August 2013 Italy - Part 2 (Florence and Rome)

One of the last trips out from our Villa in Fauglia was to visit the beautiful city of Florence (Firenze). It has been said that Florence is the pinnacle of Italian culture and despite the fact that it is a hub for tourists and not the easiest place to visit by wheelchair, we loved every minute of the 5-6 hours we spent there.

It took a great deal of time to find parking, and once we did, I really felt for my doh and Dad who had to push both Ma and myself to see the sights. The roads are all largely cobbled, which makes it a rather tricky business for wheelchairs, but they were both amazing and I am so lucky that we have these wonderful men in our lives as without them we wouldn't have seen these beautiful sites. After a rather expensive lunch, and worming our way through the markets, we finally arrived at the Piazza del Duomo, and were overwhelmed by the size and beauty of  The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is English is known as the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower. It is ordinarily referred to as 'Il Duomo di Firenze' and work on this main church in Florence begun in 1296 and was completed in 1436. The basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades and its design was led by the famous Italian architect Arnolfo di Cambio. This Cathedral complex also included the Baptistery of St. John, which is one of the oldest buildings in Italy (built between 1059 and 1128) and also Giotto's Bell Tower. Apparently these three buildings form part of UNESCO World Heritage Site and when you are standing in this Piazza it is very clear to see why. 

Outside the Duomo, the kids sat down to have their picture drawn by a very talented caricature artist, which the kids thought was great fun. We also bought a painting , which I will share with you at a later stage. Our next and final visit was to the Piazza della Signoria, which is a lovely big square with an array of statues, including Michelangelo's David, which was sculpted as a declaration of civic solidarity of the Florence republic. The original is now held in the Accademia in Florence. Unfortunately this was closed on the day we went, but to be honest, we were happy to be in the Piazza and the kids thoroughly enjoyed looking at the various sculptures and having the freedom to run around. Also pictured (bottom left) above, is the work of Benvenuto Cellini's 1545 bronze sculpture of Perseus with the head of Medusa, which in my opinion is a masterpiece and by far my favourite statue on the Piazza. There are also many other wonderful statues, such as Hercules and Cacus, The Rape of Sabine, and Hercules slaying the Centaur among many others. 

As we walked back to our car through the beautiful Firenze and I knew that one day I would be back to spend a week so I can trawl through the city, visit the Museums, such as the Uffizi and soak up all the culture. The hours we had there were too short, but perfect for the kids at this age. We all loved it and I think it is a day we will all remember for the rest of our days. 

It was time to leave our lovely villa and head down to Rome. My wonderful husband drove us down and also around Rome (eek) to find our accommodation, I think he deserves a gold medal for achieving that!

Rome was manic, but wonderful. We jammed so much into two days, but we all loved it and it is a city like no other. This was my second visit here, so even though I felt a little familiar with some of it, the experience was completely different. This time I had my lovely family, including Ma and Pa and I think it was simply magic for them to see all these old buildings. One thing about being South African is that we have very short history as Cape Town was only founded by Jan Van Riebeeck  in 1652, so anything that goes further than that has the tendency to baffle our brains a little. 

We booked tickets to hop on and off the sightseeing buss and it was by far the best decision we made. We could easily get our wheelchairs on and somehow it also offered a little breather for Pa and my doh who worked so hard to get us round this magnificent city. If Florence was bad for wheelchairs, Rome, was somewhat worse, but again these men just took it in their stride and got on with it, so thank you!! On our first day we visited the Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre which back in the day could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. It was the largest amphitheatre of Roman Empire and work began under the Emperor Vespasian in 70 AD and was completed in the 80AD using stone and concrete for its construction. It is considered as the greatest work of Roman architecture and when you approach it, you completely understand why.

We also visited The Pantheon, which translates as the Temple for all gods. It is a great place to visit as it is free, the kids loved it and it is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome, so definitely worth a visit. The building is circular with a central oculus (opening) at the top, which is shown in the middle picture above.

