Autumness

Autumn, it is my favourite, the Season comes in slowly and i just find the colours of Autumn beautiful. A real delight of deep blends and ever changing into something new and crisp. 

When lying in bed we look out onto trees and it makes my heart skip to watch them change, delighting in them over every Season, the growing of Spring, the joy of Summer burst, the leaving of Autumn and the frost of Winter. It's ever changing just like the month of Autumn.

With that brings clarity, Autumn is a time when i begin to retreat, this year has felt a 'retreated' year, however a lot is happening in the Austin household right now and it feels fitting with the Autumnal season. With that i have been getting my Autumn on and doing lots of enjoyable seasonal embracing. 

We got back from our holidays and instantly chutney and jam making was on the cards. Our neighbour had given us a Rhubarb crown when we first moved in, this had been down the bottom of the garden but it wasn't doing much, so i moved it into a pot and placed it at the top of the garden, it went wild and lovely red rhubarb stalks began sprouting everywhere, every time i went out i eeked with smiles at the tasty jam it was going to turn into. 

I had made rhubarb jam last year and failed miserably so i waited for Sam's Auntie to come and stay and she helped me. Finding my faithful Marguerite Patten book from the pantry we delved in. This book is great and was a Christmas gift from my Mum and Ron a few years ago, it's basically the main book i use and there are so many variations of simple jams and chutneys, it's an old trusty. Strangely when Sam's Auntie showed me her book she used it was an older version of this one, coincidence? that just proved how trusty it was. 

We threw all the ingredients in and watched it bubble up nicely, waiting for it to get to the correct temperature then doing some special test on a plate to see if it had set. I havent took any pictures of the making of it as our kitchen is not the dream (next year, eek) but for now it's about the descriptions. My thermometer doesn't reach the exact temp and i think this is what happened last year, i over boiled it. woops! Anyway this year i didn't and i got a nice haul of jam, i have already given some out, smashed one, doh and enjoying the tastes myself, toast and rhubarb jam with a steamy cup of tea, yes please.

I also made some chutneys, i do this every year them give them out at Christmas for gifts to friends and family for cheese and nibbles over the festive period. This year i made apple and elderberry, both hauled from the garden and blackberry bramble, hauled from our local golf course, i also made some spicy apple, my favourite, it has mixed spice in and is so Christmassy, sadly i cheated with this and used some left over apples bought from the shop. 

I have been crafting also, i decided my mantel needed a new garland as the Spring one went into Summer. I had decided i wanted to make an Autumnal leaf garland so started looking through my many craft books and found some lovely little ideas in this one. 

It has a number of gorgeous crochet and knit leaves and flowers in and the designs are simple and easy to follow. I have lots of acorns dotted around the house so made the decision i wasn't going to have acorns in the garland, however i knew i wanted oak leaves in and maple leaves, then some normal leaves. The garland has been up and down and taken on a number of different designs. Firstly i just made the leaves as they were, however then decided they were too dark and didn't give me the excited heart beat i wanted. I then decided to outline them...

However when i outline them, they kind of lost their shape, so down they came again and i decided to attempt to make the stem/veins of the leaf, aha, this is when i started to smile and feel that burst of yes, this is what i wanted. 

I have to admit it's not exactly what i wanted and some of the leafs don't look how i hoped however it will do and it's been complimented lots so i think i maybe need to stop being my worst critic and enjoy this bit of Autumn. 

Up or down, i am still deciding if it should just hang or be pulled up in the middle, hmm. 

I also made a little pumpkin hat for a friend at work who left to have her little girl this week. I forgot to take a photo but have stolen this of her blog 2mermaidz where Sarah writes about the lifes and adventures of her and her girl gang. 

Pumpkin season came upon us and we decided to rummage the pumkin piles in the supermarket for the best green one's, as they have the most flavour i am told. We found two good sizes and decided to put one in the porch for Halloween and eat up the 2nd.

My favourite curry is pumpkin curry, i remember days in Burma and Sri Lanka when i ate it at every possible opportunity and just knew i needed those tastes in my mouth again. Sam set himself away and boy he didn't disappoint. We looked through our many cook books and found a recipe however the ingredients were too wild so he looked online and found this one http://www.mysrilankanrecipe.com/roasted-coconut-pumpkin-curry/ ~ we enjoyed it so much we had it again on the Saturday. 

