One of the nest things about having had some time away from home was being able to go and re-visit places that we used to go to as a family years ago. One of those was Cragside where we regularly used to visit on trips up to Northumberland. The house itself is fascinating and full of great antiques and period furniture. Sadly the timing of our trip meant that the house had closed for the winter just the week before, but the grounds still hold lots of wonders themselves.The November light gave things a slightly eerie feeling and it wasn't difficult to imagine seeing a strange figure ... read more
Tales from the Green Valley
If you enjoyed Victorian Farm like I did then make sure you catch Tales From The Green Valley as well. I have to admit that I'd not heard of this series before and it was pure fluke that I turned on the TV tonight and caught the last ten minutes of what was unfortunately the penultimate in the series. Very much in the same vein as Victorian Farm, Tales from The Green Valley the team worked on a farm for a year as they would have had to have done in the times of James I (i.e. the 17th Century for those of you whose history isn't up to scratch!) This ... read more
A busy ten days
A wet November day at CragsideThe only "problem" with having time off work is that I manage to fill my days such that there's no time left for blogging. The last ten days have seen Mr C and I travel to Scotland and back, spending a lovely few days with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday. We've found the time to walk on beaches and through forests, to curl up in front of a real fire reading and playing scrabble, as well as time at home with the never-ending jobs to keep turning this house into a home.Time has also been found to finally finish a piece of ... read more
Scott’s View
There is something quite magical about the Scottish Borders and I think that this panorama from Scott's View gives a fantastic example. With the Cheviot Hills in the background and the River Tweed running through the valley there is no wonder that this was Sir Walter Scott's favourite view. When ever he passed along the road he always stopped his horses so that he could take in the view. The story goes that his funeral procession also passed this way and that the horses stopped of their own accord to allow their master one final look. ... read more
Up and Down in the Dales – Gervase Phinn
I have simply loved all of Gervase Phinn's other books and Up and Down in the Dales is no different.Gervase is back as the school inspector working in God's own county and encountering the "delightful" children that the region's schools are trying to educate. This time round though he is acutely aware of the impact of a child's home-life on how they perform at school. Gervase's wife Christine is expecting their first child and he is determined to make sure that this child has every possible head start when he or she enters the ... read more
A start on Jemima
Not much to show so far, but I've made a start on Jemima and I'm hoping that now I've cut out everything for the doll itself I should be able to complete that this week. The clothes may take a while longer though. Fingers crossed. ... read more
Autumn oranges
Looking around the garden at the end of October there ere numerous different shades of orange to give it a very autumnal feel. Just a shame that yesterday's autumn weather seems to have been replaced by the depths of winter today. Torrential rain and gale-force winds. Hope it isn't a sign of what's to come over the next couple of months. ... read more
Growing slowly
It's taking time (and I do have a small blister on my finger!) but the socks are growing. Just in time for the cold weather which is likely to return very soon. Now on to the difficult bit... ... read more
Make do and mend – updated
I wrote previously about the press coverage of John Lewis' updated version of Make do and mend, and I'm not delighted to say that I managed to pick up a copy when I was in my local store recently. I was delighted to find that they are selling copies for just £3 each. Admittedly it's only a small book, but one packed full of valuable tips and hints and in my opinion would make an excellent stocking filler at Christmas for anyone who is keen to save a few pennies. The book starts with some traditional "home truths"; those handy little hints about how to solve household ... read more
Wogan’s Twelve – Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan's a bit like marmite really: people either love him or hate him. If you're in the latter category then to be honest there's probably no point in reading Wogan's Twelve as you'll probably dislike it as much as the man himself. However, if you're someone who looks forward to turning Radio 2 on at 7.30am on a weekday morning then you're in for a treat!Written in a diary style this book gives a year long insight into Terry's life. Not only do we hear about the radio shows and his interactions with his beloved TOGs, but also the books ... read more