Saturday 16 May 2015

Days of wool and roses














We've been gripped by a new sport.  Cricket.  It all started with a few lessons at school, then a free taster or two at the local club, and before I knew it I was signing up and buying strange things to put down pants.  It's been an education I can tell you.  We happened to be passing the club today, so we popped in to see how it's done by the big boys.  Of course it's all pretty much a mystery to me.  There was clapping and cheering and it was in no way apparent why.  But the sun was shining and there was tea later on (I've heard rumours of sandwiches with the crusts cut off and scones with jam and cream) and I saw the potential for an afternoon sat knitting and thinking, with just the occasional smattering of light applause required, and I had a bit of a lightbulb moment.  This may just be a sport I can get behind.

My friend Sara at Sara's Crafts very kindly nominated me as one of the two blogs she chose as "Two Good Reads".  It's always lovely to be mentioned, thanks Sara.

In turn I'd like to point you in the direction of Countryside Tales if I may.  Her latest post explains the dangers wildlife is facing as the government and the European Commission explore watering down the legislation currently in place to protect it.  CT's blog is full of fantastic butterfly and moth photos, as well as other wildlife, and her posts are always interesting and informative.  Truly one of my favourite blogs, and very well worth a visit.  There is a petition, organised by Friends of the Earth, that you can add your name to here should you wish.  Protection of our native wildlife is something I feel passionate about.  It will be a disaster if the legal protection is weakened.

The caterpillar and the chrysalis in the pictures are in the garden at the moment.  The chrysalis suddenly appeared on the path.  I think it's an elephant hawk moth that probably fell out of the hedge.  I've put him somewhere safe and hopefully he'll hatch (if that's the right word) and fly off.  We had three or four elephant hawk moth caterpillars in the garden last year, they're really enormous.  I'd love to see the actual moth.  Fingers crossed I'll have the opportunity.

The yarn is a little something I'm working up to knitting for the littlest boy.  A blanket for his bed. He's very keen, as you can imagine.  I'm thinking grey, with little stripes of colour.  It seems slightly unfair that girls have hijacked an entire colour all for themselves.  He's not adverse to the odd splash of pink.  We shall see.  I don't have a huge amount of time for knitting, so it'll probably be a year or two before it's done.  By then he might have been poisoned against pink.

Today was a good weekend day, with a little garden tidying this morning, and some time at the country park this afternoon.  It always surprises me how organised a bit of gardening makes me feel.  I repotted a wisteria, mowed the grass (and daisies), planted some peas and salad leaves and swept up.  And then all was well with the world.  I'm wishing you a good Sunday.

42 comments:

  1. I'd be worried that the light applause at a cricket match would be a bit like at a classical concert. There's a right place for applause and huge scope for getting it wrong...

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  2. One of my boys did a couple of seasons of cricket and I think it's definitely the best spectator sport for parents - beats cold windy rugby/football fields hands down. And it gets rained off it it's wet (unlike rugby). Your blanket sounds lovely, I hope your boy continues to like pink.

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  3. So nice to see your knitting, CJ. I like the idea of adding pink to something for a boy. Why not? It's a color, just like all the rest of them. I know nothing about cricket aside from the way they windmill their arms when they pitch the ball, which I really like. It looks like something from a Jane Fonda workout. It's raining and raining here this weekend, it's almost easy to forget I like in the desert. We stayed in the house all day, except to go to the library and have a quick lunch. I crocheted a lot, which was wonderful. I should get back to it, but I'm glad to have stopped in to see you. :)

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  4. Isn't wisteria a BEAUTIFUL plant.

    That is another plant I would love to have in my garden, but it's just so invasive here in Florida. The state really discourages planting it.

    Fortunately, I DO get a chance to see some wild in the trees along University Boulevard.

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  5. I will have to hop over to her blog as that is something I am very passionate about as well. It is frustrating when the government weakens laws that protect our environment. Thank you for passing this along CJ. And I love that your family is getting into cricket...I haven't the slightest idea how it all works either but it has always intrigued me! I can't wait to hear more about your adventures with this one! How beautiful are your photos and good job on rescuing that chrysalis. Getting things done in the garden do make things feel right...I can so relate to that!!! And your knitting! AHHH....so pretty!!!! I have to get back to yarn as I have so much to learn. Your blanket looks awesome already! Here is to a wonderful Sunday! Nicole xoxo

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  6. I get confused as to why some of the clapping occurs at cricket matches too - although I could definitely get behind the tea! Your knitting looks lovely - that grey is gorgeous; can't wait to see how it turns out. Ditto for the elephant hawk moth! Enjoy your Sunday. xx

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  7. I used to be heavily involved with the local cricket club, serving the teas and attending meetings. My partner at the time played for the first eleven so every Saturday was taken up with it.
    The other cricket widows were always horrified at my turning a deckchair away from the game and towards the sun so I could enjoy a stack of magazines and a nice relax.
    Thankyou for the heads up on Countryside Tales, I'll head over for a visit.
    I hope your blanket comes together. Do take it to a cricket game, you'll have hours and hours to knit. Punctuated, as you say, by a nice tea.
    PS those stocks look very pretty and I can almost smell them from here x

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  8. The blanket is beautiful, the grey yarn is stunning. Pink as far as I am concerned is just a colour like any other. I actually much preferred it when toys were toys, not boys toys and girls toys like it seems to be for a lot of people. Have a great day.

