change afoot

October 5, 2017April 29, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)27 Comments

There’s been a change in the air this week. Autumn is breezing in on the wind, loosening the leaves from the trees and whistling through any windows left open. I’ve changed the duvets from lightweight summer throws to cosier covers to snuggle under and whilst it’s not yet been cool enough to warrant lighting the fire I’ve been stacking logs in the basket ready because the change is noticeably distinct.

The cooler weather is the perfect excuse to carry on with warm-winter-woollie knitting and my void shawl is all finished. It’s the perfect big snuggly wrap to keep out those autumn breezes. I had a tiny bit of yarn left over and couldn’t resist making a few pom-poms for the ends, I’m really pleased I did as they are a sweet finishing touch, though I’m not sure how long they’ll stay attached as Toby seems quite fascinated with them.

The book I mentioned in the previous post ‘A modern way to eat’ by Anna Jones has been provding me with lots of lovely new recipes to try, but I’m finding I’m not a fan of them all. I tried really hard to like her recipe for the wonderful sounding Golden Tumeric milk which is made with almond milk, tumeric, cardamom and honey but I failed dismally. One sip was enough for me I’m afraid! It’s a pretty concoction though with a lovely warm colour that goes well with the socks I’m working on at the moment. They’re knitted from the pattern BFF socks by Cookie A in Madelinetosh Twist light yarn in ‘harvest’ with contrasting heels, toes and ribbing top in ‘paper’, my project notes are here.

On my walks I’ve been noticing lots of mushrooms and toadstools, it’s their season and they are everywhere at the moment. I hope to go exploring and find more next week, family life has been busy and chaotic so I’ve not been out adventuring as much as I had hoped for but Autumn is still to reach her best here so there’s time yet.

I hope to be back more frequently very soon and to have news on new patterns and the giveaway I’m planning. Til then keep well xx

autism · countryside · general stuff · summer · wildlife

balance under a big sky

September 3, 2017April 29, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)40 Comments

Sometimes being a parent means that you loose your sense of self a little. You are so focused on ensuring that everyone is fed, has clean clothes, that there’s milk in the fridge, toilet rolls in the cupboard and no-one has to go without breakfast because the bread has gone stale, that there’s not much time for anything you might want personally. I’ve felt a little like that recently. It’s probably magnified in our household because of Toby’s constant needs and the intensity of the school holidays but I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling a little parental self-annihilation at times. Over the last few months we’ve had a busy time helping Amy research Unis, H has been away from home more than before as his father is very poorly and overall the balance of life has been more hectic than relaxed. I’ve also been listening to friends excitedly talk about family holidays and have felt a pang of envy because we don’t holiday anymore (it’s too stressful for Toby and so by extension for us too). It’s not that I particularly wanted to go away anywhere this summer but I’ve realised that I do miss the excitement of doing something new, of being somewhere different and of having that sense of being on an adventure. So, earlier this week I left H in charge of after dinner parenting duties, took my backpack, camera and walking boots and drove out into the countryside.

I’m never usually out of an evening, unless it’s for a school parents evening or a concert that Amy’s taking part in, so just being out in the car at 7pm is a novelty for me and it did feel something like a small adventure. I drove to a local hill which has lovely views over the surrounding countryside and just walked until the sun disappeared below the horizon. I saw lots of rabbits, heaps of the big Roman snails particular to the hill, heard the alarming bark of a muntjac deer near by and saw the bats start to flit. Sadly I didn’t get to see a much-longed-for barn owl but heading back towards the car I was treated to a magnificent sky overhead and bathed in a sense of well-being and calm. Although my tiny adventure was less than 2 hours long and took place only a 15 minute drive away from home it did help enormously. Sometimes you just need to be humbled under a big sky.

It has reminded me that although being a mum to an almost-adult with special needs perhaps brings more intense parenting, there can still be time for me if I can be flexible with when that can be, what form it can take and if I embrace the small and simple pleasures that exist all around us but are sometimes overlooked and undervalued. It’s my plan to keep finding small and fortifying adventures on my own doorstep and I’d love to hear about what small adventures you’d choose to have – tell me in a comment below if you have time to x

autism · countryside · garden stuff · general stuff · in the woods · spring

June catch-up

June 5, 2017April 29, 2026 Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)36 Comments

Well, here we are at the start of the school summer term. Happily it’s a long 7 week one so I’m really hoping to get a lot of things ticked off my to-do list before the summer break starts.

The half term hols went well here with lots of warm sunny days for Toby to enjoy bouncing and bubbles in the garden. I also tried to get him to help with a spot of gardening but it didn’t go to well – too much goes in his mouth for him to be a good gardener! But nevertheless our little patch is looking good with all the herbs, beetroot, kale, rocket, beans and spinach all growing well.

I’m trying wherever possible to involve Toby a bit more in household chores, though it is very difficult for him to grasp the purpose of such tasks. We have one eye on the future here as it is our hope to continue caring for him at home once he leaves school – something that is fast approaching and is a really daunting prospect so we are trying to take small steps now towards a meaningful, enjoyable and busy weekly schedule for him. Over the school break l’ve involved him in pegging out washing on the line which, as long as the items are small, he is getting quite good at, though he has yet to understand the need to stretch things out and to use 2 pegs for some things. We’re not doing quite so well with clearing the table after dinner. He has a very strongly defined sense of order and is good at knowing where things belong; cutlery in the draw, glasses in the cupboard, plates on the shelf etc. but he has yet to understand the concept of clean and dirty and so will tidy away any dirty spoons or plates that he comes across. We are working on the idea that dirty things go in the dishwasher or by the sink and hopefully he will eventually start to understand and be able to do some of these household tasks semi-independently with just some verbal prompts and simple supervision. Later this year he will turn 16 and so begins the transition over to adult support services. There is so much paperwork involved that I already feel exhausted and we’ve not really started, it will be a case of a day at a time and hopefully things will fall into place.

In knitting news I am currently finishing off a small batch of animals so will pop back with an update when they are done. For now I’ll leave you with the pictures I took a month ago (and have been meaning to post ever since) from a visit to a local orchard nature reserve. It’s a wonderful place full of ancient apple trees buzzing with busy bees who are based in the hives on site. There is a flock of very grumpy geese who hiss and posture as you walk past their enclosure and up in the woods there is a large badger sett – I hope to go and visit one evening as there is a viewing hide where you can see them quite clearly from.

Thanks as always for taking the time to visit my blog, I appreciate you stopping by and so enjoy reading your comments x