Handmade trug and home grown veg

Hi all, hope you are all muddling along, flipping wet in the U.K. isn't it!  I think I'm developing webbed feet.  I thought I would pop in and give you an update on my exciting life......well my life.  Mostly it's been same old stuff but I did book myself on a Willow Day at our local 'Eco Park' .  Of course it was blowing a hooley as we traipsed across the very muddy field to the willow patch and then starting hailing as we were cutting the willow but it was worth the cold hands (and pulled muscles in my gluteus maximus) Why put myself through this I hear you ask?  Well sometime in the future......who knows when, we haven't found anywhere yet, I would like to grow willow in my future fields.  Not being very green fingered I was pleased to find out that they happily grow away and need coppicing from January to April when you cut everything right back and in the spring they grow away again.  I think I may be able to manage that.  In the afternoon they showed us how to make either a trug or an obelisk for the garden.  Being the practical person that I am, I decided on the trug and as you can see I have already put it to good use. Yes I know handmade trug, picking home grown chard. How smug do I sound, I want to slap myself sometimes :)









I have been following a really interesting blog My make do and mend life which has all sorts of tips about reducing our impact.  The blogger spent a year not buying anything new, so learned how to make the most of everything she had.  I am increasing worried about our impact on the planet, we only have one, and having watched The Martian over the weekend, I don't fancy living on Mars.  (though if Matt Damon is in residence....) I know my little contributions don't seem much and often have my family scratching their heads at my attempts at being green, but it makes me happy to be treading as gently as I can manage at this point in time.  One of the tips from the 'make do and mend blog was putting your old orange and lemon peel into a jar of white vinegar to make a cleaner.  I had the vinegar, I have satsuma peel so it has cost me nothing.  I will be putting it into a spray bottle later and giving it a go.


You are probably wondering about the title.  Well here's a little health and safety warning for you all. Don't be a numpty like me and cook while wearing one of your favourite scarves.  I thought I could smell something burning........it turned out to be me.  Burnt scarf, burnt carpet where I threw it down and stamped on it and the tips of my hair singed.  Apart from that, I was very very lucky!


Stay safe everyone,

Chickpea xx

I didn't spend all my time stuffing my face over Xmas I did actually spend a few lovely hours knitting away.  The cardigan I was going to abandon last year because I thought I would never finish has been resurrected and I have finished the back.......yes the whole flipping back woohoo!  I am using alpaca wool which feels fabulous and I can't wait to finish the cardi, it will be lovely, warm and soft.  It seems I have the knitting bug again, so much so that I ordered a new book on Fair Isle knitting  I have been lusting over some beautiful Fair Isle knits that have been shared on various blogs and thought I would like to give it a go.  I really need to finish some of the umpteen other projects I have on the go before I start another though!


Strange how the photos have come out totally different colours, the top one is probably nearer to the true colour.







I have also started joining my granny squares together.  I had to guess at some of it, I'm not sure if it was me or the instructions but I found it all a bit confusing, however I'm really pleased with the progress on my first every granny square blanket.  Thank you to Jennifer over at thistlebear for hosting the Winter Project Link Party, it has inspired me to have a go and keep at it.






Now to my rather random title.  I made the time and effort to look at a house today, in the photos it looked perfect, a house surrounded by fields.  I rang the estate agents who said there was another house nearby but you would not know it was there.  What did I find when I got there?  The owners had built another huge house right beside it, and I mean literally a few feet away.  They will be building a high wall between the properties says the estate agent hopefully, so you wouldn't see the house.  Why would I want to move to the country to have a huge wall right beside my house, I might as well stay where I am, and it wouldn't block out the noise.  I was so disappointed and really miffed to have been misled, a complete waste of my time.  Apart from the on-line estate agent I used to sell my house, I'm afraid the rest never fail to disappoint and annoy and sometimes downright lie.

