do you mind if i knit

Hunting for beautiful bargain tea cups.

It's snowing outside, and I'm thinking about tea cups. While we were in North Yorkshire, I bought these tea cups from various flea markets. They were all 'finds'............. hidden away behind things I would describe as .............. well items not to my taste, put it that way....... Because they all had slight faults, they were inexpensive, so for me, they were a bargain! A beautiful bargain........... I want to use them in my still-lives at some point. I had them displayed on the mantle piece, above the fireplace of our accomodation, while we were on holiday. As I was in a 'hunting for beautiful bargain tea-cups' frame of mind, I started to notice tea cups every where we went................ ......... These were displayed on the window sill of the refined tea room we visited in Helmsley, 'The Black Swan'. It was very pleasurable, munching on cucumber sandwiches, and scones with butter, cream and jam, whilst staring at these tea cups, and wondering how old they were, and who had drunk from them........ Tea cup tourism didn't end with looking at delicate fine bone china in an elegant tea house......... no, there was more quality viewing in the James Herriot Museum. Tea cups, waiting to be used.......... imagine, cloth smoothed over the kitchen table, and tea cups gently laid out, followed by plates of cream buns and sweet confections, all washed down with tea from a pot, kept warm under a knitted tea cosy................ What would you call that? 'The English Tea Ceremony'?!!

How four days holiday, seemed like a week.

Fish and chips at 'Hadley's', in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Accompanied by a cup of tea, and ................ .......... bread and butter, (one slice only mind). This was the first lunch of our holiday, in good Yorkshire style. The couple at the table next door asked for some 'scraps' to go with their fare. Scraps, (I was informed by Hugo), are the bits that come off the fried battered fish, apparently they are delicious. Bellies full, we decided to wander round Whitby, which is the most charming seaside town. From its old fishermen's cottages set in narrow lanes, to its delightfully kitsch waterside shops selling sticks of rock, jokes, sugar mice and all the other things you might associate with a British seaside town. It's a wonderful place for an amiable amble, and going off the well-beaten path, we were very excited to find 'Fortune's', a family run business, who smoke their own kippers, and bacon. I'm not a huge fan of Kippers or bacon myself, I find the flavours too strong, but Hugo adores both. The smell of smoked kippers I love, strangely enough, so I had absolutely no problem stepping inside the shop, especially after the promise of this beautiful sign. The proprietor was very friendly, he was quite happy for me to take a photograph of the kippers, and more importantly, the golden kippers against the wall tiles.................. .........We even got a peek into the smoking shed. The smoky aroma.............. the black walls and doors, and the fish glowing through the dark ......... there was something magical about it, in an unusual sort of way........... This building has probably not changed since it was first opened.............. and I hope it never does. Robin Hood's Bay. "Oh you're going to Robin Hood's Bay......... it's beautiful", I'd been told................. and it was! Any village that is only accessible on foot to non-residents is bound to be interesting in my book. If you like wandering up and down tiny little lanes (which are completely inaccessible by car), looking at picturesque cottages, then this village might be somewhere you'd like to visit. I like doing these things, so I found myself thinking.............."I want to come back and spend more time here". It was the sort of place which had surprises round every corner.............. And details to exclaim at, at every turn ................. just lovely. The high-light of our holiday for me, was a visit to the James Herriot Museum, of 'All Creatures Great and Small' fame. I saw the television series when it was broadcast, and I loved it. We were made to feel the author of the books, Alf Wight, had stepped out for a moment, while we were stepping back in time, snooping round his home ........... perfect! A photograph of these saucepans was as near as I got to taking ownership of them............. If I'd been invited to sit down for a cup of tea and a cake .............. refusal would have been impossible. If I'd been asked to hang out the washing .............. ..........Or been told to do the washing-up of the dishes, I would have done it all willingly, and happily. I had to make do with imagining it all instead. A refined afternoon tea, in the tea rooms of the Black Swan, Helmsley, ended our little break in Yorkshire. The delicacies were served on Wedgwood Fine Bone China, and the Earl Grey tea was not just Earl Grey, it was Earl Grey with flowers. I found myself sitting up straight, and taking lady-like sips of my tea, in between nibbling the exquisite confections. We drove home happy and contented, feeling we had been away for a week, not four days..................

Tick-tock, says the clock.

Work has suddenly shifted into a higher gear as Bologna Book Fair looms in April............. and I still have all the colour art work to complete for the book I'm working on.............. At times like these, any type of holiday seems very badly planned. But we had booked a four-day break a while ago, and tomorrow is when our holiday starts. But as there is nothing I can do about it, I shall just have to jump whole-heartedly into enjoying myself while we're away............. life is tough isn't it ?!!!!!!!

Doggy nightmares.

"Douglas........?" "Douglas............., I've just had a nightmare about Cuddy". "Was it about his teeth Ellie? Cuddy has pretty sharp teeth". "No, it was worse than that............." "It started fine.........." "I was making friends with Cuddy........" "We seemed to be getting along just fine. But then............." "Cuddy started to grow". "He became this giant puppy, with razor sharp teeth, and a bark that would split your eardrums..........." ".............And those paws! Huge stomping paws!" "Well you know Ellie, when we last saw him he did seem to be almost growing before our eyes". "Douglas............. you'll keep him in check when we next see him won't you.................. you being so brave and everything..........?" "How big was he in your dream exactly Ellie? Ellie.....? Ellie are you still awake.....?"