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  9. Cricket was always a closed book to me, CJ, although I did enjoy the sitting and tea drinking afterwards. I love that it's so very British (thoughts of village greens and pavilions, etc). I hope your boys continue to enjoy it after the expense of buying cricket whites and other essential items. Pink is the current favourite colour of the little boy I look after, I think he associates it with strawberry ice-cream. He's two so that's bound to change. I love grey - I think that's MY favourite colour! except when it relates to the sky… Happy weekend, CJ, Caro xx

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  10. Nice pictures. I never did play cricket and have little idea what it's all about. I've bookmarked your link to Countryside Tales, and the petition, to look at later.
    Thanks, and you too. Flighty xx

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  11. I met my husband at a cricket match (my first, and last!). It is a very gentle sport and one that if you condensed it would probably by about 5 minutes of any note (sorry, not a cricket fan!). I love the colour combination of grey and pink and I think your boy will love it. Have a wonderful weekend xx

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  12. love your knitting, that grey is gorgeous, and sounds like you had a truly perfect Saturday x
    my son goes to cricket training but he is fairly hopeless so has only once been picked for the team, I don't think he liked it as much as the sociability of the training nights as it was all taken terribly seriously, but he was truly impressed by the GIANT bacon sandwiches that were served.

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  13. Just make sure you sit somewhere the ball is unlikely to come! I discovered the joys of cricket ( or rather, of sitting in a deckchair knitting for hours and hours) but you do need to keep half an eye on what's going on on the pitch. Lovely photos, as ever. Happy sunday

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  14. cricket remains an elusive creature to me...but the idea of hours to knit [or read/write/doodle] and tea at the end greatly appeals. much more so than huddling against wind and rain....or, in the grand Canadian style, shivering in a frigid hockey rink. i thank the heavens my kids are happy pottering about at the stable with me....;)

    is that wisteria attached by itself to a wall? i was always under the impression it had to be supported....if that's not the case....well then....all manner of opportunities are opening up to me!

    glad you've had a good weekend....mine has been moste excellente so far as well. xo

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  15. I have no idea about cricket, it is not a popular sport here, I don't think we are refined enough. But knitting and tes while watching it seems like a lovely idea. Love the colors of your wool.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  16. I don't understand cricket either, but I think I'd enjoy being a spectator too with tea, cake and time to knit on offer. No chance of that though around here. My husband is a football man, and even though he loves cricket too it's only on the telly or listening to matches on the radio. I hope you'll enjoy lots of cricket matches this summer, your little boy's blanket might get finished earlier than you expected! X

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  17. As you know, we're a cricket family with both Mick and Daniel playing, yet I've still managed to avoid watching a whole match yet. There's just too much standing about goes on for me. Aren't Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillars huge? They're fascinating things. I love the sound of the blanket, I've only crocheted them in the past, never knitted, but I'd love to have a go at doing a knitted one. That Drops yarn looks lovely.

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  18. Cricket is a summer sport I think? It is a very enigmatic sport to to uninitiated, I have watched a game once a life time ago in Melbourne. To lots of happy hours knitting and clapping now and then :-) I hope Sunday was a nice as Saturday! xx

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  19. yes a gentile cricket match with a bit of knitting and sandwiches sounds really good!....I know what you mean about the gardening, I don't do much but it feels incredibly satisfying when you do that bit you've been looking at over and over. X

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  20. Cricket sounds great. I have no idea about the rules,but anything that involves tea and cake has to be good! Thank you for the link to Countryside Tales. I will take a look.

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  21. Wait 'til they have you dressing up and playing a vuvuzela

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  22. Hey CJ,
    I love CT and her blog. It's one of my absolute favourites too. I've always wished my boys would be into cricket. I had visions of afternoons relaxing, a smattering of applause, the sound of ball on wood and tea and sandwiches. I hope that you get to do that too.
    Leanne xx

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  23. It sounds like you had the perfect weekend. I can just see you at the club having tea and watching your boys play cricket while you read, knit and enjoy yourself. I'd go for that one! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  24. If being a Cricket Mum involves sitting around knitting and tea and cake then this is a sport I can get behind. Yes, boys can and should have pink, it's a beautiful colour and goes so well with grey. In fact, as a mother of a girl, boys can have the pink, we're sick to death of it. I'd be interested to hear what you think of the yarn - I've never used Drops yarn before but I've heard so many good things about it. xx

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  25. Yes, any sport that breaks for tea and scones has got to be good. And they don't play in the rain unlike football and rugby. I don't understand the rules whatsoever. When we first met, A said to me that if we ever ran out of things to talk about then he'd explain the rules of cricket to me! That yarn looks lovely and soft. Is it actually from Lima or is it just the name? xx

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  26. Beautiful wisteria. Love the pretty yarn too! We love a good spot of cricket in the summertime :) Perfect for watching and knitting!

