Presenting...Our New Home

Removing some bushes that blocked  our precious sun

It has been  a couple of weeks now since we moved in. As keen as we have been to get right into tidying the place up, the weather has has other ideas - Snow, flooding, sub-zero temperatures, howling winds. So we jumped at the prospect of a sunny Saturday to put up a (massive) kitset shed - but that is a post for another day.

I managed to take a few photos of the empty house when we moved in. I thought I would compare them to how we have the place looking now and I must say it feels like HOME. Bliss.

 Thia is part of our 'U-shaped open plan Kitchen/Living'. The kitchen is to the right and the exposed brick is the back of the fireplace which is in the lounge. 

 This is the back of the fireplace close up. The wooden cabinet came as a chattel and it makes for handy storage! The bricks in the ceiling fell down in the quake and have been removed and replaced with a  modern flue, so the brick is there for decoration and awesomeness.

 Our sunny lounge! Fireplace on the right. Once we get EQC through the place we will be changing the wall colour yay! It is growing on me slightly though. 

The Multi-Coloured Hallway! Bleugh!!!

Not quite sure what was going on here but once again, hanging out for EQC to paint this monstrosity. My vintage bike and suitcases slightly make things better.

The mantlepiece/sewing corner/unorganized chaos

Loving the mirrors and the old printing frame.

So there you have a wee sneak peek into our tiny new home. The outside is a story for another day.

xx

Diary of a Derby Girl {Two Months In}

I can't believe that more than two months have gone by since I began skating. It seems like forever but also like I am still such a newbie. (I am, no doubt  about that!)

We are getting more into the swing of things now, Fresh Meat trainings are more familiar, coaches generally know our names, and our group of freshies is becoming quite tight.

Looking back on my last post, I can already see my progress. The basic skills are becoming second nature and I am getting stronger. The most obvious case is my balance on my bad leg (we all have one side that Just.Won't.Work). Two weeks ago I was only able to get my foot off the ground for a millisecond, now I can confidently glide around one straightaway and one corner (as per skills test requirements).

Speaking of skill tests, we have our non-contact basic skills test tomorrow. Covering the easy and not-so-easy basic skills. You may have heard that the Minimum Skills Requirements have been updated at the beginning of the year. The most contested of these is the change from 25 laps in 5 minutes to 27 laps in 5 minutes. Thats 11.1 seconds per lap! Luckily we are not being tested on that part just yet. We are focussing on whether we can skate correctly, if we can balance well, if we can stop quickly and if we can fall without being a danger to others or ourselves.
I am quietly confident that I will pass, although any slight mistake could change that (be nice please Mrs Assessor!)
Wish us freshies luck!

Photography credits: Pamela Wade Photography & Amber Field

Home.

We did it. We made it into our first home. It still feels like it's a flat, like we have to give it up or ring the landlord but I think slowly it is sinking in that this little house is ours. For as long as we want it. To do whatever we want with. We already have Plans. Dreams. To make this place better, more accessible, more us.

But first, how awesome is the door knocker!! It was already on the door! Perfect for this crafty fox.
Here are some snippets of our house - more when I remember where I put the camera cable!

The Pizza Oven. Bath attached. Severely damaged from the earthquake but who knows what will happen this summer!

My craft space. In the lounge. The only other thing I can't find is my box of trinkets to go in the printing frame.

The mantlepiece. Makes me smile whenever I look at it.

Dave getting stuck into some landscaping. Our 'established section' has become less Jungle and more Cottage. We got two trailer loads of green waste from that afternoons effort!

Finally, the fireplace. So stoked (pun) to finally have a fireplace to keep this house cozy. Added bonus of a heatpump too for those nights we are too lazy or not in for long.

I am excited to do house tours as we become more and more hospitable. Invite yourself over for dinner sometime, we would love to have you! It's board game weather too.

Xx

Crochet Ripple Baby Blanket

At the very last minute, an hour before the recipient of this blanket was due to arrive, I put the finishing touches to this blanket.

It has been a sort of medium-term project, it took me just over a month to finish. I used some super soft washable merino baby wool in black, white and a not-quite-pastel, not-quite-lime green. I love the black/white and one other colour combo so you will probably see it pop up more in my projects.

The blanket is not quite cot sized, more like a capsule blanket or cuddle blanket.
I used 3x 50gm balls of each colour then about half a ball for the border.

I used Attic 24's Ripple Pattern and Wires and Yarns pattern to make a straight edge on a ripple. Basically anyway. I tend to mess up somewhere down the line and improvise the rest of the way. At least my sides aren't too wonky.

I am excited that a baby will soon be snuggled up in this blanket, it's like me being there when I can't physically be there. This baby boy will be super warm and cozy.