The pig that dwells with the lambs

Many farmers have been forced to diversify in order to survive the difficult financial hardships of recent years. One farm in North Devon that has managed to maintain its character as a working farm while offering hours of interest and entertainment to families is the Big Sheep. Granddaughter Charlotte took me there yesterday and we had a great day out.

 Everyone gets a chance to feed the lambs

although this one looks decidedly piggish!

But who cares at nap time?

There are lots of things to do and see, including sheep shearing demonstrations and sheep-dog trials and a ride around the farm on a tractor-drawn trailer. There is also a quirky humorist at work behind some of the attractions:

The ducks have this rather splendid house but perhaps not for much longer!

(Click on picture to enlarge and see here if you don't know the reference)

We attended the Sheep Race and I put my entire fortune on the appropriately named Alderknitty:

Unfortunately, as they came round Ewe Turn, heading for the finish, I noticed my jockey (in blue) was riding backwards! All was not lost as my son had become joint owner of the winner, Red Ram, and we took home a magnificent cup.

I think this was the highlight of the day for 8 month old Charlotte.

Family time

In recent weeks, my eighteenth century cottage has been home to four generations of the family, ranging from 3 week old Benjamin to 93 year old Dorothy. Their interests and needs have been many and varied, leaving very little time for me (as grandma, mother, wife and daughter-in-law) to spend on reading or writing blog posts.  My daughter and her two little ones are now back in Oxfordshire and we are enjoying the company of my son and his wife and baby Charlotte.

Thank you for your kind enquiries, I am still alive and smiling and I will eventually get back to my usual routine! In the meantime, this is what has been keeping me busy:

My son has posted an account of the visit we made to Morwenstow yesterday here.

Back soon, I hope.

Flowers, fairies and boxing clever

As the gardeners among you predicted, my fears that I had lost many of my shrubs and plants in the unusual January snow were unfounded.  When I returned from my five week visit to Oxfordshire, I was greeted by a mass of blooms:

The camellias are as lovely as ever

The hellebores are looking good

especially my favourite chocolate variety

 and there is a solitary hyacinth peeping through the undergrowth

Seeing all the new life in the garden inspired me to have a go at something new myself. I have probably mentioned that I was thrown out of needlework classes when I was 12 - the teacher thought I was better suited to physics. I have taken up quilt-making in recent years but haven't had the confidence to join a group or to try anything complicated but I decided to step out of my comfort zone this week and make a little bag - fully lined and with box corners! Behold, pictured appropriately in the garden, my little Flower Fairies bag:

the Candytuft Fairy on one side

and the Lilac Fairy on the other

I learned how to make the box corners from this clever tutorial. (Isn't Google great!) I will be heading back to the quilting supplies shop for more Flower Fairy panels to make bags for the many little girls we now have in the family. This first example will be packed and posted to Edinburgh on Monday for my great-niece's birthday. I hope she likes it as much as I do. I know I haven't climbed Everest or completed the London marathon but  lining a bag is a great achievement for the girl who was made to read aloud to the class rather than be allowed to use a sewing machine back in 1957!

Easter Day

Happy Easter - may the day find you all dancing!

The world and time are the dance of the Lord

in emptiness.

The silence of the spheres is the music of

a wedding feast.

The more we persist in misunderstanding the phenomena

of life,

the more we analyze them out into strange finalities

and complex purposes of our own,

the more we involve ourselves in sadness, absurdity and

despair.

But it does not matter much,

because no despair of ours can alter the

reality of things,

or stain the joy of the cosmic dance which is always there.

Indeed we are in the midst of it,

and it is in the midst of us,

for it beats in our very blood, whether we

want it to or not.

Yet the fact remains that we are invited to forget 

ourselves on purpose,

cast our awful solemnity to the winds and join in the

general dance.

(Thomas Merton:New seeds of contemplation)

P.S. If you can't find the time or energy to dance, you can listen to some sublime Sacred Music here.

Fiery fusion

I planned to cook a quick stir fry lunch today. I had plenty of vegetables and noodles to hand but the local grocer only had plain tofu - not very exciting -  so I decided to marinate it. This bottle of sauce has been waiting for just such an opportunity ever since my son brought it back from the Caribbean two years ago.

 After an hour of marinading, I added the tofu to the stir-fried vegetables, added some hoisin sauce and noodles and sat down to enjoy my "fusion" of Chinese and Caribbean flavours.

Lips fused to teeth, tongue to the roof of the mouth, throat constricted, eyes watered! The MM bravely finished his bowl with nothing more than a glass of water to help. (He hasn't spoken to me since leaving the table but I think that is because he can't!) I struggled to the fridge for the Greek yoghurt and a spoonful eased the painful mouth. Then I spotted some Italian tomato and olive sauce; I added this to my bowl and was able to eat the rest of the meal.

