Finish-It February: Part One

We’re almost at the middle of February and I realised that as part of my “Finish My WIPs” goal for this year, it made sense to join in with “Finish-It February”. I’m not sure who it started with – but a few people mention the Yarn Harlot in their YouTube videos. So maybe she started it, maybe it was started elsewhere – I might be back to correct myself later. (I got a correction over on IG, Roxanne Richardson was the first one to sort of start it).

So rewind, what is “Finish-It February”? What I can find when I google it, it usually goes along the same lines, the Christmas/Holiday crazy is over and now things have died down so lets finish those WIPs and UFOs that we’ve been putting off.

Knit Collage says…

For the last two years, I’ve run a little challenge called the Finish It February Challenge for the month of Feb. This strikes me as a fantastic month to get those WIPs (works in progresses) finished, when the holiday madness has finally died down. Last February (her post is from 2019) I set myself a goal of completing all of my unfinished projects (which was my Amazing Technicolor Sweater and my Free your Fade Shawl). I’m so glad I did because they are pieces I so adore! I needed that deadline to get it done.

So back to my projects, I’m still hovering around 15 WIPs which is where I was at during #WIPPurge back in November. While some items have been finished, they have quickly been replaced and that wasn’t what was supposed to happen.

While I write this sat at the kitchen table of our apartment, I have two pairs of socks in front of me that I’m alternating between and two jumpers in a back behind me – how did I end up semi-surrounded by projects? (Well that’s because my family have been sharing the same flu-ey/cold/virus bug and while I’ve so far either managed to sleep it off and avoid it or I’m next in the line, my husband and kids have all had it. Currently the eldest is watching his iPad in his bed having slept for almost 12 hours straight and my husband is working from home today. I’m staying out of the way and trying to stay germ free if that’s at all possible!

Another one of those goals for 2025 is to get writing again, this is sort of a side project to the knitting. I’ve been struggling to get motivated to write and often when I do write that little voice in my head starts shouting really loud about how no-one is going to read it and it’s going to suck and so like my knitting WIPs I have a whole pile of draft blog posts that have got saved and ignored. So similarly, when I need a break from the knitting I’m going to try and finish the blog posts (or just bin them…). First up, last week I went to see the cinema showing of the Donmar Warehouse production of Macbeth with David Tennant as Macbeth and Cush Jumbo as Lady Macbeth – I really wish I’d had the time to write it as soon as I left the cinema because my Inner Shakespeare Nerd was so excited and wanted to analyse it to pieces and in fact I had to get the bus home and pretty much go straight to bed because I’d mis-planned my rota and had a 5am alarm the next morning! Oops!

Anyway, back to the knitting, the WIPs list currently stands at…

  • Scrappy DK Socks – while these aren’t made of the right type of yarn for socks, it was about learning a new technique. So they are being knitted with the afterthought heel rather than the usual heel flap and gusset heel that I’ve learnt so far.
  • Christmas Sparkly Socks – yarn purchased in December, yes yes I know. I was in the middle of WIPPurge and casted on a new pair of socks. BUT they are sparkly and Christmassy…. It’s February and I have one sock done.
  • Christmas Present Socks – From my Mum and Dad I was given a skein of yarn, it was actually 2 skeins. The idea was that you could wind both skeins and knit a pair of twin socks. (Mine are always siblings rather than twins, they are never the same as each other! This is part of where the skills practice for the Afterthought heel came in but now I’m knitting it I’m not 100% sure but when my “Sock Guru” visits in a few weeks I’ll be asking all the questions!)
  • Ursa Minor Jumper Test Knit for Artesantiarium – this one is on a deadline so has to be done. This is on the body so definitely TV Knitting for now. The colour work took me a little bit so needed to concentrate on that a bit more.
  • Black Flax Jumper – this one needs to be done and I need to get it done before it’s too warm and the person can’t wear it. It started as a joke that became a reality and I really want to finish it before the joke has passed (at the same time if I don’t finish it, it’s not the end of the world)
  • Husband’s Flax Jumper – his is a little easier because it is on bigger needles so in theory should knit quicker but also I’m on the body and it’s kind of boring this time around lol. I need to work my way through a TV series and just keep going!
  • My Marble Chunky Flax Jumper – this yarn was also given to me by my Mum and Dad a few years ago. I had almost finished the cardigan pattern that came with the yarn but I really wasn’t loving it – I’ve found that unless I wear them at home then I don’t really wear big swoopy cardigans so much any more. I think this is because wearing jumpers is a bit more practical with cycling… so cardigan got mostly frogged – some bits I’m knitting direct from the cardigan pieces rather than frogging, washing, resting etc (I saw this on Engineering Knits videos and while some yarn needs it I’m hoping mine doesn’t!)
  • Bella Vest – this was a panic purchase. I was about to travel to Germany for a couple of days this time last year and rather than taking one of my current WIPs I went to the yarn shop and got looking at patterns… I bought the Bella Vest pattern from Woolstock and the yarn and got knitting – this seemed liked a good idea but it’s mostly ribbed and it’s kind of driving me crazy. I might frog but we’ll see.
  • Socks – this is a general once because I have at least 3 pairs of socks that are only one sock and that’s why it’s not got any further!
  • Starflanket by Stephen West – I’ve got the middle level done and need to pick up lots of stitches to start the next round. It is a little challenging all those pick ups but it’s one of those projects that I know will test my skills but also develop those skills too.
  • Yuletide Blanket – this one is a crochet one and has been stashed away for a while. The actual Yuletide pattern is a specific one by Lucy at Attic 24. I didn’t love the actual Yuletide blanket one but I loved the Christmas/Winter colourway so I settled on a normal granny square type blanket but it’s got colour changes every round so it’s not a transportable project so that’s a definite one at home.

There may be more hiding but these are the ones that I’ve picked up from my Ravelry WIPs and the ones that I’m sort of working on.

So back to those socks, maybe after some toast for lunch… otherwise it’s going to be pick up time and I won’t have really got anything done. Also my iPad is complaining that I have no battery, I was too busy trying to write and impatient to wait for the battery to charge.

Right got to go, chat later. I’ll be back with a progress report…

Our Exciting Adventure Across Europe: Day Three
Travels by Train

Day Three and our first overnight train. I was a little worried I’d get no sleep but actually it turned out not too bad. The night wasn’t smooth. At one point the train stopped. We switched carriages or engines, and there was a loud-ish bang through the train. (The boys slept through it). But this is still a great thing about our adventure across Europe – so many new things to experience. Have to remember the getting to the new places is part of the adventure too.
We took this adventure back in Summer 2023 but I didn’t get around to writing up the rest of it until now. Better late than never!

Adventure across Europe - Day Three

Day Three: Zürich

So, we have a plan. We arrive on the night train, we have the day in Zürich and we leave on the night train. Makes sense right? Well it didn’t quite go to plan. But we’ll start at the beginning.

We arrived in Zürich shortly after 9 am. Our first stop was the supermarket to get something for breakfast. We all run better with fuller tummies! There’s a co-op supermarket right outside the train station so that was helpful.

After having something to eat, we set off for our first stop of the day. With things in Switzerland being expensive, I looked for things that were cheap or free.

My boys love exploring by all sorts of different forms of transport. So traveling by bus, tram or metro all become part of the experience.

Our first stop of the day was to go up Uetliberg. Uetliberg is a mountain just outside of Zürich. The tourist board actually refer to it as being Zürich’s own mountain. You can read more about it here. The mountain gives an epic panoramic view across Zürich and Lake Zürich.

While writing this up, I looked back at the route recommended by Google Maps, and it’s telling me to take the S10 train from the station all the way to Uetliberg; however, we took a bus to Zürich Schweighof and then changed to the train. However, the tourism board website tells me there are engineering works taking place on sections of the S10 route, which might be why a different route was suggested when we were there.

When you take the train, it takes you to the station almost at the top. It’s a short walk from the station to the summit. I thought it might be something we could do but when we got there Chris had concerns about us doing it with the pushchair. So the boys spent some time playing in the playground which is right next door to the train station. Even at this point rather than the summit, the view is still pretty spectacular across the city.

After spending sometime in the park, it was time to head down again, so we took the train down again and then took the bus from Zürich Triemli back towards the city centre. On our way down I’d been looking at options for lunch and we figured we’d try the Migros Supermarket. Migros is another big brand of supermarkets in Switzerland and this one happened to have a cafe.

The cafe in this supermarket is a bunch of hot counters around the room where you can take your pick. Rather than a buffet where you pay one cost for as much as you can eat. At this one, you pick your bits and then you pay by weight when you get to the till. For the kids, there was a kids meal. You basically did the same but then you also get a juice and an ice cream. The lady on the till was really lovely. She didn’t really speak English so we had to wing it but worked it out in the end. She had asked did we speak Italian, well I learnt some in school but probably couldn’t use it now. But when I went back to ask about the ice cream for the boys, I figured I’d give it a go. It might not be perfect by any stretch but hopefully it would cross the language barrier a bit! It seemed to work even if it was terrible and I’m sure missing connecting words…

After lunch it was time to see more of the city. We started by taking the tram back to the city centre. Chris had found that Zürich has it’s own funicular railway – so that was the next stop. Of course we had to stop and take pictures on the bridge first.

Looking across the river at the Swiss National Museum

This is from the bridge looking back towards the train station. This is the Swiss National Museum and then the other way there is a nice view along the river.

At this point, it had started to drizzle but was still really warm (as we had already experienced in Germany). The rain was nice given the heat though! We crossed the river to the lower stop of the Polybahn funicular. This goes from Central up to ETH Zürich, which was formerly called Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum. (For the nerds it has a 26% incline and is 450m in length. After leaving the bottom station, it goes over a bridge which crosses the road underneath it). We were managed to get the pushchair into the carriage. But it really wasn’t pushchair friendly if you couldn’t fold it up. (and therefore not wheelchair friendly)/. I’m not sure I could have done it myself if it had been just me and the boys.

Three happy boys on the funicular railway

To get around Zürich for the day, we had a 24 hour Zürich Card. This would cover our public transport but also give us discounts to some attractions like museums. The card was CHF 27 for Chris and I, CHF 19 for Jaxon and free for Rex (so £25 ish for an adult and £17 for Jaxon). The ages for children are between 6 and 16. It is possible to buy a 24 hour pass from ZVV but that is zone specific. Whereasa the Zürich Pass covers 7 zones around the city centre including getting from the city centre to the airport (Zürich Flughafen). There are also short lake cruises on Lake Zürich and Limmat River cruises included in the ticket price. The Rigiblick and Dolder Cable cars are also included but we didn’t make it to those (and actually they aren’t cable cars. Rigiblick is a funicular railway and Dolder is a rack railway).

Seilbahn - the top station of the funicular railway

We then took the bus from the top of the funicular to the Zürcher Spielzeugmuseum. This is a toy museum in the Altstetten area of the city. While we were on our way here, Rex had fallen asleep in his pushchair. There was normally a lift available at the museum. However, while we were there it was out of service so Chris and I carried Rex downstairs in his pushchair. He doesn’t have the biggest of pushchairs but even so it really wasn’t easy. It might have been better to leave him upstairs and then taken turns to keep an eye on him. It was interesting but some of it felt a bit like someone’s own collection rather than a museum. There were trains which Jaxon enjoyed but we were done in about 30 minutes maybe 45 minutes. We carried Rex back upstairs and while I sat outside with him, Chris and Jaxon looked around the toy shop. (With the Zürich Card, rather than a discount you get a voucher to use in store so they were spending the vouchers).

Then it was my turn. On the way back to the main station, I had found a yarn shop. We took the tram anD I left the boys watching the trams and the signals changing while I went to the yarn shop. (J’s special interest is how signals work and why they do what they do).

After the museum, we took a tram back to the main station. On the way we took a detour so I could visit a yarn shop while I was there. Jaxon, Rex and Chris watched the trams and the switches on the road. 

The yarn shop I went to was called Marimar Strick Cafe – the lady in the shop was so lovely and friendly. 

Kremke Soul Wool – Lazy Lion
Kremke Soul Wool – Lazy Lion
Juniper Moon Farm – Cumulus Rainbow
Juniper Moon Farm – Cumulus Rainbow
Juniper Moon Farm – Cumulus Rainbow

At this point, we rushed back to the station to find out what was happening. Chris had received a message to say that our train had been cancelled! It turned out that the villages that the line runs through had been hit by a bad storm overnight. This had left something like 30 villages without power.

We were told to come back when our train was “due” because then it would be officially be classed as cancelled and a solution could be organised. When we returned, the solution was a “hotel train”. Basically we’d be put on a sleeper train but we’d stay in the in the station. Then in the morning we’d take daytime trains for our onward journey. Well at least we didn’t have to fork out for a hotel in Zurich for the night!

We had a bunk bed room, Jaxon and Rex were on the bottom bunks and Chris and I were on the top bunks. This was fine apart from when Jaxon had to get up to pee in the night! When we first got onboard it was so warm that I had to go and get more water. It was nice to have some time to myself but the station was so empty it was kind of weird. 

While the bunk bed wasn’t the comfiest – at least it was stationary so we could all get some sleep.

Stats

Day Three Stats - 0 kilometres travelled. Our day did not go to plan but it's all part of the adventure around Europe.

You can find out more about the Interrail pass here.

Berlin to Zurich: Day Two of Our Exciting Adventure Across Europe

Day Two came around too quickly. Between noisy people outside and noisy guests on our corridor, I didn’t sleep that well. There was a school group staying in the hostel so when it was breakfast it was very busy. But that wasn’t going to dampen our spirits – we had a new city to explore. That’s the great thing about our adventure across Europe – there were new places to see each day and new things to experience.

Day Two: Berlin and Zürich

Once we were all fed, it was time to check out. The great thing about A&O Hostels is that alot of them have a locked luggage room on site that you can use for free. So we could leave our luggage while we went to explore.

We started the day by taking the M5 tram from the stop at Clara-Jaschke-Strasse which is right outside the train station through the city to Alexanderplatz. Jaxon had seen the TV tower on YouTube and wanted to see it. While I wasn’t sure if we could go up it, I thought we could at least ride a tram and then see it from the ground. Each Monday, Chris calls his Mum so while we were at the tower he quickly rang his Mum to show the sights looking up at the tower. I popped into a shop nearby to buy postcards. I’d had this great idea to write postcards to the grandparents (my parents and Chris’s parents) in each city we were in – but probably post once we got home because buying stamps wasn’t as simple as I thought it should be in some places.

After looking at the prices we decided that we would go up the tower. This would take us to the Observation Deck which is at 203m. As of August 2023, it’s €24.50 for an adult (15+), €14.50 for a child (Aged 4-14), children 3 and under are free. There is a restaurant which is slightly higher at 207m, but I would recommend booking so you’re not disappointed. (For the restaurant, you are paying for the access ticket to the observation deck and restaurant as well as what you eat/drink when you get up there).

Looking out across Berlin from the Berlin Fernsehturm - this was one of our first stops on our adventure across Europe

As you can see from the picture, it was an epic view – thankfully we had a clear day. I’m sure had it been foggy or drizzly the visibility would have been terrible! This was looking North-Westwards towards the Spree River. The view was 360° so you could see across Berlin. With some help from Google Maps, I was able to work our where Berlin Hauptbahnhof Station was along with roughly where our hostel was.

After heading back down the tower, it was time to explore some other history bits. Part of our adventure across Europe was going to be a very big history lesson. It was about time I put a “face” to those places I’d learnt about in History at school (and with my Dad). First we took the U-Bahn from Alexanderplatz to Brandenburger Tor. This is two stops on way on the U5 line.

The Brandenburg Gate has a lot of historical significance.

During The Cold War, The Berlin Wall ran past The Brandenburg Gate and was in a restricted area between both East and West Germany.

After visiting The Brandenburg Gate, we started to walk to Checkpoint Charlie. The walk isn’t that far at around 1.5km but with the heat (the high was 28.5C) we ended up stopping part way to get some lunch in the Mall of Berlin. There were so many choices we were struggling to decide what to get but in the end Chris decided that we’d get noodles because pizza might be needed as a last minute choice later in the trip. The food was really good and filling. Before we left, we again visited the toilet and the ones here had what seemed like an optional tip, but the lady who was the attendant was almost gatekeeping as if it was. a fee rather than an optional tip. (It would be come a theme of not having change or even cash for the tips/fees. Thankfully, J smiled sweetly and she let him in anyway).

After lunch, it was time to brave the heat again and head outside.

Tourists gathered around the hut at Checkpoint Charlie
The border sign at Checkpoint Charlie. It reads "You are entering the American Sector. Carrying weapons off duty forbidden. Obey traffic rules."

And of course, a selfie of me at Checkpoint Charlie to send to my Dad.

And of course a selfie to send home to my Dad.

We took a walk along Zimmerstraße which follows a section of the wall. It was interesting to see how close the wall ran to some of the buildings. At that point, the apartments on one side of the road would have been looking right at the wall.

We briefly visited the Topography of Terror which is a museum on the site of the former Gestapo headquarters. There is an inside bit but we just visited the outside bit. We were all a bit hot and bothered by this point so we didn’t stay long. We took a walk through the shaded areas hoping that there was another gate we could get through but it’s fenced off and so we had to walk back through the park to the main entrance to be able to continue. In that same area that is now a park, there had once stood a palace – it was built in the 1700s and destroyed during WW2. (It was called Prinz-Albrecht Palais).

We then headed to the Jewish Museum. This was a bit of a moment in the day. We entered the museum through “The Old Building”. This was a former Collegienhaus it is one of the last baroque palaces in the Freiderichstadt neighbourhood. Next door to this there is The Libeskind Building which is a modern construction. The building itself zigzags and there’s angled walls and floors. There is an audio tour that you can listen to that tells you all sorts of information about the building and why it was like that. But with the kids in tow, they didn’t want to stop long enough for me to listen to it. Maybe one day I’ll take myself on the train to Berlin and do it again (As well as visiting my friend who now lives about an hour outside of Berlin).

Through the building, there are voids like this (I think two in total) where the ground floor looks right up through the different floors to the roof. (I think there was a reason for this and there is a bit on the website about why the buiding is designed in such a way). There’s a section of the exhibits where there are these banners hanging from the ceiling (or high up on the wall) and the laws that were brought in by the Nazis against the Jews. Some are heart breaking and then as you get further through the war they start to get desperate and crazier. One of the first is that “If you’re a Jew….” and by that last banner it’s like “If you were married to a Jew but your marriage was annulled or you were divorced then you’re still going to be treated as if you were a Jew”. Again, I could have spent a lot longer reading through them all rather than just the skim read that I had to unfortunately give the exhibitions.

We had studied World War 2 in GCSE History and as much as you know it’s real life events that happened to real people, there is something about actually seeing the places in person and walking in those footsteps – like the walk from Brandenburg Gate to Checkpoint Charlie, had I done that when the Berlin Wall was still up, I would have had to had papers and all sorts to show why I was there.

After going to the museum, we then went in search of a bus to get back to the hostel to collect our luggage. This was quite easy to do as there was a bus stop a short walk from the museum and that took us back to Berlin Hauptbahnhof station. The bus took us through Potsdamer Platz too.

After grabbing some food, it was then time to catch our first night train and continue our adventure across Europe. This would take us from Berlin in Germany to Zurich in Switzerland. We were in a 6 seater carriage for most of the journey there was just us four but around 2am ish a couple joined us for a couple of hours. It was extra cosy at that point but with Rex still being so little he could curl up at one end and share a seat/bed with me or Jaxon. Chris kind of slept half sat up. I woke up around Leipzig where the train sat for a little while before carrying on further. Our train also stopped in Frankfurt, Baden Baden and Basel on it’s way through. We arrived in Zurich around 7:30am and that’s the start of Day Three.

Stats

You can find out more about the Interrail pass here.

Hello October (2023 Edition)

Well Hello there. Once again plans were made and plans failed but we get back up and try again right??

It’s October first. Between two friends visiting from the UK (not specifically to see us but we were a happy sort of by product lol) and then being on team at church the weekend got swallowed up very quickly but it’s a new month and it’s October! How did September disappear quite so quickly?

On the bus, metro, train or just in front of the TV I’ve been knitting lots. I’ve now got 3 pairs of socks on the go. One pair is a test knit (I’m on sock 1…), second is hopefully a gift if they will fit the recipient otherwise the recipient does have permission to frog the lot and knit some socks that will work for her lol. Third is my attempt at toe up socks (Toe Beans from Louise Tilbrook – Ravelry/Louise’s Website). Oh and a fourth which is the second sock of a test knit for Hanna at Germander Cottage Crafts. That pattern is called Flock Socks and can be found here.

I’ve also been back at Danish classes. I switched from DU3 to DU2 which definitely has helped but I’m now on the other extreme with a very light work load between classes so I’m working my way through a book I picked up at a loppemarked (flea market). It’s called Japonisme by Erin Niimi Longhurst. It’s a lifestyle book about Japan. You can read an interview with her here. I haven’t got much past the introduction as it’s taking me a while but it’s definitely easier than maybe it was when I actually got the book a few months back! I do actually need to read the article I was set for homework before tomorrow’s class… better make it happen quickly!

J(9) and I started Doctor Who yesterday afternoon. We went back to Eccleston’s first episode. We finished the first two episodes then J wanted to watch something else so I started my way through Torchwood again.

Anyway, tomorrow I’ll be back with my goals for October. Things like finishing projects and starting Christmas prep. It’s coming!

Are you working on plans for Christmas? Are you making any of of your gifts?

Our Exciting Adventure Across Europe: Day One

As someone who grew up in the UK, travelling to Europe seemed sort of far away – even if it wasn’t really. I grew up in Bedford which is about an hour north of London by train and so to get to Dover or a similar port to travel to Europe, it would be about a 2.5 hour car trip before you even get into the mainland of Europe. Since moving to Denmark, the opportunities to explore more have opened up. We’ve taken the short ferry from Helsingør to Helsingborg for a short weekend and taken a weekend cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo. Train travel here in mainland Europe is definitely more wallet friendly than the UK and with something like the InterRail pass it definitely opens more doors too. So join us for 8 days taking an exciting adventure across Europe. 8 days, 5 cities and a few more countries!

Day One: Copenhagen to Berlin

Day One was Sunday and so to begin with it was pretty much a normal Sunday for us. We started our day with going to church as Chris was speaking at the service. Rex decided that Daddy was “Flavour of the Day” so as much as I tried to keep him quiet all he wanted was to stand with Daddy. How Chris managed to keep speaking and not get completely distracted I have no idea!

Once church was finished it was time to head to København H Station to get our train and to start our adventure across Europe. Our first stop would be Berlin (with a couple of connections along the way). Before leaving, we grabbed lunch in the station so that we were all starting on a good note.

Our first train would be leaving Copenhagen and going via Fredricia. When we got there, we then had to change for another train to Rendsburg. This train would take us across the border into Germany.

I started by trying to keep notes around which stations we’d been through and then other details like how long the trip was and how far we’d traveled. Day One alone was over 750km (466 miles) that we covered. (If you’re a nerd and you like the stats you can find them down at the bottom of each day’s post).

After leaving Rendsburg station, we could see this bridge but it seemed like we were at complete the wrong angle for our train to actual make it up onto the bridge.

How wrong were we?

The Rendsburg Loop (German: Rendsburger Schleife) is an elevated spiral railway in Rendsburg in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, connecting the Rendsburg High Bridge over the Kiel Canal on the Neumünster–Flensburg line to Rendsburg station. The first bridge built over the original Kiel Canal in the 1890s was a swing bridge. In 1913, with the widening of the canal, this was replaced by the Rendsburg High Bridge with a clearance height of 42 meters (138 ft).

This met the requirements for bridges across the canal. At the same time, however, it was desirable for trains to be able to use the existing Rendsburg station. This was difficult because the station was too close to the canal to be connected directly from a bridge over the canal at the minimum height for the bridge. Therefore, at the northern end of the bridge, an elevated railway was built in the form of a loop. Trains from the south to Rendsburg need to make a 360-degree turn before entering the station. Similarly, trains coming from the north after leaving Rendsburg station run over the loop on to the High Bridge to cross the Kiel Canal.

Source: www.wikipedia.org

Once we crossed the Rendsburg High Bridge, we were then on our way to Hamburg. It was around another 100km from Rendsburg to Hamburg. When we arrived at Hamburg, it turned out that our train arrived at Hamburg Altona station. We needed to leave from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof – so time to tick off our first “other” form of transport. This was the Hamburg S-Bahn.

Google Maps only got us so far and while we were on the right platform, we didn’t have a ticket and we weren’t 100% sure it was going the right way. So while Chris went to get a ticket (that later we’d find out we didn’t need!) Rex, Jaxon and I waited on the platform.

I looked at the map and worked out that we needed the S3 line towards Neugraben. Once we were on the S-Bahn train I wasn’t still not entirely sure we were going to the right way but when we arrived at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and we were able to get out next train it was definitely a win!

We finally arrived in Berlin around midnight and were definitely ready for our beds! We were staying at A&O Berlin Hauptbahnhof which is a short walk away from the train station and really easy to find. It was a little challenging getting to sleep as there was a lot of noise outside but once I got Rex from the buggy into the bed he was completely gone and was fast asleep!

One day of our adventure across Europe – done!

Stats

You can find out more about the Interrail pass here.

Recently Off The…: Novice Slipover by PetiteKnit
Made in 2023: Project 11

Just after my birthday in 2022, I was trying to work out what to do with my birthday money. In the end, I picked out a Petite Knit pattern and headed to Nicoline Garn to spend it. It didn’t seem to difficult and I should be able to do it, so I started the Novice Slipover. I put it down to do other things and when I came back to it something was going wrong. The arm holes were huge and I had no idea why.

So I got drastic and ripped out THE. WHOLE. LOT. Drastic considering the body was basically finished but something wasn’t right. Well I worked on it and got it finished. It was time to get the cuffs on the arm holes finished. So here is something recently off the needles.

Recently Off The...

Novice Slipover

Pattern: Novice Slipover by Petite Knit
Needles: 4.5mm
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Double Sunday (Pattern calls for it to be held double with Silk Mohair but at the time I decided to skip over that – Mohair is kind of pricey lol)
2023g Challenge: 365g/2023g

I am terrible for casting on something new when I have other things on the go and occasionally try to focus on clearing the decks. With Summer Camp around the corner along with a week exploring Europe by train, I need to be more focused on what knitting projects I’m taking with me… also they need to be small ones, either that or I need to plan a project to get me to Stop 1 or 2, then something I can buy around that time to get me through the next few stops. (If I was really creative, I could make something to do with the trips – maybe flags for the countries we visit… maybe they need to be a creation before we go then I can stuff them in the pocket on my bag…I’ll think about that one!).

So, it’s finished. But for now I need to tell a story. A few weeks back I went to get some Spejderkorps Uniform for Jaxon (Spejderkorps is the Danish answer to Scouts UK). On my way home I realised I was going right by Nicoline Garn and needed some more yarn to make sure I had enough to finish the jumper. On my way there my bike chain came off for the 2nd or 3rd time, but it was still on my way home.

When I got to the shop, I explained the the lady behind the counter that I’d like some more yarn for my project, I wasn’t fussed if was the wrong dye lot but as long as it could be close and could she help me because I was covered in bike oil. “No problem” she said (Well sort of!) and set about helping me – she was so lovely! I wished I’d got her name so I could have told her boss how lovely and how helpful she was!

Now it’s June and I finally finished the project – that’s number 11 done. There are a couple of pairs of socks knocking about so I think I will go back to them and get them finished but I will be back with a recap of the WIPs.

Which means it’s time for the #2023gchallenge tally. At the end of Project 10, I was up to 1440/2023. My jumper uses 365g (which is a lot less than the pattern calls for but then I was using just the Double Sunday and not holding it double with the Silk Mohair like the pattern calls for). Anyway 365 for this project, takes the total to 1805/2023 which is 89.2% – less than 20% remaining with 6 and a bit months to go.

My Finished Object: Granny Squares
Made in 2023: Project 10

Each week Chris calls his Mum and they talk about what’s been going happening here and there. I nearly always end up talking about whatever project is on the go at the moment. A conversation recently turned to granny squares and making blankets for charity. Rather than this being a whole project, this was making Granny Squares for a project my Mother in Law was working on. So here’s my finished object.

Recently Off The...

Granny Squares

Pattern: Basic Granny Square (pattern)
Hook Size: 4mm
Yarn: Mystery grey DK yarn from stash – white borders are in Stylecraft Special DK
2023g Challenge: 230g/2023g

My MIL had been working on gloves, scarves and blankets for a charity that she supports. My MIL had been talking about being given squares by a friend of hers and she’d been sewing them together into a blanket. Another blanket she’d been working on had arrived as a pile of squares and when her friend saw the end product, she adopted the finished blanket back. Well granny squares are easy to pick up and put down when I’m riding the bus or train around the city. So as something to alternate with the Time Team Jumper, I offered to make my MIL some squares.

I grabbed my scraps and got started. I went for the pattern I use for a lot of baby blankets which is to have a couple of rounds of colour in the middle, then for it to be bordered with a few rounds of white to bring the squares together. Some squares ended up being multicoloured rather than specifically one colour but it helped to use up odd bits that would have been completely useless for other things.

Pile of pink granny squares on a dark desk

When Chris left to go to the Vineyard Leaders Conference just before my birthday, I was able to hand over 11ish squares that he could drop off to his Mum while he was back in the UK. Then I carried on, when I then went back to the UK last weekend, I took my bag of bits and my crochet hook and kept going, I needed to finish the Time Team Jumper and get as many granny squares finished as I could. In the end, I posted the squares to my MIL but forgot to count them! I made little piles when I was trying to pack them into the envelope I was recycling but didn’t count them properly. 

I got a message from my MIL, yesterday to say that the envelope had arrived and she really appreciated it. I then asked her to count how many squares were in there because I forgot. She had a total of 46 squares. 

I love that granny squares are so flexible. You can create all sorts like the Yes You Cardi-Can Cardigan from The Pigeon’s Nest or with a bit of tweaking that basic square you can create a sunflower pattern like The 1976 Crochet Bag also from The Pigeon’s Nest.

So, to update the 2023g Challenge info, one square is 5g (it’s possible that there is variation but this is the weight I settled on per square). 5g x 46 squares = 230g. 

A Year in Review: Happy Birthday to Me

It was my birthday this week. It was all a bit of a mixed bag as Chris was away and I had work so it was an early start for me at the boys (5.45 to get everyone to school or daycare then me to work for 7! My goodness!). It worked and it was fine. By bedtime, I was struggling a little hopefully the make up celebrations when Chris is home will balance that all out a bit. Happy Birthday to Me!

For now I thought I’d start with a sort of review of the year…

Looking back…

What are the highlights of the last year?

Getting to travel a bit more this last year. Copenhagen has such good links to Sweden and Norway that it was quite easy to get on a train or ferry and explore some more.

We had 3 or 4 trips back to the UK. Two were all of us trips and then 2 were just me heading back. Then there were the new places, most recently Rex and I took a train trip to Køge, we’d been through it on the way to other places but hadn’t actually stopped properly. It was a good trip but I probably needed to plan what to do a bit better.

All four of us took a train trip up to Helsingør which turned into an overnight trip to Helsingborg (Sweden). It was unexpected but such good fun! Another ferry trip was a “mini-cruise” from Copenhagen to Oslo. We could have done with longer there as there was just so much to see and do but we packed in what we could and we’ll definitely go back at some time I’m sure.

In the summer, last year we went to Vineyard Nordic Summer Camp which was at a Conference Centre place outside Jönköping. We didn’t get to see the actual town we were near but it was lovely to experience more of Sweden. While we were away, Rex went down with chicken pox – so I saw a lot of the inside of the caravan!

What goals did I achieve or what steps have I taken to get there?

Around this time last year, Rex had settled in at vuggestue and so I was looking for a job. I have loved running my own business (Daisy Media) and I still have a few people I’m working with but it wasn’t really working for me. I couldn’t really sit around all week just in case a client needed me. I started looking for a job and wrote to a lot of the yarn shops here in Copenhagen on the off chance they might have something going but at least so far I’ve had to luck. I got a part time job as a housekeeper for a company here who rent out shared apartments. It was an okay job but part of going out and getting a job was to be part of a team and speak to other people and that wasn’t happening. I’d work 12-20 hours a week and unless there were residents at home when I was cleaning then the only person I met during a shift was my 2-3 training shifts. Anyway, I left that mostly because of what it was doing to my mental health (I said that the loneliness I was feeling at work was the loneliness I felt at home sometimes just it had change postcode).

Earlier this year, I started a new job as an “All Rounder” at a local hostel/hotel. It’s been a crash course with lots of learning. It’s getting busier as we have school trips and other groups visiting the city. It can be hard going some days especially when I’m doing night shifts. I used to be very much a night owl but since the boys have to be so on it (Jaxon and Chris leave before 8 now!) I try to go to bed by 11 to make sure I’m actually asleep by midnight. This means that getting enough sleep in the day to be able to take on my night shift is hard (and getting harder as the days get warmer and sunnier). I think I’m going to have to invest in a eye mask to block out the light. I have been basically sleeping with one of Rex’s t-shirts over my eyes but it just makes me really warm lol.

Another goal of sorts was taking my health by the scruff of the neck and doing something about it. Around October, I went to see the GP about a couple of issues and we did have the “If you need surgery for this thing, you might need to lose weight before the surgeon will do anything” OUCH. At which point, she suggested I met with the Dietician – Okay…. well I knew mostly what was going to be said but maybe I needed someone who wasn’t me or Chris or my Mum to be kicking me in the butt and making sure I was doing the right thing. Well C the Dietician is the best – she’s so lovely and so helpful. There was a little hiccup and I haven’t seen C for a few weeks, so I need to get back in contact with her and get a new appointment booked.

Did I make any mistakes? What did I learn from them?

Oh definitely! Especially in the last week lol. I had an incident with the washing up trolley this week when I was at work.
Quitting my cleaning job at church for the new shiny job that didn’t last was definitely a mistake but I guess I needed to make the mistake by leaving to then make the choice and leave the new job for my own well being rather than sticking it out because I should or something like that (so not a mistake and a mistake all at the same time – that’s possible right?)

Looking Forward

What do I want to do for my next birthday? What plans do I need to make?

I don’t know… One of my goals now I have a job was to start saving towards taking my Mum to Rome as she’s always wanted to go. Well my Dad was on that one and they are doing that later in the year to celebrate their big wedding anniversary. So Mum and I need a new trip… I’m wondering about up to Scotland or maybe her coming here and then we’ll do the Oslo Cruise or something like that. I was trying to think of something that she’d love to do but wouldn’t normally be my Dad’s kind of thing.

What do I need more of in my life?

All sorts probably lol. My birthday present from Chris arrived today and I’m super excited about it. (It’s a gorgeous pale blue bike with flowers on it… It came in a big cardboard box and I had to assemble it. Once Chris gives it the once over and helps me with the bits I couldn’t do then I’ll be off for a bike ride even if it’s just around the block to make sure it’s all good.

Back in 2018, I took this picture (above) of a bike in Go Outdoors, I had wanted to get riding again but actually saving the money to buy a bike was going to be a little challenging but I loved the look of it. Well imagine it’s pale blue and you have the bike that Chris got for me.

Then I’m going to work on some adventures. If I drop Rex off in the morning once Jaxon leaves for school then I can get a train with my bike and go explore. I figure if I take the train somewhere, get on my bike and then head for home. If I vaguely follow the train route then if I need to, I just head to the closest stop and take the train the rest of the way home again or something like that. It was a very vague idea as I was getting cross at the nuts and bolts I couldn’t undo lol.

What goals do I have for the next year?

Well to begin with, the 40 Before 40 list actually needs to be finished and not just a “one day I’ll get on with that” kind of list.

Clear my TBR list a bit, I asked in a reading group on FB for suggestions of reading books to try and get out of the “chick lit” rut I’d found myself in. That was great but the list is now like 350 books long… which is crazy! So I guess maybe narrow that down based on what I’d actually like to read and get started. I’m trying to use both the physical library and the eBooks that come with my library card here a bit more so I’m hoping I can request a lot of the books that way but it could take me some time. I think I need to break it down into batches and then work like that some how. I need to think about that one some more I’m sure!

Next up, get posting here more. I set out with the best intentions then don’t always get there but there’s things to write about like the Oslo trip and how we ended up in Helsingborg for the night. That will take a few posts I’m sure!

So Happy Birthday to me.

Recently Off The Knitting Needles: Farm Beanie by Sparrow Play
Made in 2023: Project 4

Over the Easter Weekend, I started and finished the Farm Beanie by Sparrow Play. It’s a really easy beanie to get knitting while we worked our way through different TV shows. Mum had been watching Den Som Dræber (Lost: Those Who Kill) on BBC Four and had recognised Copenhill, so then I started Episode 1 and realised who bits of it is filmed around Nordvest! But as a family we watched Troldehjertets Hemmelighed (The Troll Heart’s Secret), it was a spin off from the Julekalender that aired back in December.

Anyway back to the yarn, a friend of ours volunteers with a scout group and they were clearing out their storage room. He rescued me some yarn so I set about making him a beanie hat that he could take with him on scout trips (or keep in his laptop bag when he goes to work because even the sunniest of days can sometimes need a woolie hat to keep the chill off here in Copenhagen lol).

Recently Off The Needles

Farm Beanie

Pattern: Farm Beanie by Sparrow Play (Ravelry Pattern)
Needles: 4mm
Yarn: Mystery grey DK yarn from stash, and the mystery rescued orange yarn (I think there were labels so I’ll check on the other balls)
2023g Challenge: 43g/2023g

This was a really easy hat to get on and off the needles again. The biggest challenge I had was getting the cast on right. I started with my usual Long Tail Cast on but it doesn’t always have as much stretch in it so I started over again with a German Twisted Cast On (I followed the Very Pink Knits video on YouTube when I learnt it).

When I switched from the grey to the orange, it was a a little challenging to see the change in the pattern but then once I’d got a few rows into it, it became clear.

It definitely didn’t work for me to try on with a messy bun on top of my head as it pulled it funny. Even with a pony tail instead it still looked a little funny but it still worked well and was cozy! Also it’s on the thinner side so I imagine would work well under a cycle helmet (Although the weather is gradually getting warmer so we could be heading for no woollies needed lol).

2023 Gram Challenge Totals: 43g/2023g.

You can read all my posts about the 2023g Challenge here. I share most of my updates over on Instagram first – you can follow me here.

Exploring Denmark: Copenhagen Christmas Displays
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I love Christmas. I love the Christmas markets and watching the Christmas adverts but I also love looking at the Christmas decorations, either in the streets or in the shop windows. In the UK, I’d go to Oxford/Regent Street to see the decorations if I had opportunity to. Now I explore Copenhagen and see what’s about. Back in December, I was walking back to the bus stop after my Danish class and took the wrong route, but in turn stumbled upon these decorations. All the shops were getting ready with their Christmas displays and the Christmas Market at Højbro Plads was in full swing. (They already have their dates up for Christmas this year…. that’s organised!).

So why am I sharing these now? Well because I keep exploring and not writing up my adventures – what a bad blogger I am! I thought about it after walking past a hairdressers (Frisør) near where we live. Their Easter (påske) display consists of a variety of Easter themed candles including some little chickens.

Bering House of Flowers is an amazing florist based near my language school. They have these 3 big windows (actually there’s 5 but I missed the two around the corner!) that face onto the road and I stopped to take it all in. There was so much to see – I’m sure if I’d been back another time I’d have spotted something else.

We actually walked past this same shop around Valentines and the windows were all decorated with roses and other red things. I meant to walk past after my Danish class last week but I completely forgot until I was on the bus home! I’m sure a business like this, it’s a team effort to get the windows dressed for the season or celebration but I’m sure in some cases people use a retail design agency to get the help they need. When Rogan’s Books was still open in Bedford, Rachel and I had a whole chat about how we could make a fireplace to go with Christmas books or something along those lines. I loved being able to help with things like that even if they were just random suggestions.

If you love the idea of travelling to Copenhagen for the Christmas Markets, I suggest coming closer to the end of November as it will be fractionally less busy (I think!). I’d also suggest staying somewhere a bit further out of the city like Nørrebro or Bispebjerg as it will be fractionally cheaper than staying right in the centre. You will also find that there are a lot of good transport links either by Bus, S-Tog or Metro from those areas. (Google Maps is really handy or try the DOT app too)

Five Ways to Promote Your Blog
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As a blogger it’s easy to get caught up with creating new content but not always promoting it the way you should. Sometimes you need to take it back to basics and walk through the ABCs so to speak to make sure you’re promoting your blog in the best way.

1) Share your Blog Post on Social Media

I know for most bloggers it’s the first thing you do after your schedule your post. You head over to your social media platforms or dashboard, and get your post scheduled. But maybe take it back to basics once in a while, think about things like:

  • Where are you sharing your posts?
  • How are you sharing your posts? If it’s a recipe, are you sharing to Pinterest? If it’s photos, are you sharing to Instagram? Consider making the into a reel maybe?
  • When are you sharing your posts? Both the time of the day but also things like the time of the year – some posts might work in different seasons, whereas others might only work in the lead up to something specific like Christmas.

You might want to consider creating a social media content calendar so that you’re not posting lots in one week and then nothing in the next week. It also gives you an idea of what’s coming up and what you need to get done before the weekend or the end of the month. If you do this, consider including posts that drive traffic and promote your blog through those older posts.

2) Make Graphics To Accompany your Post

Another one o those slightly obvious ones but think about it – when you interact with social media posts – are you more likely to read just a text post or look at a pretty colourful picture or video?

I personally love to use Canva for creating my graphics, with their Pro Subscription Plan you can easily resize your graphics to fit the ideal dimensions of different platforms – which makes it easier to create one graphic and just adapt it rather than starting over each time. (If you want to give it a go, you can use my Canva Affiliates link here to get a 30 day free trial of the Pro Subscription).

3) Re-Purpose your Content

This could have two angles. First, if you have content that relates to a specific season or event, consider rewriting it or adapting it for the following year – maybe something didn’t work last year and in your own plans your changing it this year.

Maybe you can turn your blog post in something else – like an infographic, video or something else. If you’re talking about something like your cleaning routine, maybe a printable checklist might be handy for instance.

4) SEO!

