Phooey

I'm not a great fan of hospitals.

Another allergy blood test for the littlest Boo this morning - fingers crossed it will be the last.

Unless it comes back positive that is. Hopefully not.


Bandaged hands, waiting for the cream to work, needles and distractions, black and blue hands.

All done now though - done and dusted - with luck, another one ticked off the list.

Here's to a fresh week and the last day of January - tomorrow Spring??

What do you reckon?

xXx

Warmth

This is not the most exciting of posts - I know, but this was me last night trying to keep warm.

Blooming shivering and chattering of teeth - it is sooooooo cold (again) at the moment.

Even down here at the ends of the earth on our little southern tip of the country.

{even my hyacinths look unhappy}

So cold it even snowed here yesterday morning!!

That's right - snow.

As we stood in the porch yesterday morning getting ready to set our feet outside the door and mosey on off on the school run a fellow mum shouted at me as she dashed past 'it's snowing' - yeah right was my laughable reaction.


I think it took me all of about ten seconds to stop laughing at those daft words shouted at me and I actually stood still with my mouth wide open in disbelief for another ten seconds whilst it dawned on me - as the girls excitedly jumped up and down shouting 'it's snowing mum, it's snowing!' - don't you just love the vacant look?


Anyhow - it's cold, blooming freezing........absolutely bitter and I am not laughing at all now.

What happened to the warmth and sunshine we had just a week ago?


So there I was sat last night, still trying to keep warm with blankets and the fire, a cup of hot herbal tea and what you can't see is the hot water bottle I had wedge behind my back.

Our house is not designed for the cold.

How on earth did the Edwardians cope?

Well I know they did - I guess you climatise - and I'm sure I will and I don't mean to moan, but bleeding drat and blasts - I do hate being cold!

xXx

Bed Sheet to Nighties

Back in the Autumn I found a rather large fetching vintage bed sheet in pristine condition - not used I reckoned - decorated with pink 'scattered' flowers in a pre loved shop.

At first I walked straight past it thinking 'nope' I just don't do 'can't do' pink - even though a certain 'young lady' would love it on her bed.

I even checked the label to make sure it wasn't modern and ummed and aahhhed for a good ten minutes.


In fact I seem to remember actually leaving the shop and going home without a care in the world or a second thought for that bed sheet.

Until days later - a notion popped into my head.

Could I?

Mmmmmmm.......maybe.

But 'oh no' what if it had gone!

It seems I wasn't the only one that had ummed and aahhed over that bed sheet because much to my joy, there it was still on the pre loved (unloved) rail I had left it on.

The notion that popped into my head was nighties - I do so love nighties.


I love pj's too, nice big, comfy, perfectly fitted pj's. But there is just something a little bit old fashioned and girlie about a good old nightie - preferably in the softest and warmest of flannel that reaches all the way down to your ankles (well at least calves) to keep the draughts out though at the end of the day if it has good swishage then who am I to complain?!

Plus you have to work with what you've got so a vintage bed sheet scattered with pink flowers - all over it - was just how it was to be.


So days before Christmas - and I literally means days - I sat at my little husky and whipped up a couple of nighties for my girls.

One with a red bow, the other a purple bow.


And I think my girls seem to agree ::

Ankle length - tick.

Swishage - tick, tick.

Tuck your knees up under your chin with your nightie pulled down over your toes and with out mum telling you not to because the fabric will stretch - tick, tick, tick!

Ticks all round methinks.

Which makes me a very happy, uncomplaining and content mum......wellllll sort of.

All I have to do now is wait for some lighter evenings so I can actually take a picture of my girls in there thrifted vintage bed sheet all cut up and sewn beautifully into nighties!

Not a big ask...........really?

xXx

Snacking

I am such an awful snacker - I could literally spend all day grazing then come meal times struggle.

And I wonder where the kids get it from?!

Though for me it's not even the good stuff - a biscuit here a sliver of chocolate cake there, I just have no will power at all and with my middle slowly creeping outwards I really must try and control myself.

