This Weekend

Hello Lovelies,

first I need to say a huge thank you for your well wishes and your super kind comments on my latest drawing.....you never fail to make me feel blessed to have found this wonderfully supportive space.

We were lucky with the weather this weekend. It was cold but beautifully bright and sunny. My Amaryllis positively glowed on the kitchen windowsill..........

It's been a two month wait to see these stunning red blooms, but so very worth it.

I would have liked to have taken it into the lounge to enjoy it on the mantle....but it's rather unstable......

 the only way I can keep it from falling over is to hook the blind cord around its stem:0)

I do love these indoor bulbs.

On Sunday morning I went for a walk with a friend. Sadly I don't think she really  saw any of the beautiful places we walked through.........

Her life is  difficult right now and there's a lot of hurt. I listened and hoped it helped.

After a climb up through woodland we came to this elevated spot. How I loved the far reaching views across the city from here...........

We plan to walk again in a couple of weeks......I hope that the walking will help as much as the listening...I hope.

Sitting down to our usual roast dinner afterwards, I looked at my family and felt especially blessed.

From the dining table I could also see the bird feeders in the garden....which seemed to have a lot of four legged visitors..........

 I decided to go and sit quietly in the garden.  After a while the little garden birds I love so much came quiet close.........

It was relaxing, but too chilly to sit for long. Soon  I was happy to get back inside our warm house and enjoy an afternoon treat...........

and to sit quietly with my hook..........

Thank you for listening to me.
Jacquie x

Drawing Again

Hello Lovelies,

This week I've been inspired to get out my sketchbook, for the first time in ages........

Looking inside I can see that the last A4 drawing ( well collage and drawing)  I did was back in February last year........

That was a drawing of a walk....as was my first attempt at a return to drawing  ( back in 2013)  HERE

 The thing that had inspired me to pick up my pencils this time was also seen on a recent walk.
I was very taken with this unusual cottage and mentioned in THIS post how I could just imagine it in summer....with it's roses flowering around the door............

So on Wednesday I started sketching....then drawing......then going over my drawing with a fine pen....as I usually do.

Here I've just started the best bit...the colouring in...........

 and the roses were one of the first things I did :0)

I've been feeling a bit rubbish this week....with a chesty cough and aching muscles. So yesterday I decided against joining my beloved group walk this week. I was so sad to miss out.....but rather glad to be indoors colouring when the heavy showers passed through...........

It was very plesant to sit quietly with my pencils and draw summer.

Here's the finished picture....Ta-Dah.........

 You can click on the photo to make it bigger.

I had a lot of fun with this ...I totally made up the setting....though I did include the church which was in the same village....just not where I drew it............

I put in a figure....I'm not great at drawing people, but I do like to see them in a picture...so I gave it a go..........

 and a post box, and a line full of washing, with pretty rooftops behind.

To the left of the cottage I added my bike, and a garden, with butterflies on the Buddlia..........

I love how the cottage turned out, pretty much exactly as I had imagined it..........

 With it's colourful pots and window box, the door open, ready for visitors to step inside. Tom Tit perched proudly on the chimney pot.

and his mate perched delicately in the roses.....this was a fluke...I drew a rose that ended up looking more like a bird ....so it became one :0)

 Having a cheerful picture to show for my missed miles helps reduce my frustration greatly. It makes me smile........

I do hope it makes you smile too.
Jacquie x

Sunny Days

Hello Lovelies,

how is your week going? I thought I would pop by and share a few of my happy moments  from the last few days.

On Sunday we enjoyed a family walk by the river...........

 It was cold and windy. Very chilly, but still lovely to be outside. These swans made us smile. I wondered if they both had their left foot out of the water to warm their "toes" in the sunshine........



We were only out for an hour, but I was glad to come home and put the oven on to make dinner. I also felt inspired the make Soup and Oaty Cookies..........

 Yummy

On the mantle my Amaryllis is ALMOST flowering.........

Yesterday was sunny and cold too. My morning walk was frosty............

It's still very wintry here, but there are some small signs we are heading towards spring. Just over this stile there's a little place under  the trees. It's a dark, damp spot in summer..........

but in spring, before the trees are in leaf, it's a beautiful mass of wild Snowflakes............

 Ohh, look they are already peeping through the moss and frosty Ivy.....spring is coming. 

The sight of these first spring flowers beginning to emerge, and a blue sky day  put a smile on my face as I headed home..............

Back indoors there is more to smile about...........

Did I mention how much I love Daffodils? ...............

This first special bunch of the year is so pretty and beautifully scented....they smell like spring. And their cheerful yellow flowers add a touch of indoor sunshine on a dull day like today.

Jacquie x

♥ Simple Saturday Joys ♥

Hello Lovelies,

 Now that I walk on a Thursday, Saturday has to be my food shopping day. But if I go early it's not too busy and there's plenty of day left to do more pleasurable things. 

