French Knots

Summer 2012

So Mr FK had his operation and was going to be laid up for 6 weeks recuperating and the children were off school for 6 weeks....humm...what to do....well of course the plan was to extend our holiday to Cornwall and spend the whole summer away! How exciting! The only teeny fly in the ointment was that as Mr FK had a cast on his leg he couldn't drive or more worringly couldn't tow our ginormous caravan! Argh! Stay at home or get over myself and learn to tow?? Of course the lure of the sea won hands down!

It was scary and stressful, remember your first driving lesson when you were whizzing along at breakneck speed and then noticed the speedo said 15 miles an hour? But we went on a short trip first for me to practise and build my confidence and Mr FK promised not to grip the seat tightly or make that 'sucking the air in through the teeth noise' while I was towing and we were off!

Todmorden,Cirencester, Cornwall, Modbury, Great Malvern then home, an amazing summer!

  

While we were in Todmorden we visited the amazing National Media Museum in Bradford, I revisited my childhood gazing at The Wombles  and Morph

While The Baby Brother was more impressed with Andy Pandy. We watched excerpts from the amazing Olympic Opening Ceremony on the huge, better than HD screen that they have there - which was rather better than the slightly fuzzy picture we'd watched on the caravan 'for watching films on really rainy days' portable TV.

Then down to Cirencester for a couple of nights where we swam in thair Open air pool, well not Mr FK, obviously, I hate our local pool so grotty and yukky but an open air pool would entice me to swim often

 

The drive to Cornwall was looong, I was relieved to get there and not have to worry about towing for a while. We had lots of rain, like everyone else in England this summer, but made the most of dry days and chilled out on the beach. The children all enjoyed bodyboarding and even The Baby Brother was super confident in the water. The Big Sister is a brilliant swimmer and spent hours in the waves

  

Being August in Cornwall of course the beaches were heaving but we manged to find a quiet spot most days by walking further along the beach to enjoy a bit of peace

Though we had to take it slowly so Mr FK could keep up!

 It was the snazziest cast ever! Rigid plastic with inflatable pannels inside to hold his foot in just the right position as it healed. He could also take it off for a little gentle walking and paddling to encourage the bone to regrow and I'm sure the wonderful Cornish sea water helped the healing process.

We visited Crantock Beach often as well as Holywell Bay and Porth Joke

Lovely sandy beaches, backed by sand dunes and just right for family lazing in the sunshine

We explored rock pools at Perranporth and found crabs, fish and shrimps, played beach cricket with friends and of course had plenty of delicious ice creams.

  

Padstow was pretty but heaving with people

 and we all enjoyed the National Maritime Museum, though the RAF pilot who was telling people about the helicopter perhaps regretted starting to explain sonar to my inquisitive 3 year old! We ate our pasties watching the goings on in the harbour and popped into Trago as we had heard it advertised so often on the local radio station 

I was very envious of these amazing camper vans, they look ready for a round the world adventure

Evenings were spent bbqing, playing with friends on the campsite, crocheting, leg resting  and cheering on Team GB in the Olympics

The children cajoled me into going on this with them - on my giddy aunt, I held on for grim death and closed my eyes, trying not to hyperventilate as the two bigs ones yelled with excitment and had a brilliant time!  I staggered off for a lie down with wobbly legs and they went on a few more times for good measure.

Three weeks passed quickly and then we hitched up and headed for Devon, to Modbury famous for banning the plastic bag in 2005.

  More lovely beaches found down windy lanes nestling between high banks

Dartmouth was lovely but so wet and misty that soon these colourful houses disappeared from view

 And Noss Mayo where Mr FK and My Little Helper enjoyed a game of chess in the pub, I longed for a little cottage clinging to the harbour wall and on the way back to the campsite we found some brilliant holiday treasure - deserving of a post of it's own soon!

Happily the rest, sea air and hi-tech cast had worked wonders on Mr FK's foot and he took over the towing on the way to Great Malvern where we met up with Grandpa and Grandma E in their camper van.

We visited the Cider Museum marvelling at the smocking and buying some rather delicious blackberry cider 

 

and enjoyed a trip on the river at Worcester

 Before taking our sunkissed, sandy selves back home. How strange to have a whole house after 6 weeks in a caravan, little familiar things welcomed us home and with fresh eyes I could see lots of changes I wanted to make too. Caravan life is simple and pared down, something I wanted to bring home with me to some degree so there has been some clutter clearing going on in the last week. But My Little Helper and The Big Sisters bedrooms are beyond even my post holiday enthusiasm!

Summer

After the end of term whirl settled into the luxury of no deadlines or clockwatching we headed off with our caravan to the Isle of Wight. Even the journey was exciting for the children as we boarded the ferry. 'Boat!' said The Baby Brother 

 
We had almost three weeks of lazing around, playing on the beach and in the sea making the most of the warm sun. My Little Helper soon had a group of friends who raced about the field beside the site playing wonderful games and enjoying the freedom to chase each other in the warm dusk of evening. 'Playing zombies' he said when called for bedtime. Of course! The Big Sister and her friends became Uno addicts, playing most evenings when everyone was back from their days adventuring.

