The first Photo An Hour of 2022 was January 22nd

8am I've been up since 6am but forgot it was Photo an Hour day.

I’ve had a bath (bliss), had breakfast, got dressed and I’m on my second cuppa and second feed. Husband is off to work soon and I’m forming a plan for the day, which mainly consists of lots of small naps.

9am When Bub is asleep on the bed and I can’t leave the room, what else can I do but dick around trying to take a half decent selfie? I could’ve tidied up a bit instead but… meh.

So this is me seven months in to motherhood. I rarely wear my glasses anymore as they were mostly for computer work. The eye bags are real (and are far worse IRL). The spot on my cheek is due to going to bed with my make up on (too tired to bother removing it), the scratches on my forehead are from Bub (thanks a bunch, although possibly my own fault for not trimming her nails often enough), hair is passable thanks to dry shampoo, fringe could do with a trim, and my mascara is yesterday’s.

10am Popped to my local charity shop to drop off some donations and picked up a few bits.

Pleased to find Little Big Lies as I’m currently reading What Alice Forgot by the same author (Christmas present from the husband) which is rather good. The Seven Rules has been in my wish list for a while after a recommendation from … somebody (my memory fails me), and how can you go wrong with a book by Ruth Jones?

Also, wooden toy. Obvs not for me (well it is a little bit).

11am Popped in to see husband at the office.

12pm Weaning is messy. The End.

1pm Bit of Daddy time before he heads back out to work.

2pm How fast is the day going?!! Another feed, followed by a nap. It won’t last long, this child seems immune to feeling tired (she didn’t inherit that from me!). I’m on my 4th cuppa of the day. Which isn’t many. Must remedy that as soon as I’m released from under the sleeping little.

3pm Any hope I had of drinking this tea whilst it was still hot are rapidly diminishing. The little saw me settle on the sofa and zoned in.

Ah well, it was a nice idea.

4pm How could we not buy this book? Bub loves it!

5pm Books are for chewing, apparently. I should be preparing food but … tired. Hoping husband will be home soon.

Thanks to Louisa for hosting.

The first Saturday of the month saw me go on a charity sop rummage with Sophie and Kezzie around Ipswich. It was a full day of shopping that included a coffee mid morning, lunch and then tea and cake late in the afternoon. I came home with some really lovely items, and as always it was a pleasure to spend a day in the company of two such lovely ladies.

The Sunday consisted of glossing the woodwork in the bedroom, which I really dislike doing. I find it so boring. Three windows, a door and an open built-in wardrobe make it a laborious task. But, now it's done, it does look lovely.

Later in the day I went field walking with Andy. We checked on several fields of oil seed rape, Andy talked me through the complexities of what to spray and when, the benefits, the disadvantages. The pests and what to look out for. The weather, the changing seasons. There's a lot to consider.

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The following Saturday saw me finally finish decorating our bedroom, namely glossing the radiators and staining the threshold step. We're still in a state of chaos though as the carpet has yet to be fitted, so our stuff is still strewn over the landing, spare room, and office. I can not wait for it to be finished and for normality to return!


On the Sunday Andy had very uncharacteristically asked if I wanted to go shopping with him to Bury St Edmunds. We had a good wander around and found some great gifts for family members. This year we're doing a Secret Santa on my side of the family, but the buying continues on Andy's side. I try to buy things that can be used e.g. craft stuff for the kids, or eaten e.g. homemade (not by me) jam for his Dad, in the hope of reducing 'stuff'. I love the festive period but the waste rattles my conscience.

We had a really lovely time, and I was allowed to run free in Waterstones to add to my book collection. I have to wait until Christmas Day before I can actually add them to my ever growing book pile though.

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The next Saturday was Photo An Hour.


On the Sunday I had a quiet morning, and then Andy and I went into the wood in the afternoon to chop wood for the woodpile. Andy does the hard work, I load the truck. We both really enjoy it. It's hard to get cold when you're chopping or loading wood, the wood is a lovely place to be and it's nice to be outside in the fresh air.

