Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

Some people don't like change, but I like it. I like the changes of the seasons, I like the fact that there is a definite chill to the air in the mornings and that I'll need to put away my summer clothes and get out the autumn ones (or buy new ones). The end of this summer is an end of era and the start of quite a lot of changes to my life. Tomorrow is officially the start of my new contract and new role at work and I am looking forward to that. It was such a relief to recycle all the late slips and misconduct forms today now that I wont need them any more. I am also moving into the next stage of mummy life as I will no longer have a  pre-schooler, both my children will be in school. I am a little sad about that but I feel that I will have time to do jobs when they are at school and wont have to do them when they are at home. I do have an idealistic notion of being able to completely tidy up the house and cook delicious home baked delights for when I pick them up from school....

I did actually finish the quilt several weeks ago now, but forgot to post a picture. Almost a year after starting my first ever quilt, it is now finally on the bed and just as cosy as I could ever have hoped for. The first blog I wrote was about the quilt, so I couldn't really miss out on writing about finishing it. It does actually feel like quite an achievement and something to be proud of. I hope to keep it forever.

The August bank holiday does seem like the end of the summer, especially seeing as I am going back to work tomorrow. There may well be some sunny days left, but no more heatwaves. The days are getting shorter and in the evenings, there is a chill in the air. If it weren't for dahlias, I'm certain I would feel quite sad about the last sweet peas and some of the tomato plants looking a little worse for wear. The Secret Gardens of Sandwich are the perfect place to see dahlias and there is even a dahlia festival at the beginning of September. They are totally stunning and most definitely my August bank holiday favourite.

The memory is quite an incredible thing and I am often amazed at how clear snipets from the dim and distance past can appear. Memories of childhood always have a comforting feel, surrounded be nostalgia, they can't help but make you happy. The Cath Kidston Shop is proving to be quite a tourist attraction for visiting members of family, especially those who love to shop and when we visited there today, it really was a trip down memory lane. There amongst the bags made out of vintage fabrics (which are my favourite) was one made out of my mum's curtains. They ones I grew up with at home. I am almost tempted to go and get the bag and my mum wishes that she had kept the curtains. Somehow I really love the fact that a piece of fabric can bring back so many happy and wonderful memories.

One of the things I find most relaxing and inspiring is a mooch around a car boot sale, all by myself. I like to look at the old things most of all and imagine their previous owners and all the places they have been, a bit like the secret life of objects. There is quite a lot of junk but also what I consider to be treasure. Old tins are definitely a dear favourite with me and my children. I got this old Vaseline tin from this really lovely lady who had quite a lot of her own crafted goods on her table. I sometimes think that perhaps like minded people are drawn to each other because she told me of all her wonderful projects and was quite an inspiration. I do wonder why the Vaseline tin appears to have the word "Onions" scratched on it. It is far too small to have ever contained onions but perhaps it was once used to hold onion seeds or could have possibly belonged to someone called "Onions". I have in fact taught someone with that surname from this area.........

It only took a couple of rows yesterday to commit the crochet cluster pattern to heart and then the gloves took no time at all to finish. They were done in less than a day and seeing as I didn't spend the whole time working on them, I'm quite pleased. They are a long way from perfect and they are not really quite the same size. The pattern called for a 5mm crochet hook, which I couldn't find so I used a 4.5mm. They did come up on the small side but I do have quite little hands. There is, to be honest, a fair amount wrong with them but the yarn is beautiful and I have every intention of wearing them, probably far sooner than I would have hoped for too. Today the weather really was appalling and I could have quite happily worn them whilst I stood in the rain watching Charlie jump in muddy puddles.

I really would be a great deal better and both knitting and crocheting if I practiced following patterns. I have pretty much given up knitting socks because I just am unable to concentrate enough to fathom out the pattern. I would love to be able to knit or crochet jumpers or cardigans, but they are way beyond my skills. I am therefore having another go at a pair of fingerless gloves and this time I am going to crochet them. The last pair that I knitted where a complete disaster. They are not even both the same size and totally unwearable. I have found a pattern from a lovely lady called Lizzie on her Crochet Panda blog . I took Charlie out on the back of my bike this afternoon to buy his first ever pair of school shoes and picked up one of my favourite yarns, Rowan alpaca cotton in spruce. I made a hat last winter in the same yarn and this pattern has a similar shell design so I plan for them to vaguely match. After spending the day sewing name tags in new school uniform, it's ...