Thursday 12 January 2017

Blowing stuff up

winter reading
I've been struggling to find photos lately. We didn't do anything blogworthy at the weekend (trainer shopping and football - nearly lost the will to live in the shoe shop) and there is nothing pretty at home to be photographed. How I envy the bloggers with a little something lovely to snap. A divine candlestick, a sprig of winter blossom, lace draped artfully across some exquisite calligraphy. Here it is all piles of papers, empty jam jars, PE kit and nerf bullets. If you could only catch the scent of damp football boots on the chill night air you would understand. This is not a house of alluring vignettes.

Even my favourite mug has been broken and has been relegated to the role of pen holder.


Fear not, I am hot on the heels of a sunny replacement. Oh how I am looking forward to the day when I get to show it to you. I shall pop it on the table with a little ivy trailing past and a casually crumbled artisan biscuit at its side.

I am aiming to read some short stories this year in between novels, hence Annie Proulx and Joanne Harris above. I'm also a bit obsessed with the idea of fermenting vegetables. You may recall I tried it before. I popped a bit of garlic in and honestly it smelt so strongly through the glass jar that it had to be banished to the garage. I am armed with a handbook this time, there will be no stopping me. Apparently not only are the bacteria all probiotically good, but the vitamins and minerals are more easily available as well. And none of them are lost through cooking as there isn't any. All you need is a knife, a chopping board, jars, weights, salt and some vegetables. I'm hoping nothing explodes. I understand there will be a build up of gas. Watch this space.

On the subject of explosions, the littlest boy had a whole set of Boom Explosions for Christmas. When he wrote his thank you letter he put, "I am pleading mum and dad to do the Boom Explosions". Nothing like a bit of parental guilt to get things moving, so at the weekend we broke out the box and blew the whole lot up. Fizzings and burstings and at one point masses of shiny sharp confetti ALL OVER the kitchen.

Another of his thank you letters made me smile. "Thank you for the penknife. I am doing whittling and I have already cut myself." As if this was a sign of good progress. His auntie will be happy to know it's going so well.

The only other photo I have for you is of my knitting.


Sigh. Yes, it's black. One or two people did warn me about the perils of knitting in black. But if when it's finished black will be a good thing, all the better to disguise the dodgy bits. In the meantime it is driving me slightly mad. Plus I don't have faith that the jumper will actually fit me. Now I have shown it to you all I shall have to finish it though. It's this one, which looks lovely in cream on the slim model. Wait 'til I've finished with it though.

24 comments:

  1. The joys of wee boys and their toys, how I miss that. Mine are all strapping older teenagers and 20 somethings who get money to spend on what ever is the latest thing. No more toys stewn from one end of the house to the other waiting to be played with or blown up. I've a couple of Joanne Harris books in my to read pile (which may reach the ceiling if I don't find time to read!)

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  2. My husband gave me a book of Backyard Ballistics for Christmas, I think he's feeling the urge to blow some things up. Love the thank you notes.

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  3. I like the thank you letters. Ours were always identikit. Shame about your mug but a great excuse to find a new one. Something from a local potter, perhaps? Fermented veg- hmm, it's the internal after consumption gas build up that would worry me :o). For a moment there I thought your knitting was a black bunny! Xx

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  4. If it's any consolation I like blogs where you get a break from the fairy lights and a beautiful book next to a candle next to a tiny jar with a hellebore in it. I know it's aspirational but come on, I have more time on my hands than almost anyone, but even I don't have time for that :D

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  5. No delightful photos here either, although I might go in the garden and take some snowy ones in a little bit. The thank you notes are lovely, much nicer than the sort of thank you for the present my mother is making me write this letter kind! They are certainly heartfelt!

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  6. I agree with 'thrift deluxe' above – normal, messy, complicated, funny, everyday life is what I like to read about. It reassures me that I'm not alone. Your youngest sounds like a poppet. I have to say, though, that I do not miss the days of kitchen science explosions... Btw, the Literary Gift Company has some great mugs (https://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/collections/mugs-1). Have a good weekend (have you got snow?!). Sam xx

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  7. Good books, especially the Alan Bennett. Shame about your mug. Glad to see that you survived the explosions! Happy knitting. Flighty xx

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  8. Well, I find ALL your pics have interest of one sort or another!
    Here, just now, our massive winter flowering jasmine which has divine scent when the sun shines on it, and is at least 50 years old makes a bright spot on a gloomy day. And you'll have daffs out soon being so far south.
    I did think that you were knitting a kitten on a fur rug though!

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  9. Your jumper looks like a little kitten at the moment, maybe it's just my computer. Have a good weekend.

