Dreaming of holidays.....

With the days drawing in my mind turns to holidays.

We still have a couple to come this year - our annual trip to Southwold and a 5 day trip to Brussels, both of which we are looking forward to immensely.

Brussels - we’ve not been before. Eurostar and hotel are booked, ordered a travel book from Amazon rather than print off reams of paper from the net. It looks like we will be eating lots of moules and chocolate and drinking lots of beer plus I’m sure there will be a pastry or two in there somewhere, just as well there is plenty of walking to do. Looking forward also to the Christmas market, may even try my hand (or should that be feet) at ice skating!!

Southwold – our home from home, same house for the last 3 years. Rufus gets to enjoy the delight that is Southwold for the first time this year. My first visit was at 9 years old and I have been every year since then, I’ll not tell you how many that is. Both the girls spent every summer there with us when younger; we had a caravan on the campsite for a number of years, happy days.............. With many more to come I hope.

Next year – 2011 - where do the years go? You will find us off on the Harley to Croatia for the Harley Davidson European Rally, and a possible trip to France. Time is booked off but nothing arranged as yet.

Oh and I still have 2 more days to take of this years leave, so what shall I do? Answers on a postcard please

Saturday bonus

I wasn't expecting to see Rufus this week, but as the weather was awful yesterday in Blakeney Mr & Mrs J decided to come home a day early. So when the phone went this morning inviting us up, there was no stopping us. We had a lovely day, took Rufus shopping while his parents got on with some jobs - he woke for coffee. After lunch we walked to Burghley Park with his mum, he slept again for that too. Its a hard life being a baby........

Tenby Update

This is the completed back of the Tenby cardigan, it seemed to take forever to knit, it has come up a bit bigger than it should. I know should have done a tension square, but I have altered it a bit and have worked out the modifications for the rest of it, so watch this space for the finished article...... though it could be a few weeks away

Tomatoes anyone?

We got a bit carried away with the plants this year, these are what we've picked so far this week and there are loads more. Looks like tomatoes on toast for this weekends breakfasts

This is our first postcard from Rufus, he writes very well for 3 months old, he's also good at sending texts too.

Saw this rain laced web through the window this morning, actually looks better in the flesh so to speak

More sugar?

I made this Damson crumble earlier. Now my family complain that I never put in enough sugar when I cook fruit, well this was even to sharp for me. Plus the juice spilled over and burnt on the bottom of the oven, so the kitchen smell now too!! Knew I should have stuck with yogurt for dessert.

Autumn afternoons

I love this time of year, the nights are drawing in, the morning are darker (not so much fun). Yesterday we went and picked more blackberries, 8.5lbs, they are now in the freezer awaiting jam, pies, crumbles along with the apples from the garden.



Hops we picked this afternoon on our walk back from St Ives.
 We had a couple of pints and a bag of crisps at the Cromwell, also bumped into an old friend

Our grapes are finally starting to ripen, but oh so sour!!!!

Windfall apples

Courgettes!!!! These got missed so now more like marrows.
We still have alot of crops - carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, runner beans, beetroot (but very slow).

Its been a pleasant weekend, quite leisurely really, we should have done more but what the heck, theres always next weekend.

Granny not the camera again!

Each Friday I visit with Rufus and his mum, and yes I take my camera with me. I like to keep a weekly record to see how he changes and also so that his Grandad (Pop) can see him.

Today I wasn't the only one with the camera, I had to make way for the professional. Beck's friend and colleague Ruth Jenkinson came to visit and to take some lovely photographs of Rufus and his mummy. I'm sure Beck will display some on her blog Becoming Mrs Jones when they are ready, so I suggest you take a look see, its a really good read even without the pictures.

'Scarface' update request....

Today I have received a kind request for an update on Rachel, thank you Kay for your concern. 

So how is she doing? 

