Archie's New Bed

Archie can be very contrary at times, never more so than when offered a new bed. We've bought him all manner of things to sleep on over the years, and in most cases, wasted our money. He's had memory foam mattresses, donut style beds, beds with sides, he turns his nose up at them all. The only type of dog bed he likes is a cheap fibre-filled mattress. 

He had a new one delivered on Monday and I couldn't get him off it.

I used to buy these beds from a shop near to home but it's now closed down. I've been looking for somewhere else that sells them but couldn't find them anywhere, then I looked online and saw that the Yorkshire Trading Co. have them. We made a trip to Selby but they didn't have them at that store so I ordered online on Saturday at 3.30pm and they were delivered on Monday morning. I couldn't believe how quick it was. I ordered two as he has beds in a couple of rooms.

They're not the best quality but then they only cost £5.99 each. They have zipped covers so they can be taken off to wash. Archie's happy with them as you can see, and at that price I don't mind if they don't last as long as a more expensive bed might.

Archie often sleeps on one of the sofas during the day, especially if we're sitting on them, but he didn't on Monday. The minute I unwrapped the beds his tail was wagging and he immediately settled down to sleep.

They're definitely a hit with Archie, and I can definitely recommend the service I received when placing this order. This isn't a sponsored post, I bought and paid for the beds myself, I just like to give credit where credit's due. Plus, who doesn't like a post dedicated to Archie.

Engaging With Nature

It was so cold on Friday morning, there was a frost and all I wanted to do was hunker down for the day. I had no intention of leaving the house, but it seemed to warm up as the day wore on and in the afternoon we decided to don our coats and venture out to Lotherton for a walk.

I'm always pleased when I make the effort to get outdoors, I may not feel like going for a walk but it does me the world of good, especially when I see nature starting to wake up all around me.

It won't be long before these daffodils are blooming. Although I've filled my vases with cut stems bought from the supermarket, I haven't seen any daffodils flowering outdoors yet.

The snowdrops have been blooming for a while. There's some good clumps at Lotherton but the few I have in my own garden were there when we moved into the house over twenty eight years ago. They've never spread and though I've tried to introduce more to the garden, they've never taken, so I count myself lucky that I have the few that I do.

The trees are starting to bud. It's a little early for although we've had a mild winter so far, I don't think we're done with the cold weather. February is renowned for being a cold month and it wouldn't be a surprise if there's snow yet to come.

There's lots of mossy logs at Lotherton, they must be a haven for all sorts of wildlife. I can never resist getting my camera up close, it's like a world in miniature when you take a close up shot.

Archie always enjoys his walks at Lotherton, there's lots of lovely smells for him to investigate and lots of other people walk their dogs there for him to pass the time of day with.

I'm no expert where fungi is concerned, there's so many different types and I don't know their names, but I find them fascinating. We always see lots of different varieties when walking through the woods.

We've had some quite blustery weather just lately, so much so that I fear some poor birds have been made homeless. Not only did we find this small nest on the muddy ground but not far away we also saw one of the nesting boxes which had previously been nailed to a tree.

There have always been pathways through the woods at Lotherton but last year, hardcore was laid over them which makes walking in the muddy weather much easier. It's nice to go home with shoes which don't need washing.

Just look at the gnarled trunk of this tree. It's much easier to see the shapes, outlines and features of trees when they're bare, without their usual covering of leaves. There's some wonderful textures to be found.

I'll leave you with a photo of Archie enjoying his walk. We're so lucky to have lots of different places to take him nearby. He's happy wherever we go but I think Lotherton is his favourite place of all.

The Middle Of Lidl

We popped to Home Bargains the other day and by the side of the store is Lidl. There was nothing I actually wanted from Lidl but seeing as we were already there we popped in, mainly because I like looking in the Middle of Lidl where they sell all manner of things and you can often pick up a bargain or two.

I've had a slow cooker for years, I went for a large 6.5l capacity one when I bought it as the children were little and it was a good family size, in fact, I could easily get two or more family sized meals out of it. Since it's just been the two of us, we've continued to use this same slow cooker, though we knew it was far too big for the portions we were cooking for the pair of us, and then disaster struck, the slow cooker broke. It owed us nothing, we'd had it years and it had been well used.

