Basildon Park March 2022

Every year, for Christmas, my Mum gives us National Trust membership. If you aren't in the UK and maybe don't know what that is ... it is an organisation that looks after hundreds of historic properties and estates in the UK. Here's the blurb from their website  ... 

"We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. We look after hundreds of houses and close to a million objects, along with vast areas of coastline, countryside and green spaces, for everyone’s benefit. With our staff, members, volunteers and supporters, we’re the biggest conservation charity in Europe."

We are fortunate enough to have at least 6 NT properties within an hour's drive of home, so we get plenty of use from our membership, and we also use it when we go to visit my family in Northern Ireland. For a few years we had a break from it as the children became teenagers and no longer enjoyed the visits, but now they are old enough to leave at home while Mr EC and I plus the dog go and enjoy a lovely walk. It does make me very sad that the teenagers no longer want to come with us, but it is the way of things and I suppose they have to grow up, although I wish it wasn't so! Sometimes Miss 14 comes with us though so I am clinging onto that while it lasts.

Yesterday we paid a visit to Basildon Park, which is our favourite local NT property. I've blogged about it before (here and here) and I feel my photos from yesterday's visit aren't quite up to scratch, but I always find it hard to take pictures when we have the dog with us! I think possibly she pulls us along so I feel I can't take my time.

Basildon Park has 4 mapped out estate walks to follow - we decided to follow the blue route which is a 1.5 hour walk. It's only 2.5 miles but very muddy with a lot of hills so feels longer.

The blue route follows around most of the periphery of the estate, the scenery is very varied; there are lots of rolling fields, woodland areas, tumbling-down walls covered in ivy, and narrow pathways.

You remember I said Miss 14 sometimes comes with us ? Yesterday was one of those days, and she agreed quite happily to come along. Well despite her agreement to come she was in true stroppy teenager mode (no idea why) and insisted on walking a good 50 yards ahead of us at all times. In the photo below you can see her in the distance if you zoom in!

There was lots of evidence of spring about ....

We went off-piste a bit and got a tiny bit lost, but eventually we ended up back at the house...

It was so nice to see some blue sky, and have a dry day with little to no breeze, after a few weeks of rain and storms. And much as we love bringing the dog with us it does mean we can't then visit the cafe afterwards! Boooo! And its still a bit cold for al fresco coffee, so we just headed home.

In crochet news, crochet man is coming along, his limbs are now attached ... 

... and today I started his jumper. I had some Stylecraft Special DK in Meadow left over from a previous project, and I decided to use that. The brief was for a dark green jumper but Meadow was all I had to hand (the fact I have a ridiculous amount of stash in the loft is neither here nor there ....). Anyway the small amount of Meadow is pretty definitely too small, I ended up playing yarn chicken, and then had to stop altogether, to make dinner.

I'm pretty sure I won't have enough Meadow left to finish the other arm, so I had a root around in another cupboard and found this ball of Cypress, which, on reflection, is a much better green for a brief of dark green, so I think tomorrow I'll be making up a whole new jumper and frogging the Meadow one. Oh well! I'll just consider the Meadow one to be a practice version!

Til next time,

Jillxxx

Works in Progress

Oh dear, one post a year isn't very frequent is it ?! Regular, yes, but not frequent. But anyway, here I am, back with some hooky happenings (and other stuff) to share with you. 

Before Christmas I worked on, and completed, my Yuletide blanket by Lucy of Attic24. It was a  pure joy to work on, all those luscious Christmassy colours, it really was delicious. Out of laziness (I didn't want to count every round) I decided to make mine in a simple granny square pattern, instead of Lucy's actual pattern. Here are some pics of the finished item, I hope you'll agree that it's gorgeous!

... and speaking of Attic24, I've also been working on the latest Attic24 CAL - the Harbour Blanket. The colours in this one are so jolly and vibrant, it has really cheered me up, working on it through the dreariness of January and February. Its a 6-part crochet-along, I am nearly finished with part 5, so only part 6 and then the border to go....

.... I'm also working on a crochet minion (as you do), its from a kit that hubby bought me ages ago in Aldi. Oh and do you like my mug .....

... it was a birthday present a few years ago. Pretty perfect though:)

My last piece of crochet news is that I'm working on a crochet man! No, not life-size, this one will be about 30cm tall, he is a request from a local children's charity for a man that looks like one of their members of staff! I'm using patterns out of this wonderful book Edwards Crochet Doll Emporium by Kerry Lord.

