My new BFF (Best Friend Forever)

This is Bill, my new Best Friend Forever. To cut a long story short, he was stranded in our neighbours' field, two fields separated from his own field and his mother. He lay down on some straw for a while but then tried getting back through the fence and couldn't and he was bleating. So, Hagos and I tried to get in touch with the farmer and couldn't. The only option left was to gather him up and repatriate him ourselves.


Our first attempt resulted in him running towards the road, so we enlisted the help of our friends Iain and Robin and looked everywhere. We had just given up and were heading home when we heard a little bleating and turned to see him hiding behind a tree. So we chased him back into the field and shut the gate, then me, Hagos and Iain shepherded him (me with a blanket - which was a great tip, James, and became a crucial part of the rescue) and while he was trying to jump through a five inch square gap in the fence I threw the blanket over him, bundled him up and then we climbed three fences and finally got him back into his own field. He was much bigger than I expected him to be, close up, but I completely fell in love with him while I was carrying him.

So I went looking for him again today, to check he wasn't wandering alone somewhere he shouldn't and at first I thought this must be him back with his mum, because he had a sweet little black face and black legs, though I thought this lamb looked lighter in the body than I remembered.

It was only when I was almost home I saw a lamb by itself in the middle field, realised it was Bill and understood how he'd got through to the neighbours'  field in the first place.

So, he seemed happy enough, and so long as he remembered his route back he still had direct access to the rest of the sheep if he wanted it. I got the impression he was a bit of an intrepid explorer though, and liked to be by himself.


Hagos thought he looked like William Shatner, hence the name. Isn't he gorgeous? I'll probably go and check on him again tomorrow.

Making Frenzy

This last week I have been on a Making Frenzy. Sometimes I just have an urge to make something and I can't settle to anything else until it's done.


Today I decided to make scones and lemon curd. The scones turned out at 1 Weightwatchers point each, which is great. I did them in conventional and heart shapes.


And this afternoon I finished knitting the second thumb of my new mittens, and I sewed in the ends of my new scarf. So, the new winter accessories kit is complete: mittens, hat and scarf. 


I had planned to cast on a new pair of bed socks today, to knit on the bus, but I'm not sure I have the energy now. Hagos is cooking dinner (chicken fajitas) and after that I think I'll only be fit to read and watch a bit of telly.


I have just started reading To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I am enjoying it more than I expected. 

This was our coffees and cakes at Whitmuir yesterday. That chocolate cupcake was divine. Sadly I could only eat half due to how many points I figured it must have. But the half I had was delicious. 

Pyjama Bottoms Part II

Yesterday I made a second pair of pyjama bottoms. I almost had enough material from the sparkly hippos to make a complete second pair, but just didn't have enough length. I considered making 3/4 length pyjamas, which I quite like, or adding other material to the bottom, which is what I did. It took me a while to decide which material to add and I eventually settled on the grey bicycles because, you know, that whole connection between sparkly hippos and bicycles :)


I just have to hem the bottoms and they're finished. I managed to buy pyjama elastic in John Lewis yesterday (was very pleased to discover such a thing existed!) and I've used that for the waist band. I'm still planning to buy other material from Ikea to make more pairs.


I've started running again and yesterday I reached the point where I thought about going out for a second run of the day. My wintery, lethargic body is now craving exercise and physicality. I'm even now thinking about blowing up my exercise ball and pulling my weights out of the cupboard. 


Today is Saturday, the loveliest day of the week. We will go to Whitmuir for coffee, then come home and read and knit and sew and play Scramble (a new game my friends and I have gone crazy over on iPad/iPod) and watch a film together in the evening and eat home made pizza. Bliss.  

The Most Fun Thing I've Ever Made!

So I finished my sparkly hippo pyjama bottoms and I absolutely love them. I gave them a spin in bed last night and they were great - so comfortable. They only took about an hour and a half to make. I'm already thinking of stopping by Ikea today to get more fabric! Though I will also be passing through John Lewis today so I might be tempted there. But I'm sure this will be the first of many pairs.

I didn't bother with the bottom trim, or with making button holes for the waist band so I could make a pull-tie. I just used elastic for the waist.

