Simply Seasonal......4th of February

Hello Lovelies,

 February already? I didn't find January a slow month and I'm still ok with winter at the moment. How about you?

I do have a feeling I wrote a very similar comment this time last year...then quickly got fed up with the cold and and mud and started wishing February away. 

Spring is my favourite season, but I know once it is here it will seem to be gone in a flash, so I'm trying not to hurry the year along.

Besides, there are signs of spring and it's only the 5th week of the year. How lucky are we. Here are my simply seasonal moments from the past seven days.

1 ♥ New growth. My tulips look like they are going to be good again this spring. I planted these in late 2016 and the were fab last spring, but I'm not sure they will keep being so good. Time will tell.

2 ♥ Indoor Flowers. While you are waiting for the garden to burst back into life it's so cheering to enjoy spring's beauty indoors. A £1 bunch of Daffodils and a 50p primula give me so much pleasure for so little.

3 ♥ A midweek walk. The day was gloomy to begin with on Wednesday. I pottered in the kitchen preparing the evening meal and thought about skipping walking. Eventually I decided a walk at the country park would be ok in the gloom. At least there is no mud :0)

There were big puddles, but look, blue sky too

I loved the way the sun illuminated these reeds. They danced and sparkled in the cold wind.

Yay, the colours of winter are beautiful with added sunshine.

I walked up this steep hill (well it is steep for around here) and turned around to admire the view...I'm always looking for hills, have you noticed :0)

Happy with my 4 mile walk I headed back to the car park. This was my last shot of the outing...and the best I thought. How often does that happen. Lots in my case it seems.

4 ♥ A thrifty meal prepared in advance. Here's what I had made on Wednesday morning. Potato, leek and Bacon bake. The recipe is HERE. I added a few sad looking mushrooms to mine. It was very easy to make, refrigerate, then cook in the evening.... and thankfully it was a hit.

5 ♥ A sunny group walk. Though gosh the wind was cold. I had a hat, scarf and neck warmer on to keep that chill out. Nevertheless I was glad I went. There were pretty views along the canal.

 and Friendly locals.

and Snowdrops :0)

6 ♥ Virtual Walking. I'm not a big telly watcher these days but I do enjoy some factual programmes.
  I really enjoyed ITV's programme highlighting Britain's favourite walks. In the U.K. you can still watch it on catch up. It was interesting for anybody who likes hearing inspiring stories and looking at beautiful scenery.
 Ordnance survey maps have listed all the walks HERE if you would like to see them. I do hope I can walk a few of those which are new to me someday.

I'm now in my 4th year of doing the challenge to walk 1000 miles over the course of the year and this year I have joined Ilona's virtual walking group HERE. You check in on the first of each month with your mileage....it's another way to keep myself motivated.


7 ♥ New Yarn. I received a small Sylecraft delivery through the post this week (My LYS does not sell it, sadly)  Turquoise, cloud blue and Duck Egg for my Giant Granny square blanket...plus White and Stone to replenish my stocks. I do love these colours together.

 We are forecast another cold week ahead so I'm happy that this blanket is getting big enough to snuggle under as I work.

Stay cosy if you are in the northern hemisphere lovelies.
Chat next week ♥
Jacquie x

Cornwall 2016 :: Part 3

Hello Lovelies,
one sunny evening, on our Cornish holiday a few weeks ago, we decided to head to Gwithian beach at about 8pm, to watch the sun go down over St Ives bay.
When we arrived the light already had that amazing red glow.

We wandered around watching the horse riders and the surfers, noticing what the low tide revealed and smiling at the dogs who are banned in the day time, but have so much fun in the vast space at dusk.

The lighthouse looked wonderful against the pink sky.

After the sun had set the boys and hubby had a game of bat and ball. I never join in on these occasions as my co-ordination is terrible and I would ruin every rally. I do love to see then having so much fun with a simple game though.

All too soon the light faded and we left as the lights came on in St Ives, across the bay.

Such happy memories
Jacquie x

Cornwall 2016 :: part 2

Hello Lovelies,
our Cornish holiday this year took us away from our usual haunts ( the Newquay area). Unsure about which beaches would be suitable for us I did a little online research beforehand.

Praa sands looked hopeful, as so it was our first destination for a full day at the beach. The bay looked hopeful from the car park.........

and the sea looked calm. This was a bonus as this year we had a big blue kayak strapped to our roof rack, and one boy in particular who was desperate to get it in the water.

And so the combined male muscle carried a 12 foot long craft down many steps and along the beach to the designated surfing and watercraft zone....then it was time for the moment of truth......

Phew, all went well, it was an easy paddle and the presence of other Kayaks in the bay seemed reassuring.......

oh yes, those boys of mine were having a lot of fun.......

They have spent many years of Cornish holidays body-boarding and loved it. But at 16 they were keen to be a little more adventurous. The nice thing about this craft is that they will be able to use it in local canals and rivers too.

The day was turning out to be perfect weather-wise.........

we don't travel light do we. Here is the boys lunch ......

Prepared by eldest ( with his hairy legs these days)

As the day wore on the fluffy clouds evaporated and the sun sparkled on the turquoise sea.........

It was hot and too tempting to resist. The whole family, myself included, enjoyed swimming and Kayaking ( though I do need a full wet-suit to brave the chilly water) 

  I'm not  good at just sitting these days, and it was so warm that a good way to keep cool was to walk barefoot along the waters edge.....

 It really was an idyllic beach day......

We stayed until the sun was low in the sky......

And visited again on two more days that week, but this first day was especially memorable.
Jacquie x

Cornwall 2016 :: part one

Hello Lovelies,
sorry it's been quiet around here. I hope you are all keeping well.
A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a long awaited week by the sea. This  year mum came with us and I drove her car down to Cornwall so she could do her own thing sometimes while we were there.
Road closures, roadworks and heavy traffic turned that journey into a 9 hour marathon.
What a relief it was to finally arrive at our destination. How beautiful is this view!......

We regrouped with the rest of the family and headed down to the beach........

I loved the lighthouse off  Gwithian beach

We had travelled though heavy cloud all the way, so to see blue skies appear shortly after our arrival was wonderful. The light in Cornwall always seems special on a sunny day.........

Oh look, a plane flying over with a banner. Another common sight in these parts :0).....

"♥LISA♥MARRY ME"........

Wonder if Lisa said yes?

The boys and their cousins were soon heading into the surf for a quick dip........

 I was happy with a paddle .....

Beautiful St Ives bay..........

after an hour or so it was time to go and find our accommodation. We walked back up to the car park,

And I found Mum on the clifftops......

As always she had been painting..........

I love how this little watercolour sketch turned out.......

Back Soon with part two.
Jacquie x