Feeding The Spirit

Yesterday I topped up on my much depleted spirit and ditched the housework in favour of the garden.  It was a perfect day to be out there, clearing away the last signs of winter.  The sun was shining, it was warm but not too hot and it felt great to get my hands dirty from the mud once more.

The garden looks quite bare at this time of the year but there is new life sprouting all over.  Little pockets of colour appearing which bring me joy after what has been a fairly drab winter.

 Patches of narcissus and crocus are bright and cheerful and have sprung up along with the Aquilaga that will flower later in the season. The Aquilaga seem to change colour every year as they hybridise with each other and they are always a lovely surprise.

 The Euphorbia are also providing a splash of colour and love my garden.  I have these deep green and red ones and also some mixed green ones elsewhere in the garden.

 The primroses which are one of my favourite plants are looking quite good too, although I tend to loose these regularly during the hot dry spells.

 The herb wheel looks a little sorry for itself although the creeping Rosemary is going very well and the Fennel which dies right back during the winter is ready to head skyward at any moment!  I'm sure will be green and bursting with colour, smell and most importantly flavour in no time at all.

The frogs are causing tidal waves in my small pond.  3 males all trying their luck with the one female we have.  Poor thing I feel quite sorry for her ;)

The fairy garden I made last year looks a little pitiful with just a few primroses remaining, but they are hanging on in there and look very pretty in their shades of pink.
There is still much to be done out there, but after a day spent cutting back on the last vestiges of winter, planting some Sedums and pruning some of the bushes it looks 100% better already and I can look out of my kitchen window once more and smile.

Find A Happy Place

Today has been pants.  I had to go to the dentist and ended up very much lighter in the pocket for the privilege of 2 root canals and the beginnings of a crown for a fractured tooth.
I still have at least 2 more trips to complete and there is a good chance that the tooth which is to be crowned will have to be extracted any way as the dentist wasn't able to get out all the nerve.  Various other events both this week and today have left me wanting to scream or to strangle someone at the very least, but the sun shone bright and it was unseasonably warm so despite all these events I felt better.

The day is over but the evening is young so I am hoping that I can recharge the happy batteries a little.  Maybe with some crafting, maybe some reading or meditation or maybe just some mindless TV, I don't know just yet, but I will have some time for myself before I implode or self combust.

I know we all have those moments in life when things are just too much - so here is something I made for a special person for those times in life when things are just a little more than is good for the spirit.

May I present to you..... the Happy Pouch.

I made this teeny tiny quilted pouch from some hand dyed fabric that I bought in a beautiful Etsy shop called The Rainbow Girl I used my machine to quilt the yellow stars and then red embroidery floss using a technique I learnt on the Teesha Moore website HERE Then I added a yellow popper and voila the Happy Pouch was born.

Now as you can see the pouch will contain 3 crystals, the one at the top of the picture is a rough ruby.  The dark one on the left is a garnet and the bright yellow one is citrine.  The citrine promotes Joy on all levels as well as cleansing negativity.  The ruby and garnet are key crystals for promoting the increase of life force and encourage prosperity and abundance, allowing the recipient to both receive and appreciate abundance of all things happy!  I think I will be making one for myself so that when I encounter days like today I have something to concentrate on other than the crap at hand.

So readers, whatever your day has been like today have a happy evening.

Versatility

Firstly I have to say thank you to the lovely MillyMollyMandy over at Chateau Moorhen for awarding me with a versatile Blogger Award.  I am very happy to receive it - it's nice to have my ramblings, rantings and randomness awarded.

Now the award requires that I pass it on, and for each blog I pass it to, I tell you something that you didn't already know about myself.  So I will be passing this award over to 3 of my favourite blogs.

Number 1 on my list would be a beautiful blog which very sadly is no longer being kept up, but do not use that as an excuse not to visit it.  It is called Twig and toadstool and I find myself trawling through past posts with my fingers crossed that it is started up at some point again.  It is a nature inspired craft fest, enchanting and magical and beautifully written and I visit it regularly for ideas and inspiration.  There are so many tutorials available that you could never get bored looking through and having a go at some of them.

Secondly would be Susie over at Useless Beauty she is a woman after my own heart and willing to give everything a go if it involves crafting.  Her sense of humour is outstanding -and some of her cat annecdotes are laugh out loud funny.  Her creations are amazing and she possesses magical skills with a pair of knitting needles, skills which I am really quite jealous of.  She brings a light to my computer screen in a way that no other blog quite manages so pop over and have a look.