And this is just a cute shot of Meg perched on Haggis's granny's stool. She's really too big for it but it was getting the full sun yesterday. I'm restricting her food at the moment because she seems to be getting bigger. She isn't very happy about it and badgers me for treats. But I'm sticking to it as I don't want her to become obese. She's still very agile and active.

Talking of which, I went for a run yesterday for the first time in about a year. It mostly felt good. I'm at the point where I need to turn the emphasis from inertia and surplus calories to exertion and limited food intake. I'm on the brink of fatty-dom again and I need to rein it in.

Wednesday is Pyjama-Making Day!

I've been wanting to make Amy Butler's Wide Leg Lounge Pants for years, to wear as pyjama bottoms. And finally, yesterday, I went to Ikea and bought this material:

I think they're a kind of hippopotamus with a sparkly tail. Anyway, I really like the material and I got 3 metres for £6! Huge bargain, and it's just the right weight for pyjamas. So this afternoon I plan to clear the kitchen table and get as far as I can with cutting out and sewing together. I know what I'm like once I get sewing, I find it difficult to leave a project part-way through. Very excited about this.

And yesterday I finished knitting my scarf. I steam-pressed it. And while I really like the design and colours, I'm wondering whether I need to do something about the curliness of the sides. Stitch-stich always curls but I had hoped pressing it would sort it out. I think my options are to either line it with black fleece, or just line the Norwegian Stars with black fleece so they are flat. And I have to sew in the loose ends, always a chore.

I'm back onto percolated coffee, and it is so delicious. And I'm trying to be back on my Weightwatchers' points, so all food and drink is counted and measured. Five Maltesers equal one point. Two After Eights equal one point. Hopefully I'll have a photo of my pyjamas to upload tomorrow.  

My birthday, by Lynsey Burns

It was my birthday yesterday, the first proper one celebrated since we moved to Scotland as last year we moved house and country on my actual birthday.


I had planned to have a little party in our garden with friends and neighbours dropping in, but the weather forecast said non. It even forecast snow at one point.


Our friend Lynsey very kindly offered to host the party at her house, as she has a good-sized open plan kitchen/dining/kids' playroom area.


And when I arrived I was greeted with: PAULA written in Lego. A beautiful interpretation.

A birthday greeting, and a line drawing of myself :) That's me top right with the big head and spaniel's ears :)

A table already full of wonderful things - a parsnip birthday cake (when Lynsey asked me what my favourite cake was a few weeks ago I said I liked unusual cakes, not run-of-the-mill. I was in a particular mood that day), along with a most delicious lemon cake that had lemon curd running through it, oh, it was delicious. AND home-made scones, which were incredibly fresh and light and perfect-sized. (And strawberries and jam and mascarpone.)

I love the concertinaed paper decoration above the table. And there was tea and coffee and later we had sparkling wine. And lots more stuff. But I was totally blown away by the effort Lynsey (and her helpers) had gone to to make the room special. The birthday napkins and tablecloth and the balloons. It was all so incredibly sweet and completely played to my sensibilities.

The core birthday celebrators. Others came and went but we were there right at the very beginning until the very end.

And as much as I love dark chocolate - will I ever be able to eat this bar of HONEYDUKES? I really don't know.

Lots of knitting, and a beautiful ginger cat

I love the sheer abandonment shown by Meg when she sleeps beside me on the couch in the evening while the log fire keeps the room nice and toasty. She is relaxation personified. 

I finished both uppers for my slippers. I really like this pattern, and remember how lovely they felt on my feet when I last had them a few summers ago.

Though I am thinking of lining them either with some black fleece I have, or with a dress-weight cotton. The fleece would make them very warm and the cotton would make them look amazing (I love gorgeous linings), BUT once I'd finished knitting them I remembered how lovely the moss stitch felt against bare feet - really good, and like a mini-massage.

But in super-exciting news, I began my scarf last night! I'm really happy with it so far. I didn't have a plan or pattern when I began, just knew I wanted to knit the Norwegian star into the ends, and have occasional stripes of yellow to save on black wool. I had to increase the number of stitches by six on the second block of black as it was feeling slightly too narrow. It's wider than my previous scarf but that is knitted in rib and stretches whereas this is just st-st.

