Verb: pootle
poo-t(u)l To move in a leisurely unhurried way,
with no real purpose


Tuesday 26 August 2014

This week I have mostly been ....

This week I have mostly been .... 
.... making dog crate covers !
It would appear that , just like me, Otto likes to be hidden away, snug as a bug when he sleeps,


and so, whilst it is not the most interesting of makes, 
my time has been spent whizzing three crate covers together on the sewing machine.


This one at home is by far the cosiest
but he quite happily settled in to his one at Nursery this morning after a 
manic twenty minute charge around.


Our week off  just seems to have flown by with every minute packed full to bursting.
We have had lovely visits from friends who came with arms full of these beautiful sunflowers,


and ....
wait for this ....
a bar of ' Aristocratic Milk Chocolate '
from none other than Downton Abbey itself !!
I know !


It is safely tucked away in my fridge and all have been issued with a very stern warning that it is absolutely not to be touched, not even in times of serious chocolate emergencies, as this is to be eaten by me ( I may possibly share with the other half .. maybe ) during the first episode of the new series.

Nursery is looking all shiny and new after its paint and polish and odds and ends from the crate covers came in very handy for some little strings of bunting


and some seat covers that are now in the staff room.



We did of course manage to fit in a trip to The Meatball Shop, otherwise known as Ikea,
and the usual cramming of shopping into the car boot followed.


Also very excitingly this week I have reached 100 Likes on my Facebook - 
and you know who just happened to be the 100th person - 
my bestest friend in the whole wide world Jane, who has now joined the world of Facebook - yay !


 

There was of course time for crochet and
 I can now safely say I am on the home run with my blanket.


I am so nearly there with the border.


All that's needed then is a quick block and its ready to be packed up with all of Immi's things
 as she heads out in to the big wide world.


Monday 18 August 2014

Happy Monday ...

 
This is pretty much what my Monday is looking like today ...
 
Pinterest
 
... Snoozy and chilled and full of tea
because
YAY !
Nursery is shut for a whole week.
 
Pinterest 
 
Sometimes we just all need a break !
Other than for another week between Christmas and New Year this
is the only time we close completely.
Its the time of year when we get the decorators in for a bit of smartening
 up and any other wear and tear is sorted out.
Even though it's only a week it's good for everyone to take some time out and in a way
 it finishes off one year before we have a new intake of littlies after the Summer holidays.
 
 
We've said goodbye to a lot of our big pre-schoolers in the last few weeks and
this is always bittersweet - lovely to see them head off to big school,
 ready for everything we have prepared them for, but also hard to say goodbye as so
many of them have been with us since they were very little babies.
 
 
These truly b♥e♥a u♥t♥i♥f♥u♥l flowers were given to me at work at the end of last week ,
and came with a very special hug and a kiss from one of our little leavers.
I take a big sigh every time I walk into the kitchen - they are quite delicious.
And so ... my plans for the week ?
Not an awful lot if I'm completely honest.
 

 With a little help from Itsy I have finally managed to start the border on my blanket.
This is my most favourite bit of all,
in fact when I thought about it I realised I could actually write a whole post just on borders,
so that's exactly what I shall do when I have put some pictures together.

 
This one is going to be quite simple ,
kind of less is more .
 

 Not quite there just yet but I'm very pleased with it so far.
Happy Monday to you all out there,
hope you're having a good one too.
 
 
 
 

Monday 11 August 2014

Teething problems !

 
So ... further to last weeks post I can now say quite definitely that puppies and crochet do not mix.
I'm not sure if it's that the blanket I'm working on is Weimeraner colour and that Otto therefore thinks its a mass of puppies waiting for a giant bundle - but that certainly seems to me to be his thought process as he just kind of leaps at me whenever I try and sneak on to the sofa,
 blanket and hook in hand.
There then follows quite a bit of tussling with me hanging on dearly to the last stitch so as not to see my work unravelling before my eyes whilst a fair amount of yelling follows to attract the attention of anyone near enough to unlock one small puppy jaw from the wool
- so much easier said than done !
 
