Although I make every effort to reply to all emails and comments it isn't always possible to do so.
I do appreciate you stopping by though. Thanks!
Lots of running...
...jumping...
...skipping...
...and a few hoarse throats at the end of it all! I was proud of my girl who was a good competitor and had lots of fun despite not winning.The family picnic on the school field afterwards was lovely too and unusually for a British summer event there was actually sun!
There's a sense of expectation in our little garden. A ripening, quickening sort of a feeling.
Everything is green and lush after the deluge of recent rain and there are little fat buds, swelling fruits and new shoots all ready to do their thing!
Amy and I planted some strawberries and tomatoes back in spring and it looks like we'll have a few fruits of our labour, though it will be just a few - only 2 tomatoes so far!
Proof I suppose that I have woolly fingers as opposed to green ones!
Enjoy your weekend!
Amy has been a bit deflated this week (probably after all the excitment of last weekend's ballet show) and so yesterday I thought I'd make her something nice to cheer her up.
The trouble is that of the nine I made only these two ended up looking like roses. Still, maybe that means that I get to eat the rest!
Hope you have a good weekend. I'm being brave and taking Toby to visit a special needs club. If it goes well it could become a permanent fixture of our weekend - though I am having butterflies at the thought of leaving him, so then again maybe not!
We had a wonderful time yesterday at Amy's ballet show and she really shone on stage. I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the performance but snapped away like mad backstage. She adored her romantic ballet dress and the sparkly make-up.
It was quite a job to convince her to take her costume off afterwards - I think she's have happily slept in it given the chance!
Well, I did do a little knitting in public on Saturday but most of last weekend was taken up with rehersals for Amy's upcoming ballet show. We also managed to get most things moved back into our conservatory. It's not the nicest of constructions (being an '80's concoction of plastic panels and double glazing) but it has a wonderful light and now we have more storage to help keep things tidy.
H has constructed a brilliant radiator cover and loads of shelves and we've had a new carpet laid to help keep it warmer in winter.
It's the perfect place for a spot of knitting while keeping and eye and ear on the children in the garden and all of my books are very happy in their new home.
Talking of books, Monica recently invited me to join Goodreads and I've already discovered a couple of other blogging friends there too. It's another wonderful place to get sucked into and spend hours browsing the book reviews.
A couple of you asked me previously about some of the titles in my book stack, so I thought I share a few of my all-time favourites (these are titles that have stood up to multiple readings and the most dog-eared copies on my shelves):
The Sea, The Sea and The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch; Ladder of Years, Anne Tyler; Nights at the circus, Angela Carter; Devils for a change, Wendy Periam; Love in the time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez; The War of Don Emanuel's Netherparts, Louis de Bernieres; The Shipping News, Annie Proulx; Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood; Sacred Country, Rose Tremain; The Travelling Hornplayer, Barbara Trapido; The Reader, Bernhard Schlink; Snowblind, Robert Sabbag; Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, Peter Hoeg; A prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving; Perfume, Patrick Suskind. I could go on but I better stop there!
Hope you have a good weekend. We'll be ballet-showing on Sunday - I'll be backstage up to my eyes in layers of netting, hairspray and shoe ribbons and Amy will hopefully be enjoying the attention of performing in front of 300 people!
...........................................................................................................................................................
Footnote:
Thanks for all of the kind comments about the fluffy toys. Once they're dressed I will be putting them both into the shop (although probably not in the next sale). Will keep the shop blog up to date with details.
I'm not a well-behaved blogger when it comes to being tagged as it takes me much too long to rustle up my answers. So, I'll start by apologising to Flibbertygibbet, Linaloo and Dragonfly for the fact it's taken me ages! I'm also going to cheat and mash two of the tags together. Flib tagged me for 7 random/weird facts and Lina for 6 unspectacular quirks, so I give you 13 quirkily unspectacular and weirdly random facts:
I like waking up before anyone else in the house
I don't like wearing orange or yellow
I like the smell of farmyards
I don't like cleaning the oven
I like having my feet massaged
I don't like the fact that I seem to be growing a moustache (even Amy commented on it the other day - I must get it waxed!)
