I love...

I have fallen in love, no really....actual love! 

The Husband loves it too....we want it.....we need it......we love it!
(Dear Summerhouse fairy,
Ive not always been super well behaved, but i promise i can be, and will be from this....no, wait, this moment on if you let me buy this one teeny tiny little thing.
lots of love,
Daisy's family!x)

A wee bit of Doric

Mochy, dreich, and theres a harr coming in…..why’s my spell checker went into meltdown?  

Ok, those are very Scottish words, and for anyone that doesn’t know it pretty much means its misty, wet and drizzly and living near the sea means you’ve got about 10% visibility right now!  The whole place smells very briny and it’s a bit eerie.  It’s all a bit spooky if you think about how close we’re to Dracula’s Castle!!  

I hope that its much better for you, as I really don’t think its acting like Spring around here.  I had been hoping to get out with some bulbs I bought earlier this week, as like I’ve said before, I regret not doing more in Autumn, and I don’t want to feel like that in (what I hope will be a beautifully sun-shiny) Summer.

I need a bit of this right now!

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”

Winne the Pooh

Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all those lovely ladies who have spent many a sleepless night worrying about their little ones.  The Mothers who have cooked, cleaned and done all of the other 'stuff' that must come with being a Mummy.
You area  wonderful bunch who do a darn hard job!
My own sweet Mum has left the country this morning and has jetted of to an island of sun for a year.  She has spoken about it for ages, and did it once before an awful long time ago.  She is quite ill, and the heat and lifestyle suits the best conditions for living with an illness like hers.
I will miss my Mum an awful lot, but i am so proud of her for taking such a giant leap and being so brave.  It is difficult emotionally and physically for her to do this, i hope that she feels an awful big shift in priorities once out there, and that not much of her time-any in fact-is taken up with accommodating the way she has to feel in this country with that particular dark cloud looming over her.
I love you Mum, you've taught me many things from the sublime-'accept it, or change it', to the ridiculous-'shoes are there to be bought'.  You've been brave so i don't have to be, and sheltered me from storms-metaphorically and literally.  I remember you attending plays and dance recitals, helping with homework, helping me cope with essays, and giving me a hug whenever it all became too much.
Mummy-you've made me who i am today and helped me like that person too.
I love you, have an amazing adventure and come back happier.
Your Daughter.
x

Welcome to April

Hello Spring time, you are well and truly here aren’t you? I do love the smell of Spring, it’s the start of grass cutting season, but there is another scent, one I can’t quite put my finger on that signals excitement. The Husband and I did a well and truly Spring into Summer exercise the other evening when we had a BBQ in some uncharacteristically mild weather. We spoilt ourselves rotten as we had the fire pit roaring and shooting bright flames and heavenly scents into the clear night sky where we watched little satellites orbit and twinkley stars sparkle. However, that was in March, which is over…caput and not coming back for another twelve months, so get you’re glad rags on, socks pulled up or whatever other saying you want because we need to make this April happen, and one way I want to do that is by planting!!

I will be perpetually out in the garden (I forced myself out in March even though it got cold and misty because I regretted my Autumnal planting regime as soon as I saw a sad display of daffs which I know I could have worked harder on). Some teeny tiny seedlings have already poked their two prong faces up into the sunlight, attempting to gather as much of it as they can-a bit like us here in the North East really! But there is more…there’s always more!
One thing I will be doing in getting the last of the ‘hardy annuals’ in the ground before the middle of April as that means I can then let nature take over and I can go off and prettify everything in sight. We moved here in July and I hardly got to do a thing to the garden last year, so this year I will be outside all of the time. There’s been quite a bit of sweet pea seedlings planted about the roses so they don’t need a net or wigwam, and I’ve fallen in love with corn flowers as I really love the country garden look. I want my garden to make no sense at all, I want lots of height from things like fox gloves, but I want a real mix. I know its not as easy and as haphazard as it looks, I’ve probably got too many tall things at the front and too many teeny things at the back, but some of the plants will die off (hopefully after self seeding a bit) and I can start again next year.
Living near the sea here means that we can eat an awful lot of fresh fish, so I know that trout’s in season-and can probably be bought cheaply. Not attractive or over exciting, but it CAN be if you don’t shirk away from eating healthily and (admittedly for us) very cheaply. Try this idea out from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
April can be glamorous too you know?!! Its not all garden work and wet fish! Its also a time to get on top of that winter wardrobe and collection of coats at the front door you probably haven’t used in a while. Take control and advantage of offers in dry cleaning establishments by sending what needs to off to dry cleaners (admittedly in general quite bad for the environment-but you have to measure it up for yourselves). I like to bag items up in those bags you buy off the TV, and put off into the spare room so that the Spring things can come out and have space in the wardrobe-which means I don’t have to iron things I’ve already done! This keeps an eye on the purse too as I don’t have to think I should go around buying things for ‘events’-seeing as I don’t go to Ascot family BBQ’s will do-and that money can go towards much more enjoyable things like shopping the way I want to….for books and china in charity shops!!