 
I am tantalisingly close to finishing it now so it's all a little frustrating really.
I have to admit to having sneaked upstairs a couple of times this weekend when no one was looking, taking my crochet with me, and very quietly closing the bedroom door behind me.
 
 
I even have the wool for the border all ready and waiting.
I decided to go with Sirdar's Snuggly Baby Bamboo, as I think this will add a good contrast in
 texture to the slightly fluffy grey wool.
Its a really lovely yarn, smooth to work with and giving a very slight sheen to the end product.
I have linked the wool to Blacksheep Wools as that is where I bought it from with a very lovely £25.00 voucher sent to me for being their July Blogger of The Month !
 
 
I was so happy to have been chosen - a bit of a squeal moment really.
If you get a chance pop over and take a peek.
In light of the fact that  sitting down activities have pretty much gone out of the window for
 the time being I have had no excuse but to get some much needed jobs done instead.
 
 
I'm sure I'm not alone in this ... but we have soooo many apples this year !
And as the birds have been merrily knocking them off the tree and pecking away
 at them it would seem they are ripe and good to pick already.
 
 
We don't have many trees,
just a sort of trellis of 2 or 3 outside our back door, but the boughs are full to bursting,
so Saturday morning was spent peeling, chopping and slicing.
 
 
I decided to freeze the slices uncooked as I figured this way I can still use them for
lots of different things.
I read a top tip about spreading them on a tray and freezing the slices for a couple of
 hours before putting them in bags as this allows the slices to all stay separate and
 not clump together in a great big solid mass.


 
Needless to say not all of the apples made it to the freezer - as having had the help of my
other half in all of the peeling, chopping and slicing work a very nasty crime may
have been committed had I not delivered an apple crumble at the end of the day.
 
Obviously it has been quite essential that in between all boring jobs lots of time is spent puppy hugging, and as this little spot outside the kitchen seems to be one of his favourite places a fair amount of time has been spent here.
 
 
 
Its certainly been very interesting to see the house from lots of down on the floor angles,
and I have to say I'm really quite liking my kitchen from here !

 

 
 
I'm thinking that my next little crafty make might just be a crate cover.
Lilou absolutely loved her crate when she was little and seemed to love it being
enclosed and a bit hidden away.
We are working with Otto to get him to love his crate as much ( least said on that the better ! )
and as his is a little open and exposed maybe a cover is just what's needed.

 

I made this one for Megs dog Minky a few months ago,
and now I'm wishing I'd taken the trouble to write down what I did !
Oh well, I shall just have to go and sit and think about it for a bit ...
 

 
... whilst puppy cuddling at the same time of course !
 
 

Monday 4 August 2014

Puppy Love and Birthdays ♥

 
One thing that I have discovered this week is that very young puppies and crochet don't mix, and that
trying to get a ball of wool unhooked from sharp little puppy teeth can be quite a challenge.
 Safe to say little progress has been made on Immi's Uni blanket in the past few days.
 

But we have had so much fun getting our little chap settled in to his first week with us.
He is such a good boy, and seems to have a very laid back and loving nature ...

 
he even fell asleep on the scales at the Vets.
 
 
There's been an awful lot of time spent in the garden for regular wee trips


as well as quite a bit of bed swapping ...
little basket and crate being for Otto, big bed being for Lilou !
 
 
And Lilou has had the patience of a saint
and seems to be beginning to enjoy her new companion.
 
And then ....
on Sunday afternoon I popped round the corner for a cup of tea with
 a friend ( all part of the plan I discovered afterwards )
and came home to this ...


... a proper grown up afternoon tea party in our garden,
all arranged and baked by my gorgeous girls
as an early celebration for my birthday tomorrow.


Such a lovely, lovely surprise.
I had no idea at all that things were secretly being planned.
We had scones with fresh strawberries and cream,  tiny dainty sandwiches,
chocolate dipped shortbread


 and the most delicious lemon cake you have ever tasted.
I felt very spoilt indeed.


Bubbles were drunk,
tummies were filled
and all was good with the world.