As some of you know I have suffered from insomnia on and off all my life, for the last 6 years it has been a constant problem.  The doctor offered to refer me to a sleep clinic, I'm really not sure whether to take up the offer.  I find the idea of being wired up and watched while I sleep scary.  Have any of you been to one?  Any advice would be gratefully received.

Chickpea xx

Storms are crashing around the house, whipping the trees as if they are little twigs.   I love the change in season I couldn't contemplate living somewhere the weather was the same all the time.  Winter brings the excuse to shut yourself away, light the fire and get some crafting done.  Of course it's not all good, driving to and from work in the dark is pretty depressing but I will grab my little pleasures where I can.

I have taken up my crochet needle and sit by the fire working on a blanket.  I have never actually crocheted anything before so I am hoping this turns out o.k., even if it doesn't I am enjoying making the little circles and I will snuggle in it's warmth.





I complete a couple of the circles each night if possible, hopefully by the time I take my Xmas leave I will be able to start joining them together to make my first granny square blanket.  I have admired so many that other bloggers have shared, now I'm taking up the challenge of making my own.  It will be my Winter Project for the link party hosted by thistlebear.  Pop over and take a look at all of the beautiful projects that have inspired me to take up a crochet needle.  Oh dear, nothing like putting pressure on myself, if you never see it on here again you know it's all gone tits up :)

Not happy with having one project on the go I will also be picking up my sewing needle and attempting some dressmaking.  My mother was a fantastic dressmaker and tailor but I never took it up, much to my regret now.  Yes I was a stroppy teenager who thought sewing was boring!  I picked this pattern up while in London.  It says 'easy', well we shall see!  Ditto the above if it never appears again.






Talking of needles I have also booked some acupuncture sessions.  I had my first session last week, if they can help with the hot flushes it may help with my insomnia.  A couple of people recommended it, I'm not sure if it will work for me but I'm willing to try anything!  Have any of you tried it?  The needles didn't bother me, it was the lying still for what seemed like ages after that I found hard, I'm such a fidget but was afraid they would drop out if I moved too much.

We had to buy a new radio alarm the other day and had the option of buying this with it.  I bet you were wondering what the pillow talk of the title was,  sorry to disappoint :)   It won't cure my insomnia but it helps pass those tortured hours when sleep evades me.

You plug it into your radio alarm and pop the speaker under your pillow, you can then listen to it without disturbing your partner, I find it more comfortable than earphones.  

I hope my blogging friends in the U.K. are keeping safe from the storms and floods.  I'm off to play with the Samba band today at the Padstow food festival.  Fingers crossed that I don't get blown into the harbour!!

Chickpea xx

Ok all you wonderful crochet peeps, please be gentle with me.   I have not really done much crochet despite teaching myself the basic stitches when I was a child, I have never actually made anything.  Inspired by all of the wonderful crochet work that many of you post, I thought I would make a blanket.    How hard could it be I thought.........    Well it does help if you read the instructions properly before you start, not just launch off into something.  But a leopard can't change it's spots so off I went, it did pop into my head that it didn't look quite the same as the photo, but in my inexperience I thought it would all come right when I did the joining bit.  I should listen to that little voice in my head sometimes, it seems to have more sense than me!

So after a few months of not working on the blanket I decided to pick it up again.  Of course I had completely forgotten what I was doing so re read the instructions and realised that I had missed one important point.  It was 3 dtr CLUSTERS I was meant to be doing so I have LOTS of circles which are not right.   I'm not going to start again as I know it just won't happen so I will carry on as I am.  It will not look the same but I'm hoping it won't look too bad.



This is the photo of the circle in the book

and this is my version of it - whoops



They certainly will not look like petals when I crochet the next bit.  I am using the join as you go method so will not see the true effect until they are all completed.  I really need to learn patience.

I was intending to join with Thistlebears Winter Project Link Party ,  but my wonky crochet looks a bit pathetic among all of the wonderful projects people have been sharing on there but what the hell, count me in......just don't look too carefully.  Pop over there and see how crochet is meant to be done, especially by the host of the party Jennifer.