I like wide, open country spaces
I don’t like chewed lego that is difficult to snap together (courtesy of Toby)
I like driving on my own and singing along to loud music (Amy tells me off if I do this when she's in the car!)
I don’t like getting caught in the rain
I like wearing pyjamas (all day)
I don’t like bling
I like lying with Toby at bedtime and feeling the rhythm of his heart as he dozes off
Dragonfly tagged me with this:
I have to answer 6 questions about myself. At the end of the post I then tag 6 people and post their names, then go to their blogs and leave them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read my blog. Then, I must let the person who tagged me know when I’ve posted my answers.
What was I doing 10 years ago
10 years ago actually seems like a different lifetime (I’m amazed at how much having children has changed who I am and my values). H & I had just moved from a small flat in Ealing to this house and were in a frenzy of stripping dodgy 80’s wallpaper, sanding orange-varnished parquet floors and painting over violent turquoise paintwork. Every room needed re-decorating but then with no children around we had the time to tackle it. By day I was working in London (Camden) as the Marketing Manager for a photographic library and apart from the DIY our evenings were filled with eating out and enjoying each other’s company. We’d also just started pondering whether or not to start a family!
5 things on my to do list for today
Reply to emails
Make 28 ribbon bows for Amy's upcoming ballet show
Make bread
Write cheques for school meals that should have been sent in last week
Make a PECs card for wee wee
Snacks I enjoy
Cheese
Pistachios
Thorntons Viennese truffles
Nutella and peanut butter on a spoon (an instant pick-me-up! And it seems I‘m not the only one!)
Things I would do if I was a billionaire
It’s funny because I’ve always quite liked to play this game. When I was little one of my favourite rainy day games was to draw ‘Julie town’ which included all the things I liked (it always had a paper mill so I‘d never run out of drawing paper).
Anyway, if I really came into a billion quid I’d build a special needs play complex with indoor and outdoor play areas, sensory rooms and swimming pools. The kind of place that families with special needs children could go in the school holidays when everywhere else is so busy that it’s not an option. There is a great place here that I’ve taken Toby to twice but it’s a bit far to go to regularly.
Places I have lived
Farnham
Hull
Reading
Ealing
Hertfordshire
6 people I'd like to know more about:
and you too - if you fancy it?
In the school holidays the weather was rainy and so me and Amy and Toby mostly played indoors. We bounced on the bed, drew pictures and baked nice cakes. When the sun came out we went to the park. Gran & Grandad came for a visit and we had our lunch in the garden. We had fun and we laughed. Then we were sad because we caught colds. We had snotty noses and coughs and felt grumpy and ill. We stayed in our pyjamas all day and watched films and blew our noses lots and lots. I like school holidays but I like school time too because you can relax lots when your children are at school and you have time to do your most favourite and best things like knitting and reading. You can also blow your nose in peace and have all the tissues to yourself. I am glad school has started again.
On a more grown-up and serious note, I will be having a quiet day of reflection today and remembering my Gangan who died a year ago today by starting on the memory patch for my snuggly blanket. I have never hand stitched letters before so I do hope I can do it justice as she was quite a seamstress.
It's been a bit of a strange week here as our routine has been thrown out by Toby's school play. It happens once a year and means that he goes to school between 4 - 9pm for the middle three days, having his tea there and then doing a performance. He's coped (just) and although I've not managed to get anything done all week (other than keep him entertained) I've enjoyed having him around - just him and me, and I've been able to concentrate on him without feeling that I'm leaving Amy out. On wednesday evening Amy and I loved seeing him in the play. Toby was quite bewildered by the whole thing but not upset and some of the older children were really amazing and gave a joyful and spirited performance despite some severe disabilities - there wasn't a dry eye in the hall!