On this trip I was a bit accident prone. I trapped a finger between two bits of wood I'd picked up and promptly dropped one on my foot, then I stepped on a branch that flicked up and kneecapped me. That particular piece was snapped in half, brought home and immediately burned! Who says revenge isn't sweet?

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The final weekend of the month was dedicated to knitting and sale prep. On the following Thursday Mum, my friend and I were having a cake and crafts sale at our local hospital to raise money for the Radiotherapy dept. I needed to get several knitting projects finished. By lunchtime I'd stuffed and sewn together two rabbits, with a puppy following later in the afternoon. To round out the day I sat in front of the fire and finished my November book, The November Girl, before settling in for some Strictly Come Dancing.

The next day was all about baking for Christmas and gathering more wood. We made cheese straws and sausage rolls. And obviously sampled a few of each. We used some of the cheese straw pastry for the sausage rolls, which I can highly recommend.


We filled the truck with a load of wood in record time so had a little wander through the wood to a nearby field. The light was stunning, the air fresh and the temperature mild. I felt so lucky to live where we do, to be there in that moment.

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It was my wish at the beginning of the year to avoid that Sunday night feeling of a weekend wasted. My goal was to have a plan in place for the coming weekend by each Friday evening. The month of November was lovely. Twenty years ago a whole month without going out to a pub or a club would've seemed entirely wasted. I'm still a party animal, as long as the party involves tea, wool and I can be at home and in bed by 9pm.

:)

My birthday always starts early in the day. Andy wakes me up with a cuppa at about 6am and hands me a pile of presents. Once opened he hurries me out of bed so we can have our traditional birthday breakfast in a cafe in a nearby village. It was filled with workmen starting their day with a fry-up and a good strong coffee. We both had the small cooked breakfast and yet still left with full bellies.

Andy then went to work at about 9am, which is late for harvest time, and I decided to spend the day with my Mother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, her husband and three children. We made pom poms, watched Monster's University on DVD, and enjoyed a fabulous lunch of BBQ Chicken with roasted vegetables.


I was given some fabulous presents which my youngest niece helped me to open i.e. she gave me the present, took it back, opened it, and then handed it back to me. I was given a Quad Grow planter (my niece was very unimpressed that such a large present was so boring - in her opinion - I was very pleased) ready for some potato planting next year, and some garden centre vouchers. And some cherry bakewell fudge that I might have eaten all myself (I did).

Then I had two birthday cakes. My eldest niece decided that I'd like a Victoria Sponge shaped like an H with three candles, because three is my favourite number. And my youngest nephew decided that I'd like a Lemon Drizzle cake, so I had both. Both with candles, both served to a chorus of Happy Birthday. Two lots of candles, on which I made the same wish (I can't tell you what I wished for, if I do it won't come true).


Then I rushed home, full of cake, so I could meet my Dad in town. We had dinner at Ask (Crab & Ricotta Half Moon Pasta), followed by a trip to the cinema. We saw The Children Act, which was excellent. I love Emma Thompson, and Stanley Tucci.

Emma would be at my Celebrity Dinner Party, along with Dame Judi Dench, and Kate Winslet. Stanley could come too. And Colin Firth, and Tom Hanks. Maggie Smith and Helena Bonham Carter. Simon Pegg, Chris Martin. And Ed Sheeran (he's a local lad, it would be rude not to invite him).

I'm going to need a bigger dining room table, but I seem to have digressed a little...

The next day I had a pub lunch with my Mum and a friend, sitting outside in the sunshine. When my Mum asked me what I wanted for my birthday I couldn't think of anything, so I asked her to get new batteries put into my old watches. It's something I'd been meaning to do for months but forgot to take them with me every time I went into town. I had one remaining watch still in working order, but then the strap broke leaving me watchless. It's been lovely to have my watches back and I've been wearing them on rotation.

