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