Work your way back through your old content – make sure your SEO is doing the best for your content. As you create new content make sure you’re doing it as you go. I love using Yoast or All-in-SEO plugins on WordPress to get my blog posts to work the best for me. Sometimes they need tweaking to get those good marks out of 100 but it’s definitely worth it for sure!

If you have time, read up about good/bad practices too to make sure you’re doing the right thing for your website.

5) Build Links to Your Website

Not just linking to external websites but make sure you’re linking to related posts on your own blog. Maybe you have a whole series about Easter or Christmas, well reduce those steps for your reader and include a link! (I use Link Whisper to help with this – sometimes it’s doesn’t work but sometimes it has great suggested that I’d forgotten were even there)

And then, maybe you want to get your own theme or need some guidance about where to go next. You could think about working with a web design agency to get you to that next step.

Recently Off The Knitting Needles: Rainbow Baby Blanket
Made in 2023: Project 4

Project 4 is finished! Again it’s knitting. It’s a rainbow blanket for a friend of mine who is expecting her first baby. We’ve only been friends a few weeks and because of where I met her and the changes that are happening in the next fortnight ish, I might not see her again. But who knows – we might still be friends. We’ll see. Anyway, when she told me her news, I had to make something for her. I had lots of Stylecraft Special in Aran in my stash and it’s not usually something I use (I’d bought it for when I made the Rainbow Blanket from The Pigeon’s Nest)

Recently Off The Needles

Rainbow Baby Blanket

Pattern: Rainbow Baby Blanket (My Own Pattern – notes can be found below)
Needles: 6mm
Yarn: Stylecraft Special Aran in Matador, Spice, Saffron, Sage, Cornish Blue, Lavender, Purple, Fondant and Silver
2023g Challenge: 353g/2023g

When friends expect babies, I love to gift them a baby blanket or something else knitted. The probably started a while back maybe with this Baby Blanket. I love spotting them out in the wild or when the mummies share pictures with me of the blankets in use. It makes me so happy.

I started by casting on 150 stitches (I used the Long Tail Cast on but in theory any cast on would work).

At the start and the end, there are 6 rows of grey. Between each colour there is 4 rows of grey.

Each colour then slightly reduces each time. The red and orange sections are 40 rows, yellow and green are 30 rows, blue and lilac are 20 rows and purple and pink are 10 rows. I made sure to keep the colour change on the back so that it was a “crisp” line along the front.

2023 Gram Challenge Totals: 713g/2023g (35.24%).

You can read all my posts about the 2023g Challenge here. I share most of my updates over on Instagram first – you can follow me here.

Recently Off The Knitting Needles: Baby Booties
Made in 2023: Project 1

When I heard just before Christmas that my friend was pregnant, I got my knitting needles out and got started one something lovely for her and her baby. We might not be as close friends as we were maybe 10 years ago but this little bundle of joy is extra special and so I needed to celebrate that the best away I know how from this distance. As it happened, Lindsay from The Chesapeake Needle shared this pattern for baby booties on Instagram at just the right time and I knew I needed to give them a go.

You notice that at least to begin with the posts of the projects that I have completed have come out of number order. Project 1-3 were all gifts and so I had to wait until they gifted to be able to share them properly with the world.

Recently Off The Needles

Baby Hausschuhe (Baby Houseshoes….or Booties!)

Pattern: Baby Hausschuhe (English) by Inesstrickt.
Needles: 4mm and 3.5mm
Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK in Silver (From stash)
2023g Challenge: 17g/2023g

Around finishing other projects they didn’t take too long and they became my first finished project of 2023. They are really straightforward. The sole is a few rows back and forth followed by picking up around the edge to create the body of the shoe. You can find the pattern here.

A hand holding a pair of grey booties in front of a Christmas tree. Knitting gifts for my friends is my love language for sure.

This was my first project of 2023. I had weighed it after one bootie was complete and clearly the scales were lying because they said 17g for the first one and then when I weighed them together I still had 17g! How does that work? Anyway, one project done, 17g out of 2023g is really not that much (0.84% – because I’m a nerd and like percentages). But I figure some projects are going to be the odd chip here and there, whereas other projects (like the Yuletide Colourway/Granny Stripe Blanket by Attic 24) will knock out lots of yarn in one go. You will be able to follow along with my progress over on Instagram or here.

2023 Gram Challenge Totals: 17g/2023g (0.84%).

You can read all my posts about the 2023g Challenge here. I share most of my updates over on Instagram first – you can follow me here.

A Brain Dump on a Rainy Afternoon

Both R and I are sick today…. We both have a cold. I’ve had a sore throat since Sunday and hoped that was it but it just seems to be getting worse. Whenever I get a cold, it always starts with a sore throat and then goes a bit crazy and the tiny chicken disease takes over…. (Okay so you may only get that if you follow Vlogbrothers and even then it’s probably REALLY OLD! Oh dear…. YouTube told me the video I was thinking of was posted 13 years ago! Both my boys were sparkles in the distance future and even Our Sidekick was still a plan yet to be told to us….) So combine that with the general feeling of a carousel or a toy car just racing round and round in my head and focusing is a big challenge. Which is why I’m here writing this random brain dump.

I’m starting this while I was in the middle of a SkillShare course titled The Complete Guide to Agile, Scrum Master and Kanban. See already on a tangent from what I was trying to do! (That SkillShare link is an affliate one, there is more information at the bottom of this post here)

I’ve been doing a course this week through the Kommune (local council here in Copenhagen) about applying for first jobs and things like who to write a CV or to contact a prospective employer to ask more questions before you apply. (I have already had my first job here but I think as they were both part time and what turned out to be short term, maybe I’m allowed in so I can get a “proper” job).

But I’m still in that “I have no idea what to do with life” kind of stage, again? Then again I think that maybe I’ve been stuck here for many years but have always been able to put it off. First it was a temp job because that’s what I could get, then it was self-employment around looking after J and then adding R into the mix. Now it’s finding something that fits around us, pays slightly more than peanuts and that I enjoy doing. I’d mostly like to be part of a team – having spent a lot of time working by myself it would be good to be around people. I spend my Monday at church volunteering as part of the Børnekirken team and then spend 1-2 mornings a week as part of a online Co-Working Group (We actually have people around the world which is really fun – more info can be found on MeetUp). So I’m working on my CV and starting over from the top because from feedback I’ve had it doesn’t work…. it’s not that good and should be worded differently.

But want do I want to do? Well that is the million dollar question and I still have no idea. Half the challenge is the experience I already have along with the education that I have. Yes I have a degree and while it would/could work if I wanted to teach drama or something along those lines – can I actually get a job with it? I’m sure if I could prove that somehow my degree helps me in a role even though it’s nothing to do with it, it might still help right? Then again I’m not so sure – I heard from one person that a specific company here will only employ you for certain roles if you have a Masters…

Oh well, I need to go back and finish my SkillShare lesson and then focus on other things that might be more productive then starring out the window looking at the rain… Hope you’re doing well today.

How has the first of the new month been for you?

If you use my link here – you can get a free month of SkillShare (and I get a free month too!)

The 91 Interesting Books I Read in 2022

How? How did I manage to read 91 books in one year. Well the biggest factor is that life changed a heap I guess. Between job searching here in Denmark and then Rex starting at nursery there was time for me to read. I read on the Metro and the Bus. I read before bed. If I’m home alone, I read while I eat my lunch. It soon adds up somewhere along the line. Basically with 98% of the books I read being on my phone or my iPad, I can access them at home as well as on the go too.

Books Read in 2022

But a lot of these are not long books as so that probably makes it look like I read more than I did. I’m sure if you add some of those shorter ones together you’d get proper length books (300-400 pages maybe?).

Anyway, here are those 91 books I read this year.

  1. Finding Hope at the Loch by Hannah Ellis
  2. The Forgotten Guide to Happiness by Sophie Jenkins
  3. Dreams and Schemes at the Seahorse Inn by Emily Hardale
  4. Christmas in Seabury (Seabury #3) by Beth Rain (Seabury)
  5. Starlight Cottage (Pepper Bay #1) by K. T. Dady
  6. Honeybee Cottage (Pepper Bay #2) by K. T. Dady
  7. Pepper Pot Farm (Pepper Bay #3) by K. T. Dady
  8. Christmas Flings and Wedding Rings. (Little Bamton #5) by Beth Rain (Little Bamton)
  9. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments)
  10. Year One (Chronicles of The One, #1) by Nora Roberts
  11. The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History by Oliver Tearle
  12. Sandwiches in Seabury (Seabury #4) by Beth Rain
  13. Sunshine at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery #1) by Sarah Hope
  14. Christmas at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery #2) by Sarah Hope
  15. New Year at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery #3) by Sarah Hope
  16. A New Start at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery #4) by Sarah Hope
  17. Family Ties at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery #5) by Sarah Hope
  18. Escape to… The Little Beach Cafe by Sarah Hope
  19. Celebrations at the Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery #6) by Sarah Hope
  20. Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café by Jessica Redland
  21. Spring Tides at The Starfish Café by Jessica Redland
  22. Escape to…Berry Grove Bed & Breakfast by Sarah Hope
  23. The Chocolatier’s Secret (Magnolia Creek #2) by Helen J. Rolfe
  24. Spring at The Stables on Muddypuddle Lane by Etti Summers
  25. Christmas at Clementine Cottage (Clementine Cove #1) by Emily Harvale
  26. Broken Hearts and Fresh Starts at Cove Café (Clementine Cove #2) by Emily Harvale
  27. The Little Café (Romantic Escapes #1) by Julie Caplin
  28. The LIttle Brooklyn Bakery (Romantic Escapes #2) by Julie Caplin
  29. Lemon Drop Cottage (Pepper Bay #4) by K.T. Dady
  30. New Arrivals at The Loch (Lock Lannick #9) by Hannah Ellis
  31. The Weekend Getaway (Isles of Scilly #1) by Hannah Ellis
  32. Summer Breeze (Chloe’s Cream Tea Cafe) by Rosie Chambers
  33. Autumn Leaves (Chloe’s Cream Tea Cafe) by Rosie Chambers
  34. Christmas Trees (Chloe’s Cream Tea Cafe) by Rosie Chambers
  35. The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts (Lonely Hearts Bookshop #1) by Annie Darling
  36. True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling
  37. Surprises in Seabury by Beth Rain
  38. Nothing Like A Dane by Keri Bloomfield
  39. Crazy in Love at The Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling
  40. The Library by Bella Osborne
  41. The Old Sugar Wharf Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington
  42. New Beginnings on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  43. A New Arrival in Upper Bamton by Beth Rain (Upper Bamton)
  44. A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews by Annie Darling
  45. Rainy Days in Upper Bamton by Beth Rain (Upper Bamton)
  46. Wedding Fever at the Cornish Bakery by Sarah Hope
  47. Finding Love at The Cornish Bakery by Sarah Hope
  48. Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  49. Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin (Love Clichés #1) by Emma St. Clair
  50. Falling for Your Boss (Love Clichés #2) by Emma St. Clair
  51. Falling for Your Fake Fiancé (Love Clichés #3) by Emma St. Clair
  52. The Twelve Holidates (Love Clichés #3.5) by Emma St. Clair
  53. Falling for Your Best Friend (Love Clichés #4) by Emma St. Clair
  54. Dreams and Ice Creams in Seabury by Beth Rain
  55. Falling for Your Enemy (Love Clichés #5) by Emma St. Clair
  56. The Hub by Nicola May
  57. Shoulder Season (Lake Michigan Lodge #1) by Kathy Fawcett
  58. A Winter Haven (Scottish Island Escapes #1) by Margaret Amatt
  59. Together Under a Snowy Skye by Lisa Hobman
  60. Hidden Treasures in Upper Bamton by Beth Rain
  61. The Book Club in Lily Vale Village (Lily Vale Village #1) by Imogen Payne
  62. A Summer Fair in Lily Vale Village (Lily Vale Village #2) by Imogen Payne
  63. Mistletoe and Wine in Lily Vale Village by Imogen Payne (Sunny Shore Bay)
  64. A Fresh Start in Sunny Shore Bay by Imogen Payne (Sunny Shore Bay)
  65. The Cosy Little Tearoom in Lily Vale Village by Imogen Payne (Lily Vale Village)
  66. The Little Ice Cream Van in Sunny Shore Bay (Sunny Shore Bay #2) by Imogen Payne
  67. The Bungalow by the Beach (Sunny Shore Bay #3) by Imogen Payne
  68. Sea Breeze and Autumn Leaves in Sunny Shore Bay (Sunny Shore Bay Book 4) by Imogen Payne
  69. New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland
  70. Wedding Bells in Sunny Shore Bay (Sunny Shore Bay Book 5) by Imogen Payne
  71. Returning to The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery Book 9) by Sarah Hope
  72. Secrets & Surprises at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery Book 10) by Sarah Hope
  73. Picnic Days at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery Book 11) by Sarah Hope
  74. Love in the Air at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery Book 12) by Sarah Hope
  75. A Big Day at The Cornish Bakery (Escape to… The Cornish Bakery Book 13) by Sarah Hope
  76. The Christmas Surprise by Rosie Green
  77. Chocolate Cake for Breakfast (Little Duck Pond Cafe #20)
  78. Jingle Bells in June (Little Duck Pond Cafe #21)
  79. Sun, Sea and Strawberry Shortcake (Little Duck Pond Cafe #22)
  80. Clara’s Secret Garden (Little Duck Pond Cafe #23)
  81. A Winter Wish (Little Duck Pond Cafe #24)
  82. Clara’s Christmas Magic (Little Duck Pond Cafe #25)
  83. A Seaside Escape by Lisa Hobman
  84. Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
  85. Christmas on Crumcarey by Beth Rain
  86. Pepper River Inn (Pepper Bay #6) by K.T. Dady
  87. Christmas at Cwtch Cove (Cwtch Cover #1) by Rachel Griffiths
  88. Winter Wishes at Cwtch Cove (Cwtch Cove #2) by Rachel Griffiths
  89. Mistletoe Kisses at Cwtch Cove (Cwtch Cove #3) by Rachel Griffiths
  90. Chasing Dreams in Eversley Village (Eversley Village 1) by Suzanne Fox
  91. Second Chances in Eversley Village (Eversley Village 2) by Suzanne Fox

I regularly update my Goodreads with the books I’ve been reading. You can follow me here. (I’m also thinking about switching to Storygraph or something like that, but I like that my Kindle app automatically updates Goodreads when I finish a book so might be staying there….)

You can see the books I’ve read in other years here: 2018 and 2019.

ChatGPT vs Knitting: Can an OpenAI Write A Knitted Jumper Pattern That Works?

ChatGPT seems to have popped up all over the place for different things. I think it has definitely divided opinion. I don’t know that much about it but Chris was telling me how they were discussing it’s uses at work. I’m not sure I entirely kept up with what they were talking about using it for but it definitely sounded interesting.

Well, I was intrigued and wondered. Could it be used to create knitting patterns? Chris said yes without even hesitating. So… I grabbed some DK weight yarn and asked ChatGPT:

Can you write me a knitting pattern for a kids jumper in DK weight yarn? 

After realising this had automatically provided me with a bottom up jumper, this wasn’t a problem but I’ve definitely found that top-down are more flexible – especially when it comes to making sure that the body is long enough and the neck hole is big enough! Therefore, I changed the question to:

Can you write me a top-down knitting pattern for a kids jumper in DK weight yarn? 

Having knitted 4 kids sized jumpers across last year for Christmas gifts I had a rough idea what the shape would look like and what the pattern might be like even if I wasn’t 100% sure what the ChatGPT was talking about. (You can read about the French Macaroon Jumper here – there’s another post to follow with a finished Christmas Present too so ,

And this is what I got…

Here is a top-down knitting pattern for a kids jumper in dk weight yarn:

Materials:

  • 4mm circular needles
  • 4mm double-pointed needles (for sleeves)
  • DK weight yarn (approx. 500g)
  • Stitch markers
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors

That’s easy enough – all things that I have anyway – could do with the circular needle length maybe being specified but I grabbed an 80/100cm and went ahead with magic loop.

Gauge: 22 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

I grabbed some spare DK from my stash. The gauge square on this particular yarn was 20 stitches x 34 rows even though it is in theory standard DK. I did also check Stylecraft Special DK which is my usual go to and that comes up as 22 stitches and 30 rows. (I’m wanting to try the Yarnsmiths range from WoolWarehouse too so I looked at the gauge square for their yarns and their’s comes up at 22 stitches by 26 rows so if I was to use that in future I would definitely need to do a gauge square (And yes I should have probably done one this time… Maybe I do it retrospectively??)

Sizes: 2-3 years, 4-5 years, 6-7 years

Okay so this is a smaller range than maybe I was hoping for but a jumper for my youngest son (he’s 2.5 almost) wouldn’t take too long to knit for this experiment. (And if it doesn’t work or he doesn’t wear it then it can always be frogged or donated elsewhere). I chose to do a 4-5 years size as there are no chest measurements and there could be a lot of winging it in the process.

(Rather than go through step by step of the pattern, skip to here if you’d like to jump the pattern and just see my comments)

Instructions:

  1. Using the circular needles, cast on 80 (90, 100) stitches. Place a marker at the beginning of the round and join to work in the round.
  2. Work in k1, p1 rib for 2 inches.
  3. Increase for yoke:
  • Round 1: *K1, m1, k to 1 stitch before marker, m1, k1; repeat from * to end of round.
  • Round 2: Knit all stitches.
  • Repeat rounds 1-2 until you have 120 (130, 140) stitches.
  1. Work in stockinette stitch for 3 inches.
  2. Divide for sleeves and body:
  • Place markers at the beginning of the next round to mark the beginning of the sleeves.
  • Knit to 2 stitches before the first marker, bind off the next 8 (10, 12) stitches for the first sleeve, knit to 2 stitches before the next marker, bind off the next 8 (10, 12) stitches for the second sleeve, knit to the end of the round.
  • You should now have 56 (60, 64) stitches remaining for the body.
  1. Work in stockinette stitch for the body for 6 inches.
  2. Decrease for neckline:
  • Round 1: *K2tog, k to 2 stitches before end of round; repeat from * to end of round.
  • Round 2: Knit all stitches.
  • Repeat rounds 1-2 until you have 24 (28, 32) stitches remaining.
  1. Bind off all stitches for the neckline.
  2. Pick up stitches for the sleeves:
  • Using the double-pointed needles, pick up 8 (10, 12) stitches from the bound-off edge of the first sleeve.
  • Knit in the round for 4 inches.
  • Repeat for the second sleeve.
  1. Decrease for sleeve cuffs:
  • Round 1: *K2tog, k to 2 stitches before end of round; repeat from * to end of round.
  • Round 2: Knit all stitches.
  • Repeat rounds 1-2 until you have 4 (6, 8) stitches remaining.
  1. Bind off all stitches for the sleeves.
  2. Weave in all ends and block to finished measurements.

Congratulations, you’ve finished your top-down kids jumper in dk weight yarn! This pattern can be easily adjusted to create different sizes by increasing or decreasing the amount of stitches casted on or the length of the body and sleeves.

My Comments

I grabbed my 4mm circular needles and got started. The first issue was not having the length of the circular needle. This wasn’t really a problem as I could just grab any length and magic loop it to begin with. Similarly for the sleeves, when I got to that point I would be using magic loop and a longer cable to do the sleeves. (In the end, I switch to my shorter length ones as I was getting a big gap where my round started/ended).

Cast on and neckline – My cast on took about 3 attempts because I had a really long tail the first time and the second time the tail was too short. Finally I resorted to a still too long tail but I wasn’t going to cast it on again! Clearly this is a me thing rather than something wrong with the pattern – I’m sure there are hacks out there for getting it just right and not wasting more yarn that you need to on the tail.

Increasing for the yoke – Specifying the time to M1 to use might have been handy but as with other patterns when not specified I pretty much always use a M1R (why? I don’t know but the advice seems to be just go with the one you like if it doesn’t specify).

AND HERE’S WHERE IT FAILS….

Most jumpers like the Flax by Tin Can Knits or the Tweedy Junior by Hedgehog Fibres (for instance – I knitted two Tweedy Juniors before Christmas you can read here.), tell you when it comes to increasing for the yoke to add extra markers. They are usually stitch heavy on the front and back so going back to those 90 stitches, you could expect it to be 30 for front and back and then 15 for each sleeve – for example. There would then be equal increases all the way around – whereas as you can see above – it just says to increase either side of the beginning of the round. Now I did think this was strange but was willing to trust the process and see what happened. I’ve got up to 106 stitches and retraced my steps etc and found the error – no trusting the process here because the pattern is missing a step.

Hannah 1 – ChatGPT Knitting Pattern Skills 0

What do you think? Can AI write patterns that work? Do you think it will come in time even if it’s not there yet?

Recently Off The…: Tweedy Junior (1 and 2)

During October and November, I worked on two jumpers. One was for my nephew and the other was for my friend’s daughter/Rex’s bestie. Similar to post earlier in January, now that Christmas has been and gone, I can actually share about it. The pattern is Tweedy Junior by Hedgehog Fibres. I found it via Ravelry but it is available directly from their website here.

Recently Off The Needles

Tweedy Junior – Rainbow Version

Pattern: Tweedy Junior by Hedgehog Fibres
Needles: 4mm and 3.5mm
Yarn: Stylecraft Merry Go Round in Rainbow (3142) (Wool Warehouse) and Special DK in Sherbet (Wool Warehouse)

Having finished the Flax Light by TinCanKnits – I wanted something along similar lines but different and came across this one on Ravelry. I found this pattern from Hedgehog Fibres and completed the first one which is in the variegated green yarn. Having finished that – I decided the pattern was easy enough to follow and that I’d do it in some other yarn – so reached for the Merry Go Round in Rainbow.

Having weighed the green jumper, I realised I was fractionally short on yarn, I started it anyway with the plan that I could either order another ball from the Wolplein (the nearest Stylecraft distributor. They are based in The Netherlands and will definitely be my go to if I need any more Stylecraft yarn for projects) or add in something different. In the end, I raided the stash and looked for something that would go with it. In the end I went with the Stylecraft Special DK in Sherbet which went really well with the rest of the colours which was great! (It turned out I had 120cm left over when I switched to the Sherbet. Not sure that would have been enough for the cuff too but it at least got me to the cuff and I could switch).

Rainbow version of the Tweedy Junior jumper from Hedgehog Fibres

Tweedy Junior – Green Version

Pattern: Tweedy Junior by Hedgehog Fibres
Needles: 4mm and 3.5mm
Yarn: Akrylgarn from Yarn and Friends (Netto yarn)

As if doing it once wasn’t enough, I then went to cast it on again with different yarn for my nephew. I made him a jumper a year or so ago and it was a bottom up and the body wasn’t quite long enough… oops! So this one being top down, meant that if it really wasn’t long enough, I could post my Mum the extra yarn or I could take it on my next visit back to the UK and make sure it was long enough for him.

The pattern was easy enough to follow. I loved the way the colours came together and when I got R to try it on (he’s 9ish months younger than my nephew) it looked good so I was on a win!

Green version of the Tweedy Junior pattern from Hedgehog Fibres

You can see other projects I’ve completed here. Have you been working on anything recently?

Recently Off The…: French Macaroon Jumper

Back in July, I finished this jumper for my Niece’s first Christmas – now that Christmas has been and gone I can actually share about it. For years I’ve had this pattern – French Macaroon Jumper on my “to knit at some point” list. When I decided that I’d make some of my Christmas presents, it was a perfect one for my niece.

Recently Off The Needles

French Macaroon Jumper

Pattern: French Macaroon Jumper by The Noble Thread (The Pattern is on Ravelry)
Needles: 4mm
Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK in Cream and Himalaya Everyday Bebe Rengarenk (This was a random score from the Genbrug/Charity Shop)

I’ve had this pattern saved in my Ravelry Library for years with the idea that one day I’d make it but I’d always put it off. I decided that I’d try and make some of my Christmas presents as they should travel back to the UK a bit easier.

First on the list was a jumper for B as it’s her first Christmas. Baby jumpers are easy to knit and quick – so this one has taken me about 2 weeks ish. I spent a lot of time knitting while at Summer Camp so that helped to get it done quicker.

Apart from the 3 needle bind off it’s a really simple pattern, especially for beginners. When it comes to the cast off – I love this video from VeryPink Knits as it’s so simple to follow (And she has a slower version too if needed).

You can see other projects I’ve completed here. Have you been working on anything recently?

The 2023 Gram Challenge (with @RachelisKnitting)

I saw this on Instagram and decided it was the kind of challenge I could do. 2023 grams of yarn knitted or crocheted in 2023… not that hard right?

In 2023, I want to work through 2,023 grams from my stash. Want to join?

The idea is that you keep track or weigh your project when you’re finished (or the remainder and then do some maths if needed) and aim for 2023 grams. That’s just over 20 grams of Stylecraft Special DK for instance… (100g per ball give or take). Then again maybe gorgeous skeins of hand dyed loveliness is your thing…

2,023g is the equivalent to approximately 20 full skeins and 1 mini skein.

Sometimes, seeing something physically rather than just imagining it, is helpful, so I went off to get out my Yuletide Blanket Yarn Pack (pattern is by Attic 24 and can be found here). That’s 15 balls (15 x 100g) to begin with. (One challenge for this year is to finishing the project… I started the original Yuletide Blanket last year, then undid it before start twice more and resorting to the Granny Stripe Blanket instead). So that could cross off 1500g ish in one go… it’s definitely going to be an at home project.

Well for the interest, I went to weigh my current project and including the needles and the remaining yarn (as it’s still in progress) that’s on 370g – I think yarn wise it’s about 350 (3 x 50g balls and 1 x 200g ball). I have finished half of one project so I have already crossed off 22g but I’m not counting that until I finish the second half of the project. Also I’ve been working on some Franken-Yarn balls (which might need it’s own post…. what is franken-yarn? I’m not sure it’s an official definition but if some one did coin it before I will happily point people in their direction. I sat with all the odds and ends that I had and tided them all together based on their colours. So now I have 3 cakes of pink (they are numbered so they roughly go from very light pale pink through to magenta almost purple) which could be 250-300g alone… That’s just the pink so once I get through the blues and greens, I could be on 600g+ (When I write a blog post about my franken-yarn I will be back with a post….)

Already have a WIP? Weigh it now and subtract that numner from the final weight when it becomes an FO OR just count it all

My WIPs (Works in Progress), are being counted once they are finished. Some have had a weight already to see what 20g or 100g of yarn looks like once it’s in a physical project form instead of a ball/cake/skein but other wise it’s going to be great fun for sure! Project 2 (As it’s being called) is getting there but at 300+ stitches a row it is taking longer than I expect to finish a row. The cast off is going to be a chore but also a massive relief I’m sure!

What if I buy new yarn? Fun! That counts! Use it!

While I’m trying not to buy yarn right away, I do have Christmas money burning a yarn shaped hole in my pocket. I’m tempted by a new set of interchangeable needles but I want to be able to test drive before I buy and I’m not sure how easy that will be… (The Infinity Hearts set by Rito is currently Number 1 but the Chiaogoos are calling to me – but they are both an investment so how can I get a test drive? I’d just need one set maybe 4 or 4.5mm on a medium size cable so that I can make something…)

Join in and follow along by using the hashtag #2023gchallenge Yay!

The pictures on this post are all shared with permission from @rachelisknitting. You can follow her on Instagram, YouTube and read her blog here.

31 Inspiring Blog Prompts for January

I don’t know about you but some months, I think this is the month that I’m going to get this blogging thing back on track and then I get brain freeze and can’t think of anything to write about so, while I’m sat here with time to spare, I’ve been writing a list of ideas and here I’m sharing it with you. (There’s the list and also a printable if you’d like to add it to your bullet journal or planner)

Prompts for January

  1. Goals and intentions for the year. (What’s the difference take a look here)
  2. Your Word for The Year (more info here and here)
  3. Tips for sticking to your goals
  4. Have you sent thank you cards for your Christmas presents? If like me you made yours on Canva, maybe you can share your design for others to you.
  5. Show us your TBR for January (Have you set a goal of how many books to read this year? This was 2021 and 2022 is coming)
  6. Do you knit, crochet or sew? Do you have something on the go or just finished? Be sure to share.
  7. Maybe make up or skincare is your thing – share some tips or maybe your favourite products
  8. What are your favourite winter must haves?
  9. What are your current binge worthy TV shows or YouTube channels? (Vlogmas has just finished – maybe you’re still catching up).
  10. Bullet journal ideas for January
  11. Have you got some projects planned for this year? Why don’t you share them?
  12. Review your favourite planner.
  13. Conduct a reader survey or a social media poll. Blog based on the findings.
  14. Reading List for the Year – any you’re planning to read this year? Maybe it’s journals or blogs rather than books.
  15. Favourite Planning Tool – I am a pen and paper type of person but maybe there’s an online tool you prefer.
  16. Show us where you blog. At a desk? On the sofa? Maybe not at home?
  17. January activities with little kids – what things can you do at for free or low cost maybe?
  18. What about writing a how-to-guide for something you like doing?
  19. Top 10 Hints/Tips for….. maybe you’ve got some you can share.
  20. Revisit your very first blog post and reflect on how you’ve grown or how life has changed.
  21. A Sunday night routine for a great start to the week (or maybe your Sunday Reset list)
  22. Ten things you’d tell your 20-year old self.
  23. Date night ideas
  24. Frugal date ideas (If post Christmas budgets are getting you down, how about sharing your ideas for a cheap date night?)
  25. Tonight is Burns Nights – if you celebrate, what do you get up to? Do you have a proper haggis – or maybe you have an alternative? What have you got up to at previous celebrations?
  26. Five things you need to know how to fix (e.g. change car tire etc.)
  27. Essentials you can’t live without (You could stretch this by sharing by different rooms. What essentials do you have to have in your kitchen)
  28. How to be a great friend
  29. Share 10 Instagram accounts that inspire you
  30. Monday is always a bit stressful in our house, so how do you start Monday morning the right way.
  31. One month down, how are those goals coming along? Have you changed them? Have you given up already?

If you share them on social media – please tag me and I’ll share/RT etc.

You can find me at:

Knitting and Crochet Projects Completed in 2022

After following the progress of Boston Jen and Jasmine from the Knitmore Girls during their destash challenge, I sat down and wrote a list of all the things that I had made this year. A lot of it involved going back through my Instagram feed and seeing what was on there. So it’s always possible that I’ve missed things along the way. I attempted to try and create it in some kind of date order but that didn’t really happen – so it’s just a list but 2023 is going to be different! 

  1. Pink and White Baby Blanket
  2. Rainbow Blanket by The Pigeon’s Nest – Pattern
  3. Yuletide Blanket by Attic 24 – pattern (all 3 attempts – eventually settled on a Granny Stripe Blanket – pattern)
  4. Special Stripe Blanket – Pattern– Blog Post
  5. Yes You CardiCan by The Pigeon’s Nest – Pattern
  6. Aria Blanket by Attic 24 – Pattern
  7. Ocean Moon MKAL – got frogged – Pattern (Ravelry) / Pattern (Etsy)
  8. Danish Flag Bunting
  9. Tour de France Bunting (Pattern available here)
  10. B’s Christmas Jumper – French Macaroon Jumper – Pattern (Ravelry)
  11. R’s Christmas Jumper – Tweedy Junior – Hedgehog Fibres
  12. Knitted Flat Socks by Germander Cottage
  13. Winter Peaks Hat by Tea, Cake and Make
  14. Coziest Autumn Beanie by The Chesapeake Needle – Pattern
  15. Grey/Blue Socks – based on Crazy Sock Lady’s DK Vanilla Socks – Pattern (Ravelry)
  16. Shawlography by Stephen West – Pattern
  17. Super Socks (Lang Yarns Super Soxx – DK Vanilla Socks by Crazy Sock Lady – Pattern (Ravelry)
  18. Jaxon’s Rainbow Hat
  19. K’s Christmas Jumper (Tweedy Junior – Hedgehog Fibres)
  20. B2’s Christmas Jumper
  21. E’s Christmas Blanket
  22. A’s Christmas Blanket
  23. *Outfoxed Shawl by Olga Fedoryak (aka GothamKnits) – Pattern
  24. *Yuletide Blanket (all 3 attempts) by Attic 24 – Pattern (Yuletide Blanket) – Granny Stripe Blanket – Pattern
  25. *Methera Luna by Karie Westermann – Pattern (Ravelry)
  26. *Petite Knits Slipover by PetiteKnit – Pattern
  27. *Stormy Sweater by Handknits and Hygge – Pattern
  28. *Aurora Cabin Shawl by West Knits/Stephen West (Pattern)

*As I write this post, these are still to be finished but hopefully by the time the post goes live they will be finished or closer to being finished… or the start of my list for 2023!

Here’s to starting the project list for 2023….

  1. Aurora Cabin Shawl by West Knits/Stephen West (Pattern – and then I frogged it – you can read about that here)
  2. Yuletide Blanket (all 3 attempts) by Attic 24
  3. Methera Luna by Karie Westermann
  4. Novice Slipover by PetiteKnit
  5. Stormy Sweater by Handknits and Hygge
  6. Outfoxed Shawl by Olga Fedoryak

In A Tangle – Episode 3 – Show Notes

Hello friends! Well it’s been a while – welcome back for Episode 3 of In A Tangle. There was a plan and then I had sick kids and it all went to pieces. So I’m back by myself for this episode but I’m hoping that come the next episode I will have a special guest! Exciting!

In A Tangle
   

Timings for this Episode 

0:00 Introduction

01:17 Things I’ve Achieved/Things I’m Waiting On

01:40 On The Needles

Two Christmas presents

Rebecca at The Pigeon’s Nest (she’s great! Follow her on Social Media or take a look at her website). She’s talked about using the tails from previous projects or scraps of fabric in as stuffing for things.

Two Finished Projects – both projects were the Tweedy Junior from Hedgehog Fibres just in different yarn combinations.

05:50 Planning for 2023 

  • Nine Projects to Complete in 2022 – Blog Post 
  • Starflanket by Stephen West – Website Link 
  • Twists and Turns by Stephen West
  • Aurora Cabin Shawl by Stephen West – WestKnits Website (Midnight Walks and Duck Egg from Truly Hooked Yarns, there’s a third skein of something yummy from her too but I don’t know the name and a fourth skein of yarn I have for the project was a birthday present back in 2020 and came from Demelza’s Delights – I’d love to be able to identify the colourway but haven’t managed to so far – it looks a lot like Rebecca but I’m not sure. (You can find her on Instagram and Etsy).
  • Mentioned in passing Knitmore Girls and Fibre East/Summer Wool Festival (29th and 30th July 2023 at Redbourne Upper School, Ampthill)

09:50 Finishing Outstanding Projects – Clearing the Decks 

13:00 In A Tangle Yarn Chicken!

Stylecraft Merry-Go-Round (Wolplein/WoolWarehouse) paired with Stylecraft Special in Sherbet Wolplein to the rescue! (My local Stylecraft Distributor)

14:25 TV/YouTube

January’s Coming – Time for A New Journal?

Each year like so many other planner people, I start thinking about a new planner. This year it started to brew around September when the new Hobonichi planners were released. My friend was ordering, so we shared the shipping and customs and I ordered a Hobonichi Weeks Mega to carry with me everyday. Alongside this as usual I’ll be running my bullet journal to try and keep my brain in some kind of order.

I’m currently on page 83 of my current Leuchtturm1917 journal (it has 251 pages). And yet, the thought crossed my mind, do I start a new year with a new journal? Do I carry on with the one I have? Do I set up the new journal anyway but carry on with the one I’m in currently so that it’s good to go when I need it?

Then I got thinking about the ins and outs of a new journal. It’s a new year right? So why not a fresh start? Why not leave the “junk” of 2022 in my 2022 journal and move into a new journal for a fresh start.

I can be a little nerdy with numbers so I did the maths, I’m on page 84, there are 251 pages total (251 – 84 = 167). That’s 167 pages to use between now and the end of December. That’s 6.4 pages a day… no pressure, right?? I guess if I was more of a long form journaling type person, I could quite easily fill those pages maybe. (I started this, this morning, then I had my Danish lesson and I’ve filled 6 pages today so maybe some days it won’t be as hard as others but it’s still a lot right? Which means i’m on Page 90 not 83 and that works out at an average of 6.2 pages per day…)

So that’s a con, the wasted pages and the missing joy of a full journal. But what else are the pros or cons of both sides?

New Journal for a New Year

This is recommended by Ryder Carroll – both on the Bullet Journal website and in his book The Bullet Journal Method (Can be purchased here – it’s an affiliate link)

The New Year is as good a time as any to set up a new notebook, because it’s an unavoidable cultural milestone, both literally and metaphorically. It delineates the old from the new, what has been from what could be. Why not welcome this opportunity for a fresh start? It gives us an excuse to drop any useless baggage weighing us down, lightening our load for the new adventures to come.

Yearly Migration > Migration > The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll

So in short, leave the junk of last year there and more forward on to the new year.

Volume by Year

If you’re someone who knows exactly how much space they expect to use, then maybe you can predict that by starting a new journal you might get 3 or 4 full months to a book (and therefore 3 or 4 journals to a year then yes maybe it makes sense to move so that you can then have a nice even number etc.

Filling a journal

There’s just something about picking up a journal and knowing that it’s filled from cover to cover of the things you got up to in that period of time. Sometimes it varies and once you’ve included tickets or leaflets from adventures, it can fill up quick quickly (and become rather chunky!). My current bullet journal was started in October so I really don’t want to be wasting the rest of the notebook)

This one in the picture was one of my old Stalogy notebooks – I loved them for the size and the feel of the pages but the lines were so faint on each page that I really struggled when it came to writing to do lists when I’d got into bed or trying to write in a rush.

Putting off Starting a New Journal

So you decide that you’re going to hold on and start a new journal in January but it’s only September… what do you do for the rest of that year? Do you start a new journal and switch again in January or just don’t use anything until January 1st and then crack open the new journal? This is definitely why I’d stick and then switch when my journal is full (Having said that if I got to less than maybe 20/30 pages I might decide to switch on the basis that I might not be able to get a full month in but I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule there…)

Christmas Crazy

I don’t know about you but pre-pandemic Decembers were always insane. There’s be Nativity rehearsals, Choir rehearsals, Christmas dinners, other Christmas related activities not to mention work and/or parenting in there too. Now I’m juggling commitments with the kids and the idea of trying to setup a new journal now ready to use in 3 weeks ish feelings like another thing that doesn’t need to be on the plate. I’m sure there are people who sit down on Christmas Day afternoon and start to migrate their bullet journal across so they are good to go.

So, no I don’t think one of the argument is naturally better than the other. I think there are die hards who will come down on either side of the argument and say it’s the best. For me, as much as part of me would like a new journal (new shiny thing!). The green more environmentally conscious part of me/the part of me that just loves a really chunky full journal really thinks I should carry on.

How about you? Are you starting a new journal with the new year or carrying on with your current one? Are you using a different setup than this year or maybe starting from scratch… I’d love to hear about it.

My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open…

… 4 of them are frozen and I have no idea where the music is coming from.

I’d like to say this a one off or maybe it just happens when I’m overwhelmed but some days it’s the norm and somedays it involves falling down rabbit holes. It also probably doesn’t help that my desk often resembles this squiggly mess too.

This picture is actually too calm for the way that my brain feels some days. At this moment, if I close my eyes and “focus” (haha!), I have Rend Collective’s version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing playing but just the hook (maybe it’s a glockenspiel or xylophone and why would I even need to know that?). There’s then how I need to finish the Christmas present that is next to me (or at least get it past the increases so that it’s just around and around until the end). But there’s at least one sock on my desk too – it’s just past the heel turn so I want to carry on going and get to the end. But what’s this in front of me on my notebook, oh yeah I fell down a hole. In my husband’s family, there’s a “connection” to Admiral Byng (he was an Admiral in the British Navy but was court-marshalled and then executed for failing to “do his utmost”. He was given orders that his ship and some others had to go and take part in a battle but he chose to ignore this order, this meant that he saved all the crew from what was a massive disaster but because he’d disobeyed his orders he was court-marshalled and so on. But what’s that got to do with Chris’s family…. well somewhere along the line, his family are some how related to Admiral Byng. I’ve been trying to do my WDYTYA bit and figure out the link but as you can imagine 400+ years of history combined with no idea where to really go means it’s taking a while lol. (Thankfully in a way a lot of Byng’s family are pretty high up MPs or Earls/Dukes/other and so there is information about them which is at least giving a rough idea although I’m never 100% how correct it is. I almost hope that somewhere along the line I’ll hit a name I know or something but it’s probably like aiming at a dart board while blindfolded and facing the wrong way lol.

Anyway, so now I’ve spend 10-15 minutes writing a blog post about how my brain is a scrambled mess because I can’t keep on one task right now… Oh! Squirrel! (Anyone else love UP?)

Recently Off The Needles: Shawlography by Stephen West

This time last year, we were heading towards Clue 4 of Shawlography which was the MKAL from West Knits for 2021. I’d been discussing it with my knitting friends prior to moving to Copenhagen and when I got here, the knitting group I joined then were also discussing it.

Shawlography MKAL 2021

In my first week here, I went to Nicoline Garn to start looking at yarn choices. I knew I was after 4Ply weight yarn but I wasn’t aware that here in Denmark it’s measured/called something different. However, the lady who helped me in Nicoline Garn had been helping someone else the weekend before (on the same project) and was able to direct me to the Drops Baby Merino and I set about trying to decide which colour lineup I wanted to use.

After a few messages back and forth with my friend back in the UK, I had an idea and put the grey and cream back (having finished I’m now wondering if I might have been a good idea to have one of those in there to break up the colours). These are 50g balls and the pattern called for 100g but I decided I’d take these away and get started then I could come back for what I needed after that.

Clue 1 Progress
Clue 1 Progress
Clue 2

This time last year I’d been working on Clue 1 and maybe Clue 2 as well. Even by the time I’d finished Clue 1 I was already learning so much more than I don’t think I knew before – like i-cord and short rows. With each section I’d learn something new, when I got to the Brioche section, I gave it a go but really struggled.

