a few of my favourite things : john lewis

Now, I know that for those of you living in mainland UK, this might seem a bit silly, but I love John Lewis.  We, in Norn Iron, are not fortunate enough to have one - we only recently got a  House of Fraser, Paperchase and (very recently) a Cath Kidston; but I would swap them all for a John Lewis. 

When over visiting Edinburgh/Yorkshire/Manchester, I'll always make a beeline to the nearest one, and I've yet to be disappointed. 

 

I'm not sure a person can be characterised by their favourite shop (in the way some people are characterised by their favourite film/pet), but if one was, John Lewis would do it for me.  I was trying to encapsulate why this is the case, and I found it difficult, but here's a few reasons:

 

1.  A department store not afraid to embrace crafts - well, certainly in the ones that I have been in, this seems to be the case.

 

2.  The variety of brands on offer does seem to agree with my taste.

 

Anyone for Cream Crackers?

3.  The homeware - especially the latest "Home Comforts" range - it surely must be wrong to covet cushions and kitchen jars, but what can I say?

4.  Their boys' clothes - anything that I've bought/given as a gift has been good quality and withstood the rigors of the Chander Chaps.

 

5.  I've managed to get good bargains in their sales online; and unlike a number of other companies, the delivery charges are reasonable to Northern Ireland.



All images courtesy of the John Lewis website.

Of course I could be wrong; it might be that, as in the old adage - familiarity breeds contempt; but I have yet to be disappointed, and hopefully long may it be so.  In the meantime, I will continue to wish for a Northern Ireland John Lewis - or maybe, at the very least, some new kitchen jars and a cushion or two!  Take care, em.

Memories of Alfred and Marianne.

It has been so wet here recently that walking out on the grass gives you that horrible, squelchy feeling underfoot. I really dislike the sensation (you know, senses are so important - but I digress). It's also that time of the year when the summer blooms are wilting, with the hanging baskets starting to look a little worse for wear. I took a little stroll in the back garden this evening to assess the damage there, and was pleasantly surprised; there was the usual heady scent of lavender; but some pretty violas were having a final, glorious hurrah!, my eucalyptus is thriving as is my honeysuckle, but more excitingly, a rose bush that I had seriously lost confidence in has decided to bloom and restore my faith in my (faintly) green fingers.

Roses remind me of my paternal granddad; he was a master rose grower, no matter when I visited, he had a beautiful rose in bloom without a black spot in sight. He was an amazing man, who died a week after my eldest was born, and after whom my eldest is named. I took a single rose for my sweet little cuttings jug; and some eucalyptus and lavender stems for the hallway. As you can see, I have absolutely no arranging skills whatsoever; but I'm enjoying looking at the silvery leaves in the distance.

In other news, the sweet pea, which I cultivated in the kitchen window, and failed to relocate with its brothers and sisters in the garden, is in bloom. To be honest, I'm quite glad to have a bit of floral company in the kitchen; and sweetpeas remind me so much of my maternal granny, who always grew a wall of them in her garden. It's quite fitting for it to be in the kitchen, she was a fantastic cook, particularly baking - she made the tastiest food from the simplest ingredients. She always believed in the freshest ingredients. Good night and god bless, Granny C and Granddad M.

Do particular flowers remind you of a loved one?

Two types of square.

Hello, and welcome all; what a glorious weekend we are having here in Norn Iron (local speak for Northern Ireland); the sun is splitting the stones which is lovely as for the last few days, it's been cloudy, humid and there's been lots of heavy rain showers. During the bad weather, I've been doing a few things: making vegetable soup, roast chicken and chorizo roasted vegetables; and some Mars Bars Rice Krispie squares. I love Rice Krispie buns; and have tried various traybake Krispie combinations - but this is my favourite by a country mile. The recipe goes like this:

Makes 8

100g rice krispies (or thereabouts)

3 x Mars Bars

100g butter

125g milk crocolate

Place the sliced butter and mars bars in a bowl and place over a saucepan of boiling water until all melted; stir in the rice krispies gradually and mix well until all covered. Empty into a lined metal tray and press down; once firm cover with melted milk chocolate and allow to set ( I find the fridge best during this weather). Once set, cut into delicious chunks and enjoy with a cup of tea! Krispie bliss....

Anyway, my other little project is a crochet one - hurrah! I am, of course, still working on my WIPs and presents for holiday-which-cannot-be-named; but I wouldn't be me unless I had about 5 or 50 projects on the go. Anyway, I spotted some reduced Debbie Bliss Amalfi in 55eileen on Ebay (a great little yarn shop with lots of great bargains at times); and snapped some balls up. Amalfi is a cotton/linen/viscose/silk mix wool; which I have never used before; but I wanted to make a light throw for me for warm evenings.