Anyway, because of the change in routine I'm really behind with replying to emails (again) and not much knitting or housework has been done. I did manage to make some real cupcakes though (inspired by a picture I saw over at Dotty Cookie of some cupcakes Ali bought) and I was really pleased with how they turned out. I just made a regular victoria sponge cake mixture, plopped spoonfuls into individual cases then swirled half a teaspoon of strawberry jam through each one and baked as usual. I topped them with pale pink glace icing and a dried strawberry (I couldn't get the freeze dried kind so settled for the chewy dried ones).
They went down a treat at Amy's school afternoon tea and looked quite appropriate as we were raising money for breast cancer charities.
Have a good weekend, it's a bank holiday here and looks like rain so we'll be bed bouncing!
The little cotton rabbits and I are really excited because today we're Typepad's featured blog! Welcome to anyone who is visiting us for the first time and if you're a regular visitor - thanks for dropping in again!
I've been blogging with Typepad since September 2006 and I love them to bits! If you've ever been tempted to start your own blog then you should take a look at what they offer. Their templates are great with a really easy to use interface and their support services give you everything you need to get started and keep things running smoothly. Thanks Typepad!
Well the arrival of spring might mean that Toby is happier naked but it seems he's not the only one feeling a bit frisky!
It's been a while since I mentioned little Herbert/Sherbert Hogwart here and so I've been stalking around the garden at night with my camera. Please forgive the quality of the pics - I'm clearly no wildlife photographer, but I did manage to capture some clear evidence that Herbert/Sherbert has a girl/boyfriend!
They've been trundling round the garden together for the last few nights. Is it just a childish infatuation (afterall Herbert is not yet a year old) or could we be hearing the patter of tiny feet come autumn? I will keep you posted!
Our garden (although it is only a medium sized suburban one) is quite a haven for wildlife this year. We're regularly visited by grey squirrels and all manner of birds. We have blackbirds, robins and sparrows nesting and this year we even have a great-tit family in our nestbox. They hatched last sunday and now the parents are frenetically trying to stuff as many grubs and caterpillars into those little gaping beaks!
I love the arrival of spring and that nature is out there, doing it's thing. Hope you enjoy your patch this weekend!
Quite a few people have asked me recently how my Mum is doing after her awful accident last autumn. Since today is her birthday (Happy Birthday Mum!) I though I'd give you a quick update. She's now out of her support collar completely and although she still has pain from an incompletely healed vertebrae in her back she is mobile and getting on with some of the activities that she's always loved like country walks and she's started driving again. She's waiting to hear what the specialist advises about the problematic vertebrae and we've got our fingers crossed that it will heal without the need for further intervention. She's been such an inspiration with her determination to recover quickly and I'm so proud that she's kept going with such a positive attitude!
Anyway Mum, hope you've had a lovely day x
Lastly, I couldn't go without mentioning that the lovely Jenny at Frazzy Dazzles is having a very cute giveaway at the moment
How could anyone not want to snuggle Sugar and Barley? To be in with a chance, pop over quickly and leave a comment on her post before Saturday 10pm (EST Australian time)
...or so according to my friend's dad!
Although I do love red shoes, I'm not really a no-knickers kinda gal. In fact when it comes to pants my view is the larger and more comfortable the better (my g-string wearing days are definitely behind me!)
Anyway, swiftly moving on - my new red polka dot birkis have arrived to help me celebrate the onset of spring!
Enjoy the weekend!
PS: thanks for the shoe love! I got them from Birkenstock's online site.
It's been a busy week this week with the latest batch of toys getting ready to go to their new homes and Toby's annual statement review meeting - more of that in another post. I've had loads of emails about the copyright issue and I'm really grateful for all of the support and advice. There was also a lovely email from Sena who wrote to me on behalf of a group of Russian ladies, one of whom had made the toys that were copied from mine and written up a pattern for them. The email explains that although the pattern was shared on a forum it was never their intention to sell the toys or the pattern and they've apologised. I really appreciate that they took the time to write to me in english to give me more information.
