Sewerby Hall and Gardens

Making the most of the sunny winter weather this half term, we bundled into the car yesterday, picked up one of Imogen's friends and went up the coast to visit Sewerby Hall.

There's plenty to see and do, the grand Georgian listed house to tour, a small zoo and beautiful gardens.   We didn't go in the house as it's not easy to access in a wheelchair, but if you can cope with a few hilly slopes, the grounds are very disabled friendly. There are lots of walks and in the Summer it must be a beautiful place to sit amongst the flowers and have a picnic. We walked through the walled gardens and rose gardens... I can imagine they will look beautiful in a few months time.

 There were crops of Snowdrops everywhere you looked, one of my favourite flowers

 And lots of what looked like very well fed, friendly squirrels

These squirrels definitely look quite chubby compared to the ones in our local park!

There was a zoo just off the courtyard, where we were greeted firstly by a Degu.

 There were larmas

 and Alpacas

Pigs and some goats

 and lots of different birds

Capuchin monkeys

 and I think our favourites were the penguins and lemurs

Loving that tail!

There was a small craft area in the courtyard selling beeswax candles and creams. Imogen made a candle to bring home with us, rolling the wax the same way the Vikings first made candles.

It was a lovely day out, finished off with a drive by the coast and fish and chips on the seafront watching the waves.

Take care
xxx

Beautiful Matryoshka

Every time I look at this beautiful Russian Nesting doll, my Matryoshka, it brings a smile to my face.

My wonderful husband bought them for my birthday, they are all traditionally hand painted in bright, cheerful colours

When I started undoing them, I couldn't believe how tiny they were getting... another one... another even smaller one, each carrying another surprise inside it. Traditionally they should all be made from the one piece of wood, this helps them fit neatly and cleanly into each other.

Each one is hand painted, from the largest to the smallest. See how tiny she is, like a little button!

The biggest set of Matryoshka dolls was seen in Japan in 1970, it had 72 dolls! As each one is hand made, this was quite a feat! My set has 10, and that seems a lot!

I'm busy making a table runner with crochet motifs at the moment, will take photos when it's ready.

Take care

xxx

Something Sweet

I'm more of a savoury fan then sweet, but it's always nice to have something sweet to nibble on, especially as school finished today for half term.

Yummy cup cakes... just needing a little extra something...

So sweet...

Lovely with a nice cup of tea,  beautifully light... and very sweet.

Have a lovely weekend

Take care
xxx

A Happy Birthday

It seems to have come around even quicker... another birthday, another year older and we never need an excuse to have another lovely family day together.

My birthday fell on a Saturday this year so we were able to all spend the day together. I was very spoilt with lots of presents, though the best part is all being able o spend quality time with each other. We had a lovely afternoon in Sigglesthorne, a spot of lunch and a wander around the garden centre. 

Beautiful flowers

I also had lots of other goodies I must take pictures of. 

We had a birthday party tea with party hats and followed by party games at the table.

Mitzi is doing well after her op. When she went back a couple of days after for her follow up she had a bit of a temperature so has been taking antibiotics, last day today though and everything seems to be healing well.

Every time I tried to take her photo, she has such a pretty face, she just turned away! I tried to bribe her with treats, but she ate them then just sniffed about for more!

Take care

xxx

A Cosy Day

We finally have some snow up here in East Yorkshire. I can appreciate it from the warmth and cosiness of indoors unlike my sweet Imogen who wasn't quite as impressed as she had to walk and slide to school in it, and Hubby said the roads weren't too good on his way into work, though fine (except for our little street) by the time he came home.

Our priority was keeping ourselves warm today, lots of snuggling up

Doesn't everyone look cosy...

Little Mitzi (above) is booked in to be spayed tomorrow, so lots of extra cuddles today!

A little cosy crochet too for a little one to keep her warm in this wintery weather. I love how quick it is to whip up baby items, I wish I'd been able to crochet when my children were babies.

Keep warm & take care
xxx

Warming Winter Food

We had such a mild winter last year and it was looking as though this year was going to be the same... then the snow arrived. Or so we've been told... it seems to have snowed over almost the whole country except us! We had a few flakes, but nothing that's really settled. The main problem has been the horrendous gale force winds, our poor greenhouse has taken a real bashing!

It is feeling chilly though and it's nice to come home to something warming after being out in the cold.

Last night we finished what was left from the stew from the night before. Lots of hearty vegetables and I made some dumplings to help make it go a bit further on a second day.

This is my beautiful new pot that I treated myself to before Christmas. I find myself just looking at it and feeling happy, can you tell how much I love it!

No dumplings for me as I'm not very keen, but hubby enjoyed them. The pictures aren't their best due to the steam coming from the pot!

Today was a leftovers day too, one of our favourites. I had some gammon left from earlier in the week and it needed using. Chopped it up and popped it in a dish with some leeks and potatoes.

Then I made a basic white sauce (flour, butter and milk) and added some ground black pepper and a little mature cheese. I'm trying to use pepper as often as I can, I do like it, but have heard it's good for high blood pressure... anything that helps!

After pouring the sauce over the dish making sure all the contents are covered, I brushed some beaten egg around the rim and covered the dish with pastry. Good covering of egg to help crisp up, over the top and a couple of slits to let the steam escape.

About 20 minutes in the oven.

It was delicious with some peas and mash.

Warm tummies to fight off the wintery cold outside.

Take care
xxx

I Think I'm Regressing!

I think it may be official, I'm slipping back into my childhood, but do you know what... I don't mind in the slightest if it means I get to play with my toys!

My latest find from our local hospice shop is a beautiful little pram with a doll. I have to say I was far more excited about the pram even though it had a horrible stale smoke odour to it.

As with anything 'new' coming into the house, it had to be checked out by other family members

My first job was to remove any fabric and wash it straight away. There was a sweet little 'silk' pillow and cover included too, but they were frayed beyond repair... and I'm looking forward to making some new ones.

After a good wipe down and with freshly laundered bedding, the smell had vanished and it was looking beautiful

I thought it was just the time to make a doll to sit in it, out with the crochet hook, and here's Mindy

I'm very pleased with her. She has a hat, dress, knickers and maryjane shoes all matching with sweet little bunny buttons

She didn't take long to make, though it took a bit of patience to hook each strand of hair in individually, but worth it.

My list of thing I want to make this year is already so long, what sre other people planning for this year?

Take care
xxx