Porridge for breakfast today.

It's cold, it's squally and shortly I'm going to make my porridge, with water and salt. I love it like that just as equally as I do with cream and syrup! Today is a water and salt type of day. But first a little catch up.
I wanted to show you this sweet little cardi I knit for my niece  who is now about 33 weeks pregnant. Her mum threw her a surprise baby shower on Sunday and I bought her an 'advice for parents' book and this cardigan was for then. My niece sometimes reads my blog so didn't want to spoil the surprise in any way though to be fair, I think she had guessed.

It's baby merino in a soft oatmeal colour. We do not know the flavour of the baby yet! Think I might do a little hat to match. 

Speaking of hats, I'm also knitting a little newborn pink hat and a blue one. I'll send both ( I am rather traditionalist and like baby girls in pink, and boys in blue - I'll just wait here to be shot down in flames by the PC brigade for having such a controversial view in this day and age ) AND whichever one she wants to keep, she can give the other to the midwife who might know of a little baby whose Mama might not have much. Also I could try out my new Knit Pro needles - I love them.

I have just realised that it is SELF CROSSING WOOL!!self striped wool blows my mind  but this is a whole new level people! It was just a random ball I took out of my stash! Which has grown since I last fessed up on the blog a few years ago! I found a pie chart on FB that illustrates this perfectly. 

We don't 'do' Valentine's Day as a rule but yesterday we'd got each other a cute card.... I'd been presented with this beautifully wrapped 'in an old tissue pattern' bale of fabric that the HG had picked out for me to make several things! With some patterns and posh new feet for the sewing machine! Look how gorgeous it all was!! In return I made him gammon, egg and pineapple with 

Real. Deep. Fried. Chips. With Cyprus potatoes because they are the best ones! 

And quickly a bit of showing off and telling! . 

Well, you know my beautiful coat I showed you a couple of posts back? Well have you ever wished you'd bought two of something because you loved it so much. I've a few pair of boots in my mind right now too. Anyhoo. I had a look online and the coat was still in the sale. Roman Originals if anyone wants a look see. Anyway I thought I'd get a smaller one to 'grow' into. 

Well it came yesterday. AND I AM IN IT!!! Admittedly it's tight but I AM IN IT! 

So, the dilemma was do I keep it or do I send it back for the next size down? 

It is very snug - but do I keep it because it won't look that ridiculous even if I do get a bit more weight off, or do I challenge myself to go for it for the smaller one and risk not fitting in it at all! 

I started a bit of gentle exercise this week. Blew the cobwebs off the stepper,

took the cellophane off Davina

and had a go on the rower the HG brought home once from a customer! Today I am waiting for Amazon to bring me my new weighted hula hoop and I've watched some videos on how to do it! As mostly I'll be getting the exercise from bending down to pick it back up off the floor! It's like I don't even know myself anymore!

Right I am STARVING  and I need my porridge. Then it's in the craft room remaking a too big top I started last year.

Pam - Do you see your quilt? It lives in here ready to go on the guest bed for when Miss 23 is home xxx 

HAVE A GREAT Thursday everyone x 

Lots of love from Rachel *Two coats* Radiostar 

Saturday Morning - EDITED

It's cold and blustery and rainy outside. It's ok. I'm warm and cosy inside. I got up, washed the pots I was too lazy to sort last night, put some washing in the dryer, set a new load off in the washer, tidied up, ate a tangerine and came back to bed. I've ordered some fabric online and will be getting up,soon. I plan on the fastest hoovering ever downstairs so I can fanny about in my craft room to my heart's content.

First of all though, I have to do battle with Yodel.
I had a card through Wednesday with a tracking number saying it was left in my front porch. I do not have a front porch. I rang them. They had no such tracking order, and the hard to understand lady in foreign far away climes cheerily told me not to worry as the parcel wasn't meant for me!
Well, I sent an Amazon enquiry off to be given the information that it was delivered to a safe space.
The only things that are on my front are my recycling boxes. Very occasionally, my old delivery driver who sadly passed away before Christmas used to leave things in there for me. This new bloke is USELESS.
SO EITHER he has had it away with my parcel, or someone has seen him deliver it into the boxes and nicked it.
Grrrrrrr.
Wish them luck!! I don't need it!

At work, I am getting nothing done. Nothing. This is because I'm turning into Bill Oddie. With our little group, we have put out some food for the birds. Fat balls and budget mixed seed from Poundland. We've put it in one little bush, and we got a window feeder. The children are enthralled by the very naughty greedy squirrel who bats not an eye as he sits on our windowsill casually helping himself to pawfuls of seed, before scurrying off with stolen fatballs. But on the snowy day last week, in one bush there were, at the same time, some blue tits, a coal tit, a great tit, a pair of gold finch, a long tailed tit, a sparrow and a wren, much to the disgust of Mr Robin who was doing his best to defend his bush from the onslaught of visitors. Mrs Mistlethrush on the ground flirted quite shyly with Mr Blackbird as they scooped up the budget feast. Then the icing on the cake was a beauty of a nuthatch who visited.

