Saturday 14 November 2015

HATS ON THE NEEDLES!

For the past couple of weeks I've been making hats. I made 3 for my friends grandchildren in an aran yarn which I totally forgot to photograph before passing them on and today I finished this one for Alfred. I bought the yarn when I was in Camden Maine and it's worsted Misti Alpaca from Peru. I'm going to make an identical hat for Jack as well. The yarn feels ever so soft and I'm sure the boys will have lovely warm ears throughout the winter when they wear them.


I had a nice treat this week. We've had quite a busy time here recently and my early morning swims have dwindled to one session a week. I really feel that I need more exercise. So on Wednesday morning I took Alfred for a long walk along the seawall.
The tide was high when we set off and the skies overcast but luckily it was fairly mild. Unfortunately  at this time of the year if it's mild, the path is generally muddy in places but we kept going dodging as many of the slimy puddles as we could until we reached the paved path.


We went passed this little house on stilts that recently featured in Homes by the Sea on TV which the owners bought and renovated as it apparently reminded them of a holiday trip to Antigua.  Having been to Antigua myself, I would think you would need a cocktail of high tides, cloudless blue skies, scorching heat, a chilled glass of wine and an over active imagination to recapture that particular scenario. However, I cannot deny that this place has got its own beauty. The new owners have transformed the property into something quite special. Perched on the seawall it is in a very quiet tranquil area. To have this as a little bolt hole must be quite idyllic.


So, a little further on, we saw that this place is up for sale.  It will be interesting to see if someone will snap it up and turn it into another riverside retreat.


There were quite a few people out and about as boats were being pulled from the water ready for their winter storage.


The now empty beach huts were standing out proudly with the water lapping all around their feet. We were getting closer to our destination and as it was approaching lunchtime I began to wonder whether the cafe would still be open and I regretted not checking that before we had left home.


However fortunately for us the Osea View cafe was open and Alfred and I enjoyed our first lunch out together, a slice of cheese on toast for him and a toasted sandwich and a cuppa for me. Ok, not much of a banquet but very special.  A brisk walk home, as there was now a chill in the wind, an afternoon nap for him and an hour of knitting for me.

I had a great time, I hope he did too!

Tuesday 3 November 2015

A WALK ON THE FOGGY SIDE

Sunday dawned and it was quite gloomy, the fog lingered throughout the day. Yet, we felt the need to get out and stretch our legs so we went up to the town and wandered down by the river.  
There were lots of people about, some families picnicking, others taking their boats out.
Both, we thought were strange things to do as in some places you could hardly see in front of your noses. 
We guessed the families were on a promised day out and no one ever wants to disappoint their youngsters, but the sailors, we really couldn't fathom why they were heading down the river.


Just a couple of weeks ago we were driving through New England in brilliant sunshine enjoying the beautiful changing colours of the leaves


and this weekend I only had to walk out of my back door in foggy Essex to see the beautiful autumnal colours of our acer covered with cobwebs. This acer has been in a pot on the patio for a few years now but I can never remember the changing leaves being quite as red as they are this year. It really is so vibrant.


We enjoyed a quiet peaceful weekend. There was nothing much to do in the garden, just a few leaves to be picked up so, while my husband headed to his garage to work on his boat, I baked christmas cakes and put the finishing touches to this baby blanket which I crocheted in Drops Baby Alpaca Silk. This is the same pattern I made for Alfred and it is so soft. I highly recommend the pattern and it can be found here. Heldasland


This blanket I have made for my friends first grandchild, baby Frank and I hope he finds it as snuggly and warm as Alfred does.  I'm now back to knitting and on my second hat since the weekend, pictures will follow in my next post.

Have a great week!