A Time To Remember

I will try and have 2 minutes siliance at eleven but not sure Flynn knows how to be quiet.

Ups and Downs

Our Wellies just waiting to go out for a walk

It seems an absolute age ago we were on holiday and I really haven't had the time or the words to write a post about what we got up to but over the next few post I thought I would throw in some of the 726 photo's I took.

A tree (me trying to be artistic)

Since we've been back it's been a roller coaster, emotions, thoughts, plans and changes. I'm not sure whether I'm coming or going half the time and the other half I'm to tired to care.

The view from our living room window

My life feels a bit of a mess at the moment with lots of holes, created by me. May be it's just one big hole that just keeps getting deeper, I trust there's another way out. The good, the bad and the ugly are in these holes or hole.

Mr Curly the Lonk

The good,our children, they are the biggest part of my life, they are also the hardest part. I wish they came with a instruction manual and may be an off button (just occasionally). Sometimes i question my parenting decisions, the biggest one to date is did I make the right thing taken them out of school. I really believe that the school was doing a very good job with their education but I'm not sure I'm doing much better. To start with it was all going great, it certainly made a difference to us as a family unit and there was a fair bit of school work being done. Now not so much school work gets done, that is we don't sit down at the table as much as we did. I'm sure children learn through day to day play, talking, reading and even watching telly but is this enough.

This cute little robin was just waiting to have his photo taken.

The bad, our marriage, why is it that two people who love each other so much find it so hard it feels like we're constantly climbing up hills.

I waited so long for this man and there was a lot of heart break but I thought it would be all worth it in the end. The thing is I had a dream of what life would be like with him and honestly its nothing like the dream.

The thing is I had a taste of what I thought life was going to be like with him when we were on holiday. Living in the country, nice house, lots of family time, boy why does it have to be so hard.

The ugly, this house, I've never felt at home here, I've tried, really tried. This house was Mike's choice probably for all the wrong reasons but I went along with it anyway, hoping that we wouldn't still be here 12 years later but here we are. We have looked at buying somewhere else in the past but never outside of Yeovil and I guess mine or Mike's heart was never really in it but for very different reasons. Mike has only ever lived in Yeovil actually he has lived in four homes and they are all with in a mile of each other. Me on the other hand I was never in one place for very long and my heart really is in the country. We can't move right now as like most people money is a big factor.

So if I want a home I best start excepting the fact that this is where it's going to been for the for see able future and my marriage if it's going to work I best get my climbing shoes on.

Thank you for listening I already feel better for just talking about it.

Have a good week

Joanne x

Welcome Home
Or may be not.
After two fantastic weeks holiday in the Peak District, none of us were looking forward to coming home I just didn’t realise how much or that it would effect my mood so much. I know most people would feel low about going home after a holiday but it really has put me in a very depressed state. Just ask my friend Alex, poor girl I was on the phone to her crying with in an hour of getting in the front door.
Oh that’s enough of that I’ll save it all for another day instead I would like to share some of our holiday with you.