I dunno all this snacking is just no good for me.....I know!

Though at least with the children I do make sure their snacks are at least healthy ones - if they don't know where the chocolate hob nobs are hidden then they won't be disappointed.


And how can you deny a child a banana or apple - even if you know they will probably not eat most of their dinner - when they mutter those words after 3pm 'mum, I'm hungry!'

Anyway, as my friend's mum use to say 'do as I say, not as I do!' - I soooooo hate that saying........grownups!!!!


Anyway, I'm trying to make my snacking a little more satisfying, filling and healthy.

My favourite - this week - is :: fill a cup/glass/bowl with low fat Greek yogurt, fill the other third with homemade granola (various recipes are available online) then top off with either more homemade goodness - strawberry freezer jam made from some of our strawberries last Summer 'or' maple syrup dribbled all over the top.

~ Delicious ~

And possibly slightly better for me then a chocolate biscuit - or ten!


I hope you're sailing along in your day smoothly?

Me - well I dropped my poached egg destined for a slice of granary toast on the floor earlier!

Splat it went - S.P.L.A.T!!

I'll let you imagine the scene of my newly (yellow) splattered kitchen cupboards and the squelch inside my boots!!

xXx

Softened

These are my first attempts at in your face, close up photography - rubbish I know!

Well from a 'make every hair stand up on the back of your neck' perspective - I can see I am not getting it right.



But from an out of focus 'softened' approach they really are rather sensual - or is that just what I want to see?

I didn't realise taking such pictures could be that tricky.

Attach the new lens to the front of my camera and away we go - right? 'Oh no' not so quick matey!!.



You see you can't just point and click - manual is the best way for super sensitive focus and steady with the hand. But even the tripod makes movement restrictive.

I think I may need to go back to the drawing board 'or' have a little more practice and patience's - me patient 'jeese' I dread the very thought!

Drawing board it is then.

Have a wonderful day - I have two little ones at home (again) re caught some nasty bug, but the sun is shining and I feel like chopping some dead stuff down in the garden!!

Very therapeutic.

xXx

Wide Open Space № 2

~ Wide Open Space ~

Where else would you want to be on a cold and dramatic, atmospheric January afternoon?

xXx

Weekend Pursuits

:: Will mainly include ::

Wearing my hand me down gifted (grandmother in law's) vintage skirt pinny.


I can only imagine how many hours of culinary creations, Sunday dinners, cake baking, birthday teas and Christmas celebrations this beautiful (and precious) piece of history has seen.

Which will mean lots of cooking, lots of baking and more importantly lots and lots and lots of tasting.

What are your 'weekend pursuits?'

{with a smartie on top}

Here's wishing you have a good one.

xXx

Picture Postcard № 2

If there could be a wordless Thursday then I think this post could be it. For some daft reason I am absolutely pooped today!

What other word could be used for wordless, but rolls off the tongue with Thursday?

Answers on a postcard........!

The only suggestion my thesaurus could come up with is tongue tied.

Tongue tied Thursday ~ sounds OK.........I guess!?

Anyway, these are some of 'the other' pictures I tried to take with my phone the other day using Hipstamatic when I (accidentally) dropped it.

I hope the day has been/is being good to you - enjoy the rest of Thursday.

Sorry for the short, but I do hope sweet post today.

xXx

ps. for some 'stupid' reason blogger won't let me come and say hello if you have just recently started following me - sorry.

So 'hellooooooo' for now (until I can do it in person) - it really is lovely to see so many new faces. Nina xxx

Fade to Grey

Have you seen the moon this week?

It's been another beautiful day here today - sun shining, birds singing - it certainly makes the heart feel a little mellow and chilled out.

I tend to walk around in a day dream on days like these, focused out and in a haze as if the sunlight is almost unnatural in late Winter early Spring - welcome - but almost a little bit surreal.


And the evenings 'wow' the evenings - if the skies are clear - with an almost french grey hue and tinted pink, a full moon hung low on the horizon.

This is the kind of grey I like.

Have a wonderful evening.

xXx