Garden of Galadriel

Sewing projects, snow

2012-02-08T15:17:00.004Z

Starting from the top, here is my simple draft excluder. Those buttons I bought for Franklin's coat? Well, they came from an ugly women's jacket, 60% polyester, 40% viscose. Since it was rather a nice color, I used its sleeves to make this.
We got our first snow of the winter (technically the second snowfall, but the first didn't actually land in our garden, strangely; it landed in our neighbor's two doors down, but not ours). Here's a before/after picture of my garlic bed.
That tall grass-like plant in front is actually a bulb iris.
First snowdrop, too!
I made a small cushion from a hat belonging to my grandmother Patrisha, who is no longer with us. I don't have many of her possessions, just a few pieces of jewelry and this hat. Though I love the colors and it's likely she crocheted it herself, this hat just isn't my style. Rather than keep it hidden, unloved, in a box, I stuffed a small round pillow and covered it with her hat.
Why yes, that is a lobster.

I at last have the backing fabric and woollen batting to finish the quilt for Franklin's bed. This means I need to get to work before it's too warm for a wool quilt! Perhaps this summer I will make a wholecloth quilt for our bed, using two cotton sheets and some natural-fiber batting. I've always wanted a luxury duvet, but could never afford a commercially-made one.

Turnip disaster, draft excluder, making of a quilt

2012-01-24T15:14:00.004Z

When turnips are seedlings, slugs like to nip off all the leaves, killing the plant. Then when turnips grow bigger, slugs can't be bothered with the leaves and turn their attention to the root. I learned that this winter with the remainder of my turnips left in the ground; about half of them had been completely mined out by slugs. Rather disgusting to pull up a nice fat turnip only to see a slimy invertibrate poking out of a huge hole. And that's after the cabbage root flies got to them. Sigh.

I sewed a quick draft excluder for our front door; that door can let in a terrible draft in winter. It actually works! I basically sewed a big tube and a small tube; I stuffed the small tube with brown rice then put it in the big tube, which I filled up with polyester stuffing. The rice makes the excluder a bit more sturdy. Dried beans or lentils could work, too.

I've been piecing together a small quilt for Franklin's bed made from old wool jackets and coats. At the moment the quilt top measures 40"x49". I can't decide if I want to piece together the smaller scraps and make a border (adding another 4-8 inches all around) or to finish it this size. I certainly have lots of scraps left. It's not in the least professional-looking, but it's warm and fuzzy. Each of the jackets I paid £1 for (love that shop!), and all of them are at least 80% wool.

This quilt needs a backing however. I've been on the lookout for thinner wool items, like skirts or trousers and while I have a couple things, it's not enough. As this is for a not-quite-fully-potty-trained toddler, I'm sticking to wool as it repels water and also doesn't hold odors like other materials. Plus it's warm!

Garlic, daffs, bread, birthday

2012-01-15T19:50:00.000Z

My garlic grows so tall! It's nice to see something growing out there, for a change. However, as far as winters go, this one's pretty mild compared to the last two. No snow yet, and only a few hard frosts.
In fact, it's so mild I even have a daffodil flowering. I took its photo last week and it's now opened fully.
I go through phases of breadmaking. This month I've made it nearly every day. Partner and I bought a small, round cast-iron casserole dish which makes a fantastic crusty loaf. Partner made the first loaf in it; the contrast amazed me. I hope my next loaf compares to his.

Partner's birthday this week. We're spending it in London with his parents. Even though I had planned on gifting them and other London family with some Christmas baking, it seems so long since Christmas I just don't feel like making the effort. After all, they're all probably on New Year's diets now, and sick of the sight of Christmassy foods. I am.

More of the same, really. With socks.

2012-01-03T21:30:00.004Z

A new year with new plans and dreams. I have some big dreams for this year. For instance, I dream that starting in about June/July, we will stop buying vegetables, permanently. Partner and I put up another raised vegetable bed this weekend: a tall one intended for carrots. I hope to grow a year's supply. I've put in my order for potatoes and a few other vegetable seeds, so this dream is already becoming a plan.

I also dream of chickens out back. As soon as we have a hen house, we're putting in an order for three or four hens. I'm excited!

And I dream of a beautiful house, with beautiful things which I love. Perhaps a gentle purge is in order. Already one non-beautiful item has been replaced; Partner found a small hi-fi cabinet on freecycle to replace our old battered cabinet. The units (all five) are shut behind a glass door and the old cabinet is hollowed out, ready to grow carrots. It looks so much more attractive as a raised bed!

I knit myself a pair of fun stripey socks. The yarn was once all the same boring beige color; I changed all that with a few packets of kool aid. I had as much fun dyeing it as I did knitting with it and I've got enough (fingers crossed) for another pair. But at the moment I'm knitting birthday socks for Partner. It's no surprise, he knows about them; he had to try the first one on about ten times during the knitting process to ensure fit. However, as I knit the second sock, I wish it were for me; it's so soft: wool/cashmere.

A few photos

2011-12-26T18:51:00.000Z

The simple evergreen garland I made. I knit myself this hat from some cashmere.
"Ceremonial" planting of my birthday cherry tree. Partner actually planted it. I did one shovel of dirt, just like the Queen.
Hey, I knit these two hats too!
And the stroller cover. It's so toasty and warm for Franklin.

Catching up

2011-12-14T14:56:00.004Z

I admit it, I've been a bad blogger. I don't have the "don't bother me I'm studying" excuse anymore. Or even the gardening excuse. In fact, I don't have any excuse at all. So I'll just apologize and try very hard to improve.

I also better apologize for not having any photos. I need to charge my camera batteries in order to take more photos. And I don't have any excuse for that, either.

So, on to my photo-less catch up post. I've been making things! I sewed Franklin's stroller cover. We call it a Cosy Toes. Is that the official name of stroller covers, or is it a brand name or something? In any case, this cover is like a little sleeping bag that attaches to the stroller and which the child gets strapped into and covered up by. I made it from a second-hand women's wool coat with a second-hand fuzzy afghan for the lining. Photos to follow (eventually).

I also made an evergreen garland to decorate the top of our piano. Partner wanted to cut down some evergreen hedge-type shrubs in our back garden. Heck, I even wanted them cut down--but then I thought they'd make great Christmas decor. So they have not been taken to the guillotine, just the hairdresser. I like the garland so much I might make another for the mantle. Or try my hand at a wreath. Or maybe I'll just think about it some more and try it next year. Photos to (eventually) follow.

In my garden, the garlic I planted--was it last month?--sprouted. We haven't had a proper freeze back there yet, though there's been some light frost. My nasturtiums are my frost guide; while they still live, frost has not conquered. And they live, though the top layer of leaves wilted. I still have some cabbages and chard to harvest; they can survive the winter temperatures, so no hurry to get them in. I even have a couple young potatoes plants growing--I guess we missed a few tubers when harvesting. I doubt they'll survive the cold, though.

Speaking of study, I got my exam results back. I passed both. I'm still amazed I passed the math, though it was a bit of a scrape; there are four grades of passing, 1-4, and I got a grade 3. But hey, a pass is a pass! I have to decide if I'm taking one or two classes this next semester. I'm signed up for one already. Trying to get through three (two mid-level and one advanced) last year nearly killed me, and now the remaining classes are all advanced. Could I really juggle two advanced classes and still manage to care for Franklin, get to work at the weekends, and not have a nervous breakdown?

Birthday next week. I'm telling people I'm 25. I was talking to another mother I'd not seen before at our play group. We talked about our kids--mine's not yet two, hers were 5 and 3; then she asked my age. I knew she was younger than me because of the way she was dressed, but I think she thought I was her age (24) because when I told her I was 30, she said "you look well for it." I nearly fell over. Maybe she thought I said I was 40?

Oh wait, I do have a photo! I took it on my webcam, to show my haircut and pin curls two weeks ago (superfluous toddler in photo because Franklin insists on being the subject of any picture taken in this house). So this one's for you, Kathy and Kim; thank you for asking about it.

Haircut, roof, turkey

2011-11-27T14:57:00.003Z

Partner cut my hair this week. I think he learned a lot about cutting hair. Such as to only cut a little at a time, and to take it slow. I wanted it about two inches below my shoulders but it ended up just on my shoulders. I like it anyway. It feels good; he took off a good eight or ten inches and my head feels so much lighter. My hair isn't dragging me down any more.

It also means I can go back to my pin curl set. You read that right: I like to set my hair in pin curls. I love that Rita Hayworth look but it needs shorter hair. Shoulder-length is just about right.

Today I climbed back up on the garage roof for another patch job. Remember the last one--more than two years ago now? Not such a nice day for it this time, but it had to be done. With the wind whipping, I had a few precarious moments climbing on and off the ladder, but all's well that ends well. Partner wants to replace the entire roof with semi-transparent corrugated plastic; that's definitely a summer job. A big summer job.

It being Thanksgiving, Partner, Franklin, and I celebrated very quietly with lots of turkey and pie. In fact, the next day we even had turkey pie--all the leftover veg and some turkey in a white sauce, topped with mashed potato and baked for about half an hour. Partner's specialty, and quite superb.

The coat

2011-11-15T13:24:00.004Z

Here it is! It's a double breasted overcoat, around size 2T (big on Franklin, who is still in 18 month size). The coat is made from a 75% wool, 15% cashmere, 10% nylon blend, and is lovely and soft and warm. It's also fully lined with a 55% cotton, 45% polyester lining, and has eight big buttons.
I added about ten inches of ease in the body of the coat, and five inches of ease in the sleeves. I also added an extra four inches length to the sleeves. This is a good coat for growing in!
The original coat was diplomatically called an old lady coat by Partner:
And the lining was one of Partner's old dress shirts:
Franklin's coat has a total of three functioning pockets: two welt pockets and an inner patch pocket. It also has a little loop sewn on the inside collar so it can be hung up easily on a hook.
Before I cut out the new pieces from the old coat, I ripped out the original lining. I dislike acetate linings; I find coats can get too hot and sticky with that kind of lining, because acetate doesn't breathe. The new coat has the added bonus of being machine-washable, too.

References:
Bag Your Jacket Lining - Threads

Adventures in sewing, vegetable dreams

2011-11-14T13:36:00.007Z

Franklin's winter coat is finished! Photos to follow. I found a large gray women's wool/cashmere overcoat at a charity shop for £1, and cut the pattern pieces from it. I bought a large red men's shirt to use as the lining at the same shop also for £1, but ended up using one of Partner's dress shirts, dark gold, instead. Finally, again for £1, I bought a women's blazer for the eight big buttons it had. I already had the thread and interfacing at home. Total cost for this coat: £3. Total sewing time, from cutting out to finishing: 7 days.

It's not perfect, but I think I'm the only one who notices its flaws--and even I don't notice them unless I'm looking. Franklin wore it for the first time today and received several compliments. Parter said he looks like a proper little gent. It made me glow inside.

Next up for my sewing adventures, is a wool stroller cover for winter use. I've already got my wool, and you guessed it: it cost me £1. I love that shop. All the clothes there are £1; I think it's where they send all the stuff that wouldn't sell for normal prices, so a lot of it's kind of out-dated and/or ugly/slightly damaged. But that doesn't matter if you're just going to cut it up!

Partner says he's going to dig up some more lawn this winter to extend our vegetable bed. I've been calculating how much veg we'd need to grow to be self-sufficient throughout the year. For instance, we use about one head of garlic per week and about four or five onions. That's a lot! I've planted around fifty garlic cloves this autumn, in hopes they'll grow into big fat bulbs next summer. I haven't had much success with onions, but I'm going to give it another shot next spring.

We also use about one or two kilos of potatoes a week. Next year we're planning on growing most of them in those big sacks, and maybe a few in the ground. That should leave room for other vegetables to grow in the beds, like zuccini, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and beans. Finally, my neighbor promised I could use her greenhouse next year, so if it's still available, I will pack it with tomatoes.

New and improved life

2011-10-31T22:57:00.003Z

Strips of our old carpet cover the earth in my new raised vegetable beds: weed suppression.

I divided my lilies and moved about half to the front garden. I hope they like it there. I originally planted five bulbs each of four or five varieties, but I definitely moved more than 25 to the front. I love propagation--especially when it requires no effort from me.

So very busy these past few weeks, but it's all self-imposed now. Cleaning my house, sewing, knitting, art, gardening. Oh and laundry. Before Franklin (BF), I washed it about two times a week. Now I wash at least one load a day, and sometimes more.

There's a lot of things I took for granted BF. Like I always assumed my career would be the most important aspect in my life, even if I had children. Well that certainly went out the window! BF I got to sleep in on my days off, and Partner and I could stay in bed all day if we wanted. BF I could go out with Partner on a whim. BF I never cleaned poo off a shag rug.

And also BF, I never had a person to call me mama; or met anyone who loves to hear me sing and asks for encores; or had someone who is always unconditionally happy to see me; or felt such a deep, fierce love for another person.

BF was good, and I remember those days fondly, but not as good as now.

October produce and projects

2011-10-19T20:20:00.004Z

Exams are over. I have free evenings again!

The temperatures outside have dropped and my zuccinis have given up the ghost. We're still eating cabbage, chard, potatoes, and beans. What's left of my turnips are all pretty small still, and I've discovered they've been attacked by cabbage root fly. I never heard of this pest, but apparently it attacks all plants of the cabbage family, including turnip and broccoli. Which may be why my broccoli was a bit of a washout. I will take preventative measures next year.

Partner and I built a raised bed for vegetables. I salvaged the wood from a neighbor, Partner cut it into 4 foot lengths, and I dug over the bed and we put up the sides. We may make a second this weekend, if he's willing.

I made the preliminary mock-up of Franklin's coat. It's well-fitting, but as I wish him to wear it next winter, I must grade it up a size or two. Back to the drawing board. Luckily I've lots of scrap material to cut and try things out before I make the final project.

Also made this past week: seven new pairs of undies and two new pairs of woolly pants for Franklin. He's grown out of the last batch of undies I made, and the woollies are for night time, to keep his legs warm and dry; I'm trying to get him out of diapers completely. I took an XL 100% wool ankle-length skirt I found at a charity shop, put it through a hot wash and dry cycle to shrink and felt it. Then I cut out some simple pants and put elastic in the waist. They're so thick, warm, and fuzzy--I wish I had a few pairs too.

Franklin keeps trying to feed these berries to our dog. I think it's a pyracantha. Not poisonous to humans, and the dog is still alive so I think it's canine-safe, too.

More seeds, proud of my body, proud of Partner

2011-09-30T20:53:00.004Z

My seed collection has doubled or maybe even tripled; every kind of seed I can find now rests in a little paper packet in my cupboard. I'm particularly excited about my lobelia, nicotiana, and cosmos. I don't know if they'll actually grow, but I can't wait to find out.

I'm so happy it's actually been warm this week. Hot, even. Franklin and I had a chance to wear our summer clothing, finally! We played in the hose for the first time in his entire life; no sprinkler, but I set the hose up so it sprayed an arc at about my waist height. We then proceeded to run through it, and under it, jump into it, and splash in the subsequent puddle. I wore my bikini; Franklin wore his birthday suit.

My bikini, which I have not worn since I got married, is about ten years old. I'm no more than five pounds heavier than I was then, so it fits me pretty well; however, I now have a mummy tummy, so I bulge a bit around the navel. Still, I am proud of the fact that I grew a new person myself, so my mummy tummy is a medal of honor.

I have some fabulous end-of-season flowers like this magenta dahlia. Perhaps I'll see if I can let them go to seed for collection.

Partner has been looking for a place in a band recently. I'm not sure how many bands he's seen: maybe four so far. He used to be a full-time rock'n'roller, back when he didn't have to pay rent. He wants to play part-time now, to have fun (90%) and to supplement our income (10%). I think he wants to play bass, but he's also excellent at guitar, both lead and rhythm (listen to our song, "Hopscotch", on youtube: Partner wrote and performed all the instrument parts in the music track: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar). Oh, and he plays the mandolin, piano, trombone, and sings. And did I mention he composes orchestral music as well?

My life is essentially just like your life; I like to make stuff

2011-09-21T19:35:00.006Z

I thought I'd like to explain that while I normally blog about the cool stuff I do (you know, all that cool weeding and statistics and pooey bums), my life is far from perfect. Take my house. My neighbor came over to visit me and Franklin last week and I was so embarrassed by the state of it--normally it's moderately tidy, but I had two days worth of dishes, laundry everywhere, and only one chair without piles of stuff on it. She was very diplomatic about it, but I worry she'll never come over again; this is the neighbor with the fruit trees so I need to stay in her good books!

And my child gets whiny, and I lose my temper with my dog, and Partner and I occasionally have disagreements. When we actually see each other, that is. Mostly I'm drowning in schoolwork and he's at work. So you see, my life is just like anybody's life. I just happen to make stuff in between.

Now then, onto making stuff: once I take my two exams, I'm sewing a winter coat for Franklin. We have a charity shop in the nearest town that sells everything for £1; I bought a big wool coat which I will cut up for it. I actually had a choice of about four different wool coats at that shop; I chose the one with the biggest panels and fewest seams--and it's a wool/cashmere blend. Fancy! I don't think a little boy's coat should be too hard to make, and I'm hoping to make it a bit large so it'll fit next winter, too.

More thoughts on keeping warm this winter, as it's now equinox and the temperatures fall: I want lots of warm clothing for myself and Franklin. And Partner if he desires, though he doesn't get as cold as me. I already knitted this woolly vest. Woolly socks are definitely on the list--I've got some, Franklin doesn't. And maybe a few nice woolly blankets for our beds (I will probably not knit these, however). My mother sent me an amazing alpaca blanket last year; I love it. And I bet a sheepskin would keep Franklin cozy in his bed; it'd certainly keep me cozy, but Partner doesn't seem too keen--he says he likes a cold bed; last winter I got out the down-filled quilt but he didn't want it on top of him.

This paving stone is surrounded by little cabbage seedlings, from where a cabbage plant expired last month. I gathered a little paper packet of those seeds, but it looks like I shouldn't have bothered!

Partner made a disparaging noise earlier when he saw the photo of himself in the previous post. He told me it's a page three item--implying it's about time I put up a new front page. Done.

