Patterns in the snow

These are the patterns that greeted me when I went out this morning to let the hens out and feed them. I love their tracks in the snow.

I had such a lovely day: coffee with my friend first thing this morning; then a shiatsu at The Shiatsu Place in Morningside; then a wander down to Bruntsfield, stopping for another coffee at The Chocolate Tree and a look in at the book shop too. 

And this afternoon: knitting, reading, spending time with the hens and the pigs and a bit of a walk. So nice.

Knitting for Bramble

I started knitting these socks yesterday for our friends' baby Bramble. I love choosing colours for projects because the colours have to be just right for the person, and these colours remind me of the colours of the hills around where we all live in Edinburgh. I also love knitting socks. I have a thing about home-made socks. There is nothing like wearing a pair of home-knitted socks for comfort and love and wholesomeness! And home-knitted socks mean you can have a stripy leg and block-colour foot. Silly, simple things please me.

I also have a lovely dusty pink that I'd like to make another pair with too. For being a girl. And then there's the green alpaca - it's beautiful too. More colour combinations to come, I think.

En Vacances

 

I'm on holiday for a week! A whole nine days where I don't have to go to work. I'm looking forward to reading and walking and knitting and sewing and forgetting about work.

This morning Hagos and I went to Whitmuir Organic Farm, as usual, for coffee and cake. I like to take The Review or Country Living magazine with me, but didn't have those today and didn't want to stop off to buy them, so I took Delight by JB Priestley instead, and a knitting book. Hagos took a William Burroughs book. My chocolate cup cake was superb.

The egg to the left is a mega-egg we got from our hens yesterday. I assume it was from Arrow as she has laid similar in the past. We're planning to have it for lunch today. 

One of our hens, Emma, has gone missing. She's been gone for a week and a half now. I've walked around the area at least four times looking under every bush, into every tree and there's no sign of her anywhere. She looked a bit unwell when I let her out on the day she went missing, but she's looked like that before and been fine. All of the hens have their own personality (well, except for Shelley and Maisie, the two whites who seem devoid of character) and I had a soft spot for Emma, though actually I have a soft spot for all of them. The rest of the hens seem fine and are full of vim and vigour as usual. 

The Larder

I met my friend Lynsey for lunch today in The Larder, just off The Royal Mile in Edinburgh. I should have taken photos (perhaps I'll go back tomorrow) but it was so nice to meet, just the two of us, in a lovely environment that sold tea and CAKE! my mind was otherwise engaged.

Lynsey had actual lunch; and I had a cream tea, with clotted cream!

I've been searching for a favourite cafe in Edinburgh since I moved here and I think this could be it. It fits my criteria: aesthetically pleasing, good tea/coffee, good simple food, and tucked out of the way so that it's not over-crowded. Photos soon.

February update

I got some postcards printed up by Moo. I've had this done before, and really love the results. Stationery, you know :)

I like the snowy, downward-looking pics, but also, of course, love the animal prints. There are lots more I could/will get done.

But this is my selection for now. 

I have been off work for the past three days with a bug. Thursday and Friday last week were so full on - I felt my immune system breaking under the strain, and then on Sunday morning I woke up with that full body ache. At midday today I felt perky for the first time since it arrived, so I expect I'll go back to work tomorrow. 

I am still reading Great Expectations, very slowly. And I started reading Stephen King, On Writing, which I'm zipping through. It's always heartening to read a rags-to-riches story.

On Saturday Hagos and I bought our seed potatoes from the garden centre. This year we've gone for Casablanca and Pentland Javelin,

Wiljas, Maris Pipers and Blue Danube. We've had them all before except the Blue Danubes. 

And I have finished one Scottish reindeer sock. It's beautiful, although I carried the white wool round the back and it's made the tension in that area a bit tight and so I have to persevere to actually get it over my heel! For the 2nd sock I thought I'd try the intarsia method.

Well, that's me used all my energy again so I might have a lie down.