 
We watched the carnival procession,visited a country show ate ice cream and explored the island.

 
So many different sorts of beaches on a small island, sandy, pebbly, peaceful and windswept.And some heaving with people with hardly an inch of sand to sit on! The children all took to the waves with their bodyboards and we swam in the inviting sea.

 
Even The Baby Brother enjoyed standing on his (slightly broken but inherited from his big brother, so therefore coveted) in the shallows.

 
 
 

 

You can never have too much beach time! We have washed the sand from between our toes and I have washed a mountain of dirty clothes and spent the rest of the holiday playing with friends, visiting the park, bouncing on the trampoline and bike riding.And rather too much whinging and arguing, in case you think this sounds rather Pollyannaish!

 
Oh yes, and sorting gravel too!

Where does it go...

time, it seems to be slipping away somewhere! I can't believe how much of this year has passed already, only a few weeks till the schools break up for the summer. I feel like I spend most of my time trying to get things done, squeezing it all in. Perhaps starting a business with a two year old wasn't my greatest idea but I'm pinning my hopes on having a few free hours when he goes to playgroup a couple of mornings later in the year. Equally I don't want to rush this precious time at home together while he changes every day and being here for the big two when they finish school.

The marketing is the hardest bit of running the studio, letting people know I'm there so they can come and have a brilliant time at one of the workshops. Twitter, Facebook, training websites, posters, leaflets ....whatever I can think of. But word of mouth seems to be the only thing that makes any impact and I'm sooo impatient! We were featured in the local paper after the Open Day, lots of lovely generous people came to make bracelets to send to St Petersburg ( hello Vera, who had a nightmare on the motorway!) and we made 150 bracelets!

 
Wonderful colourful creations sending love from the children here to the children in Russia

 
Thanks to Craft Hope for letting us know about the project.   

I went to A Thrift Mrs Sale and amongst a treasure trove of goodies I brought home (purely to help her have a clear out you understand!) were some big crocheted granny squares, I've joined them into a small blanket and have been using leftover oddments of wool to make a border
When we were away in Pembrokeshire over half term the evenings were chilly so it was great to snuggle under the tweedy wooliness while hooking away.

 
The week away was wonderful, not really restful with three children but certainly a slower pace of life mooching about and enjoying the amazing weather on the beach.

 
 
We visited Tenby for a wander round the harbour but stayed mostly near to the caravan as we only had to wander down the hill to be on the beach at Freshwater East, paddling and sandcastle building. We stayed late into the evening on the warmest day, barbecuing sausages on the beach and watching the beach empty of sun kissed holiday makers.

We are taking the caravan over to the Isle of Wight during the summer holidays, another adventure to a place we haven't visited before - it's the perfect way to holiday with children, all your own bits and bobs to hand and the world to explore.

And when you get home from a holiday what could be nicer than allotment grow strawberries for tea?

 
 

London Views

We had a touristy time in London seeing the sights and museums

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A different sort of caravan trip, not beaches and peace but hustle and bustle, tubes and buses. At £150 for eight nights for 5 people I can't think of a more frugal way to see London!

Autumn Days

 
We squeezed in a weekend away at Carsington Water in the caravan, left home in the pouring rain on Friday and got home in another downpour on Sunday - but in between it was glorious sunshine. We walked from the campsite around the reservoir enjoying watching the boats, someone found it a bit hard going and his legs were tired......

 
What a hard life!

 
We have gathered most of our crops from the allotment, our single pumpkin is now on the kitchen window sill ripening and My Little Helper has plans for it on Halloween. Still some leeks in the ground for later in the year.We've also been planning all the extra things we want to grow next year - more fruit and veg, more flowers for cutting and a herb patch are all on the list. Well we'll see what next year brings, I've covered the parts I cleared this year with old carpets to try and keep them weed free for the spring.

 
Such wonderful colours, they remind me of the gorgeous wool felt I bought from Treefall

 
wonderfully thick yet soft. 

 

I think I might use it to make some more brooches in autumnal shades, such fun playing with pretty fabric and buttons!

 

 

Seaside memories

Whilst we were in Cornwall I persuaded the family to go to Portscatho - with an ulterior motive of course as I wanted to go to The Homespun Fair . They happily played in the children's playground and I happily explored all the goodies on offer inn the Memorial Hall!

It was lovely to meet some fellow bloggers in real life and oh and ah over their tempting wares.

Some pretty fabric from Sal's Snippets came home with me as well as this

a jaunty little boat from Sixtyone A. Kirsty's stall looked wonderful with so many boats to choose from, but this one is my favourite and sits on my mantle reminding me of sunny days and sandy toes.

What we did on our holidays

Well, it is traditional for it to rain when the FK family are on holiday and Cornwall was no exception! The second week was much better and we had some lovely lazy days on the beach rockpooling,sandcastle building,kayaking, paddling and swimming. At high tide one evening The Big Sister and Mr FK jumped off  the jetty into the freezing sea, we had an evening barbeque once the beach was peaceful and empty and really chilled out.

