Bird search

Up early this morning to look for kingfishers near Slaughterford. We didn't find any but we did find a beautiful walk along side a river.

And this pretty bird....

And then some more walking.

We are really making the most of this weather, more time is being spent in the garden and very little on the Internet or blogging or crafting. Our activities at the moment are focused almost exclusively on the country house because...we are finally moving in together! After 5 1/2 years of weekends in the country house and week days at the week day home so I can commute to work, we've decided we will both live in the country house. Putting two (fairly full) houses into one is taking time, thought, sacrifice and wall plugs and doesn't leave any time or space for crafting. We've cut back on camping and not gone anywhere so far this year because our weekends are full of painting, sanding, packing, e-baying and trying not to feel too daunted by all we want to achieve while still working. This morning's escape to spend time soaking up some scenery blew away the cobwebs, even if we didn't find our kingfishers.

 

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Busy times

The relaxing break from crafting continues while other things take over my time so recent weeks have been filled with de-cluttering the Week Day Home. Books were spilling everywhere and I've tried to weed out those I know I'll read again and those just taking up shelf room. Anyone else who crafts will know how easy it is to drown under papers and stuff you bought years ago with an idea in mind which has been long forgotten.

This weeks distraction from uber spring cleaning has been a work trip to Glasgow for a couple of meetings. The first morning's view from the hotel....

And a view of the trip home to more extreme tidying....

 

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Scrappin' Books

It's been a busy few weeks and I've been juggling work, housework (!) and interests which has lead to me neglecting my blog and I must admit, I half expected everyone to have deserted but you didn't!  In fact - there are loads more of you so hello!  Grab yourself a cuppa, make yourself comfortable and I'll bring you up to date.  

Mostly the past month has been about making scrap books.  I've nearly completed one about our recent trip to Morocco in these fabby hot colours which I rarely use so it was nice to drag myself away from my usual blues and greens and explore something so vibrant.

The front cover with my favourite paper flowers ....

And a couple of inside views....still got some work to do.

These look like loads of slippers but they're magnets.  When we were trying to make sense of the maze of Medina streets we nicknamed places Magnet Corner or Carpet Alley to help find our way around.  Didn't work.

And having spent some time with hot colours, I wandered back to the soft shades and made the shabby, demin and lace inspired book below.  This isn't for anything in particular but when I've got a shabby, lacey, denimy theme it will be perfect :)

And once again - you guessed - more of those flowers made with the papers used for the pages.  I just love these, you can make them as pretty or as grungey as you like.

Other activities have included trying to be better at my German studies.  (Fail)

And trying to learn how to use this camera.  That's going to take some time.  There's sooooo many buttons :(  But regular readers of this blog know how much I love photography and that I take pics of everything.  Upgrading to this is a challenge but once I am more confident about it (and have developed bigger muscles to lug it about) I hope to share the results!

A camel called Ray

I really wish I had a photo of the funniest Berber we've met but I haven't so I'll just set the scene...
We'd been hanging out, lounging around and drinking mint tea on the beach about a mile south of Essaouira.

We were heading back to the Medina, weaving and dodging the beach sellers offering us genuine Rolex watches and rayban sunglasses at knock down prices when we met Mr Berber. We'd developed a good dodge. Whenever a seller approached us, we'd part and walk either side of him. He didn't know if he should persuade Himself to buy for me or chase me as the likely decision maker on purchases and by the time he'd worked it out we'd gone and the next tourist/ victim was coming along.

So we did the swerve on Mr Berber who immediately spun round and called "Heyyyy, where you go?!" His reaction was so surprised I started laughing and turned back to say we weren't buying today. That was all he needed to start a conversation. Pointing to some distant palms he told us that was his Berber village where he lived with his 2 wives and 9 sons. Of course we looked sympathetically at him about the two wives and he looked sad too. "Yes, I marry the first one and she very pretty, very slim. Then too much cous cous and..." He puffed out his cheeks and made a fat gesture. "So, I get another wife. She very nice, very pretty but then the cous cous..." By now we were laughing and he asked us if we were English, we said we were and he looked surprised. "You English? But you laugh, English not laugh, English are miserable!" Then talking to Himself, Mr Berber asked "Your lady, she very pretty, she your secretary or your wife?" Then he pulled out a raggedy wallet, "Look, look here, is a picture of my camel." I blinked and asked why he carried a picture of his camel and he explained he worked for the local hotel and they made him carry a camel passport to show he was official, not just a street hawker. "My camel is beautiful, he is called Ray and he has big blue eyes." By now I was more than happy to sit back and enjoy the show. "See how he smiles? I give him chewing gum and it makes him smile, he loves chewing gum." Then he very gently tried to persuade us to buy some jewellery but we moved off thanking him for his time and he waved cheerily to show his pic of his camel to the next tourists....

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The Windy City

We escaped the heat, dust and crush of Marrakech to fetch up on the shore of west Africa at the small fishing town of Essaouira, a former hippy heaven visited by Jimi Hendrix among others. Life is more relaxed here. There are still the crowded narrow streets but there is less pressure to "Look, yes? English yes? Is free just to look!"

