Beginning and end of the week….

What else is there to talk about this week but the British weather, our national pastime! Well, we had a beautiful day here this last Monday, it was cold with no sunshine but at least no rain. It has been so wet over the past week and dull, so it was good to get out for a walk without having to put on full waterproof gear! I had to take Beanie to the vet for his annual check up and injections, and as his treat (well my treat really) for being good we walked by the river. I can't quite believe that he is 10 years old this week!

With all the rain we have had recently the river was high and flowing very fast. I could stand and watch for ages, it is quite mesmerising watching the water tumble and rush around the rocks.

There are some quite deep pools which are great for swimming when the weather is hot in the summer.

We even had some sunshine in the middle of the week. I was held up in the lane waiting for the sheep to turn into the farm. They had just been bought down from the fell.

Then on Friday we woke up to a little snow falling! It snowed on and off most of the morning, some times lovely big flakes were falling …..

the poor horses in the field behind the house came to shelter by the kitchen window

Then it cleared a little and we had some blue sky for a while. We went out for a walk late afternoon, caught a lovely sunset and then set off up the hill….

…. Beanie loved the snow, but hated the way it clumped on his paws, he had to keep stopping to try and bite it off, so we didn't go too far with him.

We saw a few sheep on the fell and lots of animal tracks in the snow, and then on the way back down again …. 

…… we saw the sheep from earlier in the week being taken back up to the fell again...

….. just as the snow started to fall again!

Hope you are keeping warm.

Fingerless gloves now finished - and other yarny projects

I managed to finish the cream coloured fingerless gloves to give to my friend as a christmas gift - but forgot in my rush to take a final photo. I bought the pattern on line from Churchmouse yarns and used alpaca dk wool and as suggested added little shell buttons on the cuffs. I did add a little extra length to the cuffs just to make sure they would tuck under the sleeves of a jacket, as I hate it if there is a little gap.

Then I continued to finished the first pair - the ones I had started when I was trying to work out the pattern. This pair were to be a birthday present for another friend!

I have another knitting project to complete - the jumper that I started last year, but had to pull back and start again as I just didn't have enough yarn to finish the very last few rows. I would like to get this finished now before I start anything else. 

Then I have a couple of exciting projects to start! I had two lovely yarny gifts from the girls for Christmas. The 'Cottage ripple blanket' pack by Lucy from Attic 24 - I can't wait to get started on this! but I think it will be a bit of a longer term project …...

….. and also something quite different for me - some lovely fluffy Sidar Snuggly yarn and a pattern to knit a teddy bear. I think this will test my concentration, but the idea is that it will be a gift for a new baby due around easter time to my nephew and his partner. 

So I'd better get a move on!!

Interesting train travel!

Normally when Clara comes home on the train we pick her up from local mainline stations at Lancaster or Kendal - but being an enterprising student again she managed to get a ticket from London to the nearest station to us for just £10!!! As the crow flies the distance to this station at Dent is only about 5 miles - but as its a bit up hill and down dale to get there it takes a while. We arrived to collect her in mist - I think we were actually in the cloud! and waited a few minutes for the train to arrive. We had actually never been to the station before and it seems quite an interesting place - it is on the Settle to Carlisle Railway and in the Yorkshire Dales National Park - and I didn't realise that it was the highest mainline station in England - what a claim to fame!

End of the holiday now and Clara is back in London for Uni again. She didn't return from Dent - but from another small local station at Wennington, which is on the Morecambe to Leeds line. I'm glad she is doing her bit to keep the small stations open!

Christmas and New Year

A very happy time was had by all. The star of our day was Beanie - such a photogenic and happy dog! With his new collar and a new toy - he was kept amused all day.

New Years Eve was very quiet this year. Molly had travelled back home during the day, and Clara and a couple of her friends came over to our house to cook and see in the New Year. They made fresh linguine pasta with a lovely aubergine sauce - trying out a recipe from the Yotam Ottolenghi book 'Plenty More'. Clara's friend had made chocolate and pistachio semi-freddo - so they were well fed!

J and I were invited out for a meal with our dearest friends and we had a lovely evening together. Good food and conversation - the best end to 2014 - and a great start to the new year!

Wishing you all the very best for 2015.