March has been full of extra challenges here, a two-steps-forward one-step-back kind of month. Amy went into hospital for surgery on her complicated wisdom teeth, which required a general anaesthetic and, for someone with quite intense anxiety issues, this was very difficult for her. We're proud of her for coping, and she's now recovering well. Planning for Toby's life after college has been an adventure in stress management, and as yet is still unresolved. My mind is a cacophony of worries about his future and the impact ..read more

                          It's been so wet here, rain has fallen for weeks on end and many of our familiar pathways through the woods are now well beyond muddy and are completely flooded and impassable. It's been mild too, we've only had a few frosts here this winter and everything now seems to be sprouting and proclaiming the arrival of Spring. Hopefully it's not too soon and there are no snow storms just around the corner. The old plum tree in the garden is currently in blossom, though with all the rain it's been h ..read more

                          There's currently a lull in our planning for Toby and a temporary reprieve from paperwork, so I'm enjoying decompressing a little with regular walks out in the woods. Although winter still has the countryside in it's grip, there are signs that a change is coming, and the first flower of the year is now in bloom, the glorious snowdrop. I never feel right picking wildflowers to bring home, they all have an integral part in the wild eco-system, so I take only photos when I'm out and about, but ..read more

                          The countryside is currently drab and dormant and much given over to mud, so most of the pleasure in a winter walk comes from the promise of what awaits on returning home. Coming back home after a chilly walk in the murk and mist is a delight; closing the door on the cold; peeling off layers of damp, muddy clothes and changing into warm, comfy and cosy things; cupping your chilled, weather reddened hands around a mug of hot tea and snuggling down by the fire is blissful. But there is still b ..read more

                    Well here we are again at the beginning of a new year, I hope it has started well for you. We're doing quite well here, Toby coped with going back to college yesterday and the much earlier start to his days and I've been slowly but steadily ticking things off my to do list. At the moment all of my focus is on preparing for the cliff edge that we currently face at the end of June when Toby's college placement finishes. That will mark the end of his 20 years in 'education' and a humungous change for our family. I'm s ..read more

        At the beginning of 2023 I had such big plans: I was going to write lots of patterns; make lots of finished animals, some to sell and some to give away; reply to all of my emails; reply to all instagram, facebook and blog comments; comment on everyone's projects on Ravelry and the facebook group and write some new tutorials. As always I was overly ambitious and didn't factor in that the time I have available to work in and the time it takes to do all of these things simply doesn't match up. I still have the pictures for the tutorials sat here waiting for the wor ..read more

                            The shortening days are making me appreciate how precious light is and I take time to notice how magical the daylight is at this time of year. Here at the beginning of December the sun only rises to around 16 degrees above the horizon and so even at midday there's a low light shining through the windows (I am doing my best to ignore that this highlights the dust on all the surfaces). Early in the day the dawn highlights droplets captured on spider webs, condensed from the early morni ..read more

                                Autumn has arrived here, with wet and windy weather and a sudden profusion of fungi out in the woods. I head there at every opportunity, savouring the soothing peace and quiet that flows between the trees. It's been a good year for the hedgerow fruits of hips, haws and berries and the woodland creatures will be well provisioned this winter. Tree nuts have been abundant too - chestnuts, beech nuts, hazelnuts and acorns have covered the woodland floor, though most are n ..read more

                          The cow patterns are finished! As always with my patterns there are 2 versions available: one that comes with a naked body, removable shorts and a choice of 2 removable sweaters, one in an Argyle colour-work design and the other in a single colour textured stitch pattern. and the other which comes with knitted on tights/pantyhose and shoes and a choice of 2 removable dresses, one in an Argyle colour-work design and the other in a single colour clover lace pattern. Both patterns include the ..read more

      Well, I am edging ever closer to a finished cow pattern. The kind team of people test knitting for me have been doing a wonderful job and it's been so exciting for me to see the first cows made by others. I have a couple more pictures to take, edit and drop into the pattern and then I will be calling it done. I'll be back very soon, I hope, with news, with thanks as always for your very kind enthusiasm for my patterns and your patience with my glacially slow pace of pattern writing :) J x      Related Stories Early Autumn Summer days Horses, D ..read more