general stuff

nostalgic

For some reason I've been feeling rather nostalgic of late. I feel very lucky to have had a happy and carefree childhood and have lots of vivid memories, some of which are triggered by a particular piece of music or a smell or perhaps an object. When I saw these glasses in the Pedlars catalogue I was suddenly swept back 35 years to my Gangan's kitchen, because the exact same ones always sat in a little stack on a shelf in her glassware cupboard.

 

Glas
When I was growing up my family would always visit with my grandparents on a saturday morning. My Gangan would brew coffee and the grown-ups would talk in the kitchen while my brother and I watched saturday morning tv in the living room – Tarzan and the Osmonds featured heavily in the early '70s and then later it was swap shop or Tiswas. There was always elevensies – either my Gangan's special concoction of drinking chocolate, dessicated coconut and the cream from the top of the milk mixed into a delicious goo or maybe some cake or cookies. To drink it was either a glass of robinson's lemon barley or some PLJ in a glass exactly the same as these.

 

Glass

 

I love that every time I drink from these glasses I have a little blast from the past and despite the fact that both my grandparents are no longer with us, they feel close again. Funny how inanimate objects can conjure up such intense feelings.

 

Glasse
Is there anything that makes you feel nostalgic about your childhood?

autism · crafts & knitting

one a day update

I'm rather pleased to have turned the page of my calendar over to May. Not that April wasn't lovely, with unseasonably warm weather and the real start of spring but it did only contain 7 school days for Toby and he does find the lack of term time routine very hard. And, when he's around I am not able to be a person in my own right.

I was thinking about this over the long 4 day weekend that has just gone, I live a double life of sorts. When Toby's at school I can potter around and do housework and some of the things that I enjoy, like reading and knitting and just sitting peacefully with some music. When Toby is in the house I am constantly watching over him, keeping him from harm and doing everything for him that he can't do himself – I am more of an extension of him, bound by his needs and whims to do his bidding or face the consequences of huge outbursts and violent behaviour. I suppose it may sound a bit harsh to an outsider for me to wish the school holidays over with, but I am relieved none the less to have a little peaceful time on my calendar again!

Despite full days, I have still found a little time at the end of them to carry on with my one-a-day squares.

 At the start of the Easter break I had this…

March blanket

and at the end, this…

Blankie
It's pleasing that there are people out there with a much better handle on maths than me, as I now know that I can make 210 absolutely different squares from my 7 chosen colours. Though now I'm rather wishing that there had been a nice orange to include – the only orange in the same yarn (Amy Butler Belle Organic wool cotton DK) was a little too violent for my liking, but overall I'm pretty pleased with how it's coming along.

I'm off now to sneak in a few extra squares, just because I can!

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The lovely pattern for this blanket is a free one by Solveig and can be found here.

general stuff · in the woods

Bluebells

One of the nicest things about having children in different schools is that the inset days are usually different. This was the case yesterday with Toby going back to school a day earlier than Amy, giving us the chance to spend some extra time together. After breakfast we headed off to the woods where the bluebells were out. Sadly they were a little past their best but still scented the air and made the woods more magical than ever…

Blu

 

Blues

Blueb

Squirrel

Blue

Bluebells

And then we came home to make (and eat) a cake together

Amys cake

A peacefully perfect day to finish off the Easter break.