numbers

1 week since we got home from our big adventure to;

emails in my inbox - 113

posts in my bloglovin feed - 394

meals in the fridge - zero

hours catching up on sleep - too many to count

hours with a vague confusion about what day of the week/what time it is - see above

days after we got home that we had a house full of visitors - one

meals planned for visitors - zero (see comment about fridge)

dark sky adventures planned long ago and clear skies wished for - one

impromptu barbeques at Kielder Forest - one - fuel, food and drinks purchased an hour before setting off

emergency stops en route - one - for marshmallows!

number of jumpers worn to stargazing event at Kielder Observatory - not enough........
(seriously it's August in the north of England, does it Really need to be that cold up there (8C), the week before we were living with 32C at the same time of night..........))

number of stars seen - oh my - countless

number of star clusters seen - three

number of rings around Saturn seen - one

number of Saturn's moons - one - Titan

number of galaxies - two

number of times I times  pinched myself at the brightness of Milky Way - many

awe in which I felt myself in, so small amongst the constellations - endless.

distance from the furthest galaxy we saw - 40 million light years

and I thought we'd gone a long way............

Happy Summer holidays

Wishing you all a Happy Summer.

I'm taking a few weeks off from technology, so I'm having a break from blog writing and visiting, and even instagram (my latest addiction.........)

I've left some scheduled posts, my calendar posts and a few others, I'll respond to any comments when I reconnect.

Have a lovely a few weeks, if you want to leave me some tips for the perfect summer break then I'd love to read them.

this week

this week there has been Prom - it's quite an experience to see your baby all dressed up and grown up looking... 

my photo phobic daughter even let me indulge in endless pictures, although I'm not supposed to show them to everyone. (hence the back of the dress....... which is very pretty, and deserved to be seen, and also those curls, it took a Long time to make those.....)

in moments of calm there's been time for a few hexagons,

photo credit Women in sport

 in moments of not so calm there's been late night England Women's football. My neighbours daughter has just been short listed for best player in the world cup, it was heart breaking to watch them get knocked out. in case you're wondering, no I'm not usually at all interested in football.....

and finally in order to try and gain some control there have been lists. many lists. 

written in fountain pens as inspired by Silverpebble, because if you have to write a list it might as well be a joyful experience.

this morning

this morning

I haven't loaded the photos from my camera so this post can have nice pictures and I can see a record of what I haven't photographed this week.

Even if I had then I still haven't got any pictures of the lovely river walk I took earlier this week where the wild flowers were aplenty, the bees were buzzy and the cows were very understanding of the fact that we were in their field instead of on the path.... too busy chatting......(us not the cows.)

I didn't photograph the slug eaten courgette plants - every last scrap eaten, or the very sad nest of dead blue tit babies in the bird box, we noticed the parents had stopped visiting, so after a few more days we checked to find a they'd all died.....

Instead I've been making signs and banners for an "end of exams" party, one more week to go,
oh these GCSE's - they go on Forever.

I've been buying appropriately grown up and sophisticated accessories for the said party -
balloons, streamers, party poppers, bubble wands, lots and lots of sweets, and ice cream!

I've also bought gaiters, and a bright orange survival bag for a Duke of Edinburgh practise expedition for E and a phone case for Miss K. The case is waterproof, sand proof and built to military standards. Not because it's going anywhere exciting or dangerous, she's just impossibly clumsy............

right now, I have to go to a physics exam now, just as well I'm not taking any of these papers, I looked at a boys paper the other morning and thought he'd written that "coffee is stronger than aluminium". It seemed a perfectly reasonable answer to me, but apparently the question was about copper..........

hope you have a lovely weekend. I'm going out to try and buy some more courgette plants..........

randomness

After a long day then sometimes the only thing that will do is a walk on the beach, I love the long shadows the evening sun makes.

A charity shop find finally had a makeover, and it's big brother rescued from a skip got covered to match.  They are incredibly useful as the cats really like to sleep on them, which means I stand a chance of getting to sit on the sofa.

