Super cute

Pumpkin you are right it is super cute!! I finished the little hat, with enough yarn to knit a pair of mitts and hopefully some little shoes too.  The pattern is Bonnet & Booties from Natural Nursery by Erika Knight.  The mitts are made up, and for the shoes I plan to make my go to pattern Saartje's Bootees.  That will be the 3 items from one 50g ball to Regia Design Line, bit of a bargain if you ask me.

Edited 22 June to add some more photos - there is still yarn left over!!

Now on to something non knitting related.  One of our annual visitors is back.  This blackbird is so brazen, just pops in for a meal when she feels like it.  Peter snapped her this morning

She even bought one of her offspring in the other afternoon.  She has had one or two close calls with Audrey, but she is too fat and slow at the moment, but watch out bird, she is on a diet!

And because its Friday......... more prettiness from the garden

Plans for the weekend?  I will be decorating, our downstairs cloakroom needs a lick of paint and I plan to refurb the pine fittings, which have gone that yucky orange colour with time.  I will post my progress over the weekend.  Have fun

Sympathy is in short supply

 

Pied Wagtail visiting the bird table - well picking up the bits the starlings had dropped

Bored with my current WIP's, I decided to start some knitting for my niece who is due in April. 

This pattern is the Lucy cardigan from the Patons Nursery Days booklet.  Knitted in Cygnet Kiddies Kaleidoscope Supersoft Double Knit. Simple lace pattern with a v-neck

Because the temperature is still in the minus range, though beautifully sunny,  root veggies ready to roast for some warming soup.  We have only ventured outside to replenish the wood supply.  We are both feeling rough still, my chest hurts from coughing and now my ears ache.  Its an effort to do very much, only put on a couple of loads of washing, and cooked some meals, luckily I had plenty of stuff in the fridge to whip up something quick 

Audrey is enjoying having us around all day, especially to jump onto my warm sofa when I got up to make a drink.

Its funny, in 35 years of marriage we think this is the first time we have been ill together.  Good to have company but you don't get any sympathy

The cheek of it

Looking for the cat's food!!! Nothing like coming in to help yourself

Bird Song...

we currently have lots of bird activity in our garden.  The Blue Tits are back for a second round.  Pidgeons have a nest in the willow. The Swallows are making slow progress in the car port, all they seem to do is sit there making alot of noise, obviously typical UK builders!!  The funniest and the noisest are a pair of Blackbird's with a baby that has obviously just fledged. Last evening the baby was on our patio and the parents on our pergola, the noise was incredible, our cat sat watching out of the cat flap, really not that interested but aroused from her sleep by the noise.  As I type this morning the alarm calls are still going off, can't see baby but everytime the poor cat tries to go outside the parents dive bomb her.  She just came scuttling in with a bird on her tail she looked most put out.  We have pheasants making dust wallows in the borders, but I really wish they wouldn't make so much noise when they decide to take off from the undergrowth because it nearly gives me a heart attack everytime!

Our veg garden is all planted up, things are looking good. I got a bit carried away with some the the seeds, so we have a bit of thinning out to do, but otherwise just watering and weeding.  I'm turning my attention to the flower borders now, the spring flowers are more or less over so time to get some bedding in for a bit of instant colour.  Hanging baskets are starting to flower, the current warm weather helps.

I have most of this weekend to myself - the husband is taking his mother to the theatre tomorrow afternoon and then on Sunday he and the youngest have the Norwich 100 cycle ride, weather forecast wasn't looking too promising but that can certainly change, they won't want it too warm anyway.  The lad who knocked our wall down last weekend is coming back with a bricklayer to put it back up.  So unless Baby Jones decides to put in an appearance (4 days to due date) I'll be gardening and/or knitting.

Have fun in the sun, don't forget your sun hat and cream......

Crazy Love revisited

Last night's Crazy Love concert was tremendous, Michael was on top form, he's a real showman and really knows how to 'work' an audience. I don't think I'll ever tire of listening to him. The only disappoinment for me was that he didn't sing 'Lost' which is my all time favourite but then it does make me cry so I guess its just as well he didn't.

 He did a very go impression of Michael Jackson and Mrs Jones was happy that he sang Me and Mrs Jones - and Baby Jones seemed to enjoy itself jiggling along to the music.  At one point when Michael was in the middle of the crowd a pair of knickers sailed through the air, I hope the thrower hadn't been wearing them as it was a tad chilly when we got out!!  They've released some more dates for the UK and I must say I'm tempted to go again, hang the cost! If you get the chance to go and see him you'll really enjoy it, I promise.

Our concert season continues next week with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at Wembley and Rod Stewart at the LG Arena.  It's a busy time all round.

I have a day to myself today - the husband and youngest are off cycle training, they have their 100 mile charity cycle ride in 3 weeks.  If anyone would like to sponsor them its in aid of the British Heart Foundation, please let me know.  I'm now off to weed the drive and sort out some hanging baskets, I can get them planted up if I can't yet hang them out. 

BTW it looks like we have Swallows nesting in the car port which means poop on my car!!  The Blue Tit family in the nesting box are very noisy, their poor parents must be worn out by the end of the day with all the feeding flights they are doing.  I also have a black bird that insists on digging up some plants that I have recently put in my throughs, any suggestions on how to stop it, short of posting the cat on permanent guard duty?

Lazy Friday afternoon

Jobs are done and the sun is out.....

Birds are chattering in the trees
Bees buzzing in the laurel hedge
Tea cups rattling on the tray
Knitting needles clicking
Pages rustling
Neighbour mowing
Cat alseep in a plant pot
Drone of traffic
Husband wheezing

and as the sun goes down

cork popping
glasses clinking

Wish every day could be like this, well maybe not the husband wheezing, but then if he wasn't he'd be at work, roll on retirement...........

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….