Crochet and Relaxing Times

Hello to you!

I'm making the most of the half term holidays, and this sudden, abundantly glorious sunshine that has appeared over Yorkshire (which up until now has been rather cool, wet and subdued).  There is something rather luxurious about sitting in the early morning sun with a cup of coffee, in jammies, listening to birdsong and the musical sound of the river as it tinkles over the stones...

 (at the bottom of my garden...a magical river can be found)
 
 ...and knowing it's going to be one of those magical, bright blue sky days...

I've been reaquainting myself with my wool stash, and my crochet books in an effort to relax and switch off from the mayhem that I'd created in my life of late.  I know I'm not the only one who does this, and it's gently reassuring to know I'm not alone in swamping myself with projects, ideas and new ventures; loading up my proverbial little ship with far too much Stuff and then wondering why it starts to leak and sink.  So gentle pursuits were the order of the week, and oh how lovely it has been!

Anyway, some of you may be familiar with this book:

It's called Motif Book 4 - Japanese Crochet Book, and it's wonderful.   I spent a lovely hour or so drinking up the gorgeous patterns in this book, and also the pictures on Attic 24's Blog here.  I then spent an equally lovely hour sorting through my odds and sods basket, and managed to accumulate the above wool to begin my very own flower shawl.  I may have to add to the stash as I'm not sure how far what I've got will go, but it's not going to cost alot (maybe two or three extra balls for what I have in mind).  I kknow I'm probably a bit late in the day joining in with the trend for flowery crocheted shawls and scarves as many of you have already made your own, but once I'm tempted, that's it!

So I got busy.  PJ's on, comfy sofa, surrounded by wool, listening to Spring Watch on the television:  Heaven.

And occasionally, a bit of outdoor Table Hooky Time with a nice cuppa in my seaside cup was called for:

As well as this, I've been getting out and about with my family, enjoying the warm spring rain, cups of tea and large chunks of carrot cake in cosy cafes, wild flowers and wildlife...

 

...and I've also been spending time in remote, quiet places where all you can hear is the sound of the breeze, and the call of the curlews...

 (beautiful places like this, not twenty minutes from my own front door...)

These simple times and simple pursuits are a tonic for a weary soul ~ what do you do to relax and switch off when life gets Over Full and Overwhelming?  Share your simple pleasures here with me, I'd love to here how you find delight in the ordinary as a way to rebalance and slow down!  I will look forward to hearing from you, and also to sharing pictures of my shawl/wrap with you when it's done.  I hope you all have a super weekend, thank you so much to the dear souls who left such kind comments on my last post - they were all very much appreciated (you are such a delightful bunch). 

Sending you love, thank you so much for stopping by today.
Julia x