Decisions, decisions?

......with the Easter weekend weather looking like this, what to do?

Fri Day weather - Sunny Intervals 10 50°F 4 39°F
Sat Day weather - Hail Shower 9 48°F 5 41°F
Sun Day weather - Light Rain Shower 10 50°F 3 37°F
Mainly dry and bright at first on Friday, then rain later. Further rain, heavy at times on Saturday and Sunday.

We’d like to be out in the garden, but we need to decorate the kitchen – decorating fills me with horror, I don’t mind the actually painting it’s the clearing the room, the preparation and the putting everything back that I hate. The weather seems to be leaning towards the decorating though. I can find a million excuses not to decorate but it can’t be put off forever, believe me we’ve tried! Someone give me a cast iron excuse, which doesn’t involve paying someone else to do it as I just can’t justify the expense.

On the knitting front, on Sunday I am starting a KAL (Knit along) with some of the ladies on Ravelry. We are knitting the Meret Beret, I have been practicing the pattern on a skinny scarf, with some lovely soft yarn - Elle by Wendy, which I got at the charity shop. It’s a mohair type yarn but the pattern still shows up ok, just covers you in bits when you are knitting.

Tomorrow I have my fortnightly meeting of the Medway Craft Group, which is always good fun, especially now there are so many more ladies, they’ve been doing a recruitment drive and it seems to have worked. I should try my hand at some other crafts but stick steadfastly to my knitting – its safe and I know what I’m doing up to a point. Saturday 10th April I am doing a class with Pauline on how to use 4 needles and 2 circulars – so look out you may be getting socks for Christmas.

Have a happy Easter whatever you are doing

Suffolk sojourn

this weekend found us in the depths of the Suffolk countryside, to Westleton to be precise. Our stay was at the Crown in Westleton a lovely country pub hotel with amazing food, needless to say we ate too much but then we did do alot of walking. Saturday dawned dull but dry in the main. Armed with brollies and a local map we headed out to Minsmere RSPB reserve, then walked on across Dunwich Heath and through the snowdrop woods to the Ship Inn for a pint and a packet of crisp.  Thus fortified we soldiered on to complete our trek in a round about way, final tally was 14 miles!.

the highlights of the day was to spot 3 muntjac deer (at close quarters), a pair of green woodpeckers and a herd of red or fallow deer - we weren't close enough to tell.  The day was rounded off with an excellent dinner and a good glass of port and a huge cheese board.
 
On Sunday the weather was beautiful so we headed over to my most favourite place - Southwold.  But oh the surprise that awaited us.  Wards the local department store which has been a stalwart of the High Street long before I was a little girl, has been replaced with a Fat Face, shock horror, I even had to phone my mum when I got home to tell her. Southwold High Street has now lost its appeal for us, full of designer clothes shops catering to the London crowd in their large 4x4's that now seem to over-populate this once quiet and lovely seaside town. I have been coming to Southwold since I was 9 and consider it mine, whilst change is good, only if it is for the better.  The only original shops that are left now are Hutson butchers, Dennys, Squiers Sweet Shop & Tearoom, the small hardware shop, fruit and veg shop and the two chemists - what must the locals think?

Baby - update

I realise I've been quiet on the baby front lately. 

Baby J is now 28 weeks along and I am going with Mummy J for her 28 week scan on Friday, very exciting as I'll get to see the scan first hand, hopefully get to hear the heartbeat too if I'm good.  The weeks are going very fast it seems, though not for Mummy J I'm sure. 

I have been watching One Born Every Minute to prepare myself for the birth - I've cried every week so far, I'm a hopeless case.  I'm sure I'll be alright on the night though! I just hope the baby gives me plenty of notice of its arrival, I certainly hate to miss it.

Nourishment for my garden..

Yesterday we had an 8yd skip of recycled material compost delivered, they dropped it in our courtyard and we had to barrow it the 300 feet to the bottom of the garden! This was the pile after we had been working for an hour and a half.  Light finally beat us before our backs gave out, so guess what, we've more to move when we get home today.  Its a bit on the smelly side too, but having it delivered this way beats having to make lots of trips in the car with bags and shovels.  They charge £50 +vat for a skip load, and this way you don't get a really stinky car.  So as you can see we are doing our bit to be green and who knows some of this may have come from our green bins anyway.

and after all this exercise I was still up for my morning walk

Mis-guided bus?

This is the maintenance road/bridleway/cycle/foot path of the St Ives to Cambridge Guided busway, as you can see the swans are enjoying it!  From the village through to St Ives it is underwater in 6 places.  Whilst we await the first bus to use the busway the track makes a good cycle/foot path, bit expensive for this use only though!!  We walked into St Ives this morning, around a 7 mile round trip, it was such a lovely day, sat outside the tea rooms by the river and had coffee and scones in the sunshine.  This afternoon we spent another 4 hours in the garden, clearing up is going well, though still lots more to do, but at least we are looking a bit tidier.

Something for me next..

with the latest comfort blanket finished, I have decided that its time to knit something for me.  But what?  I have some bag handles and various patterns so I may make a bag for summer use. Then again, I have patterns for summer tops, the possibilities are endless.

The sun is high, time to get the rest of the washing out. Lots to do today, have already been out for a long walk, boy was it cold!  Have a super weekend

Is Spring on its way?

I don’t know if you have noticed but the mornings are getting lighter. I lay there yesterday with the light peeping through the curtains thinking, must be time to start those early morning walks. Got into work to find an email from the youngest saying that she thought we should start walking again. Obviously a case of great minds… this morning at 6:30 found us wrapped up warm, there was a frost to embark on our first morning walk of the year. It was lovely, good to be out bright and early, only draw back was that part of our normal route was flooded so we had to back track. The normal dog walkers were nowhere in sight so obviously the local dogs have been getting a later walk/or no walk whilst the mornings have been dark.

My garden is showing signs of new growth, lots of snowdrops and the hellebores are budding up nicely. We have a large amount of bird life, in particular pheasants, 2 cocks and 7 hens taking refuge from the local farmer who breeds them for the shoot. Someone should tell them that shooting season is over and to give my borders a rest. They seem very partial to the bulbs that are coming through especially the bluebells! They also scare the life out of you when you are walking in the garden, rather than keep quiet they fly up making one hell of a noise, don’t know who is more frightened them or me.

So all in all it looks like spring is finally on the way, more of this sunshine please. We’ve had our fair share of wet stuff in one form or another this winter. Though what’s the betting there will be a hose-pipe ban this summer….