The cats also like to sit on the fence.  Freddie also likes to do yoga on the fence it seems....

I am helping with an allotment plot with the local ranger group, we need to make a scarecrow and it is very tempting to make one like this.

Finally. Bluebells. The only free morning I had this week was spent hunting for them.
Time well spent. x

a week of sequins and decision making.

it's been a balancing act this week, parenting two children, having two very different weeks.

A levels options evening for the girl.

so many decisions to make.

Maths? Further Maths? English literature? Politics? Business Studies?

 a week of costume sewing for the boy.

I think I could sew sequins in my sleep. 

Whilst dreaming of "facilitating subjects" of course.........

fridge wit

I really dislike fridge magnets.

I put up with years of the children having brightly coloured letters which they picked off the fridge door and left on the floor to be trodden on in bare feet, not good........

When we moved here the fridge was in a cupboard, hurray no magnetic surfaces, no more endless bits of paper stuck to/falling off the fridge.

When that fridge broke we replaced it with a free standing one.  And I told the children a big fat fib.

"Silver fridges aren't magnetic"

They believed me for years until a neighbour bought the exact same fridge, and they spied fridge magnets all over hers. Bother, I was caught out, so I just admitted my hatred for fridge magnets.....

The fridge remained magnet free until last weekend, a clear out of a drawer turned up this set of Shakespeare words, the children fell upon them and soon they were all over the side of the fridge....

Every now and then you find someone standing there perusing the words, making another silly sentence.

 Even me........

ps. shiny fridges not good background for photographs, apologies for the blurry shots.........

Hollow Crown

Last week Alnwick was host to a film crew, producing series 2 of  Hollow Crown, a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's history plays.

They picked the coldest week of the winter so far, and possibly the muddiest.

The castle grounds became a battle ground,

with knights and horses, and smoke machines to add to the drama

a village appeared on the pastures complete with a pile of "bodies"

None of the major actors were seen in the town, unlike during the filming of Downton Abbey in the summer,
much to the disappointment of everyone who hoped to catch a glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch......

I think the castle may end up being the star of the show though.  I can't tell you how many photos I took of the way the light was  appearing behind the ramparts and then glistening on the water

friday random

this week.

amount of cake eaten at gluten free food fair/cake hunt - too much....
amount of hours that both children have been well this week - too few....
amount of pain it is possible to be in when you have conjunctivitis - too much....
amount of times someone can say to you "oh my, your eyes are red" - too many...
number of photos I've taken this week that I could put on this post to make it pretty/interesting/less dull - none....
number of times I've tried to think of something to post about and failed - several...
number of children's birthday parties I am trying to organize - two...
number of ideas for birthday parties - one...

I am going in search of inspiration, motivation and energy.

I may be some time.

if you think I am taking too long please send a search party.

and maybe one of those dogs with a barrel of whisky around it's neck.

an unexpected absence.

I took E to the doctors as he was complaining of stomach pain. Not long later we were at the Great North Children's Hospital 35 miles away. The doctor suggested that they'd probably keep him for observation for a few hours, so we went home to collect his dad, I grabbed him a bag with a teddy, book and pj's, told Miss K that hopefully we wouldn't be long, and off we went. 

and came home 4 days later.

E came home without his appendix.

I learnt a lot in this time. I learnt that if you say you are in pain then you get poked a lot which makes the pain worse. I have a new found respect for the kindness and patience of nurses. I learnt that you can cheer up a teenager quite a lot by taking ridiculous pictures of floppy playing with all the hospital equipment. This is the teenager that didn't fit in the bed on the children's ward, and the nurses extended the end and stuffed the gap with pillows so his feet didn't trail over the edge. I learnt  that if you have a room with an internal window it NEVER gets dark, so at 2.30am when you can't sleep you have enough light to read without turning on any lights.......I learnt which beeping machines you can ignore, and which you can't - morphine pump alarm when patient frantically tries to get more doses than he's allowed. I learnt that anti sickness drugs are essential after a general anaesthetic and morphine, and that the ward had a never ending supply of clean bedding, which we needed, several times.... Also that the combination of morphine and anti sickness drugs can cause hallucinations.

