Yarn Along!

Joining in with Ginny...

It's a quiet week in the Bungalow. Husband is under the weather, and Sausages is having a tough time with bedtime. What I mean by that, of course, is that we're all having a tough time at bedtime! It's been a demanding month for him: Husband going back to work after a summer that must feel like forever when you're two; a new playschool, which he loves and is stretching him in good ways; Mummy slowing down and not up for all the usual japes; and new swimming lessons where he has to go in without Mummy. This latter has probably been his biggest challenge, and he started the week before he turned three. He's a year younger than the other children in the class, and desperately wants to take part and do what they do, but is also quite nervous of doing it! I've been so proud to see him manage this in the last four weeks, getting braver and more independent every lesson, while I wobble on the poolside.

Back to the task in hand! The new playschool is further from home, so mostly I run errands in the local town, and find a bit of time for myself. This has meant more reading time, hurrah! This week I am reading Mayim Bialik's account of her own attachment parenting experiences. It's been a really good read for me. She and I agree on pretty much everything, but have gone about some things differently. It's like discussing the topics with another mum, but without worrying about offending or misunderstanding each other. Understandably, emotions often run high during discussions of parenting approaches! Dangerously, she has included topical recommended reading, some of which has found its way into my amazon basket this week. Oops! The scarily orange knitting is going to be a pumpkin hat for Sausages, by way of a costume for a Hallow'een party he has been invited to. There's no pattern, just a vague idea of shaping using purl columns, but I think it's going to be too small for his large head. Very orange toddler pumpkin hat, anyone?

Having Husband at home on the sofa in front of a film has meant that Sausages isn't climbing all over me today, so this morning I have put a Christmas cake in the oven, and a red cabbage in the slow cooker. That will cook all day, then be stuck in the freezer for Christmas dinner (if it makes it that far). In fact, it's so delicious I'm going to share the ingredients with you:

1 red cabbage

1 red onion

2 cooking apples

a slug of red wine

the juice of an orange

mixed spice

brown sugar

The quantities? Oh, I'm afraid I don't really cook that way, it's what I have in, or left over, or can scrump! I often freeze it in smaller batches, and defrost one every time I make a shepherd's pie with leftover roast lamb. The juices and cabbage are just perfect cooked in with the meat. I hope you have a go and enjoy it!

E

Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny, here's what I'm reading and knitting this week!

Chouette is finally finished, and awaiting a pepping-up block before it pops off to its intended recipient. This is the biggest size, but still knitted comfortably on my "hat needle," so it's a convenient little project (when you don't have a yarn aversion!)

The red leaves I am knitting will hopefully be part of a selection I want to put together to make an autumnal display with Sausages. They're a bit cute, if you excuse the loose ends and desperate need for blocking. I have a couple of different leaf patterns, and will be looking for an acorn or similar. We've really enjoyed stomping in the leaves recently, especially on our walk with Mammar at Wandlebury Woods. This is a great day out, lots of lovely space to walk around, £2.50 parking for the day, and the odd charming resident...

Reading wise I am just coming to the end of Anchee Min's Katherine, the story of an american woman's time living in China. I can't bring the dates to mind, but it's basically an exploration of the harsh reality of post-Mao China and the naivete of the Western incomer. It's not terribly deep, but it will do me for now!

I've been chatting this week with my lovely Kangaroo Mummy friends about how we live frugally, so I thing a serious frugal post is due this week, but right now we have to go to big boy swimming lessons (Mummy sits on the side, doncha know!), so I'll be back soon to talk with you about my beloved slow cooker, and other domestic economies!

E

Yarn Along with Ginny

Joining in with Ginny and her friends!