Since then I've been looking for a new one. I knew I needed a much smaller one but didn't want to go too small as we often have family joining us for dinner, or we want to make extra to freeze for another day. While looking in the Middle of Lidl the other day I saw this Crockpot slow cooker and immediately liked the look of it. 

It's the perfect size, 3.7l, which says suitable for 3-4, so a good size if we have other people eating with us, or if we want to make extra portions for another reason, but not too large when we're only making a couple of portions. I like the controls too, there's low and high, which my other slow cooker had, but this one also has a warm control which maintains the temperature once the food's cooked. It's ideal if you're home at different times and one of you wants to eat before the other.

It was definitely worth popping into Lidl for a browse. I wonder what they'll have in the next time I go.

Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is such a famous story. I think everyone must know about the sailor who ends up marooned on a desert island, but how many of us have actually read the book. Not I. Continuing with my goal of reading more classics this year I set about rectifying that.

"One of the most widely published novels in history, Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a young Englishman shipwrecked in a storm and forced to fend for himself on a remote island, alone...or so he thinks. Fighting to build a life - and rebuild a society - Crusoe must rely on his wits, resilience, and will to survive. With slavers, cannibals, and mutineers, this quintessential castaway story is a harrowing page-turner and a salient reflection on humanity's state of nature. This is an epic tale of determination, adaptation, and the triumph of the human spirit against catastrophe, isolation, and danger.

Part memoir, part allegory, part fable, and written so convincingly as an autobiography that readers were convinced it was a true account, Robinson Crusoe continues to shock, fascinate, and entertain readers of all ages. The novel reshaped the literary world, spawning a new genre of realistic fiction - the 'Robinsonade,' introducing into popular culture the concept of 'his Man Friday,' and inspiring a plethora of written works, radio plays and films. Provocative and reflective, this piece of historical fiction not only provides an intricate snapshot of 18th-century sensibilities and civilization but also unapologetically delves into poignant universal truths that resonate to this day." 

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this book, I thought given the fact that Robinson Crusoe's story on the island is nearly thirty years in length, and that most of these years he's living alone, it may get a little boring. After all, what could there be to write about over that period of time with no conversation. However, I really did enjoy it.

I think the secret to this book's success is that it's written as an autobiography and this makes it so believable. Although I already knew the basics of the story there were lots of surprises along the way too. I can see why this story has stood the test of time.

Daffies

As soon as Christmas is over I'm always itching for my vases to be filled with daffodils. They're such a cheap and cheerful flower and they always bring a smile to my face, especially at this time of year in the depths of winter.

I bought them in tight bud but just twenty four hours later they were starting to open up.

Another day later and they're nearly all open, but not quite.

Blooming in all their glory. They don't last long after this stage but I don't mind that. I love their scent too, though Mick really doesn't, I know lots of people have a difference of opinion where daffodil scent is concerned.

I can never resist getting my camera zoomed right in on flowers, just look at that colour. I'm a big fan of yellow.

It will be time for the tulips to take over from the daffodils in my vases very soon. I can't get enough of spring flowers.

Coming Home

Daniel left home to go to university back in September 2013, I never thought for one minute that he'd never come back home to live again. He went to university in York, a city not far from home, but he lived in student accommodation. 

After leaving university in 2016, his girlfriend had secured a job in Essex and not wanting to be too far away from her, he looked for a job down south. He found a job in Woking in Surrey, not ideal as it was seventy miles away from Jasmine, but it was closer than it would have been if he'd been living back in Leeds. They lived separately for two years, seeing each other on weekends, before Daniel got a transfer with his company to their London office. This meant that they were able to rent a property together in Essex where Jasmine was working and where he was able to commute to London from.

Not long before Covid struck, Daniel had started working from home, visiting the office only occasionally. During the pandemic, Jasmine also worked from home, and both of their companies now realise that they're able to work remotely, meaning that they can easily work from any location.

Both Daniel and Jasmine's companies have now agreed that they can work from home indefinitely, meaning that they're now able to come back to live in Leeds. Whilst they were here at Christmas, they found a flat to rent, very close to where we live. When Mick took them home in the New Year he packed up the car with as much of their stuff as he could to bring back with him. Eleanor's old bedroom is packed full of their things, above is just some of them.