I went home and got comfy on the sofa with the boxset of Nashville. I was stuffed. Two days of eating out was enough, I didn't even want to think about food, let alone cook anything. Andy had to fend for himself when he got home. I think he had toast and a piece of Lemon Drizzle.

The first Saturday in October I went along to the Hemingstone Flower Show, but I've already talked about that here.

On the Sunday I made progress with decorating the bedroom. I did all of the cutting in, which isn't my favourite job. The room has three windows and an open built-in wardrobe to navigate, so it took a while. The evening followed a familiar pattern of watching Dr Who, and Strictly Come Dancing, accompanied by a huge helping of Maltesers.

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The following weekend started with me digging in the garden. I wanted to dig up a few plants and move another and I needed to get it done before the first frosts. I then visited our local Garden Centre - Roots and Shoots. I picked up some bark chippings to replenish what we had, but not before sitting for a while in their tea garden with a huge slice of Battenberg cake and a pot of Earl Grey.


Then I rushed into town for some last minute shopping I bought a dress and a pair of shoes to wear to a memorial service the following day, convinced that I didn't have anything to wear (which of course I did). Then I bought a second pair of shoes, fearing the first were too high. In the end I returned the dress and the second pair of heels. It was emotional shopping and I knew it.


I loitered in town for a while waiting for the light to fade. I wanted to see the Town Hall lit up with pink and blue to recognise Baby Loss Awareness Week. I have mixed feelings about the week, mostly to do with it being impossible to get away from should you need to. It might be that this year it's just too raw, but I felt bombarded by it. To get away from it I would've had to disconnect from life entirely. Part of me told myself not to hide, but there was a part of me that felt it was too much.


On the Sunday I went to a special Memorial Service for Remembering Precious Babies. I'd hoped that this would be helpful, soothing, or perhaps cathartic in some way. But it wasn't. The church was filled with small children, running around and making so much noise I couldn't hear what was being said. I'd been looking for quite contemplation, what I got was chaos. It left me feeling rather strange.

I left declining to take a white rose, only to be chased into the car park by a well meaning midwife, asking if I wanted one. 'It's only going to die isn't it?' I said. It was too much.

Back to reality, I enjoyed beans on toast in my PJs and watched Country File, Dr Who and Strictly Come Dancing, snuggled up to Andy on the sofa. I realised that that was all I really needed. Comfort in the familiar, and the knowledge that we lost something precious, went through something traumatic, and come out the other side stronger. I'd been looking for something and it turns out it was right under my nose all along.

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The following weekend I had to work on the Saturday as I knew I had a busy week coming up. It felt good to get ahead. The evening was spent in front of Strictly Come Dancing again.


The next day my DIY plans flew out of the window. Andy has been restoring his Grandad's Fordson Major and was ploughing with it. We met with his Dad, Sister and her family and spent a few hours watching Andy go up and down the field. The nieces and nephews all had a ride with Uncle Andrew and I had a go too. It wasn't hard to drive in a straight line but very enjoyable to be driving something with such history for the family. It was a beautiful day. I skipped with my eldest niece, helped my youngest niece look for worms and gratefully accepted the 'treasure' they dug up for me (two stones and a clod of earth).

We went back to Andy's parents for lunch - roast lamb and roast beef - and played cricket in the garden afterwards. Then we sat and watched Paddington 2, which I really enjoyed. I cried at the end.

We were home in time to watch Dr Who and Strictly Come Dancing. It was a near perfect day.

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The final weekend of the month saw me take Afternoon Tea with friends, more about my day is in my Photo An Hour post.


The next day I did some more decorating. I honestly think this might be the longest DIY project known to man, it certainly feels that way. I did procrastinate before getting stuck in by talking to, and messaging people about Christmas. I got it all organised. I know who will be where and when, what we're eating, and who's cooking. It feels good to have it sorted.

