September saw so many beautiful things including a Mandala

Hello lovely readers, it seems that I have been a little quiet here lately, but I intend to make up for it in buckets today as I have heaps to share with you. September has been a beautiful month here in the North of England as we were blessed with beautiful clear skies and warm autumnal sunshine. This meant that far too much time was spent on my yoga mat outside and far too little time holding my crochet hook, logging into my computer or let alone mention the old sewer that seems to be gathering a great deal of dust of late. I did however manage to turn my September Monthly Mandala, that I wrote about here, into a cushion and I must say that I am rather pleased with the outcome. It has been my intention for a while to make a ripple blanket, but seeing that I still haven't managed to get around to it, this seems to at least satisfy a small part of that chevron urge, for now anyway. 

 Sadly the light at this time of year is not particularly good in this little space of ours and to be honest the photo doesn't really do it justice. I don't know about the rest of you in the Northern hemisphere, but there has definitely been a shift in light and rooms are feeling much darker (and colder). I have started lighting candles again and there is no doubt that autumn has finally kicked his cold toes under my blanket. For me this change most certainly became most noticeable after the appearance of the Harvest moon this month, did you see it? Oh my it was really spectacular! They say that it tends to be larger and more colourful than other moons due to the tilt of the earth and the reflection from the atmosphere and I have to say that it looked so very big and colourful from the bedroom window.

September has been a month of harvest here too, with runner beans, cucumber, beets, and lots and lots of kale making it into our kitchen. Fortunately it also seems that we may even have enough Kale for another month or two, which is a blessing as we do love a bit of Kale in our house. Have any of you tried making kale chips, if not you must, its so easy (kale + olive oil+ salt+oven=delicious!). I also enjoyed the last of our delicious apples and am currently thinking of ways in which we can squeeze in another apple or pear tree in the garden, but I am faced with the slight dilemma that the little wendy play house is in the exact spot I would like to plant it, so I might have to wait a few years for the kids to outgrow their little space. 

September has been a month of struggle with my health, but it hasn't stopped me from becoming even more obsessed with yoga than I already was (not that I thought that was possible!). I was also incredibly lucky to enjoy two days of being taught by the very talented yogini, Kino MacGregor. Lets just keep this short and say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, I really enjoyed every minute of it even though my batteries were a little flat at times, it definitely is a memory I will always cherish. Here is a little memento of my weekend with Kino.

September has been a month of slowly getting back to warmer foods and soups. I have experimented with Vegetable Soup, Tomato and Basil soup and made my all time favourite Carrot and Coriander Soup. For those of you who follow me on instagram @Scrummytritious, some of the recipes are there. For the rest of you, here is the recipe for my vegetable soup.

So basically to make the vegetable soup, you are going to need:
Tablespoon of Coconut oil
7 Large Carrots
3 Large Courgettes
3 Onions
2 Stalks Celery
A generous bunch of fresh Coriander
2 Cubes of gluten free vegetable stock (I use Kallo Organic)
1.5L of water
Some Himalayan Rock salt & pepper to taste

Method
Chop all your vegetables (medium size chunks). Gentle fry the onions and carrots for around 5 minutes, then add the celery and cook for around 5 minutes before adding the stock and water. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer and then add the courgette. Cook for around 10 minutes max and then add the coriander before blending it partly with a hand blender, leaving some chunks of vegetables in there. Enjoy!

Septemeber also saw the return of a loaf of bread to our lives. We have now been Paleo gosh for around seven to eight months and even though I wasn't having much bread before I was still enjoying the odd bit of grains, like rice and things baked with brown rice flour every now and then. This recipe for this delicious Sun Dried Tomato & Basil Bread is completely Paleo and made with ground almonds. I use ground almonds often, but have never thought of making a savoury bread with it and I must say it was delicious and I will definitely be making it again very soon. 

September saw our gigantic sunflower come into bloom. For some reason we NEVER succeed in planting sunflowers and even though we planted over seven establish seedlings, I think the Raven's and Jackdaws must have been too quick to dig out the seeds still attached to the plant. Does anyone else experience this? Fortunately for us, this beauty was overlooked and how very special for us. 

