Digging and Dreaming

Two nights in a veritable heaven.
Old Hall hosted us for a couple of days and Frank was in his absolute glory: running around with tractors, chickens and cows as well as living the dream that is harvesting Mangolds when The Enormous Turnip is your favourite story. Autumn sunshine, good homemade and home-grown food, good company, good people and some decisions to be made about going back. Frank's vote was for two weeks and he was very emphatic as he also held up two fingers; numerical genius that he is.I have been working at being a more mindful parent recently and trying to live in the moment with Frank. He thrives when I manage it, in fact we both do, and we have so much more fun together as everything is more peaceful and calm. At Old Hall Frank just blossomed with being out in the fresh air all day, running aorund a lot and taking in all the smells and sights of a working farm. I felt myself blossoming too. It is a very special place and offers the space to just be.

With my increasing desire to live more simply and be closer to nature this couple of days was a beautiful insight into what might be.

The Needles and the Damage Done

Alexandra Palace in Muswell Hill is an amazing building and warrants the americanism "awesome". Today I visited for the first time with two friends from the Knit and Natter group for the annual Knit and Stitch Show as managed by twistedthread.
There were hundreds of stands and thousands of women in the building, along with around four men.

We arrived and sat sipping coffee whilst looking at the programme and then headed off in three different directions to frolic amongst the fibres.

Yikes, it was good.

My head was spinning after an embarrassingly short time and I realised it was because I was unused to being alone and actually able to concentrate on the task at hand. Normally I am watching a three year old out of the corner of one eye.

The creative ideas just had me so excited and damage was done to my stash of cash alarmingly quickly. Some of it was a bit cutesy and twee but each to their own and the great majority of stands had a fantastic range of items on offer.

I can't wait to get started on these projects and will detail them here as they progress.

This fabric, for example, is going to become a hanging for our bedroom.

Other items are for beaded pulse warmers for me, a skirt, a patchwork blanket (of gorgeous Amy Butler prints) for the lounge, a cushion cover, felt Linzer biscuits for Frank's toy basket and some felted gnomes for the nature table.

Bring it on!

Knit and Natter

This morning saw me heading out to my monthly Knit and Natter group at a lovely independent garden centre called Growing Together. I love this group. We are all women and knit very different things but for the same reason: we love it!

Above is my lacy scarf sitting prettily on a fern. There are little piglets scampering cheekily around and chickens clucking happily as we chat, knit, sip our coffee and nibble on the yummy homemade cakes.

Today's toics ranged from (the ever-present) diabetes, buying wool on Ebay, felting, the Knit and Stitch Show at Alexandra Palace this week, vegetable growing and book groups.

It's not a bad way to spend a morning.

Of hedgehogs and glitter

Today was just Frank and me. The two of us. Perfect. We hung out making a picture for Elsa in the morning before popping into the hospital for Frank to give blood (he needs to be tested for thyroid function every year). He was super brave and so sweetly calm that the nurses gave him not one sticker but three as well as some goodies for his doctor's bag. Then off to Manningtree to play with Elsa whilst I caught up with Angela.

The disruptive lunchtime appointment at the hospital meant that I gave Frank snacks instead of lunch and then at Angela's he had more snacks, so I wasn't at all concerned about his blood sugar levels. As far as I was concerned he had eaten really well. I prepared dinner and tested him just before, even bracing myself for another injection, only to see him at 3.2, basically in hypo. Sometimes I feel really in control of it all and sometimes I get sideswiped and realise how much more there is to learn.

I love him so much and am so proud of him that this experience now spurs me on to getting better at helping him manage his diabetes.

All my posts are not meant to be about Frank's Type 1 but it is with us every moment of every day. There is no respite. We are his life support system and it's deeply frightening at times. Sometimes I want to put my head in the sand but then the parent-thing switches on, just like it did when I first gave birth to him, and I realise that I always have been his life support system and his need for me isn't scary but beautiful and a blessing. Every day I want to be the best Mum I can. He deserves nothing less.

