Weekending in The Lake District & A Few Thoughts for February

We had expected to be in our new home by now however, we are still waiting for our house sale to go through. It's been an age and quite frankly, we just want to get this done now. We are craving being back in the countryside and cannot wait to start a new chapter in our little cottage up on the Lancashire/Cumbrian border.

So what do you do? Well, you book a weekend on Lake Windermere to ease your woes.

We found a great New Year's deal at the McDonald Old England hotel on Bowness-on-Windermere. The hotel is on the waters edge so we enjoyed eating breakfast overlooking the water.

Old England Hotel from the Water

We were slightly concerned as the day we were set to travel up to Cumbria, the UK was expecting dangerous gale-force winds across the region. However, we left after work on Friday by which time the worst of the winds had passed.

On Saturday morning we woke up to the most gorgeous day we've had this winter! Clear skies, not a breath of wind...just stunning!

We decided to hire a little self-drive boat for an hour and pootle about the lake. 

Memories of the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons which I'd read to my children came flooding back. All my most loved heros have lived a life in this area. Beatrix Potter, Charlotte Mason...I felt completley at home and at peace.

I confess that I have had a moment or two during this whole house selling and buying business that has caused me a wobble or two. But being back in Cumbria I just knew that the move is the right thing at the right time for us.

After pootling about the lake we took a drive around Lake Windermere - it is so nice in winter. Very little congestion and few visitors. Apparantly it is almost unpleasant in summer with the amount of visitors that visit the Lake District.  But who can blame anyone for wanting to escape cities for this landscape!

The opposite side of the lake to where we were staying is not really devloped for tourists - perfect! If I had an unlimited budget, I'd definitely be buying a lakeside house. I probably wouldn't get a thing done - I'd be hypnotised by the view!

All too soon our weekend in paradise was over and we returned to our suburban home, a little more motivated to start packing those boxes!

North West Winter Wool Festival

February is set to fly by, we have the North West Winter Wool Festival in a little under 2 weeks - so there is a LOT going into that at the moment. 

Saturday tickets have reached capacity for the venue so we have had to stop selling tickets for that day. How incredable is that! Tickets are still on sale for Sunday however, if people want to book any Saturday workshops we will be issuing show tickets for them. So email us on northwestwinterwoolfestival@gmail.com if you are wanting to do that.

February Love...

Apart from the show and hopefully our house move, there is lots to love about February! I've got my little Valentines heart tree out. Of course, it's not going to be a slow Valentines weekend for us as we will be working at the show but it's nice to mark the season with a bit of home decor.

I've enjoyed having bunches daffodils brightening up my home during Janaury. It's one of those little things that is part of the rhythm of my year. Gloomy January is cheered up with daffodils.

In the Garden

I was working in the garden yesterday - mainly helping my husband repair a fence that had blown over in last weeks storm, and found a little bunch of snowdrops! I love seeing the garden slowly waking up. I always find it so sad to see the state of it in the winter months. Snowdrops are just the reminder we need that no season lasts forever!

We have enjoyed some lovely frosty mornings this winter. I love the way spiders webs freeze up and look like delicate pieces of jewellery. I've been taking time to once again appreciate the small things in life - it makes such a difference to ones outlook wouldn't you agree?

I've snipped a few Forsythia branches from the garden and brought them indoors to force. 

I think I may do a journal entry documenting the process. It's been a long while since I picked up my journal and I must say that I miss it!

February Ponderings

Its funny how life seasons change, disrupting your rhythm and changing the course of your habits isn't it?

Just like the fierce storms we have had, they cause turmoil, rip things away, and leave behind some form of devistation that needs to be cleaned up and put back together, often leavning life looking very different.

Since taking the decision to close my yarn business, I have been through my Instagram doing a bit of housekeeping and archiving some photographs. I realised how single focused my life has become, whether it was on yarn or during my legal studies. 

Quite frankly, I don't like it! 

I believe that this is a great danger in life becoming mundane and lacking in joy and appreciation of the small, ordinary things when we set them aside in favour of achieving a goal to the exclusion of all else. 

Every so often, we are given the opportunity to confront our choices, review our life and decide if we like what we see or if it is time for a change.

For me, it's time for a change. I think our house move, the end of my studies and trying to make a business from my hobby is that juncture. Workwise, I'm in a good place. I have the yarn show which is going really well, I'd like to build on this and arrange another one for the autumn. I have also just been appointed as a county court advocate which allows me to decide how and when I work. 

It gives me the flexiblity I've been looking for to build a balanced life that includes time for the things that are important to me, like getting outdoors, painting, visiting friends, getting involved with my church and other groups. I am determined that 2025 is going to be a year of appreciating the small things and moments.

What are you hoping for in 2025? 

Anyhoo lovelies, I hope that you have a lovely week whatever your plans are. I look forward to catching up with you a bit later in the week.