A good day...

Yesterday was not one of our best days in the New Forest. For some reason we were all a bit tetchy. As it turns out DH has an ear infection and is now on drugs and drops to stop the acheing and ringing in his ear. I was, in hindsight, having a sad day but didn't realise until much later when a good cry set me right. The children's behaviour was purely a reflection of our moods!!

Having just downloaded the photos it looks like a perfect family day out. Even the paragon that is the Moog's family can have it's off days ;-)

We walked across the common just outside Lyndhurst. There were New Forest Ponies aplenty and all rather frisky and galloping about at full pelt - maybe they caught a whiff of Spring?

The children and DH made a fairy house among the trees, complete with bark roof and pine cone garden (whilst I sat on a log and sulked).

Minx and Sausage also thoroughly enjoyed themselves breaking up the ice in the many puddles.

We also went to the New Forest Visitor Centre for the first time. Having only lived in Southampton for nearly 10 years we just hadn't managed to get round to this before !!!

There is an amazing 25 foot long embroidery upstairs in the centre that was commissioned in 1979 to commemorate 900 years of the Forest's creation. Lady Montagu of Beaulieu was commissioned to produce the embroidery and had help from over 50 other people to produce this stunning work.

There were no signs to say I shouldn't photograph the embroidery so I took a few without flash and most are too blurred to show. The colours and textures in the embroidery are wonderful. I was fascinated with the effects that the use of different stitches and materials produced. The tree trunks, in particular, 'spoke' to me and made me want to do some!!

I feel we may make a return visit as there was so much to see and read in the Centre that we couldn't do it justice in a single visit.

After the tour of the Visitor Centre had calmed us all down we headed down to Lepe Country Park which overlooks the Solent and Isle of Wight. The day had turned grey and cold by this time so a stop at the cafe for the most indulgent hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream and a Cadbury's Flake plus a slab of carrot cake was just the ticket.

It was low tide so I didn't get my fix of crashing waves but we muddled about on the beach collecting shells and throwing stones before the chills set in.

The posts of the sea defences were worthy of the odd photograph. Some of the gaps between the posts had become solidly wedged with stones whilst other posts have been wonderfully eroded and weathered by the sea.

See, a perfect family day out :)

I feel as I've settled back into being me today. Last week, with the children only back at school for two days, I felt in a sort of limbo. With a whole lovely crafty week ahead of me I felt the urge to do.

Rosy has had some pants made to hide her modesty when she arrives at her new home.

I baked some bread and made some 'whatever you can find in the veg box' soup. I tried my hand at a bit of patchwork and quilting to make a little camera bag for Minx. It doesn't stand up to too much close inspection but she likes it and it serves a purpose.

I'm now going to do a spot of blog lurking, some stalking on eBay for an exciting new something that will, fingers' crossed, be winging it's way to me after 12.04pm tomorrow.

I shall then do a bit more of Monster's crochet blanket. Having almost run out of all the stripe colours and being unable to find exact matches for any of them it will be half stripe and half solid with occasional stripeage!!

I so nearly didn't get this stupid post done tonight as Blogger had a hissy fit and chucked me out. Eventually it let me back in and I'd only lost a bit.

I have company tomorrow as Monster's school is closed due to their heating system breaking down. Minx is more than a bit cheesed off as the Infant's is fine and she has to go in. I've bribed her with the promise of a sock monkey on her return :)

xxxx