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  10. Looking forward to reading Alan Bennett myself. Spotted it in Sainsbury's the other day ... after I'd checked out at the tills, natch. :o( Love the little vignettes of family life, Claire, such a good antidote to the sterility of my home now that my boy is back at uni. (Minus the seed catalogues, of course, which seem to be taking on a life of their own.) Have a great week, stay warm! Cxx PS seriously impressed with the black knitting, I wouldn't be able to see the stitches after dusk!

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  11. don't apologise for photographing books... I love to see what people are reading. Carol Shields' short stories are fab if you're ever in the mood for more.

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  12. Oh, I'll take a picture of a book pile over one of an artsy twig on a linen cloth any day. (Not short stories but can highly recommend Joanne Harris' 'Different Class'.) Shame about the mug but at least there was enough left intact to be put to another use. (I bought three new mugs online recently, polar bear heads, which turned out to be almost the size of actual polar bear heads.) Like the look of your sweater but I know what you mean about the downside of black knitting. Can't see what I'm doing with mine. Apparently, a white background helps so I may have to channel the Ghost of Christmas Past and drape a sheet over myself. Have a good weekend.

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  13. Explosions, cooked fingers and black knitting what a dangerous life you lead! :-)

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  14. Would you believe me if I told you that one day you will miss the smell of those damp football boots? I have no idea what Boom Explosions are, but I think I want some. :-)

    I clicked on the link to that pattern, and if you can hang in there with that black yarn the finished sweater is going to be stunning.

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  15. Just remember how staged those lovely still life photos are! My real life? Pet hair EVERYWHERE and a dark house hidden beneath hemlock and spruce trees, so no lovely light for me. But I love the trees (and the pets) just the same. ;)

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  16. Oh I do love those thank you letters! Looking forward to hearing how you get on with fermenting vegetables - on my list of things to do too.

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  17. of course you know i'm giggling over the artfully crumbled artisan biscuit. *snort* i was thinking i might need to invest in some more succulents, so that i'm not photographing the same one over and over again. still on the look-out for a vintage rolling pin, though....;)

    i'm very impressed with your knitting project -- i had a peep at the Ravelry instructions and they made my head hurt a bit. clearly i'm more suited to scarves...and, in moments of high ambition, cowls.

    fermenting is The Thing, isn't it? i've launched myself into Healthy Eating -- all-plants, all-the-time and involving rather a lot of lentils and beans. It's a bit of a chore for the digestives, for the first while ;) -- which makes me slightly leery of the fermented veg. i imagine one must ease in slowly? if only as a public service....:D What is it about gas that turns us all into 6 year old boys? :P

    xoxo

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  18. THose thank you notes are priceless. I envy those who can take a photo of a candlestick and it looks perfect. I often run around looking for anything that makes it look like my home is not a wreck. Hugs to you dear CJ,
    Meredith

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  19. CJ you must finish that sweater because it's going to be stunning! I would totally wear that. Please don't think your home or weekends are not blogworthy - your vignettes are always wonderful and I for one very much want to hear about your exploits with fermenting vegetables! Xx

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  20. I smiled all the way through this post! Thank you. I drool over those "look at my casually artful home" photos I see on other blogs and sigh when I look around my own home. And today I had to frog 1208 stitches of white knitting (serves me right for trying to save a few pennies by not putting the light on) and pick up 232. If I'd done black I think I would have just left the mistake - nobody would have noticed. Hope you are having a good weekend. x

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  21. Enjoyed a good laugh reading your post. I loved ''Bird by Bird'' and used it in writing classes, my grown up daughters have also enjoyed it, and the bird by bird bit is a good philosophy to have when struggle with life's little hurdles!

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  22. Believe me I know that damp football boot smell but your post did make me smile. I've knitting some black mitts with lace cuff and I had to rip it back and start again several times because I couldn't see to correct it... Then the dog ate one of them!

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  23. Hi CJ, I'm just trying to catch up with blogs today. I'm sorry to have missed this post. I really enjoyed it. Honestly, I'm a lot better at photographing things than I am people, especially my children, which is actually one of the reasons I don't often have photos of them on my blog. Mainly it's about privacy, yes, but also I just can't seem to do them much justice in my photos. Or maybe it's that they always look a little disheveled, which is to be expected because I generally do too. :)

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  24. You really don't give yourself enough credit. That first photo is so great. It makes you feel things. Isn't that what you photographers want? I like the complimentary book colors and textures with just a bit of contrast. Very nice.

    I highly recommend busting out the headlamp for the black yarn knitting if all good quality lamps are taken ... or even if they aren't, ha!

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