Howdy gang, here we are again. Much like last week I am sat looking out at the rain, I don't mind except it did mean we had to call off a sibling bike ride today. C'est la vie.
Here is me in my cosy home doing some cosy crochet:
This week I harvested two cucumbers:
And Ed and I made an excellent sourdough loaf:
I also made some flapjack to use up some muesli we had in the cupboard, I wouldn't allow myself to buy any yummy granola until I had made a dent in the muesli mountain. This was a good solution.
On Friday night I finally picked up a pencil after a very long time and tried to warm up by drawing some pictures I'd gathered on pinterest. This dreamy scene emerged:
Here are a couple of pretty cats I've spotted this week:
Remember this? A little embroidery piece where I've been counting the days of lockdown. I put it down a few weeks ago and so had to spend some time catching up on it this week. I'll pass it down to my grandchildren and they can keep it as a precious relic from the corona days.
An update on our one and only, spectacular, sunflower extraordinaire:
It is tall and splendid, and almost every time we look there are bees busy at work. Next year I want to have a whole bunch of the brilliant yellow beacons bedazzling the garden.
Remember the moth chrysalis I found whilst digging in the soil? Well here is the furry, brown fellow that emerged from it after a week or two:
Speaking of digging in the soil, we had a chance to make some progress on our garden makeover this week. We (mostly Ed) finished digging the border and adding some manure, and we've started planning which plants will go where. That's the fun bit! But due to the rain it might be a while until it gets going properly.
However, I did finally get round to planting something in my old, retired Dr Martens. They served me well but are now destined to live out the rest of their days as decorative planters in the garden, currently housing some nasturtiums (which I'm happy to say are recovering miraculously after the caterpillar infestation).
Here is a friend we made, he tried to come in from the garden with us:
And that brings us to the magnificent feast we created yesterday, a Nandos-esque meal for our last house group before two of my siblings move away for uni and work. It was very fun and we now have lots of leftovers in the fridge, win win.
Finally, as has become tradition, we shall finish with a picture of the the legend, the sweetest boy, Mr Tom the cat. He may look grumpy, but don't be fooled, he's just camera shy.
Bonjour again! I'm getting deja vu trying to start this post...I talked about the weather last week and how it had been almost wintery, well it changed again this week and we were back to blue skies and hot temperatures! I don't know what else to say except I feel like this week has consisted of knitting and watching tv.
Day 43 (Tuesday 5th May) - got up with my alarm for a change, made tea, emptied the dishwasher, listened to Concerto for a Rainy Day by ELO and it was raining, made notes for house group, breakfast and Friends, more notes, made my week 6 blog post, lunch and Friday Night Dinner, knitting, recorded worship songs with Ed, did some writing, roast chicken dinner, cuppa and Maltesers, watched a bit of tv and more knitting, then Ed and I watched Big Fish.
My assistant
Day 44 (Wednesday 6th) - went for a 2.5 mile run, prayed with Ed, brekkie and Friday Night Dinner, washed some clothes and hung them out to dry, posted another blog post, worked on notes for house group, lunch and Friends, went for a walk, knitting, pizza and The Good Life. Zoom house group! Followed by Paul Hollywood Eats Japan!
Day 45 (Thursday 7th) - chilled wake up, breakfast and The Great British Sewing Bee, fed the snails, got things out from the loft, worked on my Friends video, lunch and Bargain Hunt. Went to the house to do some jobs, came back and watched The Simpsons, curry for dinner, The One Show, Dad's homemade chocolate cake, clapped for carers, Ed and I went for a lovely dusk walk, then we watched a Louis Theroux zionist documentary and then stayed up researching Israel vs Palestine.
Day 46 (Friday 8th) - got up and went for a bike ride with Ed, came home and had sausage sandwiches with Dad and watched a documentary about African forests, I finished the Friends video, bought Hayley William's new album (Petals for Armor), lunch and Friday Night Dinner, published my video, worked on my blanket, repotted a Christmas cactus. Leftovers for dinner, The One Show, VE day programme, Gardeners' World, then also ended up watching QI (my first time).
Day 47 (Saturday 9th) - breakfast and Friends, knitting, reading, sewing whilst listening to Petals for Armor, lunch (bacon sarnies), more sewing, walked around the lake and it was so hot, saw 5 stock doves and loads of squirrels, and a woodpecker, and a heron, and a moorhen sitting on her nest with 3 chicks! Came home and watched Celebrity Mastermind, scampi for tea and watched the birds in the garden - 3 collared doves, starlings, sparrows, a robin and a goldfinch! Then a zoom quiz with friends, then watched American Gospel with Ed and stayed up late having a DMC about life and Christianity and worship etc.
Day 48 (Sunday 10th) *Ed and I decided to have a no phones day* - breakfast and cookery tv, church livestream followed by a zoom, lunch and Ainsley's Mediterranean Cookbook (we love Ainsley), had a phonecall from work and found out they are opening again. Gave Ed a haircut, planted some string of pearls cuttings, watered our seedlings, went for a walk and picked flowers, saw our fledgling doves from last week! Came home and ate a cookie and phoned my mum and siblings, knitting and watched a beautiful programme called Wild Japan, then ate eggy bread whilst watching Boris' announcement, made some sourdough and watched Friday Night Dinner.
Disclaimer: even though it was a no phone day I did use it to take a few snaps.
Day 49 (Monday 11th) - phoned John Lewis and arranged for our non-wedding wedding presents to be delivered, breakfast and Friday Night Dinner, knitting, mask-making and podcasts, baked our bread, lunch and Lorraine Pascal, more masks and music, went for a walk, macaroni cheese for tea!!! Yum pudding followed by Grayson's Art Club 💛💛💛 and Killing Eve.
DIY cute fruit facemask courtesy of youtube tutorials
More ramblings:
So after receiving a phonecall from my workplace I was expecting to be going back this week...I was all ready to call this my final lockdown update and enter the outside world, I even made myself a cute facemask. But plans have changed again and I can't go back after all! I imagine lots of people are in this situation, waiting on each phonecall and email with no idea when things will change and then change again. Also, Ed and I might not be able to get married until June at least. Trusting God in this time where everything feels unknown.
Tom has stopped sneezing which is great news.
The seeds which Ed and I sowed last week are doing well!
I only have 5 more squares to knit for my blanket and will give it a crocheted trim, then it will be finished! 5+ years of on and off knitting almost complete 🎉 Also, this week I picked up a piece of embroidery which I started back in August and then abandoned for 8 months. Hopefully I will find the motivation to finish it during lockdown!
One of the things I have been looking forward to most each week is Grayson's Art Club, it's honestly what keeps me going sometimes. It's so calming and I love Grayson and Philippa's relationship, it's nice to just feel like you're hanging out in their studio whilst they potter around and make stuff. It reminds me of being back at uni and having the space to talk about art and take it seriously but also have fun and be creative and silly.
Farewell, and stay safe if you're back to work this week! Meanwhile I'm gearing up for another week on the lockdown train, yee haw.
