Summer fun

As always the summer holidays seem to be shooting by but so far nearly every day has been packed with fun and sunshine. Right now, the beasties are away at camp with Cubs and I actually have a little time to visit my poor neglected blog.

Last week we packed the old Moog off to stay with grandparents and Mr Moog, Monster, Minx and I headed eastwards along the south coast to Pevensey. We squeezed a lot into a few days, with early morning swimming in the sea, pain au chocolat on the beach for breakfast, and visits to Scotney and Bodiham Castles.....

......and a quick trip across the channel to French France! We had a very lovely and sunny few hours in Dieppe, admiring the window displays, soaking in the atmosphere and trying out our pitifully poor French on the locals.

With the children safely packed off at camp, Mr Moog and I had a rare day alone together yesterday. So, what could we do? Have a long romantic day out, with a candlelit dinner?

Er.....no. Mr Moog wanted to go to 'Blast from the Past' - a whole day of living history displays and re-enactments at Broadlands, the home of the late Lord Mountbatten.

Mr Moog had a great day. Loved every minute. Revelled in the historyness of it all.

Me? Well, after wandering round for a bit, watching a load of red-faced paunchy men in costume pretend to kill each other in the hot sunshine, I took to the shade of a chestnut tree and cast on a sock!

The romantic meal? A roast pork and stuffing roll and a pint of beer.

Now, we get onto the important stuff. Today I'm home alone - for the first time in weeks and I've done something very exciting!
I've finished my 'Feeling Good' cardigan and I'm so excited! It was beautiful to knit and it fits, which is more than I dared hope when I set out on such a big grown-up piece of non-sock knitting.



I'm also one down and one to go on my circle socks and they're so pretty :o)



The yarn is ready for the next projects. Some gorgeous green Araucania sock wool for the Nutkin socks that Mrs Stashbasket and I have chosen for our August Sock Challenge, and a lovely deep turquoise for my next cardigan project - Minarets, from the cover of issue 21 of The Knitter.

I think I'll go and make a cup of tea and start casting on.

Happy knitting!

xxx

Doings

I can barely believe it's four weeks since I last posted. My blogging mojo isn't what it used to be but I seem to get there in the end.

The past few weeks seem to have been busy busy busy. I had a very busy half term at work and there was no let up at weekends either.

We were ready for a holiday and the half term break was just what we needed. While Moog went to m-i-l's for a break, Mr Moog, Monster, Minx and I packed up the car and headed off for a glorious week's camping in Wales.

Our first stop was near Chepstow for a wonderful few days of camping with family - my brother, s-i-l and littlest niece (a very grown up 13!) and my cousins and their children from Mum's side of the family.

Mum's brother and two sisters also came along and it was so precious to spend time with them all - especially as it was exactly three years since Mum passed away (on 31st) and we all got to be together and talk about her. The general consensus was that we all miss her more than ever and are still very cross with her for going off and leaving us far too soon.

After several days of camping in a big group on a very busy but very basic and very slopey site overlooking the beautiful Wye valley, family Moog packed up the tent (in pouring rain) and went deeper into Wales to our favourite campsite.

A total contrast to the first site, we were nestling amid the trees in a flat valley bottom, with glorious sunshine the whole time we were there......and managed to do the laundry and have clean, hot showers every day!

Although missing the chat and fun of big group camping, we did chill out and relax more than we ever have on a camping holiday before. Thanks to the fantastic weather we spent days sitting outside reading, chatting and playing - none of the driving miles trying to find something to do in the rain that we have had in the past.

Whilst there we caught up with very dear friends - my friends of 20 years standing, who came to visit us en camp and Mr Moog's friends of many years who we stayed with on our last night. Both friends have children of similar age to our own and they all got on brilliantly, whilst their parents got slowly sozzled on rather a shocking amount of wine!

On the drive home over the Severn bridge we concluded that this was without a doubt the very best holiday we have ever had.....no doubt helped by the fact that for the first time ever I actually slept well every night whilst camping :o)

You may well be thinking that nine days away camping would have seen an awful lot of knitting being done. I took four knitting projects with me - one Baktus scarf and three different socks.

Shockingly I knitted four rows of the scarf and not one stitch more.

In fact, this is the first proper knitting I have done for nearly two weeks!



The first pattern repeat of Rhodie Gus - the June sock for the Stashbasket and Moogsmum sock challenge. I cast on last night and so far I love this pattern - even the fiddly cabley bit. I'm using some Blue-faced Leicester sock wool that I hand-dyed......couldn't face using any of my posh stuff in case I didn't like the pattern!

If it works out I may end up doing another pair in something more delicious.

Crochet has taken a temporary back seat. After doing 9 ten inch Granny squares in four days I had to give my poor aching hands a rest.

