7th day of gratitude

Today's prompt is Warm Clothes.

One thing I am really grateful for this time of year is warm clothes.  I really don't like being cold and as I am prone to getting cramp in my toes, I especially don't like having cold feet, so please let me introduce you to my hand knitted sock collection!

Several years ago I was inspired to learn how to knit socks by a lovely blogger by the name of Sian.  She is such a creative person and we 'met' in blogland when we both signed up for a scrapbooking course run by Shimelle.  Much to my regret, Sian no longer blogs, I think she may be a bit too busy helping run a wool shop in her home town in Ireland.  I can't think of a more perfect person to run a wool shop as she was so talented with her knitting.  She gave me the confidence to buy my first circular needle set and with a bit of encouragement and a few youtube videos when it came to  dealing with the heel, I was soon wearing my first pair of home made socks.  Once you've worn a pair of 'proper' socks, nothing else comes close to the warmth and I was hooked.  The first pair I made is the pink and purple pair on the right and let's just say I learnt a lot from that pair, and they aren't the most perfect shape or fit however, onwards and upwards by the time I started on the brighter blue and mustard ones, I knew where I'd gone wrong and how to make them fit my foot properly.

Before anyone thinks I am incredibly clever in knitting such intricate patterns in the stripes, I will confess that it's all down to randomised colours in the wool which creates a natural fair isle pattern as you knit, I had nothing to do with it, it just happened!

Looking at this basket of warmth, I'm tempted to buy another ball of wool and make another pair!  It will be a perfect winter lockdown project!

PS Daily update - decided to support our local Italian restaurant by ordering a takeaway pizza last night.  I'm keen to support independent companies at this difficult time as I want them still in business when we are allowed out again.  The big chains will have more chance of surviving, but this is a small family run Sicilian restaurant which relies on customers continuing to use them.  We rarely order takeaways unless we are meeting up with friends for an Indian meal so this was a real treat for us!

Re our covid tests, Leslie mentioned that we should be paid for having them so frequently so I would just like to say that we are!  As an incentive we receive £25 each in vouchers which can be used in a huge variety of shops for every test we take so if you get a letter of invitation - be sure to accept!  

6th Day of Gratitude

 Today's prompt is  Something in Autumnal Colours.  

I walked over the park thinking that I would easily find something to share for today's prompt and I did take a few photos but beautiful though the trees were, I wanted to share something a little different.  So I have chosen this

It's a picture that Paul drew recently.  He used to go to an art class which has had to adapt due to Covid restrictions, and it is now a WhatsApp group where the teacher gives the students their prompt for the week and then they have a week to upload a picture for her to critique.  He has drawn this using watercolour pencils and it is a really good representation of the trees turning colour beside the pond in front of the local church.

Let's just say that if I were sharing a picture of something I had drawn, it would not have been worthy of being showcased in a frame 🤣

PS Daily update - Day two of Lockdown 2.  Today we will be having our 3rd Covid test as part of the national statistics programme.  The person who called to book the appointment asked me if we were likely to be in this afternoon, which made me wonder if it was a trick question as clearly the whole idea of lockdown is that people are not going out!  

5th day of gratitude

 The 5th day of gratitude is relating to Nature 

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me with the beauty that we can find all around us.  Just look at this beautiful passionflower 

This plant is growing wild over our local country park and the small piece 'accidentally' came home with us after a walk 😉 The flower has a religious story behind it and in case you haven't heard the description, I'll pass it on now.

The 10 petals represent Jesus' faithful Apostles

The 5 'anthers' symbolise the five wounds that Jesus suffered

The circle of purple filaments represent the Crown of Thorns

The 3 stigma (hard to see in my photo) represent the three nails holding Jesus to the cross.

PS Daily news. Today is our first day of being in total lockdown - again.  It's such a shame and even more so because our area isn't one which has steadily increasing cases.  I had a bit of a toddler style 'it's not fair' feeling at first but then read a great quote on a friend's Facebook page which made me think again

We isolate now

So when we gather again

No-one is missing.

Keep safe everyone x

4th Day of Gratitude

 For the fourth day of gratitude I am sharing a favourite place to walk

This is the country park that is a very short walk from our house and I am so very grateful to have such a lovely tranquil place to visit so close to home.  This place was a welcome sanctuary when we were in lockdown, we were allowed outside to exercise or walk a dog for an hour a day and I can't think of a better place to be at any time of year.  

Hard to believe that when we moved to this house, this lake did not exist.  They dug it out when they built a new housing estate a little way away and it has just filled up naturally.  It's a haven for ducks and moorhens, and this year we even had two swans appear for a few days.  These ducks will never go hungry, it is a popular place for family walks.

