It's that time of year when I begin to feel heartily fed up of the cold winter weather and start seeking out simple pleasures, little bursts of colour and clues that Spring is on the way.
Finding these glorious pink tulips, and daffodils was one of those signs - getting them home and popping them in an old jar made me almost squeal out loud with delight. Flowers are such a simple pleasure, and although I don't buy them as often as I used to, I do really like having them in the house.
Cookies are another pleasure here!! We made some of Nigella's yesterday (from Nigella Express) and boy do they taste good! It was bitterly cold outside with frost still shimmering on the shed roof in the middle of the afternoon, so it felt very cosy to be busying in the kitchen with the Little One, mixing and stirring chocolate cookies...
Not to mention eating them...
Ahhhh....another pleasure...freshly baked cookies, a nice cuppa and a good mag to browse!
Mind you, we are trying very hard to get that healthy balance in our little home, and cookies and Sweet Things are considered as a bit of a treat, albeit very Necessary. However, we have recently taken to eating copious amounts of this stuff too:
See that jar there in the middle? That's our very own blend of Trail Mix. You can use any kind of natural nuts, seeds and dried fruit that you enjoy, and I always keep a little tub of it in my bag for snacks on the go.
Ours has 100g each of the following, in case you'd like to make some yourself:
Sunflower SeedsPumpkin SeedsChopped BrazilsAlmonds (the ones with their skins on as they're higher in nutrients)Dried CranberriesDried Sultanas/Raisins
You can also throw cashews, pistachios and apriocots in, grab a handful when you're hungry - I promise it will help to keep your mitts out of the cookie jar (not that there's anything wrong with a bit of indulgence here and there though! :) It's great at boosting energy levels and is marvellously good for your skin and little internal bits and bobs.
A very Big Pleasure this week has been finding hooky time with the Sea Pennies Shawl. It's progressing slowly as I've only had the evenings to work on it, but every time I take it out I can imagine sitting outside first thing in the morning come summer, sipping coffee and eating breakfast under a blue sky, wrapped up warm in it's sea foamy oceany gorgeousness...ahhh, not long til we'll be doing that again methinks!
I also decided (after a practice and a good deal of frogging) that the larger circles weren't really working. I could then see very clearly in my minds eye what the shawl would look like made with 100's of small Sea Pennies, finished off with that wave edge - I think it's going to be pretty good!
Would anyone be interested in a Sea Penny tutorial? I just wondered if you would like to learn how to make them, and join them as you go...that way you might be able to begin your own Sea Penny projects too.
Let me know - if you do I will try and do a photo tutorial for you in the next week or so.
At this time of year when days are still inclined to be rather short and often grey and dreary, I think it's nice to have something to look forward to. Which is why I have exciting dates circled on the calendar that involve the Tent and Camping!! We are off to Adam Henson's Farm (the nice chappie off Countryfile) for a few days in the countryside come April! Oh, the very idea of getting the tent out again, my little red whistling kettle, that flowery melamine....
Remember this? (*happy sigh*)
I'd love to hear what cheers you at this time of year - will you share your thoughts with me?Go on, you know I'd love to hear :)
Sending you warm chocolate cookies, a jug of colourful tulips, and quiet moments to appreciate the Small Stuff.
Love Julia x
Hello there! Is the sun shining on you today? From the 1st of March, Yorkshire turned a new leaf weather wise - well, this little corner of the county seemed to anyhow - and we have been basking in sun filled days with high, white cotton wool clouds scudding gently across an impossibly blue sky. Ahhh, we are hoping this is a taste of what is to come, and isn't the sun warm already? Just around lunchtime today as I stood in the back garden, it was just warm enough to feel upon the skin which filled me with a huge sense of optimism I can tell you!
Little things are what keep me afloat - like this jam jar of buttery yellow daffodils. I stopped at the lovely little florist/gift shop 'Hacketts' in nearby Penistone earlier this week and was rewarded with 3 generous bunches for just a couple of pounds. They have filled two jam jars in an abundant manner and are showing off all over the dining table and kitchen windowsill! But aren't they glorious?
Another flowery thing to fill me with delight this week, was the sudden opening of these darling irises, which never cease to astonish me each year that they appear. I love their colours, the blue is quite stunning and such a gift after all that gloomy weather! We have been teased for several weeks by their juicy green buds that didn't seem to do anything, until one day I happened to glance out of the window and 'voila!' there they were!!
And in our kitchen, on our sunny windowsill, the seeds our Little Daughter planted just a few weeks ago are growing in their propagator home at an alarming rate!
These are her dwarf peas, their neighbours, minature cucumbers (La Diva from Sarah Raven should you be curious or tempted to sow your own) are competing height wise, as are the munchkin pumpkins...and we still have seeds to sow!! Where are we going to put them? ( I do wonder out loud, and frequently as it goes), as we have nothing resembling a greenhouse and it is but early March - but I think in a couple of weeks time, these green babies will be taking over the kitchen so I need to get my thinking hat on, regarding a halfway house type of spot for them to go to when they outgrow their current abode!
But all will be resolved, I don't doubt it - most likely over a cup of tea and a nice bit of cake. Oh yes, we've been at it again. Baking. This time: Chocolate brownies crammed full of walnuts and pecans...
It is getting to the point where the Little Baker is demanding we make something every day, which is all well and good but Im running out of tins and slowly getting fatter. Im also out of butter until I visit the next village to do a spot of shopping and so to placate her we had a very messy finger painting session yesterday, instead.
And, Ive been doing a bit of painting myself! I finally found some time to make a start upon my next piece after a rather busy time of it doing lots of other things. Ive been heartily inspired by spring flowers of late and felt I must paint a picture which included a cheery jug of daffs - yet I also had a whim to do a bit of a coastal scene too...doodles and sketches followed and Ive set to work...would you like a peek? Its a work in progress with far to go as yet...but I don't mind showing you how its looking...! Would you like to see it?
Oh, alright then, here you go!
Ive not got a name for the painting yet, but for some reason it had to have a blackbird in it. As I progress, the blackbird will look as if he's spotted something tasty to eat - at the moment Im pondering what that might be! So, for now it just looks as if he's come to have a nosey at the rather nice pebbles doesn't it?! Im quite happy with it so far - any ideas of what treat the blackbird might be finding on the windowsill would be appreciated, so let me know your thoughts!Well! Another week has passed - (doesn't the time go fast these days), and I want to let you know that next week, I will be officially announcing my Spring Giveaway! The reason behind all this, is that it is my own birthday on the first day of spring (21st March), and to celebrate I wanted to do a little givaway to coincide with my spring birthday celebrations! Hurrah!!
Im planning some lovely treats for you, so do make sure you stop by next week to find out more!
That's all Im saying for now, Im going to do a little bit more work on my painting before I have to go and collect the child - toddlers and acrylic paints don't go very well together you see :)
So I hope you have a delicious weekend, oh - and thank you to everyone who is stopping by to leave such nice comments - I want you to know that I read each one and really appreciate the time you take to pop in and read. Im endeavouring to visit all of your blogs in turn, and look forward to catching up with you soon!
Till next week...sending you a nice cup of chai tea, your favourite song, a spring walk and drifts of snowdrops to smile at!
Much love
Julia x
