Indian summer/second spring?
Either way this last weekend was lush and unexpected, so when Rich had a whole weekend off we decided to go away after Adam’s footy match for the night. Due to obscene and pathetic council regulations our fave site had closed down for the winter – the night before – so I went googling.
Talk about an amazing find, Dan-yr-Ogof, the Welsh Show Caves, (which are brilliant by the way, you can even get married in one, its gorgeous) have a campsite on the side, in the middle of the Black Mountains. It was bliss.
We got there on Saturday afternoon, had a little explore then settled down to just, well, chill. There was a little bubbling stream running through the site that provided some welcome shade, I pitched up with some cushions and my crochet
Adam built dams and picked a couple of pound of blackberries
and Tom whittled a fishing rod cum weapon, hours went by in complete contentment!
The next day we went for a trek up one of the Black Mountains, hard going but so worth it, just us, a few sheep and shed loads of fluffy catapillars!
Look who figured out the timer on her camera!!
We were in fact away for less than 24 hours, but if felt like a week, I love where we live!
Crafting with the kids
The boys love making, actually, in reality the love the ‘idea’ of making, their attention spans being that of goldfish. But with the added incentive of one newly decorated bedroom and the other soon to be done we came up idea of making a cushion each. And if I say so myself, a brilliant idea! It took a whole morning which is a lifetime of concentration for them. They drew their designs out on paper, spent ages trawling through my fabrics, had a little break while I ironed and cut out, then spent a good hour and half sewing!
There were quite a few injurys…
but the whole point is that they did really enjoy it, they have produced something they are proud of, 1 is finished, the other, well, it might need another pair of hands if it ever wants to see the light of day, however you have to grab your moments and for a crafty mum who comes from a long line of crafty mums, who has subsequently broken the line by producing 2 non crafty boys – this is success!
Actually I think I may have over sold myself a bit there. My mosaic bowl. I love it, but its very, erm, homemade is a polite way of describing it I think. I got a couple of books out of the library and it seemed pretty straight forward. It wasn’t. I have a new respect for tilers and mosaicers (?) I don’t know if I had the right stuff, the man ant B & Q said it would do the job, or if its just me but I couldn’t get the consistency right or smooth it. In my defence some of the pieces were 15mm thick, some 2mm, but that is the point, its made from pieces we found on a fabulous holiday in Scotland from the beach at the edge of our cottage. So long I don’t put anything in it, or let the kids touch it, or let any sunlight get near it it should last the year out!
Finally for now, my lamp. Started 3 years ago and made from scraps of frabric and ribbon, I love it, nuff said!
Water
Last week was half term and we went up the Gower again for the week camping, and it was bliss!
Rich got his very early 40th birthday present, a sea kayak which we all loved and got much use out of, so much so infact that one day we hired a double so that Tom and I could kayak out at the same time as Rich, with Adam in the middle, and we spent several fab hours exploring.
We did manage to fit in one day walking, at the waterfalls at Neath which are glorious for a days walking. (It amazing too how far the boys will walk when they have friends with them !)
But then it was lots more water, this time it was Adams 8th birthday treat, surfing lessons; they were naturals, I tell you, we have produced two fish, anything water related and they are right in there!
Guy, the teacher at Rhossili was great with the boys, they actually listened to him!
And there was also lots of this…
I should apologise for that one really, but at leat I spared you the knees and THE AMOUNT OF DIRTY CLOTHES… We have been back 2 days and my washing machine is crying, literally crying, those duvet bags came in handy though!
Finally thanks for all your comments on my latest blanket, it is lovely to get feedback!
The Forest of Dean
Just one picture and a few words, we’ve just had a week of this along with lots of food, drink, great company, exhausting cycle rides and wonderful hikes. We didn’t want to come home…
Waterfalls, hospital and a bit of origami!
I’ve been amiss with my postings for a while, lots going on, some good, some bad and some a ****** nightmare! However this does mean I have lots to share that I will spread out over a few posts, though we are away camping with friends again next week so I will be carrying on with my amiss-ness for a while longer, if such a thing exists.
Last Sunday it was glorious here in South Wales, so we took a 40 minute trip up the motorway to Glyn Neath, Breacons waterfall country. It was stunning, quiet, a bit dangerous (though thats probably just us) a bit hard trekking up and down but so, so worth it.