Our second day there was by far the best day, we made our way to the top of the Spanish steps and for those of you who read this post you will know that there was an expectation for some fun on our holiday with our wheelchairs. I can tell you that there were many funny and happy moments where Pa tried to have a giggle and as expected he did not fail us on our way to the Spanish Steps. To get to the top we had to go down a steep road and lets just say the boys wanted to have fun! Fortunately the two woman are adrenalin junkies, so we were all up for it, not so sure the kids on our laps were too keen! By the time we got to the top everyone was ready for yet another gelato (ice cream) and seeing I couldn't eat any of them, I headed straight for the art. There were some really talented artist with some amazing work. I could have spent half a day just admiring the art and the view from the top of the Spanish Steps (as pictured bottom right). Fortunately we left with a beautiful oil painting of Tuscany that I have shown you here, but more about this story later on. We then managed to get to the bottom of the Spanish steps without taking the direct route (heehee), not that the men weren't tempted, just think of the endless possibilities for these guys! We enjoyed a lovely lunch sitting on the Spanish steps and the kids playing in the fountain, it was a moment I will always remember.

From here we went to the Trevi fountain, which illiterately means 'three street fountain', simply because three streets lead up to it. It's famous for featuring in movies such as Three Coins in a Fountain, La Dolce Vita, Roman Holiday (with Audrey Hepburn). We all enjoyed throwing a coin over a shoulder to make a wish. It is interesting to know that an average of 3000 coins per day is collected, averaging around $4,000 and the money is all given to the Catholic charity Caritas. The funds are used to provide services for needy families in Rome.

On our way home we stopped for our last supper and it was at this point where I asked the question that I ask my children every day, 'so what was your best bit today?'. Once they told me they returned the question to which I said buying the painting, it was at this point that I realised that we had left the painting at the entrance to a shop as we fled inside to shelter from the rain. Panic fuelled my veins, but somehow I knew it was highly unlikely that someone would have known that the painting was there. In an instant my doh (darling other half) was sent on a mission to find the painting. Not only was it expensive, but it was something that we both wanted to take back as memory of our holiday. It was a very long 30 minutes, and even though I was confident that he would come back with the painting, there was a small part of me that doubted the likelihood. Fortunately his fell running skills paid off and he was back in no time with the painting in hand. Phew, I think I almost cried, but it was a relief and it made me think of the book The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes. I am a big fan of  Jojo Moyes and have read most of her books, but if you havent' read this, treat yourself and get this book. It is captivating and intensely enjoyable.

The story behind our painting is so much more memorable and it wouldn't be hanging in our kitchen if it wasn't for my doh. I am a very lucky woman to have such a wonderful man in my life who never (well hardly ever) complains and always sticks by my side no matter what. I can honestly not be more happy to have met my soul mate and the love of my life and there is not a day that goes by where I am not grateful for the fact that our paths crossed.

We so enjoyed our holiday, every aspect of it and it was so very special to have shared it with Ma and Pa. We talk about it often and wish we were back there, but all good things have to come to an end. Fortunately we have wonderful memories that can keep it all alive!

'Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume.' (Jean de Boufflers)

Warm wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

August 2013 Italy - Part 1 (Tuscany)

Finally, a glimpse at our lovely holiday in Italy. We stayed in this very beautiful converted farm house, called Magnifica, that is situated on a horse farm in a lovely little village called Fauglia, just about 25 minutes from Pisa. The owner, Paula, grew up in this farm house and have since converted it into five beautiful apartments/villa's. We had three very spacious bedrooms and a lovely private outside area where we ate and enjoyed many happy moments, a beautiful lounge filled with wonderful books and a kitchen and dining room with the original fireplace. It couldn't have been any more perfect, as there were other kids to make friends with, a park for the kids to play in, a swimming pool, what more could you want. The gardens were what I would call 'National Trust gardens', they were very beautiful and there was no shortage of space for the kids to explore and run around in.