We were so happy to have pumpkin in our mouths again we have decided to build a patch in the garden to attempt to grow some for next year. This excites me muchly. 

We have been out as much as possible, enjoying some of our favourite spots - mostly the woods in Autumn, the light and colour is gorgeous and there are so many good smells for Socksy. 

I follow two blogs which i love and have been inspired to embrace the seasons more through the crafts and creations on their posts - go enjoy Lucy at Attic24 and Gillian at Tales from a happy house and marvel in their wonders and delights. 

#METOO

I was walking home with my husband a few weeks back, when he asked why I don’t walk across the bridge, why do I now walk the longer way home. I responded to him, with what I saw as an obvious response ‘well encase I get attacked or.... raped’ his response ‘oh I have never had to think of that’. His response was so natural and normal and I responded, ‘of course you don’t’.

It sat with me though, something festered about it and I realised, that’s his male privilege right there, imagine going 33 years through life without once having to think of the fear of possible rape or sexual assault.

Since being a young girl, it’s been part of my safety awareness, I remember walking to brownies with my cousin and being followed, since being a young girl I have had safety running through my brain every day. It comes every night I walk home in the dark, every time I do something alone, everytime a male walks too close on the street and I realised that festering I was feeling came down to that, right there, how easy it must be to be a male in this society.

So then it came to the #MeToo campaign, I saw it, I questioned it and suddenly I realised how could I not be part of it. I campaign in my own way, on my own issues, and I felt with this one, how could I go to work every day working with vulnerable young women and not stand in solidarity and share my experience as a woman. Isn’t that how change is made, by talking and sharing about problems such as this. It's choice though, isn’t it, it’s not how everyone choses to share but it’s also that people don’t recognise what sexual assault is, they don’t realise that a grope in a night club or flashing of a genitals is assault, isn’t that just what men do, isn’t that banter? I have heard this so many times, from friends, from myself, from the young people I work with, it’s so sad that’s the culture we come to believe  this behaviour is okay and as women we just have to accept it.

I have sat with many male and female friends and discussed what sexual violence is, how women end up in situations with no choice. I have discussed strip clubs till I am blue in the face, and tried to explain has that women chose to be there, and even if she has what is that choice about, do you feel a women wants to stand in a club with men trying to grab a feel.  I talk and talk and attempt to share as much as i can, as if it changes one person’s thoughts, lets them think in a different way, isn’t that enough.

I am not an expert, I work in this area, I have carried out a lot of training in this area but mostly I am a woman who has had her body used in a way that didn't feel good, who has felt it was the only way to feel love, who has been broken to the point of no self-worth, emotionally and at times physically. I made a choice to engage in the choices I did but I also felt if it wasn’t for my body and what it could give I wouldn’t get back what I thought I needed at that time.

As a young women and a women the body is a constant battle ground, we battle enough without the expectations males put on us. I hear many times in the counselling space how women have come to hate their bodies due to the violence placed on them through sexual assault. What I also hear is the blaming of self – I shouldn’t have worn make up, I shouldn’t have walked that way home, I should have known. We live in a society where women are blamed, women need to make themselves safer, but why – oh yeah just to make sure that males doesn’t sexually assault us. How about we change that and men stop thinking it’s banter and stop being ignorant but realise where not here to be groped, where not here for your amusement, where here as an equal and the minute you make it banter we stop being that and we become an object and in being that object your assaulting us in more ways than you can imagine.

So the #MeToo campaign, let it be ours, stop with the other # from men, how do you make a difference but letting us women share what we need too, see the impact and that it happens to so many of us. Let our voices roar and hopefully someone out there will listen and start to make that change.

Creating a Crochet Cardigan

My mother in law treated me to a Mollie Makes subscription for Christmas 2016, it's exciting every month a magazine coming through the day and an array of lovely creations to practice and make. I do find the magazine is loaded more with crochet creations then knit, and as knit is my primary choice i generally find myself ooling over pretty crochet pictures in awe of the designs.

