Sunday 17 January 2016

Pictures of my Week

Hello Lovelies,
the weather has certainly cooled down this past week and it feels like January should. Thankfully there has been less rain and it's been lovely to wrap up and  get out and about .
On Wednesday I walked to the Doctors ( routine check up) and on the way back I picked up flowers at the local florist and took them to a friend....... 


On Thursday the walking group went on a hilly walk ( yay my favourite )..........


It was rather muddy in places but very enjoyable as long as you were well wrapped up. To spend about five hours outside when the temperature is about 3 degrees Celsius I need layers. On Thursday I wore 5 layers on my body and 2 layers on my legs. Plus a bobble hat, scarf and gloves :0)

When we enter a churchyard that generally means it's time for our picnic lunch.There are porches to shelter in if it's raining and benches to sit on if it's not.



 I love the fact that I get to eat outdoors 12 months of the year.
Desert this week was one of the many butterfly cakes I had made the day before. Three teenagers means baking in bulk :0)


Amongst the grave stones I spotted Primroses....

 Way too early

And Snowdrops........

 a lovely sight, but still too early really.


That night the sky was clear and oh so cold. I loved the moon that looked like an illustration for the   nursery rhyme .


Yesterday morning we had a really hard frost. Hubby and I were once again walking at the country park...........


It's certainly unusual to see the play park empty and the ice cream man was nowhere to be seen :0).............


the lake was frozen in places and the ducks walked about on the surface, except where they had made a little channel to the spot were  people throw them seed.........


When we got home I was delighted to see my latest yarn purchase. A modest  Wool Warehouse package. I needed some red and white yarn. The other colours are some of the newer shades I haven't bought before....oh, how lovely they are..........

 Top to bottom L to R they are.... Sage, Pistachio, Magenta, White, duck Egg and Lipstick.

Next on the Saturday agenda was shopping. I picked up more Daffodils to pop in my favourite jug, and rescued a couple of last weeks blooms that were still looking good. I also gave in to the temptation of some bargain Tete a tete too. Green shoots in January make me smile.........


By three pm the Sun was still shining and I was tempted outside again. I smiled as I walked past the pretty church hall...........


but I was heading out into the countryside, passing the sign for the riding stables........


 and the footpath into the field.......


I walked down the muddy lane, past the stable's guard geese......

 these guys are fearsome.

I always stop to say hello to Jacob the donkey.......


soon I had company...eldest had given me a head start, but now joined me ...........

 He loved riding through the puddles breaking the ice that still remained. Such a satisfying cracking sound :0).

 This old pack horse route will take you all the way to a neighbouring village, how great is that. A traffic free "green lane" I love it..........


With limited daylight and freezing temperatures we were not going that far on this occasion.


But we did get as far as our local nature reserve. It's a small, quiet area that you often have all to yourself ( very different to the country park, with all it's facilities and lots of visitors ).......


Here too the pond was frozen.........


and the late afternoon light was wonderful...........


There's a shallow place in the stream that eldest loved riding his bike in....thankfully he had his waterproof walking boots on so his feet stayed dry.........


As the light began to fade we reluctantly decided to leave. It was one of those sweet little times that you don't really plan, but that turn out really special. Just the two of us, eldest enjoying his new bike and simple fun. I have a short video of him riding through a frozen puddle that was deeper than he expected...we both laughed after he managed to get through without coming a cropper. As I said, simple but at the same time so precious.

And I honestly don't think I've seen the nature reserve look nicer than it did yesterday. I smiled at the moon as we left.........




Last night it began to snow and this morning the boys were all outdoors in the dark by 7am. Throwing snowballs at each other and scraping the snow off my car...........


The fresh fall was not deep and thankfully the roads were still clear. I had to go to work, but as I headed off I couldn't resist stopping to take a couple of shots of the winter wonderland.......



How I love a snowy landscape and the early morning light..........


This afternoon I came home tired and enjoyed playing with yarn for a while. How do you like my colourful Log cabin Granny square? Its not my pattern. You can find an excellent photo tutorial HERE. 

I know I've got my ripple to finish , but I've been missing some granny square action lately. I've also been feeling very inspired by Lucy's stunning "Sunny log cabin blanket" . This little experiment combines granny squares and log cabin pattern possibilities....ohhh I'm loving that.

