Archie's Passport

We joined the National Trust earlier this year and as part of the membership package, we receive three National Trust magazines throughout the year. The assortment of articles they contain are interesting to read. 

In the magazine we received most recently,  we saw that there's a promotion running this autumn, right until the end of February, whereby you collect stamps in a Pooch Passport in order to receive treats. Now Archie would freely admit that he's a greedy dog so when I told him about this he was eager to pick up his own Pooch Passport and begin collecting.

We visited Beningbrough Hall in North Yorkshire on Saturday so this gave us the chance to acquire the passport and collect the first stamp. We need six in total for a free packet of natural dog treats and if we manage to collect twelve, Archie will get a free snood, how smart would he look in that.

The stamps have to be collected from different National Trust properties, I'm sure we'll manage six before the end of February but I'm not sure we'll have visited twelve individual properties in that time. I mentioned this to Archie and he told me he didn't mind, just so long as we get the treats!

Marienlyst Sweater

I'm still knitting baby garments. I saw the Marienlyst Sweater by Guri Pedersen on Instagram and immediately popped over to Ravelry to purchase the pattern.

I used Drops Merino Extra Fine in the Light Taupe colourway but in hindsight, I think a slightly finer yarn would have been better. It's beautifully soft though and has a beautiful drape to it now that it's been blocked. I didn't knit a swatch, it's knit up a little bigger than the 3-6 months size I chose but it doesn't matter, Jack will grow into it at some point.

I really enjoyed the pattern, I believe it's written in Norwegian and translated to English, but it was very straightforward to understand. This designer has some really lovely patterns, especially for babies.

I think this sweater will be perfect for the cold weather, especially when warm layers are needed. That time will come quicker than we expect, the nights are drawing in and the heating is on!

September 2024

Autumn seemed to arrive at the very start of the month with the mornings and evenings noticeably cooler. I was hoping for an Indian summer but that wasn't to be.

It was my birthday on the 3rd and I had the most perfect day. Mick took some time off work, we hadn't really planned a day out as the forecast didn't look too good but in the end we decided to head off to the Yorkshire Dales. I'm glad we did as it turned out beautiful, warm and sunny. We started the day off with a walk around Aysgarth Falls, a triple flight of waterfalls surrounded by woodland, before travelling on to the market town of Hawes, home of The Wensleydale Creamery. Of course, we had to bring some cheese home with us. The family came round once they'd finished work and we enjoyed a takeaway and an evening of games. I was so spoilt receiving some wonderful gifts and cards, the words inside them chosen especially for me were just beautiful.

We've been trying to make the most of every bit of fine weather this month. Now we're into autumn and with winter on the way, we may end up stuck indoors more so we've made sure we've had plenty of days out. We've visited Hardcastle Crags, Haworth, Thornton-Le-Dale, Hebden Bridge and Bingley Five Rise Locks, amongst other places. We like to get about a bit.

I've read four books this month.

Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker.

"Maia, Ally, Star, CeCe, Tiggy, Electra and their long-lost missing sister are gathered together for the first time, on board the Titan, to say a final goodbye to the enigmatic father they loved so dearly.

He has entrusted each of them with a clue to their past. But for every truth revealed another question emerges. How did Pa Salt amass his fortune? Why did he choose to adopt the sisters and why were they chosen from such different parts of the world? Have the answers been there all along, if only they had known where to find them?

The sisters must confront the idea that their adored father was someone they barely knew - and even more shockingly, that his long-buried secrets may still echo through the generations today."

The final book in The Seven Sisters saga and the one where the unanswered questions and secrets of the previous seven books are revealed. Sadly, Lucinda Riley, who wrote the series, died before completing the books so she entrusted the plotline to her son, Harry Whittaker, who wrote this final installment. He's done a brilliant job as the change in authors is seamless. Such a complicated story to unravel in this final chapter, it must have been a mammoth task to take on, but it was done brilliantly. 

I'm so sorry to have come to the end of this excellent series. I can only say that if you haven't yet read these books, you're missing out.

A Vintage Summer by Cathy Bramley.

"London has not been kind to Lottie Allbright. Realizing it's time to cut and run, she packs up and moves back home - but finds her family in disarray. In need of a new place to stay, Lottie takes up the offer of a live-in job managing a local vineyard. There's a lot to learn - she didn't even know grapes could grow so far north!

Butterworth Wines in the rolling Derbyshire hills has always been run on love and passion but a tragic death has left everyone at a loss. Widowed Betsy is trying to keep the place afloat but is harbouring a debilitating secret. Meanwhile her handsome but interfering grandson, Jensen, is trying to convince her to sell up and move into a home.

Lottie's determined to save Butterworth Wines, but with all this and an unpredictable English summer to deal with, it'll be a challenge.