Pond, plums, homemade frozen yogurt

2011-09-13T13:42:00.003Z

One of the other jobs Partner managed on our week off: he drained the pond and pulled out the liner. We now have a deep hole where the fish used to swim. I'm committed to filling it with garden trimmings--hopefully it'll be full by next spring, and I can put some dirt down on top of it, and maybe grass or decking. As shown in the photo, the hole is about three feet deep, and at least six feet across--that's a lot of filling.

I submitted my last two assignments for the year, and now only have two exams to look forward to. Huge weight off my mind, though one of the exams I'm quite nervous about (the math). Still, all I need is a pass.

Partner and I were lucky enough to have a neighbor over to babysit while we went to a wedding last week. Only the second time we've been out since Franklin's birth, it felt nice to have some grown up time together. I wore a new dress and even danced a few dances. We came home early, and the neighbor said she would be happy to come over again.

That was the neighbor with the plum tree. I ended up making about ten jars of plum jam--not my favorite but it's not bad. We'll eat it. I also made four big jars of whole plums in syrup; I haven't tried them yet. And to finish off the last of those pesky plums I made a crumble. I have a feeling if I go visit my neighbor again she'll offload some more onto me. But then again, she's also promised me apples, which should be just about ripe now...

To go with the plum crumble I also made some frozen yogurt. I read about a method which involves a large outer ziplock bag filled with salt and ice, and a small inner ziplock bag filled with flavored yogurt. After tumbling the bags around till the ice melted (I wore gloves), the yogurt was partially frozen but not quite ready, so I popped the small bag into the freezer to finish, and gave it a squeeze every half hour to break up the big ice crystals. It took half an hour of tumbling and an hour of freezing to be perfect. Oh, and this was yogurt I made myself, too.

Household accomplishments, turnips

2011-09-02T20:24:00.004Z

This week while Partner's been off work, we've been so
busy!

Franklin's bedroom and the office have now been switched--mostly Partner's work, but I helped a little.
Partner tiled above the bathtub in the bathroom.
I made two jars of wild blackberry jam and bottled four jars of plums (from a neighbor's tree).
We (all three of us) picked another batch of blackberries to make more jam--hopefully tomorrow.
I razed 3/4 of the weeds in the vegetable patch.
We had a full day of shopping in York where we bought some new clothes.

Altogether it's been fun, especially spending so much time with Partner. Since I work weekends and he works weekdays, we never have full days off together.

I've kind of neglected my garden for the past month or so. Franklin and I still go out and play there, but this time of year I always seem to get very bored of weeding; I've only deadheaded my flowers and harvested my vegetables these past few weeks.

I got a lovely surprise when I went out to check on my turnips earlier; the leaves have been partially eaten by beetles, so I was worried about the roots. My quick look turned into an amazed goggle: my turnips are huge! I can't believe it--I only planted them ten weeks ago and already they're at least the size of golf balls. Why couldn't my beets have done that? My biggest beets, first planted in March (so at least 20 weeks) are only the size of marbles.

This week's bouquet includes rudbeckia, sweet pea, dahlia, honesty (seed pod), and peony leaf.

Producing, seed collecting, potty champion

2011-08-25T18:34:00.004Z

After an exceptionally dry summer, my garden keeps on producing. I have zuccinis growing to the size of bowling pins (I blame Partner for that one. I leave him alone for two days, and look what happens!). My French beans are ten inches long. I have rosebushes with dozens of long-stemmed roses: How I wish I had a whole garden of these right now. Oh wait. I do!

Partner and I both have next week off, so we made a schedule of Things To Do. We're switching Franklin's bedroom and the office; he'll have the smallest room and the office will combine with the guest room. We're also filling in the pond; the fishies all died, poor things, so its day has come. It will be a nice shady seating area. We're even planning a sandbox for Franklin there. Just not next week. The time has come to stop deadheading my sweetpeas. Last year I stopped too late in the year for seeds to develop. I'm not making that mistake again! So far my tally of collected seeds includes:

Columbine
Lupin
Honesty
Cabbage

I have beet and chard seeds leftover from last year, too. Perhaps they'll still grow next year. This year's chard is a winner, but the beets disappointed. I don't blame the beets. They got planted in the wrong place: overshadowed and underwatered. I'll be a better gardener next year.My neighbor gave me 6+ pounds of plums from her tree. I'm overwhelmed. I think tomorrow is Jam Day.

This week Franklin understands how to use the toilet. He tells me. I put him on. He uses. I hope this lasts!

A portrait from a wedding, upcoming plans, and a painting

2011-08-16T21:56:00.006Z

Here I am with my little buddy. We go everywhere together. He's like my little shadow. I knitted his black vest; I've had several compliments on it.

This weekend we went to a wedding in Essex. I enjoyed myself and don't think I embarrassed Partner (designated driver) at the reception. Franklin also enjoyed himself; I've never seen him so sociable. Normally he doesn't like to be too close to strangers, but he wanted to be friends with all the pretty girls there. All wedding photos (including Franklin kissing pretty girls) are here. I was there in my capacity as aunt of the bride (I think I'm about eight years older than she is).

I also enjoyed a quick stroll through a few charity shops while in London. I would love to visit the charity shops in the swanky neighborhoods, but this time I contented myself with the East Side. Still, I came away happy. At the end of the month I'm looking forward to a jaunt through them in York; two winters ago I found my gorgeous Givenchy coat at a charity shop there; maybe I'll find something just as great this time. I could use some fabulous new clothes.

After reading through the schedules for upcoming classes, I find that I have a three month break coming between the end of these two and the beginning of the next. I may just have time to work on a few projects I've been putting off. I've got some decorating up my sleeve, and possibly some sewing, and definitely some organizing.

Speaking of decorating, see Franklin's blog for our newly acquired masterpiece. It needs a suitable frame: I'm thinking big and gold.

Spare time? Knit!

2011-08-08T11:02:00.003Z

I knit this cardigan myself, from pattern Grandstand from the Red Heart website. The yarn was formerly from a store-bought pullover. It's lovely, soft cotton. I started knitting at the end of April, which means it took me just about three months to complete. I hope my next project doesn't take quite so long--but I did have other commitments (school, work, Franklin) which took more of my time. On the other hand, this washable dust mop cover took me two days to crochet. The pattern is from Craftzine website. It's fantastic. I need another couple--keeps me motivated to clean!
I'm taking part in a knitting/crochet challenge for this month called Cast On Mania. The full challenge is to start a new project every day of the month (finishing them during the month is not required). My mop cover is one of my projects. I've also started a sock, a basket, a hat, and a scarf. I don't have the resources to start a new project every single day, but I'm starting all the patterns I've wanted to knit/crochet for a while. I ought to finish them all by the end of the year. Also on the agenda is another cardigan for myself, the second sock (and possibly a second pair), something for Franklin for this winter, a doormat for our back door, and another scarf.

There's one small problem, however. I've mentioned how I like to unravel items for their yarn: well, half of my yarn has yet to be unraveled so I can use it.

July's garden and goals

2011-07-28T19:53:00.006Z

I have so many lovely things in my garden right now. Here's my top five:

5) This amazing purple clematis. It's happily married to my white climbing rose.
They make their home against the south-east corner of my garage. I'm still waiting for them to have children.
4) Little poofy dahlias. They come in several flavors: orange, yellow, red.
3) Are your corneas, like mine, burned out by this red rose?
And tied for first:

1) My potato plants are yielding around 2lbs per plant right now. It's not even August. It's french fry heaven.
One plant! Two pounds! In July!

1) The floral resources to pick bouquets every week. My house smells fabulous. I don't notice (insert flaw here) when I have these flowers to goggle over.
For July's goals: I missed the boat on the second strawberry haul. Or rather, it missed me. I went back to the farm twice during normal business hours and it was closed both times. I sent a very brusque email to them, though haven't heard back. However, the rest of my goals have been more successful. I sewed 10 pairs of undies for Franklin, submitted two assignments, and am nine rows away from being finished knitting my cardigan. Photos to follow!

I've been collecting...

2011-07-20T11:00:00.000Z

Vintage linens! I love them. I especially love hand-embroidered tablecloths and hand-worked doilies. My collection's not large, but it's composed of special pieces.
In my mind's eye, these linens were made by dreamy-eyed young girls for their hope chests, and proudly displayed in their homes all their lives. I never had a hope chest, but now I have an established home, I delight in having (and making myself) lovely things such as these.
As a one-time embroiderer (on the back burner now, along with many of my creative endeavors due to time constraints placed upon me as a toddler's mama, but here's an example of my own), I truly appreciate the time and care taken to make a beautiful object.
One of my favorites is this green appliqued doily. From even a few feet away, the design looks printed: only close-up the amazing hand-sewn detail shows.
I began collecting when Partner and I became engaged, in 2003 (our seventh wedding anniversary was this month!). My first piece we bought together, and it remains my most cherished tablecloth; with rainbow-colored flowers in delicate stitch-work, it's pictured on the left, on top of the stack. This is a working collection. I use my tablecloths on my table--and despair when someone spills tea again. One much-loved tablecloth became four napkins recently, when the wear and tear--and the large hole in the middle--overcame it. And my doilies pull their weight, augmenting ornaments and furniture. I collect them, therefore I use them. I look for linens in second-hand stores, jumble sales, charity shops, antique fairs, markets, and in the cupboards of family members; my mother knows to check her local thrift stores for me--occasionally I get a mystery package and a note: "I knew you'd love it." I hope you've enjoyed seeing my collection; I had such fun pulling everything together and photographing it; I've seen it with new eyes today.

Posted as part of Casey's Elegant Musings cherished collections blog tour.

Jam and cabbage, pictured

2011-07-18T11:05:00.004Z

I wish there was a way to transmit fragrance over the internet. My pink rose is the most prolific flowerer, brightly colored, and highly fragranced rose in my garden. I have spicy roses, delicate roses, almost-fruity roses; and then I have this one which could knock a grown woman flat with one whiff.

My strawberry jam, batch 1. Technically I made batch 1 over two days, all from the same batch of strawberries using the same measurements. We planned on going back to the farm to pick more yesterday; we drove all the way there--half an hour's drive--and had to turn back around because they had a sign saying they were closed. Not happy. We may not have another chance to pick them, as I have to request time off work specially.

I save jars for future use. My strawberry jam is in ex-salsa jars. Just perfect.

This is my Amazing Supercabbage, after we'd eaten three meals' worth from it. I tried to use Franklin as a size reference. It's bigger than his head. It's taller than his knees. That water on the floor is not from Franklin peeing, but from the cabbage peeing (it had a lot of water between its leaves from when it was washed).

First potatoes, supercabbage, jam

2011-07-12T17:38:00.004Z

While watching Gardener's World, a weekly tv show, the presenter remarked how he traditionally digs up his first potatoes on July 8th. Partner and I looked at each other. He got out the hand spade and bucket. And then he dug me some fresh potatoes. And we now eat our own garden potatoes, and they are definitely big enough for eating. Partner makes the most excellent chips (AKA French fries) from them.

Speaking of big enough, I also grew a cabbage which Partner claims is heavier than Franklin. I wish I'd had photographic evidence, but Partner harvested it and we ate some of it before I got the camera out. However, it was still enormous (and in the fridge) so I thought I'd still take a photo of it--and then my batteries died so I had to recharge them. And we ate some more of it. As it's still really big, when my batteries are recharged, I may get a photo of the remainder*.

*I say remainder, but I think we'll be eating this cabbage for at least another week--maybe two; we've hardly made a dent in it.

After picking almost 5kg of strawberries from a pick-your-own farm, I proceeded to make fabulous jam. We, that is, Partner, Franklin, and I will be returning this Sunday to pick a similar amount; jam is our Christmas present of choice to local family members this year (sorry, international family!). Plus we need plenty for personal consumption. Please see previous paragraph about photographic evidence. When and if, I will post a photo of all twelve jars of jam (there were 13, but that one has also since been eaten). When we brought our two plastic shopping bags full of strawberries to be weighed at the stand, the cashier's eyes nearly popped out. I guess not a lot of people pick for jam-making there.

Pictured is my current kitchen table bouquet: lilies, roses, hydrangea, crocosmia, and laurel.

Flower arranging and undies

2011-06-29T18:49:00.005Z

What a year for roses. Some of my newest additions (four years old maybe?) have this year taken off, along with the rest of the rose population.
Also pictured is a jug of feverfew. I bought this jug at a charity shop. It's my favorite flower receptacle. I even have a painting of it hung on my stairway.
I painted it also about four years ago (didn't sign or date it, though).

I made some underwear for Franklin out of an old pair of pajama bottoms and elastic (saved from when Partner threw out a bunch of holey old underwear). I simply cut a chunk of pajama leg off, cut out a crotch at the bottom and sewed a little strip into it (to make it more form-fitting), and sewed an elastic band around the waist. Simple. I didn't bother hemming them--the material is jersey, so it won't fray. I've made six pairs, but I know he needs at least twice that amount.

We've left behind his cloth diapers and are going into full-time undie usage. For the past two days, this has meant a lot of wet undies.

Vegetables! And flowers!

2011-06-22T11:41:00.005Z

Partner, who is President of Grocery Shopping in our house, is under orders from the Supreme Dictator of Gardening (that would be me) not to buy any more vegetables, indefinitely. Our first crop was (not counting our 12 spears of asparagus) arugula, followed closely by rainbow chard. Now carrots emerge as the front-runners, with cabbage, beans, and zuccini close behind. I love this time of year; my taste buds (and bank account!) love it too.

This year also is fantastic for flowers, especially cut flowers. I adore picking my own bouquets; two years ago I set myself a goal of picking a new bouquet of my own flowers once a week for the whole summer. I managed to succeed for the most part. I don't think I'd be too ambitious setting myself the same goal this summer.

I started saving eggshells this winter/spring to crush and put around slug-vulnerable plants. Then I stopped because I thought they weren't having an effect. Partner pointed out the one cabbage which had eggshells surrounding it looked at least half as holey as the non-shelled ones a month later, so we began saving again. In fact, I've been collecting them from work--we use a lot of eggs at work--and I hope to see less damage in the coming months.

Undaunted by the ground resistance however, are the new caterpillar attacks. I think I need some sort of anti-aircraft defenses to keep these at bay. As it stands, my gardening gloves once again turn green and slimy with each day's encounters (ewww).

The sling, ex-stroller, de-stereotyping

2011-06-13T12:03:00.003Z

Here's the best self-portrait I could manage of my new sling, taken in our spacious bathroom. Franklin likes riding both in front and on my back. On my front gives me more back support, but on my back leaves my hands free. So I'm not sure which I prefer, either.

Our stroller was damaged beyond repair during our stay in Belgium. Luckily I'd brought said sling, or our journey home might have been a lot more difficult. As it was, I had to mail a 4kg package of my own things to our house, and I left pretty much all of Franklin's clothing behind (of my own clothing I only had two shirts and some underwear and socks). The heaviest thing on the jounrney was the food bag which got lighter and lighter during the day, though by about 8pm I was wishing it was still heavy! We left Oostende at about 12pm and got to my inlaws' house in London at about 10pm. Long trip, especially with a baby on my front, a backpack on my back, and a bag on my arm.

I managed to have something like a conversation in French while waiting for our train in Lille. We sat down next to another mother with an older baby and after conveying the second of two sentences I know in French: "I do not speak French" (the first is "do you speak English?"), we proceeded to discuss our children. We told each other how old ours were, she admired Franklin's walking, I admired her child's crawling; I asked his name--not sure if it was a French name or a Muslim name, but phoenetically it sounded like Yunis--and also asked if he slept well (apparently not).

I believe it is the stereotype that the French are rude and xenophobic. Partner says that's more confined to Parisians, and I've never been to Paris so I couldn't say. However, all the French people I dealt with on our holiday were very friendly and helpful. I didn't meet anyone rude or have any bad experiences; I think people are the same everywhere, really. I'm glad I was able to do this trip on my own and broaden my horizons a bit.

Holiday in Europe

2011-06-04T16:07:00.005Z

This week I accomplished a super-mama feat: I traveled to a different country with a 15-month-old and no one else. Franklin and I (Partner stayed home and worked) took a train to Lille, France, then another train to Kortrijk, Belgium, and then a third train to Oostende, Belgium, where we met up with my father for four days of vacation.

Believe me, it's not easy taking an active toddler and his stroller across three different countries: for one thing, all of the trains had at least two or three steps to climb in order to board. I had to ask for help getting the stroller up each one: "excusez-moi" followed by a lot of pointing and gesturing. It was even worse in Dutch-speaking Belgium: even though Dutch is similar to English, and I can get the gist of the meaning if I listen hard to it, I don't know any words except thank you: "dank u." At least in French I know some basic phrases and words. Every person I approached with "Bonjour. Parlez-vous anglais?" replied with the affirmative. In fact, the only person I didn't say that to and just used my labored French upon, at the ticket office at the Lille rail station, immediately started speaking to me in English anyway--I guess I offended her ears with my appalling accent!

Though I did not know much about Belgium before actually visiting there (the first time 3 years ago, again to meet my father), I think it's a lovely country. Some of my impressions of Oostende, which is on the sea:

It's full of old people. It reminded me of Victorian novels when the aged were prescribed "sea air" by doctors to make them live longer. I saw a lot of wheelchairs pushed about.
It's full of bicycles. Many ridden by elderly people.
It's full of small dogs. As in toy-sized small dogs. I've never seen so many little yappers in one place. I even saw one old couple pushing their diminutive canine in a baby stroller.

The sea was wonderfully warm--if only I'd brought my swimming suit. Franklin loved it when he was fully clothed (and soaking wet; every time I tried to get the camera out, he dashed back into the waves), but thought it the worst thing ever when I took his clothes off; he didn't even want to dip his toes in. He liked walking on the warm dry sand with those tootsies, though.

Not enough time, a new sling, rose of May

2011-05-18T19:36:00.003Z

Even though I'm neglecting my blog, that doesn't mean I'm neglecting my life. I'm SO busy right now; it doesn't seem real. Not only am I racing to keep (er, actually catch) up with my schoolwork, I'm also working twice my normal hours to cover for a coworker's surgery recovery. Toddler time is hectic and amazing and incredibly time-consuming. Why does it take us exactly one hour from waking up at morning to be ready to leave the house? My computer is allocated to my studies for the time being. Possibly after I take my Java exam next month, things will slow down. Or when my coworker ever returns to work (I've been covering him for more than a month now). Or when Franklin goes to college.

