...blue space therapy (Seahouses IV)

Last weekend I knitted my way through a skein of Lang Mille Colori Baby yarn, and made myself a rainbow-hued ear-warming headband to wear during another flying (three nights) visit to Seahouses. It's based on Martina Behm's Wolkig cowl pattern - I cast on the same number of stitches but just used smaller needles to get a closer fit. This yarn/pattern combo was so addictive, it practically knitted itself - the temptation to knit "just one more round" in those gorgeous shifting colours was far too strong!

Travelling to the beach at Seahouses is becoming increasingly like going on a pilgrimage to a sacred place for me - I always feel so happy and peaceful there. There might even be a scientific basis for this strong sense of well-being and contentment - it seems that being by water is good for body and mind, and I'm certain that this is true for me. Whether it's the wide open space, or the light, or the ever-changing landcape, or the white noise of the waves along the shore, there's something about this place that soothes my soul and makes me simply glad to be alive.

We arrived just after high tide on Monday afternoon, to find a fresh display of sculptural seaweed patterns on the sand...

...and then walked back along the lane to our holiday cottage as the sun went down across the fields.

The following morning we were back at the beach bright and early to take full advantage of the space at low tide. There really is nothing so breath-takingly beautiful as the perfect mirroring of that vast blue sky on the flat wet sand...

...unless its a having a perfect rainbow emerge through the clouds!

In the afternoon we had a stroll into Seahouses to pick up a few bits and pieces from the Co-op and sat for a while watching the comings and goings of boats in the harbour - whilst being expertly photo-bombed by the XXSCat dog.

The following morning found us back at the beach again, exploring sandscape forests...

...under soft, powder blue skies...

...and uncovering jewel-like treasures amongst the seaweed. 

Then we spent a cosy, relaxing afternoon, watching a DVD together while I knitted a small grey jumper for  a small grey rescued bear. 

The final morning was different again. With a pearly, cloud-filled sky overhead we had to look harder to find colour in the landscape...

...but this magical place never disappoints, and we found it in a wave-etched vista on this sandy, seaweed-strewn rock.

Although I'm happy to be home again after those few days away, I know that it will be only a matter of time before I'm headed North past Gormley's Angel for another healing dose of heavenly blue space and tranquility on that lovely beach. 

...civic pride and small-scale wonders

The Friday before last was Light Night in Leeds. We've been going along for a couple of years now, and each time I feel a little burst of pride in our city for making this wonderful (free) event possible. My favourite part of the experience is always the amazing animated projections which use iconic city centre buildings as enormous, interactive backdrops. This year was no exception, and glimpses of the magical transformations of the Queen's Hotel and the Civic Hall during Light Night 2019 can be seen below.

From large-scale projections to zoomed-in explorations, this week I've also been marvelling at the delicate tree-like structure of the veins in this well-rotted ivy leaf from the back garden... 

...and gloating over the 'blue eryngo' seeds I collected at the park, ready for sowing in the garden next year. 

I literally can't wait to feast my eyes on that prickly lilac-violet-lavender loveliness in my own back yard, and (hopefully) neither can the local bees!

Finally, a bit of whimsy - in the shape of a little wooden peg doll in a quirky hooded cape, from the 'Nestled' pattern by  Hunter Hammersen on Ravelry. I haven't decided whether to make a leafy sleeping bag to match just yet, but these spiky sweet chestnut seed cases make rather fetching accessories in the meantime.

...watching and making

This week I have been ever so slightly obsessed with a garden spider who briefly staked a claim on the patch of airspace outside my craft room window. She was about the size of my little finger tip - big enough for me to notice her busily completing her web, and to decide to go outside to investigate. This is what I found, strung across the 10ft gap between the two washing lines, about 8ft up in the air:

It took forever to get a decent photo - partly because she was moving so quickly, and partly because it was a very windy day. By the end of the afternoon the wind had torn the web apart and the spider had taken shelter under a leaf on the rose bush.

Meanwhile, indoors, I upcycled a knotted string belt - never worn with the garment it came with (due to the unfortunate 'sack of spuds' effect it created on me), but kept for the unusual shell beads, which were sure to come in handy for something! I sanded and painted the wooden beads and then restrung them on some waxed cotton cord to make a decorative pull-string for the bathroom light. Sure enough, those beads came in handy.

The following day the wind had died down enough for the spider to have reinstated her web, and I managed to get this shot of her against the trees...

...before "down came the rain and washed the spider out". She set up home temporarily in the space between the rosebush and the fence to wait for better weather.

Back indoors I got around to taking a photo of my completed Felix jumper, already worn and washed several times due to its comfiness. I am so pleased that I persevered with this project. I bought the yarn back in March when we had our trip to Haworth, and then deliberated for quite some time over choice of pattern. I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to making adult-size garments - I start off full of enthusiasm, and then boredom and/or self-doubt sets in and I end up abandoning/frogging them. This jumper was no exception. I got halfway down the body, began to question if it would fit/suit me and set it aside to focus on other things (assorted scarves and dolly jumpers!). So it languished for a couple of months in a half-completed state, making me feel guilty, before I had a stern word with myself and actually succeeded in finishing it. The fact that I like it enough to actually wear it makes me want to attempt another one. Perseverance definitely paid off. 

Speaking of which, a new day means a new web for an industrious garden spider, and the next one was a real beauty, with tightly woven spirals. As she was keeping very still, lying patiently in wait at the centre of the web, I managed to get this photo showing her lovely 'diadem' markings.

