tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25689521912311591302024-02-02T03:41:16.760+00:00Home JulesJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-61420842776058361812017-07-07T19:57:00.000+01:002017-07-07T19:57:04.669+01:00Cookery calendar challenge: June<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I'm taking part in the Cookery Calendar Challenge organised by <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">Penny</a>. The idea is simple: the first week of every month, choose a cookery book from your shelf and, over the course of a month, make two recipes from it that you've never made before.<br />
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My pick for June was Mary Berry's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mary-Berry-Foolproof-Cooking/dp/1785940511" target="_blank">Foolproof Cooking</a>. Although we love Queen Mary's baking, it's not a book I would probably have picked up if it hadn't been a birthday present. Well, more fool me as I ended up making three recipes and all of them were winners.<br />
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<u>Chicken noodle laksa</u><br />
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I've made laksa before but this is the first time I've made a spice paste to toss the chicken in before cooking it. It's a method which works really well as the chicken is already full of flavour before it goes in the broth. I'll be using this method in future.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpG57b6vLRk" target="_blank">Pork chops with a mushroom crust</a><br />
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OK, so this doesn't look very exciting on the plate. It really needed something green too but we were saving ourselves for a big dessert! The pepper was an Aldi buy and very tasty: filled peppers with sundried tomato, quinoa and couscous.<br />
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But what about the pork? I confess I didn't follow the instructions to the letter though I did use exactly the same ingredients. The instructions wanted you to cook the pork chops and leave them to cool, spread the chops with mustard, cook onions and mushrooms for ages, pile them on the chops and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese before putting it all in the oven. I couldn't be bothered waiting for food to cool so piled the onion/mushroom mixture on as soon as everything was ready. As far as I can tell, it didn't make any difference. I also thought I might have used too much mustard but there was just a gentle heat. Lots of lovely flavour to counteract the blandness of the pork and another I'll be making again.<br />
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Last up was <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/salmon_fillets_with_79924" target="_blank">Salmon fillets with herbs and roasted peppers</a>. We love salmon anyway but the cream cheese and garlic topping worked really well. A quick and easy weekday meal.<br />
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A hat-trick of successful recipes from Mary then and there are lots more I've highlighted to try.<br />
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Next up is Maxine Clark's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Risotto-Delicious-recipes-Italys-classic/dp/1849756619" target="_blank">risotto</a> which may be tough as I've made lots of recipes from it before.<br />
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Have a lovely weekend everyone. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-13313991048568304332017-07-03T20:03:00.001+01:002017-07-03T20:03:10.120+01:00Cosy lion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just to break up the posts from our Northumberland holiday, I thought I'd quickly show you one of my latest makes, a cafetiere cosy.<br />
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The pattern is from this book, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Super-Cute-Felt-step-step-projects-make-give/1907563776" target="_blank">Super-cute felt</a> by Laura Howard, which I was lucky to find in a charity shop. There are loads of lovely projects but the lion was the one which immediately caught my eye.<br />
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I love using felt as it's so forgiving and doesn't fray all over the place. I particularly enjoyed the little bits of stitching which gave the lion some character. And, of course, all the star sequins: the older I get the more sparkle I seem to like :)<br />
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A really quick and easy make which was just what I needed in the long haul to finishing my latest quilt.<br />
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Back soon with the cookery challenge. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-27103966355286627352017-06-25T20:19:00.001+01:002017-06-25T20:19:10.389+01:00Hulne Priory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last time I showed you a seaside village from the start of our visit, this time we have a priory from the end. It was our final full day in Alnwick and it dawned bright and sunny: we decided to take a walk through Hulne Park up to the Priory. You enter via this gate next to the former lodge.<br />
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On the gate is what had become a familiar sight: a crescent, marking it out as the property of the Duke of Northumberland.<br />
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It was once part of the hunting grounds of the Percy family and there are three walks of 4-6 miles. Be aware though, if you're thinking of visiting, there are no dogs or cycles allowed. We decided to follow the red route to Hulne Priory (or Abbey, they seem to be used interchangeably).<br />
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To be honest, most of the route was pretty boring. Some great views but mostly lots of manicured, landscaped roads and paths. There are several houses and farms in the park so we did have to dodge several cars too. I can imagine it would be glorious in autumn with all the trees.<br />
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Having rejected the walk to Brizlee Tower because it was on top of a hill, it was a bit of a surprise to see that the Priory is too! OK, not that much of a hill but the day was getting hotter and we were already pretty weary by the time we arrived here.<br />
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The Priory was a monastery founded in the 13th century though the buildings are of a later date. One of the reasons I wanted to visit is that it had been used as a location for the Robin of Sherwood TV series (as Kirklees Abbey) and the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Maid Marian's home) - two of my favourites. If you're interested, you can see a clip of it in the film <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dqH1Imu3Rw" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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As you enter through the gate, the former chapel is now a private home.<br />
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This is a later addition and was used as a hunting lodge. It's now being used as a wedding venue.<br />
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Walk through the archway and you come to...<br />
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...the main part of the priory ruins.<br />
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The statues guarding the gate are from the 18th century.<br />
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We thought this statue was a bit creepy. However, the rest of the Priory is really beautiful and particularly at this time of year with wildflowers scrambling over the ruins.<br />
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As we headed back to Alnwick, it was such a hot day that I was tempted to cool my feet in the shallow water over the ford.<br />
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Well, tempted until I saw the huge crowd of midges moving back and forth over the water. Hopefully you can make them out as thousands of tiny dots. Ughh!<br />
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The river did look beautiful though.<br />
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Before we turned back onto the path back to the start, we looked up and could just see the top of Brizlee Tower above the trees. It's a folly, built in 1781. You can see a full picture of it <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brizlee_Tower" target="_blank">here</a>. I would have liked to visit but it was just too hot a day to walk the extra few miles to reach it.<br />
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Tired, hot and thirsty, we called into <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theorigamicafe/" target="_blank">The Origami Cafe</a> on our way through town. It had caught our eye a few times with its origami decorations in the window and a sign advertising delicious-sounding milkshakes.<br />
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Inside it's bright and colouful with more origami decorations and lots of goodies to buy. Chickpea was in seventh heaven. It was just her kind of place with pencils shaped like lollipops, owl rubbers, cupcake money boxes and more.<br />
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The food and drink is just as good. I had a mint aero milkshake and a slice of apricot, pistachio and orange blossom cake. Judy, the owner, makes them all herself. We'd been highly recommended a slice of her raspberry and rose cake by the shop around the corner. She had sold out but managed to rustle up a small slice from somewhere - it was equally as delicious. If you're ever in Alnwick, I highly recommend a visit.<br />
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Chickpea couldn't leave without buying one of Judy's handmade origami pictures.<br />
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I still have lots to share from our holidays but it's taking a while to find time to put words to the pictures. Bear with me and we'll get there in the end! xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-74742466242819281572017-06-18T14:54:00.001+01:002017-06-18T14:54:07.405+01:00Alnmouth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I mentioned in my last post that we'd just come back from a week away in beautiful Northumberland. Well, it's actually three weeks ago now and I'm only just getting around to writing about it. I have several posts to share of the things we saw, though not necessarily in the order we saw them!<br />
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After our holiday last year I couldn't wait to go back as I'd loved Northumberland so much: all that rolling countryside and spectacular coastline. We chose to stay in exactly the <a href="http://www.northumbria-cottages.co.uk/property/crier-cottage" target="_blank">same cottage</a> in Alnwick and the weather gods blessed us again with bright, sunny conditions for most of the week.<br />
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First up is Alnmouth which is only a 15 minute drive from Alnwick and with plenty of parking for only £1.50 next to the beach.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley" target="_blank">John Wesley</a> is reported to have described it as a 'small seaport town, famous for all kinds of wickedness'! Thankfully, none of that was in evidence on the day of our visit! Instead, it's a picturesque little place bordered by the sea and the estuary of the river Aln.<br />
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After a walk on the beach, we headed up to the main street to explore.<br />
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Lots of lovely, old stone buildings dating mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries.<br />
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This is a former school and is now home to an art gallery.<br />
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Time for some lunch at the Village Tearooms and I couldn't resist trying a ham <a href="https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2015/01/a-northumberland-cottage-kitchen-recipe-stotty-cake-stottie-cake.html" target="_blank">stottie</a> which turned out to be a large bread roll. Here in Lancashire, the nearest equivalent is what we would call an oven bottom.<br />
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Back outside and we headed down towards the harbour. The small hill is known as Church Hill and was once the site of the village church, now marked only with a cross. Originally the hill was part of the village but a violent storm in 1806 changed the course of the river, cutting it off.<br />
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We were mesmerised by the masses of poppies, the most I'd ever seen up to that point, though we were to see more later in the week.<br />
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There used to be fishing boats here but now it's mainly pleasure boats.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.alnmouth.uk/Local/FerryHut.htm" target="_blank">Ferry Hut</a> is actually a small heritage centre and gallery! It's about 100 years old.<br />
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The beach was calling so we headed back down, passing the golf course on the way which, as you can see, claims to be the oldest nine hole links course in England. Golf, yawn.<br />
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Beautiful beach.<br />
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In the distance is <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/c/coquetisland/about.aspx" target="_blank">Coquet Island</a> which is an RSPB reserve and home to thousands of nesting birds, mostly puffins, terns and eider ducks.<br />
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I loved all the patterns on this pebble though I've no idea what creature caused them. Is it bird poo or something more interesting? In any case, it came home with me, as did the crab claw.<br />
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This one, which reminded me of an alien, stayed behind.<br />
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We really loved Alnmouth with its pretty buildings and gorgeous coastline. So much so that, desperate to see the sea before we headed back to our landlocked home, we drove out on our final evening as the sun was starting to go down.<br />
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The tide was out this time.<br />
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Sigh, I wish I was standing on that beach today. Alnmouth was definitely one of our favouite places and somewhere I'd go back to in a heartbeat.<br />
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Hope you're enjoying the glorious weather this weekend in the UK. Yesterday we met up with some friends in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrenbury" target="_blank">Wrenbury</a>, a small village in Cheshire. This farm was opposite the pub where we had lunch.<br />
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My favourite thing though was this book swap in an old telephone box!<br />
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-25849066200164280302017-06-03T16:05:00.003+01:002017-06-03T16:05:24.288+01:00Cookery Calendar challenge: May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I'm taking part in the Cookery Calendar Challenge organised by <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">Penny</a>. The idea is simple: the first week of every month, choose a cookery book from your shelf and, over the course of a month, make two recipes from it that you've never made before. You can choose to take part each month or as the mood takes you!<br />
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My pick for May was Hemsley and Hemsley's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Simple-Jasmine-Hemsley/dp/1785031600" target="_blank">Good and Simple</a>. One of my work colleagues is a big fan of the Hemsleys and was always saying how good their recipes are. When I saw their latest book in the supermarket, I decided to take a look and was intrigued by the interesting sounding dishes and the colourful food on every page. They <i>are </i>part of the healthy eating brigade so there's lots of spiralised and riced veg, and ingredients which might be tricky to get hold of. However, I've already made a couple of the recipes and found them to be really simple and tasty so I had high hopes of finding more. As it turned out, I actually ended up making four during May!<br />
