Funky dungarees...

I had a day out in York on Saturday. The weather was perfect. The crowds were... ideal for people watching. It didn't really go as planned. The plan was to find the wool shop and treat myself to something woolly. I found the wool shop but nothing caught my eye.

I did better with the charity shops, picking up a brand new pair of M&S jeans for £1.39. The man looked at me slightly puzzled. I just smiled. I have no idea why they were priced so low. They weren't an out of date style or damaged. I picked up a couple of travel themed paperback novels. I've got a nice little pile by my bed to get through. It's the next best thing to actually travelling.

Talking of which. M and I are going round in circles with the subject of when is it OK to start taking holidays without your mostly grown up children. E will be 19 at Christmas and is talking of going abroad with her boyfriend next year so I feel it's definitely acceptable to go on our own holiday. M thinks this is unkind if it's a destination she'd like. Then there's J who will be 16 at Christmas which is a trickier one, if we take him is that unfair to E? My solution is to be firm and say that we'd like a holiday on our own. So we shall see.

Anyway, York. There was a food festival that was extremely crowded. I did try and look like a discerning gin purchaser and tried a sample or two. I sussed out all the potential stalls to buy food but when M was finally free of his conference duties we ended up in a quiet side street with tables on the cobbles outside. I chose a refreshing meal of pesto chicken and avocado on a bed of brown rice. Just my kind of food. Simple but tasty. It was almost like Barcelona for a moment, until a crowd of cackling hen party women turned up and started smoking like chimneys nearby and then it all felt distinctly British once more.

I was recently given a brief to crochet some bright or multi coloured baby boy dungarees. There was actually some similar yarn to that above in York but it was a tad shiny for my liking and looked like it would be a devil to crochet with. I'd forgotten I had two balls of this yarn in my stash and it felt just right for the 'brief'. The Mum-to-be is not the pastel blue kind which has turned out to be rather fun on this occasion. Now all I need to do is make a second pair the same... she's expecting twin boys!

It'll probably take me a while but I'm intending to write the pattern up for these, for my own future reference as much as one to share. Whilst the second pair I make will be as above, I shall add a front and back post treble ribbed cuff to the bottom of the trouser legs, and also a front pocket for the pattern version.