Anyway, I've been thinking about 're-branding' my little toys for a while and thinking about copyright has been the catalyst to concentrate my mind again. I've re-designed the labels that I attach to each toy and they will now have specific details on the back including the toy's name, when they were made and what they are made from. I've also ordered a batch of ribbon labels which brings me back to the title of the post above. Popping them into a fabric softie would be simple as you'd just sew it into a seam but on a knitted toy it needs to be attached afterwards.
I'm thinking probably in the centre of the back under the clothes is the best place but thought I'd ask your opinion - where do you think I should stick it? clean answers only please ;)
I just wanted to quickly thank everyone for leaving such kind comments on the previous post. It shouldn't happen to anyone - it's not nice to be reminded that not everyone surfing the internet has good intentions at heart. It is however something faced by most crafters creating individually styled work. It's demoralising but it definitely won't stop me from doing what I love.
Anyway, I shall go into the weekend feeling high as a kite by all of the supportive and complimentary things that you took the time to write. So here's wishing you a wonderful weekend from Penelope and me!
PS: Remember there is still a week until the close of the 2nd Annual Softie awards so there's still time to make your softie, photograph it and get it entered. I've entered Penelope in the pink or plaid section and there are 4 other categories too.
...and I'm really sad that it obviously does but copying another person's work and selling it on as your own just isn't right. I really didn't want to bang on about it here as it seems a highly contentious issue but discussion about copyright has been cropping up in lots of blogs recently and I wanted to be clear on my views.
I have no problem in people copying the look of my toys for personal use or for gifts. Neither do I have a problem in people taking individual elements of my designs and incorporating them in their own - that is all part of the normal creative process. What I, and most other crafters find demoralising and depressing is recognisable* copies of our work being sold without our consent.
The reason I'm mentioning this now is that I've had several kind and concerned emails recently about toys similar to mine being sold. The most blatant example was this which was found on a russian website with a claim that the designs were their own and instructions of how to make them.
The copies...
My originals...
The lovely Barbara at Fuzzy Mitten has written up some of her views on copyright too - we've been comparing notes as recently some of her patterns have been adapted to copy some of my designs. I think her views are very similar to my own and really what we, and other crafters find upsetting is recognisable replicas of our work sold with a claim that it is someone else's.
Ok, getting off my soapbox now... and ending with a big thank you to everyone who has sent me concerned emails with links to copies of my toys. It's good to know that I have friends out there who are looking out for me.
PS: I've had lots of emails in the past about knitting up my free patterns to sell to raise money for charity and I always say a categorical yes - I'm really pleased if you want to use my free patterns for charity fundraising and I'll be trying to write up some more.
* Addition: I've changed the word above (see *) from exact to recognisable - as someone pointed out in an email the copies are never going to be exact. Thanks so much for all of the comments - will write a proper post tomorrow.
At the moment I can't think straight as our house is a tip. Our sun room is being gutted so is out of bounds, our dining room has disappeared under stacks of books and there are piles of homeless stuff everywhere.
I know it'll be worth it in the end though and I am very grateful to have a 'good-with-his-hands' husband - I'm just wishing we hadn't picked the school holidays to get started on this! Roll on next monday!
I find it really hard to keep both of my children entertained over the school holidays. There aren't many things that we can do all together as they both have such different needs. Today was great though as we spent a bit of time together while sorting out our art chest. Toby lined up coloured pens while Amy and I sorted through the drawer of broken crayons. For the last few years she's scorned crayons as babyish and so I thought we'd try out something that I originally saw on Rebecca's website (she has lots ideas for fun suff to do with children). Amy sorted and grouped the broken crayons
and then we gently baked them, chilled them and finally...
...yummy new crayons which almost look good enough to eat. We had great fun and recycled some cruddy crayon stubs into lovely new ones. I'm so chuffed to have found a good use for my silicone cupcake mould because the cakes I made in it did not emerge as heart-shaped - they came out in bits!
Goodness, I'm completely overwhelmed by the number of comments in the 200th post draw. It's lovely to know that the little cotton rabbits and I have so many friends out there! Thanks for all of the lovely comments that you left - I've really appreciated reading them. So, who won, who won?!!
Wellll....