We spent quite a few days just enjoying this wonderful setting, soaking up the glorious atmosphere, just lounging at the pool and relaxing and it proved the perfect balance for our daily excursions. The kids would very happily have spent every day here as they just so loved having a pool to play in with their new friends. Josh started swimming without armbands just short of a month before we went on holiday and it was incredible to see him develop over these two weeks. He went from just swimming to diving in all the time, swimming to the bottom of the pool and being able to backward dives, dive bombs, you name it. He wanted to be in the water from the minute he got up and with 32C weather every day for the full duration of our holiday, who wouldn't. In fact it became a bit of a joke as there was a digital thermometer in the town advertising the temperatures, and my doh (darling other half) was convinced it was broken as it read 32C every day, until one night we had the luxury of having a meal without kids (thanks Ma & Pa) and on our way home it actually read 28C. Little Es started swimming without her arm bands for the first time and did it about 3 days before we left, which to be honest was a blessing as I don't think my nerve would have held it for much longer. Once the arm bands went, she became a little reckless, to the point of putting herself in danger, but we were all on tenterhooks and her swimming confidence kept on growing, from someone not wanting to dive in at all to someone permanently jumping in doing the the most hilarious killer wale dive I have ever seen, I was in stitches every time.

We enjoyed quite a few day trips out, firstly to the lovely city of Pisa, where the wonderful husbands pushed us around (I think one of their easier days, they were amazing!!) and we enjoyed lunch at a wonderful restaurant right by the side of the leaning tower of Pisa. No one braved the steps as the kids were to young, but it is something for the future. 

Our next trip, and most definitely one of my favourite places that we visited, was to a very beautiful city called Lucca. Lucca is set inside a ring of Renaissance walls fronted by lovely gardens and huge bastions. Apparently the city is reputed for once having seventy churches, which would explain the number of beautiful piazzas that we encountered around almost every corner. We indulged in to the big open spaces that hardly felt touristy and enjoyed seeing many people seeing the city from their bikes, something we would have loved to have done, but for now we were using our other wheels. Lucca was a great deal more wheelchair friendly than other places we visited and to be honest, I could happily visit Lucca for a week, just to lounge around in cafes soaking up the atmosphere and getting high on the treasures displayed in the very impressive antique markets. The markets take place every third weekend of the month and fortunately for us, our timing was perfect. I honestly could have spent a fortune and so wished we drove as I would have rammed the car full of very beautiful antiques. Everything there was to my taste and the fabrics and linens were simply to die for. I was very restrained and bought only a few bits (which I will show in another post), but I could have left with a great deal more. We visited the San Michele in Foro, which apparently has one of Tuscany's most stunning facades, pictured below the leaning tower of Pisa. The church is first mentioned in 795, but was rebuilt in 1070 and the facade was done by a famous architects in the 13th and 14th century. The picture of the horse drawn cart was taken in one of the Piazzas and so was the photo of the kids playing hide and seek. It was tranquil, relaxing, yet quilted with beautiful buildings.

One of my other little highlights was visiting the casa (house) of Puccini. Having spent many an hour in my life singing his opera's and arias I wanted to see where this Master of Music lived and I sneaked a picture of his piano, where he wrote most of his music. I felt a little emotional being in his house, and somehow felt a little connected with something that formed such a big part of my life for so many years. Everyone enjoyed Lucca, even the kids and I don't think any of us really wanted to leave that night. It is definitely a place I am going back to.

Being only 30 minutes away from a beautiful coastline, we spent on day at the beach, which I was so excited about before we left as I love the sea and so miss seeing it every day. The beaches weren't that great to be honest and even though we enjoyed our day there, we didn't really feel that we wanted to rush back. The beaches are all packed with loungers and it is very well set up, but for me it detract from the natural beauty of the coastline, that you just couldn't enjoy. 

We also took the kids to an amusement park as a little buttering up before they had to spend hours looking at ruins and what they would deem as 'boring' days out. It was a great, but very long day and my Ma and Pa were so wonderful throughout!! Both Ma and myself absolutely LOVE roller coasters and even though us two arrived in our wheelchairs, we decided that needs must we were going at the very front of this roller coaster and boy did we have fun. To be honest most probably not my best decision to date, but it is a memory that I will treasure for life. Our evenings were mostly spent at our casa and the sunsets were simply breathtaking. What I loved more than anything was just listening to the symphony of cicadas and insects playing to the darkness of the night.

Well if you have gotten this far, well done! I will share our trips to Firenze (Florence) and Rome with you very soon.

