Fungus Among Us

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus_indusiatus

I am having a bit too much fun crocheting fungus.  This week is the turn of Phallus Indusiatus or The Bamboo Mushroom which is much easier to say.  If you have a mind to you can search Bamboo Mushroom on google images and you can see the variety of shapes and colours that they appear in. Or click this link and I have searched it for you ;)  They are edible.  I can't say I fancy them.  I have never seen anything quite like it.  I know when I have picked wild field mushrooms they have never made it to my plate as wild mushrooms seem full of grubs.  I think the little skirt on a Bamboo Mushroom must offer it some protection from flying critters that would lay their eggs in the fungi, a bit like a built in mosquito net.

I decided straight away that Ruffle Yarn would be effective as the skirt.  I had no ruffle yarn and I had never worked with it.  I would be interested to know if you have worked with it how you got on.  How did you find it to work with and what did you make?  For freeform crochet effects ruffle yarn has great potential.  It is pesky to work with though.  I have seen Ruffle Yarn Scarf kits sold as suitable for beginners, I must be a bit challenged!  I found it very frustrating to work with and control.  I love my finished fungus though.  I am keeping them in a shoe box.  I am waiting for the weather to be nicer than it is today (it is nasty, windy and wet today) then I can take my fungi outside to photograph, (as you do).  

I used photographs and keep them in front of me while I crochet and I try and copy what I see.  It is a bit like drawing or painting but with yarn and hooks.  The caps of the mushrooms are crocheted using scrap singles of handspun yarn.  I love being able to put the waste bits left on a bobbin to use.  The stalks and skirts are commercial yarn.  If you have never crocheted yourself some fungus, I really can't recommend it enough!

Thank you for reading and thank you very much for leaving your lovely comments.  xx

Talking Turkey

Turkey Tail Mushrooms

I did not know crocheting fungi could be so much fun.  It does sound like a strange past time.  I found it a little too absorbing and I am very proud of my 100% handspun fungal creation.  It is for a Fall/Autumn challenge at the International Freeform Forum on Ravelry. Each week there is a different weird and wonderful shroom to recreate in knit or crochet.

I did the best I could with what I had.  I had a rummage in my stash.  The orange and green yarn was a gift from someone, it is handspun but I don't know what it is.   I am guessing it is hand dyed too, I really like the subtle colours.  The dark brown yarn is 100% alpaca.  The colour is lovely. The bright green is some beaded Corriedale (I remember that name as it is a cross between Coronation Street and Emmerdale, two popular  TV soaps in the UK).  The yarn was plied with cotton thread with tiny, clear seed  beads.  The white is 100% silk. I have been working on more Turkey tails in lilacs, silver and purples to go with my other freeform  crochet scrumbles.  If it would stop being so cold and wet and stormy I would like to take my creation to photograph outdoors where it can pretend to be real.  I would also like to walk in the woods to see if I can find any more fun guys  fungi!  xx

Scrumbling along nicely

Oh please indulge me and let me bore you with crochet scrumbles for a while.  I think this is complete now.  I mean how do you know?  If I could do a nice bullion stitch button I would, that is what it is lacking.  I have tried bullion stitch and it is beating me for now, so I had to make do with puffy buttons that look like anemones to me.  As soon as I master it, this scrumble is having a big one!  I did not really like making a scrumble from one colour.  It was for a challenge.  It did make me look at how to add variety, shape and texture to the scrumble without colour.  I tried different hook sizes and worked with multiple strands of yarn but not to any great effect.  I loved adding the other shades of yarn.  I really loved working with silver sparkly thread.  I liberated the thread from a charity shop for 20p, it is a great big spool, I am sure the thrifty bargainousness of the thread makes it even lovelier to work with.  In my opinion scrumbles cry out for sparkly thread.

My friend who is not a crafter is completely baffled by my scrumble.  I hope for any of you that are baffled, after this post you won't be.  I have been busy working on other scrumbles too.  (If you say you have been 'busy working on' it sounds more important than saying 'I have been having great fun playing with yarn').  Working 'freeform' without a pattern is very liberating and I can recommend it if you feel your skills have reached a plateau.  You live and learn eh?  For example my next scrumble will not be repeated.  I liked lots of 'petals' but they were a labour of love.

Scrumbles do not have to be elaborate or complicated.  Simple scrumbles have their place in the world.