I threw it open to atmospheric noise and a website that uses this to generate true random numbers.
and it gave me the number 175
So Congratulations to c. Rachel and many, many thanks again everyone for taking the time to leave a comment.
I can't believe this has come around so quickly. When I first started I wasn't sure how long I'd stick at blogging but visiting other blogs and reading all of the wonderful comments that people leave here has become a really important part of my day. Thanks so much for visiting, leaving comments and for the encouragement and support that you offer me.
To celebrate I'd like to give away a toy at random so if you'd like to win it please just leave a comment below (just say Hi if nothing else comes to mind but be sure to leave a contact email). I'll leave this post up for the next week and then use a random generator thingy to pick a winner on Wednesday March 26th. The winner can then choose what regular sized toy they'd like me to make for them.
I've been playing with mice again this week and have made another prototype head with a pointier nose and completely pink ears. I think I'm happy with it at last, so mice are now on the menu!
Anyway have a wonderful Easter - eat lots of chocolate and don't forget to leave a comment below if you'd like to enter my giveaway.
The draw is now closed.
Thanks for all the good wishes for Mother's day (the UK one). I had a lovely quiet morning with breakfast in bed and some wonderful handmade cards - 2 from Amy and a sparkly one that Toby 'made' at school (I had a sneaking suspicion it was going to be sparkly when I found a load of sequins in his poo on Thursday!!)
Amy and I had great fun playing with the new Little Cotton Rabbit stamps. I just enjoyed trying them out and she made cards for her best friend and her boyfriend. Sorry, boyfriend?! I thought I'd have at least another year or two before this spectre appeared on the horizon but it seems that was wishful thinking, as her self portrait clearly shows!
And so begins the fascination with boys who only a short while ago were scorned as smelly and noisy. I think it may be largely due to the squeaky clean and wholesome male charms of Zac Efron (star of High School Musical)! Curse his dazzling smile!
On the knitting front there is still not much to report from me but if you'd like some knitted cuteness then please pop over and visit the brand new home of Oliver and Olivia where Shawn Mary is having a prize draw to celebrate the launch of her new website.
I'm feeling a bit guilty here because recently my blog has been given a shed load of lovely awards and it's taken me ages to post about them. So without further ado I'd like to thank Caroline, Francesca , cmeknit, crafting jen, Rae Knits, La Quinta, Sew Christine and Maureen for the 'you make my day' award.
Jane at Craftyconundrum for a 'spread the love award'
Deborah at a cup of joy for an E award
and Moyra Jayne for an Arte y Pico award
Thanks so much ladies - I really appreciate being nominated and I'd like to bounce back a 'spread the love' award to you all (apart from Jane who I nominate for a 'you make my day')
I find it really hard to pass these on because there are so many blogs that make me happy in all kinds of different ways (see for yourself my list of favourites to the right). There are however 3 further people who spring to mind for the 'spread the love award'. Katie - What Katie Did, Tracy - Cupcakes at home, Kat - Secrets of a Butterfly. Three special people who always have kind words and generous hearts.
Finally, today is the last day for pre-orders on the new set of little
cotton rabbit stamps. Amy and I got our preview set yesterday and are
looking forward to having a lot of fun with them over the weekend. I'm
so thrilled with how they've turned out - Linda has really captured the
character of each one (experienced stampers please forgive my heavy-handed stamping - I've yet to refine my technique!)
If you'd like a set you can pre-order here at Funky Kits. There will be more coming into general stock soon - if you have any queries about these please contact Sugar Nellie.
Today is 'world thinking day'. A day when all Brownies, Guides and Scouts around the world think about each other and the friendships they've made. Amy is excited because it means that she gets to wear her Brownie uniform to school and show off her growing collection of badges. I'm so proud of her as she's worked hard for each of these. They're also special because they are all the things that are dear to my heart too - toy making, home skills, artist and entertainer.
I'm so glad for her that the brownie uniform has changed since my day - cue dodgy photo of me from the '70s!
I hadn't really intended to be away for so long but it was half term here last week so I didn't get my computer time - instead I was entertainments manager for 2 small people! We even managed to get out in the garden for some bouncing - it's lovely to see the blossom on our old plum tree and know that spring is on the way!