J came back and forth to the hospital in between going to work and looking after Miss K, and I slept on a fold out bed in the corner of the room. We watched a Lot of superhero films, and all of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, sometimes in the middle of the night with the sound turned down very very low. Also some truly dreadful daytime quiz shows. I may never turn the tv on in the day again. We watched people coming in and out of the lifts and if you looked down out of the window you could watch the people in the queue at the coffee shop. I spent a long time looking out at the people, the extremely frail old lady pushing her handbag in a wheelchair was the highlight I think.

I was extremely grateful for messages and support, and the kindness we were shown. E is recovering slowly and very happy to be back home. He is not at all sad that he missed going back to school after half term. He is also very happy that he still can't have a bath or shower and doesn't have to do games at school for weeks and weeks and weeks. Oh and he got bought lego as a treat. and sweets.

I am appreciating being and at home, drinking tea made in a teapot, and pondering why on earth when I realised that E would need overnight things did I never at any point think that I might need anything....

I hope you all have very quiet and uneventful weekends. That is definitely what I am hoping for.

friday random things

• I've nearly finished making all the blocks for the star quilt, I'm just putting on a border now which will mean there are no incomplete stars disappearing off the edge. Only 256 squares left to sew on, unless I change my mind about the design again - which is in all truth quite likely
• The children have a training day, before next weeks half term. I made good use of them and took them with me to help clean two holiday cottages that a friend usually cleans but she has broken her foot............ If only they were as enthusiastic about hoovering and mopping at home, I suppose the fact that I bribed them with wages helped.......
• I've been taking E to reflexology to help with his migraines.  The therapist is used to treating children, she must be bemused by E's huge size 10 feet.
• My niece will be 9 this weekend, we're going to go and eat birthday cake. I do like cake. Have I mentioned that before?
• I made the most enormous pan of carrot soup last night. Carrot soup is my favourite, but I am slightly concerned everyone in the family will go orange if I feed them it them too often.
• Have you got any nice plans for half term? - we have to finish building a paper mache volcano, as you do...... oh and we have some leftover soup to eat.

misty morning on retreat

when you wake up early and you've already had two mugs of tea and it's too early to start sewing or eat breakfast, and you look out the windows to find you are in a magical world of mist then you must explore.

the hills that surround the house have vanished, there is total silence, the thick dense mist dulls all sounds and it is impossibly eerie.

soon though the real magic begins, the warmth of sun starts to gently and slowly melt away the mists,

and ever so softly it lifts and the hills start to appear

the sky turns from a soft grey to a gentle blue 

the limestone features of the hills appear

and suddenly you are no longer in a magical world of mist but back in the real one.

It is no less beautiful though.

retreat

Retreat

Origin

late Middle English: from Old French retret (noun), retraiter (verb), from Latin retrahere "pull back".

Verb

Move back or withdraw
Withdraw to a quiet or secluded place
Noun
An act of moving back or withdrawing.
An act of changing one’s mind or plans as a result of criticism or difficulty.
A signal for a military force to withdraw.
A military musical ceremony carried out at sunset, originating in the playing of drums and bugles to tell soldiers to return to camp for the night.
A quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax.
A period or place of seclusion for the purposes of prayer and meditation.
Synonyms
withdraw, retire, draw back, pull back, pull out, fall back, give way, give ground, recoil, flee, take flight, beat a retreat, beat a hasty retreat, run away, run off, make a run for it, run for it, make off, take off, take to one's heels, make a break for it, bolt, make a quick exit, clear out, make one's getaway, escape, head for the hills.

of all these definitions I like the last one the best.

head for the hills.

that's what I'm doing. 
to a quiet and secluded place. 
where there will be relaxing. 
but probably no rest. more likely late nights chatting.
or quiet.  see above.
I don't expect there'll be any bugles.
or any withdrawing military forces.
but there will be friends and sewing and laughter and cake and wine.

back soon. 

random things summer holidays weeks 5 and 6 and the start of a new term

week 5.