Finally I am going to nominate a blog which I have been following for a long time, almost since its conception.  A blog which now has a huge following.  The Frugal Queen is an amazing blog which has changed so many peoples lifestyles, including mine, for the better.  This lady goes against the Tsunami of consumerism to live the way she believes is right.  She has had highs and lows, she has been both praised and battered ( I mean in the verbal sense) in blogland and in real life too, for the way she chooses to live her life, but I amongst a gathering group of many, admire her.  I am in fact in awe of what she does and it is the most versatile blog I have ever read.  She does cooking, cleaning, fashion, crafting and all on a budget that the majority of the population would choke on. She is a one woman Tsunami and deserves a some of your time.

Oh so now on to the tough bit - the bit where I have to tell you some things about myself that you do not already know.  Hmm, tricky... not because I don't want to but because I'm having increasing numbers of senior moments these days and can't think of anything, but...... here goes.


1. I sleep on the left side of the bed nearest the door ,which according to some survey or another is usually the side which the men sleep on.  Haha, no surprise - I wear the trousers here as you probably worked out by now, which includes mowing the lawn ( well when we had one to mow), catching the spiders, keeping track of all the finances, doing all the driving ( because Daddy Troll drives like a 99 year old and procrastination on the road is for ......insert expletive here).

2. Ok shut it - I like Cliff richard - there I said it - I came out. That does not mean I approve of his fashion sense, or his attitude towards paying his taxes, but a little bit of Mistletoe and Wine after a few sherrys at Chrimbly - well, it get's you in the mood doesn't it? - and you all know the words,so hush up laughing at me will you ;)

3. Finally...... erm,  I love my Bridget Jones knickers.  I feel lost without them actually.  They suck it all in and keep a firm hold of what would otherwise be flailing round like there was no tomorrow, probably too much information but I'm a troll what did you expect.  Thongs are evil, designed for what?  To slice and dice, that's what!  None of that diamante cheese wire shenanagans thank you very much!  BIG KNICKERS PEOPLE!!!!!

Enjoy your evening, and if you have nightmares about volouminous pants - it wasn't me,lololol.

In The final Throws

Of winter hopefully!  It is unpredictable out there still isn't it?  This morning I woke to a frost, which is pretty and will always be so in my eyes, but as that sun shone clear and bright it was welcome.  I love watching how the wheel of the year turns, watching the many hues of nature throughout the year but today I came across some pictures of my little patch of earth from last June and it made me hunger for the green stuff once more. This was the view from my kitchen window last June and a nought but a distant memory at this moment in time, but it's not so far into the future either now, as full on gardening season begins in earnest in just a few short weeks.

June, bursting at the seams in a riot of colour, texture and smell.

Watching the beauty peaking around us during the heady days of August.

Still playing as the slight chill sets in in September.

The shadows lengthen during October, but crisp clear skies and windy days blow the cobwebs away.

The blazing glory of the foliage of trees as Winter sets in.

Yet even as they tumble to the ground, to be reclaimed by the Earth there is fun to be had in November.

But when the Earth rests  and the ground lay dormant the crisp chill December nights offer something just as spectacular.

 The Wheel has turned and the days have started their lengthening journey, but January is freezing and icy.

February is bleak, but there are signs just beginning to show of what's yet to come.

I'm quite excited really, there is potential in every new leaf and every new bud.  I can't wait!

Poxy Allsorts and Chocolate Sausages.

It's half term here at Troll Manor so we have been up to a mixture of all sorts really.  Daddy Troll has taken a few days off work so we started the day with a nice home made juice of apples, carrots, spinach and lemon.  It was rather nice to the taste but I have to admit that I wasn't all that over gone on the colour of it as it had come out a kind of dunduckity mud colour.

After breakfast we went off to the market to get more ingredients for more juices - although what good it's doing me I don't know, I've been juicing for some days now but I seem to be putting weight on rather than taking it off -  but there we go.

The market usually has at least one fairly well stocked fabric stall so it was a good chance to browse, although browsing is never quite enough as any fabric whore such as myself will tell you and we came home with 4 different kinds of fabric for various projects.
 Roast pig has decided that she is taking a chip off the old block and has put textiles as one of her GSCE choices. I have warned her in no uncertain terms that she will need to get some practise in as I will not be doing her work for her, which I have a sneaky suspicion she was hoping for. Two of the fabrics we brought today were just very basic poly cottons which she will use two make two dresses.  One dress will be for her and one will be for her sister Rascal.  She has a very basic pattern for her to work on, simplicity 2007.

