Nurses and Nuns...

I'm a real sucker for a period drama these days. I just love seeing the costumes, the furniture, the textiles, come alive in a way a museum could never achieve.

It doesn't have to be that far back either. TV drama's set in the 60s have huge appeal because you can still pick up china and textiles from that decade.

'Call the Midwife' is a little further back and totally enchanting for its knitwear, crochet blankets, textiles and fashions.

So, while M was blubbing over the predicament of Chummy and her baby I was marvelling over the making and giving of the crochet blanket by the nurses and nuns. It may have had a liberal dose of beige and colours probably weren't so vivid in those days but it was surely a thing of beauty? Well I thought so. She was literally wrapped up in the love of those women and it worked, she survived and so did the baby. Enough to make any man cry!

(Incidentally, once upon a time M wouldn't even have watched such a programme let alone get emotionally attached to the characters. I've well and truly converted him!)

I can't find a photo of the touching a scene anywhere which is a shame. It made me want to abandon all WIPs and start a traditional granny square blanket.

Happy Mother's Day...

I'm really not comfortable receiving gifts. I much prefer small thoughtful bits and bobs than grand gestures. This year I made sure that M and the children did not fall out over gift shopping (like they did over Christmas shopping). I gave them a maximum limit and told M to leave the children entirely to their own devices. They are certainly old enough now, at twelve and fifteen. E could certainly hone her patience skills but I admit it isn't easy shopping with J.

They did well and I am chuffed to bits with my new books and gorgeous bracelet.

I'm having a restful day. The laundry is staying put in the basket. The weekly shopping has been done by M whilst I soaked in a hot bath (well you've gotta milk it once a year eh?!).

A few crochet bits and bobs are by my side. I've been doing a few rows here and there but nothing worth a photo update as yet. I've been slightly distracted from the blanket project and started a cat! Yes a cat. Very random I know. At the moment the head is peeking out of a basket of body parts, complete with proper cats eyes and he is looking extremely sinister. If he remains evil looking I will have to think again and maybe change him into a dog (not with magic but with new ears and eyes!).

Sunday stroll...

M and I had a rare weekend without the children. Well, 24 hours anyway. So peaceful! We took Harvey to Hartsholme. It's beautiful there, with several large lakes and lots of tributaries and boggy bits. Naturally Harvey couldn't wait to get wet but thankfully he's just too excited to be swimming and exploring and leaves the ducks and swans alone. He doesn't stop to say hello to other dogs either which is no bad thing as there were quite a few there. I'd love to know what Harvey thinks of small chihuahua's with pink fleece coats on, we passed three of these on our walk.

At one stage he was so wet and muddy that someone asked to take his photograph. He happily obliged (OK with a stick in my hand and the 'wait' command!).

On the home straight to the car park Harvey suddenly realised it was car journey time and he stopped his happy trot and started slinking along commando style. Pathetic!

Feline goings on...

Yesterday our charming feline resident left a beheaded gift on our sunlounge rug. Some poor vole family is now without a parent. To be fair she was noticeably on the prowl for the last few days, crouching near the cluster of tiny holes in the river bank.

We were out at the time and came home to find J shielding his eyes away from the offending item whilst trying to watch cricket on TV. As soon as we were through the door he shouted, 'Dad, Dad, I need you, Mollie's done something terrible!' Aw, he always was very concerned about animal welfare and still gets upset if you kill a spider!

In the unlikely event of any small furry creature deciding to bravely walk in through the open cat flap M has installed a new one with a door. Early trial runs with the cat did not go well; she tapped on our front door to be let in but she later got the hang of it when there was fishy food on offer. Not stupid.

This morning she seems to be having a day off after her hunting conquest. The back of the sofa, a patch of sun, dreams of... beheading more voles. Dogs are less gruesome.

Yarn bombing...

I saw some real life yarn bombing in Market Rasen this week! I got carried away blogging about my thrifty finds and forgot to mention it.

I felt a bit daft taking photo's and had to wait for a group of young adults to move on before I could get a snap or two, but the pic below shows the most interesting and colourful of them all. The rest were mainly strips wound round poles, railings and benches.

I'm not sure it really added anything to this little market town, which is architecturally interesting anyway (if you know where to look). Harmless fun I guess.

Gluten and dairy free shortbread...

Success! It's been a while since I added a new recipe to my box of foolproof allergy friendly recipes. I did not have high hopes for this one, given that gluten free flour often tastes quite gritty no matter what you put with it.

This is an adaptation of a simple shortbread recipe:

175g gluten free plain flour (I used Doves)
100g dairy free butter
50g caster sugar
Half a teaspoon of gluten free baking powder
Optional: a dash of vanilla essence

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl (add the vanilla essence if required). Mix the baking powder with the flour then add slowly to the butter/sugar to form a dough.

Mine took about twenty minutes to turn golden brown in a fan oven on 170 degrees, but this will vary according to oven and thickness of shortbread.

Cut into pieces whilst warm then leave to cool.

I sprayed my clay mould with light olive oil and it turned out of the mould a lot easier than I was expecting! I broke a few biscuits which obviously then had to be eaten straightaway.

Note: the recipe only makes a fist sized lump of dough. If you have a decent size mould or tin it would probably be best to double the quantities.

Next time I make it I plan to add zest of orange or lemon and cut down the sugar a little. I try to eat as little sugar as possible and as a result these seemed quite sweet to me.

In a thrifting mood...

Woohoo! I'm on a roll. I have been out two days in a row on my own. I'm sure it's just the result of the long dark cold winter and the sudden appearance of sunshine!

I drove for twenty minutes through beautiful deserted country lanes to Market Rasen. I made a large cup of tea and put it in a travel mug for the ride out there but ended up having it on the way back at a pull in with a nice view. I wish Harvey liked car journeys better. I used to have a large English Springer called Algie and he adored driving. He sat in the front (in the days when they didn't stop you for that) and just contentedly watched the world go by. If he got a nice walk too that was a bonus but mainly he just wanted to be with me rather than left at home. Harvey on the other hand, shakes with fear and hyperventilates like a steam train.

I did the four charity shops in no time then stopped off at the bakery of a cricket friend and bought the children and M a freshly baked farmhouse loaf. The smell of it on the way home was tantalising. I won't be eating any of it. I might, however, have a small piece of the shortbread I am going to attempt to make with gluten free flour and dairy free butter using the shortbread mould I found today for an absolute song; £1.50. I think they are quite expensive new.

I'm quite pleased with the oak candlestick I found too. Whoever labelled it 'Lincolnshire Oak' probably didn't have their reading glasses on at the time. There's a small printed label on the bottom that says 'Cornish Oak'. Either way I am happy. Another bargain at £1.50. For someone who loves candles I only have one other candlestick that will hold these single traditionally sized candles.

The limed oak photo frame was another £1.50 find. It fits in well here with other limed oak frames. I've been meaning to frame some more current snaps. Apart from the children's school and county cricket portraits all the photo's on display go back to when they were very small! Perfect for embarrassing them when their friends visit!

Finally I added to my rustic pottery collection. The blue mottled and green striped mugs are today's finds. The latter is marked underneath and comes from Bideford. A place in Devon that I've been to numerous times as a child. The salt and pepper pots are in unused condition and cost 50p each. I like the fact they fill from the top; so much easier.

Flowers from my lovely husband. (Wonder if he was feeling guilty about not lifting a finger while we were away?)