I love my Wednesdays off work. Please don't misunderstand me, I do love my work, and look at it as my joy rather than my job, but equally I love my home and my life here, and loving one does not seem to diminish the other! I know I have been writing a lot recently about the stresses of work and the pleasures of home, but I just wanted to be fair, and say I do still love my job!
But a Wednesday off work now, that is a real treat. Especially a Wednesday off work when my diary pages shows no appointments, just a lovely free day! It was almost a lovely spring day this morning, but all of a sudden, as though it were too much effort, it seemed that the day gave a sigh and gave up, and without warning, it was a cool February day again. I am glad that I did not go out as I had been tempted to, but instead threw open all the windows, and enjoyed the day at home.
I have had a pile of 40 crocheted squares for some time now. Half are granny squares, and the remainder are fancy squares, and if only I had the time to put them all together, they would be a blanket. I started this task last weekend, and today I settled down to finish it. To begin with, my progress was sloooow, because I thought I would watch a film at the same time. However, 8 Women turned out to be in French with subtitles, so it made for rather slow progress! It was a gorgeous film, very French, with beautiful colours and cinematography. It is true though, that once it was over, my crochet speed increased somewhat! I am pleased to say that as I type, I have my new blanket over my knees. I am really pleased with it, and felt a real surge of satisfaction at having completed it. I already have plans forming for my next blanket, this time to be a ripple stitch blanket inspired by the grey-blues-creams of a walk along the Cobb at Lyme Regis a few years ago!
While I still had my crochet hook in hand, I spent a happy half hour crocheting a cherry brooch, which I just need to buy a brooch back for. It was meant to be done in 4ply, but I used scraps of dk instead. I would like to make another to wear in my hair, but I think I must get some 4ply to do that with, as the cherries made from dk are rather on the large side!
Towards the end of the day, I flicked the tv on for company, a bad habit I know, but sometimes I like to hear another voice when I have spent the day alone. Tamasin Day Lewis came on, with a programme about Classic British dishes. I love her cookery and her writing, and the programme was a real treat. In some ways, superficially, she reminds me of Nigella, but where as Nigella is polished and smooth and her hair is always neat, Tamasin is...well, its like you have just wandered into her kitchen. I like them both in different ways and for different qualities, but Tamasin just fit my mood today.
Inspired, if I have time tomorrow after my trip to a craft show with some friends, I plan to turn out my dry goods cupboard, make a list of spices and herbs and the like that need replenishing, and make out a menu plan for the week. To go back to my earlier comment, I do love my working life, but sometimes I wish I was a housewife, and had more time to devote to running my house, checking my stores, planning my cooking! That I could I have a routine of work, Monday wash day, Tuesday ironing day, Wednesday baking day, and the like. Sometimes, it is hard to fit it all in, and fit it in mindfully, so I can really enjoy it all. (Yes, I know that sounds utterly demented, but really, in the summer I love pegging a fresh wash out on the line to dry!)
Wherever you are, I hope you have had a wonderful Wednesday, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Showing posts with label Wonderful Wednesdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wonderful Wednesdays. Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Sunday, 14 June 2009
This Is A Country Woman!
Oh the utter joy of Wednesday afternoon! Even though the sky looked bruised and heavy with rain, I had my flowery raincoat and my pink umbrella, so really, to me, there wasn't a cloud in the sky! The lovely friend who I was meeting for lunch was delayed a little, so I popped into the Oxfam bookshop, where I found the most fabulous book- a heavy old tome called '10,000 Things'. What a wonderful, eclectic, random jumble of things! There are little plays, quotes from Shakespeare to do with the weather, 50 Arabic Words We Use Today, and other such lovely thing. I really couldn't resist it!
After a delicious lunch at the noodle bar, there was just enough time to drop into work to borrow a kitchen knife (I had bought a battenburg cake in Marks and Spencer - wonderful vintage packaging at the moment- and needed to slice it up before taking it to the theater to share!) before scurrying up to our theater which also has a cinema screen. We always knew that 'Housewives Choice' was bound to be popular, but although we arrived on time, a formidable woman barked at us 'no tea, we've run out, you're too late!' and ushered us in while muttering about how there were more people than they were told! Really!