The following day the wind and rain had wreaked havoc with the web - only two thirds of it had survived. As I approached to have a closer look I must have inadvertently brushed against a trip wire, because the spider beat a hasty retreat to the rose bush, although she continued to monitor movement further down the line with one delicately outstretched leg.

Tonight, when I got home from work, the long strand of web spanning the washing lines was gone, and there was no sign of the spider. I'm hoping she's somewhere safe, perhaps preparing an egg sac in the ivy on the garage, where the spiderlings hatched in May. I'll miss watching her making her webs outside my window - wonder if she enjoyed watching my making too?!

...making hay while the sun shines

Last week marked the beginning of my phased return to work. I only had to be in the office for one day, so I made the most of the sunny weather and my few remaining days of 'freedom' with some serious pottering around in the back garden. One afternoon the garage got a long overdue de-cluttering. It's such a pity I didn't take a "before" photo, but I didn't know I was going to tackle it so thoroughly until I was more than half way through!  

The shelves at the back were hidden behind a mountain of accumulated "stuff" that needed sifting, sorting, putting away or taking to the dump, and this was also blocking access to the lockable storage chest where we keep a lot of the garden tools. So once I'd cleared a path to the shelves I got the hedge trimmers out and gave the hedge a bit of a tidy too!

This is the very hedge that so often features in the "chucked in a hedge artfully styled against a delightful leafy green backdrop" photos I take of my knitting projects, so it needs to be maintained!

I picked up a couple of cheap and cheerful punnets of pansies from Aldi to give the outdoor pots a slightly longer lease of life. I like to tuck them randomly into the gaps that appear when other plants are past their best and to see their jolly little faces peeping up at me from outside the kitchen window.

I was given several "get well soon" houseplants after the hip op, and I am trying very hard to keep them alive, so they got a team bath in the kitchen sink, after I'd filled the watering can for the pansies. They looked so happy to be soaking in the sunshine too!

My normal rule of thumb is to stick with cacti and other drought-tolerating plants indoors, as I so often forget to water them. The cacti and aloe vera plant below have spent the past twenty years hovering on the brink of death by dehydration, battling to survive against all odds. The cactus in the foreground even managed to muster flowers after being decapitated and replanted at a fraction of its previous size! I don't really like these plants all that much, but I have to admire their grit and tenacity, and feel they've truly earned their place on the windowsill. As for the "get well soon" bunch, only time will tell! 

I'm so grateful for that sunshine last week. The weather has turned cooler, with grey skies and rain now, just as my phased return is starting to pick up pace. I'll be working three days per week for the next two weeks and will be back on full time hours by the second week in October. Soon all this time in recovery will seem like a distant dream! I like Autumnal weather, and it's good to be back with my team at work, but I'm glad to have been able to spend those last few days in the sun before returning to life in the real world!

...bathroom bliss, fabulous flora, and a miniature monster

The bathroom is all but finished! We still need to paint the newly plastered walls, and we're awaiting delivery of a couple of doors for the new boiler cupboard, but the builders (and all their mess) have departed, the skip is gone from the drive, and my house feels like a home again. A home with an enormous and very luxurious bath tub in it! We may need to draw up a rota if the current rate of usage continues!

Yesterday morning we made time for a walk at the park - there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, just lovely, mild, near-autumnal sunshine and the last of the summer wildflowers to feast my eyes on. 

The juxtaposition of Poppy Red and Cornflower Blue was such visual perfection it literally sent ripples of pleasure down my spine!

Then yesterday evening I took these equally (but for different reasons) spine-tingling photos of a moth, hypnotised against the glass outside the landing window. It was probably only an inch long in real life, but up close that tightly coiled proboscis and those vicious-looking leg spurs are really quite terrifying to behold...

...especially in ghostly black and white, like something out of a Victorian Gothic horror story!

...WOYWW. The One With the Ladybird

Spied this little lady beetle as I was picking blackberries in the garden yesterday. They are such cheery-looking insects aren't they? With those cute red and black-spotted wing covers they're welcome to come and munch on my greenflies any day!

The workmen have now shifted their attention to the upstairs bathroom, which is being tiled as I type. I am hoping (with all my fingers and toes crossed) that they will be able to finish the job this week. I am beyond tired of the mess and disruption, as well as feeling my home is not my own. The XXSCat Dog is hilarious. She leaves for the day (to stay at my Mum's house) as soon as the workmen arrive, and then returns home to inspect their progress after they've gone. She is clearly unimpressed by all the upheaval too, and usually has a good bark at any tool-boxes and buckets that have been left behind. They do say that dogs come to resemble their owners...

I've decided it's safe to start removing dustsheets from my work room now that most of the mess is being made upstairs. This morning I emptied the shelves on the back wall and washed/dusted everything, as we didn't get the chance to protect this area from the tile dust clouds in Week One. It's nice to restore some order, although I did have to question why we need 10 assorted wine glasses when we're practically teetotal and never throw dinner-parties! 

For this week's show and tell with Julia all that's currently on my re-emerging workdesk is my thuggish-looking baby doll (rescued from a charity shop to add to the toybox I use with children at work). He/she finally has his/her own outfit - custom-knitted bootees, a cardigan, and a hat with disproportionately large bobbles for added cuteness. Sometimes, when the going gets tough and the workmen are getting you down, the best you can do is make little doll-hat bobbles! 

I'm starting my phased return to work next Wednesday, so what will be on the workdesk after that is anyone's guess. So much harder to make time for making when you're busy earning a living!