After The Storm

We have just had a thunderstorm which rumbled on for nearly an hour, the lightning flashes feeling as though they were getting more violent and the thunder louder and louder. The rain came down so very fine at first, it was almost a mist, and then hard, really pelting down. We kept our window open throughout, and now the air is cool and scented with the rain, which is now falling just occasionally, almost as an afterthought.

A stormy summer afternoon is a nice time to be home, and I have spent it designing a mug-hug patterned with owls in cable stitch - the first time I have designed and made a piece of knitting, rather than following a set pattern, drinking tea, watching an old Bond film, and pottering about on the internet, visiting favourite sites and discovering new ones.

I have always like the idea of paper dolls, and imagine my delight when I found this website http://www.thebleudoor.com/betsymccallhome.htm and then this one http://tpettit.best.vwh.net/dolls/pd_scans/betsy_mccall/1952.html I love the combination of a little bit of story and the paper doll together. It has given me thoughts for future projects. I seem to have a lot of those swirling round in my mind at the moment!

I also found a new website about being a housewife (although I have a full time paid job outside of the home, I do still very much consider myself a housewife, as well) http://talesofaretromodernhousewife.blogspot.co.uk/p/about-me.html

Visiting Attic24, an old favourite, a while ago, she talked about the idea of thinking about 'home blessing' rather than 'chores' or 'jobs'. I have been working a lot of hours at work recently, so took Friday off, and devoted much of it to 'home blessing' and really enjoyed it. I did a great deal of decluttering and a fair amount of cleaning, took some donations to the charity shop, and ended the day feeling pleased with my efforts. Our home always feels lighter, somehow, after that kind of activity. Carl told me not to use a day off for cleaning and housework, and to do something for myself, but I actually really enjoyed having a good chunk of time to devote to some jobs which have been niggling at me for a while, but I find myself too tired to tackle in the evenings. I was most happy at conquering Magazine Mountain and now having carpet which had been hidden for a while! I did go into town afterwards for some lunch (a very late lunch, at 4:00!).

Next on my list is to go through my clothes, bring out the more autumny ones, look at what I haven't worn for a while, and think about what I might like in the future. I love the feeling of the changing of the seasons, the setting aside, the bringing out anew. I am really starting to get that back-to-school feeling already. Next time I am at the market I want to look for a big bunch of sunflowers to bless our home with, or a bunch of bronzey chrysanthemums which will make me want to read Mrs Miniver again.

Now I am going to sit and write up my owl mug-hug pattern. Wherever you are, I hope you dodged the raindrops!

Love Mimi xxx

Tea and Crochet

I was trying to think of a lovely title for this post, as it is a post about lovely things, but inspiration seems to be lacking today! Perhaps I should have called it lovely tea and lovely crochet!
Today is the first day of our week off properly, as we would have had the weekend off anyway. The Grand Prix yesterday was amazing, and as spectacular as the driving was, there was also a display by the Red Arrows which was breathtaking. The rain held off for the race, and we had amazing seats, but afterwards it did rain a lot and was very muddy, but it all added to the experience!
It took twice as long to get home as it did to get there, as a National Express coach had broken down on the M1, so we arrived home rather tired, and decided that today we would have a gentle day.
We had lunch together in town, and then got coffee to take away and took a long stroll through the park. The park in Chelmsford is really pretty and seems to go on forever. There is a small part near to the town, which is where the crocuses blossom each year, and then you walk along the river and under a bridge before you end up in the much larger park, where there is a really big pond. It is too small to be a lake, but too big to be a pond...I wonder if there is a name for it?! There were lots of ducks wandering about, some baby Cootes were peeping away, and the scruffy grey looking cignets we have been watching growing up are almost full sized swans now. We sat by a weeping willow and breathed the slightly cool, slightly damp air, and just felt really relaxed.
On the way home, we noticed new shops are springing up along the railway arches. We popped into the new delicatessen, and I was really excited to see they stock Tregnothan Tea. I enjoyed a pot of this a few years ago when we went to Claridges for afternoon tea, and I wanted to buy some to bring home, but they didn't have any. When I looked online, the postage and packing was more than the tea, so you can imagine how pleased I am to have a local source of it! At £3.75 for a little box it isn't a tea to drink every day, but is really, really lovely. It is refreshing and light, and is the only tea grown in the UK. We are enjoying a pot right now. It isn't quite raining yet, but it feels like it soon will be, so it feels like the perfect cosy afternoon.
While I was watching Three Go Mad, the new programme from River Cottage the other evening, I felt slightly at a loss as I have run out of wool for my crochet ripple blanket, and although I ordered more it has not come in yet, and although technically I am knitting Noah's Ark still, I have hit a dry spot for inspiration. I have been thinking that I need a small project to keep me amused, just something quick and easy that I can work on, but wasn't sure what. I finally visited www.themakingspot.com and downloaded a free pattern for a crochet necklace. One of my friends had made a crochet collar earlier in the year that I thought looked really nice, and I have some background thoughts about buying or making the same dress in a variety of colours, and then customising with different buttons, trims, etc, so I am going to sit and drink tea and crochet a collar necklace this afternoon.
I have also discovered a lovely new blog, and plan to make this for dinner tonight http://tastyherbalist.typepad.com/modernhousewifevoli/2012/01/smokey-meal.html with a few tweeks, as I have spinach but not kale at home today, and some River Cottage flatbread. That seems like the perfect overcast Monday food to me.
Blogger seems to object to putting paragraph breaks in at the moment, so apologies if this comes out as one big clump of text. I have tried telling it in html but it definitely seems to have its own mind!
I hope that it isn't raining where you are, and that you have a delicious pot of tea to drink, love Mimi xxx

