The Lockdown Effect

 Just like Lancashire council our local borough offers a green waste collection service for a yearly fee of around £40.00.  Although we have two compost bins one at the front and now one at the back, the green bin is a great way of getting rid of larger woodier tree and shrub clippings so we don't mind paying the charge.  We do however mind someone else using our bin as a dumping ground for their garden waste (because the local recycling centre is closed) especially when it is soil which is not accepted in the waste stream, grr!! As a result, Dave left a post on our local next door neighbour site and the following morning our 'neighbour on the left' offered to help Ben dispose of the waste in the general grey bin:

Another lock-down birthday and this time it was my mum's turn.  We had a video catch up and sang 'Happy Birthday' on the day and her parcel home made bunting from me and a handmade card from Pip arrived the following day:

The scissors were out and it was time for another at home hair cut courtesy of mum!  I've managed to neaten Pip's asymmetric cut and thankfully it is almost all one length, much easier to style:

Last week's veg box brought a bunch of beetroot so a quick search on BBC Good Food and we found a recipe for beetroot and onion tart.  The pastry contained grated carrot and was soft and light.  Gluten free pastry can be notoriously temperamental and it can be quite tough if the dough does not contain an egg but not so with this mix, a real winner:

Ben and Pip's relationship has strengthened during this time and although they have their moments they do have fun together:

Another week over and a new one about to begin, even though most days feel like 'ground hog day!'  Slowly we are making changes to our weekly rhythm, Friday has been declared a 'do your own thing day' provided it does not involve video gaming!!  Saturday is family chores and pizza/soup day :-) and as from today we will be having a lunch date with Mum H at 12:30 pm every day.  This will have a two fold benefit, accountability for me to ensure that lunch is served in a timely manner and a good way to break up the monotony of Mum's day.

Hope you are managing to stay safe and well xx 

Be A Lert

Don't go to work but if you can go to work then go to work but if not then don't go to work.

You are due in work tomorrow (Monday) but no wait that isn't right, make that Wednesday.  This only applies to England because Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are doing their own thing #stayhome 

Go to work but don't use public transport so you'll have to use your bike.  What no bike?  Then you'll have to walk and if you can't walk then use public transport.

Primary school children reception, one and six will return on the 1st of June ... Good luck with that one I've never yet known a school manage to control a case of head lice let alone a deadly virus and social distancing with four year old kids utterly bonkers.

If you're travelling from France or Ireland then hey you're welcome and you can bypass the fourteen day quarantine expected of other visitors to the UK.  After all the Corona Virus is a different more friendly version in those two countries.

You can now go out for the day as a family ... cue mass exodus to the Lake District and the seaside. Cumbria Police are warning against travel to the Lake District as the area is still dealing with overload of the virus.

You can meet a family member in the park but only if you observe the 2m rule and only one parent at a time, so Mum in the morning Dad in the afternoon then?

Above all don't forget to keep an eye out for that pesky virus #missionimpossible and BE ALERT :-)

Victory in Europe 75

It has been quite a lovely day, we have watched programmes, met with family online via zoom and enjoyed a WW2 quiz hosted by Kath and Mary, listened to stories of survivors and joined in with our neighbours having afternoon tea on the lawn.

 Chatting to our lovely neighbours on the left.

 The car was moved and we had the garden table on the front drive.

 Serving tea and chatting with ...

 ... our neighbours on the right :-)

 Yummy afternoon tea.

Manic But No Panic

Last Wednesday was a peculiar day and slap bang in the middle of all sorts of things going awry my email informed me of a sale in my Folksy shop!  Cue scrabbling around for wrapping and posting items, a quick lesson in how to make your own business cards and organising drop and go postage.  The item arrived on Monday and that very evening the lady in question (who lives on the Isle of Wight) texted and asked if I had anymore bunting for sale.  I did have another set of crocheted bunting, it had intended to be for my little purple shed (a 50th birthday present from Dave) which was left behind in the sale of the house and so the item was packaged and duly dispatched. 

 This morning I had another text from the same lady and she has commissioned another four sets of crochet bunting so more yarn has been ordered from Wool Warehouse.  In the interim I am making birthday bunting for my mum :-)  The sewing machine has also been put to good use, I made a tunic dress over the weekend as well as some knitting project bags to sell in the shop.

50th Birthday Shed Bunting

The boxed pleats were a bit of a challenge and since the pattern was from one of the many Japanese sewing books, there wasn't much in the way of pattern information.  The original dress resembled a tent!  It was meant to be loose fitting but it was positively voluminous.  Thanks to WhatsApp video calls with my mum in law we were able to work out how to redraft the pattern and after the 20th rehash and try on I have a wearable item!  It is still slightly too big but not stupidly so :-)

Obviously not staged in anyway and not the photos I would use on the Folksy page but just some quick shots to share with the WhatsApp family group.  The fabric was from Mum H just as the lock down began and she loved seeing how it had been used.  The only outstanding job is to fit the drawstring enclosure and take some product photos for the Folksy page.

I've not been the only one in a happy space!  One of my workroom windows is directly opposite Dave's workshop and it was lovely to see him tinkering in there one afternoon.

Both kids have been busy with their school/college lessons and various projects and we seem to have found a reasonable rhythm to our days.  This lock down thing isn't so bad after all :-)