I have helped her to pin and cut out her fabric for the first dress, which will be the one for herself and she has made a good start as you can see here.   She has chosen this fabric which is covered in Liquorice All sorts and I think will make a fun dress for her if she sews it to a wearable standard, but will be good practise even if she can't then wear it in public.

The other two fabrics were a plain orange fleece, which will be turned into some cosy trousers for the Wee man and possibly a skirt for Rascal too as the man threw in the rest of the roll for me, so I have just under two metres for £5 -what a bargain!

The final fabric was also a bargain at £1.50 per metre and needed to be as I had to purchase 14 metres of the stuff.  It will be used to make an outfit for me using another Simplicity pattern.  This time it's a Medieval costume for a weekend event we are attending in May.  There will be handfastings and I wanted to make sure I was dressed appropriately. I hope I can pull this dress off or should that be pull it on.  The largest size was a size smaller than I normally use, but I know firstly that Simplicity patterns tend to come up very big and secondly the fabric is stretchy so as long as I do not put on masses of weight between now and May I should be fine.  Or I might just end up looking like a brown crushed velvet medieval sausage, now that would be a sight would it not.

Here is the pattern I will be using.

I'll be making the dress on the top left of the cover photo in a chocolate brown crushed velvet.  It will be plain I think as I don't do frills really, but I might add an appropriate trim, especially if I need to deflect attention for the belly area to somewhere else as I suspect I might.

As it's half term we are hoping to go out tomorrow, perhaps a trip down to Hastings.  It feels like a long time since we have seen the sea and despite it being cold will be a nice change.  The only thing possibly stopping us is Wee Man as he appears to have the Pox. It's not a bad case and only affecting his face, but he has a terrible cold with it and is being miserable as sin.  We will see how he is in the morning I think, but in hopeful preparation I have made an Oaty mincemeat bake. The recipe was one I stole from Frugal Queen. I do love her blog and her very down to Earth cooking too.  If you have never read it go and have a look as she is truly remarkable.

Here is my version of her recipe using some homemade mince meat. I am looking forward to eating it tomorrow with my family whether we go out or not.

Hmm, not much light in my kitchen hence the pants photo, but I promise you this tastes divine and is cheap as chips to make too.
Much love blogland.

Some Obligatory Pink For Valentines

Trolls hate pink!!!  Trolls are in fact the most unmushy creatures you will ever come across, however I think maybe someone may have enchanted Rascal much to my dismay, as she seems to be very much in love with the most revolting shade of pink there is - baby pink.

So as the baby trolls have been at Grandma Trolls house since Sunday night, I have been doing a little sewing. Actually it's more refashioning than creating from scratch.  I have made this sweet, cute, girly, puke inducing skirt from a pair of pyjamas that rascal received for Christmas but were a very poor fit.  It was all bum cracks and belly's on show with legs that dragged 3 foot behind her and not a sight to behold.  Exactly what kind of child they would have fitted is beyond me.

This is the front, which features a rather idiotic looking penguin taken from the front of the top of the pyjamas.

And here is the back made from the gargantuan legs of the pyjamas.

Not exactly a work of art, although I imagine it might look better once ironed, but I know that she will be very pleased to receive this as she was most put out when I told her she could no longer wear them as pyjamas.  There is only so much bum crack one can take you know!

Whether you are single or with someone tonight Happy Valentines Day but ........... .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My Systers

In my time away from blogland, I formed a friendship with a group of women.  These women are strong, kind, funny and beautiful in so many ways and I speak with them almost daily. Now, I have only ever met one of these women in person but I long to meet each of them one day despite them living all over this globe of ours. These are the days of instant communication and I welcome the technology that brought that about for this reason.

They have been with me through many ups and down, we have had so many laughs and so much fun and they have brightened my doorstep so many times with all the lovingly crafted packages of goodness that we exchange regularly.

 They have inspired me to make myself better and they are the closest thing to actual sisters I have ever had (being an only child). Even better than being a sister who I might not actually get on with, these are all women like myself, we have similar hobbies and interests and are all witches on a path of learning and creativity.

The bond that I have formed with each of these women is so special to me and my life is better having them all as part of it.  This post is for each and every one of those women, but also to my other readers who might just enjoy something that one of my systers is hosting at the moment.

