Just about bordering on odd, I see things through different eyes.The heading says it all - I live, I love, I craft, I am me...

30/06/2013

What are weekends for?

Weekends tend to be family time, we try to walk (weather permitting) at least one of those days. 

This weekend was not one of those.



We gardened, the weeds are gleefully strangling all my plants.

It rained. 

Youngest had an urge to make a chocolate cake.
Himself got himself covered in plaster dust.

Youngest had an urge to take photos in the garden,  so borrowed my camera.
The kittling took to inspect the plumbing.

Himself covered himself in wallpaper paste.

Pan sat in the bath out of sight of a giddy kittling.

We had to listen to Eldest's latest choice of CD... an 'interesting' choice.....our ears are still recovering.

We went shopping - gah - I hate shopping - but we had to get ingredients for a chocolate cake.

Eldest went out to the movies with the girlfriend.

Wallpaper fell on my head....several times.

It rained.

Himself got himself covered in plasterboard trimmings.

Then Pan hid from the kittling - think she had had enough of its kitty-giddiness.

I got my hands covered in builder's foam - which made the wallpaper stick to me rather than the wall.

Eldest needed collecting from the girlfriend post  movie outing.

I pulled out many cactus hairs from my knuckle.

We ate super tasty super rich chocolate cake.

The cats were banished from the attic - for putting hairs and claw holes in the wallpaper.

Then, this rather disjointed weekend ground to a halt. 

Not really sure what we actually achieved or got up to......

And you?

28/06/2013

Eldest

He sits there, draped over the chair with legs dangling far too long for his rapidly growing body to cope with. His eyes are downward, fixed to the small bright screen flashing communications from his girlfriend. Although not garrulous by nature, his conversation has reduced to a few select noises which seem to be universally used for whatever response.....
'Tea?'
'Huh?'
'Would you like a brew? Kettle is going on, want a tea?'
'uhuh'
'You on your phone?'
'Huh?'
'Are you are your phone still?'
'uhuh.'
You get the picture.

He does still have moments of gangly giggling silliness where his once boyish voice was, is now a baritone boom. I can still hug him tight and I value each and every day that he allows that as I am sure that privilege will eventually cease. Something else that has changed - he is the same height as me and it won't be much longer that he will overtake me. Where once he would accept my advice or suggestions, it is now that he offers up instruction or guidance. Often given with a roll of the eyes and a sigh of teenage resignation as his mother fights with technology or appears to be driving like an old lady.

Our taste in music - both eclectic I have to admit, however, his tastes are for the 'old stuff'' while I can  be found bouncing in the kitchen to Pendulum or Dead Mau5, his MP4 is jam-packed with Queen, Edwin Starr and Meatloaf. Oh there is some modern tracks on his playlist too, but they are in the minority........ I sink down in my car seat when his music is blasting out - Queen 'Fat bottomed Girls' whilst I am driving - oh dear - hope people don't think its me!

My heart swells with love and pride for him with one moment then the next I have the urge to grind my teeth and cuss about him and his teenage ways. His bedroom - once a space to store toys and model aircraft  is now a bolt hole where his clothes languish idly across the floor and tropical plants, cushions and CDs congregate.

Don't get me wrong, watching him blossom and grow into a fully fledged adult is part-pride, part-fear all-love and I am so very pleased to be part of his life.

27/06/2013

I am here you knit wit!

Sorry -

I feel the need to apologise - It is ANOTHER kittling post.....


A couple of times last week, Pepper just vanished. Totally and utterly AWOL. Despite a pretty thorough search we could not locate her. Only to find, a short time later a pandiculating kittling with a slightly bemused look on her face as we scooped her up and ask her where she had been sleeping. Not surprisingly we were none the wiser.

Then, one day - just perchance - I spotted this when I reached for my knitting bag.
 Tucked inside, curled up on Himself's jersey was a snoozy little kittling.
 I leant in to hear a small and squeaky snore and little happy grunty-kittling noises.


Ooh - you found me prrrrrrr.


Since then, she has snuggled down several times more in my knitting bag for a sneaky snooze. Then, last week at knit and natter, when all knitting crew were sitting down and chatting away, I came in, picked up my knitting bag and carried it across the room....and dropped it next to the seat I was about to use.

