countryside · general stuff · in the woods

Summer’s end

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)22 Comments

 

First Published on my Typepad blog, September 1st 2023……

Summer is drawing to a close here and we’re preparing for next week’s return to term-time routines. Looking back over the last 2 months I have to say that this has been a good summer. The weather has been perfect, not hot enough to frazzle tempers or cause restless nights, but warm enough to make being outside a joy. And, unlike last year, the frequent rains have kept the countryside green and bountiful. It’s been a wonderful growing season and the hedgerow harvest is going to be a bumper one, with masses of blackberries, rosehips, sloes and acorns.

We’ve walked every single day and, much as I have loved walking daily with Toby, it’s been necessary for his happiness to go at the pace he sets, so I am looking forward to being out and about on my own, with the luxury of the slower pace that brings, and the freedom to stop and notice small delightful things. Back at home Toby has had his inevitable meltdowns, but they’ve been less frequent than I expected and the good times have been more numerous than I’d dared to hope for.

I’m also looking forward to the peace of being on my own in the house and the quiet that allows for proper pattern writing concentration. I have fiddled with my new cows pattern over the summer, but it has been a half-hearted affair, and so full of interruptions that I suspect that my notes are full of errors. It will be good to be able to sit here and make some more meaningful progress over the coming weeks.

Well, I just wanted to say hello again, I look forward to being here a bit more frequently as the autumn arrives. Thanks as always for visiting me here, J x

Pictures above are from:

  • my annual sun-rise solo walk at Waterford marsh where there had been a heavy dew which delicately decorated the silken strands of spiderwebs hanging from the fences. And where I saw geese, kingfishers, egrets, a kestrel, and deeply enjoyed munching a croissant whilst listening to the early morning birdsong from deep in the river-side willows. A heavenly start to the day;
  • bubbles in the garden, so many bubbles, much to Toby’s delight;
  • feathers (buzzard, owl, goldfinch, jay and greater spotted woodpecker) and snail shells, treasures found on our daily walks;
  • beautiful new yarn from  The Knitting Shed, at the moment I’m just admiring it, whilst pondering autumn knitting projects;
  • summer sunsets in all their technicolour glory;
  • the super blue moon on August 30th, slightly obscured by cloud but brightly beautiful all the same.
countryside · crafts & knitting · general stuff · wildlife

Summer days

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)9 Comments

First published on my typepad blog, August 1st 2023 . . .

Well, we’re half way through the long summer break here and have settled into a comfortable daily routine. Mornings are calm and quiet as happily Toby enjoys quite long lie-ins, so I usually have a couple of gentle hours to call my own, either reading or knitting and sometimes having breakfast in bed when the mood takes me. Once he is up we head out for a walk, usually walking around 3 miles and stopping for a picnic snack along the way. Toby is good company as a walking buddy, he so enjoys the peace and quiet of the countryside and looks all around him as we go along. He’s still not keen on me stopping to take photos of things but is getting gradually more tolerant, just as long as I’m quick.

It’s a wonderful thing to be able to share a love of nature and the outdoors with him, and our walks together are often the best part of the day. We’ve seen so much wildlife: lots of muntjac deer, a stoat, rabbits, buzzards, red kites, kestrels, storks, egrets and so very many insects, bees, dragonflies and butterflies, it’s been a great year for them and I’ve seen such a variety. It looks like being a good year for blackberries and hazelnuts too, with a bumper crop ripening in the hedgerows and we’ve seen a lot of early fungi too, doubtless sprouting well because of all of the rain we’ve had recently. Not that I’m complaining in any way, I’m so grateful this year for the cooler temperatures and wetter weather and so is the greenly verdant countryside.

There’s not much progress on anything knitting related at the moment. I’ve been knitting quite a few scarves from the ‘Sophie Scarf’ pattern by Petiteknit as it’s a beautifully simple and uncomplicated knit, perfect for picking up whenever I get the chance for a few rows and putting down again when Toby needs something. As far as my own pattern writing goes I do now have a cow pattern finalised, though still in the form of scribbled notes which need a lot of work once the next college term starts in September.

I hope you’ve had a good month and that August is kind to you, J x

countryside · wildlife

June and a picnic at Panshanger

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)40 Comments

Firstly, I want to say a heartfelt thank you for the kindness that you sent my way via your comments and emails after my previous post. Writing things down here on the blog is somehow easier than saying them out loud, and the process of getting thoughts and feelings into written words is helpful and cathartic. But I’m never sure whether writing so intimately is wise and I know that it turns some people off because the subscribers to my blog always drop a little more when I’ve written something on the gritty side. However I am always humbled by the warmth of the responses that I do receive, and that people who have never met me take time out of their day to reach out with such kindness and compassion. Many of your comments touched me deeply, thank you so much for your generosity of spirit.

Last Monday I took myself off for a solo lunch-time picnic, the last for a while because until the beginning of September I’ll have a daily walking buddy (Toby –  incidentally he is almost always calm and content and even sometimes quite affectionate when we are out on our walks, he definitely enjoys quiet outdoor spaces and they do bring out the best in him).

So I headed for Panshanger, which is probably my favourite place in the world, and which always provides so much delight, whatever the season. The calves have grown and are now quite inquisitive, approaching with curiosity rather than holding close to their mums. This heritage herd of English Longhorns are a very peaceful and gentle bunch, and I enjoy visiting them and watching their interactions with each other.

Summer flowers are out in the meadows and there are so many butterflies, bees and bugs darting from flower to flower, nature at it’s busiest and most beautiful.

Back at home I’m using my pictures as reference and working on the cow pattern that I hope to have ready in the autumn. It will be slow going over the summer but I hope to make steady progress and will share some pictures when it’s further along.

Thanks again for visiting here with me and for allowing me the space to share these little snippets of my days. I hope the week ahead is kind to you, see you again soon, J x