My Shawlography went into the naughty corner and stayed there. I told my friend back in the UK (The same one that I talked colours with) that I was going to either leave it there or I was going to frog it all. I know drastic but I wasn’t really loving that I couldn’t get through the brioche. She told me I was not to do that, next time I went back to the UK, I was to take it with me, she’d figure out what was going wrong and knit that section for me. Great! Thank you. But…

So I took it back with me, handed it over and came back to DK, on the my next visit home, my friend presented me with my shawl and that brioche section was completed. YAY! I then brought it back with me, and after attempting to get on with the next section, I got to the border and was getting stuck again.

I think in my head, I’d decided that it was too hard but actually it just took a couple of repeats in and then I got the hang of what I needed to do rather than relying on the instructions.

So between me bringing the shawl back and actually finishing the border was almost 5 months. Between one projects and another, the Shawlography shawl just kept getting put away and ignored while I worked on other things.

I was asked by one of my knitting group friends whether I’d be doing the Twists and Turns MKAL this year. Well I wanted to but I decided that I couldn’t start this years without finishing last years one. So, I got it out, I sat down one afternoon and figured out exactly what was left – what did I need to get done?

Well after a few bumps and getting in a little bit of a knot at one point I got it finished. While we were away this weekend just gone, I sat in the hall way outside our room while Chris tried to get Rex to sleep (Jaxon was playing on his iPad or my Phone next to me) and I got it sorted. (We had no internet and with all four of us in one room it make bedtimes a bit of a challenge). When I was down to the last 6 stitches (that needed to be kitchener-ed together) I had to temporarily surrender. Without internet access, I was unable to look up how to kitchener stitch these last stitches and needed to put that on hold at least until we were back. That bit will only take me maybe 15 minutes so for now I’m classing it as finished! YEAH!

Almost Finished

Did you take part in the Shawlography MKAL? Are you taking part in the Twists and Turns? Maybe you’ve completed a previous one (or another one of Stephen’s patterns)

Trains, Planes and Buses – An Adventurous Kulturnatten 2022

For one night in October, more than 250 locations across the city open for Copenhagen’s biggest annual one-day event, Kulturnatten. The whole city comes to show off its many sides of cultural life.

The first Kulturnatten was in 1993 and this was our second (you can read about last year here). This year you could either buy the ‘physical’ Kulturpas which is a badge that you wear to show you’ve got a ticket or you could get a digital ticket to be shown on your smart phone.

Cisternerne (The Cisterns in South Field /Cisternerne i Søndermarken)

This year we headed to Frederiksberg to start at the Cisternerne (The Cisterns – You can read more here). However when we got there the queue was already getting very long (maybe next time C needs to join the queue on his way home from work and then we join the queue once I have the boys from school or something like that!). The exhibition here was by the artist Chiharu Shiota. She’s created “cobweb-like yarn structures” within the Cisternerne. The activity available this evening was to create a giant yarn installation using Shiota’s techniques while a DJ plays music in the background. (More info here)

It definitely sounds like it would have been right up my street but it wouldn’t have been fun for the boys to stand it the queue so we decided to head across the road to our next stop.

Frederiksberg Slot (Folkekirken på Frederiksberg og Hærens Officersskole)

So across the road from Cisternerne is Frederiksberg Slot (Frederiksberg Palace) and Hærebs Officersskole (Royal Danish Military Academy). With it being part of an active military base, normally this is closed off to members of the public but tonight it was open. Through the evening there was the military brass band playing and there were demonstrations of sword finding and role playing, these were all in the courtyard outside. Then inside you could take a look around the rooms of the palace.

There were other things including a performance/film called Tolkien’s Ring – this was another one that sounded really interesting but really wouldn’t have been something for the boys (having looked at further information it’s an hour long and aimed at adults).

So after taking a look at the Palace and a few of the rooms we moved on again.

(Quick side note – there are lots of things to see at Kulturnatten so although it was disappointing these things weren’t what we thought or weren’t ‘accessible’ for us all it was still fun to see things that would normally be closed to the public or we wouldn’t normally go to do)

Copenhagen Zoo

J is desperate to go for a proper trip to the zoo – he’s been a couple of times with school but of course wants to go with us. With the Zoo being open (and it being right next door!) we had to stop by). On our arrival in the park we were given a peg and a paper bag with a battery operated candle in it. The idea was that as you went around the Zoo, you attached your bag onto a tree or something like that as decoration. It’s possible there were “animal care” choices made about the lighting (which is fine, I totally get why it might be a thing) but the lower lighting did mean that it wasn’t so easy to see the animals in the zoo. We could see the lion and lionesses and a few lemurs in another enclosure but it was just proving a bit too hard. (I managed to snap this picture of the lions and it definitely makes it look a lot brighten than it was in person!).

To The Bus!

As we left the zoo, C checked the route we needed to go to get towards the centre to visit some more stops. We managed to dash across the road quickly and get on the next bus which would take us to Frederiksberg Allé Metro Station. We took the Metro to Gammel Strand where we were able to have a quick look at Christiansborg Palace (the building that the Danish Parliament meets in), in the courtyard outside there was a horse show with carriages and other bits. We briefly saw a little bit before moving onto our next stop.

Ministry of Transport

Now this whole bit was perfect for both boys (and both Grandpas would have loved it too if they’d been here). The Ministry of Transport had all sorts going on. There was Sikker Trafik showing a rotating car – I think this was to give you the idea of what it’s like to be in a car that’s rolled during an accident.

Then there were Naviair talking about tracking aircraft (there was this big screen with FlightRadar24 running to watch the planes coming in and out of Copenhagen).

Home Time for Two of Us…

So, at this point, I had to head home with R, it was past his bedtime and he wasn’t loving being strapped in the buggy. We’d hoped he might just snuggle down for a nap especially after the week he’d been having but nope, too much excitement to see and enjoy. R and I headed for the bus stop while C and J went on to further adventures including a ride on a vintage bus. (Movia, the bus operator in CPH, were running 8-9 vintage buses from 1961-1990 through out the city).

R made friends with a group of tourists on the bus and was high-fiving them and chatting away at them for a lot of the ride lol. He was being very cute and they were friendly – I think they were visiting a friend as one of their party sounded Danish. We got to the stop we normally get off at and the bus driver didn’t stop! We ended up having to get off at the next stop and walk back instead.

And then the rest…

Once R and I got home, I kept getting pictures and updates from C about what he’d been up to with J. It sounds like they had a great time again. Once again it was a lovely adventure to see so many different places in the city in one evening and well worth the effort even after the crazy week we’ve had!

You can find more information about Kulturnatten on their website and also follow them on Social Media: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can read about last year’s Kulturnatten here.

Two Frogged Projects in One Night

It got drastic on the knitting front.

If you follow me on Instagram (or have had a listen to Episode 1 of In A Tangle) then you know that my goal was to finish the projects that I had already started and tucked away.

One was a Christmas present and the other was the Starflanket. Now my Starflanket wasn’t in the plan, I hadn’t planned to do any more WestKnits projects until Shawlography was finished and yet the other morning I found myself casting it on, I got back from church on Sunday and finished the i-cord cast on (I always feel like I should write it like it’s an Apple product… iCord – which seems rather appropriate given the news about phone charges and USB-C).

So the Christmas present wasn’t going right. Something was a amiss and I couldn’t find the issue so in the end I had to frog it all and start again. Thankfully my alternative starts with a tubular cast on and setup rows so the rib section around the neck is growing again.

Starflanket was giving me a headache though. I’d got part 1 done, I was ploughing through part 2, then I went to join part 3 and it just wasn’t right. I tweaked, I attempted to somehow hack it a bit and hope for the best but no, it was not right. My increase was on the wrong side which meant it was just not right. By the end of the music quiz on Tuesday, it had had it. It needed to be pulled back all the way to the i-Cord cast on and then work my way back through again. Not get distracted mid-row. Not try to hack it and hope. Just get it right and go from there.


So I’m back to one of these projects being on the go, but it definitely gives me a story for the next In A Tangle episode…

Blogtober: Day 2 – All The Plans

Blogtober is a blogging challenge to post every day in October. Well, I say everyday, will that happen? We’ll see!

So I’m starting with my goals for the month – and as you might have already seen.

Edited from a templated shared on IG by @redmugcoffeemamma.

Launch Episode 1

Well that happens pretty quickly. I wanted to launch on the 1st October but I was getting closer to the day and not a lot was happening. Between one thing and another this self imposed goal was looming and I wasn’t getting any closer. Well in the end it worked out that I had a little time on Friday to get it sorted then on Saturday morning, while the boys were out I finished tweaking and sent it out into the wild. Goal complete.

Whether anyone would listen is another thing but maybe just maybe someone other than my Mum might have a listen. (You can too: Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts). Show notes can be found here.

Finish My Shortie Socks

In my stash, I found some yarn which looks like it’s something by Regia, however it was just one full ball and maybe 2/3s of a second ball. It worked out that I had a specific amount per sock, so shortie socks seemed like a good idea.

Blogs + Blogtober

October is in the same place every year, it’s not like it jumps out the cupboard and slots itself in between April and May instead and yet, we got to October and I wasn’t ready. So rather than blog everyday I’m aiming for once a week and we’ll see if I can get to any more than that!

In A Tangle: Episode 1 – Let’s Start at The Very Beginning

You can listen on Anchor, Spotify and Apple Podcasts (to follow soon). (If you’d rather access it somewhere else let me know and I’ll see what I can do)

On The Needles – Works in Progress or Things I’ve Recently Finished

Timings

0:00 Introduction

0:25 Let’s Start Episode 1… 

2:13 On The Needles (things that I’ve recently finished or are in progress) 

There should be pictures of all of these in progress over on Instagram here.

The Nine Projects of 2022 (14:10)
There’s a post here.

Nine Projects to Complete in 2022

Here are the first 9 projects I have planned for 2022, when it comes to knitting and crochet. Knowing me I’ll get tempted by other things along the line so this is bound to change or get postponed.

  1. Rainbow Blanket from The Pigeon’s Nest.
  2. Yuletide Crochet Blanket from Attic24.
  3. Special Stripy Blanket – Beach Huts by Hand Knitted Things (I purchased the pattern from Wool Warehouse).
  4. Shawlography by Westknits.
  5. Granny Go Round (Adult Size) by Iron Lamb.
  6. Granny Go Round (Child Size) by Iron Lamb.
  7. Temperature Blanket – this picture is from Wyldflower Crochet (Thanks Search Engine! How pretty is it!)
  8. Mystery! (The pattern that I talk about is here – this was my yellow flag bunting I made for my cargo bike during Tour Du France/Copenhagen)
  9. Socks – I have at least one pair of socks still stashed away that I need to finish. I’ve had it out recently and I’m thinking that I might need to come up with a plan B because I’m not sure I have enough yarn in the particular colourway for two socks. Also, I need to use my Advent Yarn Calendar created by my friend Liz so maybe another pair of socks is on the cards…

Prospects or Things I’d Like to Complete

  • Starflanket by WestKnits
  • Twists and Turns MKAL 2022 by WestKnits

Things I’ve Been Watching/Listening To…

Thanks

Carol at The Raise Podcast

Duncan at The Useful and Kind Podcast

Recently Off The…: Coziest Autumn Beanie by The Chesapeake Needle

When Mum was here for a visit, I got her to make sure I finished some projects. I’d got a little tangled up and had more on the go than I meant to have. But test knitting for Lindsey at The Chesapeake Needle was too tempting. So here’s the Coziest Autumn Beanie that is recently off the needles.

Recently Off The Needles

Coziest Autumn Beanie

Pattern: The Coziest Autumn Beanie by The Chesapeake Needle
Needles: 5.5mm
Yarn: Heavy worsted (4) to light bulky (5) yarn. Lindsey uses Stitch Please Chunky in the colour “Rust in the Wind”. I used Sirdar Aura Chunky for the hat. This is classed as a bulky yarn.
2023g Challenge: 365g/2023g

The Coziest Autumn Beanie is a pattern by The Chesapeake Needle. Lindsey was looking for some test knitters to make this beanie. At first I wasn’t sure I could do it. But after asking a heap of questions, I signed up. When I had further questions, Lindsay was very helpful.

The pattern calls for a heavy worsted (4) or light bulky (5).(In UK terms that’s an Aran or Chunky – just make sure you can get gauge). I took a look at YarnSub to make sure the yarn I had would work. I had some Sirdar Aura in my stash that I thought would be very cosy for a beanie hat. We worked out that as long as I could get gauge then it should be fine.

The Sirdar Aura in my stash was given to me by my Mother In Law. My FIL had been off to the charity shop and got some bits. However when he got home, he realised they didn’t work for what he needed. He took them back and was offered an exchange, so he went digging in the yarn box for my MIL. There were some mixed bits but two balls of the Sirdar Aura – which is lovely. When I went to visit during my trip back to the UK, my MIL let me pick. So I choose two balls of this as well as some other smaller balls.

The yarn is soft and lovely. It was really nice to squish as the ball however once I started knitting the mixed love grew for it. It’s two strands twisted together and found that I was untwisting that as I went. I wonder if, if I’d started at the other end whether it would have made any difference.

Lindsey’s pattern was lovely to follow and clear and I think I will be making another one – probably with a plainer yarn to make sure that those cables will pop all that bit better. I feel like the colourful-ness of the yarn is great on the rib but then overpowers when it comes to the cables.

You can find her pattern on Ravelry (If you can’t access Ravelry but would still like to do the pattern, please contact Lindsey directly and she will be able to help you out).

Things I Love Thursday v3

Years ago I had the series “Things I Love Thursday” and along the line it got semi-retired but I’m bringing it back. This is to share videos, articles, random other snippets that I found on the Internet this week (or was shared with me as Chris often sends me random bits).

Things I Love Thursday. Wooden blocks with letters on the beach spelling out Thursday

Tallest and Longest Buildings

My Dad and I seem to have these conversations where we fall down rabbit holes. The Tallest and Longest buildings has been a regular topic recently. I saw this video about the longest (residential) building in the world. (Having turned the corner, the next corner of the building is over a kilometre away). Look up Karl-Marx-Hof on Google Maps and then look at the satellite view… So then you get in the territory that it’s not a straight wall and there’s all those arches, so does it count? (If you could lay the Burj Khalifa down next to it, this building would still be longer).

One of Tom’s examples from a Wikipedia article is the Bymuren at Avedøre (a suburb of Copenhagen). Bymuren – means The City Wall… It’s debatable whether it’s correct or not – I guess someone needs to come up with better ways to measure it but it’s about an hour away by train and I’m tempted to go on an adventure to see it. Anyone want to come too?

So then we get back to tallest buildings. Currently the Burj Khalifa in Dubai holds the record at 828m tall. There’s this video all about the tallest buildings and some of the taller buildings that are proposed.
So what about the tallest buildings in Copenhagen. They are a fraction of the Burj Khalifa but might prove fun to try and find them. This is Pasteurs Tårn in Carlberg Byen and that seems to be one of the tallest but whether it is THE tallest might take some more research (and maybe a spreadsheet…). Maybe time for some research and then an adventure around the city.

The Last Knit

I had an idea that if I sorted my YouTube search by View Count, I could visit some of those less viewed videos and share the love. At first, YouTube sorted them by most seen and this one came up first – 29 million views since 2006 – that’s a bit bananas! (The most popular video on my YouTube Channel has over 1700 which is a little mind-blowing for me lol)

Cuerdas (Strings)

This video was being shared around on IG stories/TikTOK

The Italian Trans-Siberian Railway

The actual Trans-Siberian Railway runs from Moscow to Vladivostok. So how did a railway in Italy end up with the name Trans-Siberian? Have a read here. (If you’re a nerd like me and travelling the Trans-Siberian is on a wish list, you can see a set of Trans-Siberian Railway vlogs by Kara and Nate here)

When You’re Gone

This was and still is one of my favourite songs – how is it 24 years old though?? The original is here and Mel C and Bryan Adams re-recorded it and a new video too here.

Monthly Review: August

A few years back, I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is August’s monthly review. You can see others here. At the end of each month, I write a monthly review all about what I’ve been up to each month. 

August

Highlights from August

  • We started August back in the UK. We went back for my Mum’s birthday as well as catching up with family which was really good.
  • Chris celebrated his birthday. We couldn’t quite do all that we wanted to do with us being away so we might have to have a second attempt at a later date (Maybe in September or maybe a half birthday in the New Year? I’ll have to have a think about that one.
  • We got back to Copenhagen on the Sunday evening, and on the Monday morning Jaxon went back to school (Schools here in Denmark start back in August rather than September like the UK – as I write this Jaxon has been back at school almost 3 weeks).
  • Chris started his new job. He decided to look for a new job back in about June/July sort of time then it all happened that he was leaving his job just before our holiday so he then started his new job that same week that the schools went back.
  • I had two job interviews and sent out a stack of applications and “unsolicited applications”. I’ve heard back from some of them but others are just silent – maybe they fell into spam or the ether somewhere lol.
  • I’ve been working on updating my YouTube Channel a bit more while I have the time (Also I mentioned it in a job application so figured I should update it a bit more!)

Top Posts Viewed in August

Projects Worked on in August

Books Read in August

  • New Beginnings on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • A New Arrival in Upper Bamton by Beth Rain
  • A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews by Annie Darling
  • Rainy Days in Upper Bamton by Beth Rain
  • Wedding Fever at the Cornish Bakery by Sarah Hope
  • Finding Love at the Cornish Bakery by Sarah Hope
  • Snowflakes and Christmas Cakes on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin (Love Clichés #1) by Emma St. Clair
  • Falling for Your Boss (Love Clichés #2) by Emma St. Clair
  • Falling for Your Fake Fiancé (Love Clichés #3) by Emma St. Clair
  • The Twelve Holidates (Love Clichés #4) by Emma St. Clair

TV/Films Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Glow Up (Two seasons in about 3/4 days maybe – oops!)
  • The Sandman
  • Locke & Key
  • Extraordinary Attorney Woo
  • Cheaspeake Shores
  • Borgen (Tried to do this one with Danish audio and Danish subtitles. Definitely a brain workout and can’t be done while knitting!)

YouTube Watched

This one is a new category – some of the channels post regular videos like 2/3 times a week so rather than linking to specific videos, I’ll link to their main channels and then you can go and take a look from there.

Goals for September

  • Clear some of the WIPs – they seem to be multiplying and I need to deal with them rather than casting on something new!
  • Keep applying for jobs even though it’s driving me a little crazy!

Nine Yarn Projects for 2022 (Yuletide Blanket)

Back at the beginning of January, I shared Nine Yarn Projects for 2022. I’ve so far completed two projects (here – actually maybe 3 now but will need to circle back to that one!) and I’m working on another one of the projects.

Yuletide Blanket from Attic 24

For Christmas last year, my Mum and Dad gave me the Yuletide Blanket yarn pack and pattern. I started the actual Yuletide Blanket pattern but I wasn’t loving it. So came up with a Plan B, which again I fell out of love with (also it got put away in the wardrobe so that it didn’t keep migrating across the lounge floor from under my desk). But now we’re on Plan C. Use the Yuletide Yarn pack but the Granny Stripe pattern creating this new idea… You can get the stripe order from the Attic24 website here.
(Original Pattern here. Yarn Pack Here. Granny Stripe Pattern here).

17th August – so far I’m on the third colour just a whole heap to go!

An Adventure… (Moving to Denmark)

It’s funny how inspiration strikes sometimes. Often at the most random times right? Back in October 2021, 10 days after we moved to Copenhagen, I started a blog post called “A Crazy Plan” and it’s been sat in my drafts since. This was all about moving to Denmark however
Was I ready to say out loud that I was here and it wasn’t for a holiday?

I wasn’t quite ready to admit that I was enjoying myself, that would be too much and in those first 10 days the culture shock (both the actual culture and the covid culture at the time) was freaking me out. I’d spent the best part of 18 months in the four walls of our house back in the UK, if I did see other people it was a select few and even then most of my human interaction was via technology.

This time last year, I was packing our suitcases to come out for 10 days ish. Rex and I would come for a holiday, Jaxon would stay with Chris and start school as soon as the system allowed him. In fact, he had his first meeting with the Kommune while we were here on holiday. I think the people were lovely but due to Covid, only one parent could go in so Chris went in, he had a better idea about life here. But how did Chris have a better idea?
Let’s go back to that draft blog post.

October 2020

Jaxon was 6, Rex was about 6-8 weeks old and we took Chris to the airport. He flew to Copenhagen, moved into his apartment in Amager and we stayed in the UK. He was here to get things sorted out for us. But through the pandemic and a few other bumps, we weren’t going to be joining him as soon as expected.

Christmas 2020

There was a plan but clearly Covid didn’t get the memo. Chris was supposed to get on a plane and be back for two weeks over Christmas. Then the UK went to Tier 4 and Denmark shut down too. We knew it was all for the best to keep everyone safe (even if it would later come to light that it was one rule for them and one for us). We explained to Jaxon why Daddy wouldn’t be home for Christmas when he said he would be and talked about alternative plans. We joked about maybe he could take a train or cycle. Then we also joked about shipping him and his bike by DHL or Fedex so he could still get to us. But nope, over the next week or so, countries started banning incoming flights from the UK. Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Israel (Israel had banned flights from South Africa and Denmark too).

While this is all going on, my Mum is being the practical one, she’s got Plan A – if Chris gets home, Plan B – if he doesn’t get home, Plan C – who knows what’s going on?. In the end, Chris wasn’t coming and a new plan was formed. Mum would roast the chicken/turkey at her house in the morning then just before lunch she’d arrive at my house with all the bits and she’d do the rest of the prep. Along with this a friend of ours gets in touch, due to her shifts being cut because of covid and some other things she needed a hand with getting some bits for Christmas, I chatted to Mum and asked could we stretch the Christmas dinner to another two plates – Mum said of course and peeled some more potatoes. I raided my pantry for tins of beans and soup and other things like that, that would keep our friend and her family fed until the Food Bank opened again. We couldn’t invite them to join us due to Covid but we were going to do what we could to make sure that they had some form of Christmas even if it was a bit messed up like ours.

May 2021

ChristMAY was a go. Chris would get on the plane, he’d come home and we’d have Christmas on the May Day Bank Holiday. It was going to happen. We were going to make sure of it. I attempted to find Christmas things like pudding and mince pies – some were easier than others but when my FIL heard the plan he raided his pantry and found us some bits, Mum found a Christmas pudding in her freezer and we made it work. I think I got a jar of mincemeat and made home made mince pies. I didn’t quite get the tree down but I made sure we had twinkly lights around and other things that would make it sort of Christmas-sy. We sat down and discussed what would happen next. We’d come out for a holiday in August during the School Summer Holidays, then us 3 would come back to the UK then come back out again properly at October Half Term (After my Grandparents celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in September).

August 2021

It was time for the holiday. For my first international flight as the only grown-up, I’d get myself and both boys to Copenhagen along with a variety of luggage and a buggy. No pressure right?

My parents took us to Stansted Airport and saw us off at Security. I was on my own. (Insert your chosen word here….). We made it through Security around 9:30am having left the house at 6:30am. I was wearing my FoxyWings jumper which was new and the blue fluff was malting all over my arms so I looked looked like I had a strange lurgy – it’s funny what you remember.

2:30pm we met Chris outside the airport. Thankfully he had snacks and drinks because I was exhausted lol. I was glad no-one took my temperature because between carrying Rex and our stuff from the plane to the trolley then working our way through the airport to Passport Control. I was fed up lol.

Chris took Jaxon to the park that first evening and I got Rex into bed then had a shower – I felt miles more human lol. We fit in all sorts, we were tourists but also did practical things like that school meeting.

Getting back to the UK was easier but it was about to get a whole lot scarier. I was going to go back to Copenhagen next time and it would be for the foreseeable future…

October 2021

We were back in Mum and Dad’s car again, heading towards Stansted. It’s time, we’re moving to Denmark. We’ve got this right? We can do it! While I’m freaking out about fairy lights and other insignifcant things that feel like important things. Chris has done useful things like, chatted to his colleague who has a car to see if he can collect us from the airport. He’s borrowed a car seat that should be okay for Rex and Jaxon doesn’t need one as he’s tall enough.

In theory, there was a plan. But at 5:53pm there was a WhatsApp outage. In the end, I ended up emailing Chris with updates to make sure we were all in the right places but we did it. We made it to Copenhagen and there were Jaxon and Chris waiting for us at the Arrivals exit.

Some thoughts… (Written in May 2021)

Two people (at least) have recently said things to me along the lines of not letting fear dictate your actions and another few said about time still passing, it’ll pass whether I’m here or there. In a work project, I got to speak to a lady who was once very high up in Greenpeace. She’s doing a massive crazy around the world trip with her husband at the moment and while we waited for someone else to arrive to the video call, she talked about the magnets on the fridge behind me. I was sat at my kitchen table and behind my head it read “happy birthday mummy” which my Dad had put there when he and Mum were at my house for my birthday tea last week. I commented how they were all English phrases now instead of Danish

I’m still not sure it’s for me and I’m sure my mind will flip between let’s go and let’s stay every day between now and leaving.

That was where I started back in May, the idea of leaving Bedford was scary and exciting and all sorts of other emotions too. This post has sat in my drafts since then. I guess I hoped there was still time that Chris would change his mind and we would stay in the UK. Well between May and August when we came to visit, Chris had got many balls rolling including somewhere to live. As it happened a family Chris knows from church here are off to America for 6 months so their apartment would be empty (or they’d be renting it out). So when Chris mentioned we were looking it all fell into place. It’s a two-bedroom and rather cosy but it does the job – or so Chris kept telling me!

In August, we got ready to come to see Chris. We were coming for 10 days, then in October, we’d come out properly to do the year as discussed over and over! Jaxon posed the question – “could he stay with Chris and not come back to the UK?” WHAT? Erm. Well, I was cross with Chris – I thought he’d planted the idea and Jaxon was following his lead or something – you know if Jaxon was going early maybe I would too. You know the Dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and how his phrase is “Why is everybody leaving me?” well that was me. Once I’d spoken to my Mum and discussed school and things like that I could understand why it might work better if he was staying – but 6ish weeks without Jaxon – what? He’s like my shadow. (The video clip might explain it a bit better – take a look here). If Jaxon was to come back to the UK with me he’d have gone back into school for like 4 weeks only to finish and then start school in Denmark, by staying with Chris he’d start school as soon as possible while everyone else was still settling in too. (He ended up starting at the beginning of September).

So October arrived and it was time to leave. Making sure everything was done and ready to go was a real challenge.

August 2022

We’re 10 months down the road now and why did I decide to finish this now? Well I was watching YouTube videos while working on some things and this one popped up as a suggested one. I followed Nathaniel Drew and it turns out that his parents after many years in the USA are packing up and moving to Portugal.

So much of it was interesting and I wrote an essay of a comment then copied and pasted it back to here to form some creation of a blog post.

Chris has started a new job this week and like so many other times we meet new people the same few questions come up: Why did you leave the UK? Why Denmark? Why now? Was it for work? Mine are then accompanied by…. What are you doing while Chris works and the boys are at school/vuggestue? What do you see yourself doing in the long run? (Right now I have some crazy plan to try and get a part time job in a yarn shop because – why not?)

So my comment on the YouTube video went like this…

We have been married for about 15 years. When the UK started discussing Brexit, we hoped that they’d say no and we’d remain in the EU but that didn’t happen. We’ve always discussed about living elsewhere in the world but for me (the girl who has always lived within a 8-10km circle from my childhood home) the idea of moving anywhere else was absolutely terrifying. I love watching travel videos and dreaming about travelling but I’d always have a home to come back to. At the beginning of 2020, when the transition period started, we decided that it would get very complicated if we didn’t go now. So the ball started rolling and in October, my husband left me, our 6yo and our newborn (2-month-old) in the UK and came to Copenhagen to find get settled, find a job and then find an apartment big enough for 4 people and in our budget. Through covid and other things, we didn’t see him again in person until May 2021 and that was just for two weeks. Forward to this time last year, our friends were heading to America for 6 months, so their apartment was up for subletting. They had a newborn of their own and so my almost 1-year-old could sleep in their cot, my now 7-year-old could sleep in their eldest daughter’s room and we’d be in with the baby. We packed up our things and set about coming to Copenhagen for 6 months. That was it, 6 months, the date was unofficially circled in my diary as the “now I can go home” date. About a week ago I crossed the 10-month line, are we going home? Nope. Did the UK’s “not so good” things get worse while we were away? Yes. Does Denmark have its issues? Yes but oh my days it has its benefits too! (For instance buses how does every bus run late in the town that I lived in and yet in a bigger city like Copenhagen they are on time, to the minute….). I also missed my cargo bike when we were back in my hometown for a week. I borrowed my parents’ car but it’s like driving a tank it feels so big and I missed the fresh air and adventure that comes with my cargo bike.

So rewind, maybe 5 years, would I have moved then? Nope, what about 10? Nope still nope! Would I go on a holiday? Maybe an extended one – give me a few weeks to explore a place properly Yep maybe. But 6 months, a Year somewhere not down the road from my parents and grandparents – ARE YOU NUTS? lol.

It was different it feels crazy but now having been here for 10 months, I’m thinking if I can get a job and save up enough money, taking my mum to Italy for a weekend isn’t so scary. If I can get myself on the plane back to the UK without losing my mind then getting a plane to Italy isn’t scary at all! My Mum loves travelling so she’s not against flying here then onto Italy or meeting me in Italy. Let’s have that adventure while we can. Someone said to me recently that we keep putting things off until tomorrow but what if today is the last tomorrow? (ooooh that’s a bit deep!). So I will save that money and I will take my Mum, I want it to be soon and I want it to happen. I want to take her to see the Colosseum in person and to eat more pasta and gelato than we can imagine lol. I want to take her to see the Sistine Chapel and we can stand in St Peter’s Square and I can try to use my High School Italian lessons to translate for my Mum while the Pope speaks (We did this before, All I could manage was. “Brothers and Sisters” but it’s a start right?)

So yeah, 10 months down, who knows how many more to go. I look at the news from the UK and it breaks my heart that more people are reliant on Food Banks and other charities because the Government are screwing everyone over. It makes me so angry that while families are chosing food or energy, the energy companies are reporting millions if not billions in profit. They are putting the prices up and then benefitting from it while people could be freezing this winter because they don’t have the money. A question I get on every trip back so far is when are you coming back to the UK? Right now as scary as big as it sounds, I don’t know and I don’t think I want to. Yes I miss my family and yes I wish I could see them more but life just isn’t that good there. We were back for a week’s holiday and the best times we had were with our families but the heartbreaking thing was walking through town and so many empty units dominating the town. What happened to my hometown?

Book Review: The Post Office Shop by K.T. Dady

“Welcome to Pepper Bay. A small close-knit community where you’ll find chocolate box cottages, quaint shops, love, drama and a happily ever after”

The Post Office Shop follows Tilly and Rory.

Tilly is almost fifty, peri-menopausal, a widow and pretty much lives in dungarees.

Rory has just finished a fifteen-year preison sentence for robbery, but he is not the man who first walked into that prison.

It is part of The Pepper Bay series but the the great thing is that if can be read as a standalone story too (Book 1 is Starlight Cottage if you want to read them in order). They are easy reads at around 300 pages so perfect to take on holiday with you or just read while you eat your lunch.

I’ve always been a bit obsessed by these stories set in small towns whether they are coastal or maybe the back end of beyond in somewhere like Yorkshire or Scotland. I love the Loch Lannick Series and the Isle of Scilly series by Hannah Ellis. Somewhere along the line I was recommended the Pepper Bay series by K. T. Dady end there was another place on the list that I’d dream about visiting.

I guess it’s because of the authors I read but I often find the the leading lady is maybe a similar age to me (maybe 20-40s?) but Tilly is a bit older and is happy with her life and what she’s up to each day. I love that we get to see the craziness in her mind as she comes to terms with being peri-menopausal. I have friends who are going through it and sometimes it can feel like you’re completely losing the plot some days! (I’m not there yet but I imagine if I’m still here and still writing this blog I’ll be documenting it somehow. I’ve got time before I have to cross that bridge…

Rory feels like a rough around the edges kind of character. He ends up going to prison and I think he’s one of those guys who found who he was meant to be on the inside. He worked hard while inside to stay out of trouble and help others. Then on the outside he just wants to find his place where he can keep his head down, out of trouble and carry on making a difference.

I really loved this next instalment of The Pepper Bay series. If you are like me and love Hallmark Movies or chick lit in general definitely give it a go. Either start with this or start back at the beginning with The Starlight Cottage.

A few days ago, I shared the books I’ve been reading in June and July. You can have a read of those here. Have you read any or do you recommend any other authors I might enjoy? I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Books I Read in June and July

Normally this would be just one month at a time but I realised that I haven’t done one for a while so you get two months in one go, here are the books I read in June and July. I’ve included a link to Amazon UK as I read them through Kindle Unlimited but I’m sure they are available in other formats and on other platforms. The links below are affiliate links.

Autumn Leaves (Chloe’s Cream Tea Cafe) – Rosie Chambers

As summer drifts into autumn, Devon’s newest café owner Chloe Hamilton swaps serving ice-cold fizz and cucumber sandwiches for warm, spiced pumpkin latte and gooey chocolate brownies as she prepares to host Willerby’s annual Autumn Leaves party.

With the preparations in hand, and against her better judgement, Chloe agrees to help handsome Matt Wilson on one of his outward-bound expeditions – camping under the stars is the perfect chance to relax and get to know him better.

But the cooler weather brings with it a sense of peril when one of the wild camping group is shot with a bow and arrow! Is it an unfortunate accident, or is something more sinister afoot in picture postcard Willerby?

Once again, Chloe finds herself joining forces with Matt to solve the mystery, otherwise her dream of building a new life at the Cream Tea Café on the gorgeous Devonshire coast could be over before it’s begun.

Amazon UK

Christmas Tress (Chloe’s Cream Tea Cafe) – Rosie Chambers

It’s Christmas at the Cream Tea Café!

As Chloe Hamilton rustles up a new batch of snowman-shaped cookies, even December’s wintery weather can’t dampen her spirits. With her friends Grace and Josh tying the knot on Christmas Eve, and her beloved Cream Tea Café staging its very first Christmas Carousel competition, there’s so much to celebrate.

But when one of the stag party members is thrown from his cycle during a sprint through the woods, things turn distinctively frosty. With someone potentially targeting their wedding guests, Grace pleads with Chloe to once again join forces with hunky outward bound instructor Matt Wilson to solve the mystery and save her wedding.

With so much at stake, they need to act fast. Can they find the person responsible before Willerby’s winter wonderland turns into a Christmas catastrophe?

Amazon UK

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts – Annie Darling

A delightful new series set in a quaint old bookshop, for fans of Lucy Diamond and Jenny Colgan. Where happy ever after is only a page away…

Once upon a time in a crumbling bookshop, Posy Morland hid in the pages of romantic novels.

So when Bookend’s eccentric owner, Lavinia, dies and leaves the shop to Posy, she must put down her books and join the real world. Because Posy hasn’t just inherited an ailing business, but also the attentions of Lavinia’s grandson, Sebastian, AKA The Rudest Man In London™.

Posy has six months to transform Bookends into the shop of her dreams but as Posy and her friends fight to save the bookshop, she’s drawn into a battle of wills with Sebastian, about whom she’s started to have some rather feverish fantasies…

Amazon UK

True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop – Annie Darling

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good job, four bossy sisters and a needy cat must also have want of her one true love. Or is it?

Another delightful novel from the author of The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts. Perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond and Jenny Colgan

Verity Love – Jane Austen fangirl and an introvert in a world of extroverts – is perfectly happy on her own (thank you very much), and her fictional boyfriend Peter is very useful for getting her out of unwanted social events. But when a case of mistaken identity forces her to introduce a perfect stranger as her boyfriend, Verity’s life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

Johnny could also use a fictional girlfriend. Against Verity’s better judgement, he persuades her to partner up for a summer season of weddings, big number birthdays and garden parties, with just one promise – not to fall in love with each other…

Amazon UK

Surprises in Seabury – Beth Rain

(Part Three in Hattie’s Story – Read Sandwiches in Seabury and Secrets in Seabury first)

This is Seabury – where everyone knows everyone, the average tourist hasn’t got a clue it even exists, and that’s just how the locals like it!

Another day, another full house of bookings at the new Pebble Street Hotel restaurant. Head chef Hattie Barclay is thrilled – and completely exhausted. Things are going well. Maybe a little too well…

She hasn’t really had the chance to explore her new home much… or her new boyfriend, come to that. In fact, she’s not even sure she can call Ben her boyfriend when they haven’t had the chance to do much more than escape for an occasional walk on the beach. Hattie’s quickly discovering that living in a hotel room doesn’t lend itself to… well… you know! And Ben doesn’t seem too keen on inviting her to his place for some reason.

When Lionel lets slip about a potential rival for Ben’s affections, Hattie realises that she might have bigger problems on her plate than her ridiculously busy schedule.

Just to complicate matters further, there are rumours of another chef in town. One with a ridiculous orange top-knot and a notoriously short fuse… it seems that Marco Brooks is in Seabury and determined to stir the pot!

Can Ben survive the roasting that’s coming his way? Will things between him and Hattie finally start to sizzle? Or is Hattie’s newfound happiness destined to boil over?

Amazon UK

Nothing Like at Dane – Keri Bloomfield

The Danish concept of hygge is a wonderful thing. Even if most fail miserably when they try to pronounce or explain its true essence. Unless you’re a Viking of course.

As Keri stood in the departure lounge of Auckland International Airport with her four-month-old baby, searching for her flight on the board, hygge wasn’t on her radar. In hindsight she agrees it probably should have been.

But she’d never imagined a chance encounter with a Dane in a crowded bar in her home city of Wellington would lead her here, a mother, about to circle the globe, with no knowledge of when she’d return home.

Eighteen thousand kilometres away a new life awaited her in Denmark. A country where babies sleep outside, the word for bread is seemingly impossible to pronounce and a country in which immigration challenges abound.

A witty observer of cultural nuances, Keri reveals the day-to-day realities of a New Zealander living her best life in Denmark. From integration interrogations to rye bread misdemeanors, Nothing Like a Dane provides a humorous and heartfelt insight into creating a new life in a faraway land.

And what did she learn? That it’s not all hygge and pastries. Even in Denmark.

Amazon UK

Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts bookshop – Annie Darling

You can go crazy searching for the one…

Nina is addicted to bad boys, the wilder, the better. Despite her friends’ misgivings, she firmly believes that true love only takes one form: wild, full of passion and fire and punctuated by tempestuous arguments. She won’t settle for anything less.

But years of swiping right has uncovered nothing but losers and flings, and Nina is no closer to finding her One True Love than she ever was. And when a man from her past walks into the shop Nina knows she has nothing to fear: the geekiest boy in her school has become a boring suit with no chance of making her heart go pitter patter.

Which just shows how little Nina knows about her heart…

Amazon UK

The Library – Bella Osbourne

Two lonely bookworms. An unexpected friendship. A library that needs their help

‘A touching story of a friendship between a troubled teenager, a yoga-practising farming woman in her seventies and a local library. A delight!’ – Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Fforde

Teenager Tom has always blended into the background of life. After a row with his dad and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library.

Pensioner Maggie has been happily alone with her beloved novels for ten years – at least, that’s what she tells herself.

When they meet, they recognise something in each other that will change both their lives for ever.

Then the library comes under threat of closure, and they must join forces to prove that it’s not just about books – it’s the heart of their community.

They are determined to save it – because some things are worth fighting for.

Amazon UK

The Old Sugar Wharf Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington

Settle down with the brand new romance trilogy from Polly Babbington & binge-read as she transports us on another glorious voyage to life by the sea… to the gorgeous setting, the tumbledown houses and the utterly fabulous characters of Pretty Beach. Lose yourself in the wonderful world that will make you want to pack up your things and head to the English coast.

If you love Polly’s unique take on romance by the sea, you’re going to adore the next series where we meet new character Phoebe and follow along as she finds herself unexpectedly in the beautiful little town by the sea.

Phoebe Tillington has spent years waiting. Way too many years. And so when she arrives in our favourite little town, she decides that she will never wait for anything or anyone ever again.

As we watch her land in delightful Pretty Beach and the town wraps her up in its charms we ooh and ahh and wonder quite how she’s going to get on. Will she forget the past and settle into coastal life?

Despite thinking that she has nothing, no one to love and nowhere she really belongs, things begin to change when a man at the end of the garden takes her very much by surprise.

Get lost in Polly’s magical love, life and friendship ingredients and be whisked away to a place where the sea sparkles, the sun shines and the locals say hello as they go about their business.

*The Old Sugar Wharf Pretty Beach is Book One in the Sugar Wharf trilogy & book thirteen in the PRETTY BEACH series.
All books can be read as standalones but it’s best to start with The Boat House Pretty Beach.*

Amazon UK

New Beginnings on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths

After accidentally becoming the centre of a social media scandal, Ivy Hamilton flees her glamorous life in London and comes to Sunflower Street to hide away and lick her wounds. The idea of staying at her elderly aunt’s home doesn’t hold much appeal but she has nowhere else to lie low.
IT specialist Zach Ritchie is reeling after being betrayed by a close friend. Following years of moving around with his military family, he’d love to find a place to call home and to feel that he can put his trust in others again.
When Ivy and Zach meet, they’re surprised to find that they enjoy each other’s company and the calmer life that the pretty village of Wisteria Hollow has to offer. But they can only run from their lives for so long and soon, their pasts catch up with them.
Will Ivy and Zach return to the lives they know or will they enjoy new beginnings on Sunflower Street?

Amazon UK

Nine Yarn Projects for 2022 (An Update)
22 Goals in 2022

At the end of 2021/beginning of 2022, I wrote a list of projects that I wanted to complete in 2022 (at least to begin with anyway…). So here is update about my nine yarn projects for 2022.

A grid of nine projects to attempt to create in 2022.

Some of them I’ve already completed, some are partially completed and others are still ideas on the drawing board.

Project Number 1: Rainbow Blanket from The Pigeon’s Nest.

While my parents were here over the New Year, I did my best to get this finished so that it could go back to the UK with them and it could be posted to my friend ready for her baby to arrive a few weeks later. Jaxon assisted me to take this in-progress photo one evening.

Project 1 of 2022: complete. I wrote a whole blog post about it here. The pattern by The Pigeon’s Nest. Yarn is Stylecraft Special in Aran – which is great because it works up quickly.