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First up was <a href="http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/culture/staying-in/news/a36910/spicy-salmon-with-broccoli-rice/" target="_blank">Spicy miso salmon with broccoli rice</a>. We chose this one because it looked super healthy and low-calorie. The latter was particularly important as we had a mega-portion of cheesecake to follow! (bought at the restaurant we went to for Chickpea's birthday)<br />
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This one would be great for a workday evening meal as it only takes about 15 minutes to cook and couldn't be simpler. For two people, cook 2 salmon fillets in a frying pan and put to one side, covered to keep warm. Blitz a head of broccoli in a food processor and add to the frying pan with 2 tablespoons of water. Put a lid on and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Put both on a plate and pour over the miso sauce.<br />
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With only salmon and broccoli, I thought it might be a bit bland and boring but it was anything but. The sauce was delicious and added a lovely salty sweet flavour. I'd only quibble with the title of the recipe as it definitely wasn't spicy. Surprisingly, we also found that we liked broccoli served as a 'rice' and will serve it like that with other dishes in future. This is definitely a recipe I'll be making again.<br />
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Next was Marinated butterbean Greek salad. I used to think butterbeans were the work of the devil and would avoid them at all costs (it probably had something to do with school dinners). However, over the years my tastes have matured and I've grown to accept them. So, although the Hemsleys did say I could substitute another kind of bean, I stuck with the original recipe. Well...it was ok. Not something to rave about and, I don't know if I over-compensated for the blandness of the beans, but a bit too garlicky.<br />
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The third recipe was Sunshine eggs with turmeric and lime. Chickpea already says that I make the best scrambled eggs but, oh my, this recipe takes them to a whole other level. It's amazing what just some onion, garlic, turmeric and a pinch of chilli can do. Gently spicy, full of flavour and that touch of lime - whatever you do, don't miss out the lime - wow! Really delicious and one of my go-to egg recipes from now on.<br />
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Last up was <a href="http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/recipe/mums-beef-sinigang/" target="_blank">Mum's Philippine beef sinigang</a> which is flavoured with ginger, tamarind paste, fish sauce and chilli. I thought the paste and sauce might make it salty but it wasn't. If anything, I could have been more generous with the spices. Other than that, neither of us can remember much about it other than we both liked it and the beef was lovely and tender. Good then but not memorable.<br />
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Next up is Mary Berry's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mary-Berry-Foolproof-Cooking/dp/1785940511" target="_blank">Foolproof Cooking</a> which was a birthday present last year.<br />
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I'm just nearing the end of two weeks leave from work. The first was spent in beautiful Northumberland and I have lots to share. It was a week of mixed emotions, however, as the above photo was taken in Alnmouth on the day of the Manchester terrorist attack. We felt very far from home and full of concern for our friends and family. Thankfully, as far as I know, all are safe. My heart goes out to all those affected.<br />
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay safe. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-42381575706530086302017-05-07T16:28:00.002+01:002017-05-07T16:28:09.499+01:00Reading progress: January-April<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Although I'm not officially taking part in Year in Books this time, I did set myself a very modest target of reading at least a book a month. I'm doing much better than that though as I've already managed 6. What I haven't been so good at is reducing my stash which continues to grow and grow. I've also not been very good at keeping you updated with my progress so here goes with my first read of 2017.<br />
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I've read several of Carol Shield's books before, with Republic of Love being my favourite, and this meant I had high hopes for the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Box-Garden-Carol-Shields/dp/0394221028" target="_blank">Box Garden</a>. Like most of her books, it's very much character-driven. Charlene - bored and dissatisfied with her life - is on her way to the wedding of her 70 year old mother with whom she has a difficult relationship.<br />
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The characters are strong and as well-drawn as always and I particularly enjoyed the 70s setting: her mother was getting married in cocoa-brown crimpeline! However, I found it less absorbing than her later novels and some of the plot lines felt far-fetched. This one will be going back to the charity shop. Don't let that put you off Carol Shields though: it was one of her first novels and I know she gets much better.<br />
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My next choice was <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hold-Back-Stars-Katie-Khan/dp/0857524003" target="_blank">Hold back the stars</a> by Katie Khan. I saw a review in the newspaper and was intrigued. Max and Carys are floating in space with only 90 minutes of air left in their tanks. The story flits between their attempts to save themselves and flashbacks to their relationship in the future society of Europia.<br />
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I found the descriptions of Europia interesting: the continent is divided into vovoides and citizens rotate between them until their 30s when they're allowed to settle in one place and marry. It's a shame then that these aspects aren't explored in more depth as the book could have been so much more. Instead it all felt rather superficial and read very much like a Young Adult novel. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I did - but I just wasn't gripped.<br />
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After a couple of novels, I moved onto some non-fiction with <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knickers-Models-Own-Frugal-Fashion/dp/0993584004" target="_blank">Knickers Model's Own</a> by Caroline Jones. After her mother died of cancer, she decided to raise money to support the charity that she and her mother had been involved with for several years, volunteering in one of their shops. For a year, she dressed only in clothes sourced from Cancer Research (and other charity) shops (apart from those knickers!) and the book documents the outfits she wore each day. She has a good eye and natural sense of style. Mind you, it does help that she clearly lives in an affluent area where there's a better class of donations. I particularly loved all the colourful shoes she wore! I do enjoy mooching around in charity shops for books and jigsaws but rarely give the clothes a glance. This did make me think I should give them more of a go and, in fact, I've since bought a dress, with original sales tag still on, for £2.49! Caroline still posts her outfits on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Knickersmodelsown/" target="_blank">Facebook </a>if you want to learn more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crow-Lake-Mary-Lawson/dp/0099429322" target="_blank">Crow Lake</a> is the story of 7-year-old Kate Morrison who lives with her 2 teenage brothers and younger sister in a remote community in northern Canada. Early on in the novel, the family are orphaned and the boys take on the care of their sisters. The older Kate looks back on their struggles and the intense relationships and tragedies which continue to affect her life. It's a slow-burner of a novel which, for me, usually means boring but this is one I could barely put down. I couldn't even really say why except that the characters are so well-drawn you want to know what happens to them. I'll be looking out for more of Mary Lawson's books.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Broken-Sky-Trilogy-1-L-Weatherly/1409572021" target="_blank">Broken Sky</a> by LA Weatherly has been shortlisted for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancashire_Book_of_the_Year" target="_blank">Lancashire Book of the Year</a>. It's an award for Young Adult fiction, voted for completely by young people, and now in it's 31st year. When I heard about the shortlist, I decided to read a few of the titles.<br />
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Broken Sky is set in a future America but not a sci-fi kind of future. Instead, after much of the world was destroyed in a nuclear war, society has had to rebuild itself and is now more reminiscent of the 1940s. Armed conflict has been banned and disputes between countries are contested by aerial dogfights: the heroine, Amity, is one of the best pilots. Gradually, she uncovers a plot by the leader of the neighbouring country, a leader who believes his destiny comes from the power of astrology. There are clear echoes of Nazi Germany as Discordants, born under the wrong planetary alignments, are rounded up and sent to correction camps.<br />
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It's the first part of a trilogy which may explain why it's a bit slow to get going. Once it does though, it's tense and intriguing with twists and turns. I only wish there'd been more of a proper ending as even books in a series should be able to stand alone. However, I'll have to look out for the next in the trilogy to find out what happens next.<br />
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Another title shortlisted for Book of the Year is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deepest-Cut-Natalie-Flynn/dp/1786151065" target="_blank">The Deepest Cut</a> by Natalie Flynn.<br />
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<i>Adam blames himself for his best friend's death. After attempting suicide, he is put in the care of a local mental facility. There, too traumatized to speak, he begins to write notebooks detailing the events leading up to Jake's murder.</i><br />
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It isn't often that I cry when reading a book but this one moved me to tears several times. If I had to be picky, the parts which are meant to be his diary are written more like a novel than how someone would actually write. However, it's still beautifully written and the confusion and pain that Adam goes through is incredibly moving. A wonderful book.<br />
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Not a book but grebes! I had my first good look at the new babies today and there are three little grebelings. I sat for ages on the side of the lake watching them, usually tucked up on their parents' backs. There are a pair of moorhens nest building nearby so it looks like more babies are on the way. Oh, I just love spring!<br />
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Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday. Next time, I think I might share my latest crafty make. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-33431982896356254872017-05-06T14:34:00.000+01:002017-05-06T14:34:40.751+01:00Cookery calendar challenge: April<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I'm taking part in the Cookery Calendar Challenge organised by <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">Penny</a>. The idea is simple: the first week of every month, choose a cookery book from your shelf and, over the course of a month, make two recipes from it that you've never made before. You can choose to take part each month or as the mood takes you!<br />
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My April pick was Diana Henry's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Crazy-Water-Pickled-Lemons-Mediterranean/1845336542" target="_blank">Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons</a>. I've already made several recipes from it and the recipe for prawn and feta pilaf is one of our favourites (<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/recipes/prawn-fennel-and-tomato-pilaf-with-feta-parsley-and-mint/" target="_blank">this link</a> is the closest I can get to that recipe). I generally find her recipes pretty reliable and with plenty of flavour.<br />
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My first choice was <a href="http://www.fishandco.com.au/sustainable/tuna-marinated-chermoula-pomegranate-cous-cous/" target="_blank">Chermoula-marinated tuna with pomegranate couscous</a> which I served with butternut squash slices using the same marinade. The chermoula itself is made from cumin, paprika, cinnamon, chilli, lime and garlic so you'd think there would be plenty of flavour. Well, Chickpea liked it more than me as I would have preferred more of the spice to come through. To be honest, I'm also not really keen on tuna steaks as I find them a bit dry, no matter how hard I try not to overcook them (and in this case they were still slightly pink). The butternut squash was lovely though so I might use the marinade again for other things. We really enjoyed the pomegranate couscous too.<br />
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Next was <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2013/05/14/how-to-cook-chicken-with-georgian-plum-sauce-for-the-perfect-eurovision-party-menu-3757840/" target="_blank">Chicken marinated in yoghurt with a Georgian plum sauce</a>. This is definitely a weekend dish as the sauce needs making in advance and the chicken needs to marinate for a couple of hours.
My sauce wasn't the glossy vibrant pink shown in the book but a rather unattractive sludge brown. Given that it included prunes and dark brown sugar, I think my version is probably a more accurate representation of what you should end up with. It definitely had a kick but I may have been a little heavy-handed with the garlic and cayenne! I'm not sure I'd make the sauce again but the chicken was lovely and juicy and flavourful. Also, what you can't see here is the green salad on the side which breaks up the otherwise sea of brown!<br />
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Overall then, a couple of decent recipes to add to my repertoire, albeit with a few amendments. One thing I did enjoy about the challenge this month was looking back to see what I'd made from Crazy Water during my own challenge 3 years ago and rediscovering other recipes. On the <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/cookery-book-challenge-weeks-29-32.html" target="_blank">same post</a> which featured this book, I was reminded of a Nigel Slater recipe for chicken with mushrooms and lemongrass and just had to make it. It proved to be just as good as last time :) In fact, I think Chickpea's boyfriend would have licked the plate if we hadn't been in the room!<br />
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Next up is Hemsley and Hemsley's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Simple-Jasmine-Hemsley/dp/1785031600" target="_blank">Good and Simple</a>.<br />
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In other news, it was Chickpea's birthday yesterday. We went out for dinner and just look at the dessert counter! <a href="https://www.farmhouseinns.co.uk/locations/applewood-farm" target="_blank">Applewood Farm</a> is renowned for its desserts which is why she chose it. We were so full after the main course though that we had to bring home cakeaways.<br />
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And finally, the grebelings have hatched! I haven't been able to get a photo of the new babies yet so here's one from last year. I actually posted it on day 22 of 30 Days Wild which shows just how much earlier they are this year. I'll report back on how many of these stripey beauties there are when I get a better look :)<br />
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Have a lovely weekend everyone. xx<br />
