Easter holidays
Both of my girls go to schools in different local authorities and generally their holidays coincide – but not this time. Luckily they have overlapped for one week out of the three that they are off, and it’s been nice to be able to spend time with both girls individually on either side of the one week that we’re all together.
Big daughter is pretty self-sufficient these days. She’s usually to be found in FaceTime conversation with one friend or another, working at a local pub or studying (although how much studying goes on with the music playing full blast is another matter – listen to me, I’m sounding like my own mother! 🙂 ) She’s also working on a guest post for the blog to tell you all about her preparations for going to Peru and I’m hoping that it’s going to be ready very soon.
Small daughter would probably spend the entire holiday glued to Minecraft given half the opportunity, so I have made a point of distracting her as much as I can. We’ve done fun things like buying new school shoes, sorting out her clothes and tidying her bedroom. And just in case that wasn’t anything like enough fun, we’ve done some other stuff too.
Small daughter nearly fell off her chair laughing at the pantomime which featured Keith Chegwin as the King (I remember watching him on Saturday morning TV when I wasn’t much older than small daughter) and Basil Brush as the Beast’s sidekick. “A lady bet me I couldn’t make a car out of spaghetti … and she couldn’t believe her eyes when I drove pasta”. Oh, the jokes went on and on.
We took a drive up to Skipton yesterday. The rain was bucketing down when we opened the curtains but as we got further north the skies cleared and the sun came out, much to my relief. We spotted lambs in the fields …
and new flowery wellies in the supermarket …
which were just what was required when we headed up to the woods with Lucy and her younger Little Peeps. It was a bit muddy!
It was definitely worth all the squelching, though. Within minutes, small daughter and the Little Peeps had disappeared up ahead, chatting as if they’d known each other forever in that wonderful way that children so often do. It’s such a shame that we grow up and become self-conscious – too self-conscious, sometimes.
Lucy and I were distracted by the sea of wild garlic leaves. They stretched on and on (much like the pantomime jokes) in a vibrant carpet of green. It won’t be long until the flowers come out and I can imagine that the scent will be almost overwhelming. I’ve never seen so much wild garlic!
The water was much calmer than the last time Lucy and I walked by a river; the water flowed so smoothly that there was hardly a ripple and the reflections were perfect …
until the sticks started hitting it, hurled by small people who cheered them on as the sticks raced each other over the edge. It’s what you do with a stick and a waterfall 🙂
The woods behind Skipton Castle are much bigger than you’d expect them to be, with paths leading in different directions, following the tumbling water back upstream to the fields. The Little Peeps had gone on ahead again but we found them waiting for us a short way away, sitting on a bench, sharing chocolate, and discussing which path they thought we should take.
We chose a path that took us high above the water and out behind the castle, passing large patches of wood anemones that braved the muddy slopes. Everywhere was muddy and I was very grateful that the supermarket had had one last pair of wellies in small daughter’s size. And that we have a washing machine as somehow she managed to walk out of her wellies at one point and into the mud. She wasn’t phased at all, and just told me that I should be glad that she wasn’t wearing her hand-knitted socks as they would have got dirty. She had a point.
We all ate our lunch together and then we left Lucy and the Little Peeps to go back into Skipton. Small daughter said she fancied visiting the castle but changed her mind and instead we walked along the canal to the park.
Small daughter loved the narrowboats and chatted away about how people are able to live on them. She even pointed out one or two of them for sale, but she’ll need to save up a bit first. I’m not planning to swap my garden for the water any time soon, however romantic the idea of life on the water might be!
We spotted this handsome Mr Blackbird with his unusual white plumage …
and stopped to watch the bridge being swung out of the way for a sightseeing boat to pass through. Small daughter was fascinated by the way that the young man was able to move it so easily and someone more technical than me would have been able to explain about pivots and other things that would be involved in getting something so large to swing so smoothly out of the way. Instead, we just watched as it was spun back the other way into place as if the boat had never been there.
By the time we had called into Coopers Cafe Bar for hot chocolate to take away, the rain had started so we headed quickly back to the car and home to Winwick. “I’ve had such a lovely day,” small daughter told me from behind the mountain of whipped cream and marshmallows on her hot chocolate as we left the car park. “Me too,” I said.
Now it’s Friday already – the end of big daughter’s holidays and the end of the first week of small daughter’s. We’ve got more plans for next week, but for today I took advantage of having a babysitter at home and took the dog to walk in the fields near to my Dad’s house.
It’s good for the dog to walk in different places on a regular basis – I’ve noticed that if we do the same walk too often he starts to ignore me and do his own thing as he thinks he knows where we’re going. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that I have an independent dog as he lives with a family of independent people, but it can be a nuisance if you’re trying to walk to a time limit! He had a great time today, leaping over the channels made by the plough at the edge of the field and digging up revolting things that had been left by the muck spreader. It’s better not to look closely sometimes.
I’ve also managed to fit in a bit of knitting this week. My second Bleaberry Tarn sock is nearly done, but I’ve been distracted by the Cuddlebums yarn that I bought at The Wool Stop last year. I decided not to make socks with it but instead this is going to be a scarf/shawl which will show off the colours rather than hiding them in my boots. It’s my own pattern, and I’ve had a nice time deciding on the structure. It’s a quick knit too, so I’m planning to have the pattern ready to share very soon.
Also in a week or so I’m going to be out and about again … firstly at Yarnbirds in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, on Saturday 23 April from 10.30am – 12.30pm, and then at Black Sheep Wools in Culcheth for Yarn Shop Day on Saturday 30 April from 9.30am – 12.30pm – it’ll be lovely to see you if you can make it!
Lovely pictures! I'm sure you really enjoyed the walk. Irune
It was lovely to be outside and to see the sunshine – it's been a rather wet week! xx
It looks like you and your dear daughter had a lovely day together. Your photos of the countryside are so beautiful and calming. And, I'm excited to see the new pattern you have created. Enjoy your holiday, Pat xx
We've had a great week, Pat, and another one to look forward to – although there's the prospect of doing holiday homework in this one which won't be quite so much fun! 🙂 xx
What a lovely day out! That is quite a carpet of wild garlic, it is just starting to come out here too. I love it and usually pick some to make into wild garlic pesto 😉 Hope you have a lovely week with small daughter next week.
Love that yarn!
The garlic just stretched on and on, as far as the eye could see, it was quite a stunning sight even before the flowers come out. Wild garlic pesto sounds good! xx
How lovely that you met up with Lucy and had a walk together through the woods. And I envy you the one on one time you've had with your daughters – my daughter especially loves an opportunity to go out just with me but it rarely happens. My son would just rather play minecraft! Enjoy the rest of the Easter break. xx
It rarely happens with us either unless we specifically engineer our days that way, and this is the only time this year that the school holidays fall that way. Sometimes I am stunned by the complexity of the Minecraft creations – but they do take a long time and I'm worried that small daughter will end up with square eyes! 🙂 xx
It rarely happens with us either unless we specifically engineer our days that way, and this is the only time this year that the school holidays fall that way. Sometimes I am stunned by the complexity of the Minecraft creations – but they do take a long time and I'm worried that small daughter will end up with square eyes! 🙂 xx
Is there any chance that copies of your book will be available to buy at your Yarnbirds visit?
Hi! I know that Claire had some in the shop but yes, I'll bring some more with me just in case 🙂 xx
Many thanks, really enjoy reading your blog and am looking forward to meeting you. Ann S.