Wishing you all a very happy weekend.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

Holiday Makes & Granny Square Crochet

The last week has been somewhat busy, but I have tried to savour every minute before my babies started and returned to school yesterday. For days beforehand I felt so choked up, but it has happened and my little flower doesn't seem to like it one bit, gulp! Fortunately the first three weeks are staggered and with only a couple of hours in school everyday it will hopefully help her settle in and also give us some quality time when she gets home. I have been meaning to show and tell all about our wonderful holiday, but for now that will have to stay on the back burner for another couple of days. In the meantime I will quickly share the holiday crafty goodness with you.

For my lovely regular readers, you had a little peak to see what was in my bag to take on holiday to Italy and as always I was a little ambitious to say the very least. I knew beforehand that the objective of the holiday was to spend quality time with the whole family and to do little else and that my lovelies is exactly what I did. I pushed myself and had fun with the kids and enjoyed time with Ma and Pa just being, something I really miss, so all I have to show for that is the most wonderful memories that I will treasure for as long as I live. We did enjoy a couple of evenings where Ma showed me the ropes of embroidery and if I  had to show you all the photo's (which Pa took as he giggled at the sight of his rather clueless daughter), then you will all have a good old belly laugh. Unfortunately for you and fortunately for me I am not sharing these with you, but I will share a few, so without further ado.

 

 

I loved how the family just sat together in the evenings and enjoying some reading, talking and embroidery, it was so so wonderful. I took these little drawings I did with as I have something special in mind for them, but more about that when I finish them. It was such fun working the pretty lazy daisy stitch with Ma and learning how to do it properly.

 

 

I also took these sweet fairy drawings, which I got from this Doodle Stitching book, which is aimed at a future project. This was more fun than I could have imagined. The first time Ma showed me how to do ribbon embroidery, her exact words were: 'It is as easy as falling off a log!'. Now that might be the case if you are a frog sitting on a log by the bog (I love this sweet Usborne phonics story), but for this frog, who was rather agog, it was rather fun sitting with some ribbon by the bog, waiting to fall off a log. Ribbon embroidery is such fun and I am completely lost in the endless opportunities that it can conjure up. In fact I have already started a little ribbon embroidery project, which will take a great deal of time, but more on a later date.

 

For the fairies, we used a combination of stitches, including French knots, another great stitch. It is such a simple, yet effective stitch and I am actually using it a fair bit at the moment with another sweet little project I will share with you soon.

 

Now on to some crochet. This little flannel worked up quite quickly on the plane and for this I used Drops Paris Cotton and followed the Cotton Square flannels' pattern from the very lovely Granny Squares Crochet book, which I discuss in a little more detail later on. It is a sweet little project and I will definitely be making some more of these. I personally so enjoy seeing pretty home made cloths around the house to brighter up the bathroom and kitchen.

 

Three generations enjoyed an afternoon by the side of the pool where we sat together to do a little crocheting, trying to show little Es the 'ropes'.

 

Before we went away I had already started to work on my Lazy Days throw. I still needed to work quite a few squares to finish the first two rows and then 'join as I go'. I also made it a little bigger than the pattern as I wanted it to fit our bed, but to be honest I measured it on the bed in Italy, but as it turns out it might still be a little on the small side. The good thing about making something like this is that there are a myriad of uses for it, so it most certainly won't be waisted.

Thanks to a five hour drive to Rome and waiting around in airports, I managed to get the first part of it all together. I always think it takes twice as long to work the ends in than it does to actually crochet a square, but that's all part of the 'fun'. Even thought I haven't really touched the surface yet, there is something rather satisfying about getting the first stage of it done.

The pattern is from the lovely book Granny Square Crochet by Catherine Hirst. It was a gift from my doh (darling other half) for my birthday and what a wonderful gift it is turning out to be. Usually when I get a book, I feel inspired and there are a few projects that grab my eye, this book on the other hand has so many wonderful projects that I want to make and in fact I have already finished three of them and now working on the fourth. Each and every one of the projects I have finished have turned out lovely. The first being a pair of arm warmers, which I made as a gift for a bloggy friend, and then the flannel mentioned above and also a cowl which I worked up this week, but more on that at a later date. There are so many things that I really love about this book, the fact that it is so easy to understand and follow, that it uses UK terminology (I appreciate that this might not be helpful to everyone) and the fact that Catherine Hirst uses inexpensive yarns, such as Stylecraft Special amongst others. Furthermore it is also a lovely coffee table book to flick through as the photography, design and presentation is very pleasing to the eye.

