Pictures of my Week

Hello Lovelies,

the weather has certainly cooled down this past week and it feels like January should. Thankfully there has been less rain and it's been lovely to wrap up and  get out and about .

On Wednesday I walked to the Doctors ( routine check up) and on the way back I picked up flowers at the local florist and took them to a friend....... 

On Thursday the walking group went on a hilly walk ( yay my favourite )..........

It was rather muddy in places but very enjoyable as long as you were well wrapped up. To spend about five hours outside when the temperature is about 3 degrees Celsius I need layers. On Thursday I wore 5 layers on my body and 2 layers on my legs. Plus a bobble hat, scarf and gloves :0)

When we enter a churchyard that generally means it's time for our picnic lunch.There are porches to shelter in if it's raining and benches to sit on if it's not.



 I love the fact that I get to eat outdoors 12 months of the year.
Desert this week was one of the many butterfly cakes I had made the day before. Three teenagers means baking in bulk :0)

Amongst the grave stones I spotted Primroses....

 Way too early

And Snowdrops........

 a lovely sight, but still too early really.

That night the sky was clear and oh so cold. I loved the moon that looked like an illustration for the   nursery rhyme .

Yesterday morning we had a really hard frost. Hubby and I were once again walking at the country park...........

It's certainly unusual to see the play park empty and the ice cream man was nowhere to be seen :0).............

the lake was frozen in places and the ducks walked about on the surface, except where they had made a little channel to the spot were  people throw them seed.........

When we got home I was delighted to see my latest yarn purchase. A modest  Wool Warehouse package. I needed some red and white yarn. The other colours are some of the newer shades I haven't bought before....oh, how lovely they are..........

 Top to bottom L to R they are.... Sage, Pistachio, Magenta, White, duck Egg and Lipstick.

Next on the Saturday agenda was shopping. I picked up more Daffodils to pop in my favourite jug, and rescued a couple of last weeks blooms that were still looking good. I also gave in to the temptation of some bargain Tete a tete too. Green shoots in January make me smile.........

By three pm the Sun was still shining and I was tempted outside again. I smiled as I walked past the pretty church hall...........

but I was heading out into the countryside, passing the sign for the riding stables........

 and the footpath into the field.......

I walked down the muddy lane, past the stable's guard geese......

 these guys are fearsome.

I always stop to say hello to Jacob the donkey.......

soon I had company...eldest had given me a head start, but now joined me ...........

 He loved riding through the puddles breaking the ice that still remained. Such a satisfying cracking sound :0).

 This old pack horse route will take you all the way to a neighbouring village, how great is that. A traffic free "green lane" I love it..........

With limited daylight and freezing temperatures we were not going that far on this occasion.

But we did get as far as our local nature reserve. It's a small, quiet area that you often have all to yourself ( very different to the country park, with all it's facilities and lots of visitors ).......

Here too the pond was frozen.........

and the late afternoon light was wonderful...........

There's a shallow place in the stream that eldest loved riding his bike in....thankfully he had his waterproof walking boots on so his feet stayed dry.........

As the light began to fade we reluctantly decided to leave. It was one of those sweet little times that you don't really plan, but that turn out really special. Just the two of us, eldest enjoying his new bike and simple fun. I have a short video of him riding through a frozen puddle that was deeper than he expected...we both laughed after he managed to get through without coming a cropper. As I said, simple but at the same time so precious.

And I honestly don't think I've seen the nature reserve look nicer than it did yesterday. I smiled at the moon as we left.........

Last night it began to snow and this morning the boys were all outdoors in the dark by 7am. Throwing snowballs at each other and scraping the snow off my car...........

The fresh fall was not deep and thankfully the roads were still clear. I had to go to work, but as I headed off I couldn't resist stopping to take a couple of shots of the winter wonderland.......

How I love a snowy landscape and the early morning light..........

This afternoon I came home tired and enjoyed playing with yarn for a while. How do you like my colourful Log cabin Granny square? Its not my pattern. You can find an excellent photo tutorial HERE. 

I know I've got my ripple to finish , but I've been missing some granny square action lately. I've also been feeling very inspired by Lucy's stunning "Sunny log cabin blanket" . This little experiment combines granny squares and log cabin pattern possibilities....ohhh I'm loving that.

Phew, that was a long and varied post. Well done if you made it this far. I'm always glad I have this space to record my weeks and now years. Thank you so much for still reading and commenting. It means a lot.
Jacquie x