Going the distance.....

The evening should have be filled with small witches and Draculas, 

giggling princesses and mini monsters

But 2020 has made some changes and we

have had to change too.

No knocking at the door, no yelling of 'trickle treeeeeeeeeet' but we certainly saw and heard excited little folk as they followed the trail around the village as they 'chased the pumpkins'.

We celebrated our Samhain by escaping the house and walking beneath a turbulent sky 

with a boisterous wind.

Storm Aiden had raged through the night and most of the morning, but after lunch,

the storm began to abate.

We wrapped up well,

took a flask, fruit cake and biscuits and walked up on to the moors.

Despite a sharp and flying fast shower,

it was a good walk,

It was a good time to be outside,

feeling the air,

tasting the tang of autumn,

On our return I reached my 1000th mile - 

I have walked one thousand miles worth of walking since the 1st of January,

two months earlier than I managed last year.

To celebrate we sat in the shelter of a small valley while Moss played in the stream.

We drank tea and nibbled the biscuits and fruit cake.

Happy.

 And the biscuits?

Oak leaf shaped ginger biscuits - fancy the recipe? oh, ok.... give me a mo....

350g/12oz SR flour

10ml/2 level tsp ground ginger

100g/4oz butter

175g/6oz light brown sugar

60ml/4 level tablsp golden syrup

1 egg - beaten

Oven - 190 deg c/375 deg f

Soften the butter (I used the microwave), add the sugar, syrup, ginger and stir well

Add the beaten egg, stir again.

Mix in the flour then knead lightly until well mixed and a lovely pliable dough.

Place in the 'fridge while you wash up

Roll out (dust surface and rolling pin with flour) and cut the biscuits.

Space out well on the tray and bake for 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack before scoffing with a mug of coffee.

nom nom nom

Spinning a web of threads and yarns

I could hear the rain and the wind before I even opened my eyes. The room was filled with a dim grey early morning light, making me bury myself even deeper beneath the duvet. 

It took a determined small cat and a large mug of tea to make me surface. Pepper who - when let upstairs first thing in the morning, takes it upon herself to ensure every last person, still in bed, is awake. She is so persistent that even the most lazy-lie-in will give in and sit up.

Sipping my tea, watching the world through the window, as the wind thrashed the trees back and forth,  did nothing for my 'get up and go', preferring to stay wrapped up listening to the radio, however, tea drunk and Himself and Pepper ready for breakfast made me drag myself out of the snug warmth of the bed.

Breakfast eaten, washed up and put away - we went grocery shopping - oh I was so glad to be wearing a mask, the wind and rain whipped around and my face felt safe and warm behind the blue batik fabric. Once home the weather really upped it's bad behaviour, so we gave up all outside thoughts and chose to be warm and dry by the fire. We planned quiet things, reading and listening to music, sewing and chatting, resting and unwinding. Not things we often do.

However. It did not take long for me to get 'itchy fingers' so I started my slow-sewing.

 A small hand stitched Ted. Teeny tiny stitches to hold together teeny tiny pieces of fabric. He was stuffed with snippets of cloth and trimmed off waste thread from all my recent mask making.

Although not finished yet - needs eyes and a nose - I am rather pleased with the end result. I even managed to 'joint' his arms and legs so they move, making it easier to sit or pose (will do a 'photoshoot when he is complete).

With trimming off the final thread - I realised that I had generated more little snippets of fabric and ends of threads - so decided to make a little fabric 'tub' to hold all the little pieces that seem to come with sewing. A quick rummage in a pile of left over fabrics revealed a long narrow piece of upholstery material - perfect.

A break to do some baking - we needed something to help brighten the still rather dreary weather....... a batch of fruit scones slathered in butter and grape jelly with a piping hot mug of tea....

Bliss. Strangely (or not) they did not last long and I managed to hide a few in a tin to have later.

The fabric tub - a mix of sewing machining and hand finishing kept me quiet for the afternoon. 

I am looking forward to filling it with all the snipperty bits whilst I am sewing. (there is a proper name for one of these little containers - if you know what it is - please let me know). ****

By this time Himself was ready to eat again (he has hollow legs!) so again a break off from crafting while we went into the kitchen to start supper.

A friend messaged me asking if my Halloween window display was finished .... finished? finished? I have not even started it yet! So I raided my stash and laid it out on the table to see what I could make with what I had.

This year's trick and treating - like everything in 2020 - is different, windows are decorated and children, accompanied by their parents, wander around the village following a map hunting for the pumpkins. Instead of the little mini monsters and princesses knocking on the door for sweets, they are given by the parents when the decorated windows are found.  What I had not realised was the displays are to be up all week to give parents and children space to walk around the village in safety. 