Playing with stripes, yarns and stitches.

This was my first attempt at a 'block stitch'.  I will keep practicing, I liked the bend though.

I have also played with circles and spirals.  I am yet to master spirals too.

It is when you start to piece the scrumbles together that the magic happens.  These two were 'made for each other'.

You piece it together like patchwork into a single 'fabric'.  None of the pieces are fixed yet, it is fun swapping them all around.  

Then you have to decide what to do with it.  If I made a hat I would sure get noticed.  Some people make 'art' and 'wall art' with their scrumbles.  You can pay hundreds for a freeform crochet coat.  You can use the scrumbles to embellish plainer fabrics or garments.  I think I am going to turn this one into a cushion.  I am going to work on some pink scrumbles to decide if I would like two pink and purple cushions or one pink and one purple.  Decisions decsions.  I best get scrumbling.  I do hope I have tempted at least a couple of you to have a go.  Let me know eh?  xx  

Colourful Crochet

Things have not gone to plan this week.  We have had a wet Half Term week.   It means cabin fever creeps in and the floors get muddy.  We have been quite happily housebound.  When we have popped out we have got soaked for our efforts.  Today it is sunny with blue sky.  The chickens are on the lawn as even they have been cooped up for a few days.
         'Every cloud has a silver lining' they say.  While I was tidying, ahem, well attempting to tidy but there are too many distractions.  I found the thimble, it was in the vicinity of the sewing box.   We like thimbles back in their rightful place.

I also found a whole pack of 'Rico Creative Cotton' that had fallen behind a cupboard and been long forgotten.  So the housework got forgotten too and I played with colourful yarn instead.  It was a nice, neat new pack but I forgot to photograph it.   I still have plenty left to play with.

   I have wanted to explore crochet mandalas and had a go at Crochet with Raymond's free pattern for the 'African Flower Mandala'.  I think my colour choices were adventurous to say the least.

I followed this tutorial from 'Beckycafe'  the other Mandala.  Mandalas are the perfect procrastination project.  They are quick, cheerful and if you use 100% cotton they make functional pot holders.  I think there is something kaleidoscopic about them, as I was unsure what effect the next round of colour and stitches were going to have.  ( I still have all the ends to sew in but shhh don't tell anyone).  If you search Google images for crochet Mandalas there are some amazing ones out there.  You can get lost for quite a while just looking.          
          The following collage should probably carry a health warning.  Due to the shocking colours, the mismatched stripes and the not very round Mandalas, it seems to be triggering motion sickness for myself if I stare at it for too long.  I don't recommend scrolling up and down.  The 'stripes' are washcloths, you can't beat a 100% cotton, crochet wash cloth in my humble opinion.

Wet holidays are not all bad.  I really should go, too much yarn and too little time and a laundry mountain to tackle.  XXX

Care Instructions

I spotted these labels and  had the 'wantsies' very badly.  I ordered them from Leafcutter Designs and they arrived today.  I think they are very cute.  I just need to work on acquiring the woodstove.  If you follow the link you can read about some very interesting projects for environmentally friendly clothes.  Sadly the large majority of my clothes are mass produced.  If I could only wear hand made clothes I would look like a sack of rags as my sewing skills are non existent.  I made one skirt at school, many moons ago and it was not even wearable.  I used a rather nice herring bone tweed.   I miscalculated the waistband somehow and had great trouble sewing the 'darts'.  I also hit my finger a few times with the machine needle and that hurts.  My machine sewing days were over before they even began.

      I saw this photograph over at Paloma Textiles, I think I could rustle up this sassy little crochet number.  I have always had a secret yearning for a pair of Granny Square trousers.
      I also love the work of One Man Crochet, you should really check this blog out.  Matthew is obsessive about crochet, by his own confession.  He runs a social crochet group in Cardiff and used to teach crochet lessons.

I think you either love or hate this look, personally I love it and wish everybody dressed like this.  I am sure it would go down a bomb in my home town if I stepped out wearing a Crochet Ripple tunic with Granny Stripe trousers.  The odd flip flops and the yarn bombed staff do it for me too.
XXX

According To Matt

I know many of you already visit and follow this Blog:

According To Matt

Just in case you don't follow the link and take a look.  Prepare to be amazed!  I really want Matt to compile the best 'Coffee Table Book' in the world.  Amazing talent in terms of colour design, crochet and blogging.  Take some time to browse through some of the older posts too.  It will be time well spent!  