As you all know i made myself a crochet blanket for the van a few months back, it used a basic Granny Square designed for the main body, so i felt after crocheting 143 squares i felt quietly confident in making them. So when i came across the crochet granny square cardigan by Anna Knits in issue 81 i knew i had to get my super pretty crochet hooks out and give it a go. I could see myself in it, bobbing around at a festival, keeping warm in the van, i knew it had to be mine and with that the project began. 

I wanted to use more autumnal colours then the ones in the pattern, i also chose to use different wool as using the wool in the pattern was going to cost around £60 and i was concerned i may mess up with it being my first big crochet clothing item so therefore wanted to buy nice wool but also affordable wool. I shopped around and settled on Big Value King Cole Super Chunky in Heather, Green and Cerise. When it arrived in the post i was so happy with the colours and knew there were what i would say 'my colours'. 

So i set to work and began to understand the pattern, as obviously it wasn't as easy as i first convinced myself. The caridgan is plain on one side and more patterned on the other, silly me, didn't realise this for sometime and kept pulling the pattern our as i couldn't make sense how both sides would match up. One afternoon i suddenly had  alight bulb moment and realised the difference in the pattern. After that i felt the crochet came together nicely and it was hooky all the way. 

I used cerise as the main body of the colour, purple is my favourite but i know it's also my go to so i decided to go different and use purple (heather) for the least amount of colour. So i replaced the yellow for heather, the blue for green and used a similar but more autumnal pink for the main (cerise). 

The pattern was really nice to work with and i felt for a first time crocheter i was able to decipher and make sense of pattern reading, i asked a friend for a few helpful hints however found i managed to work most of it out myself and unpick any crochet code i didn't understand with the help of google. 

I think putting it all together was the most challenging, it crocheted up really thick and when i put it all together i found the arms were too tight so had to unpick and start again which was a real stress. I think the arms are my most disappointing bit of the crochet make as i made a few mistakes which i thought i could get past, however the result was super tight skinny arms. After a big of restitching though and quick thinking they worked out okay and it's only me and the keen crocheter that can probably tell. 

oh yeah and the sleeves are a bit long, however they actually look nice folded up. I really felt the cardigan came together when i did the edging, it's all different colours depending on what colour you were edging on too. I felt it defined the cardigan and completed it. 

I took it on it's first outing when we stayed at our favourite pub in Malham, sadly we didn't get any photo's as we were enjoying being nestled by the fire with wine and games. However it did look good with a nice denim shirt underneath it. Can't wait to rock it more over winter. 

** i feel my camera hasn't shot the colours as well as i would have liked as the light was bright**

A wander around Wales in Betty the Campervan

We decided for our Summer holidays this year we would head off in Betty to explore the Welsh countryside. We had ventured to Pembrokeshire before and knew we wanted to trek more of the coastal path so knew part of the holiday would be back there, meaning we needed spots either side of it. We settled on heading into the hills to Snowdonia and pootiling to Hay on Wye after, with a good stint of Caerfai Bay in the middle.

We arrived in Snowdonia late in the evening, as usual Sam went to on his usual research of finding us a camping spot that had an essence of wild camping but toilets and showers. Sam is great at this, he always finds a real rustic spot for us to enjoy and it's aces as it gives the feel of a wild camp but also allows me to feel clean and have a proper loo (signs i am definitely getting old!!).
Garth Farm in Snowdonia http://www.snowdonia-wales.net/acc/camp/garth/default.asp is a real wilderness spot, it has views to Snowdon and onto the lakes and is a real gem. The farmer that owns the land is a proud Welsh man, it's a working farm and the dogs didn't approve of Socks being there so we had a few barks and hilarious encounters. We arrived on a stormy evening but with the joy of the van and a hilarious attempted bbq from Sam we nestled down to a tasty meal and some bed time book reading, Socks settled herself on the bed and we were ready for a cosy but stormy night ahead.
We woke the next morning with the sun shining and decided to take a ramble to the next village around 6 mile away. Sam and I always laugh (and struggle) when away as when we come across stiles in the country Socks has no idea  what to do, so it ends up with us carrying her over, which as you can guess isn't always the easiest! The walk went through various terrains with beautiful waterfalls and strong green Summer colours, the sun broke through the woods and i couldn't help but take a seat on the hill down to rest and enjoy what was in front of me.  The walk ended in betws y coed, which is a base town for people heading off to hike Snowdon. It was pretty intense after a ramble with no one around, however we got some tasty food and wine and settle down for a nice after walk feast.

