Early starts again

This week is the start of 4 weeks of early starts for DD. That's 4 weeks of getting up at 5am for work 5 days a week. That also means that it's the start of 4 weeks of early starts for me too. It makes sense for me to be up at the same time and means I get jobs done before I set off for work in the morning. At least this way we all get to see each other properly and not just pass each other as we're either leaving the house or going to bed! It takes a day or two to get in to the routine, but I think we manage ok.

DD is also getting used to the idea that her boyfriend is close enough to pop round and see in an evening. They've gone from only seeing each other every 3 or 4 weekends, to living about 3 miles from each other. So it'll be interesting to see how they cope after all this time!

I took Oscar out for a yet another canal walk tonight - complete with wellies on after all the rain we had over the weekend. And what a glorious walk again - lots of blue sky and sunshine, along with lots of lambs on the opposite side of the canal.

I've also been busy with a few new pieces to take with me to my next craft fair on Sunday. As it's going to be at my local RSPCA centre, I figured I'd do some more animal related things .....

Just one day left at work this week too.

This year is going so fast! 

#walking #crafts 

Easter weekend

I hope everyone who reads this has had a lovely Easter weekend. Mine's been quite busy, but lovely. 

I spent Friday and Saturday helping out a friend of mine with a few jobs that needed doing. And then I went out for tea on Saturday with DH - back to our local pub again. We've decided it's much better now it's been refurbished and will probably go for food quite regularly (I hope!). DD was also out Saturday night, with her boyfriend. 

Yesterday was visiting day for us. DD was working so I went with DH to visit his mum first, and take her a tub of nice flowers for her garden, and then to my mums with a similar tub of flowers for her garden. I also took my fruit cake for my mum to taste, to see what she thought of my first attempt. And, as DD works not far from my mums, she met us there after she'd finished. And then home for a nice roast chicken meal. 

After making the fruit cake last week, and remembering how much I enjoy baking, I decided to make a chocolate fudge cake last night too (without the fudge icing!). So, once I'd got the buttercream filling finished, and decorated the top, we all had a slice of slightly warm chocolate cake. Yummy! 

Then today, after a bit of a lazy start, we got the rucksacks out and set off in the van. We'd decided to stay local, figuring that the Lakes would be busy on a bank holiday, and headed for the Lancaster Canal further north than we've walked on it so far. 

The weather wasn't particularly brilliant, and we had a couple of showers, but on the whole it was a lovely walk. 

It was a bit muddy in places ........

......but a lovely afternoon. 

And we had my fruit cake back at the van! Yay! 

Back to work tomorrow though ........

Fruit cake

It's very exciting. I made my own fruit cake last night!! I know that doesn't sound much. But for years I've asked my mum to make our Christmas cake, and any other fruit cake in between. However, I decided to give it a go myself, and got my mums recipe last week. So, last night, after taking Oscar for a walk, I took the plunge.......

Of course, I had to sample a small piece ..... And, even if I say so myself, it tastes good! 

Walking with Oscar was lovely. I took him by the canal again, where I've been taking him all week. It was so peaceful again ....

And this weekend it's Easter. An extra long weekend! Hopefully we'll get chance to go out walking at least one day, and visit our mums. The weather forecast isn't looking too good though, which is typical - nice while we're working, wet when we're off. We might end up with just a run out somewhere in the van. Fingers crossed for a walk though ....

Another weekend....

DD working the early shift until yesterday has been getting a bit hard work this time. I don't think any of us has been getting to bed as early as we should. But yesterday was the last 5am alarm call for a week or so. You would think we could then have a rest and a bit of a lie in? No! DD was working today 8am to 4pm, and I was at a craft fair, so we still had to be up! 

The craft fair, sadly, was really quiet. Just one of those things. It was a lovely day outside, so we're guessing people were going out elsewhere for the day, or gardening. It was ok though, and I had some lovely chats to the other stallholders.

When I got home it was still quite nice so I went with DH to take Oscar for a walk by the canal. 

 It's so peaceful. And we saw lots of playful lambs tonight!

Even the moon was looking good! 

And then back home to a meal of roast chicken, potatoes and veg. Yummy! 

Sadly, it's Monday tomorrow. Yet again that day of the week a lot of us try not to think about too much.

Never mind - it'll soon be Good Friday, and Easter weekend, and time for the clocks to change! 

Happy Birthday Mum!

It's my mums birthday today - Happy Birthday Mum! As DD is on early shifts this week, and finishes work at 2pm, I'd booked for the three of us to go for afternoon tea as a birthday treat. 

It was really lovely. When I'd made the booking it asked if it was anyone's birthday, so I said yes. So when we got there and they brought the first little table out, it was for the birthday girl, complete with happy birthday piped in chocolate on a biscuit, and a candle in the mini cupcake which the waiter lit for my mum to blow out! 

So my mum had little picnic table of her own, while I shared one with DD......

The food was delicious, but none of us finished everything, so we ended up taking some of it home. 

  

I'd spent the morning crafting, trying to get a few new pieces finished for my next craft fair at the weekend. I wanted to get some frames done and have had the idea to combine some of my photographs with paper craft. This is the result ...

I'm really pleased with them. It's been nice to combine the two hobbies. I've no idea what reaction I'll get from people, so we'll wait and see.....

So now we're heading to the weekend. Again. Where does the time go?!

Just the two of us......

