This summer, the toddler twinnage and I are spending lots of happy time (and a fair ol’ portion of grumpy grizzly Mummy-I-Want-To-Go-Home-NOWWWWWW time) outdoors. Much of this hasn’t been compatible with knitting/crochet, but the toddler twinnage seem to be under the impression that I should actively parent them. So we’ve been to say hello to the rescue donkeys (where we met a pig who, rather confusingly, kept saying ‘woof’)…
…and I knitted my way to a music festival…
…where we met a talking meerkat riding a camel…
…and deep in the west Berkshire countryside, we listened to the ripping and chomping of a line of cattle systematically munching their way across a field…
…and back home, I discovered hazelnuts growing in the garden…
…and I lifted the first crop of potatoes, with the help of the toddler twinnage who have been trained to shout ‘SPUD’ whenever they see lurking vegetable-matter amongst the earth…
…and despite disliking both pink and roses, I grudgingly admired some pink roses in our garden…
…Oh, and remembering that we live in a brewery, the stoic spouse has bought a beer barrel with which to capture rain water…
…and we’ve visited my favourite grumpy statue, who is clearly Not Having A Good Day…
…and we watched terrapins sun themselves on the back of a hippo sculpture…
…and we talked to huge fish, who were much too misanthropic to reply…
…and do you remember the near-submerged statue I photographed when we were flooded up to our eyeballs here in Oxfordshire? (See quite far down the blog post.) Well now she’s re-emerged from the water, and a cheeky coot has made a nest on her. Can you see her sitting smugly atop her twiggy nest?
Coots are the squat, mindless little thugs of the river world. They paddle about, picking raucous fights for no reason, whilst the vastly more dignified great crested grebes glide disdainfully past. (Can you tell that I miss living on the banks of the river?)
Oh! Hang on! This is supposed to be a knitting/crochet blog, isn’t it?!
So… the knitted mandala grows stitch by stitch. 35 000 stitches down, 15 000 to go. When I’m done, I’ll need to wash and block this blighter, but I’m a tiny bit scared that the luscious Fyberspates green is so very rich and dark and inky that it’ll inflict all manner of colour-run horror on the innocent cream Wendy 5-ply. So I’ve swatched a random pattern, and I’m about to wash it with the added precaution of a ‘Colour Catcher’ sheet. Results (for example, me weeping) next post…
A lot going on in your part of the world, it was fun to read about your adventures. – Sharon
Thank you Sharon. 🙂 Yeah it was fun, but I wish I had your artistic talent. Anyone reading this, GO AND LOOK AT SHARON’S AMAZING PICTURES AND PAINTINGS! I think I love the climbing-up-a-raspberry one the best.
That statue clearly isn’t enjoying his book… perhaps a bit of yarn-storming would cheer him up! Anyway, the lady on the nest finally seems to have found somewhere dry.
I await the results of the dye-catcher with interest… I have used them successfully with ‘ordinary’ washing when I haven’t been entirely sure, but never with woolly things.
I’m too intimidated by the sheer grumpiness of that statue to risk yarn-bombing it! But I do harbour fantasies of knitting it a jolly little pink-and-yellow fairisle jumper.
Perhaps a fluffy scarf!?
Ha ha, yes! 🙂
I’m very disappointed in you. Why no video footage of the woofing pig? Good luck with the swatch test!n 😀
I tried to record the sound, I really did. But apparently woofing pig does not woof to order. I’m sure we’ll be back there within the next week or two so will try again. It honestly is quite surreal. She does literally say the word ‘woof’!
🙂
Good luck! So looking forward to seeing the finished mandala – no run hopefully! Wonderful photos of your out and aboutnesses – love that you have trained the twinnage to shout “Spud!” a most excellent use of toddlers 🙂
Yes, they have their uses as unpaid staff! 😉
It looks like you are all having a great time!
Yeah…. although I’m only showing you the good bits that didn’t go disastrously wrong.
