Half term fun

What happens when you don't blog for over a week? Well if you're me then you have even more to say than usual! So hold on to your seats and see what we've been up to.

Last Friday Raj, our youngest was seven. So the day before was spent in the usual baking and decorating frenzy that surrounds birthdays in our house. He needed a cake for school and one for his party in the afternoon. Then for some reason I decided to make pizza for the guests to eat. Thankfully, Amber was off school with bad period pain and I persuaded her that she should keep busy to take her mind of it. So she made rocky road, chopped carrots and red pepper, made pizza dough, wrapped presents. By the time the five children came back from school for the party we were ready to collapse. The party was a great success and the highlight was a little puppet show that a boy from Amber's class did. I do handwork with this boy and discovered how good he was at voices and acting. So I asked him if he would do a show for Raj. I must confess to you all that for most of the party I sat in the kitchen and chatted with an old friend - you see Rohan wanted to do all the games so I let him. He was so good with the little ones - he did pass the parcel, blind man's buff, musical statues, put-the-features-on-the-face (a sort of pin the tail on the donkey) and a few more that he'd made up. So all in all I think Raj had a pretty good day. You know I really struggled with what to give him this year - what with it being so close to Christmas and him being the third one and having everything already. In the end I got him a swingball and knitted him this tank top. It's just like the madder one I made before which he wears all the time. This one is knitted with aran wool that I dyed with indigo:

Then on Saturday we went off to Devon for a few days as it's our half term this week. The weather was OK and we managed to get out and about most mornings. We visited a donkey sanctuary where the children kept pleading with me to get one of our own!

We saw the (now) famous ship that ran aground near Branscombe beach. You must have heard of it - the cargo was washed up on the beach and people or were they called looters, came from afar to pinch things. You couldn't actually get onto that beach but we happened to walk down from the donkey place and ended up nearby:

We saw lots of lovely houses:

We played scrabble and other board games and watched the old Parent Trap with Hailey Mills one afternoon. What a lovely film.

Upon our return I had to take all the washing down to the launderette for a service wash because our washing machine conked out last week. Gosh, I must say I could get used this. I just took down two black bin bags and it came back three hours later, clean, dry and folded. I just had to put it all away in the drawers. Mind you it did cost £14 but boy was it worth it. Sadly, it does make better economic sense to buy a new washing machine so I've just ordered a Bosch. Do you know you can now get spin speeds of 1200 and 1400? I guess you do if you've replaced your machine in recent years (we've had ours for 15 years).  How will I cope when I've been used to 1000? I'm already planning my first wash so I can see how dry it's going to come out. Is that the only excitement I have in my life - spin speeds of washing machines?!

I'd promised the children ages ago that I would make doughnuts sometime and as our young friend is back from her gap year it had to be this week. The recipe is from the 'Bread Book' and is basically a rich brioche dough. They are far too easy to make except for the deep frying but no - that's easy too. Here they are sizzling away. We only managed one each at the first sitting but the children are having a break from a 1957 Famous Five film and have just come back for another one each. Tomorrow, I'm going to try making crumpets and it's scones and clotted cream apparently - we bought some back from Devon. My jeans are already feeling too tight around the waist...........

I'll just leave you with a pic of a jumper I'm knitting for Rohan. It's just a bog standard Debbie Bliss pattern. This one is also aran wool but dyed with goldenrod and then dipped in indigo. It's a bit of a limey green and I'm tempted to dip it in indigo once it's finished just to darken it a bit. Not sure - I hope the boy wears it regardless - he's not one for knitted things anymore. Partly because he doesn't seem to feel the cold and partly cos he lives in his Mini Boden fleece.

Amber meanwhile has jumped on the 'grannie square blanket' bandwagon as you can see. We bought some wool at Coldharbour Mill. I think she's planning to join them all up with some pink wool:

Well, that's all for now folks. I'm still piecing togther bits of my parent's story so will post about that soon.

Comments

[stephanie s]

lately, all i have been doing is repeating in my head, 'i love doughnuts more than anything else in the whole world', and THEN! HERE! are what look like the worlds best. simmy, they look delicious!!!! now i want to make them. and eat them!!!

[Ash]

Happy birthday to your baby! We have someone turning 7 in a week here too - what a wonderful age it is.

I am also at a loss about what to get him for his birthday. He wants more K'Nex or Lego but all I can find are things that either cost the earth or are terribly violently themed. I think we'll stick with books.

Love your doughnuts and the granny squares and the tanktop. I should make some of those (doughnuts and tank tops) for my boys.

[Melissa]

Oh my, I love that indigo vest. I'd love to know where you got the pattern from so I could make my 3 yr old son one for Easter sunday? Thanks, Melissa http://wishesdreamslove.blogspot.com/

[Georgia]

Simmy, good to have you back, and good to hear that you are having a wonderful break with the kids. We're on break here too, but after an eventful start to the week with a weekend of skiing, we are all moping around at home with colds. Still it's been great to bake with the kids and have an excuse to hang out, watch movies and crochet...

[Rowan]

Is there no end to Amber's talents? Lucky you to have so much help preparing for Raj's party, sounds as though he had a lovely birthday. Wish him a belated Happy Birthday from me.I love the colour of the jumper you are making for Rohan, are you still planning to darken it with indigo? Glad you enjoyed your break in Devon, it's a lovely county, we went there most summers when I was a little girl.It's years since I was last there though, Jules was 9 or 10 I think.

[Sue]

I love the little tank top you knitted for your son's birthday. It is quite sad when they dont like wearing handknits any more isnt it. The weather here is too hot to wear handknits at the moment, and I am just waiting for some cooler weather to arrive so I can knit some more for them. My son is 13 now so maybe an adult sweater for future use will be handy. I cant wait to see the green one finished, the color looks great.

[littlejennywren]

Those doughnuts look delicious. I love hot fresh doughnuts with sugar and cinnamon. If they are so easy I will try making some.

[suse]

Our youngest turned 8 last week and boy I know what you mean about struggling for gift ideas. Not only is it too close to Christmas but he is the youngest of three BOYS so he really has everything.

Guess what we bought him? (and I am too embarrassed to blog about this so you are getting secret information here): an electric toothbrush. How's that for terrible? But it's all he wanted and so I caved. The grin on his face when he opened it was worth it though. Talk about funny.

Happy birthday Raj!