<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-38550586286657609142017-05-01T22:03:00.000+01:002017-05-01T22:03:01.496+01:00Bank Holiday weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ah, bank holidays! Why can't every weekend have one? Ours has been a good mix of home and away, practical and pleasure.<br />
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It started on Friday evening with a charity belly dancing event. I wore this tunic which I found in a charity shop this week for a bargain £3! A lovely evening though maybe not what I was expecting. I definitely didn't expect to find that the only drinks were mint tea and water!<br />
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Saturday, I went to the theatre with two friends to see I capture the castle. It was a musical production and very good. Later, Chickpea and I watched the film as she'd missed the play because she was out being fitted for a bridesmaid dress. Yes she's being a bridesmaid for her best friend whose getting married in October.<br />
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Bank holidays usually mean baking and this one was no exception. One of my all-time favourite recipes, Delia's <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/cake-recipes/preserved-ginger-cake" target="_blank">ginger cake with lemon icing</a>. Yum! And even better the day after when the ginger has had more time to develop.<br />
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Less successful were the waffles made in my new cast iron pans. The mixture stuck and burned. Back to the drawing board and the internet to find out how to use the pans properly as the instructions on the box were clearly no help.<br />
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This seems to be one of my most common positions on bank holidays: constantly washing up! All that baking and scrubbing of burnt pans. And yes, I still use the old-fashioned method. No dishwashers here.<br />
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Water of a different kind in my latest jigsaw. Not my usual subject but I enjoyed this one with all the patterns and colours. I always have a jigsaw on the go and have already started the next one - with a picture of ice cream!<br />
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More water and the grebes are back! I was really hoping they'd return after raising two beautiful stripey babies last summer. They're much earlier this year though as it was towards the end of 30 days wild in June when <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/day-22-grebes-have-hatched.html" target="_blank">the babies hatched</a> last year. She's been on the nest a couple of weeks now so it looks like we'll be having grebelings before long. So exciting!<br />
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There are already babies on the lake though - the first ducklings of the year born earlier this week. Eight here but she only had seven yesterday. I never get tired of watching ducklings.<br />
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And so to today and a walk in the woods. Carpets of wild garlic...<br />
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...and bluebells.<br />
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And smaller patches of wood anemones. My favourite time of year to be in the woods.<br />
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Especially when being entertained by water-loving dogs bounding around and chasing sticks.<br />
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Back home, I've put up a hanging basket bracket this afternoon from which I'll be hanging bird feeders. I only had a fat ball to hand until I can get a feeder. If you look closely you might be able to see a yellow daffodil in the background. That's also a feeder but the birds have steadfastly refused to have anything to do with it. There are sparrows nesting in next door's eaves and they pop by each evening for a dust bath before bed, squabbling over the best spots. So cute!<br />
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And that was our weekend. The cherry blossom has almost blown away now but it's been absolutely glorious this spring.<br />
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Hope you had a lovely weekend too. Not long until the next one! xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-64676417433381515162017-04-17T08:53:00.001+01:002017-04-17T08:53:38.663+01:00Elizabeth Gaskell's Knutsford<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you had a lovely Easter? We've had a relatively quiet one with lots of gentle pottering and catching up. On Saturday though, we headed out to the small town of Knutsford in Cheshire to follow the Elizabeth Gaskell trail. Officially it's called the Cranford Trail as she based many of the fictional characters on people and buildings in the town. I didn't watch Cranford but did love the mini-series, North and South, based on another of her novels (Richard Armitage - sigh!). Knutsford is a lovely place anyway, even if you're not a Gaskell fan and, last summer, we also did the town trail, following their 'Museum in the Street' signs. This post and photos are mostly the Gaskell/Cranford trail with a bit of the town trail mixed in - apologies in advance that it's pretty long as there's so much to see!<br />
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The starting point of the trail is Canute Place where there's a mosaic of King Canute. It's believed that Knutsford is named after him and is the place he built a ford - Canute's ford.<br />
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Walking down Canute Square to our next destination, you pass the 16th century White Bear which supposedly takes its name from an incident in 1617 when a bear was taken onto the pulpit of the Chapel of Ease in King Street (photo of that later). It also used to be the departure point of the stagecoach to London.<br />
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Heathwaite House, in Gaskell Avenue, was the childhood home of Elizabeth Gaskell. She was born in 1810 in London but her mother died only a year after her birth. She was sent to live with her mother's family, the Hollands, and brought up by her Aunt Lumb ('my more-than-mother').<br />
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The house overlooks the Heath, an area of common land. In Elizabeth's day it was the site of a racecourse.<br />
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Further along the street is Heath House which in Cranford was the home of the snobbish Mrs Jamieson. In real life, in the 18th century, it belonged to the notorious Edward 'Highwayman' Higgins.<br />
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Walking back to town we passed this row of pretty Georgian town houses. We loved the ironwork in the windows above the doors and the little balconies.<br />
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Back now in the town centre, we're walking along Princess Street which was the High Street in Cranford. Either the NFU or WHSmith building used to be a teashop ie a shop which sold tea.<br />
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At the end of Princess Street is the Old Town Hall, dating from 1871. It's recently been restored and opened as a restaurant and has some really beautiful brickwork.<br />
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A short walk away is the Sessions House. Built in 1818, the gaol which stood behind it once housed up to 700 prisoners.<br />
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Across the road is Hollingford House which was the home of Dr Peter Holland, Elizabeth's uncle.<br />
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Next door is St John the Baptist church where Elizabeth married William Gaskell in 1832. Although they were Unitarians, non-conformist chapels weren't allowed to hold weddings.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">She wrote in her diary that the wedding was a happy occasion and most of the houses 'sanded' for the day (decorated the street with brightly coloured sand patterns). Sanding is still part of the </span><a href="http://www.knutsford-royal-mayday.co.uk/knutsford-royal-may-day/sanding/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Knutsford May Day</a><span style="text-align: start;"> celebrations.</span></div>
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We walked down the pretty cobbled street to King Street.<br />
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Walking to the right, number 15 was the home of Captain Henry Hill, a half pay officer who fought at Waterloo. He's thought to be the inspiration for Cranford's Captain Brown who was disapproved of because he spoke of being poor 'not behind closed curtains...but in the public street'!<br />
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There's a lovely row of 17th century whitewashed cottages at this end of the street.<br />
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Turning round and walking back towards the town centre, you pass the site of the former Chapel of Ease (mentioned earlier in the bear story) which was also a grammar school.<br />
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Over the Easter weekend though it was decorated with a bunny to show it as a site on the Bunny Hop trail. The whole town seemed to be out searching for bunnies that day!<br />
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There was also a lovely Victorian postbox outside. I read a fascinating article about old postboxes recently and all the different designs. Most of them have the ER logo for our current Queen but I've started looking out for the older ones now.<br />
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Next on the tour is Gaskell Tower, built in 1907 to commemorate the author.<br />
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On the side are engraved a list of her works. To be honest I think it's pretty ugly but, hey, I'd be happy to have a tower named after me!<br />
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This archway was the location of the Royal George Hotel.<br />
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Highwayman Higgins dined here and Queen Victoria visited in 1832. It also featured in both Cranford and Wives and Daughters as a place for dancing and playing cards.<br />
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On the opposite side of the road is the birthplace of Sir Henry Holland who was a doctor to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert amongst others and was also Elizabeth's cousin.<br />
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This building, currently a Chinese restaurant, was once a grocer and draper's.<br />
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Looking down King Street towards Tatton Park - marked by the burgundy sign in the distance.<br />
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A little further along is the entrance to a cafe which houses the <a href="https://www.thecourtyardknutsford.co.uk/museum/" target="_blank">Penny Farthing Museum</a>. The bikes hang from the ceiling and decorate the walls. The cafe is always incredibly busy and we've never yet been able to get a table.<br />
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Walking through the streets of Knutsford there are some lovely hidden corners including this one. The archway once led to the stables of an inn. The steps you can just make out behind the pink flowers were a mounting block.<br />
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My eye was also taken by this old bike with flower-filled baskets, outside an antiques shop.<br />
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Finally, at the end of King Street is this pretty blue and white house, the Old Vicarage. As well as featuring in Cranford as the home of the Matty family, it has also been the home of another famous female author. <a href="http://alisonuttley.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alison Uttley</a>, author of the Little Grey Rabbit books lived here in around 1910.<br />
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Just around the corner are the Ruskin Rooms completed in around 1902. The blue plaque notes that 'A Welcome Club for officers of the American Third Army was opened in this building by General George S Patton, Commanding Officer, on 25th April 1944 prior to the Liberation of Europe June 1944 to May 1945'. Look at the interesting chimney pots on the cottages next door too.<br />
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Beyond King Street is the entrance to Tatton Park which is mentioned as the home of the Cumnors in 'Wives and Daughters'. If you've read my blog a while, you'll know we visit Tatton often, though we usually enter by the main entrance at the other side of the park.<br />
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This point marked the end of the official trail. However, it seems more fitting to take you instead to a place we missed.<br />
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At the opposite end of town lies the Unitarian <a href="http://www.brookstreetchapel.org/beliefs.html" target="_blank">Brook Street Chapel</a>. It is the oldest place of worship still in use in Knutsford and dates from around 1689. It was built at a time of great change in religious freedom so was built to look like a private house in case the right to worship here was withdrawn.<br />
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It is here, in a quiet corner of the small churchyard...<br />
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surrounded by her family...<br />
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that Elizabeth Gaskell was laid to rest in 1865.<br />
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I hope you enjoyed the tour. As you can see, Knutsford is a lovely place to visit with lots of historic buildings, independent shops and Tatton Park on its doorstep. Well worth a visit if you're in the area.<br />
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Enjoy what remains of the Easter weekend. Back to work for me tomorrow :( But I have a quilt workshop to look forward to next Saturday :) xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-37046819982954900112017-04-14T15:41:00.002+01:002017-04-14T15:41:29.222+01:00Blueberry and amaretti cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I shared a recipe but I did promise to share this one for Blueberry and amaretti cake if the taste was as good as it smelled when baking. It most definitely was: moist, almondy, sweetly fruity - mmmm!<br />
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The cake was inspired by a couple of things. First, I had a bag of amaretti biscuits in the cupboard which needed using up. You know, one of those ingredients which are on special buy in a supermarket and end up in your trolley because you'll have so many uses for them. Then they spend a year in the back of the cupboard until the expiry date has gone by. Second, I wanted to used the new bundt tin I got for Christmas.<br />
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I searched through my books but couldn't find just the right one, though two cakes in my favourite <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Clandestine-Cake-Club-Cookbook-Lynn-Hill/1782060049" target="_blank">Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook</a> had the kind of idea I was looking for: the Blueberry, peach and amaretto and the <a href="https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/recipe/dark-chocolate-and-amaretto-cake/36449" target="_blank">Dark chocolate and amaretto</a>. I've made both of these in the past and both are absolutely delicious. Here then is my combined version. Enjoy :)<br />
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<u>Blueberry and amaretti cake</u><br />
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150g self-raising flour<br />
100g amaretti biscuits, finely crushed<br />
50g caster sugar<br />
150g blueberries<br />
4 eggs<br />
200g melted butter<br />
2tbsp amaretto<br />
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1. Mix together all the dry ingredients, including the blueberries.<br />
2. Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly before adding the eggs and amaretto. Mix well.<br />
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.<br />
4. Pour into a baking tin.<br />
5. Bake in an oven on 190C/170C Fan/Gas 4 for about 35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. It may take longer in a conventional cake tin. If you use a bundt tin, leave to cool in the tin. Otherwise, leave to cool for a few minutes and then turn out onto a rack.<br />