Project Number 2: Special Stripy Blanket – Beach Huts by Hand Knitted Things

Special Stripy Blanket – Beach Huts by Hand Knitted Things

Folded up knitted blanket

(I purchased the pattern from Wool Warehouse). You can read all about it here.

That means I’m 2 down and 8 to go…

When I look at these projects, it looks like I’ve not done very much, but there have been other projects that I’ve completed. I think I need to work my way back through my Instagram stories and identify which projects I’ve had on the go and what’s been completed along the way.

What projects did you have planned for 2022? How far have you got through your list?

100 Best Things to Do in Copenhagen (Part One)

I found this video on YouTube sharing the 100 Best Things to Do in Copenhagen. So I thought I’d ‘react’ on what I’ve done so far (and the ones I’d avoid – either personally or in general lol).

I found this video on YouTube sharing the 100 Best Things to Do in Copenhagen. So I thought I’d ‘react’ on what I’ve done so far (and the ones I’d avoid – either personally or in general lol).

  1. Get Lost in the Streets of Copenhagen – Not exactly hard to do some days but I do like taking different routes on my cargo bike like “If I go right here instead of straight on, what happens?”. I went in my friend’s car a few weeks ago from church to her house and she does the “back” routes from Frederiksberg to Brønshøj before heading on the main route to her house. I was so puzzled where I was, as I recognised some bits of the journey but didn’t really know where we were until we got to Brønshøj and realised that we’d just approached a junction I use lots just from a different direction.
  2. Nyhavn – it’s a go to tourist stop. I’ve been a couple of times now. I think my favourite was at Christmas last year when the Julemarked was at one end (nearest Kongens Nytorv). I’ve been in torrential downpours too – the coloured buildings are still lovely on a wet day but it’s not so nice to stand around and enjoy in the rain lol. (I’m sure we went in person but we also saw Nyhavn from our boat tour here and we took my parents when they came to Copenhagen at New Years).
  3. Canal Tour – Another one that we did on our first trip. We were trying to figure out how to see a lot of the city with two adults and a small child (Jaxon was almost 5 on our first trip to Copenhagen and wasn’t very confident on a bike).
  4. Enjoy Poor Weather – Yeah, you just have to get used to it lol. Often you still take your waterproof even on the sunniest of days just in case it rains – today it’s sunny but there is a sky full of clouds so it’s always possible we could have rain…
  5. Old-Fashioned Ice Cream – I generally end up with ice creams from the freezer section in the supermarket. When we went to Nyhavn with my parents, Jaxon and I had churros but I think Chris had a cup of mulled wine in one hand and ice cream in the other after a miscommunication. (or I wasn’t concentrating…)
  6. Den Lille Havfrue/The Little Mermaid – I don’t know what I was expecting but having walked what seemed like miles from the bus stop to The Little Mermaid, yep I was disappointed. I don’t know whether I’d built it up in my head or something but I was like
  7. Seaplane – pretty sure this would be very cool! We often see them flying over the city from the ground. Jaxon can tell the difference now between a sea plane and “normal” plane just by looking at it lol. (I love seeing the aerial photos by Nicolas Cosedis of the city so maybe being in a seaplane would be like a real life Cosedis photograph….You can see some of his pictures here – I have his book on my wish list but it’s a proper big coffee table type book!)
  8. St Alban’s Church – I’ve not been into St Alban’s Church but I have been past it a couple of times. It’s an interesting church because it’s built in a “British” style and it does look like it’s been transplanted from somewhere in the UK and just landed in Copenhagen.
  9. Water Bus – Jaxon told us all about taking the water bus as i think he’d been on it as part of a school trip (udeskole. This is a day each week where the class are taken out on some form of trip, in the summer this includes going to the Skolehaven or school garden, sometimes it’s going to museums or the castle). When my parents were in December/January, we took our first trip on the Water Bus – it was good fun even if it was sooo foggy we couldn’t see very far.
  10. Smørrebrød – Controversial but I don’t think I’ve actually tried Smørrebrød yet. We have rugbrød but use it for sort of deformed sandwiches. Might be able time that I give it a go. Might need to see if I can find some non-fish versions. Anyone want a field trip to try some?
  11. Amalienborg Palace – When Auntie R was here in April, we walked past Amalienborg on our way to The Little Mermaid. We didn’t really stop to have a proper look due to the weather. There is a museum at Amalienborg so might need to add that to “Hannah’s List of Things to do in Copenhagen”
  12. Nebbiolo on Store Strandstræde – Another that probably wouldn’t make my list. I don’t really drink and if I do it’s the odd can of cider or beer (and even then it’s usually accompanied with a glass of cola or squash…). So the idea of going out to a wine bar isn’t really my thing at all. (Skaal is about the only bar I’ve been to and that was for a date night after the main event of going to the cinema)
  13. Bike Taxi – nope, not had need for one lol. I do like the idea but the closest I’ve got is Chris riding the cargo bike with me in the front.
  14. Rent a bike
  15. Liquorice “Lakrids” – my favourites are the specific ones that come in the blue Haribo bag from Føtex but these aren’t the best lol. If you’ve got the pennies try the Lakrids by Bulow
  16. Toga Vin & Ølstue
  17. Gasoline Grill – maybe one day but at 95DKK (£11) just for the burger it turns into an expensive meal out for all four of us (maybe I take Chris on a date night…)
  18. Borgerkroen Pub – I don’t really drink and the smoking would put me off
  19. Østerbro Shopping – I’ve been around Østerbro to walk from the Metro to one of the knitting groups I sometimes go to but I’ve not really explored it properly – might need to do that.
  20. City Metro – having come from Bedford where there is public transport but it’s 98% late and not always so helpful. We now live here in Copenhagen – with amazing links we’re about half way between two bus routes, about a 10-15 minute walk from the Metro and S-Tog meaning that a large chunk of the city is within a walk and a train ride. We’re really close to Nørrebro station which is on the M3 Metro (which opened in 2019 – in fact we saw the M3 København H metro station being built on our first trip here).
  21. Blågårdsgade – I’ve probably been past the end of the road hundred times but not actually sure i’ve been along it. (I vaguely think I might have cycled along it on a magical mystery tour but I’m not 100%)
  22. Dronning Louises Bro – Queen Lou’s Bridge lol. Well every time I take the bus into Indre By then I go over the bridge. Recently there’s been a loppemarked (flea market) on the bridge. Also it was closed for Tour De France as the Tour De CPH route went over the bridge.
  23. The Lakes “Søerne” – These lakes are either side of Dronning Louises Bro. There are 3 lakes – at the northern end there’s Sortedam Lake, then Peblinge Lake and Sankt Jørgens Lake at the southern end. At the southern end there is the Tycho Brahe Planetarium (If you’re a nerd and watch Who Do You Think You Are then this it the distance relative of Judi Dench and why she’s honorary Danish now lol). (Also the southern end is in Vesterbrø and the Northern end is in Østerbro)
  24. Torvehallerne – If you’re a foodie, this has to be like number 1 on your list for sure! So many different stalls with different food choices.
  25. The Round Tower – We’ve visited The Round Tower a few times now. I’ve been to the top once with both Jaxon and Chris. When we took part in Kulternatten in October 2021, the boys went up to the top while I waited at the bottom with Rex. There was all sorts of things about stargazing and astronomy.
  26. Gråbrødregtorv – It’s possible I’ve been through here without knowing – if not I’m definitely adding it to the list.
  27. Lego Store – 2 out of 3 of my boys absolutely love Lego so it’s a favourite place (Although we often buy our Lego from the supermarket as the pricing is better and it’s less crazy than the very tourist-y Lego Stores here).
  28. Strøget – This is like Copenhagen’s answer to Regents or Oxford Street in London. There are so many designer shops as well as other stores to look at.
  29. Tivoli Gardens – Chris and Jaxon love going to Tivoli. They love the rollercoasters. I’m not a fan of rollercoasters although I don’t mind some of the calmer rides. When the boys do want to go then I often send them two off to have a great day and then Rex and I hang out at home or do something different. The last time the boys went, they ended up staying right into the evening for all the fireworks – Jaxon finally went to bed around 11pm!
  30. Central Train Station “København H” – Take the train to Helsingør – I’m a Shakespeare nerd so going to Helsingør and Kronborg Castle are on my to do list. Although Shakespeare calls the castle Elsinore in Hamlet, it is (sort of) the castle from his play.
  31. Geranium – I’ve seen it on food shows – definitely not my palette lol
  32. Woops! 32 was missing but I guess Kronborg could be 31 making Geranium 32?
  33. Alchemist – yeah no chance me ever being able to go here lol.
  34. Gammel Strand – I’ve walked along Gammel Strand to get to other places but not always stopped to appreciate it, in it’s own way so maybe that’s something I need to do soon.
  35. Jernbanecaféen – Another drinking one…
  36. Istedgade – ooh cheeky! We did stay near here – there’s a very cool playground here. The grounds the playground is on used to be part of the Royal Copenhagen Shooting Society – the wall that looks like it’s a castle was part of this. On our first trip to Copenhagen, our hostel was a few streets away in Helgolandstrade so we know the area.
  37. Gaza Grill – Okay this is one to do…
  38. Vesterbro Neighbourhood –
  39. Kødbyen/Meat Packing District – During our first trip to Copenhagen, our hotel was just along the road from the Meat Packing District. We didn’t really experience the restaurants there that time, but our knitting group (Copenhagen Yarn Lovers) has met at Warpigs Brewpub for lunch/knitting group. The food was lovely but kind of pricy – my small tumbler of lemonade (maybe 330ml like a can) was about 50dkk so around £5 – ouch!
  40. Magasasa Dim Sum – again one I’ve not tried but dim sum is yummy so need to go try it.
  41. Kaf & Konsol – Maybe I take Jaxon to this one…
  42. Nordhavn Neighborhood – I went to collect a bag of second hand clothes for Rex from someone in Nordhavn, I got very excited when I realised all the streets in that particular bit are named after ports. It started with Southamptongade… I took a screenshot of the map on my phone and sent it to Chris commenting how it wasn’t really a Danish name. Then he pointed out to me that the streets around there are all sea ports – for instance Dover Passage and Dunkerquegade are a short walk away from where I was stood.
  43. A 7E Cup of coffee – more to try…
  44. Bager Bosse Bakery – Bakery – better try it. Spandauer are yummy! But my favourite is still Onsdagsnegl from Sankt Peders Bageri (they now have their own Instagram too so if you like to drool over your phone check out their account.)
  45. Marina Shisha Lounge – Nope no thank you.
  46. Langelinie – I’ve not really been any further than the Little Mermaid, so I still have most of Langelinie to explore at some point – including The Genetically Modified Little Mermaid statue too. My last two trips to The Little Mermaid have been pretty much rained off so maybe while the weather is better I need to give it a go and get exploring.
  47. Copenhill – We’ve been to Copenhill twice. When Chris was here without us, he set himself the challenge to climb Copenhill something like 29 times so that it was the same as climbing Everest. (It almost sounds like a challenge that Kara and Nate would do. It’s a bit like this one actually…)
  48. Amager Beach Park – we actually went here a few weeks ago. When we previously visited the beach we went to Bellevue Beach which is a really little one. The beach at Amager is considerably bigger, this meant that we could sit sort of by ourselves without feeling like everyone was really close to us. Jaxon and I went paddling in the sea but I wimped out and decided it was too cold for me lol.
  49. Bistro Royal
  50. King’s Garden (Kongens Have) – Another one I visited thanks to my knitting group. We met at the cafe in Kongens Have for a coffee and some knitting. It was so lovely to meet more friends.

Christmas Prep: Planning Your Handmade Gifts

I know, I know. Stand down, July is a bit early to talk about Christmas (We have 6 family birthdays in the next 4 weeks – I get it!). But I have my reasons, so hear me out. Handmade gifts take time, and if you want to try and make them and not get stressed about it, you’re going to want to start thinking about them now. While you have the time to breathe.

Normally I leave it until September to start thinking about Christmas, after all the schools have gone back (Well at least in the UK they have, here in DK they go back in about 4 weeks at the beginning of August)

So, why am I talking about Christmas now. If you’re like me and like to make some of your Christmas presents, it definitely makes sense to start earlier and have time to breath than be desperately trying to get those last rows done the night before you give the gift (and skipping finishing touches like blocking if needed).

We’re into July which means that it’s just under 6 months to Christmas. So whether you want to knit items to decorate your home or you want to knit a bunch of gifts for people on your list, the time to get planning is now.

I start with my Christmas Planner (or inserts) from Mrs Brimbles and look at what was given last year – and what’s changed to this year. (If you need a planner you can get the inserts on Anna’s website or Etsy, the bound planner is available from Amazon here). Last year I went with the bound version but I have found that it’s easier to take the “Present Log” pages out of my Filofax Domino planner and take them with me when I go shopping rather than the whole planner.

  • Make a list of everyone you need to buy for. Then narrow down who you’re going to knit something for.
  • Think about what you want to make for then. Be realistic about time – it might be easier to knit the same thing for everyone with different colours yarn. (One year I knitted two cowls to the same pattern with different yarn). For partners, parents or best friends you might want to make something different for them. (On balance if you’re knitting for a Secret Santa for someone at work you might just want to make something that takes less time and effort!)
  • As far as the time, it can be hard to gauge how long a project is going to take. So it might be better to work it out the other way round. You have six months from now, divide that by how many projects you want to do. 5 people to knit for, 6 months to go, that just over a month for each project. That way you don’t need to panic, if you haven’t completed them all yet. A month sounds like a long time but if you’re doing bigger projects you might need to try and do your smaller ones quicker to allow you the extra time on your big project (You might even want to start with that big project so that it is done and ready). Similarly if you’re making lots of big projects, you might want to be really careful about your time scale. On one knitting project, my Dad created a whole spreadsheet for my Mum which worked out how many rows she needed to do each day to stay on her target. I think each day he’d add how many she’d actually done so that it recalculated her target – so if she’d done a lot one day the average might go down, if she’d had a day where she couldn’t reach her minimum then this was spread out again across the remaining days.
  • One you’ve got an idea of your timeline, take a look at patterns and yarn choices. Maybe see if you have things in stash that can be used to start your projects with (this helps with using what you already have but also might lower your overall Christmas present spending too). This also means that if you need to order any yarn, you can get that done and start on the projects you already have the yarn for.
  • Here’s a harsh one but you do need to think about it. Be willing to let some people go. Think about who you really want to knit for? Focus on those people and those things. You’ll be happier and feel less stressed about it – for sure! (Some friends and family don’t always comprehend the love that’s gone into a homemade something special. I recently made a crochet blanket for someone close to our family. I’d been living and breathing the blanket, at every opportunity I had the crochet hook in my hand and was doing the next bit. With all the sorting I had no wrapping paper so ended up wrapping it in my jumper while I delivered it to the person, who didn’t care once they realised what was inside my jumper! When they opened it they were SO excited and happy with it. That definitely made it all worth while!

Now you’re getting there on the organising you can get started with your projects. Here we go!!

Will you be making any of your Christmas presents or is it still too far away for you to think about it? Do you have any go to patterns when it comes to knitting for people?

Projects: Stormy Open Back Sweater

Four years ago, Handknits and Hygge put out a call for test knitters and I answered that call. The project in question was the Stormy Open Back Sweater. I’d been meaning to try and knit something for myself for a long time but I think it always got put to one side or pushed down as I said “When I’m skinnier, I’ll knit…. etc”. Well, having done most of my jumper it was the end of the test knit and I always intended to come back to it but other projects and things (and one then two tiny humans) got in the way.

Stormy Open Back Sweater

There’s been a lot of de-stashing/sorting/chucking away been going on in our house back in the UK and so during my trip in May, I needed to call in the “big guns” so to speak. Chris had done a great job of getting all my yarn into one place in the kitchen. I was reluctant to take it all to a charity shop as there were odd balls of like 20-30g that would probably binned rather than adopted. I invited ladies from two of my knitting groups to pop by when they had chance.

One of my knitting ladies, came to say hi and to raid the stash, then sat on the floor with the boxes around her and packed all the little odd balls into one bag so that I could make a scrap blanket rather than chuck them. On another visit, my friend J went through my WIPs pile/stash and told me off lol (especially for one cardigan that literally needs sewing together and then it’s finished). When I shared on social media, she said she wasn’t telling me off, she was being encouraging lol.

Having spent a little while this afternoon trying to figure out where I was upto. I decided it would be easier for me to frog the sleeve and start from where you join the working yarn to the held stitches from the body and go from there. It’s definitely going to be a kind of project that I work on while the boys are at school or out or something like that, as there will be counting going on.

Image from Handknitsandhygge

I guess the question is will my measurements from 4 years ago still fit now… (also I can’t remember if it was top down or bottom up so might need to get creative to add some inches to the body as it seems too short…).
I think when I was doing the sleeves before I had shorter needles that I had been using but currently I can’t find them. I remember seeing this video from Knitty Natty on YouTube. So after some creative shuffled with my stitches, I’m working with the lace pattern on one needle and then the rest of the sleeve on the other rather than half way being in the middle of the lace bit. Whether this works is another thing but we’ll see how it goes and if not I’ll be off to one of the knitting shops for different needles.

Exploring Copenhagen: Where to Find the Most Interesting Murals

Something great about Copenhagen is the street art. Some of it is graffiti and can look messy but other pieces are like these murals.

Back in October while I was still exploring I started collecting photos of the murals and sharing them on Instagram. For those first few weeks, it still felt a bit like an extended holiday and so there was time to explore in a way.

Now the list is getting longer I figured it was about time that I put them into a blog post and shared them here as well.

Mural 1: Thorvaldsensvej

This one looks a little faded but even then still looks so much nicer than maybe a plain brick all or a wall with graffiti tags on it (the kind like this…I think some graffiti can be really effective.)

Mural 2: Norrebrorouten

Next door to Ali’s Bageri at Nørrebrogade and Nørrebrorouten (across the road from Superkilen/Røde Plads). This was one of my first ones I saw when I moved to Copenhagen, from our first apartment we’d cycle along Nørrebrorouten to get to church. We worked out that actually it wasn’t the best route and then started taking a different route so I didn’t see it as much as before.

Mural 3: Nattergalevej

Between Nattergalevej and Rørsangervej there’s a playground that Jaxon has called the Treehouse Playground (I think I might have to check my source on that one when he gets home from school). On one of the buildings near the entrance, there is this mural – I think it’s really clever out the design comes around the corner of the building.

Mural 4: Lergravsvej

While following Walk 1 in The Copenhagen Companion, I found this mural on the end of one of the buildings. It was an unexpected find but definitely brought some colour to what was a grey day.

Lergravsvej (Go Hotel City building)

Murals 5 and upwards: Møntmestervej

This is a whole street of murals. There is a row of 7 or 8 apartment buildings (on each side of the road) and at the end of each building, there is a mural.

Colourful Murals in Copenhagen
The Corner of Møntmestervej and Smedetoften
Mesterstien (even)
Mesterstien (odd)
Svendelodden (even)
Svendelodden (odd side)
Rytterbakken (Even) – This made me think of Alice in Wonderland right?
Rytterbakken (odd)
The corner of Sokkelundvej and Møntmestervej

I will keep my eyes peeled and could be back with some more as I find them on my travels. Have you been to Copenhagen? Have you seen any murals like these? Are there murals like these where you live? (There’s one that’s popped up in Bedford – how cool is this Octopus on the Lurke Street Car Park)

Five Places to Visit in Germany
#AD

What has a suspension railway and a fairytale castle got in common? Well, they are both in Germany. That’s where my list of five places to visit in Germany started.

The great thing about being in mainland Europe now is that cities that normally feel *SO* far away when we lived in the UK are now reachable by train (or a short flight). When we visited Billund there were lots of posters in the train stations along the route about taking the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg in Germany for DKK500 (so £55ish!) return. (And it takes about 5 hours, so if we did make the trip it would definitely be an overnight trip, I’d be booking accommodation too)

So if I could get on the train and visit places in Germany. Where would I go? Well, the list has been growing for a while but here are my Top 5 Places to Visit in Germany. So far I’ve seen a section of the Autobahn as we drove to Strasbourg one holiday and a 2 hour stopover in Munich Airport! (Also, I get these aren’t really close to one another and so would probably be multiple trips or some long German Road Trip Adventure)

Miniatur Wunderland and the Historic Port of Hamburg

Well, the train runs straight from Copenhagen to Hamburg, so why not start there. Now model villages aren’t everyone’s cup of tea and maybe they wouldn’t be my first choice but this one has some impressive stats. This one boasts over 12 kilometres of track and nearly 900 trains as part of the network throughout the model village. And if we’ve made it that far – why not explore the historic port? A lot of ships would come along the Elbe River into Hamburg to deliver their cargo. When the Elbe River reaches Hamburg it splits into a number of smaller canals through the southern side of the city. (Maybe a boat tour would be needed too?)

Neuschwanstein Castle

As a kid, I loved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (well at least until the Child Catcher arrived) so to find out that Baron Bomburst’s Castle was an actual real place excited me. But that’s a long way to go to see a castle, so I soon started to create a list of other places to visit. The castle is also the inspiration behind Disney’s Cinderella Castle.

When we were at Billund, we saw the Lego model of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Miniland. I got a bit excited about it and Chris laughed at me for being super nerdy!

Wuppertal Schwebebahn (Suspension Railway)

This was an accidental one in a way. Jaxon and I had been watching videos with my Dad about different railways around the world and one of the ones that came up was a video about the Wuppertal Schwebebahn railway.

The Brandenberg Gate, The Berlin Wall and the Surrounding Area

Having grown up on many different war films thanks to my Dad as well as then studying World War 1 and 2 in History at school, putting actual places to the history has always been something I’ve wanted to do. The Brandenberg Gate is modelled on the Acropolis in Athens. It stands at 28 meters tall and I’m sure if the stones could talk they’d definitely have some stories to tell. It stands a short distance away from the Reichstag, where the German Parliament sit and when the Berlin Wall was still standing, a section of the wall ran alongside the Brandenberg Gate.

When I told someone about wanting to go to the Berlin Wall, they pointed out that there are only tiny bits of it left. Well okay, but it was still significant in history, right? The bits of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer) that remain are just concrete walls covered in graffiti and yet they still attract thousands of visitors each year.

Berchtesgaden

Another one of those “further afield” places. Berchtesgaden is a national park in the Bavarian Alps on the Austrian border (in fact it’s not that far away from Salzburg in Austria if you want a field trip to see things like Schloss Mirabell (Mirabell Palace) and many other filming locations from The Sound of Music).

Life Experiences and Expanding Your Comfort Zone
#AD

AD As I count down to my birthday, there’s lots of other anniversaries that get ticket off and I guess in a way they were life experiences too. Going to university involved stepping that little bit out of my comfort zone and expanding it a bit more. There’s three family birthdays along with my parents wedding anniversary which are all still in my comfort zone. These are followed by things like handing in my dissertation early so that I could have the day off on my birthday (15 years ago on Monday!). There were quite a few other things as I handed in my dissertation, turned 21, finished my uni course and got married in the space of about two weeks. Crazy right and a whole mixed bag on those life experiences, am I right?

I think somewhere in there I also started or continued my temporary job in there too. While I was finishing up in Bedford, a friend of mine was finishing her year abroad. She was studying European Law and as part of her course, she got to study for a year in another country. She’d ended up attending Lund University in Sweden. Now at the time that would have been a big step out of the comfort zone for me but my friend was always very independently minded so I imagine that on the whole she took it in her stride and smashed it out the park. I think the furthest I went as part of my course was the local theatre or maybe London… Chris went to India as part of his youth work course! (He’s always been one to have a bigger comfort zone than me, his zone is definitely filled with a lot more life experiences already!)

I love to travel and really hope that I get to do it more. The transport links here in Denmark are considerably cheaper and more reliable than those in the UK, so the ability to explore a bit further even on a school/nursery day is exciting. I can make it to Roskilde and back in a day. (It’s about 32km/18miles one way and about an hour on the train). Helsingør is about the same time wise so maybe that’s another option one day. (I’m a Shakespeare nerd and supposedly Elsinore in Hamlet is based on Helsingør castle. If you watch Who Do You Think You Are and saw the Judi Dench episode there’s lots about it in that one). So far the furthest adventure with both in nursery/school has been about 5km away, but I think I might throw an adventure in this week coming if there’s the time to. I know not exactly ground breaking but last time I did it – even if it’s just local trips around the city or to other places in Denmark. Both Jaxon and Rex have travelled further afield in their short lives than I did in my first 16 years of life. There’s something about exploring the world that bit more than I’m so pleased we’re in the position to be able to give to the boys. We’ve just got back from Billund (and Legoland) and it was so easy to do on the train (more to follow about that soon). Prior to moving to Copenhagen, I’d never lived outside of about a 3-mile radius from the house I grew up in. (Both Rex and Jaxon have lived in 2 countries now, Jaxon has some extra stamps in his passport which are kind of exciting).

Sometimes for journal prompts you get a question like

“If you could tell your teenage self one piece of advice, what would that be?”

I usually find that my answers are pretty boring but I do think that as a 30-something now, it’s to get out of your comfort zone and take those adventures. You don’t have to be quite as crazy as the Yes Theory lads but try and expand your horizons a bit. Also to take the extra hours at your part-time job so you have the funds to be able to explore a bit more. It’s really not that scary once you get on with it! (I quite like Nate’s explanation on his channel (Kara and Nate).

Blue circle on a square image to show the comfort zone around a person.As the person adds life experiences, so the comfort zone grows into a bigger circle.

A sort of summary is that your comfort zone is made up of the life experiences that you’ve had so far. Sometimes are miles out of your comfort zone (like climbing Everest for instance!) but other things are a little bit out of your comfort zone and so are easier to experience (for instance taking an international flight home by myself or taking the train to Billund with the boys – it was outside my comfort zone but now it’s inside it and feels really easy to do again). So as you add those life experiences, your comfort zone gets bigger and you can deal with the Everests that come along in your path.

So now I’m in my 30s and have the experiences now, I look back and think that past Hannah was a bit wimpy and maybe she should have got some more experiences under her belt. But at the same time I guess my comfort zone was smaller and I needed some other experiences in there before I got to my current big one “move from Bedford to anywhere else in the world”.

So what if you could add some life experiences to your comfort zone? Maybe it’s exploring where you live, or maybe it’s doing something a bit bigger and crazier. Maybe it’s taking an opportunity to experience something different like a journalism internship in London for instance if that’s your thing or maybe it’s figuring out how to “car camp” for the summer and exploring the Scottish Highlands.

So are there little experiences or maybe bigger experiences you would like to add to extend your comfort zone?

Where to See The Cherry Blossoms in Copenhagen

I don’t know about you but I seem to add things to my bucket list and then never cross things off. One of the things on my bucket list is to go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms (Sakura). Little did I know just how popular the cherry blossoms in Copenhagen are! In the park just outside our apartment here in Copenhagen, each tree has a plaque with information about its danish name, its Latin name and some information about the specific variety of tree. From our window, I can see two cherry trees. At first I wasn’t sure that’s what they were but then when we were passing a few days ago I checked the plaques and was very excited to find that they are Yoshino Sakura. So they are proper Japanese Cherry Blossoms.

The cherry blossom (or sakura) is the national flower of Japan. In Japanese culture they symbolise clouds. The blossoms are beautiful but flower for such a short season, it’s definitely a reason to fit in going to see them as soon as you can.

It’s such a thing in Japan that the Japanese Meterological Agency actually has a Blossom Forecast (Sakura Zensen) where they give out information about when is the best day to go and view the blossoms. The Japanese have a concept called ‘Hanami’ which translates as ‘flower viewing’ and the idea is to take a picnic and go with friends or family and have a picnic under the blossoms and enjoy them while you can.

Chris had told me about the blossoms and that I really should go and see them while I had the chance. He’d seen how excited I’d got over the blossoms outside our window, of course I was going to see others if I had the chance.

The two main places to view them in Copenhagen is Bispebjerg Kirkegaard and Langelinie Park. They are both free to enter.

Bispebjerg Kirkegård

The avenue of trees here is very popular so you want to try and get there earlier in the day. I visited around 8:30/9 am after dropping Rex off at nursery and it was quite quiet – still quite a few people but not heaving as I’ve seen in some Instagram Posts.

You can enter the Kirkegård at the main entrance and take a wander through the grounds and find the avenue of trees. The other option is to do the leg work outside of the Kirkegård and then enter by one of the smaller gates. I was on my bike and so it was easier to enter by the closest gate. If you head along Støvmæs Allé from Skoleholdervej there is a gate on your right which will take you right into the avenue of trees. (Google seems to have mixed results on where to find this but the pin says “Kirsebærtræer Bispebjerg” and it currently labelled as a hospital).

The rows of cherry blossoms in Bispebjerg Kirkegård (cemetery).

Bispebjerg Kirkegård, Frederiksborgvej 125, 2400 København NV (See pin on Google Maps)

Langelinie Park

I’ve been up to Langelinie to see Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) but haven’t actually explored the park any more than that. This is where a few other blog posts and Instagram come in handy. Near the Maritime Memorial and Den Lille Havfrue statue, there is a whole cluster of cherry trees with lots of blossoms.

This coming weekend the park host the Copenhagen Sakura Festival (Website). There are lots of interesting things, the Mochi serving on Sunday certainly caught my eye but there are so many things on across the weekend.

Langlinie Park, Langeliniekaj 2, 2100 København Ø

These aren’t the only locations across the city. There are a number of locations with odd tress rather than a whole avenue like Bispebjerg. These include:

  • Islands Brygge,
  • Halmtorvet,
  • Vesterbro
  • Nordvestparken
  • Amaliehave
  • Botanical Gardens

Travelling Back to The UK: My First ‘Solo’ Flight
22 Goals in 2022

Once again, I started writing this then got caught up with other things. So at the end of March, I flew home to the UK to see my family and friends, meet my new niece and sort some bits while I was there.

An adventure home…

Last Thursday I got up before dawn had even cracked to head for the airport within a few hours I’d be able to hug my Mum and Dad for the first time since January. 

Well in theory there was a plan. The hugging dad bit was a bit delayed (he was admitted to hospital for a couple of days the night before I flew back to the UK and due to the Covid restrictions still in place at the local hospital, I’d either have to wait until Monday to see him or I’d see him when he got discharged). 

To Take The Bus or The Metro?

I headed for the bus stop and then questioned whether I should be going to a different stop given the time of day so I walked to the second stop and checked the times. I’d just missed a bus so I’d have to wait for 20-30 minutes for the next one. I chose that maybe walking to the Metro would be better than standing by myself at the bus stop. 

It was strange walking through our neighbourhood at that time of the day. There were very few people around but it didn’t feel unsafe or maybe even dangerous. I arrived at the Metro station and was surprised to see a security guard on the platform. This added to the feeling of safety too. 

The first metro was quieter but by the time I reached the second one it was a lot busier with people also heading to the airport for an early start to their days. (I had been posting to my IG stories on my way and a friend who lives in Amager near the airport said that next time I should stay at their house then it’s only a 10 minute trip to the airport instead of going across the city – I might just have to take her up on this offer!) 

Made It to The Airport

I decided that I’d get through Security as soon as I could then pass the time on the other side. It was one less thing to fit in then if there were any delays along the way. Security was very quiet and I pretty much had one person in front of me. 

I got to the other side and felt so chilled rather than my on edge self that I can often be after security. I even had to text Chris to tell him that it was the most chilled security trip ever. When I texted him, he was still asleep but it had to be done lol. I stopped in Duty-Free to look at the Whiskeys. I was going to get my Dad a bottle of something for his birthday but as I stood in front of the shelf I was a bit overwhelmed by the choice.

I know he like Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie and Famous Grouse but they are all Scottish ones that he can get at the local supermarket whereas I wanted to get him something that was a bit different that maybe he’d like but hadn’t tried before. In the end, I talked myself out of it. I’m due another trip in a few weeks time so maybe I have to get him a bottle then and see what he thinks (I’m told there is a whiskey shop near Kongens Nytorv so maybe I need a field trip there and see if someone can give me some suggests based on what I know my Dad drinks). 

I got a drink and a cinnamon bun from Espresso House on my way through the terminal. Mum and I had plans to get breakfast once I’d arrived but I’d already been up nearly 2 hours and was going to need the energy. 

I found somewhere to sit and worked on a knitting project and ate my Cinnamon Bun. I also attempted to record a time-lapse on my phone – I love Kara and Nate’s videos and they often have a “here’s how we passed the time in the airport lounge” time-lapse so I gave it a go. (You can see it here on my IG. I think I need 1) more practice and 2) a better camera/phone). 

Time for A Nap?

I was struggling by this point and felt like I was going to fall asleep wherever I sat so I decided to walk a bit further through the terminal. Ryanair flights always leave from the Gates F area right at the end of the terminal so I knew if I headed that way, maybe I could find somewhere comfortable to sit and pass the time some more. I found a quieter corner (and USB charging point!) opposite Passport Control so I found a seat and got comfy. I managed to lie down for a few minutes but then got worried that I’d miss my flight so decided sitting upright was better – I could nap on the plane if I needed to. 

Around 6/6.15am I moved towards Passport Control and waited for it to open. I attempted to play Minecraft with Jaxon but he’d decided that he was too tired and wanted to just snuggle in my bed and rest until it was actually time to get up for school. 

I was through Passport Control quickly (everything was so quick at that time of the morning!) and headed to the gate – here’s where things slowed down but still not too bad. I got through Passport Control at 6.25 and our plane was due to leave at 7.05. 

Managed to spot the sunrise while we waited to board the plane. Don’t think I’ve seen sunrise in Copenhagen yet so this was a nice surprise of sorts. (I shared the whole adventure on IG, you can see my story highlight here).

Time to Take To The Air

When I got on the plane there was a little confusion about seats. It turned out the person sat next to me was in the wrong row so we all had to play musical chairs. I had the aisle seat and was a little worried I’d spend the whole flight in and out of my seat as the person next to me might need the toilet! (As it happened they both slept nearly the whole flight and when they move it was more fidgeting in their seat rather than getting out past me). 

We arrived at London Stansted a little ahead of schedule and the efficiency continued. I got to Passport Control and could use the ePassport gate (normally I can’t because I’ve had the boys with me). I was through really quickly and before I knew it was at Arrivals. 

And Now Plan B Kicks In

At this point, I was supposed to walk through that final door and Mum and Dad would be waiting for me. But they weren’t.

Dad had been unwell and had been admitted to hospital very late Wednesday night/Thursday morning. When I went to bed, Mum was still coming to get me but I’d said that I’d get the train/coach or something. Around 1:30am when I woke up, I checked my phone and there was a message from my Mum’s friend telling me that Mum wasn’t coming and she was going to sort a taxi for me. I texted back and said that Mum was still coming and that I’d leave them to sort it out.

Well, when I landed I had a message from Mum’s friend, there was a taxi on its way and it should be at Arrivals when I got through. Well it wasn’t, the driver had got delayed and was stuck in traffic. Not a problem, I’d find somewhere to sit and wait. I watched the weather out the window and updated Mum and Chris as to how things were going.

Once I’d found the driver it was so weird. I rarely use taxis (I think the last time I went in a taxi, Our Sidekick was still living with us). So sitting in the back of this very smart taxi (it was a Skoda but from the inside you couldn’t tell lol) I felt like a right scruff bag! The driver was super polite. He asked if it was okay to put on music (I said yes then it was BBC Radio 1 he put on. Oh dear me! Can I change my mind please?). He dropped me off at Mums and I was so pleased to see her. Best hug ever!

Having chatted to Mum for a little bit and caught my breath we formed a plan. I’d go get settled in etc, then we’d reconvene at her house for tea and we’d either stay home or go out. (I think Plan A was for us to go out but actually, I really fancied Chinese and just to sit with her and watch TV or do something like that, that we ‘normally’ do).

I did it! I took a flight completely by myself and survived lol. So that’s one of my 22 Goals in 2022 completed. Yeah!

You can read my other goals here. The list is still coming together…

Goals For March – Update – How Did It Go?

Okay so I started my Goals for March post exclaiming how fast February went – and then March zoomed past and we’re almost a week into April! So here’s how I did on my goals list for March.

Chalkboard with March written in white chalk along with pink cherry blossom. Search bar in the middle of the image reads "Goals for March"

So this is where the goals come in, just some things that I want to achieve in March.

  • Complete the test crochet for The Pigeon’s Nest

Well, all the squares are made – the challenge I’m currently having is to do with the sleeves. The “made to the pattern” sleeve feels too baggy but the “Hannah’s smaller version” sleeve is too tight around the top of my arm – so that’s going to take some figuring out maybe. And need to take some photos of it… so I’ll be back with them but in the meantime take a look at the #YesYouCardiCan highlight on IG.

  • Catch Up on Reading

So this one went a bit to the wayside as a couple of the authors I really like released new books (And I found other authors that are new favourites too!). In fact, I managed to read 10 books in March.

I was also given a book by my Dad while I was back in the UK (it’s an ARC of Love Radio by Ebony laDelle – he’d won it or something but decided it was more my thing. The tagline on the front is “Tune in for the YA Romance of the Year” – yup add it to the TBR pile!. As the launch is in May, I’m going to attempt to write about it too once I’ve read it).

  • Take Part in #MarchMeetTheMaker

This one went completely to pot – as I expected it would. Why do I think I can do these everyday challenges? I think with more planning I could do it but I’m just not on it enough at the moment. Also #MarchMeetTheMaker is aimed at small businesses/creators so I struggled with some of the more business-related prompts. Maybe I take this year’s prompts and see if I can come up with answers between now and next March or something like that.

  • Plan Blanket

Originally I had drawn up a plan and had ordered the Aria Blanket yarn kit (from Wool Warehouse) for that. However, when I opened the kit and saw the pattern for the Aria Blanket was included I changed my mind. It still fit the criteria of “as colourful as possible”. There would be lots of ends to fit in but it would be worth it.
At present I am one square into Row 4 (and that’s since Saturday). I’ve got a train trip coming up, so I’m hoping I might get some more squares done while I watch the world go by. However as the blanket is “join as you go” I might have to do some creative planning so I’m not trying to juggle the blanket on the train too.

  • Take a Solo Flight

So I classed this trip back to the UK in March as a Solo Flight. I was the only adult and had no children in my care. It was up to me to get myself to the airport and through everything and onto the flight. When we went to sleep, I was a little worried that I’d sleep through the alarm or wake everyone up. So Chris set his alarm too so that he could make sure I was up. I’d done what I could to minimise waking people. It was just time to get some sleep and get myself out of the apartment. I did it. Now where should I go next?

Goals For March

Where did February go? We seemed to jump straight from Valentine’s to Fastelavn and that was it February was gone. I don’t know about anyone else but 2022 has taken a little while to get going properly. I have this “Got to be Productive” drive and sit down and write a list and then my get up and go runs off and I realise I’ve done nothing I set out to do – or did stuff but nothing from my list… so it’s time for my goals for March – hopefully, I can get some of them done! (Especially with Rex starting Vuggestue, maybe I’ll be able to focus more right?)

Chalkboard with March written in white chalk along with pink cherry blossom. Search bar in the middle of the image reads "Goals for March"

So this is where the goals come in, just some things that I want to achieve in March.

  • Complete the test crochet for The Pigeon’s Nest

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen me sharing posts and stories of the Yes You Cardi-Can test crochet and the designing/creating stages from Mrs P. I was selected as one of her “Test Team” and so I’ve been working on that around other bits and bobs. Last night I realised that the yarn I purchased from Hobbii DK had come in 50g balls not 100g balls like I thought so I will be off to order some more. Also trying to decide whether I add in some more colour or some more white to break up the colours a bit more. (I’m also planning on making a second that is one colour so that it goes with more things!)

  • Catch Up on Reading

At the beginning of 2022, I shared my Twelve Months, Twelve Reads, Twelve Friends list. I got delayed getting started which is why we’re in March and I haven’t read any of them yet. Once I finished City of Bones (First book in our Cassandra Clare/Shadowhunters Buddy Read), I started The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune. This took a little while to get into and in the end, I took too long from when I borrowed it and the Libby app automatically returned it. So that’s paused at 23% until I can borrow it again. In the meantime, I’ve moved onto Year One by Nora Roberts and hope to finish it soon. (EDIT: When I finally finish this blog post and hit publish it’s actually the 9th and I have already finished this. I’ve taken a few days off as I’ve been trying to focus on other things and get in more sleep as I’ve had a cold).

  • Take Part in #MarchMeetTheMaker

I often set about trying to complete these one-a-day type challenges and often fail. This time I’m really going to work on it and try to keep up. I’ve got the list, I’ve got some ideas – hopefully, I can make it happen. You can follow over on Instagram at HannahJPlans. You can also follow the hashtag here and see what others post too.

  • Plan Blanket

Someone we know is going through a really rough patch at the moment and commented that they could really do with a decent blanket. So, once I’ve finished the YesYouCardiCan then I’ll be starting a blanket for the lovely person.

  • Take a Solo Flight

I guess technically in a way, my first solo flight was back in October but I had boys with me so I think of that as my first “as the only adult” flight lol. This time it’ll be me, by myself. Also because of how early my flight is that day, I’ll be solo travelling as soon as I leave the apartment. But it’ll be very exciting because my parents will be on the other side of the arrivals door and I haven’t seen them since Christmas when they came to visit for New Year.

Recently Off The…: Special Stripy Blanket

I love being able to share the projects that I’ve been working on – whether they are finished or taking a bit longer. Here’s something that is recently off the needles.

Recently off the Needles
  • Pattern: Special Stripy Blanket in Stylecraft Special Chunky (Source)
  • Needles: 6mm Knit Pro Zing/Addi Fixed Circular Needles
  • Yarn: Stylecraft Special Chunky
Folded up knitted blanket

Back in 2020, I was given a gift voucher for Wool Warehouse. Great idea, and very me but what do I do with it? I wanted to make sure that I got something that was a proper project rather than just using it on an odd ball here and there. In the end, I went with the Special Stripy Blanket.

