gypsy...

My heart lifts in the summer, it fills me with the desire to travel. To spend time with friends and to eat lots of yummy food in the sunshine. Yes endless picnics, hearing friends laughter and finding sand in places that, well, sand just should not be!!!My Mom has always called me a gypsy, as a young adult I always moved around and never really laid roots down, If I was unhappy at work I would up sticks and move someplace else. A year was the average time for me to stay still. Then I hit thirty, it was a life changing time for me. I got married, I started to save money, I made a home and I grew a little baby within my tummy. Yes for the first time in my life I put roots down. My little family was added too. Two children, rabbits and other small little animals I made a little nest and felt complete. The desire to travel and experience life left me, I no longer had the need to to live out of a suitcase or always be looking at what I could do or be next.
But you know, life is a funny old thing and things change. You just do not know what is around the corner ready to shake you up and change your whole view on the world. I do not feel 'nesty'and secure anymore, the need to move and experience life is getting back in my soul. It scares me, it also excites me. This summer I have hardly been at home and to be honest I have not missed it, OK I confess my sewing room has a pull on me. So this seven weeks of time with my children, we have hardly been at home except for a day here and a day there to wash our clothes and pack for the next trip or fulfill a commitment. I have spent hours sitting on my veranda at my beach house (caravan;) !) sipping fresh coffee and knitting whilst my children run around in the sunshine. Sharing good times with my children and friends.
Days spent on beaches, each beach offering a different view, a different memory from East to West of the United Kingdom, yes this summer we have so enjoyed our beach time despite the intermittent rain.
The children laughed and played and I believe they have grown flippers instead of feet...
For years, I dreamed about having my own camper van, and this summer I have in fact lived the dream. Making camp by the beach for a few days or just making a Hot Chocolate to warm us up on a wet windy day, or using it as a dressing room after a dip in the cold sea, yes my little camper has been a treat.

Life changes and sometimes its not pretty, I guess this time next year the camper and the caravan will no longer be ours, someone else will be enjoying the life we love so much. For my children I think this is the part I find so sad, BUT I will not let this take the fun out of the moment and as we approach the last week of the holidays I am off again for a week by the sea, the animals are being looked after and bags are packed, this week I am even taking my sewing machine with me...

SO before the autumnal days crisp up, before the nights close in, just give me one more week of living for the moment, a week by the beach, some sun and most of all... my children.

Normal craft blogging will resume in September... until then let me make the most of the last days of summer.

Be happy...

Days of Summer...

Oh those endless days of summer, what can I say, we had a perfect summer... the days seemed to go on forever and despite a lot of grey sky and a considerable amount of rain the memories of the summer are filled with days at the beach, the sun warming our cheeks as we played in the surf, cleaning off smeared ice cream from rosy faced babes and washing out endless swimsuits and towels... just bliss... so indulge me if you will...  a few memories of my time with my children when no attention to the time, no need to be anyplace or do anything that we do not want to be or do...I love this picture, we are a bit of a 'Croc family', we all have a pair and have had for a few years now...  the perfect summer beach shoe, when my youngest one got ready for school today he complained at having to wear socks after so many days without having to bother. After my realisation that I had a bit of a thing for photographs of daisies (see previous posts) this seemed the perfect adornment for my shoe.

We spent most of our time away, either camping in the camper van, staying in cottages or our caravan by the sea.  So we got a lot of time on the beach, the beach draws me, it has a calming almost hypnotic effect on me, I have always felt this, my best memories as a child myself involved the annual two weeks trip to a beach resort.  Even when I was pregnant with my children I spent hours in water either at the swimmingpool or in the bath, in both of my labours I enjoyed the deep warm water and soothing effects of birthing pools, my second child was also a waterbaby... you know when you throw them in the water just weeks old  and watch them swim...
I can not imagine going to the beach and NOT wanting to experience the sensation of the sand between your toes or when you absentmindedly run the sand through your fingers as the grains pass through like an hourglass timer...
As for the other important thing in life...FOOD!!!  We eat in some great places, again mostly by water, we had more picnics than I can remember and quite a few bacon butties in seaside cafes when the rain came down...
Of course we took to the water in other ways, a few little boat trips to take us to exciting places to discover and fill our need for adventure...
But when your little the biggest adventure is camping...as the summer drew to an end the night sky came in earlier the children stayed up to star gaze...
With all this activity the children slept like angels ( my children do not usually) so when we spent time in the camper van my wee one would curl up in his nest and whilst he dreamt the evening away this Mommy would get on with some much needed creative time...
Lots of knitting, a little hand sewing whilst listening to some of my favourite podcast.  Now the camper van is small and it is hard to keep it tidy so as you can see a lot of multitasking goes on...
Every night whilst camping in the woods we had a little woodland creature come to visit us, I think it was the remains of the peanut butter sandwiches that enticed him out in the evening, each night I would sit there and hear a little snuffling and then right at my feet this handsome fellow would appear...
The lazy morning followed the pattern of  the lazy evenings.  Whilst I relaxed with my cuppa and a little alfresco knitting the children would run about the trees and come and show me who had the best twig, stick and even branch...
We headed off to Cornwall for our yearly family camping trip (the children's Dad came to) on the way we called into see a special friend and her family, they were moving that week and we turned up right in the middle of the madness, boxes all over the place and total chaos, now you know you have a true friend when, despite all this, they welcome you, they top up your flask of coffee for the second part of the journey and they even share with you some wonderful homemade Chocolate Brownies...yum! The children had a great time playing together as if the months of not seeing each other had been a matter of days and it gave my babes a welcome break from sitting in the van for hours...

