French Knots

Getting on

Thank you all so much for your kind messages and emails, the support and lovely comments are very much appreciated. We read them all and are comforted by their heartfelt words and it just confirms that my blogging friends are wonderful.

I have been resting and taking it easy, in fact have been in bed by 8pm every night for the past week. During the day I have been keeping Philip and Fern company ( for overseas readers - they host a lightweight daytime show over here) doing a bit of sewing and lots of reading. My sewing machine tension developed a mind of it's own so lots of frustration was heaped upon it, quite cathartic really even if the air was blue! Some foul language, cursing and foot stamping later I tightened the tiny screw that was hardly visible to the naked eye which seems to have worked.

I have been making some BIG doorstops, as usual with recycled fabrics, but with 2kg of rice in each one so they are up to holding open the heaviest of doors or ones with self closers on.

I have been rereading some of my favourites from childhood, so far Little Women and Good Wives, Swallows and Amazons, The Secret Garden and am just about to start on What Katie Did. Which were your favourites to read under the covers by torch light? I tried the children's section on the library but found it to be sadly lacking in nostalgic inspiration, just lots of Tracey Beaker etc which I'm sure children enjoy but didn't fit the bill for my wander down memory lane.

Hope your weekend is sunny and peaceful, thanks again everyone. xx 

10th June 2008

I woke up on Tuesday morning 11 weeks pregnant full of excitement and anticipation with a growing bubble of joy inside me. The scan brought the worst possible news and instead of being able to share my wonderful happiness with you all I feel devastated.

All the plans and dreams in my head are gone replaced by a grey fog. My children have been sweet and kind, concerned about their weeping Mummy who's trying and failing to hold it all together. My son climbed into bed with us at 4.30 am bring his special and most favourite toy for 'Mummy to cuggle' My daughter stayed awake till we got home from the hospital as she 'couldn't go to sleep until she had given me a hug'. Every time I look at their lovely faces it just reinforces what we have lost. My wonderful husband has been a tower of straight and support despite his own pain, pushing the hospital to stop shillyshallying and get on with taking care of me. Kind friends have brought flowers, hugs and shoulders to cry on. I never realised how common it is to loose a baby, or how little the doctors seem to know about why it happens.

I think it was Domesticali who wrote about the elephant in the corner, I feel a bit like that. I have nothing else to talk about or think about at the moment. Soon my little blog will go back to twittering on about creativity and domestic life but just for today it is full of tears.

Friday Smiles

(Ok I'm going to be quick as Tyepad has already eaten one post - which was of course far more entertaining than usual! And goodness knows what all the new buttons do...I'm sure once I've checked them out it'll be great but at the moment the main problem is I can't do any links...thanks Typepad! And the jumping around the paragraphs when spellchecking?! What? Did they not test this upgrade? Grr!)

My Little Helper is keen to be out in the garden at the moment taking care of the peas and beans we planted and waging war on the slugs and snails. 'Take my picture for the blog Mummy'  - not a sentence you'd have heard a child say a few years ago!

We giggled every time we got in the lift while we were away

It was one of those without a door so you could watch the wall, ceilings and floors go past but be careful you don't squash your head with your suitcase!

I'm also still smiling from this morning when The Big Sister came down with an itchy eye and was worried she was getting 'jungleitus'! Bless. I love it when they come up with new words for things, which I them immediately adopt instead of the proper words, just hope it doesn't stop the children making themselves understood in later life!

Life's little pleasures. I'm going to have some delicious ripe, luscious strawberries now and watch the RHS programme that I recorded last night, small things to brighten a grey day.

Hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

Better than an egg!

Oh yes, so much better than an egg! The yarn has produced a magical pattern and by some miracle I had the right number of stitches when it came to shaping the toe. I'm so pleased and rather surprised. I couldn't get to grips with grafting the toe so it's finished with a three needle cast off. So after spending the best part of a week lolling around feeling manky.............

a pair! It's funny how once they are off the needles they go from being my ' don't touch, be careful not to slip the stitched off the end of the needles, keep counting the stitches and writing down how many rows I've done' project to just socks! On my feet all day today and wondering if it would be ok to wear them tomorrow too as I'm so pleased with them! I can't quite believe I've managed to learn to knit and made my first socks in just a couple of months.

I'm desperate to start another pair, John Lewis didn't have any yarn I liked today so will have to brave the gallery ( with the children! Arrgh full of beautiful ceramics - perhaps I can handcuff them?!) to get to the knit studio upstairs and sooth my craving with some more Opal Picture...oh yes...got to have it!!

Thanks for your get well wishes, I manged to force down a Creme Egg or two and can only say thank goodness for Penicillin! Whilst I know the half stone I've lost is due to dehydration and not eating so will go back on in a flash, at least I can enjoy feeling thinner for a day or two!

We had a quick Egg Hunt between the snow flurries on Sunday

and enjoyed watching Over the Hedge all curled up together in front of the fire. Hope your long weekend was chocolate filled!

Monday

The Big Sister - Mummy when you're not here, I don't mean dead I mean gone to live in Spain or something, can I run French Knots?

Me - Yes, of course you can

TBS - But I'd have to call it French Fries!

Anyone that knows her will not be surprised in the name change as food is a subject very close to her heart!But I'm delighted she's interested in blogging, crafting and selling her creations. If the name suddenly changes you'll know I've been pensioned off to Spain - not quite sure why she chose Spain but as long as there's a good fabric shop, yarn shop, lots of jumble sales, broadband connection and cheap wine I don't mind going soon!

I made these Pizza Swirls for tea the other day, just for a change

Make your pizza dough by hand or machine, roll out into a rectangle, spread with your tasty tomato base ( a la Jamie) and top with cheese and what ever else takes your fancy. Roll it up like a swiss roll, cut into slices and bake. Eat quickly before the children devour them all!

I bought Miss Potter ,as it was reduced in the supermarket, the other day and a bit of Ewan McGregor is always a treat, ok only a couple of years after everyone else watched it, but it was brilliant. In fact Mr FK is away (yet again!) later this week so I think I'll curl up with Ewan again!

Time passes quickly

I like to read The Happiness Project where Gretchen records her investigations into the nature of happiness, quotes, studies, tips and information. Recently she has made a short internet film The Years are Short which really struck a chord with me.

We are so busy rushing through life gathering school bags, making pack lunches, shopping, cooking, swimming lessons, Brownies, homework, reading, spellings......that it's sometimes good to pause and grasp the moment. It seems only a moment since my children were babies, just a year or two since I was a newly wed and not long since I was at school myself. Where have all the minutes and moments gone? Washed away on the tide of  life.

Today my Mum would have been 65 had she not died far too early. Some memories are like photos in my mind,  others there but somehow just out of reach .So many moments not lived and too many rushed through, enjoyed but not really remembered as the days are long and the years,sadly, too short.

image from Gardenstuff