Franklin's outgrown the red ring sling I made; I can no longer take him on walks in it without back pain. Luckily I have a sewing machine and a spare ten minutes every afternoon while he's napping (between eating and you guessed it: studying). I sewed another type of sling for us over the course of three days and we trialled the result today. I will attempt a photo later; it's a mei tai, which has both waist and shoulder straps and his weight distributes beautifully. We took an hour-long walk this morning and my back still feels great.

More than half-way through May, and most of my rosebushes now sport blooms. Normally my first roses bloom in June. Today I planted some more beet and argula seeds; and planted out our cosmo, dahlia, and rudbeckia seedlings. Next up: nicotiana, beans, and zuccini. Zuccini is called courgette here. And arugula is called rocket. As in space. I refuse to pronounce it that way, however, and say rockette instead. Everyone has their limit, after all.

Mostly pictures

2011-05-02T21:25:00.002Z

I've been trying to write this post for almost a week now. I keep getting side-tracked. So instead of wracking my already punished brain (study! assignments! study! assignments! help!), I'll give it to you in pictures; you can make up your own story.

More spring gardening, unraveling

2011-04-23T20:28:00.006Z

Lilac season! I think it's early this year. When my mother visited, we trawled three different garden centers in search of a dark purple lilac, but found only white, pink, or light purple. Therefore, I got no lilac. However, today I made the most astonishing discovery. I may actually have a lilac in my garden after all. We have a little space between our garage and next door's property. It's got several elder trees growing in it, and a lilac. How can I not have seen this lilac before? I've been living here six years! In my defense, this space really is quite tiny and impossible to get to; it's almost completely blocked by our garage and the lilac is sandwiched between two very leafy elders. Now, it may actually be next door's lilac, as it's growing right on the property line. But hey, the part of it on my side is mine, right?

I'm loaded down with seedlings, both in the ground and on my windowsill. This winter I once more lost all my dahlia tubers stored in the garage; I think the extended cold got them. Again. Luckily, I have a few leftover seeds. Please survive this year, little lovelies! Of the seeds I collected last year, both the beets and chard are happy happy, but the broccoli refused to make an entrance. I wonder if it was one of those F1 hybrids, which don't produce viable seeds. I don't remember it on the package, but...

It is my dream to one day grow enough, so as not to need to buy vegetables, ever. In this climate, it's possible to have fresh garden vegetables all year round, though the selection is narrow late winter/early spring. But it would still be so cool, wouldn't it? Some, like potatoes and carrots, can be stored after harvesting, and some have a winter harvest, like parsnips, turnips, and cabbage.

I got the asparagus bed razed. I found evidence of only one (very paltry) asparagus spear in the process. Sigh.

Elsewhere in the Life of Me, I've become addicted to unravelling sweaters. The kind I buy at the charity shop, which could be an ugly style, or have a hole or stain, but still have very nice yarn. New yarn can be really expensive, especially the natural fibers like wool and cotton (pictured is some lovely 100% cotton from which I've started knitting a cardigan). And the luxury yarns like merino or cashmere I can only dream about purchasing--unless I find them in sweater form. A few weeks ago I bought a 100% cashmere sweater for £1. One. Pound. I nearly fell over when I found it. If I bought cashmere yarn new, it would probably cost about 10 times as much for about a quarter of the amount. I've not unravelled it yet. It's in my stash and I keep pulling it out to pet it: soft.

Progress in the garden, mending skills

2011-04-16T22:56:00.003Z

I've planted more seeds this week, and pulled more weeds. My potatoes begin sprouting; most in the ground, though in a big black plastic planter, which must be a bit warmer than the ground, my potatoes have lovely bushy leaves. My asparagus bed needs some serious razing, but I'll do it when Franklin's asleep or with his dad--too many vulnerable seedlings close by for stomping on.

I'm so proud of my darning skills. I showed this shirt to Partner, and I'm sure you'll agree with him that the darn is completely invisible to the naked eye. The teletubby pictured was used as a darning egg--a tool to keep the darn as inconspicuous as possible. Po, being slippery plastic however, made an ineffective darning egg.

This time last year, I wanted to garden, but things like sleep, bathing, eating, and so on, got in the way. If we ever have another baby, I'm going to coordinate myself better! This year, however, my baby is very happy to help me garden; by helping I mean A) pulling out seedlings from their trays, B) picking flowers before they've actually flowered, C) finding dog poo and then playing with it and, D) insisting that he can walk on water, so let me on the pond, mama!

School...

2011-04-10T21:24:00.005Z

Crunch time for schoolwork. Java class ends in one month, with a final exam in June. From then on, I plan on only studying two classes simultaneously. Three at a time, especially as the classes are progressively more advanced, kills me. My brain hurts.

First priority is Franklin's care, and this takes up most of my day. I find it impossible to concentrate on anything else when he is awake (try mastering probability generating functions while making sure a one-year-old is stimulated, calmed, kept to routine, and doesn't starve, pull the dog's tail, or run with scissors). My next priority is work, which slots in on weekends. That leaves schoolwork to be wedged in where possible--and it jostles for position with Partner time. At the moment, I see more of my school books than I do of Partner.

I recognize the signs of mid-year burn-out. For the Java class, as I'm nearly done, I'm trying to motor through. For the other two classes, I've got till September, and that's ages away. Ages. And after that, another round of fresh classes. Will this never end?

While keeping both eyes on Franklin, I still manage a bit of knitting. I've a cotton baby cardigan on my needles, nearly finished, though slightly wonky, seeing as I paid more attention to him than the pattern while knitting. If not too embarrassing, I'll post a picture when it's finished.

Playing outside, lacking motivation

2011-03-29T21:36:00.006Z

Why is it my days are so busy, yet I never seem to accomplish much?

We've had lovely sunny spring weather, so Franklin and I have spent as much time as possible in the garden. He LOVES it out there. He loves bugs, dirt, picking flowers, walking and crawling, eating twigs, helping me weed (I hand him a weed and he drops it in the bucket for me; this method takes slightly longer than my traditional weeding technique).

I'm currently pondering ways of bringing in extra income while still remaining the primary caregiver for my son--raising Franklin is very important to me. A few non-necessary household items have been swallowed by the depths of ebay, and I think I've earned about £75 total from ten or so sales--not bad, but not a regular source of income. Other ideas I've considered (some more feasible, some less):

Provide childcare (I think this involves paperwork and licensing and a large amount of bother)
Work at a daycare (not quite as involved as running my own though still a lot of bother)
Set up a housekeeping service (sounds suspiciously like starting up a business)
Set up an ironing service (see previous)
Set up a dog walking service (see previous previous)
Set up an online shop, products yet to be confirmed (though technically the path of least resistance, see previous previous previous)

I think what I really need is some motivation. Like a cheerleader (or rear-end kicker). Technically, I could do any of the things on this list. I might struggle with one or two, seeing as I also need to find time to study, but each one could happen.

Any volunteers to be my personal motivator? I've got a bad case of the blahs.

My mother's visit

2011-03-19T23:59:00.004Z

My mother, here for a two-week visit, has now returned home. Two weeks was just not enough. She came for Franklin's birthday was nearly wholly responsible for getting my house and garden into shape in preparation for the birthday party.

While here, we took my mother to Bolsover Castle, a ruin of a grand 17th century house. It sits at the top of the highest hill around, and the remaining structure is in fairly good condition, considering.

We also visited Harrogate, an old Victorian spa town. The center of town is surrounded by 200 acres of park, and this time of year the grass teems with crocus. Amazing to see. We saw a museum of one of the spas, and tried the water. Yech--sulphur. The Victorians used to bathe in it as well as drink it.

Another beautiful stop on our whirlwind tour was Brimham Rocks, an area with weird and wonderful rock formations. I hadn't planned on hiking or rock climbing that morning when I dressed, otherwise I probably wouldn't've worn a skirt and my best wool coat. I still managed to clamber about, regardless.

Not pictured, but no less enjoyable was York and its amazing cathedral; various junk shops, garden centers, outdoor markets, and cafes; and many comfortable evenings just chatting.

(Funny, but both my mother and Partner said to me before the party, "Why don't I just take the dog for the walk and get out of your way?" My response to both: "Don't you dare!")

Birthday party

2011-03-12T20:05:00.006Z

Birthday party: check. What a day. I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad it's done. I made most everything myself, from the invitations to the decorations to the cakes. Nine adults and seven children (five of whom were between 13 months and 9 months) turned up, and the event lasted about an hour an a half. The birthday boy himself was a little shy to begin with, but once the other babies discovered his toys, he jumped in and showed them all how to play with them. Then once all were gone, he had a good solid nap, was up to eat dinner and have a bath, then fell straight back to sleep in bed. A success, I think. Here is Franklin (foreground) with friend Ben.

Everyone went home with another piece of cake and a balloon. I said to Partner after they'd gone, what do you want to bet all the dads are now inhaling helium and talking in chipmunk voices?

More birthday plans, broccoli, and socks

2011-02-24T22:37:00.004Z

Broccoli! It's my only producing plant and it's still too small to eat.

I've resolved to have those babies and mamas over for Franklin's birthday. Invitations are made. They get distributed tomorrow. Other plans:

Decorations: I've got two banners made, and a streamer. I might change the streamer into a mobile. Balloons could be had.

Activities: well, they're babies. Maybe Partner can get his guitar out and have a little sing-song. Otherwise, it's play for them, chat for us adults.

Catering: cupcakes and tea and coffee. I can't get over how much the British love their tea. The big baby group we go to lasts for an hour and a half, and tea is offered half-way through. You should hear the sighs of relief when they pass out the mugs. Personally I think most tea tastes like really minerally water. Hot.

I've specified "no gifts please" on the invitations, because this kid has a lot of stuff. And we think a party should be about fun and cake, not about presents.

I finished knitting those pesky socks. The yarn is from a cardigan I bought at a charity shop. I wore it for a while, then decided it just wasn't me, so I unravelled some of it to knit socks. There's a lot of yarn left to unravel. Don't tell anyone, but the right one is about half an inch shorter than the left. Apparently two socks can be knitted simultaneously on a circular needle, to prevent this sort of inconvenience; I think I might try this next time.

Quick snowdrops, birthday plans

2011-02-17T17:39:00.002Z

It's not all tragedy in the garden. I have this small snowdrop cluster in flower now. The one and only flower in my garden. I heard on the radio that this year's purple sprouting broccoli crop has been severely affected by the harsh winter--mine certainly has. Of the dozen or so plants, only one has any florets (small) and the rest look a bit limp and apathetic.

Franklin's birthday is coming up in about three weeks. I'm planning a party. It may be a family-only party, but a party it will be. I've started making a few decorations. I think I will be serving cupcakes. My mother (who incidently will visit for the happy occasion) told me all about a cousin's super amazing party she threw for her one-year-old, and ever since then I've secretly wanted to invite a bunch of babies and mamas. I don't think I'm quite up to super amazing quality, but I figure I can make a few banners and cupcakes and call it good.

Nearly good as new, but bad news in the gardening front

2011-02-10T18:54:00.005Z

After being under the weather for the past month, I'm now mostly back to my normal self. Just maybe not so energetic. I'm working up to it. Partner has been really fantastic, and taking care of everything. For about two weeks he was the number-one caregiver, and Franklin actually preferred his dad over his mama for two whole days (Partner left him with me for a minute or two, and as soon as he walked out the door, Franklin had hysterics)...!

Our long, cold winter--the second in a row--has done some serious damage to my garden. Witness the carnage:Those black strips are indeed roofing felt from my garage roof. And if you are thinking, well, two little pieces isn't so bad. Um. Well. See, there's about 20 little pieces scattered about, and that adds up to one really big piece of roof.
Our fence fell down (again). And that black round tub thing? No idea. I've never seen it before in my life.
Compost bin also fallen over. I can't get it upright again by myself. I'm thinking Partner needs to do it.
This is one sad yucca; yucca leaves are supposed to stand straight up. I think it may have breathed its last. See first picture above to get a real feel for how many leaves it's missing. Oh, and that fence panel behind it? Yeah.

Personally, I'm surprised there's any garden left.

Going away for a little bit

2011-01-09T16:21:00.003Z

Hi, I thought I'd just post a little warning, that I'm going to be away from my blog for a little while due to medical reasons. I'm ok, so don't worry. I'm just having a little break. Franklin may still be posting in his blog (I'm not sure--maybe his dad will help him post).

I can't say for certain when I'll be back, though probably no less than a few weeks.

Too many toys, chocolate, austerity, upcoming resolutions

2010-12-28T20:39:00.005Z

It's almost over. Just one more weekend of New Year's madness, and then peace and quiet.

Franklin got toys from just about every person on the planet, it seems. We're swimming in toys here. I don't like clutter, so we bought him four or five things; at this age he just wants to chew on things, or maybe bang them on the floor. Our relatives did not have such restraint. There were more presents under the tree for Franklin than for Partner and myself combined over our entire marriage, it seemed!

We spent two days at the inlaws' house in London, eating way too much chocolate and watching way too much tv. I don't even like tv, but their austerity measures meant the heating was off and only the fireplace was on. So tv it was. We watched World Championship darts. I'm not making this up: two fat old men loaded down with gold jewelry and facial hair from the 70s throwing darts at a dartboard. With slow-motion replays of them throwing, arm fat wobbling. Actually, it was kind of awesome.

Speaking of austerity measures, Partner and I have agreed to lower our monthly personal allowances by £5 each. I may put most of mine into my savings account. Also, I've made a commitment to go into town and open a bank account with a monthly direct debit for subsequent Christmases. We sort of did it for Franklin; he's got his own savings account, and we bought his presents out of it, and any left over after his birthday will go into his investments account for when he's 18--I sometimes wish my parents had done that for me. I might have gone to university after graduation, instead of waiting all these years. Of course, I wouldn't be where I am now.

So I'm looking for ways to save money and get us back out of debt. We're not too deeply in--but buying a car earlier in the year was a setback, and as I'm only working weekends, my pay has gone down drastically. Setting a monthly personal allowance has been a huge success as far as curbing spending. We have the rule that we get a set amount on payday in cash to spend on ourselves. Bank cards are only allowed for groceries and diesel. Since implementation this summer, we've saved more than a £1000. That £1.50 here and £5 there really added up, and half the time we didn't even remember what we'd spent it on. If anyone else has a good suggestion for saving, I'd love to hear about it.

I'm thinking about goals for the coming year. I had a huge list of things I wanted to accomplish last year and having a baby really put a spanner in the works! I had a spreadsheet covering each month, and the first two months (January and February) have all the goals ticked, and subsequent months have none. Not a single yearly goal accomplished from March onward...

Melt, mud, sticks, neighborly neighbors, boobs

2010-12-14T21:12:00.004Z

What could be more wonderful than the sound of melting snow? This week it's filled the air with silent slushiness. As soon as we saw it going, Partner dashed outside with his shovel and dug up the last of the potatoes. He thinks there are a month's worth left. Then he tracked mud all over the house because he neglected to put on his wellies... I walked the dog and Franklin this morning, and we all got very muddy too; I however, am pro-active about mud. I got the hose and sprayed us all down. Dog included.

Partner insists we're getting more snow this week. I'm adamantly denying it.

Actually, last week Franklin and I went out walking in the sling, and I enjoyed using a makeshift walking stick to help keep us from slipping. When I prune my shrubs, I generally keep any long woody sticks to save as supports for plants which tend to flop over, like runner beans or delphiniums. So I have a stack of tall trimmed sticks in my garage, perfect for walking. Then the last day before the big melt, as we strode confidently down our street, one of the neighbors (I don't know him at all, as he lives quite a few houses away and keeps to himself) hailed me and presented me with a sanded, varnished, rubber-bottomed stick. I think he made it himself. I was really touched. I don't see him much, but next time I'm going to thank him again, and tell him how wonderful it works.

I have a feeling that even though I don't recognize the neighbors at that end of the street, they probably recognize me. I walk past their houses nearly every day; but since we live at the end of the cul-de-sac, those neighbors have no reason to walk past my house. When I first had Franklin, Partner walked the dog for the first couple of weeks, and one of those neighbors we didn't know asked him as he passed if I'd had the baby!

Here is a boob I knitted for charity. I don't know if charity actually wants them though. As I was knitting, the further along I got, the more I thought, am I just embarrassing myself? Don't adjust your screen. It really is meant to be bright red with a powder blue nipple.

Christmas. Ten days until. Still not ready. Might never be.

Weather, mega-tater, last month's goals

2010-12-04T15:05:00.005Z

Snow! This is my patio (last seen under attack by nasturtiums). That cap on top of the table? Partner measured it at 18 inches.

So the roads are even more atrocious than last winter. Our little cul-de-sac has never met a snowplow, and for a few days it looked like no one was driving out till spring. Then two energetic neighbors got out their shovels, were joined by another neighbor, and then Franklin and I went out to help, and we got all our drives and part of the street cleared. One of them was even kind enough to remember that Partner and I had done it last year.

It's been so deep that I haven't gone on my daily walk all week because the stroller can't cope, and I'm too nervous about slipping to use the sling. Today, Saturday, Partner stayed home with Franklin while I took the dog out. We saw another dogwalker we see quite often, and he asked me where my baby was. I sort of experimented on making some snowshoes, but need to improve my design. I also considered designs for a baby-safe sledge, but was unable to come up with a workable plan. So for the present, my baby stays at home when I go walking. And since Partner's only home to watch him at weekends, I only walk at weekends. I think Beauty was a little stir-crazy, because we met another little doggy at the park and they wrestled and chased nearly the whole walk (normally Beauty's very dignified and gets quite short with presumptuous canines). Never mind that the snow was up to their shoulders.

I think I may have lost my chance at digging up the remainder of my potatoes. Under a foot of snow, I can only hope that means they're nicely insulated and won't freeze by the time I can get to them. If ever. Here's one of my mega-taters. I grew it myself (Partner took exception to that when I told his mother; he says he dug the holes and watered them all summer).

For last month, I only achieved some of my goals. I managed to submit both assignments on time, and then on the last day of the month, I knitted mittens for Franklin (100% wool. Merino. Organic. What can I say? It was on sale), having done the matching hat quite early on. Though I wanted to make ten Christmas cards, I ended up starting five and not finishing any; it looks like I may not be sending any this year. I finished 50% of my Christmas shopping, however; that is, if you count that I've bought all Franklin's, and haven't bought any for Partner (that's 50%, right?). And my final goal, to be in bed with the lights out at 10.30 each night: FAIL.