One last things that the Spring sunlight shows up is all of the harsh winds I faced a few months previous. I used to be awful with the amount of products, creams, solutions and lotions I bought when I was a bit more carefree and younger. But now seeing as I have to pay bills I cant just buy whatever the nice perfume lady sprays at me, and I cant fall for whatever lotion is rubbed soothingly on the back of my hand. So I got to a point a couple of years ago where I used up everything I had and started anew-which I'm sure would actually have been quite a good thing from the point of view that I don’t have the same skin type as I did when I coveted these potions. So now, seeing as its Spring, and seeing as I haven’t bought any magic creams in a while, I treat myself to a new more Spring like regime! I want to share a couple of things I’ve read about as I was loaned a wonderful home made remedies style book which has beauty tips in it too.
So, that, for me, is the start of Spring. Welcome to April, have fun, do your own thing and make it exactly what YOU want it to be!

Simnel Cake

Simnel cake is a light fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, covered in marzipan, then toasted, and eaten during the Easter period. On the top of the cake, around the edge, are eleven marzipan balls.  Simnel cakes have been known since medieval times, and were originally a Mothering Sunday tradition, when young girls in service would make one to be taken home to their mothers on their day off.

They are also a fabulous way to show off even very moderate baking skills!!

I'm using Delia's recipe which can be found here, but this is Nigellas.  I can't wait to decorate it with bright yellow ribbon, and probably a couple of little chicks in amongst those 11 balls.  I'm hoping to create a whole table full of the kind of delights found on this table (the picture is taken from google) Doesn't it just look so delightful and bright?  Doesn't it welcome you?  I want this, i need this, i need a giant welcoming table thats full of bright yellow and pastel pinks, blues and greens.

x

The Wonderful Weekend Book

The Wonderful Weekend Book by Elspeth Thompson is my new very, very favourite book.  I spoke about it a wee while ago here and haven't got bored of it yet.  One of the first things i do when i fall in love with a book is find out about the author, so, if you are like me have a look at her website here.  Sadly Elspeth died last year, but there are so many of her lovely pieces still floating all over the internet.  She wrote for a couple of different papers and i found some of her things there, but i still haven't got through all of the nice things on her own blogs and website, and they really are wonderful to read.  I was trying to copy the picture of Elspeth Thomson from her website, but have unfortunately only been able to copy her whole header-but have a look at the wonderful and inspirational website!

Now on to The Wonderful Weekend Book in which she talks about reclaiming lifes simple pleasures.  Every page is full of amazing ideas of free...or very close to it, activities which can cheer up one of those weekends where you know you should be doing something or other, but you just don't know what.  This appeals to me no end!  I dont DIY, i dont do things in the weekend which many people do, i dont go to the gym and i dont trawl around town looking at the same old shops (only one of the reasons i adore chairity shops), but i do want to 'do' something.  This book is the antidote!

A small part of the blurb states that the book "is about reclaiming the weekend to re-charge our batteries and relationships through enjoying the simple pleasures in life. A book packed with ideas to help restore the balance in our lives and reconnect us to the seasons."  Yes...thats it, thats exactly it.  This book has given The Husband and i many ideas, and it makes us very excited.  And thats what good books are.

Its full of ideas like gardening, open-air swimming, letter-writing, cooking with foraged food and celebrating the seasons, much more fun than the books claim that an average of six hours of each weekend day is taken up by food shopping, house and garden maintenance and other mundane tasks.

Please get a hold of this book, whether its through amazon or your local library (if its not on the catalogue you can probably talk to library staff and put in a request to buy form), so please get a hold of this book!

April Fools Day!!

I hope you're not taken in by any April Fools Day jokes today!!  I love it when the local paper runs stories, i remember when our local one said that horse and carts were going to be re-introduced into the streets of the oil capital of Europe.  I remember getting very cross about it (hey-come on, i was very little at the time) and my Grandmother and Mother let me feel this way for ages!! It was only when i mentioned it to someone else when i went round to their house for tea that their Mum told me the truth!
So be very, very vigilant!!
x

Green Cleaning Tips

There's always a time to clean..i mean the shops would want us to believe that wouldn't they?  You have to have a big clean in Autumn, you tidy away the toys or things from summer to get ready for Autumn and Winter.  Then you clean up for Christmas and the visitors, you then have a Spring clean and then you pull out all of those harsh chemicals again for Summer visitors, or that awful clean you do before your Summer holiday.
So here are some handy tips for GREEN CLEANING and the items that are already in your cupboards that you can do it with-which by the way, also makes it a bit cheap!

