Picture of the day......"... Details In The Fabric ...'"

A lovely pile of vintage fabrics!

This week has been somewhat disrupted, with losing our lovely Nala Cat - my mood has been pretty low and I've found it hard to settle to anything much. Of course, this is understandable, but also a little frustrating, as there are so many things I want to be doing, and I want to use my Furlough time to get things done whilst I can.

I did end the day having them all sorted. I have four drawers and six suitcases, and they are jam packed! However, I now have groups of fabrics together, and have a little diagram to put into a Word document, showing which fabrics are where. Organisation is the key - now I just have to organise every other aspect of my life! Haha.

Picture of the day......"... Sun is shining ...'"

The weather was beautiful today, and of course we took Ollie to the beach for a run, a ball-sling, and a back scratch!

Just look at the lovely blue sky in this picture!

I love our beach visits, and am thankful every day that we live so close to the sea. I'm feeling quite low at the moment, and being near the ocean helps with low mood. Just that half an hour's walk with my Lovely Man and Ollie, breathing in the sea air, wondering at the beauty of nature, and getting to see the sunset, or almost-sunset can help so much towards lifting my mood.

Picture of the day......"... it's cool to be a cat ...'"

The house feels really weird without Nala.....

......however, it doesn't stop the other cats doing things which cats do! Ollie Dog says "It's a cat thing".

This particular cat, Basil - our Handsome Old Man - thinks that in spite of having lots of chairs, throws, cushions, beds, hooman laps, and other suitable places to sleep, he'd rather curl up on a pile of washing! Ollie's right - it is a cat thing!

Picture of the day......"Beautiful Girl"

Today is a sad day. Our beautiful little lady Nala passed away this morning at the vet's.

There's something special about black cats - mini panthers, so sleek and beautiful, and she was no exception. She was a proper Diva - feisty and considered herself to be Alpha Female.....but she was also the most affectionate pussycat, and loved a cwtch with her hoomans.

When Ollie and Bob came into our lives, it was a little while before they visited our home, and when they did we were obviously a little apprehensive as to how Ollie and the three kitties would get on.

We didn't need to worry really, because I think the introductions went as smoothly as they could. All three cats were wary of Ollie at first, and of course he was very curious about them. After a couple of weeks of visits, Basil and Joe were very accepting of Ollie, but Nala was still quite feisty and hissy towards him, which he dealt with so gently and beautifully.

This picture was taken a few years ago, and is very typical of the way she used to sit and look, as if summing everything up.

Picture of the day......"...so I packed you in my... "

A lovely pile of vintage suitcases.

I love vintage suitcases.....I actually like lots of vintage things, but particularly suitcases, and I have quite a few of them.

Whilst looking I've decided to reorganise my suitcases of fabrics, into colours, types, etc., so this case now has brightly coloured fabrics in. I'll continue with this tomorrow, since I've run out of both time and energy.

.......and it was lovely to actually see the sea, which was on its way out - or maybe in, we weren't sure - but either way to see, smell and hear the sea was pretty wonderful.

Then it was home for a Hygge experience of yummy hot chocolate and a chapter or two of my current read, which I'm really enjoying.

Picture of the day......"...don't feel like doing anything... "

I didn't take any pictures today, and I saw this on t'interweb - a picture which sums up exactly how I've been feeling today.

I've had so little energy, and could very happily have crawled back to bed and stayed there! However, I didn't do this, but I also didn't do very much else either! Sometimes you just have to give in to the fatigue, and work with Lupus rather than trying to fight her. That is all, and hoping for a more energetic day tomorrow.

Picture of the day......"...on the line to dry... "

What a delicious photograph this is!

Today the weather was lovely enough to put some washing out on the line. My first line-dried washing this year! I love the smell of line-dried washing, especially bedding. Yummy.

I also love how blue the sky is in this picture. This was late afternoon, just before we went off for our daily walk......

