3 things

i was in town with my 4 year old the other day and he noticed the christmas lights. i think they went up at the end of october, can that be true? after seeing them he asked me why we hadn't got our decorations up. hmm, well to keep him happy we got working on something as soon as we got home. some simple decorations made out of cardboard, inspired by these found via pinterest. i think the point is to let some of the card show at the end but we got rather carried away with the painting. we found the twig in the woods on the way to the allotment and i hung them up with odd bits of ribbon that i had in my stash. finishing off with some bright cards and handmade christmas cards on the wall behind. oh and our lovely stacking christmas dolls, thanks katy - we still have them.

i also made these neck warmers for my boys. well, i say made but really i just snipped off the polo necks from a couple of those cosy woollen jumpers i have been collecting lately. the orange one is cashmere and the green one is felted wool. even though it's still beautiful outside these days, there is a slight chill in the air. so these are perfect for keeping my little ones a tiny bit warmer.

and last but not least, i am really excited to say that my sister ambika will be returning to join me in this space once again. i'm really pleased as that's the reason we started this blog in the first place, as another way of connecting with each others lives. i can't wait, it will be so nice.

hope you are having a good week so far,

sarada xx

reflecting

i always find myself reflecting at this time of year. as autumn turns to winter and the year comes to a close, i like to mull over how it has all turned out. the good and the difficult times, the happiness and frustrating moments. these days i am quiet and thoughtful as the nights draw in, wondering what the coming year will bring and if there are any changes we need to make on our path through this life. it's hard not having all the answers and worrying at each decision if we are doing all the right things for our little family. i'm doing a lot of digging up at the allotment at the moment and finding it a great task to clarify my thoughts or just clear my head as i breathe in that crisp autumn air. as i carry on digging of course.

sarada xx

lovely company

my mums come to stay for a few days and it's lovely. she brought some homemade quince jelly with her. it was sweet, aromatic and jewel like, just look at that beautiful colour. so delicious. we had it on croissants whilst browsing through cook books from the library and drinking lots of tea. and of course, chatting, we always have so much to chat about. it's so nice to have her here for the weekend. such lovely company, it's going to be fun. and she's kindly looking after the babies tomorrow night (thanks mum), while we go out to see gillian welch. i can't wait.

i hope your weekend is lovely too,

sarada xx

thoughts on a grey day

i finally got round to having some breakfast this morning. cornflakes with blueberries. this got me thinking about alys fowler, she loves them too with ice cold milk. she's a gardener and writer of the edible garden. it's a lovely book and oh, i want a garden like hers. still, i love it for allotment inspiration. although the allotment has been a bit of a disaster this year, but grey rainy days like today are great for planning what to do with it next year. if i could only plant some shallots and garlic before the end of the month then i think that would get me off to a good start. now i'm almost over my cold i need to start going up there and sorting it out. basically, everything we planted got eaten before it even got a chance to grow, plus the soil is terrible. chalky and too tough for any plant to push roots down into. remember the teepee? i had such high hopes but every single plant got chomped on by snails and slugs i'm guessing. i tried putting down sand but need to revise my approach. and the pink fur apples potatoes. from 10 plants, i think i got one tiny handful. the rest, you guessed it. there's a photo of a few tomatoes and raspberries gathered from a couple of months ago. the other photo's are of the surrounding allotments. i must admit i did get a bit of allotment envy this summer, when nothing was growing on our plot. i think the best harvest we got were from the blackberries on the hedge that borders the allotment. oh well, i think we need a good dose of manure and then take it from there.

sarada xx

a walk with my baby

hope you have a lovely weekend,

sarada xx

looking forward

this morning we ventured out to a singing group, the baby and me, and on the way back i stumbled onto a really great charity shop. as you know i do love a good charity shop or boot fair or jumble sale for that matter. well, i came across these books and thought they would be great for christmas. we have a collection of books, that we only get out at christmas time. they're just random ones that i've picked up here and there, with a christmas theme. i think only bringing them out in december, adds to the excitement of the season and the build up to christmas day and it's nice reading them over and over during that special time. these ones look good. do you have any favourite christmas stories? we'll look forward to getting ours out next month.


and this was the view from our balcony when we got back this afternoon, just before a huge thunderstorm erupted. we huddled together watching and listening from our cosy spot up here.

sarada xx

sunday boot fair finds

we had a lovely weekend, my parents came down and on sunday, we went to the marina and had fun watching the sea. it was really choppy and the waves crashed so high that we had to run to avoid getting too wet. and at the local boot fair this is what i found...

basket 20p
white jumper 50p
brown jumper £1.50
two stripy baby jumpers 20p each
hat 20p
large noticeboard 20p
two vests 20p each
etch-a-sketch £1
turquoise jumper and stripey tank top £1.50 for both
(the jumpers are 80- 100 percent wool)
the pumpkins we already had! granny helped carve one for halloween.
i also found the river cottage year (not photographed) for £1

good bargains, don't you think?! i left feeling quite pleased and full of ideas of what to do with my treasures.

sarada xx