• One cup of baking soda mixed with a teaspoon of liquid soap, a bit of water, and a few drops of antibacterial essential oil (such as tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, or peppermint) makes an effective cleanser for your bathroom or kitchen.
• Milk is great used in combination with white vinegar, it does wonders to remove ink stains on clothing. Simply soak the garment in a bowl milk or white vinegar.
• Combine 30 to 40 drops total of up to three different oils (like a lemon-lavender combination) with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle to make a beautifully scented room spray.  It'll save a bundle on plug ins and burning candles for guest rooms.  Just remember to give it an extra good shake to mix the oils.

All of these tips have come from various Country Living issues.

Thank you..a very humble thank you..

Thank you so much for your kind words about the predicament my poor friend is in.  I want to say that those two comments were very sweet and made me smile.

I am so very, very happy that the lovely world of blogging is so full of kindly wonderful people!
you make me happy, very, very happy.
x

Being Thankful

I'm praying for an awful lot of people right now, i am so utterly grateful for all that i have, its only sad that i have taken this time out because of a very unlucky friend and troubles all over the world. 
I'm praying for my wonderful friend who has been hurt by a drunk driver.  I am praying that she isn't reliving the horrible moment when the accident happened.  I am praying that her future is not wrecked by this incident.  I am praying that i can be strong enough to be the rock that she needs.

Thank you for letting me unload!
x

Sun in the sky...you know how i feel.

Beautiful welcoming warming spring is peeking out from behind the dark skies and saying 'hello'.  I'm already just too, too excited that it's bright outside at 5 o'clock when I'm pulling down the shutters at the library.  I'm also spotting the sunrise for the first time in ages since starting work bright and early.

Its quite a lovely time right now.  The daffs are coming up so beautifully, and i only wish i planted more last Autumn, its a bit disappointing that it was so snowy when i was wanting to get out to tuck up some tulips in the deep dark soil.
There is something so refreshing about Spring, i don't normally go head over heels the way i am now, not for this season anyway, but this year, this time is different.  We have a garden now, a place of our own to plant and dig and sit.  To make up the fire pit and sit with a hot drink and a blanket, to stare up at the sky and spot the twinkling stars.  To bring the dog out to see the sunrise over the church on the hill, to sip cups of tea and plan the day....yes, i think i like the garden, and i plan to spend an awful lot of time in it!

I love...

My CK bag.. Oh bag, how i love thee....um, kinda don't know what else to say that sounds remotely romantic.  I only ever did The Merchant of Venice at school and then we jumped onto the poetry section of English and Communication class and the next thing i knew i was all about Philip Larkin!
Well, i may not know a thing about romantic prose, but i do know that bag-i love you.

And you know what else?  Husband, i love you too...you know me and you picked up on the hints!!  Have a wonderfully romantic weekend, if not full of rose petals and chocolate covered strawberries, then holding hands in the park and a scrumptious supper! 
Do things that are special to you...not Hallmark, cuddle your dog, cuddle your child, cuddle someone....or something you love!!!  We've had a rather poorly pup, so she is being looked after and molly coddled much more than normal...bless her!

I love....

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4

I found this book at a house clearence The Husband and I helped with a little while ago.  I read it...i read it quickly, and then i had to read all of the subsequent books.  Its amazing and i love it, i love it so, so much.  Its one of those books that you wish the characters were real and you could go and meet them.  Unfortunately i didnt read the books in order, and im not sure if i can go back so quickly and correct that mistake.  I loved reading Bridget Jones, so i guess im pretty sold on the whole diary format of books and ive just finnished Diary of a Nobody which is really good too...but quite frankly, nobody can compete with my Adrian Mole!

Weigh in weekly

Drum roll please.....ta-da!!! 2Lbs!! Hooray!!  I'm not at the 'short term weight loss goal' that i had in mind for Valentines weekend, but i am going in the right direction, and I'm walking loads more through work so hopefully its all the start of things coming together.  Not just 'weight loss' or a diet, but it could be the start of changes that i will keep forever more....well, here's hoping!!

Have a great day!

What a difference a season makes

I used to be a bit of a night owl, that is, until I started this new job, I am now a ‘up and at em-bright and early person’ and I think that this change works out well. What with living in our new home and the start of spring peeping at me –hidden for too long underneath the frost- that this is the perfect time for change. Change of the seasons, a change for me, and overall-a big change in our home. The change in sleeping patterns has come on really slowly, after a couple of days where I woke up at 4 thinking I was going to sleep in for my 6.15 alarm call I’ve really settled into my new routine.
Poor Husband and pup have had to fall into line too, but The Husband has just started a completely new job too, and one of the best things for him…and possibley worst for me, is that he is away an awful lot. Its very exciting that he gets to visit Australia and a whole host of other places on the other side of the world, but one, it knocks his sleeping patterns all over the place, and two….the great big problem is that I miss him, and generally find it difficult to sleep.