6. Dust with icing sugar to serve.<br />
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<br />Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-7053415672235018682017-04-12T15:22:00.001+01:002017-04-12T15:22:35.006+01:00Cookery Calendar Challenge: March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year I'm taking part in the Cookery Calendar Challenge organised by <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">Penny</a>. The idea is simple: the first week of every month, choose a cookery book from your shelf and, over the course of a month, make two recipes from it that you've never made before. You can choose to take part each month or as the mood takes you!<br />
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I'm a bit late with my March post but am trying to catch up now that I'm off work for a week. As I write, the house is filled with the most amazing smell from a blueberry and amaretti cake - recipe to follow if the taste is as good as the smell!<br />
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Anyway, back to the challenge. My March pick was <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Ginos-Italian-Escape-Book-1-Gino-DAcampo/1444751727" target="_blank">Gino's Italian Escape</a> by Gino D'Acampo which was a Christmas present. I hadn't made anything from it at that point so was expecting plenty of choice. There were definitely recipes which appealed (especially the desserts!) but much of it was pretty standard fare. Here's what I ended up making.<br />
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First up was <a href="http://www.itv.com/thismorning/food/fettuccine-con-pollo-e-dolcelatte-gino-dacampo-recipe" target="_blank">Fettuccine with a chicken and gorgonzola sauce</a>, except that I couldn't find fettuccine so we had tagliatelle instead. I also didn't make the pasta myself - life's too short. Oh and the supermarket didn't have gorgonzola so I had to use stilton. But Gino does say you can use other kinds of blue cheese - in fact, if you follow the recipe link, you'll see he's using dolcelatte.<br />
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Other than all those changes, I followed the recipe to the letter! Sadly it didn't stop it being a bit bland for our tastes. Some garlic wouldn't have gone amiss and maybe a bit of crunch from walnuts or pine nuts. Chickpea even suggested adding vegetables! Well, that comment alone says it all!<br />
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<u>Tagliatelle with mushrooms, spinach and basil pesto</u><br />
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There was still half a packet of fresh tagliatelle left so, a couple of days later, I used another of the recipes to make a sauce. The original recipe was actually for baked pancakes but I just used the filling and loosened it down with some of the cooking water. Really tasty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.itv.com/ginositalianescape/recipes/lamb-cutlets-in-honey-sauce-with-fennel-salad" target="_blank">Lamb chops with a honey and rosemary sauce</a><br />
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The final recipe was very simple as the lamb chops are grilled or griddled as preferred and then drizzled with the honey and rosemary sauce. The sauce itself is made by warming the honey with the rosemary and leaving it to infuse. To be honest, I couldn't taste the rosemary but the combination of lamb and honey was delicious. One to make again.<br />
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So, two out of three isn't bad but I don't think it'll be one of my go-to cookery books.<br />
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Next up is Diana Henry's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Crazy-Water-Pickled-Lemons-Mediterranean/1845336542" target="_blank">Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons</a> which I used during <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/cookery-book-challenge-weeks-29-32.html" target="_blank">my own challenge</a> 3 years ago but has been pretty neglected ever since.<br />
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If you want to see what the other participants have been making you can see the links on Penny's <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/2017/03/cookery-calendar-challenge-march.html" target="_blank">blog</a>. More information about the Challenge can be seen <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Hope you're all well and looking forward to the long weekend :) xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-60263077631358116622017-03-26T21:37:00.001+01:002017-03-26T21:37:33.371+01:00Mother's day at the mill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a gorgeous weekend we've had! More of the blue skies, sunshine and warmth please!<br />
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I spent Mother's Day with my daughter at Quarry Bank Mill, a National Trust property about a half hour's drive from our house. I thought I'd share a few of the highlights.<br />
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One of the reasons for our visit was to see the '<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank/features/a-womans-work-is-never-done-" target="_blank">A woman's work is never done</a>' exhibition which I'd seen featured on the local news. It mainly told of the lives of the millworkers: although women worked similar roles to the men, they were paid significantly less. Sad to think that more than 100 years later, this still goes on.<br />
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There were also stories of the women who married or were daughters of the millowners, strong, intelligent women who fought against stereotypes to make a difference in their communities and society.<br />
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Dotted around the room were these illustrations by Jacky Fleming from her book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Women-Jacky-Fleming/dp/1910931098" target="_blank">The trouble with women</a> which did make us laugh! You can see more of her work on her <a href="http://www.jackyfleming.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOd3DKyzEE4UQplt6kQfZmOVjnpsUdOBh43_DV0PxYPyGtA_6Nf2R_fr3yjgnoHRZj0RchNUkokqVy1eoUNyg1xFlXXTuP2sAiEhFJopfHLOMxPggYZefGZSzz7HKqkulWeft8cL7OuON/s1600/RIMG7036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOd3DKyzEE4UQplt6kQfZmOVjnpsUdOBh43_DV0PxYPyGtA_6Nf2R_fr3yjgnoHRZj0RchNUkokqVy1eoUNyg1xFlXXTuP2sAiEhFJopfHLOMxPggYZefGZSzz7HKqkulWeft8cL7OuON/s640/RIMG7036.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Child - Carina Ripley</td></tr>
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We also looked around the mill which still has working machinery. This one in particular caught my eye with its rows of reels and spiders' web of threads.<br />
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After a pit stop for lunch, we headed over to Styal village to admire the pretty cottages built by the Greg family to house the workers. One of them will be open to the public later this year, as will the Greg's house.<br />
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Next up was the mill gardens. Last time we were here, the restoration of the glass houses was still going on and they were covered in boards. The middle curved section is apparently very unusual. And very hot inside!<br />
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We preferred the cool of the greenhouse with its rows of succulents and flowers. I'm adding one of these to my 'when I win the lottery' list.<br />
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There aren't many flowers in the gardens as yet but these hyacinths perfumed the air all around.<br />
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More flowers and a welly vase - my Mother's Day present :)<br />
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A lovely weekend and hopefully a lovely week to come. xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-30115027448649350522017-03-05T12:26:00.004+00:002017-03-05T12:26:56.782+00:00Cookery Calendar Challenge: February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in 2014 I set myself a <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/cookery-book-challenge.html" target="_blank">cookery book challenge</a> to make at least one recipe from one of my cookery books each week for a year. There were <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Cookery%20Book%20Challenge" target="_blank">highs and lows</a> but overall it was a great year and really extended my repertoire. Since then though I've slipped back into my usual habits and end up making old favourites. I've had half-hearted attempts at resurrecting it and was considering having another go when I saw <a href="http://www.talesfromahappyhouse.com/2017/02/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">Gillian's post</a> about the Cookery Calendar Challenge being organised by <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">Penny</a>. It seemed like perfect timing.<br />
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The idea is simple: the first week of every month, choose a cookery book from your shelf and, over the course of a month, make two recipes from it that you've never made before. Given that my own challenge involved a different book each week, this seemed very do-able. You can find out more on Penny's site, plus links to other bloggers taking part.<br />
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Here's my entry for February then. I decided to re-use the slips of paper from my old challenge to choose one at random and the first out of the hat was Delia Smith's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Delias-How-Cook-Book-Three-Delia-Smith/0563534699" target="_blank">How to Cook Book 3</a>. Chickpea groaned loudly as Delia is definitely not one of her favourites. Even she had to agree though that we managed to find a couple of good recipes to try.<br />
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First up was <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/italian/turkey-saltimbocca" target="_blank">Turkey Saltimbocca</a> which is served in a Marsala sauce. I've made similar recipes before so knew this would be good. The only change I made was that I had to use dried sage rather than fresh as my local supermarket didn't have any. It didn't make any real difference and still gave a flavour hit as you ate.<br />
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The second recipe was <a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/low-in-fat-high-in-flavour/sea-bass-with-puy-lentil-salsa" target="_blank">Sea Bass with Puy Lentil Salsa</a>. This was another really simple dish to make with just a bit of light chopping for the salsa. If you were feeling extra lazy, you could use ready-cooked lentils though I did cook them from scratch. We also enjoyed the sweet potato fries tossed in polenta which was a supermarket buy.<br />
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You can see what I made from Delia's book during my original challenge <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/cookery-book-challenge-weeks-45-49.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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And so to my pick for March.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Ginos-Italian-Escape-Book-1-Gino-DAcampo/1444751727" target="_blank">Gino's Italian Escape</a> was a Christmas present. I haven't made anything out of it yet so there should be plenty of choice.<br />
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If you want to see what the other participants have been making you can see the links on Penny's <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/2017/03/cookery-calendar-challenge-march.html" target="_blank">blog</a>. More information about the Challenge can be seen <a href="http://thehomemadeheart.typepad.com/thehomemadeheart/the-cookery-calendar-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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To end, a bonus image. There was a pandoro lurking in the cupboard so I made French toast with it for Valentine's. The slices made a lovely star shape, perfect for decorating with heart-shaped starberries :)<br />
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Hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend. It's absolutely chucking it down here so I'll be catching up with housework and crafting. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-81896870801467990472017-02-19T19:55:00.001+00:002017-02-19T19:55:49.736+00:00Ripple blanket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I had some completed crochet to show you but, at last, my ripple blanket is finished!<br />
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Ta-dah! The <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/ripple-blanket-know-how.html" target="_blank">pattern</a>, of course, is by the lovely Lucy at Attic24. I adapted it slightly by crocheting three rows of colour in each stripe rather than two to make the stripes bolder. The colours were my own choice and I used her method of organised randomness for the order of the stripes. Basically you use your set of colours once and then put them into a different order for the second set, and so on. It really works and is such a simple way to make the colours look spontaneous when your personality is anything but!<br />
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The border is made of 3 simple rows (one of trebles and two of double crochet).<br />
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The yarn is mostly Stylecraft Special DK which I bought from <a href="http://www.blacksheepwools.com/" target="_blank">Black Sheep Wools</a> - luckily they're only a half hour drive from me but they also do mail order. For those who are interested, the colours I used are:<br />
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1432 Wisteria, 1390 Clematis, 1084 Magenta, 1061 Plum, 1425 Emperor, 1062 Teal, 1708 Petrol, 1302 Denim, 1019 Cloud Blue, 1203 Silver, 1724 Parma Violet, 1725 Sage, 1068 Turquoise<br />
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plus a green, purple and blue from other ranges but I can't find the ball bands to give you those.<br />
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I've loved making it and feel a bit bereft now it's finished. I definitely prefer blankets made in rows as there are far fewer ends to sew in! A pity then that my next blanket will be made up of granny circles. Not my choice!<br />
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Chickpea saw the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kissing-circles--kaffe-blankets" target="_blank">Kissing Kaffe</a> design by Amanda Perkins in a magazine and fell in love with it. I think she was expecting to be able to snuggle up in it this winter. Ha, ha! Highly unlikely given it's taken me over a year to make the ripple!</div>
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So far I've made 3 circles just trying to get the tension right. Luckily the blanket has lots of circles of different sizes so the ones which were too small won't go to waste. The dark pink will be the prominent colour when it's finished. I'll keep you updated with progress.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jcA3Hbl8H60Ebr11E_3v4BP9uPfJwEGWn0pSyiKJkpTKR-kwaLEzLdaOflopuWtKwZNH9ajv37QYfENBhWZENFkF6en-FQ1Sc9MmlAfe6dKhl8LedB3U-jHQGgzT4gZfcOsGUHFO1JC4/s1600/DSCN3415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jcA3Hbl8H60Ebr11E_3v4BP9uPfJwEGWn0pSyiKJkpTKR-kwaLEzLdaOflopuWtKwZNH9ajv37QYfENBhWZENFkF6en-FQ1Sc9MmlAfe6dKhl8LedB3U-jHQGgzT4gZfcOsGUHFO1JC4/s640/DSCN3415.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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More ripples on the local lake. It looked beautiful yesterday in the late afternoon light and this photo really doesn't do it justice.<br />
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We were meant to be visiting the Scarecrow Festival at Tatton Park today but the Highways Agency conspired against us. The motorway junction was closed and the diversion took us to another closed junction, whose diversion took us to yet another closed road. We gave up and went home, feeling very fed up. It's still on next weekend but it's a busy one for us so there may not be time. If not, I'll have to content myself with photos from previous years like <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/scarecrow-festival.html" target="_blank">these </a>from 2016.<br />