 September also finally saw the final touches going on to our stairs that has been a WIP for many many months. Earlier this year I had this massive urge to remove the rather tired looking carpet from our stairs. To be honest it is something I have been meaning to do ever since I since I received this beautiful book from a friend for Christmas 2012. The problem you see is that I never thought I would have the guts to pull and see what mess lies beneath an old tattered carpet. Well it seems that one very cold and frosty January morning, those worries and concerns where very far from my mind, instead I felt brave and ready to conquer all (I must have had a mild does of brain freeze one thinks). I must add here that it has taken me a little longer than anticipated, but I got there in the end and wow, what a transformation. I love this idea and it has made such a difference to the light and feel of our very narrow staircase. Thank you Sarah Moore for your wonderful inspiration, it seems collecting old wallpaper does come in handy after all. I used an eclectic mix of mostly old, but a few modern prints are hiding in here too as I really like the combination of old and new. 

Last, but not least, September has also been a month for yet another monthly mandala and this month it was the rather sweet little mandala pattern by Zooty Owl as mentioned here. This fun little Granny Mini Mandala pattern is super quick to work and as I have also come to realise, it offers some rather fun alternative possibilities, but more on that another day. For now though it is show and tell time. 

So for any of you who have joined in the yarn mandala fun, please add your mandala below. For next month I thought it might be fun to try Marinke Slump's 12-round mandala. For anyone interested you can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Wishing you all a beautiful October.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

An InLinkz Link-up

This and that ...

I just quickly wanted to pop in today to say HELLLOOOOO. It has been so wet and grey here in the North of England, but if I am honest, I have rather welcomed it. I am not sure how I will feel by Thursday with half term upon us and kids at home being cooped in, but for now it has been rather fun and mostly quite chillaxing.

 

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Today I even managed a little time in the garden, yes with my rain coat on and I feel rather satisfied that things are slowly starting to take shape out there.

 

 

 

In fact I am actually super proud of my veggies (OK, there are only a few), but they are all planted from seed, which has been fun. The potatoes and kale is doing tremendously well and the spinach and beetroot is slowly coming into their own. Today I planted out the broccoli and rather sad looking cucumbers, so we will see what happens to these.

 

I am feeling just a tad excited bout the beautiful Camelia Japonica that I bought yesterday for a little spot in the back of our garden that has been rather neglected for quite some time. Largely because this gardening lark can be quite expensive, so it really does take time to get where you want to. It has also been one of those spots that I had far too many ideas for what I wanted to fill it with, but I am really pleased with my final decision and look forward to seeing this beauty grow.

We also bought another couple of  beautiful Hydrangeas, one blue and one pink and just for fun I bought a St John's Wort. So for now I really haven't the foggiest what I am going to do with it, but I reckon that I will find many a good use for it somewhere along the line, especially seeing that I have recently been discovering that there are quite a few nifty tricks one can do with the odd herb and weed growing in the garden.

So for anyone who struggles with a cough that won't go away and one that's been lingering for a while,or for anyone who just fancies a little lymphatic cleanse (we all need it!), or for anyone who wants to boost their immune system, clear their skin or calm the nerves (reckon I will be needing it again towards the end of the school holiday!), wander into your garden and look for a weed called a 'Cleaver' (pictured above), and for anyone up for a giggle it also goes by the name of 'StickyWilly', so for once we might actually be happy to enjoy a little sticky willy every now and then (who would have thought! pardon me!!!). So basically what you do, pick a very generous handful and make sure to rinse it well and then chop it up, pour some cold water over it and let it stew overnight (with a lid on) and then the next day you can strain it off and drink up to five glasses of the water. To be honest it's actually quite tasty and the good news is that you won't die, I am still here. So for a full lymphatic cleanse you really need to drink it for a week, somewhere between three to five glasses per day and for those of you who can't be bothered with the overnight soaking, you can always stew it up as a tea with hot water if you like, either way it taste quite good.

So after this morning's little session in the garden, I enjoyed a little time playing games with the kids before embarking on a spot of Paleo baking. I have decided to try out the Paleo diet again, even though I have been here before as I am a firm believer that if something didn't work for you once it doesn't mean it won't work for you at another point in time. Our bodies are constantly changing and especially when you are ill. Take for example my attempts to remove ALL sugar from my diet (no honey, syrup, dried fruit, no nothing!) for over a year and if I am honest it felt like it made ZERO difference, now on the other hand I have seen the most AMAZING changes in my body since cutting it out since the 6th of January, so my motto: Keep on trying. Now I feel ready to slowly embark on the odd treat every now and then and today's cake is no exception. In fact it is just a tad indulgent and very chocolaty and has a smidgen of palm sugar and some delicious forest honey to tickle my fancy and reignite that little sugar devil in me!

