Eight

I am worn out. Swaying on my feet worn out,  but it's the kind of happy, satisfied tired feeling you get after a weekend where you didn't really stop but it was all good.

Angus turned eight on Friday. We celebrated with a family tea party yesterday, and he also had a day out with his best friend Jasper the previous weekend. He had no expectations about what he might unwrap and was genuinely thrilled with every single gift, even the ones that are actually necessities rather than treats, like new wellie boots. Among other things he was given Lego, some binoculars, a cricket bat and lots of books. Badgers didn't feature quite as heavily this year as they have done previously. If asked, he'd still say that they're his favourite animals but his interests have stretched into other animals, birds (hence the binoculars and books) and wildlife in general. Oh, and Minecraft, of course.

His cake was a bit of a mess. I made one, and it wasn't big enough, so I made another to put on top. Then it took ages to cool and people were due to be arriving, so I iced it while it was still quite warm. The cake was crumbling as fast as I slapped chocolate frosting on it, and the buttons on top were melting into a puddle in the middle. Luckily it's a good recipe - it's the chocolate coca cola cake from How To Be A Domestic Goddess - and the cake tasted good, even if it didn't look that great. Ever the perfectionist, I was annoyed with myself at the time for not planning it all better, but Angus loved it and had fun blowing out the candles, so it must've been ok.

I made Angus a seagull from the book Edward's Menagerie: Birds. I just love these books and think they are inspired. Such good, solid, well written patterns and the creatures are so full of personality and character. The seagull is from the beginner section of the book but I learnt a new-to-me technique, splitting a round. Overall I'd say it was a little harder to make than the animals (those fiddly legs!) but a lot easier to sew together. He's called Dave, in case you were wondering.  

That photo of Dave and Charlie propping each other up makes me smile - they look like they're slumped after one drink too many. 

Cakes and celebrations aside, I've spent most of the weekend in the kitchen or garden. No crochet on the go at the moment, but I'm spending lots of time and creative energy on food and plants, which feels good.  Thank you for your comments on my crochet vegetables. I have a few other projects I need to get done first, but I'm already looking forward to starting the fruit.