We were told to do our touristy shopping here as it would be cheaper and easier than back in Marrakech.

Everywhere you look is a photo opportunity and so far we've spent more time doing that than we have shopping. When you tire of the souks and port area, there is a long beach to walk along. The powerful wind belting straight off the sea makes this a popular place for wind surfers and surfer dudes. You can't escape the sales patter for long though, this time you will be encouraged to ride on a camel for 100 dirhams for one hour. That's probably a good price but neither of us are fond of camels!

There are men in horseback too and these are the tourist police patrolling the beach and streets. I took a very sneaky photo of this one because I'm not sure they'd appreciate being seen as a tourist attraction....

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Marrakech moments

Marrakech is a crazy place. It took us 24 hours to begin to get to grips with how to handle it. The stall holders in the souks are not pushy and accept your "non merci" with good grace and move onto the next tourist. (An easy species to spot with Northern European sun-denied skins and floppy rucksacks ready to be filled with leather slippers, kaftans and wooden camels.) We quickly learned to walk on the right and keep close to the walls of the narrow streets filled with donkeys, carts, motorbikes, bikes and people.

We also learned to be wary of the "guides" who pounce as soon as you stop walking and look around to get your bearings. Theirs is a cynical skill to get you as lost as completely as possible so you are reliant on them to get you back to the main square and give them "money present". We got ourselves lost several times but managed to get ourselves out of it again without giving in to these unofficial guides and without paying for the privilege. At one point we hooked up with a lost German family and a couple of French girls and by combining our maps and newly acquired street wisdom made it back to the main square.

You can't stop to take in everything around you or not from street level anyway so you either take pics while on the move (see above example!) or find a cafe with a terrace panaromique where the mint tea is hot and sweet and get your pics from there.

The people we've met have been warm, friendly and welcoming. They want you to enjoy their town and are delighted when they learn it's your first trip. "Enjoy, enjoy!"

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Riad Haven

When you've walked around all day in the heat and dust it's good to have a cool, quiet place to go and for our trip that's a small riad a few minutes from the main square of Jemaa el Fna.

Our hosts here are attentive, friendly and sensitive to exactly what is needed after a long day out in the souks. Whenever you return you are offered a mint tea and some calm time up on the terrace far above the street noises. The riad is tastefully decorated and the sound of running water and scent of orange blossom fill the air. There are huge bowls of local oranges and tangerines placed on low tables surrounded by comfy seats to flop into.

And in the cool of the evenings, we've been to visit the storks who make their nests high on top of the main city walls and anywhere else they fancy.

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Snowed in

So 3 days ago the Snow God sneezed and I've been stuck in the Week Day Home all weekend.  For 24 hours the roads on my hill were officially closed by the police so I couldn't get out of town which meant no Country House with Himself and the Boys or sledging and igloo building for me. Here in the UK we behave as if we are the only country dealing with the current snowfall and yet all over Europe it's the same.  

I'm strangling learning the German language and find out interesting things such as Israel has had bad snow and Jordan had floods via the Tagesschau news channel. I loved that the weather forecast showing central Germany at -12 celsius was delivered in a completely relaxed way where as here we go panic buying if there's a hint of -1.  Also, travelers stranded in a German airport were shown sleeping comfortably on airport supplied camp beds with blankets which makes me think I'd prefer to be stranded there than Heathrow.  The Brits are actually pretty stoical about snow and bad weather but our media love creating a drama out of it. 

All that unexpected time on my hands lead to some extra yoga time (Tara Lee - superb but I'm not showing you photo's of me doing a wobbly tree pose) and some baking thanks to a book I was given for Christmas.

 Here's my version of Mary's lemony swiss roll.  Yummmmm....

In addition to the baking I decided to experiment a bit more with the machine embroidery I was doing last week.  (It's so odd to work in the craft room and hear nothing except my machine whirring away.  The little road outside was so icey none of the usual cars or horse have been out and about.)

And once I'd gained some confidence I made a thing....

I'm hoping to build up to doing writing.  This is a great, fun way to use your machine, especially as an antidote to the strict stitching and accuracy of patchwork!  Hopefully I'll be able to escape the four walls tomorrow because although it's nice to have time home alone, I've had plenty now thanks.

Heartfelt Hug

Sometimes sending a card isn't enough and you want to send someone something more huggy.  So this was the chance for me to get stuck into a book I bought before Christmas but didn't have time to read ...Poppy Treffry's (second) book about machine embroidery.  It's a technique we've covered in our sewing classes and it's one I really love, so it was interesting to read the tips and designs in Poppy's book.  She runs classes in Cornwall too but I think you've got to be really quick to snap them up!  (I checked and 2013 is booked already.)

The design which caught my eye was this one for a butterfly.  I didn't follow the instructions exactly but I'm pleased with the result and relieved I finally got the tension right.  That took longer than making the butterfly!  It was always going to be a heart shaped mini cushion and I think the butterfly design was ideal for that shape.

