Saturday Sunshine

charity shop books to add to my reading pile

making fairy potions

my little cactus is flowering again!

Hello. It's Sunday morning here, I hope you're having a nice weekend.
We had sunshine and blue skies here yesterday, so Spring-like. We spent
a couple of hours outside after lunch - a rare treat in early February. I did
a bit of hand sewing, finishing another motif in my sampler. It was so good
to work in strong, clear natural light. I get by on grey days by sitting next
to the window and under a lamp in the evenings, but nothing beats good
old Mr. Sunlight. I hope we'll have more of him in the coming days and
weeks.

The girls played while I sewed, their games peppered with squabbles as
per usual. Then they had the brilliant idea to make what they call 'fairy
potions'. Lulu had made it last Friday with her woodland club at school and
was keen to show her sister how this magical concoction is made.
So, basic ingredients: leaves, tiny sprigs of rosemary or whatever herbs
are available, an acorn if there's any, plus glitter. Empty snail shells are
 optional. Put them all in an empty jam jar, add water and a bit of mud
(muddy wellies are a good source), stir with a stick, put the lid on the jar and
ta-dah! the potion is made. It's like a muddy, weird slow globe when
you shake it. You can pour a bit of it in your garden and the fairies will
come visit your house at night. We haven't tried this yet but I've been
assured that it works.

I'll leave you with that for now. I hope we'll have sunshine again today.
We're planning to go for a walk somewhere nice this afternoon. Whatever you
have planned for today I hope you have a good day, too. Happy Sunday!

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!

New Year

Hello again and a very happy New Year to you! We started off the new year yesterday
with a calm, quiet day at home. We had plans to go for a walk in Derbyshire but the rain
put paid to all that so apart from church and a quick stop at a local grocery store, it was
a home day for us. It was a good day to stay in. My husband made a delicious tomato
and bread soup for lunch. I sewed in all the ends of the little blanket I've been working
on over Christmas. We talked about possible holidays, looked things up online, prices,
dates, etc. Hopes, plans and dreams for the year ahead, exciting things to look
forward to.

Today was bright and crisp and we headed out to Derbyshire for the walk we
didn't have yesterday. As ever, it was beautiful. I think this was the most challenging
walk/hike we've ever had with the girls. It was icy underfoot with boggy patches here
and there and some tricky paths but we managed to cover a good distance and enjoyed
some wonderful views. We were all tired this afternoon but it was a great morning
to be outdoors and we really enjoyed it.

So that's how we've ended the holidays and started the new year - with a day at home
and then a bracing walk in the winter sunshine. I will not let the awful events of 2016
stifle my hopes and my outlook for the future. There's a bright year ahead and I am
ready to get going.

Happy Holidays

Hello! I hope your Christmas was a very happy one. We spent ours at my in-laws
and it was lovely, jolly and cosy. We ate lots, exchanged presents and enjoyed some
festive telly on the day. The girls played with their cousins and were excited with all
 the gifts Father Christmas had brought them. There was a moment of panic on
Christmas Eve when I realized I forgot to bring Lulu's main present. We were staying
over for a couple of nights and with the millions of things we had to take along with us,
it was inevitable some items would be left behind. Luckily, Granddad came up with
a clever plan. In the morning there was a letter from Father Christmas. Apparently,
he was already miles away when he saw that Lulu's present was still in his sack but,
as he was heading for Sheffield, he decided to drop it off at our house instead.
Lulu, bless her, believed it all and the gift disaster was averted. Phew! Of course,
she couldn't wait for us to get home after that. When we finally did on Boxing Day,
she couldn't get through our front door fast enough. She was about to burst with
excitement! Anyway, after we'd all settled down, we all went for a walk. It was
wonderful to be outdoors. After all the feasting and celebrating the day before,
it was much needed. As always, we're grateful for our family and feel blessed
 to be able to spend this most special time of the year with them.

The rest of this week has been equally full of excitement. We took the girls to London
and we've had three fantastic days there, showing them round and meeting up with
friends. Today, we've had friends over and we all went for a walk after lunch. That was
lovely. We're now looking forward to a quieter, gentler weekend at home. We don't
have much planned. Hopefully the weather will stay crisp, clear and bright and
we can welcome in the New Year with another beautiful walk in Derbyshire.

Have a great New Year's Eve, whatever your plans are. Let's hope 2017 will be
a better, healthier, kinder, more peaceful year for all of us.

