6 Months! Time For A Catch -Up

I'm sitting in my studio, the leaden skies are heavy, threatening rain but not giving much more than a few scattered light showers every so often.

It's breezy but the birds are all out filling the ivy hedge in the garden with their cheerful song. Looking out at the activity over my garden I suddenly felt the urge to come back to this little space - my space - in the blogosphere.

I can't believe it's been six months since I was last here and never for a minute did I expect to be away so long!

So much has been going on! I've been enjoying my reduced work hours. I'm down to three days a week which has given me some much needed time for other things and I plan to focus on building my home business a little more so that I can come home full time by September (hopefully).

I'm still doing my law degree but I have also taken the role of the Outdoor Hour Hostess and doing quite a bit of nature study writing for The Handbook of Nature Study blog. If you remember back to our homeschooling days, our nature study time using the Handbook of Nature Study and the Outdoor Hour Challenges was a staple in our homeschool, so it is wonderful to be able to take on this role and encourage homeschooling families to get outdoors and immerse themselves in nature.

On the home front, it's been an interesting year. Both our daughters moved out in September into their university accommodation. One loved it and the other one spends more time at home than she does in her flat - she says that it is way more comfortable being at home. I take that to mean that it's great to share the cooking, to be able to spread out throughout the house rather than being in a bedsit flat and of course, there is always someone about at home.

Both girls only have about 4 weeks of university left and then they are done! I can't believe that three years have gone by so quickly! They are both itching to start their working life now. One is gearing up to start her freelance illustration business and the other has just landed a job as cabin crew for an airline. Her training starts in May and then she begins flying after that - so exciting! I actually feel that we are on the verge of another seasonal life shift there is so much going on! And I've only just come to grips with the last one! Such is life - always something going on!

Garden Notebook

The garden is finally awakening. The spring bulbs seemed a little slow to start but I must say the garden is beginning to look so pretty. 

Over recent weeks we have cut some new beds around the garden studio. We planted a trailing rose on one side and a Jasmine on the other. The idea is that over the next few years they will both grow up and over the roof.

We have a few more things to put into the garden, some screens around the fire pit with more trailing plants on those and a pretty archway with, yes you guessed it, more trailing plants and then I think we may be ready to just enjoy pottering in the garden over the summer. All the major work would have been done.

As you can see I started this season's seeds albeit a few weeks later than I had planned. I've gone with a combination of flowering plants and veggies (hey... we planted an apple tree in our garden too! I can't wait to see that grow over the coming years). 

Flowering plants I have chosen for this season are: Hollyhocks, Lupins, Dhalia's, Sunflowers (always) and Delphiniums.

Veggies: Tomatoes, Lettuce, Courgettes, French Beans, Mangetout, Carrots and potatoes. 

Create

Not much knitting has been going on over the past few months. I seemed to develop a bit of a wrist thing so have taken some time from the needles to rest. 

"Dragonfly Dance"

On the yarn front, I have been dying up a few new colours which have just been added to my Etsy Shop. I am also looking at adding a few other products to the shop which is exciting.

"Boating on Loch Ness"

Cast On

I'm not quite at cast-on stage yet but I have ordered some lovely CaMaRose Snefnug Danish yarn from London Loops. I can't wait to get started on The Comfort Zone poncho - Free pattern on Ravelry.

I am looking for something that is is fairly easy to just pick up and knit a few rows when I have a chance. This seems like it will fit the bill in that regard plus I love the simplicity of the design. I think it will look fabulouse with casual trousers or jeans and will be perfect for spring and autum days.

And that's about it for this post. I'll be back to share some more yarn stories, gardening notes and of course knitting progress with you later on in the week.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!