The Children and I outside our cottage

The pasture leading out to the open fields

Tales from Meadow View.
The excitement in the car is building as we drive along the long and winding road, Tallon starts to remember, it really isn’t far now, he recalls the white horse in the field on the left would he still be there, yes, he’s still there Bramble (our name for him) it’s like we’ve always been here. Lily and Flynn sit up the excitement spreads to them. We take the next left, up the steep winding road at the top to the right stands Mam Tor, an iron age hill fort with history and attitude.
Will we walk up to the summit of this remarkable Tor?
On the left a large group of parascenders soar above the hills as the Autumn sun tinges the slopes.
As we leave Mam Tor behind us and start the descent down the sheer, winding road into the Valley of Edale Flynn reminds us all of the broken house on the side of the road where we have to turn left into the lane which leads us to Ollerbrook. I remember this lane well, last year Mike and I thinking this can’t be it but how wrong we were. Over the railway bridge a bit further around the bend just a few hundred yards then there it is Cotefield farm, we’ve reached our destination and right on cue Mrs Gee is there to meet us. Mrs Gee (farmers wife) is such a lovely friendly person she even remembers us and say’s she can’t believe how much all the little guys have grown but especially Lily who she thinks has not only grown in height but doesn’t look like such a little girl, more like a young lady.lady.
Mrs Gee shows us into Meadow View our home for the next two weeks, shows us the bedrooms and the main living room and how the heating works then leaves us to settle in.
Just as last year we are made so welcome Mrs Gee has left us a pint of milk, tea bags and home made biscuits. So first things first Mike puts the kettle on for a cuppa and the little ones go off and explore first the house then the farm.
Mike and I sit and enjoy the quiet, we here at last, 15 months of saving our pennies, crossing off the months, the weeks and then the days has come to an end the country dream starts here.
Our Cottage, Meadow View is stunning not only is the view beautiful but the interior is lovely, simple and clean. This cottage has three bedrooms all en-suite. The Master bedroom and one twin room is downstairs and upstairs is the living area with TV, DVD and sky free view not that you need that as there is far to much to see and do. There is also a collection of books some about the areas history and the people who have lived here and some fiction. Also upstairs is the kitchen which is very well equipped with all your essential cooking needs and everything you need to wash up or if you prefer you could use the dishwasher.
Mike and I can’t believe our luck in finding this place because it is so fantastic and it’s in the centre (well near enough)of the Peak District we are already talking about when we are coming back. No matter how long we spend here it will never be enough time to do everything we want to. There is so much to see and do.
Ollerbrook is one of 5 hamlets or Booths as they are known. It’s a fantastic location it feels like you are in the middle of no where with just the sound of birds, sheep for company. There are footpaths in every direction for you to go exploring whether it’s just a short walk into Edale the charming unspoiled village, one of the other Booths or for the real keen walker the Nags Head in Edale is the official start to the 260mile (give or take some)Pennine Way.
I don’t think I could ever find a more enchanting, breathtaking place than Derbyshire. It is a place of escape. It’s landscape with it’s many moods, it never ceases to amaze me, on occasions it even brings me to tears with its exhilarating wilderness, dramatic gorges, gentle dales and craggy moor lands. It embraces winding rivers and still waters and great country estates.

Never have I been to any place before where such a deep love for the countryside keeps old traditions alive. The market towns, villages and hamlets are all a living breathing history of this.

Ok if your still with me thank you and I hope you’ll come back over the next few days to hear about how we spent our days in this wonderful part of our country.
Good night for now
Joanne x

Just 5 more sleeps.

How very excited we all are.

There are just 5 more sleeps ( this is how we count down days in this house) before we go on holiday to the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire.

We're staying in a gorgeous cottage on a working sheep farm i the Edale Valley.

We haven't planned much just a couple of days, one at Gulliver's a small fun fair park and the other a long awaited day is at Chatsworth House.

The rest of the time will be spent exploring, lots of walking and lots of relaxing.

I do have a request, if anyone who reads my blog knows this area I would love to know of any other places of interest and if there are any local markets that might be around.

Now on to some other exciting news, well I think it's exciting.

My dear friend Alex popped around this morning I had asked her to try and show me how to crochet. Last time I tried I just couldn't get the hang of it. So being the good friend she is this morning she turns up with some patterns to make flowers and this is what I have achieved with a lot of help from Alex.

Thank you so much Alex

The photo below is of me (yes not a very attractive)

using the new head touches that Mike has bought for the children for our holiday but they're great for knitting when the light is so poor in our bedroom.

I probably won't have much time to blog before we go on our jollies, so I hope every one has a pleasing rest of October and I'll see you (so to speak) when we get back.

Joanne x

Amazingly, Breathtaking

The only thing missing for me was Mr Darcy.

Welcome to

Brympton d’Evercy

One of Somerset’s best hidden secrets!