I love how the cluster stitches look on the hook
(just like little Pontipines - from In the Night Garden)

 I was going to make hexagons as I've seen some lovely blankets on the web; but I like the regular shape of squares for joining etc; so I am using "Big Round" from this book, 200 crochet blocks for blankets, throws and afghans, by Jan Eaton. I'm aiming for a big splodge of colour, surrounded by white.  I think I need a ball of teal, and maybe a stronger green, but we'll see.

This is my first block - so far, I'm happy enough with the pattern - although I don't think the pattern instructions are as clear as I have read elsewhere. As for the yarn, it's quite novel to be using cotton, and I am happy enough ; I had read reviews that this yarn can be quite splitty, but thankfully, I haven't had this problem thus far. It's nice and soft to work with too.
Anyway, enjoy your weekend and take care. Em

(edit:  realised I forgot to put some krispie square pics on and phone battery dead - promise I will soon...).

Things that make you go oohlaalaa...

I am preparing myself, no doubt as many of you are, for the POBs....(post-Olympic Blues); I've always loved watching sport, but I think you would need a heart of glass not to have been moved by some of the scenes from this Olympics. So, in order to soften the blow, I am trying to find joy in the little things around the house:

1. Burning my lovely Jo Malone pomegranate noir candle which seems to be lasting forever (a gifted candle, I hasten to add).

2.  Making new, simple food and it tasting like one hoped: e.g. Spanish chicken with chorizo and potatoes (from Nigella's website here); or baked nectarines with brown sugar, smothered with clotted cream ice-cream and broken meringues (honestly, it tasted as good as it sounds!)

3.  Catching up on my magazine subscriptions: thank heaven for certain clubcard vouchers.....

4.  And finally, I'm very excited to have started reading a new book - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. When I was buying it, I said to the assistant how excited I was as I had been looking to treat myself to it for some time; she said she was just glad someone was buying a book other than a certain "Fifty-something Book"! I started reading it yesterday, and so far, it's as good as I had wished; and I have high hopes it will continue. Take care until we meet again. Em

A few of my favourite things: Avoca

I always loved a day's shopping to Belfast - and nowadays, with the opening of Victoria Square, it's even better.  It's probably no different to most UK cities in terms of it's shops - but there's one thing we have here that other UK cities won't have - Avoca.  I love Avoca - to those not familiar with it, it's an Irish company, which started  as a woolen mill in Avoca Village, County Wicklow over 200 years ago.  The company was nearly lost until a local accountant bought it over over 30 yrs ago - and now it's really thriving. The photos here are of me visiting the original mill - Avoca heaven!

Avoca are primarily famed for their beautiful checked woollen blankets and garments - but the Avoca shops now exude a whole lifestyle - lovely crockery and homeware, with a vintage feel.  They also do clothes; cookware and gifts for friends and children alike.  They also have the most wonderful restaurants at each of their stores - and the food is delicious (particularly their desserts, soups and salads, and elderflower presse) - you can buy food to cook at home; and they also sell their recipe books should you wish to recreate their culinary delights at home. I can't recommend these books highly enough - delicious food for your family; and reasonably healthy too (most of the time!).  My only criticism is that Avoca is an expensive shop; I love to look, often covet; but only occasionally buy,and often gifts for others.   My next item of longing is a checked woollen blanket (Mr Chanders, if you're reading this!!!), but I can't justify this unless it's a significant purchase. 

So if you're in Belfast, or a number of places in Ireland, such as Wicklow/Dublin/Ring of Kerry, be sure to check out Avoca - treat yourself to lunch or tea, but you might need to save a few pennies first....

Loving the Olympics

I am not a particularly sporty person; rather, I love sport, but am not particularly good at it! I love to watch lots of sports; and therefore, I am in my element with the current coverage of the Olympics. It's particularly lovely to see local athletes do so well - particularly when the media like to apply so much pressure. The eldest Master Chander is enjoying himself immensely: although the weather has been rather rubbish here, he has been inspired by the Olympics and we have a gold medal ceremony for the 10 metre dash around the kitchen at least 10 times a day.

Otherwise, I have started a new project; I am starting to make a few pressies for a certain celebration in December - namely a few crochet blankets for some children we know and love. The colour scheme is not one that I would consider, but I think it works - I might even try one without the cornflower blue. I'm just sticking to a large granny square as I find them therapeutic to do. Just the usual acrylic, which can withstand the vigours of a childhood.

Anyway, back to the Olympics, a bit of sailing, perhaps? Or athletics? Or maybe even a little gymastics - I don't mind.  Good luck to all, and talk soon.

100 places in Ireland to visit before I die....2

2. Botanic Gardens, Belfast (including the Palm House and Tropical Ravine).
(footnote: most appreciated on a sunny day with an ice-cream).