Nesting

Clothkits, Chichester

The nicest part of going away is always the coming home bit, don't you think? I've really enjoyed spending the last few days at home, catching up with friends, family and myself. Re-grouping. I've tackled the garden and the housework, done what seemed like a truly never ending amount of washing, phoned doctors, dentists and hairdressers and made endless appointment, just got myself organised. It felt good. I've also been baking a lot more since the weather turned cooler, making tea loaf, chocolate banana bread and a flourless orange and almond cake. I'm nesting. 

We had friends to stay over the weekend and spent yesterday in Chichester. The children loved The Novium Museum, especially the Lego exhibition, and I bought these postcards of some of my favourite local places.

After successfully leaving the children with their Dads in a bookshop, my friend Abigail and I hotfooted it to Clothkits for a browse. Well, I don't know quite what came over me, but I found myself buying a pattern for a dress, and a couple of metres of beautiful teal blue linen.

It's a beginner's pattern and I've been assured by a colleague who's made a couple that it really is a simple make, so I'm optimistic that I can do this. Can you imagine if I made an actual dress, that I could wear? I'd have to tell everyone.

More delightful craftiness arrived in the form of the Summer Craftpod. I've mentioned these here before, I know, but I am a massive fan. This set includes a sweet rose cross stitch (designed by Lucy of Attic24!), and embroidered needle book along with the bits that make these boxes so thoughtful and pleasurable to open; a postcard, rose pin badge and tea.

The fabric for the cross stitch is aida with holes that are clear to see, so I was hoping that Bella might give it a try. She's a very creative girl but most determined to steer clear of anything that I enjoy doing, which on the one hand makes me sad, but on the other I totally get, because I was just like that, always wanting to do my own thing. The more I push and suggest, the less interested she is, so I have to go gently.

Before our holiday, I went through my stash of fabrics and started thinking about finally making that EPP patchwork quilt. I read and read about it until my head started to spin, to the point where I was researching needle types, then went to my local yarn shop which also sells quilting fabric and supplies. The woman who runs it is wonderfully no-nonsense and down to earth. She showed me which needle and thread would be best, and said to just get on with it and come in and show me when you've made it. 

I've decided to do 3 inch hexagons and I'm not sure yet exactly how many I'll need for a king size quilt but I think it's going to be five or six hundred. That actually makes me feel a little faint, typing that, but I've thought about this so much and I really want the hexagons to be small and mostly pale in colour. I have decided to hand baste each hexagon onto the paper template because I enjoy it and I'm not in a rush to finish this. It's going to be a slow burner of a project, probably something that will take a few years, off and on, and I'm quite happy about that really. I'm always in such a rush to do everything that I think I sometimes lose that mindful feeling of being in the present that gentle hand stitching, or crochet or knitting, can give you. 

Postcards from Devon

Fields near our barn in Waddeton

Berry Head Nature Reserve 

Brixham Harbour

Fishing boats in Brixham Harbour

Stoke Gabriel

Lichen on a boat cover

Kingswear

Kingswear

The past few weeks have been a blur of travelling and visiting, packing and unpacking. Not long after we finished school and work we were in Durham, then back for a couple of nights before heading to the West Country for a week, then the children and I went to stay with my friend Abigail and her family, arriving home today. I am looking forward to not packing or unpacking anything for a few weeks, not spending so much time sitting in the car, and catching up on washing, admin, emails, blogs, sleeping in my own bed, just a bit of nesting. 

Amid all this travelling our break in Devon was a blissful week of blue skies and relaxed family time. I seem to have taken a hundred photos but everything was so pretty; the fields so close to harvest time; the fishing boats clustered in the harbours; the brightly painted houses which hug the hills around the River Dart, and the landscape while slopes so sharply down to the river. It's all beautiful.

We stayed with my parents in a little hamlet called Waddeton in a converted barn and I cannot say enough good things about this place which was beautifully converted with lots of space indoors and out, a well equipped kitchen, amazing showers, huge comfortable beds and very dog friendly too. This was the first time we'd travelled with Ziggy and it went really well. He's much happier in the car then he ever used to be and came out and about with us each day, enjoying lots of walks and sniffs. 

Here, in roughly the order we visited each place, are my holiday highlights.

:: Berry Head Nature Reserve ::

We found a bird hide with the most spectacular view and spent ages in there looking out, sharing one pair of binoculars. I loved the way the hide windows concentrated the view and we were fascinated by the brave/mad people climbing on the rock face and jumping into the water below.

:: Exploring the bustling fishing town of Brixham ::

We wandered around the harbour watching all the activity, stopping for a coffee, and bought Cornish Pasties to take home for lunch. 

:: Crabbing at Stoke Gabriel ::

Despite living as near to the coast as we do, Bella and Angus had never been crabbing before, and I think it was the highlight of their holiday.

Stoke Gabriel is such a pretty village and one of the few places where you feel like you've escaped the inevitable crowds of holidaymakers that fill the West Country every summer.

:: Visiting Dartmouth ::

We took a steam train for the first leg of our journey to the town of Kingswear, which was all very Agatha Christie, although sadly we didn't get time to visit the Greenway Estate, her holiday home, then crossed the River Dart by passenger ferry.

Approaching Dartmouth by boat is a lovely way to arrive as you get such a nice view and don't have to try to find anywhere to park.

Dartmouth is one of my favourite places in Devon and the most interesting town, full of maritime history and lots of independent shops, cafes and restaurants. 

We bought crab sandwiches from a tiny shop that only really sold crab sandwiches, and ate them in the park looking over the harbour. It was lovely. 

:: Thurlstone Rock ::

This was at the end of the week and the weather was starting to change, but it didn't stop us spending hours exploring the rock pools and clambering over the rocks.

That hat Angus is wearing below is his pride and joy. We bought is when we realised we'd  left his sunhat at home, and he loves it so much. It has poppers and clips and a mosquito net, and he insists on wearing it whatever the weather. 

Overall it was a really restful trip. We were out and about a lot, but at a very leisurely pace, and we spent a lot of time relaxing back at the barn. The only bad thing I can say about the week is that we didn't get time to fit in a cream tea. There's no embroidered holiday diary this year, but I read, watched films, crocheted and sewed a lot. I've started a blanket and an EPP quilt - lots to show you soon!