Ladies Day

The Beautiful Girl and I had a Ladies Day out on Saturday. We took the train to the really very lovely town of Great Malvern where we took part in a knitting workshop, here at the knitting parlour. How nice to spend the morning with an expert who can guide you in a sweetly supportive way, helping you with whichever aspects of knitting you might find difficult (for Beautiful Girl it was casting on, for me, ribbing and following a pattern). After our morning we went for lunch, stopping at a deli for salads, then wandered the pretty town, browsing in second hand bookshops and choosing presents for Daddy at the old-fashioned sweet shop. We eventually made our way back to the stunning Edwardian station, which housed a lovely tea room - and had just enough time for tea, cake and buttered crumpets before our train left to bring us back to Brum.
It was the nicest way to spend a Saturday. My girl is growing up so much and it fills me with joy to share such times with her. Maybe in a year or two, we'll be proficient enough with our needles to attend a Rowan workshop in Yorkshire... I best start saving...

Iced Ginger Cake....

....from Jane Brocket's lovely Vintage Cakes. Just the thing to come home to when you have been buffeted by wind and rain on your Sunday walk....

Heirloom Blanket Ta-Dah!

It's finished! My blanket, which I've been crocheting for.... ohh, forever (actually, since June 2010). And I love it. Oh, I love it so much. It's absolutely enormous - so big that I can't take a proper photo of it. It drapes over the side of our king-size bed, with room to spare. Here it is again, all folded up.

A close-up of the pretty scalloped edging, thanks to the pattern from Lucy at Attic24.

The loveliest thing about my blanket though, is the way it feels. It is so soft and warm, so cosy and comfy. And finished just in time for these chilly autumn nights.

September Days

Life is good. Busy, but good. How could it not be when I have a lovely new Chanel nail polish, when the new series of Downton Abbey starts tonight and when there are rose and violet creams to accompany it?

Lazy Days

Since we returned from our holiday, life really has been lived in the slow lane here. There have been a couple of trips - to the library, the museum and the swimming pool. For Beautiful Girl there has been Pony Club, play dates and a day spent with Nanny but there has been A LOT of sofa time too. Which is not to say its been entirely unproductive. In fact, something rather exciting happened last week... Beautiful Girl caught the crafting bug! The above little creatures - an owl and a pussy cat, obviously, were made entirely by her. I cast on and off and threaded a few needles but other than that the knitting, stuffing, sewing, choosing, snipping and even crocheting (the cat's scarf) were all her own work. I cannot tell you how happy it made me to sit and craft together, nattering away - I only hope it was the first of many times to come. And as for my own crafting... well, I might have a Ta-Dah moment of my own before too long. So excited about that!

Dear blog,

I am sorry I have been so neglectful of you lately. I'm sorry there is so much I haven't shared with you: our trip to the Hay Festival, a whole half-term, my birthday, our seaside holiday. All I've got to share with you is this PB & J cupcake from the farmers' market.... and a promise to try and be more attentive during the next few weeks.

Love,

Jo x

Beautiful Girl Quote of the Week

Me: "So, you need to choose an Olympic value and draw a calligram for it. How about "determined" or "courageous"?
B. G.: "Erm, I think I'll do "indefatigable."
Me: ".........OK.... that'll work......."