The evening was Country File, Dr Who, and Strictly Come Dancing. We really are creatures of habit.

The first weekend in September was lovely and warm. I started reading a new book called September by Rosamunde Pilcher (and birthday present from Andy), which would end up taking me the entire month to read. I did some garden pottering, pruning things here and there, tidying the container pots, and organising the greenhouse. I potted an oak tree sapling I found growing in the lawn, along with two walnut saplings. The walnuts have already wilted, but I think one might survive, I've tried several times to pot them up but they don't take kindly to it. The oak is doing well though. I stayed inside making pom poms during the hottest part of the day, and nipped to the supermarket for supplies.

On the Sunday I was forced to return to the supermarket when I realised I'd forgotten a vital ingredient, but the rest of the day was mine and I knitted a puppy and made a pom pom or two. Late afternoon I spent a lovely hour reading in the sunshine and drinking tea. In the early evening I joined Andy in his cab for a while, he was going to be home really late so it was nice to get some time with him, albeit brief.

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The second weekend of September I had a haircut - just a trim, but she didn't cut my fringe how I asked her to. It was not shaped correctly and was about a centimetre too short, and she didn't put any layers in the lengths. This is why I dislike getting my hair cut!

I started to make final preparations for decorating our bedroom. The day before I'd picked up some more colour swatches, and I returned to get tester pots of the three colours I'd narrowed it down to. And I purchased a Christmas magazine in a weak moment in the supermarket. It's not that far off...


I spent some time (probably more than necessary) deciding whether or not to keep a mustard coloured jumper I'd ordered from ASOS. I tried it with different scarves and accessories, and decided that despite believing that I couldn't wear yellow, it actually looked OK. It seems I'm being drawn to yellow at the moment, and it's revealed itself to be a pretty good neutral colour.

On the Sunday I went out for a meal with my Dad, and my brother and his family to celebrate my birthday (which was at the end of August). I wasn't feeling particularly hungry so I ordered a starter (bubble and squeak) as a main, which left plenty of room for a creme brulee - a dessert I didn't think I liked until a few months ago!

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The following weekend was all about decorating! Before starting on the bedroom I wanted to tick off a few little DIY jobs that had been on the to-do list for a while. It was gloss work mainly (which I really dislike, hence it being on the list for so long) but I also sanded and repainted the front door. And I made some pom poms, it wouldn't be a weekend unless pom poms were made!

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The following Saturday was #PhotoAnHour.

On the Sunday Andy had some time off, he did go to work for a few hours in the morning and again in the afternoon but spent the rest of the day with me. We visited his parents - he hadn't seen his Mum properly in months. We had lunch, and he snoozed on the sofa whilst I did some knitting. Later we watched TV, just chilling out. I always have the urge to go out when Andy is about, to make the most of the time together, but I have to remember that Andy hasn't had a chance to sit down and do nothing for a long time. It doesn't sound very exciting but just being together and having the chance to have a proper conversation is really, really lovely.

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On the final weekend of September I visited Marlsford Mill, an antique store. I was hoping to find a mirror and/or a chest of drawers for our lounge. They had lots of lovely items but nothing at quite the right size, I wasn't disappointed as it's a nice place to visit. I always enjoy seeing what's on offer, and I came home with a cutlery try and a walnut cracker from Hatfield House - one of my favourite sellers at Marlsford Mill.


Then I went to Hobby Craft to buy a birthday present for my oldest niece - I bought her an initial of her name and some iridescent paint, paintbrushes, and stick on gems so that she could decorate it. I quite fancied having a go myself. Then it was off to B&Q to finally buy the paint I'd finally chosen. In the evening Andy was home in time for us to watch Strictly Come Dancing and eat an obscene amount of Maltesers.

On the Sunday I started to empty the bedroom so I could start redecorating. Once it was empty I was able to vacuum and rid the corners of cobwebs, and then sand and prime the window frames. I always forget how long the preparation takes. A whole day's graft and I didn't get even a smidgen of paint on the walls.

