and so the holidays end











Sunday evening on the sofa.... the last before I have to return to work. 

A week off at home is not quite as fabulous as a week in Turkey but it sure beats a week with a full work schedule. We didn't do much at all, or at least not together. I think we are all a bit tired of each other or maybe it is just me being tired with everybody else, I don't know. I am so glad we have a big house and everybody has a corner to retreat to for a bit of peace and quiet. I spent quite a bit of time in my sewing room, for once using it as it was intended to be used and not as work at home office. I loved that.

I also really loved turning the alarm clock off for a full week. I hate the alarm clock and every morning I fight the urge to throw it on the floor and crush it with great force. Alas, it is my phone that wakes us up and destroying it would be costly. Waking up early and then turning over and going back to sleep is just divine. 

I helped both James and Alistair clean their rooms from top to bottom. When I say helped, I mean of course I did the donkey's work and they mostly picked up random items and asked what to do with them. How would I know?? There was a lot of sighing. For the record, they are filthy animals. We found all sorts of no longer identifiable organic matter in the most unexpected places. It turns out that Alistair disposes of apple cores and orange peel behind the books on his bookshelf and I also discovered that he had been working his way through the snack drawer where we keep handy small snacks such as cereal bars. Lots of evidence in various nooks and crannies. Both rooms are now tidy and clean but of course it won't last long. James found a long lost bottle of Lynx spray deodorant, which filled him with joy. He is the only one delighted.

I made ravioli from scratch. I had planned this as a fun activity for myself and the boys but they slinked away to the football pitch and to the countryside for a bike ride when the time came to roll our sleeves up. It rather enjoyed my lonely kitchen time and the ravioli turned out to be delicious. I made two fillings, spinach & ricotta and a meaty filling (using sausage meat and mortadella bound together with mascarpone). Homemade ravioli are a rare treat. Served with a lambs ear lettuce salad and two different sauces made from leftover bits and pieces in the fridge.

I finally finished the patchwork placemats I started making months ago. They are for a favourite friend and should have been ready for her birthday during summer. Now I love them so much that I'll find it difficult to part with them. Not that we ever use place mats, we are a tad uncivilised in this house and place our dinnerware straight on the wooden table. I'll show you them during the week. 

My Guthrie & Ghani coat sewing kit arrived during the week and I spent some time preparing for the actual sewing. I made bias binding with the liberty fabric that came with the kit to add some decorative flat piping to the coat. I used a method to make continuous bias binding from a fat quarter. For someone with a poor grasp of geometry, this was like a magic trick. I couldn't imagine how with a few simple steps I could make about 5 metres of binding from a 50 x 50 cm square! I also cut out the paper pattern pieces, fused the interfacing to the wool and cut the outer layer of the coat. I'll leave the slinky lining (a light viscose) for a day when I am already cranky because it is bound to put me in a bad mood.

I miss my jogging routine and I don't think I'll by tying my running shoe laces any time soon. My ankle doesn't quite feel stable enough but the gravel rash is healing up nicely, the scabs no longer crack open. Unfortunately and despite the careful and thorough professional cleaning of the wound, I think I have an infection that is spreading on my leg now. Back to the doctors I think.

All four kids and I went for a dog walk on Saturday before Sam had to work. This is so unusual, it made me really happy. We can only meet Sammy outside at the moment and walking the dog is always a good reason to meet. We went to the nearby woodlands where James showed us the den he had been building earlier in the week, a fabulous construction it is, too.

And now it is time to watch some TV. I think I might watch an episode of Ambulance, which I rather like. It is on the BBC iPlayer in case you want to join me. 

Thanks for visiting. Have a fantastic week!

P.S. The photos are from last year's holiday in Turkey.

Comments

  1. Glad you had a nice week off, but sorry about the ankle/leg, hope it is all better soon. Could do with some deep cleaning of bedrooms here too, the dust under the beds is thick. Well done on homemade ravioli, this is impressive stuff. CJ xx

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  2. Hope that leg gets better soon. The cleaning of the boys rooms made me smile. We once found a squashed fruit pastille under the handle of the car. Eldest son proudly announced he’d put it there some years ago! Hope your week goes ok and be gentle with your phone when it wakes you up;) B x

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  3. Thanks Christina for sharing that the first few photos were from your last year's holiday. While the memories were happy, I know how disappointing not taking another holiday can be as same here. Still, a week at home and away from work sounds good, except for the room cleaning projects. The home made ravioli sounded like such a treat and one day I will try some as well. Did you make your own pasta dough and use a ravioli cutter to cut them? Good idea to rest up from jogging a bit longer and glad the rash is healing, but seems another doctor visit will be needed if there is an infection from the gravel, nasty stuff.

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  4. What! No swimming in Scotland in October? :)
    I did wonder in the first few photos.
    It seems as though you had a productive week with a nice change of pace too.

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  5. Just the sheer bliss of not having to be tied to the alarm clock for a week. Fantastic.
    Love the holiday snaps from last year, hope it won't be too long before we can all enjoy this again. I will look forward to seeing your coat project. My sewing machine and skills are still very new so it will be a while before I reach your standard. Have a good week Christina x

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  6. Ah that last line cleared things up because I though I'd missed a couple of posts.. especially you mentioning being in Turkey.
    Hope your ankle feels better soon.. I hurt my knee in March and it's still not back to normal.
    Homemade ravioli sounds divine!
    Eww boys rooms..

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  7. It sounds like you have had a lovely busy week. Your home-made ravioli sounds divine and worth all the effort. It sounds like you have been making the most of your sewing room, your coat sounds amazing, I look forward to seeing photos!

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  8. That swimming place you were enjoying looks fantastic! Such clear water! I'm glad you had a relaxing week and got a walk in with all 4 kids. Enjoy it while you can before they fly off to all corners of the world. Did you take photos of your ravioli? ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  9. Wow! The fun never stops at your house - cleaning the boys' rooms on your week off?! Just teasing! It does always feel great when a messy room gets a good cleaning. My kids are grown so I don't have that problem in my house anymore. Now I cannot blame the mess on anyone but me!

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  10. Fantastic post. Shame the photos were from last year - I was all excited for you for a minute there! - but I'm glad you enjoyed your staycation. I remember the days of finding mummified apple cores; in a weird way I rather miss them now. Looking forward to seeing the placemats and I hope your leg gets better very soon. xx

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  11. You fooled me with the photo! I thought you had got to go for a tiny second. At least you got to have some time to yourself in the sewing room. Jo x

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  12. Gorgeous photos! You are such an excellent writer. I feel like I am right there with you. I hope your leg is okay. That infection worries me. I'm glad you are having it rechecked.

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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