Friday 16 January 2015

Five on Friday

Five paragraphs on a Friday.


Enough with the wind and rain already.  I have some incredibly gloomy allotment photos on my camera, far too gloomy to use at the end of a tricky week, so I found this picture from the summer.  I promised you a photo of me in my wellies.  The biggest boy took this picture, and although it is a picture of me in my wellies you can't actually see the wellies part so I've never used it.  I didn't ever particularly decide not to use photos of myself on the blog, although I'm aware I almost never do.  It's because I have almost no photos of me.  Thousands of everyone else, about ten of me.  Ooh, that could be a New Year's resolution couldn't it.

On the subject of resolutions, I'm still on a bit of a roll with the January energy.  I've done constructive things, organising, creating, decluttering.  Out went a whole bag of soft toys.  It's a mystery where they come from sometimes.  They have to leave the house while the children are at school or they'd all be "rescued" out of the bag.  It is quite sad though, and yesterday the other half nearly rescued one or two himself.  Not a penguin, we can't throw a penguin out.  The little turtle, no, not the little turtle surely.

It's now less than a month until the middle boy's birthday.  Time to start thinking about presents again.  It seems far too close to Christmas really.  Father Christmas got him a Trangia, a little camping stove, for Christmas.  Just a secondhand one from Ebay, but he absolutely loves it.  He's a big fan of outdoor survival.  I have a feeling I shall have to take him camping before too long.  No doubt anything with fire or a sharp blade will do very nicely for his birthday.

I've been doing a little sewing this week.  Some on the sewing machine (the big purple quilt) and some by hand (a slightly bird-themed quilt for the biggest boy).  I'm always so in awe of people who create quilts and blankets and all sorts of everything at regular intervals.  It usually seems to take me years.  I've sort of half started a memory quilt as well, with bits of the children's old clothes.  In fact I'd forgotten about it until just this very minute.  If it wasn't so dark I'd whip it all out and take some photos.  I'll get to it one day, I will.  I wonder if I could whip up a single sized quilt as a gift by April/May.  Seems unlikely, but the idea keeps popping into my head.  Maybe by April/May next year, that should be doable surely.

Finally I just wanted to thank you all for your very lovely comments on my last post.  And also for reading and being so nice.  I wasn't fishing for compliments (although as you know I do that at home all the time), but thank you for all the things you said, they really were so very good to read.

And with that I shall wish you all the very best of weekends, with lots of time spent doing the things that you love, be it sewing, knitting, crochet, walking, gardening, reading, baking, eating.  Enjoy.  CJ xx

Joining in with Five on Friday, taking five minutes from our day to enjoy five things.  To visit the other bloggers joining in this week, click on the links below.

           Amy at Love Made My Home                      Jill at Emerald Cottage

           Nicole at My Garden Diaries                        Beth at The Whimsical Dowager

           Alison at Sylvan House                                 Julie at Julie's Lifestyle

36 comments:

  1. Gosh you look extremely glamorous for working on an allotment - very Alys Fowler like! You made me laugh about having to do a 'toy cull' when everyone is out; I've had to that a few of those on my time. I'd love to see some of your quilts in progress. I'm thinking of starting another; possibly as a graduation present for L. Good luck with the birthday preparations - maybe a Swiss army knife? Have a good weekend. x

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  2. That's a lovely photo of you CJ.. biggest boy takes a great photo :o) Looking forward to seeing your quilts when you decided to 'whip' them out :o) Have a lovely weekend :o) xx

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  3. That's a lovely phot of you, CJ. The allotment looks very verdant too. I know what you mean about the sewing, I would like to do more but there always seems to be 1001 other things that need to be done first. Sounds like middle boy would love a trip to Mountain Warehouse, there's lots of Ray Mears stuff in there! Wishing you a lovely weekend xx

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  4. So nice to see a summery photo of you CJ. There are hardly any photos of me either. When the boys look through old photos they ask where I was....behind the camera!
    Now they are older I do get in the odd snap.
    Have a great weekend
    Jacquie x