Snow, knitting, plans

2010-11-28T21:26:00.004Z

Just a few weeks ago, walking in the local wildlife area was a crunchy delight, with wall-to-wall carpeting of crisp leaves. Now all the leaves are black and soggy, and currently under a layer of snow. Yesterday we woke to about an inch, and today we've gained another half inch or more.

It doesn't seem so long ago that we were running out of food with no access to a store (last winter). Partner was able to bring small amounts home on the train, seeing as the roads were impassable for the likes of our car, luckily. Over the past year we've increased our storage of dried and canned foods like rice, flour, milk powder, sugar, corned beef and canned salmon. We also have a bit more garden produce than last year, namely potatoes, cabbage, celeriac, and chard. Hopefully we won't be caught out like before.

I'm so ashamed of myself: I've only got Partner two things for Christmas as of yet, and if the roads stay nasty, that may just be it (this also happened last year!). I'm making him a few small things, at least. On the other hand, Franklin's gifts are mostly taken care of. I would also like to make him something; at this point I'm not sure what. Maybe a soft toy, or maybe an item of clothing, or a painting for his bedroom...

In winter plans, I want to knit myself a new scarf. Eventually. I'm about 3/4 the way through a pair of socks, and I sort of said I would knit a couple boobs for a breastfeeding support group (they use them for demonstration). I've finished one: it's bright red with a blue nipple, the only two colors of yarn I've got presently. Franklin likes it. Maybe if I don't get around to making any more, he can have it instead.

I uploaded a new video to youtube; it's of Franklin and me playing the piano:

http://www.youtube.com/user/how1she1sparkles#p/a/u/0/mifIiWeoYG0

Housekeeping for new mothers

2010-11-20T09:16:00.002Z

Let me open up my bag of housekeeping/babycare tricks for you. I've got some sneaky ways of keeping tidy while keeping a baby happy.

The sling is your friend. Have a tiny baby who needs you ALL THE TIME? Can't be by himself for a single second? I know the feeling. Even now, at 8 months, Franklin still enjoys his sling while I do a bit of work. Apparently, babies who ride around in some sort of carrier get lots of stimulation, feel more calm and secure, and don't cry as much.
Stick to the basics. You've just given birth, for crying out loud! So long as you're not tripping over garbage or poisoning yourself with salmonella, a bit of dirt's not gonna hurt. The bathroom, kitchen, and main living area should be your cleaning priorities (though actual cleaning doesn't have to be one of your priorities--sleeping and eating and loving your baby are much higher on the list).
Is your tub more brown than white? Got a slime mold waving at you every time you look in the toilet? Don't worry, we've all been there. Just before hopping in the shower, give the toilet a little brush and flush--no need for chemicals if you're doing it daily. I keep a little container of baking soda on the rim of my tub and at the end of my bath/shower, I sprinkle a little onto my damp washcloth and scrub any obvious spots. The washcloth either goes straight into the laundry basket, or I use it with a little more baking soda to wipe out the sink if needed.
There comes a point when your baby is a little more independent. At about four months, Franklin could lie under his baby gym for 45 minutes a day, batting his toys around. This is an ideal time for some quick cleaning. I've found vacuuming with a baby in the carrier is hard work, so do it when he's awake but otherwise occupied. Use a slightly damp cloth to dust so it won't fly about and get into your baby's precious little nose. If you're anything like me, there'll be four months' worth of dust!
There's also the baby swing/bouncer/walker. I don't actually like these much because a baby's spine and back muscles aren't strong enough to hold their body weight for long periods of time; these can put a strain on their backs. But for short periods (the longest I ever use ours is 20 minutes a day) they can be invaluable. I have a bouncer that hangs in a doorway and it moves around the house with me.
Ignore everything else, but don't let the essentials pile up. Dishes and laundry are two things that become overwhelming very quickly. Try to do some every day. Enlist your husband in this if you can: mine washes dishes at night and I put them away in the morning; he also puts a load of laundry on every night and one of us puts it to dry in the morning. And put it away, too! I couldn't even count the number of times I've had to go searching for a clean pair of socks in the morning...
When your baby gets mobile, the fun really begins. Franklin loves following me around while I clean. He chases the dust mop, the vacuum, the broom...then he gets distracted and I only realize he's no longer with me when I hear a thump...WAH!

So with all these sneaky tricks, I really don't have an excuse for not keeping a spotless house, do I?

Potatoes, frost, winding down, and presentable housekeeping

2010-11-15T15:41:00.005Z

This weekend, Partner and I dug up half our potato crop. I'm not sure how many, but Partner estimated about 100 potatoes. Mostly small, but several were HUGE. I mean seriously big, maybe six or eight inches in diameter. I don't know how they grew so big when most were tiny. These pictured are the usual shrimps.

I love winding down the garden at the end of the year. Well, not when it's raining: today, however, after a fierce frost (which actually hardly affected our garden at all), the sun shone and with Franklin snoring away at his mid-afternoon nap, I flung on my wellies and got digging. The street at the front of our house glittered with frost so I'm not sure how it missed our back garden, but what care I for details? It's November! It frosted! Even if it didn't kill my plants--I'm pulling them up anyway!

I dug up some gladiolas and a dahlia to overwinter (note to self: there are about a dozen more each of glads and dahlias to go), made a small dent in the Planet of the Nasturtiums, and planted a few tulip bulbs I'd divided from overcrowded stocks last spring. And planted out the last of the spring cabbages. Hooray!

I need to dig up the remainder of the potatoes; I really don't want to feed the slugs, after all. I think the celeriac ought to come up too, and any beets and carrots left. A few years ago, at the end of the season, we discovered mice eating the last of our carrots. Kind of put me off them. Oddly enough, they left our beets alone. When I was a kid I thought beets tasted like dirt. As an adult, I like them; they do still taste a bit like dirt, though.

For Thanksgiving we've invited Partner's parents to stay for the week. Having a baby has led to a sharp drop in housekeeping here, and I need to seriously organize if I want to be presentable next week when they arrive. My kitchen and living room stay moderately tidy--I clean the kitchen daily when Franklin either plays with food in his high chair or naps, and he crawls around while I tidy the living room during the day. The other rooms are more difficult at present. The only babyproofed room upstairs is his own, and with no gate at the top of the stairs: not so tidy upstairs. Better get on it, quick. A babyproofed house would be dreamy.

Speaking of babyproof: Partner caught Franklin eating dog food this weekend. No doubt it will be the first of many.

Eating leaves, this year's garden recap

2010-11-07T08:56:00.002Z

This week I took my camera on our walk and had an autumn photo shoot. Franklin was very happy to decamp from his stroller and play in (i.e. eat) the leaves while I snapped pictures. I knitted him a new warm hat which I love and which he loves taking off. Sigh. I need to make him some matching mittens so it stays on his head.

Though we haven't yet had a frost, I'm expecting it any day now. This morning before work I managed to prune back my climbing rose; for several years it climbed over the old wooden arch, but with arch's demise, I'm attempting training it to climb the garage walls instead--with limited success so far. Hopefully it cooperates this coming year, as its luxurious misplaced growth nearly smothered my herb bed.

Our potato harvest is a moderate success. About half of the potatoes are still in the ground though the plants are all dead now. The biggest spuds have been about tennis ball size, though the average potato is more like apricot size: not very big. I'm not sure why. Still tasty.

And dug up our first celeriac for dinner today: super yum. I started out with 24, and somehow ended up with a grand total of 12. Also not huge, but bigger than my biggest potatoes.

Some lessons I've learned this year:

Vegetables need space to grow big! I tried to cram in too much.
Carrots grown in the ground are likely to get carrot fly (and thus ruined). Next year I will probably go back to planters for carrots. Smaller, but edible, at least.
Runner beans should have more than one pole to keep them upright. And the more runner bean plants, the better as far as I'm concerned. Plant more next year!
Cabbages need to be sown in greater intervals than just 2 weeks. We had way too many all at once and lost quite a lot.
Spring broccoli should be staked while still small. Mine are all tumbling down; it happened last year, too--I should have learned my lesson then.
Don't bother with tomatoes.

No friends, no money, and a little walker

2010-10-28T14:54:00.004Z

I joked to Partner the other day that I was texting my "one" friend--as in the only friend I have--to confirm our lunch date yesterday. Turns out I may have no friends after all, because she canceled on me. We made the date about two weeks in advance, as the only free day for both of us, and I'd really been looking forward to it! Franklin and I went to town on our own, instead. A lovely warm, sunny day perfect for strolling around the market. I dropped off some charity items, and picked up a few little things including a little pumpkin for carving later in the week. I had a small unexpected windfall from an ebay sale, but I'm so used to not having money that I hardly know what to buy.

I had to stop and feed Franklin while in town. We sat down on a bench and I watched the people passing as he nommed. I've gotten to the point where I really don't mind breastfeeding in public at all. I usually cover him with a blanket or scarf, unless we're in a child-friendly place. I even fed him on the train into Leeds a few weeks ago. It was packed but I don't think a single person noticed.

Speaking of Franklin--brace yourself, world. He's walking. Sort of. I think they call it cruising: he pulls himself up into a standing position on the furniture, and then edges along it. Two days ago he was meant to be napping when I heard a "THUMP...WAHHH!!!" Somehow he'd managed to stand up and tear down his mobile. It's got a bunch of cute fabric bugs dangling on it; when I got in there, he was chewing on his spider.

Thinking about Christmas, and Important Milestones

2010-10-19T12:26:00.004Z

What do you buy for a 9-month-old for his first Christmas? I already know he's going to be more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than in actual presents, so I'm not planning on spending a lot of money. I also want to get him things that will grow with him; I don't see much point in buying something that will only have appeal for a few months. And I have one restriction: I do not want anything electronic that makes a noise. I know how annoying that stuff gets.

Then there's gifts for Partner. At least he's easier to buy for; I like to make things for him, too. I'm planning on sending some fancy home baked bread to Partner's family (but not mine, sadly. I don't think it'd mail internationally). I made some excellent panettone one year. Or maybe it was stollen. Anyway, it was great, and very festive. I really wish we'd picked more strawberries now, because the jam was so tasty I would have been very proud to give it away. Oh well.

My workplace is open on Christmas, but I don't know yet if they'll want me to work. I didn't work it last year, as I was just too pregnant. And the year before I was off sick with SARS/bird flu/pneumonia/TB. But I did work it one year. I don't understand why anyone would want to go out to eat on Christmas. It's such a special family day to me.

I've had the idea for this drawing a while now. When Franklin turned six months, he suddenly went from a cuddly snugglekins to a little eight-armed demon. And when I wondered to Partner why Franklin wasn't much interested in sweet things like baby porridge or fruit; his reply:

"He likes MEAT! little Franklinasaurus needs meat to keep Grrrring while he roams the house."

A dog's life

2010-10-13T08:43:00.001Z

Sleep deprivation: getting only four hours of sleep at night now means I function like a zombie all day; yet when Franklin was born, I was lucky if I got two hours of sleep at a stretch. However, I think this is because sleep deprivation is cumulative, and having less-than-adequate sleep for the last seven months is really taking its toll. Actually, I wasn't getting very adequate sleep before he was born either, so make that about 16 months.

My exam this Friday means I'm starting to stress. A lot. I'm allowed to take my notes with me; for the last two weeks I've been cataloguing these notes to make sure I understand all the topics. I'm weak in a few areas, and I still only have time to study when Franklin's asleep. Which lately isn't much time at all. As a result, I'm ignoring my programming studies until the math exam is over.

I understand it's normal after giving birth, but I've been losing a LOT of hair. Handfuls. When I comb my hair, I try to collect it all and throw it away, but inevitably, not all of it makes it to the proper disposal. I've put Franklin down on the floor to play with his toys, only to find him homing in on a hairball. Not entirely sure if it's approved for the 6+ mos age range.

My latest attempt at being frugal has seen me darning socks. I have managed two darns on two of my socks, both of which are still functioning. When I told him about it, Partner said he learned how to darn from his grandmother (note: I have never witnessed Partner's darnings); I just looked at some pictures on the internet.

My apologies to Beauty, for wanting to kick her two weeks ago. And also for falling down the stairs, hurting my back so that I can't take her on walkies for a while. Sorry, dog!

2010-10-07T16:12:00.002Z

I made apple butter. It was super simple (roughly chop apples, cook till pulped, strain out seeds/peels, dump in slow cooker with sugar and spices overnight, bottle). I used five pounds of apples, and finished with two small jars and two big jars of butter. It really reduced down! (but it's possible I overcooked it.) I think it tastes ok--though not as sweet as I thought it'd be.

We had a week of heavy rain, causing all near-ripe tomatoes to split, sadly. Not that there were many, but when you don't get many tomatoes in the first place, every one is precious. Now it's sunny and warmish again: hopefully we'll get some more ripened. I've read that the plants can be pulled up and hung upside down in the garage to finish ripening fruit; if we have an imminent frost, I may try.

Still, with shortening days, production has slowed down for many plants. I've stopped deadheading sweetpeas, in order to get some seeds. I plan on collecting from zinnias and runner beans too.

My first days back at work were all right. Nobody starved to death while I was away, and everyone was glad to see each other when I came home.

2010-09-30T12:54:00.002Z

This week everyone at our house (minus dog) has a cold. For some of us (Partner), it's just a snotty inconvenience. For others (Franklin), it's an excuse to stop sleeping. For the rest (me), it's a chance to lose tempers and threaten to kick the dog. As of this post, the dog has not yet been kicked, though I've also come seriously close to picking up and chucking objects that get in my way (Partner's hats fallen on the floor, a basket of clean unfolded laundry, Franklin's stroller...the dog...).

Our patio has been taken over by our nasturtiums. It rather seems like my flowers have been taken over by them as well. I planted lots of flowers in what is now the nasturtium bed. As they self-seed prolifically, I need to pull them up as seedlings or they come creeping over the patio to take over the house. I'm convinced they pulled over the wheelbarrow in their pursuit of total dominion.

I've fallen short of achieving my goals for this month. In accordance with my apple butter making goal, I did score some more free apples: they're still on my counter. I haven't made any cards, and I didn't sort through my wardrobe: only my sock drawer. I blame the last minute push to get my math done. I still have an exam to revise for, but all assignments are submitted. And I start a new class this week, so my workload simply shifts to another subject.

My maternity leave officially ends next week, and I'm going back for two days before that, to get back into the swing of things. I do kind of miss work, if only to see people who don't have snot running down their chins.

Picking, slinging, apples

2010-09-23T10:05:00.004Z

Despite my best effort to quell the caterpillar uprising, there were still casualties. My patio is littered with little green bodies, yet new damage appears daily on my cabbage seedlings. Not to mention my broccoli; luckily that's well-established enough to withstand it.

My garden duties at the moment consist of picking runner beans by the handful, picking spent sweet peas, and picking caterpillars off various vegetables.

While I've loved Franklin's baby carrier, he's just getting too heavy for me in it. Its designed so that most of the baby's weight is carried on the shoulders like a backpack. Well, Franklin hasn't been weighed in ages but I would venture to say he's around 15 pounds, and that means my back is killing me! I've been experimenting with a wrap sling I made*, and though I need practice tying it, it's a lot easier on my back. Wearing it, most of his weight is on my hip and waist and only a little on my shoulder.

*Literally I just tore a big piece off an old sheet; if you could examine it close up, you'd see dangling strings--maybe I should hem it or something

He rode in his new wrap on our walk today and actually fell asleep in it. He's cuddled asleep on my lap right now because I can't work out how to get it off without waking him.

At the last moment I decided to make apple jelly instead of apple butter. It's a beautiful deep clear red and we had some with our roast pork. If I can score more apples I will make butter.

Jelly fail and butter win, with a dearth of blogtime

2010-09-12T20:02:00.005Z

I picked loads and loads of wild rosehips, got covered in scratches and thorns, kept picking up earwigs (yucky!), nearly lost the dog, and all I got to show for it was one measly glass of rosehip juice. I felt this was not worth making into jelly, so I've given up on that particular dream. The sugarless juice was kind of tomatoey tasting, by the way. I didn't really feel like drinking it, though I'm sure it would have been wonderful jelly. Had there only been more of it.

But.

The three of us plus doggy drove to London to see the inlaws this weekend, and I brought a jar of lovingly made strawberry jam and a lovingly grown cabbage in order to inveigle some of their apples. Only my plans were set awry by my sister-in-law who I'm told stripped the tree a week ago. Sigh.

But.

On the drive home, we stopped at a rest area to feed the baby and let the dog pee. While walking in the doggy area we saw some beautiful rosy ripe apples, with no one to catch us scrumping* some. I couldn't say for certain how many we picked, but I would venture several pounds. My apple butter is again full speed ahead!

*scrumping: purloining apples

I'm having a tough time keeping on top of regular posting at the moment because Franklin is mobile. Last week I put him down to play in his baby gym, sat down on the bed next to it to read, and five minutes later heard a thumping. I leaned over to see Franklin two feet away from his gym, chewing on the door. My free time is now limited to naptime and bedtime, and sadly, housework, bathing, eating, and sleeping are higher on my priority list than blogging. Sorry.

Caterpillar destruction and jam

2010-08-28T14:22:00.004Z

Last month's blackfly infestation disappeared as just quickly as it appeared, no doubt partially due to the timely arrival of the Red and Black Brigade, pictured. Would that were the case with the caterpillars. Many many broccoli-destroyers still hunt, despite my efforts to turn them into little green smears. It doesn't help that they are bigger and obviously now baby butterflies. Nor does it help that they are full of slime: squishing them is singularly unpleasant. I can no longer rub them off: I have to pick them off individually and step on them. On the positive side, my broccoli is much more intact than last year's. Negatively, the part they love to eat the best are broccoli heads.

And my baby cabbages, safe from slugs and snails on my garden bench? Not safe from butterflies! Three times I have gone out and rubbed off eggs from nearly every single seedling. I think the butterflies who choose seedlings for their offspring are very irresponsible parents. Don't they know caterpillars need to eat for a couple of weeks before metamorphosing? They'd be lucky if my cabbages lasted a day under their progeny's onslaught.