Rex added the cut off ends from my rubbish pile to the blanket for the photo


I started it, probably once it was cold enough to think about casting it on but then it got put to one side as I did other things. When I was packing my projects to bring with me to Copenhagen I decided that I’d bring the blanket. It was a big enough project to keep me occupied, while I got my head around where the best (for me) yarn shops were. In the end, I found 5 to begin with, but since being here nearly 5 months I’ve found some others too. I packed it up to bring it with me to Copenhagen and recently got it back out again to try and work on it. I decided that I needed to work on what I had already but also work on “stocktaking” what I have and keeping better track of the projects that I am working on and have on my “to be done” list.

I’d been documenting where I was up to for quite a while over on Instagram. This was shared back in November while I was still working on it. It took a little while to remember to alternate for the purl stitches which create this grid pattern across the blanket. Along the way, I found a couple of tricks for turning the stitches the right way around or dropping them and picking them back up again the right way.

I had it finished and it sat around for a few days while I got to sewing in the ends – I was definitely stalling and trying to avoid it but got there in the end!

Do you have any projects currently on your needles or hook?

How We Made Yummy Sausage Rolls in Denmark

Leading up to Christmas there were various foods that we were going to miss out on. Where we could we found alternatives and a few things involved trying to make them at home with the ingredients we could find. One of these was sausage rolls. Here in Denmark they are often called Polsehorn and are dough wrapped around the sausage rather than puff pastry. So here is how we made yummy sausage rolls here in Denmark.

Two homemade sausage rolls on a plate - ready to be eaten! Yummy!

After discussing it in one of the expats groups over on Facebook, when we made our second lot recently, I snapped photos and set about writing down what we did so others can join in too.

Ingredients

I have included links to the products we used when making ours but they are available at different supermarkets too.

  • Medister Pølse (We used the Julemedisterpølse from Rema1000 for our Christmas ones but the normal Medister Pølse works great too. If you’re in the UK or can only get normal sausages these work too. The pack this comes in is 500g)
  • Butterdej or Ready Roll Puff Pastry (You can make you’re own if you’re so inclined but we go with ready roll – it’s a lot easier!)
  • Ribgele (or your chosen jam – this is Red Currant Jam but Cranberry Sauce would work great if you have some leftover from Christmas).
  • Egg or Milk (if you want to brush it over them before cooking but we didn’t bother with that bit!)

Instructions

  1. Cut open the end of the sausage and squeeze out the sausage meat – you’ll find that the Medister Pølse is too thick if you try to use it as it is within the pastry.
  1. Open your pastry and unroll it onto a baking tray. Using a knife or the back of a dessert spoon spread out the Ribsgele (or Cranberry Sauce etc) across the pastry. You want it evenly spread but not too thick.
  1. Next you’re going to equally split the meat into two rows across your pastry. You’re going to want to make sure it’s not too thick so that you can wrap the pastry around it.
  1. When ready, cut the pastry across the middle, then fold one side over the sausage meat followed by the other side. Then turn it so that your join is on top (this will help the filling not to escape once it starts cooking (I learn this from getting it wrong!)
  1. Once you’ve rolled it over so that the join is at the bottom, cut your big sausage roll into 4 equal sections – if you want to go for smaller sausages cut into eighths. You might find squashing down the ends helps to keep the filling in too.
  1. Cut two slits into the top to let the hot air out or poke a fork into the top of each of them. If you want to, you can brush with egg or milk at this point. I prepared them on the paper the pastry comes wrapped in, then moved them to a new sheet of baking paper on a baking tray before putting them into the oven.
  1. Put into the oven at 200C (fan oven) for 30 minutes. It might be a case of keeping an eye on them depending on your oven.

Once they have finished cooking, remove them from the oven and either enjoy hot or cold.

2022 in Books: The Forgotten Guide to Happiness by Sophie Jenkins

It is said not to judge a book by its cover. The Forgotten Guide to Happiness was one of those books that I did judge and picked it based on the front cover – how pretty is it?

Sometimes happiness can be found where you least expect it…Twenty-eight-year-old Lana Green has never been good at making friends. She’s perfectly happy to be left alone with her books. Or at least, that’s what she tells herself. Nancy Ellis Hall was once a celebrated writer. Now eighty, she lives alone in her North London house, and thinks she’s doing just fine. But dementia is loosening Nancy’s grip on the world.

When Lana and Nancy become unconventional house mates, their lives will change in ways they never expected. But can an unusual friendship rescue two women who didn’t realise they need to be saved! An irresistible story of love, memory and the power of friendship that readers of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Lido will adore.

—

This was a light read that was good to get the year started with. The story follows Lana, a struggling writer who has just had her follow-up novel turned down by her agent Kitty. Her first novel had been a success so she had the pressure to live up to that but also what happened next with her characters. Although there is romance in the story and it is talked about, it’s nearly always on the back burner and doesn’t feature heavily like other authors might have done.

Alongside her book being turned down, the story starts with Mark, Lana’s boyfriend (and inspiration for the hero in her first book) leaves her for a free-diver named Helga. Lana soon finds herself struggling to make ends and practically homeless but soon an opportunity to help with Nancy presents itself.

After the disaster of a meeting with her agent, Lana heads to the pub to commiserate and bumps into Jack. He tells her that his stepmother is also a writer, which she shrugs off – little does she know that Nancy will help to change her life!

At this point, Lana moves in with Nancy and they become unlikely housemates.

Lana’s character was likeable but sometimes needed a good telling off as she could sometimes come off a little selfish that every action was for her own good not for the good of those around her but she was relatable as well as flawed just like we all are.

Nancy’s character is both endearing and heartbreaking. Dementia has definitely had its effect on her but she still has a sociable personality, which in turn causes it’s own issues. Even being an elderly lady with dementia she still has so much to offer to those around her. You can feel the other’s frustration with her but also their love for her too.

The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is a warm and easy read, it’s tender and inspiring. The characters are charismatic and likeable, they do have their flaws – but that adds to the different layers you get in a person.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with a digital ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

This year I’m attempting to document more of the books that I read rather than them just falling into my Goodreads account and being forgotten about. You can follow my reads this year here. You can also see other blog posts I’ve written about books and reading here.

The Week Just Gone – Week 2

Happy New Year! We’re allowed to still say that even though we’re almost two weeks into the new year right? So here is the week just gone

So what have I been up to? Here’s what I’ve been up to this last week…

  • This week started with a chat and a cuppa with Nel at Little Pink Maker about exciting things that might be happening. (More to follow on that soon hopefully). It’s lovely to hang out with Nel and we can compare notes on Denmark vs the UK and what’s better/worse etc.

The Week Just Gone:

Reading

  • The Forgotten Guide to Happiness by Sophie Jenkins (review coming soon!)
  • Dreams and Schemes at the Seahorse Inn by Emily Harvale (turns out I’ve started the series on Book 5 which might explain while some bits don’t make sense…. might have to finish this one then fill in the gaps).

Listening

  • No more Christmas music but did “dig out” the 2000s Rock after Verity at Truly Hooked mentioned it on her IG stories – I’m going to have to build my own playlist though because there are so many songs with swear words in them. Also not sure I’m quite ready to introduce Jaxon to Marilyn Manson…
  • I’ve also been listening to the Encanto Soundtrack – I found it on Spotify in Danish and ended up falling down a hole of Disney songs in different languages. At one point I had Till Summer from Frost (In Summer from Frozen) followed by En Ven Som Mig from Aladdin (A Friend Like Me – isn’t the same without Robin Williams…). I’m sure there was a Chinese or Japanese one on the playlist too. There was definitely a French one as well!

Watching

I’ve been working my way through Disney Movies – one of my 22 Goals for 2022 is to watch all 60 of the Walt Disney Animation Studio movies. My goal was one a week and I think I’m now up to about 8. I keep trying to pick ones that don’t appeal as much so that they are done. I’m gearing up for Bambi though as I might need to send the boys out so that if I cry through it they aren’t here to laugh at me… My GCSE English teacher was known for her love of horror films but somehow it came up in conversation that she’d watch most movies at least once but would never EVER watch Bambi again!

I watched The Descendants and Enough Said as they popped up on Disney Plus. Mum and I had started to work our way through Big Sky while she was visiting so we’ve been catching up to one another so we can watch the next episode at the same time and have a running commentary via WhatsApp or Facetime lol.

I’ve started watching some new YouTube channels too including DejiligeDays, Highlands2Hammocks and Travel Beans

Creating

Having finished two baby blankets over Christmas, I’ve gone back to some of my WIPs to try and clear the decks a bit. How is it I keep finding more projects I’ve started but not finished? I think that might be the goal for the rest of January. (Clearly, there’s something about making baby blankets over Christmas, as this post popped up.

You can read my other posts in this series here.

The Copenhagen Companion – A Foggy Walk (Walk 1)

Back in November, I found a copy of The Copenhagen Companion by Astrid (@thecompanionsdk on Instagram) and I’d got this idea. We’d follow the walks in the book to explore the city a bit more (Rather than just the normal routes we take each week). Here’s my second attempt at Walk 1 from the book. (You can read Attempt 1 here).

The Copenhagen Companion book by Astrid Heise-Fjeldgren. Doodles and Designs by Alette Bertelsen.

Our previous attempt had finished at the Amager Centret shopping centre, so rather than start at the beginning again, we started at Amagerbro St Metro Station. You can read about the first attempt here.

We caught the bus from our local bus stop towards Norreport. At Norreport we got off the bus to change to the Metro but I realised too late and we ended up getting off at the next stop. This is the second time I’ve got off at the wrong stop at Norreport – I think they were doing some road works so the bus went into a temporary stop, now it’s moved back to the usual stop and I keep missing it oops!

Having got off at the wrong stop, I checked my directions. I could either walk back to the Metro station (10 minutes walk) or wait for the next bus which was due in a few minutes. The bus is longer but it does mean that in theory, we get to see more of the city. I say in theory because the bus windows are just so dirty at the moment! Come on! Get it sorted!

We got off the bus at Amagerbro Station (as per my instructions). I think I’m beginning to look like a local or something because a lady on the bus asked me was this one the stop for Amagerbro. I didn’t understand all the question but manage to figure out enough and give her an answer. I hope she found where she was going as she got off the bus based on my information lol.

I backtracked a little bit along Amagerbrogade. Mostly because my book told me that there was a knitting shop. (I’ll be sure to add it to the list – there’s five here already) I walked along Hallandsgade to Strikkesalonen. It looked like a lovely little shop from the outside and we would have gone in. However, it doesn’t open until 12 pm and it was only 11 am.

As I reached the traffic lights, I should have been able to see the wings of the wind turbines between the buildings but it was far too foggy.

I followed the directions from these lights to Lizzies Plads. It’s named after a lady called Lizzie Liptak and the square has these sculptures. There is also a light sculpture too which lights up the sculptures but it was too light to really be able to see it.

While passing the supermarket, I decided that I’d get Rex and I some lunch/snacks to keep us going. As I crossed the road, I looked up and was like “I know that lady” and it was one of my friends. We normally see each other over in my neck of the woods as it’s near her work. Turns out we were really close to her apartment and that supermarket was one of her locals! We pottered around the supermarket together putting the world to rights while we were there.

After saying goodbye, Rex and I continued our walk. I kept feeding him snacks as I walked. He polished off a pouch of baby porridge. He’s a little old for it but I know it’s something that he likes and he will eat (also on the move it’s not as messy as other things lol).

I love “collecting” buildings and murals. I love colourful murals and buildings that are just a bit different. This one below I believe is part of a school. It looked like there was a big floor cushion or bean bag right near the window – it’s the kind of window you want to sit next to on a rainy day while reading all snuggled up inside.

Our apartment has a window a bit like it. I’ve started looking out for an Ektorp armchair on the second-hand sites in case I can score a bargain. I don’t mind one in the “wrong” colour as I can always get a new cover. There are a couple on FB Marketplace for 200-250kr (£20-25ish) instead of brand new price of 2000kr. I considered going for it but wasn’t quite sure how I’d get it home on the cargo bike…

The next part of our walk took us to Lergravsparken (I fluffed up trying to say this to Chris and he says that the first bit is like Leagrave near Bedford so it’s Leagraves-parken lol). I think Rex is starting to form a “park radar” like Jaxon was a little sad when we didn’t stop to play. He wasn’t really dressed for playing in the park – also I’m not sure I had his shoes with us.

At this point, there are two routes that can be followed. I think on a warmer day we’d have done one part and then done the other part as well. This time we followed the route through the housing estate alongside Lergravsvej, crossed over Amager Strandvej and then walked through the Yacht Club to the seafront. At the end of this bit there is Den Maritime Ungdomshus. This building was designed by Bjarke Ingels, who now is a very famous architect. (His company BIG also designed our favourite park which is Superkilen).

You can walk back through the Yacht Club and walk along the beach but it was so foggy and gloomy that it was time to head in the direction of home.

Where are the wind turbines?

Having sent this picture above to Chris he replied with this one. It’s taken across the water under the turbines looking back towards Amager.

And the obligatory Mummy and Rex having an adventure picture to send to Daddy.

Getting back from the end of our walk was easier. We walked through Amager to Øresund Metro station, which is on the M2 line and this took us to Flintholm Station where we changed to a bus. On the way home, we were going via the Covid-19 Test Centre. With both Chris being back in the office and Jaxon being back in school it makes sense to try to have a test a week to make sure we’re not sharing the germs. (All negative yeah!). The test centre is just a short walk from our apartment so after getting tested, Rex and I headed home for a well-earned snuggle in front of. the TV lol.

Five Yarn Stores in Copenhagen to Visit
Exploring Denmark

Some people move to a new place and look for the best coffee shop or the restaurant with the best fries. For me, it was finding the local yarn stores. I’d found a couple in my previous visit but always thought that it was expensive or not what I was looking for. (Copenhagen 2019, Copenhagen 2020, Blogtober Day 9) Having explored a little more I’ve realised that I was just in the wrong places or just needed a better idea of the conversion rate from DKK to GBP rather than guesstimating it! Here are five yarn stores in Copenhagen to visit.

I thought I’d share the ones I’ve found and I’ve been told about some others too so I might be back with five more stores to visit if I get that many!

Woolstock

Jagtvej 183, 2100, Copenhagen (Website)

Woolstock is based right next door to one of Jaxon’s favourite playgrounds which means I might be able to trade a trip to Trafiklegepladsen (Children’s Traffic Playground) after I’ve been yarn shopping (or maybe the other way around if I ask him). There’s a lovely little coffee shop as part of the shop too so you can have a browse and then have a cake and a cup of coffee.

Nicoline Garn

Fyensgade 1, 2200 Copenhagen N (Website)

Nicoline Garn was my first stop when it came to finding yarn for the Shawlography MKAL. We’d cycled past a couple of times and I had visited before so I knew it was going to be a good place to go and have a look for yarn. I stood in the shop and had a wobble. I wanted 4 Ply yarn as per the pattern and it wasn’t entirely clear what I was looking at. Thankfully the lady behind the counter was super helpful, especially when I tried to explain what I was looking for – thankfully when I said what it was for it happened that she’d already helped someone the day before with their Shawlography yarn choices so she was able to direct me that bit easier lol. The colours I chose were quite as bright and crazy as I think I wanted them to be but as the shawl has come together I’m glad it wasn’t too crazy! (I’m tempted to do a second one with a better range of choices now I know what it would look like when it’s finished – or in progress!). There’s a range of yarns both weight wise and base wise. There’s a wide range of colours too! The staff were lovely and helpful and when I went back to “top up” my Shawlography yarns, the same lady was really lovely again and was so excited when I showed her my “in progress” shawl.

Uldstedet Knitting

Vendersgade 3, 1363 København (Website)

When I started writing this post, I hadn’t actually been to this one. I’d stood outside with my Canadian friend but the shop isn’t really buggy-friendly so on that occasion, I gave it a miss. But while my parents visited over New Year, my Mum and I popped by while my Dad took Rex for a walk nearby. The ladies we spoke to were lovely and friendly and really helpful. I bought some sock yarn – I’m determined that in 2022 I will start and finish a pair of socks properly!

Tante Grøn CPH

Christian Winthers Vej 2, DK-1860 Frederiksberg (Website)

Another shop with lovely people. I popped in after my trip to Knitting for Olive in the hope they could help with my knitting dilemma. I spoke to Susanne who is the owner and co-founder, she was super lovely and said that she didn’t have any in that size in stock at the moment. Then said that she was due a delivery later that day and if I wanted to come back she should have one. In the end, I went back a few days later and she was able to help me. On both visits, I didn’t really stop for long but I’m sure I will go back again.

When Mum was here, we visited this store together. I had said that the lady was lovely and I’m sure Mum would like it too. When Mum asked for some help, the lady again was so lovely. We had a whole discussion about independent yarn dyers here in Denmark and back in the UK. We talked about yarn from Fyberspates and how lovely it is. We also talked about how you can’t really directly translate knitting patterns from Danish to English as it’s not a straightforward job. As we left the store, my Mum said to me “Oh she’s so lovely! She’s the kind of person you’d detour to especially just to give her your business” (Yes Mum you are totally correct!)

Knitting for Olive

Godthåbsvej 55, 2000 Frederiksberg (Website)

I had found Knitting for Olive on Google Maps and hoped that they would be able to help with my knitting needle dilemma. When I got there the lady seemed quite surprised that I was looking for such a “big” needle size (3.5mm) and I felt a little unwelcome. I’m not sure if it was just that I was kind of flustered from the cycling across the city or whether I had just caught her on a bad day. I don’t think my request was particularly out of the ordinary but looking around the shop, I think they mostly sold Merino or Cashmere that you knit on tiny needles. The shop is very minimalist and had 3-4 shelves along the wall with a handful of skeins/balls of yarn in each colourway. (No everyday acrylic here!)

I felt like I should have dressed up for the occasion or something like that… Mum and I have a friend who knits the most amazing projects with gorgeous yarns and we have a scale of what we make to what our friend makes… well this shop was definitely our friend’s kind of shop for sure!

Exploring Denmark: Roskilde by Train
Exploring Denmark

While Jaxon has been at school and Chris has been at work, Rex and I have been exploring Copenhagen a bit more. Whether it’s going to Wild Kiwi Pies for Lamingtons and Tim Tams or exploring yarn stores around the city. But now it’s time to take an adventure further afield. Rex and I set out for Roskilde by train.

When Chris was exploring the area around our Copenhagen apartment, he found that we were really close to the Hobbii Head Office. Annoyingly for me (but helpful for him?), their orders are despatched from elsewhere and their nearest shop is in Roskilde. Once I’d worked out that I could get to Roskilde on my Rejsekort (similar to Oyster but miles better for sure!) it was just a case of actually plucking up the courage to leave the city and explore that bit further.

It’s around a 30km trip and by train, it’s about an hour. This includes the walk to the bus stop and then the bus to Nørreport station.

Back in November, Rex and I set out on an adventure.

Once we found the right platform, I was a little confused as my train would be continuing onto another destination so I had to wait for the whole list of stations to come up on the display before I knew if I was waiting for the right train. When I got onto the train, the conductor actually did ask where I was going because I looked that puzzled! He was really helpful and offered to come back and help me off the train again with the buggy if needed when we got to Roskilde.

Outside the station, there are these 3 jars. I googled “The Roskilde Jars” thinking this was a silly name and nothing would come up but apparently, it makes total sense as this is their nickname! In Danish, they are called “Roskildekrukkerne” (The Roskilde Pots). They were presented to the city in 1998 as part of the city’s 1000th anniversary.

The walk from the station to the Hobbii store was fairly easy and a large proportion of it was the High Street kind of area of Roskilde. A lot of the buildings reminded me of Silver Street/Midland Road area in Bedford where a lot of the shops are in Bedford Town Centre.

After only having a handful of choices for projects. I was surprised by how many choices there were in the Hobbii store. It was good to be able to have a proper squish of the yarn and see what I thought of it.

I found the Amigo range a good match for Stylecraft as far as feel while it was round in the ball. I’ll have to update this once I’ve made something with it. The standard Amigo range (Light) is a good match for DK, Amigo XL is then Aran weight with the Amigo Chunky is Chunky. There’s then the Giga which is classed as Super Chunky and takes 9mm needles and is 9 stitches/13 rows to a 4 inches/10-centimetre tension square. (Might be good for a snuggly hygge blanket for the sofa maybe?). (This isn’t a sponsored post but Hobbii if you need someone give me a call!)

I could have probably spent ages in the shop looking at all the different choices. I restrained myself with my purchases and really tried to purchase only what I’d already planned for.

One of the projects I wanted to try was The Joy Cowl from The Pigeon’s Nest. This usually calls for Stylecraft Special but apart from paying customs from the UK I’m not sure how to get hold of this yet – there are some stockists in the Netherlands so maybe I try that). So far I like the Wolplein website – so easy to navigate!

Once we’d finished at the shop we headed back towards the train station. It was nearly lunchtime so we grabbed some snacks from the supermarket. Once I managed to find our way back to the platforms, we jumped on the train and I realised as the train pulled out the station that I was probably going to have to stand all the way back because I was in the wrong place – I was also right next to the Quiet Carriage!

When I realised that the train stopped at Valby on its way into the Central Station, I decided we’d get off there and go to Wild Kiwi Pies. They stock Lamingtons and Tim Tams and I’d been discussing Tim Tams with one of my new friends so I grabbed her a packet as a little present. I was then going to get on the bus but couldn’t find the right route. Instead, we headed back to the station and jumped on the next Metro train to Nørreport to head homewards.

It was a lovely trip out – I’m sure it would have been better if Rex had napped when he was supposed to as well as it not raining but it was still a fun adventure to explore a bit further afield.

Notes

On both the way there and way back there are alternative routes that might work. It is an option to cycle or take the M3 to Nørreport before changing for the train if you prefer. Cycling wouldn’t work for us this time. The Metro is another option with the buggy however it does involve a bit of a detour around the city as the M3 is the Cityringen (or City Ring). The M3 Cityringen opened in 2019 after our first visit to Copenhagen. It’s very much like the Circle Line in London and makes cross-city travel that bit easier. You can read about it here.

Twelve Months, Twelve Reads, Twelve Friends
22 Goals in 2022

I saw this over on Facebook so shared it and got some book recommendations from my friends. The idea is you have twelve months, and each month has a book so twelve reads and then twelve friends suggest them to you. I asked that there weren’t any horrors and nothing that would have an 18+ rating if it was a movie (maybe that depends on the director but my friends came through so I guess it made sense!).

Template by @shadowbooker

January: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune

Recommended by Amanda.

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

Goodreads

February: Year One by Nora Roberts

Recommended by Vivien

It began on New Year’s Eve.

The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed–and more than half of the world’s population was decimated.

Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river–or in the ones you know and love the most.

As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive.

In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.

The end has come. The beginning comes next.

Goodreads

March: The One by John Marrs

Recommended by Mike

How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…

Goodreads

April: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

Recommended by Claire

Spanning Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London, and modern-day Los Angeles, Great Circle tells the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost.

After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There—after encountering a pair of barnstorming pilots passing through town in beat-up biplanes—Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At fourteen she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfill her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.

A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centers on Marian’s disappearance in Antarctica. Vibrant, canny, disgusted with the claustrophobia of Hollywood, Hadley is eager to redefine herself after a romantic film franchise has imprisoned her in the grip of cult celebrity. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds, thrillingly, alongside Marian’s own story, as the two women’s fates—and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times—collide. Epic and emotional, meticulously researched and gloriously told, Great Circle is a monumental work of art, and a tremendous leap forward for the prodigiously gifted Maggie Shipstead.

Goodreads

May: The Judges List by John Grisham

Recommended by M

In The Whistler, Lacy Stoltz investigated a corrupt judge who was taking millions in bribes from a crime syndicate. She put the criminals away, but only after being attacked and nearly killed. Three years later, and approaching forty, she is tired of her work for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct and ready for a change.

Then she meets a mysterious woman who is so frightened she uses a number of aliases. Jeri Crosby’s father was murdered twenty years earlier in a case that remains unsolved and that has grown stone cold. But Jeri has a suspect whom she has become obsessed with and has stalked for two decades. Along the way, she has discovered other victims.

Suspicions are easy enough, but proof seems impossible. The man is brilliant, patient, and always one step ahead of law enforcement. He is the most cunning of all serial killers. He knows forensics, police procedure, and most important: he knows the law.

He is a judge, in Florida—under Lacy’s jurisdiction.

He has a list, with the names of his victims and targets, all unsuspecting people unlucky enough to have crossed his path and wronged him in some way. How can Lacy pursue him, without becoming the next name on his list?

Goodreads

June: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Recommended by Laura

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

Goodreads

July: Naked in Death by J. D. Robb

Recommended by Vivien (J. D. Robb is the pen name of Nora Roberts)

Here is the novel that started it all- the first book in J.D. Robb’s number-one New York Times-bestselling In Death series, featuring New York homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Roarke.

It is the year 2058, and technology now completely rules the world. But New York City Detective Eve Dallas knows that the irresistible impulses of the human heart are still ruled by just one thing: passion.

When a senator’s daughter is killed, the secret life of prostitution she’d been leading is revealed. The high-profile case takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the rarefied circles of Washington politics and society. Further complicating matters is Eve’s growing attraction to Roarke, who is one of the wealthiest and most influential men on the planet, devilishly handsome… and the leading suspect in the investigation.

Goodreads

August: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (Cadfael Series)

Recommended by Lily

Ellis Peters’ introduction to the murderous medieval world of Brother Cadfael…
A Morbid Taste for Bones

In the remote Welsh mountain village of Gwytherin lies the grave of Saint Winifred. Now, in 1137, the ambitious head of Shrewsbury Abbey has decided to acquire the sacred remains for his Benedictine order. Native Welshman Brother Cadfael is sent on the expedition to translate and finds the rustic villagers of Gwytherin passionately divided by the Benedictine’s offer for the saint’s relics. Canny, wise, and all too wordly, he isn’t surprised when this taste for bones leads to bloody murder.

The leading opponent to moving the grave has been shot dead with a mysterious arrow, and some say Winifred herself held the bow. Brother Cadfael knows a carnal hand did the killing. But he doesn’t know that his plan to unearth a murderer may dig up a case of love and justice…where the wages of sin may be scandal or Cadfael’s own ruin.

Goodreads

September: The Therapist by B. A. Paris

Recommended by Hanna

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

Goodreads

October: The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick

Recommended by Tova (From Parent XP)

A medieval historical novel about William Marshal, probably the greatest knight of the Middle Ages. This is the story of how he rose through the dangerous world of Angevin politics to become one of the most powerful magnates of the realm and eventually regent of England.

Goodreads

November:: Where the Crawdads Sing by Diana Owens

Recommended by Jess

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.

But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life’s lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.

Goodreads

December: The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen

Recommended by Carol

Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.

At six, she’s memorising the dictionary. At seven, she’s correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi.
 
And now that she’s an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.

When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta’s life, she’s propelled headfirst into the unknown. She’s determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?

Goodreads

Nine Yarn Projects for 2022
22 Goals in 2022

A grid of nine projects to attempt to create in 2022.

Here are the first 9 projects I have planned for 2022, when it comes to knitting and crochet. Knowing me I’ll get tempted by other things along the line so this is bound to change or get postponed.

  1. Rainbow Blanket from The Pigeon’s Nest. I was part of the test “knit” for this one so I have already made one before. I started this one between Christmas and New Year while I debated what to do about a different project I’ve just finished. I’m on the second repeat of the rainbow so churning through it. Just need to stop long enough to sew my ends in as trying to crochet them in as I went was getting messy.

2. Yuletide Crochet Blanket from Attic24. My Christmas present from my Mum and Dad was the yarn pack and pattern for this blanket. I’m excited to get into it but Mum said I had to finish some outstanding projects first (no objections here! I know I need to get it sorted out lol).

3. Special Stripy Blanket – Beach Huts by Hand Knitted Things (I purchased the pattern from Wool Warehouse). I bought this yarn and pattern with a voucher last year and brought the project with me to Copenhagen because I knew I had all the yarn for it and wouldn’t need to get extra (in theory!). It’s been stuffed in a project bag being ignored for a little while.

4. Shawlography by Westknits. Like so many other knitters I started this during the MKAL last year but I got waylaid with other projects and it took got put to one side. I want to pick this up again ASAP and get it finished – there’s a variety of sections to do so it’ll probably end up getting put to one side again after a week or so lol.

5 and 6. Granny Go Round by Iron Lamb. I saw this pattern last year and many a time wanted to start it. I’ve got it on here twice as I’d like to do one for me and then one for one of the boys (probably Rex as Jaxon would more than likely tell me he didn’t like it).

7. Temperature Blanket – this picture is from Wyldflower Crochet (Thanks Search Engine! How pretty is it!) but I’m not set on what pattern I’m going to follow. I did a Temperature Blanket a few years ago and it ended up being massive so I need to do some more planning as to what pattern I follow and what colours I use (maybe Hobbii as I can still access that if we’re back in the UK before I finish). I want to do one for both boys going from their birth to their first birthday.

8. Mystery! I’ve got a plan up my sleeve and I’m hoping it’ll work… I’m hoping to publish my own pattern – that isn’t granny square instructions! I just need to sit down and properly write down my experiment and then make sure it actually works!

9. Socks – I have at least one pair of socks still stashed away that I need to finish. I’ve had it out recently and I’m thinking that I might need to come up with a plan B because I’m not sure I have enough yarn in the particular colourway for two socks. Also, I need to use my Advent Yarn Calendar created by my friend Liz so maybe another pair of socks is on the cards…

What projects are you planning in 2022? Have you got a list of knitting or crochet projects to complete?

Recently Off The…: Secret Santa Gift

Two weeks ago, my knitting group were having a Christmas get together. As part of that, we were doing a Secret Santa. I’d been trying to get it finished and kept knitting and knitting and knitting and hoped I’d get there!

I made it in the end – as you can see! So here’s the Secret Santa gift – recently off the needles.

  • Pattern: Yarnspiration Step It Up Knit Shawl (Source)
  • Needles: 3.5mm Addi Lace Circular Needle
  • Yarn: Katia Maldivas (in Mint)

So after 3 or 4 false starts, and trying to use the yarn for a different project. I settled on the Step It Up Knit Shawl from Yarnspirations. I did find it on Ravelry but it is accessible directly through the Yarnspiration website. It is designed for the Caron Cakes which is Aran/10 Ply weight but it worked with this lighter yarn – just took many more rows to get there!

For this one, I used the Katia Maldivas (in the colourway Mint). This is a 60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic mix. So super soft but also cosy too.

I changed needles partway through the project as I have been really struggling with my KnitPro Interchangeables. No matter how tight they are, I find they are working themselves undone really quickly – often leaving me picking up stitches or rescuing them from between the needle and the cable. With help from the lady at Tante Grøn I was able to get the right size in fixed Addi needles. (And ended up going back for a second pair for a different project).

It’s a straightforward pattern and would have grown quicker with the Aran weight yarn but works with the lighter weight (4 ply/Fingering). If you’re a beginner and want something a bit more advanced than a straightforward back and forth scarf but not something too complicated then this is a good one to try. It’s knit stitch all the way through but also includes yarn over and cast off stitches throughout.

You can see other projects I’ve done here.

Do you have any projects currently on your needles or hook?

The Week Just Gone – Week 50

Good morning or good evening I guess. Depending on when you’re reading this. We’re almost at Christmas and things are winding up for the year. I wish you all a very Happy Christmas. Once again we’re having a “different” Christmas, so however you’re celebrating I hope it’s good. So this is the week just gone.

The Week Just Gone

I last did a post like this back in September just before our adventure commenced. We’ve now been in Copenhagen for almost 3 months. This feels really crazy as it’s the longest I’ve ever been away from Bedford.

So what have I been up to? Here’s what I’ve been up to this last week…

  • The week started with a new knitting group. It was one Chris had found on MeetUp but it started really close to the school pickup. With some careful childcare tag-teaming, he was able to collect Rex from me on his way to get Jaxon from school. Everything fell into place at the last minute – which was really handy as it was proving a little challenging to lock up the cargo bike outside the coffee shop.
  • On Tuesday morning, I had a FaceTime call from Mum. She’d had a call and needed some help with an issue but couldn’t fix it herself. She was away from her computer (and of course it was urgent). I paused what I was doing and we worked on her thing. It was lovely to chat to her albeit briefly. It’s still strange not speaking to her everyday in some way or just popping down the road to hang out.
  • Tuesday afternoons are always a bit bananas as I do the school run instead. The “out of hours” club meets in a specific classroom which has a window that looks out onto the path – as I walked past this time, Jaxon spotted me and by the time I’d got round the building to collect him, he was almost ready to go anyway. That makes live easier when Rex is trying to squirm either off my shoulders or out of my arms. I’m hoping once he can walk he might be a little more co-operative when it comes to the school runs lol. (Watch this space I’ll be chasing him down the road and wishing he was still crawling right?)
  • It was then time for the Weekly Music Quiz. We were close to getting the Mystery Album but then changed our mind on the artist. We really should have stuck with our first guess as that was correct! Oops!
  • Wednesday had a big change of plans and meant that I could take a trip to Tante Grøn knitting shop – it’s not one of our closest but it is one of the friendliest I’ve come across so far so I was pleased to be able to go and support a small business instead of a bigger one.
  • We were able to take the Metro to Norreport then walk for a bit and pop into Doughgirls Doughnuts on our way home. So many small businesses are trying to keep things going at the moment through more COVID restrctions so it’s great to be able to support small businesses when we can right?
  • Both Jaxon and I had our COVID vaccines. I was on my third one and he’s had his first. Here in Denmark the vaccine has been approved for ages 5 to 12 so once he recevied his invite we got him booked in. He was a little nervous about the needle but between us we got through it. There were lovely posters along the walls during the queue with helpful tips like what to talk about to keep their minds off the vaccine. Also about holding their hand or the child sitting on your knee while having their vaccine. Our nurse was so lovely. She had 4 drawings on the wall to show each step, then Jaxon held my hand and we looked the other way while the nurse did her thing. So different from when he was little and had his childhood vaccinations.
  • It was great to spend some time with my family even if it was via video call. My brother ran an excellent internet based quiz again which was good fun. I won – even though I was sure I was doing rubbish lol.

The Week Just Gone:

Reading

  • The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas (I wrote a post about it here)
  • A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Philippa Ashley

Listening

  • Chris has been playing PopFM via Alexa for the last few days so we’ve had lots of 80s, 90s and 00s cheesy pop which has been right up my street!
  • I’ve had lots of Christmas songs playing – usually Cliff or Amy like in my Holiday Tag post.
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – audiobook. I’ve always wanted to read it but some bits are so wordy that it seems to take ages to get going with the story. Dickens is very descriptive when it comes to the ghosts and Scrooge’s room throughout the night. I’m up to the Ghost of Christmas Present – who I always imagined looking like Brian Blessed (Has he ever played the Ghost? He has narrated it in a TV movie version but I don’t think he’s played the Ghost.

Watching

I’ve been working on a knitting project so often had YouTube playing while I work my way through a few more rows. There are a couple of channels that I watch as soon as new videos go live.

Kara and Nate: Nate’s Marathon in Greece (here), Kara’s Solo Trip (here)

Yes Theory – so many choices but recently it’s been the paperclip challenge (there are 3 parts this is part 1)

Mum, Rich and I often send different links to Christmas ads around this time of year – so we have Interflora, Coca-Cola Chimney, Tesco and John Lewis. We also quite liked the Silvan one here in Denmark.

Do you have a favourite this year? Next week will include Christmas. What are you up to over the Christmas break?

Creating

As usual, just before Christmas, I’ve been juggling getting multiple projects done at once. I’ve been working on a test knit for Natxa – it’s a lovely shawl with lacework. Lace work is one of those things that I want to get better at but to get better at I have to actually do it lol. Sometimes all that counting makes my head hurt! (How pretty does it look in this turqoise yarn?)

I had originally cast on with Katia Maldivas (in Mint) but after having to frog the lot and start again, I changed yarn to this Katia Australis (I think in the colourway – 205 – Green blue-Orange-Yellow-Blue – it doesn’t have a short name!). Both looked lovely so maybe it would be a case of have one colourway for the summer and one for the winter. (The Maldivas is a cotton/acrylic mix and the Australis is Wool/Acrylic).

When I’m not working on that, I’ve been working on another Malt Baby Blanket – the pattern is by Tin Can Knits. I’e made this one before, this time I’m using Merry-Go-Round by Stylecraft (in Pastel Rainbow) held double with Stylecraft Special DK (in white).

Now I’m off to get things done, so that Christmas can come! YEAH!

You can read my other posts in this series here.

The 2021 Holiday Tag

I thought it was time for some fun posts so… here’s The 2021 Holiday Tag post. I read it first on Bee’s blog Mind. Beauty. Simplicity. So let’s go…

What is your favourite holiday movie?

I love Christmas Movies – you know how some channels are set up just to show Christmas films in July – well if I have access I am one of those people who will tune in for those films!

The favourites that I watch every year are It’s A Wonderful Life, The Muppets Christmas Carol,

A Christmas Carol will often pop up in different versions too. I quite like the Patrick Stewart one too. I’ve just looked up when it came out and realised it’s got a really all-star cast. Joel Grey (MC in Cabaret with Liza Minelli) played the Ghost of Christmas Past and Richard E. Grant plays Crachitt amongst many others.

What is the best way to celebrate a Saturday in December?

December in our house can often be very busy. On a ‘normal’ non-Covid Christmas we can spend most weekends bouncing from one carol service to the next. One Christmas we threatened to camp in the church garden because of how little time we’d actually be spending at home between services and events!

I think it would be nice to start the morning with a nice breakfast – not just a bowl of cereal but maybe pastries or pancakes. Then head off to outdoor carols somewhere (We’d often go to Jaffa Orchard or the Gordon Arms with church friends and do carols for an hour or two – in 2019 I was part of a flash mob in town singing carols). Maybe lunch with friends or just our little family.

Then if we’re having a real tree it would be going shopping for that, if not we’d go home, curl up in front of the TV and watch a Christmas movie or try and play a board game while Rex had a nap.

What’s your favourite holiday song?

There are two albums that always play in my Mum’s house and make me feel super Christmassy. With us not being at home for Christmas this year I’ve pretty much had those two on repeat since November 1st. One is Cliff at Christmas by Cliff Richard and the other is Home for Christmas by Amy Grant. Those opening bars of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on the Amy Grant album always make me think of Mum baking up a storm in the kitchen. She’d have the oven heating up while she cut out a whole row of little circles for mince pies. She’d probably have something else in the background ready to go in the oven too when it was ready. (Oh and if we timed it right there could be sausage rolls too! They are super easy to make but so yummy – might need to write up that recipe if I can!)

What do you typically eat during the Holidays?

Too much probably! That last week leading up to the big day there will usually be mince pies, biscuits or a tub of sweets already on the go. As a kid, Christmas Eve tea was sandwiches and nibbles so Mum didn’t have to do too much ahead of the main event on Christmas Day. She’d have various bowls and dishes lined up in the Utility Room with peeled and prepped veggies and other bits ready to go in the oven or on the hob when the time came.

Lebkuchen or Stollen are often my go-to. I’ve managed to find Stollen in the supermarkets here but haven’t found Lebkuchen – I might have to give up or see if Mum can bring me some in her suitcase when she visits…

This year we’ve been eating Æbleskiver and Brunkager. We cheat with frozen Æbleskiver but you can get a pan and make your own. Æbleskiver translates as Apple Slices – although there are no apples in them! Imagine pancake mix but cooked into small balls (bigger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball), they are so good! They are served here with jam and icing sugar. Brunkager are ginger snap biscuits. This recipe from Louises Mad Blog (Louise’s Food Blog) contain almonds (mandler) and pistachios (pistaciekerner) too but the shop-bought ones we’ve had are just ginger biscuits. They are a favourite along with Pebbenødder (which literally translated is Pepper Nuts), these are also little ginger biscuits. Chris and Jaxon have been eating them with Skyr and strawberry jam/sauce. (Often accompanied with Kammerjunker (these biscuits you normally have with koldskål in the summer but they’ve decided they work all year round lol.

In our family, the making of the Christmas Cake is a family event. Mum makes the cakes and then Grandad does the icing. Previously, Grandma would make the cakes then Grandad would do the icing. Our cake would then either get dropped off or we’d collect it in the run-up to Christmas. This year, it’s become my job as we won’t be local this year. I put it off at first because we were moving apartment but now we’re almost under a week to go to the big day so I really need to get on with it and make it happen. I think tomorrow we’re going to top-up the baking ingredients and then set about getting the cake done.

Which fictional character would you want to spend the holidays with?

I always loved the Vicar of Dibley, I imagine Christmas with Geraldine would be busy but good fun. (I always wanted to be Alice so I could be her best friend lol). I’m not sure this is technically the Christmas episode but it always makes me laugh even though I’d seen it so many times!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pX-gZMTHSPg%3Fstart%3D98

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Well in Twas The Night Before Christmas, Santa’s reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. (Did you know that Donner and Blitzen’s names come from the Dutch for Thunder and Lightning? – the idea is that they travel that as fast as thunder and lightning across the sky. First, it was Dunder and Blixem but over time it’s changed to Donner and Blitzen as we know today). Rudolph wasn’t added to the gang until much later (like 70 or 80 years later)

Where would you like to visit during the holiday season?

I would love to visit New York City and see the Rockefeller tree amongst other places. Courtney has been sharing about her recent trip to NYC and has been including pictures of the tree so I’m enjoying that vicariously for now.

It’s been nice to explore the Christmas markets around the city this year. The first one I went to was at Højbro Plads (just outside Illum). I have briefly been through a couple of others but it was earlier in the day and they hadn’t opened yet so there wasn’t so much to see. At the Højbro Plads one I bought Jaxon a Toffee Apple after we’d seen them on the Markets episode of Bluey. I think like me, he found the idea is better than the reality when it comes to them lol.

Do you like receiving gifts or giving gifts better?