'Rainbows Preemie Project' November 2012 Update

I can't quite believe how quickly these monthly updates come around.  I must be getting 'old' as time really does fly and I can't quite get my 'hat off' about it!
             It has been another fantastic month for this 'Rainbows - Preemie Project'.   The kindness and generosity of Blog Land Folk has really exceeded my expectations again.  Let me tell ya I have a lovely little stash of clothes to deliver to the 'Maternity Ward'.  I am going to keep going and donate in July 2013.  Euan would actually like to go on his birthday to donate the items.  As a child I always hated hospitals ( I am not too happy about them as an adult truth be know) but to Euan hospitals are familiar 'happy' places and he actually enjoys going to hospital.  As you know he was eight weeks premature.  He was a strong prem baby and did not need more than a couple of days of 'Special Care'.  He was diagnosed with 'Left Foot' talipes (club foot) during a 20 week pregnancy scan.  He was 'on the books' for Birmingham Children's Hospital and had a Consultant before he was born.  He was in full hip to toe plaster cast at six days old despite only weighing 5lbs.  He had his first operation at about ten weeks old and then had further plaster cast treatment most weeks.  Weekly hospital visits were just part of his life.  Plaster cast treatments are effective in babies with clubfoot for all but 4% of them.  Euan was one of the 4% it was not successful for.  His bones, muscles and tendons needed correcting with surgery.  He had his last operation the day before his sixth birthday and spent his birthday in hospital.  He has never complained or been fearful.  He actually remembers he had a great sixth birthday, the nurses gave him presents and made a fuss of him.  He like hospitals and he like hospital coffee shops especially the cakes.  If he wants to go to hospital on his birthday. . . I will see what I can do.
                I have been working on a couple of little cardigans made with some of the yarn donated by Helen and the Loveknitting Team:

Loveknitting.com

That was a lovely and generous gesture of them to donate yarn for 'Rainbows'.  I was really delighted and surprised to find the offer of yarn left as a 'Blog Comment' after my last 'Rainbows Update'.  I have shopped with Loveknitting.com and the service and delivery was super speedy and efficient.  If you are sorting any 'Seasonal' knitting or crochet projects out, or are looking for gift ideas. . . they are a great place to start for your crafty needs.  The cardigans I have made need finishing touches and should be ready for me to show you for next months update.  Not to worry as I have lots to show you now anyway.

            I had a lovely box of goodies arrive from Steph and her Mom from 'Show and Tell Blog'.  Steph and her Mom have been really busy and the box was a treat to open.

It was all carefully wrapped in tissue paper.  I do not know where Steph gets her creative energy from she is a prolific crafter and artist.  You can check out Steph's work Here.

Steph's Mom made some beautiful, tiny hats, cardigans and booties.  

It is a shock to have a Premature baby.  No body prepares by buying clothes for teeny babies.  It is so lovely to be able to dress them in beautiful, well made clothes that make them look adorable.

I was so relieved to have clothes that fitted Euan.  It really pestered me what he would wear and that nothing would fit.  It seems like a silly thing to be worried about but we all want out newborns to look sweet and feel comfortable.

Steph's Mom (I do not know her name) found these pretty little patterns Here and Here, they are free patterns.  The hand knits I had for Euan were very plain.  All of these cardigans are very sweet and special and I am sure will be treasured by someone.

Also in the box were blankets.

Isn't this beautiful?  Even my July baby, born in a heatwave needed layers of woollies for indoors.  Premature  babies cannot retain or regulate their temperature so need wrapping up in woolly hats, cardigans, booties and blankets even for indoors in the Summer.  They are dressed like they are ready for the snow.  A big Thankyou and (((Hugs))) to Steph's Mom. 

  Steph made this collection of little hats.  They are so cute.  They really made me smile.  For the first few hours if you have no clothes to fit the baby they get wrapped in blankets and wear woolly hats.  These will be very useful.  I love the fuzzy ones.  I would have chosen those for my baby.  He would have looked like a tiny Bluebird chick!  

