Happy Spring :: Happy St. David's Day

Happy Meteorological Spring and happy St. David's Day! What a great start to the month. Spring is most certainly in the air and the sun is just peeking over the horizon in the mornings when my alarm clock chimes. Glorious Day!!

I have to admit to feeling really upset and angry after watching that dreadful attack on President Zelenskyy by President Trump and Vice-President Vance on Friday. It was difficult and upsetting to watch such disrespect and bully tactics being shown on an international stage. The disrespectful comment about Zelenskyy not wearing a suit was just ridiculous. It honestly made me feel sick to watch. Coupled with the news that our house sale may once again be in jeopardy, I have felt the need to focus on what is good around me, and there is a lot of good.

Life's Simple Pleasures

Right now I have washing drying OUTSIDE in the sunshine! Such a small thing but it brings such joy. Make no mistake, it is still icy outside but as long as the sun is shining I can cope with the cold.

Indoors we have done a bit of rearranging. We have swapped over the furniture in the dining room and the snug. I don't know why it has taken us 5 years to think about this but it has. I have always loved sitting in my conservatory in previous houses, quietly stitching, writing or knitting away. In this house, we put the dining table in the conservatory and the sofa in the snug next to the wood stove which made sense at the time. 

I found that overall, I really didn't spend much time in the snug as it doesn't have a huge amount of natural light. So, as we were enjoying breakfast at the table this morning and enjoying the sun streaming through the conservatory, I knew that I wanted to change things up to better utilise the space. I think DH was a bit sceptical at first but now that it is done, we both agree that we should have done it sooner.

Approaching Lent

This week we mark the start of Lent with Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and Ash Wednesday. 

With all the upsetting things happening in the world lately, I am looking forward to closing the door on it all and refocussing my attentions on what truly matters. In readiness I have picked out a Lent Bible Study - Hosanna In The Highest, a 4 week journey to the Cross & the Risen King by Courtney Joseph Fallick.

I do enjoy her guided journal-type studies and I'm looking foward to spending this time realigning my heart and soul.

The Spring Garden

Look what I spotted this week...

I have no idea what tree this is, I suspect some sort of ornamental cherry tree but I've seen them blossoming all over town this week. Look at all those buds waiting to come out!

The Forsythia is just starting to bloom. This will be a mass of yellow over the next week or two. For me, Forsythia heralds the arrival of spring so it is always a joy to see those bright yellow blossoms.

In the woodland garden we have a wonderful show of primroses. From the house it looks like the Easter Bunny has been and left massess of brightly coloured eggs for us.

I have been finding pockets of crocus all over the garden. I planted a few patches of bulbs about three years ago and they seem to finally be multiplying and giving us more of show than they have in the past. A delight to see.

Finally, the roses are starting to put out their leaves. This rambling rose is packed with clusters of soft pink roses which slowly fade to white in early summer. It's wonderful to see the garden stirring at this time of the year. 

 Well lovelies, my oven has just signalled that supper is ready - an easy stone-baked pizza, a perfect Saturday evening no-fuss meal. Where ever you are and what ever you are doing, I hope that you are finding joy and peace in the simple things.

Slow Living - Are We In Danger Of Becoming Quite Useless and Sterile?

I am sure that I do not need to state the obvious but I'm going to say it anyway...social media and our instant access to most things is killing the joy of living.

If I just think back 10 years, I did more living than scrolling. 

Today we watch Instagram reels of an 'idyllic life' for inspiration but how much living to we do as a result? 

We watch bread being made instead of making it ourselves and savouring the smell of the yeast as the dough proves, followed by the aroma of baking bread permiating every room. 

We watch a kitchen garden coming to life and being harvested in a matter of seconds, but ours remains unchanged and unproductive. We watch someone walking barefoot through the meadows in her beautiful linen dress but we do not get out our sewing machine and we find every excuse not to spontaniously kick off our shoes and walk through the dew-covered grass.

We are a society slowly dying and loosing the essence of life as we trade it in for conveniance and more useless mass-produced things that clutter up our homes.

These are the thoughts that struck me recently as I picked up my neglected Kindle last week and suddenly missed the weight of a proper book, the feel of the paper in my fingers, the smell of a book never opened. When last did I visit my local library? I can't remember.

I used to make a trip every three weeks and leave with my arms laden with titles that looked intriguing, looking forward to spending quite times turning each page over the coming days with a cup of tea. A simple joy - willingly set aside.

3 years ago I watched the documentary The Social Dilemma - an exposé by the very people who developed all these 'social' platforms. Not one of them allowed their own children to have all these social platforms. Why? because they designed them to captivate the minds of users, to cause an addiction, to keep them coming back for more. Not only that, the algorithm feeds you more of what you like, agree with and seek, thus focusing your exposure to messages that reinforce your ideas to the exclusion of actually thinking about it.

I remember being shocked. Horrified. 

And yet we are convinced that we need it for our businesses. We need it as a source of inspiration and learning. We need it to 'connect'. We need it to make money. Yet it divides us, isolates us, destroys creativity and extinguishes the thing that makes us human.