Luckily, I can foresee a whole lot of knitting and hooking this weekend as the little beasties are heading off for a whole weekend away at Cub's camp......of course, I'll miss them dreadfully but will just about manage to console myself with some yarny doings ;o)

xxx

Twenty four hour holiday

We've been away on holiday!!

A couple of weeks ago we visited friends staying at Durdle Door campsite. Whilst there I booked a night for the Moog and family.

Yesterday morning - once Moogsdad finally got moving (!!) - we packed the tent and headed west.


Once pitched we walked along the coastal path to Lulworth...


...and spent a happy hour or so on the beach looking at boats, rocks and water...




...and some of the most amazing rock formations in the UK.

All rounded off with some downhill rolling....

....very yummy ice-cream....

....and photographing trees.

I love this garden. It is on the road down to the beach and the owners have hung their yew tree with buckets discarded on the beach.

They also have chickens :)

Fab :)

Once back at camp the Monster and I took the rickety old Moog on an evening walk on the cliffs.



Then it was back to the tent for a night of blissful sleep for the whole family...except for yours truly who turns into an insomniac every time we camp!!

This morning we struck camp and headed to Studland to utilise our National Trust membership in the South Beach Car Park.

Moogsdad was hungry so we went in search of a full English breakfast at Middle Beach and discovered some very well- preserved World War II pillboxes and gun-implacements on the way.




We took the Sandbanks chain ferry and journeyed home via the millionaires community of Sandbanks.

So now we're home, not necessarily well-rested physically but most certainly mentally relaxed.

xxxx

The hardiest of campers

Well, we're back!!

Whilst the Moog was away with the in-laws, Moogsdad, Monster, Minx and I have had eight days away camping in beautiful Dorset.

Those of you in the UK will appreciate that the last week has not been what you might consider perfect camping weather. We pitched our tent at a lovely campsite last Saturday and the afternoon was lovely.

The night was less lovely.

The night of the gales.....

......and 40+mm of rain!

It was an experience. I tend not to sleep well when we go camping. I didn't sleep at all for four nights!!

What with that and no hairdryer I was not looking my best!

The kids, however, were oblivious to the weather, slept solidly and had bags of fun with my cousins' children :)

On a soggy bank holiday Monday we headed to the Tank Museum at Bovington. Moogsdad and Monster loved it. It's a great place really. If you like tanks.



We squeezed in a lovely bloggy meet up with the fabulous Mrs Trash and her gorgeous children at Old Wardour Castle - thanks for sharing your picnic (again!) Trashy!! Whilst there, Monster got away with spending pocket money, in the castle shop, on a bow and arrow set when Moogsdad took him shopping!

We moved to another lovely campsite on Thursday where the weather was much better behaved (shame about the idiot four blokes who pitched by us on Saturday afternoon and spent the evening and late into the night talking and swearing loudly. More insomnia meant I was about ready to castrate them all!!).

We revisited an old favourite - Corfe Castle and discovered a new one - Kingston Lacy - making the most of our 'impulse buy' National Trust membership.


Saturday 31st was the first anniversary of my Mum's death. I didn't know how I would be feeling but Moogsdad was a star and took us on a fabulous boat trip from Swanage to Brownsea Island.

Brownsea is one of the last refuges for the red squirrel in England. We didn't see any of them but we saw where they'd been! Lots of chewed pine cones were evident but no little chewers.

Brownsea is also the site where Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement, held his first Scout camp and is still an important Scouting venue to this day. We saw lots of Scouts. No squirrels but lots of scouts.

Mum had loved Brownsea when she visited on a birdwatching trip a few years ago and it was a lovely place to be on such a poignant day. She was there with me in my heart. Laughing 'cos she'd seen the squirrels!!


Whilst I've been away I've been tagged by Joannabags and Jane- and as I have nothing crafty to show for the past week I thought why not :)

Here goes:

What was I doing ten years ago - 1998
Ten years ago Moogsdad and I moved to Southampton - a move I have never regretted :)

5 things on my to do list for today
Washing (LOADS after 8 days away), food shopping (a carLOAD after 8 days away!), pick up work emails (LOADS after 8 days away!!), pick up home emails (53 after 8 days away!!!), start to read all the blog posts I've missed in Google Reader (455 after 8 days away!!!!)

Snacks I enjoy
Walker's crisps, fruit, toast, wine!

Things I would do if I was a millionaire/billionaire
Keep enough to live happily ever after in a smallholding in Dorset or Devon with onsite craft studio, invest plenty for my children's future, help out friends and family and give a good chunk to charities researching brain tumours.

Places I have lived
Birmingham, Dagenham, Northampton, Southampton

6 people I want to know more about
I'm going to cop out now and not tag anyone - 'cos I'm a rebel - but if you'd like to pick up this tag and bare your soul please do :)

I am now going to see if I can start to make inroads into the HUGE number of posts sitting in Google Reader - forgive me if I take a day or two to comment as I'm still doing the laundry too!!

xxx