Mick's gone down to Essex again today to bring another car load back with him, as well as Daniel and Jasmine. They'll be saying goodbye to Essex. We're hoping that they'll be able to fit the rest of the things they want to bring back with them in the car, if not, they'll have to make another trip, but they'll leave some things behind just for convenience more than anything. There's things which just won't fit in the car and it's more cost effective to simply replace them rather than spending extra money on transporting them back to Leeds. Mick was thinking of hiring a van to move all their things but he'd rather not if he doesn't have to, it's much cheaper doing things this way.

They ordered some furniture while they were here at Christmas but their bed isn't being delivered until some time next week. They're not sure when their broadband, which they need for work, will be set up either so they'll be staying with us for a little while, hopefully moving into their new flat properly during next week.

I waved Daniel off to university over eight years ago. We haven't seen much of him and Jasmine at all over the past five years when they've been living down south and especially so during the last two years so I'm so excited to be getting them back home again where we'll be able to see them on a much more regular basis.

Blankets From Stash

I've got quite a healthy yarn stash and want to get some of it used up this year as it does take up quite a bit of storage space. I thought it might be a nice idea to start with all the odd bits of leftover yarn, knitting or crocheting them up into blankets to give to charity.

To that end, I've started off with a crochet blanket. I'm using leftovers with a high wool content in fingering weight and holding two strands of different yarn together. As this is all about using up the yarn I'm not worrying about colours going together or matching, but I do like to see the marled effect which holding two strands together is creating. I also have quite a bit of Stylecraft DK which is an acrylic yarn which I'd like to do something with too, but I won't be mixing fibres in the blankets so I shall begin a separate project with that in the future.

This blanket is going to be one large granny square. This is the first bit of crafting I've done since before Christmas, I've lost my mojo for knitting, crochet, cross stitch etc. but I've been missing having something to do with my hands whilst watching TV so this fits the bill nicely. It's mindless crochet, going round and round the square. I see that Ali from the Little Drops of Wonderful podcast and Sherrie from the Ollie and Bella podcast are hosting the Cosy Winter Blanket Along at the moment so I'll be able to join in with that.

Do you like my crochet hook? Eleanor bought this for Christmas 2020 for me but this is the first time I've used it. I'm really pleased with how it feels in the hand, I find it really easy to hold and comfortable to crochet with. I love the sunflowers and little bees.

Perhaps this little project will encourage my crafting mojo to return.

Wordle

Has anyone else discovered Wordle? I'm probably very late to the party, as usual, but I love word games and this is right up my street.

No one in my family particularly enjoys playing things such as Scrabble, so that's something I often play online, and Wordle is now something else I can have a go at each day.

From Wikipedia - "Every day, a five-letter word is chosen which players aim to guess within six tries. After every guess, each letter is marked as either green, yellow or grey: green indicates that letter is correct and in the correct position, yellow means it is in the answer but not in the right position, while grey indicates it is not in the answer at all. The daily word is the same for everyone."

I haven't failed at guessing the word yet, though it's been very close a couple of times. Do you enjoy word games? Have you played Wordle?

The Great Gatsby

 As I mentioned in a previous post, I'd like to read some classics this year so with that in mind, the first one I picked up was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

" 'I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited - they went there.'

Jay Gatsby's opulent Long Island mansion throngs with the bright young things of the Roaring Twenties. But Gatsby himself, young, handsome and mysteriously rich, never appears to his guests. He stands apart from the crowd, yearning for something just out of reach - Daisy Buchanan, lost years before to another man. One fateful summer, when the pair finally reunite, their actions set in motion a series of events that will unravel their lives, bringing tragedy to all who surround them.

Widely considered F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby is a tale of excess and obsession, and a work of classic twentieth-century American literature."

I didn't read the synopsis before I picked up this book and as I haven't watched the films either, I hadn't a clue what it was about or what to expect. I have to say that the first half of the book had me wondering why it was considered a classic, but once I had read to the end, I could see that the beginning is merely setting the scene for what is to come.

I definitely found the the story a book of two halves. The second part of the book was infinitely more interesting, or to me at least, quicker paced and held my interest far more than the beginning. As for the characters, there was only one who I was remotely interested in, that of the narrator, Nick Carraway, and I suppose this is because he's more relatable than the rest who are self-absorbed socialites. I cared very little what happened to them. I do think you have to have some affinity with the people you're reading about, so perhaps the reason I'm not raving about this book is because I don't.