          If you have any time and would like to donate to 'Rainbows' I would love to hear from you my E-mail address is here On the 'Rainbows' Page.  I am also collecting links to 'Premature Baby' crochet and knitting patterns on this page.   'Mom to Bobby' from Upon Butterfly Wings also left me a comment on the 'Rainbows' page.  She has reminded me to also request knitted or crochet donations for 'Angel Babies' as a sad truth is not all of these precious babies survive.  Burial garments and blankets are always gratefully received.  I intend to make some items for 'Angel Babies' myself.  

Thank you for reading and thank you for your support.

XXX

Prize Winning Crochet Solar System - Pics 'Ta Dah'

Did I ever tell you what a fantastic pattern it is for this Crochet Mobile?  Did I tell you what an absolute pleasure it was to make and how proud I am of the results?  Today I was a 'Prize' winner in the Guilds competition.  I am over the moon!  I feel like I have won the giant Gosseberry growing competition.  I am just feeling so smug!  I was placed second.  That is simply amazing as the competition was fantastic.  I think the winning formula may be 'if you can't stun people with your skills then go for the quirky comedy factor'!  My Banana Moon certainly got a few belly laughs out of folks.  The mobile is 100%  Hand spun which I think for me is quite an achievement in itself.

It was a bit tricky to photograph due to all the orbits going on.  I will give you a 'whistle stop tour' of some of the other entries. . . I feel embarrassed to be 'Second' as the other entries were very, very good.  The theme was 'The Solar System' and people vote for their favourites.

I love this felted 'Nebula'.

I loved this 3D box with little felted planet and the torch to light it up.  This would be a brilliant school resource for me.  The outside was all sparkly too. (I tried my best with photographs).

What do you think of this Cosmic Tea Cosey?  Isn't it out of this world?  This would make me chuckle each morning whilst pouring my morning cuppa.  Superb.

This was one of my favourites too.  I love the texture and the simplicity.

How clever is this?  Wow.  I could not manage anything like this.  It is beautiful and I would love to have it in my house.

This cushion was the winner it is dyed and embroidered.  The photograph does not do it justice at all it is sparkly and beautiful.  I did not manage to photograph all of the pieces but it was fantastic to see the range of interpretations of the same theme.
              The Exhibition is open to the public all day and today it was very relaxing and enjoyable.  I spent most of my time sat spinning, drinking cups of tea and eating cakes but don't tell anyone about the eating cakes part!  We even got time to try to teach another guild member to spin.  She did a fantastic job.  She has recently purchased a beautiful Alpaca fleece and that is now her motivation to learn to spin.  By the end of the day she had produced 'yarn'.  I had a good old chin wag chatting to some lovely people too.  I managed to resist buying any yarn or fibre but I did buy a jar of Plum Chutney that will be perfect with a lump of cheese and I also bought some little 'French Knitting Looms' that I will take to work for the children to 'play' with.  I have one boy who loves to 'finger knit'.

Here are some of the six inch rings that were on display at the National Exhibition in the Summer.  Again it is fantastic to see the diversity of ideas and end results when everyone starts out with the same design spec.  I think there were three or four hundred of these on display at the National Exhibition.  They must have looked a treat.
                When you are writing a Blog sometimes you don't feel like you have very much to say or write about and then there are other times when you have five posts waiting to burst out all at once.  I love the little 'newsy' posts about the everyday stuff in peoples lives.  I am not sure if there is anything that is too trivial for Blog Land.  I have a little store of posts and things to show you and tell you about waiting in a queue.  I will try to pace myself. It is nice to have things to write about and share with you.  I just won't share it all at once!  I hope you are all having lovely weekends out there where ever you are.
XXX  

Lucy In La La Land

 Too much to do a so little time.  Is this a familiar story for you too?  My little brain is choc full of busyness.  I have housework, work work and then all of the things I like to do going on.  This is Day Two of a weeks holiday.  I do love holidays of the stay at home variety.  I am trying to take stock of all the UFO's around these parts...not of the extra terrestrial kind.  Of the compulsive 'crafter' Unfinished Object kind.  The above skeins are some of my hand spun.  I am trying to complete a project by November the 10th.  That is the day of our Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing Guild's Annual Exhibition.  As usual I am way behind and unorganised.  I blame my kids!