For anyone interested in a good and easy to follow crochet book, this is the one. There are many wonderful and inspiriting crochet books out there, but this one is up there with them all. There are so many wonderful patterns in this book, and I have tried to captured only but a few for you to give you a feel for this wonderful and inspiring book.

1.Sunrise potholder, 2. Square flannels, 3.Granny bunting, 4.Cushion Cover, 5. Bedcover, 6. Tea cosy, 7. Arm warmers, 8. iPad and iPhone cover, 9.Granny Stripe Scarf.

There are so many project waiting to be put into action and I also have a little stall to prepare for at the end of the year so the next couple of months will be a busy time for creating and making, but more importantly also a time where my body is going to get some much needed time to heal and relax and I am really excited about the prospect of working on improved health. I have been waiting for this moment for so many years and it is so lovely to know that I will soon have my days to focus on my structured daily rest, but also to try and see if I cant get some further improvements that will last. For now though until the middle of September I am just going to make the most of the hours I can get with the lovely little Es and embrace this beautiful season Autumn that is slowly stepping closer to knock on our door.

 

I am feeling excited about Autumn, I love the changes that seasons bring and Autumn is definitely one of my favourite seasons. I love the colours and the smell. For now our garden is still holding on to that summer feeling, like many of us I suspect after such a glorious summer, and it is looking beautiful with so many flowers joyfully singing. The roses are still flowering and the Rudbeckia have just opened their beautiful dancing yellow petals. I really love this gorgeous plant, it has such attitude and charisma and there is something special about having your garden bask in their yellow glow when autumn comes calling.

Before I go, I wanted to say thank you to all you lovely readers for always leaving such wonderful comments and being so supportive. You are all amazing and so very lovely and I wanted you to know that you add a little brightness to my days, so thank you so much for that. As a little thank you a bouquet from our garden, especially for you.

 

Wishing you all a very happy and creative weekend ahead.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo 

Ciao

We are back and we had the most wonderful two and a bit weeks away in Italy. I feel so lucky that we spent time with my folks in one of the most beautiful parts of the world and my heart yearns to go back and also to be with my parents again. Why is it that when you get older there is this great need to have time with your parents, am I alone on this? For me, I would love to have mum around the corner so we can natter over cups of tea and whilst creating and also for our kids to spend time with their grandparents, it is such a special relationship. Fortunately I did have these two very special weeks and Ma & Pa (I know you read this!) you are both very special and I love you!

 

I generally embrace the idea of coming home, there is something special about being in your own space and bed, but this time, I could have happily stayed in Italy forever, a girl can but dream. The first sight that greeted us were our newly painted doors and windows and yes it made me smile, it's finally done and I am so pleased with the end result. This was followed by a very overgrown garden that's in dying need of some loving hands. The pesky weeds have been having regular parties here in our absence, as to be expected, and it most certainly looks like they've been having far too much fun.

 

 

 

 

There is something special about walking through your front door when you get back and once I was inside, it felt good to be home and although I was faced with washing and unpacking and a zillion other jobs, there is always a little part of me that wants to hold on to that relaxed feeling that somehow only holidays can bring. The reality, it didn't last past a couple of minutes, but we are slowly getting back in the swing of things. I have made some progress with catching up on blog reading, with a little more to go, so sorry if I haven't gotten around to all of your lovely blogs as yet. It was my intention to do a little blog reading whilst away, but the internet connection was just a little temperamental and after the first couple of days, I decided to take a break from it all and it was the best decision. It was truly relaxing and there was a very big part of me that loved it more than I would like to admit to myself. It did bring up many questions about how much time we spend on and with technology every day, but I kinda like it and it has been great to catch up on what you have all been up to, you are such an inspiration to me.

