Simple Pleasures

Simple pleasures are always the best aren't they? Like exploring a loved town or City such as York, above. I haven't been blogging and I'm sorry for that but life has been taking over, been so very very busy lately . I was in York in June, August and last week. For work.

So a quick glimpse of the Minster gives such pleasure does it not? Not to mention the Shambles, below. I even discovered a woolshop in the Shambles called Ramshamble!

Also the week before last I was in Lewes, East Sussex: again for meetings whilst working, but I had to have a cuppa before driving back 2.5 hours didn't I? Especially as having driven 2 hours, missed lunch and then no tea at a 2 hour meeting, a girl is well parched by 16:30!!! I had my cuppa in a cafe behind these teapots which are hand stencilled in Poland, lovely designs! My all time favourite colourscheme : BLUE AND WHITE! And such a lovely rich but bright blue. LEWES was enchanting and I simply MUST go back with the family and explore both the shops- lots of lovely independents- as well as the castle and the surrounding downs...

I'd never been before and really likes the charm and the feel of the place. Alas my cameras- I had 3 to choose from!_ all gave put after just these 3 pictures.

Glimpses of spectacular downs from alleys like this one.

An ancient- 15th Century bookshop. Books always provide me with much pleasure: either pictorial - for inspiration or stimulation- or ''how to do'' practical ones to learn new skills such as dyong or felting , crochet or embroidery or building furniture ( etc etc ad nauseam) , or also fiction books! I 've spent quite a few weekends lately : nose burried in a good book while the day passes me by.ESCAPE! Lovely! A need to avoid endless chat of a recession, cutbacks, taxes, the comprehensive spending review, the fate of the NHS or Public Health- ugh ugh . And if that's not enough, we have been ''enjoying'' the moods and vagaries of a soon to be teenager in the home and one definitely needs a little escapism from THAT!

aAAAAH, SHEER bliss today! Woke up to grey/white skies but they soon melted away to bright clear blue skies and SUNSHINE! HOT! Cycled to church and had enormous pleasure singing my heart out ( 11 songs!not all hymns) and feeling so proud of Miss Y in the church choir. We walked home together in the sunshine with her chatting away merrily and forgetting to moan about the walk or the distance. After lunch and a few chores as well as the food shopping I just HAD to get outside again properly and walked the dogs at Great Kimble.17: 10 to 18:15 to be precise.

It was still warm: 20 degrees with a nice breeze at the top of the ridge. Comfortable walking in a cotton shirt and jeans,backpack and shoes. 10.10.2010. Unusually warm for the date?

No sign of autumn colours yet, although chestnut trees are all mostly orange/brown by now.

2 very happy dogs.
Went exploring in wood and dale.Finally found the usual path back to the car. This had featured in several previous posts.

It was brighter with the naked eye but the camera could not cope so well. Can you see the 2 dogs? Lucy is up ahead.

Last bit of the sunshine and then back home to cook spaghetti with pine nuts and caramelised onions- yummy!

During the walk I came up with the following simple pleasures:

Sunshine, Blue skies, countryside with views, hills and /or lakes or sea, mountains, open fires, walks, walking the dogs, cycling alone or with family,soft snuggle blankets on comfy sofas, cuddles with loved ones: partner, kids or dogs,nice yummy food- probably mediteranean or French, home - cooked foods, cup of hot tea in a nice mug,soft cuddly crocheted jumpers/cardi-jackets,or knitted ones, crochet, reading a book in a comfy place, sitting on a windowseat with a view, chatting with friends, exploring new places or re-visiting old ones, country dancing,singing in a choir, singing in the home or in a car, dancing in the kitchen, rollerskating ,ice-skating, sewing, drawing with a sewing machine=free machine embroidery, drawing with pencil(S), Looking through picture books or magazines with inspiring or exciting colourful pictures,ditto for inspiring brochures, picture books of animals or fish, corals or architecture. Pictures of art or drawings, paintings or textiles, including Turkish rugs,kilims and carpets, beads and beading,buttons and ribbons and trimmings, all fabrics and yarns or catalogues/websites thereof. Sewing, Crochet or knitting pattern books or magazines or websites. Fashion photos or drawings. Piano playing. Listening to music. Classical, folk or jazz, or even some pop. Film on DVD or on TV. ( TV with a crochet project is a nice combination)

I'd add visiting the theatre,ballet, film, but that is not such a simple pleasure anymore, such costs and planning are often involved. Also excluded are those things you have to travel to go do:

such as swimming in the sea in Turkey, skiing, Alpine walks,toboganning,sailing, snorkelling, etc

Aaaaah isn't life good to offer so many simple pleasures?

BUTTONS, crochet and Rona

At last Rona is really coming together: above is the back panel.

And here are the 2 sleeves, these I put together on the train home from York. Very satisfying on a 4 hour train journey.

one sleeve

and the other one, both unblocked as yet

and the fronts, when the sun came out so the colours are looking different,but they are all the same.

In York after an intensive course with a Prince 2 exam at the end of 2.5 days, which was passed by the way- hip hip hooray!!!- I went looking at buttons as there is in York the MOST FABULOUS button shop: DUTTONS FOR BUTTONS.

i am lucky in that I knew about them from my sewing days and had ordered buttons from them in the 1980's , but this time I went looking for Rona buttons.....or buttons for the above Rona cardigan jacket in case you're wondering what a rona button is exactly?!

I started with the pewter section:
Here I bought 2 horse buttons for Miss Y can you spot them?

Then I did also consider the blues......

Back to pewter or silver? Which do you think will be best?

Do come back to find out how it finishes. And do enjoy all this lovely sunshine we are having! I must say I have been worshipping the sun in the old way and having the most blissful warm and sunsoaked reading times. Vitamin D galore I can assure you.

See you soon?

Happy hooking!


Ps the shop also have 100's of buttons in reds, pinks, purples, yellows, orange and grey or black but I didn't photograph all of them because it was very hot and I had a train to catch.

There are also belt buckles and ribbons and buttons with multicolour patterns in resin or plastic or fimo or ceramic or even enamelled and so on and so forth. It claims to be the biggest button supply shop in Great Britain and I'm pretty sure they're right. as this is just a tiny selection.