And in other news:
Lordy-me, I’m having a blogging slump, it appears. It’s not that I’ve nothing to report, and more that I’m not finding time to do it. I honestly don’t know how so many delightful bloggers find time each day to sit down and post things which not only consist of more than the written equivalent of the twin fingers of derision, but are well-thought-out and eloquent, complete with pictures and illustrations. It’s depressing. Or, rather, it would be, if I didn’t enjoy reading such pourings-forth.
Anyway, recent activities have included the acquisition of a reclaimed pine table for our kitchen, which genuinely feels like a kitchen now, and which has really changed the way we’re living in our tiny house to an extent I hadn’t anticipated. It’s so nice to have space for the small girl to toddle about the place without having to think about table saws and screwdrivers as potential weapons in tiny hands. We’ve even got space for a rug where she can sit and explore some of her recent haul from her grandma; she is loving the extra space, and we are breathing out, collectively.
We’ve also made quite firm plans for what this summer will be. So far, it looks like Quercus will take parental leave from his job in order to spend a concerted block of time on the house – three weeks to finish the outside of the extension, which includes drainage, guttering, painting and various bits and bobs of things like fixing lime render where frost came too soon for us. It’s going to be another busy year, but I’m trying to stay upbeat about this; the loss of the chickens has hit me harder than I’d imagined possible, to be honest, and I am struggling to find the optimism which normally buoys me up on even the greyest of days. Partly, I think that’s why I’ve not been writing here very frequently; it’s not that I have sunk into the slough of despond, but I do feel that it’s very wearisome to read yet another depressing ‘oh shit’ post, and it’s probably only going to hack me off further to write such witterings. So, I’m holding my metaphorical tongue until such time as I have more cheery tidings to impart.
I’m also conscious of being rather very behind in the 52 Recipes in 2010 stakes. I started late – I think it was April – but still, I think I need to be cooking something new every single day from here to 2011 at this rate. I’m going to try to get two new things in this week as a bid to turn things around, mood-wise. I’m reasonably cheery, I suppose, and I just need to remember that, and develop it, all of which is hard when the small girl is teething molars, and waking quite frequently, so we’re knackered, as usual. (It’s all so boring, sleep deprivation, yet utterly overwhelming from time to time, I find.)
Current preoccupations:
Children, the number, timing, and nature thereof;
Cooking, and the need not to repeat oneself ad nauseum;
House work, as in cleaning and painting windows, drainage, fixing gardens et al;
The physical self, and why my body wants either chocolate or sleep ALL THE TIME.
Tell me nice things in my comments box, please. (Inspired by DW, whose “I need to hear nice things” post made me smile.)
Your kitchen looks wonderful. Well done!
Oh, and I wrote that comment before I read the end of the post too!
Totally agree: sleep deprivation, boring and overwhelming and totally unavoidable. I think we have the pre-molars coming here :-S Gorgeous kitchen though!
Oh, I’m so jealous of your kitchen! I love the jigsaw-puzzle of cupboard doors on the wall, and I adore wood. Is it pine? I think it’s partly because my parents abhorr pine (through some strange kind of snobbery) that I love it. I love how visible the grain is. Also, I wish I had an oven. I can’t bake when I need to cheer myself up.
It probably doesn’t help, but when I crave chocolate and sleep simultaneously, it usually means I haven’t had enough exercise. A quick hop on my bike and the feel of the wind in my hair.
Yay for rugs!
oo i want your wall of cupboards! nice job! yea for gran’mas who provide hauls
i agree w/nickie–exercise does wonders for the mood (not talking 2 hour weightlifting marathons–just a 1/2 hour walk in the sunshine w/the wee one). am looking forward to reading more of your cooking adventures as you’re veggie recipes are always excellant!
Lovely kitchen – and what a clever solution to have that glorious wall of cupboards of all sizes! It’s just like one of those beautiful little boxes with tiny compartments to squirrel everything away (LOVE boxes). Is it fun to organize now? Am very, very impressed as I believe you two built it all yourselves?
BTW – Petoskystone is a fascinating name! Recently went to Michigan where I saw Petosky stones in their native habitat.
Sorry for the hijack!
They’ve all said it already but I *love* your kitchen and have utter kitchen envy as mine is dingy and dark and gloomy and has one single cupboard for food.
Also, in the “say nice things” vein, nice chatting yesterday as you always make me smile even if you are being gloomsome. Photos as promised about to upload
Gosh I’m sorry to hear about your hens – I know I’m totally behind the times by commenting on this, but I’m not reading or writing much at the moment. It sounds horrible, and I imagine it was quite depressing to go out and find the all dead.
