Addictions

On Soft in the Head's blog, she wrote about things she was addicted to and said that she would be interested in hearing about what others are addicted to. Well, here goes:

1. Misty. It may seem strange that I am addicted to my kitten, but she is so adorable and having rescued her when she was so ill and so tiny, I absolutely adore her. I love the fact that she sleeps next to me at night and that I can cuddle her like a baby while watching tv in front of a log fire; mind you, it sends us both to sleep. I love the fact that when we have been out all day she runs up to us with her tail arched over her back quivering in excitement at seeing us. I can't imagine being without her.

2. Cheese. Living in France it is very easy to be addicted to cheese. The cheese stalls at the markets and the cheese counters in the supermarkets look so wonderful it is easy to get carried away. I love goats cheese most of all. I don't mind whether it is chalky in texture or creamy, hot or cold, it is divine. Last time my friend Maggie was over here, we went shopping and I bought a goats cheese covered in snipped chives. I had a little taste when I got home, and within five minutes the whole thing had vanished!! The other most favourite of cheeses is good old mature Cheddar. When you want cheese on toast or cheese topping on something else nothing can beat Cheddar.

3. Bread and Potatoes. Is my Irish ancestry showing here? How can people give these up? A hot, floury jacket potato with butter and grated cheese, divine. Crispy roast potatoes or spicy potato wedges both with garlic mayo, help! I am making myself hungry!

4. Making things. I have recently learned to crochet and have also taken up knitting again after many years. I am really enjoying both of them. I now look for wool whenever I go shopping, but before I buy too much, I need to find some patterns. My friend Maggie who is moving to France this coming weekend has got some material for me to make a new dressing gown with. I can't wait to start it. I have got a super sewing machine that OH gave me for christmas a few years ago, and have got my mums super all singing, all dancing machine that I have yet to try out. I keep threatening to crochet him some underpants, but he is not too keen!

5. Eating and cooking. I love food. I love good home cooked food, not out of a tin stuff or ready meals. I love people coming round for a meal. I love to spend time planning it, preparing it and eating it!!! My favourite foods are Mexican and Indian. I love making several different dishes that you can help yourself to. One of my food addictions at the moment is kiwi fruit. Last new year I made a resolution to eat some fruit every day. I chose kiwi fruit as they have more vitamin C than oranges and are easy to eat. I have 2 every day with my breakfast and it has become part of my daily routing. So much so, that if I don't have fruit in the morning I don't feel right.

Relaxing sundays

Well, Misty certainly decided to relax. She is going through a very snuggly phase at the moment, and likes to be near us. I sat down to crochet some little christmas trees bags yesterday afternoon, and Misty decided that she would sit on my crochet bag right next to me. Doesn't she look comfortable?It was a glorious day yesterday, freezing cold in the morning with lots of frost and ice everywhere, but bright blue sky. As I went downt he garden to feed the chickens and geese the sky was turning the most stunning pink and I debated going back to the house for my camera, but I knew that by the time I had got it the pink would have gone.

The christmas craft market in Le Dorat was on yesterday. OH decided that he could resist going, so I went on my own. There were a lot more outside stalls this year, but then it was very wet last year. There was a wonderful cheese stall run a man called Adrian. He has mainly English handmade cheeses that are absolutely divine. There was a sausage stall, I bought Ian some Cumberland and Lincolnshire sausages. He had the Cumberland for dinner last night and said not to bother getting them again as he prefers the French Toulouse sausages - apparantly they have much more meat in them. Penny had a stall there which looked fabulous, lots of lovely treasures on it, her friend Sandra had a stall next door with some wonderful handmade cards.

When I got home I spent a lovely afternoon crocheting some little christmas tree bags. You put a Ferrero Rocher chocolate in them and hang them on the tree - if I bother with a tree this year, never have I felt so un-christmassy. The pattern is Pennys, and once you get into the swing of them they are suprisingly easy, I managed to make 2 of them during the afternoon.

These are my little bags. The 2 white ones are white wool with a silver thread running through it, the blue one are in a fine metallic yarn. I am really please with them.

You can never have too many handbags .....

.... Just as well I've finished crochetting this one then.
It is crocheted in double crochet, with the front flap continued in half double and treble to give the diagonal shape. I tidied up the edges of the un-sewn bag with double crochet and stitched it together with back stitch.

I can see that there are places I need to improve on and to practice, but for a first project I am really pleased.

Mmmm, now what I am going to do with my evenings? Good job I am seeing Penny on Friday, she will have loads of ideas!!

My mother-in-law, Eileen has been staying with us for 4 days and we have had a wonderful time with her. Unfortunately the weather was quite damp for the first couple of days. but it then brightened and we had a couple of crisp, cold days. We took her to the craft fair at La Maison Bleue in Le Dorat, and spent a lovely afternoon with Penny. Laurence (Breezy's husband) came round for a couple of meals and we all had a great laugh.

My first crochet lesson

I had a great time yesterday learning to crochet with Penny (The Pearly Queen). She gave me lovely lovely wool and now I can't put it down! I even got up at 6.30 this morning to do some. It is going to be a bag, I will photograph the finished article. It is done in double crochet and is really nice and strong. The finished fabric is quite dense and solid.