Week two...

The holidays continue apace. Just back from an amazing wedding in the UK and life goes back to normal!

Today's activity :

A week in Provence..

At the risk of stating the obvious - I'm back!

We had an amazing time away, though I missed my babies so much! I've found it really hard to get back into the swing of things since we got back home, though I suppose it hasn't helped leaving behind weather like this:

to get back to grey skies and rain!

(the view from our living room)

I took lots of knitting, but the only knitting that actually got done was a small bit of sock on the Eurostar on the way over!

I did however do lots of this:

drank lots of this:

swam in here:

walked here:

visited here:

and here:

and here!

It was an amazing part of Provence, there were vineyards everywhere..

We helped the local economy as much as we could by tasting the local produce....!

Will post Paris pictures tomorrow!

Me? Excited? Never.......

Next week Daddy Long Legs and I will be having a whole week away by ourselves - Yup, that's right - a WHOLE WEEK without children -eek!!

And the reason for this previously unheard of event?, well, it's our 12.5 year wedding anniversary. Yes, that's right - 12.5 years! You really have to be Dutch to get this one - it's an official anniversary (Copper) and you can even have a day off work to celebrate. Why 12.5 years? Well, because it's half way to 25 of course.....!!

Normally, couples would have a party to celebrate, but we will be staying at a friends house in the south of France, and then spending two night in Paris. Excited, me??

It's all made possible by my lovely parents in law who will be coming over to stay with the children for the week that we are away. They are sooooo wonderful!

Anyhow, the reason for this post is not to gloat or make anyone feel jealous, but to ask for help! We've never been to Paris before and will have 2.5 days to spend there. Does anyone have any tips for nice places to eat/ places to visit off the beaten track? And most importantly - any good wool shops/haberdashers/ fabric shops you can recommend?

(pictures have nothing to do with the post! I just haven't used them before....!!)

Oops!

Sorry, sorry! Once again I've been absent for well over a week. I do have a good excuse - honest! We've just come back from a lovely and relaxed (yup, it is possible , even with four children!) holiday in Ireland. I had intended to have a few posts ready to go for while we we away, but never found the time to do them amidst the frantic preparations. Oh well, we're back now, so normal service shall resume once again.

We stayed in a gorgeous house in the south of the country, surrounded by fields and with a number of fantastic beaches within ten minutes or so.

We had nothing planned, and just took each day as it came. Lots of time at the beach, lots of ice cream, lots of walking and a little bit of rain! Wonderful.

Holiday shopping

As mentioned in my previous post, I was very restrained on our recent trip to The Netherlands, and bought no yarn at all. I hardly bought any fabric either - but I couldn't resist these when I saw them...

I did however, buy ribbon from the market.
Lots of it. Lots and lots of it!


The stallholder knew he was onto a good thing, and kept producing more.

"oh, have you seen this one? I think you'll like it..."

He was right!
But look.. little birds and hearts!

Owls!

...little gnomes in spotty hats!

Spotty toadstools on spotty background!
(I think this one is my favourite)

Russian dolls..

spring flowers...

Windmills... (had to really, seeing as where we were!)

..more flowers

Little Red Riding hood (can you spot the wolf?)

..more spotty toadstools, more owls, more gnomes!

All are really lovely woven ribbons and none were more than 1.50 Euro a metre. Daddy Long Legs was very accommodating, and only flinched ever so slightly when the man kept producing more rolls.

I have a few ideas for the ribbons, but for now, I'll just sit happily looking at them for a bit longer!

Back in good ol' Blighty!

We spent Easter with my In-Laws in the Netherlands. I had hoped to post something before we left home, but in the frantic washing-ironing-packing madness, I just never found the time. I don't know whether it was the weather, or the fact that we deliberately hadn't made too many appointments to meet up with friends, but it was so very relaxed and felt just like a holiday.

I had decided to make everyone a rabbit cosy for Easter morning breakfast, but hadn't realised that DLL's brother and family would be there at the same time too, and so I was knitting frantically to get the rabbits for them finished on the ferry over! Fortunately, they all got finished in time, though it was a very close call

In the afternoon, we had an egg hunt

For the rest of our stay, it was a delicious time of having to do nothing apart from the odd visit to friends.

The children discovered old classics

and on Wednesday, it was warm enough to go to the beach.

I managed to do some other knitting, apart from the bunnies, and did a few more squares of my blanket.


I also started these socks, with Paper Moon (50% merino, 50% silk) from Posh Yarn. Mrs Stash Basket, you have a lot to answer for - I'm refusing to think about the money I have spent here, since you introduced me to it!

I also did a bit of shopping, though this time was very restrained and didn't buy any yarn. (It is sooo much cheaper than in the UK) Instead, I treated myself to some ribbon and fabric - will show pictures in the next post.


It's good to be back, though I'm trying to ignore the enormous pile of washing that is lurking behind the utility room door....!