chasing my tail

I’ve been trying to get round to post about all kinds of cheery things I’ve been up to, and what with one thing and another (work, cheeriness, and still not feeling right), I’m all behind myself.

So I’m declaring a bit of a blogging amnesty, and admitting there’s some things I’ll never get round to writing a full post about.

Oh well.

Instead, how’s about a little whistle stop tour around the last week or two? What fun!

I’ve squeezed in a trip to the seaside – a very short one, but oh, so good! Strictly speaking it was a work trip, but really, when there’s an hour before your train leaves, and the station is right next to the beach, what’s a girl to do? Munch on a deep fried doughnut, lose 8 pence in the slot machines, and enjoy the drab emptiness of an out-of-season tacky seaside resort of course. What else?

(Incidentally, I love tacky seaside resorts. I sometimes like to think of myself as a kind of back-to-nature type, and while I do love wild, unspoilt places, I’ve got quite a soft spot for candy floss, sticks of rock, arcades, giant plastic ice creams, doughnut stands, fish and chips… This is something I share with Peter, and we often find ourselves drinking tea from polystyrene cups, looking out over cold, windswept  beaches, and paddling in wellies…)

In other news, I’ve been knitting. A friend bought me some sock wool that came with a beginner sock knitting pattern, figuring that recovering from surgery would be an ideal time to learn to knit socks. Sadly, my brain couldn’t figure out even the simplest of patterns while I was off sick, so these are being knitted on trains mostly.

I’ve finished the first one, and am not far off finishing the second. I don’t think I’m going to win any sock-knitting prizes, but they don’t have too many holes in, they’re only slightly different sizes, and they made themselves stripey, so I’m reckoning they’re a success.

Last weekend I toddled over to the local city farm for a seed swap event. It was great – seemed to be quite well attended, plenty of people brought seeds to swap, I managed to pass on some of my stash that I was never going to plant, and I’ve acquired several things to try (quinoa, anyone??).

Of course, I had to sneak a peak at the chickens, who seemed very happy buttling around their chicken adventure playground.

We had a bit of an evening of making things at the end of last week. There was the mashed potato soap, of course (not mashed potato SOUP as some of you thought – although that sounds pretty tasty). (Incidentally, the soap is looking fine, and I picked up a copy of The Natural Soap Book in a charity shop this week – I’m thinking it might come in handy…).

I also made fennel tea, and we made candles, or rather re-made candles, using the wax from old candles (yes, the same night as the soap).

After staying in Orkney last year I came home vowing to light more candles in the evening. They do brighten the place up (we’re all about mood lighting here), and make things feel more cosy somehow. Trouble is, we end up going through rather a lot of them – and this is a nice way to reuse the wax.

What else? I spent a day playing flute at an event run by these guys – and was so far out of my comfort zone I very nearly sneaked out after the first hour and got the train home.

(Enjoyed it though. Eventually)

I spent a day volunteering at a local community farm (don’t worry, this isn’t all in the same week! I told you I was getting behind myself…). We made some marmalade, and it was so tasty we made some more.

Oh, and we spent an evening in a blacksmith’s forge.

It had a glitterball. In a forge.

You don’t get much cooler than that.

Tonight I’m dancing round the kitchen, making bread (by hand – I still haven’t made friends with the new breadmaker), and munching on a rather tasty caremalised onion, pineapple and kale recipe from the whole food kitchen workshop that’s just started.

All in all, life is good right now.

This weekend was going to be spent planting willow in the garden, but since it’s not arrived, I’m thinking a leisurely weekend of Women’s Instituting, planting peas, and perhaps even a little trip here.

What are you up to?

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