I did all of this last night so I anticipate being finished quickly. And not a moment too soon. My old hat, scarf and mittens are looking decidedly GRUBBY. I'll be able to salvage and re-use the green Rowan Cocoon from the ends of my scarf but the rest of the wool is too well-used to have any life left in it.

Saturday

This is Meg as she sits on my lap first thing every morning - usually while I'm eating breakfast. She has her breakfast, then she approaches me and eyes my lap, so that I'll move round to enable her to jump up and snuggle in. She is such a faithful little friend.

Sometimes I pick up my knitting as I pass by, intending to only do one row. And lo and behold, Meg followed me, thought I was going to settle at my desk in the living room, and jumped up and settled down on top of my piano. It's so she can be as close to me as possible. What an honour :) I absolutely adore her.

So we went to Whitmuir Organic Farm this morning for coffee and cake, as usual. Whitmuir is a lovely place. I had shortbread today, Hagos had coconut macaroon. With cappuccino and decaf flat white.

Though I have a thumb left to knit on my mittens, and a sleeve still to knit on my jumper, I haven't been knitting lately because I haven't felt like knitting either of those things. So I picked up this incomplete project from a couple of years ago. They're a pair of cotton slippers, I think from an old Erika Knight book. I knitted the soles ages ago as I got the cotton in a John Lewis sale. Then I didn't bother finishing them. It's quite a quick knit and I should probably finish knitting the uppers this weekend. Just in time for summer.


I have been enjoying reading such a lot recently. I just finished Marianne Dreams, by Catherine Storr, which I last read when I was a child, and I'm now reading Lord of the Flies, after watching a documentary on William Golding. Again, I haven't read the book since I was a kid, and my copy is stamped with the name of my school, so I obviously didn't return it when I left. I also made a list of books I want to read and have been meaning to read for years and hope to make my way through the list to read as many as possible. But after reading Lord of the Flies I intend to read The Thoughts and Happenings of Wildred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones. I went to university with Wendy and am really looking forward to reading her book.

Sunday

Each Sunday we meet our friends to go for a walk, play board games and have a roast dinner. We take turns to cook. Today it was such an amazingly warm, balmy, sunny day, and we headed up to Flotterstone, this time heading off the beaten track for a really wonderful, secluded walk. The above photo was taken by balancing the camera on a tuft of grass and setting the 10 second timer. 

At home we sat in the garden and ate Doritos and dips and JJ and I planted some cut-and-come-again lettuce. Then we played Pictionary. Pudding was Lemon Tart with strawberries and ice cream as options. A great day.

Saturday

A bike ride up and down the driveway.

The daffodils are bursting out.

Coffee and cake at Whitmuir Organic Farm. (Er, the cake wasn't around long enough to be photographed. I had chocolate mocha cake, Hagos had lemon drizzle cake.)


A good start to our Saturday. The rest of the day will be spent: knitting, writing, reading, cleaning, making meringues and chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and a film and pizza in the evening. I LOVE SATURDAYS.

Chilli plants

So the planting season is upon us and I thought I'd better get at it. These will be chilli plants (hopefully). I put three seeds in each pot. Most are Hot Aji Crystal, but we also sowed a few seeds from some shop-bought chillies as an experiment.

It felt good to get them sown, actually. Next will be tomato seeds. I've only grown tomatoes from plants before so it will be interesting to see if they work. And I need to get the rest of the garlic in and also the onions. I remember from previous years that nothing happens for ages and then it seems to be a non-stop sowing, planting, feeding etc. Harvest time is the best, of course. Though I do like just watching stuff growing and developing. My favourite time of the day used to be morning when I'd go outside in my pyjamas and look at everything.

Pear Tart

Pretty much the only time I bake these days is every second Sunday, when we go to The Burnses for Sunday dinner. It's become a tradition: we cook roast chicken one week, they bring dessert. They cook roast chicken the next week, we bring dessert. 


The last couple of weeks have been heavy on the chocolate! One of which (my chocolate meringue stack) was quickly followed by me being very ill with gastric flu. So, since then I've been off chocolate, which is extremely unusual for me.