Although I wouldn't give this book a five out of five rating, I can see why some people would see it as a classic. As I said previously, it definitely improves in the second half, and I'd actually like to read it again at some point in the future as I think you often get a different feel for a book when you read it for a second time. I'd also like to see one of the films now too.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

A New Year's Walk

We're already well into January now but I'm taking you back to New Year's Day and a lovely walk we took. We'd spent New Year's Eve at Eleanor and Jacob's, Daniel and Jasmine were still staying with us, but Mick and I had come home after the celebrations at about 1am, whereas Daniel and Jasmine stayed until 3am. Consequently, all the younger members of the family had a good sleep in so Mick and I decided to head out for a walk with Archie.

When I was growing up, we lived a couple of miles away from the small town where I live now. A road at one end of our street took you directly there, but if you turned the other way out of our driveway, you were in farming country. We'd often walk down the back lane, which took us on a more scenic route to where I now live, past stables, farms and fields, and walk in a circular route, coming home via the road. Apart from the road, all you could see from the back of our house was farmland. It's all changed now, there's been so much development since the seventies and eighties. If you look out over the back of our old house now you can see a motorway, office buildings and a shopping centre. I find that so sad. That back lane no longer connects our old house to the small town where I now live as it's now a no-through road, owing to the buildings which have appeared.

We've lived in our small town now for over twenty eight years and have never walked that route that I used to take in reverse. I knew we wouldn't be able to reach my old house, but I wondered what it would be like from the other end as the new development hasn't reached that far down the lane. So that's the walk we decided to take on New Year's Day.

There's still stables at this end of the lane, though the horses weren't anywhere near the fences on this particular day, so no photos of them.

Walking down the lane brought back so many memories. I remember the walks we used to take when extended family visited, and the walks we took with the dogs that we had at the time.

Someone's left some treats for the birds.

It was a gorgeous day. I was wearing my coat but I really didn't need it. Apparently, it's been the warmest New Year on record. I can't believe how mild it's been.

Looking back you can see our small town. Like the surrounding villages, it prospered and grew as a result of the coal industry, and now the population is about 15,000. The town is about seven miles from Leeds.

Look across the fields and you can see a lake. You'd be completely unaware it was there unless viewing it from this point.

What a great little hiding place in the trunk of this tree. I can just imagine Winnie the Pooh characters in the Hundred Acre Wood living somewhere like this.

It's good to see that some farms have survived the redevelopment projects, though how long they remain here is anyone's guess. It seems that they're swallowed up by housing estates, roads or office blocks almost overnight.

This is more reminiscent of the view I saw on these walks as a child. It's good to see that some land remains untouched, and long may it be so.

We returned home to a lovely New Year's Day roast dinner, and Daniel and Jasmine went back to Essex the following day, however, while they were in Leeds they managed to find a flat to rent so they'll be coming back again at the end of the month, this time to stay.

Twelve Days Of Christmas 2021

These Twelve Days of Christmas posts come round far too often for my liking, not that I don't love to receive these gifts from my lovely friend, Lisa, but because each year seems to slip by quicker than the last. This is the eighth year that Lisa and I have swapped gifts. We swap twelve separately wrapped gifts, one to be opened on each of the twelve days of Christmas. We met through our blogs and though Lisa doesn't blog now, she's on Instagram and we swap regular emails keeping up to date with each other's family life.

These are the lovely gifts which I received from Lisa this year.

Let's take a closer look.

A box of Christmas crackers. These were unwrapped on Christmas Day but I didn't use them this year so that I could photograph them with the rest of the gifts. They'll be put away and used next year though. Some Bonne Maman chocolate biscuits, I've never tried these so I'm looking forward to tucking in. Some Bourneville Old Jamaica rum and raisin dark chocolate. I remember this when it was in an orange wrapper with a ship on the front, it's years since I've had it but I know I like it. A pocket pouch shopping bag, very handy to carry around with me, I'm always scrabbling about for a bag.

Some journal stickers and memo pads. These will be very handy for my journaling this year. A pair of Christmas socks with hedgehogs under the mistletoe, so cute. A handy Kilner jar adorned with gingerbread men, this will be lovely filled with the festive treats I make next year. A can of seeds, you just water and they grow, what a fun gift.

