Now Wearing Purple

2019 I EMBRACE YOU I used to dislike New Year, but now I just think how lucky I am to be welcoming in a new one. My dodgy looking glass contains homemade pomegranate kefir, which is my new favourite tipple. I'm making up for my over indulgent festive period and have to say, it's quite addictive! No resolutions for me, as I'm so useless at keeping them.  However, I will try to work off some of the poundage that I seem to have gained......how did that happen then? Probably all the laziness betwixt Christmas and New Year, which we thoroughly embraced.  Lolling around on sofas with the dogs, watching films, doing puzzles, snacking instead of eating proper meals.  We did take the doggies out every day for a good long walk, but that was about it. The decorations are still up, as our custom is to take them down the first weekend after New Year, just to stretch the holiday that little bit further. Well, we  may still be up at midnight, to welcome in the New Year,

IT WAS PERFECT! The perfect Christmas and birthday. My birthday celebrations on Christmas Eve were full of laughter and fun, with all my favourite and most loved peeps being present, plus my niece's boyfriend that we hadn't met before. I laughed so much, I had face ache the next day. My girl and her man were here for both days, leaving Christmas at noon, after presents and an epic breakfast cooked by Mr.  They, like us, will be celebrating Christmas on Boxing Day this year with his girls and Mum and Dad. I hope that your Christmas, if you celebrated, gave you as much joy xx

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR Trying to summon up the Christmas spirit here.  I normally love this time of year, but I just can't muster any enthusiasm at the moment. I broke out the Christmas mugs and indulged in a frothy, cream topped latte...nothing. Mr put up some decorations and lit our little 'ting, ting', as I call it, to try and trigger my Christmas spirit. He put up one of the indoor Christmas trees, which I decorated, whilst sipping a snowball, which did raise the spirits somewhat. I just feel like my brain is in a fug and have for a couple of weeks now.  I even struggled when I met up with my girlfriends a couple of days ago last week, finding it hard to contribute to the conversation.  I'm putting it down to the time of year, but I've also not been looking after myself properly, I know that.  Back to the healthy, more probiotic diet I think, just till Christmas proper arrives and I have plenty of it in the house.  When I was eating p

LEST WE FORGET Here dead we lie  Because we did not choose  To live and shame the land  From which we sprung. Life, to be sure,  Is nothing much to lose,  But young men think it is,  And we were young. A. E. Housman

CELEBRATIONS AND RECORD BREAKING (HOPEFULLY)! We went to visit our girl in the north to check out her new studio premises and celebrate the start of her new venture. It was a four hour car journey, due to road works.  I have suffered car sickness all my life, but in recent years, it's improved and a couple of years ago I found that I can crochet whilst travelling, with no ill effects.  So happy with that discovery I can tell you.  I took a bit of hooky to while away the hours. By the time I'd arrived at the hotel, I had one of these and yes, I took wooden coat hangers with me. It's the kind of pattern you do from memory, which is just as well as reading in a car is a no-no for me. M's studio was a total wreck when she took in on, but in  a few short weeks, her lovely man C has done a complete refit, new plasterboard walls, a new tiled floor, work surfaces, sinks, everything she needs.  His lovely dad even pitched in to help screed the floor. C even mad

AUTUMN WALKS AND KASUNDI MAKING The autumn weather has been glorious!  I even put my shorts on this week, as I got so hot cleaning the house. I've have been feeling a bit low in the last couple of days and knew a good walk would help. We decided on a walk along the ramparts of our local iron age hill fort, which as luck would have it, brought us to the pub. It is a bit unnerving that this sign is literally ten feet from the pub itself. Probably not wise to have one too many drinks on a dark night. On the walk, there are little gaps between the trees and hedges that give little vistas of the surrounding countryside. Ancient trees, still holding on to their remaining leaves. There are plenty of big, old trees with lovely, gnarly roots. You definitely have to watch your step here. I can image quite a few little critters living in this tree! One of my favourite books as child, was Wind in the Willows. I particularly loved the chapter where M

I am embracing the start of autumn and this has to be one of the best yet, being uncharacteristically  warm even into late evening in our neck of the woods.  We've been sitting out until about ten, albeit under a crocheted blanket, just making the most of being out of doors. An we're still using the barbecue for most of our evening meals, lots of grilled meat and fish with griddled veggies. A plan to go on a camping last weekend was cancelled due to a dubious weather forecast. Prior to this decision being made and because it was so chilly at night the last time we went, I beavered away making a little jumper for Pearl to wear to bed.  I'm not a fan of dogs wearing clothes, but poor Pearl has so little fur at the moment and last time she was under canvas, she crawled under the bedclothes and slept next to Mr all night.   She was about as impressed as  Elsie  was with hers, but I'm sure she will feel the benefit on walks in the colder winter