Half Term Happiness

Just popping by to write a quick post about our half term break last week.  Well, I say break but really it was only a break from routine - which 'they' do say is as good as a rest.

Hmmm.  I'm not sure I agree in this instance.  The hubby and I spent 3 days juggling the children and painting new plaster at the latter end of the week off - such a challenge!

Aside from the home front we managed a lovely trip to my Mum in Cornwall for four days.  Sadly Hubby had to work so the children, Granny and I spent some much needed down time...

#  Nature walks (and/ or skipping!) - gorgeous autumnal colours and much needed fresh air

#  Pooh Sticks - the river was running fast due to high rain fall so the game was lots of fun and there are 4 bridges of this type on the route so lots of opportunity for play!

#  Decoupatch Time

#  And Pumpkins - of a happy and a scary kind. 

Our build is due to finish in the last week of November- I cannot wait!  It's a mixture of excitement and a need for it to JUST BE DONE ALREADY!!

I'm not meaning to be ungrateful - it's just been a long time cooking for a family in this space.

Watch this space - I'll be showing you the blank canvas next time!  Apologies to all you lovely bloggy friends out there - by December I should be back in the land of blog!!

J9 x

Today I'm partying with:

 Today I'm joining in with these lovely blog parties!

Share your Cup Thursday

Simple & Sweet Friday

An Obsession with Squirrels?

It is strange to say.... that yes, at present I am a bit obsessed.  I think I've been influenced by the autumn displays so many have in their posts across blogland.  As such, I've been further inspired to create little pockets of autumn in my own home. 

Photos inside my home do not take well.  I do try, but I don't have the right lighting to fully project these images on screen and they seem a little dull - but I shall endeavour to give you a flavour.

I found this lovely nut cracker at the Charity Shop recently.  I'm not sure anyone in our family are nut lovers but I couldn't leave him on the shelf.

In the same visit I brought this beauty home.  I LoVE him. 

He is of course a Sylvac ornament of our native Red Squirrel that only lives in parts of the UK now.  The Grey Squirrel was introduced to this country historically from North America and almost forced our native squirrel to extinction.  Although isolated to different parts of the UK - mainly the islands of Anglesey and Brownsea this type of squirrel has been successfully reintroduced and is thriving.  If you wish, you can find out more about the Red Squirrel here.

Many people will disagree with me on a conservation basis but I do enjoy seeing the mischievous Grey Squirrel in our woodlands. 

Of course I'd love to see red squirrels too but that is beyond my control.  Today, to get a burst of fresh air and interact a bit with nature we took ourselves down to a park close to the sea front, which is a typically Victorian recreational space; with paths, lawns, fountain and woodland.  You can imagine times before us when the rich people living in the gorgeous mansion houses surrounding the park, took in the sea air for medicinal purposes!!

There were amazing colours

And fabulous shapes formed from the trunks of this large tree:

We went to interact with the squirrels and for the children to beat their personal records for scooting the route around the park!! 

After energy was expended it was fascinating to watch the squirrels increase in trust as we sat patiently and offered them monkey nuts. 

The children were surrounded with 5-7 squirrels by the end of an hour.  This was the first time we'd done this since the children were toddlers and I was astonished by how enthralled they became. 

We merrily spent the morning watching the different squirrels and their reactions to us.  I was perched on a bench whilst the others were in the midst of the action on the floor!  One squirrel became incredibly trusting of little B...

Another would take the nuts off and bury them for a later snack!  The excitement in the children's faces was a joy to see.

I have to say I did leave this rather large squirrel on the shelf at the Charity Shop yesterday!! 

Hopefully that means I've got my fix of the squirrel type this year - I think he'd eaten a few too many nuts!

J9 x

I'm linking up with these fabulous parties
  A Favourite Thing
Pink Saturday
Weekly Top Shot



Beautiful Blessings

It has to be said that the past couple weekends have felt like blessings direct from the heavens.  Amongst weekdays full of torrential rain, local flooding and the return of grey skies on a regular basis it was such a gift to wake to radiant sunshine on each day of the weekend.

Although the temperature has dipped a little, the sunshine blasting through gave a much needed glow.

The things of beauty I felt blessed with recently were two consecutive weekends of sunshine.  Lovely streams of light gracing the floor....  Dappled sunlight drying the puddles... The warmth of the October sun on closed eyelids.  I needed these days of sunshine when my family was home.  I needed to grasp the time and 'make the most of living' because it was sunny. 

Somehow, when it's unexpectedly sunny (even if there is still a chill in the air) I am all the more grateful for it.  It's like that little added bonus... I needed it, I gave thanks for it and being out in it brought much simple joy.

 

This recent weekend we visited some fab friends in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.  After some family time and admiring of their new family home we took the children out to run off some of their [extreme levels] of energy! 

