Category: Summer

crafts & knitting · Summer

happy Summer

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)9 Comments

Just popping in briefly to wish you all the very best for a happy Summer (or Winter if you’re in the Southern hemisphere). The school summer break has just started here and although Toby had only been back at school for a few weeks and with shorter days, he had begun to settle into a routine, so there’s a new one for him to adjust to now. Not that he’ll be complaining, as he definitely would choose a long lie in each morning 🙂

I’m looking forward to next weekend when Amy is coming home. I’ve not seen her since the beginning of March and although we’ve texted almost every day I’ve missed her so much. I’m so grateful that she was able to stay with her boyfriend’s family during the lockdown, it’s definitely helped her cope with these trying times.

The summer break from school is 7 weeks long, so I might not be here very often during that time, though I do hope to pop in now and again and I’m also hoping to hang out on the Facebook and Ravelry groups too, so maybe see you there. I’ll will be back soon though with news of the latest pattern which I finished off earlier today and is currently in testing. Can’t wait to share it with everyone – it’s for accessories and there’s a sneak peek in the picture above at the basket that’s included. I’m so pleased with how it’s turned out and the bunny twins Charlie & Coco have had fun testing out how many strawberries they can fit into their baskets (these bunnies and their clothes are knitted from my small rabbit pattern and the new small clothing patterns for the dress, sweaters and dungarees).

Well, wishing you a happy weekend, hopefully I’ll be back next week with some new pattern news, J x

 

countryside · Summer · wildlife

A Panshanger picnic

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)12 Comments

 

On Tuesday, which looked like the best day of this week weather-wise, I took myself off for a picnic and my first solitary walk since March. Throughout the lockdown Toby and I have walked almost every day in his favourite woods, rain or shine (and sometimes very heavy rain), and the same route because sameness is a comfort to Toby and he has definite ideas about which paths to take in the woods so I am happy to let him lead. Walking so frequently in the same place as spring developed into summer has been fascinating – seeing the progression of greenery throughout the wood, the growth of different plants and emergence of different insects. But walking with Toby is all about his wants and needs and so there’s not been time for the leisurely wandering that I like to do on my own with my camera in hand.

For my walk I head to Panshanger park, which is a nature reserve on the edge of Hertford. It’s a wonderful site with the ruins of an old orangery (all that is left of a once grand country house); lots of ancient trees, including the famous one called the Panshanger oak and a system of lakes that are former gravel extraction sites now returned to nature and linked by River Mimram – a crystal clear and swift running chalk river. The park gets busy near to the carpark but once you work your way along the river and through the meadows you leave the picnicking families behind and it feels as though you are deep in natural countryside. I spent 4 hours there, wandering over 5 miles, stopping for a picnic lunch and taking my time to notice all of the natural wonders that can be seen by slowing down and paying attention. It was a wonderful tonic and I arrived home again tired, a little sunburnt (despite the lack of obvious sunshine) and feeling the peaceful contentment that I always rediscover when I’ve had a day out on my own in nature. So here are some photos of my day: the wandering pathways through frothy cow parsley and hog weed; the meadows full of wild flowers buzzing and chirrupping with thousands of insects; the cool and vibrant green-ness that banks the river course; the beautiful longhorn cattle that are now resident in the pastures and the wonderful variety of flowers, plants and bugs, some of them quite scary looking! I hope you enjoy them, I’ll certainly enjoy looking at them again in the future, especially when I’m back to walks with Toby over the long summer break.

Well I hope your weekend brings you a little of what you love, and that you find the same peace and contentment that Panshanger brought me this week 🙂

 

countryside · crafts & knitting · garden stuff · general stuff · Summer · wildlife

Scenes of Summer

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)17 Comments

Hello! And sorry it’s been so long. I just wanted to pop in briefly and say I am still here – it’s just that here the school summer break is full on Toby time, and he remains my focus until school starts up again on September 4th. Even so I have had my camera handy and have captured some favourite moments from the last month…

  • countryside walking – finding breathtakingly fabulous fields of jewel-bright poppies;
  • sky watching – for clouds, techni-colour sunsets, vintage planes and the red kites that have recently moved into the area;
  • bug finding – newly emerged ladybirds, hoverflies and swallow-tail moths;
  • knitting – mostly socks because they are undemanding, but there are a few more things on my needles that I’ll share soon;
  • pic-nicing with Amy, revisiting Hatfield house (after our first visit this time last year) for a lovely day together;

Today it’s pouring with much needed rain, so Toby and I are having a lazy day – he’s watching cbeebies shows on tv and I’m writing this. If the weather is better tomorrow we’ll be off on a welly-boot woodland adventure – it’s good to get him out and about but overall he’s coping pretty well with the lack of routine. I do think though that we’ll both be ready for when school starts up again 3 weeks and once he’s back into routines I’ll have time to call mine again so I’ll see you then with some updates on what I’ve been working on. Hope the rest of August is good for you xxx