We found seats, my lunch friend and another friend from work and I, and we were immediately plunged into utter darkness, which makes sharing out battenburg very tricky indeed! A light came on and a man made a little speech about the film, just as though we were in war time days, and it ended with an air raid siren! Then the wonderful films began. They were so good, I wish, wish, wish that we could live then, just for a little while, and also that they sell this show on dvd! If you get a chance to see it, do!
The first film was a rather matronly woman, standing at a kitchen table. The narrator, in clipped tones announced 'This Is A Country Woman!' which made us giggle right away. She went on to narrate The Country Woman making rabbit pie- including what sounded like 'rubbing fet into flar'. We learned that the best way to get ink out of an apron is to rub a tomato on it, and the best way to smarten up your husband's ties is to wrap them round jam jars of hot water! There was one short film of a couple taking afternoon tea by their fire, and it made me long to have that room for my very own. I ended up compiling a little list of domestic details that I want to introduce into our little home- and eiderdown on the bed, a particular kind of flowery wall paper, and a proper tea with scones and a tea cozy at least once a week!
After the film, we did a little shopping, enjoyed a hot chocolate, and then went home. I am sure that each of us were thinking about The Country Woman rubbing her fet into her flar, and turning over all the wonderful domestic details we had seen, like rummaging through a button box of treasures.
Such bliss! Oh, and if you click on the title to this post, it will take you to the BFI page with more details about the Housewives Choice!
After a delicious lunch at the noodle bar, there was just enough time to drop into work to borrow a kitchen knife (I had bought a battenburg cake in Marks and Spencer - wonderful vintage packaging at the moment- and needed to slice it up before taking it to the theater to share!) before scurrying up to our theater which also has a cinema screen. We always knew that 'Housewives Choice' was bound to be popular, but although we arrived on time, a formidable woman barked at us 'no tea, we've run out, you're too late!' and ushered us in while muttering about how there were more people than they were told! Really!
We found seats, my lunch friend and another friend from work and I, and we were immediately plunged into utter darkness, which makes sharing out battenburg very tricky indeed! A light came on and a man made a little speech about the film, just as though we were in war time days, and it ended with an air raid siren! Then the wonderful films began. They were so good, I wish, wish, wish that we could live then, just for a little while, and also that they sell this show on dvd! If you get a chance to see it, do!
The first film was a rather matronly woman, standing at a kitchen table. The narrator, in clipped tones announced 'This Is A Country Woman!' which made us giggle right away. She went on to narrate The Country Woman making rabbit pie- including what sounded like 'rubbing fet into flar'. We learned that the best way to get ink out of an apron is to rub a tomato on it, and the best way to smarten up your husband's ties is to wrap them round jam jars of hot water! There was one short film of a couple taking afternoon tea by their fire, and it made me long to have that room for my very own. I ended up compiling a little list of domestic details that I want to introduce into our little home- and eiderdown on the bed, a particular kind of flowery wall paper, and a proper tea with scones and a tea cozy at least once a week!
After the film, we did a little shopping, enjoyed a hot chocolate, and then went home. I am sure that each of us were thinking about The Country Woman rubbing her fet into her flar, and turning over all the wonderful domestic details we had seen, like rummaging through a button box of treasures.
Such bliss! Oh, and if you click on the title to this post, it will take you to the BFI page with more details about the Housewives Choice!
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Wonderful Week
…hello, hello and hello! Do pour yourself to a cup of tea in your prettiest cup, and sit with me while I tell you all about my wonderful week off!
As you know, Monday saw me having lunch and a thoroughly delightful day with my dear friend Anna, and you know, such a delicious day really set the standard for the whole week.
Tuesday was a hot, hot day, and I went into town early so I could get all my little errands done before it got too hot. I started the day at Café Rouge, where I breakfasted on a Croque Madame and a latte (how I wished for an iced coffee, but alas, they do not do them) to the gentle sounds of French Café Music. As I read the paper, I noticed a coupon for £1 off Grazia magazine. A nice trashy magazine for cheap? Of course I had to buy it! Imagine how pleased I was when I found in Grazia a coupon for a jar of Salt Body Scrub by The Sanctuary from Boots, free! And happily, I had found out early enough to be able to go and get one. Other purchases for the day included a new purse (apple green! I spotted it right away amongst a sea of serviceable black purses. I felt very much like Mrs Miniver when she bought her diary) and also a new dress (a simple blue patterned summer dress from Peacocks) and some soft-dried pears that are oh-so-squishy like a fudgy toffee. After all that shopping, I was very hot, so I had an iced vanilla latte before catching the bus home again.