A bit of both. I love to make gifts for people but always get anxious that it’s the wrong colours, yarn or style for the person. I made a Christmas present for a new friend here, it keeps getting moved around the apartment while we wait to see them again but with restrictions etc, church services have gone back online so I probably won’t see them until the new year now so it’ll be late and I’ll worry about it some more lol.
As far as receiving gifts, I always try to appreciate a gift – mostly because someone has taken the time to think of me. It doesn’t need to be big and flashy. The best ones are “I just saw this and thought of you”. My friend N says I’m good at this. We’d been talking about Pear Drop sweets at knitting group one week and I happened to pass Arcadia Sweetshop in Bedford (when Debs and Jan were still running it) so I popped in and got N a bag of pear drops – we sat and worked our way through them during the next knitting group lol. She appreciated it because to her it was just part of the conversation and yet I’d remembered and made an act of it (can you guess that Thoughtful Gifts is one of my primary love languages lol)

What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

The one that came to mind was made by Mum. For our first married Christmas, my Mum had made us a quilt. It’s been packed away for many years because as much as I want to use it, I also don’t want it to get trashed. I’m sure my Mum knew that it might get marked or stained along the way because that’s what comes with use but at the same time I wanted to be able to cherish it. It’s white and cream – maybe with a little pale yellow in there too and it’s beautiful. I know that many hours went into it and lots and lots of love too. Maybe one day I’ll have to get it out and put it on the bed so it can be used instead of just stored for a “rainy” day or special occasion.

Book Review: The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas

In 2021, I set about challenging myself to read 40 books. Some were shorter quick reads that I read within a day or so, others were longer that took me a week or two to get through. Part of this was also clearing the “Currently Reading” list on my Goodreads profile. (I have the tendency to start too many books and not finish them! The list currently stands at 20 – can I clear it by the end of the year? 15 days – it might be pushing it but I can certainly reduce it!)

I really enjoyed reading The Psychology of Time Travel, I loved that the major of the characters were female and the men in it were almost supporting roles in the outskirts of the story. I did find it a little challenging to keep up with who was who and “when was who” – especially when silver and green selfs were muddling up in different time periods.

I like the idea of the psychological effects of time travel as well as how it affects the mental health of the characters. I regularly watch shows like Doctor Who, Star Trek and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow which all deal with time travel in their own way but nearly all have the idea that if you cross your own timeline you can cause a paradox – whereas Mascarenhas has “silver” and “green” selfs mixing together causing no issues along the way – or maybe that adds to the mind-boggling experience too. Although the story starts with a group of women building a time machine in the 1960s it bounces through various different time zones, with a multitude of perspectives along the way. A large part of the story is the mysterious dead body found in 2017. How do you catch a killer that could be from anywhere or anytime? It’s not easy, that’s for sure, especially when the victim can’t be identified either. No papers or identification…

Like an Agatha Christie novel, the killer could be anyone, your future self may know that you did it but your present self wouldn’t have a clue – or maybe your future self went back to do something in the past that had consequences in the future. (Yes you might need a lie down after some reading sessions! At one point I sat down and drew a chart of who was related to who and how because I was a bit muddled – it was like a family tree of sorts!) I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see if Kate Mascarenhas publishes any more books.

Also, I think if I had seen the cover on the shelf in a bookshop I think the embroidery would have caught my eye. Maybe that’s a theme of books to read – how many have embroidery themed illustrations on their covers?

Have you got a reading book on the go? Do you track/record what you’ve been reading?

The Copenhagen Companion – A Snowy First Attempt (Walk 1)

Rex and I went for a wander around near Norreport a few weeks ago and I found a copy of The Copenhagen Companion by Astrid (@thecompanionsdk on Instagram) and I’d got this idea – we’d follow the walks in the book to explore the city a bit more (Rather than just the normal routes we take each week).

The Copenhagen Companion book by Astrid Heise-Fjeldgren. Doodles and Designs by Alette Bertelsen.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I like to explore by just seeing what’s at the end of the road or what happens if I turn right instead of going straight on. But sometimes I like a route. I like to learn about the buildings on my route. Like when was it built and why does that building have *that* feature.

I think I had come across The Copenhagen Companion book before but hadn’t purchased it. When I saw it in the second-hand bookshop, I decided to purchase it. It was 20-30DKK so around £2ish. I flicked through the pages and wondered about using it for journaling prompts.

I’ve had a change in my “work-life” and have had a bit of a wobble in the last week or so trying to know what to do next, so coming back to my blog and working on it more seems like a good idea.

I grabbed the book from the shelf where it had been abandoned when we moved apartment and looked up the route. How easy is it to get from our apartment to Knippelsbro where the route starts? (Easy, short walk, get on the metro, get off the metro, short walk and you’re there! Sorted!). The goal was to follow the whole route right “to the water” as in the book but I guess we’d see how far I could walk (and how Rex coped with being in the buggy that long!)

We set off from the apartment and headed for the Metro Station at Nørrebro. It’s our nearest metro station and yet I’ve not used it in a while. Chris thought it was funny that I couldn’t find the Metro entrance but then when I explained why I couldn’t find it, he understood that maybe it wasn’t so easy to follow. From the direction we approach the station, you can see the S-Tog station but not the Metro. You have to walk to the other side of the building and it’s further along the side road. (If that makes sense!).

We got on the Metro and headed for Kongens Nytorv. The Metro first went through a number of stops including Skjolds Plads which was our “local” Metro station during our first trip to Copenhagen in Summer 2019.

At Kongens Nytorv, we headed outside. I spotted a poster on the display outside Det Kongelige Teater for the Nøddeknækkeren (The Nutcracker). Mum and I have talked about going to see The Nutcracker for a number of years but so far something has always got in the way (looking at the dates for this, when she’s in Copenhagen, The Nutcracker Company are off on tour around Denmark. Aarhus is a bit far for an evening field trip right?).

I’m sure at night the lights look even better. I love how classy the Christmas lights on both Magasin du Nord and Illum look. They are all one colour and just simple but pretty all at the same time – does that make sense? Chris told me I should have used his picture in my blog post, so here we go…. Magasin du Nord at night…

As we stood outside the theatre and I took pictures, the Knippelsbro Bridge was open. Having been off to learn more, Knippelsbro bridge is a bascule bridge which is the same as the bottom/road bit of Tower Bridge in London. (So as you can see the road splits in two and is raised upright from a hinge point either side of the river. I sent the photo to my Dad as I knew he’d appreciate it (when he visits we might have to go for a visit and hope for it to be open). I love that one of the control towers has lots of twinkly lights on it too.

I’m pretty sure at this point I didn’t take the most direct route to cross the bridge. From this direction, I could have walked alongside the O2 route under the Knippelsbro bridge but I wanted to go across the bridge. So I had to walk along the river a little way to the next bridge then walk back to the road entrance of Knippelsbro – it was a little faffy and there might have been a quicker way if I hadn’t had the buggy with me.

Google Maps has this way of sending along routes with stairs! We went for a bike ride around Utterslev Mose and the directions through Bisperberg Kirkegaard involved a set of about 4-5 steps which would have been manageable with the buggy but the cargo bike is too heavy for me to do by myself. Having said that when we all went for a bike ride and had to do the steps up from a subway, Chris and I both pushed the cargo bike up the bike ramp with Rex inside the cargo bike.

Once I crossed Knippelsbro, I was in Christianhavn. The first stop was Lagkagehuset. Normally I try to go independent for pastries or bakery goodies as Lagkagehuset is a little pricey but this one is the original one where it started so I figured I could make an exception this time right? Once I’d purchased our Kangelsnegl (Cinnamon Snail/Swirl), we could continue our adventure. (Yes Lagkagehuset is known by Ole & Steen in the UK, try the Cinnamon Social Slice (Stænger) – yum yum!)


From all the photos and video I’d been taking I realised at this point that my phone was running out of battery, so at first, I headed for Normal to see if they had any power banks for sale, I could get a lead but no power bank. So next up was to head to Tiger but this was further along the route. I thought that was okay, if I jumped on the Metro at Christianhavn it’s just one stop to Amagerbro. I decided this was a shame as I’d miss part of the walk being underground so maybe I could just jump on a bus.

I jumped on the 2A thinking it was going the right way but actually it turns along Prinsessagde and goes right through Christiania (towards Operaen). So not only was I running out of battery, I was off the route too. But it wasn’t hard, back along Prinsessgade to Torvegade and follow it right until I could see the turn for Amager Centret shopping centre.

Once I’d got the power bank I checked to see what was the best route to carry on, then I remembered that Chris had suggested a craft class near our apartment so I checked what time that was on then saw on my calendar that I was due to be back for a meeting at 3 pm! OH NO! Combined with the fact it was past lunchtime and Rex was definitely not going to cope as he hadn’t napped properly in the morning I decided it would be better to turn back towards home – which was a real shame as I had hoped it get further with the route. I’m definitely going to try again, I think on my next attempt I will take the Metro straight to Christianhavn or Amagerbro and start from there (or nearby) rather than starting from this side of Knippelsbro again.

I’ll be sure to update you all when I take my second attempt.

Copies of The Copenhagen Companion are available from Saxo (within Denmark) or The Green Copenhagen Companion here. (Psst! If you’re in the UK and would like a copy, get in touch and I’ll see if I can assist – I tried that well known website but it’s not on there lol).

Hello December (My December Goals)
Monthly Goals

After the success of my goals in November, I thought I’d carry on by sharing my December goals. I wrote the goals down in my bullet journal but they didn’t make it to a blog post until now. I have a plan going forward and hopefully will have my goals scheduled by the 3rd or 4th of the month so that I can start working on them.

The Goals

These are my goals for December. With Jaxon finishing for Christmas, I think I’m going to be limited as to when they can get completed but some will work with him accompanying me or doing something else at the same time.

Goal 1: Complete Walk 1 from The Copenhagen Companion.

This one is on the list and it might happen with Jaxon in tow but I think it would be better to try without him. I think he’d enjoy some of it once we got going but would probably complain a lot too. I think I’ll either try and get it done before he breaks up from school or get Chris involved. I just need to remember to pack all the snacks for Rex so we don’t have a repeat of attempt number 1 (you can read about that here).

Otherwise, I’ll hold off and maybe Dad and I can do it when he and Mum hopefully visit at the end of the month. (I’ll have to chat to Astrid and see if I’m allowed to share a copy of the map or if I can do a Google Maps version or something to share. In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram here)

Goal 2: 365 Move Goals (357 so far – 8 days to go)

The great thing about this goal is that it fits in with other goals too. By completing the walk above I should tick another day off for this one. Even if I just walk around the apartment or down to the post boxes, this will help towards each day’s move goal.

Goal 3: Finish Secret Santa Gift (Deadline 12th – ideally earlier)

Trying to finish a handmade gift for my Secret Santa – we’ll see if it gets finished in time or if I’m scrambling to sort out something else.

Goal 4: Finish Baby Blanket

I’m hoping to get this one finished so that I can send it back to the UK with my parents at the beginning of January. I can post it from Denmark but international postage is kind of pricey. I sent a normal A5 letter back to the UK and it was 33kr (that’s about £3-4). Definitely makes first-class in the UK seem cheap! It’s a relatively easy pattern – it’s just whether I can get hold of any additional yarn I need before Christmas. I’m not sure I have enough although I thought it would be enough.

Goal 5: Ride 75km by bike

Although I absolutely smashed the target last month, I know that this month it would be harder. Between Christmas holidays and work that I won’t have as much time to go out cycling. For this month, it’s staying at 75km and I’ll up it next month maybe.

You can find previous goals here.

November Goals – The Finish Line
Monthly Goals

At the beginning of last month, I shared my November Goals. It’s now the beginning of December and time to share where I got up to.

Goal 1: November Challenge

Each month my Apple Watch tells me the challenge for the month – sometimes it’s really easy and I can get through it quickly and other times it’s that bit harder. This month’s goal is to close the Exercise Ring 13 times. As I’m cycling a lot each week, it shouldn’t be too hard to complete but I guess we will see. I will also be trying to close all 3 circles as well. (If you’re not sure about the circles there are videos on YouTube, this one from Cult of Mac is interesting).

I DID IT! My exercise goal is set at 410 kcal so that’s probably not that much and could do with being a little higher maybe. But even then completing it 13 times still feels like a win!

Goal 2: NaNoWriMo

Let’s do this thing! Back in 2017, Chris and I had a whole discussion about me writing a book. We were talking about goals and things we wanted to achieve and writing a book was something I said. It was a little crazy and I’m still not sure it’s that sane! But I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo again, bringing a previous draft with me in the hope that I can actually hit that word count this year. I guess we’ll see if I actually make it. I’m sure the writing group I’ve been attending will be checking in on me to make sure I’m still going!

This one didn’t happen. I think if you’re trying to do it around taking care of your kids you need to be disciplined and make sure you write as much as you can once they are in bed or something like that. I’m not deterred thought I think I will get some more planning time in between now and next November and properly work on my book. It might never see the light of day but it’ll be there on my hard drive lol.

Goal 3: Ride 75km in November

I wrote this one down as 70km, then looked at the tracking on my watch/phone and realised that in October (25 days of being in Copenhagen), I’d already hit 68.17km. So as long as I tracked it all adding another 7km shouldn’t be too hard.

Well, I did it! So my goal was 75km but when I did my Check-In post I realised that I was already on 60km and it was the 19th. I did a rough calculation in my head between the trips I expected to do and was going to smash that 75km and reach maybe even 100km. When I checked on the 30th November, I was at 112.96km and considered just getting the bike out to do a lap of the block or something like that so I could get that little bit more to hit 113 instead. It definitely helped that we went for a bike ride as a family which was just under 13km before I then did another 10km bike ride into the centre and back!

Goal 4: Finished Shawlography MKAL

Like so many other people, I cast on the MKAL from West Knits but haven’t always been speedy enough to get through a Clue per week. I’m currently still on Clue 2 but there are more straightforward knit/purl short rows to come so hopefully I can get through those bits before I slow down again for my first attempt at Brioche. (to me Brioche is yummy French bread not knitting lol).

This got put on pause. Between moving apartment and also

Goal 5: Reduce my Currently Reading

My currently reading list on Goodreads keeps growing even though I’ve either finished or completely stopped reading some of the books. Now some of them are physical books and are back in the UK, but the ones that I can clear I will try to and hopefully, that will reduce the list. It’s currently at 22 and that’s even with me reading some that I really won’t go back to.

This is the list as it stands (where I know it’s definitely a physical book that I don’t have access to I will put it in Italics with an * at the beginning. (You will notice a theme… I read lots, but mostly light stuff that I can pick up around the boys or at bedtime. I am about to start also reading Podcast with Impact by Anna Parker-Naples which is more of a work thing but still very interesting).

The list hasn’t shrunk – if anything it’s grown oops! But it’s okay there’s still time – I’ll try and knock one maybe two of them off by the end of the month.

Completed in November

  • Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
  • The Cosy Teashop in the Castle by Caroline Roberts

Also finished in November but not on this list

  • The Boat House Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington
  • Summer Weddings at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington
  • Winter at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington
  • Snow Falls Over Sunnybrook by Rosie Green
  • Welcome to Seabury by Beth Rain

Deleted from the List

Physical Book

  • *The Highland Falcon Thief by M. G. Leonard
  • *The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley
  • *Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission
  • *From Blah to Awe by Jenna Lucado-Bishop (I started this *years* ago and for some reason still not finished it)

Currently Reading (According to Goodreads)

  • Falling for Your Best Friend’s Girl – Emma St. Clair
  • Perfectly Unique by Annie F. Downs
  • My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack
  • The Summer of Magic Moments by Caroline Roberts
  • Women Rise up by Katey Zeh
  • Runaway Sumer by Ruth Saberton
  • Escape for the Summer by Ruth Saberton
  • Looking for Lucy by Julie Houston (I’m sure I have already finished this one but Goodreads say it’s still in progress…)
  • The One Saving Grace by Julie Houston (Same with this one)
  • No Cure for Love by Jean Fullerton
  • Sleigh Ride
  • An Event to Remember or Forget
  • Happiness for Humans by P. Z. Reizin
  • Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
  • Two Nights by Kathy Reichs
  • Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni

So having finished those 7 books this month, I’m now on 39 out of 40 when it comes to my Goodreads Challenge Goal for 2021. That’s an easy one to complete I think.

Did you set any goals for November? How did it go? Come back for my December goals which should be live later this week.

Recently Off The Needles: Chocolate Orange Cover – Christmas Pudding

Maybe you saw yesterday’s knit and decided it wasn’t for you – but how about a Christmas Pudding instead?

Christmas Pudding

Pattern: Chocolate Orange Christmas Pudding Cover by Marianna’s Lazy Daisy Days.
Needles: 3.75mm on the pattern but I used 4mm as that’s what I had to hand
Yarn: Brown, Green and Red DK Yarn (I like Stylecraft Special DK in Brown (Mocha or Walnut), Green (Bottle or Green) and Red (Lipstick). Could be great for using up scraps.

Knitted Christmas Pudding

Really quick to knock up and perfect for adding something special to those Chocolates Oranges – it’s almost not Christmas without a chocolate orange right?

Marianna also has a whole bunch of other free knitting patterns on her website – definitely worth taking a look. If you’re looking for something Christmassy, start here.

Recently Off The Needles: Chocolate Orange Cover – Santa Hat

Last Christmas I had great fun creating little knitted covers/cosies for Chocolate Oranges. I started with the Christmas Pudding and now here’s one for a Santa Hat. Is it Christmas without a Chocolate Orange?

Santa Hat

Pattern: Chocolate Orange Santa Hat by Marianna’s Lazy Daisy Days
Needles: 3.5mm on the pattern, I think I used a 4mm instead.
Yarn: White and Red (I’ve used Stylecraft Special in Lipstick (Red) and White. (Could definitely be made up from odd scraps rather than buying whole new balls I’m sure!)

Knitted Santa Hat

If you can knit and k2tog then it’s definitely a great place to start for something Christmassy if you’re a beginner. You can also find more of Marianna’s Christmas Crafts over on her blog here (also her knitting patterns are there as well as on Ravelry here).

November Goals – Check-in
Monthly Goals

At the beginning of the month, I shared my November Goals. I decided it was time to check-in and share where I’m up to.

Goal 1: November Challenge

Each month my Apple Watch tells me the challenge for the month – sometimes it’s really easy and I can get through it quickly and other times it’s that bit harder. This month’s goal is to close the Exercise Ring 13 times. As I’m cycling a lot each week, it shouldn’t be too hard to complete but I guess we will see. I will also be trying to close all 3 circles as well. (If you’re not sure about the circles there are videos on YouTube, this one from Cult of Mac is interesting).

Well, we are 18 days into the month and I’ve managed to close my Exercise Ring 11 times. sofar. There have been days where we haven’t left the apartment or I’ve forgotten to charge or take my watch with me! On one occasion I had my watch with me and realised halfway to our destination that I hadn’t started the tracking or like today I left my watch on charge at home! Oops!

Goal 2: NaNoWriMo

Let’s do this thing! Back in 2017, Chris and I had a whole discussion about me writing a book. We were talking about goals and things we wanted to achieve and writing a book was something I said. It was a little crazy and I’m still not sure it’s that sane! But I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo again, bringing a previous draft with me in the hope that I can actually hit that word count this year. I guess we’ll see if I actually make it. I’m sure the writing group I’ve been attending will be checking in on me to make sure I’m still going!

This was always going to be one of those goals that would be a real challenge. I’d intended to try and buckle down and focus but between one thing and another, it got away from me. I’m just over a quarter of the way through and just over halfway through the month – definitely need more writing time and am not sure I’m going to gain it.

Goal 3: Ride 75km in November

I wrote this one down as 70km, then looked at the tracking on my watch/phone and realised that in October (25 days of being in Copenhagen), I’d already hit 68.17km. So as long as I tracked it all adding another 7km shouldn’t be too hard.

On the 6th November, I added the comment to my original post that I was already on 31.95km. According to my Fitness app on my phone, it’s the 19th and I’m on 60.39km. So that’s just under 15 to go in 12 days. Church on Sunday is around 10km there and back. Maybe I need to raise the goal?

Goal 4: Finished Shawlography MKAL

Like so many other people, I cast on the MKAL from West Knits but haven’t always been speedy enough to get through a Clue per week. I’m currently still on Clue 2 but there are more straightforward knit/purl short rows to come so hopefully I can get through those bits before I slow down again for my first attempt at Brioche. (to me Brioche is yummy French bread not knitting lol).

This is another that’s been put on pause. I’ve been working on other projects along the way so it’s been put away again. I think I will try and finish Clue 2 by the end of the month, I can always come back to it after I’ve sorted out Christmas presents (and another two time-sensitive projects that are in progress).

Goal 5: Reduce my Currently Reading

My currently reading list on Goodreads keeps growing even though I’ve either finished or completely stopped reading some of the books. Now some of them are physical books and are back in the UK, but the ones that I can clear I will try to and hopefully, that will reduce the list. It’s currently at 22 and that’s even with me reading some that I really won’t go back to.

This is the list as it stands (where I know it’s definitely a physical book that I don’t have access to I will put it in Italics with an * at the beginning. (You will notice a theme… I read lots, but mostly light stuff that I can pick up around the boys or at bedtime. I am about to start also reading Podcast with Impact by Anna Parker-Naples which is more of a work thing but still very interesting).

The list hasn’t shrunk – if anything it’s grown oops! But it’s okay there’s still time – I’ll try and knock one maybe two of them off by the end of the month.

Currently Reading (According to Goodreads)

  • *The Highland Falcon Theief by M. G. Leonard
  • Falling for Your Best Friend’s Girl – Emma St. Clair
  • Perfectly Unique by Annie F. Downs
  • My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack
  • Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
  • *The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley
  • The Summer of Magic Moments by Caroline Roberts
  • The Cosy Teashop in the Castle by Caroline Roberts
  • Women Rise up by Katey Zeh
  • Runaway Sumer by Ruth Saberton
  • Escape for the Summer by Ruth Saberton
  • Looking for Lucy by Julie Houston (I’m sure I have already finished this one but Goodreads say it’s still in progress…)
  • The One Saving Grace by Julie Houston (Same with this one)
  • No Cure for Love by Jean Fullerton
  • *Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission
  • Sleigh Ride
  • An Event to Remember or Forget
  • Happiness for Humans by P. Z. Reizin
  • Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
  • Two Nights by Kathy Reichs
  • Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni
  • *From Blah to Awe by Jenna Lucado-Bishop (I started this *years* ago and for some reason still not finished it)

Goodreads also tells me that I’ve read 32 out of 40 books in 2021. So can I clear 8 books from my Currently Reading and tick them off my Reading Challenge this year too? I guess we’ll see.

Have you set any goals for November? How are they going? Are you any closer, to achieving the things you set out to do? I’d love to see them if you’ve shared them online.

Recently Off The Needles: Joy Cowl

Between making new friends and having a bit more time to crochet and knit, I decided that I’d make some of my Christmas presents. This is the first one. It’s the Joy Cowl by The Pigeon’s Nest. I purchased just the pattern but Rebecca also does a kit which can be purchased here. (It’s also available in other colours too! I quite like the Americana one!)

This is the picture from Rebecca’s website/pattern. I chose to do my version in two different shades of blue rather than pink. Rebecca’s pattern also calls for Stylecraft Special but I used Amigo from Hobbii (This is the closest I’ve found to Stylecraft Special so far – without having to order from the UK or elsewhere in Europe).

The great thing about these Granny Squares is that for me they grew quite quickly. I miscounted on 2-3 of them and ended up with 13 white “clusters” instead of 12. Of course, I didn’t realise until I got to the grey outer edge! Oops! Lots of frogging was needed there but was able to reuse the same yarn and finish those squares.

This is the second or third pattern I’ve done written by Rebecca and they are so clear and easy to follow which is great. I did find with this one that my tension is on the small side compared to Rebecca’s. If I did it again I’d try with a 5mm hook maybe instead of a 4mm. In this instance, I did an extra 6 squares to make it that bit longer and that definitely worked better. Rebecca and I did chat about this as I’ve been giving her an update of where I’m up to. 3 squares (one column) may have been enough but to keep the pattern in place I did two columns (6 squares).

Are you making any of your Christmas presents? Do you have any projects currently on your needles or hook?

You can see other projects I’ve done here.

Hello November (November Goals)
Monthly Goals

It’s a new month, so it’s time to share my goals for the month. I’m sure I used to do it more often but then I stopped. I was aiming for five but as I look at my list I only have four… Hopefully I’ll think of a fifth one as I type it up.

Goal 1: November Challenge

Each month my Apple Watch tells me the challenge for the month – sometimes it’s really easy and I can get through it quickly and other times it’s that bit harder. This month’s goal is to close the Exercise Ring 13 times. As I’m cycling a lot each week, it shouldn’t be too hard to complete but I guess we will see. I will also be trying to close all 3 circles as well. (If you’re not sure about the circles there are videos on YouTube, this one from Cult of Mac is interesting).

Goal 2: NaNoWriMo

Let’s do this thing! Back in 2017, Chris and I had a whole discussion about me writing a book. We were talking about goals and things we wanted to achieve and writing a book was something I said. It was a little crazy and I’m still not sure it’s that sane! But I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo again, bringing a previous draft with me in the hope that I can actually hit that word count this year. I guess we’ll see if I actually make it. I’m sure the writing group I’ve been attending will be checking in on me to make sure I’m still going!

Goal 3: Ride 75km in November

I wrote this one down as 70km, then looked at the tracking on my watch/phone and realised that in October (25 days of being in Copenhagen), I’d already hit 68.17km. So as long as I tracked it all adding another 7km shouldn’t be too hard. (EDIT: It’s now the 6th and I’ve already completed 31.95km, it might be time to up that goal already!)

Goal 4: Finished Shawlography MKAL

Like so many other people, I cast on the MKAL from West Knits but haven’t always been speedy enough to get through a Clue per week. I’m currently still on Clue 2 but there are more straightforward knit/purl short rows to come so hopefully I can get through those bits before I slow down again for my first attempt at Brioche. (to me Brioche is yummy French bread not knitting lol).

Goal 5: Reduce my Currerntly Reading

My currently reading list on Goodreads keeps growing even though I’ve either finished or completely stopped reading some fo the books. Now some of them are physical books and are back in the UK, but the ones that I can clear I will try to and hopefully that will reduce the list. It’s currently at 22 and that’s even with me reading some that I really won’t go back to.

This is the list as it stands (where I know it’s defintiely a physical book that I don’t have access to I will put it in Italics with an * at the beginning. (You will notice a theme… I read lots, but mostly light stuff that I can pick up around the boys or at bedtime. I am about to start also reading Podcast with Impact by Anna Parker-Naples which is more of a work thing but still very interesting).

Currently Reading (According to Goodreads)

  • *The Highland Falcon Theief by M. G. Leonard
  • Falling for Your Best Friend’s Girl – Emma St. Clair
  • Perfectly Unique by Annie F. Downs
  • My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack
  • Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
  • *The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley
  • The Summer of Magic Moments by Caroline Roberts
  • The Cosy Teashop in the Castle by Caroline Roberts
  • Women Rise up by Katey Zeh
  • Runaway Sumer by Ruth Saberton
  • Escape for the Summer by Ruth Saberton
  • Looking for Lucy by Julie Houston (I’m sure I have already finished this one but Goodreads say it’s still in progress…)
  • The One Saving Grace by Julie Houston (Same with this one)
  • No Cure for Love by Jean Fullerton
  • *Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission
  • Sleigh Ride
  • An Event to Remember or Forget
  • Happiness for Humans by P. Z. Reizin
  • Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
  • Two Nights by Kathy Reichs
  • Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni
  • *From Blah to Awe by Jenna Lucado-Bishop (I started this *years* ago and for some reason still not finished it)

Goodreads also tells me that I’ve read 32 out of 40 books in 2021. So can I clear 8 books from my Currently Reading and tick them off my Reading Challenge this year too? I guess we’ll see.

Have you set any goals for November? I’d love to see them if you’ve shared them online.

The Monthly Review: October

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The Monthly Review: October

The Months in Points

  • We moved to another country. If you’ve not been around these parts for long, Chris moved to Denmark this time last year then because of Covid restrctions and other things, Rex and I properly joined Jaxon and Chris in Denmark at the beginning of this month.
  • I’ve been sharing over on Instagram my adventures around the city and what we’ve been up to. I’ve joined a writing group and a couple of knitting group so hopefully going to settle into them well. I missed the meetup of the writing group this weekend and got a message from one of my new friends making sure I was okay and telling me I was missed from the group which was really sweet.
  • We’ve started to settle in at a new church. It’s a little challenging with so much of the service being in Danish but there is a translation system which is handy. Rex loves playing in the kids area there.

Projects

I tinkered with some little projects but the big one I’ve been working on has been the Shawlography MKAL from West Knits. I love the introduction video and how it was a contemporary dance piece. (You can see it here). I had tried to purchase my yarn before leaving the UK but it didn’t quite work out.

Books

  • Daughters of Cornwall by Fern Britton
  • There’s Something About Scarlett by Hannah Ellis
  • Fragile Hearts by the Loch by Hannah Ellis
  • In A Manhatten Minute by Helen J Rolfe
  • A Summer of Surprises by Rosie Green
  • The Wedding Cake Wish by Rosie Green
  • Escape to the Hummingbird Hotel by Daisy James

You can find all the books I’ve read on my Goodreads account here. (My TBR list is 198 books long – it might be time to work on that along with the 29 currently reading ones! In other news I’ve read 29 books out of 40 in 2021).

Television/Movies

  • Private Practice – I’m sure I must have watched it before when it was on as I’m a huge Shondaland fan but it’s currently available on Disney+ here in Denmark so I’ve been working my way through it.
  • Suits – Chris was already watching this so I’ve joined in, I’ve missed a chunk in the middle so I’m watching Season 2 or 3 when I can then watching Season 8 or 9 in the evenings with him. If I don’t understand a bit I go google it to fill in the gaps lol.

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Blogtober – Day 29: Not again so soon…
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

Rex and I are poorly again.

Yep. Having just got over that cold from the other week and no longer coughing. We’re both poorly again. Thankfully it seems like a 24-hour bug as we’d both perked up again around lunchtime but was still us being poorly.

No adventures today, just lots of TV time. We worked our way through more Bluey (please release some more. 54 episodes at 8 minutes apiece means we get through them on a regular basis at the moment), then when Rex napped I watched some more Private Practice. Jaxon and I watched Luca this evening, I think I might have slept through some of it.

By the time it was the end of school and time to collect Jaxon, I was really feeling it again – this time I’d got a niggly headache coming. I knew it was more than likely dehydration and I really needed to try and drink some more but the squash we had in was making me feel a little queasy (I have no clue why) so I tried just water but

Once both boys were in bed, I went to bed at 9 pm (which is very early for me!). I did start watching a TV episode on my phone while I was in bed but the bright light was making my head hurt more so decided sleep was better! I slept until around midnight when Rex woke for a feed. I then dozed off again until Chris arrived home from his work thing (around 1 am apparently!) . He then told me about his day and the work thing before we both went to sleep. I woke at 5 am to sort Rex out and we all went back to sleep until 6.40. That was when Jaxon came in, he was trying to find out what time he could get up – Chris said it was 7, so I said Jaxon could come in and snuggle for a little bit (while everyone else was asleep lol).

BUT, in other news, our car is fixed and my Dad collected it from the garage – superstar! (Chris commented about how long it took but I think with it not exactly being urgent we were bumped down the list each time something urgent came into the garage).

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. I’ve also attempted to take part in previous years and they are here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

Blogtober – Day 22: Exploring the Neighbourhood
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

All week Chris had been encouraging me to go out but between the weather, getting over the lurgy that Rex so generously shared with me and not really knowing where to go, I decided we’d go for an outing – even if we were just walking around the streets near the apartment. That’s what we’d do most days when we were back in the UK.

We needed to get some superglue so my target was to get to Silvan at Nørrebro ByCenter (Silvan is the Danish equivalent of B&Q or Homebase and it’s part of the local shopping centre – it would be like going to The Harpur Centre in Bedford or the Centre MK and finding a DIY store in there).

We took a reasonably straightforward route to get there, then started to detour on the way back.

I spotted this park on our way but I thought I’d got it wrong at first. The parks in Copenhagen are so well looked after, the fact that this one looked so underloved I thought I must have got it wrong. This is called Glasbroparken and it seems like at one side there is some building work going on so I think the whole park had been closed while the work was going on. There is a poster outside the park with some information on it but with it all being in Danish, I’m going to need to stand there properly and translate it.

On our way home, Chris recommended that we go to Lidl to see if they had any cereal (cheaper than some of the other supermarkets but also closer choices to what we have in the UK). The store is very compact and some of the aisles are really not buggy friendly so I was getting a little stressed as I struggled to find what I was looking for. In the end, we got some other bits and headed home (and I said Chris might have to go for me another day to take a look for me!)

A lot of the buildings around here have basements, some are like ours which are storage, drying rooms or the communal laundry. In one of the basements in our building, there is a lounge/area that you can hire for birthday parties etc. Some of the buildings like this one has an apartment in the basement too. I love spotting the quirky doors on the older buildings. Near this one there’s another door which is a double door but with one big door and one little door. I’m going to attempt to share more of these things I spot over on Instagram when I can. This mural was one I spotted on a different adventure.

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. I’ve also attempted to take part in previous years and they are here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

Blogtober – Day 18: Appointments and Break Downs
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

Today we were on a mission. Jaxon needed to go to an appointment to get some official paperwork taken care of so we had to be on time and we had to make sure we had all the right information with us. The appointment was at a government office about 6.5km across the city from where we live. Cycling there was fairly straightforward once we were on the main road outside our apartment.

We left the apartment at 9 am. Google said that it should only take 20 minutes but I think that’s worked out on your keeping a constant speed and not stopping for traffic lights etc. so I’ve decided going forward I’m always to going to add at least 10 minutes on any time Google tells me lol. Also, I wanted to make sure we were early – I’d rather be early and be waiting on them than us be late and miss our appointment.

We headed through the city and all was going well. Jaxon and Rex were both in the cargo bike. When we were here in the Summer, Rex was smaller and a little less stable so needed help sitting up in the seat of the bike. So Jaxon had been putting his arm around Rex to comfort and protect him. This was only the first or second time they’d been in the cargo bike since we’ve been back in Copenhagen so when Jaxon did it without me even asking I was so proud that he was looking after Rex for me.

We were at the last set of traffic lights before the government building and the chain came off the back wheel of the bike (NO!). I pulled over and set about getting it sorted – it was relatively easy but such a messy job. I scrubbed my hands with baby wipes to get rid of the worst of the oil but my hands were so dirty still. I got back on the bike and we got to the building. You’re not allowed to park bikes right outside the building so I followed the sign around into the car park and found somewhere to park. As it happened there is an apartment building right next door and they had a little park and a bike rack right outside so I parked up. While I was getting the bike locked up and sorting out Rex, Jaxon had a few minutes to play – which was less stressful for me.

We got into the building, and we were actually about 15 minutes before our appointment time, so that gave us a few minutes to take a breathe and make sure we were ready. When you arrive, you have to type your reference number into a check-in screen then they assign you a counter to visit. I found a seat for Jaxon to sit on while I tried to figure out what was going on. At first, I wasn’t sure what was happening as some of the instructions weren’t so clear but then a number got called before us and it made sense that the numbers on the screen didn’t necessarily start the same and ours would just appear in the list. Chris texted and asked how it was going so he got this picture back. I was kind of soggy but also very warm!!

Having prepared that we might have to wait especially as we were early, we were called really quick. The lady who dealt with us was lovely and we got through it all quickly. I was asked some questions as well as showing Jaxon’s passport. Then Jaxon had his photo taken and some other bits. Rex was in the carrier on my back and I think was enjoying being able to take a look around the whole room. We were so organised that we were back out again at 10:03 – our appointment was 10:05! We headed back to the bike and got sorted to head home again. As we got ready to leave Jaxon told me he needed the loo so we had to rush home (We could have gone back into the building but I’d already got Rex all strapped in and the bike unlocked). As it was raining, I gave my phone to Jaxon and asked him to shout out the directions – or hold it in place so that I could see the map through the cargo bike window. At one point we had a bit of a miscommunication and I ended up taking the wrong exit at a junction – on top of which at that exact point the chain came off the bike! Great!  

I pulled over the bike and got the chain back on again. As we carried on, the bike didn’t seem to be pedalling right but I couldn’t figure out the issue as when I looked quickly it looked like everything was back correctly. I figured it was just that the battery was running low and once I had the battery back fully charged it would be fine.

We made it home and Jaxon dashed inside while I got the bike locked up and things like that. Once Rex and I were inside we all got out of wet clothes and I sorted out getting Rex down for a nap – it was going to be later today than normal but we’d all cope that bit better if he did have a nap lol. The rest of our day was pretty lazy hanging around the apartment, I’m sure we could have gone out but the weather was cold and wet. We watched lots of Bluey as usual as well as watching some of Jaxon’s marble run videos. I also worked on the Shawlography MKAL from WestKnits.

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. I’ve also attempted to take part in previous years and they are here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

Blogtober – Day 15: Making New Friends and Kulturnatten 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

How do you make friends as an adult in a new city?

When you’re a kid and you attend school you can almost just run up to someone in the playground and be like “do you want to be my friend?” I think if I did that as an adult, I’m sure I’d get some very strange looks and people would think I had lost the plot.

Well, that was the challenge. Chris was worried I was becoming a hermit and didn’t know anyone. So after finding me a couple of International/Expat groups on Facebook I posted in one for “International Mums”. The first response was just saying hi and not particularly very helpful but then I got some from a lovely lady who turned out to be from North England. Win! (Chris always says northerners are so much friendlier than Southerners lol).

So my new friend S and I set about booking in a coffee date/park date. She has 3 kids. Her youngest is 3 and loves exploring different parks. I imagine he and Jaxon would get on very well exploring the park together but it was Rex that I had with me as it’s a school day.

We’d got a plan to meet at Nørreport Station and then walk from there. Google told me 15 minutes on the bike do I tried to leave with 20-25 well even then I’d still misjudged it between traffic lights and roadworks along the route (also a scary hook turn that didn’t quite make sense. Might need to get Chris to walk me through that one because I was upsetting other cyclists but didn’t know any better… Oops!)

We made it to Nørreport Station but we were running about 10 minutes late. Thankfully, S understood and got us hot drinks to take with us to the park while she waited for us. At first, we couldn’t find each other as we were opposite ends of the station area but once we’d described where we were stood we realised we weren’t that far away from one another and we then met.

We walked from the station to the park at Ørstedparken so that the boys could have something to do while we chatted and drank our drinks. S is from the UK too, so we could compare life here versus life there and then moan about the things that we miss from home (yes I miss things and I’ve only been here two weeks!). We ran a couple of errands together too while we were in that area and chatted about all sorts. After what seemed like ages (in a good way) we headed back to the station so S could catch the train and I could get our bike. After saying goodbye to S, Rex and I wandered back to Chris’s work and said hello as it was almost the end of his day. We got to see his colleague again (who played taxi driver on our first day here) and meet his team.

Chris had commented that there are so many cargo bikes in Copenhagen, that it’s handy to have something that distinguishes your bike from others. So I’ve started a sticker collection. These two dinosaurs are from NiftyNotebooksNI over on Etsy. I’m going to need to start to find some other stickers to add to them. After hanging out with S, Rex and I then headed home while Chris went to collect Jaxon from school.

We’d already planned that we would go to Kulternatten. So what is Kulturnatten? Well across the city of Copenhagen more than 250 museums, theatres, libraries, churches, ministries and parks open their doors with different events. The great thing is that your ticket for Kulturnatten (which was a badge), gives you free travel on the Metro and the Bus network from 4 pm right through to 4 am.

Once the boys got in from the school run we inhaled some food then set out on our adventure. I had hoped to plan a better route and be able to get us to more places but by the time Chris had told me I was making the plans, it was a bit too late. We started at Little Pink Maker. It was lovely to see Nel again as well as collect my goodies from the workshop in the summer. We also visited The Round Tower and Cinemateket.

Blogtober – Day 13: Earrings and Knitting
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

As I lay in bed this morning and attempted to try and get a few minutes sleep, I was presented these earrings by Jaxon. Schools here in Denmark often have “wrap around” care that most kids go to. Jaxon’s been going pretty much every day since he started school here. They have all sorts of activities – he loves showing off the computer room. Anyway, he presented me with these earrings, apparently, he made them one day at school. So cute! I’d love to be able to wear them lots but I can imagine Rex trying to pull them out of my ears, so for now they have been put away safely and will be taken out next time we go out for a date night or something like that.

The other picture is my progress so far with the Shawlography MKAL. It’s a little messy in places but I’m pleased with how it’s looking. This bit involved German Short Rows – which took a little studying to get right but I think I’m there. Hopefully by the time I get through the rest of it, I will have them mastered lol. I’m hoping to catch up with Clue 1 so I’m ready to start Clue 2 on Friday but I’m not sure I’m going to get it done. But as Stephen says “say yes, don’t stress” so here we go breathe and don’t stress!

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. I’ve also attempted to take part in previous years and they are here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

Blogtober – Day 9: Dinosaurs, Burgers and Music
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

Back in the UK, my weeks look pretty much the same, church on a Sunday, knitting group on a Monday and Tuesday (depending on where in the month we are) and set work things on Wednesday. Some of those things have carried over with our move but some haven’t so this week my week was very empty (including two days of looking after Rex who wasn’t very well – poor poppet!).

Chris decided that I needed to find something for me to do (either with Rex or without the boys). I signed up to various FB groups but their events are either towards the end of October or are just online rather than in-person groups. We then headed over to Meetup to see what could be found there. Chris found a group called Shut Up and Write. I’ve been trying to get back into properly writing my blog for a while but something always gets in the way.

That wasn’t until this afternoon so we started the day by popping to the supermarket for Jaxon to get a cycle helmet. He’s been using mine while I was still in the UK but now we’re all here and I need it, it was time to get him his own one. He got the same design as mine just a different colour (apparently he did want the pink one at first as he likes mine so much but then Chris found the navy blue one so he changed his mind lol). They also got some cinnamon swirls as a second breakfast (Both Jaxon and I had had breakfast at home before we’d gone out but were both hungry again lol).

We then headed to our next stop which was to visit the Statens Naturhistoriske Museum (Natural History Museum of Denmark). Once we arrived we sat outside and ate our Cinnamon Swirls before heading inside. There were lots to see but Jaxon wasn’t all that excited about it so we went through some of it really quickly! It was great to see Tristan Otto. Tristan is the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex – he’s gigantic! (If you’ve seen Dippy at the National History Museum in London, Tristan is about half as long as Dippy – but still very impressive). At one point, I tried to make Jaxon laugh by holding my elbows in at my sides and trying to hug him like a T-Rex, he didn’t find it so funny but Chris found it funny.

