When this postcard fell out of a book that I picked up in a charity shop a few months ago I didn't really think much of it. Then I turned it over and my mind started wondering. I'm now full of questions. Who are (were?) Ruth and Bill? Whose birthday photos is Bill talking about and what waterfall is it that he mentions? Who are the "new couple" and what advert has Ruth recently placed? The card was postmarked 1998 but somehow the message on it seems to almost be from an older time. The address on it isn't that far away and is in fact only round the corner from where a ... read more
Needleworker
Since digging out my old guide blanket a few months back I've been fascinated to look back at various old things associated with the Brownies and Guides from the period when I was involved with them. I remember spending hours with my copy of The Brownie Guide Handbook trying to work out how I could get more badges for my uniform. I managed to get my hands on an old copy of the edition that I had at the time - the 1980 third edition - and it's fascinating to read back and see what you had to do at the time to earn various badges. It's all very much written in a ... read more
Slow Cooking
I've been busy not only in the kitchen here, but also over at Mummy Reviews where I've reviewed a slow cooker that we were lucky enough to be sent along with some of the new Schwartz Slow Cookers recipe mix range. My review can be found here. To show people just how easy dinner preparation can be I created this little video as part of my review. Some dodgy camera work, but still worth a watch if you haven't yet been won over by the slow cooker revolution that seems to be going on at the moment with all the mums I know! ... read more
Stash Happy: Felt
I was delighted to be sent a copy of Stash Happy: Felt to review by GMC Publications this week. I'd not done much with felt before I started reading Mollie Makes, but I think I'm now addicted. I'm not allowing myself to start a new project until I've finished one of the in progress ones, but there are so many now on my to do list from this book that it's a bit silly. The book contains 30 projects to make and it's fair to say that all of them are completely adorable. Two projects are both owl based and I have an owl obsessed daughter at the ... read more
Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
I've realised recently that we're actually quite traditional when it comes to food here and most meals do contain a meat element. In fact, Mr C doesn't generally think that a main course is a main course unless there is meat in it. I have therefore watched with fascination the latest River Cottage series, Veg Everyday. Hugh F-W is not a man that you usually think of as a vegetarian, but that's exactly what he challenged himself to do for a summer, to see what it would be like to eat veg everyday and cut meat out of his diet. The television programmes have been interesting, but ... read more
Why?
For a variety of reasons I've been asking why I actually blog recently. A few "real-world" people asked when they heard about my blog and I found myself giving some very woolly answers. I can't promise that this will be any clearer but I'll try, I do know why I started this blog though. At the time I was still working and had recently got married. I was doing some crafty things having mainly been inspired to do so by some of the various crafty blogs that I read. What I really liked about those blogs was the fact that they kept a record of the things that people were ... read more
The Teatime Islands – Ben Fogle
Whenever I smell mixed herbs (the dried variety that come in little glass jars) I am taken straight back to the house my parents lived in when I was a young child and in particular to the bay window of the front bedroom where I used to play some sort of game where I created a den and imagined that I was on a boat sailing across the oceans to discover islands that no one else had yet discovered. I have vague recollections that I needed to take some food with me and when I asked my mum for some the only thing she gave me was some mixed herbs. Quite how I thought I was going to find new islands I ... read more
Daddy’s slippers
And there was me thinking that Little Miss C was a bit young for dressing up. She proved me wrong though when she got hold of Mr C's slippers the other evening... ... read more
Counting my chickens… – Deborah Devonshire
As a child Chatsworth was one of those places that we visited quite often. For a while it was a bit of a family tradition to go to the farm shop on Christmas Eve to buy meat for Christmas. I remember many, many visits to the children's farmyard and also have such fond memories of the annual country show that I really hope I can take Little Miss C and Mr C there one year. It was at the country show that I was once served lemonade (lovely homemade stuff!) by the then Duchess of Devonshire (now the Dowager Duchess) and even at my young age I was struck by just how down to earth she ... read more
Off the needles…
I know I shouldn't have, but another knitting project found its way onto my needles this week. I'm afraid my little model was in bed asleep as I sit here writing this post so for the time being this photo will have to suffice. This is the Rosy Posy Hat from The fourth little Sublime hand knit book, but at the moment due to a complete lack of time it is missing the flowers that should be on it. The sudden cold snap made me realise that all the hats I made for Little Miss C last year no longer fit her and there was no way I could justify buying her a new one when I have a stash of ... read more