Everyday nothings



Things have been fairly quiet at Casa Chanders of late: our visitors went home, but unfortunately we have all had a flu; and this, coupled with rubbish weather, has meant a quiet interlude in our little lives.  Not that I'm complaining, as it's been lovely spending some time with the two little chanders men; and  I've had a little crochet time aswell.

As you can see, the Cath-Kidston inspired blanket is coming on well:  I had already made some squares, but starting to join them has inspired me and I've got a little crochet mojo back again at the mo.  I'm using Lucy at Attic 24's method of joining them, as I think it gives the best appearance, and her instructions are so easy to follow.

Other than that, it's been fairly quiet, lots of watching Mary Poppins and reading Shirley Hughes; making comfort food like pancakes for breakfast; cottage pie; and hoping the weather will turn again.  It's hard on the eldest chander not to get out to the garden, but it's been so wet here I couldn't even let him go out in his waterproofs and wellies.  Here's to a little light relief soon.  Take care.



For the love of crochet....

As stated previously, i love making things, and of all the disciplines, crochet is my favourite. I'm obviously relatively new to the whole crochet lark - my eldest boy is three; when I was expecting him, I had to finish work earlier than I would have liked in order to rest. I needed to keep busy in a sitting position, so I took up crochet.

Most of the stuff I learned from surfing the net, particularly blogs like Lucy's wonderful Attic 24. I can't thank her enough, such wonderful tutorials, such inspiring makes. I'll not lie, I initially thought it (or I) was a lost cause; it's so much easier when someone sits beside you and shows you how to do something (like my great Aunt Cassie showed me how to knit) but I'm a stubborn little thing and before you know it I was rippling with the best of them.

I am similar to so many fellow crocheters in that I've about five or six projects on the go at the one time - much to my husband's chagrin, when he discovers another bag of wool tucked into a secret cupboard. But by and large, I do get round to finishing things - eventually.

At the moment I am:

- working on a Cath Kidston - inspired blanket for our playroom : I'm just using some cheap acrylic from a local woolshop . I'm doing large granny squares and I'm at the stage of thinking of joining them.




  Ireally need to finish a lovely uberlarge granny square throw for the living room inspired by
the colours of the railway poster I showed you a few posts ago. I'm using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran for it - it's so soft and heavy and perfect for winter. I just have to do a round or two more and a border.

- I have recently fallen in love with shawls through the wonder that is Ravelry; I discovered the South Bay Shawlette pattern through this wonderful website and have been working on a shawl as a gift; using the most delicious Debbie Bliss Angel wool. I love this wool so much - but woe betide you if you need to frog a section.


Anyway, that's a little sample of a few of my projects; I'm hoping that by blogging about them, I might put a wee bit of pressure on myself to get on with it and finish a few things......

100 places in Ireland to visit before I die

Number 1:  Hook Head Lighthouse, Co. Wexford.

How does your garden grow?

I have always loved the garden - when I was a little girl, we had a good-sized garden with different areas - a big lawn great for obstacle courses in the summer (or a mock tennis court when Wimbledon was on); a secret stony path great for a young imagination, a horrible nettly weedy area which our tennis balls always seemed to end up; and a veggie patch which eventually became more lawn when my dad's back and enthusiasm waned. As children, we practically spent all our summers outside, and we were glad of it. I feel sorry for kids nowadays - I think computers and gadgets are wonderful (obviously) but they do restrict children's experiences.

Now that I'm married and have a house of my own, I have my own garden. As a child, I wasn't that fussed about plants and gardening - except the pea and tomato plants. But I love my little patch now - my garden is about 1/5th the size of my parents; but I don't mind - work means a bigger garden would be too much to manage. I love to get out and see what's growing and changing; most of the time I haven't much of a clue what I'm doing, but I am learning (gradually). This year hasn't been easy because of the weather (and the small matter of having a baby at the end of March), but even still, I've made a little progress.

There were some delights in the garden before i started - a lovely tree, a delightful clematis and some nice landscaping. I have grown a lovely dogwood, a nice eucalyptus bush which is starting to flourish, some lovely lupins and lavenders. My herb bucket is doing well and my baskets and pots are pretty this year. I have some disasters - my roses are still poor after three years and I can't grow lily of the valley for toffee - my camelia seems to have bit the dust aswell after a lack of attention over the winter; but you can't have everything. I have managed to encourage my eldest son (3) to plant and watch seeds grow - we are transferring some sweet peas this week; and I'm glad to say he is starting to love his little patch as much as I did. It's a promising start.