This week I picked up a bunch Daffodils in the supermarket....I love the way these happy spring flowers arrive tightly closed..........

The flower heads beauty hidden in a deceptively small sleeve of green.........

In a couple of days I'll be enjoying this very simple, but oh so special, very first bunch of the year. A floral joy.

It's been windy and cold here this weekend. I don't hang out much washing at this time of year as our garden faces north and the ground is muddy. But the high winds inspired me to peg out a line of washing (with quiet a few extra pegs for safety) . How I loved watching it dancing wildly on the line.

And how I adored sniffing the line dried towels....so much nicer than tumble dried, in my mind....

Lately I've  had my blanket on our bed when I'm not working on it.  It's not bed sized, but I love walking to the sunny room and seeing it there.........

At three in the afternoon I went for a walk. Just around local streets..........

To take in the low winter sunlight across the fields...........

And fill my lungs with cold, fresh air. As I neared home the sun was setting. I smiled at the pretty sky scape.........

And loved returning home to a hot drink, a sweet treat, and some country magazines. Country Living is a long standing favourite. I'm lucky to have it on subscription again this year...a present from mum.

Country Walking caught my eye in the supermarket. I don't buy full price magazines often, but I splurged on this one.

I'm really tempted to join in with their challenge.... to walk 1000 miles in the year.
 It works out at about 20 miles a week, and if I include walking to the shops and all my short walks, as well as my longer group walks  etc I'm sure they will soon add up.........

HERE is their page for last years challenge....it's the same this year.

I've started writing down all my miles and added Saturday's three, to bring my current total to 30 miles.
Who knows if I'll be able to keep up this amount of regular walking...but I really want to try. I'd like to think it will encourage my family to walk more too.

Walking is such a simple joy, great for the body and the mind...it relaxes and invigorates me.

 Being able to share quiet a few of my miles here really adds to my enjoyment of this activity.
So  Thank you for all your kind comments on my walking posts...I know I'm repeating myself....but they really do mean a lot.

Jacquie x

This Weeks Group Walk :: Number 6

Hello Lovelies,

 I do hope you don't mind me recording more walking here. I'm still really enjoying the walking group and it's nice to have this space to record our outings. I can hardly believe I've taken part in  half a dozen group walks already. Yet my lack of blisters and muscle aches must mean I'm getting used to this regular activity.

On  Thursday the weather was grey and drizzly. As we set off it was a case of... put your hood up and watch your feet..........

The wintry countryside looked as if it too longed for spring..........

we passed buildings which had certainly seen better days, but were appealing non the less........

I especially loved this old brick barn by the stream...........

After a few miles the rain stopped and we saw a welcoming glimpse of blue along the horizon........

I love walking through pretty villages, noticing interesting and characterful old homes.........

In the church yard we stopped for a rest. I sat on a low wall and snapped the church.........

This week I had to have a new camera as my old one had developed so many faults it was becoming unusable....so sad.......well, I took over 8,500 photos last year alone...I guess I just wore it out, poor thing!

I've gone for another simple point and shoot ...another canon, THIS one. It may not take DSLR quality images but I'm generally happy with the pictures these cameras take and I love their compact size. Not to mention their reasonable cost.

This new one has a few features I'm not used to. As we rested I played about with the fun picture options.....the "Fish Eye" lens affect.........

eeeek.

The miniature effect..........

EeeeeeeK!

The toy camera effect...........

Interesting...reminds me of the pictures my first ever camera took.....it was something like THIS

Monotone.......

Atmospheric

Super vivid............

Probably good on such grey day.....but not for me.

I returned my little camera to the normal setting and carried on taking pictures as we walked.......

I  loved this tiny cottage and could just imagine how gorgeous in would look in summer....with Roses around the door.

Soon we were walking by the river...........

and  crossing an attractive old bridge.........

the day was getting brighter all the time and by lunchtime, when we reached this sweet church, the clouds were disappearing, leaving lots of blue sky.........

After about five miles we stopped for a picnic lunch in the sunshine and then carried on, hoods down and faces smiling at the clear blue sky..........

I adored the sight of this pretty village down by the river.......

And it's always nice to see sheep quietly grazing.........

Soon we were back down on the riverbank...........

Where wee were  interested to pass  this old mill.....with it's Mill race, but sadly no water wheel.....

I was really enjoying the sunny afternoon walking and felt slightly cheated when I realised it was over.....we had completed our eight mile circuit. It was time for a coffee shop visit..........

Or tea, served in cute, miss matched old china :0)

It was another lovely walk with this friendly group. I'm so enjoying discovering interesting new places....and taking lots of photos :0)

Jacquie x

p.s. I'm now onto the border of my latest blanket...so there will be crochet photos to share very soon.