Whilst Mr C creates dust downstairs (or tries to dig out the old chimney as he describes it) I've brought myself upstairs and am doing one of those little jobs that I normally leave until much later in the year. I always hang on to all the Christmas cards we are sent with the aim of re-purposing them. Normally it takes at least 11 months to get around to it, but in a strange moment of organisation I'm ahead of myself this year.With a pair of scissors I cut out any interesting bits of cards we received, punch a simple hole in one corner and thread through a bit of brightly coloured ... read more
Snowfall
No, not another post about the weather, but the paint colour we're using to redecorate our front room! That's what's keep us busy this weekend as we need to have everything done before a new carpet is fitted next Friday. I didn't set out to find a paint with an appropriate name for the weather outside, but that's what we seem to have found. ... read more
Technical socks
Please don't think that I spend all my time at home with my feet up (despite what Mr C may say). I did have to sit back and admire this new pair of socks though. The yarn is Regia silk color in shade 0189 (nairobi color). Lovely to knit with and the socks themselves certainly have a silky feel to them when on my feet.I've spent the majority of today sat in front of my sewing machine, but sadly without much sewing going on. Sewing through a pin is never a good thing. It's even worse though when doing so somehow causes bobbin case and needle plate become misaligned so ... read more
First snow of the year
The garden's looking even whiter this morning and the snow's still coming down! The good news is that after a very late night I did manage to sleep in my own bed after a wonderful night at the top of the Gherkin (more about that later). Walking through snow does mean that you use a whole different set of leg muscles to normal and boy am I feeling that today! It's stil that lovely wet snow that clings to everything at the moment so everywhere's looking very picturesque. Not sure how much longer some of the branches will be able to take the weight though. Our new little ... read more
A cold snap
There's no doubt about it, it's pretty damn cold out there right now. This is how the garden looked yesterday morning as the sun came up. It didn't look much different by the time the sun went down yesterday afternoon! A couple of bit of grass had ben in the sun and therefore returned to green, but come this morning and all is white again.We've not yet had more snow here, but I understand that this is highly likely to change in the next 24 hours. In fact, most of the country is likely to be white over by tomorrow morning. Even London is likely to be covered. Of course this has ... read more
The House at Riverton – Kate Morton
It's been a while since I blogged about the books I've been reading so there's a bit of catching up to do. My most recent read has been The House at Riverton by Kate Morton and I have to say that it's been a long time since I enjoyed a novel this much! Grace Bradley arrived at Riverton in 1914 as a 14 year old ready to take on her first role as a house-maid. What she didn't expect at the time was how much Riverton would become part of her life and also change it in a way that she could not forget. The book flips between Grace's time at Riverton and ... read more
An exciting year ahead
Take a look at the above photograph of my bedside cabinet. Notice anything strange about my bedtime reading? or more accurately where the books themselves are? This wonderful invisible bookshelf was a Christmas gift from the lovely Mr C. Pure genius and keeps me safe from the danger of a perilously high to-read pile right next to my head, which is how things have previously ended up!It felt slightly strange last night to welcome in the new year with only a half glass of champagne. I'm not one for going out and painting the town red, especially on New Year's Eve when everywhere is ... read more
Turning my attentions to outdoors
Now that the rain seems to have (temporarily) stopped I've started turning my attentions to the garden. There's lots that we need to do out there, and lots more that Mr C and I want to do if time and energy allows. Top of my list has to be starting off my veg plot. After a really positive start things have slowed right down - I blame some guidance about not doing anything too strenuous whilst pregnant. The reality is that if I don't make a start before C Minor arrives I'll have no real chance. The aim is to get some raised beds on the identified plot and we've even ... read more
End of the festive season and new beginnings
Our first real Chez C Christmas Tree As this year's festive season draws to a close things feel a little different to how they have done in previous years. Normally at this time there is the anti-climax of New Year's Eve to get through and then the dreaded return to work in January. This year it's all a little different. I resigned from my job at the end of September and today is my first day unemployed. A scary prospect for sure. I had planned to have another job lined up for the new year, but things don't also work out as you first plan them. Instead there is a new ... read more
Full days
It's very strange, but only a few days after finishing work I'm already starting to wonder how I ever managed to find time to actually go to work! Somehow I've got to change that before it becomes too simple to just stay at home and not find an alternative income stream. After several days snowed in at home (not completely, but with deep enough snow outside that going out became a hassle) I've found myself filling my days with lots of little things that I want and need to get done and yet things like the pile of paperwork on my desk remain untouched.I'm pleased to report ... read more