The Baby Brother loved the sand, ate a lot of it and squashed plenty of sandcastles.

We went to a lovely village fete in Hessenford, complete with duck race

I think our duck took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere out at sea!

The Eden Project was a brilliant day out, so much to see and explore.We made dens and got drenched making waterways, dodged the rain showers by joining every other person there in the biomes and were so envious of the allotment area. Thankfully I had used Tesco vouchers to buy the tickets so we avoided the massive queues to get in.

I had lots of inspiration for my 365 Project, making a change from trying ti find a tidy corner at home to take a picture.

We had a wander round Cardinham Woods near Bodmin and had to sample the ice creams from the picturesque cafe.

 
 Ah yes, we had a super time.
 
 
 
  

Lovely things

I managed to find time while we were away to visit Vintage Home and Garden a wonderful duck egg blue shop full of delights.

Lovely picnic rugs, ribbons,cards, candles and smellies are complemented by vintage fabrics, wooden rulers and a host of temptation calling 'take me home'!

I abandoned the family, well left them to look at the farm shop, and had a lovely mooch. Seeing some of

Snapdragon's  work was like spotting a celebrity! Wonderful applique in such perfect colours. Do call in if you are passing.

I managed to get a couple of crochet cushions made to make the caravan more cosy

Mega grannies, backed with felted jumpers in some cheapo acrylic so it doesn't matter if they get a bit grassy.

Very pleased with them and have started a stripey cushion too, oh yes addicted to my new love!

North Norfolk

The first week of the Whit holidays was wonderful sunshine and as we set off to drive to Norfolk for the second week the sun was blazing down. The caravan was packed with swimsuits, beach things and suntan lotion. So naturally there was a huge thunder storm our first night there and rain on and off for the rest of the week. Till we were packing up to come home and then the sun came out again! We still had a good week exploring, admiring the beach huts at Old Hunstanton, a snip at £18,000!

Expensive but very pretty in a perfect range of colours. The Baby Brother was a bit unsure about the sand, strange squidgy stuff for walking on but fine for eating was his verdict.

We had a picnic and played footie, the children paddled and as it was a bit overcast we had the beach practically to ourselves. Lovely.

Over the course of the week we followed the coast road to several picturesque villages

and harbours, some viewed from the car to avoid the rain and others explored in the drizzle in true 'English on holiday style'.

The charming Stiffkey Stores had a tempting mix of provisions and gifts.

I want to paint my window frames in a soft sage or duck egg blue like so many of the shops and cottages we passed, but first I'll have to replace the remaining horrid plastic windows. We have changed all the window frames at the back of the house to wooden sash style windows so only the side and front to go, including two large bays so it may take some time to save up!

We made it to lunch at Wiveton Farm, sadly not sitting at the jaunty painted tables under the trees, but inside was very jolly too with a juicy colour scheme and covetable tablecloths - I wonder where they came from?

My Little Helper was very impressed with his hot chocolate and my crab sandwich was scrumptious. And the strawberries and cream that came with meringue on top.....mmmmm!

We had cosy evenings in the caravan playing Junior Scrabble,( My Little Helper loves to beat us!) reading and we hooked up the tv to watch Springwatch as it was just down the road from us at Pensthorpe, the children were enthralled by the close up footage of the birds so we decided to visit. It was amazing, so much to see. Despite another wet morning we walked around the nature reserve, The Big Sister spotted a Water Vole in the river and My Little Helper was really impressed by the mushrooms growing in the woods. The gardens are planted with imagination and the variety of birds on the lakes and marshes is amazing. We were pond dipping as the sun broke through in the afternoon and The Baby Brother toddled after ducks squealling with excitment. A perfect family day.

Having the caravan is opening up all sorts of places to us, who would have thought we'd spend Christmas in the snow in Scotland, Easter in the sunshine in Southport, Whit exploring Norfolk and weekends away close to home make wonderful mini holidays. Roll on Cornwall in the summer! 
 

  

Merry in Melrose

We had a few days away just before Christmas in Melrose visiting family and friends after carefully trekking through the snow.

We took the sledge and hadn't even got the car unhitched before the children were trying it out!  More snow than we ever get here, a magical start to Christmas. Luckily the site was just of the A7 so we could get there and home again safely. We were having so much snowy fun that we stayed an extra night, the evening was wonderful with the children playing snowballing by moonlight as the snow continued to fall. Very special.

It was wonderful to see people that we rarely get together with, chatting, eating, catching up. We had a trip into Edinburgh, such a visual city with so much interesting architecture and the castle standing guard on the hill watching over everyone.

 Mr FK and The Big Sister braved the ferris wheeeeel! Me, no I had to look after The Baby Brother of course!!

 We made our way home through the winter wonderland just in time for Christmas. Lots of present giving, mince pie making, cooking and feasting. We had friends and family over both Christmas Day and Boxing Day which was wonderful, lots of chatting and tale telling, baby cuddling and lego making. A festive family celebration. Hope yours was all you hoped for too.xx