London Hour by Hour

6.30: Leeds station, in the dark. I am bleary eyed and holding a coffee, and it takes me back to my commuting days.

7.30: The sun rises somewhere around Doncaster. I have a magazine, a bag of crochet and the seat next to me is empty. Train travel is agreeable.

8.30: Blue skies in the Midlands. The forecast said wind and rain all day so this bodes well.

9.30: Hello Kings Cross station, hello London, hello my oldest and best friend, Abigail.

10.30: I am too busy shopping to remember to take a photo I'm afraid.

11.30 We leave John Lewis. Ah, how I love that shop. 

12.30: Lunch. An early birthday treat for both of us. I've never eaten lobster before but I very much want to eat it again; it was delicious, as was the Prosecco cocktail.

1.30: We walk through Soho Square. That old style Routemaster bus was carrying a wedding party who were aiming for the tall, thin church. We had fun speculating about how and why they built such a strangely narrow shaped church, and who might be getting married there.

Clouds gather over Bloomsbury. Abigail knows this area well and she's an excellent tour guide, which is just as well as I don't have a clue where I am.

2.30: Persephone Books. I've been ordering their books online for a few years but wanted to see the shop. It's lovely. Very small but perfectly formed, with a Charleston and Bloomsbury Group feel about it. Purchases were made.

3.30: We take a taxi to Postman's Park, a tiny public park hidden in the City. One of those places that is strangely silent when you step inside from a busy street, and home to an incredibly moving monument to acts of heroism. We are delighted to find one of these old fashioned Police Public Call Posts at the entrance.

We walk to St Pauls. We go inside, thinking we might have a look around. I've never been inside. Tickets are £16 each. £16! Neither of wants to see the inside that much so we leave and go for a walk along the embankment.

I love the views along here. The sun is starting to set and the the wind is brisk.

4.30: By now we're heading towards Strand in search of a coffee shop to sit down and warm up.

5.30: And now we're at Kings Cross, looking for somewhere to have an early dinner.

6.30: I am drinking red wine.

7.30: I catch my train back to Leeds. My phone battery has died so I can't while away the journey on facebook or instagram. Too tired to read, I crochet and eavesdrop on the conversations around me. 

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I wanted to take a photo an hour and I almost managed it, almost. Once a year Abigail and I try to meet in London someone around our birthdays, which are a few days apart. It's become a tradition and we look forward to it every year. Sometimes we go to an exhibition if there's something we particularly want to see. We'd hoped to go up The Shard but it was fully booked - we didn't realise you had to buy tickets. That's on the list for next time, along with possible a trip to the theatre. It was a long, long day but so much fun.

A Project To Distract You From A Gale Force Wind

Wow, did you hear that wind last night? Incredible. We were all sitting at the table, eating dinner at about 6 pm and suddenly we heard a big thump up on the roof. A tile had blown off and landed on the extension roof (which is single storey), smashing a tile there on it's way down. It missed the glass roof light by a few inches! Lucky. I never knew a falling tile made so much noise - it sounded like someone had thrown a full suitcase out of one of the upstairs windows. This morning we discovered quite a few had blown off in the night. A very kind roofer fit us in on what must be the busiest day he's had this year, and patched the roof so it's doesn't leak. He's coming back tomorrow to fix it properly. Our roof isn't in great condition and a new roof has been on the cards for some time...maybe a little sooner than later now.

But with the awful howling gale and creaking windows and general windiness of it all, I just couldn't relax last night. John was pacing, on falling tile alert, convinced the next one would go through the car windscreen. So we ended up watching a no-brainer action film and I rummaged in my yarn basket, looking for the perfect project. Something non-taxing, no pattern, no decisions, low concentration. I dug out my blanket and got going and it was just what I needed, calming and soothing, hooking and darning. I've made 75 squares now. I reckon I need 225 altogether (15 x 15 squares) and this morning, I laid them all out and felt quite excited. I can start to imagine how it will all look when it comes together and feel spurred on to complete this blanket.

I have about thirty squares waiting for their final white round too, ready in the bag by the sofa for when I have a moment.

In other yarn related news, I unraveled my knitted alpaca cowl, the one with the huge error. I thought about pulling it back to where it went wrong but was worried I wouldn't be able to pick the stitches up correctly. And there were so many dropped stitches and tension issues beyond that point, it didn't really seem worth salvaging. 

And do you know, pulling it back, unraveling those hours and hours of knitting - it wasn't that bad. I thought it would be more painful than that but weirdly it felt satisfying.

Also, my mother in law gave me this cowl for Christmas. It's exactly the same as the one I was knitting (she copied out the pattern I was using when I wasn't looking!) and, as you can see, it's perfect. I think her choice of yarn shows off the pattern better actually, it's less fluffy.

She made mittens too, aren't they gorgeous? She is a very talented knitter. 

So now I have two 50 gram balls of alpaca yarn and I'm wondering what to knit with them. I want to knit them, rather than crochet as I have a lot of crochet on the go at them moment. I'm thinking maybe a hat or mitts? Something easy. Not a cowl! The knitted alpaca cowl is cursed. 