Five days at the Yorkshire Coast, walking, reading (August's #year in books - Life after Life by Kate Atkinson - I described the plot to the family who repeatedly asked "is she dead yet?" until I'd finished it.   Even without this I found the plot a little disconcerting.......) fossils, fish and chips, ice creams and wave watching,

then long drives on busy motorways, a day of wizards and witches and all things magical, then a day of cake and party clothes and champagne.

week 6.

More motorways, idle wandering through Cambridge colleges in the rain, friends and feasting, a cup of tea in the park with a lovely magical bean, more motorways, returning home with the Mount Everest of laundry, doctors appointments and shopping for school trousers,

then a coffee lady and some lattes, a magic bag of liberty scraps and some quilt planning advice, a huge chocolate cake with so much chocolate and sugar it could kill someone apparently, a party on the beach, wine, laughter, endless cups of tea, all in all the perfect end to the holidays.

new term.
new school for E, new uniforms (the new trousers are already too short, how is this possible?) new timetables and planners and satchels, new routines, newly quiet house.
It could take a bit of getting used to.

random things summer holidays week 4

a quiet week in which several books are read,  siblings forget how to get along, and the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" rule needed some refreshing.........

it was also a week of not enough cake, no early morning crafting - very remiss, of watching old favourite movies and old episodes of Dr Who as there is increasing excitement of the approaching new series.

a week of hairstyles as Miss K experimented with a curling wand, watching her get in a tangle trying to learn how to twist the hair round, whilst being confused by looking in the mirror was too funny for words, in the end I let her practise on me. I looked like a poodle by the end of it, lots of bonkers curls all going in different directions.............

a week of sorting out, of planning, of list writing, of making piles, of getting a suitcase to pack and finding there's a cat sleeping in it...........

ahead of us there are familiar places to visit, family traditions to uphold, new places to explore, family to see, friends to meet.

I'm taking some time off, I'll be back in a few weeks to catch up. x

random things summer holidays week 3

week three of the holidays. 

I discovered that the quiet time in the mornings between J leaving for work and the teenagers dragging themselves out of bed is not for getting laundry done, or planning meals or heaven forbid housework. 

no, it is the time to squirrel yourself away and pull out fabric that you dyed years and years ago on a course, but never used, mostly because you bought calico to dye as it was cheap and then discovered that you don't like sewing with it, as it's a bit stiff and crumply....

it is the time to cut strips and sew them back together, and to experiment with wriggling lines and eek out the purple to make a border. One new picnic blanket ready to go away with us soon.

In other news we've been failing to spot film crews, despite the fact that town seems to be full of them as Downton Abbey is being filmed on location here at the moment and even the high school has been used as a venue. We did see evidence of the fake snow left on the pavements though.

We took a train and went to stay at my parents for a few nights. There's something about train travel that makes me feel like I'm on holiday, the excitement of going to new places, or rediscovering old favourites. Given the choice of all the attractions and museums that the city had to offer the children chose to go and spend time in the newly refurbished favourite bookshop.  

I didn't complain.

The week ahead will be all about list writing and getting organized. 

There are trips planned and places to go.

 I must remember to add picnic blanket to the list.

special guests.

introducing the special guests. this is blossom.

and this is toffee.

both the children been asking for piggies for ages. having these two for weeks whilst their owners go on holiday is a compromise.
things I have learnt so far.

