I am really missing having the time to pop in here and keep up with everyone but the school summer holidays are, as usual, chaotic and all consuming without much quiet time. As a result my brain is incapable of much coherent thought, so more random snippets from our days is all I can offer at the moment!
Toby has been having a couple of respite days per week, which have been great for helping keep him busy and happy and so I have had a little time to myself (which has been spent either knitting or gardening) but I've also been trying to spend as much time as possible with Amy. Afterall she is soon to be 13 and so my days as escort and companion in fun activities are certainly numbered!
Camping out in the garden is always on our list of activities, though Toby only joins us in the morning – setting a precedent of sleeping outside would be too risky as he'd probably want to sleep outside for evermore and I really don't fancy camping out in the snow.
I always look forward to berry picking with my lovely girl, a time to chat and enjoy just being together
The first of our homegrown harvest – lots of rocquencourt french beans, a decent amount of cherry tomatoes and a puny collection of courgettes. Hopefully the plants will produce more before the end of the season.
Bunches of fragrant sweet peas from our neighbour as a thank you for looking after their cat. It's nice to care for an animal again and it's got me pondering about pets (I'd love to get a dog) but I'm not sure it would work out with Toby who is not keen on anything bigger than a hamster!
Well, that's it. I know a few of you are waiting for the little pouch pattern and I've just about got it written up but am still fiddling about with the chart so I'm aiming to have it ready at the start of the new school term in September. I hope to pop in again soon, though Toby's respite days are tailing off towards the end of the school holidays so it will depend on whether he lets me! Enjoy the rest of your week x
little cotton rabbits 
Lovely to hear from you Julie!
Glad you’re having some summer fun and are managing to have some ‘Amy’ and ‘Me’ time. 🙂
The photo of the two of them in the tent is lovely!!
Vivienne x
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I’ve enjoyed my catch up with you. Lovely to hear of your summer fun.
Keep smiling,
Hugs,
A x
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Camping in the garden sounds great! So, it’s not just our courgettes that aren’t doing well…. Runner beans not that prolific either, but weeds are flourishing!… Enjoy the rest of the holidays.
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Lovely, lovely. How do you grow the berries that way? That is fantastic. Our deer have mowed our berries to the roots. Doubt they would miss this type, perfect height, but one can wish. Your little garden is just adorable! Take care.
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Your harvest looks delicious Julie! And I LOVE the picture of Toby and Amy together — very sweet!
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Hi Julie,
If you are considering a dog but not sure how Toby would cope might be worth your while contacting ‘Dogs for the Disabled’ who are a charity that train dogs specifically for adults and children with a disability and more specifically for children with Autism. The link to their website is http://www.dogsforthedisabled.org/ even if you don’t think you would meet their criteria they would certainly be able to advise on the most suitable type. My son has autism and we got Monty a Cavalier King Charles four years ago now not an assistance dog just a family pet but he has turned out to be the most brilliant companion for Adam they are inseprable. Hope this helps or at least gives food for thought. Enjoy your summer and your quiet time however brief.
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Sounds like a lovely summer so far…we’re dog sitting for Emma from Silverpebble next week, I’m overly excited!
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Oh, that first photo is priceless!
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Beautiful photo of your children! They are relly handsome!
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Hello Julie….glad to see your lovely photos, especially the one of Amy and Toby. Good news about your tomatoes… Our cherry tomatoes are not ripening at all…think it’s going to be “Fried green Tomatoes at the Worcestershire Cafe” this year!
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Hello Julie, I check often for new posts from you. Your lovely photos and gentle remarks brighten my day. Glad your summer is going well.
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you are a sweet mum Julie!
see you soon, a big hug, xxx Alessandra
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Julie you are such a good Mom!! Your photos are lovely! And, your berries look so good I could pick one right off the the page!
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I don’t know if they have this in the UK, but http://autismservicedogsofamerica.com came to mind when you pondered the idea of getting a dog. The upside of going with an agency that provides these TRAINED dogs is that if it doesn’t work out, you simply give the dog back and they typically pay all the vet bills etc. The downside is that they do retire the dogs eventually and so at some point you have to switch your dog out for a new one. That’s tough!
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That photo of Toby and Amy is priceless. I love Toby’s tousled hair. And Amy’s obvious love for her brother. You’ve caught magic in that photo.
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I just love your blog! Have been reading it now for quite awhile. Your photographs are always a pleasure to view. However, what I feel is so important…the fact that your an incredible mother, an inspiring woman with amazing talent. Thank you for blogging. May your days be blessed with all things wonderful.
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I never performed to grow sweet peas, maybe it’s not rainy enough. I remember visiting scottish garden with my parents and seeing all these beautiful flowers!
I love these random snippets too, pictures are sometimes sufficient
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Looks like you are having a truly lovely summer! Your garden is utterly amazing.
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Hi Julie, Think about the dog, my friend (also Julie!) brought a large soft goldie for her autistic son Harry who is 12, He ignored her to start with but now has a friend thats total non judgemental. She says its not easy as the dog is the work of a 3ed child but well worth it. You could try dog walking at a local rescue. Ps if you send me your address I will put this little knitting book in the post for you.
love Nina
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Here I am, late and tired. Early and tired, by the sun. Late by the day. Your images always speak to me of such loveliness and a certain serenity of soul. I know that last bit will get you laughing, but you have more serenity than I think you probably realize. I wonder if it comes with the package – that call to be the mother and caretaker of someone who needs you as much as Toby does. In the toolkit, I guess I’m saying. I’m not full of words today – too worn out, thinking and feeling-wise, by the last many weeks, I guess. And staying up late to read a book in peace. I sent you tons’o’love back in exchange for these shots – Amy is growing up so quickly. And she looks so clear. Thirteen is now the age I know best, having taught some six years of that age. It’s a good age – capable of thought and judgement, but still also capable of innocence and easy displays of love. Bunches of sweet peas; what a lovely gift. I’d follow your instincts about the pet thing – just as you do in things like sleeping outside. A dog’s heart can be so easily broken if things don’t work out. I am breathing with you.
