I don't mind November...

I am aware that November is not a popular month with many. However, though I wouldn't wish for a year full of Novembers I don't think it is the most unbearable of months (I award that accolade to January & February!).

I never have any high expectations of November and therefore am never disappointed. I expect it to be cold, wet and dark, but Christmas is on it's way! I do like Christmas, and perhaps enjoy the preparations more than the actual day itself. In November Christmas is sufficiently distant that I can delude myself into thinking that this is the year I will be organised, thus it remains something to look forward to.

November is still a colourful month, the grass still looks green and some feisty flowers remain, even in our sodden, waterlogged garden...

... daisies, fuschias, geraniums, roses and amongst them all a last little ladybird.

I must admit that the November light is not good for indoor photography as the shockingly bad photos to follow show. It's rather a random collection, we've not really been up to much. For example, a recent highlight is the purchase (finally!) of a vinyl tablecloth. I've been humming and hawing over which design to buy and in the meantime the table has been getting more and more scratched and worn.

Before...

After...I think I was probably influenced by this post in my tablecloth choice though I've gone for the matt version. Hmmm, must work on improving my photograph styling!

Here is a photo of the gingerbread from the recent cake night, just to prove it did indeed exist. The recipe is from Nigella's How To Be A Domestic Goddess. It uses fresh ginger and produces a deliciously moist, rich cake. I make 2 x 2lb loaves from the recipe - I did previously make the one huge tray as recommended (to be cut into squares) but have found that the two loaves suit better - one for icing & eating and one for freezing for later.

While on the subject of the cake night, the following is the recipe I used for the chocolate fudge cake.

Overall, I would say I prefer it to the Nigella recipe I used to use (so Nigella doesn't come out tops all the time!) It is very rich and I think it is best served with cream. We also heated our slices in the microwave for 10 seconds. As it's from a Nestle promotional leaflet I think it's acceptable to post the recipe, it's all geared towards getting you to buy Nestle Caramel after all.

I have been making more charity shop dashes with N (my impatient shopping companion). Still no vintage finds, but some excellent book bargains for A:-

I didn't realise till I got home that the Dear Mermaid book is illustrated by Vanessa Cabban, well known in blogging circles for asking "Do You Mind If I Knit?" The illustrations are beautiful and the book is in excellent condition so a great find.

And at this stage I've run out of photographs, there are dishes waiting, and I must get on with some Christmas decorations I'm making to sell at A's Nursery Christmas Fair, not to mention the frozen things referred to in this post. More photos to follow...

Cake Night with Winter Pimms (and my mosaic blogger avatar)

On Saturday evening I had some friends round to eat cake. Just before my cake party guests arrived I took some photos of the living room. I've been trying to tidy the house for about three weeks in preparation for the evening and it was the tidiest it's been since N was born, It hasn't lasted long though and is already back to its usual slightly shambolic (but homely!) state.

So here's what the living room is like dressed up for a November evening's entertainment...

No, it's not going to make it into Ideal Home or whatever, but we like it!

Taking a closer look at the little picture above our big old telly...

... you can see the mosaic I use for my blog avatar.

I made it just after A was born (I seemed to have more time back then) and took some photos of it's progress. It's made using the indirect method so the image is first drawn in reverse on brown paper.

The tiles are cut and glued down with wallpaper paste (or some other water soluble glue).

The photo above shows the mosaic after the cutting has been completed but the tiles are still attached to the brown paper. I think it looked best at this stage - this is the actual photo I cropped for my avatar, hence why it's the opposite way round to the finished mosaic.

It's then placed on a plywood base (I'd framed mine) on a bed of adhesive (I also pre-grouted it and did a little buttering where I'd used some rather thin tiles) then the brown paper is soaked off and the mosaic is grouted and cleaned once the grout is set.

Ta da! Next time I'd make the tiles more closely spaced as I think the grout lines are too wide and have the effect of fracturing the design.

Anyway, back to the cake night...

I made Winter Pimms as described on the bottle (1 part Pimms #3 to 3 parts apple juice, add slices of apple & orange, heat for about 10 mines, serve) and it was delicious - much nicer than mulled wine for a warm alcoholic winter drink. I'll be buying another bottle for Christmas.

