Horse | Chez Spud

Mar

22

Ramblings

Posted under 39 things to do before you're 40, Crochet

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It’s been a funny old week what with one thing or another. Mostly dominated by a client photoshoot and frenetic pre-holiday preparation. I’m not sure why packing for trips is such a Whole Big Thing for me, but it is. I’d like to blame it on having to pack for an entire family but, if I’m honest, I’ve always been like this. It got a whole lot worse when the boys came along, but the low level packing hysteria has been part of my modus operandi since time began.

Really, there’s no reason for it. I ought to be a packer extraordinare given the huge amount of time I spent travelling for work in Days of Yore. But I never got the knack, more’s the pity. I’d like to be able to report the packing angst means that I’m one of those super organised souls who arrives on holiday prepared for every eventuality (you know, those who arrive with travel wash, travel clothes lines and pegs) but that’s not the case either. I’m pretty good at forgetting to pack something quite crucial (underwear was a notable low), or wildly over or under packing. I only took two pairs of trousers for a week long holiday when Bertie was a baby. A shame as he weed on one pair on the first day, and the second pair on the next. Lovely.

Anyway, so the Great Pack is in progress. A little slower than I’d like for some reason…

Despite this, I’ve managed to tick off (or nearly tick off) a few more items on my 39 things to do before I’m 40 list. I’m slowly starting to make inroads in to it…

Learn how to use a sewing machine (February)
Learn how to crochet (January)
Make a blanket from crochet granny squares – work in progress as of 8.2.10
Go to Sutton Hoo
Go to Cove Hyth
Have a family holiday somewhere hot (March)
Have a night away from the boys with MrSpud
Take the boys to Banham Zoo
Complete all my Christmas shopping by the end of November
Make my boys’ birthday cakes – one completed (7.2.10)
Learn how to use the Lensbaby (6.1.10)
Visit my family Up North
Make a wedding photo album
Join a choir
Replace ancient framed photos in the house with more up to date ones (photos not frames)
Make a photo wall in the kitchen
Decorate office and install Craft Corner
Go to Lavenham
Learn how to use flash
Get 5 mentions for my client in the Financial Times (boring, sorry) – one done, two interviews awaiting publication
Take the boys on the train for a day trip
Go to the cinema with MrSpud
Give Chez Spud a makeover (cheating, this is work in progress but who knows given previous track record) (19.12.09)
Ride a horse - (21.3.10)
Sit on a beach and read a book on my own
Ditch o2 for Vodafone – after much thought, stuck with 02 and upgraded my phone. V boring.
Make biscuits for the first time (yes, really)
Take a ’star trails’ photo
Take a ’smooth’ water photo
Drink a peach bellini (make that 4, in quick succession might as well finish up the bottle right?)
Watch 5 films I haven’t seen before – three done
Do the Secret Blog Project I’ve had in mind for a while
Have a pedicure (22.3.10)
Sleep in a tent in a location other than the garden (sigh)
Go to a fireworks display
50 photos in Explore on Flickr – 31 done
Make felt figures
Buy a summer dress and wear it
Learn how to use our alarm clock. We’ve had it 2 years. It’s probably time.

So, I can 1. use a sewing machine (even managed to turn up a pair of trousers yesterday without ruining them…resultl!) and 2. I’ve finished all the squares for my granny blanket. They are awaiting sewing together:

Oh but what’s that in the background? I have naughtily started another crochet project, a ripple blanket using the Attic24 neat ripple pattern. I wanted an easily transportable project for holiday. Yes, you read that right…I am now so obsessed with crochet that I’m taking it on holiday. SEND HELP.

I’d hoped going on holiday somewhere hot would naturally lead to “38. Buy a summer dress and wear it” being ticked off. I just can’t seem to find anything that doesn’t make me look like mutton dressed as lamb or a sack of potatoes. Might have to deploy “1. Learn how to use a sewing machine” and make one.

Yesterday I ticked off “24. Ride a horse”

I had a little ‘helper’ as you can see, and he was in charge of producing photographic evidence. If you squint, you can ‘just’ about see me…

I haven’t been on a horse for 27 years, I was surprised how quickly it came back. It felt the same but a LOT higher up, presumably because I wasn’t handed an enormous Cobb to ride when I was 12 years old. Coco is pretty chunky

Mounting and dismounting was quite, erm, interesting. I’m surprised I didn’t get a nose bleed I was so high up there. I felt a little ‘anxious’ and definitely wasn’t up for more than walking, steering, going backwards and stopping. Coco had a few other ideas and there a couple of moments of panicked trotting (me panicked, her trotting). But it was a lovely way to enjoy the warmth of the early spring sun.

