French Knots

Busy, Busy

Goodness how did I ever find time to go to work!? I love the bustle of this time of year but find I'm flagging by mid afternoon, which is a great deal better than a few weeks ago. Last week got off to a shaky start as the Doctor sent me to hospital worried that I might be loosing amniotic fluid, happily 6 hours later (!) I was home again safe in the knowledge that I was not but having leant that Tena Lady may well figure in the future and also to avoid sneezing!! Nearly halfway now, 18 weeks today.

The week took an upturn from there as I had been invited to sit on the Citizens Jury for Midwifery run by our local Primary Care Trust. It was a facinating three days, we heard evidence from midwives, obstretricians, staticians, finance experts and had some heated discussion amongst ourselves. It focussed on the fact that my local area is loosing it's maternity unit ( something to do with bringing services ' closer to home' - yeah right) and we were assessing the need for a Midwife Led Unit to serve low risk women in this area. Without that, the only place to give birth would be at home or by travelling outside the area to a big maternity unit at a hospital where it is already hard to park and people feel they are on a conveyor belt. Possibly I am biased, given my current condidtion, but I voted in favour of it and a report will be sent to the jurors in a couple of weeks before it is presented to the PCT. It was great to use my brain a bit more than usual, ok so I've been learning spellings and times tables with The Big Sister but that's not the same! It's an aspect of my working life I had not realised I missed, analysing information, questioning, probing, assessing - the lunches were pretty good too!

I've made some progress on my list of Christmas presents - how are you doing?  

 

A little quilt for a certain someone, the first I've made.Well more of a patchwork blanket reallyas I didn't actually quilt it, perhaps next time.

My Christmas Swap has arrived with Tracey my partner and hers is here too.........of course we couldn't wait to open them

 

This is what I sent, hopefully she is an apron person,the soft trees were all over blogland a couple of years ago and I decided to make mini yo yos for the baubles 

I really enjoyed the hand sewing and, time permitting will make one or two to add to my Christmas decorations.

Tracey really spoilt me

   

She is a talented needle woman, the bag is wonderfully made, so neat and absolutley perfect and the decoration is really sweet with it's embroidery. Thank you Tracey for being my partner, I hope everyone else is as happy with their swap surprises.

Small pleasures

 

Copied my friend Belinda and made some simple handwarmers, good for keeping me warm when blogging with the heating off! Simple rectangles of rib, stitched up the side.

The Big Sister's excitement and total lack of trepidation at going to Brownie Camp for 5 days next week ( unlike me, who is worrying about her already and shes not even gone yet!)

Borrowing The Kite Runner from a friend and reading it in one sitting

Planning the Christmas presents I'll be making, how I love a list!

Plum whisky in the jar on the window sill

Candles lit as the nights draw in

Autumn cooking, hearty stews in the slow cooker

River Cottage Autumn 

Sew Hip loving the fact that I know and read the blogs of so many contributors and of course the editor too, looking forward to the next issue.

Have a crisp, bright autumn weekend.    

High points

Well, the Big Sister was picked for the school football team for the first time - great anticipation chez French Knots as we are all footie fans. She was really excited as she has enjoyed playing football for the first time since the start of term, they competed in a local schools tournament and did brilliantly only going out on penalties in the semi final.

I was on the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2, discussing finance, as you do on national radio! I heard them talking about the taxpayers having to bail out the local councils who have lost tens of millions of pounds due to the collapse of the Icelandic banks and it really got my goat! So I phoned in, something I have never done befrore in my life, spoke to a very nice researcher and before I knew it was put through to the studio. Texting my husband as fast as I could to make sure he was listening too! Sadly the chap on before me had a lot to say so I was just squeezed in before the next song, depriving the nation of my fullest thoughts on the matter - should have mentioned the blog, visitor numbers would have soared!

 

This (unironed!) beauty was only a pound at the jumble sale this week. Of course I told myself it would be useful for repurposing into doorstops. But really I just wanted to rescue someone's wonderful hard work

 

How could I snip it up?

 

I imagine my sewing and embroideries will go for a pound at the jumble in years to come too!

Can you hear it?

.............the silence. The clock is ticking and I can hear the whirring of the computer innards but that is all. For the first time in six weeks all is quiet at this time of the morning. We have enjoyed the hols with sewing, swinging, paddling, squelching, reading, baking, film watching plus some bickering, arguing and grumping thrown in to see how much Mummy can take before she locks herself in the loo!

We had a facinating day out at the Green drops and moonsquirters exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery

 

I think I enjoyed it more than the children! Lots of great activites and lifesize versions of the wonderful illustrations. From dressing up to computer art work it was well thought out.

