Unusual Hobbies - #BEDN Day Seven

Great start to the Blogging Challenge – I have missed two days already! In fairness I have had a busy couple of days and now #1 son has come to visit from University so I am enjoying his company for a few precious hours!

I am sad that I missed the ‘Firework’ prompt. I thought long and hard about how I had no interesting (read ‘in focus’) firework pictures. Instead I had a post all planned out about Guy Fawkes and how pictures of his pre and post torture signatures had inspired my rather gruesome interest in mediaeval torture instruments. Now, don’t get me wrong – I wasn't interested in a weird way, more a horrified fascination... I realise now I am digging a hole so maybe I should move on to a different prompt!

Before and After - Image from Google Images

Today’s is ‘Unusual Hobbies’ (which could include the above?) Hmm – I have lots of hobbies. In fact I drive my family to distraction by my short attention span when it comes to trying new things. In fairness I like to dabble and will, more often than not, come back to something when it once again takes my fancy. I did try asking them what they considered to be my most unusual hobby and these were the answers I got:

Who could not love a face like this? Most of my family apparently...

• ·         Taxidermy – I have quite a collection and have had a go at a few things myself. I also have a few specimens in the freezer which is always good for a laugh when my daughter is trying to find the fish fingers! (joke) 
• ·         Spinning wool – I have been trying to teach myself to spin yarn on a wheel. I'm not great but it’s quite therapeutic. The problem is I am not very good at knitting.
• ·         Collecting Ugly Cats – My Mum used to collect Crested China and had a beautiful display case full of it. I never quite got into it in the same way but did discover that there are a number of quite startling cats produced so I limited my collection to these lovely creatures. I have to keep them in my room though as no one else seems to appreciate their happy faces!
• ·         Bee Keeping – possibly not that unusual but it is usually a talking point when people find out.

 

Well I guess this post will have either intrigued or scared people – I think I might be a bit worried to ask which!

Feeling Mellow....

There have been some spectacular sunrises.

I absolutely love this time of year. The days are getting a little shorter, the mornings a little cooler and everything a little more mellow. I love the feeling of slowing down and reflection – of preparing for the coming cold days. I love the harvest and making things with what we’ve grown or gathered.

I don’t have an actual post for this week – nothing of great importance to share. Instead, here are some pictures of the things I have been enjoying!

We have been trying hard to hang onto the holiday feel by recreating some cream teas. Homemade scones, homemade jam and the chance to use my vintage china!

I have been trying to catch up with some friends - this isn't one of them... we had a great knight! (ha ha ha)

The allotment and garden have been producing some delicious things. These potatoes were not purple all the way through, much to my disappointment. We've had beans, sweetcorn, chard, more beans, potatoes, pears, apples, beans, courgettes... did I mention the beans?? I have been preparing the beehives for the Winter too - ensuring everything is ready to give them the best chance through the cold weather. I have been brave enough to go up on my own a couple of times and I can honestly say it is such a mindful activity.

This time of year sees lots of agricultural and country shows. I didn't manage to get a lot of photographs due to various technical mishaps but we have enjoyed Uffington and Wychwood amongst others. I have been inspired by the crafts and chatted to some lovely people too.

My latest experiment... we have been doing a major clear up at work and this beauty was uncovered. I decided to borrow it to clean up and fix and then learn how to use it. I have had a go at cleaning fleece, carding it, rolling it into rolags and learning to use the spinning wheel. So far, so good. I am finding it very therapeutic and enjoyable. My yarn is very lumpy still and I am coming across lots of problems but it is my goal to produce something knitted which I have made myself from raw fleece to finished product. Watch this space :)

It's all about The Good Life (and raspberries)

Gooseberry and Mint Jam.

Well, so far so good with my ‘half hour allotmenting’ plan! I have been up there every night – I have even managed to drag a variety of family members up with the promise of “It’ll only be half an hour-tops”.