Wednesday was a day that dear Carl had been looking forward to very much indeed- a day at Thorpe Park, courtesy of the Tesco vouchers that I have been hoarding. I was pleased because it was a free day out (which should have cost us £70 in entrance tickets!) and he was pleased because he got to go on all manner of fast and scary rides. It will probably come as no surprise to you to know that I am not such a fan of big fast rides, so there were quite a few that he went on while I had a cup of tea! One ride that I did like very much was one aimed at older children- a log flume that was set in Pioneering American times, and it really made me feel like I was in the middle of little House in the Prairie!
Thursday was one of those delightful days of drifting happily together. We wandered into town and enjoyed a coffee together. On the way home, I tried to buy some fabric for an apron, some wool for a hot water bottle cover,and some sugar paste to make icing flowers. Alas, despite being in the county town, I was thwarted at every turn, and went home empty handed. However, there was time to drop into a charity shop, where I found a wonderful 'make and do' book from the 60s. There is a fabulous idea for a 'get well train' that I want to try my hand at!
Friday was utterly fabulous. Despite the rain, Mum and I had a great day together. There is a marvellous craft shop a few villages away which is a veritable Aladdin's Cave, and there I found very easily the perfect fabric and trimmings for my apron, the exact wool that I wanted, and a whole host of other little bits besides! We had lunch together at a plant nursery, which is one of my favourite places to eat. There is a conservatory you can sit in, and look out over the fields. It is picturesque even when, perhaps even especially when, it is raining, and there is a tiny house nestled behind some trees which you see as a flash of white that I like to imagine living in one day.
Once home, we made the first of many cups of tea, and I set out to make my first apron. When I post pictures, I will also look out the title of the book, because the pattern came from a wonderful book full of apron patterns, that I found in the library. The apron I chose to make has polka dot fabric, a little heart pocket and a frill all around the bottom, which according to the book will call to mind the passion of Andalucian Gypsies dancing the polka!! I found some parts tricky, such as gathering the long ruffle by hand, and making the heart shaped pocket. Once or twice I felt like giving up in vexation, but with Mum on hand to help me, I kept going, and I am so proud of my apron I have even taken it to work to show the girls! While I was making a celebratory cup of tea downstairs, Mum whipped up a little lavender bag out of some left over fabric, which just fits in the pocket! I really felt so snuggly and at peace, sitting in my old bedroom which is now the craft room, making something with my Mum while rain spattered at the window pane.
On Saturday, I could hardly believe that I had only 2 days left of my wonderful week. I had invited a friend for dinner with the intention that he should stay the night, so I spent the afternoon getting ready for dinner. I took the opportunity to do some real cooking, and when evening came we had quite a feast laid out! We started with strawberry bellinis and some little bruschetta, topped with brie and caremelized onions, tomato mozzarella and pesto, or home made guacamole. For our starter I made lemon and rosemary risotto, then we had spaghetti bolognese. We finished with a cake that is so simple but looks stunning. I have to find a good name for it! You make a victoria sponge mixture, but bake it in a pudding basin, and when it is cold, pour over a cup of hot sweetened coffee laced with brandy. Then when that is cool, you turn it out, and cover it with slightly sweetened whipped cream! Definitely calorific, but so lovely, especially when served on a glass cake stand and eaten with vintage cake forks, you really dont mind! Before you think we were terrible gluttons, I did serve teeny tiny portions of each course!
After a much later night than I have had for a long time, I made smoked salmon scrambled eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast. We waved goodbye to Adrian at lunch time, and then set about our few little chores. Washing was done, the place was straightened up and aired out, and then we spent our last hours of the weekend knitting and reading (me) and reading and computering (my lovely husband). Oh yes, although I had not mentioned it in my daily summaries, somehow I read 8 Hamish Macbeth novels this week!
Well that is my wonderful week, over and done. I am definitely not going to leave it so long again!
As you know, Monday saw me having lunch and a thoroughly delightful day with my dear friend Anna, and you know, such a delicious day really set the standard for the whole week.