Have any of you got half way through a project before you realised you were doing it wrong?  Go on do tell :)

Chickpea xx

I have started a cardigan in the hope that I will finish it in time for winter.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post, sorry I haven't had a chance to reply as I have been drumming all weekend.  Such fun!!!!!  Working my socks off the other days, and even getting home from work and going to bed for an hour yesterday as I was so tired.  Such is life.

Having discovered the knitting cafe nearby, I am now a regular customer, I just can't stay away!  The work room is filling with new knitting projects when I should be clearing it.

I ran out of wool just before I finished this shawl, there was no more in the shop so I had to finish off in another colour.  I will have to make a feature out of it.  Any ideas?  I'm thinking perhaps an embroidered flower on the other end and pompoms in the darker colour.

I have seen lots of face clothes on blogs so bought some cotton to make some for Xmas prezzies.

There is lots of therapeutic knitting going on, mindless easy stuff that sees my mind calm down.  You see I have been having a bit of a wobble about the whole moving house thing,  I guess it's natural, we have been here for a long time.  It was triggered by a text from the bearded one when I was drumming, and I quote "Think I've just sold the house to Jehovah's Witness couple, lovely people.  Really should have put some clothes on before I answered the door but it didn't seem to put them off"  Haha says I to my drumming buddies, typical of his humour, but when I got home he had been serious, they had left their telephone number for if we were going to put the house on the market.  I rang them a couple of days later to tell them we wouldn't be ready for a few months and told them more about the house.  As I was writing the list of house features, I thought, crikey this house has everything we need, why are we moving?  To make the wobble even worse, as I was doing the above mentioned knitting I watched one of those Kirsty and Phils house programmes.  They took a couple around to see various houses, they looked like show houses, not a thing out of place, all shiny, neat and tidy.  I then looked around my house with its shabby old furniture, bits of projects all over the house.  I guess you would describe it as 'homely'.  Oh dear, do I really have the energy and fit enough knee to do all of the decluttering and tidying needed.  (News on the knee is that I have been referred for physiotherapy, no doubt they will tell me losing weight may help!)  They say moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do.  I haven't even put the house on the market and I'm stressed.





In other news, what is going on with the weather? The last two nights we have had very heavy hailstorms.  My poor veg patch has taken casualties, and I worry about the chicks in their nests.  The peppers I won from Dani have germinated, but at this rate I'm not sure they will be able to go outside for a while and then will they have time to ripen?

I hope you are all having a good week, I'm trying to pop around to visit you all during coffee breaks.


Welcome to my new followers on Bloglovin :)

Chickpea xx

I am stupidly busy with work and home at the moment and feeling like I'm swimming like mad and getting nowhere.   I wanted to share my Five on Friday along with Amy at Love made my home.   It's such a good way to look back on my week and get some perspective on what I have actually been up to, what I have achieved and what has brought me joy.  Looking back on them, perhaps I won't be so hard on myself and not feel like a week has gone by with nothing done.




Cook



I love creating simple food in my kitchen, feeding the soul and the body.





I saw this recipe posted by one of my friends on Facebook so gave it a go

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

1 cup of cauliflower florets
3 cups mozzarella grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1 crushed clove of garlic
1 tsp salt
1 Egg

Topping of your choice

Place the cauliflower in a food processor until chopped into tiny bits (like cauliflower rice)
Microwave the cauliflower for 8 minutes
Mix in the egg and seasoning and 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella
Spray oil onto an oven tray, then tip mixture onto it and make into a pizza base shape
Brush top with oil
Place in oven 200 fan oven for 15 mins
Remove from the oven and cover with the rest of the cheese and the topping (I pre grilled mushrooms and peppers)
Place under the grill for 2 - 3 mins.


No carbs, but LOTS of cheese which I will cut back on the next time I cook it.  I don't eat a lot of dairy so will experiment with the recipe to suit me.  A good gluten free option.





Sew


Making something for my family brings me great joy.