A visit to Cornwall would not be complete without a trip to Eden, we have been every year since it has opened and it is great fun, each year they manage to come up with something new to engage the children's interest and imagination, this year was no exception with a den building challenge....
... they provided everything you could need to make a den and just left you to it... we especially enjoyed a demonstration of making fire, this really caught my older ones interest and he has tried rubbing two sticks together to get a spark... sadly (or maybe thankfully) to no avail...
If you asked me what creative activity summed up the summer for me, it would have to be my new addiction to sock knitting, especially on the beach, its portable, easy to pick up and put down...
and it has some fine results...
So as the summer season draws to a close and this weekend I saw the first real signs of Autumn, the leaves on the ground and the chill in the air, well I smile, the last year for us has had some ups and down, but this summer was special, a time of fun, laughter and being carefree...its back to it now though, already the calender is filling up with commitments and appointments, I have a little hospital visit that I am rather nervous of tomorrow, so I will hold on to these special times...I hope your summer memories are as rich and as wonderful as ours....

Edited to add...as most of the pictures are beach orientated...I have used my point and shoot camera so the quality is not as good as my much adored Nikon SLR...I apologise for the quality.

Summer giveaway...

As promised..the summertime giveaway, you know what to do...leave a comment on this post and you will be in the draw...(knitted cup cake, hair clip and gingham button pegs)...How can that be...only two weeks left of the summer holidays...well I plan to make the most of every moment with my guys..so I will be off line and as soon as I return I will pick the winner...
So its been a holiday made up of special moments with special people...we have been away a lot, as much BEACH TIME as we can manage and a few days out to various places.  Eating outdoors has been a major part of our holiday time with picnics and BBQs...you just can't beat eating outdoors, especially with children, less mess to clear up and they eat so much more and food they would not normally eat...
Water is a big feature of our time out and about, from the wild sea to the calmness of the canals...
and why does Hot Chocolate always taste so good when your all sandy and curled up after a chilly dip in the sea?
For some reason when I look at my summer photos there are so many pictures of daisy's, I think they sum up our time together, simple, sweet and a wonderful symbol of summer time fun...

Summer has been all about knitting socks...addictive!  Lots of plans for new sewing designs and makes are all ready to be put in to action come September but, for now I am enjoying as much 'play time" with my children...We have a cool camping trip planned, to spend a week body boarding...the camper van needs a good clean out as we have not made the use of her this season, we have new body boards so there is no stopping us...unless it rains...Ahhhh camping in the rain!!!

Thank you so much for the thoughtful comments made on my last post, what can I say...you guys are the best!

Wishing you a healthy and happy couple of weeks and may you be blessed with good weather...

Summer sun... long may it last...

The summer holidays are about half way through now, I am enjoying every minute of it and for the first time in ages I feel relaxed and happy and my creative vibe is well and truly in full flow...
OK, I might not have the time to actually make all the crafty goodness but the ideas are fully formed and I just need some time to put them in to being.  Once the summer holiday is over the post holidays blues will kick in, so this is when I will get my ideas and sketch books out and start the 'MAKING'...So its back to full on Mommy mode, the buckets and spades are packed, the picnic is coming together, the wine is cooling in the fridge and we are off for a couple of days by the beach...off to pack the knitting bag, will I take more sock yarn or something a little more substantial? 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Today we are loving: The Charlie and Lola craft magazine... all the cutting out, gluing and sticking, stickers and stories...

I am enjoying reading a 'new to me' blog the Simple Mom blog, I love the way this blog gets me thinking about the way I mother and how I do things...this can only be a good thing.

Circles in the sand...