Phew, that was a long and varied post. Well done if you made it this far. I'm always glad I have this space to record my weeks and now years. Thank you so much for still reading and commenting. It means a lot.
Jacquie x

25 comments:

  1. My goodness you had a busy week-all that walking in the cold! I'm impressed with the flowers, and your butterfly cakes are just quite lovely too. I'm impressed that you can get your husband and your children out to walk with you. I've been feeling a bit under the weather the past few days and so I've been sitting by the fire knitting. I like the looks of Lucy's new log cabin blanket too. I'm looking forward to her posting the pattern. We also got fresh snowfall yesterday. It's pretty when it's coming down but not so much fun to shovel. Have a lovely week.
    Blessings, Betsy

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  2. I adore your crochet!!! I will look forward to seeing more!! xx

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  3. I enjoyed following along with you and your week of wonderful thing. Walks, lovely scenery, colorful yarn, flowers and your young man accompanying you. Pure delight. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  4. Sounds like a great few days with all the outdoor time :)
    It's nice to have some proper winter weather at last. Nature has been very confused with all the mild weather and so many things flowering when they shouldn't be.

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  5. Lovely photos, it sounds like you have had a great few days
    Jackie x

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  6. Beautiful post Stunning pics as always thanks for sharing.I do hope Jacob the donkey is well looked after,I love donkeys.xx

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  7. I love seeing your changing seasons - finding ponds and lakes frozen over is a foreign experience for me. I agree with you about the layers and prefer the cooler months for active pursuits because it is always easy to remove a layer. I had to laugh about your baking - bulk baking - with teenagers there is no other way, is there! It is the same situation in my home where one should always start with a double batch of any recipe at least! Enjoy your cosy crochet while it freezes outdoors.

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  8. Beautiful photos!
    Your crochet looks lovely!

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  9. Some lovely Winter walking activity. I must say that it feels right to have to wrap up in several layers at this time of the year to go out and enjoy the countryside, up until this recent cold spell I was going out walking in just a jumper. I love it that your son likes to go out with you and have fun in his bike. I love what you are doing with your crochet, there are so many inspirational ideas around at the moment. xx

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  10. Wow, impressive volume of snow. Still no snow here, the temperatures have dropped and we have a had a good frost but that is all. Love the crochet project.

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  11. You do look to be having a lovely time, nothing like a bunch of daff's to brighten up anyone's day, and they smell lovely too.
    Amanda xx

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  12. It's amazing how varied the weather is at the moment. Those icy puddles must have been great for the little one to go through, followed by even more excitement with the snow. It missed us and I am hoping we get some at some point. Have a great week.xx

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  13. Lovely post. Certainly special moments with your son and nice to walk that path without traffic or crowd.
    Fun log cabin block! Never seen it before.
    Groetjes
    Annemieke

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  14. Looks like a good week. Special times with the off springs are very precious. One on one time today with one of mine, due to a school holiday for one. My walks continue to be of the muddy variety (24 miles so far) trying hard this year to keep track (after saying this I realize the first week of the year wasn't tallied)oh well lol. I've seen Lucy's lovely squares, now seeing your as well I just may join it. : )

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  15. What a lovely post Jacquie, I particularly like the geese and the donkey. I'm glad you and your son had such a lovely time together, it's wonderful when that happens isn't it. I think I needed a few more layers at the weekend, I spent a bit too long standing around in the cold with a cold! Have a lovely week. CJ xx

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  16. Beautiful post, Jacquie with so much lovely winter sunlight and snow for a real winter treat. Can't believe there are already spring flowers where you are - snowdrops and primroses! Early, yes, but delightful anyway! x

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  17. Amo suas fotos, caminhada,lugares,muito diferente do meu pais Brasil, que Ć© muito quente!
    As fotos sĆ£o maravilhosas....AbraƧos.

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  18. I love your walking, home life and yarn posts, they echo my life and loves. Gosh I have so much to be thankful for. Thank you for the lovely photos!

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  19. Your walk looks beautiful! Oooh, you've got quite a lot of snow!!!!! The yarn colours are so cheerful too!!x

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  20. So many really great photos. I love the new Stylecraft colours though I haven't tried any yet.

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  21. Always great to call in. I am trying to finish some projects that are getting as sticky as the mud you were walking in. Some real humdingers that just won't get themselves finished. The granny sample is fabulous.
    http:/joeveryday19@blogspot.co.uk

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  22. Daffodils are a gift that Spring gives. Lovely nature area for walks. Glad snow has melted there and you can take walks. The old church in the photo is marvelous! Wonder if it's Methodist.

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  23. I am your follower and thank you for following my blog. Very kind!

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  24. Green shoots in the house are really important at this time of year - I need to see some signs of life amidst all the cold and darkness.
    I love your photo of the moon and those of the snow. We had some here but it only lasted a few days, sadly. I'm hoping for more...
    x

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