It's been a busy week in the Bungalow. Husband and Sausages have the same birthday, so that involves an annual extravaganza of cards, presents and cake, as well as visits from friends and family. I always suggest a BBQ, and Husband always overrules me. This year they both had some friends over, but sadly I am still too sicky to do a proper party tea, and they had to make do with everything bought in. Except cakes. When I was giving birth to Sausages (actually when I was pushing, since we had been assured that his premature birth could be prevented and had believed it until right at the end, when it became apparent that this wasn't going to be the case!) Husband made me promise that there would always be separate birthday cakes. Apparently sharing your birthday is one thing, but sharing your birthday cake is quite another! I seem not to have taken a photo of Sausages' cake, but here is a little peek of Husband's:

Can you guess? Yes, it's the ever-popular chocolate Guinness cake. I did the harp myself. I'm pretty chuffed. Thanks to the fabulous help of The Outlaws and my sisters the boys had a lovely day and there was plenty of food. Sausages received lots of lovely presents, including a Lightning McQueen scooter Husband picked up on Freecycle. Here he is learning to use it with Grandad:

There has finally been a bit more knitting for me! Yay! The rainbow on the left is the first thing I am knitting for the new baby (Madge), and on the right is the Explorer's Vest I started eons ago. I'd love to finish it soon for Sausages, but just taking the knitting one day at a time at the moment. The Craft-A-Day was a birthday present for Sausages from Auntie Wooodle, and contains a project for every day of the year, with weekly themes. It's a bit repetitive, but sometimes you do just need something to get you started, and all of the projects are charming.

The Handbuilt Home comes from the authors of this blog, which Husband and I have been admiring. It is full of lovely projects, and I've put in my requests! A lot of Husband's other presents were DIY related, so I have high hopes. First on my wishlist? Shelving in the boiler room/airing cupboard. Storage in the Bungalow is a nightmare! I have no idea where we will find space for a whole extra person's stuff!

This last book is what I'm seriously reading at the moment. David Attenborough is one of my favourite people ever. People I know refer to him as "my David." Sausages has started at a new preschool in a nearby town, and since the sessions are short I am so far just hanging out in that town while he is there, curling up in an armchair in a coffee shop with My David. Bliss! I'll leave you with a little treat for anyone who's ever lived with small children or been to my house; the instructions on the side of one of Sausages' jigsaws, that caught my eye while we were playing trains this morning. Have you seen it yet?

Summer of Fun Part II

Last post I mentioned some of the activities we squeezed into July of Sausages' Summer of Fun. Here are some of the things we managed for August!

Several trips to the fabulous adventure playground at Ickworth. We really make good use of our National Trust membership, making many weekend family visits, and well as Sausages and I going during the week most weeks.

Sausages has rediscovered painting, sticking and drawing this summer, after a long time of not being interested. This is a great joy to me! We have made sooo much mess, but it's great to see his creative ideas forming and his fine motor skills improving every day.

We took a train in to London to visit my brother and his partner for a weekend. Both of my sisters and my parents came along. It was very much worth taking the train rather than the car. Sausages LOVED the train, especially going through tunnels, and going down the "magic stairs" to the underground. We picnicked in the park and on the South Bank, where Sausages really enjoyed walking over the Thames, waving to the boats, and riding on a beautiful roundabout. This was a big step forward for our timid boy, who is mysteriously frightened of riding on swings, and doesn't like you to put a coin in the ride-ons outside supermarkets!

We revisited an old favourite, Blue Reef Aquarium, and treated ourselves to fish and chips on the seafront for lunch, where we watched boats sailing by. Sausages loves the aquarium, and would happily spend an entire week there, getting nose-to-nose with the rays, stroking the starfish at the rock pool experience, and running through the tunnel. Husband hates it, and is very sweet about taking us there.

We visited Uppark, another great National Trust property with fantastic grounds. This was a really family friendly day out. There were long underground tunnels, where Husband and Sausages pretended they were an octopus in the sling...

...lots of open space for running around, and games equipment provided...

...and a fine supply of different benches for our connoisseur!

We also had a fabulous day out at Portsmouth Historic Dockyards, which was a big treat from The Outlaws. The grown-ups really enjoyed the new Mary Rose museum, which I cannot say enough good things about. The amount of artifacts available is truly amazing, and the museum has been so well put together. Sausages' favourite parts were HMS Victory, where there are a lot of interactive exhibits perfect for small boys. In the picture below he is sitting at a table where the sailors would have eaten, which was laid with wooden bowls and spoons, and replica weevily biscuits. Next to the Victory there was a nice water play, with pumps and other toys. That wore him out, so the grown-ups got to enjoy another museum while he slept in the sling. That investment has truly saved our summer!

On our way home from Portsmouth we met up with some of Sausages' little friends at Wimpole. This is another great day out for small children. There is a large park to run around in, and even a farm on site, although the entrance is not covered by National Trust membership.

