Monday 30 April 2012

cutting out and listening

A long long time ago, in a galaxy before blogger I used to work in a science laboratory, and for several months I carried out experiments with involved weighing out minuscule amounts of the finest powder (usually dried ground leaves.....) you can possibly imagine, into tiny tinfoil cups which were then squished tight shut, weighed again and then put into tiny trays with a little well for each tiny parcel. The weighing scales were so impossibly accurate and thus incredibly sensitive that anyone walking nearby would cause havoc with the readings, and therefore the whole set up was in rather a nice cupboard. It was called a room but really it was a large cupboard. just me and the scales and my lifeline, Radio 4.


Sometimes people would try to rescue me from the cupboard, tempt me out with trips to get a cup of tea, but I would always have to say "can't come now, woman's hour is just starting" or "but it's book of the week time" or "if I come to coffee break I will never know what happens at the end of the afternoon play".


Why am I telling you this? you may well ask,  and the reason is that recently I have found myself cutting out tiny scraps of fabric, a task that allows for quiet contemplation and perhaps a little background listening.
Since having a houseful of children and the resulting chaos, I have found I am never in one room long enough to actually listen to proper conversation on the radio, or if I am sitting down sewing then the roaring (it's not quiet) of my machine deafens out the story, so the radio is more often set to a music channel.


right now however, I have just run out of teeny tiny leaves, and if I hurry I might catch the food program before the children get home from school.


what do listen to in the day? any recommendations?

Wednesday 25 April 2012

this week

thank you for all the supportive comments on my last post. it means a lot.
this week is going so much better, and so far I have been;

buying - train tickets for a trip to London
watching - raindrops
planning - a new bag from a very old jacket
enjoying - working in the garden, then soaking in a hot bath
singing - "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" which is stuck in my head......
anticipating - rhubarb cake from my favourite recipe
loving - tulips going floppy in a vase
sewing - teeny tiny windows onto fabric cottages.


a good week so far, hope your week is good too. x

Friday 20 April 2012

remembering to breathe


it has a Long week


and I am glad it's nearly over.


but in the midst of it all I found an hour or two to escape, and sit in the gardens and look at the tulips


and soak up the calmness that was all around, breathing in the beauty


and making a new friend.

Yesterday I needed a reminder to breathe, and I thought about these images locked away safe in my camera, and this morning I downloaded them, and the sense of calm reappeared, so I thought I would share them with you.

enjoy.

breathe.

have a good weekend x

Monday 9 April 2012

in which the Easter bunny returns


thank you all for the kind concern for the wherabouts of my Easter Bunny, and helpful suggestions as to where he/she might be hiding.
as you can see Easter Bunny had gone to help Pink Bunny carry an egg which was proving a bit heavy.
I am slightly concerned that Pink Bunny has been spending time on a sun bed, (no chance of a natural suntan here this week, we've had snow, hailstones, gales rain,and hard frosts....)
sun beds are very bad for you Pink Bunny, please take care.


Even with two Bunnies the egg was a bit heavy, so it was train set to the rescue.


The Bunnies also managed to hide some chocolate eggs and bunnies in the garden for hunting.  Which was quite an achievement as it was quite damp, and knitted bunnies do go rather soggy in the rain.........


Instead of chocolate I treated myself to this huge pot of daffodils, they are a new variety called Maria,
I could resist the multiflower nature of them, and the first bud is just starting to open into a gloriously bright bloom.


hope you had a lovely weekend, with just the right amount of chocolate. x



Tuesday 3 April 2012

has anyone seen the Easter Bunny?


has anyone seen my Easter Bunny? He/She was here last week, playing in the garden.


but now Bunny is lost/hiding in the sofa cushions/under a bed/down the back of the desk/in someones pocket (Bunny is very small)....

what to do, without Bunny there might be no chocolate.
I hope Bunny is not out in the garden, the weather people are still talking about snow.... 
I know I'll find the pattern and knit another. Then Bunny is sure to turn up!

Sunday 1 April 2012

spring smiles


Hiding in the garden, in amongst the leaves I found this tiny purple viola, all on it's own, smiling away with it's cheerful little face.

This pansy, so much bigger and brighter is even cheerier, but somehow I prefer the delicate little unassuming viola.  This week they have enjoyed glorious spring sunshine, whilst I've been stuck inside with a filthy cold and a child with a chest infection.  Start of the school holidays, everyone is feeling better,  and the Met Office website is forecasting severe weather warnings of snow and sleet for the next few days. I am really really hoping it is an April Fool, otherwise plans will change to include pyjama days, baking bonanza's and plenty of hot chocolate.
Have you got any nice plans for the week ahead? Hope the weather is kind for you.