 With the help of a willing teenager I got the skeins rolled into balls ready to be crocheted into 'The Solar System'.  If I finish this project it really will be a miracle.  I have three planets completed, today I will try to work on the Sun and the Moon while the 'boys' all go off to the Cinema to watch the new Bond Movie.  I was invited but I struggle to sit still in the Cinema!
               Already this morning I have 'Chicken and Noodle Soup' in the slow pot and some bread rolls rising.  I have also finished a UFO.  Yep me!  Finished something.  Ok it was only another scarf but it has been in progress since time began!  It is finished.  I made it with Aran thickness yarn on a 7mm hook so it worked up fairly quickly.  I just used a simple dc rib (sc for USA).  There is no excuse for it being on the hook for twelve months.  It is a chunky scarf.  I think it may be my 'dog walking scarf'.  I don't like hats and this is big enough to wrap around my face and ears.

 Here is my willing yet serious model.

 Very chunky scarf eh?  The temperature has really dropped around here and I am sure it is the same for many of you, the requests come pouring in for 'Winter Woollies' that are needed as of yesterday.  My partner wants a hat.  He works nights so freezes in the Winter.  I have told him he can have a hat for next year!  He is very fussy about hats, I don't think I need the pressure!  I do have an entire 'Solar System' to create don't ya know!  If you have any ideas or links to a quick and simple 'Beanie Hat' though I would appreciate it.  I was thinking something knitted on circulars.   Euan has requested another pair of  Ninja Gloves.  I will see what I can do to meet this request asap.  If you are 'cute' and 'ginger' you jump to the top of the queue round these parts.
                Talking of cute and ginger, I just have to share this funny prank I played.  We are excited about Halloween.  Dutifully eating our way through gallons of 'Pumpkin' soup, walking around the house in plastic fangs and talking about costumes.  Last night Euan asked me to practice his face paints.  He wanted 'Blood and scars'.  I told him that is what I was doing.  I gave him a cute little red nose and whiskers instead.  When he went to look in the mirror he was horrified that I had turned him into the 'cutest Halloween Mousie'.  There was no way he was going to let me photograph that!

 I am making the most of Seasonal Squash.  This is a little Acorn Squash that has been scooped out, stuffed with cheese, tomato, breadcrumbs and herbs.  Baked in the oven it makes a delicious meal.  Looks pretty too.   We have the Halloween Pumpkins to carve at some point today.  Euan has designed a 'Sponge Bob' Pumpkin.  It looks a little ambitious to carve to me.  Pumpkin Carving is hard work.  I do not like scooping out big pumpkins either. . . yuk it is all cold and wet and slimy.  Bleurghh.

             I have a very naughty picture to share with you.  Why is it that the naughty stuff to eat tastes so good?  

Ginger and Treacle Tray Bake  from Mary Berry's Baking Bible.  You have to eat 'Ginger Cake' at this time of year don't you?  Ginger Cake of the treacliest, squidgiest variety is best for Halloween and Bonfire Night.  You could do much worse than make one of these.  It is one of those miraculous cakes that actually improves the longer you can manage to keep it.  By golly it was good.  I will be stammering my excuses to the Weight Watchers lady on Thursday though won't I?
               Now here's for the most 'La La Landish' part of this blog post.  Euan likes to cook with me.  He has said many times that when he is a man he wants a family business cooking with me.  We watch cookery shows together on TV.  He really likes 'The Hairy Bikers' and he enjoyed 'The Great British Bake Off'.  One night a couple of weeks ago he said 'You should go on 'The Great British Bake Off' Mom'.  I said 'Oh no Euan, far too stressful and I am not good enough'.   He said 'Please I would be so proud, I would record every time you were on TV and watch it at Nan and Granddads'.  I explained again that I would not be good on the show as the technical challenges are really tough, outta my league.  He left it for an hour and then said 'But Mom I would worship you if you went on that show'.  I slept on it!  I decided in a fit of madness to apply for the show!  The opportunity to impress my son in a major way was all too much for me to resist.  (Homer Simpson Style).  'Act in haste repent a leisure' they say.  Now I have e-mailed my application off I am panic stricken, knowing my luck I will get picked for the show!!!   I have invested my Blog Challenge 'Blackberry Bread and Butter Pudding' winnings in some new baking books.  Euan invested his winnings in a stack of 'The A Team' dvds'.  The 'Treacle and Ginger Tray Bake' was a first practice Baking Session.  The cake tasted great but even with care and attention my icing and decorating skills are dreadful.  Euan and I role played the Judges of the show I was Mary Berry and he was Paul Hollywood.

