Easter Monday

 Easter Monday started bright and cheery and as I scrubbed and cleaned the two fridges I hauled out the chocolates we'd made using the moulds and the Green and Black chocolate bars that came with the eggs: milk chocolate with butterscotch and dark plain chocolate mixed slightly and melted au- bain- marie.
Aren't they glossy and superb looking? CHARMING and oh soooooooo delicious!

 Bunnies, duckies and eggs.... and the butterscotch gave a lovely sweet crunchy crumb here and there.

 These were the BEST , BETTER than any of the bought eggs or my Lindt Bunny!

 And tasted a few more macaroons: salted caramel and burnt vanilla? YUMMEEE!

 Of course also started a little light crochet for when I caught up with some missed tv such as Endeavour....

 nO THINKING NEEDED once the pattern was established: Simply Crochet issue 17: geometry stitchery.
The words were too too much and no diagrams but got there in the end and like I said once it's established and you ''get'' the pattern it's up and away, I've put helpful notes on Ravelry here:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/merrystitcher/lacy-cowl-2
The only tricky bits are how to start and end each row: is it a simple dc or a TR ( endings) and do you start with a ch and dc or a 5ch?
Late in the afternoon we finally went for a walk which I'd been waiting for and pining for since 8 am! It was SUNNY then, but even after waiting until 3:36 pm JJ and Miss E were to busy so it was Miss Y , the dogs and myself who set off happily.
First we looked at the deer: see? Three heads with antlers...

 Then a slow climb up the hill for that fabulous view...

 View plus water in a wee blue bowl for hot dogs.

 Quick kiss conference between mum and daughter.

 Lucy goes off to explore...

 After Miss Y has a go at climbing the tree we set off back home as thunder is rumbling loudly and we don;t want to get caught out! I've no coat as I left it behind at dancing a week back.

 Lovely stroll back, thunder and a bit muggy but dry and met some horses and yappy little dogs.

 Then on the final stretch just after the horse farm on the track back the dogs and I spotted a rabbit and the ext second I was lying in the road on my back! Broken ankle and cracked ribs as it turns out. No idea quite how it happened , it was so fast. Lots of pain at the ribs end but ankle not too bad. Just swollen...
Waited ages for JJ to pick us up, should have called ambulance?

 Back home: swelling, see?

 This one is ''normal'' for comparison...

 Had to see GP then to hospital for X-ray and finally waited hours in A&E to be strapped up as I opted out of the plaster cast option. Webber grade A fracture of a malleolus on the right.( if I remember correctly)

 DAY 2: Lovely colours appearing, yes?

 On the inside of the foot as well...

 And on the 24th April  the first 50 g ball of that lacy cowl was completed: 20 cm by 66 cm, 7 whole repeats of the pattern plus an extra 5 rows. 61 rows in total then, out of about 135m of wool/silk mix DK yarn from Rowan.

Nice bit of crochet always puts things in perspective.  Still a bit of a B***** though. Broken ankle for my birthday and all sorts of hassle and rearranging to do for work and College as I can't drive!
And poor sleep due to the ribs, sooooooo UNCOMFORTABLE! ( putting it mildly)
Any how to end on a positive note, I will re- invent a new birthday date when I can do the planned things and have cake and cards and so on ( mostly cancelled) AND learn from all this something good.
By the way at least it didn't rain when I'd done it! I lay quite nice and dry while waiting to be driven home!

Easter 2014: Good Friday

I had planned to go to Pilgrim Prayers at Froxfield and walk down the Hangers with the parishioners to the second service at Steep when JJ told me about some alarming news about our house and safety and so on so I decided to stay home Thursday evening and night and mostly home on Friday as JJ was away working on an installation. It was a beautiful day and I read and studied health promotion texts for my course and then decided to go on a Chiltern Weekend Walkers walk at Chalfont St Peter.

 I hoped to see bluebells and I was awarded many such sights as THIS!

 Before I set off a quick photo of my new butterfly cowl which I simply ADORE, free pattern from Ravelry:

And I used just ONE skein of NORO TAIJO sock and a few balls of Dropd Alpaca 4 ply, 3.5mm hook and working 4 rows of Noro with 2 rows of alpaca so there were very few ends to sew in, you chain the ''carrying yarn'' up the side?!

 It was a 6 mile walk and I wanted to see if I could do it after the pain I had in September 2013 on the shorter Towersey walk? I started off in my leather walking boots with a pair of thin and a pair of thick socks...

 There was a young lady from the 20-30s group who brought her budgie! He stayed on her head or shoulder thoughout. Had a nicer name but can;t remember it. Couldn't walk or fly but travellled very happily on her person. That's Ellie the leader smiling and feeding it white breadcrumbs.
I didn;t know a soul but a kind gymnast trainer lady called Anne walked with me and we chatted all the way.

 Off we went along many narrow oaths and through woods, mostly flat and easy but then no vistas or views either alas.

 I did wonder at halfway whether I was going to make it as my feet did hurt. At the Captain Cook monument I changed my boots for my FitFlop ankle boots, less grip on the sole but so much more comfortable!

 The COOK monument on the Vache estate. Built by his best friend in his honour.

I did it! 16:30 to 19:30, with wuite a long standing ''rest'' at the monument, then I went home as JJ was still out and I wanted to be back with the girls! Shame though as the others went for a meal at the pub where we'd started from and I was hungry too by then. Still was quite proud that I'd managed the 6 miles, it was possible but a bit harder than I thought. Need to do much more and train if I want to do 12 miles or more like in 2012?! Or for those Spanish Pilgrim trails that JJ longs to do?

EASTER IN 2014: Sunday

 This year's Easter was a busy one and this is Easter Sunday- excuse me hopping about- after the mass at St Jo's. I cried throughout as it strongly reminded me of the Thessalionians passage I'd read at mum's funeral but did smile when Father Mark said he still enjoys throwing the Holy Water about in church and how the fun has not lessened in the 26 years that he's been doing it!
So when I got home I need to be silly. hence the bunny ears. JJ worked and the girls were still asleep so I'd gone by myself but glad I went.

 As they were still asleep the eggs were un- assaulted !

 Easter decs were up...

I started on my chocco bunny and its ears were solid!

 And posh- nay very posh if not positively aristocratic- macaroons had arrived at the table?

 The girls had been in London with JJ for the day to do some art homework for Miss E and shopping, no doubt. I'd been to Hampshire to clear up and collect a few things and say a few more goodbyes.

 The bag the macaroons came in was nice too!

 And the box was designed by an architect???!

Fabulous flavours, cocolate, rum and raisin, lemon- and a really sharp& true lemon taste it was too!- 

burnt caramel, olive,rose, and mixtures too where top layer and bottom layer differ and all the centre creams were just so DIVINELY SUBLIME!

Once up, Miss E soon started on her egg.

 And I had blissful moments of Regency passions and a rose macaroon:

 The stocks may be looking elderly but the scent still beautifully pervades the room.

 And one of my ''early'' birthday presents was given, seen at Waterstones a week ago?

 Lovely lacy motifs with great diagrams.

 I especially liked this Winterburn hexagon and had a little try-out:

 3.5 mm hook and Yeoman's Cannele, it came out very large indeed, larger than I had expected.
I had a lacy summery bolero in mind and am having a re-think now.