I don’t know how people find the time to blog so frequently. I can only assume that they prioritise blogging quite highly, whereas it is right at the bottom of my personal To Do list. Actually I think I might have reached a stage where I am less sleep deprived, calmer and generally more content with my lot, which gives me less reason to rant at the world through my blog. But enough of me. You have a very nice kitchen and although all this work seems a drag at the moment, I bet you wouldn’t be able to bear sitting around twiddling your thumbs.
Your house is so lovely! Hang in there…I’m having some gray days, myself. They will pass and all will be sunny again!
Oh, I comPLETEly understand what you mean about the “everyday bloggers”. Me, I’m more of a “fairweather blogger” and most nights if I can manage to keep my eyes open *all the way through supper*, I’m in good shape. It doesn’t help that I’m out of the house for 10 hours per day and blogging takes TIME!
Well, I am very impressed with your kitchen reno. I would give my left arm (scratch that – I wouldn’t be able to knit without it…how ’bout my left big toe?) to have a new kitchen. Someday I will gather the courage to tackle it (and post the “before” photos…ugh). Anyway, yours is lovely and looks very “nook and cranny”-ish, which I love. It’s so much more satisfying to snoop around your friends’ homes when there are nooks to ferret out, isn’t it? I also covet that skylight intensely.
Can I move in?
Lovely, lovely kitchen cupboards, and all that space, cleared out and everything. I can almost here the sigh of relief from here.
Lovely thing no 2 – I love your writing and it isn’t boring at all; your style and “humaness” (new word alert) always shine through.
Also, I have grey days, and some positively black ones, and I know that what mindset you work with always helps. So, be gentle with yourself (it was horrible what happened with the chickens, so why wouldn’t you feel bad?) but also do the things that you know cheer you up. (And I say a little chocolate, never a bad thing!)
kitchen is wonderful I love it
You are an inspiration dear EW, all your creativity shines through even on your dark days
I think your kitchen is gorgeous; my eldest teenager thinks the small girl is gorgeous too. And I generally only manage one post a fortnight. I have enough trouble keeping up with my blog reading.
I am so impressed at how your kitchen cabinets are not all perfectly cookie-cutter-symmetrical-in-a-row. My cupboards look positively drab in comparison. Yours make one want to peek behind the doors to see what might be there. Mine are boring boring boring. You give me the sudden desire to tear them all out in an anti-symmetry frenzy and start from scratch. Of course, that would be ludicrous, because that is the last thing I need on top of full time work, part time law school, keeping a copious quantity of two-and-four-footed friends, and trying to attend to the laundry once a month. But it’s lovely to dream about having such inspired cupboard arrangements. Maybe when life is less frenzied I shall consider it. When will that be, I wonder?
well, i said it before, during building, but will say it again LUUUUUURVE your cupboards, oh joy of organising! what’s that in the middle far left?
i wish we could have afforded something like that, too expensive here. love love… yes, there’s salivation…
It happens, it passes, I’ve been there, probably most women have been there, but you can pull yourself out of that stagnant hole you feel you are in. The teething passes and the sun shines and you walk into your beautiful kitchen and your man comes in covered in sawdust/woodchip/whatever and the kettle goes on and you find you are smiling without provocation – and it is a wonderful warm happy moment – they come back, and when they do they feel right
hang in there, life happens!
x
Thanks, chaps – nice things are it. And also nice to see some new names here too.
Some questions and answers, quickly not (merely) because I am a lazy bitch but also because posting what follows this post took so long that my brain is screaming ‘must sit in darkened room and consume own body-weight in pistachios’:
Nickie: the wood is European oak, as it happens; it’s waxed to bring out the grain, but doesn’t show well in the picture. I’ll have to post some more (any excuse – !).
Megan: well, largely Quercus built it – I waxed it and we came up with the design between us, but it’s his hard work which has made it happen. He is utterly fab, obviously.
DW: don’t covet too intensely – it took four attempts to stop that bastard skylight leaking – !
Mon: I think it’s probably the microwave lurking in its cupboard – we are all about the built-in. This cupboard hides the bin and the microwave; the under-counter ones hide the dishwasher and the washing machine. I love not having stuff out, after so long of having stuff EVERYWHERE! I’m sure you understand.
I’m jealous of the big blank canvas about the stove- some lovely art must go there, don’t you think?