We had two days in Snowdonia NP, the sites were breathtaking, the walks were harder, more strenuous especially the 2nd day when we headed for a smaller summit. The views as we walked to the summit were so beautiful, the mountains had colours of purple and various green hues which were breath taking, i found myself stopping and taking photos on so many occasions, wanting to capture it all. Both walks had such difference but both were incredible, being in Snowdonia NP and being able to experience it from two different perspectives was really special. I hadn't know what to expect but felt really in the wilds where we were staying and even on both our walks we hardly seen anyone. It was amazing feeling lost in the heather on the mountainous paths.

We headed off to Pembrokeshire the following day, we were meeting Beth, Cian and Jacob at Caerfai Farm http://www.caerfaifarm.co.uk/camping/ a campsite we visited two years ago on our last jaunt around Wales. It's an aces little site where the pitches are all around the side of the field and overlook onto Caerfai Bay which is a cute little seaside bay. We booked in advance to ensure we got some good pitches and we were not disappointed, as soon as we got there we knew we wanted more time, we settled into the evening content with the week ahead.

The holiday took on a mixture of walking, beaches, eating, exploring and so much sunshine. We had already planned to complete more of the Pembrokeshire trail, however we were mindful that we were with good friends and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. It worked perfect as our friends are great walkers and had Jacob walking with them or strapped on in his carrier, we played numerous games of searching for things and lots of treasure trails to keep the little dude walking. Some days we stuck together others Sam and I carried on venturing off further on the trail. We covered old ground and new and i especially loved the walk from Solva to Newgale, there was some steep inclines but it was so rewarding espicially when we climbed high coming across another incredible peak along the coast.

My Mum and Step Dad were also in Pembrokeshire so we met with them which was lovely, we took them on a good ramble to St Justinians from our campsite. I could see the enjoyment in their faces with the views ahead and to top it off we came across a herd of seals.

I have totally fallen in love with the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and we are even planning to head back next year. Sam is always against going back to the same place but for me i just think we have found somewhere so nice, why not go back. Were both so happy and content when there and every walk just brings outstanding beauty and breathtaking views. We have been lucky both times with the weather, but i guess the joy of the van is that even when the weather turns we have the warmth to rest down and cosy up with a good game or book.  Socks is also great in the van, she has a super long lead she is attached by which lets her roam around but also hop into the van and jump onto the bed when she is ready for snoozing.

One of my favourite days was a tasty walk from St Justinians to Whitesands, we then carried on to Porthmelgan Beach, some of the beaches on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path don't let dogs on however Porthmelgan does and it is a tranquil little bay. We found some shelter for socks and perched ourselves with the sun on our faces, we had a good hour of reading, toe dipping and (sand) sandwiches and even a rescue helicopter landing close by as a walker had sprained her ankle. It was pretty magical few hours, we met back with the gang and we then headed back to town and went to a delish pizza pop up restaurant called Dusty Knuckle, The pizzas and ciders in the sun was just what we needed after an afternoon at the beach and we ravished them down quickly. Walking back to camp the air was cooling and Jacob and Socks were getting snoozy, once the 'kids' were settled we rested down in front of a fire with marshmallows and fireworks game (hanabi).

The rest of the week was much of the same, us all wanting an extra night and having to move camp to enable us to do so. Next year we agreed 5 days just wasn't long enough - i think we may double it!
With goodbyes had and a few tears we moved on to our next stop Hay on Wye, it was really hard moving on, missing our little holiday gang, however arriving at Walkers Cottage Camping we felt pretty rested and ready for the last few lazy days of our holiday. Walkers is a gorgeous campsite with lots of produce to purchase and a really relaxed field looking onto the hills of the Welsh countryside. We spent the next two days, watching the chickens roam, reading in the sun, bbqing, snoozing and some haphazard walks being chased by cows.

The 2wks in Betty was just perfect, i didn't want to go home, i am already planning next year - is that bad? Who else knows their holidays for 2018, it's what we go to work for hey? That next holiday in the sun!

