Raindrops on Roses - January

I enjoyed reading Jo's post last week about her favourite things. It made me think
of the things I liked and enjoyed best throughout January and I thought I'd share
some of them here with you.

My morning walks. I wouldn't have considered walking on cold, grey January
mornings as particularly enjoyable a year ago but as I've mentioned in my previous
post, it's a great way to start the day, I get some exercise, and it's been a brilliant
tonic for the post-holiday winter blues.

Our walk around Chatsworth last week

Aside from my weekday morning walks, I've also enjoyed being outdoors

with the girls on weekends. We've been exploring the woods near our house,

finding something new and different every weekend. Lately we've seen green shoots
starting to show through the frosty ground. In the coming weeks and months
we'll get to see Spring unfold in and around the woods on these weekend walks.
I'm particularly looking forward to crocuses and daffodils blooming. There might
even be bluebells down there, that would be fantastic.

Crumpets. I used to love crumpets then I went off them for awhile but now
I'm loving them again. I toast them and use lots (and lots!) of salted butter. With
a cup of tea, they're perfectly yum!

Daffodils.  I like this time when you can buy bunches of daffs in supermarkets.
They are bright and cheery and I love the burst of colour they bring especially to dark
winter days. They also remind me of Springtime and that it's just around the corner-
what a happy thought.

Hot chocolate Filipino style. Traditional hot chocolate in the Philippines is made
from native cacao and comes in tablets which are melted in hot milk. A friend gave
me two packs of these chocolate tablets for Christmas and I've been making myself
hot chocolate drinks with them. It is very thick and it is to be spooned, rather than
drunk, from a cup. I have found that they are excellent for dunking strips of toasted
chocolate brioche. But making it, the melting and stirring, takes awhile and can
be a faff, so it's even more of a treat when I have them.

Stitching. I've written about this  here - this is a slow, relaxing and
enjoyable project. I love seeing the motifs take shape with the colours
I've chosen and how it's all coming together. Fingers crossed it will turn
out real nice.

Radio plays. The dramas and stories I've been listening to on Radio 4 are
fantastic - from The Story of a Name and Little Women to The Bird Tribunal
and the biography of Thomas Telford. I'm also now avidly listening to other
programmes like the comedy and quiz shows. I'm often laughing but also
learning at the same time, and also moved by the human stories. It's been
a very good discovery, Radio 4.


So those were some of my favourite last month - I now wonder what February
has in store for me!

I'm hoping to spend time visiting blogs this weekend so see you soon!
I'm leaving you with more photos of the fog.  These were from last Monday
morning walk. Enjoy!

Foggy and Frosty

I am joining in with Amy's  Five on Friday link up today and my five are photos

from our walk in Graves Park near the girls' school this morning. I try to go for a

brisk walk on weekday mornings, for about half an hour, usually in this park or
in the woods near our house. It started off as a way to get more exercise but it's now
an important and enjoyable part of my day. I look forward to it every morning.
It's the fresh air and being outdoors, it's also a calming time, a space for me to think
or just clear my head and I feel happier and better for it. This week I've been out
there every morning, in the weak winter sunshine, in the drizzle and rain,
and today, with my husband, in the fog and freezing temperature.

It was a good, bracing walk, a really great pick-me-up on such a very cold and
grey day. It took us through the woods, up the path to the playground and down
along the frozen pond. I always find fog a bit eerie but there's also a stillness
and peacefulness to the gloom that I've come to like and appreciate, thanks to
wintry morning walks like this one today. We went home cold and a bit tired
but glad we made the effort. The rest of our day had been pleasant, restful
and warm and I'm hoping for more of the same this weekend.


So that's my five this Friday. I hope you're all keeping cosy this evening.
If it's nice and sunny where you are, enjoy!

A Walk in the Woods

This was our walk in nearby Carr Wood last Sunday. It was a bit of fresh air and
exercise for us four and also a little bit of exploring. We live just a short walk away but
we haven't known or seen much of this area until recently. We usually go uphill towards
the playgrounds when we're with the girls or we drive to one of the local parks or
to Derbyshire. So it's been a lovely surprise to discover what's right on our doorstep,
 and even more when we read up about its history and heritage.