She has recently started a blog  By Hook Heart And Hand and I'm sure she would love to have you over to take a look at her beautiful creations.
Also she is hosting a giveaway on Facebook HERE so for a chance to win one of her divine Goddess dolls have a peek at her page and click that 'like' button.  The winner will not be disappointed as I have one of her dolls that she made for me and it is truly beautiful.

Potato Cakes

These are a tasty and very frugal way of using up leftover mashed potato.

Potato cakes


8 oz self raising flour
pinch of salt
3oz butter or margarine
6 oz mashed potatoes
2 fluid oz milk


In a bowl rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the salt, potatoes and milk and form into a dough.  Roll out onto a floured surface and using a rolling pin roll until it's about an inch and a half thick.  Using a round pastry cutter, cut out your cakes.  Bake in a hot oven until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter, or as part of a meal.

These can be spiced up any way you choose, add a pinch of paprika or some caraway seeds or maybe a teaspoon of mustard powder.  The choice is yours, I added a teaspoon of ground nutmeg to mine.
Here are mine ( I doubled the recipe above as that's how much potato I had over), ready to go into the oven.

 All cooked and ready to use for another meal.  I cooked these last night, we had some today served with an egg and beans and a good dose of The Pogues for an Irish themed meal.

We have leftovers too which will be tomorrows breakfast, reheated in the oven with a spoon of home made pickle and some melted cheese.  Yum!  What a shame I'll be at work and miss them.

From Trolls To Elves

Well readers, how are you all doing in this ever so bitter weather.  Have you had enough of winter's icy grip yet?  Are you ready for some sunshine and some warming of the bones and a little green too?  I don't actually mind the winter although by this time of year I am gladdened by the noticeably lengthening days.  It always makes time stretch, makes it feel like you can acomplish more somehow, even though the days remain the same length.

I have been busy over this winter making and mending, quilting and crafting in general but I seem to have an ever growing pile of UFO's (unfinished objects).  This is what I mean....

This is not just your average black bin liner - oh no, this is mega super duper bin liner crammed with way too many UFO's for my liking.  This is bin liner big enough to fill a good proportion of our dining table which comfortably sits six people! I think I need a break just looking at the amount of hours I need to finish what's inside.

There are two projects in there that I have been working on slowly and are both coming together very nicely.  I absoloutley adore the work of Katwise, however if you head over to her Etsy shop here you will see that 99% of the time she has no merchandise to sell other than instructions on how to make your own.  When she does have a group of things to sell there is a frenzy of people all trying to 'win' one of her coats or jumpers.  Well excuse me I'm British and getting long in the tooth, so going through all the palava of fighting for an item of clothing.... well it's just not my style.  What is very much my style though is to go and raid some charity shops looking for suitable victims and then hack into those victims producing my own knocked off version of the desired item.

So firstly I have my version, incomplete for the time being, but progressing nicely, of a Katwise Elf coat.

 
On this model I still have to do big long elvish sleeves and a big long elvish hood.  It also needs something to finish off the central opening, but I haven't figured that bit out yet.  I'm not sure I want to brave buttons, as me and button holes don't get along.  I might also make it a bit longer as currently it sits just below my bum, but I might extend it to just above the knees, if I can find enough fabric!  I am 5 foot 9 with 33 inch inside legs, so I might have to raid a few more charity shops to get the extra length I need.  I think next time I make one of these for myself I will half the width of the vertical panels making them more triangular in shape too.  I'll get a bit more swing for my money, and I think I can do swing.

The second attempt is for Rascal and is a dress rather than a coat style Katwise knock off.

This just needs it's elvish hood, which I have to admit to being a bit intimidated by as I have no idea how it's going to turn out and could ruin the dress, but then this one is done, she has been trying it on for me throughout the process and I have to say that with her ginger hair and freckles she looks positively magical in it.  I cannot wait to get this done for her.

I think I have a new addiction, sewing these is fun, simply because there is no right and wrong way to do it.  Expect to see more of these, I already have an order from the Wee Man who was 5 in January.  He wants a pink, purple and grey one and I'm sure Roast Pig would love one in Tim Burton style.
I'm off to my sewing machine now, before the day passes away, so take care blogland.

Phantom Sheep And A fiery Tale For An Icy Day

Well it's been a busy old day here at Troll Manor, but since I'm in the mood I thought I would come and tell you about it.  This morning after the shopping was bought, taken home and put away, we decided to go down to one of our many local parks.  This particular park is a favourite of mine, for a few reasons.  Firstly it has no 'attractions'  so it is peaceful and secondly there is no play area so it is generally child free other than those children with parents walking dogs such as ourselves.

