A much better week!
Happy Saturday to you!
There’s a much more cheerful blog post coming up today – and I want to say thank you so much to everyone who left me a comment or emailed me after last week’s not-quite-so-happy post. It meant a lot to me that you took the time to get in touch and remind me that everything could always have been so much worse! I do try very hard to look past the disasters to something positive instead, but sometimes you need a bit of help to do that! xx
So, what can I tell you about this week? Well, there’s been plenty of cake and that always makes for a good week!
** I need to tell you that there’s a photo of a frog in this post and some people don’t like them – it’s the very last photo and I’ll warn you that it’s coming **
First of all, there’s an update on the events of last week. After telling you about the problem I’d had with Blogger and posts going missing and how this was probably the push I needed to finally round to moving away to a different platform, Sara from my local yarn shop, Black Sheep Wools, got in touch to say that if I needed any help, their website manager would be able to give me some advice. Wasn’t that kind? I’d already done some research but it was really helpful to be able to sit with Lucy (it seems that all my bloggy mentors are called Lucy! 🙂 ) to chat over what I knew and I’ve come away with a list of things to check but it is all starting to feel as if it’s really going to happen. In terms of what you’ll see changing, I hope it’s not going to be much at all as I’m keeping my fingers crossed the transition between platforms will be a smooth one, but if I tell you what I’m up to then there hopefully won’t be any surprises for any of us!
Lucy and I sat in the Tea Bags Full cafe at Black Sheep – it’s been closed for such a long time but they have made good use of that time and I think you’ll be impressed when you go back there (it re-opened yesterday so you can go whenever you like now!). They’ve had a refit and re-decorated and it looks fab!
They had also had a cake delivery so it would have been rude not to help them sample them to make sure they were as good as they always were …
There was more cake yesterday too, when I drove up to Skipton to see my other bloggy Lucy guru and arrived in time for the Knit n Natter session which has re-started in Coopers cafe bar. Everything is still socially distanced inside the cafe and it does feel quite strange to be back inside – but at the same time, it felt FaNtAsTiC to be there! I so enjoyed just being in a room with other people who don’t live in my house!
If being kept indoors for such a long time has made you long for crafty company, then I urge you to seek out any local knit n natter groups that might be around – try your local yarn shop to start, or look on social media to see if there is anything near you. If all else fails, start your own! I am certain that you won’t be short of people who want to come and knit with you!
That sock on the table is where I’m up to with the yarn that I showed you last week. It’s the hand-dyed yarn from Under An English Sky and it’s knitting up really well – and is much more of a vibrant orange than I expected! It’s lovely to have something new on the needles, and especially when it knits up quickly as well!
It’s not been quite as wet this week (although Tuesday was a bit of a grim day) and it’s been lovely to be able to scoot out into the garden to see what’s going on there.
This Papaver orientale (Oriental poppy) has produced it’s first flower bud. I love how they’re all tightly enclosed in the leaves, kept safe until they raise up on a tall stem to get ready to open.
The lilac has been glorious this year. This was a sucker from a plant at my parents’ house which has lived in our garden for many years, and every year it produces an abundance of flowers in the most gorgeous shade of pink. I love it!
Years ago, I planted a packet of cowslip (Primula veris) seeds and they flowered every year until one year when I thought I’d lost them all. It turns out that I haven’t! They are prolific self-seeders and it looks like the couple of plants that survived have brought on a whole new generation and they’re everywhere this year!
This is another yellow Spring staple in our garden – the Welsh poppy. We have so many of them and to be honest, lots of them aren’t really in the most convenient of places but the bees absolutely love them and they don’t last long so I leave them be.
I had an interesting experience the other day when our new neighbour happened to mention that he had found a frog in an inspection pit in his garage. That’s not the usual kind of conversation you expect to have with someone when you’re just walking past with the dog, but I like things that are a bit out of the ordinary!
Our neighbour doesn’t like frogs at all so I offered to help him get it out and the two of us fished in the pit with fishing nets that I keep in our garage for netting the mice that our cats bring in sometimes until we rescued it.
We have an old sink in the garden that’s full of rainwater – the dog drinks it, the pigeons paddle in it and the rescued frog went into it to recover from its experience of living in an oily water swamp and being scooped up in a pink fishing net. This is the last photo of the post so IF YOU DON’T LIKE FROGS, YOU CAN LEAVE THE POST NOW 🙂
We don’t know how long it had been in the pit, or even how it got in and it didn’t look any worse for wear so I just put it carefully into the water and left it alone. There are large stones in the sink to help anything that falls in get out and there’s no sign of the frog now so it must have moved on. I’m glad that we were able to save it though!
See you again soon! xx
glad you had a better week. It is lovely to be able to meet others again, even if we still have to keep 2 metres away from them! I love frogs, mostly for the fact that they'll eat the slugs and snails. My parents had loads of Welsh poppies in their garden. My Dad used to take the heads off so they wouldn't seed all over the place. I have just one, which comes up each year but doesn't seem to want to self-seed. I've tried scattering the seed, but no joy. Oh, well, maybe one year it'll surprise me! xx
I bet all those seeds are waiting to come up all at the same time one day – you'll have a sea of poppies! xx
I'm glad you were able to rescue the frog! Our wildlife needs all the help we can give them.