After DD left for work on Friday morning I made a vague attempt to get some painting done. I didn't manage to finish anything, but I'm close to finishing two more shapes. It's surprising how long they take to paint, and I forget every time. I did that until nearly lunch time when I went out, first to visit my mum, and then to get the shopping done. 

And I haven't seen DD since! Once she finished work she headed off for the weekend at her boyfriend's. It's the last weekend she'll be doing this as he's heading back North with a new job, and the prospect of getting a house with DD. It's all very exciting for them. 

So, just me and DH for the weekend. And DIY! I suggested it might be an idea to change the bath panel and get a new blind for the bathroom. So off we went to hunt for what we needed. And while DH was busy sorting the bathroom, I decided it was about time I cleaned my greenhouse, which meant emptying everything (including the dead plants from last year!) and getting the pressure washer out. It also meant that I then carried on and cleaned a bit more than just the greenhouse .... and decided to stop as it was too dark to see what I was doing! There's still more of the back garden to clean, but it's better than it was. So it was a well earned meal out on Saturday night, walking up to our local pub to try out their new menu. 

We both had pizzas, which were really nice. 

And today I've been playing around with some more ideas for my next craft fair, before taking Oscar for a walk this afternoon. We'd talked about heading up to the Lakes as we normally do, but DH needed to finish off the bathroom, and rather than ending up rushing later on, we decided to walk by the canal which isn't far from us. No driving involved at all. 

It was a lovely walk, with the sun shining and not many people out - I even had to take both my coat and fleece off! 

Even though we've lived here for nearly 16 years, I'm ashamed to say we haven't done this walk before. I don't know why. But it was lovely. Ok, so not the lakes and hills that we love, but it was so peaceful. A good, easy, 5 1/2 miles. 

And then back home for a nice meal bubbling away in the slow cooker......

Time to face another week. And as DH goes away for work tomorrow (instead of Tuesday again), DD comes home. 

Weird week

It's been a bit of an odd week for me this week, with me getting very confused about what day it is at any given time!

DD was supposed to be on late shifts this week, but started the week on a 6am - 2pm shift on Monday. Added to that, DH changed his nights away for work, leaving on Monday morning instead of Tuesday.  Confused already!

A vet check up on Monday afternoon gave Freddie the all clear, and thankfully she seems very happy and settled at home again - back to her old self, which is lovely. And I went line dancing again on Monday - yay! Not so good with the early starts for the rest of the week when DD was up early for work though……

DH came home on Wednesday this week. Normally when he comes home it means I'm off work the day after and time for me to go shopping and get crafting - Friday. Not so this week. So when I had to go to work yesterday it seemed very odd leaving DH in bed while I got ready for work! That hardly ever happens these days. So it's been a very odd week indeed.

I've also been trying to find a reasonably priced holiday for the two of us for the end of April. DD is going away for a few days with her boyfriend, so we know it would be just the two of us this time. Our original plan was to spend a week on the Isle of Mull, somewhere we're never been to. But, although we've found some fabulous looking cottages, we've decided we will probably go there in September and wild camp, and are now heading to South West Scotland in April, just for a few days, for a short break.

So, no crafting at all this week yet. Although DD helped out with some baking on Tuesday night, if that comes under crafting …… We made a delicious cereal bar which is very moreish - oaty banana, chia and date bites……

It was so good that I had to make another one last night as even DH liked it!

Mothers Day and craft fair

Well, another busy weekend behind us. 

I was at my second craft fair of the year on Saturday - at a Country Store. There were quite a few stalls in a marque, along with other stalls outside. Although it wasn't really windy, or raining, it was so cold all day! I think most of us kept our coats on for the day! 

I just had my wooden shapes with me at this craft fair. Sadly it wasn't very busy, but I enjoyed chatting to some of the other stall holders. And it's all good experience for me. 

And then yesterday was Mothers Day for us in UK. DD brought me a cup of coffee in bed in a new mug. And she'd also bought me a book and even managed to find one that I haven't already got! Quite an achievement for anyone these days as I have so many! We then set off to visit DH's mum first, then my mum later. We took bouquets of flowers for both. And then back home for DD to make the evening meal for me. She made pasta and sauce, making the sauce from scratch, with chicken. 

It was very tasty.  So well done to DD - quite an accomplishment as she doesn't normally cook!

So a very busy, but lovely weekend. 

I've had another trip to the vets today with Freddie  too. Just a check up to make sure her gums had settled down after finishing her antibiotics. Thankfully she seems fine now. And then line dancing again which was good fun. 

And now Monday is almost over its time to start thinking about what crafting I want to get done this week, and what walking we might be able to do at the weekend .....

 

Friday night

I know. I know. I didn't blog on Wednesday. I consider myself well and truly told off as DH has also made the point that I didn't blog. In my defence, I've been very busy finishing some stock to take to my next craft fair tomorrow. And, as DD has been on her early shifts this week, it means that I've had even less time at night to get anything done before going to bed. 

And my new stock? I seem to have lots! 

I've also made some little Easter egg bunnies and chicks, which look really cute in little nest boxes ......

So you see, I've not been idle this week at all. And I even managed to go line dancing on Monday night. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy it, so I'll try not to leave it so long before I go again. 

I've also had another trip to the vets with Freddie to make sure everything was ok after having her teeth out on Saturday. They said she's doing really well, but I need to take her back next week for a final check. 

So much to catch up on!