The boys have had a fabulous summer together. We are so lucky to have Husband home for such a chunk of time in the summer, even if it isn't the six weeks that teachers are rumoured to have! They are so lucky to have this time with no pressure to just enjoy each other's company. Here they are making mince out of the end of a leg of lamb. Men, using machines!

If you have children at home, what have you done with their summer time? The lessons I have learned from the Summer of Fun are: that a toddler carrier is absolutely indispensable where there are distances to be walked or crowds to be negotiated; and that every other day should be a rest day. Sausages has been so tired out by this summer, and has even resumed a day time nap. The sling was essential for carrying him, especially when he was tired, or needed to be held on to, because there were lots of people or breakable objects. It also helped him to be able to see things that were designed for adult audiences, and to have a conversation with us face to face when it was noisy. A buggy would have kept him separate from us in these situations, and they're so awkward! Our sling is a toddler ABC, and although Sausages is now right at the top of the weight bracket, and no longer knee-to-knee, it's very hard wearing and will probably last us until it's no longer necessary for occasional lifts. I can't carry Sausages any more, because he weighs over 20kg and my pregnant spine just can't handle it, so I'm really looking forward to getting to use this carrier when the next baby is big enough!

I hope you've all had fantastic summer breaks, even if it was just a long weekend, and are looking forward to the change in seasons to come.

E

New Challenges

I have been a bit quiet for the last few months. I just had a look at my previous post, and was a bit surprised to find that it was from all the way back in June! It's been a tough time in the Wailliewaillie household, because I have had awful morning sickness, and poor Husband has had to step into the breach and look after us all in every way. He is wonderful, but he is tired and frustrated with the situation. Sausages is VERY excited that "his baby" will be joining us in the Bungalow sometime in the bleak midwinter. He has chosen some clothes and things for it, and is rather proprietorial. I hope this bodes well for their future sibling relationship!

Morning sickness is a funny old thing. When I was carrying Sausages, I was sick all day every day from eight weeks to thirty weeks. Then he was born at thirty three weeks. It was not the most graceful pregnancy ever; I used to carry a bucket around with me, and a couple of times ended up on a drip for hydration. This time around it does not seem to be so bad, but with Sausages in tow much more difficult to handle. I cannot go into the kitchen or laundry room of the Bungalow, and have to have all windows and doors open at all times. There has been no baking or cooking for me for the last few months. But there is a much more serious problem: yarn makes me feel ill.

That's right, fellow crafters. There has been no knitting whatsoever. Baby patterns have been downloaded and unearthed, but I cannot step into the study where the yarn resides, and I certainly cannot pick it up, without having to make an urgent detour to the bathroom. I have been cooing over Nikki Van De Car's delightful book of baby knits, which was a Christmas present from Husband, but I cannot bring myself to start a project. Chouette and Sausages' Explorer's vest are sitting forlornly abandoned. I am not studying. I am not cooking or baking. I am not knitting. I am not myself.

On the other hand, a new life is making its way into the world through me. I have seen it dance across a screen in black and white. I have heard it's heartbeat, and seen Sausages' face light up as he exclaims "that's my baby! It sounds like a horsey!" Every day I feel it kicking and writhing in its cosy home. Husband and I have waited a long time to feel ready for this, to look back at the trauma of Sausages' prematurity and my post-natal depression and say, "OK, lets do it all again!" So while I hope to be back to my old pursuits soon, there is a rich reward coming for this difficult time.

We have decided to make the most of this summer for Sausages, and give him a Summer of Fun while he still has our undivided attention. This is where a teacher's five or so weeks of holiday come into their own! Here are some of the highlights so far:

A fabulous time in Ireland with my family

A brilliant visit to the Butterfly House at Cumberland House (OK, I confess, I love this so much that we have been twice!). This is a free day out, and the museum houses interesting stuffed birds and a large model of a dinosaur, so top toddler entertainment!

Paddling at Southsea

A trip to Marwell Zoo with our very own expert guide

And an awful lot of play with some of his favourite people! He's a happy boy, and I'll bring you some more of his adventures very soon! This isn't a very interesting post for anyone except me, but I hope it explains my radio silence for anyone who might have been wondering where I had gone. Did anyone else out there develop any weird pregnancy aversions? And what would you squeeze in to a summer of fun on a budget?

