Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Crochet Beret

The weeks have been flying by and between feeling tired after long days at work and this heat that we've been treated too (a lovely change from the wet summers we've had for the last few years) there hasn't been too much creating going on at Angelcat Manor recently.

However, back in June while on holidays in Yorkshire I started a new project on the hook and decided to have a go at making a hat, my first attempt at wearable crochet!
I wanted something that could serve as a spring/summer hat so picked a nice light coloured yarn from sirdar white with blue flecks.  It came together reasonably quickly and even though I didn't get a whole lot of crochet time on my hols by the end of the week I'd completed what you can see in the picture above.
A few more hooky hours later and it was done.  I'm reasonably pleased with the way it turned out.  It doesn't quite sit as nicely on my head as it looks on the head of the model in the pattern......but then hey I don't have stylist getting me ready for my photo shoots
I decided to take my hat on a trip to the park the other week and I was very grateful to have it keeping the sun off my head on such a hot day!
All in all I like the hat and think it will be well used over the coming months.  Oh and I had lots of giggles taking these pictures, I went to the park on my own on an afternoon off work so I think I looked very strange to other park goers trying to balance my camera on its little bendy tripod on park benches and then running round the rose garden trying to get into shot before the self timer went off ....... kept me amused even if I did look crazy, being born with no sense of shame has its advantages.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

My week in snapshots

I enjoyed putting together my little post last week so am thinking that I might make it a regular thing, just a few snapshots to record my week. Hopefully it'll get me back in the regular blog habit and make me think about starting to use my camera more often again!!

So this week I've been ........

Getting back to a bit of cross stitch
Enjoying some late evening candlelight
Watching the moon and clouds from my living room window
 
Snatching a few minutes on a bench for an alfreso sandwich during another super hectic week at work
Celebrating the arrival of the weekend with a pint of delicious perry at a local public house :)
Hope your week as been full of little (or big) adventures :)

Sunday, July 21, 2013

My week in snapshots

 Blue skies and sunshine
Beautiful sunset as seen from my living room window
 Tasty lunches made from a few simple ingredients
 Starting a new crochet project

 A perfect afternoon in the park
 Quiet moments spent reading in bed at the end of long days at work.


This week has pretty well flown by. 

I'm feeling content.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Simple Things

Doesn't time fly?  It's been longer than I remembered since I last added something here.  I've had an amazing few weeks trips to London, the Yorkshire Days and Stockholm.  Time spent with family and friends enjoying the lovely sunshine and celebrating good news.  Stitching, reading and going to the movies.  Anniversary and significant birthday celebrations with the wonderful man in my life.  Many Happy days.

On the flip side work is still a bitch!  At the end of everyday I'm left feeling frustrated ....... frustrated that I come home feeling exhausted but never feeling as though I have achieved enough, frustrated that I don't have energy to do anything much in the evenings, frustrated that I have so much to do that I can't do anything as well as I would like to, frustrated that no matter how many times I raise the issues with management nothing ever changes, frustrated that I can't take the pressure off the staff that work for me, frustrated that there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel, frustrated that a company that I used to really love working for now seems to value its staff less and have much more of a put up or shut up attitude.  I'm really starting to think I need to put some serious effort in to looking for a new job.  Surely not every employer out there can be like this?

While I battle on with this blogging might be a bit sporadic, but I'll try and get better.  And as draining as this situation is it's making me really appreciate the small things. I'm relearning to love the few moments of calm that pop up randomly through the week, simple things that can raise a smile.  Things like taking the time this week to sit down and have a proper breakfast one morning rather than getting up and rushing out of the house.
Eating cereal out of a well loved {fancy way of saying worn and chipped ;-)} vintage bowl I picked up from a second hand shop recently, and drinking a cup of Earl Grey {new tea obsession that I picked up in Stockholm, being able to pretend to be Captain Picard an added bonus}

I hope there are many simple pleasures brightening your lives.