So this week I wanted to make something really pared down. Plain. Simple. With fruit! I found this Pear Tart recipe on the internet. The base is almost shortbread-like, the pears are delicious and it has a butter and sugar topping that caramelises the top. 

Often, when I go into M&S or when I come across a French market I head straight for the pear tarts in the fresh bakery section. This pear tart was really delicious, and definitely on a par with any of the best pear tarts I've bought. 

Of course, the kids didn't want any of it and they had Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge ice cream. But everyone else seemed to like it.

My Life in Books

I almost didn't watch My Life in Books as I can't bear the way Anne Robinson treats her contestants on The Weakest Link. Any kind of rudeness or belittling makes me angry. It's just NOT FUN. 


But I'm glad I came across it in iPlayer and decided to give it a go because it's such a great programme: two guests each show talking about their life through four chosen books. 


It made me think which four books I'd choose from throughout my life and these are what I came up with:

Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. Marianne is confined to bed with an illness and starts drawing pictures in pencil during the day to entertain herself. Then she realises that the house she's drawn is appearing in her dreams. Everything she draws during the day she then dreams about at night. I loved this book when I was a kid because it was so imaginative and a bit spooky. My parents took me to the library every Saturday, a habit I continued through my whole life until I moved to Edinburgh actually (and am hoping to resurrect).


War Poems by people like Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rudyard Kipling etc. I was first introduced to the war poets by my amazing English teacher Mr Girvin. He took us through the poems line by line and explained the poetic devices, the history and background. Dulce et Decorum Est is so incredibly moving. As is My Boy Jack.  And just the title of Anthem for a Doomed Youth is breathtaking.


Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I first read Pride and Prejudice properly when I did my first degree as we were looking at adaptation. For me, it's such a perfect novel as it is so economically written, the plot or characterisation is continually being driven forward. Anyway, I've written about how I feel about it before. I re-read this book at least once a year.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Again, I've written about this here fairly recently. When I was studying for my first degree I was introduced to Tzvetan Todorov and his theory on the Uncanny, the Marvellous and the Fantastic. And Sarah Waters pulls this off perfectly. I loved it with relish.

Sewing Class Saturday

This is my neighbour Chloe. She wanted to try out my sewing machine as she's thinking of buying one for herself. She brought over some true 70s fabric to make a cushion cover.

It's been ages since I set aside an afternoon to sew in. I really enjoyed it. It's so therapeutic and the satisfaction of having something new at the end of it is lovely. I love the element of design that goes into making things too. We decided to keep the cushion cover simple and had an overlap at the back, so we didn't have to mess around with zips or buttonholes.

Et voila! The finished article. I really must get round to re-covering that chair! It clashes with everything. To think I had a whole couch in that material at one point. The chair has been with me a long time though. I bought it in my early 20s when I lived in London.


Chloe was pleased with her cushion. And the afternoon was perfectly finished off with her husband Will (hello Will!) bringing in some home-made seed bars for me and Hagos. We pounced on them straightaway. They were delicious.


I'm still recovering from gastric flu from last week. It's left me feeling a bit faint and ghost-like. It took me ages to get back to eating normally and a positive side effect has been that I've stopped eating chocolate and all other crap like Monster Munch. Things that had crept into my diet. I lost 4 lbs. Long may it last! 

Knitting Fever

In anticipation of finishing my mittens (below) I had an urge today to knit my hat. I've knitted this pattern a lot so know it only  takes a couple of hours from start to finish. I had leftover wool from a waistcoat I knitted some years ago and used that. I'm very pleased with it. Pattern, I think, is from a Rowan book I've since lost, but am lucky enough to have a photo of it. 

So I've knitted one thumb, just one to go. While photographing the mittens I spotted my ginger friend out of the window. Mouse-hunting season is upon us again. Averaging one a day for now but it'll be up to two before long.

And I've also cast on the second sleeve for my Rowan jumper. I'm hoping I'll have enough of the purple wool to finish it! I have another half ball but had to stop knitting with it because it's frayed every half metre or so. Very annoying.


Currently reading The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. I just finished the whole of the Harry Potter series. I'm in the mood for adventure and escapism.