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Hope you had a lovely and less frustrating weekend! xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-15148507037393356222017-02-12T17:00:00.002+00:002017-02-12T17:00:30.368+00:00Heart week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYUruT59BNYjxw-YsxcdtDE43UAa2IEqLT6arjK16LLZ8dIMJto_BvI-_X5agbDVAqu089fBu2Fz6MaxqnGpjASnX3_2-aUEjMEXbyA3r6PqO6bSpIeZ1EvqE_CnXk82QZkmuAvBH25_E/s1600/DSCN3361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYUruT59BNYjxw-YsxcdtDE43UAa2IEqLT6arjK16LLZ8dIMJto_BvI-_X5agbDVAqu089fBu2Fz6MaxqnGpjASnX3_2-aUEjMEXbyA3r6PqO6bSpIeZ1EvqE_CnXk82QZkmuAvBH25_E/s640/DSCN3361.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's love all around on my craft-a-day calendar this coming week with a Heart Week theme. Rather than post after the event, I thought it would be nice to share a few heart ideas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUPypgY5fYR-C8hcM_eFrh4e-GrT4Yutr8FcYFdY6Y3NPd7TswGfNh89lHV4wO_0Tu51wXunfvlymFq6D5K0grSalALG2a2xDjnR-MpEna159PQtV09_kFtH4no7E96Tku0-4EZh45a7R/s1600/DSCN3352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkUPypgY5fYR-C8hcM_eFrh4e-GrT4Yutr8FcYFdY6Y3NPd7TswGfNh89lHV4wO_0Tu51wXunfvlymFq6D5K0grSalALG2a2xDjnR-MpEna159PQtV09_kFtH4no7E96Tku0-4EZh45a7R/s640/DSCN3352.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This heart cake topper garland is from the calendar. Rather than trying to complete all the crafts each week, I'm selecting one or just using the theme to come up with my own ideas. This was my favourite of the options.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk_m1iu5Obt8l7RvaT2qD70SVt2AfYOMEdDnyvjVQTgB9noCI327zK0VtaXOYfbPZ41MMLiFySVonjVL_ecj1M20_9d4jAD8t8lUDAZwXhsIromJfmcRHR6ktUtdBBbiaKgnY-yenJTic/s1600/DSCN3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYk_m1iu5Obt8l7RvaT2qD70SVt2AfYOMEdDnyvjVQTgB9noCI327zK0VtaXOYfbPZ41MMLiFySVonjVL_ecj1M20_9d4jAD8t8lUDAZwXhsIromJfmcRHR6ktUtdBBbiaKgnY-yenJTic/s640/DSCN3368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But these are the others if you want to try out a different one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbERjpERjiuqR6pwnE_pnl2VgebJE_ncWTLPqkJuVK4l9WBUvIXOFYpAQe5-7UpGjHkRhFmqUQ_Ctl3RbwA2B17_7WNUqQASTarZZfB6DNY3rV-FfPsYGLVLEc6VBeSinBwFun3SM5PrA/s1600/DSCN3351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbERjpERjiuqR6pwnE_pnl2VgebJE_ncWTLPqkJuVK4l9WBUvIXOFYpAQe5-7UpGjHkRhFmqUQ_Ctl3RbwA2B17_7WNUqQASTarZZfB6DNY3rV-FfPsYGLVLEc6VBeSinBwFun3SM5PrA/s640/DSCN3351.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Or why not make a heart mug hug using the pattern I posted <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/mug-hugs.html" target="_blank">here</a>?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzP3UJI-zC8Ztnm1a38SWcfEI9CJAF1zkwH5aPAaPYDBusZLE7q_f3TB-3MNv8trhVi8yhUmx0YM9f-sjfrr9aCkWVJGP9n9Ct1YxMIALbF9iRyi-LFR4Wmiwt3vqBkHf6E4Jj-GfLjkQ/s1600/DSCN3365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzP3UJI-zC8Ztnm1a38SWcfEI9CJAF1zkwH5aPAaPYDBusZLE7q_f3TB-3MNv8trhVi8yhUmx0YM9f-sjfrr9aCkWVJGP9n9Ct1YxMIALbF9iRyi-LFR4Wmiwt3vqBkHf6E4Jj-GfLjkQ/s640/DSCN3365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_6vJQrr5laOLR7l5J5vSO-g5ZPNlvJEqpPirLS1Xc7o2gGZspQnNp1-ePLCpMh1uFtOYlKHnKCkniHyrLoi6lATqFNwrW4TJGEH96Ph6U1-cC3LzQwwHhZpwDLknbK4HHd8l4lLRuFOc/s1600/DSCN3363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_6vJQrr5laOLR7l5J5vSO-g5ZPNlvJEqpPirLS1Xc7o2gGZspQnNp1-ePLCpMh1uFtOYlKHnKCkniHyrLoi6lATqFNwrW4TJGEH96Ph6U1-cC3LzQwwHhZpwDLknbK4HHd8l4lLRuFOc/s640/DSCN3363.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And there's always origami. There have been several heart-themed patterns on my origami-a-day calendar. This one folds up so that you can write a secret message.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUr-qb-RuoY_-0CFb5fOdGf_-pklQNlkH9v0KwhNSV6m61RcPklMKY-jTPwn6bxF4LiwnxiPCwH3nedNdhGIVkfLf22y1I6WG9-etJRE57-kjTjLdM5J0Lx4lrYNj35VU3uZGb5e4ksPM/s1600/DSCN3360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUr-qb-RuoY_-0CFb5fOdGf_-pklQNlkH9v0KwhNSV6m61RcPklMKY-jTPwn6bxF4LiwnxiPCwH3nedNdhGIVkfLf22y1I6WG9-etJRE57-kjTjLdM5J0Lx4lrYNj35VU3uZGb5e4ksPM/s640/DSCN3360.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not heart-shaped but this is the Valentine's gift Chickpea is giving her boyfriend: chocolate bark decorated with marshmallows, jazzies, chocolate beans, glace ginger and toasted almonds. We've also spent today making animal-shaped biscuits half-coated in chocolate for him. One of them is a bear because he's her Bear :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTrsHlPdYKEb2lnuYJxcnd9WAn3A8zAb8G02hE7ZmMYtiwbdREc53zNMsOHpEUqmEQpRZZzQyAvqVbP648WYOts8kIZYBgBi49zETggEIzHTnys8KxteR-kgB80q95h6TMt4l9ZUeaUaH/s1600/RIMG6094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTrsHlPdYKEb2lnuYJxcnd9WAn3A8zAb8G02hE7ZmMYtiwbdREc53zNMsOHpEUqmEQpRZZzQyAvqVbP648WYOts8kIZYBgBi49zETggEIzHTnys8KxteR-kgB80q95h6TMt4l9ZUeaUaH/s640/RIMG6094.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This week many people will also be wearing green hearts to show their support for the Climate Coalition who are raising awareness of climate change. I wanted to share some links on their site but it doesn't seem to be working so here's one to <a href="https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/current-campaigns-and-initiatives/Climate-Change/show-the-love-2017#Resources" target="_blank">a supporters pack and a few ideas</a> from the Women's Institute instead.<br />
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Why not hug a tree? (Photo from 30 Days Wild in 2016)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj1FbhxAIvvlzUSRwB5dd2BV4hHoNoXk6FsAoNr95iwioFtuGXWow1aPHEa5XDSjZCboAlvwa1IVTWZ_tuyj7OlXFKq4ZjiMGSor-RWb3eZyb9a4CEmZU5RX5fO2UJxUl3pbhA4LjVPdK/s1600/heart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlj1FbhxAIvvlzUSRwB5dd2BV4hHoNoXk6FsAoNr95iwioFtuGXWow1aPHEa5XDSjZCboAlvwa1IVTWZ_tuyj7OlXFKq4ZjiMGSor-RWb3eZyb9a4CEmZU5RX5fO2UJxUl3pbhA4LjVPdK/s400/heart.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or show your love for the environment by spending some time in one of your favourite places. You can see some of the things other people are doing on the <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCCoalition" target="_blank">CC twitter</a> feed #showthelove</div>
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Happy Heart Week! xx</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-56304933960260799902017-02-08T20:29:00.001+00:002017-02-08T20:29:11.308+00:00Origami-a-day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n5y_0JzNGqm7tyD4BOEbkoOXD6JggBQu4xzR9CmVi_-QyNDQ4DFQkmSSjouuBXMgTqWLCo1AbgAhjaIAhSUDiCWCoVwUOOMIP5gmUs8FhA5AYfVY9bN3aAGrsxcGhzH35RnLeWTY-Xea/s1600/DSCN3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-n5y_0JzNGqm7tyD4BOEbkoOXD6JggBQu4xzR9CmVi_-QyNDQ4DFQkmSSjouuBXMgTqWLCo1AbgAhjaIAhSUDiCWCoVwUOOMIP5gmUs8FhA5AYfVY9bN3aAGrsxcGhzH35RnLeWTY-Xea/s640/DSCN3310.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last time I hinted that I'd bought something else in the garden centre as well as the craft-a-day calendar. I hope you won't be too disappointed to learn that, yes, it's another calendar! This time it'll be teaching me origami. I hadn't intended buying another but Chickpea was particularly taken with the stag on the front so it had to come home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiGk7Tp7VPuBJN9e3ZUdISprppi8Ot79kZv4oSmggd_kOe0v4bhyphenhyphenaJKNrhOu0jXaoTWDOk89Kxf719HiBDypwps1MDjz5B55aozodgHcbkoM0SvfYzHS0HvyhZtMMn_4SHdKiDHY8fuj-/s1600/DSCN3348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiGk7Tp7VPuBJN9e3ZUdISprppi8Ot79kZv4oSmggd_kOe0v4bhyphenhyphenaJKNrhOu0jXaoTWDOk89Kxf719HiBDypwps1MDjz5B55aozodgHcbkoM0SvfYzHS0HvyhZtMMn_4SHdKiDHY8fuj-/s640/DSCN3348.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It follows pretty much the same format as the kirigami in that you use the paper from the previous day to create the shape. There are some index cards too which explain basic shapes and the symbols used in the instructions.<br />
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Ah, the instructions. We're already struggling with those and we haven't got to the more complicated designs yet! Of course that might just be us and something to do with spatial awareness. Me and Chickpea puzzled over the minnow design for ages and gave up. Her boyfriend worked it out in seconds (it's the tail that's wrong in ours).<br />
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I think we'll get used to how the folding works as we gain more experience. In the meantime though, here's a few that have been completed so far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yk2ajZYEdSZoPXgbixJrOnVgQNc8FOaoo9b3HvC5gyc7pRFevOcRUP1YXZml1GNVuUZYCBFpXqbDOyucScYPbCvuMkC6FRiVAMx9HcB4BivrVjjPKReTZslkkVbQxgkT_JRVTJ1PRzY7/s1600/RIMG6957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yk2ajZYEdSZoPXgbixJrOnVgQNc8FOaoo9b3HvC5gyc7pRFevOcRUP1YXZml1GNVuUZYCBFpXqbDOyucScYPbCvuMkC6FRiVAMx9HcB4BivrVjjPKReTZslkkVbQxgkT_JRVTJ1PRzY7/s640/RIMG6957.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelican</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFshvfr1PmqcslJ4g7Wcxu1nTG0il7wkEDNJ1yMwSFfWpSm-Yst5ZCck4Xdu5iTwk7-Aco9dTyEuj41YRGUCyaGp_N93AUcBrCfKplUbf4Tk7KegW3iSZm9cacNTvtOfBxSJU9rfB0IEYM/s1600/RIMG6958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFshvfr1PmqcslJ4g7Wcxu1nTG0il7wkEDNJ1yMwSFfWpSm-Yst5ZCck4Xdu5iTwk7-Aco9dTyEuj41YRGUCyaGp_N93AUcBrCfKplUbf4Tk7KegW3iSZm9cacNTvtOfBxSJU9rfB0IEYM/s640/RIMG6958.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MYZrG-FwmWlQqS7OtPDBBqiZbV7GTduTNTkHj-Swfix9-mmXGm7_nmjBiVaYsMSVYcUOQiSSzE6O8cGOFqYi7Lq-pQ4DSexJiftwyHlSLa0vDeqY3QwQODkxJCwiv8xVfcHv31CBFTDm/s1600/RIMG6959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5MYZrG-FwmWlQqS7OtPDBBqiZbV7GTduTNTkHj-Swfix9-mmXGm7_nmjBiVaYsMSVYcUOQiSSzE6O8cGOFqYi7Lq-pQ4DSexJiftwyHlSLa0vDeqY3QwQODkxJCwiv8xVfcHv31CBFTDm/s640/RIMG6959.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabuto. A type of helmet worn by Japanese warriors.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm2fIDKHwYnLomggI3-ebmTFFhQ08WBamDrh_CrnXYMTPlCthbdHGf-rQUYa_BS8trOHCzEpzLXheRvm4Lh6-yX2V5AQ5F3yDSHfI44P7U2S-dk801NzKh_-_nlK8_7sJaMH3X6rBWmpj/s1600/RIMG6960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm2fIDKHwYnLomggI3-ebmTFFhQ08WBamDrh_CrnXYMTPlCthbdHGf-rQUYa_BS8trOHCzEpzLXheRvm4Lh6-yX2V5AQ5F3yDSHfI44P7U2S-dk801NzKh_-_nlK8_7sJaMH3X6rBWmpj/s640/RIMG6960.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koala</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixK5RtoBlmdEbUNq3zlZsE3vFflm8GAPyikCvsBNtd35fsqF5sJjslHAqkPvi4piDvZEFPspSoaMh-3OpAIbt0dLZQQagu0eCgqIeACcAl69NNby0rq-QW4Vcn-QawFvJTCdNYkQ2PXiMe/s1600/RIMG6965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixK5RtoBlmdEbUNq3zlZsE3vFflm8GAPyikCvsBNtd35fsqF5sJjslHAqkPvi4piDvZEFPspSoaMh-3OpAIbt0dLZQQagu0eCgqIeACcAl69NNby0rq-QW4Vcn-QawFvJTCdNYkQ2PXiMe/s640/RIMG6965.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penguin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVP_Xho5wJD9-Z284tZE-ZznK6veMQhTo6ytx0qmC2fwFBzGSbf6r4XYEV6TWUG9Ow1qwq07OBgF2kCFbWMEMI1P4UNyt-uodGTDusTTzSMJ1Vq0-k_5fn5z3-alBgRR1OdUCY-KfyRhO/s1600/RIMG6969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVP_Xho5wJD9-Z284tZE-ZznK6veMQhTo6ytx0qmC2fwFBzGSbf6r4XYEV6TWUG9Ow1qwq07OBgF2kCFbWMEMI1P4UNyt-uodGTDusTTzSMJ1Vq0-k_5fn5z3-alBgRR1OdUCY-KfyRhO/s640/RIMG6969.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minnow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2ccV_uCuKxyZ8Ursx-6VF4UNecLO_rvtyTYkqe10G6wgcwH_8v8U6KROK8-Qg18EjknKvnyidJxXjpzBiGx9N_LVouPPci1WkRChkxSXLNFrsBB1mOvJT8HKa5qnnIgAa-jKIbamu9yA/s1600/RIMG6993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2ccV_uCuKxyZ8Ursx-6VF4UNecLO_rvtyTYkqe10G6wgcwH_8v8U6KROK8-Qg18EjknKvnyidJxXjpzBiGx9N_LVouPPci1WkRChkxSXLNFrsBB1mOvJT8HKa5qnnIgAa-jKIbamu9yA/s640/RIMG6993.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVXPeyiKNVX5MV0AD9n_Oo0kxAmQRjr6Otvb0G0QpQHdI-VpslWUI14o1F8PJ9fW9aijEtcQTU9UfjBkO7nnORIDVIe7wl_9ASiddRHG_o21SfihB7JN1ZSZwqC67zHAcP6cU9N7Xi7rW/s1600/RIMG6994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVXPeyiKNVX5MV0AD9n_Oo0kxAmQRjr6Otvb0G0QpQHdI-VpslWUI14o1F8PJ9fW9aijEtcQTU9UfjBkO7nnORIDVIe7wl_9ASiddRHG_o21SfihB7JN1ZSZwqC67zHAcP6cU9N7Xi7rW/s640/RIMG6994.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lonely sheepdog</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6vfspVixlipVo-mkpTROfYpH7Q9dp8jTpYUS04xSCqMPHYgYMnImtxHiQ2irXziLnnItSxWTfS8pTarIsoNTZf9_lZn_Q2AZDsoC-KQoeNjeiN09rLknrKc6BWc2CHJ1RQc4IPvLZMwS/s1600/RIMG6996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6vfspVixlipVo-mkpTROfYpH7Q9dp8jTpYUS04xSCqMPHYgYMnImtxHiQ2irXziLnnItSxWTfS8pTarIsoNTZf9_lZn_Q2AZDsoC-KQoeNjeiN09rLknrKc6BWc2CHJ1RQc4IPvLZMwS/s640/RIMG6996.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heart - it opens up to reveal a secret message!</td></tr>
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Any favourites? The penguin and the bird are two of mine. As always I'll keep you up-to-date with progress. Enjoy the rest of your week :) xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-14873484074193422862017-02-02T06:50:00.002+00:002017-02-02T06:50:37.553+00:00Craft-a-day: Groundhog Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is Groundhog Day in America when all eyes will be on the town of Punxsutawney to find out what weather the rest of the winter will bring. According to legend, if the groundhog emerges from his burrow to a cloudy day, winter will be short; if it's a sunny day, it's another 6 weeks of bad weather! Luckily, here, it's set for a miserable day so we're in for an early spring!<br />
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So why am I talking about groundhogs? Well, they're the theme this week of my new craft-a-day calendar. If you remember, during 2016, I worked my way through a kirigami-a-day calendar. A couple of weeks ago, we visited the same garden centre where I'd bought that and saw this one, half-price. Into my basket it went.<br />
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Each week has a theme such as snowflakes, gnomes, triangles, foxes, and each day has a craft on that theme. As the project is meant to be completed the same day, they're all pretty quick and simple.<br />
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To be honest, that aspect has been a little disappointing as most of the projects are on very similar lines - lots of cards, gift tags and cake toppers. I can't see me making everything but the templates will come in handy in future. I'm also thinking I might use the weekly theme as the jumping off point to inspire other activities like baking or days out. Watch this space to see if any of these ideas come to owt or nowt!<br />
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Did you think this was all I bought at the garden centre? Hmm, maybe not...more on that next time!<br />
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Happy Groundhog Day! xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-79128691861648328072017-01-28T14:53:00.002+00:002017-01-28T14:53:25.626+00:00Year in Books 2016/2017 and Burns.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: start;">During 2016 I took part in the </span><a href="http://circleofpinetrees.com/year-books-information/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Year in Books</a><span style="text-align: start;"> organised by Laura at </span><a href="http://circleofpinetrees.com/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Circle of Pine Trees</a><span style="text-align: start;">, with the aim of reading at least one book per month. Before I reveal whether I achieved my target, there are 4 books to show you which I didn't get around to reviewing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: start;">The first, read in September, is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bookshop-Rosemary-Lane-Ellen-Berry/dp/000815712X" target="_blank">The bookshop on Rosemary Lane</a> by Ellen Berry which was given to me as a birthday present. It's the story of Della who decides to open a bookshop selling cookery books with the books she inherits from her mother. As the book opens, she is struggling with a purpose in life: her mother has just died, she's bored with her job, her marriage is failing and her daughter is just about to go off to university. It sounded like just my kind of thing - bookshops, cooking, what's not to like? A shame then that I found it all a bit disappointing and cliched.</span></span><br />
