A watery walk

In between the storms (and wow what storms they've been) we went on a walk to a local ford that is known to flood.  I know, I know, amidst all the warnings to be careful about flood water Mr Fluffy Socks and I go out to have a peep but with all this dramatic weather I think its worth having a look at how our weather changes our landscape, albeit from a safe distance. 

We donned boots and rain macs and took a very squelchy walk across fields and down lanes till we got to the ford.  The ford sits on a river that normally trickles across a country lane.  In severe weather the ford floods very easily making it impassable for cars and sometimes for pedestrians if the water goes over the footbridge.  Fortunately the water had gone down by the time we got there and we could get over the footbridge very easily but if you look at the photographs you can see where the water did get to by the debris on the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The building in the picture is an eighteenth century mill that is now a private residence.  I don't know the history of the place but I reckon from the unpredictable levels of water in the area that the mill wasn't as productive as it could be plus it was overtaken by more modern forms of energy production.  However, it is still an attractive building that was listed during the 1940s.  I just wish the current owners did something to it and the grounds it stands in; it feels a bit unloved to me.  Saying that though, it is winter time and this area always has a rather depressing feel during bad weather.  Still it was nice to get out, have some fresh air and shake away some of those January blues!


Deb x

Hello 2014!

I hope you all enjoyed the festive season.  I had a lovely time, free from the worries of work, schools and special needs.  It was good not to have to think about these things and to enjoy time with my family.  We didn't do much; we lounged around, enjoyed some lovely food, played games and watched television.  It was all very low-key but that is how we like it because it works for our children and as the saying goes, if your children are happy then so are you.  Very true, I find.     

Now it's the New Year and uncertainty is in the air as we contemplate the return to school and work.  Change is difficult for my children and this time of year is no exception.  From the excitement of  Christmas to the return to everyday routines can be a bit of a emotional roller coaster, something that always causes me some stress.  For now though we have a few more days before normality kicks in so I'm taking advantage of this and enjoying a bit of 'me' time.     

I treated myself to Nicki Trench's Cute and Easy Crocheted With Flowers book for Christmas (I know very self indulgent but my family are so tired of my wool addiction that they refuse to buy me any more craft books).  Sigh; what can a girl do but to buy herself the book and so I have and it's a dream.  I love her designs and I hope to have a go at some of her patterns in the future but for now I'm working on the springtime throw and the Mrs Mittens purse from her other book Cute and Easy Crochet.  Both are coming along quite well though the springtime throw is just growing and growing.  I decided (foolishly I think) that I would make it big enough to go over our bed but our bed is king size and the blanket needs many more squares than the pattern states.  It's quite a job, quite laborious at times because the squares are so small but the overall effect is very pretty.  Here is a picture of work in progress.

I hasten to add that this is only one half of it.  It was becoming so heavy that I'm now doing it in two parts.  I'm not sure if this is the right way to assemble crocheted squares but it's working for me.  You will also see that I've only joined the squares in one direction, I still have to join them up the other way plus crochet an edging.  Still a lot of work to do but its a joy to do when  the colours are so pretty. 

Oh, for those of you who are interested the wool I am using is Stylecraft Life DK which retails at about £3.00 per 100g ball.  There are a wide range of colours available in this wool (44 I think) which made choosing a bit tricky but I finally went for  Fern, Rose, Daffodil, Heather, Cobalt, Melon and White.  These are quite similar colours to the pattern in the book but as a beginner I wanted to stick with a proven colour scheme rather than venture out on my own.  I'm glad I did because I like the effect; it's a real pick me up on drab winter days.

And with that, it's time to go.  I have a million and one jobs to do today including packing away the Christmas decorations!

Bye for now.

Debbie x