......and then this gowjus picture of lovely Ollie, who was very excited to have the ball thrown - or slung, from the slinger. This face is Ollie's "Please throw that ball, right now!" face, and I think of all the expressions he pulls, this is probably my favourite.

A little bit further over from the daffodils, there is this lovely purple crocus. My garden is currently making me happy!

Picture of the day......"...Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes... "

We tried a new product today.

Lots of people in the Facebook vegan group I'm in say how good this stuff is, so I thought I'd give it a go.

In other ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, I've finished reading this book, which I really enjoyed, although not quite as much as the first two in the Lewis Trilogy......

Picture of the day......"...My vegetables... "

As per the meal planning, I tried out a new vegan meal this evening.

I made the 'Butternut Quesadilla' from the Miguel Barclay book "Vegan One Pound Meals", so that I could use up the butternut squash we had in the fridge.

This was quite quick and easy to make, although next time I would probably par-boil the butternut squash before baking, as it was still very firm and hard to mash. We ended up roughly chopping it rather than mashing. I do struggle with lack of strength in my hands - particularly my wrists and fingers - because of joint issues caused by Lupus, so it could have been a combination of that and the squash still being too firm.

I also added to the home cooking freezer stash this evening, by freezing some vegan curry which I made yesterday. All in all, a good result in the kitchen this evening!

Picture of the day......"...We're only making plans... "

This is Nigel, my meal planner!

I was planning meals a while ago, and it was working quite well, but for some reason I stopped.

Meal planning for the week ahead is great. As much as I love cooking, I do find it quite difficult some days to think about what to cook, and planning ahead helps with this. Also, essentially, you only buy the ingredients you're going to need, so it cuts down on waste.

I went through the fridge to see what needed using up, and we have a butternut squash, hence the quesedillas idea. I also went through the freezer for anything which can be used. As I've mentioned previously, I'm trying to use up any processed stuff which is in the freezer, and there's some vegan mince and burgers, so two of our other meals will be a bolognese or lasagne and burgers with home made wedges.

The book on top in this picture is my shopping list book, which I do use regularly to jot down anything we run out of and then to add regular buys to the list the night before I shop, which makes shopping so much easier.

Picture of the day......"Big Log"

This is a big log!

It was just sitting there in the middle of the beach when we went for our walk today...as if someone had put it there, to sit on and watch the sea or something. Except someone hadn't put it there, because there were no drag or roll marks, so it must have been washed up by the sea.

Elsewhere on the beach, we had lots of fun with Ollie!

Ollie Dog is quite partial to a bum rub and a back scratch! (It's not as rude as it sounds honest!). We're not quite sure how it started (it was a while ago), but I ask him if he wants a bum rub and a back scratch, and he comes over to me, and points his bottom at me. I then rub the bottom of his back and scratch the top of his back alternately, and there's a sort of song "A bum rub, and a back scratch". He absolutely loves it, and it's quite funny.

It was quite cold again on the beach today, and we were glad to get home to a hot chocolate. I indulged in a couple of chapters of my current book - which I've almost finished now. Chunky warm knitwear, comfy chair, chapters & hot chocolate - very Hygge indeed!

Picture of the day......"... and carrots ..."

These boiled carrots are for Ollie!

Yep, carrots for a dog. We've been concerned lately that Ollie is putting on a lot of weight. Because of lockdown, he's not getting his usual hundreds of walks a week at Craig-y-Nos Country Park. We walk him every day, but it's not the same.

So, as well as changing the type of exercise he gets - that is instead of just a walk on the beach or in the park, we're getting him to vigorously chase a ball - we also decided to reduce his food intake. It's horrible, because he's clearly hungry, but it's not good for him to be piling on the pounds, so it has to be done. However, we had an idea that if we give him veggies with a reduced amount of dog food, then he's getting as much bulk as a regular meal, but with less calories. So we checked out which are safe veggies to give him, and that's what we're doing.