And that's before she discovers something that will turn her summer - and her world - upside down..."

I've read a couple of books set around Christmas by Cathy Bramley and enjoyed them so I thought I'd give a summer themed one a try. I found it very easy to get into and an enjoyable story but there was just too much detail about winemaking for me, the technical details just made me want to switch off. It doesn't put me off wanting to read more from this author though, I like her style of writing and they're easy reads.

Home Truths by Charity Norman.

"Two years earlier, Livia was a probation officer in Yorkshire, her husband Scott a teacher. Their children, Heidi and Noah, round out a happy family until the day Scott's brother dies.

Grief and guilt leave Scott seeking answers, a search which takes him into the world of conspiracy theories. As his grip on reality slides, he makes a decision which will put the family on a collision course with tragedy.

Livia's family has been torn apart, and now her son's life is hanging in the balance. Just how far will she go to save the ones she loves?"

Charity Norman is one of my favourite authors, she hasn't written a book I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, so I've been waiting for the release of this latest offering. It was a good start, the book grabbed me from the first page and I read on wanting to know more.

This author comes up with some very interesting storylines and I love the way she writes, building the tension and urging you to turn page after page. Another brilliant read, I'm just sad that I've come to the end and have to wait for her to write something new.

Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse.

"Tawrie Gunn feels stuck. She's spent her whole life in the same seaside town with her beloved Nana and grief-stricken mum, all of them still reeling in different ways from the tragic loss of Tawrie's dad at sea. Desperate for a change, she challenges herself to take up wild swimming - every morning, no excuses, from March till September.

Daring to take the plunge with the 'Peacock Swimmers', Tawrie feels alive in a way she's never known. Suddenly it seems she might be able to step outside her comfort zone after all and let life surprise her - perhaps even dream of a future beyond the shores of Ilfracombe? Especially when, one day, she spots a man in a pink linen shirt who seems as eager for a new start as she does.

But it turns out taking risks on land is a little different from wading into the sea. Can Tawrie face her fears head-on and find her way to happiness? She knows it's never too late to pursue your hopes and dreams, but it might be easier said than done..."

Amanda Prowse is a prolific writer and I've read every one of her novels. She writes about women, families and everyday life, and each of her books strike a chord, we can all put ourselves in the situations she writes about and I think that's why she's so successful at what she does.

Another great read, well rounded characters, a good storyline and a beautiful setting, what's not to love.

Jack has turned three months old. He's brought so much joy into our lives, he's such a happy little character and we love him so much. He's already rolling over and he's cut his first tooth. I'm just loving being a granny to this beautiful boy.

I've been busy knitting various versions of the Baby Aosta Cardigan by The Knit Purl Girl. I knit one for Jack in the first size and he's worn it to death, it's Eleanor's favourite cardigan for him and it's the baby cardigan I enjoy knitting the most. I decided I'd knit one in the second size for him, Eleanor requested a green. I thought the Olive colourway in the King Cole Cherished range was a nice shade so I went for that. It took just over 100 grams so as I had the best part of 100 grams left, I decided to knit another in the first size as a gift to go with a little pack of babygrows as my friend is to become a granny to a little boy in October. Then, as the winter months are approaching and Jack will need plenty of woollies, I decided to knit another for him. I went with the Happy Hippo colourway in Sirdar Snuggly, though I can't say I'm happy with the shade of blue, far too bright and with a purple tinge, but it was purchased online and you can't always get a true reflection of the actual colour when you don't see it in person. It's the second size again but the yarn is a much finer gauge than the King Cole so it's knit up a little smaller, but that's fine, it will just fit him sooner. I think it's time for a rest from this particular pattern now for a while.

Some of the shows we associate with autumn are now back on our screens, Strictly Come Dancing, The Great British Bake Off, and one of my favourites, All Creatures Great and Small. I remember the original TV series with Christopher Timothy in the leading roll. This new adaptation is now in its fifth season and I'm eager to see how the latest installment unfolds.

Autumn has arrived in earnest, I can't remember feeling ready to hunker down for the colder months quite so early in recent years but there's been no gradual creeping in of the darker evenings, they've just arrived all at once without warning. It's already dark at 7.30pm but one thing I have resisted is the urge to turn on the heating, even though we've already had some quite chilly days. I'm pleased I've been able to hold out until October. October will see Eleanor and Jacob's second wedding anniversary and, at the very end of the month, Halloween. We've got nothing planned for the month ahead so we'll just sit back and see what it brings.

Strictly Sockalong 2024

It's that time of year again, the nights are drawing in, the days are getting chilly, the shops are displaying their Christmas wares and Strictly Come Dancing is back on the TV, which means it's time for the Strictly Sockalong.