After a few days at home we headed off to stay with my Mum and Dad and had a lovely time. Mum is doing so much better and is working hard at her physiotherapy (after she broke her neck in a serious fall last autumn and had to wear a halo device for 3 months). There is still a way to go before she's as flexible as she used to be and her back gives her some pain but she's so determind and is an inspiration as is my Dad who has become quite a dab hand in the kitchen!
Now that the kids are back at school I'm pressing on with knitting again. I'm not sure when I will have the next sale of toys / cakes as my situation has been complicated with an encounter with the Inland Revenue. I don't want to go into great detail but I'd advise anyone making and selling anything in the UK to look into whether they should register as self-employed and not assume that you only need to declare any income if it is enough to pay tax on! Anyway, when I get all of my paperwork finished and know exactly where I stand I'll email my advance list with full details before the next batch of toys are sold.
Thanks so much for all of the emails I've had recently, I will be working through them this week. Thanks too for all the lovely blog awards that have come my way - I'll do a post and pass them on shortly.
Thanks so much for the lovely comments about the bunny baking and Edgar. I am gearing up for a sale soon (probably mid february) and am just finishing off jumpers and dresses for 12 toys and beading some cakes. I'll send out advance emails to those on my advance list when I know a date.
This week has been a funny one but on balance there were more ups than downs. The main down was Toby being ill with an unspecified virus. He had a high temperature and snuffles and just lay on the sofa and wouldn't eat for 3 days - he must have been feeling pretty rough as it takes a lot to slow him down.
There have been a couple of other downs involving the car, loads of spam comments and hassles with discontinued yarn that I've already paid for - you know the usual mundane frustrating stuff, but now Toby is better and back at school that all seems done and dusted and I can enjoy the ups (and start catching up with emails - sorry there's a backlog again!)
The first up was when we heard that Rose's family have reached their fundraising target and will be able to take Rose for her treatment in the USA (thanks for emailing me Philippa)
Then I snagged me a Raspberry bag. I fell in love with the beautiful sneak peek pictures she posted this week on her site and stalked her etsy shop all evening and my gorgeous new bag arrived today. Thanks so much Alice - I love it! (there are much better pictures over on her site)
To top the week off my Mum and Dad stopped off for a quick visit on their way to stay with friends for a few days. Mum looks great and is wearing just a soft collar now. It's nice to see them getting back to some fun activities after the last couple of months!
So on balance a pretty good week. Hope yours was a good'un and that your weekend is too!
...but not exactly of the kind I had in mind!
I had to take Amy to have a tooth out at the end of last week. So we got to spend an hour together, just her and me - and the dentist! Poor kid had a cracked molar and developed an abcess. Still she was incredibly brave and over the weekend we did manage to make some time together to do something a bit more fun:
We played spas and had manicures, cucumber facials and massages - which was much closer to what I'd orginally had in mind!
I remember when I was very little my Dad would sing me to sleep with a song (that I now sing to my own kids) and in the morning he'd wake me up with another:
Morning has come
Night is away
Rise with the sun
and welcome the day
I also sing this to Amy when I wake her in the morning (to a grumbled response) and this morning the words struck me as I pulled back the curtains on another dreary and dark, rainy January morning. Rising with the sun does make you feel good but what to do on mornings like this one where the sun seems so absent? There really is something about the lack of light at this time of year that makes it a depressing time. I've always liked winter (much prefering to be too cold than too hot) but the lack of light does sap my spirit. Summer seems a distant memory and all troubles seem to weigh heavier on a dull and overcast day.
It's not all doom and gloom however because when all is dull, cold and damp outside, I feel completely justified in curling up in a soft, warm blanket and just knitting the day away.
With this in mind I've just treated myself to this new blanket - a pure lambswool Scottish crofters blanket from The Atlantic Blanket Company bought with some of the money which came to me following my Gangan's death last year. I'm planning to stitch a small memorial patch to sew on it. I think of my Gangan and Gampy when I'm snuggled up and it seems so appropriate to be thinking of them while enveloped in a warm hug.
