Holidays and Charity Shop Finds

It's been a while I know but I have been so busy!  No new makes to share as there is nothing I am really inspired to put the time into at the moment with other things going on.
We had a week  away at Whitby for half term but that was cut short due to the horrendous weather, when we left Sheffield I swear the sun was shining and, despite the forecast I had hopes it would not be a total washout.  I was wrong, as we got closer the sky got blacker and it didn't really stop raining until Thursday evening when we came back.  The worst of it was the wind which was so icy I pretty much lived in a hoody with a coat over the top.

Now as we live in England of course we are used to this kind of thing on holiday, the problem is as we have three dogs we can't even go off and do indoor types of things because we can't take the dogs in and for some ridiculous reason you are not allowed to leave your dogs in your own caravan.  I don't understand this as on a cool day with a window ajar they would just settle down and go to sleep!

So all we could do was walk around in the cold and wet or sit in the caravan. We did manage to travel over and see my sister in law at Bridlington which was good and she allows dogs!

Here is the scene from Whitby Abbey which is beautiful but it really was cold.

Before we left we also had a bit of a drama with the caravan and the motor mover battery went flat, it rolled on our drive and scraped underneath.  My husband now needs to repair this, after looking around for a 'new to us' caravan we have decided we will make the repairs then sell it but not replace.

After eight years of caravan holidays it is a little sad but with my boys being older now they do not really want to be cramped if we are confined due to bad weather. We are restricted as to how often we can use it as I follow term times but my husband has to book his holidays way in advance and we are still met with restrictions as to which ones will take three dogs so enough!

After doing a bit of research we have found some delightful cottages in England that accept three dogs and while we still will not leave them unattended, at least I won't have to pop on a coat and waterproof shoes to go for a visit to the toilet/shower block.  There also won't be the ongoing costs of insuring and maintaining a caravan that is not used so often.

Now don't get me wrong I still think caravan holidays are incredibly cost effective for families, our first was only £900 we did it up ourselves and had lots of cheap, fun holidays in it.  My children were younger then and I have to say camp sites have become more expensive especially if you take pets.  One that I looked at wanted an additional £7 per night per dog! Why for goodness sake? They stay in the caravan with us or are on a lead as we leave the site. Plain ridiculous, so for a weeks holiday that is an extra £147 (for our three dogs) on top of pitch, awning and extra  people (your pitch cost only covers you for two adults) all that so your dogs can sleep in your property while it is parked in a field.

I know I am starting to rant so I will stop. Of course it was good to get away and be together it just felt like the end of an era for now at least.  I think if you are retired and you can take off for a trip when the forecast is good then that is just great.

So in addition to the holiday I have been working on a short course on Future learn, introduction to Italian.  It runs for 6 weeks and I am on week 4,   I am really enjoying it and had there been an internet connection at the site I could have got a bit done there, but there wasn't.

We had a walk to the local charity shops today, a glance on the rails didn't reveal anything suitable to wear or use for fabric but I did get a number of good books, a couple for my son and the rest for me.

The Hundred year old man who climbed out of a window,  I have to say I have had before from the library and I didn't get far with, but everyone has told me it is really good so for 79p I thought I would maybe give it another go.

The bottom three look a bit different so I thought I would try them, I do find I want to read something of a different genre sometimes but don't know where to start.

I read this last week...

This was really good, if you enjoyed 'Outliers' or 'Blink' and have an interest in motivation and what drives people this is worth a look.

Pyjamas from a Duvet Set (Re-fashion)

Well I kept on staring at the duvet set that I bought from the charity shop and it was telling me it should be pyjama bottoms. Other ideas were passing through my mind but this one was recurring so I got on and made them.  They were complete in under an hour and I am sure they will be really comfy to sit around in the evening.  I am not a fan of nightwear but it is good to wear around the house when you come home and just want to be comfortable.  I usually change out of work clothes into jeans when I get in to walk the dogs but late evening these will be ideal.

I had to put them on to get a clear daytime shot.

Obviously I won't be wearing them outside with shoes normally! I am only on the back garden here.