My fusion dish turned into a confusion of Chinese, Caribbean, Greek and Italian; not my greatest culinary triumph I must admit but my sinuses have never felt so clear, so I should be in good voice for tonight's Easter vigil.

Don't try this at home.

Trains, boats, ducks and geese

My daughter and her family sold their London flat before Christmas and moved to a village just a few miles from Oxford. My husband (the MM) and I took granddaughter Millie into Oxford one day last week. The train journey was an exciting experience for each of us in different ways: Millie was thrilled when the engine driver waved to her and then entertained all our fellow passengers with her commentary on everything that she could see from the window on the 7 minute journey into the city. It ran something like this: "Bye bye tree; bye bye ubber tree; bye bye ubber tree; bye bye horse; bye bye ubber horse; bye bye dog; bye bye ubber tree ....." There are many trees alongside the track!

The exciting elements of the journey for Grumpy and Grandma included negotiating 4 flights of steps and a bridge with a pushchair and toddler; discovering that nappy-changing facilities at Oxford station are in the LOCKED disabled toilet and the man who has the key is well-hidden from the public; finding that many people, especially young men, were helpful when they saw obviously inept grandparents struggling with doors etc.

First familiar sight in Oxford - not a dreaming spire but....

We didn't think that Millie would be very interested in the colleges but here's a glimpse of a spire, just to prove that these really are Oxford bicycles

 I did say a glimpse

Of course, what Millie really wanted to see was the Oxford canal with its narrow boats.

 

Some have interesting names such as this one, named after Frideswide, the 7th century Abbess of Oxford and patron saint of the city. Many are decorated with pots of flowers and herbs and most have bicycles tied up alongside, ready for the last minute dash to seminars.

If only this were a real lock, we might go sailing up to Coventry!

Although I have had a boating holiday on the Thames and spent many a pleasant hour punting on the Isis, I have never been on board a narrow boat. I have always considered them as attractive and rather romantic vessels but I am currently reading Terry Darlington's Narrow Dog to Carcassonne and my views are being seriously challenged.

The boats share the canal with ducks and Canada geese

Millie was delighted with these but puzzled by this headless creature:

The purpose of our visit was to buy a present for Baby Benjamin so we had, reluctantly, to leave the canal and walk along to Cornmarket Street, where it is advisable to look up to see the splendid architecture above the modern shop fronts:

This beautiful Tudor house is also a mobile phone shop and sandwich bar!

At this point the heavens opened and we ran for shelter and the camera was put away for another day.

Home

I arrived home yesterday after my thirty-three day visit to Oxfordshire. It is good to be back but leaving the little family was very difficult. Benjamin is settling in well and Millie is treating him with the combination of fascinated interest and total indifference that only a two-year old can perfect.

All this 'stuff' for such a little thing! But the Moses basket makes a good boat for Millie and her dog

My strained wrist is still troubling me so, although I am now back at my trusty PC, I will be doing short posts for a little while. It is still quite difficult to type and absolutely impossible for me to do any cooking or housework!

A grandson!

A strained wrist has kept me off the keyboard but the birth of Benjamin Patrick James two hours ago has made everything else pale into insignificance.

More news and photos to follow, in the meantime, here are a few pictures from Millie's birthday. She doesn't yet know that she has a baby brother and I won't be waking her to tell her tonight!

Millie helps Grandma decorate the cakes for her party

Some of the presents

Thank you for all the kind messages. I will be here for another week and then back home, where I'll be able to catch up with everyone.

Millie draws a winner

Rabbit and Lottie help Millie to pick a name out of the box

 

I think this is the right one, says Millie

 

Can you read it, Rabbit?

It's a bit tricky

 

Grandma can sort that out while we have a game with the other papers

I 

As you can see, Millie was a great help in drawing out the winner of the Jane Austen Sewing Box. It will be on its way to Belgium in the next few days. Congratulations to Breussell, and thanks to everyone who entered the draw.

All is going well here in Oxfordshire. We are just hoping that Baby#2 waits until after Millie's birthday on 10th March before putting in an appearance.

Don't forget the book draw

An almost-two-year-old who never naps in the day keeps a grandma busy and well away from the keyboard. I am sure that I'll get around to writing something one of these days but, in the meantime, don't forget that Millie and I will be drawing the winning name for the Jane Austen Sewing Box on Sunday. If you haven't entered the draw yet then do leave a comment here or on the original post. Good luck.
Back soon, I hope!

