The garden

I haven't written in a long time. Partially haven't had the time, partially haven't had the desire. 

We've been spending a lot of time in our garden. I've planted lots of seeds. Aren't my beet seedlings pretty? And those are some broad beans in front of the beets. I had the beans outside, but the stupid squirrels kept digging them up, so I've started them indoors instead.

Some more photos of the garden. It keeps promising to begin to spring into life, but hasn't quite done it yet.

With some exceptions:

It was my birthday a few weeks ago, and we went to Kew Gardens.

And it got even more perfect when I got this present from my sister:

I'm thinking of making one (or both) of these things.

On the way to Ardeley

Since I finished my last jumper, I haven't knit a thing. 

So in lieu of knitting news, I'll just show you an image of a lovely bird I saw yesterday (image from www.rspb.org.uk).

It looked so exotic, I was impressed to learn that it's a bog-standard British bird: the green woodpecker.

I've been to Edinburgh twice in the past month for work.

View of Stirling

Yesterday morning, there was a gorgeous snowstorm. I didn't take photos, but it was really lovely. That said, I was glad to be leaving that evening for London which is just a bit balmier.

On Thursday, at Ardeley, we went into the woodland near the farm (with the primary school I've been working with), and could see some of the fantastic things the children have been making in the woods. They were all building homes, and then they wrote stories about whatever lives in the houses they built.

Fairy's home

Brown and white sheep at Church Farm

Golden Gable

Well, it's done, though not blocked.

The colour is probably most true in this image:

Just in time, too, as they're predicting more crap weather for the UK, maybe even more snow.

Hey, did I mention? I passed my "Life in the UK" exam. I was really stressing out about it, because you have to learn a lot of data and stats, and then they only ask you 24 questions. It was fine, I walked out knowing I had gotten out least 75% right (the amount needed to pass), and luckily they give the response straight away. I still even remember some of it...

I've noticed something a bit disturbing: while I feel like I can easily make a judgment about a book being bad, I don't feel like I can say when it is good anymore. I'm reading a book called D'autres vies que la mienne (other lives than mine), which I'm really enjoying, but I have no idea as to whether it's a good book or not. A lot of what I like about it is related to how pleased I am with myself that I can understand it. In other words, I'm enjoying reading another language, and the story is entertaining enough. But, I wonder, would I still like it if it were in English? Or would I judge it more harshly?

Today in Hampstead Heath

And our garden after some severe weather:


And the green gable getting more and more done...

Happy new year!

Happy new year! Already January... I can't deny that I have a bit of January blues.

I've been making decent headway on Green Gables:



Everything I knit comes out a little bit too big for me, even though I always make the smallest size. And I'm a normal-sized person - maybe on the small side of medium, I'd say. So with this jumper, I'm making the xs size and using a size 9 needle rather than 10.5. I also put in some waist shaping. So far, I think it's working, but now I'm on the first sleeve and I'm not sure what to do - I'm thinking about not putting in the increases, because, honestly, my upper arms are not really that much bigger than the part of my forearms immediately below my elbows.

By the way, I forgot to mention, the lovely Jamieson's wool that I got for this jumper is part of my Christmas present from my mother. Isn't it gorgeous? I'd had my eye on it for a long time! She also got me a big 6.5L stockpot from the John Lewis sale that I'd wanted for ages too. I am a lucky girl, aren't I! I especially appreciated the gifts this year, as I was a bit short on dosh after our big move, and wouldn't have been able to splurge on these luxuries without my mother's generosity.

I'm not a very good baker, but I made this recipe for pfeffernüssen, and they've been coming out really well. I made some alterations to the recipe: only 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 white flour, 1/2 whole wheat flour (and more than the recipe called for to make up for the sugar); nutella instead of marzipan (as I couldn't find any at M&S without glucose syrup in it!!). I would include a photo, but neither batch that I made lasted long enough to be photographed for posterity. Maybe next time. Anyway, they were really easy and really satisfying to make as everyone's enjoyed them.

I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I would like to somehow add up all the disparate bits of my working life into one more cohesive one. I always find that I'm a bit at odds when people ask what I do. Over the weekend, my niece asked me what it is I do, and I said "write and teach," but that's a bit too cohesive. A happy medium between the overly terse and the overly complicated is what I'd like to find.

FO - Leaf Yoke Top

Just in time for the holidays!





Merry Christmas, everyone! et Joyeux Noël!

x

A new colour

After a decent period of not knitting very much, now I have started up again, with one project well on the way (the Leaf Yoke Top - rav link), and another waiting in the wings.

Our kitchen is still not done.