Each year, Ali at the Little Drops of Wonderful podcast hosts a knitalong where those taking part knit socks. It's just a bit of fun and hugely popular with many people. This year I decided that the socks I knit will be for Mick, he's wearing hand knit socks more often these days and as he hasn't got many pairs, I need to knit him some more. I've been wanting to try the Yarnsmiths yarn which is sold by Wool Warehouse so I asked Mick to choose which colourway he liked, he went for Rainy Days. The Merino Sock Prints range is a 75% wool 25% nylon mix.

The Strictly Come Dancing launch show was last Saturday so this is when I cast on, I managed to get the cuff done. It's a very soft yarn and I'm enjoying using it. It's a while since I've knit a pair of socks, the last time was when I joined in with last year's Strictly Sockalong. I've been using a lot of Double Knitting yarn for baby knits since then so this yarn seems very fine in comparison but I'm getting used to it again.

And as for Strictly Come Dancing, it looks set to be a fantastic series, many of the contestants have big personalities this year so I think it's going to be very lively. Saturday's show was as spectacular as ever with some brilliant first performances, so much so that I was engrossed and didn't get much more done on my socks, but there's plenty of time yet.

Robin Hood's Bay

Last Friday, we decided to have a day out. The weather is slowly turning to autumn so we're trying to make the most of every sunny day we get. Mick was supposed to be working but when we saw the sunshine after a couple of very bleak days, he took the day off. I'm glad he did as the rest of the weekend was a bit of a washout.

About five miles south of Whitby on the Yorkshire coast lies the old fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay. Where the name comes from is a mystery as there's no evidence to show that Robin Hood ever visited the village.

It was a little misty as we drove over the North York Moors and though it was still misty out to sea, the village itself was bathed in sunshine.

There's a very steep hill from the upper village to the lower and the road is narrow, just one car wide in places.

It's interesting if you go off the beaten track with little ginnels and snickets creating a maze through the back streets.

You really could get lost among all the alleys which run between the buildings.

It's such a great place for exploring as you really don't know what you might find. Take this particular alleyway, what do you think the building is on the left?

It's a second-hand bookshop. Yes, there are even shops, cafes and tea rooms to seek out if you stray from the main road.

I love all the old cottages, each one so individual. Robin Hood's Bay has been used by smugglers and it's thought that some of the cottages have underground tunnels which lead to the beach.

A view of the beach.

Parts of the beach are rather rocky rather than sandy.

There's lots of rock pools. This beach is popular with fossil hunters as ammonites and belemnites can be found here.

Archie was happy there was somewhere for him to cool off.

Archie always enjoys a walk on a beach.

There's a free museum in Robin Hood's Bay which has collections and displays of local interest. We didn't go in as we had Archie with us.

Tea, Toast and Post, the old Post Office is now a lively cafe, bar and gift shop.

Dollies sweet shop. This has been the village sweet shop since 1928.

Browns Chocolate Heaven. I'm not sure how I resisted this shop. There's a good selection of shops in Robin Hood's Bay selling everything from jewellery comprising local jet to locally produced craft gin as well as plenty of gift shops where you can purchase a souvenir.

As we were walking back we encountered two vans on the bend ahead, wide enough for just one vehicle. One was driving down, the other was driving up. Each had a couple of cars behind them so it wasn't easy for either of them to reverse. The village came to a standstill whilst they watched and listened to the expletives each of the drivers spat at each other. I'm not sure how it was resolved as we left them to it, but we did see a couple of the cars further up the hill attempting to reverse, not an easy task on a hill so steep.

The moors were still bleak as we drove home, a shame as it's usually beautiful at this time of year with the heather in bloom. It definitely wasn't shown at its best on this particular day.

As I looked out over the moors a steam train suddenly came into view heading towards Goathland Station.

I had some company. Sheep have grazed the moors for hundreds of years.

It's been a while since we last visited Robin Hood's Bay, I wasn't sure how Archie would manage the steep hill but he did remarkably well, though he did make straight for his bed when we arrived home!

Jack's Quilts

We got a lovely surprise through the post all the way from Australia. It was from my friend, Susan, who has the Granny Smith's Quilting blog. If you've looked at her blog, you'll know that she's a wonderful quilter.

A beautiful baby quilt. Susan didn't know whether she was making a quilt for a boy or a girl when she started this but I think it would suit either sex and it's perfect for Jack.

The cute little panels.

I always like to look at the back of a quilt, I think the design shows up much clearer. It's been quilted with butterflies, isn't that lovely.

Susan always names her quilts, this one is called Cuddle Up. Very apt.

Jack's been a very lucky little boy because one of Jacob's relatives has also made him a quilt. How beautiful is this.

Eleanor used to collect all things giraffe themed so this is such a coincidence.