Off I go again

I have hardly had time to unpack my case and do the laundry from my Lancashire trip before packing it again for my next spell of visiting. On Wednesday I leave for an indefinite period in Oxfordshire, visiting my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter - the lovely Millie.

Millie, (Amelia Catherine) looked like this in March 2008:

 

Look at her now......

 

 March 10th will be Millie's second birthday.

I'll be there in good time to help to prepare the birthday celebrations and to look after her about a week later when mummy goes into hospital to produce Millie's baby brother or sister. That's the exciting news I've been keeping to myself for a long time.

The sewing machine and knitting needles have been very busy in recent weeks and three grandchildren will probably ensure they are fully employed for years to come. A neighbour who called in a few days ago and found me surrounded by little quilts, nappy stackers, baby and toddler knits and doll's clothes, suggested that I should make some to sell. My hysterical laughter brought her to her senses. I haven't even had time to take photos of the latest projects.

I'm going to be away from home for about 6 weeks but I will have my laptop and I hope to find opportunities to switch it on. Don't forget to let me know if you want to enter the book draw, I am sure that Millie will enjoy picking out the winning name.

Four years of distractions

I started writing Random Distractions in February 2006, although I see from the archives that I didn't actually push the Publish button until 3 March. I just couldn't imagine who might want to read it, a thought that recurs at regular intervals.

That first post, Discoveries of the week, probably sums up my interests pretty well: a love of literature and language, picking out some of the absurdities and pretensions of modern life and observing the ways that people think and behave.  The last is not meant in a judgemental way, I just love people and really want to know what makes them tick. One of the greatest pleasures of becoming a blogger has been the contact with people all round the world, I have learned a great deal and some very precious friendships have developed.

To mark Random Distractions' fourth birthday I have chosen a book that I think is a perfect representation of the blog:

 

Jane Austen was a great observer of people and their behaviour and this book is full of beautiful illustrations of  the clothes, manners and pastimes mentioned in her novels. If you want to make a bonnet as worn by the ladies of Mansfield Park or that "pulled about" by Lydia in Pride and Prejudice, full instructions are included.

  

or  you might be off to the Assembly Rooms.........

 

...... and need to know how to tie or recognise the latest fashionable knot for a cravat:

It is a great companion to Jane Austen's novels with illustrations and instructions for  paper flowers, transparencies, reticules, a huswife, knitted rugs, muffs, tippets and many  more period pieces. I haven't been tempted to make anything as Jane's young ladies were far more skilled than I am,  but I love looking at the book.

If you would like to enter your name in a draw for this book, leave a comment here, whether you are a regular reader or you've stumbled here by chance. I will make the draw at the end of the month.

A piercing question

I have an embarrassing admission to make: I have never worn earrings. Having had rather troublesome ears since early childhood, involving me in lots of unpleasant treatments and several operations, I would never willingly undergo any procedure that would inflict unnecessary pain upon the tender lobes.

But........ I've just received a really pretty ruby pendant........

and I would love to buy some earrings to match. What do you think?

Recent peregrinations

I am home after a most enjoyable period of visiting family and friends. I travelled by train, something that I really enjoy when it goes well and I'm pleased to report that this trip was pretty good. The seat reservation system and the heating on a couple of Virgin trains failed but Cross Country service was excellent and all trains ran on time.

 

England is a green and pleasant land for most of the year and this picture, taken in Lancashire, could have been taken in any of the counties I passed through. Just hours after I took it, those fields were covered in snow but English weather is very changeable and it was clear again a day later.

The green line marks my journey from Devon to Lancashire. I spent a week there, visiting lots of family members within the blue triangle. Family visits are only of interest to those taking part so I will only mention one that had an interesting outcome: a visit to my niece who recently moved to a tiny village in the stunning valley of the West Pennine Moors. While admiring the views from her windows and the oak beams and stone floors in her 300 year old cottage, I mentioned Random Distractions and, as a result, she has started her own blog called Lassy in Lancashire. I hope you'll go over and offer some encouragement.

After my all too brief time in Lancashire, I took the train to Bristol and had an even shorter visit with my son and his wife and my lovely granddaughter, Charlotte.

 

 We all went to Oxfordshire on Saturday to see Millie and her Mum and Dad. The two little cousins had a good time but we saw glimpses of mischief to come! My son has posted some photos and video on Charlotte's blog so those of you who can access it will see  just what I mean.

Now I'm back in Devon, catching up with the housework and working my way through all the blog posts I've missed while away. I will be thinking of some way of marking the fourth birthday of Random Distractions later in the week so watch this space.