Wednesday 21 February 2018

Winter Sunset


There was an evening last week when the sky looked absolutely stunning.  


I didn’t want to take photos through the windows, as they are not that clean after weeks of bad weather, so I braved the cold and stood in the open doorway (and it was cold!)


I had to go back several times, as the sky was changing by the minute.


But it was worth the effort to see this beautiful sunset.


Thursday 15 February 2018

Decluttering Challenge


Once again, I've decided to take the decluttering challenge and rid our home of 40 bags in 40 days.  I've done this a couple of times before and it is surprising just how much clutter accumulates over time.

I had intended to start yesterday, but it was actually this morning when I thought about doing so.  There was a house fire in our neighbourhood yesterday - thankfully, the family of seven are all fine - the home was badly damaged and the family have been moved to temporary accommodation.  An appeal went out for clothing, toys etcetera.  This gave me added incentive to put together a few items of clothing, plus some personal care items.  

When I mentioned it to Mr Candytuft, he was motivated to put together a pile of men's clothing too.  We dropped these off at the collection point.  Any items which are collected and are not required will be donated to charity. 

Wednesday 14 February 2018

Vintage Knitting


Three weeks ago, I posted about unravelling.  In an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle, I had decided to frog a garment which I had made a couple of years ago, but never really been happy with.  Once the yarn had been washed and wound back into balls, I was able to get knitting.


This is a vintage pattern which I found online.  It is knitting up really nicely, but I’ve had to make some adjustments to it, as the garment was far too short for me.  Yes, I finished the entire back before I decided this, then had to rip back all the way to the armhole shaping to add more rows. 

As I’ve never attempted to alter a knitting pattern, I’m not sure how it is going to turn out.  I’m hoping that I will have sufficient yarn to finish it, as I’m using a slightly different yarn to the original.  Watch this space!

Wishing you all a very happy Valentine’s Day!

Thursday 8 February 2018

Winter Birthday Cake


Mr Candytuft celebrated his birthday yesterday, so I baked a cake.  I normally make variations on a chocolate theme but, this year, I decided to do something a little different.  I read about this fresh ginger cake, which was recommended by Mrs Tiggywinkle.


This recipe made the most delicious, yet light cake.  I’ve made ginger cakes before, but none this good.  I think that ginger is a perfect choice for a winter birthday, as it is warming and full of spice.  It went down really well with a cup of Yorkshire Gold tea.  Mr. Candytuft observed that it would have been even better with ice cream.

Saturday 3 February 2018

Be Prepared


We seem to have been having storm after storm lately.   I’ve been stuck indoors because I strained my back and I’ve got cabin fever.  I’ve hardly been out in a week and a half, as it is so icy and I don’t want to aggravate my back further by slipping and/or falling.

Yesterday was Groundhog Day - marked both here and in the United States with a ‘weather prediction’ based on whether the groundhog sees its shadow.  According to legend, if the groundhog emerges from its den and sees its shadow, we can expect another six weeks of winter.

Nova Scotia’s Schubenacadie Sam predicted a faster onset of spring than his ‘cousin’ Wiarton Willie, in Wiarton, Ontario, who saw his shadow.  This agreed with Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania when he saw his shadow.

When you think about it, it isn’t much of a prediction, as we are actually at the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.  I’d be happy if winter could be over in six weeks, but I suspect that it will be longer than this.

And in case you are wondering about the relevance of the photo, Storm Chips have become the phenomenon of the Maritime provinces.  It seems that Maritimers are huge consumers of potato chips/crisps and they like to stockpile their supplies whenever bad weather is forecast.  We hadn’t come across these before so, purely in the interest of research, I bought a bag and I have to admit that they are really rather good.