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  27. Hi - are they Stocks I spy in your flowerpot - beautifully scented! Nothing could be better than a warm summers afternoon, knitting, cricket and afternoon tea! Love the colours you have picked in the Drops Yarn, and on the subject of pink CB (my hubby) has one or two pink items in his wardrobe! Have a good week xx

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  28. I'm reading this as the rain pours down outside, so your lovely sunlit pictures feel an age away :o)

    It does look like an ele hawk pupa (the word for hatching in insects is eclosing), and I'm wondering whether your caterpillar could be a Dark Green Fritillary. The other possibility is a Peacock, but they usually have tiny white spots. Lovely to see it, either way.

    Thank you so much for the link to the petition and also for all your kind words about the blog- it's much appreciated.

    I loved your assessment of the value of cricket- I can never grasp what's going on in it either! Have a lovely week my dear xx

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  29. You mowed the daisies?!?!? (I know, I know - lawns must be mowed, and the poor hapless daisies and violets therein have to take their chances.)

    Cricket does seem so restrained and gentlemanly. Any sport that requires donning white clothing, preferably woolen, would HAVE to be played in a leisurely manner just to keep the uniform clean. It's a very mysterious sport indeed with a strange language all its own. If you ever learn what a "googly" is, please enlighten the rest of us....

    Pink for boys. Why not? I seem to have read somewhere that in Victorian times it was quite common, as was blue for girls, then in the early 20th century they got flipflopped. I do know that in the 1980s pink dress shirts were very popular here in the US. Mr. M had one which he wore to work with a lovely grey-and-rose paisley tie (this was when he had a job that required dressing up).

    Happy knitting and gardening! :)

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  30. Cricket! I've never watched cricket before so I would be totally lost haha. Tea, scones, and knitting during the games sounds perfect,though.Good luck with your knitting!

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  31. Oh, I am in love with those stripes !! And so beautifully neat too ! Keep going, keep going CJ, Kate xx

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  32. I love the colours of the yarn and the stripes! I think the Y chromosome carriers also need to enjoy some pink! Cricket is a great sport, C plays and I love watching on a sunny day. The flowers are beautiful, Spring is the very best of all seasons I think :)

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  33. There are a handful of sports which send me to sleep. I'm not being clever or rude, they really do. They're snooker, golf and cricket. I think perhaps it's the hushed monotone of the commentators and that exact gentle ripple of applause to which you refer. My son played cricket for a short while and, yes, the cup or box or whatever you call it was a necessity to which we weren't allowed to directly refer. A bit like a girl with her first bra! I'll be honest, you're making me want to take up my knitting needles again. Now, if I could only find the wretched things … xx

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  34. That does sound like a great sport to get behind! I love the colors you picked for the blanket. You're right that girls shouldn't get all the colors:) Hope you had a wonderful weekend, CJ, and are having a great start to your week!

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  35. Perfect cricket weather at the weekend - plenty of crochet was done in-between the tea drinking and scone eating. :) x

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  36. Cricket is a complete mystery to me. I know absolutely nothing about it, but have often wondered why on earth they wear white, and how all those grass stains come clean after the game. I like your blanket colours. A bit of pink should be fine. My oldest son is 34 and he has a light pink shirt he wears to work on occasion. And my youngest son also has a pink dress shirt. I think the old conventions for colour have been thrown out the window. Except for cricket attire. :-)

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  37. I have no idea about cricket, but tea, knitting and cake does sound good! I love the blanket colours you've chosen. xx

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  38. Cricket like most sports are a mystery to me, keeping wild life safe and surviving is so difficult these days, thank goodness for all those people fighting their corner, many friends of mine are ecologists and people devoted to protecting them, when you work with wild life and indeed wild flowers, you see how lucky we are to have such a richness in our country.

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  39. My friend has been gently trying to turn me towards Cricket for a few years now. I don't know if it's all that white or the fact that "test" matches aren't really a test but "for reals", but I haven't been able to completely get behind it. I'm excited to learn more about it through your family's eyes.

    The roses are beautiful and the blanket and wool are already showing their greatness as well.

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  40. That's an ambitious knitting project .... you're a brave woman to commit to such a long haul!

    I loved that my boys played cricket rather than football ... rain stops play almost immediately in cricket so you won't be running up and down shouting encouragement while being soaked to the skin.

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  41. I love the wisteria - a beautiful plant and wonderful scent too. The cricket watching/crochet idea sounds like it could work! And tea afterwards - what's not to like? The grey blanket will be gorgeous with splashes of colour in it, and pink always goes well with grey. I think your son will love it :)
    Cathy x

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  42. I keep meaning to grow a wisteria, I should have done it 10 years ago when the thought first entered my head. Lovely photos and I will be checking in to see that knitting progress. Jo x

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