• the cats are very intrigued. they sit and watch guinea pig tv. 
• I sit and watch to be sure they're not in any danger............
• you can sit and watch guinea pigs for ages, despite the fact that they don't do very much!
• guinea pigs make cute little purring noises, when you give them hay, or cucumbers. 
• they leave carrot till last. a bit like the children then.
• E is allergic to guinea pigs. he sneezes and his eyes puff up. a lot..............

random things summer holidays week 2

week two of the school holidays included the end of July, looking back I can I photographed lots of flowers, that end of term features quite prominently, and we had the most wonderful evening at the beach.

this was a quiet week. books, hiding inside from the hot weather, easy strawberry ice cream, making more you tube videos, watching the commonwealth games, sneaking in some sewing whilst everyone was sleeping and getting ready for some special guests, I'll introduce you to them soon.

Happy August!

random things summer holidays week one.

The cats went for their vaccinations. Now one of them has to go back for a dental treatment. Is it not enough that I just took the children to the dentist, I have to take the cat as well.

I took the teenage children to see the latest Disney movie (Maleficent). There were probably more teen appropriate films on but who wants to grow up.......

E spent a whole day bouncing a small yellow foam ball off various walls around the house, so that they bounced into a red bin. Whilst filming. Then he spent hours learning how to blend the videos together to make a you tube video. It is totally mad. He is now working on video number two. I had to discourage bouncing the wall off the roof of the when it kept getting stuck up there..........

I started a new crochet project. So far I have made one crocheted pebble sea urchin, and one crocheted pebble fish/mermaid. I plan to take/make some on holiday and leave them around the harbour and sit with a mug of tea and see what happens.

We have started the hunt for school uniform already. Because from past experience I know it will take 6 weeks to find trousers that fit. So far total fail.

I did buy Miss K a summer dress. Which means she has got dressed twice so far in the last 7 days (summer is all about lounging in pj's reading books in the shade apparently), once to go to school uniform shop and cinema, and once when friends came for a bbq.

I love bbq's.  friends, warm summer evenings, chicken marinaded in curry spices and yoghurt, beef marinaded in Japanese soy sauce(Japanese soy is gluten free, Chinese soy is not), ginger, lemon and honey, served with green salads, crispy bread, sun warmed tomatoes, followed by grilled peaches, vanilla ice cream, and frozen blackberry yoghurt.
I am regretting not buying enough ingredients so that we can have the same again tonight......

ten random things

Annie of knitsofacto wrote a list of random things, and invited others to join in.

random posts are absolutely my favourite so I present to you -

ten random things from the Easter holidays.

1. When you suggest to a blog friend that you meet for a cuppa sometimes in fact you go for a walk up a big hill, where it is Very Windy, but but you have a very lovely time and eating a delicious picnic in a howling gale trying to shelter behind a small rock is absolutely more fun than going to a tea shop. really it is. just don't mention the singing.....
2. When you decide to get more vegetables into your teenagers who just about manage 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day but there are some things they just don't like and the World Health Authority has increased it's recommendation to 7 portions a day,  it doesn't help when your husband tells them there are parsnips hiding in the pear juice.
3. There are seedlings growing in the greenhouse. there are also cats. well the cats are snoozing not growing.
4. I may just have an obsession with photographing tulips. expect a blog post filled with tulips. soon.
5. We went away twice over the holidays to visit family. During this time we experienced a lot of traffic. Sometimes I wonder why we move to the north of nowhere, and then I try and drive through York city centre and it all becomes clear.
6. I wandered through my parent's and my brother's house picking up books to borrow that I wanted to read. Now I need a new bookshelf.
7. Last week I got in lots of walking training for my walking marathon. This weekend I was supposed to do a 10 mile walk. It didn't quite happen..... oops. I did eat a whole packet of gluten free hot cross buns though. 
8. Youngest teenager went on a 3 day circus skills training workshop. He had enormous amounts of fun, is covered in bruises from falling off stilts and unicycles, and learnt to juggle in one day. one day I tell you. I am beyond envious.
9. There is a rhubarb crumble in the oven. I love rhubarb but for the rest of the family it is their least favourite crumble. However the World Health Authority doesn't say that covering your 7 a day in ice cream is illegal so this is my cunning plan to get them all to eat it!
10. Tomorrow they are back at school. There are many things I need to get done, but first that 10 mile walk........