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  5. Seems we both have a minimal selection of pictures of ourselves! Yours is a good one though, most of mine are awful!
    A bit of decluttering here too. I do love the idea of a memory quilt - maybe I could manage that (gulp)...
    Have a wonderful weekend. Here's hoping the light levels improve and this gloom starts to lift!
    S x

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  6. Lovely photo of you!! All of your quilts sound very exciting and just the sort of thing to be working on in the cold winter when veggie growing isn't a possibility. I am in awe!! I love to declutter, but then I bring more things in, it is a revolving door here, but soft toys are hard to part with, they never leave!! I hope you have a great weekend, thank you for joining in! xx

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  7. Love the name of the blog but for the life of me I can't think of a river in South Glos apart form the Avon. Good to see you son has camping in his blood, shame mine never did. PS popped over from Amys

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    1. Bill, it's the River Severn, I quite often take photos of it from high vantage points round here.

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  8. Gorgeous photo CJ - definitely should be a resolution as you are so photogenic !
    Have a fab weekend, Kate xx

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  9. Biggest boy took a very nice photo of you.

    I rarely have photos of me either. I'm usually the one BEHIND the camera.

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  10. Your middle boy is one of my kind! Sam has a his own camping stove which he takes out on walks and he uses it to provide everybody with hot chocolate. Mind you, he does also 'scientific experiments' with it. We gave him a fire starter, which he loves. A scout survival kit comes to mind for the upcoming birthday, or a set of wood carving knifes (a big hit here). Sam mad a sibling basher with his set.... I have confiscated it. I haven't been sewing for ages, apart from mending jeans. Did I mention already how great you look?? You do! Have a wonderful weekend. x

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  11. Winter is the perfect time for sewing/ knitting projects- all those long dark evenings :o) I'd love to see some pics of your works in progress. I splurged on fabric on ebay yesterday and now can't wait for it all to arrive :o) Nice to see a summer picture too xx

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  12. Lovely pic!! I really want an allotment, we had one where we lived last but not this time, maybe next house :) Looking forward to seeing quilt progress, I'm the same with making things, the camper blanket has been going nearly a year and still not finished! good luck finding something for your camping minded son :) xx

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  13. I like the bit about forgetting the memory quilt :) We don't really take photos of each other and are often heard saying "You didn't get me in there did you?" If we sneak in we are cropped out.

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  14. A nice post, and I'm rather glad you decided not to post any gloomy allotment pictures!
    Enjoy the weekend, even though looks like being rather cold and wintry! Flighty xx

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  15. what a lovely photo CJ...soft toys multiply I swear, no sooner have I declared 'NO MORE SOFT TOYS' another batch arrives.....light is crap for photos too, desparately trying and failing to get some decent ones for work...have a great weekend xx

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  16. We have a trangia and LOVE it! I guess your son would be happy with any camping/outdoor cooking ideas for his birthday, my daughter loves her collapsible bowl and bottle, or a spork (?), a plastic knife, fork and spoon combined. I love your allotment photo, great photography by your son, looks like it should be in a gardening magazine.
    Caz xx
    Ps I can guarantee that if you ever throw a soft toy out, that is the one toy the child will be looking for later that day even thought they haven't played with that toy for months

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  17. Oh CJ, that is the most wonderful photograph of you. Seriously print it off and frame it. How about a penknife for an outdoorsy boy, or is that a step too far? Alfie had one of those multi purpose ones for Christmas. Now he's an army cadet, he's well into survival. Although he doesn't venture far from his room at the moment, and I think he likes to skewer pieces of apple with his knife. Bear Grylls started out that way.
    Leanne xx

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  18. I'll let you in on a secret...I'm terrified of my sewing machine, in sits in a cupboard and I'm sure its watching me. I only sew by hand as I have permanent double vision so your quilt making is amazing!! I love that you have a memory quilt on the go, what a treat for your children.