Through the wonderful world of blogging I have had the pleasure of meeting Susan Ashman, Susan owns an interior design company and has been given the amazing job of restoring this beautiful house.
The project has opened up other opportunities and Susan with her good friend Lindy and the family who owns the house are going to be running residential courses on the history of interior design and hopefully other courses. Please visit Susan at her blog for more information.
All courses will be run from this magnificent house.
Now this is where I came in, Susan came across my blog and left a comment so in return I went on over to her blog where I found out what she was up to and I just happened to mention that I lived very close to this wonderful house but had never been in it as it’s not open to the public (yet) and she kindly asked me to go for a cup of tea but a few emails later and a phone call that cup of tea turned into a stay and an invite to a trial run of her interior course all free of charge, it took me all of two seconds to say yes and just a couple of hours later it was sorted Mike’s mum was having the children on
the Tuesday and Mike was taking Wednesday of work all so I could indulge myself and have a night away in one of the most breathtaking Country houses I had ever seen never mind stayed in.
My good friend Alex had also been asked to join in and again not as quickly as me but eventually had snapped at the chance.
We arrived together and was meet by Susan and Jane another lady who was there to enjoy the pleasures of Brympton.

Our two days of pure indulgence started here.
Now I can go on a bit and I’m not sure that I have the right words to describe my time here so I’ll just show you some of my photo’s rather than whittle on about it.

The Great Hall

(yes that's me stood by the fire)

The back of the house



Wouldn't these steeps just make the perfect setting for wedding photo's.

The Star room where we ate lunch and breakfast.

Alex an I at the top of the grand stairs just before dinner.

This stair case is the longest straightest stair case in England

Now that's a wedding photo to be had.

The sitting room

Afternoon tea was taking in this room.

Not a great photo but this is the library, 80 meters of Gainsborough Silk was used to make these curtains not something you could do on the kitchen table.

Dinner is served sorry again not a great photo but please take into account I was fighting to hold back the tears by now.

A view from across the lake back towards the house.

A slightly better photo of the library curtains.

Let me just say this, the house may have a long way to go before it is finished, does a house this size ever have a finish? But it bought me to tears on more than one occasion.
The work that Susan and her company have already done, is incredibly breathtaking.
When we went down for our evening meal on Tuesday I did not know what to expect, all I knew was we were to have drinks in the library and our meal in the dinning room, I’m wailing up just thinking about it.
The grand reveal of the curtains in the library were just amazing.

All done in Gainsborough silk, they made the windows stand out so so tall and grand but then we were lead through to the dinning room, words can not express how I felt, to be a guest of the families at dinner, sat in the room with all it’s grandeur, I never in a million
years thought, I, little old me would have this opportunity. I’m sorry this piece of writing does not do it justice but I’m not a great writer.
Just know that I was blown away with the house, the family and their kindness but most off all Susan for inviting me and giving me this chance.
Again I am lost for words but would just like to say
Thank you Susan, you are a very generous lady, such a warm down to earth kinda girl.
I wish you well with this assignment and any future plans you may have for Brympton House.


Joanne x

P.S I could of said a lot more but not being a great writer I find it hard to express myself well and stay on the story in which I am trying to tell.

Please visit Jane at her blog as she has also written a post on the days spent here and I'm sure when Alex has the time she will also write about it.

Oh wow yet another week has passed with out me blogging, Where did the rest of the week and the weekend go? who ever stole these days please could I have them back.

Note to one’s self, must get more balance in life. The beginning of the week was very tranquil and calm and then wham, not even enough time to sit down with a nice cup of tea and relax, I mean I did drink tea just not in one of those quiet moments when you really enjoy it.

So the rest of the week kind of passed in a blur.