Happy summer days to you all

E

End of hiatus

It has been a little while since I posted here. I've just been a little under the weather. I still am, but I'm trying to Get On With It. I really wanted to share with you a little good luck I had recently. I entered a competition on the lovely blog Not So Granny. Joanne is so creative and wonderful, and I am so chuffed that she chose to bestow her generosity on me! She is the technical editor of this book, and it really is a truly wonderful book. She has included some fabulous Jamieson's of Shetland yarn, which is intended for a pair of hedgehog mittens. Perhaps they are the answer to my seasonal struggle to persuade Sausages to wear mittens on his icy hands. Given that my crochet skills are decidedly basic, and mostly only get exercised in order to trim my knits, I see it as a little challenge to get cracking!

I've been off my knitting recently, which is very VERY unlike me. But today Mother-In-Law gave me a bag of yarn and bits for Matilda from Gran-In-Law, and in it there was an unfinished crochet blanket. Well I just pulled it out, along with the accompanying hook, and finished it off straight away! So maybe crochet is the answer to my knitting slump! Unfortunately I have two projects on my knitting needles waiting to be completed, and one of them is a gift that should have been finished a month ago. I think I have fallen out of love with the yarn, does that ever happen to you?

I'm planning a day in a secondary school this week, talking to students about law. I'm quite excited, but also quite fearful. I have an hour to fill, and I have to do it five times over. Although I have taught Cambridge undergrads, I have no experience teaching at this level. I'm rather worried about pitching it too high or too low. I really want to include some political theory, but I fear that may not be so interesting to Year 8! I also have no idea what is going to happen to Sausages while I'm teaching. It's at Husband's school, so I think he is expecting to take him, but quite what he is going to do with him in the school I don't know! Watch this space, or perhaps watch the local media for stories of toddlers running amok in nice smart secondary schools!

Just a little post, to keep me going, but it's nice to be back.

Yarn Along

This week is half term for us, and Husband being a teacher it has been very nice to have him at home. The weather has been very wet, and we had a list of house jobs that had been waiting all half term, so there has been a lot of hanging around the house, getting things ticked off the list. I have managed some reading though, so I can join in with Ginny. I finished the two Friday Night Knitting Club books.

These were supposed to be a bit of light reading to save me from this, but despite the writing being O.K., the content is pretty dire. Pretty much the opposite of the Durham Cathedral book. When I got to the part where the mother-of-newborns breastfeeds in the toilet at their one-month celebration "for her privacy," the book spent some time on my personal literary naughty step. For goodness sake. I shall be passing these on to my local knitting group tonight, since knitting fiction seems to be becoming a bit of a trend there. Incidentally, I also finished The Last Office this week. The content of this book is so interesting, but there is no organisation, and the writing is very, very poor. I realise I sound very negative and critical, but as a lapsed academic and lover of literature I really think that my standards are just a bit too high.

The boys and I had a little trip to the library yesterday, so I took out something completely different for this week's reading:

I have already picked my way through Quick and Easy Home Sewing Projects and Stitch, Craft, Create with sticky tabs to mark projects that I want to photocopy. The latter in particular has some fantastic, easy looking projects, one of which has "Roshee's Birthday Present" written all over it. So hopefully more of that later!The woolly side of this week's yarn along is another Milo, this time for Sausages' childminder's charming son, as a thank you gift for being a big part of Sausages' life. I am really loving being a bit more of a stay-at-home-mum, but I appreciate that this family were so important to Sausages.

Finally, it wouldn't be a Wailliewaillie post without a bit of baking, and tonight I'm making sourdough hot dog buns for the boys, but here's a little treat: Husband made us all scotch pancakes for second breakfast!

I love that man-cooking, that involves buckets of research and the employment of seven different pieces of technical equipment. He's got the skills though. Soon I'll show you the small miracle he has effected in my kitchen, but that will have to wait until I manage some nice pictures. Look forward to it though!

Who does the baking in your house? Do you and your partner have different styles of cooking? Husband is very precise. He weighs and measures everything. I'm more of a wooden spoon, bit of this bit of that cook. It makes sense to me that women tend to be cooks and men tend to be chefs. What do you think?

E