I was luck enough to get not one, but two moses baskets via St Albans freecycle recently (along with a stand too!) but as these were just the bare baskets, literally, I knew I'd need to use my sewing skills to turn these into somewhere for Baby C to sleep. A new mattress (always recommended for a new baby) was easy to come by, and the same goes for a fitted sheet for the mattress (although how the same shop can sell fitted sheets that so not fit the mattresses they also sell is beyond me!) The bit I needed to make was a cover for the basket itself that the mattress could sit on top ... read more
Spring tulips
It seems like a long tome ago that I was hopefully planting spring bulbs in the garden. Looking back it was in early October, so thinking about it there's been a very harsh winter in between, and after so long of the garden being white over it makes the sight of these first tulips in flower all the sweeter. I love tulips. They're definitely my all time favourite flower and one of the advantages of getting married in March was that I could have them as part of our wedding flowers too. Had we got married this year though I think we may have struggled a bit. Their simplicity ... read more
NTTVBG: Skin Lane – Neil Bartlett
I wasn't too sure what to expect of Skin Lane mainly as the cover doesn't give much away. The picture of some sort of animal skin and a knife didn't really register with me and the back only contains the briefest summary of the story the book contains.What I certainly didn't expect was to be so completely drawn into Mr F's life that I felt like I just couldn't put the book down. In a way I didn't like what I was reading, but I felt compelled to continue. The precision of Mr F's life was in itself both fascinating and completely alien to my own. At ... read more
Slow but steady progress
I've been concentrating lately on bits I've needed to buy or order for Baby C's arrival - big things like a cot and pram. These are now all in the hands of the delivery gods (and I'm trying to ignore the fact that some stuff didn't turn up yesterday in the 13 hour delivery window I was given!) so attention needs to turn back to the things I am making.The cross-stitch Ten in the Bed that I'm working on has been making steady progress, but I possibly need to step this up a gear now. The main part of the blanket of the bed is complete and I'm well on the ... read more
Blanket for baby
As promised, a quick peak at the blanket I am knitting for Baby C. The pattern is the Ziggy Blanket from The fourth little Sublime hand knit book and I'm using Rowan Cashsoft DK in shade 515 (tape). The pattern's not a difficult one, but does require to keep your wits about you so that you remember just how many to knit and purl on each row!Now I just need to make sure I finish the whole thing within the next couple of months! ... read more
A chocolate filled Easter
It's been an Easter weekend that I think I'm going to remember most for the variety of chocolate consumed whilst doing a million and one other things! There was only time for one bit of baking though which was an opportunity to try out a new seasonal recipe. I've had the card for Waitrose's Chocolate Nest Cakes for years (possibly since 2001 looking at the date on it!) and have only just got round to trying these, although as I needed to transport them to a friend's house in the car I made them into Easter cupcakes rather than nests so that they went in a tin ... read more
Easter jobs
Somehow we are already half way through the long Easter weekend. I'm not too sure how that has happened. Lots has been done both in planning for Baby C's arrival and in the garden (when the rain has held off). Time with my laptop has therefore been lacking. Photos will follow, just as soon as I locate the camera in amongst all the DIY stuff! ... read more
Registered Post
It's sometime funny what things I see that make me stop and take a photograph. When Mr C and I were in Hastings Old Town we came across this post box (outside what I understand used to be the old Post Office) which I believe to date from the reign of George VI. I've seen old post boxes before, but not one that features advice on not posting valuables in it. I'd be intrigued to know the history behind things like this, but guess that if you're not local then it's not always that easy to find out. A shame, but fascinating all the same. ... read more
Bodiam Castle
If you asked a child to draw you a picture of a castle I'm pretty sure you'd end up with something that resembles Bodiam. The round towers and large moat give it a simple look which just makes it seem even more fairy tale like.Sadly it was chucking it down with rain when Mr C and I visited, but despite this it was still a lovely couple of hours wandering round. Definitely the kind of place that I'd like to take Baby C to when he or she is old enough to appreciate a good fairy story featuring knights and princesses! ... read more
It’s Not Easy Being Green – Dick Strawbridge
After all my list based reading lately I actually went off-list for the last book that I read. Ever since watching the TV series a few years ago and having a bit of a "green epiphany" I've been meaning to read the accompanying book, yet it was only last week when I finally spent an Amazon gift voucher on a copy of It's Not Easy Being Green: One Family's Journey Towards Eco-friendly Living.The book follows the Strawbridge family as they move from Malvern to Cornwall to embrace a new green life. The book is written in a very chatty style and covers ... read more