And just like that September was over, and it feels as if October is disappearing even faster!

Saturday 22nd September was #PhotoAnHour. Thanks to Jane and Louisa for hosting.

My plans to get stuck into some DIY were thwarted when a few days earlier I woke up with incredibly stiff shoulders and limited movement. I had to shelve the DIY idea for a while.

8am - A soothing bubble bath was the first order of business for the day. I'm not sure it did anything to ease my shoulders but I never need much of an excuse to soak for a while.


9am - I booked a deep tissue massage - half an hour of being rubbed and soothed, wincing when she hit the really tight spots. I left feeling a little bit like I'd been beaten up.


10am - My shoulders did feel a bit better but still tight and a little uncomfortable. This didn't stop me having a wander around the charity shops though. I picked up some wool. Age Concern has a good selection of wool at only £1.69 a ball so I stocked up on Christmassy colours to make some (more) pom pom wreaths.


11am - Picking up essentials - milk, hummus and Voltarol! Seriously, what else does a person need to survive?


12pm - Knitting. I haven't knitted this pattern for years. It knits up really quickly and it was nice to start and finish a project in such a short space of time.


1pm Lunch. Totally obsessed with scrambled eggs and avocado on toast at the moment.


2pm - My fridge decided to stop working. I have no idea how old it was but it was here when we moved in seven years ago. It had been on it's last legs for a while and finally just silently stopped. I spent a few days freezing bottles of water to act as cool packs to try and keep the food fresh before the new one arrived, but we did have to chuck some in the bin, which I absolutely hate doing!

Anyway, I measured up for a new one, ordered it online and waited for it to be delivered. I had to pay for delivery, and an extra £20 for them to take the old one away, but I wasn't going to spend a further £20 for them to install it when installation was simply pushing it into a gap and plugging it in.

But the new fridge turned out to be wider than stated on the website and didn't fit, it was about 1mm too wide. It was repacked within 20 minutes of being delivered.

A new (narrower) fridge was ordered and when it arrived two days later (with free delivery this time thankfully) I pushed it into the gap with ease... but the power cord was too short to reach the plug! My frustration prevented me from coming up with the very sensible and easy solution of using an extension lead. Thank goodness for my husband.


3pm If there is one thing that can soothe me and a bad mood it's my cats and a whole bunch of wool. I was trying to sort my wool by colour so I could see what I'd got and decide what to knit next. Socks thought I was making him a little nest to sit in and made himself comfortable. It's impossible to get annoyed with him, look at that face.


4pm I'm not sure if Andy came home because he'd finished for the day, if the weather prevented him doing what he needed to do, or if it was just because he was so tired, but it was nice to see him in daylight! Even if he did just nod off on the sofa. I was happy to let him snooze but Tinker wanted him awake and making a fuss of her, and wasn't in the least bit impressed that he'd chosen to do otherwise.

This was when I stopped taking photos. We decided on fish n chips for supper whilst watching Strictly Come Dancing.

It felt as if autumn had well and truly arrived.

 The first Saturday in August I was feeling distinctly off, but I couldn't put my finger on what exactly the matter was. My plan had been to do some small DIY jobs that have been on the to-do list for an age, but my heart just wasn't in it. Instead I visited my local charity shop, which is always guaranteed to cheer me up. I came home with a few books, a mug, and a gorgeous mustard coloured bag. Later in the day, when it had cooled a little, I sat outside reading with a cat on either side.

On the Sunday my mood hadn't improved much. It was hot, I was restless, and couldn't settle on what to do. I read, and knitted an alien. By the end of the day I was feeling better.


The following weekend I was feeling really tired and lacking in energy. Cursing the fact that this was the second weekend in a row that I felt under par I spent the day pottering, making pom pom wreaths, and watched Xanadu on DVD.