   
I have met Mary Berry before when I was 13 years old.  I got through to the Regional Finals of Junior Cook Of The Year.  I was on TV on our local news for a matter of seconds.  Euan is sure Mary will remember me from thrity years ago and it will stand me in good stead.  This kid has faith in me!

A little bit of this and that...

I got very fed up with the paint on the walls in our living room.  It is yellow which my OH and Euan really like.  When my OH painted about six years ago he tested paint slap bang in the middle of the wall, about four shades of yellow and there it has stayed, driving me mad!  I hate painting it literally makes me nauseous.  I also hate the upheaval of moving everything around and shouting 'Wet Paint'!  I live in a small house.  It feels like it is bulging at the seams.  It is home though and we like it here.  Let's just say it aint exactly Buckingham Palace.  I decided to go ethnic and ordered this fabric from Jaipur in India.  It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I am very pleased with it and it hides the patchwork paint a treat!  The colours did not really come out true in the photograph, but you get the idea.
         Staying in the round, I had a little tidy and declutter of the mantle piece, where everyone chucks loose change, odd sweets, till receipts and the like.   It is stained where everyone has put their cups, so these are a little late but again they hide some of the imperfections, until I get round to doing something about them.

Coaster Number One

And Coaster Number Two.
                 I liked making coasters to hide the imperfections and they are obviously very quick and easy for a bit of instant gratification.   Adding more crochet to the house in whatever form makes me happy.  I have resisted starting another blanket (I think).  I do have a nasty case of 'Startitis' at the moment.  I have an idea for Cushion covers for the dining  chairs and started this:

  It is square. . . honest.  I have so many projects on the go, I really do not know when these cushion covers will get finished but I am certain they will be fab a groovy when they are.  I do love a cheerful 'Granny'.
               Now I told you I have a bad case of 'Startitis', while hanging the fabric on the wall I shifted some bags of yarn.  I think I have found the stash that the dog raids when I go out.  I come back home to various pretty balls of yarn around the house, usually with the ball band missing but the yarn does not often get damaged.  Maybe a little bit tangled.  I think if 'Lacey' was a human rather than a dog she would love yarn crafts too.  I found a lonely ball of 'King Cole' Riot.  I can't tell you the colourway, because the ball band is missing!  I think it is 'Wicked' or 'Magic' or something like that.  I received it in a swap last Christmas.  I love this yarn and actually bought it and sent it to my 'Swap Partner'!  How silly.  We did swap other lovely goodies too though.  I unearthed it this weekend and decided it would be perfect for a 'Queen Anne's Lace Scarf'.  After five or six false starts on the pattern Here, I think I have finally grasped it.  There is a strong theme to this post that perfectionism is not my strong point!

Here is a garish close up:

I know some of you have worked on this pattern and I am slightly puzzled about how to block it.  Obviously scarfs are pretty long and there seems to be so many places to pin.  I think it may be a case of 'There is no easy way'.  I will have to block it in stages due to the lack of space.  It is a nice easy pattern to work on and the yarn makes it interesting due to the colour changes.  It really should be a Christmas present for somebody. . . but I don't think I am going to be able to part with it!
               Sunday is my main baking/ cooking day.  I was up early this morning to chat with the hens and gather in the harvest for the Sunday Lunch.  Yesterday I dug some potatoes with four chickens perilously close to the spade.  I can't say they were helpful, they were a positive hindrance.  They were having such fun though I did not want to spoil it by putting them in there coop.  Yesterday was one of the annual highlights of the chicken world.  The emptying of the Compost bins!  They love this.  I put barrow loads of compost onto the borders and fruit bushes.  The chickens helped to spread it all.  Boy did they spread it all. . . all over the lawn!  Now I need to find the time to rake it all.  Today's harvest was a few apples and the last of the green beans.

 I made an Apple Crumble too:

The topping had brown sugar and Toasted Almond Flakes. . .don't tell the Weight Watchers Lady, I am sure she will find out on Thursday's Weigh in.
              I have had a Happy Hooky weekend and the antibiotics seem to be working their magic.  I am a bit resentful that although work pays the bills it does spoil the hooky time!   Monday afternoon at work is 'Cooking Lesson'.  The kids love it and so do I.  Last week we made 'Apple Crumbles' and tomorrow they will make 'Apple Pie'.  Not a bad achievement for 8-10 year olds.
              I hope you have all had a good weekend too.  xxx