The bruises have faded, the stitches are out. The scar on her upper eyelid hardly shows, and the one on her chin - which is very neat - looks apparently like the one Harry Potter has.  It's a bit pink at the moment but hardly noticeable if you didn't know she'd had an accident.  She still has whiplash, and finds driving plays her arm and neck up.  She's on a phased return to work due to bad headaches but apart from that I'd say doing ok.  You would be amazed how many people have or know someone who has done the same thing.  Seems like a fairly common accident for cyclists.  They've not been out riding again yet, but have just bought some new winter cycling gear.  The one thing Rachel has learned is that you need to keep looking up on a racing bike, I don't think she is likely to do this again.

Blue Stripes

This is the latest project off my needles for Rufus, I'm calling it Blue Stripes for obvious reasons. Its an amalgamation of two patterns, the stripes from Seeing Double in Chic Knits for Stylish Babies (didn't use the pattern as it had a zip in the front raglan) and the actual pattern was Oliver from Patons Play Days. I am very pleased with the overall result.

Next project is Tenby by Martin Storey for Beck in navy and grey. This will take a whole lot longer to knit!!

Apple Juicing time and finishing off

From this........

to this ......... 36 pints of apple juice, note the one that got away!

And this was given to me on Friday in bits, hopefully Mrs J will be pleased with this jacket she knitted even if she didn't sew it up!

12 weeks

Can you believe Rufus is 12 weeks already. Where has the time gone?

Brynwood Needlework Giveaway

Brynwood Needleworks - one of the blogs I follow is having a giveaway.  This is a lovely blog full of Donna's beautiful quilts/needlework, stories about her life and family, well worth a look see.  Enjoy

Don't call me scar face........

Today has not been a good day.  All started well, I woke up to a cup of tea, then Peter and Rachel went off for their 60 mile cycle ride at just after 7am.  The phone went around 8am, it was Peter "can you come and get us Rachel has had an accident, she's run into a car".  So there's me thinking oh marvellous she's wrecked her new bike, scratched a car.  So off I go to Sutton about 12 miles away, as I approach the top of the hill into Sutton I spy Peter stood beside a car with a smashed back window, I start tutting and shaking my head, stopped the car, get out, then spot Rachel sat on the grass.  The back window of the car has been smashed by her head, her face is a mess, cut nose, chin, eye, forehead, she's shaking from head to toe.  We wrap her up and get her and the bikes into the car.  Leave a note for the car owner and head off to the hospital.  I'm really cross, shock I guess, cross that Peter didn't warn me but then as he said later what was the point in getting me into a state when I had to drive to pick them up. 

We made Hinchingbrooke Hospital in fair time and we were seen more or less straight away.  Everyone was really kind and they patched her up in next to no time.  The consultant Mr Ranjin made a good job, picking out glass and stitching her up, she has 1 stitch in her upper eyelid plus steri-strips to support it, 5 stitches in her chin, luckily most of them are on the underside.  Her nose is missing a strip of skin, which they couldn't do anything about and the rest is fairly superficial.  They super-glued a cut on her ear, and she has some interesting bruises starting.  Once she was cleaned off she didn't look so bad.  She was very shocked, so has spent the day at ours.  She's not allowed to get her face wet so we managed to wash her hair and get out the pieces of glass, we are just thankful that she was wearing her cycle helmet and had on her cycling glasses.

Her bike fortunately or unfortunately depending on you opinion of racing bikes was unharmed.  They are talking about going out again next week. I think it will be a while before Peter gets over the sight of his beautiful daughters face covered in blood, he said he was so thankful to all the people that stopped to offer assistance. She has now gone home to be looked after by her boyfriend.  Stitches come out in a week to 10 days. 

We do have pictures but I'll spare you that sight.

Day out at Burghley

We spent a lovely day today at the Burghley Horse Trails. We tried out Granny's buggy which proved a hit, he slept well in it, though I did manage to take out a few ankles!! We walked the cross country course, had a pork roll for lunch, ice cream and lots of sunshine, which makes a change from the horrible weather we had the last time I went.

Breton Boy

This is the latest project off my needles. Jumper with matching hat knitted in 75% wool and 25% acrylic yarn.  Size 6 months.

3 September -

It's a bit big for him but he'll soon grow into it!!