I see all this in my own habits and in the way I live my life now compared to 10 years ago. It is frightening how quickly it consumes your hours and distracts from real living. 

So I'm making 2025 the year where I detox from attention span limiting habits and getting back to living every moment of my life. I'm baking my own bread, stocking my freezer with meals made from scratch and homemade bakes. I'm growng my own food, preserving, and making time for sewing, stitching, knitting. 

As soon as we move to our new home in the coming weeks, I will visit my local library and get a library card. Once again I will have piles of lovely books to page through on a range of topics. 

I'm going to join the WI, meet new people, establish a craft group, take long country walks, and savour the joy of each day lived in appreciation of each moment. 

Tell me, do you ever feel the same? Do you feel that we are losing the 'good old days' of common sense, long conversations shared, cooking from scratch or stocking the freezer with homemade meals for those days where time is short?

Do you miss spending quiet time with God? Unhurried time reading an actual book or sewing a dress, or growing food for your table? When last did you sit quietly listening to music or stroll around a gallery? When last did you spontaniously pack a picnic and head out in search of a riverbank to enjoy good food with others?

How about coming along with me and making 2025 the year where you take back control of your daily moments, where you take back control of your time instead of allowing the use of 'social' media to devour all your time.

My blog has always been a space where I record ordinary days. An online account of a life lived. I find it an insightful tool to look back on and I have done so oon many occassions. In keeping with documenting my days and in my quest to get into the habit of living each moment in a considered and purposful manner, I will share a few 'slow' things from my week. Perhaps you would like to share a few things that you are doing around your home. Why not start a blog and document your slow living and share your posts with me - just leave a link in the comments.

1. I'm Creating

I've taken up nature journaling again. There has been a three year gap since my last entry. Before that, my journaling time was a weekly habit; an outpouring of being in the daily habit of observing what was happening in nature around me.

Since my daughters graduated from our homeschool, my journaling has become sporadic at best. But I've decided to make time each week to sit quietly and record what I see happening in nature

It can just be something I noticed in the garden or when out walking. The idea is that by being aware and alive to your surrounds, you are taking joy in that moment.

I've managed to keep up with my journal entries this month, at least in sketch form. I'll spend a couple of hours this week painting them.

2. I'm reading - (a proper book - only real books for 2025) 

I'm reading English Pastorial An Inheritance by James Rebanks. This book was recommended by a dear friend. The author is from a farming family in the Lake District. His grandfather taught him how to farm the land the old way and he remembers the farm being a patchwork of crops and meadows, pastures filled with grazing livestock.

When he inherited the farm he says it was barely recognisable from the farm of his youth, such have been the effects of modern farming techniques on the land coupled with people moving away from the countryside as machinery took over their jobs. This book is his story on embracing the old ways and trying to restore the life that has vanished from the land.

It is beautifully written and so inspiring that I just don't want this read to end!

3. In the Kitchen 

With it just being the two of us at home now, I find that I have not baked anything in ages as it just does not get eaten. But then I remembered something my grandmother said many years ago, she said she used to bake cakes, decorate them and then freeze them. That way, she always had something in the freezer should she have visitors at short notice. 

I've taken a leaf out of her book and started baking again but freezing it in portion sizes that are suitable for two people. The cake above was cut into squares and frozen. I just take out a couple of squares every week to satisfy any sweet cravings we get. I've done the same with muffins.

Well lovelies, I hope that you are having a wonderful week. If you are finding that the world is all a bit crazy at the moment or that life is moving at a pace that is just way too quick, I would love to encourage you to stop what you are doing and choose just one 'slow living' activity to include in your week. Just a few hours of painting, reading or baking - whatever it is that brings you joy.

I shall see you back here very soon. Have a lovely week!

The North West Winter Wool Festival

In June 2024 I was bemoaning the fact that as an indie yarn dyer I found it difficult to get a place in some of yarn shows that take place throughout the year. At that point my DH suggested that I organise my own event. I figured that there would be other small businessess around that had the same issue and I really wanted to provide a platform giving them the opportunity to promote and grow their own businesses.

So I did it. I settled on a time of year that did not have any shows in the North West and booked the venue.

 I then set out to secure exhibitors. I spoke to numerous small business owners when I attended the shows I had managed to secure in 2024 and handed out thousands of leaflets and launched a consistant social media campaign to raise awareness over the coming months.

All too soon the weekend arrived and my exhibitors started arriving and setting up. It always amazes me to see how an empty space becomes the most beautiful Aladdins Cave of jewel coloured yarns and crafty treasures. 

It was so lovely to see everyone so excited for this event. There are not many events like this in the North West and really nothing between January and March so it was good to fill the 'hungry gap' for small businesses and visitors.

 I enlisted my family and we prepared to welcome all our visitors. 

Saturday was absolutly heaving! I could not have hoped for a better outcome. Everyone was so excited to brighten up gloomy February by spending a day squishing yarn.

Overall the show was a success and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I've never organised an event before and so I suppose you could say it was an ambitious or stupid thing to take on a 2-day large scale event however, I'm really glad we did it. There is nothing nicer than helping to promote small businesses and to provide something that makes people happy. 