Outside it's raining, inside it's shining.

A Monday morning, and outside it's dark enough to disorientate the senses. Outside it's pouring with rain. Everything is dripping wet, and cold. But inside I have my first Daffodils and Tulips making a sunny, jolly statement. I look at them, and breath in their colour............... ............ and their drama. I try and think of warm Spring days, dappled sunlight, bird song................. And life feels sunnier.

Cat's Paw scarf.

Hugo and I went to Orkney for two weeks last year. We rented a cottage, which turned out brilliantly. We fell in love with the wild and dramatic landscape, and fantasised about having a tiny cottage to visit, all our own. There are many islands you can visit, all with their own merits. North Ronaldsay was one we visited, it was an adventure that started with a ride in a six-seater airplane. Wild sheep live on the island, surviving on seaweed! They do get sheared, and their fleece is spun into yarn................. ............. of which I bought some. The shop in Kirkwall I bought this from, was selling patterns to go with the yarn, so I decided that while we were in Orkney, it would be charming to knit a scarf with locally produced wool............... this Elizabeth Lovick pattern was just the ticket,(a free download for you there). It comes from Elizabeth Lovick's 'Northern Lace' website. I knitted this 'Cat's Paw' scarf pattern, by Elizabeth Lovick, throughout our two week stay. It was my first attempt at knitting lace, and I enjoyed it enormously. A few people from my weekly knitting circle, have knitted this very successfully using Alpaca yarn. It's one of those patterns that a photograph never does justice to, but it looks fabulous on the wearer. It looks particularly fabulous on Ellie and Douglas.

Knitted slipper pattern.

I've been asked for the pattern for these knitted slippers............ so here goes: You'll need a chunky wool, (I used Sirdar 'Click-chunky with wool'). 2 x 50g balls. 5.5mm,(no.5), needles. Abbreviations: K=knit, p=purl, st.(s)=stitches(es), sl.-slip, tog=together, t.b.l=through back of loop. Cast on 34 stitches. 1st row: sl.1, k10, p1, k10, p1, k11. 2nd row: sl.1, k33. Repeat row 1 & 2, 23 more times. (Mark the beginning of of the last row with a stitch marker). 49th row: sl.1, k2 tog., knit to last 3 sts., k2 tog. t.b.l., k1. Knit 5 rows. Repeat last 6 rows once more. 61st row: same as 49th row. Knit 4 rows. Next row: sl.1, (k2 tog.) to last st., k1. Next row: sl.1, (k2 tog.) to end. Next row: (k2 tog.) to end. Break off yarn, thread through remaining stitches and fasten off. Join the seam from this end up to marker. Join back seam. Make the second slipper the same. Pompoms make a nice finishing touch............

Oliver, from november moon.

This is Oliver, who I bought from november moon. I love him from the top of his woolly hat............ ..............to the tip of his button toes. Oliver is beautifully made. I wanted to buy him for a while, and kept on looking at november moon's etsy shop longingly, falling for this little chap more and more. I love his serious expression. I couldn't resist tucking a rose into his lapel....... most undignified for the little guy, but so fetching. Now I need to find the right chum to go with him, a girl friend perhaps?

From small beginnings.....................

These came from............... ..........this. A small bunch of flowers created from this large bouquet. Two things with the same content, but a completely different feel. I just had to paint the little posy, to preserve it's simple beauty. The first painting I did, is the watercolour on the left. I wasn't happy with it, so................ ..............I painted it again. But in this version, I felt I had lost some of the looseness in the brush strokes I liked in the first image. So I had one final go. I decided to stop at this third attempt, not because I was 100% happy with it, I just thought I was starting to obsess a little too much................ But since doing these, I have started to paint more still lives. The more I paint, the more I want to paint. And I'm loving it.

Scented envelopes.

Hyacinth bulbs hold so much promise before they have even started flowering. From the moment they are planted, or balanced above water, it's like a starting gun has been fired. I love the simplicity of their form before they flower........ but when they start to unfurl their buds, that is when the performance makes you sit up and take notice............... ..............It's not just the colour that starts to glow as each flower bud reveals it's true colours............. it's the perfume! That rich, heady, sweet aroma. The scent thickens as more flowers open, and forces you to analyse it's complexity. It isn't simply sweet, it is musky, earthy, almost cloying. One morning I stood, hovering over them, like a wine taster might over a glass of dark ruby red wine. As I enjoyed their thick, syrupy perfume, I scrutinised the flowers. Some of the buds were still closed. 'Tiny envelopes of scent', I smiled to myself........ like miniature perfumed letters. All that energy in one bulb! Extraordinary. It's no surprise it all becomes too much for them when the flowers are fully open. They become heavy, they even smell weighty. So when the stalks flop, that's when I intervene. I don't want their magnificence to be diminished, so I display them differently............ ........ in a vase......... I don't think they look any less magnificent, I'm just prolonging their splendour.