And the scores in the Jam World Championship:

First round (July 2010):
Strawberry jam: 8 jars.
Second round (August 2010):
Blackberry jam: 8 jars.
Sloe and apple jelly: 4 jars.
Final round (TBA):
Rosehip jelly.
Apple butter.
Other preserves, possibly vegetable based.

Spring cabbage, preserves, knitting

2010-08-19T15:24:00.004Z

Completely the wrong season to plant cabbage? I think not! These two trays are next year's spring cabbages, to be planted out next month. Right now they live on my patio bench, in hopes that the snails won't discover them. I've had whole trays demolished overnight--nothing but sad little green stems left, and when the leaves are gone, the seedling is doomed.

On a related note, the thrushes have been going snail-mad this summer. Our driveway, barbecue pit, and patio are covered in empty snail houses. I love that sight.

This morning while walking, I brought a basket and picked some wild plums--or possibly sloes--from the hedgerow. Franklin got bored right about the time I stripped all the reachable branches, but the dog was still going strong. I think she could have happily sniffed that tree all day. I don't quite have enough for jam, but I know of another tree in a different hedge which we can visit tomorrow. My blackberries aren't yet picked, but still on the agenda.

I borrowed a fun library book on preserving foods, and apparently there are a lot of wild "berries" which can be jam-ified. I'm particularly intrigued by rosehip jelly; I know where there are several wild rosebushes. And next time we visit the inlaws, I might nick some apples off them for apple butter. But I might not.

I'd been meaning to knit these booties for Franklin for some months now and finally got them finished. Now I want to knit more, only I have a feeling Franklin wouldn't get a lot of use out of them before he starts walking. Still, I might knit them anyway, just cause they're so darn cute.

A big boy, going veggie, with friends

2010-08-11T12:21:00.003Z

This is my main vegetable patch. Or some of it, anyway. Visible is the broccoli in front, and the potatoes behind. Semi-visible are the cabbages and chard, and nearly invisible are the beets and celeriac. Every day we are scrambling to devour all the green yumminess--we can barely keep up with production rates. I collected a good amount of beet seeds from a few plants left from last year. I won't know till I plant them next year, but won't it be the coolest if they grow?

For many reasons but mainly in a bid to be healthier, Partner and I have cut back a little on eating meat. I doubt we'll become full-time vegetarians any time soon, but we're dipping our toes as part-timers, so to speak. Two or three nights a week sees us consuming non-meat-based meals. Now, instead of buying the cheapest meats at the supermarket, we're trying to buy better-quality locally-reared meat. True, it's more expensive; but if we eat meat less often, the cost evens out.

Big boy Franklin is now five months old and learning to drink from a sippy cup. He thinks it's fun to have a drink of water, but when he gets his milk from it, he gets very serious indeed. Partner has been teaching him to drink, as he'll need to when I go back to work (not for several weeks yet). We decided that we'd rather not introduce a bottle, in case it interfered with breastfeeding. So I'm trying to remember to pump in the evening when Franklin's in bed, and freeze it into cubes for later use. I won't be working full-time, and he will be able to eat a little bit of other foods by the time I do go back--hopefully it'll all work out.

We're about to embark on the messy journey of baby weaning. There are two disciplines in the Way of the Baby Food. First is the spoon-fed puree school of thought. More adventurous is the put newspapers on floor, give baby bowl, and stand clear method. Personally, I think the second sounds more fun (and less time-consuming, as baby can play and eat what you eat, while you eat), though we'll have to see how it goes. Maybe we should get a high chair this weekend.

I met some friends at a cafe a few days ago--the first time I've actually made a date to see people since Franklin's birth. True, I've been to see my friends at work a few times, and I usually pop over to the neighbor's a few times a month, but to sit and drink lattes and gossip...I think I need to do this more often.

Clematis, blackberries, and supermama to the rescue

2010-08-01T14:00:00.003Z

I couldn't be bothered to reel in the hose before taking this photo of my new arch. Last winter we tore down the old wooden one, and I was unsure if the passionflower and red clematis survived its demise. I can happily report that both did, and though greatly reduced in size, they thrive once more. The clematis even found the impetus to flower; this lovely vine has at most bloomed about ten flowers in a given season. My purple clematis (pictured below) postively drips with flowers over the summer, and my pink one sports more flowers than leaves in spring. I don't know what red's problem is. Also pictured are the sweet peas, orange crocosmia, pink oregano, and many many weeds. I have a love-hate relationship with my weeds. I hate them but they love me.

For the past week I've be reconnoitering all the local blackberry patches. It seems the berries now begin to ripen, but not yet in any great multitude. Some of the patches have very few berries, green or otherwise. I think the lack of regular rain showers has affected their production. Several patches look likely, however. My plans for world domination by jam can proceed.

Franklin has reached the stage where he just wants his mama and no one else will do. Dad is tolerable, but only if Franklin has just had a refreshing nap, been stuffed to the brim, and has a completely dry bum. Every time someone else wants to hold him, his lip start to quiver and he bursts into (real) tears. Even though it can be very draining--I hardly get grown-up time now--I mostly like being the center of his little world. The added bonus of breastfeeding is that I can solve all his problems too. Just got scared by a loud motorcycle/dog sneeze/bump in the stroller? I can fix that. Need to sleep but can't stop wiggling? No problem. Just had the worst time of your life at the doctor, involving three sharp needles? I have exactly what you need.

Squishing, cabbages, and walking

2010-07-27T11:07:00.005Z

I think these three butterflies finished their life's work and are resting from their labors. I went around a few days ago with gardening gloves, rubbing off any eggs and small caterpillars I could find on my broccoli and cabbage. Partner said, and I agree: it's not as if the hundreds of caterpillars turn into hundreds of butterflies which then stick around our garden. Once they're matured into flying creatures, they take off and we never see them again. Well, except maybe twenty or so which then lay hundreds more eggs...

I felt bad about squishing them, but gritted my teeth and got on with it. I also have a small blackfly infestation which needed rubbing out, too. My garden gloves are looking a little icky.

My big vegetable bed is literally packed with tasties this year. Pictured are my very abundant runner beans (most of which grew from last year's harvested seeds). In a patch of bare earth which previously grew new potatoes (yummy) I planted every last carrot seed I own last week, in hopes that they'll have enough of the season left to grow. I would guess that there were about a hundred seeds. I also have some spring cabbages seeds yet to plant, though at the moment we're up to our ears in cabbage. I asked Partner if he thought it was ok to feed the dog cabbage. We have that much.

In non-gardening news, I am now only ten pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight--meaning I've lost twenty pounds--and fit into pretty much all my clothing (some tight but not uncomfortably so). Except my old button-up shirts. I don't know if I'll fit into them again once I stop breastfeeding, or if my ribcage is permanently expanded. I think breastfeeding and my daily walk have helped me lose the weight.

Walking is great. Franklin usually rides in the sling, to give me that extra workout. (These are the instructions for use on the inside of Franklin's sling. Step twelve is the best; click on the picture to zoom in.) And the dog: she's so obedient now, it almost makes me feel sorry for other dog owners. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too strict with her, but then I see someone else's dog dragging them along on the leash, or yapping uncontrollably, and I get a very smug feeling. I hope it doesn't show on my face.

Jamming, a glut of vegetables, and death to caterpillars

2010-07-19T10:59:00.004Z

Hooray for jam! I think we had a little over six pounds of berries left when we finally got around to making it. I did a 3/4 ratio of sugar to fruit, cooked it to 105C (about 220F, I think), added a little fresh lemon juice to help with the gelling process, and voila! My stockpot at the back of the stove doubled as a pressure cooker, to help seal the jars once filled. Because we had so many strawberries, we needed two pans to make it all in one go.

And we ran out of jars before we ran out of jam. I'm a bit hit and miss when it comes to saving jars (like mayonnaise or salsa jars) for future use. I ended up having more jars than lids--figures. So the last bit went into a plastic take-away container, and it's the one we're eating first. Yummy.

I think I may have been a little over-ambitious with the cabbage this year. We picked our first head, and it's lasted four meals. So far. There's enough left for another meal. And I'm feeling like I should have planted more carrots. Just started digging them up, and they go so quickly! Beets, too. I ran out of beet seeds, but still have carrot seeds. I could plant more if I do it immediately. And now I'm wishing I planted onion seeds, for spring onions. I have some volunteer garlic (I planted some like three years ago, and its descendants are still there), which makes for lovely "spring garlic:" the stalks are as tasty as the bulbs.

And remember last year's caterpillar invasion? This year's butterflies are laying the preliminary groundwork for a similar attack. I had better nip this threat in the bud, though I feel so bad killing them--butterflies are our friends. However, they spend a lot more time as destructive caterpillars than helpful butterflies, so I must stay strong.

Strawberries for our wedding anniversary

2010-07-12T14:24:00.003Z

On our sixth wedding anniversary, Partner and I took Franklin to a strawberry farm to pick berries. Of course, baby Franklin is still too little to eat them, but he was quite happy to watch us pick them from his stroller. For about five minutes, that is. If one basket looks more full than the other, it's because Partner held Franklin and took photos while I continued picking: the slacker.

It was a warm day with the perfect combination of sun, cloud, and wind. After picking, we spread our picnic blanket under a shady tree and everyone got something lovely to eat (including the gnats; I'm still a bit itchy).

We picked 10 lbs of berries in total; this labor of love took only 45 minutes. I'm planning on making jam, as soon as I go shopping later today for some sugar and lemons. I'd better get on it quickly: two days later, I think we're down to 8 lbs. Once these berries rest safely in jars, I might like to go back, after a few weeks.

It wasn't incredibly romantic, but it was still lovely and a treat.

More photos, plus some garden pics here:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/cosmicharley/Garden%20of%20Galadriel/July%202010/

Sweet peas and animal altercations on TV

2010-07-07T06:20:00.004Z

I'm so proud of my sweet peas. I harvested the seeds last fall, planted them and crossed my fingers this spring, and they've delivered. I tried to harvest seeds from each color; inevitably, there was one color which prevailed (purple in this case) but still a lovely variety. They're now joyfully clambering up the archway to the garden, and walking through them is an aromatic delight.

A few weeks ago, our dog got into an altercation with a cat; as I did not witness it, I have to rely on second-hand accounts. According to these sources, each combatant attempted grievous bodily harm on the other, and it only ended when bystanders broke them up. In other words, the cat scratched the dog, the dog scratched the cat, and Partner hauled the dog away from the car the cat hid under. She's a terrier, and that means she wants to kill small furry things; in her mind, cats fall into this category. Never mind that most cats are the same size or bigger. Ever since, whenever we walk by, Beauty wants to have a really good look underneath that car.

I've just read a book called Remotely Controlled, which is about how TV damages people's (and particularly children's) lives, especially their social skills, not to mention their bodies and self-esteem. Whether or not everything claimed is true, it's still a lot to think about. I had read that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children should not watch any TV until the age of two, and before reading this book, that is what I had planned for Franklin. Now I think I don't want to expose him to any TV ever!

I don't watch much myself--there is one program I look forward to every week, and I almost always end up watching the episode online. So at the moment I watch 45 minutes a week, and this doesn't even involve the actual TV (though it involves a screen, which still counts). Apparently the average person watches four hours a day--that's 12 years over their lifetime! Just think of the time they could spend working on hobbies, or getting fit, or hanging out with friends or family. The book posed the question (and I paraphrase): if on your deathbed you could have back those 12 years to spend with your loved ones, would you say, "No thanks, I'm glad I watched all that TV"?

Produce and nests (my own and birds')

2010-06-24T20:37:00.005Z

Coming to the realization I haven't posted any garden pics for a while brought me to these two photos. The first: my delicious new potatoes, grown and harvested (and eaten) by me. They went very well boiled then cooled and tossed into a salad.

Secondly: my asparagus. I admit, I did not grow every spear in the photo. But I did grow some of them (can you spot the difference? We couldn't actually tell much difference in taste) if I can get away with saying two is "some." This brings my asparagus harvest for the year to a grand total of seven spears.

We have a blackbird's nest in the shrub right outside our kitchen window. When I stand at the sink washing dishes I can see mama blackbird flying back and forth to feed three greedy chickies. Partner went out to have a look, and from his angle couldn't see anything, but I could see mama blackbird chirping softly on the fence with a mouthful of goodies, waiting for him to lose interest.

I sewed a quick sun hat for Franklin this week. Though it looks big in the photo, it actually fits him quite well. Making things for my baby satisfies a very primal instinct. Rather like mama blackbird and her mouthful of goodies.

Novels, sewing diapers, personal growth

2010-06-18T16:12:00.003Z

In my head, among many other plans and dreams, lurks a novel. Maybe even several. I've heard it said that everyone carries a novel in their head, and unless committed to paper, it dies with you. Two friends began writing theirs and I have been privileged to read some of each; one is a fantasy, the other a thriller. The main novel in my head is a coming-of-age story, though I have a secondary fantasy drama, possibly a children's book, and a tentative thriller plot. I've been asking people if it's true: do you have a novel (or multiples of such) to write?

For this month, my goal is to make two cloth diapers. I've made one. I cut up an old t-shirt and hoodie, made a few layers, and sewed it up. It functions as well as the bought terrycloth diapers, featuring less bulk; however, it's not as easy to Snappi (red thing in the picture); I will have to rethink my design. Actually, a fitted diaper may be on the agenda. I've got the materials (old t-shirts are great); now I need the time.

The diapers I bought are very adequate (though as I mentioned, bulky), only the plastic covers are a sad let-down. They don't fit snugly and they tear easily; in a word: leakage. I'm on the look-out for new ones, except I've not seen any other kinds. What's an environmentally-conscious mama to do?

I love blogging, and as an individual, I've changed a lot since I began. I have learned a whole lot about writing, photography, marriage, gardening; my confidence has grown, and I've jumped into the deep end of parenting. Having a weekly post motivates me to consider and document the positive in my life; I'm inspired to accomplish my goals and look for the adventure in every-day happenings.

Pheasants and racehorses

2010-06-12T11:23:00.007Z

This week Franklin and I took my sister and her friend to Brodsworth Hall, our local stately home. We all enjoyed seeing the grand rooms and possessions of the house. During our tour of the gardens we saw these two fine pheasant fellows. They were not as thrilled to see us as we were them.

We also discovered the playground at the Hall. The theme is ships and racehorses, seeing as that's what the original family put their money in; all three of us enjoyed springing on the mechanical racehorses while Franklin watched (with his eyes closed and mouth open) and climbing around the ship's rigging. I was personally a little scared of flying off the horses--they sprung forward and back at an alarming pace--but the two young ladies threw themselves about vigorously, and no one fell off

My garden is now in its first flush of loveliness--time I dusted of my flower vases. I arranged some roses, iris, and daisies on my windowsill; and a jug of lupins and daisies on my kitchen table. Tomorrow I will be brave and unearth some early potatoes. They haven't quite had three months, but I'm hopeful. And so far, we've eaten five asparagus spears. I kind of think that's our lot for the year, but for a first harvest, not too bad.

From the London zoo, reporting on the weather

2010-06-06T17:13:00.003Z

Franklin and I had a flying visit to London with my sister and her friend. Those two are still there with Franklin's grandparents. During our trip, we all went to the London zoo--it rocked. Several exhibits we actually entered and walked among the animals: a few aviaries; a rainforest with birds, monkeys, and at least one sloth; and a monkey enclosure. Some monkeys performed tight-rope tricks carrying their babies, right above our heads. So. Cute.

I saw animals I've never seen before--even on tv or in pictures, such as this okapi. A friendly chap, I thought it looked somewhere between a zebra and a giraffe. My understanding: okapi are so shy and skittish, they're almost never seen. This one, however, enjoyed a scratch from a delighted zoo visitor.

From a very hot end of May to a rainy start of June, it seems like the usual British summer so far. Luckily my vegetables love rain, except of course the tomatoes; only time will tell if I made a wise choice in growing them. I think my first cabbages are nearly ready to harvest, we've been eating lettuce for a few weeks, and my early potatoes have some small buds. According to my sources, the potatoes can be eaten when the plants flower. I will report on my success or lack thereof at crunch time. Or in this case, cook time.

Losing weight, in the garden, with visitors

2010-05-30T13:01:00.003Z

At last all my seedlings are in the ground (hooray!). Except the tomatoes (boo...). Against my better judgment, I again allowed Partner to persuade me to grow a few. This year I think we have five plants. He has promised to plant them himself. Somehow, taking care of a baby takes up all my time; I can only snatch five or ten minutes of gardening time a day. Meaning my seedlings have languished on the patio for the last two or three weeks, waiting for brief window of spare time. Pictured here are my runner beans and bamboo canes for their support, at the site of the old shed.

Flowers I'm growing (from seed, that is--I have a lot more perennials):

nicotiana
dahlias
zinnias
cosmos

Vegetables I'm growing:

potatoes (early and maincrop)
cabbage
carrots
celeriac
beets
rainbow chard
zuccini
tomatoes
beans (runner and broad)
broccoli

Since Franklin was born I have been actively trying to lose my pregnancy weight. A vigorous walk nearly every day, and I'm slowly working it off. I gained about 30 pounds by the end of my pregnancy, and last I weighed myself (a few weeks ago) I had lost 15 pounds. My maternity jeans are now a bit big on my hips and I can fit into at least one pair of my old slacks.

My sister and her friend are visiting us, but being teenagers, they come across as moody and unsociable. They've been here several days now, but don't make an appearance till after noon, and want to spend their days holed up with the computer. I think I'll have to be a bit more creative about tearing them away from the lures of facebook.

As it is, we'll be going to London for a few days this week. My last time in London, I was with a cousin and had a brilliant time getting completely lost every day. I can only hope these two are as congenial about not knowing where we're going.

The finished cardigan and fluffy balls of cootness

2010-05-23T10:35:00.006Z

Here is the finished knitted cardigan. I only hope it fits him when the weather turns cold.

Did I mention weather? This morning the dog and I set out at 8am for our walk because it's simply sweltered the past several days. My garden explodes with new season flowers (and weeds) and my early potato plants seem to triple in size every day. Even at such an early hour, our walk was uncomfortably warm: we're not a hot sunny country, rather a cool wet country. When we get a heat wave, it's sticky and humid.

I brought the camera on our walk; I saw something at the pond I've never seen before: a family of coots, complete with brand-new chickies. Cuteness!