Which means my window had to be up and ready by midday on Sunday - So ...... I crocheted the quickest (and let's be honest) scruffiest spider web. 

Bit of denim and hessian, four pipecleaners and suddenly there was a spider. Two bats out of black paper soon followed, some leaves and fairy lights finished the inside display.

Outside I quickly hung some black bunting and added a small pumpkin - grown by Eldest in the greenhouse before he and his lovely gf moved. Just a simple face and for contrast - black paper inside to make the eyes and mouth show up. Final addition was a salt lamp to give that lovely orangey glow. I was, I have to admit, a bit disappointed in the final result and was in a bit of a grump for a while.

If anything - I felt like he looked - :(

Then after a really good (and tiring) afternoon walk, when we returned, I lit candles, switched on lights and the window display suddenly looked a whole lot better.

So - that was our weekend - it flew by faster than a bat on a mission..... The display has to remain up all week, hopefully little grumpy pumpkin face will last that long.

Hope your weekend was good :) Here is to an equally good Monday xxxxx

***thread catcher - seems there is a whole world of patterns and ideas for them out there - whodathunkit?!

Samhain

The veil is thin,

the wheel turns,

the seasons change,

life moves on,

take that step,

take that chance,

change if you have to,

grow,

breathe,

love 

and live.

Blessings be.

What's a witch's favourite lesson at school?

Spelling of course!

What a witchy day it has been, filled with laughter and silly hats. 

Where trick and treaters flooded our village in a mishmash of zombies and nurses, 

St Trinians and cute cats, masked monsters and sparkly witches.

 Our home was invaded by two special witches, 

... they immediately started casting spells with their pretty patterns

 and halloween imagery,

 it was magical!

Youngest and Himself soon joined in with our witchy coven of laughter and feasting,

all the while being surrounded by lights, pumpkins, candles and bats. 

Now, all witches flown home, food all eaten,

candles finished - we sit quietly,
having had a wonderful day
and special evening.

Thank you my dear sweet witches
for bringing such magic to today :)

A Sweaty start to November

Yes, I fully understand that it is not an attractive title but seeing I was dripping and I mean dripping (not just perspiring) but DRIPPING on the first day of November in the Northern HEMISPHERE - then you will agree - a sweaty start is the PERFECT title.

After our Samhain celebrations - it seemed only fitting to get out on the hills and make the most of our rather benign autumnal weather.

Himself, Youngest and I set off and very quickly we had to remove our jerseys and don our sunnies. We cheerfully commented at how pleasant it was for so late in the year. (How quickly that changed to 'good grief I am ***** hot!')

Each small woodland was gratefully found and lingered in as we walked through.

By our lunch stop, I stripped off my socks and boots and sank my feet into the wet meadow grass. Youngest rolled up his trousers and flopped backwards and lay down. Our lunch was eaten at a leisurely pace, we could not muster the energy to leap up and carry on  - not just yet!

As we walked higher up through the farm land, eventually reaching the moors, we were completely encased by brilliant blue skies.

Another stop was unanimously agreed and we sat in the late afternoon sun - still feeling hot and entirely grateful for the moorland breeze. I finally felt cool enough to put on my newly finished hat!

 I am not as fully enamoured with it as I had anticipated. But, but - it will make a suitable autumn hat (when it finally cools down!) as it is a 'short hat'. More of a close fitting beanie than I usually choose.  I do, however, like the mixture of textures and learnt how to do the Kitchener stitch when I grafted the front and back panels together.

After Himself had taken the photos, we reluctantly left our lovely cool spot to continue our walk, we knew that we would have to set off as despite the present delicious and unseasonably warm weather, as soon as the sun set it would cool down rapidly.

We dropped into the valley to walk through historic industrial archaeology. Mining shafts and buildings, areas scarred by man's activity on the landscape. Huge chimneys and tunnels, many gated to prevent the curious venturing deep into the earth.

Amongst all the piles of stones, mining detritus and buildings - a lone tree.

Couriously bent with it's own crutch. How extraordinary.

We lingered by the tree, wondering, wondering.

 

The evening light catching the grasses and the small flies enjoying the warm air. 

We reluctantly left, the sun was now behind the horizon and we were rapidly getting cold. What a contrast!

**Just heard on the news - today's temperature was the warmest ever recorded for a November, with the last warmest November being logged at 69 years ago. Hmmm - definitely a sweaty start to November!

Thank you for coming along on our walk - I do love sharing them with you xxxxxxx