So it was another week of blisteringly hot weather! Whilst I am not quite ready for it to be Autumn yet there were a couple of days this week when I wouldn't have minded it being a few degrees cooler. I find the heat very draining and so good intentions to 'get stuff done' fall by the wayside in a puddle of melting ambition and depleted energy and at times a feeling of being almost ill. I do not do well in the heat it seems.
The work week was busy as ever, and I am still getting used to not having to look over my shoulder anymore after what happened a few weeks ago. Now I just think that it's sad that a person's major contribution to other people's job satisfaction is to leave, but it is oddly satisfying when other colleagues go out of their way to tell me how much they value what I do and that it was only a matter of time before things swung around again. I don't expect the current peace to last but it is extremely good to not be feeling on edge and worried all the time.
Life has it's ups and downs and this last few weeks have been specially down for one of my closest and oldest friends. I can't say that other folks problems don't affect me because when it's someone I care deeply about they do. I wish there was a way to fix everything for everyone, but sadly I have no magic wand, just an available ear, the capacity and strength to ask the hard questions and the offer of a place to run to should it become necessary.
So it has been a contemplative week, reflective and strangely peacful here on Misty Mountain...
at the house in the trees. I always think the contrast between our rampant over grown trees and my neighbours well manicured lawns is oddly amusing.
The weekend has actually been very restful despite the heat. Helped of course by the start of the second test of The Ashes series on Thursday. My enjoyment of cricket is one of the few things I share with my Father, so it is always cool fun to call him at close of play, or lunch or tea to discuss the day's cricketing events. Helped of course by the fact that several of the current team's stars are Yorkshire men! Saturday was truly glorious and I shared a couple of excited enthusiastic calls with Dad where we talked about Yorkshire vs Australia and the fact that Joe Root doesn't look old enough to be out of short trousers let alone scoring a hundred and eighty at Lords!
This morning we did our usual hot Sunday thing of getting up early and heading out to the beach with Phaolin so he could have a good walk before it got too hot for him to want to do any more than make a den in the shady bushes in the garden and lie in it for the rest of the day trying to keep cool.
This morning we went the other way, from the car park and along the pier to the newly painted lighthouse...
Looking very smart and rather sparkly in the morning sun.
There were a few more clouds in the view looking over the Gower this weekend.
And a little boy who has limited patience with all this view gazing lark and who is raring to get on with HIS walk along the beach.
So we put cameras/iPhones away and headed off for a stroll in my case, run and bound in Phaolin's case along the beach. There was much sniffing, some paddling and of course lots and lots of hole digging. (We gave up on the garden years ago when we realised Phaolin wasn't ever going to stop digging large holes in everything he could dig holes in including lawns, flower beds, herb gardens and shrubbery.) Malamutes are world champion diggers and the beach is the perfect place for Phaolin to get the days digging requirement out of his system!
After the beach we strolled past Shoreline, the rather grand caravan park hidden down by the beach behind the pickle factory. Yes I do mean the pickle factory, Parsons Pickles of Burry Port to be exact. Seriously good pickles if you like pickles, which I do. Walking past the really quite lovely static caravans at Shoreline always makes me wonder... should we invest in one, would it be worth it. We had a caravan at Swithland Woods when we lived in Leicestershire and it made for some great memories... or would it just be another overhead I can do without in these days of tenuous job security at best?
Anyway after the beach and the dunes and the caravans we walked back across the park past the pretty coloured houses to the car.
And home for a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea for breakfast before it got too hot! And another day of cricket watching and crocheting.
And speaking of crocheting I promised a propoer 'ta-dah' post for Tara's blanket so...
After the girl's (Tara and her girlfriend) had been home at Christmas and showed us all the pictures and plans for their new house in Brussells himself asked if I would crochet them a blanket so he could take it as a housewarming present when he went over. Yes, I said, of course, no problem, crocheting blankets is what I do! So I looked at the various pictures we had of the house and the new furniture and realised everything was very modern and... white... Well I could make a white blanket but the practicalities of using it and constantly washing it made it seem pointless. The only colour I had to go on was the rusty orange of the draft stopper they had asked for for Christmas. I thought about making something like a Flowers in the Snow blanket but that requires a variety of bright colours set off by the white border and I wasnt sure that a rainbow of bright colours was really the way to go. Bright colours in large varieties did not really seem to be the girls thing. So on a trip to Cardiff with a friend earlier in the year I took a punt and bought some Rowan baby merino silk dk in cantaloupe, strawberry and sunshine. The strawberry and cantaloupe were the colours of the Christmas draft stopper. Then I decided on Lucy's Interlocking Ripple pattern and got to work.
Here is the result!
I was so happy with the way this came out. Here it is on our bed!
And a close up of the white border.
Himself took the blanket with him when he went to Belgium at the start of the month. I will admit that I was vrey nervous as to how it would be received. I am very aware that not everyone likes hand made things, many people consider them a cheap alternative when you can't affford to buy something rather than the labour of love they actually are. So I was really chuffed to receive a very enthusiastic thank-you phone call after he had handed it over, pointing out that the colours I had been so concerned about toned in perfectly with the natural wooden floors throughout the house. But what really had me dancing with glee was when the girls called the other week and talked about how lovely it was to sit side by side on their new couch late in the evening watching TV snuggled together under their handmade blanket! I was just so pleased!! I have since received a lovely thank-you card so I am pretty sure my work is well appreciated. It's kind of a good thing seeing as I have already made their Christmas presents for this year!
And one final picture of the blanket all folded up ready to head to its new and very appreciateve home.
The other thing I managed to get done was my Yarndale bunting. I only did a few triangles because I had real problems with the tension but I was rather pleased with how they came out.
I need to get them in the post this week now there is an address to send them to. Not going to bother to try and personalise them. I am sure I'll have better things to do that weekend than spend time trying to spot one of my triangles amidst the thousands that will be fluttering at the Yarndale venue. I am strangely looking forward to my solo visit back to the Dales. It's been years! I will stop off at the folks on the way and then head off to Skipton on the Friday. I'm staying at the the Woolly Sheep. I really couldn't resist, although its actually a pub and I'm a bit concerned about how good the accomodation will actually be, but I figured I'm going for the event and to see the Dales again not to spend hours in my room!
Well the weekend is nearly over so I'm going finish off my weekend jug of Pimms.
And settle down for a bit more hooky time before bed. So I'll leave you with another picture from our morning walk.
O. xx