Tuesday was a hot, hot day, and I went into town early so I could get all my little errands done before it got too hot. I started the day at Café Rouge, where I breakfasted on a Croque Madame and a latte (how I wished for an iced coffee, but alas, they do not do them) to the gentle sounds of French Café Music. As I read the paper, I noticed a coupon for £1 off Grazia magazine. A nice trashy magazine for cheap? Of course I had to buy it! Imagine how pleased I was when I found in Grazia a coupon for a jar of Salt Body Scrub by The Sanctuary from Boots, free! And happily, I had found out early enough to be able to go and get one. Other purchases for the day included a new purse (apple green! I spotted it right away amongst a sea of serviceable black purses. I felt very much like Mrs Miniver when she bought her diary) and also a new dress (a simple blue patterned summer dress from Peacocks) and some soft-dried pears that are oh-so-squishy like a fudgy toffee. After all that shopping, I was very hot, so I had an iced vanilla latte before catching the bus home again.
Wednesday was a day that dear Carl had been looking forward to very much indeed- a day at Thorpe Park, courtesy of the Tesco vouchers that I have been hoarding. I was pleased because it was a free day out (which should have cost us £70 in entrance tickets!) and he was pleased because he got to go on all manner of fast and scary rides. It will probably come as no surprise to you to know that I am not such a fan of big fast rides, so there were quite a few that he went on while I had a cup of tea! One ride that I did like very much was one aimed at older children- a log flume that was set in Pioneering American times, and it really made me feel like I was in the middle of little House in the Prairie!
Thursday was one of those delightful days of drifting happily together. We wandered into town and enjoyed a coffee together. On the way home, I tried to buy some fabric for an apron, some wool for a hot water bottle cover,and some sugar paste to make icing flowers. Alas, despite being in the county town, I was thwarted at every turn, and went home empty handed. However, there was time to drop into a charity shop, where I found a wonderful 'make and do' book from the 60s. There is a fabulous idea for a 'get well train' that I want to try my hand at!
Friday was utterly fabulous. Despite the rain, Mum and I had a great day together. There is a marvellous craft shop a few villages away which is a veritable Aladdin's Cave, and there I found very easily the perfect fabric and trimmings for my apron, the exact wool that I wanted, and a whole host of other little bits besides! We had lunch together at a plant nursery, which is one of my favourite places to eat. There is a conservatory you can sit in, and look out over the fields. It is picturesque even when, perhaps even especially when, it is raining, and there is a tiny house nestled behind some trees which you see as a flash of white that I like to imagine living in one day.
Once home, we made the first of many cups of tea, and I set out to make my first apron. When I post pictures, I will also look out the title of the book, because the pattern came from a wonderful book full of apron patterns, that I found in the library. The apron I chose to make has polka dot fabric, a little heart pocket and a frill all around the bottom, which according to the book will call to mind the passion of Andalucian Gypsies dancing the polka!! I found some parts tricky, such as gathering the long ruffle by hand, and making the heart shaped pocket. Once or twice I felt like giving up in vexation, but with Mum on hand to help me, I kept going, and I am so proud of my apron I have even taken it to work to show the girls! While I was making a celebratory cup of tea downstairs, Mum whipped up a little lavender bag out of some left over fabric, which just fits in the pocket! I really felt so snuggly and at peace, sitting in my old bedroom which is now the craft room, making something with my Mum while rain spattered at the window pane.
On Saturday, I could hardly believe that I had only 2 days left of my wonderful week. I had invited a friend for dinner with the intention that he should stay the night, so I spent the afternoon getting ready for dinner. I took the opportunity to do some real cooking, and when evening came we had quite a feast laid out! We started with strawberry bellinis and some little bruschetta, topped with brie and caremelized onions, tomato mozzarella and pesto, or home made guacamole. For our starter I made lemon and rosemary risotto, then we had spaghetti bolognese. We finished with a cake that is so simple but looks stunning. I have to find a good name for it! You make a victoria sponge mixture, but bake it in a pudding basin, and when it is cold, pour over a cup of hot sweetened coffee laced with brandy. Then when that is cool, you turn it out, and cover it with slightly sweetened whipped cream! Definitely calorific, but so lovely, especially when served on a glass cake stand and eaten with vintage cake forks, you really dont mind! Before you think we were terrible gluttons, I did serve teeny tiny portions of each course!
