Monday, August 4, 2014

Snapshots again

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Hello lovely online friends. How are you? How was your weekend? Have you got anything exciting planned for this coming week? Are you feeling grounded or a bit aflutter?

I'm good. A little bit unsettled with all that I have to do and all that I want to do rushing around my head and making me feel a little bit out of breath. But I feel like my life is busy with good things at the moment and that makes me feel grateful.

But it also makes me feel like I don't know where to start this blog today. Which stories to tell? Which bits to share? And which to let go never to be heard from again?

Sometimes my blog speaks to me in such a clear bossy voice, while at other times I need a formula to get going. Today is definitely the latter so I've decided to go back to a post I wrote back about six weeks ago and do the same thing all over again. Eight photos that represent a bit of a snapshot of my life at the moment (minus the girls of course because they are at school) and a sentence or two as a description of each.

PICKING 

Beetroot. I feel like beetroot kind of fills the void of tomatoes when they are out of season. The flavours are completely different, but they both add something special to the salad, the roast veggies and the sandwiches that nothing else does.

I pickle my beetroot using this recipe. Yum!

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KNITTING 

Another cabled beanie for my farmer boy from this pattern.

Last year two photographers came to our house to shoot us for a fancy country magazine. After we had done our polite introductions they asked us if it were at all possible for Farmer Bren to go beanie-less for the shoot. Although it was the middle of winter, the magazine would come out in summer and they wanted it to look warm.  Apparently the order had come from the top so who was he to disagree. I think those few hours were the only few hours I have ever seen him without a beanie on our farm in autumn, winter or spring since we've been here.

I like how happy a new beanie makes him and I like the charcoal instead of his usual brown.

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READING

Gone Girl. My littlest sister Abby was so surprised to hear I hadn't read it that she ordered it and had it delivered to me by post. And she's right, I'm loving it. Even though I only have time for a chapter or two each night, I'm still reading it far too quickly and will be sorry when it's done.

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FEEDING

The fire. Always. Collecting kindling, filling the firewood trailer, splitting logs, bringing loads inside and keeping the fire going. Sometimes I dream of push button central heating, so clean, so quick and so easy, but the fire is the heart of the home and I'd probably miss it if it were gone.

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DECIDING

Whether or not to knit the pair to my first ever sock. The length is right, the height is right, the heel makes me happier and prouder than I ever thought a heel could, but it is baggy under the instep and uncomfortable to wear. Shame.

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TRYING AGAIN

Toe up this time instead of cuff down. And with much smaller needles. Wish me luck, I don't know if I'll have the heart to try a third sock if this one doesn't fit right.

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ADMIRING

Backyard Bees a gorgeous new book by Doug Purdie published by Murdoch books. So much important beekeeping info, such great photos by Cath Muscat, lots of delicious looking recipes, it really is a fabulous book.

And look, there's us all dressed in our bee keeping best!!

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The wool that came with some other cute treasures in the last instalment of the Jellywares winter yarn club. Mmmmmmmm delicious. Jodie plans to run a spring wool club starting next month too, so keep an eye on her Facebook page for sign ups. It's been such fun to get my box in the post each month.

And that's that. How about you, what are you picking, reading, feeding, deciding, trying again, admiring and squishing?

I'll be back tomorrow with the next instalment of the granny-hottie-a-long. Have you made your 24?

Happy new week friends. May your news be fabulous.

xx

26 comments:

  1. Lovely Kate - as always :)
    Thanks for sharing some sunshine in what is an otherwise flu filled day in these parts.
    xx

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  2. Hi, Kate. First time commenting on your beautiful blog. Your snapshots inspired me to pin down my own little winter moments. :)

    Picking: two crisp lemons, the first from my own tree. So sweet they smelled a little like mandarins, and perfect in an Italian almond-lemon cake.

    Knitting: a soft grey garter stitch baby jacket, for a friend's little one, due this Friday. Something about grey garter stitch seems so right in winter.

    Reading: re-reading Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery. My dear and long-departed grandmother's wartime copy.

    Feeding: the rainbow lorikeets' seed bowl in the backyard.

    Deciding: nothing! Too many ideas, too many paths. But gloriously so.

    Trying again: to protect my baby cauliflowers from the slugs. Last year was a distinct failure. This year will be better! (It can't be worse.)

    Admiring: the sunburst wattles everywhere.

    Squishing: Ixchel mink/angora 3ply, a treasure from the sheep show this year.

