Sunshine, Sewing, Birthdays and Veg

Having got back onto the blogging wagon, I seem to have fallen straight back off the other side! Must get my head around doing shorter posts, and possibly also doing them from my phone so I don’t have to tackle my decrepit, ancient laptop. 

So what’s been going on in our part of the world? Daniel turned 1 a couple of weeks ago, and we had a party for him. He absolutely loves having lots of people around, so he thoroughly enjoyed himself, and there was plenty of food on a low table that the kids could all help themselves to (I refused to serve anything at his party that he couldn’t eat – wouldn’t have seemed fair). I went into full supermum mode and not only made his birthday cake (dairy free banana cake under all the icing!)… 

 … but also spent a couple of weeks beforehand making bunting to decorate the house with… 

Great project for getting to know your sewing machine! Altogether, a good time was had by all, and my uncle was delighted to come to his first party with balloons outside *grin* 

Other than that, we’ve been pretty busy. Daniel found his dad’s electric guitar in the spare room so that has been dusted off and brought downstairs and he now has free range on it. I had my very first guitar lesson, which proved very useful in troubleshooting with one of my violin pupils who is also learning guitar – he’s doing a bit of mixing of technique; I’d never have picked up on that otherwise. I also got out my old cimbala for him [Daniel] and he often has a bit of a play with it. 

The warmer weather over the last few weeks has been wonderful. Daniel is such an outdoor child and he’s loving being able to wander in and out of the house. He got a swingset for his birthday, and I’ve been spending lots of time in the garden planting vegetables, so we’re both getting beautifully brown. Speaking of vegetables, remember this? 

This was my veg patch in January. Following a final push over the Bank Holiday weekend, it now looks like this (not a single drop of weedkiller involved – it was sheer muscle and determination!): 

Peas and carrots are in, butternut squash seedlings (kindly donated by a friend) are nearly ready to go outside, tomato seedlings ditto, two sweet pepper plants are sitting happily in a reusable grow-bag, and cut-and-come-again salad has just started sprouting in its tub. I’m hoping to get some leeks, redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries this weekend. Oh, and some thyme, rosemary, sage and wild garlic have been strategically placed in the now-cleared flower beds. 

I have completely fallen in love with working in the garden. This is the first time I’ve had a proper one all to myself, and it’s just so satisfying doing that hard physical graft and seeing a real result at the end of it. I have a tan already, I feel healthier from being out in the fresh air, and it’s great for Daniel to get involved or just potter around while I get on with things. Mostly he’s eating mud, slurping up water from the patio and chewing labels, but that’s the beginning of exploring the garden – by next year he’ll be helping with the gardening itself. It’s also giving a lovely shape to our day, as we go out immediately after breakfast on warm days to water the plants, which often leads to a bit of weeding, hanging out laundry, playing with the watering can, going for a walk or having a picnic lunch in the garden. Even on wet days we’re more inclined to get out of the house; it’s just more in our consciousness, I suppose, as we get used to having regular fresh air. 

In terms of crafty stuff, I’ve sewed a long-sleeved bib that is actually usable (unlike the last two attempts) and a pair of trousers for Daniel which look completely presentable. They were both upcycled – the bib from a remnant of cotton from a charity shop, an old pair of linen trousers (mine) and an old pair of waterproof trousers (mine), and the trousers from a man’s shirt from a charity shop. I love the whole idea of upcycling, so expect to see more of it on here! Having done the bib, bunting and trousers rather successfully, I have well and truly caught the sewing bug – helped along, of course, by the Great British Sewing Bee, which led me to the brilliantly inspiring blog Tilly and the Buttons. My breastfeeding occupation of choice has now changed from recorded episodes of Time Team to the archives of Tilly’s blog and a variety of sewing websites! Next on my list is a summer skirt for me, as I’ve lost so much weight since I had Daniel that none of my summer clothes (or, indeed, my winter ones) fit me any more. I’m using Tilly’s Picnic Blanket Skirt tutorial and some nice light cotton; the pieces have been cut out, so I get onto the exciting bit soon. 

In knitting, I made a stripy jumper for Daniel but didn’t pay attention while making it so it wasn’t until it was finished that I realised it is miles too big for him. After trying it on his (older) friend, said friend’s mum and I concluded it’s around the right size for a 2 year old! Still, will be useful next winter. Having done that, I’m being strict with myself and doing a big push to finish the huge grey cardigan I’m making for a friend. I’ve set myself a deadline and even my skirt is taking a back seat until this is done. I’m about three quarters of the way through the first sleeve, so not actually that much more to do. After that, I think I’ll turn my attention to knocking up some things to sell at craft fairs etc around Christmas time. 

And that, I think, is more or less it! Oh… breaking news… he’s just started walking! Apparently he did it last night while I was out at a meeting, but I’ve just seen the evidence with my own eyes. Time to move everything up another few feet out of his reach!