Claire x

Our Socks

It's been a year since we picked Socks, and i have been meaning to post this blog for about a year,  i felt with her years anniversary it was time to write.

The question i am mostly asked is why a greyhound, if i am honest (and i hate saying this) i didn't want a greyhound for years i have said no to one, i was told they smell and there big, i wanted a cute fluffy thing or a pug, obviously. However the agreement was if we were getting a dog it was to be a greyhound and Sammy loves them so i felt now he was on board with a dog i may as well go with what he loves. Sam then pulled at my heart strings with the retired, no home, needing love and i was hooked. How could i let a 4yr old dog live in a kennel after being forced to race for the start of her years. So we liked the facebook page and started dog spotting, we knew we wanted to be off when we first got her so knew we had to wait till the October half term. I was so excited, it was actually happening.

We first spotted Socks when we were in Sri Lanka, she popped up on the facebook site and we were in love when we saw her. We contacted the greyhound trust and they informed us they couldn't reserve dogs online, however because Socks was black she wouldn't go quickly. Mad right, the black dogs are the hardest to go as they don't photograph very well. When we got back we arranged the weekend, full of excitement and nerves we decided to take Bow and my rents with us as obviously Socks and Bow would become firm friends.

We headed up to Northumberland Greyhound Rescue out in the wilds of Northumberland and asked to see Socks, we were so pleased to hear she was still there, we walked her and knew she was our girl, we didn't need to meet any of the others, we reserved her and started prepping the nest for her arrival in 2 weeks. We went back a couple of times to see her, it was so hard as we just wanted to take her home however we knew it was best to be off with her so had to endure the wait.

When she came home it was so nice but also really new for us, she was so nervous, she didn't know how to settle and where her place was. Socks had slept in a kennel from being born so therefore being in a house with central heating and cosy beds made no sense to her. There was a lot of leaning going on, her form of cuddling and resting her head on our shoulders, just so you knew you she was there.
Socks didn't make a peep of a noise for around 8wks, she wouldn't go through stiles on country walks and she often kept herself behind us when walking. The stairs were a mindful for her and after a few days of attempted training we give up and thought why does she need to go upstairs. On mornings when we wanted her upstairs Sam would carry her up and she would come for a snuggle.

We were told she may suffer from separation anxiety however we didn't find that, she slept in the kitchen fine and lies in till late, snug on her bed. When we put the fire on she lazes relaxed in front of it, her heart content. The first noise we heard from Socks was her exasperated stretch, we knew she was happy when she did her upside down legs in the air sofa stretch. The first time she barked we got the shock of our life and when she growled we knew she was finding her voice.

I work with traumatised children, they lose their voice due to shock, there shy, timid and don't know what home is. They look for nurture and comfort, safety and security. I felt Socks looked for all this, she was our traumatised pup  and with love and comfort she became strong, brave and confident.
Socks has literally changed our world, she is the perfect dog for us and fits into our life so well.

The first few times we took her in the van she wee'd, we assumed this could be because  when she was being transported to race she would have been in a van. However when she got used to it, she settled and literally loves time away in it. When were packing she knows it's vanlife time and the first time we saw her run upstairs was when she was so excited her burst of energy just sent her flying up there. When we stayed somewhere with grass and she felt it on her body she went crazy, loving the feel and squirming all over it.

In the morning she heads outside in the garden and then bolts back in, spinning with excitement. Her first trip to the beach she ambled slowly, after that she took to the water and spun crazily round and round with such joy.

People laugh at us, some people don't fully understand, that's fine but for us Socks has filled a void, in a time when it's been hard she has given us something to live for. She isn't a child, we know that, Sam tells me off for that but she is an animal that brings unconditional love and smiles. In my work i always ask if an animal is present in the family, when there is they are normally the child or adults confidant, they can tell them anything and what they get back is love, licks and warmth. That's what Socks gives to me, she brings a smile on a darken day, she makes me go out when i want to nest, when sometimes i feel there is no point she makes me realise how great our unit of 3 is and how without her Sam and I would be lost.

So why a Greyhound? Why not, there bloody amazing!

Claire x