The bag made a heavier than usual thud followed by a little squeak. Guess who was in my bag? Oops.

I check every time now before I move my knitting!!




26/06/2013

40 shades of green....

*****I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY THIS POST ATTRACTS SO MUCH ATTENTION long after it was written - IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT - PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHY!  it was written about my garden yet it attracts the most visits still!! - I suspect that it is due to the title being related to the song - please let me know I am really interested  thank you  :) ****

There is a song .... crooned by Johnny Cash called 40 shades of green and I could not think of a more appropriate name for today's post.

Inspired by a dear bloggy friend who shared the shades of green from her garden I thought I would do the same. (Imitation is the best form of flattery!)
 

Actually, there are 48 shades of green here (I did originally take 70 pictures and must have only photo-ed a fraction of the foliage in the garden). I think I have been under appreciating the greenness of it all - thank you dear 'Threads through my Life' for reminding me how lovely it all is xx


25/06/2013

BIG C.. little c - what begins with C?**

Each day - there are little gems that make my heart sing.



BIG C.... little c.... what begins with c?

Big cat.... little cat.... making my heart sing**

And you ?

What makes your heart sing?

Prrrrrrrrr.


**Camel on the ceiling....c-c-c (Thanks Dr Seuss for the proper version)


23/06/2013

Painting and decorating.....

Much to Eldest's delight, Youngest has finally been able to move into his own room. Himself has been snatched time after work and during weekends to convert our rather small, dark and dingy attic to a lovely airy and bright room.


Although not completely finished, Youngest has happily moved in and made the space is own.  It did mean that the shared bedroom suddenly looked old and tatty. So, with much consulting of paint swatches and magazines - Eldest chose himself some rather grown up and gorgeous colours. A deep turquoise and a tonal lighter sea-froth blue. 

I started painting with Eldest and for a while we slapped on the paint happily until I felt it was time for the kettle to go on. When I returned - I found that Youngest had taken up my brush and was equally happily sloshing on the paint (the carpet needed a little cleaning after he'd moved on....the less we mention that the better....) 

Any hoo - the boys were not the only ones covered in paint (carpet not included)


Hmmm. 



15/06/2013

Today

The waiting room is packed. All seats are taken. Standing room only.
The phone is jangling off the hook and another land rover pulls up outside.

It is Saturday.

I am at work.

It is busy.

He is sitting, scowling. The sort of face you would not want to meet on a dark corner. Shaven head, earring, combat style clothing. At his steel-toe capped boots, an elderly yellow labrador. He leans forward and tenderly lays a work tough hand on the old dog's head. The ribs are shuddering, struggling for breath as the dog strains to sit up and place his greying face on the knee of his owner. His opaque eyes glance up as the man leans down with words of encouragement into his ear. The man is lost to the surrounding room, he is only there with his dog.

I take a call - an injured horse. A frantic owner.

Next to the man, a coltish long legged woman in a short linen skirt also leans forward, not to the aging dog but to the cat box on her lap. Her long fingers slip through the bars on the door as she whispers sweet nothings to two small kittens who have come for their first vaccinations. They are wide eyed furry balls of naughtiness. She all glossy and city slick and seems out of place in a rural surgery but she displays the same anguish and love towards her 'fur-babies' that the lady sitting next to her does to her 'prodigal-son-of-a-cat' who after 5 weeks of what felt like fruitless searching by his owner, sauntered in, demanded food and was unceremoniously whisked off to the vet for a check over. The cat, looks disdainfully across the room, he does not appear any the worse for his vanishing act.

My colleague answers the phone - another injured horse - another place, another frantic owner.

A farmer comes in with his mate, they agreeably joke with each other as they both put in their orders for sheep wormers.

Across the room is a complaining fidgety man with two small children, they flit from the pet-toy section across to the large animal drug display in a noisy high pitched game. He rang earlier, his voice insistent as he demanded an urgent appointment. My colleague picked up on the urgency and slots him in.

Another call yields a sick goat, its owner unable to bring it down to the surgery, I have to track down our farm vet and give him directions to his next visit.

Outside, in a waiting car, a solemn faced gent sits stroking the head of an elderly dog, this is to be it's last journey and both of them are gracious and resigned as they wait their turn.