So our weekend was a little more than a couple of days, we had so much fun we thought we would stretch it out a little...
 This visit to the beach was yet another success, we had a couple of days of great weather and a couple of days of rain...as you would expect with our British summer.  Lots of playing got done, both by this Mommy and the children...The silk socks got finished... 
...and the boys spent lots of time rolling around in the open air...
A small amount of sewing has been accomplished, I am so missing my sewing time, I know however once the summer is over I will be back to it so I comfort myself with a small projects just to keep that addiction fed! So another block for my latest quilt is complete...

The weather was set to change so we thought we would head home, we spent the morning on the beach and then hit the road...

As I drove the rain came down and what should have been a couple of hours in the car went on to be nearly five hours, driving through torrential rain and at one stage I was unable to see the markings on the road...scary...I arrived home and went straight out to my knitting night...It was good to be back home and  immediately slipping back  into the the rhythm of home life...when I returned, I popped a pizza in the oven and caught a glimpse of myself in the oven (we have a mirrored oven) due to the stressful drive I had huge panda eyes, as I had rubbed my eyes whilst driving to try and relieve the stress of all the concentration needed to NOT crash the car...I ran in and then out again and had not looked at myself...So I should now rename the blog...PANDA SEWS, KNITS, CRAFTS AND MOTHERS!!!

Land and Sea/Sea and Land... (off topic)

OK we are good to go...well actually we are only just getting there but getting there we are!!!The computer man has got me online again although the system is S...L...O...W...I had some loses but so far it looks like most of the photos are OK...(Note to myself...do a back up). Thank you for your support and lovely comments whilst I have been offline I truly appreciate them. So as I was saying before my computer failed me...
Indulge me if you will while I reminisce about my holiday... The coastline we go to on a regular basis is just beautiful the mixture between land and sea is stunning especially at this time of year...The holiday was filled with lots of outdoor activity, from long and sometimes quite risky walks along cliff edges...
To early evening frolics on deserted beaches...You just can not beat the wind in your hair, the cooling feel of the sea spray and the sand between your tippy toes...
Things got built, made and dug out...
The boys hard at work digging up their very own replica of Venice including the lagoon and all the canals...all dug out by hand...Now this is a rare picture of the three of us, most of the time it is just the three of us so I am very rarely in a picture with my children, it was only after looking at this picture a couple of times I realised I was in it to...if only a shadow of my usual self...
When the sun gets a little to much we retreat to out beach nest for a little Hot Chocolate, some knitting and maybe a few tunes! Whilst I am quite happy to play on a beach all day, balance is a good thing so we headed slightly in land and ventured to a little bit of Eden...Through the gate...

to admire the views...
to follow the tracks...
and take a peek at things found...
Last but not least...you can not pay a visit to a farm with out a play in the hey loft...Woosh see that child go...
As for the usual Suzie Sews projects...so many on the go at the moment and so much other stuff keeps getting in the way...currently knitting three projects, sewing four different things, still working on the garden (although nearly finished now) as for the house...well lets just say I have never been house proud...Much to my Moms horror...maybe this is the reason she always makes excuses up not to visit us!!! The house is getting a little bit of a face lift, but it has taken four weeks to paint the hall and stairs!!! I need to find my Summer Rhythm soon...More on that another day...

You know how it goes...

You know how it goes..right? You know you are not going to be around for a couple of days then suddenly a whole week has passed you by...you've have been there...well that has been my last week...Half Term...What was planned as a quite week with a couple of trips out and a night camping turned out to be a fab holiday with the whole nine nights away from home. I took the boys of to the East coast and we just had such a good time, I have taken so many pictures, which will have to wait for tomorrow as today is getting chores done day.
We had days on the beach, days walking through blossom filled orchards, visits to farms and the usual 'Blyton-ess' adventures that little boys who like nothing more than playing in the mud or water take you on...

But for now, until the pictures are downloaded and sorted I have had a request to show some pictures of my quilt for the Lucy Lockets Quilt swap...sadly I did not take the best of pictures more just quick snaps, but it gives you the idea...the main body of the work was made with Heather Bailey and Amy Butler Fabric...
The back was a cherished piece of retro 1970s sheeting, I am almost at the end of this and it was hard to use it in a piece as backing but it finished the quilt off with a bit of a loud statement. I hope it was not too much for my swap partner...I guess its one of those fabrics you would either love or loath...
Talking of fabric, just before I went away I was introduced to this pile of loveliness and believe me I have more. It was all a little last minute and a certain amount of not thought through buying took place...but what a lovely pile of joy, I wish I had bought a little more of some of the blues as I have ideas for a dark coloured summer quilt for picnic's in the park.