On the Sunday I visited my Mum and her husband. They were looking after Rosebud whilst her owners were on holiday. She was adorable and we made friends instantly. Although it's hard to drink a cup of tea with a waggy dog on your lap.

The following weekend was photo an hour.


For the final weekend I spent the Saturday with Andy's sister. She was visiting with her husband and three children and we had a chilled day making pom poms. We'd got together a few days earlier to teach the children how to make them and made enough to create a pom pom wreath for Rara (aka Grandma). It turned out really well, and was enough to get my sister-in-law and nephew completely hooked! So another day of making pom poms was requested and I was more than happy to oblige. We made enough to make a wreath for an aunt for Christmas.

On the Sunday we all went to an aunt and uncle's for a BBQ. Uncle worked for most of his life as a chef, he's retired now but this was the most amazing BBQ I've ever seen. We had sausages and burgers, but also chicken in two different marinades, prawn skewers, lamb, steak, and pork belly... and then there was the sampling of his extensive wine cellar. I got to meet their three gorgeous cats too.

But the very best part of the day was that Andy and his Dad took the afternoon off to join us. There had been just enough rain to stop work, down tools, and spend the afternoon relaxing. Ordinarily when rain stops play they spend the time servicing or repairing machinery, so for them both to take the afternoon off in August is very rare. It's the first time Andy has had any time off since the middle of June. It was a really lovely afternoon. We returned home in the early evening with full bellies and just chilled for the rest of the evening.


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It was my wish at the beginning of the year to avoid that Sunday night feeling of a weekend wasted. My goal was to have a plan in place for the coming weekend by each Friday evening. August, much like July, seems to have been largely dominated by the making of pom pom wreaths, but it's also been a good month for spending time with family. My older nephews got their GCSE and A Level results and both of them did really well. Nephew no.1 starts an engineering apprenticeship in September. I can't wrap my head around how he can possibly be a fully fledged grown up already. Nephew no.2 has started a weekend job and is working all the hours he can to buy himself a pair of trainers for £120!! He's just started his A Levels. And I had my 43rd Birthday.

The 18th was #PhotoAnHour day in August. I took part, posting most of my day on Instagram.

8am Late to bed, late to rise. After a late night watching Much Ado About Nothing at the Theatre in the Forest, I needed a big coffee, even if it was only decaf.


9am Tried out a solid hair conditioner from Lush for the first time. I keep it (and my solid shampoo) wrapped in @beeswaxwraps_uk reusable wraps. I didn't like it at first, but it seems to be getting easier with each use. It's very different from liquid conditioners so took some getting used to, but I think I'm going to stick with it. I might have to do a weekly olive oil hair mask as well but it saves on plastic packaging.


10am And the cleaning began. The kitchen got a thorough spring clean (in the summer).


11am Tea break, or more accurately, a jasmine green tea break.  


12pm When shuffle knocks you sideways with THE song that is guaranteed to make you cry. Every. Single. Time. Listen to it here, it's beautiful.


1pm Lunch. Omelette with smoked salmon, spring onion, pepper, feta and chives. 


2pm Going for a ride with Andy. He was working in a field within walking distance of home, so I hitched a ride. It's the most time I'd spent (awake) with Andy all week.


3pm Being dropped off as close to home as you can get in this. Andy was off to a field further away, so I headed to the sofa for knitting and a film.


4pm Sewing up and together, my least favourite part of knitting.


5pm In the company of cats. I have a feeling that Socks had a touch of lap envy.


6pm I gave up on the sewing up and knitted ears instead. Two pairs, because ...


7pm ... I can never have just one knitting project on the go at any one time. I have a monkey without arms, a dog without limbs or ears, and several pieces of what will, one day, be a rabbit. None of these projects have progressed any further because I've started knitting an alien.


8pm The one nice thing about Andy working late is that I can go to bed early with a book. I got to read for an hour before Andy came home and dropped into bed.      

Thanks to Jane and Louisa for hosting.