The cakes weren't bad either. There were 10 of us, so fortunately not much was left. I have such a sweet tooth I find it hard to stop eating cakes!

The next morning we went on a restorative family cycle to Castle Semple Loch.

The weather wasn't too bad on the way there...

... but as this view from the cafe window shows, it started raining and we got a little wet on the way home. Fortunately there was a little bit of cake left to look forward to!

I've been shopping and baking again...

Earlier this week we went to Ikea. Although we are fortunate to have lots of lovely countryside on our doorstep we're also not far from Glasgow and it's many amenities so we have the best of both worlds (just a shame about the weather!). Ikea is only about 10 miles away.

I've had my eye on the birdie tray having spotted it in various other blogs but it was out of stock last time I visited Ikea. This week I was in luck.

A few other things managed to find their way into the trolley; napkins and storage boxes and an orange throw to brighten up the purple sofa (hmmm, sounds hideous). I also bought a set of cups and saucers for serving warmed Winter Pimms. I'm having friends round on Saturday night and the plan is to eat lots of cakes and try out some Pimms #3, the brandy based version (as opposed to the gin based Pimms #1). It dounds delicious; we'll be having it mixed with apple juice and warmed and served with apple slices. Apparently it also tastes good cold with ginger beer too, mmm!

I've been busy baking in preparation. Last night I made a chocolate fudge cake...

...it's a new recipe for me and uses a tin of Nestles caramel (dolce latte) so it will be interesting to see what it tastess like. Normally I make the fudge cake from Nigella Bites but this one seemed more straightforward though not as generous with the icing quantities.

I've also made some tablet. A few pieces of this have already been eaten, if you've got a sweet tooth it's quite irresistable until you reach the stage where you start to feel rather ill!

I have promised to post the recipe I use for tablet and will do so soon. I didn't have my camera handy when I was making it and it's useful to see what it looks like in the pan when it's ready. I'll be making at least two more lots before Christmas (not all for us to eat I hasten to add!)

In addition, I've made some iced ginger bread and chocolate caramel shortbread. Both are Nigella recipes and I've made them before so I know I like them. The chocolate caramel shortbread is safely stored in the freezer and the gingerbread is maturing nicely in a sealed food bag on the dresser! I made the icing a little to runny so it's not very photogenic, this is as close as you'll see it for now!

I picked up my TraidCraft order from the nursery when I dropped A off this afternoon. It came in this attractive bag made from newspaper.

Inside are more Chirtmas gifts...

... though I will be keeping at least one of the paper garland sets for myself.

Prior to nursery I actually took some things to the charity shop. I am trying to de-clutter at the moment, although I did buy a few more things while I was there; a green woolly jumper for felting, two books, a little wicker shelf and a jug. One of the books is by Hilary Mantel who I've been interested to read since she won the Booker prize, I confess to never having heard of her before then. The shelf is alreday up on the wall in the kitchen and the jug is already in the new pile of things to take to the charity shop - I decided I didn't really like it after all but fortunately it was only 75p

I'm rather nosey when it comes to other people's houses and like it when I get a peek of other bloggers' homes. Our home is too untidy for me to feel comfortable to show too much of it at the moment. However, half of the bedroom didn't look too bad...

Can you see the little face in the doorway...

...up they get for a bounce!

And finally... some sweet peas rescued from the garden before yesterday's storms. It's rather nice to have sweet peas in November!

By the way, I apologise for the quality of the photos, the lighting at this time of year being a little gloomy. I bought the camera I have because it was supposed to take good photos in poor lighting situations, I'm not convinced.

Sunday Morning Bike Ride

No bike ride yesterday as we were away visiting family. The weather was awful anyway with torrential rain and bad flooding on the roads, not at all pleasant.

Today, however, was much better - dry with the odd patch of sunlight.

I'm off up the hill on the other side of the valley this morning. The climb is longer than it seemed last time I took this route. Too many packets of these recently I think (umm, three last week alone!)

Can you see the rainbow.

The last time I came through this avenue of trees they were still in leaf and it was dark and shady passing underneath. I knew once the leaves were away that they'd make quite an impressive photo.

