Category: winter

crafts & knitting · winter

A quiet December

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)48 Comments

As you can see I’ve finished these lovely pinwheel mitts (pattern from Bombella & project notes here) so I’m all set to stay cosy in the snow that is forecast here for Sunday. I’ll be wearing these a lot through this month because not only are they lovely and warm but I think they look rather Christmassy too.

Sadly there will be one less present under our tree this year and our Christmas decorations and celebrations will be muted, as my father-in-law Gwyn passed away last week after a long and valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. The death of a loved one concentrates your mind on the importance of the others that you love and hold dear and I’m seeking out extra cuddles with everyone at the moment. Sometimes life gets so busy that we don’t always find the time to express our love and affection and families can be messy with disagreements, tussles and misunderstandings. It rarely occurs to us that we have limited time together and that there’s no way of knowing how long that might be.

So, all I’m hoping for this Christmas is a little peace and warmth with those I love, some laughter, some close times to treasure and some warm memories of those no longer here. Gwyn always drank a toast at 11am on Christmas morning to ‘absent friends’. This Christmas and every Christmas to come he’ll be at the forefront of our thoughts as we carry on his tradition and raise a glass to his memory.

J x

 

crafts & knitting · general stuff · in the woods · wildlife · winter

February, the waiting month

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)41 Comments

 

February always feels like the month where you need the most patience. The shortest day of the year may well be weeks behind us now, but February days can feel as short, dark and cold as it is possible to be and although we all know that Spring is on the way, concrete evidence of that is hard to find. The grey days coupled with lingering sniffles have us feeling a little blue here, even the mood-enhancing effects of cake seemed more short-lived last week and we’ve all needed a little extra comfort and cosiness.

Unsurprisingly I’ve been finding mine in knitting and I’d like to show you what I’ve been working on but I’m not quite ready to reveal, so that will be for another day. I have finished the Snawpaws mittens though and as today had the brightest start that we’ve seen in weeks I grabbed them and my camera and set off for an early walk (leaving the others to a half-term break lie-in).

We’re lucky to have such a good choice of places to walk and today I chose the New River canal and Amwell nature reserve. Though the trees are still bare I’ve come home reassured that Spring really is just around the corner: there were plenty of catkins and buds; frilly anemone leaves underfoot in the woods and a feeling of renewed intimacy between the resident swans. The male swan spent a good deal of time thrashing the water with his huge wings and putting on quite a display for his mate and it’s nice to think that there will be a new clutch of fluffy grey signets hatching out in a few months. A little robin was trilling away in the hedge and flew down to greet me, perching on a fence post just beyond arms reach. He was most amenable to being photographed and offered me several poses to choose from, such a bold and entertaining little chap as he was. It was a lovely morning to be out and I’m glad I made the effort and resisted that tempting lie-in.

I’m hoping to get out later in the week for a snowdrop walk because once they’ve emerged there’s no denying that Spring has begun. ‘Til then I’ll be keeping Toby entertained and busy and hopefully squeezing in a few rows of knitting here and there. Hope the week ahead is good to you, see you soon.

food and Drink · general stuff · winter

Cake helps :)

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)41 Comments

The New year hasn’t got off to a very healthy start here in our household. We’ve each had at least 2 colds to date and poor Toby has suffered the most with a nasty bout of flu this week. It’s so worrying when he is really ill as it’s very hard to gauge exactly what is wrong because he can’t tell us anything about how he’s feeling. His temperature peaked at 104 F during Monday night and I’ve been sleeping downstairs with him on the sofa bed since Sunday so I can keep an eye on him and keep him drinking. Happily he wanted to get up and dressed today rather than stay in bed and I have my fingers crossed that he’ll be wanting baked potato and chocolate cake for his tea, as that will be proof that he’s beginning to feel better again.

January hasn’t been all bad though. We’ve had some beautifully frosty mornings and some amazing sunrises and sunsets. I’ve been knitting away as usual and have been baking lots too because cake really does help when the mood is a little low, especially if it’s as good as these little treats made from Nigel Slater’s marzipan berry cakes recipe. It’s also good that they have blueberries in because we’re clearly in need of their superfood powers – hopefully they’ll help us avoid catching more colds this winter but even if they don’t manage that they are wonderfully good to eat.

Hope you’re keeping well where you are x