HOWEVER, I live a two minute walk away from this bird show. In my garden, there is a veritable smorgasbord of every type of premium bird food in site. I've niger seed, peanuts, sunflower hearts, black sunflower see, mixed finch food, mixed no mess see, fat balls, suet nuggets and logs and flutter butter.
I've maybe one or two die hard bluetits who co e and a turkey sized wood pigeon!!! WTF?????

Poundland birdfood all the way from now on!!

I tried to take a photo of the nuthatch but it's rubbish!!

Bird bush central! 

Lots of love from Rachel *half term * Radiostar xxx

PS. News just in, the parcel was tucked behind my planter!!! Hardly secure *bad mood face* anyway it’s here and was discovered before I had to put on my assertive do not mess with me phone voice! 

Thank you for all your good wishes regarding my thumb! It’s much better now thanks! 

And the wedding dress - lots of people have asked. Well, the advert that I clicked on face book took me to a site called wish.com and from there I couldn’t find the frock. Bear with me... I just found it! £10!!!!!!! Says very small on the sizing. I may order it to fit into!!! Other reviews say it’s see through too!!! 

https://www.wish.com/m/c/594fc41c8a63a770c2133e36

Wedding Dress!

Well, if I was to make an honest man out of the HG, I'VE FOUND MY DRESS! I've also broke all the rules and shown him so that's that then! The Internet is a creepy thing though. I looked at the photo once and I'm not lying, every single website I've been on since, the dress pops up!


I've had a lovely weekend of just fannying about doing as I wish. The rugby was on and my beloved Wales won. A lot of people ask me why, when I am English, I support the Welsh. Well, when I happened upon the 6 Nations I decided I rather liked it and Wales were losing dreadfully. I do always love the underdogs and I loved how they never gave up! Also they do have the best anthem to sing a long to, although I'm also rather partial to a Flower of Scotland. I love the atmosphere of the Milennium stadium and the players have this pull, that no other team does. Also Wales happens to be my favourite place in the whole wide world. So that's basically it!
I often wonder how people choose a football team to follow. My inlaws, for example, support a London team yet they are as Northern as me!




 So I did a little bit of sewing. I shortened some of my pjs and I altered a top that was way too big for me now, so it'll fit me and do for work! I even did back darts and everything!

I've also just finished a little cardigan for my niece who is 32 weeks pregnant now and we are waiting for the birth day to find out what flavour the newest little member of our family will be. So I've knit it in a soft biscuity/oatmeal baby merino wool. It's so soft! I will have to wait until tomorrow now to sew on the button as

- this might be uncomfortable to read-

I banged my thumb on the cupboard door, right on the corner where my nail is. The edge of the cupboard lifted and split my nail vertically, ripping it up off the nail bed and made it bleed. I was speechless with pain/horror/grossness! Ladies and gentlemen, it was a two plaster job. And it's throbbing.
So you will have to wait to see it finished but I've already been planning my next ' I'm going to do 'this ' project. I've literally 18970000 of such projects whizzing around my brain! Isn't it gorgeous though?
I've only two balls of sock yarn - for socks yet to be knit, then I'll have leftovers I can make this blanket with!

We watched Dunkirk last night. I was harrowed to my core and don't think I breathed for all of it. I did not feel relaxed as I watched it. It was horrific. The surprise at the end ( no spoilers ) didn't even make it worth it. Those poor young men.


Finally,  Freddie today saw his first snowdrop. He also tasted his first snowdrop. Naughty Freddie.

Right, the HG is going to rub my hurty shoulders then I'm off to bed.

Lots of love from

Rachel *full of haggis SW style * Radiostar xxx

Made this, was delicious, though the spice  needs tweaking somewhat, it says serves 4. I think it'd easily serve 14! So filling and lots of it! I've had 8 portions out of the recipe!

Hello Month 2 2018

This year I made a concerted effort not to whinge and moan about January, but to be thankful for something every single day. It passed more pleasantly and more quickly.
January, you were great!
February, so far you've been freezing, but beautifully blue and sunny. There are teeny purple iris flowering in the front, along with some orange crocus. This is a mystery, as I planted ( and as old blog readers might know, I only ever plant/grow ) purple ( blue ) ones! But I was thankful for them so they can stay!
I was at my Mental Health Champions Network meeting this afternoon. It was great. I also walked back to work afterwards - 26 minutes it took me. It was a gorgeous day and despite other pavement users pissing me off under the bridge, it felt great to be out in the fresh air.
There were some speakers there who were currently running a sleep clinic for families where children were poor sleepers. I'm breaking all the rules right now! Blogging, in bed, on my iPad!!! One website I can signpost ( icky bloody 'in' word such professionals, sorry, practioners, use at conventions like this ) you to is The Sleep Council. Obviously don't read it in bed on a tablet or suchlike as it is against the law.

I am actually dropping asleep here, so that'll do for now. Anyone watching Next of Kin? It's SO good!
Lots of love from
Rachel *nearly 6 nations excited face come on Wales!* Radiostar xx