Some evidence of the recent rain.

Just round the corner after the cottage I pass two walkers, one of them is wearing shorts and quite short ones at that! It's November, we're up on top of a hill, a cold wind is blowing, he's plain daft!

It's quite bleak up here but very peaceful (aside from the odd short clad walker). Once the big climb to get here is out the way it's fairly flat. I take my time and admire the November landscapes while gently freewheeling along.

It does start to feel quite cold and I'm glad I've put several layers on and have remembered my gloves which I eventually have to put on. My toes don't warm up though till I get home again.

Look, a little patch of blue sky!

Some colour still in the hedgerows.

I have to wait to let this flock of sheep pass, quite exciting(!)

A last patch of colour. I take the long way home as I like to finish up on a downhill!

Some Things

I bought these machine knitting cones in the charity shop today as I loved the colours, particularly the turquoise. The yarn is quite fine, I'm going to try some little crochet flowers perhaps. Worth a try for just 25p each.

Yesterday, my second order from The Linen Cat arrived. All are all intended for Christmas presents though I am loathe to part with the green lavender bird, he's beautiful! Not only do they look great, they all smell gorgeous too.

I also treated myself to an interiors magazine. Several years ago I used to buy several of these each month but stopped when I gave up my job, not only was I economising but decorating fashions became very expensive and bland. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the one I happened upon while browsing during the weekly shop, it's a new one for me - Country Homes & Interiors.

It includes a rather attractive 2010 calendar.

March in particular looks great, love the crochet blanket.

Also in the magazine are some lovely Christmas decorations which look suitable for adapting and making oneself:
I may have a go at making a couple of little felt houses similar to these...

...likewise these doves. Where I'll find the time I don't know, but we'll see.

The magazine has also given me another Christmas decoration inspiration. I'll not say what it is, if it works OK (which it should, it's very simple and I've made something similar before) I'll post a little tutorial. The first step involves putting some things in the freezer which I'll do tonight...

Enjoy your weekend!

Done

Here he is...

... my first completed crocheted thing, currently dangling from the lamp in the living room.

me: Look, I've finished it.
hubby: That's nice, what is it, is it a bird?
me: Hahaha
hubby: Well, is it a bird?

Another package, another crochet project...

I eventually gave into temptation and ordered a couple of items from Beth at the Linen Cat.

They arrived very quickly and were beautifully packaged and with a lovely surprise purple bonus birdie enclosed.

The green bird and rabbit are lavender bags, the bird is now freshening up my wardrobe, the rabbit is intended to jazz up A's wardrobe and has been given to Santa to pop it in her stocking.

I have now ordered some more as Christmas gifts for family & friends (who don't read this blog!)


We had a bit of a cold spell over the weekend and finally "lit" the fire. It seems to be unusual for blogland but it's not a real fire! We got it installed a few years ago - about 6 months before gas prices shot up and log burners became all the rage. However, it's convenient and suits us as we don't actually spend a lot of time sitting in front of it, it's easy to switch off & on as required. On Saturday I managed to get all the squares for my crochet cushion finished and have now begun the tedious task of sewing in the ends, yawn!

On Sunday morning (cold but with beautiful clear blue skies, lovely!) I took the kids to a play park in one of the nearby villages. The views aren't quite as scenic as here, but still pleasant.






Two little chicks in a nest!

Yesterday (Monday) was the coldest day yet. I was very glad of Diane's neck warmer - it was so cold I even had to button up my new coat(!) and there wasn't really enough space for a scarf tucked inside. The neck warmer was ideal.

Some views of frosty things in the garden...






A is in nursery on Monday mornings. N and I took the opportunity to do our charity shop tour. He's not really a good shopper - hates it when the pram stops moving, so it's rather a high speed browse. It wasn't our lucky day - no treasures! I bought a couple of books but that was it. I then popped into the pound shop and bought some cheap acrylic wool.


I'm keen to try this. As it's not for wearing it doesn't really matter that I'm just using acrylic. The colours were nice.


While N was having his nap I managed to make quite a good start (on neglecting the housework!).


Finishing off today with N's first piece of artwork. A has entitled it "The Storm".