We give him different veggies every day, and t seems to be working so far. Ollie's not showing signs that he's still hungry, and we have noticed a slight weight loss already.

Picture of the day......"... Pick up one and leave the other behind ..."

Today was a choice dilemma on the beach!

We found this large, but very lovely stick which we could have thrown for Ollie......but we also took a ball with us today. So we were left with the choice - do we throw the ball or the stick?

Picture of the day......"... Carry on ..."

Monday is Weigh Day!

Another pound off - yaaay! This now makes 30 in total since my heaviest weight, and 14 (a whole stone) on this journey. I've also reached my third small target.

My next small target is to get to 12 stone 0 pounds, therefore losing another 7 pounds. My original target date for that was 22nd February, but I'm clearly not going to make that, so basically I'll achieve it as and when!

Picture of the day......"... Nothing you can make that can't be made ..."

My lovely Valentine scarf is off the loom!

It is really gowjus.....I love the colours and Bob has woven it beautifully. I have to wait a bit longer to wear it though, because I'm told by my Lovely Weaving Man that it needs to be washed, and to have the fringing twisted. Apparently he is waiting for the postman to bring a special twisting tool!

Watch this space, and in the meantime I had some yummy vegan chocolate to munch away.

Picture of the day......"... I'm in an awful way ..."

We have a very poorly Nala, although when we took this picture she had perked up quite a bit from how she was yesterday and this morning.

Her breathing has been laboured for the last few days. She had a bout of this during last summer, and we thought it was dehydration, got her to drink lots of water, and she bounced back from it. This time though, it's been worse.

Picture of the day......"... somethin's goin' on ..."

This is what Bob's loom currently looks like!.

My Valentine's Day scarf is under the cardboard, and I'm not allowed to look! Ooohh!

Picture of the day......"... somewhere close to me ..."

This is the little green shoot of something which I photographed last week.

It's come up more now, and I'm thinking it's probably a daffodil.

I put lots of things in at the same time as the grass seed, including daffodils, tulips, snowdrops......

I'm still learning about gardening, so I doubt I'll be able to identify any of them simply from the leaves - although I'll get out my books and have a go!

In any event it will be great fun seeing them all come up!

Picture of the day......"... with pink if you please ..."

This is the warp for My Lovely Man's current weaving project.

The warp colour is a beautiful goldy-green......

Beautiful colours! I'm enjoying seeing it develop, and I'm really looking forward to seeing (and wearing) the final result.

I'm told it's a Valentine gift! Wow, romance is alive and kicking.....and weaving apparently.

Picture of the day......"... So beautiful, won't you come with me? ..."

Today I was Ollie sitting, whilst Bob went off to do some PAT testing work.

I had a mixed day - some productivity - but I'm still not feeling quite up to par and had a bout of extreme fatigue this afternoon, so had a nap.

I didn't want to go down via our usual pathway, because the water was fairly far up the beach, and I knew that Ollie wouldn't be able to resist running into the sea - which is fine, except I'm not used to him doing that and was worried he may go in too far, then I would have a problem.

So we walked along the coastal path and joined the beach at the far end, where there was still lots of sand. We had good fun with some sticks, and then we did walk back up following our usual route.

It was actually nice seeing the sea up so close today and being able to listen to it and smell it. It was also nice to take some photographs from a different point of view!

I love the ocean, and had it been warmer, would have been tempted like Ollie to take a dip!

Picture of the day......"... story's bound to change ..."

Monday is Weigh Day.....and no movement this week. I haven't lost any, but I haven't put any back on either.

This is obviously disappointing, but it would have been more so had I gained! So, positivity is firmly in place, and into the next week I go!

Picture of the day......"... The texture and the flavour ..."

I love starting the day with freshly baked bread for breakfast. This loaf is particularly yummy, and we enjoyed it with strawberry jam!

Picture of the day......"... You're weaving love into a mad jazz pattern ..."