I have been working on our new grandsons quilt over the last couple of days, I need to finish it before he grows up and leaves home!




Listen

A good book


Reading Christina's Blog A Colourful Life, a few weeks ago, she was discussing the books she had 'listened' to.  In the past I had bought a few books on tapes to listen to on long car journeys, but never thought about listening to books any other time even though I enjoy listening to them on the radio.  Having already dipped my foot into alternative ways to read 'books' on the iPad, I thought 'what the hell, be adventurous and downloaded one. It was so easy!  I could even listen to it on my phone as I moved around the house and garden. Of course it will never replace sitting down with a good book, but I will be getting through a lot more books I had been meaning to read.  Have you joined the book listening revolution or are you firmly a traditional book reading person?  This is the book I listened to, So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson. It is a very thought provoking and in places a shocking look at how your life can been ruined by making one stupid remark and photo.  Social media at its worst.  I've also just downloaded a book by David Sedaris, I needed something light and fun and David Sedaris always makes me laugh.   Now at least I can 'read' some books while still working.




Grow

Growing and eating my own produce.






It is lovely to see my little veg patch springing to life, I'm looking forward to the new potatoes, freshly picked spinach and kale, and tomatoes that actually smell and taste like tomatoes.  How does your garden grow?




Sleep





Shhhh I don't want to jinx it, but for the last couple of weeks my sleep patterns have improved.  Now I only wake up a couple of times a night.  I can live with that.  I'm sure my insomnia will return but I will enjoy the sleep while I can.

I hope your week has been kind to you,

Chickpea xx

 Joining up with the lovely Amy for Five on Friday.


Rise

When I wake on beautiful sunny days I like to take a walk around the garden to say good morning to the plants and creatures.  They wake with me, seeking out the sun, I love how their petals open when the sun is out, and then close as the sun goes down.  Ziggy Stardust comes out with me for a stretch.













Eat



I love simple food I can just throw together.  What could be simpler than this.


Chickpeas Houmous

1 tin of chickpeas drained
3 tbsp tahini
juice of half a lemon
handful of fresh coriander 
flesh of 1 small cooked sweet potato 
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil

Throw in a food processor and blend


Quilt






The beautiful colours that are used in aboriginal art reflect the colours of their homeland. The yellow for the sun,  brown for the earth,  red for the desert sand, white for the clouds, each piece of art telling a story.  This quilt will remind me of our visit to their beautiful land.

With all these promises we are hearing from the various political parties it is feeling like Xmas.   It is getting sillier and sillier by the day, what next, free trips to the moon if we vote for them?  Our local M.P. turned up on my doorstep last week looking for my vote.  I'm think she probably regretted knocking on my door as I could have kept her there all day with the questions I wanted answering.  She was very professional about it, shame about the local counsellor she brought with her, he didn't do her any favours at all.  He really annoyed me and ended up getting short shrift, then tried buttering me up by saying I was obviously passionate about politics and should consider going on the local parish council.  He then slapped the clotted cream on the top by adding we need more 'young' women like you. Ha, I'm not fooled by flattery sunshine!  I don't think it would do my blood pressure any good at all dealing with people like him everyday!  They won't be getting my vote so they wasted their time.

So as I won't be joining the political world anytime soon, I have been trying to carry on with the painting.  It's a dangerous business though, I sprained my knee while balancing on a ladder last week, I also have a horrible cold so as you can imagine I'm not a bundle of laughs at the moment.  I undercoated a couple of doors and earthed up the potatoes yesterday before retreating to the bed to rest my knee while sewing.  Today we went to choose some tiles, I was in so much pain I asked the bearded one to give me a lift on the trolley......he refused, cruel man :)