We went to wendover woods and had a glorious time gently strolling a little distance at a time before stopping and sitting a while, all the time the children enjoyed foraging for pine cones and interesting leaves.  Happilly pottering within sight but independent enough to wander with stick and scratch around in the dirt.

We then came across pre-built dens

Little B built a fire in this one and made a new entrance system...

....and R had fun building her own structure. 

 

This was her new model - with window too!!

I love that these structures are left erect in the wood.  That different families, different children all come together, admire their simple structure and add elements on each visit.  A twig here, a branch there.  A collective building mission.

My children are really outdoor sorts and would have stayed for hours but we were forced to cajole them to leave the woods and accompany our friends with the offer of hot chocolate and snack here.  Ahhh, bliss.

The weekend before we had some really wonderful family time - a picnic out on the Saturday whilst we admired the changing colours in the surrounding countryside

We were lucky enough to say hello to a friendly pony as we were passing!

And while Ben worked on the Sunday (yes, poor love is working extremely hard at present) we took a visit to Marine Lake.  Gosh that sand looks like mud in this photo - it's dark but not dirty and is actually quite pleasant!!

 

The still water reflected the autumnal light - and although it's not the thundering seascape that we're spoilt with in Cornwall, it did look really pretty.

 



Little B had asked to go here since returning to school.  He had plans to make another dinosaur island and we took pirates too to add to the adventures.  The sand here is so pliable that it 'holds' water in its moats rather than it seeping away!!  This means after a little digging, smoothing and sculpting we can produce a riproaring dinosaur island.

We spent a merry morning raaaahing and swashbuckling.

 

Although it was a bright sunny day, the air was crisp and we were the only group 'settled' on the beach.  I watched various people coming and going and enjoyed the children being happy and content.

At times I joined in their frivolity, at times I just sat back face towards the sunshine enjoying the feeling of space and light, happy to hear the chuckling and plundering going on beside me. 

 

A bit of sunshine and outdoor time can be so healing to a mind that is struggling a little with the various pressures that we all face in life.  When things become stressful and I feel like I'm about to drop all the balls I'm juggling, a bit of outdoor time can really help to regain a sense of balance and perspective. 

Thank goodness the sunshine enabled us to enjoy it!

J9 x

Autumn is in the Air

The change in the weather has certainly been a popular topic at the school gates this past week.  A number of us try to dispel the colder air by continuing to wear short sleeved - only to freeze and huddle together like Emperor penguins in the moments before we pick up our children.

There are a few things that are noticeable with this change in season.  The changing colours are remarkable.

I love this time of harvest.  I love the harvest hymns at church.  I love generally feeling closer to nature through foraging for, and picking it's fruit.

This year our own 'picking of natures abundance' comprised a single apple from our garden!  Can you see it?!


Apparently, this year has been an awful year generally for apple produce in England.  Our tree is usually very plentiful and lack of apple production has been a problem in the South West especially.  My husband is worried about cider production given his favourite brand is made very close to us!! 

But I was lucky to be given some by my mum when I visited again last week.  Well, she is still in hospital although gaining strength and we picked some with her approval!!

These apples and some victoria plums were the base of the chutney I made yesterday. 

This chutney came together really well and didn't take as long to reduce as lots of other fruit combinations.  This will taste wonderful with cold meats and cheese!!  Peeling, coring and cutting up the fruit is always the longest part of chutney making, but I can sit at my table and gradually cut away whilst watching a bit of day time TV!!

 

I then adjurn to my little kitchen and as it gradually cooks down the flavours take over - the smell and colours so epitomise Autumn for me.
 

This was a new recipe to me but already tastes nice.  It'll taste even better after maturing for a few months - bang on for Christmas Cheese Boards!!

Today, I'm being kind to myself as my body is not willing so I've been looking through my little pile of preserve and chutney books to get general inspiration for future pickling.  I like to make different batches each year as well as our family favourites!

A friend gave us kind permission to hunt for blackberries around their farm, so whilst Ben was off running his half marathon for Childrens Hospice South West in Bristol on Sunday, the kiddies and I slowly made our way around the abundant hedgerows.  This was the harvested rewards for our efforts.

 

I'm hoping to make some jam with this and some of the apples, and a batch of my favourite chutney this later week - Fiery Bengal Chutney, which has an amazingly zingy flavour.  I love to take a number of harvested fruits and produce something that tastes sooo good!  I'm planning to make mini homemade hampers for some friends and family this year for 'C' (lets not say that word twice in one post just yet) and a couple jars of chutney will make a nice addition!!  We try to escape the materialism that seems to prevail at that time of year so want to give creatively with some extra thought, preparation and a combination of homemade goods.  So, I've got my work cut out over the next few weeks!!

Are you making anything with your harvested produce?  It's a funny thing how making something like chutney can make you feel more connected with our history or how previous homemakers managed their food production at this time of year.

Little B has claimed the last of the apples for an apple crumble.  Who am I to refuse such Simple Things?!

J9 x