Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

Yes dogs are quite a lot of work and true you do have walk them all year round in every type of weather but it truly is a fab way to experience life. Whilst most are in bed, my fluffy friend and I close the front door on our sleeping family and head off into adventureland.  Sherlock is always ready for a walk and is mastering the art of sitting nicely for a photo. I have a feeling, from the intensity of his stare, that he thinks my phone is a toy for him, but he sits nevertheless. We walk along the old Crab and Winkle embankment which is ideal for squirrel chasing   and mushroom spotting, then up on to the University fields. I particularly like it when it's misty in the autumn and frosty in the winter. It's an excellent space for rabbit and fox escapades and generally running around like a loon. I love the trees in all their glorious shade. They create beautifully natural frames for my doggy subject. And my woofer ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp2iQ5PfJK8

It seems like ages since I wore a coat. Best of all I like the scorching hot summer days but I don't mind a few drops of summer rain. When you have a dog, walking in the rain comes with the job. I wouldn't head out for a stroll in a shower if it wasn't for that little fluffy friend of mine but it is so peaceful walking early in the morning.   Even though it was raining, everywhere is still ever so dry and all my plants could really do with a good drenching. Having Sherlock makes me truly value green open spaces. We hunt them out together so that he can run free, chase squirrels and rabbits and just be a dog. I hope that when the kids are older, they don't have to walk down streets of new builds saying, "when we were young, all this used to be fields, we walked our dog here."   Whilst most people are still sleeping, Sherlock and I are out exploring the world, discovering treasure like these ghosts of mushrooms. Surely they didn't magically appear after ...

Despite the wind and the rain, signs of spring are everywhere. Delicate blossom   Early clouds of white flowers And vibrant flashes of green. It makes me happy.       Posted with Blogsy

I've been doing quite a bit of watercolour painting recently. It's relaxing, observing everyday aspects of life, studying the details and getting it all down on paper.     Ever since visiting the Mysteries, Magic and Midnight Feasts at Canterbury Beaney and discovering Enid's Blyton's passion for nature and its documentation in beautifully written diaries, I've been inspired. I've started my own journal and I am trying to paint the arrival of spring. The hardest thing about painting with watercolours is deciding whether I've done enough.   There's always the risk of doing too much.       Posted with Blogsy

We are patiently waiting for our snow. Every day we check the weather, but we are still waiting. It's freezing tonight so perhaps we'll wake up in the morning to a world covered with an icy white blanket of snow. Until then though, I've got my crochet snowflakes.     I managed to convince my husband, earlier this month, that they were not Christmas decorations but more generally for winter, so they've been allowed to stay.     When the morning sun streams through the window, they cast the most intricately beautiful shadows.   They do make me smile, even on Blue Monday.   Posted with Blogsy

This week my life has been bathed in sunshine, following the shivery camping trip last weekend, I could always do with a heat wave and it is never too hot for me. Sherlock and I now go for a run every morning. It is so much more fun going running with a dog and even better when the sun is shining, there is no - one else around and the world is beautifully peaceful. He also did a rather good job at sunbathing on the ground I'd prepared for the runner beans. Maybe it's lucky for a black and white dog to lie on the earth before you plant up the area and I'm now assured a bumper crop. Despite the glorious weather, Charlie was delighted to discover that his mud pie was still glupey, 24 hours after making it. There are times in your life that are so fabulous that you would like to stay there forever. I stood perfectly still and watched how wonderful life can be in the sunshine whilst Charlie mixed his mud pie, Josie read in the deck chair and Sherlock threw his teddy bear ar...

At last the sun is out. It's not sunbathing weather but it isn't snowing so for the first time this year, I managed to get up to the allotment. I have a couple of rather good reasons for not having dug my way through the early part of 2013. Firstly I went swanning off to Australia, sunning myself on the beach and having a rather fabulous time. Next we moved house which kept me busy for a few weeks. The allotment pretty much looked after itself though and leeks, kale and chard were all ready to be picked this afternoon. Perfect for a really simple and delicious recipe. Just chop up all the veg and sauté it in a wok. Serve with a sprinkling of grated cheddar and a cold beer.     Posted with Blogsy

I am passionate about education and I love to learn and inspire and support learning. It's my day job but it's also the way I live my life. Learning new skills and finding out more about blogging is such  a delight for me. This week the weather has turned truly autumnal and not only the mornings but the whole days have been filled with swirling mists. This is mushroom weather and with that dampness in the air which clings to the delicate spider webs like diamonds and looks stunning. I am unable to walk past a web without admiring nature's perfect crafters. Imagine being able to produce your own yarn and spin your own house / food trap. I left for work early especially to take photos of these treasures of fog and drizzle for fear that the sun will be out again by my next day off. I could not  bear to miss the opportunity to study the intricacies and uniqueness of each web. The collage above has been made using a few of the new apps I have learnt about thanks to blog...

I had the most wonderful day. The sun was shining and I had the whole day to myself whilst the children were at school. I even enjoyed doing the mundane and trivial tasks like the laundry and cleaning. Most of all though I loved making a huge great vat of raspberry jam. My raspberry canes at the allotment are completely laden with fruit and despite spending a couple of hours up there this morning, there are still more than I had time to pick.   There is much debate about the ratio of fruit to sugar but today I decided to go with equal amounts, 4lbs of sugar with 4lbs of raspberries which looked like a massive amount. And it seemed to take forever for the sugar to dissolve. I do always tend to make rather a lot of mess when making jam so once I sterilized the jam jars in the oven at 100c for 15mins, I put them on the draining board to make the clearing up a little bit easily.   Jam is very sticky. I managed to make 14 jars in all and I'm ...

It was the most gloriously sunny and rather warm day today, perfect for the end of the summer holidays. This is my second week back at work however I'm a part-timer and finish by 2.30pm on a Tuesday. We decided to head off to Tankerton Slopes for a barbecue. I grabbed my knitting, camera and the first issue of a new magazine called The Simple Things . It arrived yesterday in the post and I managed to sneak a peak this morning before I cycled to work. The snippet I read stuck in my mind all day. Simple things are always the best and this writing described someone's simple pleasure of enjoying their alone time with a coffee and the kitchen to themselves before anyone else is awake. This is my simple thing. I loved sitting on the beach in the warm September, watching the children swim in the sea and reading a magazine. We didn't bring swimming costumes so after a little persuasion, the children swam in the underwear. This is Charlie's treasure that he f...

My perfect Sunday is one of simplicity, the beach in the morning and the allotment in the afternoon. Despite leaving for Botany Bay early, the beach was packed with happy people enjoying the beautiful English summer time.  The children played in the sea with our little boat, it clouded over and then Josie and I swam in the sea in the rain. I haven't swam in the rain since I was a teenager. It was perfectly warm, a touch on the humid side actually but the rain splashing on the sea was rather lovely. They do look like little angels. After this mini heat wave. the allotment was in need of a drop of water and I was very grateful to have my little helpers drenching everything. My sunflowers are also enjoying the warmth of late summer. And I like nothing more than cycling home in the twilight with a basket full of goodies including my sweet peas which always smell delightful. I would love it if you could leave a comment. Please give it a go, I...