So that can be my 'me made May' for today, I have been having a look and the only rules I can see is that you wear something handmade by yourself every day.  I have been doing that but forgetting to photograph and post, so that is today sorted.

We have had a lovely lunch I made the curried aubergine slices from the Prashad at Home cook book I got from the library, meat eaters had chicken and a taste of the veggie food. We also had chickpea burgers that I made and froze the other day, a home made slaw of all kinds of veg whizzed through the food processor (a present from my husband on Friday) potatoes and chutney.  Desert is the berry vegan cheese cake I made last week and froze, off to eat that now!

Banana Loaf (GF Vegan), Charity Shop Fabric and Books

I'm sure there are many things I have missed out on posting about these last couple of weeks.  I keep finding myself thinking oh I forgot to take a picture of that and so on.  The reason I feel this is happening is not that there isn't anything going on, but rather I have been trying to fit too much in.  Then on the occasions that I do have time planned to post and catch up something unexpected happens like a visitor unannounced.

So for the last few weeks I have been writing down  what I intend to get done as I find for me this works, if it has to be crossed off then I will do it.  I printed off some free weekly planner sheets and wrote down things I would be disappointed if I did not do.  This has worked but time being what it is, I was overly optimistic as to how much you can fit in at the end of a working day therefore there hasn't been much time left.

So as well as trying new recipes I had wrote down guitar every day, Spanish, Dutch, dog walk (which can be 45-60 minutes) reading (fiction &non fiction) and TV usually after 9.30.  Well when you consider we don't usually finish our meal until about 6.45 that is a lot to cram in. Reading I fit in anywhere and bit before bed, any sewing is often done at the end of the week.

I have decided to give myself a break, I will still make the lists but maybe alternate the days for some things. I also have beginners Italian starting next Monday with Future Learn so I need space for that!

Anyway here is a little catch up, after the cheese cake went down well last week I made a GF vegan banana chocolate loaf from the book  Vegan and Gluten-Free Baking, that I shared a few weeks ago.  This one is fabulous again!  If you have not got this book you have to try and get a copy everything just comes out wonderful.  I have only one, dark, evening photo as it came out of the oven so here it is...

It was just so tasty and a good size, we were all taking it to school and work until Wednesday and I was coming home and having a bit more as it is so good when there is food for me to have with a cuppa.
I have taken a picture of the recipe, I only used two bananas in mine and it was enough.

Yesterday I had all sorts planned for my day then my mum turned up just before lunch and stayed all afternoon so that changed things a bit.  I was going to visit at that end of the day and we had agreed on that but she decided to change her mind. I had only just got back form the shops so she nearly had a wasted trip!  Anyway we had a walk down to the charity shop and she got a Regata fleece which she was very pleased with and I spotted this lovely single duvet set for the fabric.  If I had a guest room or girls it would definitely be going on a bed but I don't, so fabric it is.

You can't see the colours clearly in this picture but it is really nice, a sort of duck egg shade.  I had wanted something for backing for when I start a quilt so I think the stripy part will be that, the front however could be anything, a skirt, pyjama bottoms, I'm not sure I will have to ponder it a bit.  My husband said 'you are not using it for clothing though are you?  Well I don't see why not it would just be a hard repeat match up with the pattern being on a large scale.  I might also add the duvet cover with a pillow slip was £3! Such a good buy.

I picked up a couple more books from the library, one that I ordered on crochet and the other is one I just spotted on Indian cooking.

I have already planned to make the curried aubergine slices to have with lunch tomorrow form the Prashad at Home book and Ruby and Custard's Crochet has been flicked through lots already (I picked them up yesterday). Both are full of lots of inspiration and I took a few pictures from the crochet book.

I know it's not the time of year but I will be making this at some point.

Again not the time of year but this dove is so cute.

Now I don't have any little princesses but if I did I would be making these tiaras.

There are so many lovely ideas in this book it may have to go on my list of ones I love, so will buy at a later date when I see it at a good price. Have a lovely weekend.