 

While we were there we visited some of the other exhibitons and one that really touched me was an arrangement of old suitcases and luggage with blank luggage labels for you to write  ' where would you most like to be'. Many, many people had done so and attached them all over the cases, some poignant some fun I added mine to them and tucked it between two cases, a special place I would like to be.

So I will try and savour the silence and look forward to the return of my two, fast growing up, children. If your house is silent for the first time I hope you are finding the transition to school  life as easy as our children.

Amazing

My Little Helper asked for the stabilisers to be taken off his bike, we did and he got on and rode it. Just.like.that!

 Amazing!

My big boy, racing away,

And the sun came out this afternoon, almost as amazing!

Grown up now?!

Wonderful! A wonderful family celebration. If last weekend was the adult/coupley celebration this weekend was all about celebrating my birthday with the children, My Little Helper woke up at 6am as he was bursting with secrets and surprises.

Present opening was followed by breakfast in bed and when I went downstairs the house was decorated with birthday balloons and bunting. The Big Sister had a sore thumb from 'tying so many balloons!' 

One of the surprises was a trip to see Afrika!Afrika! an amazing show with energetic dancing, amazing acrobatics, vibrant costumes - all from a ringside seat for a wonderful view of the performers, many with rippling muscles and rather small costumes! What a birthday treat!

 

The chandliers were really unusual

creative recycling.

A family dinner at the Italian round the corner was followed by cake - oh my goodness.........

a chocolate truffle confection topped with tiers of marshmallows with some super cute candles chosen by Mr FK.

A lovely family day drew to a happy close as the sun finally came out and I celebrated the beginning of my fourties with a glass (or two!) of wine.

When I down loaded the pictures I found a few extra shots from My Little Helper

his cute self portrait and can you guess what this is......

well, it's his seat from the restaurant! What a star!

We're back!

Well, where were we before a week away in Somerset intervened?

Ah yes, sports day and the end of term

a couple of birthdays, so I now have a 5 year old and a 9 year old,oh how the years are racing by ( too fast!)

and a wonderful day out with friends at the Tatton Flower Show. A mooch round the Country Living Pavilion, the amazing show gardens, the back to back gardens that are more realistic but no less breath taking, a tasty picnic lunch and of course some slug food..I mean plants to take home. The weather was lovely, sunny and breezy just right for a flower show so the new wellies were not required.

A wonderful relaxing day, a perfect way for 4 Mums to get ready for the long summer holidays. The children broke up the next day and then we were off to Cheddar for a week. More on that later as I have almost 700 of your posts to catch up on and I can't wait to see what adventures you've been having!

Hat trick

This is what I found when I checked on My Little Helper on my way up to bed. Apparently it is his sleeping hat - dur Mummy! He was fast asleep so I just left it there!

I followed suit......

I thought I'd have a bit of variety after months of sock knitting and knitted this Noro confection in a couple of evenings. I love the colours and the way they blend and change. What a revelation after thin wool and toothpick style dpns - a project doesn't have to take weeks and weeks to complete. It was a pattern from www.saartjeknits.nl and was really easy to follow. I'm going to make another with the left over wool but will miss off a couple of the segments for a snugger fit. Just what we need for the miserable summer weather...but will it ensure me a good nights sleep??

Splish splash!

Goodness what a wet weekend! We had our school fete on Saturday and as I'm on the PTA I was there all day, the rain started as I stepped out of the door at 8 am and by mid morning we were putting up gazebos in a monsoon! Luckily there was a bit of sun during the afternoon so the children could enjoy themselves and have a go at the games and a bounce on the castle. Today has been just the same, but without the sunny spell

The rose that grows up the children's swing ( well it's not got too many prickles!) has bloomed beautifully this year, despite being totally neglected by the lazy gardener. I got this picture last week when we had a couple of dry days, which is lucky as it's a bedraggled mess now...bit like I was on Saturday! 

Gently keeping busy

Have spent some time snuggled under this reading, you all have excellent taste in nostalgic comfort reading. I have learnt how to use the on line ordering service for our local library and will soon be joined by many of your recommendations, some of which I loved as a child and others that are new to me. 

These are some little notecards I made for my Littlest Sis, I scanned the appliqued picture and made some postcards and a wallet to keep them in. I was inspired by this excellent tutorial ( which I still can't link to despite an email from Typepad telling me what to do! ) http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2008/05/are-we-almost-there.html

I've also started a couple of new yarn projects, but as the camera has a cob on today I'll have to show them tomorrow!

My Little Helper came dashing into the house to tell my our little dog had done a poo on the path in the garden....as soon as I saw it I knew it wasn't the dog who had left it! Struggling between laughing at his ingenuity and keeping a straight face as I told him how it is wrong to tell lies and what did he think the big white thing in the bathroom was for, I tried to focus on how our children always manage to surprise us!!