Carr Wood is an ancient woodland, one of many dotted all over Sheffield
that have been around since or before the 1600's. Meers Brook, which you can see
in the bottom photo, flows through part of it and once formed the boundary
between two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. It later formed part of the county boundary
between Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Of course, that has all changed now but it's all
very good and interesting to know. And so we are going to make up for our ignorance
and years of neglect and lack of appreciation with regular walks along its many
well trodden paths from now on. There are so much more to see and discover,
mushrooms and fallen logs to investigate, leaves to pick up and play with, things
to poke and inspect, games to play. Us grown ups fancy giving the Round Walk a go,
or even just a section of it. The girls reckon Meers Brook will be all right to paddle in
at summertime. Well, the only way they will find out is to get their feet wet and
come summer, they'll have the chance to know whether that's true or not.
How about you, do you like to go for walks, too? And where do you like to go?
I'd love to know.

Thanks for your lovely comments on all my latest projects. I have just finished
making a scarf and a hat. I'll show you next time. Till then, take care and
have a good rest of the week!

Hello Spring

We went for a walk in Ecclesall Woods and around Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet on Sunday morning. It was a perfect spring day, the sun shining
warm and the breeze quite cool, to borrow Dickens' words: it felt like 'summer in the light, and winter in the shade'. Who could resist being
outdoors on such a beautiful day? We squeezed in this walk between
church and the supermarket shop and in the afternoon, we played and
pottered about outside for as long and as much as we can. Monday
was very much like this and today, after a drizzly, murky start, looks
set to be another sunny, mild and lovely day. I am loving spring
very much; I'm glad it's finally here.

I have my embroidery threads, hoop and needle out this week for my
Lenten fabric and I am so enjoying all the hand stitching. I'm hoping
to finish it by the weekend - Sunday, I think, is the last day for bringing
them in. I hope to share it here with you before then.

We've had some spectacular sunsets lately, a whole spectrum of
colours in the sky, from coral to grey, purple to aquamarine. It's a brief,
ever-changing, captivating colour show and we see it all. Just brilliant.

I hope you're having a fine Wednesday whatever you're up to today.
Take care and enjoy the rest of this week!

A Thursday morning

Hello. Time for Five on Friday again (where has the week gone!?!)
and today I have five photos from a beautiful Thursday morning I spent with my husband last week.

Every now and again he gets a day off during the week and it happily
coincides with one of my 'free days' - the days when Lulu is at nursery.
So we get a day to ourselves ( hurray!) and we can pretty much do
as we please from nine in the morning til three in the afternoon.
It's always exciting when, just after dropping off the girls, we make
a decision about where we want to go and what we want to do.
We almost always start off with a walk, then stop for coffee and cake
somewhere and if there are shops around, we'll have a nosey and
see what interesting things we can find. Whatever we end up doing
we always have a great time and not surprisingly, such days are most
anticipated, savoured and thoroughly enjoyed.

Last Thursday was one of these days. We headed to Bingham Park
right after the morning school run and had a lovely walk there,
my husband showing me where he used to play tennis and mini golf
 with his friends back in his secondary school days. He hasn't visited
 the park for many years so it was a trip down memory lane for him.
 I was simply happy to tag along.

Near Endcliffe Park, we saw a number of trees with red bands around 

their trunks and red hearts with the 'Save Me' message. I wondered 

why these trees were for cutting down; lots of people are not happy about it and neither am I. They looked all right to me. I hope they
will be saved.

Down Sharrowvale Road and around Hunters Bar are some delightful
and attractive shops and we stopped at many of them - the children's bookshop, a specialty shop selling lovely fresh pasta, a hardware store,
the wool shop. There was also this vintage place that looked very interesting but unfortunately, it was closed (see the little note on the
upper right hand corner). I hope it's open and we can have a look round
the next time we're in the area.

Our coffee and cake stop was at this bakery. I had hot chocolate

and this apple and cinnamon pastry; it was delicious.

We saw this sign outside the fishmonger's and we can only agree.

And also, quite clever advertising, don't you think?

That was our lovely morning out and then it was home for a quiet,
leisurely lunch and of course, before we knew it, it was three o clock
 and time to pick up the girls. But it was time well spent and we were together and as always, we are very much looking forward to our
next day off together.

I hope your Friday is going well. Thanks again to Amy for organising
this link party and thanks to all those who have visited here lately.
Wishing you all a great weekend!

Frosty Friday

It's time to join Amy again for Five on Friday. It's been a year today

since everyone can join in with this link party so big congratulations

to Amy. Long may Five on Friday continue.

It's a very frosty Friday morning here and while we were down at

Heeley City Farm earlier I took some photos and I'm sharing four 

of them here with you. 

It was great to see the flowers soldiering on in the cold but we felt 

sorry for the ducks. There were thin ice floes on the pond and they 

must have been freezing. The last photo was taken when we got home. 

