Tuesday 29 January 2013

shopping



answer simple love spirit book



Himalayan rock salt lamp




Dove farm self-raising bread flour




WHILST ILL IN BED

Not again, I hear you say? It is going round and around and really, its time to stop. Duncan has enforced a day in bed this time to see if I cant shake this cold/ chest infection/ throat infection / dodgy tum thing off once and for all.

I have not been totally idle though, I read some of my new (to me, don't you love 10p book sales on Amazon, I certainly don't begrudge the postage when the books are under £1), book.


answer simple love spirit book


I am liking it so far, but I have read a lot of books in this genre which seem to lose my interest half way through, so I will reserve all judgement until the end. AMAZON LINK

Before writing this post I was about to look through my vegetarian cook books to give Duncan a recipe for dinner. Cooking from scratch in an intuitive manner is all well and good, but it often fails to translate well to someone who isn't in the kitchen every day. I have been able to ditch the cook book though and I am sending Duncan a link to Vix's Blog VINTAGE VIXEN, thanks Vix, that was impeccable timing.

What else?, well, I have  been lying here planning. I have planned out a major room change around in the dining room and lounge. It has been on my mind for a while that the spaces are not being well used, but now I think I have some solutions.

And, I have planned out some painting projects, which have got me so excited I really want to leap out of bed and get started (Duncan would send me back though).

And also while I have been lying here we have had some deliveries



Himalayan rock salt lamp

A Himalayan crystal candle holder. I have wanted one for ages, and finally just ordered one last week (it is sitting on a mini backgammon set, it does not come with a base).


And


Dove farm self-raising bread flour


Groceries, but primarily, Dove Farm Glutten and Wheat Free Flour. We are going to give it a go and see how we do. Giving up shop bread has not been too difficult so we will see how this bakes up. I have self-raising for cakes and white and brown bread flour. It is quite exciting.

Ah well, time for a bit of down time. I hope to back out in the world again tomorrow (possibly even re-arranging furniture).

Valerie
xxx

Monday 21 January 2013

Monday

luna moth lino cut
Luna Moth Lino Cut


: : Running to nursery, running home

: : Hats and scarves and gloves and boots

: : Tomato soup

: : Rose hip tea

: : Blankets on the sofa

: : Painting pictures

: : Secret birthday knitting

: : Cosy socks

: : Learning new crafts

: : Scented candles

: : Chamomile baths

: : Cabbage and ham

: : Stories by Shirley Hughes

: : Lovers smiles

: : Mummies kisses

Not too shabby for my worst day of the week
Valerie
xxx

sea

river sea ocean view




THE WAY

river sea ocean view


The way bears all things;
Harmony nurtures them;
Nature shapes them;
Use completes them;

Each follows the way and honors harmony;
Not by law, but by being;

The way bears, nurtures, shapes, completes, 
Shelter comforts and makes a home for them,

Bearing without possessing,
Nurturing without taming,
Shaping without force,
This is harmony

Tao Te Ching

Friday 11 January 2013

Taking Part In The Simple Woman's Daybook - 11th January 2013




Outside my window...

The sky is grey and heavy with clouds, and the seagulls are calling overhead. The windows are open here despite the cold outside because I love a blast of fresh air to go through the cottage in the mornings. There are roadworks in our normally quiet little street and the noise is an irritation. Our little cottage is next to the railway tracks and what we normally hear is the sound of the trains rumbling by.

I am thinking...

I am trying very hard not to think right now, and concentrate on just being. I fell into the trap of giving others too much of my head space and so I am clearing it out in order to fill it up with my own wonderful things.

I am thankful...

I am thankful for MY life. I have caught a glimpse of the minds of others lately and I am so grateful that my own sensibilities do not naturally twist me that way. I used to have a song inside me, not a screech, I am finding my voice again.

In the kitchen...

