In the pink.

Hello... As I was looking back over my photo's from the past week I discovered there was a lot of pink, so this weeks five on a Friday post is going to be deidcated to the colour pink.

This week I have been working on these dinky little squares, made from oh so soft merino yarn, I'm loving the pastel colours.  They are going to be made into a summertime cushion, the colours really remind me or ice cream for some reason, so at the moment I'm calling it my Ice cream cushion.

There is lots of pink in nature too at this time of year, I love it when the Horse Chestnut in the garden is in flower, it looks perfect against a blue sky and the new greens of the landscape, it makes my heart sing.

I seem to have spent the week surrounding myself with pink, it's creeping in everywhere, even the postcards I've been colouring.

Pinks in every shade and tone, roses and forget me nots, gathered for a bedside Posy, I'm still spending most of my time bed resting with this relapse.

 Yesterday, I dragged my bones onto my yoga mat for a little gentle stretching and meditation, trying to shake off this relapse only to noticed that I'm painted my toenails exactly the same shade of pink as my yoga mat.  The only difference being that the nail vanish has some glitter and sparkle.  Not a usual nail colour for me, they were painted in sparkly pink in celebration of all thing Eurovision last weekend.  My mini way of celebrating as I wasn't well enough to go to a Eurovision song contest get together with some friend.

So all in all this week has been very pink, not that I'm complaining, I'll take a pink week over a grey or beige week any day.

Joining in with Amy's Five on a Friday.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Things that go bump in the night

Hello........... Today I was going to write a catch up post, but the title has been change a bit last minute as last night we had a bit of a Earthquake here at the Summerhouse.

 Nothing too serious but enough to wake us all at 2.52am and for sure enough to set social media and the local TV and radio a flutter.  At 4.2 on the scale here in the UK it's news worthy and something that doesn't happen too often, although in this part of Kent we do have occasional tremors. Here other than a disturbed nights sleep all is well, I was woken up by the bed shaking and the sound of  the mirror on the dressing table rattling, where this morning I found one glass bottle toppled over.

Someone from the British Geological Survey said this morning "Today's 4.2 magnitude Ramsgate earthquake is approx 260,000 times smaller than the 7.8 Nepal Quake event."

They are now saying the centre of the quake was off Sandwich Bay which is a bout 5 miles from here.

My heart goes out to the people of Nepal and I guess this was a little reminder to be grateful that we live in a corner of the world that is much more stable where a small tremor is the most we have to contend with.

So back to our usual programming, this week I've mostly been stuck in bed, things are still not too good but fingers crossed are starting to ease a bit.  This is the view I can see from the bedroom window, not too bad at all, with lovely blossom to look at.

There has been good post too, with these lovely handcrafted brooches arriving with some belated birthday cheer.

I've been slowly writing some thank you cards, one a day, but I'll get there.

I've also been pondering this little make, I started at the end of last year, the plan was to make a baby blanket, but as the squares grew I decided it was just a little bit too girlie, for the baby boy that was on the way.  So I put it to one side and made 

my Cosy Baby blanket instead. So now I'm wondering what to do with the squares, which are made with lovely Italian Merino yarn, just too yummy, I'm wondering about turning it into a lap blanket for the wheelchair but I'm open to any ideas?

I've also been indulging in a spot of Telly Box watching, I used to love the Gilmore Girls and used some of my birthday money to get the complete set on DVD.  The perfect TV for resting up in bed.

Yesterday afternoon I made it out into the Summerhouse garden for the first time in a week, so I took my camera with me, so much has started blooming over the past week, Summer sure is on the way,  it wiped me out and it wasn't long before I was back in bed but it was well worth the trip for the pics and the fresh air.

Well that about sums it up, life from under the donna,  hopefully sometime soon I'll get back down to the Summerhouse, have a lovely weekend everyone.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Lately

Hello.......... Lately I've had to take life at a even slower pace all the Birthday Celebrations have taken a toll and my energy level are at zero.

So I've been trying to eat as healthily as I can it's a bit of a catch 22 situation, I just don't have the energy to cook.  So everything has to be thought through to use as little energy and prep as possible.Above is a roasted chickpea dish I made recently, with red onions garlic and some very mild spices, along with roasted sweet potato and salad.

Last week, I finally got the Sweet Pea's (Triffids) planted out, gardening is yet another activity where energy saving has to be the plan, so I planted them out while sat on a blanket, lying down and resting every three minutes, (very POTS friendly) but even this was too much for me and since last Thursday I've been laid up in bed with a full symptoms flare up.

At least they are planted and they so better be worth it !!  I love gardening but I'm going to have to admit defeat after this, I'm just not well enough even with everything scaled back as much as possible.

Lately I've been having a little bit of Teddy Trouble too, I think I'm going to have to rip it out and start again, me and patterns we just don't get on. I so want to make this cute little fellow though, so I'm going to try again, one things for sure I'm not a quitter.

 The Wisteria in the garden is stunning at the moment, I'm so glad I managed to take a picture of it, before this latest flare up hit.

So I've been stuck in bed mostly resting, but I have had these lovely postcards to distract me,

my arms may feel like lead but I've been working on my Cosy Blankets 5 minutes at a time.   Maybe one day I've learn with the ME/Lyme payback, I loved my trip to the Bluebells but that and a appointment with the Cardiologist in the same week, is just to much for me.  I really hope some day soon, they'll get to the bottom of this all. 