We went to grab a drink from the café at the museum but decided it was close enough to lunch that we’d take a walk through the Botanical Gardens to the other side where there are more choices for lunch. We ended up having burgers at Jagger right near the Round Tower. I went for the Fried Chicken Burger with fries. It was very yummy. I had got a lot of sauce on it though so got in a bit of a mess! Thankfully we had baby wipes with us!

Following lunch, we first went to Søstrene Grene so I could have a look at the yarn. I’m a little behind but hoping to join in with the WestKnits MKAL that started this week. Søstrene Grene had some basic DK yarn and some chunkier stuff but I was in need of Fingering/4-Ply weight. I think I will be off to Nicoline Garn or Sommerfuglen on Monday in the hope they have something that will work without it being too expensive. (Also if it could come in balls rather than skeins that would be handy as my winder is at home…) After the boys were patient with me, we headed to a little playground near by so that Jaxon could have a runaround. It also had a smaller swing for babies/toddlers, so Rex had a go on there and had a great time.

The boys went with me to Nørreport Station where I could park the bike. Then I walked to Bastard Cafe where the writing group were meeting. (Yes that is it’s name…). The boys then headed home and Chris put Rex down for a nap once they arrive back at the apartment. Once I found the cafe, it took a while to get served. the chap in front of me seemed to take ages to get his order sorted. I grabbed a drink and found the group. They were lovely and welcoming and made space for me to sit at the table. It was rather cosy already as there were then 9 of us squished around a table that was made for 6!

I’d arrived just in time for the focus hour of writing so having said hello, we set about writing whatever we were working on. O and SD who were sat to my right-hand side were both working on their current masterpieces. The guy to my left was working on something that had lots of planning or a complex spreadsheet as part of his project. The hour seemed to fly by as I typed away on my laptop about what we’d been up to. The Cafe is a board game cafe and was really busy with lots of people playing board games. (It’s a lot like Ready Steady Roll in that respect)

I spotted this painting on the wall and had to send a picture to my brother as he’s a massive Doctor Who fan. Once we had finished our hour, it was great to stay and chat to everyone. We talked about James Bond (and who should the new Bond be…), then we got talking about where we were from and languages that we spoke followed by a detour into Eurovision. SD was talking about her upcoming adventure to see Måneskin in concert and we then fell into a Eurovision shaped hole. (I will have to introduce them to the Think About Eurovision podcast). I talked about trying to get tickets for Dadi Freyr in Copenhagen but apparently, they sold out almost as soon as they went on sale!

I then had an adventure cycling home again. Chris had taken the cargo bike with the boys in it and I’d been left with Chris’s bike. We tried to get the saddle down but couldn’t so our Plan B was for me to take Chris’s bike on the Metro and then walk/cycle it from our nearest stop. I figured I’d give it a go and in the end cycled all the way home. When I pulled up outside, Jaxon was practically hanging out the lounge window (We’re on the ground floor don’t worry!) with Chris hanging onto him! (Rex was in his high chair eating his tea – or some of it at least. It was a bit challenging as Chris has his saddle so much higher than I do and so I’m sure my legs might ache in the morning! The boys had already had tea by the time I got home so while Chris did bedtime with Rex, Jaxon and I watched cartoons and I ate. Then I sat catching up on the Danish version of The Great British Bake Off (here it’s called Den Store Bagedyst (The Great Baking Show). Not sure who my favourite is yet – they are still on Week 2. It’s their 10th season so there’s lots of clips from previous seasons.

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

Blogtober – Day 5: Shopping Trips and School Runs
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

The morning started with the alarm going off. Jaxon now gets up at 6:30 to get ready for school. Depending on quickly he gets ready determines whether he gets to play his iPad before school (and how much time). Both he and I have been using an app called Drops which is really good for practising individual words. I prefer it for that than the sentences like Duolingo. I mean how often will I need to talk about an elephant eating a sandwich?. He has to do 5-10 minutes of that before he’s allowed to start tinkering on his Minecraft world. I still don’t get Minecraft but it keeps him happy and his world has been grown so much. He’s got such a great imagination for making his world work and change. At one point he’d created a water slide through a mountain that ended up in an underground pool.

Breakfast Time and the Morning School Run

Chris got up with the boys and sorted breakfast while I tried to squeeze in a little more sleep. Following the crazy yesterday with the suitcases, I was very sore and achy. I struggled to sleep during the night. Every time I rolled over I caught another set of sore muscles and woke myself up again.

Tuesday was kind of boring, as once Jaxon and Chris had headed off to school, Rex and I spent most of our day in front of the TV, unpacking or napping. We worked our way through a lot of episodes of Bluey (on DR they are all in Danish but if we switch to Disney+ we can do it in both English and Danish depending on the mood) while Rex napped I caught up on some YouTube videos and other programmes that I usually watch. Some I haven’t been able to find and others I’ve been able to find more episodes as Disney or Netflix here hold different rights to the UK counterparts.

Lunchtime Adventures

Chris was working from home today so during his lunch break, we had a walk to Føtex. (Føtex is one of the supermarket chains here, they are a bit like Tesco or Sainsburys in the UK). The plan was to get some food for tea along with some other bits including socks for Rex. He’s at the age where he would rather pull his shoes and socks off rather than keep them on his feet. They just keep disappearing!

While we were at the supermarket, we got frozen pizzas for tea. With Chris, having Danish classes on Tuesdays and Thursday, those days will be mine for making dinner. On Tuesdays it has to be a hot meal as Jaxon has a packed lunch at school. Whereas Thursday is sandwiches or something along those lines for tea.

The Afternoon School Run

Chris, Rex and I went to do the school run together. It had been raining on and off all day and of course it rained loads during the school run! I rode the cargo bike with Rex in the front there and back. In the summer, he’d been in it but had always had Jaxon next to him to keep him sat up. This was the first time he’d been in it by himself and so he wasn’t so sure about sitting alone. He got the hang of it though and was having a great time. Since Jaxon arrived in Copenhagen in the Summer, he’s been going from strength to strength with his bike riding skills. So now he often rides alongside Chris on the bike paths to and from school and church.

Salami Pizza and Margarita Pizza (simple but yummy!)

When we got in from the school run, Jaxon and I got changed into dry clothes and snuggled up on the sofa. Rex would join us for a few seconds only to then decide, he’d had enough sitting still and would be off again to explore (or just create havoc!) We had the pizzas from Føtex for tea. The oven will definitely take time to get used to. Next, I will have to start with less time and then add a minute at a time or something like that to make sure the food isn’t overdone!

It was strange doing bedtime again for both boys but we got there in the end. Jaxon watched TV while I sorted out Rex then Jaxon got himself sorted for bed too. Chris arrived home around that time so took over on Jaxon’s bedtime. Chris and I got things sorted out before I went on the computer to join in with the online Music Quiz we’ve been doing each week. (We won one of the smaller prizes which was great!). And that was another day done.

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. I’ve also attempted to take part in previous years and they are here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

Blogtober – Day 4: Aeroplanes, Adventures and Achy Muscles
Blogtober 2021

Once again, I’m committing to Blogtober, but whether I’ll make it happen or not is another thing. One day I’ll manage all the days without having to catch up at weekends or something like that. For now, Happy Blogtober.

When I was a kid there was this show on the television around 7/8pm and it followed the ground crew and staff around Heathrow I think. It was around the time EasyJet and budget airlines were a new-ish thing. There’d be customer service issues and people getting stopped by customs and things like that. 

There was nearly always someone running late and had to be tannoyed as it was the final call for boarding at their gate. 

Well, that was very nearly us. 

Rex was introduced to halloumi at Leon – I had my favourite Grilled Halloumi Wrap (although I think they were super heavy handy with the spicy mango sauce stuff because it was going everywhere as well as burning my tongue a little!)

When we flew to Copenhagen in the summer, our flight flew out and back into gates in the same sort of area so I took the chance that our flight would leave from there this time. How wrong was I? 

We got to Gates 40-59 and our flight wasn’t on the list. At first it looked like maybe it just hadn’t been released yet so we waiting for a few minutes when two other flights leaving at 6pm appeared on the screen but no Copenhagen flight. I checked the Kayak app – no update. Reloaded the Stansted Airport website and there it was Gate 32! 

Great so a 10ish minute walk back to the main terminal bit, get on the shuttle and a whole bunch of more flights of stairs. We got almost back to the shuttle and I had to sit down. Between the weight of Rex and the weight of the bags combined with my mask, I couldn’t catch my breath. I stopped and sat down with my eyes closed so I could shut out everything else and just focus on remembering to breathe (And breathing deeply) when a chap stopped and asked if I was okay and did I need any help. I said no but then began to wonder if I should have just said yes at least to get me to the shuttle. 

We made it to the shuttle just as another one arrived. There were a family at the other end of our carriage discussing going to Copenhagen and which gate they were supposed to be at. We got to the first stop which is Gates 1-19 and they were then talking about whether they should be getting off there. To which I asked which gate they were going to because Copenhagen wasn’t at Gates 1-19. Yep going to Copenhagen, so I said you need Gate 32 and they were really grateful for the help.

I checked that I had our boarding passes and it said that boarding closed at 5.30. It was 5.35. I started to panic a little. I couldn’t update anyone on where I was up to and if it carried on how would I tell Chris that we’d landed etc.

Thankfully when we got to the gate, there was still a queue and who should in the queue ahead of me – the family from the shuttle. The dad of the family offered to help carry one of my bags to the plane. By the time we got to the plane, either everyone was boarding via the front door or they’d already closed the back door (there were lots of people already on board so I wondered if we were holding everyone up a bit – oops!) He offered to carry my bag right to my seat. His seat was right at the front of the plane and mine was right at the back. What a superstar. (Although I think his partner was annoyed that he helped me…).

Rex and I had the window and middle seat which meant that Rex could wear the extender/baby seat belt and still stand on my leg/the chair and look out the window. There’s a line in Me and The Sky, where Beverly sings “But I took my first lesson came down from the sky, And told my father I’d fly for the rest of my life” and that pinged into my head as Rex sat with his faced glued right up against the window looking at the other planes or the shrinking buildings as we took off.

In the aisle seat, there was a lady, who by her accent I think she might have been German. She was so lovely. At one point, Rex was being squirmy and got out of my grip. He shimmied across the chair and then was holding onto the arm of the chair and her arm, reading the screen of her phone. A bit later he then tried to help empty her handbag! I was so sorry and kept apologising. I think she was just grateful he wasn’t one of those kids who screams all the way!

At one point, two flight attendants walked down the aisle and I think they thought because they were in the back bit no one could hear them or something but they were discussing how people get on the flights without reserving their seats together with their families then get on board and ask to switch. One of the flight attendants then says “Just book your seats together!” to their colleague. I guess if there are free spaces it’s a little easier but I think our flight was fully booked (or near enough) so moving people around wasn’t very easy! There was a lady with a baby in front of us and she moved to the other side of the aisle so she could have two seats but other than that it was full.

When we arrived at Copenhagen Airport, the flight was about 10 minutes early. The flight attendant assisted me getting the back down the steps but she couldn’t help any further. That was fine, once we got into the terminal I could grab a trolley and readjust everything.

Our friend commented in our House Group WhatsApp that he has memories of the moving walkways through airports, so when I had a chance at the airport I snapped a picture – although I couldn’t send it right away because of the WhatsApp outage!

We followed the signs for baggage claim and ended up at a different passport control queue to the one we used in the summer. Thankfully the queue was moving pretty quickly. When the border lady saw Rex in the carrier on my bag she smiled and waved at him then said goodbye as we left (I even said thank you in Danish and she sort of laughed – either it was appreciated or it was really bad lol).

It was easy to find Rex’s buggy at the Oversized Baggage Claim as that’s the first one as you get into that bit, but our suitcases were right up the other end (if you image a T, Oversized is one end, our cases were the other end of the top of the T and the exit was in the middle). Getting the luggage, buggy, Rex and I to the exit was hard work and I was really beginning to hurt (not just ache!).

Thankfully as soon as I got through the door, there was Jaxon and Chris waiting for us – it was so good to see them both. Chris was a little panicked as we’d only got 15 minutes on the car parking outside so we needed to get a move on. We got to the outside door and Chris’s work friend P was there waiting for us. He took one case from me, Chris took the buggy and off they set about getting everything and everyone into the car. It was the first time I think I’ve ever been in a left-hand drive car, so at first, when I got in I joked something was missing while holding my hands up like you would on the steering wheel. As we drove through Copenhagen it was really unnerving being so close to traffic and not be the driver in a way!

When we got back to the apartment, P and Chris got everything unloaded to the pavement outside then Jaxon, Chris and I worked at getting everything inside. Jaxon was a little trooper and worked so hard! He kept coming back and I tried to give him light things to carry then he decided he could manage one of the heavier bags too! (I hope he didn’t hurt himself!)

Once we got the boys to bed, Chris and I sat on the sofa and watched Suits – I haven’t watched it in a number of years so might need to catch up on Season 6 just so I remember what’s going on before Chris and I watch the next episode (only 5 episodes missed of Season 6 so that shouldn’t take long to catch up on).

You can read all of my Blogtober posts from this year here. I’ve also attempted to take part in previous years and they are here. You can also read about our previous trips to Copenhagen here, here and here.

The Week Just Gone – Week 39
Blogtober Day 3

Good morning or good evening I guess. Depending on when you’re reading this.

Another week has gone by and we’re even closer to the start of our adventure. I had started a post two weeks ago to tell you all where we were up to but that didn’t really happen. Isn’t it just the way that life or work or both get in the way – especially if blogging is a mostly unpaid thing and “proper” work is a played one.

So two weeks ago, with help from Dad, I managed to get the suitcases down from the loft. This week I was onto the next step which was to start packing. While I packed Rex’s things I also packed the too-small baby clothes away into other boxes so they can be hand-me-downed to the next person. He’s slightly too small still for 12-18 months but he’d get more wear out of the 12-18 months stuff – right?

The last few weeks have often felt like just as I clear one thing from my to-do list, another two would come in. This kind of reached a head when I had a full-on meltdown mid-Zoom call. I ended up leaving the call and having to sit in the other room just to calm myself down. I pulled myself together and went back to the call but that was kind of the whole day gone, I was in a funk for the rest of the day and don’t think I really functioned properly at all.

I’m thinking if I can spend some time properly planning posts and then get a little ahead of myself with scheduled posts and things might ease up a bit, but then it’s about having the time. I probably need to sit down with someone who knows this stuff and chat it through with them and formulate a plan – might also help for that person to keep me on track too (it’s easy to fall down a YouTube or IG hole some days!). I watch YouTube channels like Kara and Nate and Trent and Allie and they both have a delay on when they record vs when their videos go live so maybe I need to try and figure that out for my blog somehow. I’ll put a pin in that idea and come back to it.

So what have I been up to? Well, here we go, in the last 2ish weeks…

  • Knitting group (Lemon and Ginger) went back for the first time since March 2019. It was so lovely to see everyone. It was kind of funny how some of the ladies reacted to Rex as I was 16 weeks pregnant when we last met and now he’s 13 months old! He didn’t entirely cope very well with group – I think there are so many people there and he’s used to being in a highchair for meal times so when I don’t feed him or just feed him snacks he gets worked up and wants to get up and about. I guess this is just one of those things he’s going to different from Jaxon. (Lemon and Ginger started when Jaxon was about the same as Rex and so he’s got used to that, that was what we did on a Monday morning. And the ladies adopted him as the knitting group mascot lol)
  • The Pavilion where we meet has new owners so it was lovely to meet them but strange not to see the “normal” team there. I guess they have all moved on to new adventures and jobs etc.
  • While at knitting group I bumped into my friend Rachel who runs Booktastic. Back in July I helped with part of their online event and it was the first time I’d seen her in about 18 months if not 20. The urge to hug was very strong but we resisted lol. She also had a little thank you gift for me. It was a pin badge from Tea Make Cake (who I love!!). I have two project bags from her amongst other goodies – she’s a local small business who just rocks! Thank you Rachel!!
  • I’ve still been reading when I can. Somedays it’s easier than others and I have to make sure I’m focusing on what I actually need to do!
  • As part of packing for the adventure I’ve been trying to clear out some stuff too. Something I’ve learnt in this whole sort of process if that it’s easy to gain “in case” stuff and sometimes you have to be drastic and chuck it out. Today (Sunday) I filled one bag with charity shop stuff and then a second with rubbish that had just gathered or not really been dealt with. I put the coat that I bought in January 2020 in the charity bag – I’d really tried to go second hand. I was going to get a second-hand coat that was going to be great and it would fit and that would be that. But then it arrived, it had elasticated cuffs around the wrists and wasn’t as long as I hoped it would be. But the major issue was that it wouldn’t fit around my bump. So instead I ended up at GoOutdoors. The first coat I bought and wore to Copenhagen in February 2020 was great it was warm and it had proper pockets but in less than the time we were away the zip broken and that was it. Couldn’t use it anymore. I went back to get an exchange but decided I would prefer a different style so for my yellow coat which I love. It could do with bigger pockets but they do zip up and they keep my hands warm so that’s a winner. It’s like a thin duvet so works really well to keep me warm.
  • And here’s where I bury the lead. Rex and I were involved in a car accident on Friday afternoon. Thankfully it was minor and I wasn’t at fault. It was so loud and then kind of scary as the other driver just drove off and didn’t even stop to make sure we were okay. Thankfully we were right outside one of the petrol stations in Bedford and some of the staff were outside about to open the forecourt again so they were all witneeses to the accident. They were amazing. One got me some water, another rang 999, another checked CCTV, someone checked on Rex (who was screaming like crazy both out of “scary thing just happened”/”Mummy is really upset”/”Random strangers keep talking to me and I don’t know who they are!”/”Where’s Mummy?”. We were both checked over by the paramedics then I gave a statement to the police amongst other things. There is more to the story but the main thing is we are all good, the car was dinged but it’s fixable (I think!) and we were well taken care off even if the other driver drove off without caring to stop.

I’m sure there is more to write about what has happened but in true me style, I’ve started but not finished this, so we’ll leave it here and see what happens next week.

You can read my other posts in this series here.

Monthly Christmas Prep: September

Over the years, I’ve learnt from my Mum that getting Christmas prep organised earlier leads to less stress overall. That also means you can enjoy the build-up so much more. With this year being different to any other Christmases we’ve celebrated getting organised earlier was a priority. Somethings needed to be dealt with before we left the UK. So while getting into the festive spirit and starting my planning for Christmas, I thought I would share some suggestions. I know Christmas now is a bit early, but if we want to get organised, now is a good time.

Christmas Prep: September

When I mention products, I haven’t been sponsored or paid for these links. They are products that I love and would use myself.

1. Check addresses. Do you need to send cards or presents in the mail? Make sure your address book is up to date. Check the last post dates. Remember – although First Class and Second Class can be sent in the last week before Christmas, anything going Internationally needs to go out earlier than that. Do you need to get international packages in the mail before December starts? (Canada and USA is as early as the beginning of November!)

2. Purchase or make your Christmas planner. This year, I’ve purchased this Christmas Planner from Mrs Brimbles. I’ve used her inserts in the past and always found them really helpful. It is a little bigger than my A5 Filofax (it’s closer to B5) but it’s a lot lighter and definitely easier to put in my bag while out shopping.

3. Write a list of gift recipients. While writing your list of recipients, in the next column add gift ideas. If you’re creative and making gifts, start a shopping list of materials – even if it’s just a “shop your stash” list in the first instance.

If you can support a small or local business then do it! Take a look at Folksy or Etsy for ideas if needed (Don’t worry you can click one of the filters on the left to show sellers in your own country rather than ship internationally). If you’re buying clothes or things that are size-dependent – do you have the right sizes? Jaxon’s godmother always gets him new pyjamas for Christmas, around September/October, I’ll get a text message or a phone call and we’ll chat about what size he’s in now so she knows what size to go for.

5. Write a budget for your gifts. Do you need to save up for ones? Can you spread the purchasing across the next four months rather than a crazy rush at the end?

6. Are you wanting to complete December Daily or another form of memory keeping? Maybe consider purchasing a memory keeping kit like this one from MrsBrimbles now rather than trying to at the last minute.

I’m not sure about how I’m going to do it this year, as so much of my journalling stuff is in storage but I’m hoping with what I have with me, or can source locally, I’ll be able to do some variation of December Daily this year.

You can watch Mrs Brimble’s flip through here of her 2020 project. Underneath that is Chloe’s flip through which I love too. (Her 2020 Memory Keeping has a lot of heartbreak in it too but I know her 2021 is going to have lots of specialness to it!)

Each month leading up to Christmas there will be another list of tasks to get on with. Some will be little and some will be bigger but they are totally manageable in bite-sized chunks so that you’re not stressed out by the end! You can find all the posts here.

The Week Just Gone – Week 35

Some weeks I want to share what I’ve been up to but it doesn’t really extend to a post by itself so this week I’m trying something new. It’s a bit like my bullet point bit in the Monthly Reviews. So here is The Week Just Gone…

  • We arrived back from Copenhagen and I started to write about that (Day One is here). This was more the week before but it still happened this week too! You can read the whole adventure here.
  • Found some news blogs to read like A Silly Place and Bursts of Autumn. I found these both via We Wonderful Bloggers on Twitter.
  • I have been using Kindle Unlimited to read on my iPhone/iPad some more. In August, I have read 7 books so far and I’m on Number 8 (Well I guess technically that’s Number 1 of September – you can follow on GoodReads here). I generally stick to chick lit as I can pick it up and pout it down and put it down quite easily. The ones I’ve read are: Christmas at the Little Waffle Shack (Heritage Cove, Book 2) by Helen J. Rolfe, Summer Serendipity at the Twist and Turn Bakery (Heritage Cover, Book 3) by Helen J Rolfe, Christmas Lights and Snowball Fights (Little Bamton, Book 1) by Beth Rain, Spring Flowers and April Showers (Little Bamton, Book 2) by Beth Rain, Summer Nights and Pillow Fights (Little Bamton, Book 3) by Beth Rain, The Books and Bakes Shop by Elaine Walsh. The one I’m currenty on is The Cornish Midwie by Jo Bartlett.
  • I’ve got a couple of knitting projects on the go so I’ve been working on them. This includes a Corner to Corner blanket, that I’m almost finished – I tied in the last colour last nightt. I was asked about it last week when I was knitting on the video call for our weekly Music Quiz – so I might need to try and finish it so I can show off the finish article (if anyone is actually bothered about it lol)
  • Mum told me that Homestead Rescue was back so I pretty much binged watched them this week to catch up. The problem with that is I get ideas like “Can I grow X in the garden and when do I need to plant it?”, “Can I install a new water butt by myself to catch rain water to water the plants instead of tap water?”. Homestead Rescue: Raney Ranch is also available of Discovery+ so might need to see if they do a free trial so I can catch up with them too.
  • Ahead of our adventure I’m trying to downsize and sort things out. It’s a little astouding how much you gain when you’ve lived in the same house for a decade! This started with a box of books to the local community “little” library. I discovered it on Facebook. I may have adopted 2 books while I was there but I had dropped off around 15 so it balances out right? I also dropped one off to a friend. We’d discussed it ages ago and because of one thing and another it ended up back on my bookcase so I got that dropped off in the week.
  • It was Loti of Mama Makes birthday this weekend so Rex and I went to her birthday party. It was the longest I’d driven (rather than being a passenger) for a while so that was interesting – thankfully the roads were reasonably clear so I didn’t have to sit in traffic and it was dry so didn’t have to content with driving through rain.
  • I discovered a new podcast called Think About Eurovision. Could be a new favourite (well Top 3 maybe?). I ended up starting almost near the beginning where the presenters are discussing Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and the inconsistencies between the film and the actual thing – there were a few moments were I was talking back to my laptop lol. (The episode was released in 2020).
  • Also The Raise Podcast’s latest episode came out, the Raise word for this episode is Activate and the chat was with Bryn Llewellyn from Tagtiv8

Copenhagen 2021: Day Two – Official Meetings, Playground Trips and a Deluge

It’s August 2021 and the Covid restrictions have reduced so we’re off to visit Chris in Copenhagen. Here’s our adventures.

Those of you who follow me on social media will know that Chris has been in Copenhagen since October last year, there had been a plan but Covid restrictions had messed with it so we had to take each step of the plan at a time, including celebrating Christmas in May when he actually managed to get home for a visit. The next stage of our adventure is coming into effect but the first step towards that was us visiting for around 2 weeks this summer.

After carrying the bags and the buggy, I woke up feeling very sore and achy. Thankfully once I had some breakfast I was feeling a bit more human!

Our morning started with heading to the Kommune for our local area, for us to attend a meeting about school with Jaxon. When we got there, they’d only prepared for one parent to accompany Jaxon. We decided that Chris would stay with Jaxon as he’d be dealing with school stuff to start with and I would head back to the apartment with Rex. It was Rex’s nap time anyway (and it was going to be a busy week or so) so it made sense to try and keep some of his naps in at a normal time. It was also long enough for me to fire up my laptop and see if I had any work to clear. The meeting didn’t take as long as we expected so when the boys got back Rex was still napping.

Our first stop of the day would be the indoor playground at Blegdamsremisen (Blegdamsvej). Chris sorted out packed lunch for us to take with us and then once Rex was awake we got all packed up and ready to go. I would be riding Chris’s bike and he’d go on the cargo bike. We also worked out that we could get the Doona in the spare seat (upside down so it was over the seat). It wasn’t ideal but it worked and Jaxon could keep it in place with his legs if needed.

Riding a bike through Copenhagen is a little crazy as at some points in the day it can be really busy. Fortunately, with it being just before lunch and a weekday it wasn’t too bad. Our first stop was the indoor playground at Blegdamsvej, unfortunately, when we got there, it turned out that it was closed for refurbishment at the moment (The schools have just gone back in Copenhagen so I guess that makes sense that they’d start work now). I’d seen an outdoor playground on our way so we turned around and went back to that one however that was a private one as it belonged to an apartment block right next door. Chris was able to navigate us to a bigger park a little further away but it was starting to rain. By the time we’d found somewhere to lock up the bikes and got the playground itself the heavens opened. Rex and I stood under the slide which was about the only shelter in the whole playground. Jaxon carried on playing even in the rain.

We popped via a little kiosk to get a hot chocolate as the rain eased off, Jaxon and I found the driest patch of bench so that we could sit without getting wet bottoms but the wind slightly changed so the rain was then coming down under the umbrella and soaking us some more! Once Chris and I had drank our hot chocolates and we’d all had at least a nibble of our packed lunch, we headed back to the bikes as it was just too wet to do anything. Rex was lovely and snug in the car seat under the rain cover for the whole time so he was only bothered that we wouldn’t let him out!

After Jaxon had been putting in more practice on his bike around the garden before we went to CPH, we’d been discussing how Jaxon could do with a newer bike but until he was properly riding it or wanting to ride it there wouldn’t really be any point buying him a new one. On the way back to the bikes we stumbled across a bike that had a sign on it that said “gratis tag mig hjem”. Now okay, my Danish isn’t great but even I could figure out that says “Free take me home”. Jaxon took a little bit of convincing but when he sat on the bike it was like it was made for him as the saddle was at just the ride height. Chris wheeled the bike back to our bikes and set about unlocking ours and locking up Jaxon’s bike. There just wasn’t enough room to safely transport Jaxon’s bike home too. Chris locked it up and made a plan to swing by after his Danish lesson later in the day. We headed back to the apartment and had to just keep going as the rain got heavier – I could feel it running down off my helmet, down my face then down my neck into my coat – I was soaked to the skin by the time we got back! We all got our comfy clothes/pyjamas on and the boys and I snuggled up in front of the TV and we watched Bluey (amongst other things).

In the evening, Chris went out to his Danish lesson and I sorted tea for the boys and me – it was a little challenging as I haven’t used a gas hob in many years and nearly burnt my hand (it could have been worse – have you seen the video of Nate (of Kara and Nate) trying to fix their Van’s Cooker – it’s like a fireball!). So at first, I can’t get the gas to turn on (to ignite) or find matches/lighter in case it’s manual and figures, I’ll just keep Jaxon and Rex going on snacks and then when Chris gets back I’ll do tea then. It’ll be late but it’s okay. 40 minutes later, I tell myself to stop being so silly and try it again. This time something clicks and I remember maybe I need to push the dial in too. Well, I do that and it does ignite and my left hand wasn’t that close to the oven but it still made me jump and I think I might have slightly toasted my hand… Oh well, I lived to tell the tale so I got on with dinner. Jaxon was not impressed that we were having Pasta Bolognese and started getting cross and slammed the door a few times.

If you’d like to read the whole adventure you can read here.

Copenhagen 2021: Day One – Security, Adventures and an Exciting Bus Trip

I regularly open the editor to write a blog post and then run out of time or just get writer’s block and don’t get any further than an idea (or at least the inspiration of an idea). But a new adventure has come our way so it’s time to think about writing more starting with our trip to Copenhagen. Well, hopefully, more frequently (I’ve been thinking about Blogtober after seeing Super Busy Mum post about it on Instagram but I’m going to want to make sure that one is a bit more planned given the crazy that might be happening.

Those of you who follow me on social media will know that Chris has been in Copenhagen since October last year, there had been a plan but Covid restrictions had messed with it so we had to take each step of the plan at a time, including celebrating Christmas in May when he actually managed to get home for a visit.

The next stage of the plan is coming into effect, this included us visiting for around 2 weeks this summer. We actually set off for our mini-adventure on the 16th August with the next part of the adventure to follow soon.

Day One – 16th August

After saying goodbye to Mum and Dad after the music quiz we take part in each week, I went (almost) straight to bed – I am not a morning person so needed to make sure I was organised and ready when my parents were due to arrive at 5:30 am to help get the car loaded and take us to the airport.

At 5.25 am I woke up. That was when I came around enough to hear the alarm on Alexa and the alert on my watch. I got out of bed and woke Jaxon before trying to get dressed before I woke Rex. Once Jaxon was awake he was so excited that Rex was awake too. I got ready quickly and as I sent Jaxon downt o get breakfast, my Mum and Dad arrived to take us to the airport.

We had 30 minutes to get loaded and on the road so Mum and I attempted to get Rex and I fed at least something to keep us going until we got to the airport and were able to get something else at the airport for ‘second’ breakfast.

Rex wouldn’t eat his breakfast (partially because he was still sleepy but secondly because he was so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa) and between being on edge and being excited, eating the banana I did have made me feel a little queasy – not good!

sunrise over the bypass

As we drove towards the bypass outside Bedford, we noticed the sunrise. We’d missed the beginning of it but the sun was so low in the sky it still felt really special – the sun rising on a new adventure/chapter in a way.

There were a couple of hiccups where we’d taken a slightly wrong route, due to the lack of signs in but we still made good time (we were aiming to get there at 7:30 and we got out of the car at 7:25 – well done Dad!). We were aiming for 3 hours before the flight to make sure we had time for everything – it’s our first abroad trip since February 2020 which means it’s our first trip post-Brexit and following Covid.

To make sure we were in line with restrictions, I had been for a Covid test on Saturday and received the results very early Sunday morning (phew! One less thing to worry about!)

Having loaded the trolley at the car we then had to take everything back off the trolley again so that we could go through security. There were three of us travelling which worked out as 2 wheelie cases, 1 bigger backpack, 2 smaller backpacks, and a tote bag. (Along with Rex’s Doona which is great in everyday life but a real pain as it has no storage space (like a basket underneath) and the handle curves a bit too much to be able to hook anything to the handle. (Tote bags kind of work if you tie the handles).

There was a really long queue at security and juggling everything was really quite stressful. There was a guy in the queue behind us who was really helpful when Rex dropped one of his toys in the queue as I couldn’t bend down to pick it up with everything else I was carrying. Leading up to the actual machines there are signs that say to take out your electronics etc while in the queue so you’re not holding up the line. Well trying to do that and juggle everything else was not going to happen so I ended up having to sort it all out at the conveyor belt bit. Between all the bits we had so many trays between us – then there was a query with some of Rex’s snacks/drinks so that caused all our trays to back up the queue even more. OH MY GOODNESS! It turned out that he could take fruit juice onboard but it still had to be less than 100ml (which hadn’t been entirely clear when I’d checked the rules etc). I was able to pour out the juice into one of his bottles and take that through instead (but during this whole discussion we’re still holding up the queue).

Having sorted that bit out we headed through to find something to eat and drink as well as somewhere to sit and pass the time until the gate was assigned for the flight. We ended up with the tiniest brownies from WHSmith along with drinks. Definitely with tiely with hindisght, we should have carried on a bit further aorund tot he rea (we should have carried on a bit further round to the restaurants bit and got something to eat properly!)

Waiting for the gate to be assigned

We found a spot to wait in where we could see the departures screen but sometimes it wasn’t entirely clear (which meant one of us – usually Jaxon had to get up and go and see whether it had been updated). When it was eventually released we were able to head along to the gate – which was a little challenging trying to navigate a buggy and suitcases but we made it! We had priority boarding which was handy because by that point, I was getting worked up and a little stressed and just needed to sit down and be on our way.

We made it to the gate and a “Manual Bag Tag” was added to the Doona. Having had our passport and boarding passes checked we could head to the plane. The problem was that our Ryanair flight involved us going onto the tarmac and then up the stairs into the plane. There’s no lift at the gate so you have to go down two flights of stairs. At first I go back to the desk and ask if someone could assist me, the gentleman I spoke to was polite but basically said “No do it yourself”. I get back to Jaxon and Rex who were waiting at the top of the stairs and decide that I’m going to have to leave them at the top, and run up and down the stairs a couple of times to get everything sorted (Don’t panic, it was okay). I take the first case downstairs, and then get back to the top of the stairs. Another passenger comes through the door and offers to help, Yes please thank you (phew!), he takes the second case down the stairs and as I go to pick Rex’s buggy up another passenger offers to help too (clearly the overstressed, overheated mother travelling with two small children was working for me lol). As I get to the bottom of the stairs the other case it gone, momentary panic as I adjust my eye line to out of the downstairs door and there is Passenger 1 with both cases in one hand and his own suitbag in the other hand! Rockstar! I’m very thankful and say thank you to my helpers. As I get to the bottom of the stairs, I work out the logistics again, if Jaxon can take his backpack onto the flight and find our seats, I can again run up and down the stairs and get our things onto the flight. Mr Suitbag Man says “let me help you again” and takes the two suitcases on to the plane following Jaxon, then leaves them in the row next to Jaxon to find his own seat. Now it’s my turn and still a challenge, too many bags, too few hands and a (wriggly) baby! I’m told by the ground crew person that the Doona can’t go on (unless Rex has his own seat paid for – nope at this point he’s “babe in arms” and riding on my lap instead of in a seat of his own). Fine, one less thing to carry but doesn’t solve how we get on the plane. At this point, there’s a bit of a team effort, ground crew person takes the buggy, once I’ve taken Rex out and folded it down sort of one handedly. I’m told that the buggy will be on the tarmac when we arrive at Copenhagen (it wasn’t but I’ll come back to that in a minute). We manage to get everything on and I sort out getting us arranged. The row in front of us is already full so I have to work my way along the plane with the different bags but we get there in the end. Thankfully we also ended up with an empty seat on our row anyway so 3 of us to 3 seats.

So we made it, we were on the plane, our bags were on the plane. I was strapped in with the baby extension bit – Rex was not happy that he had to sit still. Jaxon wanted to close the shutter on the window but couldn’t. The wasn’t too bad, once we were in the air I did relax more but was still a little worried I’d forgotten something or something could still go wrong.

And oh it did!

We landed in Copenhagen and managed to get everything off the plane. All bags accounted for, all people accounted for. Where’s the buggy? I ask the first ground crew person I see. Nope it won’t be on the tarmac, it’ll be at baggage claim (Baggage claim is after passport control, it’s the last room you go through before customs and then the outside door). How do I get us, the bags, the boys and my sanity all the way to baggage claim as well as going through Passport Control?

Well I did my best to stay calm and be polite even though I was a little cross. The ground crew lady got a bit snotty with me (and I’m surprised I didn’t burst into tears or something!), in the end she offered to help to take the bags into the terminal (at which point I said something about that helped for this bit but how would I get to Baggage Claim without the Doona?). Once we got inside the terminal she then found a trolley, the ones at Copenhagen Airport are kind of tiny but enough that we could get Rex in the baby/child seat on it, one of the suitcases on the bottom rack bit and Jaxon’s backpack – phew!

We’d arrived at Gate F101 (I think). At Copenhagen Airport, Ryanair flights come into the F gates which are the furthest away from everything else in the airport! Which means you walk what feels like miles even to get to Passport Control. The slightly confusing thing was that everything was still labelled to direct you towards Covid Testing – which we didn’t need, so we ended up walking all the way to the Covid Testing bit at Gates C only to find we didn’t need to go there, so we had to double back on ourselves.

When we did arrive at Passport Control, the queue was a little crazy (As it would happen by the time we’d followed the queue around part of the room, the end of the queue had moved back alot further than it had been when we got there – I was grateful we’d joined when we did!). It took us around 45 minutes to get through Passport Control. Another lovely person directly in front of us, had asked if we get priority because I have small kids with me. I said I didn’t think so and we’d just wait our turn. She decided that, that wasn’t fair and she’d go and ask for me. She reappeared a few minutes later and no it wasn’t an option, she then offered that I swap with her and she’d go behind us. I said that was very lovely but she should keep her space (After all she’d just helped me, and I also decided that if anyone kicked off that she was queue jumping then I’d tell them off because she was being lovely).

When I got to the desk, I had to take my mask off so that the Officier could check my passport was indeed mine, she commented that I looked very hot (I was wearing my coat. It takes less space if I wear it rather than try and pack it in my bag!) I commented that I was sweating buckets! She checked my Passport and my Covid Vaccine information then stamped my passport. At that point, I’d clocked the stamp but didn’t entirely register it. It was only later when I told Chris what happened did I remember that I’d got a stamp in my passport. Prior to Brexit, the UK was part of the Schengen Area and you’d get your passport checked but it woudn’t be stamped – but now it would be. Exciting – maybe the only benefit of Brexit because I’m a nerd?

The next part after that is Baggage Claim, we checked the board but our flight wasn’t on there – I’m sure we hadn’t taken that long! I then looked over at “Oversized Baggage Claim” (I think that’s what it was called) and I could see lots of other buggies, so we started to head in that direction and there it was! YES! There was our Doona! YEAH!

We had a shuffle of the bags and baby and got ourselves ready and just had to do the last bit. It felt a little like there should be some big crescendo of cheesy music as the crowd parted and we spotted Chris in the crowd – he’d even found a slightly higher bit to stand on to try and find us. (which added to the happy ending/movie moment right?)

He’d come prepared too with drinks and snacks because it was now 2pm-ish and we were all hungry and thirsty. We sat outside the airport near the train station entrance and had a mini picnic of sorts. We then caught the train first of all which took us into the city centre then we changed to the bus to take us to the nearest stop in Nordvest. We were home!!

I’d made it, my first flight without other adults and both boys. Phew! Okay, maybe some adventures aren’t all that scary once you beat them into submission lol.

I look so grumpy is this picture but I promise I wasn’t. I think it was a combination of relief and the early morning catching up with me!

When we got to the apartment, Chris had decorated for a party, we also had party food like pizza and other nibbles. He’d also made a chocolate cake to share with us. It was so good!

4 Fab Small Businesses to Support with Your Baby Bits

When Jaxon was born, when it came to buying baby bits, we were on a bit of a shoestring budget so he often ended up wearing clothes from the supermarket or from that well known cheap shop on the High Street. He ended up with all sorts of random combinations. Certainly, he had one that had starfish on it and came up on the till as girls top – but who cares?? He looked cute in it. With Rex, we have a little more flexibility but actually where possible we’ve been going for second hand items where we can – babies are often in some things for such a short amount of time that it makes more sense to try and extend the life of items by passing them. When I do buy new, I love being able to support small businesses where possible – both local and a little (well a lot) further afield I’ve been glad to be able to do that.

My Little Love Heart

My Little Love Heart are based in Perth, Australia and we crossed paths on social media. Luisa was kind enough to send us the dribble bib in the picture below, a burp cloth like this, and a Large Bib like this. The dribble bib was handy when Rex was teething – it was like a fountain some days he was sooo dribbly!! The fabric is so soft and it’s so well made. Because of the shipping, I think I’d have to save up and then make the shipping worth it but the quality is so good I think I’d struggle not to just splash out! (How cute is this 1st Birthday Bib!)

Oma and Honey Handmade

I’m a little biased for this one but still have to spread the word. My friend Gabi’s lovely Mum makes beautiful children’s clothes. I ordered a pair of trousers that she made for Rex at the end of 2020 and I love them so much that I’ve gone back to her this week to ask if she can make me another pair in the same fabric! (I’ve also asked for them to be slightly bigger than he is now in the hope I can stretch them out just a bit longer like I did with his first pair!). Oma Jenny (that’s Grandma in quite a few different languages) lives in Switzerland and her family live here so she’s international!. She doesn’t have a website but you can find her on Instagram.

Sweet Peas

Sweet Peas are my new discovery. The very lovely Vicky makes brightly coloured baby and children’s clothing. I’ve been eyeing up the Lego t-shirt for Jaxon. It’s absolutely his kind of thing. We’ve been talking about what size and what fabrics I’d like for the boys t-shirts ane she said that she doesn’t use fabric that she wouldn’t use for her own kids – which is very encouraging because you know she cares about the things she makes and her customers. You can find her website here. How about this fabric – I think I’d like a t-shirt in it! Would be very bright on a grey and drizzly day!

The Pigeons Nest

With Jaxon, we had the Antilop high chair from Ikea and it’s so practical so when I needed a highchair I had a look to see if there were any secondhand ones on Marketplace – why not give some more life to a pre-loved one before driving to MK to get a new one. As it happened a local lady had one for sale along with a cushion for it. Sorted! The cushion came with a cover but I’m thinking I do need a second and as it happens the lovely Rebecca at The Pigeon Nest makes covers for the cushion. My challenge is deciding which one I’d like (I think this grey and white chevron is my current favourite).

What are your favourite brands for baby items? Are any of them small businesses?

Hannah Gets Healthy (or Tries To!)