I spent the next few days sorting stuff out for our house/attic sale. Lots of card making bits and pieces, wool and needles by the bag full and fabric by the box full where did it all come from.
Children’s toys and clothes, clothes that I had bought for myself and never worn and so much
more. Well Saturday came the weather was gorgeous so we put all out on the front lawn for the world to see, it went OK and we made a nice bit of cash to put into the holiday fund.
The little guy had spent Friday night at his Aunties but was back home Saturday morning, he wanted to come home and see Mummy doesn’t sound like Flynn. He looked rather tired and wiped out. His Auntie put this down to a late night and a very early morning. OK so he was tired but he was also poorly with a very high temperature and feeling sick, so we didn’t see much of him over the weekend as he spent most of it asleep.

I spent Sunday tidying up, having the sale also gave me a chance to sort a lot of other stuff out so downstairs is looking a bit more normal now and back to how it was before the little guys started home schooling and when I had more time to keep it tidy. I do miss having a uncluttered, organised home.

Monday morning Tallon and Lily had appointments at the dentist lucky Mike was starting work late, he was going to look after Flynn but as I got up and was sick and had a bad head he took the other two to the dentist for me and I stayed home with Flynn who was still not feeling to special himself.
As mum was feeling poorly we had a day off school and had a quiet day of reading and watching telly.

Tomorrow is the start of a busy and exciting month, we have lots of birthdays in October, First is on Saturday, Mike’s Grandad’s, then Sunday Mike’s ,his mum, dad and his sister were all born in October.

It’s like Christmas!

We’re also going on holiday, two weeks in the Edale valley. We’re staying at the same place as last year. We booked this back last August, it seemed such a long way of f but it’s come around so quick.
The little guys have been saving every penny, that’s every penny Lily has picked up when out walking, their birthday money and any sweet money nanny has given them went straight in their tins. Poor guys haven’t had any sweets in over a year, well not many anyway therefore we decided that when the time came to open the tins we would make a big
affair of it.

We are very proud of them for saving so much money. They actually loved it the excitement every time they put money in the tins, how much would they have ? what could they buy with the money.
Tallon measures money by Nintendo’s so if something is £50 he says that’s half an Nintendo, well they have nearly enough to buy a whole Nintendo each.
Well I best go, hope your all having a good week.
Thanks for dropping by
Joanne x

Knitting and a long awaited sale.

Good morning everyone hope your having a good day.
Here I am again blogging, three days in a row. Well lets hope I can keep it up, I do hope so. I think one of my problems is it does take me a long time to type up my post and I’m always worried that I go on to much, so with that in mind let me get on with it.

So here they are my items needed for my sock project, well most of them just need to find the right pattern, Mmm now this may take me a little while decisions decisions. I wound this lovely wool up into it’s ball last night ready to get started today. The wool is Alpaca/ Merino 4ply from the Natural Dye studio. I think I bought this when we were on holiday last year so it’s been hanging around for a while but I like looking at it and touch it it’s sooo soft. Yes I have a lot of wool I do this with actually far to much which brings me on to my next bit of exciting news.

We’re having a sale, yes at last I’ve got up of my little be hide (who am I kidding) and have put an advert in the local paper for a House/ Attic Sale this Saturday included in the sale will be many card making, Quilting and Knitting supplies. These are all items I have collected over the last couple of years.
I’ve done the odd car booty now and again but it’s so much trouble getting the car all packed up spending most of the day sat around just for the odd customer this way we don’t have to go far and hubby will be around for the tea run and I’ll be able to drink as much as I like as the toilet will be just there, yes after three children I don’t like to be to far from a toilet.
I’ll take some photo’s at some point so you can see how bad my, I want it buying has been over time. There is a lot.
Also we are just going to empty the attic of all the rubbish we have collected over the last 12 years. Mike was a bin man at one time, you know what they say one mans rubbish is another mans gold (well something like that).
So fingers cross people see the advert and we sell lots.

Before I go I thought you might like to see a small amount of evidence that we do do a little bit of school work in the mornings.

Don't they look like the perfect students!

Have a great day see you soon.