So I am happy to be right here, right now, knitting and quietly waiting for spring to come.
Thanks so much for all of the comments on the previous post - reading them really helps and I'm really grateful for the support and kind words. Thanks people x
Well traditionally it's the time for new beginnings and for resolving to change things that need changing so like everyone else I'm jotting down my new years resolutions - knowing full well that given a couple of weeks some of them will have been put aside (and number 3 will definitely never get off the ground!). Still, I love the idea of starting afresh (in school I was the swotty kid who got really excited when it was time for a brand new exercise book) and number 5 is the one that really needs my attention this year. So for the record (because apparently telling people helps you to keep them) here's my new years resolutions...
1. to buy less prepared food and make more - I want to make all of our bread, cakes and biscuits (I have done well so far this year - my current tally is 3 loaves, 2 cakes and 2 batches of peanut butter cookies - mmm!)
2. sew some stuff. I've had Wee Wonderfuls put-together-pattern-book no.1 and the Crafter's Companion for the last year and still haven't made anything from either AND I've been hoarding some kitty craft fabric so there are no excuses really. I have a few other projects in mind too - hopefully at least one will get done during the next 12 months!
3. be tidier (hmmmm, like that's going to happen!)
4. chill out about my inbox and face facts. I am never going to be able to answer all the emails or reply to all the comments unless I give up knitting! Sadly my inbox currently contains 58 messages pending a reply - apologies to all those waiting to hear from me.
5. make more time to do simple things with my daughter - she misses out so much on a 'normal' family life and has to put up with a lot less attention than she deserves. We're good at the big stuff but day to day when Daddy is working Toby soaks up all of my available attention. I know I'm going to be carrying around guilt about this for the rest of my days so maybe this year I can do more stuff with her which will ease that a little.
Ali recently wrote a beautifully thought-provoking post about blogging and I think she's absolutely right - when you've blogged for a while posting does take on a different flavour. I'd certainly find it difficult to turn my back on this little space here - it's become such an important part of my daily life and it really lifts my spirits to find people sharing warmth, creativity and ideas. But that said it can be a bit of a black hole that sucks you in and spits you out 3 hours later and you wonder where the time has gone.
In order to achieve my number 5 this year I am going to have to be more disciplined about the time I spend here so whilst I'll be around it may not be as frequently as before. Or maybe it will - new years resolutions often don't amount to much but at least if you know what you'd like to change you can begin to take steps.
Well, school awaits the children in the morning and for me a lovely big pile of new yarn and my trusty needles are calling! The weather was mild today and Toby rediscovered the joy of being outside and bouncing on the trampoline - thankfully using up some of that bundled up energy!
It was lovely and gave me some breathing space so I sat and sorted through my old portfolio of illustration work. It's funny looking at it all now as I've not painted for years. I'm not sure I'd remember how to paint these days. Maybe one day I'll pick up my brushes again.
If you're interested in seeing any more of my paintings I've uploaded a selection over on flickr. I was really grateful for all of the kind comments that you left me
about some of my work that I showed in an earlier post - thanks for all
of the compliments.
I've begun to look forward to the start of term! I love all of the excitement and magic that comes along with christmas but now it's all over the children are just restless and suffering from a bit of cabin fever. Keeping them both occupied is not that easy - they both have such different needs and poor old Toby just can't bear being outside when it's dreary, cold and wet. So it was lovely yesterday to have a change of scenery. Amy and I joined the others from her ballet school and headed into London to the Royal Opera House to see the Nutcracker.
It was wonderful! I have taken Amy to the ballet before but she was only 4 and she didn't really appreciate sitting still for so long. Now that she's a sophisticated 8 year old she found the whole performance riveting and I think I spent as much time watching her face as I spent watching the performance. To see her so entranced was a really precious thing.
We didn't get home til midnight so today we're having a pyjama day and listening to a CD of Tchaikovsky's music - all in all a good end to the christmas hols!