So getting off to bed early with big plans still whirring about my head is an ok way to deal with things, and that’s how I'm going about it at the moment. It does mean that I instinctively wake up bright and early AND I get to see the sunrise…magical. I love waking up and listening to the wonderful Chris Evans on Radio 2, I love making a giant pot of tea to trip back and forth to while getting ready. I love taking the short walk with the pup to the shop for my paper and still trodding on the frost from the night. I love the difference waking at a different hour makes. I love looking forward to spring, and I love thinking of the possibilities that can come from this year.
Have a wonderful day.
x

Where's the week gone?

What a time has went by and how i have been ignoring all life in blogland.  I have, however, been awfully busy.  That's why i couldn't  post about any weight...ahem, loss?  I haven't had any weight loss at all, but i didn't post because of me putting on 1lb (hangs head in shame)....I'm too bad, but i didn't hide away and not post because of that, i haven't posted because I've been working away....AT MY NEW JOB.

Not a very exciting job, but a job all the same.  I still work at the library, but as i was only doing that part time, and as i have a magazine habit (not to mention CK habit, shopping habit...any other naughty costly shopping related habits there could be), i needed some more cold hard cash!!  So I've gone and got myself a part time job at one of those giant emporiums that are quite literally taking over the world..yup, I'm a lowly drone for some shop...but hey-it keep my family better of and my home warm!! Oh my goodness, and we need a warm home-the snow has started up again....its been a long winter!
x

The lists for 2011

A little while ago i wrote a post that you can find here, in which i explained that this year i was writing up a little list of things i wanted to do through out the year.  Its quite similar to what my Mother made me do when i was little, every summer time we wrote out a list of things to do on rainy days and things to do on sunny days.  Mum would get all the dates of festivals, galas, fetes and parades and we would plan the holidays around those.  Anyway-like i say-I decided that it seemed a good idea to make one of these lists for the whole year.  I'm in the middle of encouraging The Husband to do the same, but unfortunately he really wrote out a list of things he wanted to paint...and i don't really want to incorporate those into my fun list!

The exceptionally lovely Flossie and Tom blog said i should post some of my list (note NOT The Husbands list) so here it is:

• I've never visited half of the museums in Aberdeen and its been ages since I've had a really good look in the art gallery so i would love to do that.
• I want to go to the theater more (luckily The Husband and I got box office vouchers for Christmas from a lot of my side of the family)
• Take time to visit the Cairngorms
• Go camping at Ballater
• Join the National Trust for Scotland and see more castles and stately homes
• Swim in the open air swimming pool at Stonehaven
• Visit the Falconry
• Go to the concerts the church so regularly holds
• Go to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness for various trips (as i do love trips to big cities)
• Go berry picking at Forres and have a picnic at Baxters afterwards (like when we were little!)
• Go to London in November

Most of these things are so simple, except for the last one, and are so easy to do.  Berry picking in the countryside and a trip around the Baxters visitor centre won't take much planning.  Joining the NTS will pay for itself in no time at all.  Some of the ideas I've written down are things like having a BBQ on the beach during the nicer weather, some things include walks I've been on and want to share with The Husband. I would like to see more events at The Word Festival and attend more talks at the Humanity Manse lectures (a series of lectures on Irish history at my old University). 

I also hope to get ideas from other bloggers, and i guess as the year progresses i can add more things too.  Hopefully i can 'keep on top of the list', but most importantly feel like i have used my free time wisely...that means sometimes sunbathing, and sometimes at lectures!!

x

Weigh in Weekly

Hooray, I'm not like the cartoon this week!! I've lost 2lbs this week!  I'm very proud of myself, because quite frankly i thought that last week i was going to put weight on, and then believed that it would show up this week.  Although i haven't been working out, I've been taking the dog on extra long walks and still eating healthily.  I read an article on another blog about emotional eating too, and feel that it really helped, i now don't ever eat anything unless i am genuinely hungry.  I always ate 'what i fancied' before thinking that a little would be OK, but unfortunately I'm not that type of person, if i could eat one square of chocolate and move on it'd be alright, but no...I'll eat the bar...family size or not!! 

I'm hoping that I'm only a couple of lbs short of a 'round number' which is quite exciting for me!!

Have a lovely Thursday...one more day until the weekend!! Yay!!

x