I learned so much from this show and I have a list of things that I want to change and improve for our next event such as a different ticketing system, having show merchandise available, and a place for visitors to leave their coats!

You never know just how an event will be supported and what sorts of numbers you can expect but overall it was a success and I'm so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and did it. We will certainly be putting this event on again next February!

This past week has been very busy with numerous court appearances for clients so there was very little time to pop up here and give you a peek into the world of wool shows. It was only yesterday that I actually got around to packing away all the show bits and bobs. 

Next week is a bit quieter work-wise and I am grateful for that. I'm hoping to get some sort of clarity on exchange and completion dates on our house sale. I think we are now in a place to focus all our attention and efforts on moving back to the countryside and quite frankly, we are looking forward to the peace and quite!

We have a piece of land that backs onto our current home that has been undevelped for years. Shortly before winter they broke ground and while it has been so much quieter and less disruptive that I thought it would be, I am craving wide open spaces and views overy the countryside.

Anyhoo lovelies, I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend and are almost ready for the week ahead. See you soon!

Embracing Late Winter: Signs of Spring and Seasonal Reflections

The shift between seasons never happens overnight. Even as winter clings on with its chilly grip and stark, bare branches, there are hints—small, quiet whispers—that change is on the way. Late winter is a time for pausing, for noticing, for embracing the subtle stirrings of the world around us as it gently leans towards spring.

The First Signs of Spring

Winter still lingers, but nature is already beginning to stir. On my daily walks, I’ve started spotting the first brave snowdrops pushing their way through the frost-hardened earth. Their delicate white heads nod gently in the breeze—a sure sign that winter’s hold is beginning to wane. The hellebores, too, are starting to bloom in their dusky purples and soft creams, adding muted beauty to an otherwise stark landscape.

Birdsong, once quiet through the darker months, is slowly building. Blackbirds and robins seem to sing with more confidence, their melodies cutting through the crisp morning air. I’ve noticed them darting between hedgerows, gathering twigs and bits of moss—early preparations for the nesting season ahead.

There’s something different in the air, too—sharper, fresher, carrying the first hints of earthiness as the ground slowly begins to thaw. The trees, still bare, are showing signs of life, their buds swelling, waiting for the moment to unfurl into new green leaves.

A Time for Reflection and Preparation

This in-between time of late winter is one I treasure. It’s a chance to savour the last cosy evenings by the fire, warm drink in hand, with a favourite book or a knitting project keeping my hands busy. But it’s also a time of gentle preparation—both indoors and out.

There is much I want to do in the garden at this time, like clearing away winter’s debris and making space for the new season’s growth. I'm itching to start sowing seeds but I know that it is just a matter of weeks before we pack up our house for our move to the country. 

Indoors, there’s an urge to refresh the space, to throw open the windows when the weather allows, to declutter and welcome in the increasing light. Fortunatly this urge fits in well with packing boxes and purging excess!

My Nature Journal: Documenting the Season

In years gone by, one of my favourite ways to mark these seasonal shifts is through my nature journal. Taking time to record what I see, hear, and feel connects me more deeply to the world outside my door. 

However, I have to admit that the end of our homeschooling days caused a huge disruptive shift in my life. I know that in life, seasons change, things come to an end, new avenues are explored and new rythms established. But it is far to easy to lose the essence of who you are in the search for a new 'normal'. 

As I scrolled through my Instagram account, archiving all my yarn posts as I wrap up that chapter of my life, it struck me how much of what I loved, much of which I wrote about and shared on this blog over the years, had fallen by the wayside... like broken twigs and plant debris after a storm. 

Somehow I slipped out of the habit of noticing the 'little things' and recording them in the pages of my nature journal which was always a source of peace and joy over the years. I determined then and there to unwrap my new watercolour palette purchased 2 years ago (I know, shocking!) and to go back to weekly journal entries.

I was a little nervous actually, would I still be able to draw and paint? Would it feel awkward? 

Well, it felt a little clumsey but overall I was quite happy with the results and I have to say that I have loved getting back into a daily habit of getting outside and paying close attention to what is happening around me.

Below, I’m sharing a recent journal entry, capturing snippets of January. 

In making the decision to be more intentional in my daily living and in this case, my journaling, I was tempted to start a brand new journal. My last entry was in 2022 and I quite like new fresh starts when it comes to notebooks and journals but, it struck me that seeing the stark 3 year gap in my journal is a good reminder to hold on to those things that matter and not let the sands of time run through the hourglass unheeded.

If you keep a nature journal, this is the perfect time to start a fresh page—recording the small but significant shifts that signal the changing season. Have you spotted the first blossoms? Noticed an increase in birdsong? Felt the change in the air?

Welcoming the Light Ahead

As February begins to slip away and March approaches, the promise of spring feels more tangible. There’s excitement in the longer days, in the warmth that will soon return, in the slow but sure awakening of the natural world.

How are you experiencing this seasonal shift? I’d love to hear about the signs of spring you’ve noticed—do share in the comments or in your own nature journal!