Not sure if it's mama coot or daddy coot but both were present	Click on the picture if you want to melt at the cuteness
Wild iris at the ponds	One of my favorite paths

The other day I undid my shirt in preparation for breastfeeding and this tumbled down into my lap. I'm not sure where it originated from; either on or in my shirt or possibly in my hair, as I'd been gardening earlier--but wherever it came from, it certainly made me jump. I'd like to say it's a caterpillar, but it looks more like a maggot to me. Yuck!

Cushions, hats, and other industry

2010-05-19T19:47:00.003Z

This past weekend I finished the dog bed I started back in December. I do have a picture of it, but it's downstairs and I can't be bothered right now. It has an inner cushion and a removable cover (with piping!--my first piping attempt, while not a roaring success, was at least not a dismal failure) for washing. I've been saving my fabric scraps, thread and yarn ends, holey socks, and dryer lint for several months; this is what it's stuffed with. As a result the cushion's heavier than if I'd used normal stuffing. This is a good thing: the dog can't pitch it out of her basket like she did with her former pillow. Hopefully she won't chew this one up too.

I also sewed a quick baseball cap for Franklin. We had one but lost it, and all his others are winter hats. I made it from cotton canvas, bias tape, and interfacing. Already he's had compliments from strangers. Actually, he gets a lot of compliments just for existing--I never realized how much people like babies, but when we're out together, I get approached by all sorts: women my age, grandmas, grandpas, dads, little kids... Anyhow, I liked making this hat so much I think I'll make another. The pattern is my own.

Busy bees that we are, Partner and I (mostly Partner) finally tore out the living room carpet. Half of it is now adorning our patio; the rest is cut into decent-sized strips, rolled up, and stacked in the garage. The plan is to use it over winter to keep the bare vegetable beds covered and weed-free. The now-exposed floorboards are actually pretty good looking, though they need scrubbing, sanding, and varnishing.

Just to prove that Franklin does indeed now sleep in his stroller while I garden, here's a picture. I just have to time my gardening activities for when he naps. Yesterday I took my books outside to study while he napped in the shade and was attacked by mad kamikaze aphids. It's impossible to brush them off without killing or horribly maiming them. But my garden is a better place without aphids, and if they commit suicide, all the better for me.

Lemon and red and nature

2010-05-10T19:30:00.003Z

A few days ago I was just about to hop in the bath when Partner suddenly shouted "Blimey!" from the bedroom. I dashed over (in the nuddy, as they say), expecting another nightmare, but instead found him and Franklin hanging out the window (not literally) spellbound by nature's drama: a sparrowhawk had nabbed a fat pigeon on our lawn. I ran for the camera (still starkers); meanwhile the hawk flew its dinner to next door's garden. If you look closely, you'll see its orange eyes.

After the sunshine and warmth of April, May has disappointed. Apparently we are getting the average temperatures of February. No frost, luckily, but I'm not planting anything tender out just yet. I was tempted to plant out my nicotiana today--after all, it's nearly the middle of the month--but decided to wait just a little bit longer. My early potatoes have now sprouted (yay!); they were planted on Easter weekend, so I'm expecting to harvest them in the middle of June. Hopefully. I've never grown my own potatoes, though I assisted my dad with his when I was younger; he didn't grow early potatoes.

My rhododendron flowered! Frankly, I was expecting a bit more lemon and a bit less peach (the picture on the tag was decidedly lemony); no matter: it's a lovely color, and that bright yellow splash in the photo is a tulip. The tulips are in fact taller than the rhody.

I finished knitting the green and white baby cardigan and will take a picture of Franklin wearing it. I tried it on him, and though super-cute, it is a bit big. I'm kind of on a knitting spree now. I ordered some special yarn online and have started a new baby hoodie. Also in the works: a knitted red and black afghan. I'm hoping no one tells her this, but a very nice lady knitted me a lovely red cardigan a few years ago which I never really wore because it was HUGE. Seriously, it was big on Partner, and he's not exactly small-boned. I've begun unravelling it, and I can see the work she put into it--it's got beautifully intricate cables. I feel a little bit bad about it, but I will repurpose the yarn in my afghan. At least it's getting a new life.

My music video!

2010-05-02T10:54:00.004Z

Friends, I want to share with you a project that is very special to me: "Hopscotch" music video. I've worked on it for about a year: I first came up with the concept in the summer of 2008, and then filmed it that fall, and edited it over the course of the following year. It has been ready and waiting for quite some months now, but the music track is still not finished, sadly. However, I can't wait any longer for my sound engineer (he's had a lot of personal issues get in the way, so I don't blame him), and am posting it online now. If I ever get the final music mix, I'll upload that, but until then, please watch:

http://www.youtube.com/user/how1she1sparkles#p/a/u/0/7ML65qHquBg

"Hopscotch" is an original song written by myself and my husband, and performed by members of my family during a Thanksgiving visit. On a previous visit, we had recorded film for a short movie which was to feature a pop song. Unfortunately, the film was unusable because of formatting problems and the project had to be abandoned. For the next visit, I envisioned writing and making a music video of that pop song from the first movie. I wasn't sure if my family would be on board (acting in a movie is one thing, but singing and dancing in a movie is completely different), but they threw themselves into it. It was a great experience and a fantastic way to spend time with the family. I'm only sad that two of my brothers were unavailable to appear in it.

I think it should become a family tradition that whenever we get together we make a film project; both times it brought us closer together and brings back wonderful memories. Here are some stills from the video:

On a different note: I've been keeping a personal blog of my experience as a parent, started back in July 2009 when I found out I was pregnant with Franklin, and have decided to make it public. I know most people won't find it that interesting unless they are closely related to me; I'm not that interested in blogs about other people's kids myself. However, I have enjoyed updating it and am happy to share it:

http://meandfranklin.blogspot.com

2010-04-29T18:49:00.004Z

I've drastically cut down my goals for this month, and will be doing the same for May. Mostly because my plans were simply unachievable. I wanted to do stuff, but couldn't find the time with a newborn. My newborn is now almost eight weeks old and is actually taking naps on his own for more than ten minutes at a time and I have now managed to get light housework, study, and gardening into my day. And knitting and reading if I'm lucky.

This crocus flowered in my front lawn last month; I can't decide if I like the purple or the yellow better--I've got both. I love them but they only seem to last a few days--a week at most. I've had a lovely showing of daffodils and tulips this year and the bluebells and iris are set to flower soon. The early ones (daffs) came up late, and now the late ones (bluebells) are coming up early. Because of the long freeze and nearly constant snow, even the snowdrops didn't show until March, and they are normally flowering in January.

So. My potatoes are in the ground, courtesy of Partner, and my sweet peas are also all down. My runner beans and zuccini are sprouting and I'm ready to plant my celeriac outside. But a sneaky snail keeps nipping off the tops of my cabbage seedlings. Every day I go outside and find one less. If it just left one leaf, the cabbage could still grow, but there's only a bare stalk remaining. My mother thought it was yucky that I step on snails. If they were doing that to her cabbages, she might feel differently: that crunch is awfully satisfying.

2010-04-21T18:19:00.002Z

Last year's broccoli has now taken off. If you recall, I thought the caterpillars had demolished it permanently. Then I figured it was just too late in the season and too cold. But of course I was too pregnant (i.e. big and lazy) to go out and pull the stuff up, so I just let it lie.

Am I glad I did. Whoever heard of harvesting fresh broccoli in April? We've got loads of it: it's purple, and it's the sprouting type. I made sure I got the same kind planted this year. I will also be more vigilant about the caterpillars (I was too soft-hearted to kill them last year. Maybe I'll collect them and feed them to the fish in the pond this year).

I think I have most of my seeds planted now. Except, of course, the succession of vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, lettuce, and beets, which I plant a small batch of every few weeks. I've got most of my flowers in, too. Just need to plant the rest of my potatoes while I still have a chance...

Of course, my little boy doesn't let me have a lot of time to myself. Today he had a total of one hour's nap at about 10AM, and now it is nearly 8PM, and he's currently having his second. Or maybe this is his night's sleep. He hasn't had his bath yet, but if he stays asleep, I'm quite happy to skip it for one night.

I've been knitting him a cardigan for next winter; I've had the wool in my stash since before I got married and now I'm finally using it. I've discovered the joy of knitting and crocheting for babies. Partner got me two circular needles--they're awesome: much quicker to knit with than straight needles. I think I might need more, in different sizes. And more yarn. I borrowed a book of knitting patterns from the library and want to make all of them. Will I? This remains to be seen, but if I do, I will definitely show them off here.

2010-04-09T13:57:00.004Z

I tried popping the baby in his stroller yesterday in order to take advantage of some glorious sunshine. He didn't much like it, but in between the screams I managed to weed a little, stake some plants, and deadhead a few daffodils. Two whole loads of laundry also went out on the line. It was lovely. Today is similar in temperature and sunnyness and instead of risking another stroller failure, I went for the sling. He was happy to sleep in it while I planted out my broad beans. Fingers crossed the slugs don't annihilate them.

My mother was very industrious while she was here and did a lot of weeding, pruning, and planting. My garden looks ten times better than when she first arrived. She also bought me a beautiful yellow rhododendron; I can't wait for it to flower.

Our Easter involved too much chocolate and a puking baby. No, I didn't give him any; Partner ate his egg. But we surmise the chocolate milk disagreed with him so I'm only allowed one piece per day. Bummer.

Just a quick one

2010-04-01T18:05:00.004Z

Friends, I wish I had more to blog about, but I really don't. I'm doing full-time baby duty--I don't know how women do this on their own; I'm SO glad my mother's here. And when she leaves next week, Partner has two weeks off work. Because of this, at least I can get some sleep, even if it is only at two-hour intervals.

I managed to plant some seeds outdoors this past month. I saved my milk jugs to act as mini-cloches and have planted carrots and chard under them (so far). I also have lettuce sprouting in a big pot on my patio--time to plant another batch. And this weekend since Partner's off work my potatoes are going in the ground. Last spring I got all sorts done, only to get awful nausea and food aversions so I couldn't enjoy the results of my labor. This year I've got an adorable little baby distracting me. What good timing I have.

Time for a little break

2010-03-12T13:33:00.001Z

One last tummy shot

2010-03-05T20:27:00.004Z

I thought I'd get a photo in of my gigantic tummy before it explodes. Even my maternity clothing is getting a little tight on me now, so I hope he's coming soon. Due date is March 14th (nine days from today), but I can now tell people: any day now. This photo was taken yesterday. Also featured is my new haircut; it's just a bit shorter.

Last month we replaced our old wooden arch (that's it on the grass) with a new steel one. The wooden one supported a climbing rose, a passionflower vine, and two clematis--one purple, one red. Partner secured it to the garage (not pictured, but about three feet to the right) with a cable to keep it upright last summer. When he cut the cable, it pretty much tumbled down. The rose and purple clematis are still intact; we'll need to wait and see if the passionflower and red clematis survive the outrage.

The sun's appearance this week gave me impetus to do some gardening nearly every day. Spring is in the air--I hope!--less than two weeks ago it snowed. I've pruned some tough old shrubs and a few of the rosebushes, and cleared away dead foliage from several beds. Pruning is great, especially when one doesn't have to worry about killing the plant. Partner strangely doesn't like fuschias, and I'm not fussed if ours lives or dies: but I don't think I actually can kill it. Every year I cut it back to nearly the ground and every year it grows about eight feet. Still on my hitlist: the laurels and the rest of the roses.

Cheap flowers, motivation, and Romeo and Juliet

2010-03-03T17:14:00.005Z

This bouquet of roses was £1 altogether. I haven't actually counted, but I think there are close to three dozen. I have a huge bunch of very cheerful chrysanthemums on my dining table; I think I paid £0.80 for them. I love getting flowers on the cheap. Strangely, the supermarket puts a sell-by date on flowers, meaning if they aren't sold by the last day, they go on the clearance shelf.

My backache is mostly gone, and my drive and motivation is mostly back. The dog and I went walking today; I made granola, crumpets, AND dinner; I finished and submitted that pesky math assignment. I even gardened and houseworked, albeit slightly. I'm on good form to sit down to the piano, and later do a quick sketch in my sketchbook (as per my daily goals).

We had a weekend visit to London to see the inlaws, resulting in high blood pressure (literally, not figuratively. It was actually a nice visit), further resulting in not one but two hospital trips: both on Monday and Tuesday. On the Monday trip, I ended up discharging myself because the nurse was happy with my condition and my blood pressure was dropping. Only when I told her I wouldn't wait for the doctor's review, she went from friendly to dirty look and told me how irresponsible I was. I had to sign a disclaimer saying I wouldn't blame her if I dropped dead in the street outside.

I hope no one thinks the worse of me, but I wanted to leave because we had tickets for the ballet and it started in half an hour. I knew the doctor could be hours yet (hospitals crawl at a snail's pace) and I didn't want to miss Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. We ended up missing the first act--but as there were three acts in total, we made it for just after the balcony scene, and saw all the good stuff (i.e. all the blood). The end was very dramatic when she stabbed herself and then rolled into his embrace, so they were spooning corpses.

I wonder if all ballet companies have a few people on the books just to walk on and off as the father/mother/priest characters. I mean, the people who are in the ballet but don't actually do any dancing. Are these people actually dancers, or are they just some random person brought in to wear a costume and mime a bit?

I checked myself back into the hospital the next morning to get the all-clear on my blood pressure. No problems there. And the previous night's nurse: not on duty, sadly.

Making new from old

2010-02-26T15:33:00.004Z

Although most days I have a lot of drive and energy, and want to accomplish deeds both great and small, today is an exception. I woke up with very stiff shoulders and upper back and can't seem to loosen up (am reclining in bed now with a hot water bottle behind my neck). Even feeling so stiff, I would normally have gone out walking with the dog; except it's pouring rain with strong winds. I think I'll just stay in bed.

I broke into my studies for a bit, and did a small amount of sewing before making this decision. And I took photos of my newest sewing projects. One of which is this hot water bottle cozy. I cut up an old cardigan to make it. I have only recently started doing it, but I love cutting up old things to make new things. Other things which I have cut up: curtains, curtains, curtains. Two individual plus a pair of curtains have become fodder for my projects, including a dog bed cushion (not yet finished--I started it only to realize I didn't have enough stuffing), three grocery bags, a baby bassinet cover, and a pj top.

The bassinet cover	Detail from the bassinet cover
Detail from the bassinet cover	Pj top

2010-02-21T10:49:00.003Z

We woke up to another multi-inch snowfall this morning. For the past few days it's been clear and sunny, and we haven't had snow for several weeks. Just as I thought my spring gardening schedule was off to a flying start.

Part of the physiological changes involved in pregnancy give me a skewed sleep schedule. I woke up at 4.30AM the other morning, and after laying in bed for half an hour, decided I wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon; I got up and made a coffeecake: it didn't last long. Instead of Mardi Gras, here we celebrate a very sedate tradition on the day before Lent called Pancake Day. All over the country people make/buy pancakes on this very special day. British pancakes are actually more like crepes which are filled with various fillings, then rolled up to eat. I understand that on Pancake Day itself, the pancakes are sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar before rolling. We went the more avant-garde route with butter and icing sugar, jam, or nutella. If you don't know nutella, I'm very sorry for you.Partner tells me that pancakes in this country are often filled with savory fillings like ground beef and cheese. This is SO gross.

Toads, bonfires, and tea

2010-02-15T16:04:00.006Z

Oh what gardening fun we had this weekend. Partner promised to level out the new vegetable bed and put in a walkway.While doing so he found a bleary toad. Far too early to wake up from hibernation, Partner took it to a pile of leaves in another corner of the garden.
The very same day I suggested we cut down some overgrown elders that cast shade onto our new vegetable plot: this ended up becoming a two day operation. One such overgrown tree was cut down and into manageable chunks, and the next day another two trees came down (incidently, the tree behind Partner in the above picture was one of the unlucky ones--check out the photo of me below: clear view of the neighbor's shed and no tree). What to do with all this green wood? Burn it! And where is our bonfire pit? In the new vegetable bed! It took two attempts to get this fire going. It's HARD to make a fire of green wood--we didn't have any old seasoned wood. The first attempt went through ten newspapers. The second attempt took ten cardboard boxes plus the contents of our paper recycling.
Not to mention that in order to burn efficiently, the trees needed to be cut into logs and sticks, which then needed to be trimmed. If they weren't trimmed, the twigs on them (green and stubbornly fire-resistant) held the wood too far from the coals and flames to burn; this is why our first attempt failed: there was too much of a gap between pieces of wood due to the tangle of twigs.

We had tea, sandwiches, and scones while out coaxing the bonfire. Don't worry, Partner washed his hands after grappling with the toad.
Altogether we sat with the fire (adjusting and fanning the flames often) for about six hours. We did not have the raging inferno of Bonfire Night, though it wasn't for lack of trying. If there hadn't been so much wood in the first place (too much to stack, in other words), I would've given up after the first attempt. All gardening/tea party photos are here: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/cosmicharley/Garden%20of%20Galadriel/February%202010/

Messages and nightmares

2010-02-13T19:41:00.004Z

Since I got some alphabet magnets for Partner for Christmas we've been leaving each other messages on the fridge. As there is only one copy of each letter, though two of each number, it can make for interesting spelling. This is a joint message: one from me, one from him, and one first by me then altered by him. If it doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it. I don't get it either (and I wrote it).

It seems the Olympics are back again. I don't know how I missed that one; I haven't seen any preview material or build-up for it. Really strange. I have half an eye on the men's ski jump as I type this. Although I've been here in England for several Olympics now, I'm still not used to the style of commentators. From what I understand, the channel which covers it has a team of "sports commentators" who may or may not know anything about the event they comment on. For instance, one is a former Olympian: in dressage. Every so often they make a comment which is just so asinine--it's obvious Britain doesn't have a heritage of winter sports.

Partner wanted me to take a picture of his injury--I think he must be proud of it. At about 12.30AM the other night, I was in the other room reading when I heard Partner start yelling, like really making some serious noise, and then I heard some struggling. I threw down my book and listened, because my first thought was that he was being attacked, and if so, I would need a weapon (the iron was close to hand). But I quickly realized that if there was someone else in the house, I would have heard them come in, and I could only hear Partner.