😉
I could do a really BIG post of all the stuff that isn’t going well…
Ooh… those are tempting. My week has been unraveling rather steadily–if you do one mine won’t be far behind!
Eek, sorry to read that. I do tend to put all the happy cheery cherry stuff in here, as a way of escaping all the rubbish stuff. Hope your week improves sharpish.
Thank you! Maybe some more knitting…that helps me look on the bright side.
Oh so perfect!! 🙂 I’ve missed visiting your blog; you’ve cheered me up with this post . So glad that I visited tonight. Gotta catch up here….
Awww thank you. You’re very very kind. Welcome back. 🙂 Hope all is well with you?
Fingers crossed for a successful wash and block. Loved your photos and captions.
Thank you. 🙂
Beautiful pictures! Can’t wait to see the finished Mandala 🙂
Thank you! (After all this build-up, the finished mandala will probably be massively disappointing!)
Good luck with the wash! And I’m loving your commentary on the outdoor summer fun…so funny. 🙂
Thank you. We like to keep things bonkers round here. 🙂
Really nice post!!! I love pink roses!! LoL
And those potatoes are going to be delicious, Enjoy!!!?
Yup, the potatoes are indeed delicious. 🙂 And thank you for your kind words.
Oh god, good luck with the colourfastness. After all that work, it would be heartbreaking to have the colour run.
Love reading your chatty photo-full posts. I didn’t do a lot here, when it gets over 30 Celsius I feel like I’m wading through molasses!
Thank you! Eek, over 30 does sound quite extreme. Doesn’t happen very often in the UK. 25 is plenty, don’t you think?
Hazelnuts! Almost as good as spuds.
Yup! 🙂 Unfortunately the Stoic Spouse has just hacked down their tree. 🙁
OH NO!
Busy days! Your photos capture the fun very nicely–but how come it’s okay for you dislike pink but i not allowed to dislike purple? 😉 I have my fingers crossed that the mandala colors don’t run!
Because I’m an evil megalomaniac internet genius who has laid down the law that Pink Is Wrong and Purple Is Right.
Well, you did ask. 😉
That explains everything. 😀
Wonderful photographs! Busy days are the happiest ones right?
Regards,
Sindhu
Tantu
The Arts & Me
Yes, I agree about busy days. This wasn’t all on one day, though: I don’t think I have THAT much stamina! 🙂
I love how you describe the animals it is too funny. 🙂 Also I am amazed at your garden potatoes. I want to make a vegetable garden so badly. I’m also amazed at how much you get done with those twins keeping you busy.
Much Happiness,
Megan
Fab photos, thanks for sharing.
active parenting?!!! Where do these children get those ideas from these days? One does wonder. Do they not see that there are important things to knit and posts to write?
I do envy you for all these fancy animal adventures though. I am torn between the talking meerkat and the woofing pig as my favourite.
I like days with lots of variety in sounds, colors and textures. Thanks to your little ones you’re getting lots of that.
Completely agree. And yes, the small people make me get off my lazy backside and go and explore outdoors. 🙂
Sounds like a peach of an adventurous day.
Beautiful knitting. You must have nerves of steel and the patience of a Saint to be able to knit so fine and neat. Your toddlers are lucky to have such a creative Mom.
Your livestock photos are great.
The meerkat on the camel is just too cool for words.
The hazel nuts are lovely. I haven’t seen any in several decades. They brought back nice childhood memories.
Great looking batch of potatoes that you harvested. As creative and cheerful as you are, I knew you could be a success at gardening too.
The innocent beauty of a rose is very enchanting.
I like the idea of catching rain water. Are you going to use the water on your plants?
I agree, the statue looks quite grumpy.
The turtles and fish are so fun to see.
I like the Coot nest on the Lady of The Lake. It looks like she was designed for them. lol
All your photos are great and your post is fun.
Thanks for sharing your enjoyable adventures with us.
🙂