 

I intend to do a couple of posts to cover the holiday, really as a record for us, but also for the rest of my family to share. In the meantime, I am going to make the very most of the last couple of days with my little lovelies as school starts the middle of next week and yes my baby is starting school, so big changes ahead, not sure I am really ready for them to be honest.

 

 

We have done a little baking and little Es helped me to work through the jungle to pull up some lovely looking garlic, carrots and beans. We also indulged in one of our apples, which are a great deal tastier than anticipated, I love this element of surprise.

 

 

 

One of the first things I love to do is to fill the house with flowers from the garden. There is something very special about having flowers in the house and I so love this beautiful red rose of ours, its fragrance is beyond heavenly and there is something so magical about Angel's Blush, I love the way these beautiful clumps are shaped out of delicate white flowers. I fortunately managed to get a small posy of sweet peas for the house, but the next step is to get all the seeds for next year's planting.

The first photo was taken shortly after we arrived in  Fauglia, Tuscany and was taken from the car. I absolutely love Sunflowers and have failed miserably this year with the ones we have planted, but even though the sunflower season was drawing to an end in Italy, we were fortunate enough to find this one field with perfect sunflowers dancing to sun, such a delight.

 

 

I will be back soon with a some goodies from our trip, and also to share the crafty bits that made the holiday even more enjoyable. A very big and warm welcome to my new followers, it is so lovely of you to stop by and I look forward to getting to know you a little better.

 

Wishing you all a very happy Thursday.

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

 

Crochet potholder and sweet memories

Today I just quickly wanted to share a couple of things that has put a smile on my dial over the last couple of weeks. I personally love logging these little memories as I know in years to come I can smile again as I look back on them.

 

Some rather lovely parcels all the way from Australia. The first was my little prize I won in Mezz's lovely giveaway. They are two super cute magnets that she made herself and they look great on our fridge, so thank you Mezz! The second parcel really warmed my heart and was from the very lovely Leisa at Vintage Bird Girl, whom I have grown rather fond off over the last couple of months. She is such a darling and sent me this lovely thank you card and this very gorgeous hankie. It couldn't have come to a better home as I love hankies and use them every day.

A pic of little Es on her last day at preschool, and the only one where she isn't picking her nose (:-)). A shame I can't show the one of J as he has too many other kids around him.

 

Now on to some crochet. I saw this rather lovely looking mandala pattern in this month's Simply Crochet magazine and I just had to make it. It was a fun little project to work whilst getting hooked on the BBC's series Silent Witness. They have just finished showing the 16th series, yes I know we are centuries behind the rest of the world, but that's pretty normal for us. This now means that we have some serious catching up to do with 15 series' to get through, so I can see a request for a couple of these box sets going on a Christmas list this year. Are any of you watching this and have you been following it all the way? What do you make of the earlier series'? What other series are you in to? It's always good to get some suggestions on what to watch.

 

For this project I used Paris Drops Cotton and once I got in the swing of things it was pretty straight forward and it looks rather lovely on our island in the kitchen. The first picture is before blocking it and the second after. It makes such a difference. Something I am still to do for this potholder below.

 

 

I have been wanting to make this potholder for so long as I have been crocheting, so for around two years, time flies when you're having fun! You can find the pattern on Ravelry for free and I used Aunt Lydia's No.3 Crochet Cotton in Scarlet, Pine Green and Natural, all bought from Rainbow Silks. I played around with the colour for the back as the pattern is for a plain natural back and I quite like a little red mixed in. I really enjoyed working with this crochet cotton it was much softer than some of the other mercerised crochet cottons that I have worked with in the past. It won't be long before I purchase a little more of this as I am already planning the next potholder project.

 

I found this lovely macrame plant hanger in the charity shop for £1. I love these and always try and buy them when I can get my hands on them. They always remind me of my childhood and I wouldn't mind giving it a go one day. Have any of you had a go at making one of these? In the meantime I have also been inspired by Dottie Angel's 'peachy-plant-pocket-handy-hangers', which is such a spiffy take on it.

  

  

Hope you are all keeping well wherever you are. This week feels like it's on fast forward. I have a few more posts coming your way, so will be back soon.

 

Warm wishes

Hannapat

xoxo