There isn't much to report when you can barely hobble around but I am trying to get on with some unfinished projects before I start the new Liberty quilt.  I'm working on my 'Aboriginal' quilt which includes beautiful fabric I brought back from Australia.  Our new grandsons quilt still isn't finished.....I know, pretty bad on my part......what can I say?  I have to be in the mood for projects, and the Aboriginal quilt is calling to me as it is easy hand stitching I can sit with on my lap.  I only have the border to do on the baby quilt but I just can't get in the mood to measure and cut fabric and dig out the sewing machine.  I have unfinished projects all over the house because I'm not inspired to work on them.  Is it only me who feels like this?  Do you have to be in the 'right frame of mind' to work on certain projects?  You can see some of the other projects that I should be working on listed on my Crafty Work in Progress page.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings, I'm off to cook the Sunday roast while 'the men' watch the football.  Crikey it sounds like the 1950's in this house.  Don't worry, they will be putting on the pinnys later to do the dishes.

Chickpea xx

It was the last day of the basket weaving course yesterday.  I will really miss it.  I have made three shopping baskets and a large platter which will look fabulous on the table filled with bread or fruit.  I love working with my hands but basket weaving is very hard on the hands.  It starting me thinking about the many people in the past who made their living from making baskets  Whole families would often be involved in growing and processing the willow and making the baskets. They would have taken great pride in their craft, but it would have been a hard way to make a living especially as you got older.   It would take me many years to be as skilled as them and I don't think my hands would be able to cope with it for many years.    Today there are few people who make their living from making baskets, cheap imports have taken over.  They will not last anywhere near as long as a proper willow basket made by a skilled person with care and pride.   I feel it is worth paying extra for something that will last, and help to keep the skills alive.














Work on the creaky floors and stairs continues, you probably think I live in an old house with all the creaking, but it is in fact 15 years old.  The problem has been the shoddy work by the builders.  There seems to be no pride in the work, it was all done in a hurry.  We are now having to take it all up and redo it properly before we put the house on the market.  It is the latest in a long list of jobs that we have done to bring the house up to scratch.  It baffles me how so called professionals can do such poor standard work without any feelings of guilt.  We fought the company who built our house and got compensation, but I just don't understand why they didn't do it right in the first place. Cutting corners didn't save them any money in the end.

We have been thinking about moving for many years but it has never been the right time for various reasons, including my health.  News that 800  houses and a supermarket are going to be built near us has spurred me on.  When we moved here we were on the outskirts of the city, now we are being engulfed by it.  I really don't know how the roads will cope with the extra traffic, there are huge queues in and out of the city now.  The houses will no doubt be thrown up in a hurry by a national company like ours was, causing problems for the owners for many years to come.

It seems a shame that now we have got the house up to scratch we are looking to sell it, also the whole process of buying and selling is incredibly stressful but I yearn to move back out into the countryside, preferably to an old house.

What do you prefer, old or new houses?

Chickpea xx

We don't get snow very often in Cornwall, it is because we have a 'maritime' climate, if I can remember my geography lessons correctly.  We do sometimes have snow on the high ground like Bodmin Moor.  Today I was at my basket making course which just happened to be on higher ground and it snowed! Of course I got all excited, then thought I had better get home in case I got stuck.  Thankfully I stopped to take some photos because by the time I had driven a mile there was no sign of snow at all.  As I drove though town with my snow covered car I felt like an explorer returning from some far land.  People were stopping to look at me, you could imagine them thinking 'where the heck has she come from'.  I have loved looking at all your photos of the snow, and I am thrilled to have some of my own.  O.K. it isn't a lot but it may well be all we get.  Sadly it doesn't look like I will be snowed in tomorrow and forced to have a duvet day.















We have had a busy weekend looking after the grandchildren.  On Saturday we took them to see Paddington which was enjoyed by both children and adults.  It is funny how young children, who don't yet know the etiquette of cinema going, talk excitedly about what is happening on the screen....very loudly.











Today I started a new basket, this time an oval which is a little more complicated to start.  I really enjoy the rhythm of basket making, and lose myself in the process.





The first daffodil has come into flower in my garden, I always love seeing the beautiful yellow splashes of colour with their promise of spring.

Welcome to new followers Kay, Irene, Penny and Leisha :)

Chickpea xx