new babies...

A good friend of mine has just got a new spaniel puppy, she is going to be trained to use as a gundog and I am fascinated to see the process the involves. For now though she is just 11 weeks old and is enjoying the boundless energy of puppydom. Introducing Indie...

As you can see she and Roghan got on pretty well, they both knocked each other over and sat on each other several times but neither seemed to mind.

An arrival at another friends home is this sweetest little one. Nicknamed sketcher (after the shoebox he was brought home in), this baby hedgehog (hoglet!), was either abandoned or its mother died and he was found wandering alone down the side of a road at 3 weeks old. At that age he would only have been out of the den a day or 2 and wouldn't stand a chance alone. However, he is now a month older, putting on weight and doing well. Unfortunately he has some injury to his back leg and cannot be released, the sanctuary is full so my friend looks like she will end up with a hedgehog as a pet!

In the photos you can see that its front left leg looks really swollen, the vets think it may be arthritis as it doesn't respond to any anti-inflammatory and this is why it can't be released.

Jo x 

wild ponies

We went on an amazing walk last week and met the most beautiful and friendly wild ponies. They let us stroke them and talk to them for ages and ages, only the protests of a sleepy baby made us leave.

(don't worry, my baby was slightly more secure than faith's!)

Don't you think the colours of the gorse and heather are just gorgeous. 

Jo x 

yarn along

Joining in with ginny for the yarn along this week.

I have been holding back on these photos for a week or two as they were for birthday gifts. However, the birthdays have happened now so I can share.

Socks have become a bit of a birthday tradition for chris so he had some very fetching grey and pink ones.

These were made with my very simple and basic sock recipie (recipie, not pattern because it is not written down it is just the way I do socks and can be adjusted to any size of person or yarn, if anyone is interested I can try to explain that a bit better!).

I recently treated myself to a new book 'toe up 2 at a time socks' in the hopes that my sock making can become a bit more adventurous, and also in the hopes of avoiding 2nd sock syndrome.

This shawl is crocheted from the wisteria pattern.

It was fun to work on and I think the outcome is really beautiful.

Ravely notes here.

I haven't been reading any fiction at the moment because I have so many knitting, sewing and schooling things going on that there is not a minute in the day for reading, unless, of course, it is about knitting, sewing, or schooling! So, to those ends I have been using toe up - 2 at a time socks, handmade beginnings and last minute patchwork and quilted gifts.

Jo x 



most suspicious face

We had a good time in the woods yesterday. Running, jumping, climbing, paddling, falling over, scraping knees, building dens, feeding ducks, almost stroking squirrels. (They let you get your hand within a few inches before scampering off.)

Unfortunately my camera battery ran out not long after we arrived so I have no evidence of the brown, dripping, cold, hungry, tired children that made their way back to the car. Instead, lets remember the contented, clean, happy children that arrived there a few hours earlier.

The title of this post is in reference to the picture below. There is definately some mischief being plotted here.

Jo x 

at our place

This week has been,  trying new flavours (that first picture makes me giggle every time), dying with flowers, bouncing and cuddling, being inquisitive, drawing in the sand, gathering elderberries, deciding whose turn it is to knock the tower over, being watched by the growing foal, fun with chalks, lots of playing, learning, and loving too x 

Jo x 

to you...

You make me smile, you work so hard, you play with your children, you make people feel comfortable about being themselves, you are so giving of your time and energy, you bring me cups of tea, you write sweet little messages for us to find, you dance really funnily, your good at drawing, your good at puzzles (from faith!), you wear smart clothes, you give me acupuncture to balance my energy, you tell me silly jokes, your part of a family that loves you x 

Here's to you on your birthday x love x 

make: with palm leaves

When really strong winds blow hundreds of palm leaves down, what do you do?

 

 

- braid them all together into a really long rope that is virtually unbreakable,

 

 

and hang it up in the tree to make a swing.

 

 

- peg down the ends of one with little twigs and play croquet, (using a stilt as bat, of course!).

 

 

- weave into a place mat

 

 

- split into thin pieces and braid a sweet bracelet

 

 

- attempt to make a basket and then realise that your knowledge of basketry consists entirely of the words 'over, under, over, under...' and maybe you need some lessons.

 

 

These are just a few things that we got up to on a sunny afternoon, I've heard that people build bridges out of these leaves and also that they are used to make fabric by splitting them down to thread-like fibres and then weaving.

 

Happy experimenting!

 

Jo x