It will be sent to it's new owner later in the week :)

January Stillness

January feels very still so far.  It's the usual reaction to Christmas being over, the decoration's being taken down and trying to get back into the work routine.  The  motorway feels very dark and loooong these mornings!  But for me it's mostly still because of not having a project I MUST complete.  I'm working away on my 6 Ball Blanket which I've renamed my Seagreen Blanket but there is no pressure to make anything.  No pressure at all.  I can make what I want in my own time.  It's blissfully calming and I realised I'm crafting for...relaxation.

I promised that I would share the Christmas gifts now they have been opened....

Both are quilts, both made as surprises for the recipients and both (I'm relieved to say) liked by their new owners.  You never quite know when you make something to someone else's taste if you'll get it right but these seemed to work.  Both were made in the evenings over 8 weeks and I must admit, I think I took on a bit too much but that's a lesson learned and I'm going to enjoy the stillness of January and only craft for pleasure this month.  Who knows, I may just get back into doing my yoga in the evenings and not make anything at all!

1 more sleep!!!

I was planning a lazy start to Christmas Eve, y'know the kind of thing, coffee in bed...long shower, leisurely breakfast. So when I woke at 6am and started mentally running through all the nice things I had to do today I couldn't wait to get up and get on...

The coffee pot tea cosy (I need a better name) is now finished. I started it a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of many visitors drinking many coffees and needing to keep the pot warm. And anyway, why does no one make these, you can get tea cosies after all! This is a bit of a prototype and although it would have been easier to make a tall cosy and pop it over the whole thing, I wanted a quilted jacket style of thing. It is a wee bit clumsier than I like but it will do the job for now :)

Next on my tick sheet was this......a slab of millionaire shortbread, ohhhh yeahhhhh! I LOVE this stuff but mostly when you buy it in shops it's dry. The caramel filling should be goooooooey. I used a recipe I found on the back of a carnation condensed milk tin. What? There's a bit missing from the bottom left corner? No, I don't know anything about that. *innocent face*

And bizarrely I've spend a ridiculous amount of time making a thing I've never eaten and have no idea what it should taste like. Pomegranate molasses. Anyone tried it? It's for inclusion in an ottolenghi recipe for another thing I've never eaten called kisir. It's a vegan dish and I liked the sound of it. I'll let you know.....

Oh and one last thing, we've just checked on the Santa Tracker and he's over China. 'Cited!!!

 

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Twas (nearly) the night before Christmas...

And all through the house.... people were stirring, baking, tasting, list making, tidying etc etc! My preparation is almost complete. The stressful part (moving myself, the presents, the shopping and loads of oven dishes and serving dishes from the town house to the country house for christmas) was done yesterday. Phew. So now I'm installed with himself and the boys, all unpacked and ready to bake and cook and entertain my little heart out for the next 8 days. Because both our jobs take us in different geographical directions and we live apart through the week the only way we ever get this much time together is if we go on holiday!

Below, let me introduce you to Mr Frosty. He was made from wadding and felt at our last sewing class of the year and now sits contentedly looking out of the country house window at all the muffled and scarved people who walk up our lane. (His personalised button was made following the same technique I wrote about in an earlier post.)

Lots of other things were made that I haven't had time to tell you about such as this very tasty, moist vegetarian cashew nut and mushroom loaf. It's taken from a recipe by Sarah Brown who was a new name to me. I'd put in a google search some weeks ago for a nut loaf suitable for a veggie christmas lunch, I've tasted some great ones but never tried making my own. This is the recipe which came up time and again and got many recommendations so, using the power of Amazon, I tracked down the book (Vegetarian Kitchen) containing the recipe and ta dahhhh!!! My intention was to freeze it all but it was soooo good only half made it to the freezer, pre sliced and ready to pop in the oven beside the turkey for the meat eaters.

The silver version of the large Christmas wreath was made for our office decorations with help from everyone but I couldn't get a great pic of it.....It's just photo copy paper and some more newsprint baubles with some silver leaves nestled in the centre. Don't know if we won the "Decoration-Off" challenge with PR yet....

And finally, truffles!!! I will need to do another post later with the recipe because it is GOOD. It's one of those recipes the family use year after year. I've modified the standard sherry truffles this year and created (get me!) The Grand Marnier Truffle. Oh my, but it is gooder than good! And it's a great way to use up that weird shaped bottle of liqueur found hiding at the back of a cupboard. I added orange zest to boost the orange in the booze and yummmmmm. I will post the recipe, promise :)

It's lovely to have a little more time to write! (I'm tucked up in bed while the rest of the household is snoring quietly.) Usually my posts are done in a rush and are very light on words because of that! This is my first Christmas as a blogger and I've enjoyed the inspiration that's come from reading other people's blogs so I hope my small contribution adds to the spiral of ideas swirling around out there. I like reading all your comments so please don't be shy. If anything here has made you go out and create, let me know!

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