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How did you grow those strawberries? It would be nice to see or have you explain what sort of structure has them off the ground. How do you water this? How often do you need to repair or replace part of the structure? I live in the Pacific Northwest of Washington state, USA our weather and growing season is similar to yours.
I really love your rabbits and other lovely things you make. Thank you for your blog.
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Lovely to catch up with your summer so far Julie. I’ll echo others and comment on how special that first pic is, but how lovely that you have photos of Amy taken while you and she were enjoying some Mum and daughter time. A post of precious memories 😀
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Precious photos of your children and I love the colours of Summer in both your vegies and the sweet peas; where I live it is still winter.
May you enjoy the last of your Summer days with your family as well as having a little ‘you’ time to unwind.
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I’ve been nominated for the One Lovely Blog award and I am now asked to pass it on. I want to pass it on to you because I think your blog is really Lovely! If you’d like to accept this award then please take it to your blog and pass it on – if this is not your thing then please accept this as a compliment on your blog.
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Dear Julie,
I am truly delighted to visit you now we are back from our holiday. I am so very glad you have had a bit of quiet time to spend on your own and with Amy who looks quite beautiful to me. May I quietly reassure you that, if my sixteen year old daughter is anything to go by, your daughter will need to spend just as much time with you as a teenager as she does now.
Best wishes.
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I don’t know if you already know this but Debbie Abrahams is selling off her yarn stash. Take a look at http://www.ravelry.com/people/DABeads/stash/trade. She has some old and discontinued Rowan yarns and colours which you may be interested in for your rabbits.
i hope you get time to have a look. happy knitting
best wishes
Susan
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It sounds like your holidays are going well, especially if you have a little time for knitting and gardening :o) I really need to get my creative mojo back – I haven’t done any knitting for months, and when I tried to do some a while ago I just felt grumpy! It was most strange! Maybe crochet will be the way back in to crafting – I’ve certainly been thinking about picking it up again. Lucy xxx
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Hi Julie, we have a German Shepherd, my 6 year old nephew is Autistic and he loves being around her, he views her as his dog. We also have a cat and he loves her to pieces, again he views her as his cat. We just have to supervise him with them. There have been instances of him holding the cat bottom end up, with head dangling down or picking her up and carrying her round when she doesn’t want (she is 19 years old). I find it a great thing having animals with my nephew, it does benefit him and I can pry him away from the computer with taking our GSD on a walk, I just need to remind him to listen to me and not wander off when I am clearing dog mess up! I would recommend getting a pet whether you get a dog or a cat. Hope this helps.
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I have been thinking of you and hoping the summer has been good to you. Just playing catch up in blogland after being absent for a bit, your photos are the essence of summer and I am loving how your blanket is looking…such calming colours. Glad you are getting a bit of time for yourself and your girl 🙂
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Hi Julie. Just a line to say thankyou- one, for being such an inspiration! Your blog is a tonic for my frazzled soul, and to read your words and absorb your beautiful photography is a joy. Secondly, for the lovely rabbit egg cover pattern- it has turned out a treat. I now aspire to knit half as beautifully as you do!As the mother of an autistic 13year old son I can only marvel at the amount you manage to achieve, and the grace you show in offering to share all this with us. Many regards.X
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always lovely to catch up with you and your sweet family.
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Hi Julie,
I’m one of the editors at http://www.allfreechristmascrafts.com/ and I just wanted to reach out to you, as I’ve noticed that one of our editors is interested in featuring your projects on our site. I think they’re great projects that our readers will just love to make. This will easily bring traffic to your site and allow others to see what’s new on your site.
We would love to add more of your projects to our site, so feel free to let us know as you add or create projects. We are always looking for Christmas projects so if you have any of these please feel free to send them my way or let us know if you prefer we not link to you. We also feature projects from our website on our blogs, eBooks and e-mail newsletters.
Your projects are great and we know our readers will enjoy them. With that said, can we have permission to link to any project on your site as well as use the image? We will credit you, of course.
Thanks!
Kathryn (you can contact me at kwright@primecp.com)
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Your blog is beautiful.
I’ve done a Follow Friday style blog-post today, and I’ve featured your blog on it. I’d love it if you could recommend three blogs to me that you love to read, but if you don’t have time that’s no problem at all. (The blog is http://www.plutoniummuffins.com if you want to check it out.)
Thank you for being a source of inspiration to me!
Corrie xx
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Can I stand up for the animals here? Please be sure that anyone around them will be kind to them. An animal is not a toy. I have heard of children and adults too harming animals because of a lack of understanding. The individuals are not to blame but those supervising are. I feel animals are not an experiment. They are vulnerable too. Being maltreated is not acceptable because of the benefits to the human being. So unlike everyone else I am saying (especially as you have said Toby is scared of larger animals than a hamster) please listen to your instinct which seems to be telling you not too. Over exuberance and over handling of animals leads to distress and some times tragic incident for the animal involved and of course sometimes leads to the animal biting back. Animals like peace and quiet. I don’t think personally that it is acceptable for a nineteen year old cat to be held upside down. Goodness knows what else the poor animal has endured.
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Hello Julie,
I would love to buy some of your little rabbits! I think it´s great that you only use natural wools. I was wondering if you could also stuff it with something natural. It would be great if you could make some for me. I just love your designs and details! Please get back with me 🙂
Sandy
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