That's what we thought. I don't know where the frog is now, hopefully laying waste to the slug population in my garden! xx
So thoughtful to warn about the frog, tho I love them and they bring back happy memories. The mice reminded me of childhood cats and an old farmhouse…the mice were chased out with a broom, fishing nets would have been more fun. Age and infirmity mean we are taking the move out of lockdown slowly as are local groups but like you the coming of early summer to the garden gives delight.
Someone else suggested the fishing net to me once when we had a mouse in (one of our cats likes to bring them in and then abandon them) – I used to try to catch them in the box but the net is definitely easier! xx
Oh, that lilac is stunning! My neighbor gave me a couple of lilac suckers for a dark purple, very fragrant type, and I am nursing them along hoping for the best. I have been trying to lure a frog to my yard for a couple of years….I can hear them nearby every night but no luck so far. Glad that you are feeling more optimistic!
I hope your lilacs take root! They're such beautiful shrubs and although the flowers don't last for long, they're amazing when they're out! xx
What a lovely little frog !
It's a cute thing, isn't it? Our neighbour doesn't think so, though! xx
How lovely to spend time at Coopers with Lucy. I hope to be able to visit there again someday. The sock you are knitting is a beautiful colour as are the flowers. We are back into a 7 day lockdown. It is so difficult to make any travel plans. School is closed again next week, so much pressure on families. Thank goodness for our knitting to keep us sane. Xxx
It was so good to go back up there again! I'm sorry you're back in lockdown, I really hope the numbers go in the right direction and you'll be out again soon xx
I am so pleased you rescued the little frog. I like frogs but they make me jump when they jump, if that makes sense. I met a Knitted Friend last week whom I hadn't seen since Oct 2019. I can't tell you how lovely it was to see her. We went to our favourite Tearoom and had tea, cake and talked 'socks'😉 Then we went to our favourite local wool shop and bought more sock wool and I had to buy a new crochet hook which I really needed. Geeky or what !!! Stay safe but enjoy that bit of freedom xxx
I'm exactly the same with mice – I'm not scared of them but there's always a lot of shrieking when there's one in the house! I'm glad you got to your local yarn shop – they'll have been glad to see you! xx
Gorgeous photos again and so nice to even think about the cafe at Black Sheep Wools where Steve spent some time waiting for us to have a knit and knatter several years ago now!! I still find it odd to be indoors with anyone and have only ventured to one neighbour's house so far as she and her husband were witnessing our new Wills but even that felt like a treat! Love the Lilac – so beautiful and good to have rescued the frog!! I hope next week will be as good!
It's been a good few years now since that knit n natter, hasn't it? It's surprising how quickly the time goes! I find the whole idea of being in someone else's house strange too, I hope we all get over that! xx
So many have had rough weeks, it's clear we have all got to a point where we are all fed up. So hope we can all continue to move on with the 'new normal' as soon as we can X
I think that particular week must have been a bad one everywhere – I spoke to so many people who had had difficulties of one sort or another! Hopefully everything's on the upward swing now though! xx
So pleased the little frog was rescued. Lovely photos as always Christine x
Thank you! Yes, I was glad we got the frog too xx
Glad you had a better week sometimes it's hard to see the wood for the trees. So many people putting up photos of lilacs but I've never seen a pink one! I love the smell but they do like to spread. We fight with the nigella seedlings and raspberry suckers so I don't think hubby would welcome lilac too! Frogs are one thing we'd love in the garden. We had some spawn but it got killed off by the frosts 🙁 We have seen slow worms so hopefully they eat their way through the pests.
Our lilac is an unusual colour, I've never seen another one quite like it although there must be somewhere because this one came from somewhere! We've not had a big problem with them spreading – our stag horn tree was more of a nuisance but died off one winter so that solved that problem! xx
I have loads of Welsh poppies too. I de seed head them every time I walk down the garden but they come up every year without fail. They always cheer me up. I have an orange one too but I can't persuade it to self seed!!!
I love to see them, they're such cheerful flowers! We get the odd orange one too, but you're right, you can't seem to get them to grow on demand! xx
Lovely flowers and so glad you rescued the frog. A frog hopped by our screened in porch yesterday and nearly gave the cat a heart attack. She sits inside and looks out watching the birds and never expected something to hop by her like that.
Oh that's funny! Our cats are old now, they would have chased a frog once but are too busy snoozing these days! xx
I have a lovely friend who I met through the Facebook group ,we always joke that we met on an internet date! We have loads in common and it was great to finally meet again and visit our local yarn shops .
Oh that's fantastic! I'm so glad you've met up again! xx
I have one treasured wild red poppy in my veg garden. Every year l kept saying all move it because there are hundreds to uproot in my garden while l get the soli ready. But this year l covered it with a lorry tarpaulin….problem solved
That should do it! xx
Lovely post Christine and I like frogs. Hope Lucy ok been a while since last post.
Did you both hear/know about dear Teresa? I am back to knitting my socks on those mini circulars. Stay safe and always glad to visit here. Wendy from Oz
Lucy's doing well, thank you! I didn't know Teresa but Lucy did and was terribly upset to hear about her. You just never know how life will turn out, do you? xx
Love the lilac and good for you rescuing the frog – hopefully he will repay you by eating the slugs!!
Thanks as always for a lively chatty post
I am counting on that frog to eat the slugs! It seems to have done a runner though … hopefully just to a cool hiding place somewhere! xx