Days Before Christmas

I love these last few days before Christmas. School has finished for the holidays,
we're just finishing up our Christmas preparations and we're doing fun things like
going to the cinema, roller skating with friends, or baking and making Christmassy
things at home. In between all the activities, there's time for pottering about, reading,
crochet, even a game of pick-up sticks with the girls. We're feeling more rested and
relaxed and really enjoying spending time together. It's what holidays are about
and it's great.

I love a bit of festive faffing, getting little corners around our house to look a bit more
Christmassy. I also couldn't resist some Christmas crafting with the girls. We all had
a go at cutting out paper snowflakes, even my husband joined in. Fifteen minutes with
paper and scissors and we had these. I think they're festive and just perfect for filling
up the space between the two envelopes left on our Advent calendar branch.

We also made these personalized clay gift tags using leftover clay from tree decorations
 we made last year. It was fun and easy to make and they can be used as decorations,
too.We hope everyone will like them and will put them up on the tree after they've
unwrapped their presents on Christmas Day.

Last Sunday we made chocolate oat treats. These always go down well in our house
and now that the girls are a little older, making them is more fun, quicker and
so much easier.

We also made mixed spice biscuits. This recipe is new to us. Actually a copy was sent

to us by one of my husband's aunts, along with a robin-shaped biscuit cutter. She
knows we like to bake together and, of course, we just had to try both cutter
and biscuits.

The biscuit cutter is lovely to use and the biscuits themselves are nice. We haven't
had time to decorate them but I don't think they really need them. They're a little
crunchy, with that same warmth and hint of spiciness you get in gingerbread biscuits.
I'm also pleased because we've had an unopened little bottle of mixed spice in our
kitchen cupboard for years and it's finally been used! We'll be making these again.

This was our walk in Derbyshire yesterday morning. It was all blue skies,
open spaces, fresh air. Just glorious. And so lovely to get away from all the festive
hustle and bustle, even for just a couple of hours. We went home feeling refreshed and
energised. I think we're all ready for Christmas now. I'm spending this afternoon
wrapping up meaty little parcels for the dumpling soup and the filling for spring rolls
for tomorrow's Noche Buena. We're celebrating it with my husband's parents this year
and we'll be at theirs till Boxing Day.

Thanks to everyone who stop by here - I always appreciate your visits and your
comments. I hope you're all having a wonderful time and wish you a beautiful,
healthy and peaceful Christmas. See you in the New Year!!

Counting the Days

With less than two weeks to go before Christmas, our Advent calendar is starting
to look a bit sparse. Nearly half of the envelopes have been opened, the treats inside
long gone. It is exciting to be getting closer to the big day but also a little bit alarming
that the days, especially this Advent, seem to just whizz by. Maybe it will all slow down
a bit when school breaks up and the holidays start. We don't have much planned for
next week and I'm really looking forward to having quiet, easy days at home with the
girls.There might even be a chance of a lie-in in the mornings - I am counting the days!

We are getting our tree this Saturday. Putting it up and getting out all the decorations
will be a whole afternoon affair. I'll make sure I have a g&t ready at the end of it.
For now, though, the only festive decorations we have are these red dala horses and our
Advent calendar. I'm not sure if dala horses are Christmas things but their colours are
festive so I'm counting them in. They were gifts from my mother-in-law and the girls
and I really, really love the small ones with the wooden dolls. I might make tiny
Christmassy garlands for them. They are so sweet.

It was grey and rainy throughout the weekend then at around four o'clock
on Sunday we had these spectacular colours in the sky. We see lots of brilliant
sunsets but this was something else. Fireballs at sundown. Amazing.

Then it was back to grey and wet from the start of the week plus thick,

heavy fog in hilly areas around the city. This was the park near school on Monday

morning. A short walk down the path is a duck pond and a line of trees but we couldn't

see anything. It was quite spooky, really. It made me think of gothic novels and the

ghastly 10 Rillington Place. I'm sure glad I wasn't walking on my own that morning.

I wasn't going to make any presents this Christmas but last week I decided

I'll make a blanket for a friend's baby. With barely a couple of weeks to go,

it's not a very clever idea but it's only a small blanket, something for the car seat

or buggy. I should get it finished on time, hopefully. I've got fingers, toes

and everything crossed.

We made mince pies for the first time last weekend. We used large mince pie

cases, much bigger than regular-sized mince pies that Lulu laughed and called them

'giant star pies'. She refused to try any but the rest of us rather liked them so I'm going

to make some more but smaller this time. She might give them a tasting chance if

they're a little bit more dainty. And find them less funny.

Thanks for the lovely things you said about our Christmas cards. I hope you're
all keeping well. I'll be back next time with Lulu's finished scarf.

Have a lovely, restful and healthy week!