This is the latest practice sample from Bob's loom.

I love the colours and the range of patterns that Bob is trying out. I'm impressed with my Lovely Man, and looking forward to the next stage of his weaving!

Picture of the day......"... I take a dip ..."

Sometimes, all that is needed is a cup of tea in a hot, bubbly, candlelit bath......

......and followed by a plate of good old junk food! Although it was home cooked junk food.

I used "Meatless Farm" burgers - part of the whoopsies haul I had from Tesco a few weeks ago. I'm using up stuff from the freezer - reducing the amount of processed stuff and replacing it with home-cooked, healthy meals. For tomorrow evening I've used up veggies before doing our weekly shop, in a curry, and there should be enough of that left to pop a couple of portions in the freezer.

I served tonight's meal with some garlic mushrooms & onion rings, and a few home-cooked wedges. It was very yummy, and just the kind of thing for a Friday evening.

Picture of the day......"Owner of a..."

This cute little heart was in the sand on the beach today, when we took Ollie for a walk.

I have no idea who Isobel is, and no idea whether she put this heart there, or somebody put it there for her, but I couldn't resist photographing it.

It's definitely more cheerful than the broken heart that we saw drawn in the sand last week anyway!

As usual, our walk on the beach was so lovely, and Ollie had his usual mad run around, dashing in and out of the little pools of water, making friends with other dogs, and trying to steal their tennis balls!

As the sun was setting she produced these beautiful yellow colours. These colours and this picture are the kinds of things which really make me wish I could paint. My Dad would have painted a wonderful version of this I'm sure - he was great with a paintbrush, especially in oils.

Then a few minutes later again, the sun was gone - nestled into her slumber for the evening, and leaving this wonderful moody sky of pinks and greys, and telling us it was time to go home for a cuppa!

Picture of the day......"...and I don't know what it is..."

I went out into the garden today, to photograph some knitting I've done.

I noticed that near the base of one of my trees, something is peeping up above the ground! I know I planted it, because I did plant some bulbs there and along the path edge, when I put the grass seed in. What I don't know, is quite what it is! It'll either be tulips or daffodils - I don't think I put any other kind of bulbs in that place. We'll see - watch this space. I'm very excited!!

Also, look at that lovely green grass! Squeeee!

Picture of the day......"...I'm picking up..."

I took this picture yesterday, because I usually blog about my weight loss journey on a Monday, but gave my blog over to my lovely brother yesterday.

Anyway, this is the state of play for this week - another pound off, which makes a total of 13 during this journey and 29 altogether from my heaviest weight. I'm happy with that. I wasn't sure if I had lost this week, because I haven't been as scrupulous in writing all the calories down, although I have eaten sensibly and mindfully.

Picture of the day......"...How I wish, how I wish..."

The picture is my lovely brother David (Dave) - the youngest of my three elder brothers. The photograph was taken when he was around the age of 19. Dave was six years older than me, and died suddenly of a heart attack in June 2010 at the age of 51. Today is his birthday, and he should have been 62.

Dave was my absolute hero when we were growing up. He was clever, intelligent, articulate......taught himself to play guitar and then used that talent to play and sing around the clubs in Wales (and beyond). He surfed, canoed, swam like a fish, knew everything there was to know about cars, how they worked, and how to fix them, was a whiz with computers.....and so much more.

Dave is the reason I always wear odd socks, love Monty Python & the music of Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and Bread, and learned to play guitar - although I'll never be anywhere near as good as he was!

Dave's passing was the most painful thing I have ever experienced, and anniversaries - today, and 5th June - are always difficult. However, in spite of this I have such lovely memories of him. For example, I cannot pick up my knitting needles without thinking of him, because he taught me to knit, after all the women in the family (and neighbouring families!) had tried and failed. I knit almost every day, so clearly I think of him often!

So today I raise my cup of tea to Dave.....I hope he's jamming up there with the best of them. Happy Birthday Dave.