen leaves of the season. 

A visit to Sheffield to spend a few precious hours with my two sons.
 

Secondary schools cross country race, daughter competing.

 

View of Exeter and beyond from my hotel room (attending a conference).

Boy was it a loooong train journey to Exeter!

Enjoying supersized raspberries for breakfast.
 

Snapping a photo of my new bag on the train to send to my friend who treated me to it
- love the colour and it's a great reminder of a super day we enjoyed in London.

A pre-match walk in a country park.
We are on the top of a hill here - the ground drains so badly because we are walking
on slag heaps. This country park has been developed on the site of a disused colliery
in North Nottinghamshire. It's quite sad to think of all the activity  and economic prosperity
this "country park" once offered.
Back in the 1980s I was one of many who wrote to Thatcher urging her to keep the mines open - but to no avail. Little did I know that one day I would be walking on one of these sites.
 

Colliery lagoons, now a haven for wildlife.

Watching daughter play football - as captain of her team.

Taking possession of a new coastal cottage.
A charming little two up, two down with roses around the door....

... that will fit nicely on the hearth.

My latest project, that is now progressing well.

Gorgeous yarn, including Wesley Bob for my next project.

Just need a mantelpiece now to hang my stocking from (once it's started and finished!)

Enjoying the late evening sun in the garden.

Life viewed through the bottom of my wine glass!

Sorry this is another mismatch of photos - sometimes I am enjoying somewhere or something
 too much to want to spend too much time looking through a camera lens and hence I end up
taking one or two snaps of a whole host of things. 

But actually this post is a great representation of my life:
work, knitting, reading, watching sport, walking, train rides, and spending time with the family but most definitely not in that order.

Have a good week and enjoy half term if it is half term with you.
We are off camping for a couple of days on Wednesday -
can't wait for that outdoor cooking and sleeping!
xXx

 

Sunday afternoon in Sheffield

Hello,

First of all, I must say "thank you" to everyone who left a comment on my last post - I have enjoyed reading them all, they were lovely and encouraging. Normally I do like to respond to each one but I'm afraid it has been one of those weeks when time has run away from me.  

So back to this afternoon when I have enjoyed some enforced relaxation. Now my elder son is at University in Sheffield, he has joined a brass band based in the city. Today the band had an engagement to play in Weston Park and so we drove up the motorway to Sheffield. It was my first visit to Weston Park and what a beautiful, well cared for park. 

We are quite old hands at taking younger members of the family to brass band events in parks so I was well prepared with my folding chair, my cup of tea in a flask and, of course, my portable project. 

But there was one thing missing. 
Now, I'm beginning to think I'm developing a particular sixth sense. 
I really wanted a coffee (well, I hadn't drunk a proper coffee for several days). So once I'd dropped my son at the Bandstand, I had a wander round the park, but didn't have to venture far before BINGO! I'd spotted a well-known coffee maker just outside the park. Suddenly I was a woman on a mission, and in very little time I'd ordered a small, extra hot, skinny latte and a cinnamon swirl. And here I am back in my chair, now properly ready for the concert to begin! 

I do like to see bandstands being used for their intended. purpose.

 And most are quite ornate - look at the ironwork in the photo below. And can you see the stained glass panel? 

Very appropriate! 

During the interval my son and I made a short tour of the park. 

The duck pond below was large enough to be a boating lake. 

There were lots of people enjoying the park, even though the afternoon was overcast and chilly. 

One group of people were having a bbq, another were having a child's birthday party and the 2 tennis courts were full. Before long we found ourselves just outside the park, drawn to this ivy-clad building we could see, which we learnt was Firth Court, opened in 1905 and part of the original University of Sheffield. 

What a grand entrance!

Here are just two of the four entrance doors with huge brass handles

And opposite Firth Court was the original Sheffield Children's Hospital, opened in 1876. The newer hospital building that adjoins this is an eyesore in comparison to the original building. 

Then it was time to head back to the park for the second session of brass band music. 

By now even my vigorous knitting was failing to keep me warm, so in someways it was nice to get back into the car, even if it was just to face the slow journey home back down the motorway. 

Since my elder son started university at Sheffield, we have been discovering different parts of the city and it really is a lovely city with some magnificent buildings and attractive open spaces. I look forward to seeing more. 

I wish you all a good week

xXx