FALL PHOTOS

taken in my parents' garden

TEAR SHEET TUESDAY :: 010

spiced squash and coconut soup {from waitrose food illustrated october 2007} teamed with who might just be the most fabulous headband makers in the world aka tour de force {from junior magazine august 2009} i think october could well see me inspired by both...currently on the pin board to remind me!

NOUVEAU

{photo of a couple of new display mats for autumn finds and little vases}

it's time for a new banner and some colour changes here. i always enjoy a little rearrangement...whether it's moving furniture round in the sitting room or tweeking the blog it's that instant satisfaction thing of taking a fresh look at an old space and feeling like i want to be there more.

good in this case because my poor blog has been rather neglected over the summer. autumn is a new leaf however!

i have just picked up c from the airport after waving goodbye him off to ireland on saturday. this left me free to travel new country roads to find miss pickering for a delightfully sunny sunday lunch and natter at oundle mill. i spent the rest of my weekend alone surrounded by fabric projects in front of the telly pausing for the odd nap and snacks of jam on toast by the fire. took a trip to the library and wrote out my months notice for the post office...this time in october i'll be gearing up for my last day at work there.

and finally some new {to me} blog reads...
tiny happy
sweet fine day
for what is chatteris?
heart of light
buttons magee
dee beale
katie did

TIME FOR A VEST

well i have attempted a something from the old patterns i bought last week and it's turned out quite nicely. with a few of my friends about to have baby girls i thought the vest was a good shape to try out. this one is violet jersey with a bias binding cut from a favourite print bought online at purl a few years ago. something about it reminds me of the kind of thing worn by a doll i had called almond tea {from my strawberry shortcake collection...i shall write more on this childhood obsession another day}

and it's vests all round here. autumn winds are blowing like mad out there and hairstyles are hard to hold on to. the feather duvet is back on the bed and i foresee porridge back on the breakfast menu any day now. the stove has been lit every night this week and with all the wood chopping done at the weekend by ciaran and my folks we should have enough to keep us warm right through to spring.

in other wednesday news...we are off to see jon allen tonight in cambridge. baby's 2nd concert and i'm sure none of us will be disappointed with the beardy guitar man with the gravelly voice. love this song. my brother worked on one of his recent videos so i'm hoping for a good seat!

TINY PATTERNS

first of all i'd like to say a big thank you for all those lovely comments following our news last time. my heart swelled with each one that came through...lots of you had been there for me through the harder days and so i really am thrilled to bring you up to date with our story.

and all's going really well. we had our 20 week scan and our little babe is still dancing away in there! after all the ups and downs that led us to this wonderful place i don't think i was quite prepared for the worries that i'd still find myself feeling. but the joys that we're experiencing already together are even better than i could ever have imagined.

so i'm about ready to get into making mode {playing catch up to my mum who has been on a knit-a-thon for weeks already!} and i just bought a batch of vintage patterns on ebay. i have so many little bits of fabric that i think will be just right for tiny things to wear. the patterns are used but they've been looked after so well and it's actually quite nice having all the pieces cut and ready to pin! they just arrived today so i'll be back with a show and tell soon.

wishing everyone a super weekend! our plans include chopping wood and a big family sunday lunch for my grandma's 80th birthday. the air has turned to autumn here but we still have the bright sunshine...perfect september weather! Xx

SEPTEMBER WELCOME

a lovely new month...and today feels right to share some good news from our household. c and me are expecting our first baby! my growing bump is now eighteen weeks along and we are beside ourselves with excitement.

{i hope you don't mind me skipping the science bit this time round...it just felt like such a precious secret to keep hold of}

so autumn. i feel so incredibly lucky to have these changes to embrace and many many things to look forward to. like more sweet knitting by my mum. the name game. comfort cooking and dressing in layers. bright crispy air. hand sewing and paint charts. and it's going to be so nice sharing it here with you.

SO LONG AUGUST

our last day of august has been a sunny one. it's a holiday monday here and c and i have enjoyed a morning of wandering out and about. stopping for a coffee and pain au choc and people watching in cambridge. when we got home the barbecue called to us and we made food that tasted like the last of the summer hoildays...couscous with apricots and pine kernels...roasted pointy peppers...bread and houmous.

also our favourite olives. adapted from a recipe by tessa kiros
(find it in this charming book)

a 340g (ish) jar of whole green olives in brine
(drained and rinsed in water)
the juice of half an unwaxed lemon
(slice the other half and mix with the olives)
a good glug of e.v. olive oil
2 tsp of crushed coriander seeds
half a clove of minced garlic

mix everything together...the olives taste even better when left a day too. my favourite thing is eating the lemon slices which soften beautifully. i absoultely love anything lemony!

we watched vicky cristina barcelona last night. i think rebecca hall is lovely...she's popping up in lots of films these days. oh and the soundtrack is the perfect background music to this kind of food!

(p.s. the gorgeous flower print in the background is the inner cover from the book)