By now he'd been shouting for about thirty seconds. I turned on all the lights as I rushed over to the bedroom, but before bursting in, I called out, "Honey, I'm turning on the light." He stopped making noise. I opened the door and turned on the light, to find him stood up in bed: there was a picture off the wall in his hand and another one smashed at his feet on the bed. Somehow, he gave himself a huge welt and bruise on his thigh; we surmise it was from the corner table next to the bed. How he managed to smash the picture, I don't know, but there were shards of glass everywhere in the bed; at least he didn't cut himself. He told me he was having a nightmare about being trapped in a tunnel with a train coming at him.

Myself, I was mostly amused, after the initial moment of panic. I picked up what glass I could see, ushered him out, and made him a warm milk. We both slept in the other bedroom that night.

Gardening in 2010

2010-02-10T07:14:00.002Z

Finally I did some gardening! It's been several months since I last did anything in the garden other than escorting the dog back in from her bathroom break (unsupervised breaks end up with her sneaking next door). Well, truly told, I didn't actually do this in the garden--I planted four kinds of seeds: cabbage, celeriac, broad beans, and sweet peas. The first two are in plastic trays on my kitchen windowsill. The last two are in toilet paper tubes and rolled newspaper tubes.

I folded a sheet of newspaper in half the long way, then using a narrow jar as a mold, rolled the newspaper into a tube and folded the edges over on one side:I think I made about thirty of them:I filled them up with potting soil separately and packed them into a seed tray:
That's one tray of broad beans and one of sweet peas, now residing in my cold frame. I've had very little luck with planting seeds straight into the ground so I almost always plant in trays first: seeds planted in newspaper or toilet paper tubes can be put into the ground once they're big enough; no need to peel away the paper/cardboard first. Since beans and peas of all descriptions dislike their roots being disturbed, this is the ideal way of keeping them alive and happy.

Fingers crossed my sweet peas actually sprout: I harvested my own seeds last fall.

Opera, and dressing for it

2010-02-06T18:25:00.004Z

For my homemade deli foods this week I made potato salad and barbecue chicken drumsticks. Unfortunately, neither lasted more than two days. This is my broccoli and cheese quiche--it lasted three days.

We saw Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte last night. The only reason for our attendance: Partner got free tickets through his work (I'm not a Mozart fan; I wouldn't pay for that rubbish*). The best I can say for it: ok singing and orchestra--although Partner insisted one of the instruments was flat through the whole thing. I didn't notice personally, though I did notice the two trumpet players kept sneaking off for a smoke.

*Partner once accused me of buying a Mozart cd. Never! (Ok, I do own one--but I ripped it from a library copy. I swear.)

Earlier in the week he asked me if I had opera clothes. I didn't, but I searched my closet and came up with a stretchy red skirt and a black tank top. A few snips and stitches gave me this new dress which, unlike the previous dress, will definitely last me the rest of the pregnancy; I'll be wearing it to the ballet next month. I suppose if I really cared about the details I would have taken it apart and lined up the stripes in the skirt, but for a half-hour job, I'm quite pleased.

All of the maternity clothing I own I either made or alterted myself. It's true I don't own a lot, and I can still wear several non-maternity items like tank tops, leggings, and cardigans. I've "borrowed" a few of Partner's button-up shirts which look cute over leggings and cinched with a belt. Only whenever I wear one he sighs: "I wanted to wear that today..."

2010-01-31T13:57:00.002Z

The past several days and nights have been beautifully clear, with almost no clouds in the sky. Cold, of course, but the snow is completely gone, thank goodness. I took this picture of the moon above the trees last night; I adjusted the levels of light on my computer (using PAINT.net) to distinguish the trees from the dark sky behind. It might be possible to adjust the light meter manually on the camera--I may have to look into it.

I asked Partner if my last post was inflammatory but he said no. Granted, he had a migraine when I asked him...

As it's the last day of January, I have only today to finish my goals for the month. I did manage to crochet a full baby blanket, and am nearly finished piecing together a second. I'm so disappointed I did not have the opportunity to knit a pair of socks. But I've been really good about walking the dog (pretty much five days a week), have submitted both assignments, and sat down to the piano regularly. And I swear I will organize my kitchen cupboards tonight. Right after I finish cooking Sunday lunch, make more granola, and do the laundry. I've promised myself to take weekends off, and not do any studying or housewife-y stuff. Yeah. Like that's going to happen.

Partner asked if we could have some ready-made food in the fridge--things to snack on that are filling and tasty. I think what he wants (and what I'd prefer) are cold deli foods like quiche, pasta salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, etc. The only restriction on these items are that they must be home-made. Two reasons for this: a)it's cheaper, and b)it's a far superior quality. Therefore I'm looking for ideas of deli foods I can make that aren't too time-consuming. This week I made both a huge Greek-style pasta salad (the kind with fresh vegetables, olives, and vinaigrette), and a broccoli and cheese quiche. Much as we both have enjoyed eating these, I can't very well make the same thing time and time again. Any ideas?

Making a home

2010-01-28T21:13:00.003Z

I enjoy making little things, like this gift tag, using my scrapbooking skills. I'm not actually a scrapbooker--more like a cardmaker really. Scrapbooks can be really nice, of course, and though we almost never get printed photos now, I was thinking I might make a sort of scrapbook journal for the baby. Maybe. I could simply do a plain written journal. Any new hobby I might pick up would only encroach on my other hobbies; I just may not have enough time to start scrapbooking.

I'm trying to take my responsibilities as a (probably temporary) stay-at-home wife and mother-to-be seriously. I actually think one of the best ways to show your spouse your love is to have dinner ready when he/she gets home from work. When I was still working, if Partner got home first he'd cook for me, or if I was home I'd cook for him. I always really appreciated having something hot and home-cooked waiting for me when I got home; I know he appreciates it, too. There was once a time I was only cooking two meals a week--my two days off. These days it's mostly five days a week, though I do sometimes cook on Partner's days off too.

I think having a clean and tidy house shows respect for the people you live with. When we had a lodger I felt more obligated to change the sheets regularly, vacuum, dust, wash the dishes, etc. But really, we should do these things out of love, not duty (I say we because I'm not the only one who lives in this house!). I certainly feel more calm and relaxed in a clean and tidy home than a messy one.

In fact, I would say it's the responsibility of living with another person: when one lives alone, one is free to be as messy or tidy as one pleases. When one lives with another person, both must operate to the wishes of the person with the highest standards--or there could be unpleasant repercussions like resentment and arguments. Not to go too deeply into gender politics, but I don't think many men realize this responsibility, hence the tendency of women to do more household chores than men. As I'm home full-time for the present, naturally I can and will do most of the chores. In this particular case, the person who is not home full-time can contribute to the housework by not making it harder! For example: not dropping dirty laundry on the floor but putting it in the basket, or replacing items to their proper place when finished using them: in general this means cleaning up after oneself, not leaving it for the "maid" or "elves."

I know I've complained that Partner doesn't appear to notice the need for housework, and that if I want a tidy, clean house I either have to ask him when I want something done (in which case he's doing me a favor rather than taking equal responsibility) or just do it myself. I'm trying to get across that it IS a responsibility, not just for the person who cares about it, but the person who cares about that person.

Cupcakes for birthdays

2010-01-24T14:48:00.005Z

We celebrated Partner's birthday this week. My birthday last month was pretty lousy, and I don't want to go into it, but Partner's was good: well, mostly; he still had to work, and then our childbirth class was scheduled for that evening, so we spent two hours at the hospital as well. Afterwards, however, we walked up the hill to a nice Indian restaurant. In addition, I made some cupcakes (they are called fairy cakes in this country) from our favorite recipe, which I would like to share--be warned, you will need a set of scales:

Genoise Cupcakes

-4 ounces (weight) sugar
-4 eggs
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-4 ounces (weight) self-raising flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted)
-Pinch of salt

1)Preheat the oven to 375F. Depending on the size of your cupcake tins, this will make about 12-15 cupcakes; have muffin cups ready in the tins, or if not using muffin cups, grease and coat the cupcake tins with sugar. 2)Using an electric mixer, whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla for 10 minutes. The mixture will be tripled in volume, nearly white, and form soft peaks. 3)Very gently, sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture in three batches, folding each batch in. It is important not to overmix at this point. 4)Divide the batter into the cupcake tins, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the tops are light gold, springy, and a toothpick comes out clean. 5)Let cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

And if you wish a very quick, tasty frosting here is enough to cover the above recipe:

Butter Frosting

-3 ounces (weight) butter
-6 ounces (weight) icing/powdered sugar
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-1 or 2 Tbsp milk
-2 or 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional--leave out if you want vanilla frosting)

1)Beat the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined. 2)Add the vanilla and enough milk to make the frosting spreadable. 3)Add the cocoa powder if desired, and blend in completely. Use immediately--do not refrigerate.

I've had a bad case of the blahs this weekend. I think it's the hormones. I'm so tired all the time--as in I want to sleep all day--and I feel like an alien spawn is ready to burst out of my skin. I'm still working on my schoolwork and my current crochet projects so even though I'm seriously demotivated, at least I don't feel like a complete failure on top of it. If I may share a tip for helping cope with the blahs: eat lots of fruit. I don't know what it is, but about half an hour after eating an apple and an orange, I usually have a bit more drive to sit down to the piano or wash the dishes or whatever.

On being a loner

2010-01-18T13:58:00.002Z

This is a scanned image of a badly printed photo from my work's New Year's Eve party. I think the original image is floating about on facebook somewhere, but as I'm not on facebook (I seriously cannot be bothered, even though I like keeping in contact with people) I don't have access to that image. Partner's on facebook. I'm sure he could find it if he wanted. But I think he spends far far too much time on it. The amount of time he spends (cough*wastes*cough) on it is what makes me not want to sign up.

So I was still able to fit into my Christmas dress, but only just. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to squeeze into it now without readjusting the fit. I also wore my movie star coat--it's actually a man's coat, so it normally fits me very loosely. But not any more! I can also barely wrap it around me. And Partner wore a brand new bow tie I made for him. It was a costumed event, so we told people we were Richard Whiteley and Carol Vordeman (two British game show personalities--think Pat Sajack/Vanna White). We didn't actually dress up as them; we were merely in our party clothes. I had worked the breakfast shift that morning; I got up at 5.50AM, so by the time 11PM rolled around I was ready to curl up on a bar stool and sleep. But I made it to midnight, did the countdown, pretended to sing the song (does anyone actually know the words to "Auld Lang Syne"?), then at 12.02 sleepwalked out and drove home. I had originally said to Partner that I would try to stay till 1AM, but just couldn't do it.

On my last shift at work, nearly all of my coworkers stopped by to wish me well and remind me that they want to see the baby when he's born. Probably their appearance was coincidental, but I appreciated it all the same. They also got me a big bouquet of flowers. I was very touched. I enjoyed working there (for the most part) because the people were friendly and it was good to go into work and have a chat. Now I'm at home most of the time and don't see many people during the day. I have made an effort to chat with random strangers I've been thrown together with, for example, waiting for the bus, or in childbirth class, to satisfy my socializing needs. I may even pop over to the neighbors' across the street if I get too lonely.

I looked into volunteer work in our area. It looks like a lot of projects available are simply no good for me in my condition. I can't be in contact with germs, so I must stay away from sick people and the general public; I also can't do any work that might injure me, so working with animals or anything with vehicles/lifting/physical work just won't do. The other charity work I looked at which seemed safe enough (like girl scouts and meals on wheels) require a background check. I had to have one when I worked at the care home, and I already know it takes a few weeks to come back. I only have eight weeks before my due date! I think I should have planned this a while ago; it seems too late now. Maybe I'll have to join facebook after all*.

*I will never ever join facebook. Ever.

Non-gardening and survival

2010-01-14T10:05:00.004Z

Last night Partner said to me in a hurt voice, "You haven't written a new post yet."

Sorry.

Not that anything momentous is happening. The whole garden blog thing has completely gone out the window since it began snowing a month ago. Of course, winter isn't usually the big gardening scene anyway. I think this time last year I was quite ill with a lung infection (I could have sworn it was pneumonia, but apparently not) so not much garden action then either. I guess there are a few seeds which can be planted indoors this time of year--I definitely planted snapdragons and nicotiana a few years back in January. No fresh flower arrangements either--but I've been buying cheap flowers from the grocery store. Like seriously cheap. These carnations had been reduced from £4.00 to £0.40. Last month I bought two bunches of flowers for £0.75 and they lasted two weeks.

We have not had such a prolonged cold spell since I've lived here (five years now) and I have a feeling some of my plants which normally survive the winter will not. I think the shrubs and bushes will be ok, but I'm worried about the herbaceous perennials (like snapdragons, lilies, etc). I was a conscientious gardener and dug up my dahlias, geraniums, and gladiolas after the first frost in December; they at least are safe in tubs in the garage.

The weather has also changed my outlook on survival, to some extent, on two key points: heating and food. We've heard on the news that some people are tripling their gas and electricity bills this winter because of the extreme cold. For the most part, this is just ridiculous. I guess if a family has a newborn baby, maybe they need the heat cranked up full-time, but honestly: do what I do and put on another sweater, wrap up in a blanket, whatever. I haven't changed my heating use and I haven't got frostbite yet. If we lost our gas or electricity supply, I'm sure we wouldn't freeze to death.

And food. We normally have enough food in the house for one week of good quality, fresh-made meals; or two to three weeks of rationed meals (for instance I got creative recently with some spagetti, olive oil, garlic, mushrooms, and a can of salmon--and Partner thought it was great). We generally go shopping once a week; I never realized how much this depends on us having a car and access to the roads. Last week the roads were virtually unpassable for the likes of us, so Partner took a canvas shopping bag to work two days in a row and bought some emergency supplies during his lunch hour to bring home on the train. When I saw the weather last night, I decided we had better go shopping while we still could and get plenty. I might do some research into dry food storage, for occasions like these. It's our joke that when we run out of food, at least we'll still have fish in the pond and grass on the lawn; but now both grass and pond are iced over!

The typical day

2010-01-08T14:23:00.003Z

I can envision myself posting on this blog a bit more often seeing as I'm not obligated to go to work for several months. And then, I can see myself not having much time to devote once the baby's born. I don't want this blog to be a "once a month update on my kid" sort of thing. This blog is about me and my life in particular, and while my child is definitely part of my life (and is soon to be a very big part) I still want to have something of an identity apart from him. And also because I get really bored reading blogs that are only about someone else's children. It strikes me that people who write only about their kids must not have any sort of interests outside of their kids--and that sounds like a frustrating kind of life. It would be for me, anyway.

So today, a typical day of not-at-work, I got up a bit late--maybe 9.15. Mostly I'm up before nine, though I blame both Partner (woke me up at 11 last night) and the pregnancy (woke me up about five more times). I don't consider myself a lark or an owl. There have been times in the past when my schedule demanded that I stay up late, so I would therefore get up late. But I really don't have a problem going to bed early and getting up early--in fact I prefer it.

Once up I get dressed immediately and do something with my hair (French braid today) and dab on some moisturizer. I can't be bothered with makeup at the moment. Dressed, I saunter down the stairs and collect any dishes or (gasp) dirty laundry scattered about and put it in its rightful place. I open curtains and head straight for the back door to put on my wellies. They aren't particularly comfy shoes and I don't wear them in the house, but I find that putting them on before I eat keeps the dog from barking at me. Because she knows that shoes+coat=walk. And she also knows that she is not allowed in the dining room when people are sat at the table. Which is where I will be eating breakfast. A bit convoluted, I know, but the way she gets worked up over walking seriously irritates me.

So anyway. Here I am in my wellies sat down at the table eating my (homemade) granola and (homemade) yogurt, with a book open. I also generally go for a glass of juice but it appears we're out today. Once the breakfast is in the tummy, I quietly put on my coat and try not to get too exasperated at the dog bouncing up and down. Dog goes straight on leash, we go out. No barking today, at least. She is responding to the hush training, by the way. Sporadically.

We walk through the still-heavy snow (got another dusting last night) to the wildlife area, and decide to go the full way around instead of just the half-way which we have been doing recently. Reason for this is that the snow is so thick, walking through it much more of a work-out, so I get tired quicker. Dog goes off the leash and I pretend I don't know her if she does something impolite in front of someone else (no embarrassments today).

Once home, the dog goes back inside to have a drink and get warmed up, but I grab the patio broom from the garage and sweep off the snow from the driveway. I already shoveled the main snowfall off several days ago, but have been sweeping it off every day to keep it from getting icy. We're the only house on the street (probably the only house in the village!) that has a clear driveway. I don't think anyone else shoveled that first day when we got a good six inches, and the result is that it iced over and can't really be shoveled now: just chipped at.

So. My drive and paths to front and back doors are again clear. I go back inside for my drink and warming-up. Once inside I check emails and reply to one or two (I try to get back to people within a week), get slightly distracted reading various blogs, make the bed, call Partner at work to ask him to bring home milk and dishsoap, and generally just sit around. After a lunch of leftover casserole, I watch the news to see the weather report--more ice and snow. Then I read a chapter for my class with a throw blanket around me because it's COLD.

Which brings me up to date. Now I shall go into the kitchen to make more granola, put away clean dishes from last night, and possibly have something else to eat. Later I will work on a crocheted baby blanket and when the heating comes on I will practice piano for a bit (fingers too numb now). Partner is making dinner tonight, despite the fact that he is getting home from work a bit late. But we're having his favorite and specialty: fish and chips.

That's it then: my typical day.

Not much, just snow

2010-01-05T13:53:00.005Z

So it's not a big deal to my high-elevation dwelling readers, and yet it's completely dominated my life for the past two weeks or so. The snow, of course. And it's not just me. It's the whole country. Today we've had maybe five inches. So far. Because it's still snowing and has been since 6.30AM. When I left for work this morning, it hadn't snowed. Well, there was still about half an inch on the ground from the last snowfall. Just as I took the turnoff into work it started and still has not stopped at 2PM. I drove back from work three hours early because at the time there was three or four inches surrounding my car and I was worried about getting out of the parking lot. Thankfully the main road was treated, the secondary road was not bad, and the road through our village was passable. It was only about two blocks on side streets that had me white-knuckled. This is my car in the driveway, after I've been home two hours. I don't think I'm going out driving again any time soon. So I may not be working tomorrow either. I may even have to cancel my dentist appointment in two days; I just watched the weather report: more heavy snow for the rest of the week.