These are a few of my favourite things....part one

I love to love things. Music, literature, art, places, flowers, food....you name it, i'll find something/some part of it to love. A Room 1,000,0001 rather than Room 101 if you like. I don't even mind if people hate the objects of my affection, but I think it's really healthy to have an opinion on things. So part of my blog will be to document my loves - it also reminds me so I don't forget. So lets start with a few biggies:

1. The Divine Comedy - no, not Dante's literary phenomenon (i'm not that cerebral) but the band; ever since I was 18, studying for A levels and I heard "Something for the Weekend", I was hooked, and have been ever since. Even through the whole "Regeneration" phase. I just adore Neil Hannon's way with words; a true storyteller in a time where most pop songs have about ten repeated words in total. He's also not bad with a tune either. I think it's genetic, my father is a massive Leonard Cohen fan and has everything he ever composed (we must be very loyal, stupid or tone deaf). I love the fact each song inspires a memory of my life thus far.

 

2. Books. I have always loved reading, from the moment I got my first library card. In my teenage years, I devoured as many classics I could muster - of course the usual suspects, such as the Brontes, Miss Austen; and I also had a passion for irish authors such as Joseph O Connor. In my twenties, I was too busy reading medical books to enjoy reading for pleasure - but recently I have started to dip my toe into the vast world of undiscovered treasures - I'm currently reading Nancy Mitford and Winifred Holtby - I loved South Riding. Ooh, and Marghanita Laski.

3. Railway posters. I have no brothers, so it was only when I had my first sob that I discovered the wonders of thomas the tank engine, and all things railway. I must confess I love watching steam train DVDs with my three yr old, or going to the transport museum. But I also really, really love railway posters for a number of reasons. I love the era they were executed, the design, the colour schemes, and of course, the images. I particularly love the Norman Wilkinson posters. We have a particularly large reprint in our dining/living room and I just adore it.

That's my first three - slightly random, but as you can imagine, the list is endless, so there'll be more to come. Take care until we meet again.

the garden of ireland....

Whilst away with our in-laws, we visited one of my most favourite places of all - Mount Usher Gardens, in Ashford, Co. Wicklow. If you remotely like gardens, you would love this place - i'm not sure my photos do it justice.....

It has a delightful situation, beside a river, with some amazing trees and shrubs. The planting is just superb, as if you have stumbled on a little bit of natural wilderness.  There's a beautiful courtyard, with an Avoca restaurant and some lovely shops (particularly the plants and the food!).

But there are two things that I adore about this garden.  Firstly, I feel so content there, an amazing sense of serenity being surrounded by so many delightful plants and trees.  I've been three times, and each time I have left reinvigorated in an utterly calm way, if that makes sense.

Secondly, each time I have been, despite the car park being uber full, it doesn't feel crowded at all.  It's nice to meander along and meet people and smile, hoping that they appreciate the garden in the same way.  I always come away wanting to do so many things with my own little patch of muck.

So if you're ever in Wicklow/Dublin and aching for a horticultural delight, look no further.....

Family

Family


The last few weeks have been very busy - apart from loads of birthdays, we have had some visitors - my brother and sister in law and their daughter, from England. It's been very exciting, but obviously very busy.

We have had a birthday party, and a trip to Wicklow - so I have lots of stories and pics to upload - but no time.....so I have just included a picture of our last trip to Wicklow two years ago, when my eldest was one. I love this picture of him and I. Wicklow is a lovely place (otherwise known as the Garden of Ireland) so it deserves a post of its own. I promise. Soon.

Emma's Handmade Home

As I stated in my previous post, I love blogs.  I learnt how to crochet from reading Lucy's amazing Attic 24 blog - I was pregnant with Chander No.1; I had to go on maternity leave early due to sickness - and I needed something to keep me from insanity.  I loved knitting when I was younger - my great Aunt Cassie showed me how; but when you hit teens and early twenties, university and socialising arrived and I wasn't interested. Discovering crochet was even more enjoyable; especially giving handmade blankets for friends' newborns etc.  It's also prevented many arguments in the family car when Mr Chanders is driving, particularly long journeys.....

Crochet, sewing, embroidery, cross stitch; you name it, I'll give it a go.  As with so many, my main problem is that I'm easily distracted - I have a number of projects on the go, with various bags packed full of wool/threads/fabric stuffed in various cubbyholes around my house.  I also have a very understanding husband.  I hope that by writing this blog, it will remind me of all the things I've made :  it might also encourage me to finish the unfinished......