Oh Christmas tree

I am very aware I haven't written a blog post for a while, I don't seem to have a minute spare at the moment.  I just took a quick snap of our tree and thought - it looks warm and twinkly and decorated with memories...Nx

A productive day with Granny's Parkin

M has been a bit off colour so I kept her with me at home today.  I should have been preparing risk assessments but M had other ideas...She's been wanting to make some shoes for her dolly, so as Ro was at playgroup this morning this seemed to be the perfect time. I got the pattern template here...

She chose the felt and thread

Made a start - but soon got fed up

 Please excuse the stitching - it was VERY rushed...

They ended up as slippers with pom poms!

Then she asked me to do some 'adding and taking away' sums for her...

While I listened to her count I managed to finish a washcloth I've been crocheting...

We picked Ro up from playgroup and after lunch they both wanted to bake.  I had all the ingredients to make parkin - I was going to make it for bonfire night, so gently persuaded them to make it for me...

Felicity Wishes came to help!  M dressed her in her pinny.  They took turns weighing and measuring and stirring... 

 Bowl bigger than head!!

It's my mum's recipe, passed down from her mum (she doesn't put her photo on all her recipes, it was printed for her work, to raise funds)...

Mine looks quite pale in comparison, but it tastes great!  I had mine with a cup of cocoa...

All in all it has been a very productive day...Nx

My Yorkshire landscape: Birds on a wire cushion

I finished my cushion.  Inspired by the view from our bedroom window.  I often see flocks of birds resting on the telephone wires that span the fields...

Every day we open the curtains and enjoy this little piece of Yorkshire landscape with rolling hills and dry stone walls.

Half term holiday: A waterfall, a pumpkin and a rainbow.

Our half term holiday started and ended with a woodland walk.  The first was only a short drive away to Goitstock woods and Harden beck.  As we've had so much rain we went purposefully searching for a waterfall.  I packed a flask of butternut squash soup and some bread and butter and off we went...

 The beck was fast flowing...

 The waterfall was impressive...

 Then we stopped for soup...

 The little ones found a cave...

 And we found lots of mud and autumn leaves...

 and acorns too...

 A quick game of hide and seek on the way back...

and we found a money tree.  A lovely autumn walk.

J carved a lovely pumpkin for halloween...

This afternoon I took a short walk with my little girl. Trudging through the wet autumn leaves, pointing out the toadstools.  We came across a little ladybird at one end of our walk...

and at the other end a gorgeous rainbow...

a lovely end to half term...Nx

PS...I've made a start on a new cushion today, if I get it finished I'll show you tomorrow.x

Recycled dress turned washable lunch bag

This morning I had one of those heart wrenching moments when I dropped my daughter off at school, she said "Mum, my lunch bag makes my food smell funny". Ok, we'll sort it out tonight I replied.  Bad mother moment, I hate those plastic lined lunch bags, even after scrubbing it in the washing up bowl - it does still smell funny.

Here's a picture of M in her favourite dress a few years ago...

and here's her new lunch bag, ready for tomorrow...

...and you can throw it in the washer.  I had to 'borrow' one of her pink headbands to use as a fastener, I don't think she'll mind.  Hope she likes it...Nx  

PS. I made it from this web site.

Autumn has arrived

I know now why some call it Fall!  Everything is falling...leaves, acorns, conkers.... hundreds of conkers....

Friday after M's school harvest festival, we collected about half of these from outside the church.  We returned today after school and collected tonnes more, so we get home and tip them out of her book bag and get creative...

Great fun had by all.  I love autumn, this reminds me of a song my mum wrote when we were little, one part I remember "copper golden leaves falling, winter's in the air, autumn is my favourite time of the year". It just happens to be her birthday today, Happy Birthday Mama.  Nx

Rose hip syrup with unrefined sugar - from over the garden wall

I HAVE to put this photo first...

Oh deary me.  Well they do say quality not quantity hey!  So, what's in the bottle? Rose hip syrup.  Thought I'd have a go as there are loads of hips dangling over the garden wall...

I chopped one in half just to see what they look like inside...

Ro helped me pick some, wash them, whizz them and tip them in the pan...

I picked around 250g added 400ml boiling water and simmered for 20 minutes.  Sieved, put the pulp back in the pan, added another 200ml boiling water, simmered for another 20 minutes. Then sieved the whole lot through a piece of kitchen roll in a sieve, just in case there were any hairy bits!

I then added 50g unrefined muscavado sugar and boiled for about 15 minutes.  Poured into my sterilised bottle and the kids licked to spoon and got their fingers in the pan for the remainder...

I will definitely pick more rosehips and make more of this syrup, might make drop scones in the morning just to drizzle....Nx

September moments...apples, blackberries, birthdays and beasties!

We've been busy with the start of term and everything that brings, I haven't had chance to write my blog.  I don't have anything specific to write about, so here are a selection of photos up to now...This is an apple from our little tree...

We sliced and poked them into cake mix... 

 Added blackberries from over the garden wall...

  Made a crumble topping...

 and baked...

 an absolutely scrummy apple and blackberry crumble topped sponge cake...well worthy of the bake off I reckon!

 

 Beasties:  Whilst on the garden wall looking for the blackberries Miss M saw this...

we caught it and put it in a bucket...it's an 'elephant hawk moth' caterpillar, and let me tell you it was massive - as far as caterpillars go...

 We also found this beastie!!! the berry has eyes - we didn't eat this one - too scary...

But we made a few of these jars of jam...

Me and J found a den on a woodland walk...

 The children went to a very cool Superhero treasure hunt party in some woods...

And we celebrated J's birthday...

And lastly...we ordered more wood for the fire because it's getting pretty cold...

Nx