Ashby Canal - Autumn Break 2012

As you have probably guessed, I have been on my holidays this past week. I'm never sure whether I should warn you of my pending absence as you hear such stories of people finding out you're away and clearing you out of house and home. 

Anyway I'm back now and have a bad bout of Post Holiday Blues.  I have already had a tearful session with hubby, and find myself complaining that I always expect things to be different when I get back and nothing ever is.  After thinking about it I realise that it is me that has changed and craves change and that it can only be me that has to change things to make my life better.
I expect you're wondering what has brought about this dissatisfaction but it has been bubbling for a long long time.  OK rant over.  Watch this space to track what happens next.  I have no idea either so we're in for a few surprises.

We have just spent the most wonderful holiday on the Ashby Canal.  Anyone who reads this blog will realise that this is now a regular haunt of ours and it never fails to fill me with joy.
We hired a boat from the Ashby Boat Company and were very lucky that due to demand we didn't get the boat we originally requested.  This sounds strange I know but it meant that they up graded us not once but twice and we ended up with a 56 foot narrow boat instead of the 35 footer we went for. 

We've been on this one before (Carlton) and due to its size it handles like a dream.  You would expect the smaller ones to be easier to steer but they are lighter and wave about, and reversing can be a nightmare.

The weather was a bit hit and miss but it lent itself to some amazing photographs.

There was lots to see by the side of the canal too.

Cows having a paddle.

Ducks of course.

Flowers in tea cups.

No wonder we didn't want to leave.

There's no doubt we'll be back though.

No doubt at all!

Pretty Cupcakes

I can't believe it's Monday again.  Where did the weekend go.
I did manage to make some cupcakes as promised.

I was absolutely thrilled with the results.  I was going to pipe the butter cream on but it was using so much that I decided to spread it on instead.

I loved this button mould when Heather at Miss Cakeaholic used hers and couldn't wait to buy my own from Amazon.

I was particularly proud of my handmade roses.

The majority of the equipment came from the Range in Doncaster.  They have a very good cake making/decorating section now.

The flower cutter is from a range of silicon moulds by Blossom Art and was one of my birthday presents from Joe and Heather.  I have finally got the hang of using it.
I used a basic fairy cake recipe from the Vintage Cakes book by Jane Brocket for the sponge and although Steve is being good he did waiver and try one just to be polite!

Old Moor RSPB - Dearne Valley

I love Sunday mornings, lounging in bed, blogging and watching Create and Craft on television. 
Steve is pottering in the garage and is leaving me a lone to get on with what I do best.  Being lazy!
Today I have the urge to make my Mum a birthday card and have a few ideas bubbling inside.  Also I have another magazine poised to be cut up to go in my scrap book, oh and a cupcake recipe to perhaps bake for my Knit and Natter friends.  Unfortunately Steve and I are on a little diet at the moment so he isn't munching sweets, cakes and biscuits.  This only started for him yesterday so he's still very motivated.

We had a brilliant visit to Old Moor Nature Reserve on Friday.  The trees have changed to their Autumn foliage which is just beautiful.  I love the way everything changes almost overnight, and the colours are just stunning.

I always think of fabrics and lipsticks when I see such vibrant colours and dream of having a dress with a gorgeous pattern using the colours of the Autumn foliage shades.

We sat in a very crowded hide watching the wading birds.  Here's a Heron.  There were Golden Plovers and Lapwings.  The noise of their bird calls was deafening.

At Old Moor they also have a great shop selling bird feeders, jewellery, gifts and Christmas ideas and there is a smashing cafe where we had lunch.

I loved the texture of this seed head and didn't notice until I transferred this picture that there are little insects feeding on it.

Flowers clinging on to life for just a little while longer.

Not so black blackberries.  I wonder if they will get chance to ripen.

What a lovely day we had.  I can't wait to go back.