It has over 20 heads and 20 bodies that you can mix and match. Here you can see the head and body that I've selected to work on.

I'll be making him bald though and changing the colours of his clothes to match the charity's uniform, and also doing away with the scarf. Here are a couple of progress pics ....

As you can see he is coming along nicely!

One of the other bits and pieces I've got on the go is a Christmas cross-stitch. Yes I know its over and that is precisely why I have stopped working on it and can't seem to find my stitching mojo. But oh well, maybe once I finish the harbour blanket I will pick it up again. 

I've been messing about with junk journals too, and my desk has got lots of crafty bits out. I've been making these little flowers...

... to go on these shabby tags ...

... and faffing about cutting these little pockety envelope things out ...

I'll hopefully have more of these junk journal bits and pieces to show you in my next post, along with a completed crochet man!

Til next time,

Jillxxxx

New Beginnings

Hello and  Happy New Year to you all !! I hope you had a calm and peaceful, relaxing one; we did. We spent the evening on a zoom call with 5 or 6 groups of friends, we played Countdown and bingo and had a quiz: very different from the usual party we go to, but lots of fun nonetheless. There was lots of laughter and plenty of bubbly.

Since New Year our weather has been very dry but cold and I've been doing lots of walking so I've decided to sign up for another 200km this month.

I've managed to get out for a walk pretty much every day, sometimes with Pixie, sometimes with hubby, sometimes with both, and sometimes with friends.

Often I walk past "spoonville", a little area where lots of local children have "planted" decorated wooden spoons. This initiative began during the first lockdown and continued to grow all through the summer months.

A lot of the spoons are looking a bit worse for wear after being there for so long - the elements have taken their toll - but a few are still looking at least a little decorated, including the rather resplendent Father Christmas, which is obviously quite a recent addition.

A local lady has put together a "gingerbread trail" for the children to follow, here's one of the gingerbread men - actually this one is a gingerbread girl ... the trail is made up of laminated mini-posters attached to lampposts. We also had a Halloween trail and a scarecrow trail last year.  I love that there is so much for the children to look out for to help get them outside with a purpose. 

There is also a house that I pass that has decorated its front tree with lot of hama bead decorations. The lady who lives there has made them for children (and some adults!) to spot whilst walking. They certainly brighten up the otherwise bleak landscape.

 

I say bleak landscape, but there are always bright splashes of colour to be found if you look hard enough.

And some houses still have outside Christmas decorations up, I particularly like this very wintery tree with its beautiful silver baubles...

Back indoors, my hyacinth plant is looking rather marvellous .....

The blooms are so massive I've had to string it up a bit and prop it up against the window to keep from falling over. It probably needed a bigger pot but I never got round to replanting it. I think it looks pretty amazing though  actually and it smells divine.

Meanwhile there is plenty of crafting going on. As is my usual style I have tons of projects on the go and am starting a couple of new ones too. I'm just about to start a year long needlework "blackwork" project. This is where you stitch a repeating pattern, traditionally in one strand of black embroidery floss, though this particular project has muted rainbow colours - how gorgeous will this be at the end of the year.... each block is a different colour and pattern, with the patterns being released weekly by peppermint purple.

I decided that I'd do this project from my stash, and not buy any new floss for it, so I had to delve into my little wooden embroidery floss box thingammy which I inherited from my friend's Mum.

It needs a bit of a sort out, though I was able to find all the colours I wanted to use.

The other new project I am starting is the Meadow Cal from Lucy at Attic24. The first section is being released today, so I'll be working on that over the weekend no doubt. Just look at those colours - gorgeous...

And finally Gaynor, who runs my local crochet group, the Barkham Hookers, is going to be doing a chunky poncho Cal which I'd like to have a go at as well. I don't have a link for that, but when I do I''ll share it with you. Its going to involve some serious stash diving as I have a lot less chunky yarn and have no idea where it is. It could get very messy ......

I'm still working on my stitchonomy SAL ... look at the little reindeer  aren't they so cute!

... and work continues on the Christmas cross-stitch. I rather suspect t will turn out to be an Easter cross-stitch though, what with all the other projects going on. I am very far from being a monogamous crafter.

My Triana Shawl is getting quite big now ...

... I'm onto the last skein of yarn, oh I can't tell you how excited I am to finish this one and get it blocked, its so soft and gorgeous.

Well, I'm just off for another wintry walk - its very very cold today and threatening to snow - it will only be a little I'm sure, but its trying !!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

Jillxxxxx