The first one we discovered Sgwd Gwladus
This picture just doesn’t do it justice, its in a deep sort of gorge surrounded by lush greens. We climbed up to the top and laid on the ledge that the water falls off, holding onto the boys legs VERY tightly!
The next one we visited was The Horseshoe Falls, several semi circular waterfalls and there would have been lots more pictures
however Tom slipped by the far one and broke the fall with his chin, cutting it right open in a nice clear line. We were in the middle of nowhere, with only narrow muddy tracks leading eventually to the car – a good half an hour away. Though I had a packet of clean tissues – go mum.
Tom was so brave, with dad holding his chin together and me hurrying Adam along we made it in 20 minutes! So, after a bit of glue and several steri strips he is over the moon that he is going to have a proper scar now, and a great story to tell his friends about his brave trek while severely injured!
One of my crafteroo buddies, Vintage Violet has had one of her fab tutorials featured on a brilliant website of awesome turorials . While checking it out I saw the gorgeous Kusudama Ball and just had to have a go. I tried it in thick paper first and quite a large square about 20cm.
But thought it would be too large and chunky to complete, so I started another one with papers from a magazine. I also didn’t glue them, I used double sided which does make it a lot quicker.
Itsn’t it fab! I love it and its not as complicated as it looks, and quite theraputic too, folding all those bits of paper. I can see a mulitude of uses already, unlike the husband who really cannot see any at all, and my oldest who was about to drop kick it – see what I have to live with!
The instructions are clear to follow, one of the folds confused me a little but a quick scout around utube made it clear. This one was made using 10cm squares, and does grow quickly – I think they’ll be breeding fast!
Not much crocheting – too much rain!
Not much crocheting going on around here lately, or indeed on holiday actually and my fingers are starting to itch. Not much on holiday as we borrowed a friends kayak for the week so instead of sitting on the beach while they surfed and snorkeled, I don’t like being ‘in’ the water, I kayaked around and loved it. I just need to get a waterproof bag and I can take my crocheting while I bob about on the waves…
We also visited Skomer Island which is stunning and gorgeous and well worth a visit if you’re ever in that part of Wales. A 10 minute boat trip and your’re left there for 4 hours to explore, birds, seals and rabbits and beautiful scenery.
Unfortunately there was also a lot of the other sort of wet by the end of the holiday
abley demonstrated by the monsters. We had just been paddling in the monsoon like weather, well, it was warm at least, though the husband refused to join in the singing and skipping! So we gave in and came home a day early. But since then we have had lots of friends staying over so still no more crocheting!
The last visitors though have been the eldest’s friends for a sleepover and while noisy/messy/smelly they have entertained themselves so I have been having a sort out. What with all these people sleeping in MY room I’ve had to be a bit magic in shoving wool and paper in all sorts of places. However tidying is not always good, you see all your bits and the ideas start flowing and the colours distract you. I decided to sort out my bits of wool as they are getting in a mess again and gathered all the little bits together:
and look what I came up with
how pretty! Now, what can I do with it…
And don’t forget, you’ve still got time to enter my first givaway!
Holidays!
If it’s possible, I love the Forest of Dean more now than before. We have been quite a few times but this time staying a week enabled us to really see it properly. The site we stayed on was gorgeous, Bracelands, right in the middle of the forest, surrounded by tree’s and the absolute best thing about the whole week, barring the weekend of course was the fact that the English schools hadn’t broken up yet so nowhere was busy, which is really useful when you have a couple of fearless nutters riding at top speed through the forest…
It really made a nice change, all our holidays are beach themed as our boys are complete water babies (as is the big boy too actually) so it was nice to not have sand everywhere and to be surrounded by gorgeous, beautiful green everywhere.
So as well as a couple of days cycling we had a wonderful afternoon doing this:
and this view is from above where we were kyaking:
and we only had one afternoon of this:
Which turned out to be very fortuitous as we went to the cinema in Gloucester and guess what was next door, yes, would you believe it, a Hobbycraft! The gods were obviously smiling down on me as the night before I had finished the lace shawl (pictures in a couple of days when I have blocked it) and had nothing to do and I know I’m on this 2010 Crafts neutral challenge, but I couldn’t not crochet for 3 more days! So I bought a pamphlet on cable and some wool (in the sale!). But I’ll leave that for another post!