My husband is part of a volunteer group who help with the park's maintenance and they work hard to keep it looking good and attract as much wildlife into the area as possible.  We are so lucky to have this five minutes walk from our front door.

PS Our last day before lockdown.  Our last day of looking after Max for at least a month 😢 I keep trying to reassure myself that this initial phase is 'only' for a month and then maybe they will lift a few restrictions and we may be able to see him again outdoors.  Then I also remind myself that I have a friend who has twin grandchildren who live in Australia who she only sees once every two years so I must put this in perspective!  It's a very strange day today, although we are really fortunate that we are both early-retirees so do not have to implement too many changes.  This time I must remember not to bake (and eat) so many cakes 😉 

3rd Day of Gratitude

 Today's prompt is for Home, and I am very thankful for a warm, cosy home.

The minute you open the front door, Coco will always rush to see what's happening and don't be taken in by her hesitant pose, she is an escape artist if you keep that door open too long!

Yes, that's me by the front door!  (excuse the slippers!) We have lived here for 29 years now and moved in when Rachel was 5 and Jon was 18 months.  Even though we don't need a 4 bedroomed house anymore I can't imagine moving for a while yet.  We have firmly put down our roots in this area.  

We are five minutes walk from the countryside in one direction and ten minutes walk from a small shopping area which has a supermarket, chemist, newsagent, hairdresser, dentist, doctor, pet shop, laundry and fish and chip shop.  What more could you want!  We are also 20 mins drive from London Stansted airport, 10 mins to the M11 motorway and we have train links which can get you to London Liverpool Street in 40 mins.  When we are not in lockdown we have a good choice of shops in the town, and a market every Thursday and Saturday.  We've lived in this town all our married life and I think we were very lucky in our choice of area. 

PS Daily news - 2 days to lockdown and our last day of having Rosie here for the day and Leo here after school.  The rules say we can only form a childcare 'bubble' with one family and as we look after children from two families that would mean choosing which one to help.  That really isn't fair and so we have decided not to 'bubble' with either, then if there is an emergency and one suddenly needs help we can step in.  It is such a shame as we will miss our childcare days but can't think of an alternative.  It's like being asked to choose your favourite child! Rachel has been able to arrange an extra day with the childminder who has Rosie and Leo on the days we don't have them and Jon has been able to rearrange his work hours to cover the day we have Max so I don't feel we are letting either down but boy will I miss seeing them all.

2nd Day of Gratitude

 Today's prompt is for Fresh Produce and I was tempted to pop into the supermarket and take a snap of the fruit and veg aisle but then I realised that I had something that perfectly displayed the best of British produce already in my fridge.

In my opinion nothing tastes quite so nice as a fresh British strawberry.  They are at the end of their season now and whilst we can still buy strawberries that have been imported from overseas throughout the winter, they do not have the luscious, juicy strawberry flavour that British ones have.  This will probably be the last pack that I buy before the season starts again next year so we will make the most of them.

Imagine a bowl of these, sitting in the sun with a glass of champagne, a little cream poured over them, watching the Wimbledon final.  Bliss.

PS Daily news - lockdown happening in 3 days time.  Fortunately no queues to get into supermarket this morning and shelves well stocked so fingers crossed there will not be panic buying this time around.  Stocked up on dog food for Coco, I know where my priorities lie!

1st Day of Gratitude

 Today's the day!  The first day of the 25 Days of Gratitude photo challenge!

So come on in, it's chilly outside, British Summertime officially ended last weekend and this time next week all of England will be back in lockdown, so it's definitely time to be grateful for Comfort Food.

Sit yourself down with a nice glass of wine while I dish up dinner.  I hope you like beef casserole with herb dumplings, jacket potato with butter and green beans.

I can't take all the credit for the recipe, it's based loosely on Mary Berry's Beef Bourguignon I miss out the bacon and brandy but add a few thickly sliced carrots.  Of course, by substituting those ingredients I have turned it from a French classic to a homely British dish so naturally have to add some suet dumplings to go with it.

It's a perfect start to things we are grateful for though isn't it?  There's nothing like food like this to warm you up and stop those hunger pangs.  Plus, it's one of Paul's favourite winter meals so he is grateful too, that I 'had' to cook it to show on my blog!

We are having our daughter and family round for lunch today, which will be the last time they will be in our house until early December.  That's a strange thought!  Even though we knew another lockdown was probably inevitable, my heart still sank as I watched Boris walk into the Downing Street press office and make the announcement.   It will make me even more thankful to have this branch of the family tree around the table today.  (The other 50% live in another area and not allowed to mix with other households at the moment.  Plus we have the Rule of Six, so couldn't have everyone here, much as we would have liked to have had a big pre-lockdown lunch)