Spring is definitely here. We went to the beach twice last week, admittedly a bit breezy, and the garden is full of spring flowers now; banks of snowdrops, narcissi, daffodils, crocuses, first signs of hyacinths and, quite suddenly, a carpet of sweet smelling violets. Skippy days xx

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Dec

21

Pig Woman Jan

Posted under People I love, Photography

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It’s still snowy. What to shoot but lovely pal Pig Woman Jan…she’s not a pig but she is a woman and her name is Jan. She stables her horse on the farm where we live and we joint owned the pigs with her and our neighbour, who owns the farm. Much of her pig is currently stored in our freezer and thus we are bonded f…o…r…e…v…e…r….or at least until the meat runs out …

Luckily she is as mad as a snake. Not just because her idea of fun is dressing up a big old cape and getting on her horse for a snowy photoshoot, oh no this just the tip of the iceberg. It’s her new coat that confirms her bonkerdom. She has knitted a coat made from doghair. A dog that she owns. Yes, she has knitted a coat made from the hair of her dog. She has spent years gathering it, spinning it, dying it and then knitting in to the most amazing coat…it’s quite Joseph and his Technicolour etc etc. I should have photographed it but I was too overwhelmed by the moment. Anyway, she’s bonkers and hoorah for that. And here she is with her super and super vast horse Coco. We had a jolly time, can you tell?

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Sep

18

True Love Ways

Posted under People I love

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Presenting our neighbour’s eldest girl Miss I and her impressive array of jewelry, made at nursery today. And A Guinea-Pig, I can’t remember its name. I lost track as there are quite a few and there was a tale to be told for each one and how it got its name. I know Rosie, as she is a lovely red colour and has a club foot. Hmm. what IS this one called?

I love how fearless Miss I is, and she’s been like that from a tiny baby. Always the one cuddling vast dogs, in the pen of any animal she’s allowed near. Her love of animals is so heartfelt and true. She absolutely adores our cat Parker and will hunt him around the house for a cuddle…so sweet. Quite the opposite of our boys who are generally quite timid around animals. Hence Bertie’s sudden and fierce love of horse riding is all the more surprising. He loves the ‘giggle riding’ (trotting) and just roars with laughter to go faster! This is not the child I know, but I LOVE it xx

Miss I and Bertie played an imaginary game of ‘saving animals’ this afternoon. I asked her if she was pretending to be a vet.”No”, she said, “We’re saving animals. We’re being animal…animal…animal…SAVOURIES”.

Waaaaah. Got to love that well known snack…animal savouries.

x

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Jul

27

Ode to Megaboy 2

Posted under People I love

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‘Megaboys’…that’s what MrSpud calls our children, his megaboys or his ‘men’. I think they must actually think they are a new, higher order of boys though as they now call themselves Megaboys (“Daddy! The Megaboys are in the bath!”). Must stop this before they start school for fear of any Lord of the Flies type thoughts entering their pretty little blonde heads.

So yesterday we carted the Megaboys off to a local horse show because that’s just the kind of fun parents that we were. There were horses, as you might expect at a horse show…

And, rather randomly but wonderful anyway, owls…

and then all the usual paraphernalia of such events; beer tents, live music, cake stalls, raffles, tombolas…all the trappings of an English fete in fact including a couple of rides and activities for small children. Both boys were pretty keen on a vast, and improbably pink, inflatable slide which I was very unsure about for Diggy as he’s only two. But I stood and watched my baby climb climb climb all the way to the top, slowly, carefully and with great determination. There was no WAY he was going to stand round and watch his big brother have all the fun…

…and then, as I saw his beaming smile as he reached the top, I felt them…those little tears of pride starting to prick. I couldn’t help myself, I didn’t dare look at MrSpud who blubs like a girl at the best of times. I was suddenly so aware of how grown up he is and how quickly he’s turned from a yelling newborn bundle of fury in to the brave little chap I was watching climb the mountain and hurl himself down, shrieking with sheer joy.

I haven’t had the easiest of relationships with Diggy. I found the first year of having two children very tough and I didn’t cope as well I might. Diggy was a very clingy baby and needed holding constantly, day and night. Sleep deprivation was high, and just getting through the day with the Klingon and a toddler was tough. I didn’t really ‘enjoy’ Diggy for a long time and that’s a real sadness to me; I can’t get those early weeks and months back, they are lost to me now. The memories are mostly bad ones; struggling through it and feeling so resentful that Bertie’s babyhood had been cut short by the unexpected arrival of Diggy…and how little time I had for my ‘big boy’ as I always had the baby in my arms. Or rather on my tummy or back as the Klingon basically lived in a sling for the best part of the first year of his life…

He’s still pretty high octane, a hurracaine really…but he lives life at 150% and is so up for everything that you have to forgive his maddening, willful streak. He is very affectionate and charms everyone we meet with his breezy nature and those white blonde curls. I’m hopelessly addicted to his sweet kisses and cuddles, and the feel of those soft chubby cheeks. It’s a wonderful feeling, this overwhelming, dizzy making feeling of being ‘in love’ with your child…I can’t get enough of it. It’s been a long time coming.