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  19. It's a lovely photo of you. There's very few photos of me too, but that's because everyone has been warned not to take one. I've still got bags full of cuddly toys in the loft, I can't bare to part with them.

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  20. I love that photo. You have such a pretty, delicate face and your hair is beautiful. I'm really glad to hear you've been sewing. Will you share your quilt? I would love to see your progress. I think that's a wonderful idea for a gift. I hope you've been feeling more positive about the new year. It sounds like you've got this just fine. I'm happy to know you're doing well, I was a little worried. Take care and have a good weekend, CJ.

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  21. Great pictures of you! the plants are huge, great 5 on friday. xxx

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  22. What a nice photo and reminder of summer which I miss so much! Thanks for sharing five on friday!

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  23. I'm sure your son will love his trangia, we use ours all the time at the beach to cook sausages and make tea!

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  24. I agree with the others - what a lovely photo of you at your allotment. I definitely don't look as neat when I'm gardening - think mud smeared on one cheek, hair jammed under a hat...! Lil x

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  25. I love the picture of you in your allotment! It is good to see a reminder of summer! Sarah x

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  26. That is a fabulous picture of you!!!! Sort of like a Garden Faerie. I have about two photos of myself as I am always the one with the camera and frankly I am horribly un-photogenic.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  27. I make a point of keeping out of photos as much as possible, other than the occasional drunken selfie on Instagram of course. Classy bird, huh?! ;-) Whereas you're just lovely and so photogenic, and absolutely should be on that end of the lens more.

    I'm mid-purge too - isn't it therapeutic? Mind you, I did have a little wobble last weekend when my daughter went through her childhood story books - I suddenly got very nostalgic and fond and decided to set aside a pile for my future grandchildren! Soft toys this weekend. Gulp.

    Heather xx

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  28. What a nice photo of you CJ! It's neat to have photos of yourself taken from the perspective of your children I bet. The memory quilt sounds especially nice. I'd love to attempt to make a quilt someday. I'd like to get one for little Sprout's future crib, but I don't think I'm going to be the one to construct it, unfortunately. I hope you enjoy the weekend with your family and projects :)

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  29. That shot of you is stunning!!!! OH my goodness! You look like a garden goddess!!! And how fantastic that you are rocking it this January!!! Purging is good...and yes I have no idea where some of the things come from in my house either! Happy weekend CJ! Nicole xo

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  30. I wished I looked nice & clean like you when I'm out in the garden! Worzel Gummidge comes to mind when I'm out there. I think we still have cuddly toys up in the attic, I'm a little scared to go up there to see what actually is there!

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  31. It's actually really reassuring to see a photo from the Summer - makes me fell more positive about the big patches of bare soil I keep looking at! I remember doing the soft toy throwouts - sadly it was always me who tried to rescue them - we still have far too many but at least they are bunged in a box in the attic. If your boy likes camping/outside stuff take a look at the storm kettle in my last post - he'd love it (and you could pinch it for the allotment too!) Have a good week x Jane

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  32. It's a great picture of you CJ - do you really wear such nice clothes to garden in? I look like a scrubby mess when I garden - old t-shirts and baggy shorts. But it is my backyard - I'd probably try to look a bit more put together if I was in public. I've been trying to scuttle some toys out of the door also - they really won't miss them if they don't see them!

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  33. Your photo could be the cover of a new book on allotments!! Very glamorous :-) I'm with you on the windy weather, I'm trying to catch up on my sleep as it terrifies me. I'm also getting ready for my boy's birthday next month, except his will involve him taking his first driving lessons - YiKeS!! Where did the years go?!! Have a wonderful weekend xx

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  34. Lovely photo :) Your allotment looks very lush. You are right about soft toys. They do seem to multiply behind your back and I can remember a few toy culls!

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  35. Well, hello gorgeous! Nice photo. It's really nice to see a summery photo in blogland. I always declutter when the kids are at school otherwise it's an exercise in futility. Xx

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