The area is a haven for wildlife too, having a sizable lake and quite vast areas of land left to grow wild.  At this time of year it is all 'sculptural' looking, to coin one of the most poncy Gardeners World terms.

Here is what I mean

Large areas of grasses and reeds and other plants such as Teasels make it quite an interesting place even when new life is only just starting to stir.

The fresh green of this moss underfoot covered in ice still, is just a lovely sight. It really stands out in the vast expanses of greys and browns.

I don't think that these Canadian Geese are overly impressed at having such an icy home although the murder of crows in the background seem to be quite enjoying the novelty of being able to walk on water.
 Now onto something a little more puzzling.  Despite the rather naturalistic looking photos, don't be fooled, we live in the smoke, we are town rats.  It's houses and built up areas as far as the eye can see.  When I look out of my living room window I am met with brick walls and views into other peoples homes so I am, and not for the first time, somewhat confuddled.

This stuff, this fluff, this white woolly very sheepesque looking stuff is everywhere.  Had it been a random one off patch of something I would have passed it off as dog hair, but it's too plentiful for that and I've seen it in Crystal Palace Park too.  Do we have a phantom flock of sheep roaming the streets of London, or is it just some wicked trickster planting sheep fur balls to confuse the more confusable souls such as myself.

Answers on a Post Card please, before my brain and imagination go bang! Now as I said we are town rats so having the slightest bit of 'real' weather seems to send my family into a bit of a frenzy, but I couldn't help but have a giggle at the slightly ridiculous.

But at least we were not the only ones being a bit silly as in the next big ice puddle there was a father and son doing exactly the same thing as we were.

This afternoon, has seen the finish of a little project.  A project that would never need to have been started if it weren't for my husband managing to set himself on fire almost a week ago!

 He had bought me a really quite nice pair of oven gloves for Christmas as the old ones had really seen better days.  There was also a rather large risk of burning the end of your fingers if you used them on anything remotely hot, which is of course the sole purpose of oven gloves. Anyway, I digress, whilst stirring a large pot of pasta, using the oven gloves to do so, he managed to set them, and for a teeny tiny moment himself on fire as the gloves caught the flame of the gas hob.  After a few panicked screams ( please, do not think they came from me - I don't do such girly nonsense) and a good dousing of water everything was fine.  Well everything except my new oven gloves, which sadly now reside in landfill somewhere :(

I am not one to go out and buy things if I can make them so I set out to make some, after all they are fairly basic.  I lined them with felted wool, double thickness for the hand bits and then covered the wool with thick heavy duty cotton.  I finished them off with gross grain ribbon and voila.  Nice new, hopefully fairly flame resistant oven gloves.

Now I am off to cross my fingers that it doesn't snow as I really don't fancy having to walk to work at 5 o'clock in the morning and then walk home after an 8 hour shift in hell.  It can snow all it likes when I get home though,lol.

Good night fellow bloggers, sweet dreams.

On Entering The Land Of Blog Once More

Well it's been a very long time since I was here, and, well so much has gone on in my life since July last year that it would be impossible for me to tell you all about it here and now so I shan't try.

  My break from the land of blog was needed, I felt disillusioned by so many aspects of what I read elsewhere that I felt that I needed to step back from it all for a while and concentrate on making and doing rather than trying to show you all what I had been up to.  Since July there have been ups and downs, fun and frolics, new friends made and I have until now kept it all to myself.  Here I am though once more ready  to share my little slice of world with you.  I hope you will join me once again and forgive me for my absence and for today I shall just leave you with a few pictures of the past few months.

A bit of light relief during an extraordinarily dry summer.

Some new additions to the Eglu after a spate of chicken deaths.

The Wee Man starts school.

Mumma Troll in her sexy homemade Halloween outfit.  Made from a sheet (what else).

Rascal finds her inner Green Woman at Hever Castle in November time.

A night spent honouring the ancestors for Samhain.

Somewhere along the line - the moment every parent dreads.  Out goes the innocence to be replaced with black eyeliner and a phone glued to the ear.

Is that really Daddy Troll hugging a tree.  this pagan stuff seems to be rubbing off on him finally. Maybe it was something I slipped in his water ;)

Story telling for Yule in a Roman hut in the middle of nowhere - perfect!

So until next time.  Happy blogging and happy reading.