I am due to begin my maternity leave at the beginning of next week. In some ways, I wish I was working for longer. If I were working longer, I would be getting paid longer. And I still have ten weeks to go before the due date, so I don't know how I'm going to pass the time till then. But on the positive side, I won't have to drive in snowy, icy conditions any more, or worry about getting knocked over or slipping. My next course starts at the end of this month so I will have more time to devote to my studies--time I will no doubt need as it's a moderately advanced mathematics course.

In other news, I've been writing down goals for the year. Not resolutions: goals. I was thinking about my many crafting hobbies, and how I don't have the time to indulge them all simultaneously. So I thought, maybe I should concentrate on a single crafting hobby a month. Then I thought, I don't have twelve separate hobbies. But...I could split them into six. And set project crafts for each hobby. So far I've got about four months' worth of projects. And of course I've got goals which are not craft-related. I'm even open to suggestions for my goals. Setting and keeping goals gives me a warm happy feeling. Like I'm improving myself and making the world a better place.

2009-12-30T16:48:00.005Z

Our Christmas was lovely this year. We spent the whole day together, just the two of us (well, the dog too), made our meals together, and played games and with presents together. Very happy and peaceful. We filmed some footage of the day and I put it together into a movie for youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/how1she1sparkles#p/a/u/0/LRAgfDW2JoU. Please have a look; it's about eight and a half minutes long, but stick with it to the end (the end is the best bit). This is a picture from the first snowfall as Partner just stepped in the door. I think he looks very dashing (not to mention freezing) in his hat and wool coat.

The snow has now been washed away (thank goodness) except for a few tenacious bits in the road which were particularly thick with ice. It lasted at least a week. Partner and I actually cleared away the ice from the end of our street: we live at the end of a cul-de-sac, and the circular bit of road in front of our house had ice two or three inches thick on it. Partner was bringing the dog home from walking, and he said even she was slipping on it. So he went out with his high-tech ice-clearing tool (the flat hoe) and I joined him about ten minutes later with my high-tech ice-clearing tool (the patio broom) and together we got it all up and into three piles. I think the neighbors watched guiltily from their windows. One neighbor walked past saying something pessimistic about there being no point doing it, as it'd only get icy again. I felt like saying, what, you want us to stop? But I think that was his way of saying, yes I'm a big putz because I'll walk past you clearing the road in front of my house and I won't offer to help or even thank you. Not that I expect the neighbors to be grateful.

I think the end of our street would make a great setting for a sitcom. All the neighbors are very different from each other and are almost like caricatures rather than normal people. For instance:

The couple next to us are probably about my parents' age, and they have very loud arguments, and do home and garden improvements regularly (often at the same time). Neither Partner nor I really understand their accents, which is frustrating when trying to eavesdrop on their disagreements.
On the other side of us is a single youngish man with his elderly lap dog; he works as a security guard and keeps odd hours. Our dog likes to sneak into his yard to have a poo but I don't think he knows.
Two doors down from us are a family who never seem to answer their door. Once a police car camped outside their house all day, and though the car was in the drive, they kept the curtains drawn and would not open the door. Neither of them have a job though I've seen the husband doing odd jobs for the security guard neighbor.
Next to them are an old couple who have all sorts of unsavory relatives constantly visiting, get a new/used car every year, and sell the old car to someone else on the street. I haven't seen the wife for about a year. Maybe she died.
Then next to them (bear in mind this is going in a circle from us, so we are now almost opposite our house) is a twenty-something couple. He works all the time, and she knows (and tells!) about everyone's secrets on the rest of the street. She's very excited about me having a baby.
And directly opposite us are another middle-aged couple whom I would probably not recognize if I saw them anywhere else but walking out of their front door. Still, he is a such a gloomy bugger that he would complain even about ice being cleared from the street in front of his house.

I do know most of our neighbors' names though I suspect none of them know mine. I think together we could make great, if unintentional, comedy.

Still more snow

2009-12-23T14:29:00.004Z

Since I last posted, we got another snowfall, and the temperature hasn't climbed much above freezing. So we still have a few inches on the ground, making it beautiful and cold here. While out walking today I saw the snow was forming lovely crystals on long grasses in shady areas. I think it's from slight melt-and-freeze we've had for the past few days. The big community football pitch (soccer field) near us didn't have many footprints in it, so as I trekked across, I decided to stop in a pristine patch and make a furtive snow angel when no one was watching.

I am not at all confident about driving now, however. The roads are still very slippery; I made a complaint to the local council but I have yet to actually hear back from them: there has been no action about it. So I have only been driving to work and back, and walking everywhere else. I tried out my new birthday wellington boots today and stayed completely dry and was quite happy to walk through the snow. They gave me a small blister on my heel, so I guess that means I need to wear them more often to break them in.

My Christmas preparations are now mostly finished. The decorations have been up since the 2nd. I've got all my shopping done. The fridge is full of goodies and the presents are mostly wrapped. We set a budget for spending on each other, and I only slightly exceeded mine. I want to save most of our money for the baby anyway. I told Partner to count the presents already under the tree, because that's how many he's getting from me.

A party in the snow

2009-12-18T11:49:00.004Z

This week I've been working on a dress for a party we'd been invited to. I had a pattern for a top which I altered into an empire-waisted minidress (it wasn't a complicated alteration, but it did take me about three days to complete). I didn't want a maternity dress that made me look like a tent, I wanted something more fitted that emphasized the fact that actually I am fairly slender, I just happen to have a soccer ball in my tummy. It has a sweetheart neckline, slightly puffed sleeves, and a fitted waist (well, empire waist and back). This picture doesn't really show the dress well, but at least the soccer ball shows.

I bought some new black leggings to go under it the day before the party, and I looked at new shoes, but didn't buy any. Turns out, it was a good thing, because the only pair of party shoes I own (and they are fabulous) and had decided to wear were too slippery, so I ended up wearing sensible shoes anyway: it began snowing early in the afternoon yesterday and by the time we left, there was nearly an inch of snow on the ground. I took about three steps on the driveway in my fabulous shoes and decided to go back in the house and change them.

The party was at a friend's house in town, and the roads were already quite snowy, but we made it there albeit slowly. I got complimented on my bump many times, which made me happy I took the time to make a fitted dress, although as the evening went on, I was the only one who was sober and when people started staggering, I started to slightly worry for my safety. I don't really drink anyway--maybe a small glass of wine with a meal once every several months, or something fruity on a night out (usually once a year), though I know people lose their shyness after a drink or two, and that can make an evening more fun. Still, the staggering is a bit too far, and when people get to that stage, they are still having fun, but it's not a social thing any more. They are too drunk to notice other people and are just enjoying their own buzz. And it's not really fun for any sober people, or even people who are still at the one/two drink stage.

So we left at about 12.30; Partner had had a few (he wasn't quite staggering), which was the plan anyway, because as I can't drink I get to be designated driver. At this point there was about two inches of snow on the side streets, and the main roads weren't much better. We drove the whole way home at no faster than 30mph. I was frustrated--and a bit scared--because normally when there's even a hint that it might frost (let alone snow) the local council sends out the trucks to salt the roads. Obviously someone failed here, because none of the roads we drove home on (most of them main roads) had been treated.

This morning I woke up at 10.30, and my first thought was, "wow I've really slept in," and my next thought was, "it's so sunny," and my third thought: "I'm so not taking the dog out--it'll be slushy and muddy and horrible." But then I looked out the window and saw:

And I decided going out would be fun after all. True, it was still pretty slippery, especially on the sidewalks, but out in the fields we took the paths we normally don't take in winter because they're too muddy. We didn't get a speck of mud on ourselves, and the less-traveled paths were beautiful: all last summer's flowerheads and every twig of every tree all had a little cap of snow still. We saw lots of bunny tracks (four prints close together, a big space, then four more prints), and a sign fallen over and partially obscured by snow that said: DA THI. I thought about it for a while and decided it was meant to say DARN THICK. Meaning the snow. Or possibly the sign.

2009-12-11T12:12:00.003Z

This morning I went out early to buy some fruit and vegetables at the market (much cheaper than the store) and then went to a new grocery store for the rest of the weekly shop. Last night it froze so that when I got slightly lost and had to turn the car around (I'd never been to this store), I could feel the tires slipping slightly on the icy street. I managed to stay on the road though; it probably helped that the front two tires are brand new: I got them last week. So I had an exciting and slightly scary moment, but all was well.

As I drove back from town I saw the lawns and fields were still frosty white; here in our village most of it has melted. We live in a little warm weather vortex; seven miles away it gets frost, but at our house it's balmy. A local man told me it was because we lived within the shelter of three big power stations: they're pumping out hot air constantly and it diverts the cold air away. Whatever it is, often there'll be storms over Partner's work (20 miles away) and completely blue skies at home.

When I got home I went out walking with the dog. Pictured is one of several small ponds at the wildlife area where we walk. She's getting much better at her "hush" training, though she didn't want to hush when she saw another doggie on its leash. When she's off the leash, or both dogs are, she's as friendly as can be. But when she's on it and sees another dog, it sounds like she wants to tear that dog into tiny pieces. At least the other dog owner laughed about it. Personally, I was mortified.

2009-11-30T14:14:00.004Z

My curtains only took me three days to finish. I worked about an hour or so each day; it took me longer to measure and plan them than it did to sew them. I had to take very precise measurements to ensure they were exactly the same. Nonetheless, I'm pleased with them, especially since I didn't have to rip out any seams (I do with most projects).

Though the weather, and especially the wind, has turned quite cold we still haven't had a frost in our garden. Therefore, I can't possibly justify the clearing away of plants just yet. However, I'm now looking forward to the first frost, just so I can tidy everything up. Partner's broken up all the concrete in the vegetable bed, and has dug out more than half the grass. I can't wait to plant things in it next spring: potatoes for one. This year, we decided that the chard was a success (it's still producing, actually) and we will plant it again next year. The runner beans are an old favorite, along with carrots and beets. I think we will definitely do cabbage again, and while the broccoli was hit and miss, I think if I had caught the caterpillars sooner it would have been a winner. There were two others we planted that I probably wouldn't go for unless the seeds were free: lettuce and squash. The lettuce was all right, but the squash never had a chance--too rainy. The only one which was a disappointment was the tomatoes. But then again I knew they would be and if it were up to me, we wouldn't have even bothered.

We took our dog and Partner's parents' dog out walking together last week; it was obvious who gets taken out more often. Our dog was streaking around like a greyhound and their poor doggie was waddling and puffing behind. He's such a funny little dog and loves it when Beauty bosses him around, but he doesn't have any manners--he doesn't even sit unless he's offered a treat he likes. Still, at our house, he quickly learned he wasn't allowed to beg at the table and to (very reluctantly) sit at street corners before crossing. In this picture our dog is in the background, theirs, Dudley, is in the puddle, and my baby bump pokes out a little through my baggy jacket.

2009-11-24T14:23:00.003Z

The past few weeks we've been teaching our dog the command "hush" for barking. She responds well when it's someone at the door, but when we take her walking, she doesn't want to hush. I understand this particular training can take a month or even more. It's rather embarrassing to be walking along and for her to see a bicyclist or another dog on a leash and for her to yap and howl and try to bolt off after it. She also has another embarrassing trick to run all the way across the football field just to bark at some random walker and then run all the way back. In that case, however, I pretend she doesn't belong to me.

I bought some material at Ikea today to make drapes for my big sliding door. I've never exactly made curtains, but I figure it's just some really long seams and hems. I'm not having anything fancy. Now that it's winter, we notice the sliding door lets a lot of cold in. We did have some other drapes up for a while, but the curtain pole was quite flimsy, and then the drapes themselves weren't made to those measurements so they didn't quite cover it all. At the moment I have a very simple gingham valance up. These drapes will fit in behind it.

I'm slowly working my way through tidying the front garden. It's not big at all: maybe 15'x10', and a good portion of it is grass (and moss--the lawn doesn't get much sun), but it has borders on all four sides and all of them are choked with grass and brambles. During the summer it wasn't that noticeable because of the wildflowers, but now it just looks very unkempt. I've done two of the narrow-sided borders, though I haven't made much of an effort to dig up all the grass roots; there are a lot of established bulbs I don't want to disturb. In the spring, I get multitudes of daffodils, then tulips in those narrow beds. This picture of the narrow bed next to the drive was taken three years ago in April.

2009-11-16T22:39:00.002Z

While we still haven't had a frost at our house, growth has for the most part stopped in the garden. My vegetables are still alive (well, not the tomatoes), as are most of my flowers, though the only ones still flowering are the carnations and dahlias. I think I have one pink rose which has had the same bloom on it for about two weeks: it's too chilly for it to change. I've pulled up all the obvious weeds from the bare patches: now I just have to wait for a frost to kill everything off so I can tidy the garden.

I'm starting to get big enough around the middle to stop me bending much. I'm working on making maternity clothing: both altering existing clothing and making new. I have made two items to date, with a third in the works: I'm altering a nonmaternity shirt pattern (or trying to). I've got some old worn-out shirts of Partner's to make mock-ups with. I've done some research online; if it works out I'll no doubt make several.

And lastly, poor old Jack was consigned to the compost bin when his tenure was up. Still, he found it in himself to give one last leer.

Bonfire night

2009-11-06T11:39:00.004Z

Last night we celebrated a tradition here called Bonfire Night. The neighbors mostly set off loud fireworks (in bad taste, I think) but our bonfire was better than anything on our street. Though it's been mostly a miserable rainy week, we still braved the weather and burnt our moldy old shed. Partner tore it down last weekend in preparation, and I sorted the wood into kindling, small pieces, and big bits. We decided to burn it in the greenhouse foundation which Partner is currently breaking up.

Though it was difficult to get going--I think we used up five newspapers (that's whole papers, not sheets) in order to get the kindling dry enough to burn--once it started, it simply ate up the wood, wet or not. And the wood was indeed wet. We were out there about three hours or so before we finally put on the floor and the roof; both were very big and dripping, but at this point, going within four feet of it singed our eyebrows. Nothing was stopping it.

When we finally were down to coals, they filled the entire pit: three feet wide, six feet long, and about ten inches deep. And still incredibly hot. This morning they are covered in ashes, but still very warm. We burned every single plank, completely blackened the metal tub of compost next to it, and scorched my poor broccoli. It was really great.

Halloween in England

2009-11-01T11:38:00.003Z

On Friday (the 30th), we made a German chocolate cake from the Joy of Cooking recipe; it takes a lot of bowls/measuring implements/mixing utensils, but dang! it's tasty. For the two of us, I've found that the cake recipes in that book are just too big, both for our baking tins and our appetites, so I generally make 3/4 of a recipe. I had a tub of frosting in my cupboard from our last visit to the US--they don't sell it here. Cake mixes too are not common here, but who doesn't prefer a home-made cake anyhow? It's the lightest, fluffiest, chocolatiest cake ever. Two days later we still have half a cake left.

It's difficult to get big pumpkins here (the weather doesn't really support pumpkin growth), so when Partner decided to bring home one for carving, it was the "medium" size--about the size of a volleyball. We carved our jack-o'lantern while waiting for our cake to bake. I think it's been about ten years since I last carved one. We gave him fangs, a unibrow, and a leer.

It's not such a big holiday here, though I believe Halloween originated in the Celtic tradition. But all the modern celebrations are new to this country I think. Still, kids do dress up, and go trick or treating. I had to work Halloween (not really a big deal now that I'm an adult, to tell the truth) but Partner swears we had more than five kids show up this year. We live in a cul-de-sac, and not a lot of kids live on our very short street, so we haven't had many trick or treaters since I've lived here. That could also be due to the way Partner puts on a scary mask and leaps out at the children when they knock on the door. He says he scared one kid so badly she wouldn't take candy from him even with the mask off.

Market in rain

2009-10-26T11:59:00.002Z

This weekend we decided to do our shopping at the local market rather than the grocery store. It was a bit wet, but that didn't stop us or the usual market-goers. There is all sorts at the market, not just food, but a lot of it is stuff I wouldn't bother with like cheap clothing, shoes, and accessories.

From our list we were able to buy everything except milk, butter, and dog food. But we did manage to get some lovely potatoes, beef shin, and pork belly, and I got some bargain books. Oh, and I got my hair trimmed, though that wasn't exactly in the market. It looks a lot neater now; she took about three inches off and it's still mid-back length.

While waiting for my turn, I had a long chat with a young mother of a five month old baby. I don't really know anybody locally who is pregnant or has a new baby, so I asked her all sorts of questions. Which leads me into the strange world of not-so-shyness.

When I was a child, I was really outgoing, but when we moved to a new area at age nine, I suddenly became very shy. From then on, I have always considered myself a very introverted person, not at all comfortable meeting new people, or speaking to strangers. But over the past few years, this has gradually changed. I don't mind speaking to strangers, if I want to. I don't really go out of my way to chat to people just for the sake of chatting, but if I want to know about something or someone, I feel perfectly comfortable asking.

I think it's part of considering myself an adult and an equal of people around me. I'm older than a lot more people than I used to be, and talking to a younger person is just like talking to a child, really! There are some younger people I work with who are pretty shy and I can remember being tongue-tied if an older person tried to make conversation with me. Well, I'm the older person now.

2009-10-17T17:21:00.002Z

Of all my broccoli plants (somewhere around 40 survived), only one has florets. I just don't know if the others will produce. Partner told me we shouldn't bother next year. I'm still hopeful for the rest but...we're really getting into autumn here. He's been working on that concrete patch out back, and has maybe broken up a fifth of it. It's back-breaking work, and he can only do about fifteen minutes at a time, and only at weekends: it's now dark when he gets home from work at 6.30. I will be happy so long as it's done before next spring.

Today I attended my first lecture of the academic year. As the course I'm taking is self-study, I only have lectures about once a month. Last year I really enjoyed them; they are in Leeds, a big city about 30 miles from us. Leeds is great to visit: lots of shopping, and a really fun market--I love going to the fabric stalls, and browsing the fish and butchery stalls. If we lived a bit nearer, I would totally do my weekly grocery shop there. Since Partner works in Leeds, he occasionally picks up some good deals on meats, but it's impractical for him to bring a full shop home with him on the train. Unfortunately.

I gave the doggy a bath earlier this week, set down her collar, and lost it. I haven't been able to take her walking since. Partner accused me of carelessness. Turns out, it was lurking in her bed, where she stashed it after stealing it.