 The first Rose of the Summer is flowering in the Summerhouse garden, so when I'm feeling a little better I'm planning on re pinning my Summertime wreath,  sorry this has not been the cheeriest of posts but I'm trying to stay as positive as can be while trying to ride out the worst of this flare up, I'm off to see the Immunologist next week, fingers crossed he might be able to help.

Happy Crafting

Clare x

Wild Blue Yonder

Hello........... I make no apologies for this post being too photo heavy, as in my opinion you can never have too many Bluebells

Last Sunday my sister, nephew 'L'  and I went on our annual trip to the Bluebells at Kings Wood in Kent (it's a bit of a drive from where we live, but as it runs along the roadside and has wide paths you can just about manage to access the woods with a wheelchair yippee)

That morning I was really not feeling too well and had to drag my bones out of bed literally, to find the energy to get in the car. I'm so glad I did as it was stunningly beautiful, so wonderful to escape the wheelchair for a moment and stand amongst it all

Just  magical, I made sure to look high

The tree are not quite out in leaf yet this year.

and to look low

How I love the Bluebells stunning on mass and individually each one so beautiful.

It's hard to imagine from the photo's but being a Sunday afternoon in Bluebell season the woods were very busy.

Everywhere you looked a gorgeous carpet of Blue

Such a feast for the eyes and the spirit

so wonderful to drink it all in.

Thanks to 'L' for some of the photo's as he took the camera with him when he went off to explore beyond the treeline.

 I hope you have enjoyed this little wander around the woods

A huge thank you to my lovely sister, who did all the hard work, pushing me around the woods, I really do appreciate it.

If you have the need for more Bluebell you can read posts from previous trips  here and here

Clare xx

Patchwork April

Hello........ Once again I'm running behind with my round up post, I've just been struggling with my energy levels so much.

April was a bitter sweet month here at the Summerhouse, lots of birthday celebrations and spending time with friends and family, I'm still working away on my seaside pebble blanket and I made my first ever booties (quickly followed by a second pair)  Other than that I've not made very much, I'm just trying to rest up and get this relapse to ease a little.

It's so lovely out in the garden though, I do love this time of year.

We're still very much missing chief crafting assistant Merlin about the place, he was such a big character always into mischief and the craft supplies.

As for May well I'm trying to resist  the urge to start another blanket, I've been toying with the idea since 2013 so that's not so bad on the will power front!!!!  I'd just love to make a Summer Flower Granny Blanket in sweet pea hues.  I know I shouldn't I already have two others on the go, but I think it's the call of Summer and so the far the Summerhouse itself is without it's very own blanket. Reason tells me that I'm really not well enough at the moment to take on such a big project, but I've come down with a serious case of the wanties.

My cause is not helped by all the glorious Bluebells, Sweet peas and Bluebells in a blanket, what's not to love. More on my trip to the Bluebells another day.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Five on a Friday

Hello.......... Today I'm joining in with Amys' Five on a Friday

Last week I turn 40 eek,  I had a wonderful few days of celebrating, first up a crafternoon a few days before my Birthday. On the day we decided to have a quite one, as I'm really not feeling very well at the moment,  after that I spent the rest of week resting up 'saving up my spoons' as they say in the world of Chronic illness for a big party on Saturday.

 

 At the moment the house is full of beautiful birthday flowers, I'm a lucky girl.

There are cards and flower everywhere, my nephew 'L' said on Tuesday wouldn't it be good if you get 40 cards well I ended up with a few more than that in the end.

On the gardening front, we have a bit of a mystery, as I wasn't well enough to get out, I ordered some sweet peas off of Amazon, I waited and waited and eventually they turned up not quite as expected in a foil packet all the way from China.  I planted the strange looking green seeds !! and this is what has come up!!

I'm calling them the triffids as they are huge, on checking back on Amazon I'd order 'Giant Spencer Wave mix', so I'm hoping that's why they are looking so unusual, if not who knows what I'm growing it's a bit of a mystery.

and finally

It's ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia and Lyme Awareness Month this month. I saw this imaged pop up in my Facebook feed the other day and it kinds of sums things up for me, as it's just how I feel stuck between several diagnosis that don't fit, with no help to get better.  the image is credited to Laura Brown,

I've lost 26 years to this disease, more than half my life I was just fourteen when it struck, at the moment I find myself without even a official diagnosis as ME just doesn't fit anymore.

So I'm just trying raise a bit of awareness, please check for ticks if you've been out and about in the countryside even you're local park or garden, Ticks are majorly on the increase here in the UK and Lyme disease is a terrible illness that the NHS just doesn't know how to treat.

The best I had this year from a NHS consultant is ' it's a grey area of medicine' so if you are unlucky enough to develop one of these illnesses you are well and truly on you're own no matter how sick you are.

Clare x

PS I might not be about much over the next few days as the laptop charger has just given up the ghost and I'm not really well enough to used the desktop downstairs. 

A Cosy Catch Up

Hello..........  I know it's been a while since I've done a post about my Seaside Pebble 'Cosy Blanket'.

 but I'm still slowly working on it, when my energy levels allow.

 I guess I'm just short of half way, which means it's now big enough to snuggle up under as I work.

 here are the latest colours

67-68 Silver

69-70 Blue Sparkle

71-72 Cream

73-74 Parchment

75-76 White

77-78  Silvery Blue Sparkle TK 18 (Twinkle Yarn) 

The Silvery Blue is a new colour I've added in, I had some left over from my Cosy Baby Blanket and couldn't resist adding it into the mix

So here's where I'm up to, with the blue ripple blanket underneath it really remind me of the beach and sea

So much so I thought I'd go for a paddle.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx