Angel Jem's City Cottage

Stylecraft's CAL this year, designed by Jane Crowfoot, is called Frida's Flowers. It's a lovely, colour-rich, flower-heavy throw based on the clothes and colours of Frida Kahlo, the mexican artist. Have you seen it?  I was lucky enough to touch and see the original at a crochet workshop at Black Sheep Wools in April. You can read about my day here . It is gorgeous, and so loaded with colour; saturated is the right word. And I did buy the yarn pack with the best of intentions, but life (or guinea pigs) got in the way and the yarn lies, alone and bereft, at the foot of my bed. Don't worry, I have plans. But, having been to one workshop and enjoyed it; like a one-day crochet retreat, almost, the times of silence interspersed with conversation and questions was so relaxing; I wanted to go again and booked as soon as I was home. Yesterday's workshop was called Frida's Flowers Motif Workshop , with the aim being to start and get guidance on a flow...

Yesterday we went for a rare family day out. We are buried deep in revision and pain at school at the moment, so grabbing a glorious sunny day and escaping seemed like a good idea. We decided (ok, I decided) that we would go and look at a city I have often gone past but never into. We went to Lancaster; if you travel north on the M6 you very often pass the University, but it's not a place I remember going to. We didn't see that much yesterday, either, as we had plans for the afternoon. We did go up to the castle, which was a prison for many years. I couldn't resist getting the lads to stand under the sign! And the guy at the gate in the photo above is a prison guard... really! The Pendle witch trials were held here, and other famous trials. There is a castle tour, but we were on a mission and didn't feel like it yesterday. Fortunately Peter's football team play in Lancaster during the season, so I am on a promise. WE'd gone specially to see the ...

The week after Ted died was a hard one. We kept finding little things we'd tried, we had to clean out the medicines she'd had. We kept asking was there anything else we could have done, any action we could have taken, anything at all that would have helped. The vet had said no, that these things happen, but it was amazing how the guilt grabbed us. We were busy that week with Christian Aid and work, so our evenings passed delivering envelopes and planning office moves (don't ask; the Saga of Virgin is for another day) By the following Saturday we were slowing down. Sarah had a bad cold, Peter was out for the day and although I was supposed to take Sarah to badminton we cried off. We went for a coffee and to buy her material for a school project. I swear that was all. Just a Costa and a yard of material. But we called into Pets at Home, just to look for hay or bedding or... well, any old excuse. And there was a little girl guinea pig there, alone, all alone. And such a pi...

Yes, I know, 6 weeks have flown past in the blink of an eye. I will have no other posts for May if I don't post this one. I do have a rather good reason. A story to tell. It has sadness, joy and a lot of cheekiness. Pour a cuppa, grab a box of tissues and let's go. Many of you will know about this beautiful young lady, my Sarah (Princess) She was 14 in February and asked for some pets. She's been on about getting a hamster or a mouse or a cat or a dog for years. Mr Angel Jem is..... not a pet lover, shall we say, and has until now always said no. No. Definitely NO. But this year Sarah is 14. She's capable of cooking a meal for us, doing the washing, taking care of herself and the house when I'm too busy/tired/ill to do it. She has, in other words reached the Age of Responsibility. So I looked into what pets were available. Chinchilla. 2 for £200. Yeah, right, like that's ever going to happen. Rats. They may be very clever but.... the reputatio...

On Saturday I went to Black Sheep Wools for a workshop. It was run by Jane Crowfoot, whose latest CAL started last week. I feel very lucky to live a bare half hour from BSW, and to be able to get up at 9 and still be there by 10 for a workshop. There were 12 of us, all gathered around the table and keen to start making a bag. The project was called the Lily Pond Bag and Jane designed it to use up all the bits and pieces left over from the Lily Pond blanket CAL last year. It looks divine; And the workshop was set up to allow for a degree of individuality. I love a degree of individuality. We got to choose colours and order, and everyone who attended got the pattern as devised by Jane. It was only 6 hours but you can get a lot done in 6 hours as well as eating a LOT of sandwiches and cakes. The furtherest participant had come from Northumberland, but there were mostly local people there. And there wasn't a lot of talking; the patterns are deceptively fiendish an...

But then I'd have to tickle you. No, not really. I feel like I've been away for ever. Absolutely yonks, but it turns out only to be about 6 weeks. I think time is both going the slowest I've ever known and as fast as a bullet at the moment. Which is to say, that time inside school travels at a snail's pace, while any time away from the institution just disappears in an Einsteinium-speed-of-light way. I am not enjoying work. There, I said it. I enjoy the teaching and the children and a lot of the staff are lovely but not (unfortunately) the one I work with. And that's not getting better. And telling people about it doesn't work and I feel under used and undervalued and sad. And I got a BAD virus, like a humdinger-block-both-ears-and-make-you-deaf virus that has kept me at home and bed bound with vertigo for the past two weeks. I'm on my second set of antibiotics and finally today feel better. Don't rush me, but I feel not bad. As in not 100% but bett...

A slightly different wind up today; the big event of my life this week has revolved around this, my handsome and funny eldest son. On Tuesday he celebrated his 18th birthday. I'm pleased to say he decided to celebrate by wearing his deerstalker to school, then to Anchor Boys where he was happy to be sung to and cake-laden. And a family meal out. This is my Mum with him. She wanted to get him cuff-links, or a watch, but which young man nowadays wears cuff-links or watches when they have t shirts and phones? So I said was there any thing else. She thought for a while and then offered him her fountain pen set, a 1950's gold plated Parker pen. What else would you give an aspiring writer but a really good pen to sign the multi-million pound book deal? Which reminds me, I must check my lottery ticket tonight. It was a roll-over, so I treated myself to a lucky dip.  The Gang. David, Peter, Sarah and James. My four best loved people in the entire wor...