My useful book divides the half hour up into a list of jobs in descending order of importance. Picking, planting, weeding, watering then digging. In fairness I have struggled to get much beyond ‘picking’ as the raspberries and gooseberries have gone mad. Now, I like a raspberry or two but this is getting blooming ridiculous. I have made raspberry jam galore, raspberry jelly (that didn’t turn out so well), raspberry ice cream and raspberry crumble. Not to mention raspberry muffins and raspberry eton  mess. I am now scouring books for other interesting raspberry recipes to ring the changes a bit!

My raspberry collection device - proving most handy!

I tackled the gooseberries today. They aren’t my favourite fruit either to eat or to harvest (my poor arms) but I figured that as we had inherited a few bushes on the plot it was the least I could do to try and put some to good use. I have made a batch of gooseberry and mint jam and the rest we are turning into alcohol J I’m assured that gooseberry wine is very lovely indeed.....

DH wields the uncapping fork!

With all the picking and making it does all seem a little ‘Good Life’ round here but I am loving it! We managed to extract about 15lbs of honey from one of our hives which was an added bonus as we didn’t expect any. Fingers crossed there might even be a little more before the end of the season.  The garden is also producing well – broad beans are coming in and the ruby chard looks almost too beautiful to eat! Some things are struggling though – all the squashes are very behind and I don’t think we will see much from them this year. The courgettes are tiny (which isn’t a bad thing!) and the runner beans are only just making their way up the poles. I have even picked some sweet peas to enjoy in the house after I read somewhere that they produce far more flowers if you pick them regularly.

Well, off to create more exciting things with a raspberry – I’ve just seen something called a ‘miniature raspberry and basil financier’......I’m assuming it is for eating and not offering sound financial advice but I will let you know!

The Power of Positive Thinking

Pussy Willow and Blue Skies.

What a beautiful weekend. The glorious weather seems to have lifted everyone’s spirits and I have definitely seen a new enthusiasm especially in the garden. But more of that later. I’ll get my confessional moan out of the way first :)

This last week has been a challenge for me in lots of ways. It has got me thinking about the kind of thoughts I have and how they impact on the way I feel. I have actually had a fantastic week at work – done things that have put me outside my comfort zone and been thrilled with the results. I have run training on my own, organised team days, led meetings and started all manner of new projects. Outside of work I even managed a lovely night out with DH, a meal and trip to the cinema. BUT.... I did make one mistake. Admittedly it was a fairly big one but it was dealt with and sorted and I owned up and made good. So, why did this one thing overshadow the rest of all the good stuff that happened this week? I have had to actually force myself to recognise all the positives and yet still this one negative kept jumping up and waving its little arms, shouting  “don’t’ forget the stuff up! Don’t forget the mistake you made!” This has had a huge impact on everything else. I have felt bad, eaten too much, didn’t make the effort to go to the gym, watched too much TV and generally wallowed in self pity.

Blossom in the garden.

So this morning I decided enough was enough. I was up early, at the gym for opening time then came home via the allotment so I could admire the work that DH did there yesterday while I wallowed. Hooray for rotavators! Once home I did a few yoga stretches to clear my mind (note to self, do not do this in the same room as a teenager watching Pewdie Pie videos) and gave myself a stern talking to. I then vowed to spend the day doing nourishing and positive things. DH and I went for a long walk across the fields to check how our beehives have fared overwinter. There honestly is nothing like nature to put you in a better frame of mind. All the budding leaves and wildlife. We saw butterflies, bugs, herons, buzzards, rabbits, so many things. And to make it even better it would appear that two hives still have signs of bees. This was totally unexpected as we thought we had lost them all. We won’t peek inside just yet but the signs are good! Later we will make our lists of seeds for the allotment and garden. I love this part of the year, all the promise of good things to come :)

At last - some dry weather!

Busy little bees - not that you can see them here!

To finish off the day I have a meal with the whole family planned and then I am going to settle down with a glass of something nice and lose myself in the world of Mr Selfridge for a hour. After that? Bed and positive thoughts of all the good things I have to be grateful for. And “meh” to the odd mistakes that I might make along the way.....