I finished Angus's scarf, at last. Oh I was sick of those colours! But then someone on Instagram said how they reminded her of blue skies, yellow sun and fluffy white clouds and that made me like the colours a little more.

Angus likes his scarf a lot, but I think that's more to do with the fact that it's like Daddy's, and of course dog has a matching one too, rather than any love of Leeds United Football Club.

I hope you've not been too adversely affected by this crazy weather. I know our falling tiles gave us some mid-week drama but we are thankful everyday that we're not flooded or without power. It could be a lot worse.

Comforts of Home

Oh, I am tired. Tired and slow. I just managed to to write a post, publish it, go back in to amend it because I forgot to credit something then, while updating it, accidentally delete the whole thing. Yes, I am tired.

Anyway, lets try again. It was a slow weekend as Bella was unwell. One ill child equals two tired adults and we are all taking it easy. We had a really nice day on Saturday - we went into town to buy ballet and tap shoes for Bella and had lunch out. But by Saturday tea time Bella was pale and had no appetite, she even refused pizza for tea. We were all up a lot throughout Saturday night and by Sunday morning I felt grey with tiredness. The children sleep well now, and I'd forgotten what broken night's sleep feels like. Did we really do this every night when they were small? We must have.

So on Sunday we cancelled our plans and had a sofa day. Blankets, tv (Winter Olymics, hooray!) and lots of crochet. Bella, usually a very independent and self sufficient thing, was tied to me all day with an invisible elastic band. She had to be near me. It was strange but nice too. She even fell asleep on me. I got a lot of work done on Angus's scarf.

It's almost finished now - just the ends to darn in. I also spent some time exploring a new cookery book, baking spiced ginger cake (a bit like parkin) and "flappenjacken" (a cross between a flapjack and a cake). Both were good - heavy and wintry, but good - and I want to try out the savoury recipes now, there are lots of nice looking pastries and breads in there.

Bella stayed home from school today. She's still subdued but much perkier than she was yesterday. She requested hot blackcurrant squash, hama beads and jigsaws.

I was happy to oblige. I am having so much fun with Hama beads lately! This pattern below is from Alicia Paulson's Embroidery Companion. John gave it to me for my birthday last year and I haven't managed to sew any of the gorgeous patterns in there, but I did re-create one with beads. Go me.

Mmm, poached eggs on toasted rye bread for lunch. Whenever I cook poached eggs I wonder why I don't eat them every single day, they are so perfect.

I meant to say - thank you for all your feedback, ideas and comments regarding Bella and Angus sharing a room. It's going well, except for one thing: light. Bella likes a firmly closed door and total darkness, whereas Angus prefers a night light on, door wide open and the landing light on too, thank you very much. It's been a lesson in compromise. Now, the door is left ajar and Angus has this adorable night light which fits on his shelf nicely. It's battery operated and portable, which makes it excellent for lighting dens made from blankets and chairs too.

I have been thinking about our home. About how it's not big or desirable, about the long list of jobs that need to be done, the dreadful state of the exterior render, the sometimes-leaking roof. But when we are tired and ill and in need of comfort, what we've created within these four walls offers us just that - comfort. 

On The Mantle

On the mantle this week: daffodils and some new French style house signs, from here. I love the contrast between the yellow and blue and they way they pick out those colours in my rainbow garland. I appear to buy a bunch of daffodils every week at the moment. Well, they are only £1 and I don't feel too guilty about that kind of purchase, they really are the happiest-looking flower.

It occurred to me that I do spend a lot of time fiddling around with our mantle piece, changing displays and arrangements, making it seasonal. Pottering. It is a pleasing blank canvas; a pale marble surround against a grey wall. Some might find it boring but I like the way anything can go there. 

A quick look back through my old photos revealed lots of images of this mantle at different times of the year. Pinks, greens and bulbs in the Spring.

Stocks and some favourite souvenirs from Copenhagen in the Summer.

Dried hydrangeas, seed heads and candles in the Autumn.

And pieces of fir tree with stockings and stars at Christmas.

And today it looks like this. Colourful.

It's a constantly evolving display - artworks change, garlands come and go, favourite ornaments and objects are often up there for a week then moved again. It's where I prop new postcards or cards received through the post, or pictures the children have drawn. They sit up there to be admired until they move on to a more permanent home. If I need to photograph something for the blog I often clear a few bits from the mantle and place it here. The plain wall provides a good backdrop and the large south-facing window to the left of the fireplace gives good light on even the gloomiest days.

I like tracking the seasons through my mantle piece. Do you have one? Is it an ever-changing display or honed to perfection? Or maybe not a mantle, but a favourite shelf, sideboard or table where you can create attractive displays and add some seasonal details. Fun, isn't it?

Changing Rooms

Since Christmas, Bella and Angus have been campaigning to share a bedroom. I say campaigning, for it was a campaign. Their main motivator was the lure of bunk beds - they spent some time sleeping in these (which they loved) while we stayed with family over Christmas, and so they have been asking to share bedtime stories in the same bedroom, playing together in a charming fashion and just generally getting along and being nice to each other. 