Hello there,

So this started as a thread on Twitter but was getting so long that it was either going to send people to sleep or make them throw their phones out the window… so here it is Hannah Gets Healthy

Today (Monday 21st June) I had an appointment with my lovely Physiotherapist M (she has a name but that’s what we’ll call her). M is lovely and she’s like chatting to a friend rather than a medical professional who has no time for you or something like that.

I’ve been seeing her since around February. Between my pregnancy with Jaxon and my pregnancy with Rex, I developed an umbilical hernia. I had an ultrasound but was told by my old GP (who was a bit useless but that’s another story!) that at 2.5cm there was nothing to worry about, just keep an eye on it and if it gets worse we’ll do something then. (Between the two pregnancies I moved to the same GP that Chris is with because the level of care at my old GP was rubbish and getting worse)

During my pregnancy with Rex, it was getting worse but mostly written off as just the extra pressure that happens in your abdomen while pregnant. Around November/December I contact my “new” GP via the eConsult system and I got a call back with a discussion about having another ultrasound to see where we were up to now. The eConsult system has become really popular during the lockdown and I really like it because I can put down everything I’ve been thinking about around an issue and it’s there for the doctor – along with photos – when appropriate!

I was sent for an ultrasound just after Christmas, I’m not sure how much my hernia had worsened but I was immediately referred for Physio to work on closing the Diastasis gap around the hernia.

So that was around January/February sort of time and now we’re in June. Following each visit I’d have exercises to go away and do and they have been improving things. Today the Physio talked about further steps and considering going for an appointment with the consultant to ask questions and see if I was a good candidate for surgery.

A yellow curled up sewing tape measure



Back in 2013, before Jaxon, I joined Slimming World, to attempt to loose around 3 stone so that I fit in the “Normal” BMI bracket. Since then I’ve gone on to learn how unreliable the BMI chart is and that it actually does a lot of harm. I’ve also learnt that SW is really not that good for my mental health. To start with I lost 1.5 stone by the time I was 13 weeks pregnant with Jaxon, I then put this back on during my pregnancy and lost it all again following Jaxon’s birthday (when you realise he was almost 10lbs of the 20lbs I put back on you can see where the weight gain came from! Between then and April 2015 I had almost lost the 3 stone but I wasn’t coping very well amongst other things and it was making me miserable. I could have a really good week socialising with friends and actually getting out to different groups but if it was around food, I was “spending all my syns” on cake or hot chocolate or something else yummy but “not good” for me.

We’re now here in 2021 and I asked the question, in both pregnancies and in a health check we had to do as part of fostering, my weight has always come up as an issue. I get the why but sometimes it’s really not approached in the nicest of ways. (Another story for another day!)

I asked the question because I wanted to go prepared. If I could show the Consultant, that since now and my appointment I’ve lost X amount of weight or X amount of inches, it might show me to be the “ideal candidate” kind of thing.

So where do I start? I really don’t want to be going back to a group like SW or WW because they are both as bad as each other and I worry will have a negative impact on my mental health. I’ve been trying to do more Ring Fit Adventure but with commitments to my small business and looking after the boys it can feel like there isn’t time for it. I think the biggest thing is trying to make better food choices but some days it’s easier to get a burst of sugary energy by eating chocolate than it is to pick up a piece of fruit. It’s “nicer” to drink a can of cola than it is a glass of water. (I’ve also drank 750ml of water since dinner so could be up all night needing the loo…)

Then I think about how I feel when I see videos and photos of me. Today I posted a Reel on IG of me dancing around the kitchen, I nearly took it down again because to me I don’t always look like how I think I look in my head. I know I’m overweight but when I think of myself it’s a just a little here and a little there and nothing to necessarily worry about. But then I try to find clothes that fit me and find I’m getting closer and closer to the end of the size chart or having to shop in different shops because things don’t fit me any more. Today’s t-shirt has been worn so many times there’s no size number on the label any more but I think it’s a 20 or 22. My jumper is a 2XL – I bought it when I was about 15 weeks pregnant with Rex, it was a bit on the baggy side then, now it’s kind of snug in places… My trousers are a size 18 (they do keep falling down though so that’s a benefit but I’m sure if I went to try and buy the same size in the same style they wouldn’t fit and I’d need bigger).

Anyway, I guess I’m just spewing my thoughts out here and trying to process what’s going on in my head. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them. I’d rather not do fad diets but happy to try things. I am still breastfeeding but not exclusively as Rex is now 10.5 months and so often only having milk in the night, first thing or before naps. (And even some of them I’m not sure how long they will last).

I’ve been reading a bit about Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting but how do you know if it’s a fad or it’s worth the effort – especially when you’re juggling cooking for kids too?

Goodness Me! Yep That’s It

It’s now June and the last time I wrote was back in April. I’d got all these plans how I was going to blog about how Rex is doing and what Jaxon is up to and of course, life gets in the way. So here I am back and blogging about things. I could be here lots, I could be here hardly ever but lets see what happens and go from there. Goodness me!

So what’s been happening. Well like the rest of the country, Jaxon went back to school in March for a few weeks then broke up for Easter within a blink of the eye! We’re now in Term 6 (Summer Term Part 2 basically) And we’re counting down weeks to the Summer Break. I even had an email from the Head with various pieces of information with regards to going back in September and how things like wearing masks will still apply for now as we don’t know what will happen after the 19th July now that restrictions have been extended. 

Rex has just turned 10 months so we’re counting down to his birthday (And Jaxon’s, mustn’t forget Jaxon’s birthday as it comes first before Rex’s!). 

Chris came back for a few weeks in May. That might need a post of it’s own given all that happened during that time. Poor Jaxon was a lot shellshocked and a little nervous especially when Chris arrived wearing his mask – he didn’t quite know what to do and tried to climb into my leg for protection. Rex was really off with Chris for a few days as he just didn’t really know who he was. He warmed to Chris while Chris was here but was still really nervous about me leaving (And even now has been a little upset when I leave – sometimes even leaving the room somedays!)

And now it’s June and we’re looking towards the summer and our adventures – well maybe. Come along and see if we make it to our adventures or have to come up with a plan B!

Recently off The Needles: Slow Exposure Shawl

A while back, I thought it was about time that I worked my way through my drafts and cleared out what still could be made into blog posts. Then delete what couldn’t be used anymore. Some of them were really bad, and some just needed polishing up. So here’s the first one Recently off The Needles: Slow Exposure Shawl.

Recently Off The Needles

A number of years ago at Fibre East, I purchased the Slow Exposure Shawl Pattern from For The Love of Yarn. She had it as part of a kit but I ended up purchasing yarn from other stalls while I was there and had a plan but then never got around to making it. Back in 2020, I decided it was about time I got on with it and then at the beginning of January 2021, I finally cast it off.

My attempt at the Slow Exposure Shawl

The picot cast-off seemed to take forever but I got there in the end. It could do with being blocked properly and hopefully, that will take out the spiral. It’s lovely and soft and really nice to wear when it’s cold enough.

When I shared this to IG back in January 2021, I had also posted that I would try to record what yarns I used and where they came from a bit better – especially when it came to the smaller indie dyers. Well, it worked a bit but I’ve just cast on the Ocean Moon MKAL and guess what – I have yarns but where did they come from?

April 3rd

I have this great idea that I will start writing properly again and I will write for me rather than for the internet like I might have done when I started my first blog back in 2007-ish. Then I get caught up in the figures and the numbers. Will someone read if I write?

So I’m here again. Trying to write for me. Rather than the Internet. So hello there friend. If you reading I’d love to hear how you got here? Did you stumble upon a social media post or did I just get thrown up by a search engine that pointed you this way?

I have some blog posts that create lots of traffic without me doing anything like this about duvets and this about a travellers notebook. Who knows why? I have zero clue!

So it’s now April and I decided I needed some goals. I have ideas I needed goals with quantifiable results (yes I like the big words!)

1. Write. Write for me. Send it out there into the world and see what sticks. (Quantifiable she said. So erm… pop by once a week and try to write. If I can knock more out then go for it!)

2. Read. I have a long list of books that I “adopted” from NetGalley and then never really read or read and didn’t review. So there could be more of those. (Let’s aim for finishing and reviewing two in April. It could be more but there’s a number to aim for).

3. Finish a knitting/crochet project. I have too many floating around that I’ve not finished and I keep starting new ones.

4. Finish my Knitting Diploma course with Centre for Excellence. I’m not sure how long I have left to finish it and how much I have to do so need to come up with a plan for that too.

Right, off to go read before I sleep.

Night night.

Knit and Nattering – Episode 2: A Shawl, A Sock and A Blanket

I’m back for a second episode – who is this person? I start with a recap of the projects that I’ve been working on over the last two weeks. With the boys often needing my help, I had to try and fit the recording in where possible, so there’s often random background noise including Jaxon’s random singing/squeaking.

Finished Items

Two Barbie Blankets – Lucy‘s daughter bought a Barbie bunkbed with her pocket money but the Barbie’s didn’t have any bedding so I knitted a blanket, while I was part way through blanket 1, my Mum offered to do blanket 2. Blanket 1 is a simple stocking stitch rectangle and blanket 2 is a corner to corner crocheted blanket

In Progress

Stormy Open Back Sweater by Handknits and Hygge – pattern can be found here.
“Judit’s Shawl” actually called – Free and Easy Pie Wedged Shawl: Ravelry (I’ve only ever seen it on Ravelry… Sorry!)

Malt by Tin Can Knits: https://tincanknits.com/pattern/malt​​

KALs or Similar

Lockdown Sockdown KAL info here.

Project Bags

Tea Cake + Make: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TeaCakeMake​

Podcasts/Vlogs:

Trent and Allie (travel/tiny living) – https://www.youtube.com/trentallie​

Kara and Nate (travel/tiny living) – https://www.youtube.com/karaandnate​

Hannah, The Corner of Craft: https://www.youtube.com/user/thecorne…​

Megan, Dynamo Simply Living: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xl…​

Stashless 2020/2021 Anushka – The Crimson Stitchery: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCrimsonS…​ You can find more information about Stashless 2020 (the inspiration for Stashless 2020) here: (Start of 2020) and (End of 2020) There is also further information in her Ravelry group here: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-cr…​

Stashless 2021

With being at home, I’ve often ended up falling down rabbit holes of videos on YouTube. Sometimes they are really random and don’t come to anything and then other times they throw up some gems.

Last week, I happened to come across Anoushka’s channel The Crimson Stitchery while working my way through lots of vlogs on YouTube (Including The Corner of Craft, Trent and Allie and Dynamo Simple Living)

So last year, Anoushka did Stashless 2020. (More here: Start of 2020, End of 2020). After watching the video, it definitely seemed like my kind of thing to try and do. Here I am finally writing about this having started this post about two weeks ago after watching the video in question.

From Anoushka’s Ravelry Group (here), these are the rules of sorts:

You can interpret #stashless2021 as either:

a) aiming to become completely stashless, working through all of your existing materials. Or, 
b) put less into your stash, and work much more from what you already have.

Guidelines

  1. Write a post starting: I’m joining #stashless2021 because….
  2. Go through your craft materials, including existing works-in-progress
  3. Give yourself personal monthly and yearly targets
  4. Know that this process will look and feel different to everyone.
  5. This is a judgement-free zone. Let’s keep encouraging and motivating each other along.
  6. This is not the confession booth. No guilt trips, please. If you fail, quit, mess up, or change your mind, don’t apologise. But do think carefully and deeply about why that might have been, and how things may have changed.
  7. Join in on Instagram, Youtube and Ravelry with #stashless2020 and #TheCrimsonStitchery. Tag Anushka @asourtelling
  8. Feel free to add your projects to the group

Hi there!! I’m Hannah.

I’m joining #stashless2021 because…. My yarn is taking over and it’s possible we’re moving house. We’ve been in our current house for 13ish years and now we’re a family of 4 (well temporarily 3 but that’s a longer story!) in a 2 bedroom house, we could really do firstly with the storage space and then secondly, if we’re going to move house it would be helpful to have less stuff to move when we do go.

I alternate from knitting to crochet regularly but have found that my skills are definitely more in the knitting realm (so to speak!). I’m trying to vlog/podcast more so talking about my latest projects and finished items will hopefully help me to record better what I make, purchase, receive as gifts etc along the way.

So far I’ve written in my bullet journal:

  1. Where possible avoid purchases: I have a voucher to spend before the summer so that’s allowed, when I do purchase try to stick to my LYS rather than online. When I do purchase make sure it’s for specific projects and not just because I like something and can’t resist. New yarn can be received by gift/destash.
  2. Patterns; attempt to use what patterns I have already. When purchases are needed attempt to support indie creators.

So that’s where I’m up to although I’m sure more ideas will come along the way too.

Stashless 2021: Finding a Pattern

Well this was interesting. I saw the video from A Crimson Stitchery about going Stashless in 2020. It doesn’t quite mean that they got rid of their stash completely. What it means is that they worked through their stash and outstanding projects to try and get a better handle on what they had in their stash. (Part 1 and Part 2). My stashless journey started with finding a pattern for one of my works in progress.

I decided this was going to be a good idea for me. After commenting in my own video that from where I was sat I could see 3 boxes of yarn and then thinking that I didn’t really know what was in those boxes, it was time to sort it out properly. That’s when the plan started to formulate. I know for sure that apart from the projects I already have on the go, I definitely have a Janie Crow blanket and a Handknits and Hygge jumper in progress. Both should be relatively easy to finish but might need some tweaking to get there. Not impossible right?

Time for Some Detective Skills

So I sat about finding the pattern for my Stormy Open Back Jumper by Handknits and Hygge. I knew it was a test knit at the time, I also knew that “storm” appeared somewhere in the title. Having tried various combinations on my email, I headed off to Google Photos, after all, if I’d taken one photo of my project (and still had it) that was where it was going to be. Thanks to some clever programming at Google searching “knitting” was enough to cut through all the other photos and narrow it down so photos that had crochet or knitting in them – as well as some others that I’m not sure how they fell in there but it was fine. I ended up finding 3 or 4 photos but they were all artistic “here’s my knitting with the pattern blurred in the background” so again close but not close enough. Having now got the date range, I headed to my Instagram.

If I had these photos in my Google Photos account, maybe I shared them on social media. I went back through my Instagram feed, and no I hadn’t actually shared any photos of it in progress (why had I taken the pictures then or maybe I’d taken them and intended to share them only to not?). So then I went to my blog posts, maybe if I hadn’t posted about it on social media, I had at least blogged about it. The first few posts were useless as I’d written about it but in vague terms with no titles or designer. Then I found it – Monthly Review: August 2018. There was the name of the pattern and the designer.

Okay but now what?

So I have the name of the pattern, and I have the name of the designer. But do I have the actual pattern? I’m sure I must do somewhere in the depths of my email account or somewhere else online. I headed to Google to see if she was still designing. Yes, she was – okay so if needed I could buy the pattern from her again. I went to my email to see if I had it saved in there or a clue to where I might be able to download it. As it happened when I searched for Handknits and Hygge I actually had 4 emails pop up. They didn’t have the pattern but they gave me the next step in the search and I was able to find the pattern. As it happened, it was there and I was able to download it pretty quickly.

So back to my other challenge, which repeat in the pattern was I up to? Well after a little bit of studying I think I know where I am. Also because I’ve now learnt how to do to the magic loop, I should hopefully be able to knit through the rest of the sleeves that bit easier.

So now it’s time to put down the blog post and go and knit.

Chat later!

Knit and Nattering: Episode 1: A Shawl, A Sock and A Blanket

Hello there! I’m Hannah and this is my vlog well no this is my blog but over on YouTube, I uploaded a vlog – which you can watch here:

I’ve been knitting and crocheting for many years. I am terrible for having multiple projects on the go as you will see from the video. I tend to stick to knit flat pieces but as I’ve now learnt the magic loop technique I’m hoping I can apply it to other things and get more creative in 2021.

Links from this post:

~Patterns~

  • Free and Easy Pie Wedged Shawl: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/free-and-easy-pie-wedge-shawl (I’ve only ever seen it on Ravelry… Sorry!)
  • Malt by Tin Can Knits: https://tincanknits.com/pattern/malt

~KALS or Similar~

Lockdown Sockdown KAL info: YouTube

~Project Bags~
JibbyRoo Sews: Etsy Shop
Knitting Needle Lane: Website

~Podcasts/Vlogs~

Resources for Lockdown Learning (Updated 5th January)

Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels

Hi there.

With England going into Lockdown 3.0 a few hours ago, I’ve noticed low cost or free resources pop up so I’ve started collecting them together. If they do have a cost or a promo code to make it free for instance I’ve included them where possible along with any dates that they expire for instance.

The Happy Newspaper Free Resources. Packs 1 and 2. (3 is coming shortly). Sign up here.

Twinkl really handy. (We used lots in Lockdown 1 to top up alongside the work set by school). School closure packs. Here.

100 Places To Go When You Can’t Leave the House (written as a mental health resource but are still relevant for kids). Here.

Learning Resources Free Activity Sheets for Preschool, KS1 and KS2. Here.

Pawprint Family homeschool resource that’s even recommended. Possible to purchase badges when activities completed.

Challenge packs here.
Free Resources here.
Badges here.

Orchard Toys Free Activities and Resources. Sign up to be notified of more resources as they go live. Already available ones here.

Holchester Design Resources Pack including timetable sheets. Here.

That Kid Life lots of suggestions of different activities. Usually with minimal kit that you will already have. Here.

YouTube Videos/Live Streams

PE with Joe (as my friend Hanna put it “we get Michael Buble out for Christmas and Joe Wicks out for Lockdown”). PE with Joe restarts on the 11th January. Sessions will be 3 days a week on Monday Wednesday and Friday at 9am. Here.

Theatre of Science. FB events. Free FB live events. Starting Tuesday 6th January. Weekly event with replay available. Here.

Let’s Go Live Science Shows. New episodes to come but previous ones available on YouTube. Here.

Operation Ouch Science. New episodes to start 5th January at 2.30pm with a live stream. Previous episodes available. Here.

English with Holly: English Live. Available Free on YouTube – other sessions available. Use ENGLIVE for 10% off. Paid Sessions

The Monthly Review: December

Here we go, attempting to make blog posts happen – I can do this! Rex is napping, Jaxon is playing his Switch and it’s a teacher training day today (tomorrow we restart lockdown learning due to COVID etc). So I’ve brought back The Monthly Review and attempting to make it a little more interesting and things.

The Months in Points

I’m sure more than this happened in the month but Jaxon is begging me to play Lego Harry Potter with him while Rex naps so I think I have to go do that. This week has so many changes in it, it’s going to be intersting.

  • Technically, we put the tree up in November but I didn’t review so it can go in here. Once we knew Chris wouldn’t be back in November for a visit because of Lockdown 2.0, we decided that the Christmas tree would go up on the 29th November. Mum and Dad came to help me out with getting things out of the loft and decorating the tree. We then all had tea together which was really nice.
  • Jaxon finished school on the 17th December and we counted down the days until Daddy would be home for Christmas – except it was going to get all levels of complicated during our countdown.
  • Bedford was upgraded to Tier 4 on the 19th December. The announcement came out about 4 pm with effect from midnight. Chris’s flight was due Sunday evening.
  • So Chris and I had a discussion about Christmas and we decided he’d stay in Denmark and as heartbreaking as that was it was the “greater good” kind of decision. We’ll be together again soon and we can do Second Christmas when we’re back together.
  • We were at Mum and Dad’s house as the news broke, so my parents tag-teamed between looking after the boys and looking after me while I processed and then as we dealt with explaining to Jaxon what was happening and things like that. I’d already had a bit of a cry on the Thursday before when other things were happening so I think I’d already resolved myself to the fact that Chris wouldn’t be here. That way if he was able to be with us then it would be a lovely surprise instead.
  • There was lots of editing throughout the month to try and get services ready for the Chapel YouTube Channel. The Christmas Day service took lots of editing because we had different people involved in it but I got there in the end and the video was posted. You can watch them here.

Projects

There were a couple of handmade Christmas presents – not as many this year just because I didn’t have the time at all! For my Sister-in-Law, I made a picture with Scrabble letters to include her name, my brother’s name and their son’s name which worked quite well – I hope it lasts because I was fighting with the glue lol.

Knitting wise I’m currently attempting to cast off my Slow Exposure Shawl. It feels like it’s taken forever to get to this point and even when I did I’ve had to tie in a new colour because I didn’t have enough for the next row and then the picot edging so I’ve had to add something in for that – hopefully, it’ll be okay. I’ll definitely have some photos when that’s finished. I also fell into tiny jumpers after seeing them on The Corner of Craft Vlogmas videos. I’ve got partway through one jumper so far before deciding I needed to finish something before I got any further with something new.

Books

  • The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  • A Kiss in the Snow by Rosie Green
  • Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage by Rosie Green
  • A Brambleberry Manor Christmas by Rosie Green

There’s lots of Bedford references in The Midnight Library by Matt Haig which was cool but there were a few hiccups on some of the geography, mostly artistic licence but it is funny reading comments from other readers who tore it to shreds because of these errors.

Television/Movies

So many things watched in December. Between one thing and another I probably spent a lot of time in front of the TV with Rex across my lap lol.

  • Virgin River (Netflix)
  • The Holiday Movies That Made Us (Netflix)
  • Just Another Christmas (Netflix)
  • Over Christmas (ÜberWeihnachten – Netflix)
  • The Crown (Netflix)
  • Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3 – Netflix)
  • Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas (Netflix)
  • The Holiday (Netflix)
  • The Prom (Netflix – started didn’t finish)
  • A California Christmas
  • Home for Christmas (Hjem til jul – Netflix)
  • Rebecca (Netflix)
  • Bridgerton (Netflix)
  • Thomas and Friends (with Rex! Netflix)

Anyone else watch Bridgerton? It’s like Gossip Girl mixed with Jane Austen with a bit of Hamilton for good measure somewhere along the line lol.

Books Read in 2021

These are the books that I’ve read in 2021. You can see further information and reviews over on Goodreads.

  • The Little Christmas House by Tracy Rees (Hopley Village #2)
  • The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
  • Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson (Real Men Knit #1)
  • The Cosy Teashop in The Castle by Caroline Roberts (Cosy Teashop in the Castle)
  • Winter at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington (Pretty Beach)
  • Summer Weddings at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington (Pretty Beach)
  • The Boat House Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington (Pretty Beach)
  • Snow Falls Over Sunnybrook by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe)
  • Welcome to Seabury by Beth Rain
  • Escape to the Hummingbird by Daisy James
  • The Wedding Cake Wish by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe)
  • A Summer of Surprises by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe)
  • In A Manhattan Minute by Helen J Rolfe
  • Fragile Hearts by The Loch by Hannah Ellis
  • There’s Something About Scarlett by Hannah Ellis
  • Daughters of Cornwall by Fern Britton
  • Autumn Cuddles and Muddy Puddles by Beth Rain
  • Winter Wishes in Hope Cove by Hannah Ellis
  • Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My Adventures in Motherhood by Giovanna Fletcher
  • Sweet Pastries & Sourdough by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe)
  • A Summer Wedding For The Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett
  • The Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett
  • The Books and Bakes Shop by Elaine Walsh
  • Summer Nights and Pillow Fights by Beth Rain
  • Spring Flowers and April Showers by Beth Rain
  • Christmas Lights and Snowball Fights by Beth Rain
  • Summer Serendipity at the Twist and Turn Bakery by Helen J Rolfe
  • Christmas at the Little Waffle Shack by Helen J Rolfe
  • A Wedding on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • A New Baby on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • Summer Days on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • Autumn Spice on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • What Rosie Found Next by Helen J Rolfe
  • Christmas Wishes on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • Spring Shoots on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
  • Christmas in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May
  • Autum Skies Over Ruby Falls by Holly Martin
  • Sunrise Over Sapphire Bay by Holly Martin
  • A Brambleberry Manor Christmas by Rosie Green (Little Duck Pond Cafe)
  • A Very Vintage Christmas by Tilly Tennant
  • The Wife Who Got a Life by Tracy Bloom

2021

Well hello. 2021 you made it. After 2020 you’re expected to behave and not be a (majority) of a screw up (it had it’s highlights but there were a lot of low points too).

Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

So, let’s do this thing.

I figured I’d take it back to the beginning in a way.

Hi I’m Hannah and this is my blog. I have been writing under some title for almost 14 years and you would sure thought by that I would have something a little more to show but in 2019/2020 I think I sort of lost my way. I think I was trying to be what I thought a blogger should be rather than just being me and bringing you along for the adventure.

I’m married to Chris and mum to Jaxon and Rex. Earlier posts featured Our Sidekick who was our foster son. He’s all grown up now and living with his mate but he’ll still be part of our little family and hold a special place in our lives.

I love to creative plan and journal as well as knit and crochet. Most crafty things I’ll try at least once and see how it goes.

Between Covid and becoming a Mum again things are a little quiet on the work front so I figured now was the time to try and get more of a routine back when it comes to blogging. So I’m committing to posting twice a week at a minimum. The odd extra post might pop up by I figure twice a week isn’t too much and isn’t too little and it’s consistent rather than committing to every day and not meeting that or just dropping by when I feel like it. I’ve always told work clients to be consistent. Even if that’s once a month and that’s it. Be consistent in that.

Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels

So at least in my head there are plans afoot and ideas brewing away. Hopefully they will come to something.

Have a great day and Happy New Year.

You can also find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Blogmas Day 19

Blogmas 2020

Well, Facebook asks me “What’s on your mind, Hannah?”

It took my four attempts to write one status, the first time Facebook had a moment and deleted everything I’d written then the second and third time it didn’t make sense. Thankfully the fourth time seemed to be the charm which was good because I was about to catapult my phone across the room – or out the window. I hadn’t decided at that point.

#ChristmasisCancelled is trending on Twitter. But Christmas isn’t cancelled. It’s different but it’s not cancelled.
When Chris and I got married, our first married Christmas was different from those that came before it. Along the way when The Kiwi lived with us or when Our Sidekick and then Jaxon joined our family – Christmas was different. One year we even went out for Christmas Dinner – now that was weird, I really struggled it felt like Christmas and at the same time it really didn’t. Traditions were tweaked or adapted. Some were probably even lost along the way.

in a year where Our Sidekick moved back in temporarily and out again, we isolated and we “Lockdown Learned”, and a baby Rex arrived, Christmas will be different again. It’ll be more so different because Chris won’t be home for Christmas. I was due to collect him from the airport tomorrow but now with Tier 4 restrictions in place. I won’t be doing that either. This evening, we explained to Jaxon that Chris wouldn’t be home for Christmas, and it was so hard after us counting down all week to Daddy being home. It completely sucks but if us being separate and not seeing family this year means that everyone is around the table next year then we’ll do it. We’ll have Christmas The Sequel in a few weeks when Chris can make it home and my Christmas Tree will be back up again even if I look like I’ve lost the plot. (Does that mean I will have won Christmas 2021 by having my tree up first?)
Anyway, before Facebook or I could delete it again, I posted it and then saved it here. I’m posting it so Christmas isn’t cancelled it’s just different and we can make it happen. Let’s do this thing.

Lockdown Projects: Macrame
#gifted

Back in March, when Lockdown 1.0 was declared, I wrote a list of projects I would attempt to get done. One that was added as the list/lockdown went along was to try Macrame. It’s one of those things we’ve discussed at knitting group and some of our ladies have tried but it’s something that I don’t think I’d ever tried previously.

When an opportunity to work with Rope Source came up it was the perfect time to give it a go. Rope Source are a company based in the UK supplying ropes, twines, cordage and other associated products. They aim to provide the best quality rope. twine and cord products at the most competitive prices. They predominantly source from UK Rope and Twine Manufacturers and suppliers. (Basically if it’s string/rope/twine/cord, they probably do it or do something close enough!).

I choose two spools of Everlasto 4mm Cotton Macrame Cord (here). They stock over 30 different colours so trying to decide which to go with was a challenge! In the end, I choose Eton Blue and Navy.

Eton Blue Macrame Cord

When they arrived, I headed off to Pinterest to find a tutorial to create something. In the end, I settled on a keyring to try first with the intention I would come back to a bigger project another day. After raiding the different sets of keys around the house to find a split ring that would do the job, I sat down and got started. Using a cow hitch knot (here) to secure the cord to the ring, I was then able to start. Most of the “knots” used in Macrame are actually similar to those used for friendship bracelets – so that wasn’t too hard to refresh my memory!

Starting a Macrame Keyring
Finished Macrame Keyring

I used this tutorial from The Pretty Life Girls to create my keyring. Now either because I was using two colours or because I’d not quite got the technique correct, my keyring has ended up twisting more than in the example pictures on the tutorial – I guess it’s something that may come with practice. But even so, I love the keyring and it’s something I’ve made, so now I can add it to my house keys or my car keys and it’ll make it easier to find them when they are lurking in the bottom of my bag! I think if I make any more I’ll be sure to get some lobster clasp keyrings to add so they are easier to add to keys or zip pulls etc.

In exchange for this post, I received 2 x 50m Retail Spools of Everlasto 4mm Coloured Cotton Macrame Cord. All opinions are my own.

Christmas Crafts
#Ad

I am a huge fan of Christmas. As we don’t celebrate Halloween, I have been known to start with the Christmas movies and music as early as October! I think this is to do with being a musician and Christmas concert/production rehearsals starting as early as October Half Term. As I write this, II haven’t got my tree up but by the time this goes live my tree will be up hopefully (after all it’s less than a week to Advent!). There a friend of mine at church who starts counting down from September (Actually I think she starts earlier than that but doesn’t tell anyone she’s already counting down!)

Back in the Summer, as crazy as the idea was, I started planning Christmas. I got out my Christmas Planner (Those Mrs Brimbles inserts are coming in handy again!) and started on all the things that would need to be organised. I also got thinking about what could be crossed off before Rex arrived. It even crossed my mind to write my Christmas Cards back in the Summer so they were done. Then I realised that we didn’t know what Rex’s name would be officially (and although we were told he would be a boy, did I want to risk putting “The Boys” if it turned out he was actually a girl?) so those went back on the shelf until I knew for sure what names I would be writing on the cards.

I’d been for a wander around Hobbycraft a few weeks back before Lockdown 2.0 to take a look at Christmas bits. I found a Cross Stitch Christmas Card set so decided that I’d try and make some for some of my relatives.

There’s definitely something about all the home/handmade touches around Christmas. Whether it’s decorations the kids have made in Children’s Work at Church or at school, or the handmade presents that I’ve spent time on.

Christmas Cards

  • Red Christmas Card with coloruful wooden gingerbread men
  • Green Christmas Card with blue jumper

Homemade Christmas cards are perfect for sharing the love with family and friends. In previous years, I’ve often been too busy with other things to make any Christmas Cards but this year I’ve been working on some, while Rex has been napping. I love using embellishments that I have in my craft kit as well as handwriting font from Design Bundles to add extra features to the cards. The gingerbread men came in a Christmas package from a friend (Although Hobbycraft does a similar version) and the Christmas Jumpers were from Hobbycraft (they come with little sticky pads on them which makes them easy to stick down.

Once I downloaded a few of the fonts from Design Bundles I was able to create these labels to be printed off and stuck into my homemade Christmas Cards. The font is called Mama Papa.

Gift Tags

Every gift needs a name tag, these can be homemade too. In previous years I’ve printed ones that I’ve found on Pinterest. But I’ve also found over the years that just printing a template is a great start to then use with wrapping paper that matches or compliments the present that you are wrapping or maybe is special to the person receiving the gift. So far I’ve made these ones with wrapping paper and some scrapbooking paper. This scrapbooking paper is from the Kraft Xmas set from Hobbycraft – it goes well with the brown paper wrapping paper I have this year. Another idea is to use this year’s Christmas cards to make into gift tags for next year – therefore recycling your Christmas Cards into something new.

You can download the template I used here.

Another option are these stickers from Design Bundles – I quite like the. “Do not open until 25th Dec” ones. I think I’ll be printing some of them off to add them to the wrapping.

Printing Wrapping Paper

When Jaxon was little, for one Christmas we painted wrapping paper to wrap our gifts in. The intension was it would be potato printing or hand prints but I think it descended into chaos and just turned into whichever sponge shape he would cooperate with.

Homemade Crackers

Another craft is homemade crackers. You can get kits to make them which include the “bangers” but you can make them at home without if you prefer. I’m sure at some point over the years I have made them but I haven’t recently. They are really easy but so effective to do as something for your Christmas table – it also means you can tailor them to your guests. Here’s a tutorial I found on Pinterest.

Paper Chains

Paper chains are so very easy to make but also cheap to make too. In the past we’ve bought kits but in the summer for Jaxon’s birthday, I found a printable that was actually July 4th themed but I just omitted certains designs on the printables so that it was just blue and white stars for his birthday which he absolutely loved! Making red and green ones work great for decorating a tree or they can be strung across a room to add some more decoration. There’s a lovely easy walkthrough here to follow and make your own.

My Self-Care in Lockdown 2.0

On the 5th November 2020, England went into a month-long lockdown. In our house as well as many other households, it got nicknamed Lockdown 2.0. (Can you tell we are tech nerds?). So I got thinking about self-care in lockdown and how I could make it work around caring for the boys.

With Chris being away, self-care opportunities haven’t always been readily available so I’ve been trying to figure out ones that fit in around taking care of the boys. Sometimes this has been squeezing in things while Rex naps and Jaxon is at school or late at night once both boys are asleep.

Okay so maybe you don’t know the how Chris came to not be here during Lockdown 2.0. I might need to write about that one too or maybe he can come and guest blog for me as he has miles more spare time that me currently lol.

When I do have chance for self-care, what am I getting up to?

Bath 

So pictures of baths with all the bubbles are a regular thing when it comes to talking about self-care but for me sitting down and taking the time for a bath is self-care. Don’t tell me off about this. For me, there are levels of baths/showers. At one end of the scale there’s the “just wash your hair so you look human” one, which is often me standing over the bath with the shower head trying not to soak the whole bathroom in the process. Then there’s the “I just need to get clean and stop smelling” shower. This is pretty much what happens all the time… that’s basic hygiene and needs to be there. This has been known to happen at 1 in the morning because it’s the only time that someone hasn’t needed me – in the early Rex days it was between feeds and seemed to work!

Then there’s the “soak in the bath and leave my worries behind” – these don’t happen very often but when they do I try and make them special if I can… I have lots of bubbles and get the candles out if I can! (Although if it’s a daytime bath I might skip the candles!)

A lit candle on the side of the bath

Curl Up with a Book 

While breastfeeding Rex, I’ve been working my way through quite a few books on my Kindle app. In 2020, I’ve read almost 40 books according to Goodreads, it’s not quite there but it’s almost one a week which is a bit crazy.

Snuggled up with a Book

Anyway, sometimes curling up in a comfy chair or your snuggly bed and reading can be just what the doctor ordered to help you take care of yourself. Whether it’s escaping to a seaside town where everyone knows your name or through a wardrobe to a magic land, falling into a book can be just what you need for a spot of self are. Add the candles and fairy lights to the atmosphere and you’re heading for Hygge!

Knit/Cross Stitch/Something Else Crafty

For some people, the idea of knitting or creating something crafty can be more stressful than mindful. I love curling up with my latest project and seeing things come together. At the moment, I’m knitting a woolly hat for Rex that involves intarsia so it can be a little stressful but on the whole, for me, it’s quite mindful. Whether it’s something simple or something more complex, for me it’s self-care. At the moment, I’m working on a shawl, which has a pretty easy to follow repeat so I don’t need to worry about complicated lace or increasing and decreasing lots.

Baking

We’ve been making different cake. Whether it’s from a packet mix where you just add the eggs and oil or something from scratch, There’s something about seeing the raw ingredients coming together to form something complete that just makes me happy. Actually the bit that came to mind just now was from Julie and Julia, where Julie (Powell played by Amy Adams) has a rubbish day at work and on the way home decides to make Chocolate Cream Pie.

You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure, and when I say “nothing” I mean nothing, you can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It’s such a comfort.

Rocky Road is an absolute favourite in our house. I’m hoping to share the recipe for it soon – I’ll be sure to add a link here. Do you have a favourite recipe either to make or to eat? I’ve been watching The Great British Bake Off and once again I’m excited to try baking more again. Part of me wants to try to learn to make profiteroles properly but imagine that if I learn how to do it properly I might want to make them all the time!

Journaling 

I am a notebook addict and so I often can be quite specific about my notebooks (check my Wishlist there’s usually 4 or 5 different ones on there just in case!) but you can journal in any notebook or on a scrap of paper if needed. It’s just about getting down how you are feeling and processing those emotions. You might go back in 6 months or a year and be like “what on earth was I going on about??” but if in the moment it helps, it’s worth a try right? There are different forms of journalling just like there are different forms of painting for instance. In the past I’ve mostly done the memory keeping form of journalling – so where did we go and what did we do and how did I feel about that. Some people just write about what they did each day or the highlights and low points of those days.

Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels

If you want it to be more of the “Dear Diary, today I did…” style then go for it. Ultimately – it’s your journal, you do what you want with it. If it’s a bad day and you just want to scribble like crazy across the page, DO IT. If it’s a good day and somehow you want to commemorate that with a drawing of balloons or a page from a magazine, DO IT. It’s your journal. Do what works for you, not what works for a pretty Instagram picture or something like that. That being said your journal is a private or as public as you want it to be.

Nap 

I am a massive fan of a good nap. When I was pregnant with Jaxon I would mostly just nap at weekends – I think it was my way of catching up but this time around when I was pregnant with Rex, I was having to nap most days just to be able to function. If I didn’t take myself to bed for a nap I often found I was dozing off in front of the TV. At one point, Jaxon was well trained and would grab a blanket and put it over me if I dozed off. He’s very sweet like that.

Anyway, sometimes if you’re having a bad day or struggling, having a nap is just what you need to get through the rest of the day or feel recharged enough to deal with a situation.

Writing letters to friends/family

I am a huge fan of handwritten letters. There’s just something about the time and focus it takes to write a letter to someone. I always feel like someone really cares about me if they’ve sat down and written me a proper letter. Emails and Texts are great for a quick question or to find out a burst of information but a letter has a character to it. I received one from my penpal in the USA telling me all about how their town had been in the run-up to the election and how even though they live in a mainly red state, their town was changing to more and more blue as “President 45” open his mouth again (or tweeted instead). My friend also wrote about massive life changes going on in their family at the moment – it would have worked on email but something about it being there in written form just made it so much more personal.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

Before you panic and feel like it’s got to be some epic long essay, it really doesn’t. It could just be a greeting card with a short message just to say I’m thinking of you.

Going for a Walk/Exercise 

Going for a walk and exercise of any form increase the brains levels of serotonin which in turn make us feel happier after we’ve been for a walk or done some exercise (even if we had it while it’s in progress and question our life choices or a while!). We set little challenges like trying to find a different route to take around near our house or who could do a particular stretch in a certain way like backwards, fastest or slowest etc.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

But ultimately take care of yourself, in whatever works for you. There was talk about being productive and writing that novel you’d always meant to write but never got around to in Lockdown 1 and for most of us, lockdown involved lots of lockdown learning, TV watching and dealing with the chores when you really had to. If that’s what you need to do, then you do it, take care of yourself.

How do you care for your own well being? Do you do one of the things in this post or do you do something else?

As part of this post I received the Orange, Cedarwood and Clove candle and Restore and Renew Lavendar Bath Therapy Oil from Zita West to try out and write about. Other products included are ones that I’ve purchased myself or been gifted by friends or family.

Getting Life Back in Order after Lockdown and Pregnancy

Like many people, chores around here have got a bit slack during the last six months. Between isolation learning, being pregnant and never seeming to have enough time, the chores around here have almost been about surviving and keeping the house at some controllable level rather than actually getting anything properly tidy.

Getting Stuff Done

For a large chunk of lockdown, our kitchen table was our school classroom, so in the corner of the room there was a large tote bag with all the print outs, workbooks and pens we were using each day. This definitely annoyed Chris as the corner was never tidy but it was definitely a bit easier than putting everything completely away each day and getting it out the next day. Chris and I would regularly discuss how Jaxon learns better getting up and doing rather than sitting at the desk and learning that way. (Anna at The Whimsical Cloud has definitely been helping me with that – her two little ones are home-schooled and they do a lot of “up and doing” rather than worksheets at a desk).

So now Jaxon is back at school and Rex arrived about ten weeks ago. When I started this blog post, I was about 6-7 weeks postpartum and was still trying to take it easy. I was being told off by a friend via IG that I was overdoing it and needed to chill. I’m also trying to restore some order to our house. Rather than writing all 101 jobs on one to-do list and getting overwhelmed, I decided I needed a plan of sorts to follow and having seen KatyKicker mention #TeamTOMM on her Instagram Stories, I headed off to Google to see what it was about – I also found TOMM (The Organised Mum Method) printables which would help me organise that to-do list into different days.

So starting a few Mondays ago, this is what my to-do list looked like when I got up in the morning. Yes okay, so some of that might have been a little heading towards the overwhelm but it was okay – I’d got it under control.

As the weeks have passed, the list has got shorter. There’s a list of 5 or 6 household tasks and then I just add the other errand and tasks that need to get done. In the last week, we’ve been getting into more of a routine with Rex’s naps so it’s been a little easier to block out time to clear my to-do list (or get distracted and do lots of Christmas prep stuff). Prior to this, I was spending a lot of nap time sat on the sofa reading or working my way through my YouTube subscriptions. (Right now I have Trent and Allie playing in the background. I’ve been working through their back catalogue ahead of their new videos on Mondays and Fridays).

Today is Thursday, so it’s all about the kitchen. Well, at least it would be but for now I just need to muddle my way around the rest of the downstairs to try and restore some order. The weather this week has been really wet so I have still got washing drying in the kitchen for now. I managed to get a load to dry outside and the dryer is currently running to clear the underwear and towels which always take up the most space/pegs when trying to dry either inside or outside.

The great thing about The Organised Mum Method is that after “Level 1 Jobs” (these are your frequent/everyday jobs), you then focus on one room a day (minus the weekend) so that you can keep the house on track. This definitely helps than trying to tidy the whole house in one go and then feeling overwhelmed (and then if you’re like me procrastinating!). You can find the printables to get started here.

I’m hoping to properly get onto the chores on a daily basis and hopefully find that the house is a heap tidier overall.

What do you do to make sure your living space is clean and tidying? Do you have any tips or tricks?

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