Beautiful Blogs and Lovely Corners of the Internet

I had an email from the lovely Alison at Brocante Home this week, letting me know about the Seasonal Scrub starting in September. I do love a good clear out every now and again! I have decided it is time to do the same with the blogs I read and websites I visit. It is a source of anxiety to me that some of my favourite blogs and websites have been stumbled upon by happy accident, which makes me fret that there may be so many more out there, unknown to me!

I have been missing some favourite bloggers too, who have lost their blogging mojo, or are taking a break. Even worse than this, some blogs have disappeared altogether! So I have decided to update my blogroll and the list of blogs I have saved in igoogle. I hope you will find some new treasures amongst my list, and if you have any suggestions for me, I would love to hear them.

Some favourite bloggers have started new blogs...I have to say that it is something that I serioulsy considered after not blogging here so long, but this is 'home' to me. This is where I want to be. I feel like it still 'fits' me. So here I am, back again!

Interestingly, I have removed one or two because I realised that the writing just brings me down, that when I first found them, the aesthetic really pleased me, but is no longer my taste. It feels strange to let them go, because although I know they are still there and I can find them again, it seems final somehow, deciding to stop reading them.

But time is finite, and there is not enough time to do all the scrumptious things I want to, to read all the books and magazines I want to, so I am not going to waste time on blogs or websites that I don't love any more! Here is a little selection of some of my favourites...I do so hope I have not missed any off by mistake!

midorigreenuk.blogspot.com is the new home of the lovely Annastasia who used to blog at Pretty Little Parcels (I say new, but it has been a year nearly, and I still had not updated my blog list!)

brocantehome.net so much more than just a blog...utterly scrumptious! Somehow, I discovered this while looking for instructions for homemade Christmas crackers!

ljcfyi.com the very first blog I discovered. Not vintage, but great for crafts and seasonal activities.

posy.typepad.com discovered via brocante home. Wonderful for sparkly flowery loveliness and I can never visit without wanting to start crocheting something!

rosylittlethings.typepad.com the lovely Alicia Paulson writes about her every day life and crafting in Portland, Oregon. She has a real way with words and takes wonderful photographs.

vintagepretty.org one of the most lovely things for me was to discover that Vintage Pretty is even nicer than her blog! We share a lot of interests, and luckily for me, lovely chatty phone calls too!

yarnstorm.blogs.com through Jane I discovered Persephone books, and have baked scrumptious rock cakes!

thevintagekitten.blogspot.com the Vintage Kitten has not posted for a while, but I hope that she will be back soon. I love the kitsch look of her blog, and the life she posts about. Bliss!

diaryofavintagegirl.com Fleur writes for The Chap magazine, which has been one of my happiest literary finds of late! On her blog she will show you how to set your hair in pin up girl curls, and shares her adventures drinking cocktails and taking tea in London.

persephonebooks.co.uk a tresure trove of heavenly novels by Dorothy Whipple and the like. Hot Water Bottle fiction at its very, very best.

nigella.com/nigella-loves not updated for a while because she has been writing another book, but Nigella shares things like a favourite mascara or chocolate bar, alongside a cocktail recipe!

So there they are, my current favourite websites. Do tell me...what am I missing? Do share!