Apple Pie

So, the saga (of how to use up the closely estimated 250 apples from last week's scrumping by Budd) continues. And today I give you apple and thyme pie! Before

and "Ta da!" after.

It served as Valerie's birthday cake and we ate it with either creme fraiche (me) or custard (Val and Budd). Too many years of cold custard with a skin at Place Farm primary school wrecked any chance I had of loving custard. It's a cliche but it really did ruin the yellow stuff for me.
Frank was busy painting (hence the plastic table cloth with insects on it) and didn't want any apple pie. Anyway he assures me he doesn't like apple cake as he only likes cake on its own. Without the apples. A very three year old thing, this not mixing foods. Everything in its proper place and don't fancy it up.

It is also my second Bench Monday and this is my feet with those of my beloved, taking a moment on the sofa as the pie bakes in the oven, (you can just see my pinny) and the boy plays with his Lego.
I wish you pie with your loved ones.

Dizzy gets a house

Today I found out what a fresh imagination and a broken pot in the garden can become: a new home, and a blue one at that, for little Dizzy the cement mixer. I was busy peeling a slicing more of the mountain of windfalls when Frank came in asking me to come and look at something he'd made. On going out into the garden I found him making Dizzy nice and snug in her new home. When I suggested he might like to paint her house his little face lit up and he was immediately sure that she'd want a blue house. We got the paint pot, filled it to the brim and found a big brush, just right for the job. Tomorrow we plan to stick some shells onto the pot to make it even prettier.

Joyful days.

Hospital visit, apples and the first fire

The sun comes into the kitchen in the mornings. I love making breakfast with the morning sun for company.

Frank's quarterly check-up at the hospital went well this week. He has gained weight, which is good as he has been on the thin side since diagnosis. He was really brave, even when legging it down the corridor and out of the building with me running after him, and really does seem to be getting used to being there now and then. His blood check showed us that his overall blood glucose level had gone up a bit but after analysing his numbers for the past three months Doctor Cackett agreed that there wasn't anything she'd do differently and to make an appointment for three months time. He is now due his yearly blood test for thyroid function and so I will be taking him back for that next week.
Budd had been scrumping that day too and had come home from his secret location with four enormous bags of apples of different varieties. So, once back from the hospital Budd and Frank set all the apples out on the dining room table and I went off to teach my class.

The next morning saw us doing this

We made the first of no doubt many vats of stewed apples, these first ones with no sugar or even spices. They are my control apples. We have never really added sugar to stewed fruit and when others do it tastes hugely over-sweet to me. I do like to add herbs or spices, such as cinnamon, ginger or thyme to stewed apples. Watch this space for the next batches.
This morning Frank and I headed out for a slice of banana cake at Growing Together, a fantastic, independent garden centre with a cafe, out near Layer Marney. We had a great time munching our cake, running around with the piglets, saying hello to the Indian Runner Ducks and chickens and buying some cyclamen for the pots at the front of the house. Frank also chose some plants to decorate the mini duck pond that he has been digging in the lawn and filling with water. I will include some photos soon, but it looks like an oasis at the moment with cyclamen, cacti, strings of conkers and beaded necklaces embellishing it!

Many friends are surprised that Frank can eat cake at all. It is one of the ironies of Type 1 diabetes that he eats more sugar and drinks more juice now than I ever allowed him before diagnosis. With insulin on board and a tendency to run around like a (thank you, thank you) normal three year old he will need the extra fuel. Keeping him acitve means he can eat cake and have ice cream, although I continue to be vigilant about ingredients and quality, just like I would be were he not diabetic. Timing of snacks is everything and I prefer to plan Frank's snacks and treats for as early in the day as possible to allow ample time to run off any extra blood sugar.

And I write all this sitting in front of the first fire of the Autumn, laid by Budd and Frank, and so cosy.