In my kitchen I  have (home made) carrot and ginger soup on the stove, with plenty of garlic, onion and ginger, natures own antibiotics. I have home made bread on the bread board. I have ground beef defrosting for a rare meat treat of home made burgers, a Friday night indulgence with chips and ketchup.

I am wearing...

I am wearing dark blue flared jeans and a black vest. These are my go to clothes for taking Oscar to and from nursery. Its all very boring, but comfortable, clean, and unremarkable. I am also wearing comfy old slippers, (leopard print on the outside with pink satin lining).  Around my neck is a heavy sliver chain, once worn by my dearly missed father every day. From the chain hangs an ornate little cross,

 am creating...

I have 3 knitting projects in different places around the cottage, I hear from other knitters this is perfectly normal. I have started some sketches for a new art project *very excited*

I am going...

I am going to see my mother in her own home this weekend, she has been in hospital for 3 months. Again, *very excited*

I am wondering...

 I am wondering if my baby is enjoying nursery today. I am wondering when I will see my oldest child again. I am wondering when my daughter will start her social skills programme.

I am reading...

Farewell To The East End : The Last Days Of The East End Midwives by Jennifer Worth. I have enjoyed Jennifer Worth's books, but at the same time, some of them have been hard to read and it is heartbreaking to think that these are true accounts.

I am hoping...

I am hoping I can shake off this low level headache with some fresh air and a good dose of 3 year old humor.

I am looking forward to...

The weekend

I am learning....

I am learning that I don't belong in an environment full of bitterness, envy and  hatred, and extraction is the only way out.

Around the house...

The vintage clocks are ticking loudly, which is a sound I rather enjoy. My daughter is playing music in her room, and there is an Oscar shaped silence while my little one is at nursery.

I am pondering...

I am pondering whether I will make it back to my life drawing classes on Monday evenings. I want to go back, and I want to catch up with my lovely friend Laura. Sometimes I need to give myself a bit of a push to get things done.

A favorite quote for today...

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship"  - Louisa May Alcott

One of my favorite things...

My little son's unaffected laughter, not tempered by embarrassment or civility. Laugh loud wherever you go little one.

A few plans for the weekend:

I am planning a walk on the beach, collecting shells and driftwood as we go. I am planning a Saturday night dinner. I am planning on some drawing time for me and some craft time together. I am planning on having a gentle heart and a warm phrase.

A peek into my day...

Joining in with The Simple Woman's Day Book - LINK UP HERE

Thank you to the lovely SARAH for pointing the way.


Thursday 10 January 2013

Yarn Along

Sometimes when I take Oscar to the yarn shop I try and point him towards something like this.



debbie bliss cashmerino aran


Unfortunately, being just 3 years old, he can set his heart on something (for new mittens) and no amount of persuading can talk him around. So we ended up with this.



green yarn knitting pattern mittens


Ah well, as long as he will wear them thats all that matters, because his little hands have been nippy in the mornings.

I am using THIS free vintage pattern, but omitting the clown (because I dont like it). It has to be one of the easiest mitten patterns ever, and I have almost finished the second mitt without having to check the pattern.

And on to the books :



alyis fowler, vegetarian cooking, patio gardening


There is a bit of a vegi theme going on here, right. I have only dipped into each of them a bit, but so far they all look ok. I bought the student cook book because some of the reviews said, low cost simple vegetarian dinners for everyone, not just students. I was a bit disappointed when the first 'recipe' was a hard boiled egg, with instructions on how to cook it (surely their parents have shown them how to boil an egg before they go off to university?). But it does get better, with some vegi dishes long since forgotten by myself. (remember corn chowder?  I used to make that in the 1980's).

Here are the links if you are interested in checking them out further.

The Thrifty Forager: Living Off Your Local Landscape by Alyis Fowler

The Vegetarian Student Cookbook by Hamlyn Cookery

Patio Produce: How to Cultivate a Lot of Home-grown Vegetables from the Smallest Possible Space by Paul Peacock




yarn along


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XOXO