Doe Ray Me

Not a very imaginative title to the post, I'm sure, but the rather obvious ear worm from The Sound Of Music was playing at the time so maybe you can see why. First a little about myself. I am a lady of many varied interests and I live in Haggis land or Scotland if you were to be looking at a map. The title of the blog came from the weekly newsletters I have been sending my nearest and dearest via e-mail since moving here which are signed off that way. My hobbies are more of a way of life and frequently revolve around yarn of all types since I learned to knit at the age of nineteen. At the moment I can't knit, sew or crochet as I have fractured my wrist for the second year in a row but fret not folks as this will not be an annual occurrence as next year there is a rather important wedding to attend and I am doing all the flowers, making certain accessories and setting up the venue so both hands will be required.

My family are all very supportive of my crafting and encourage in different ways; my other half enables mad schemes, my daughter has perfected the 'negative eye roll' which is the most positive of all pseudo teen gestures imaginable, my son asks questions then offers brilliant ideas which are of the nutty professor ilk and my Jack Russell remains firmly attached to my ankle throughout. For example, today I am experimenting with a new sourdough bread recipe and JR was clamped to my ankle like a saggy leg warmer while the first stage of mixing was completed. When I made some goat's milk and honey soap an hour ago JR was doing an excellent impression of a dodgy ankle cuff, the sort you could have found in the indoor market in Cantebury when I was a teen. As I type his affections have been transferred to my elbow but only for my convenience you understand; JR would never want to be in the way.

It is possible that my world view is slightly flawed as I have been noticing certain trends more and more. "Hmmm...I should eat more salad" led to me refurbishing the greenhouse in the garden and growing salad but then because lettuce on its own is not all that interesting I also grew tomatoes, beetroot, carrots and potatoes. "I'm a bit cold" led to me cutting up tea towels, sewing them into rectangular pillows and filling them with rice to make heat packs then teaching myself to crochet so I could start making blankets out of the ends of all my leftover yarn from knitting projects. Affordable, useful crafting preferably with an element of learning something seems to be the result.

Having made a huge batch of pasta sauce for the freezer and sending my OH off to work with some new soap in a tin with a request to try before reporting back I have decided to curl up with a glass of red wine.

Hugs from Haggis Land,

Jx