The design on each panel has been stitched, even the writing and those tiny letters are stitched.

People are so generous with their skills and their time, I appreciate how much time these quilts must have taken to make and I know Eleanor is very grateful.

Each of the panels are so cute.

I think these gifts are ones which will be passed down and used by more babies after Jack, heirlooms for sure.

I absolutely love how quilts look and, in theory, would love to be able to make them myself but I just don't have the patience for it in practice, so I'm very grateful that there are others who are so generous making such beautiful gifts for my gorgeous grandson.

August 2024

The mini heatwave which saw out July lasted into August. It was nice to get some proper summer weather at last, although it didn't last and we've had some much cooler days too.

We had a couple of celebrations this month, firstly Mick's birthday on the 14th for which he received his very first Grandpa card, and then Jacob's birthday on the 27th. It's nice that all seven of us come together to celebrate each other's birthdays. There were many years when Daniel lived much too far away so I really appreciate the fact that we all live close by now and we get to see each other so often.

Mick took a two-week break from work this month, we enjoyed some days out during this time as you'll have seen in my August Holiday post, and we had other days out throughout the month too. I often see post box toppers on my travels, this one in Pickering really caught my eye, I just love Jess, Postman Pat's cat.

I've read two books this month.

The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley.

"The six D'Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?

They only have one clue - an image of a star-shaped emerald ring. The search to find the missing sister will take them across the globe - from New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland - uniting them all in their mission to complete their family at last.

In doing so, they will slowly unearth a story of love, strength and sacrifice that began almost one hundred years ago, when other brave young women risked everything to change the world around them.

The Missing Sister is the seventh instalment in Lucinda Riley's multimillion-copy epic series."

I'm pleased to say that after being a little disappointed in the last book I read in this series, this one is back on track. A little different from the other books as we don't yet know who the missing sister is, but one of mystery and intrigue. It does leave a lot of questions unanswered but I'm hoping that all the loose ends are tied up in the next book. Another great story and now only one book left to read in this excellent saga.

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary.

"8.52 a.m. Siobhan's looking forward to her date with Joseph. Breakfast on Valentine's Day surely means something...so where is he?

2.43 p.m. Miranda's hoping that a Valentine's Day lunch with Carter will be the perfect way to celebrate her new job. But why hasn't he shown up?

6.30 p.m. Joseph Carter promised to be Jane's fake boyfriend at a dreaded engagement party tonight. But he's not here...

Meet Joseph Carter. That is, if you can find him."

The book is divided into chapters, each separately following the lives of Siobhan, Miranda and Jane. It was hard to tell where the story was going as it kept you guessing. There was a bit of a twist near the end which I didn't see coming but it was a little confusing and had me scratching my head trying to work out the sequence of events.

I've read other books by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed and though I did enjoy this book, I don't think it's one of her best.

I've been suffering with my eyes this month. At first, I thought it was hay fever, my eyes were so itchy and watery, but I think it's probably blepharitis as it comes and goes, my eyelids get so sore and a little gritty. I haven't seen the doctor, in truth I rarely go to the doctors, there's usually some over the counter remedy which will sort out most problems. Eye drops seem to help in this instance, along with bathing the eyes.

My tomatoes have been terrible this year. The seeds I started took a long time to germinate and then an age to put on any growth so I ended up buying a couple of plants from a local nursery, however, even those haven't done at all well. In fact, this is the first picking, harvested less than a week ago, and to be honest, there isn't all that many yet to come. I blame it on the weather. These are Rosella, a dark pink cherry variety which I haven't grown before, they're quite tangy in taste. The other plant I bought is a beefsteak variety but the few tomatoes that plant has produced are still stubbornly green.

I've started a new crochet project. Sandra Paul from the Cherry Heart podcast designed the Natures Walk blanket five years ago and since then, I've admired so many of the blankets I've seen completed, both on blogs and on Instagram. I'm not sure my crochet skills are really up to it but I really love the design so I'm giving it a go. I've managed the first two squares, I don't think they look too bad.

To round off the month we had another late afternoon trip to the coast, just as we did last month. We had a lovely walk on the beach at Filey followed by al fresco fish and chips and then we took a walk at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. If you look back at my July 2024 post you'll see the photo I took of a gannet with its baby. It was very cute and cuddly looking, covered in down indicating that it was in its second week of life. As the baby gannets age they turn a dark brown colour flecked with white and don't actually get their adult plumage until they're about four or five years of age. 

It's noticeably cooler in the mornings and evenings now as we head into autumn. The hours of daylight are getting shorter too. It's not my favourite time of year as we leave summer behind and with the colder months ahead of us. Still, September is my birthday month, I was born on the 3rd, so there's that to look forward to, though I'm not sure even that's something to celebrate as I get older, haha.