Our house is your typical three bedroom semi-detached layout; that is, two "double" bedrooms and a third "box" room. The box room was always the nursery and then Angus's bedroom. It's so small, it's ridiculous. It is, however, just the right size for an office, which we could really use at the moment as laptops, printers and filing cabinets are scattered all over the house in a really disorganised fashion. So, it's been all change round here these last few weeks; wardrobes and drawers have been emptied and organised, toys sorted and labelled, boxes carted to the loft, charity shop or tip, on it goes. Bella and Angus are now sharing what was Bella's room and the box room is currently full of boxes. Soon we'll repaint it and turn it into an office. You all know that when I say office in my head I hear "craft room", right? (A craft room, yaaaay!!)

But this whole process has really made me think about meeting the needs of a seven year old girl and a four year old boy, about giving them areas which are their own in a shared space, and how it's all going to work. I should also say here that I'm well aware that in a couple of years they will no longer want to share. (I don't know what we'll do then. Move, probably.) Eventually there will come a time when it's inappropriate that they share a bedroom but for now they are little and they get along, and these times are precious.

So, would you like a tour? (You can see what it looked like before here.) This is what it looked like a week ago. As you look into the bedroom from the landing straight ahead is Angus's toddler bed, where the desk once was.  A nice little corner for him with a lamp and lots of books, his beloved pirate ship and other favourite toys.

And Bella's bed is on the other wall. This worked nicely as an arrangement as they each had their own "side" of the room,

Bella had her area with her bed, bedside table and desk and I think it was important for her to have this space that felt like hers (she still refers to the room as her bedroom)

And this is the view from the window back to the door. There was a reasonable amount of floor space and it was working nicely. 

The plan was to see how it all went before investing in bunk beds. Angus still had a fair bit of room in his toddler bed so there was no urgency to buy him a single bed. But then, out of the blue, my parents offered us the bunk beds that my sisters and I had when we were children (still decorated with 1980's Care Bear stickers). They had no use for them as they never used them in their bunk bed form, and they wanted two new single beds for their spare room. We were thrilled. Yes please, we said. They brought them up in the car last week and all we had to do was buy another single mattress and my Dad and John assembled them.

So here is what the room looks like now. The desk is back where is was...

And on the other wall are bunk beds, assembled in an "L-shaped" position. So far it's working beautifully and they both agreed which bed they wanted without any arguments, to my huge relief. Angus sleeps on the top. I was worried how he'd cope with the ladder but he manages it really well.

Bella loves her bottom-bunk cosy corner, with her fairy lights, chair and baby crib for her dolls. 

The picture shelf is handy for toys and books but doesn't stick so far out from the wall that Angus bumps his head on it.

And there is a fraction more floor space than there was before. Every inch counts here.

This is what I've learnt so far:

• The kids have to be tidy. I have to be tidy. We all have to be veeeery tidy. The place looks like a bombsite in about two seconds so we try to tidy toys away at bedtime, rather than leaving them out all the time. 
• Every inch of storage is vital. Under the bed, in the warbrobe, on top of the wardrobe. All the soft toys are in one of those hanging net thingys, I need John to fix it into the ceiling.
• Managing bedtimes is a learning curve and we are being flexible. We usually switch their light off at 7.30pm. Angus falls asleep very quickly and Bella quite often switches her little lamp back on then and reads or plays quietly for a while. We can't force her to fall asleep at the same time as Angus, who is two and a half years younger.

Do you have any experience of different sex siblings sharing a bedroom? I'd love to know how you made - or make - it work, how you decorated, any tips you might have. Thank you!

Eight Things...

...that have made me happy over these last few days:

:: Blue skies, a rare occurrence. 

:: Flowers in the house, especially daffodils because they are cheap and jolly, and they make me think of sunshine.

:: Sunshine in the house.

:: My new bowl from IKEA. It reminds me of Ferm Living's products, which I love. I also love IKEA too.

:: A very cold but dry trip to Kirkstall Abbey. The hot chocolate in the warm cafe afterwards was a the best bit.

:: Bella and Angus running, running everywhere, always moving, always on the go.

:: New shoes. I'm not a shoe-mad kind of girl, and have bought very, very few clothes lately, so I was quite giddy when I left the shop. The mustard yellow heels were treat from my parents, chosen to wear to my sister's upcoming wedding in March. The coral pink (I know, they look red in the photo) flats are my late Christmas present from John.

:: I finally plucked up the courage to try the crochet ripple pattern and it's not as hard as I feared, not at all. I just need to count and concentrate. I'm practicing here, but I hope to make a cowl soon.

So, eight photos of random pleasures which have made me smile lately. It's been a lovely few days - my parents have been staying and we've had a relaxed, pottering time. Thank you for your lovely and generous comments on my cushion. So kind, all of you. I've updated the post to list the colours I used, should anyone want to know. I am very, very behind with my blog reading but will try to say hello this week. I hope you've had a nice weekend.