Burnt Offerings

As you know I now have Fridays off work and in a bid to make this Friday as enjoyable and worthwhile as possible I made sure I did a little bit of baking.

I have been meaning to bake from my new book for some time but have never got round to it.
I absolutely love Jane Brocket whose blog Yarnstorm is featured in my favourite blog list.  I have been reading this since before she started publishing her books and have since bought them all.  The photographs are beautiful even if you don't make any of the recipes, knit any of the projects or sew any of her quilts.  She certainly knows a lot about all of these subjects and has a book about each and more besides.
Anyway I decided to make the banana bread which was so easy to do.
I popped it in the oven at the temperature stated and for the time recommended, and hey presto!

Not half as pretty as the picture and rather singed at the edges but beautifully moist and delicious to eat.  I
will make this again but will keep a careful eye on it next time.

One Tidy Room

Well here is the reveal I promised.  One tidy room just in time for Joe coming to stay tomorrow evening.

The pictures are a bit dull as I am out during day light hours, but I'm sure you get the idea.

I still have the magazines to sort out and am contemplating selling them on my stall.  I have a problem paying £3.99 and above for each one and then tipping them in the recycle bin at the dump it site.

I'm afraid the room is more functional than pretty but it is a vast improvement from before and I now have space to fold down the bed ready for my guest.

I can't wait to get on with our bedroom now but I might just have to linger a while and read a couple of those books!

Sorted!

Friday was the first day of becoming a part-timer and I really wanted to make sure that I made it worth while.  I will be losing a lot of money dropping down to four days so it can't feel like I'm wasting the time or there's no point.  Obviously there are other issues, one being that I feel that without this quality time together Steve and I could drift apart. We do seem to spend a lot of time doing our own thing and this isn't good for a marriage. Lastly I was getting very tired working six days a week (I still work Saturdays on my wool stall).
So to cut a long story short we tidied the second bedroom/craft room.
This was what we had to work with.

What a nightmare. I must point out at this stage that this is not how we usually live.  We have started decorating our bedroom with a large cupboard which has in the last week or so been converted in to a wardrobe.  We have also taken down the book shelves in our room.
I had persuaded my son to come home to help to design and order my business cards.  As his bed is a fold down sofa barely visible under this lot you can understand why I had to put him off.

I have an obsession with books....

and magazines.
We did manage to get the room sorted but you'll have to wait a little longer for the unveiling.

That Thursday Feeling

This is a very momentous day for me.
After deciding some time ago that I needed to slow down a little and reclaim some spare time I asked if I could start having Fridays off.  They rang me when I was on holiday to say that it had been agreed, and low and behold I will be off work tomorrow.  I can't wait.
I will be able to do the things I don't do often enough.

Like baking.
I might even be able to show pictures that have been taken during the light hours of the day.  I usually squeeze baking in between making our evening meal which means that any photographs have to be taken using artificial light.  This causes shadows etc.
My hubby is usually hovering around ready to clear the lot so I've learnt to be quick otherwise I wouldn't have anything left to show you.
I will also be able to get started on all the decorating, clearing and tidying that needs doing.

Oh and perhaps a few long soaks with a good book.

I finally got around to buying a few accessories for the bathroom.  We had this done last year and at the time I said I wasn't bothered what it looked like providing it was white.  I was persuaded that if I kept to only white it would look like a mens public toilet so agreed to include a little bit of mosaic.  I loved the result but was stumped as to what colour to introduce to give it a bit more of a wow factor.  I decided originally to stick with black, grey and white but it still looked very masculine.  However after talking to my friend at work who's Mum is absolutely amazing at interior design and decor we settled on dusky lavender.  It was a brilliant suggestion and I dashed off to buy anything I could lay my hands on that would fit the bill. This is the result.  I still need to replace the shower curtain with a white one, and the toothbrush holder but it's coming along nicely.  Thanks Sally for your inspiration. It only took a few pounds to transform an impersonal space in to somewhere which is pretty and inviting.