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

Winter Sunlight

Hello Lovelies,

In winter I can see both the sunrise and the sunset from my south facing bedroom window. Of course the clouds have to get out of the way first :0)

This sight greeted me when I opened the curtains at 8am on Saturday morning..........

 But sadly the sunshine did not last.This morning it was also sunny and I really hoped it would last a little longer than yesterday.

In my kitchen the surprise white Amaryllis is already beginning to fade, though I kind of like the crinkly, papery delicateness of the ageing petals...........

By 10am hubby and I were at the country park, none of the boys could be persuaded to join us. Well I suppose they are of an age when that is to be expected, though it still makes me a little sad.

Ah well, at least it was still sunny. That certainly lifted my mood..........

The low sun glinted off the choppy ripples that the chilly breeze had whipped up........

....and it gave us long shadows . Today, as almost always, I was walking in a dress, with thick tights and plenty of layers. " Do I stand out? " I asked hubby as we passed  loads of ladies in jeans and leggings.
" Yes" was his matter of fact reply. Oh well. I think it's one of the good things about getting older....you don't worry half as much about fitting in with everybody else. I just find dresses so much more comfortable to wear.

I do have a pair of walking trousers that I wear when I go out with the walking group...so I'm obviously not completely relaxed about not fitting in ....yet :0)

I loved the bare tree branches and the shadows they cast across the grass.........

At the moment I seem to hear Robins singing loudly everywhere I go. These solitary little birds are calling out tunefully to each other...........

We did a long circuit of the park, which has lovely, mud free paths..........

Though I did take us on a little detour through the woodland...and some mud. Most of these trees were planted in the early 90's and we can remember when it seemed like such a barren, bleak landscape, with just tiny saplings dotted about. How lovely it is to walk through mature trees and see all the work and planning come to fruition..........

These days it's a very picturesque and popular place. There were certainly plenty of people around today, and even the ice cream man was there. Brrrr, bit too chilly for me as yet.........

My favourite part of the park has to be the lake, with it's abundance if bird life........

 

and lovely reflections...........

The park is very fortunate to have an army of willing volunteers. And in the sunshine this morning it all looked especially well cared for and generally wonderful.........

Back home colourful flowers in my hearth are making me smile........

A thoughtful gift from hubby. He knows how much I love flowers..........

On the challenge front I'm happy to report I managed to walk 20.5 miles this week, just on target thanks to a final mile this afternoon with youngest. I was pleased to get him out in the fresh air....but golly it was cold.

We walked fast.
Jacquie x

Rainy Days

Hello Lovelies,

I'm not loving these short, wet days. But I'm feeling lucky we have not suffered the terrible flooding that some parts of the U.K. are enduring, and I'm cheering myself up with pretty flowers on my kitchen windowsill.........

 The first bunch of Daffodils of the year are always something to smile about ....especially when they are a kind gift from my mum in law.........

But yesterday I didn't want to stay inside all day. It was walking group day, so I pulled on my waterproofs and walked past my favourite garden to the meeting place..........

Just a small group of mad keen people had gathered, and we set off hoping the promised dry weather would materialise........

The poor countryside is not looking it's best and the conditions were pretty awful really.........

I've never seen the stream so full........

Everywhere was a sea of slippery mud and greyness. I'm very lucky my kind friend lent me a walking pole for this walk....otherwise I'm almost certain I would have ended up on my bottom ( or worse)......

This stream was even bigger....I've never seen it look like this before..........

On the way home we had a strong head wind to add to the fun....but thankfully I wasn't cold or wet, and I did rather enjoy the walk despite the conditions.  It would not have been so pleasant alone I'm sure.....

 Back home I paused to look at my flowering Amaryllis .......

white is ok....but I miss the red.

It's been a while since I did and rippling , but yesterday afternoon the colourful yarn called to me.........

There are things to like in all the seasons, and I'm so enjoying  my seasonal diary.........

This weeks illustration is a delight, a beautiful, dream like image , with amazing detail..........

 You can read a bit about the artists inspiration HERE

And I love the short poem to accompany it......Yes, how often does that happen in winter. The sun appears fleetingly at the end of a grey, wet day.......

I was taking these photos in my bed room to try and get the best light, and as I turned around....there it was..........

A beautiful and serene end to the windy, soggy day. 

And six more miles for me to tick off this years 1000 mile challenge :0)
I love Thursdays.
Jacquie x