After a much later night than I have had for a long time, I made smoked salmon scrambled eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast. We waved goodbye to Adrian at lunch time, and then set about our few little chores. Washing was done, the place was straightened up and aired out, and then we spent our last hours of the weekend knitting and reading (me) and reading and computering (my lovely husband). Oh yes, although I had not mentioned it in my daily summaries, somehow I read 8 Hamish Macbeth novels this week!
Well that is my wonderful week, over and done. I am definitely not going to leave it so long again!
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Fabulous Friday, Wonderful Wednesday
Although I do adore my new job, I do miss having every other Friday to spend with my Mum. Instead, it is one Friday a month. The good thing is that we really make them count! This last Friday started a little rockily, as my bus was half an hour late, and I got heckled by some drunk tramps for that time, but once I reached my destination, the day was just lovely. First Mum and Dad and I shared a cup of coffee in my favourite coffee shop. It is a little independent shop, and the view out of the window is the beautiful church opposite, and the heavenly florist next door. They do a 'Continental Coffee' which is coffee with cream and chopped nuts, utter bliss!
After this, Dad went home and Mum and I went on to Tiptree. There is a veritable Aladin's Cave of a craft shop, and we spent a happy hour in there. I got some wool for a present I am making, in shades of dusky plum and muted lilac, as well as some ribbon, marabou feathers and tiny diamantes for my Easter project. Then we went on to Perrywood which is my favourite nursery. It is a real tonic, just wandering around you breathe more deeply and gently and relax right away. We decided to go back into the town where we had started the day with coffee, to look in the charity shops, and to go into the florist, as it stocks the most wonderful old fashioned things for Easter. I came away with plenty of treasures, and when it came time to go home, rather than go on the bus, Mum drove me back so I did not have to carry my little hoard!
Because I will be working on Saturday, I get a day off in the week, and today is one of those days. I am making a real effort not to do too much on these days, as it is so easy to rush around and wear myself out! We had a flat inspection due sometime this afternoon, so I didn't really want to be out for that, so a day puttering at home it was to be. Bliss! I finished knitting and sewing together a hot water bottle cover that a friend at work asked me to make for her, and then crocheted most of one half of a pair of slippers. I just have two rows to go in slip stitch edging, so I shall do that in a bit. My friend Angela came for lunch, and we had a lovely time sipping tea, and nibbling on a chicken salad and catching up. I have some potatoes baking in the oven for tea later (I am going to scoop them out, mash them, then refill them with some left over vegetarian shepherds pie filling, top them with the potato and put them back in the oven) and plan to make a cup of tea in a moment. Later on I will be working on my Easter project, and I think a long hot bath is on the cards later....
Wherever you are, I hope that the sun is shining on you and you are having a wonderful day too.
After this, Dad went home and Mum and I went on to Tiptree. There is a veritable Aladin's Cave of a craft shop, and we spent a happy hour in there. I got some wool for a present I am making, in shades of dusky plum and muted lilac, as well as some ribbon, marabou feathers and tiny diamantes for my Easter project. Then we went on to Perrywood which is my favourite nursery. It is a real tonic, just wandering around you breathe more deeply and gently and relax right away. We decided to go back into the town where we had started the day with coffee, to look in the charity shops, and to go into the florist, as it stocks the most wonderful old fashioned things for Easter. I came away with plenty of treasures, and when it came time to go home, rather than go on the bus, Mum drove me back so I did not have to carry my little hoard!
Because I will be working on Saturday, I get a day off in the week, and today is one of those days. I am making a real effort not to do too much on these days, as it is so easy to rush around and wear myself out! We had a flat inspection due sometime this afternoon, so I didn't really want to be out for that, so a day puttering at home it was to be. Bliss! I finished knitting and sewing together a hot water bottle cover that a friend at work asked me to make for her, and then crocheted most of one half of a pair of slippers. I just have two rows to go in slip stitch edging, so I shall do that in a bit. My friend Angela came for lunch, and we had a lovely time sipping tea, and nibbling on a chicken salad and catching up. I have some potatoes baking in the oven for tea later (I am going to scoop them out, mash them, then refill them with some left over vegetarian shepherds pie filling, top them with the potato and put them back in the oven) and plan to make a cup of tea in a moment. Later on I will be working on my Easter project, and I think a long hot bath is on the cards later....
Wherever you are, I hope that the sun is shining on you and you are having a wonderful day too.
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