Sunday 23 March 2014

Where Have You Been All My Life...

...I refer not to the crocuses, though they were lovely while they lasted...





...nor to the cat, though she's quite cute. This pic taken by A.

 ...the sun has re-appeared, washing has been on the line, the garden's a mess, brambles are taking over...

...my commuting trips on the train into town for uni are coming to an end. Aside from one day next week that's all our lectures and tutorials finished. I start another placement tomorrow. It's for P1-3 (age 5-7), I'll be in one class though I don't know which yet. I'm worried I'll be rubbish - the theory is all very well, but it's the putting it into practice that's the most important thing. I didn't enjoy the nursery placement and my first P7 placement (which I did enjoy) seems a long time ago. I had such a good class teacher for my first placement, can I be lucky again?


 Smudgy view from the train.

 Hidden treasure - coins in a wishing well.

Here are my uni buddies. I've been lucky to end up in a lovely group. They're all so much younger than me - at one point I was twice the age of the youngest (she's since had a birthday), but they don't seem to mind at all. We were in the middle of an outdoor learning lecture here, sent out to explore near the lecture theatre we ended up in garden of Provand's Lordship examining the well.

 Back to our garden, there are nice bits despite the brambles. This is the first year my hellebores have flowered...



Now to the THING I have just discovered, that for some reason I never knew existed...

...a favourite cosy, woolly cardigan. Bobbled and not looking great...

 Tada! Transformed.

Accomplished using a simple pilling comb, bought for a couple of pounds from ebay. I've lots of cardis needing the treatment. It's not the most exciting job though...

 and it does create some amount of fluff!

 Another restoration project: my favourite purple jacket. Looking faded and past its best. However, the fabric is still in good condition, and I still like it as it fits well- jackets with long enough arms can be difficult to find. After seeing Lucy's post I was tempted to try this for myself. What colour to use though. The "intense violet" looked too blue and the "burlesque red" too red. Well, two packs were required so I decided to use a one of each.



 And here it is. The sun was a bit strong (not a complaint!) so not the best photo, but you get the idea. I was very pleased with the results and look forward to wearing my "new" jacket. The two packs of dye cost just over £10 altogether, plus you need salt and several cycles in the washing machine, but still a lot cheaper than an actual new jacket.

Shepherds pie from last night. It looked and smelled yummy and the camera happened to be nearby. Tasted good too!

Lastly some cat and crochet photos. I caught her lying on A's bed...



Pretty! And the cat's not bad either...

14 comments:

primrosesattic said...

Lovely pics. I think your garden looks pretty. I have Cornish hedges all around mine. They are a pain and a lot of work to keep tidy. But when the wild flowers come out I change my mind. Love your cat in pride of place. And wow your coat looks like new. I had to take a second look at the before and after pic to make sure it was the same coat.
Hope your placement goes o.k.
Rosezeeta.

Jennifer Hays said...

The coat came out beautifully! I've never tried dying any clothing before but you make me want to try now.

Mrs. Micawber said...

I'm still laughing at the yawning cat shot.... :D

Such a pretty blanket - and the coat is a knockout! So is the closeup of the hellebore blossom (working backwards here). And those crocuses are simply stunning.

Good luck with your next placement - hope it goes well.

driftwood said...

i was given a little pumice type stone for depilling once, it promised wonderful things and really didn't work..... that looks very impressive x love the cat and crochet shots x

WinnibriggsHouse said...

Beautiful photos and I think your garden is lovely. It looks like it's used and not just for show. Adore the 'new' coat. The colour has turned out amazing. Good luck with the new placement, I am sure you will get on fine.

Julie said...

Love the coat transformation - it is such a good idea and looks like your colour combo worked really well.
Hope this last placement goes well and that you have good support - fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed, too, for more sunshine. Isn't it wonderful?! Juliex

Amy at love made my home said...

Your "new" coat looks great, and what a good idea to combine the colours to make it your very own. It reminds me a little of your beautiful crocuses. I hope that your placement goes really well for you and that you enjoy it. xx

Mac n' Janet said...

Good luck on your next placement, I remember my student teaching. I didn't have a good teacher, once I was there she just left. Thank goodness I'd been teaching pre-school for years and had been a special ed aide too so I had lots of experience because she was no help at all.

CJ said...

Oh the life of a cat, it's blissful. I hope you new placement is enjoyable and that the teacher is a good one. Great tips about the pilling comb and the dye, I'm a great fan of looking after things and re-using them as much as possible. Hope you have a good week. CJ xx

Neighborhood Watch said...

Mmmm--cozy cat!
Your jacket looks great! I dyed a dress once. It was kind of a mess, but at least I was able to wear the it then (before it was white and I felt too weird in an all white dress). You really had a great eye for the color. I'd have been too scared.

Angela said...

Beautiful photos. Great idea to put some fresh color on the jacket. I have never made shepherd's pie. It does looks delicious. The crochet blanket is absolutely beautiful! Lucky kitty he gets to sleep on it.

Lyn said...

Lovely post and lots of different things going on...good luck with your placement, you'll be fine.
Love the jacket, and your cat is a sweetie! Xxx

~~DucKneSs~~ said...

lovely pics of the flowers..i wish i can grow those lovely flower..sigh..

Unknown said...

Hi! I love your blog. I`m amazed at how beautiful color your coat is now.
And your cat is too cute. My kids keep asking me to get them one, but we already have a very bossy and jealous dog, so sadly we won`t be able to. :(

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