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October was the only month I didn't manage to complete a whole book, though I did read a couple of short stories. I'd deliberately saved <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mistletoe-Bride-Other-Haunting-Tales/dp/1409148068/" target="_blank">The mistletoe bride and other haunting tales</a> by Kate Mosse to read during the spookiest of months. I usually love her books but, to be honest, the two I read, both based on the mistletoe bride folktale, were a bit average. What I did like were the author's notes saying where she got her inspiration or some anecdote around the writing of the story. I'll probably save it and read the other stories this October.<br />
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Thankfully, November proved to be much better with <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ocean-at-End-Lane/dp/1472200349/" target="_blank">The ocean at the end of the lane</a> by Neil Gaiman. Here's some blurb from the back cover:<br />
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'An ancient little girl, and an old woman who saw the moon being made; a beautiful housekeeper with a monstrous smile; and dark forces woken that were best left undisturbed'.<br />
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Clearly it's a fantasy novel, though set in the near past, and narrated by a man looking back at events from his childhood. I really enjoyed this one and will be looking out for more by Neil Gaiman (the film Stardust, based on one of his novels, is one of my favourites).<br />
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However, the best was yet to come in December with <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Snow-Child-Eowyn-Ivey/dp/0755380533/" target="_blank">The snow child</a> by Eowyn Ivey. It's the story of Jack and Mabel who are struggling to make a living in Alaska in the 1920s. They moved to this remote area to escape the tragedy of losing a baby and the resulting childlessness. Their lives change when a small girl appears by their cabin the night after they build a snow girl.<br />
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I loved this one! I've always been fascinated by the pioneer experience so enjoyed that aspect of the story. The characters were very well drawn and made you care about them. And the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness were magical. A great end to the year.<br />
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So, did I meet my target? Well, I initially set out to read a book a month but was amazed to find I actually managed 21!<br />
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Actually, make that 21 and a half. I started out reading this one, month by month, but then forgot about it! I'll have to pick it up again this year.<br />
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Am I going to continue with the challenge? Well, I signed up on Goodreads to read at least 10 books. I probably would have been more ambitious if I'd realised what my 2016 total had been! I definitely plan to keep working through my stash which continues to grow rather than reduce! I'm not sure whether I'll stick to the structure of month-by-month posts though but will let you know my progress.<br />
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Onto 2017 then. My January pick, which I'm reading at the moment is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Box-Garden-Carol-Shields/dp/0394221028/" target="_blank">The box garden</a> by Carol Shields. I've read quite a few of her books so my expectations are high.<br />
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Tonight is my annual Burns Night dinner with my friends Sue and Gordon. I'll be following the usual running order which I've written about <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/burns-night-supper.html" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/burns-night-2014.html" target="_blank">here </a>and the 'highland games' from <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/burns-night-2015.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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New this year is pin-the-tail-on-the haggis (image from <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzZUXiO5ksseleB3JVxZTJt0ue9yL7E-Ku1D09T4Xb4KtNe-cvBuRbcX2zEe8bO_sdhV5XtjGSNEGuPQOakG1lS6ta0AEaTMc454FbDNALddrpOfy1tA1jg3AzdM3iE0RGOf6De_nXTM/s1600/haggis.png" target="_blank">here</a>). And I might show this YouTube video.<br />
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Whatever happens, I know it'll be great fun. There's still lots to do, so I bid you 'Soraidh' (farewell) and 'Lang may yer lum reek! ('live long and prosper!). xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-37712387062570768792017-01-21T16:24:00.001+00:002017-01-21T16:24:36.494+00:00Kirigami 2016 finale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems a little ridiculous still looking back to 2016 when we're almost at the end of January. However, I wanted to round off a couple of the regular posts I did throughout last year.<br />
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The first of these is my kirigami-a-day challenge. For those who are new to it, I bought a calendar which had a kirigami project for each day of the year and set out to see if I could complete it. For the first few months I did stick to the schedule and made time each evening to work on a design. After a while though, it ended up being more convenient to do them in a batch at the end of the week.<br />
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By the time we came to October/November, well, it all fell apart and I only ended up finishing earlier this month.<br />
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By the end, I also ended up only doing the designs which interested me as I'd learned by that point which were enjoyable and which were more of a chore.</div>
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The designs varied in quality and complexity. My favorites were probably the simple snowflakes. My least favourite were probably the weaving projects though they also produced some lovely effects.<br />
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Some of the Japanese designs, like the pair of cranes here, were particularly stunning.<br />
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Overall then, a challenge I really enjoyed and would recommend. More paper folding is definitely on the horizon this year as a friend bought me a <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Step-Step-Zen-Doodle-Origami/dp/1438007876" target="_blank">doodle origami</a> book for Christmas.<br />
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Next time, how did I get on with the Year in Books challenge? xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-81678040721047200312017-01-14T18:26:00.002+00:002017-01-14T18:26:34.747+00:00Weather weather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A very belated Happy New Year to you all. It's been a few months since I last posted: a combination of being overwhelmingly busy and a lack of inspiration. I'm still not sure how much I will continue to blog but it's likely to be more erratic.<br />
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Still, I'm here now and to talk about that most British of topics, the weather! I love a bit of folklore and an article in the newspaper at the beginning of the month mentioned a 16th century way of predicting the weather for the rest of the year. Each day foretells what the corresponding month will be like. Well I couldn't resist and took a photo on each of the relevant days. Here then is what this corner of Lancashire can expect during 2017.<br />
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The photo above, taken on 2 January, predicts September to be bright and sunny.<br />
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3 January = October : cloudy and grey.<br />
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4 January = November: sunny, blue skies.<br />
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5 January = December: more of those sunny blue skies.<br />
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The morning of 8 January foretells June, whilst the afternoon predicts May. It was miserable, grey and misty all day. Oh dear. I've booked a holiday in Northumberland in May!<br />
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The morning of 9 January = August. Yep, miserable and grey. That's about right as it's my birthday in August and it pretty much always rains!<br />
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The afternoon of 9 January = July. Hurrah, blue skies.<br />
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And the temperature on 12 January gives a rough summary of the whole year. Bitterly cold then. It was the day it snowed heavily in some parts of the country, though not here. It was also one of those 'four seasons in one day' kind of days: grey, rain, blue skies and sunshine. Maybe there's something in this folklore after all!<br />
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You might have noticed that this particular piece of folklore didn't bother with January-April so it will all be a big surprise! It'll be interesting to look back to see how close the prediction came.<br />
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We're going to see La La Land at the cinema tomorrow and really looking forward to it. xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-14863744489819435132016-09-18T16:45:00.000+01:002016-09-18T16:45:17.477+01:00Ribble Valley Sculpture Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm struggling to find time for blogging at the moment, or even just logging on to the PC. A symptom of being back at work and adjusting to the work/eat/sleep routine. Luckily I had this post halfway written from when I was on leave a couple of weeks ago so I do have something to share today.<br />
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Back at the end of August, we headed to Clitheroe to visit the Ribble Valley Sculpture Trail which was launched just over 20 years ago and includes around 20 works of art. It takes you through Brungerley Park and Cross Hill Quarry with most of the sculptures having been inspired by the local area and wildlife. There's a leaflet with a map and description of each sculpture which you can download <a href="http://www.visitribblevalley.co.uk/tourism/downloads/file/43/the_ribble_valley_sculpture_trail_leaflet" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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We started at the Waddington Road end which is closest to the town centre.<br />
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First up was 'Common Comfrey' by Halima Cassell, a representation of the comfrey plants which can be found along the trail, not that we saw any that day.<br />
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Mushrooms in the undergrowth.<br />
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This is 'The Cook House' by Helen Calaghan. It was difficult to work out what it was without the close-up and the leaflet. Get ready to go 'ewww'! as it's a pan boiling over with tripe! The fossils represent those found in the limestone which underlies much of the area.<br />
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This one wasn't part of the official trail and had lost the front of his face, poor thing! I think he's meant to be an otter but it was hard to tell :(<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">'Leaving Touch' - Kerry Morrison</span></span></td></tr>
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Beautiful views over the Ribble valley.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2Y2JBqFQBm0pEbrcOCIHgp8AHCziVCvY25q-pJvHYvbSgMGK-IjEcEduBX50N-3VmAxE_q-vkRcL9f0hSv6cKeeBLuq0Knb3VPkSmBx0feqrBCaiJbvJiJMYa-zT6MMhinQtsOIw0np4/s1600/RIMG6607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2Y2JBqFQBm0pEbrcOCIHgp8AHCziVCvY25q-pJvHYvbSgMGK-IjEcEduBX50N-3VmAxE_q-vkRcL9f0hSv6cKeeBLuq0Knb3VPkSmBx0feqrBCaiJbvJiJMYa-zT6MMhinQtsOIw0np4/s640/RIMG6607.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Ivy'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Butterflies'</td></tr>
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These are two of the steel waymarkers by David Appleyard. The plaques on top were developed in workshops with local schoolchildren.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD3o3yxIeZznCI3KchO9PTXRjkTd7q99JsFKubAP4cctX2dXcw2xLfp8NAxmPGEVGpqNCwWDZ8KG00FTZKjK_A78bIPc5Ic1b4mwB5Ue1dZubahsKflzw_HeP-g6fZzqkJ5MP36btQJUa/s1600/RIMG6612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtD3o3yxIeZznCI3KchO9PTXRjkTd7q99JsFKubAP4cctX2dXcw2xLfp8NAxmPGEVGpqNCwWDZ8KG00FTZKjK_A78bIPc5Ic1b4mwB5Ue1dZubahsKflzw_HeP-g6fZzqkJ5MP36btQJUa/s640/RIMG6612.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Fir cone' - Halima Cassell</td></tr>
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After an open section, the path moved into the wooded section. Welcome shade on a hot day.<br />
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This was Chickpea's favourite: 'Sika Deer' by Clare Bigger. Apparently, real ones are found in the area after being introduced from Japan in the 19th century. Clare has done some amazing work - look at 'Leaping Man' on her <a href="http://www.clarebigger.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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More beautiful views of the river Ribble, which wends its way from the Yorkshire Dales to the Irish Sea.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Great Burnet' - Halima Cassell</td></tr>
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At this point, we emerged at the far end of the park which is actually part of Cross Hill Quarry nature reserve. I hadn't realised it was run by the Wildlife Trust which was a nice surprise given I became a member after taking part in 30 Days Wild. More about the quarry shortly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO61OjEepbKsb0a74tBEw6ll09yk_xMwsLgxXVwfKstfN8QJ4kUiGBeShPBXz5zzwN9WumommBjn0WPYEyjPfstKFcRzNhLDhW2XufCdXYCeJnkVSgtT9W4dBZf11-_vn8Y58jBvan4ee0/s1600/RIMG6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO61OjEepbKsb0a74tBEw6ll09yk_xMwsLgxXVwfKstfN8QJ4kUiGBeShPBXz5zzwN9WumommBjn0WPYEyjPfstKFcRzNhLDhW2XufCdXYCeJnkVSgtT9W4dBZf11-_vn8Y58jBvan4ee0/s640/RIMG6624.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Thistle' - Halima Cassell</td></tr>
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We walked along the road for a few hundred yards and then back through another entrance into the reserve.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNR0_2fnwdkR0-IZoCefOtZoErs93IG6m6ZMQZSYYD_G9uTOwqOINc2dQYhwp706fbdCPF3gB40N8nCDtl2thp6NHWhswA6SflfjF_r4FPz-1ChyphenhyphendicZT7G6FD9zugKzhFuTtEWJQUZKx/s1600/RIMG6630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNR0_2fnwdkR0-IZoCefOtZoErs93IG6m6ZMQZSYYD_G9uTOwqOINc2dQYhwp706fbdCPF3gB40N8nCDtl2thp6NHWhswA6SflfjF_r4FPz-1ChyphenhyphendicZT7G6FD9zugKzhFuTtEWJQUZKx/s640/RIMG6630.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Wildlife seat' - Martyn Bednarckzuk</td></tr>
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I think this was my favourite sculpture as I loved all the carvings which stood out beautifully in the bright sunshine. The stone came from the park.<br />
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This is the view from the bench, looking across the valley to the Bowland Fells.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPivs6egv6hmsbMQKBvsuuOn8WCGcBMfVk8ISOg0Vaks-gniWrCYYwkxINxvYbWWeEGaFRb_uwWw7SaPB0yUtY0WszMIqGGToc0BOlF86MS94U4qe2Abnj6LhruhEvXKU2l_PQ-1yxarFr/s1600/RIMG6633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPivs6egv6hmsbMQKBvsuuOn8WCGcBMfVk8ISOg0Vaks-gniWrCYYwkxINxvYbWWeEGaFRb_uwWw7SaPB0yUtY0WszMIqGGToc0BOlF86MS94U4qe2Abnj6LhruhEvXKU2l_PQ-1yxarFr/s640/RIMG6633.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Otter' - Fiona Bowley</td></tr>
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One of three mosaic waymarkers by Paul Smith, again developed with local schoolchildren.<br />
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At this point, you follow a path into a clearing formed by the old quarry which was last worked in 1910.<br />
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The footprints by Thompson Dagnall were tricky to spot and difficult to photograph. Clever though. You could imagine them having been left there centuries ago.<br />
