July in an English Country Garden

Sunlight through leaves
   green-dapled-fern-shaded-warmth
Exploring
Testing our strength

Order and disorder
Colour and depth
History
   presence
   observing
So many things to see and do
  and sweet tastes of stored summer sun

The light, the shade, the whole

Yarn Along - a little dress

Holiday knitting: a Versa dress, in my hand dyed sparkle sock.

No reading to report!

London in the Summer

We spent the weekend with family in London again. It was blisteringly hot, so the touristy things we'd usually want to do would have been extremely hard work with four small children. We spent most of the weekend playing on the park, running around in the little decked urban garden, and sitting on the front wall watching a brilliant community festival.




It was especially fun to see the little two year old cousins playing together - they're both changing so fast, and this was the first time they could really have a conversation. Toddler conversations are so brilliantly weird.




The day we came home, we made it to the Natural History Museum and managed to catch all the bits we missed last time. We had to re-visit some of the dinosaurs too though, of course. ;)




It was a surprisingly restful weekend, although we're already talking over the things we want to manage to see next time... :)

Seven Days

1. A gift of my own roses from a loving small child
2. Horse chestnuts growing
3. Cinnamon rolls
4. The usual play/chaos
5. Baking bread for pizza
6. Barefoot kid with camera
7. Apparently sleepovers require a Mad Hatter's Tea Party :)

A Yes Day

Yes, let's make cupcakes.




Of course we can go to the park. And yes, let's get luridly blue ice lollies.


Sure, I'll look after your shoes!


And why not paddle in the brook?


Oh, yes, and stomp in the mud (after all, your feet will be washed by running back here again)!


I suppose we do have time to follow the stream and find out where it goes.


Err... yeah... you *can* try an unripe haw but I don't think you'll like it...


Yes, you can write in my precious dream journal. (Apparently this says, "Mummy, Taya, Happy!")


(And sometimes following the joy really does just renew everything.)

Daybook of the Colourful Ordinary

Outside my window the willow tree is in full summer leaf and the apple tree is heavy with fruit. I can see the bright blue of the sky from here, latticed with the rippling irregular sunkissed greens and fine kinked grey-browns of the highest branches.

I am thinking about how to stretch our money far enough to go to London again soon... about amphibians and whether there are newts in any of the ponds we like to visit (because Rowan wants to see one)... of colour combinations and yarn designs (as always)... and also whether Talia is asleep enough for me to slip away and start cooking tea. My head is full of competing thoughts!

I am thankful for rose petals, my garden growing beautifully, coloured silks strewn on the floor, time for writing and contemplating, encouragement to be the best parent I can be, fresh bread, and music.

In the kitchen the huge yarn-soaking tubs are taking up every working surface right now, and a LOT of gorgeous yarn is hanging in the sink draining a little before I squeeze out any remaining damp and hang it outside. Yarn Club underway! The oven is preheating for a roast dinner. And rosemary soda bread is all ready to be baked.

I am wearing a plain blue tshirt and purpley magenta yoga trousers with a folded waistband. My rainbow amber necklace from the lovely Beads for Mamas. Bare feet, black-soled from padding about my lovely wild overgrown garden. Hair pulled back as usual, out of my face and out of my way. I prefer it down, but it annoys me so much making my face feel sticky and my head feel weighed down - I am one of these impatient people who loves having long hair and yet periodically gets sick of it being "in the way" and cuts it all of to a short quick cut-it-myself bob.

I am creating colourful hand-dye. I have some springy yellow merino on the spinning wheel which I haven't paid attention to in weeks. And I'm finally getting back to knitting Jenna's grey sparkly Low Tide again (slowly).

I am going to Hobbits and Elves playdate tomorrow, all being well - with cardboard boxes for the children to build with on the park.

I am reading Ladies of Grace Adeiu on the tablet, in short bursts - I love collections of essays and short stories when I'm tired and struggling for air. I haven't felt like reading much this week, but the therapeutic knitting has been prolific!

I am looking forward to seeing Ash's new flat and maybe helping her move house. It is SO exciting to have her living nearby again, I am really thrilled that it's so close now!

I am learning how to make better bread. It has been a long while since I was making bread for the family regularly, and I am badly out of practice. It's wonderful to start to feel closer to the food we eat again.

One of my favourite things is rainbow coloured bunting all over the house.

A peek into my day (oh, yeah, and I have no idea how they managed to decapitate a toothbrush!):

Just a LOT of knitting

I have done, um, quite a bit of knitting since I last joined in with Yarn Along. There's nothing on my needles right now, but only because I just cast off about four things.






But my favourite recent project has to be the Chalice baby blanket (which admittedly was only really my favourite AFTER I realised that I needed to put in life lines a LOT more frequently than once per repeat - oops):

Seven Days of the Ups and Downs of Life

1. Jenna keeps making little journals for Talia
2. Eye-toy play in pjs
3. "I made myself a sleeping mask!"
4. Kid-made cheese and onion tart
5. Kerplunk
6. Stampy-inspired art by Morgan
7. Stacking things and piles of silks

The house is a mess, but the kids are busy and contented. Rowan is feeling really rough with an infection after scratching some of her eczema until it bled, but the lovely NHS nurse who saw us yesterday was so reassuring and kind and really calmed my anxiety. I am feeling very low, yet I am supported by friends near and far who are helping us get through. Still here! Our week has had its highs and lows, and mainly I am trying to simplify a bit - and basically working on putting one foot in front of the other.