 

 

 

So basically Paleo baking is tricky as most gluten free flours are rice based and seeing that you can't eat any rice or other grains, I used almond flour and coconut flour and I must say the cake turned out rather scrummy. For the ganache I used coconut cream and cacao and rice malt syrup. Lets just say it made the perfect Sunday afternoonsie.

So despite the fact that I have mountains of crochet awaiting, as I am in the midst of having to pull out my entire Nordic shawl that I crocheted whilst on holiday, as it seems that for some reason I have this massive triangle at the top rather than a straight end (don't ask as I honestly don't have the answer!). I have been putting it off as I think I need to be in the right frame of mind for this job!

 

I am also nearing the end of weaving in some ends for another little project I am working on, but more on that next time.

 

 

 

So why not start another project just when I should really be focussing on making a start on my starflower mandala?!! Seeing that 'should' no longer features in my vocabulary, I figured why NOT. So this afternoon when the kids went off to a party I quickly started cutting out the pattern for a dress I have been wanting to make for a while. Now don't hold your breath as dressmaking really isn't my forte, but I am determined to make at least one this summer.

 

 

You see when we went to South Africa, Ma bought me heaps of gorgeous fabric for my birthday which means no more excuses and basically that the girl's got to get on with it. I am actually quite excited by the prospect, just wish I knew a little more than I do, but hey that's all part of the fun, so watch this space!

 

 

So that's it for today. I hope you all have a lovely week ahead. Before I go I just want to say a big thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous post, you are all quite special and for those of you who wanted to know how the Prince concert went, lets just say that it was MAGNIFICENT!!!! I am just a little more in love with the man and his music than I was before I went, my golly he has oodles of talent!

 

 

Time to sign off.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxoxo

 

Sunny Monday to Snowy Tuesday

As most of you around the world will know the UK is getting a great deal of rain at the moment and for many people this is turning out to be quite devastating. My heart goes out to all those people so badly affected, and I hope and pray that the situation will improve very soon.

 

 

On Monday morning we had a gorgeous clearing and there was even a promise of sunshine, so I grabbed my gardening gloves and spent some quiet time in the garden. I always feel that a little time in the garden reenergises my soul and grounds my mind. It was lovely just to potter and to spend a little time pruning, weeding and just feeling excited by the promise of Spring that is slowly starting to peep through.

 

 

 

 

I felt utterly exhausted by the time I finished, but it was just so lovely to get a little bit of fresh air and enjoy the soil mud beneath my feet.

 

 

 

Sadly the glorious weather didn't last long and less than 24 hours later this was the view from the garden, what a contrast!

 

 

 After taking the kids to school yesterday morning I managed to do a little hand sewing whilst watching flurries of snow fall to the earth, but it wasn't long before I was firmly wrapped up in bed nursing my cold. It seems that the kids lurgy has finally decided to jump, feet and all, my way, blugh!!

 

 

It looks like it might be a slow week with as little activity possible

 

 

but there is always time to appreciate the pretty things around us and thankfully these pretty ladies dancing is cheering me up no end.

 

Thank you to everyone for your kind and loving comments about my first quilt, you are all amazing!!

 

Wishing you all a lovely Wednesday wherever you are.

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo



 

What's in my bag

It's official the excitement has finally grabbed hold of me and is fuelling my veins. In less than 24 hours we will hopefully be landing in Pisa, where we will be spending some time before heading to Rome for a long weekend, whoohoo!!! To top this my lovely parents will be joining us and we will see them for the first time in a year, so needless to say I am one very excited bunny right now!

A year ago I was a little apprehensive about going anywhere away from home as I hadn't really stepped outside our four walls for a few years and the prospect of going to town let alone holiday, was most certainly pretty overwhelming for me. Now, because we have done it, I am feeling a great deal more confident about the whole affair and know that we can manage with my wheels and the kids. I am still aware of the restrictions that my wheels might bring, but at least I can get around and live a little, so I am not going to grumble! It is most certainly going to be an interesting holiday as not only will I be in my wheelchair, but Mum, who is currently unable to walk, due to a very bad back in dying need of an operation, will be joining me with her own set of wheels. The thought of this has conjured up many interesting thoughts, especially knowing what my Dad is like. He is still in child in so many ways and always up for having a little fun and oh so very good at planning and scheming in order to have a laugh, I love his passion for life! This time I reckon Ma and me are in for some fun and games, just think, two men and the other (better halves I hasten to add :-)), who will be holding the reins so to speak. Now that's a thought, and I am sure there will be a fair bit of scheming and pardon the pun, wheeling and dealing going on. The prospect of a couple of hours without the wives will most certainly be appealing, but fortunately we have our safety net, the kids, which might just sway matters a little, not that that will stop the temptation to see who can make it down the Spanish steps the quickest. I think it is fair to say that if nothing else, we will most certainly be providing some comedy value for those around us. Watch out Spanish steps here we come!!