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I'd love to come back in spring to see which wildflowers grow in the clearing as there was lots to see in late summer. I wish I'd had more time to explore but we were starting to get hungry and there was still more to find.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3XpgEmY6ZgrgDAF7-hIYOBenH8MsKG4PMZxBvSzLZhKrkiye3QexASSKdmfAE6fYINzKWrxoLVNs-gaRCmJ5TDTKFHtQvLzihWjPirnupuna2IMQrx_tRD1Ft2eBgZZG9b1E_UI4gFGC/s1600/RIMG6655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3XpgEmY6ZgrgDAF7-hIYOBenH8MsKG4PMZxBvSzLZhKrkiye3QexASSKdmfAE6fYINzKWrxoLVNs-gaRCmJ5TDTKFHtQvLzihWjPirnupuna2IMQrx_tRD1Ft2eBgZZG9b1E_UI4gFGC/s640/RIMG6655.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Lords and Ladies' - Halima Cassell</td></tr>
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'Wildlife' by Louise Worrell, inspired by Victorian mosaics in the doorways of the shops in Clitheroe.<br />
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'As the crow flies' by David Halford. Annoyingly, we only realised when looking at the photos on the leaflet more closely later that there's a bird hiding amongst the leaves at the top. Well, unless someone had decided to take it home, which is what we suspect has happened to another of the sculptures which we searched high and low for and couldn't find.<br />
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'Brook' by David Appleyard. The poem on the top is by Pam Stewart who I think might be from America. I couldn't read it all from my photos but here's what I can make out:<br />
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'A green and watery place, Or will we muddy the waters? Watch this space.<br />
Smile, shout, laugh long and loud. ...on...lovely banks. You the caretaker.'<br />
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The fast-flowing Ribble.<br />
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I'd come down to the riverside to find the next sculpture which was 'Fish mobile' by Julie Ann Seaman.<br />
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Further along and higher up in the park, this one is called 'Two Heads' (by Thompson Dagnall). We could only see the one though.<br />
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Last one, 'Alder cone' by Halima Cassell.<br />
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We really enjoyed this trail but then we do prefer walks where there are things to look out for. It's such a beautiful area too and there are lots of other footpaths and walks we could have explored. I think we'll be back :) For now though it was time to head into Clitheroe town centre to find somewhere to eat.<br />
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After seeing it on <a href="https://sunshineandcelandines.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Shazza's blog</a>, our destination was the Atrium cafe at the castle. I really wanted to try the picnic lunch which she'd written about but it wasn't available that day :( Instead we had to settle for their platter. All delicious, though I'd have liked more bread (one slice was a bit mean with 3 different things to spread on it).<br />
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Fully restored we decided to have a quick look around the castle.<br />
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Georgeous views across to Pendle Hill.<br />
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The cafe is the lower building. The others house the museum (entry charge) and an art gallery (free).<br />
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All along the courtyard wall were these plaques marking points in the town's history. I hadn't heard of <a href="http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/lancashire/folklore/peg-onell-of-waddow-hall-waddington.html" target="_blank">Peg O'Nell</a> but Chickpea went on a girl guide weekend at Waddow Hall which she's said to haunt! Luckily, Chickpea didn't know that at the time...<br />
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I didn't know <a href="https://elizabethashworth.com/2013/06/24/the-capture-of-king-henry-vi/" target="_blank">this story</a> either about Henry VI. Or that hipping stones are another term for stepping stones. So the plaques proved to be very interesting and enlightening. Lovely to see the braille on them too.<br />
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Up at the castle, we had a quick look in the keep. This is really all that remains of the early medieval fortress.<br />
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The best part is the 360 degree views from the walkway.<br />
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The town was looking pretty with all the bunting strung across the streets.<br />
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Another view of Pendle Hill.<br />
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As we were leaving the castle grounds, I spotted this white structure which I hadn't noticed on the way in.<br />
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It's one of the waymarkers on a 51-mile walk from Barrowford to Lancaster. The poem on top is one of the verses (or tercets) from 'Lancashire Witches' by Carol Ann Duffy which you can read <a href="http://greenclose.org/new/commissions" target="_blank">here</a>. It was written as part of the Lancashire Witches 400 project which commemorated 400 years since the famous trials. Each of the waymarkers has one of the tercets and also the name of one of the people who were hung - in this case, Isabel Robey. I feel a project coming on to track down all the other waymarkers!<br />
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After this, we had a wander round the shops, mostly independents rather than the usual chain stores, and then headed for home. A lovely day out.<br />
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Well, I'm off to mow the lawn before tea (that's our evening meal for you non-Northerners!). Then some relaxation. Maybe watching the video of the veil dance we're learning at my belly dancing class. Yes the class, I'm loving it so much! Jingling around and wafting bits of chiffon about - what's not to love! Everyone is so friendly and we all leave the class with massive smiles. Highly recommended if you can find a class near you.<br />
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend. xx</div>
Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-47805900645309521192016-09-10T08:02:00.001+01:002016-09-10T08:02:58.292+01:00Mere Sands Wood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well it's been a manic week but more about that later. Today I have a day trip to tell you about from my hols at the end of August. Having joined Lancashire Wildlife Trust after taking part in 30 Days Wild, I thought it would be good to visit one of their reserves, though you don't have to be a member to visit. A look at the handbook showed me <a href="http://www.lancswt.org.uk/reserves/mere-sands-wood-nature-reserve" target="_blank">Mere Sands Wood</a> near Rufford where there's also a National Trust property. By a stroke of luck there was also a garden centre nearby which accepted the gift card I'd been given for my birthday. It was clearly fate!<br />
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Off we set to explore. It's had a varied history being part of a lake to start with, drained for agricultural use and then quarried for sand before being returned to nature. You can see more of its history on the board above.<br />
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There's a path which takes you around the perimeter of the current lake. It looks the picture of tranquility but at this stage it most definitely wasn't! The start of the walk adjoins a kennels and the mutts never stopped barking. Thankfully, the noise fades as you wander deeper into the reserve.<br />
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At various points there are hides to look out over the water. Nothing of any excitement during our visit: mallards, coots and Canada geese mainly. Annoyingly, a friend went last week and saw a kingfisher!! I've never seen one and it's on my bucket list :( Sigh, maybe next time.<br />
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Back to the walk...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJvrXJkBrCAqw7PKWppDd234pm7nEuE8zyUqcj0mAHzJolFv972XYytSymaDf1GbMBgOdTDlrtT6Hafk79zLs_unnDHtURLaPWQTZghPVL6Xzdcn0Ez3HR1pB1ZH9KJ6PCzLTGRTVaK02/s1600/DSCN2807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJvrXJkBrCAqw7PKWppDd234pm7nEuE8zyUqcj0mAHzJolFv972XYytSymaDf1GbMBgOdTDlrtT6Hafk79zLs_unnDHtURLaPWQTZghPVL6Xzdcn0Ez3HR1pB1ZH9KJ6PCzLTGRTVaK02/s640/DSCN2807.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speckled Wood</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
A lovely example of Chicken of the woods.<br />
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And here's another lovely Chicken in the woods :)<br />
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Sometimes you could see out over the neighbouring farmland: in this case, potato fields.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLvO40wcz-xF1ONJsRmAgq5riqnzQ_DsSoVx4eBq1F7JPN07Sq3s8TY-Bf4x5ZHGl117bgexSdLktuz-wrag1oQrCAygbj5l7P89_RF4WhtwUXcskdUK-qmSIAVsEYMxZHe4PVDJH3Sfo/s1600/DSCN2822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLvO40wcz-xF1ONJsRmAgq5riqnzQ_DsSoVx4eBq1F7JPN07Sq3s8TY-Bf4x5ZHGl117bgexSdLktuz-wrag1oQrCAygbj5l7P89_RF4WhtwUXcskdUK-qmSIAVsEYMxZHe4PVDJH3Sfo/s640/DSCN2822.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fumitory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6YkLG1rb1y5q3gE_ujtkLE6qgdlZ1DBhszFqgE7hKfh2NBPLWhzeen-FGzyyT1Noif7TifRJmty1k7sEdImm0VeRkG6jfkPPnajrgARjBq8UHLuu4JbHdWqWTPGqIKXeAJQ6OdyHRtGe/s1600/DSCN2826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6YkLG1rb1y5q3gE_ujtkLE6qgdlZ1DBhszFqgE7hKfh2NBPLWhzeen-FGzyyT1Noif7TifRJmty1k7sEdImm0VeRkG6jfkPPnajrgARjBq8UHLuu4JbHdWqWTPGqIKXeAJQ6OdyHRtGe/s640/DSCN2826.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rowan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I would have liked to climb up the tower hide but it was all locked up :(<br />
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To be honest, up to this point I'd found it a bit dull. There's a fixed path and signs asking you not to wander off it so exploring was rather limited.<br />
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Until we reached the meadow. And then there were flowers and insects galore. Most of it fenced off but enough to provide some interest.<br />
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Even the wooden deer looked perkier!<br />
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A pleasant way to spend an hour. I'd visit again if I was in the area but don't think I'd make a special effort. Much better to visit one of their bigger reserves like <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/day-12-day-out-at-brockholes.html" target="_blank">Brockholes</a>.<br />
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Anyway, only a short hop up the road is Rufford Old Hall so we decided to stop by. You can see more photos from a previous visit <a href="http://homejules.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/rufford-old-hall.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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There was an art class taking place at the front of the hall.<br />
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The Great Hall is my favourite part and always worth a look. It dates from the 1500s and the screen is thought to be the most intact version to have survived. William Shakespeare is believed to have performed in this Hall as a young man.<br />
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Apparently it was very unusual to have angel carvings in the roof. This was taken through a peep hole from the main part of the house.<br />
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We didn't linger in the house though as it was so bright and warm outside.<br />
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I marvelled over the size of the onions in the vegetable garden.<br />
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And envied them their apple harvest.<br />
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And who could resist ticking off a '50 things to do when you're way older than 11 3/4'!<br />
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Straight after posting this, I'll be off to visit your blogs. I've barely been near the computer this week as I've been out most evenings. Tuesday was walking with my yoga group - our last walk before the class starts up again. Wednesday was quilt group. And Thursday was my new evening class. Yes, I've taken up belly dancing! Six of us from the yoga class, who've also walked together all summer, have joined. It was the first one this week and what a laugh! You get to wear a jingly scarf and waft a large piece of chiffon around. Coordination is optional. What's not to love? It's early days but I think it might be my new favourite thing :)<br />
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Today is a housework/food shopping/washing day with hopefully some me time squeezed in. Tomorrow me and Chickpea are off on a coach trip to Llandudno with my parents. Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside! Enjoy your weekend whatever you have planned. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-88712565249311257492016-09-04T08:40:00.001+01:002016-09-04T08:40:12.854+01:00Festival of Quilts 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I'd usually be visiting the Great Northern Quilt Show at Harrogate which I've done for many years. I love supporting our 'local' show and it's just the right size without being overwhelming. However, this year I decided to have a change so, a couple of weeks ago, I travelled down to Birmingham to see the Festival of Quilts. It's been a few years since my last visit but it's great to see this one once in a while as it's the top show in the country and attracts all the best and most innovative quilters. It's held in three massive halls with quilts displayed in different categories and hundreds of traders.<br />
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I took loads of photos but have picked out a few of my favourites to give you a flavour of what I saw. No words, just lots of amazing work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZ-GcYEVa6GcCObzz05miBybWI1qX9hztqituoR4re-tRLgXapcOB-yk5mlZ0ZVrBZbqOZaiFaolZsWepCGjhwGIxxXQNHi2E6bDxu4JZgx9xGLyuGzn2d0V5wlbmBaa0QBdvT-gCpl6I/s1600/RIMG6414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZ-GcYEVa6GcCObzz05miBybWI1qX9hztqituoR4re-tRLgXapcOB-yk5mlZ0ZVrBZbqOZaiFaolZsWepCGjhwGIxxXQNHi2E6bDxu4JZgx9xGLyuGzn2d0V5wlbmBaa0QBdvT-gCpl6I/s640/RIMG6414.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paradise in Bloom - Robyn Fahy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6xkRruFjcnq4AgtXQpEkBde7ZGl8Wtdtm8Wn_iclOx0FjyqR6NS8mSXXLoq0cOKqIWlbZpaVFJ9qETV1B-hJ4avAGEu6cxZTipqIADqB1LPbZyaR9xFXRlHnLXYR_XWn82V5CWaCGGd1/s1600/RIMG6449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6xkRruFjcnq4AgtXQpEkBde7ZGl8Wtdtm8Wn_iclOx0FjyqR6NS8mSXXLoq0cOKqIWlbZpaVFJ9qETV1B-hJ4avAGEu6cxZTipqIADqB1LPbZyaR9xFXRlHnLXYR_XWn82V5CWaCGGd1/s640/RIMG6449.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Magical Mermaid's Castle - Claudia Pfeil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SomqjkljhXMzBaISCioaQeHSod9vNWdN-Iv6x8JV_aDYRqyVUVyocJeQgvj1gc0tG7KRHth7trN413IazX2xPABFMQNspT9WIPBYDJJjmU3SGCkvfJNsl-IgC12xBwBpbcVyI4FO-DA-/s1600/RIMG6451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SomqjkljhXMzBaISCioaQeHSod9vNWdN-Iv6x8JV_aDYRqyVUVyocJeQgvj1gc0tG7KRHth7trN413IazX2xPABFMQNspT9WIPBYDJJjmU3SGCkvfJNsl-IgC12xBwBpbcVyI4FO-DA-/s640/RIMG6451.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4k7p8Wo4KD_OYO691g6eMAsAr_z6qfIguVK9LGy3qslFZMPZK1VOnIHcboFs_LCaHw0pdOlO3Be_Z_S7d3wLaEqOO-SE2XAKmEiNCjOIjxa_FNJJ6aAL1zRFvn6RiFatd8lo6n0ZK69C/s1600/RIMG6472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4k7p8Wo4KD_OYO691g6eMAsAr_z6qfIguVK9LGy3qslFZMPZK1VOnIHcboFs_LCaHw0pdOlO3Be_Z_S7d3wLaEqOO-SE2XAKmEiNCjOIjxa_FNJJ6aAL1zRFvn6RiFatd8lo6n0ZK69C/s640/RIMG6472.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Think Tea - Sheena Hughes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftW0_0ItB-yMAlyvQ0ZzfEZPhyphenhyphenYsnchHzCvGKgC2pgXuBhmuJOmKfcvk_15moOf6TVTavgTSxVM2ZoutoT2hH_x_4_XqJt4QcZQhOS7CLyEkhXeVmcwAA4U8uOsEc4FCvCMR1-hZds_pd/s1600/RIMG6502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftW0_0ItB-yMAlyvQ0ZzfEZPhyphenhyphenYsnchHzCvGKgC2pgXuBhmuJOmKfcvk_15moOf6TVTavgTSxVM2ZoutoT2hH_x_4_XqJt4QcZQhOS7CLyEkhXeVmcwAA4U8uOsEc4FCvCMR1-hZds_pd/s640/RIMG6502.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stour in Winter - Mary Bird</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2oyk71ba317SMFlxlEAFKuTb8AjxixORnBg0EljY3ui7elPCU-7ll1koypc6IJVmDE2hr_2Yd7fKiAGJ9Ethbu0YTs-NGDLW-wcNpaLBdKsxgJYAjLDusV5E2_u6gBo9Kf6nYAQ63du6/s1600/RIMG6512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2oyk71ba317SMFlxlEAFKuTb8AjxixORnBg0EljY3ui7elPCU-7ll1koypc6IJVmDE2hr_2Yd7fKiAGJ9Ethbu0YTs-NGDLW-wcNpaLBdKsxgJYAjLDusV5E2_u6gBo9Kf6nYAQ63du6/s640/RIMG6512.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fern Rising - Claudia Pfeil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcLXIAgxs3fEvSe5FBqwVvw9fi9hq7Rr6VnAV7hfHLB60GnAgpUMQYCmEbMbn8g7cXKg5WOTSuO4flLXdbWzPGVCPBS69UedGnS8WiNyRniA40gBXNk2ND1JmXzNdV4geRr8aNVF-4jr2/s1600/RIMG6514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcLXIAgxs3fEvSe5FBqwVvw9fi9hq7Rr6VnAV7hfHLB60GnAgpUMQYCmEbMbn8g7cXKg5WOTSuO4flLXdbWzPGVCPBS69UedGnS8WiNyRniA40gBXNk2ND1JmXzNdV4geRr8aNVF-4jr2/s640/RIMG6514.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERZJMsqoQhLqOrmD6RzhCjJxZI_BpP5c9DyGh9m1VJXx8qU_7z-lKb7tFJ5wG8gBOEBAWOf6FegOMucZVO3UUeaNYmyfNkAWFsQyrA5yUYsA1MsyMMeunZz_3ecew0MO4WTycl3zgvOsi/s1600/RIMG6515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERZJMsqoQhLqOrmD6RzhCjJxZI_BpP5c9DyGh9m1VJXx8qU_7z-lKb7tFJ5wG8gBOEBAWOf6FegOMucZVO3UUeaNYmyfNkAWFsQyrA5yUYsA1MsyMMeunZz_3ecew0MO4WTycl3zgvOsi/s640/RIMG6515.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Parts of the Sun - Mary Mattimoe<br />