An elderly farmer, mumbling and grumbling wants enough wormer to do 60 lambs.

Oh there are others, some come in briefly, just collecting ordered treatments or putting in requests for next week.

And the phones.

Those screaming demanding phones.


Suddenly its quiet.
We have put the phones through to the out of hours phone receptionist - she has been warned how the morning has progressed. She takes it in her stride.

The heavy with his beloved labrador?  The dog went home, still elderly, still on borrowed time but breathing easier and with a slow tail wag with his relieved owner, his scowl gone.

The fidgety man and his urgent appointment? Nothing - there was nothing wrong. He and his kids and his cat left quietly without looking across or saying goodbye to us.

And us?
We use this quiet time to tidy up the whirlwind we have left as we flew through the morning. The vet has started operating in the theatre, her day has not finished just yet.

The farm vet is on to his 4th visit and the equine vet is still patching up various horses situated all around the countryside.

Time to go, time to lock the door, time to get in the car and start the weekend!

Bring it on.









13/06/2013

Meanderings

Last weekend the sun called us out and it seemed silly not to obliged.

 So walking and eating and gardening was the order of the day.

Himself set up our mini-bbq-bucket and the boys cooked their own lunch
while we, Himself and I, had vegetable kebabs and nutty bread.
I have to admit that not much gardening was done, 
it more looking and admiring than weeding and pruning.
The fields were full of buttercups, despite their lovely sunny-yellow faces and cheerful colour, 
they are not particularly a good wildflower to have growing in the meadows.

Tucked deep in the grass were some really pretty blue speedwell, 
to find them you really really  have to look, they have such tiny little blossoms.
We are so lucky where we live - we literally fall out of our back door 
and walk through some lovely countryside.


11/06/2013

Bluebell walk

Friday evening was warm and sultry, just right for imbibing the gorgeous scent of bluebells.

An almost spontaneous walk meant quite a few from work plus families (making 18 walkers) with numerous dogs met in the village of Austwick to walk up a bluebell encrusted hillside.
A heavy sky with a most gorgeous peach slash eventually gave way to a dusky blue. 
 Swathes of blue blooms covered the hills, 
in places so densely it made if difficult to avoid standing on flowers
Then as we returned to the village and the sun began to sink below the trees, we stopped in the local pub for a quick drink before heading for home. What a way to start the weekend!!

09/06/2013

Cake....let there be cake!

Last week there was a surfeit of cake.

It sort of started on Thursday and continued through the weekend......
then 
it sort of continued until the following Thursday.


Chocolate cake 
(at knit and natter and at work)
(camera phone picture) 
Cup cakes - complete with butterflies and delightfully bright green icing!
A delicious creamy peachy seriously yummy cake

Cupcakes at work
(camera phone picture)
  Cupcakes in a cafe....
.....complete with candle.
(camera phone picture)
(camera phone picture)

Better to be good this week.........






EVERY ONE!



06/06/2013

Entertaining Pepper

One, two, flea, fur, five
Ready or not..
here I come!
Can she see me?
I am being very small and quiet
sitting purrfectly still
Are you back here? 
Or are you in HERE!
FOUND YOU!
Your 'k'it!
Ok ok, my turn to count...
are you ready?
One, two, flea - I don't know any more
I'm on my way!
Where are you?
Ah ha!
Found you!!
 
Can we play hunt the mouse?
purrrlease?
I'm tired now, think I need a nap
I love my Pan
Gonna knead her back fur her
coz I know she loves it
prrrr prrrr prrr 


Bliss.






04/06/2013

Out and about.

Sunday + Sunshine = WALKING

We, plus girlfriend, have just come back from a delicious 15km-ish walk.  We parked in the village of Gargrave and followed the Leeds-Liverpool canal out onto farmlands. It is one we have done before, but in truly awful weather. This time the walk and the weather redeemed themselves.
 Along the canal we met several narrowboats out on day trips. It is always fascinating watching them negotiate the locks.
 Of course, we had to stop several times, for good views, for lunch, for photos and anything else that caught our eye!

A good way to celebrate the end of half term - out on the rolling hills, surrounded by sky, flowers, friends and family.

PS - I did take my knitting, managed a row or two, but very difficult to concentrate when there are bumblebees and butterflies to watch :)