I love blue skies but we couldn't really linger for long outside today. 

It's just too cold! Best to head indoors and admire the view from
the warmth and comfort of our little home.

Those are my five today. Thanks again to Amy. I wish everyone 

a lovely Friday. If you're having a frosty, freezing day like us,

I hope you're staying warm and cosy today.

Sunshine and Snowdrops

I hope you've all had a lovely Valentine's Day. Ours started off with
church then a walk round Crookesmoor Park. We had blue skies,
bright sunshine, pretty snowdrops, cute little hearts, light snow,
good food, hugs, laughter and kisses. It's been a good day and a very happy Valentines. It's also been a very nice way to finish off this
 half-term break. Tomorrow the second half of the school spring term begins and we're hoping for a good start to the week. Hope yours go
 well too whatever your plans are and I hope you had a wonderful, cosy and love-filled day today. See you soon.

Five on Friday

Hello. I'm joining in again with Amy's Five on Friday and today I'm
sharing five photos from our week.

It's half-term here and we're having ourselves a nice little holiday.
We've been lucky to have lots of sunshine and blue skies especially
 after last weekend's stormy weather and we've been making the most
of it. The girls have been playing a lot outside and I've done several loads
 of washes since Monday. I know, boring stuff but as the saying goes
 'make hay while the sun shines...' Our laundry basket is nearly empty
and that's really good!

We made time for baking on Wednesday afternoon. The girls wanted

cookies so we made oat and raisin ones. They're yummy and quite

moreish. I'd be in trouble if I'd given up cakes and biscuits for Lent -

lucky I haven't (I'm giving up crisps and craft magazines instead).

Lots of pottering all week. I've been using these quieter, slower days

to catch up with chores and work through my to-do lists. Again, boring

stuff but I'm pleased they're now done and hopefully I'll have more time

for crochet and reading this weekend.

This was yesterday morning at Weston Park. The girls fed the ducks

and had a run around the park before spending an hour at the children's

museum. We all love the museum; it's always a fantastic place to visit.

While we were at the park I saw these yellow and purple croci. 

I love their bright, cheery colours and I can't wait to see more in bloom

as Springtime gets closer and closer.

Those are my five for this Friday. Thanks again to Amy and advance
congratulations for Five on Friday's first year anniversary next week!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and  a lovely Valentine's Day
on Sunday. We sort of had ours already last Sunday - we had a night away in Harrogate while the girls stayed with my in-laws. It was the Turkish baths, dinner and breakfast at Betty's - the perfect one night
getaway. To those who are just about to start their half-term holidays - enjoy!

Late Half-term Report

So here we are in November and it's Bonfire Night. I hope you're 

having a great time if you're doing anything Bonfire Night related 

this evening. The girls and I watched fireworks from their bedroom

window earlier. It was pretty exciting but we're definitely happy to

just spectate. It's been raining all day and it's also quite cold and

foggy. Certainly glad to be warm, dry and cosy indoors tonight.

Half term is done and dusted now and we're back to our usual

 school day routines. The school break, all eleven days of it, had

 been really good. We all feel rested and better for it.

 We mostly stayed at home and pottered about doing this and that.

The girls did a lot of drawing, colouring, cutting and gluing and I did

 a lot of tidying up everyday. There was also a fair bit of arguing and

 'she did this, she did that' but on the whole they played well together which was nice.

I worked on my blanket throughout the week and crocheted a little
flower for Lulu's new cardigan. We also made a fox head mount

 (from a kit), baked and went out for walks when it wasn't raining.

Crochet in the autumn sunshine- yay!

On a lovely, sunny morning when my husband was off work, we 

all went to the botanical gardens and had a brilliant time just

walking around and seeing all the colours on the trees and finding

flowers that are still in bloom. And of course we had to see Mr. Bear. 

A visit here is never complete without going to the old bear pit and

saying hello to the resident bear. I love the plants and trees but for

the girls the bear is always their favourite thing in the gardens.

The highlight of the whole half term - for them and for us - was their
sleepover at Nanny and Granddad's. They got to stay up much later
and watch all of Strictly while us two had a lovely night in as well,
also with Strictly and some lovely grown up food (wine and steak)
plus Spectre at the cinema the next day. We didn't mind not doing
anything for Halloween. It might be less scary for the girls next year.
Maybe they might be lured by the prospect of getting lots of sweets
with trick or treating. Maybe. It's really not their thing at the moment.


I think the fireworks are still going, Bonfire Night is still on!
Hope you've had a good one.

Enjoy your weekend!