Kate Humble - Thinking on My Feet. A book celebrating the act of walking. It's written month by month and I think it might be fun to read in this way too. Mints in a Christmas tin, which will be put to very good use once the mints have been eaten. Avon nail varnish in a very glamorous shimmery pink colour and some raspberry panna cotta handcream. It actually smells good enough to eat. Last but not least, Miss Mary Christmouse. I actually gave a little squeal when I unwrapped her, isn't she the cutest.

I couldn't resist taking an extra photo of Miss Mary Christmouse. She hasn't been packed away with the rest of the Christmas decorations, Miss Mary will be sitting in my craft room to keep me company.

Some wonderful gifts, I'm sure you'll agree. Thank you, Lisa, I'm thrilled with everything I received.

This is what I sent to Lisa.

And a closer look.

I know that Lisa likes to spend time in her garden relaxing after work, at least in the summer when the weather's nice. I thought this garden nesting box would add some interest in the spring if a blue tit family move in. The Brain Benders are wooden puzzles to get the old grey matter working. There's four puzzles so all the family can try one each. The tea infuser reminded me of one of Lisa's cats, Rocky. Isn't it cute. I don't know about you but my hands get so dry during the winter months so I thought these Cath Kidston handcreams might come in handy.

Lisa sent me a lovely cross stitched card for my birthday last year so I thought she might like to have a go at this alphabet sampler. I usually add a Christmas themed book in the parcel. This year it's by author, Cressida McLaughlin, I actually read one of her books myself in the run up to Christmas. The title, The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas, sold it to me. I know that Lisa meal plans so I thought this meal planner would come in useful, and the body butter duo should keep Lisa's skin moisturised during the harsh months of winter.

I always put a few sweet treats in the parcel. There's the Galaxy Chocolate Collection which contains a few different bars of choccie. Thorntons Milk Chocolate Caramel Crunch, and I didn't remember it at the time when I picked these up but Lisa had actually sent me a box last year so I can vouch that they're delicious. The Make Your Own Gingerbread Man is a bit of fun, it comes with a gingerbread man cookie cutter. There's also some Galaxy Hot Chocolate, which has mini marshmallows included to make a luxury hot chocolate drink, and a little ceramic owl spoon too.

It's been such a fun swap again, I love opening these gifts, one each day on the Twelve Days of Christmas, it just extends the festivities a little. Thank you, Lisa.

Advent Calendars 2021

Back in November I told you about My Advent Calendars For 2021. I had two advent calendars this year, a Charity Collaboration which was organised by Helen of Giddy Yarns and a swap I did with Maggie from BlackCountry Wench blog. I thought I'd show you what I received in each of them.

Twenty four independent dyers collaborated to bring together the yarny advent calendar I bought this year. I received a 10g mini skein from each of the dyers, one to be opened on each day of advent, and there was a lovely assortment of colours. I've bought yarn from a number of the dyers in the past but this is a great way to try yarn from the other dyers without having to buy a full skein. Helen also included a sachet of Thornton's Luxury Hot Chocolate and a hand balm from The Lonely Knitter. Money was raised from the sale of these advent calendars which was donated equally amongst three different charities.

Maggie thoroughly spoilt me with the swap parcel I received from her. We made up a parcel of twenty four 5g mini skeins to be opened throughout advent but Maggie also included chocolates, a needle minder, a needle keep, a tape measure, a tree ornament and a tin of Vaseline Gold Dust Lip Therapy. Just look at all those gorgeous colours, and all wound on bobbins ready to use. 

At the beginning of advent, Maggie said I could open one of the gifts and it turned out to be a book, The Canal Boat Cafe Christmas by Cressida Mclaughlin, so I read this in the lead up to Christmas, it was a nice Christmassy tale.

We'd agreed to swap a skein of yarn on Christmas Day and I received this gorgeous Little Bear Yarn in the Vintage Yule colourway. Thank you Maggie, I love it. There were also so many more little parcels in the box which Maggie said I could open throughout advent if I wished but I saved them all and opened them on Christmas Day. 

I'm sure you'll agree, I opened some wonderful things in my advent calendars this year, and I received some wonderful gifts in the swap. Thank you Maggie, I love everything.

Some of my mini skeins will be added to my scrappy blanket but I'd like to have a look for some other projects to use them in too as I've still got lots of mini skeins to use from previous advent calendars.

I really enjoy opening the little yarny parcels in the countdown to Christmas, it's the third year I've had yarny advent calendars and it's now become a part of my Christmas traditions.