Right: Floribundance - Gillian Theokritoff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RzmDsGz_gFwNUO4YOTFsw2mGJ8GGtdxtYDb35M4HqeKRUstUYmsVd6jj2-zf3b5-CgADGF-owgoPDQbACBVFPheEFQArc19NQIVFU_yi77ukwv07HKVLaPV_4GQTewvJtSu62_fLT36q/s1600/RIMG6456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RzmDsGz_gFwNUO4YOTFsw2mGJ8GGtdxtYDb35M4HqeKRUstUYmsVd6jj2-zf3b5-CgADGF-owgoPDQbACBVFPheEFQArc19NQIVFU_yi77ukwv07HKVLaPV_4GQTewvJtSu62_fLT36q/s640/RIMG6456.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Lorikeet - Helen Godden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc8EfjlDgPjfvzmnXlV9c0WM43Jwu1C3fX7Y9iLatjDN3HBYYLxOy6UahL_GsuFOGawyeCzzLdD5RP7mWE9eK98MC3nlQYxtwmDlHpWaScJ7LtmFmmdG36OhsCGJBHskMSbO9rMr9vPIZ/s1600/RIMG6457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc8EfjlDgPjfvzmnXlV9c0WM43Jwu1C3fX7Y9iLatjDN3HBYYLxOy6UahL_GsuFOGawyeCzzLdD5RP7mWE9eK98MC3nlQYxtwmDlHpWaScJ7LtmFmmdG36OhsCGJBHskMSbO9rMr9vPIZ/s640/RIMG6457.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTa6nO7mq2yYJBAxQR5e292vp_egNk-Bx8RRRi31rh6rOcJDIDv-GbTORAkRyF-2V10Z22dz_8YU8eocyY6P7LYz64UwTOeKvGFUtJKrHpD9rlldX1rQhcpH6ERueDmPSOwtCbZR3YYEt/s1600/RIMG6459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTa6nO7mq2yYJBAxQR5e292vp_egNk-Bx8RRRi31rh6rOcJDIDv-GbTORAkRyF-2V10Z22dz_8YU8eocyY6P7LYz64UwTOeKvGFUtJKrHpD9rlldX1rQhcpH6ERueDmPSOwtCbZR3YYEt/s640/RIMG6459.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's a Wildflower - Joanna Wilczynska Halassek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3_WjohfhAG5FWjOPTBPo2pOJiDbXySA668JwMAtWVa8uK0x9m66SF6B6b4vqEi5ajlkeDFsvleHmrY2Jye0fbWWo4vkbZOtbiinNa6wq1loL0k9f8nVDkdLRYNIEZP14-iPnkAVk-QCZ/s1600/RIMG6562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3_WjohfhAG5FWjOPTBPo2pOJiDbXySA668JwMAtWVa8uK0x9m66SF6B6b4vqEi5ajlkeDFsvleHmrY2Jye0fbWWo4vkbZOtbiinNa6wq1loL0k9f8nVDkdLRYNIEZP14-iPnkAVk-QCZ/s640/RIMG6562.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miniature: Un poco de Pina - Karen Moore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4tYYgFfU0vGKV5AYyb_myBLT32s7F82huJoODBSDelamUkpKNSUChgNj01mcK_YmnoxceHvti8m0Yn9QSf3koyfJSSqL6Pg8UD_E4FCn99IJ96aFm0UteaiK5Eln4BpL9uErRI3jTiz6/s1600/RIMG6564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4tYYgFfU0vGKV5AYyb_myBLT32s7F82huJoODBSDelamUkpKNSUChgNj01mcK_YmnoxceHvti8m0Yn9QSf3koyfJSSqL6Pg8UD_E4FCn99IJ96aFm0UteaiK5Eln4BpL9uErRI3jTiz6/s640/RIMG6564.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miniature: Vestiges - Leah Higgins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIJEmh69chu4Uv2DiGLnqhNBzSVEM4MokAMXpVEHhIDiG79G-9fZzuM7s6aXHnvesDO1FmiPtXp4-sY3VdFLTAB2BFTK-aV1wd6HX5uVJhv9__9HRZzvDH7rhZo7mXBM5HGdnVVa1EO6M/s1600/RIMG6547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIJEmh69chu4Uv2DiGLnqhNBzSVEM4MokAMXpVEHhIDiG79G-9fZzuM7s6aXHnvesDO1FmiPtXp4-sY3VdFLTAB2BFTK-aV1wd6HX5uVJhv9__9HRZzvDH7rhZo7mXBM5HGdnVVa1EO6M/s640/RIMG6547.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homestead - Shipton Quilters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PfCcRaE8dIJt6HJbApWzSgSIrn2FucEKVjWLjtPFhyphenhyphenB84xdDPVq_5P0UW8fgvskg5Fy0NCRQbKfrmTgd2QNL30GWs5VW55Qv1RbxZVuAMqSwO8A7VAyPjHKL9W4glpNkYgHAEaNZe6Rw/s1600/RIMG6549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PfCcRaE8dIJt6HJbApWzSgSIrn2FucEKVjWLjtPFhyphenhyphenB84xdDPVq_5P0UW8fgvskg5Fy0NCRQbKfrmTgd2QNL30GWs5VW55Qv1RbxZVuAMqSwO8A7VAyPjHKL9W4glpNkYgHAEaNZe6Rw/s640/RIMG6549.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aBGS9kMfkmZjfvS5JcfdtnHBjO2cDcOjoqzAWLn1_HxTi1YiThsrfiiBWtb4KiG0YU-8dN5YymZFv52mv98R91mmTrNx-gkm-1GRmg875FuZw2RWp0GPz70-ye8WCqb_W7GefUo-BeHf/s1600/RIMG6550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aBGS9kMfkmZjfvS5JcfdtnHBjO2cDcOjoqzAWLn1_HxTi1YiThsrfiiBWtb4KiG0YU-8dN5YymZFv52mv98R91mmTrNx-gkm-1GRmg875FuZw2RWp0GPz70-ye8WCqb_W7GefUo-BeHf/s640/RIMG6550.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Best in Show was won by Sandy Chandler with Infinity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9htdaeleXeQlvK1or3jk6didAzicBX7G7SUO7-6hHQYMq42POAdBlLVoJfo7tn8Z9wP9tHAGfW1zgnusG3VfviyXQmV-I5i7jz1yhf1NqxAwc4znEKYfmcp0DkvdCCGUD68R2Ocw5nm7h/s1600/RIMG6551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9htdaeleXeQlvK1or3jk6didAzicBX7G7SUO7-6hHQYMq42POAdBlLVoJfo7tn8Z9wP9tHAGfW1zgnusG3VfviyXQmV-I5i7jz1yhf1NqxAwc4znEKYfmcp0DkvdCCGUD68R2Ocw5nm7h/s640/RIMG6551.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Funnily enough, Visitor's Choice was also won by a wholecloth quilt: Pearl Princess by Sandie Lush.<br />
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Wholecloth quilts are awful to photograph and, to be truthful, are not really my thing. I can appreciate the fantastic workmanship in them though. So what would have been my own choice?<br />
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Of the traditional quilts, I loved this one for its bright colours: Dresden in Bloom - Janette Chilver.<br />
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I also have a soft spot for the girl with flowers in her hair and Robyn Fahy's 'Paradise in Bloom' (pictured first).<br />
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Overall though, I think Other Places by Sandra Newton was my Best in Show and it also won Best Miniature. I just love the quiet colour and movement.<br />
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What do you think? Which would you have chosen?<br />
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Today then, instead of visiting a quilt show, I'll be working on my own. And hoping to spend some time outside if the weather improves. Hope you're enjoying your weekend whatever you have planned. xJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-91718174420794891682016-09-02T16:39:00.001+01:002016-09-02T16:39:20.750+01:00Year in Books: August 2016<i style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: start;">This year I'm taking part in the </span><a href="http://circleofpinetrees.com/year-books-information/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Year in Books</a><span style="text-align: start;"> organised by Laura at </span><a href="http://circleofpinetrees.com/" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Circle of Pine Trees</a><span style="text-align: start;">, with the aim of reading at least one book per month.</span></i>
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Another month has passed and I'm still keeping up with my 'one book a month' plan. In fact, I read 3 during August including one non-fiction, probably because of having more time off.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Map-You-Isabelle-Broom/dp/1405925272" target="_blank">My Map of You</a> by Isabelle Broom is the story of Holly who finds out she's inherited a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos from an aunt she never knew she had. Still grieving for her mother who died a few years ago, she explores the house and the island, uncovering more about herself and her family's secrets.<br />
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This one came highly recommended by both my Mum and Dad. I'd actually bought it as a birthday present for Dad who will read anything if it's set in Greece: even better if it's somewhere he's visited several times. Well, I loved it too. That's not to say that some of it isn't predictable but it was a perfect, easy summer read which I raced through.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna, 2, Tokyo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jayne, 42, fashion designer, San Francisco</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Thing-We-Touch-Inventory/dp/0241205905" target="_blank">Every thing we touch: a 24-hour inventory of our lives</a> is by Paula Zuccotti.<br />
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"Imagine keeping a record of everything you touch in a day, from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep...What would that say about you and your day?"<br />
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Paula asked 62 people from around the world, ranging in age from 0 to 72, to do just that. Each person is covered in 2 double-page spreads. The first 2 pages show a photo of all the objects in chronological order, the next 2 have an inventory of the objects and a profile of the person. I found it fascinating seeing this snapshot of people's lives and wondering what my own photo and inventory would reveal. A really clever idea and visually stunning.<br />
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I saw this in a book swap box at work and the blurb immediately caught my eye. Not only was it set in Northumberland but it was around Bamburgh which I'd visited during my holidays. I couldn't wait to revisit it through a 'local's' view.<br />
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I picked it up thinking it was a novel but, actually, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wife-North-Judith-OReilly/dp/0141033436" target="_blank">Wife in the North</a> is taken from the <a href="http://www.wifeinthenorth.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> of the same name. It follows Judith O'Reilly and her family as they relocate from London, with all the trials and tribulations of exchanging big city life for the country. She's very much a reluctant mover, doing it only to follow her husband's dream of returning to his native county. Annoyingly for her though, he still spends most of his time working in London, leaving her alone with 3 children under the age of 6! The moaning about her lot did irritate me at times. That and the constant running out of petrol which she blamed on her husband! However, I was also captivated by her prose when she described magical moments of motherhood and the glorious Northumbrian countryside. The cover seems to suggest it's a comedy read. There are funny parts but there are also tragic parts too which brought me to tears. Not the best book I've ever read but I did enjoy it.<br />
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As for my September reads, well I haven't decided yet. I'm going to look through my stash at the weekend and see what takes my fancy - there's plenty to choose from! xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568952191231159130.post-92141741386363262342016-08-29T20:58:00.001+01:002016-08-29T20:58:55.274+01:00Creative home life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, it's the end of my two weeks holiday from work and the time has just flown. I feel ok about going back even though it's unlikely I'll be getting any proper time off until Christmas. No, I'm not at all depressed about that!!<br />
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Still, I've had a lovely relaxing time off. There are days out to tell you about but I thought I'd show you some of the more domestic and creative things I've been up to first. So, the last two weeks, I've been:<br />
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Embroidering: working on my bird embroidery (pattern from Stitch magazine). This is a slow burner to pick up as and when.<br />
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Planning: do you remember the slow stitch book in my last Year in Books post? It gave me an idea for circles of colour to remind me of our time in Northumberland. I got out my Anchor colour chart and started playing around with skeins of thread. Not sure if the idea will go anywhere but it whiled away a pleasant hour or so.<br />
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Quilting: I've finally started quilting my latest quilt after leaving it lying around for probably a year. Much dithering has taken place in the interim trying to decide on a pattern. In the end, Jackie from my quilt group suggested circles and showed me how she'd used them: I was sold. I'm using iron-on wadding which is supposed to mean you don't have to tack before machining. Well, I gave it a go but have gone back to the tried and tested tacking method. And done a lot less unpicking as a result.<br />
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Crocheting: Another slow burner but less so since Chickpea asked me to make her a blanket. She's picked out a pattern, we've chosen the yarn and she'd like to put it on her bed in winter. Ha ha! Luckily she didn't specify which winter! Now I'm under pressure to get this one finished and have fallen back in love with crochet. It's just so easy to pick up in the evening.<br />
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Jam-making: the ingredients had been lying at the bottom of the freezer since last autumn and I'd just used up my last jar so it was time to make more. This is blackberry, elderberry and crab apple. I've never had such a struggle making jam. Three times I had to boil it. Three times!!! It usually works first time without fail so goodness knows what went wrong. All's well that ends well though as it's delicious.<br />
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Baking: banana and walnut pie - recipe from Tamsin Day-Lewis. This was another attempt to use up freezer ingredients ie all those bananas which had started to go brown but I couldn't bear to throw away. Needed more of them to be honest. The filling is a bit like a cheesecake and is a really unattractive beige colour - probably the reason for putting a nice golden sugary crust on top!<br />
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Jigsawing: I do love a jigsaw and always have one on the go. A friend of my Mum's loaned me this and it was a lovely one.<br />
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Gardening: lots and lots of gardening. I decided to clear this border which was overrun with bamboo and crocosmia plus a conifer and other ragged shrubs. Much of it had to be done on hands and knees because of the tangle of tree roots. There's something so soothing about getting your hands in the dirt.<br />
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A nice, newly cleared space needs some pretty plants to fill it. These are courtesy of a garden centre voucher my lovely friend gave me for my birthday.<br />
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I also bought some candy-stripe tulip bulbs to put in the spaces.<br />
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Mowing: I've enjoyed the no-mow area on the lawn which I created for 30 Days Wild. Sadly the wildflower seeds never germinated but it still looked pretty with the tall grasses and our handmade teepees. Gone now though. I decided to mow it away today to give the lawn some time to recover before the winter. I'll have another go at a wildflower patch next year though.<br />
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Harvesting: this is the sum total of our blueberry harvest! The plant clearly doesn't like it much here so it will be relocated to Dad's. The rampant gooseberry and rosemary bushes probably overshadowed it.<br />
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Hope you all had a lovely long weekend. Only 4 days to the next! Back soon. xxJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08755261709412075078noreply@blogger.com5