The last week has been a bit of a mad rush as I am sure many of you can relate to before going away. What is with getting everything done before going away? Is it just me or are you like that to? I wanted to tick a few things off my list that I have been meaning to do for quite some time, like this label tutorial that I wanted to do a few months back now, amongst many other things. I feel satisfied that I managed to get a large majority, but not all, done and I feel like I can now finally start to relax.

Books are always the first things I try and pack and the staples include the necessary tour guides and road maps, quite a lot of books for the kids, which aren't in the picture, but there are a couple of longer stories to read to them and I don't think you can ever go wrong with Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. My kindle, with its little case that I blogged about here, is ready for some action with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and one of the very few books by Jojo Moyes that I haven't read, Silver Bay. Reading more than usual is the one thing I really enjoy about going on holiday.

So what does a gal put in her bag. Well for me, this is always an interesting one, maybe becos I am just plain nosey. Maybe it all stems from years in boarding school and loving Sunday nights when everyone came back after a weekend at home with new bits from home. Anyways, I love it, so I thought I would give you a little peek at a few of the bits that's gone in my bag. As for clothes, well these days with kids in tow, space is limited, especially with a wheelchair and two kids to manage, so we try and pack as little as possible. It didn't however stop me from having fun deciding what to pack. Maybe I am a little sad, but I quite enjoy this part of the packing. Do you get excited about the selection process?

 

This yellow cardigan is just the most loveliest of knitted cardies that my granny knitted many years ago and wore for so many years that I have countless memories of seeing her in this. Fortunately my parents passed this on to me when she passed a few years back and now I can shape some new memories with it as I just love wearing it.

 

Now for cosmetics, I quite like knowing what people use, so I thought I would share my little goodies with you. For my skin, I use Environ and swear by it. Even though it is a little pricey, it does last quite a long time and I honestly haven't come across anything as good as this. Their RAD sun cream is also especially good to use on a daily basis, something I really try and do as my skin got quite damaged being exposed to the sun whilst living in South Africa for so many years. Now for foundation, I love this stuff!! It has no nasties and it lasts soo long. Honestly I buy a maximum of two pots a year, if that, and they now also do a really fab mascara that I love! The foundation is a mineral based powder foundation and I love that it lasts all day and acts as a barrier to the sun. As for suncream, we always use Green People's scent free SPF25 during the summer. Largely because it doesn't burn your eyes, which I must say is a blessing with the kids and it's brilliant if you're planning on spending time in the water.  Then some L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream that was a rather lovely pressie and I can't wait to start using it.

 

 

 

 

Now for the exciting bit, what's going in my yarn bag. To be honest I struggled with this as there are so many little projects that I would like to take with, but I know that with Ma and Pa there I am going to want to natter and spend time with them. I am however going to make the most of having Mum at hand and rope her in for some embroidery lessons whilst we are together to hopefully get a few tips from the Master herself! Do you also struggle deciding what projects to take on holiday with you?

 

Before I go I wanted to leave you with this quick and easy to make lavender wreath. After being inspired by a friend and all the lavender around, I grabbed some wire, pliers, lavender and some rosemary and got started.

 

I am going to use these couple of weeks wisely and abstain from blogging (it that's possible!). I will try and read posts if and where possible. I have however recently joined Instagram, and must say that I LOVE it! If any of you want to pop over to see what's happening on our travels, my user name is cosmosandcotton.

Before I go, if you haven't already seen The Untouchables then, please treat yourself and watch this wonderful French film. I have a bit of a passion for French films and this one is another wonderful film to add to my list of favourites. It's funny, inspirational and so very moving. Leaving you with the little posy from our garden, my Hydrangeas are finally in bloom.

Thank you for all your lovely comments over the last couple of posts, I love reading each and every one of them. You are all super special and make this blogging malarkey so much fun! Wishing you all a very lovely couple of weeks with lots of crafty happiness.

Warm wishes

Hannapat

xoxox