    :)



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  3. and the best& easiest beetroot pickle recipe....... ever. Jen :-)

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  4. I didn't get my socks right until about the fifth pair. I now do them in a 3 x 1 rib, except for the toe, heel and sole in st.st, and this gives the whole sock a bit more cling. The top welt I do in 1 x 1 rib. Happy knitting!

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  5. Ooooo, might have to look into that beetroot recipe. I love your beetroot photo by the way! Your pics are always fab! x

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  6. Well I did a wardrobe clear out, sort and tidy, and it brought up a whole bunch of weird stuff for me. So I am feeling a little aflutter. I think I'll feel better once I blog about it, but it'll probably be tomorrow, feeling a bit flu-ey and have a post set for today already.

    My life is uncluttered right now and I am enjoying that. :)

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  7. Love love love Gone Girl, I was sad when I had read it too quickly too.... Mel. x

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  8. Good stuff indeed Kate. I love that charcoal beanie, I am not surprised Bren is rarely without this lovely, handmade warmth! Magazines are strange things aren't they :)

    I am picking a lot of cauliflower, feeding a hungry farming family & admiring so many photos of snow on the interwebs! x

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  9. I hope your new socks turn out well.

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  10. I completely hear you about sometimes just having an empty (but full) mind when it comes to the next blog post, and sometimes it just seems to be pre-written. I love what you have written about here - and I hope the sock goes right for you this time!

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  11. Always enjoy hearing what you're up to but particularly love your photos Kate! x Dre

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  12. hello kate,
    love your snapshots!!the cabled beanie looks wonderful.
    wish you luck for sock knitting.
    have a wonderful week,
    regina

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  13. Hola! Gracias por la receta del encurtido de remolacha...mmm que rica!!!! Me gustan mucho las lanas que utilizas para tejer, los colores y los modelos que haces, espero que te haya salido bien el calcetín... Yo estoy a ganchillo haciendo pequeños cuadrados para la bolsa del agua caliente... Mis hijos están de vacaciones y es una delicia vivir sin horarios y sin prisas haciendo lo que nos apetece a nuestro ritmo... me encanta la época de las vacaciones escolares :D

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  14. I hope that you and the socks can work something out! xx

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  15. Got caught in a summer downpour during our evening walk last night. Crocheting up some circle doilies today :)

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  16. it' s funny to see, i start mij knitting-soks with the instep.
    i like your beetroot-recipe, sounds delicious. I wil try !

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  17. I so enjoy reading your blog, and I really love the color of the yarn you just received. I was wondering if you might be able to share the company and color - it is such a luscious blend of browns and the hint of lavendar is great. Thank you, Nancy

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  18. oh let me know about Gone Girl, I really enjoyed it until the end, which I thought was a bit 'pfff' x

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  19. Oh your poor odd sock! lovely colours, I hope your blue one works out. I love beetroot, one of the most versatile veggies. I made beetroot chocolate cake once, and I use the water from boiling beetroot for food colouring on birthday cakes, and my favourite is roasted beetroot with sunday dinner. yum. T x

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  20. Don't give up on the socks yet. I knitted my first sock that turned out comfy and a nice snug fit (until the cat chewed it up). Given it was both my first attempt at knitting socks & my first attempt at 4 needle knitting I was very pleased with the outcome. I'm happy to share the pattern if you like.

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  21. I love snapshot posts best of all, makes me feel like I have a window onto your world.

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  22. Love this post!
    Could you tell me where I might be able to purchase the Backyard Bees book?? I live in the U.S. and tried without success to find it online. I also tried the link you posted, but the book title would never load so I wasn't sure if it was available internationally.
    Thanks!
    Ashley
    http://www.rubyandperry.com/

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  23. I loved Gone Girl, and I'm also loving all the Winter warming stuff going on in this picture! Bec x
    www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com

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  24. I've been wanting to read Gone Girl for so long now. Glad to hear it's well worth the wait :) And thank you for the pickled beetroot recipe. I've never tried it, but I'm looking forward to making some from my garden tonight.

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  25. So much good stuff Kate! Such a shame about your first sock - it looks so pretty! And the Backyard Bees book looks wonderful. Reubs has been on about keeping bees forever. One day!

    Katie x

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Thanks so much for stopping by...

I do read every single comment you leave and appreciate it very much, but I should let you know that I can be a wee bit on the useless side when replying to comments, that's just me, everyday life sometimes gets in the way....so I'll apologise now, just in case.

Kate XX

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