It not what you know but who you know...there I was sitting knitting with my knitting group and someone mentioned fabric, as you would guess my little ears pricked up and we got chatting about sewing...One of my knitting friends very kindly took me to a lady who was selling all this amazing fabric and such a good price I could not resit...yes I dipped into my holiday money, but I was happy to give up a few ice creams for a few extra meters of this fabric...Then I went away with a whole week to think about all the lovely stuff I could make when I returned home...on walking through the door after nine nights away...I went into my sewing room and just flicked longingly through the pile of goodness...Am I mad? Do you do this kind of thing? So whilst I go and reacquaint myself with the washing machine and tackle all the chores, I leave you with a token picture from my holiday, at then end of the week I met up with friends from school for a camping trip and whilst I wash the clothes free of dirt and the wonderful smell of the burning wood camp fire I will think of the cosy toes, the sound of children laughing, good food cooked and eaten outdoors shared with good company with one or two glasses of wine I shall remeber the fun we all had...these are the things are memories are made off...

Memories are made of this...

So the reality of normality is with me again and that brief moment of time is locked away in my memory. Spending a last minute week away with my little family now feels a long way away and yet if I close my eyes I can imagine the wind blowing in my hair, the warmth of the fire that warmed us up and the fresh smell of a deserted beach. Yes it was a special week. So indulge me if you will a little walk through the memories, a little off the 'Suzie Sews' topic I know but, whilst no evidence of making was done the seeds of many ideas got planted and are just waiting to germinate... The cottage itself was so sweet, wooden floors and situated in the heart of Yorkshire surrounded by gently rolling hills, pretty floral furnishings gave it a homely feel, lots of animals, from the goats that lived at the bottom of the garden who would rush to fence as soon as we sat down to supper in the hope of a little tasty treat, to the many chickens roaming around leaving their little eggs of goodness for us and I must not forget the little bunnies that lived within the barns and would pop out when they thought no one was looking. Oh and the owls...yes the owls!!! I love owls but when they are screeching outside your window ALL night...well I might have to think again about how much I love them!!!
We had a few days with severe weather warnings so we would hunker down in front of the fire, read, play, draw or eat popcorn whilst watching a movie...the wind beating against the windows and howling through the fire place...cosy cosy cosy!!! When the weather improved we enjoyed a couple of outings...I have boys...what can I say - an inbuilt love of trains and you don't get much closer than this...We enjoyed a lovely trip through the hills and across stunning countryside and came away with the evocative smell of the steam engine on our clothes...
The funny thing was despite being on a farm we still went to visit a petting farm...as the schools are all open we had the place to ourselves and spent a few happy hours walking around, petting the babies-so much life truly does burst out at this time of year...calves, goats and lambs with the highlight of the trip being given a bottle each to feed the hungry little lambs, the children loved this treat...
As another storm blew in (landscape picture taken up the road from the cottage) we settled down for another night of poor weather...at least it kept the owls peaceful as they retreated to a less exposed place for the night...Then we awoke to the first of the two birthday DAYS...my children are born one day after the other (and a few years in between) We spent the morning in bed opening our pressies, eating Muffins for breakfast (with a candle in just to get the party feel going and of course singing Happy birthday...the first of many times) we had a swim and a birthday supper with a big cake and all my child's favourite party food. We even had our traditional birthday hat to wear...This is the part I shatter your illusions of my family, so many beautiful handmade crowns out there in blogland...what can I say...I meant to make them one each but resorted to a shop bought and rather cheesy white cake hat including ridiculously large candles on it...well its the thought matters....

When it was the second birthday day we had good weather, sadly my plans to hire a beach hut for the day fell through, not to be put off though we packed up the party people and hit the beach..the first visit of the year. If you have read my blog previously you will know that the beach and I...well we have a thing going!!! The beach is the place for me, I feel relaxed, happy and rejuvenated here so it was a big thing-the first visit of the year...to blow away the bleak winter moods and welcome in the birth of spring...Yep that's me in green...Scarborough Beach in Yorkshire on a dull but dry day...
What can I say...just fooling around...all the toys and fancy food of birthdays yet the highlight for all of us was walking along the beach with a piece of seaweed each...simple things for simple folk!!!
Making ripples...
and jumping the waves...
and you can not beat an ice cream on an English seaside with the wind blowing through your curls....

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Thank you for letting me share my memories...I have so many things running through my mind, lots of ideas and things to be finishing, I did manage lots of knitting whilst away and even finished a little bag, I have my Easter egg tree to put up tomorrow...so bare with me, the usual 'Suzie Sews' activities will resume soon, I am off for a little hospital stay on Thursday and depending on how I am feeling I will be back to share with you the delights of another swap, my bunny swap (See side bar for button) I came home to a great package from Kitty and I have finally broken into the package from Weirdbunny and started to decorate the house with all the goodies from that swap...