Where I’ve been.
So, I finally finished brushing out my dreads. The resulting haircut is quite short, but not too bad, I’m thinking. It’s taking some getting used to after having hair which I just tied up ALL THE TIME for about, oooh, eighteen months, but I’m getting there, and gosh, it’s nice not to have an enormous mass of tangled roots to fret about!
Talking of tangled roots, the small girl and I made a sort of autumnal randomly-festive-feeling wreath thing for the door, using the (I think…?) wild clematis that Quercus and I hauled back from the woods the year that we moved here. We added lots of leaves, dipped in beeswax, and there you go. The small girl greatly enjoyed the dipping; man, there was wax EVERYWHERE, but sometimes I think it’s worth it. Of course, it is entirely possible that I was singing a rather different song when cleaning the spots off the hob and the counters the next day… Though the leftovers did make two rather nice-smelling pots of balm, with rosemary, thyme and marjoram.
The days are moving so quickly here that, although I often intend to post bits and bats, somehow I don’t seem to get around to it. I’ve made some felt bunting, for example, and wanted to post pictures, but haven’t even got around to taking them off the camera yet…. And I’ve also smugly made Chrimbly puddings, courtesy of a good friend’s excellent decision that we should meet once a week for what has become known as a Crafternoon (heh – see what I did there? A wit without parallel, moi), foisting our children upon one another in the hope that sufficient exposure will foster friendship, or, at least, tolerance, while we embark on crafting adventures which will keep our maternal sanity in the darkness of the winter months, where summer’s outdoor answer to so many problems has the nerve to keep such very short hours, and to cover itself in mud and rain.
The smallest of our number continues to ensnare me. I worried when pregnant that, while I knew I would love this child, I might not feel as strongly as I had the first time. Of course, completely ridiculous – her conquest of us has been every bit as absolute, and just as unwitting. She seems to have developed a lovely rhythm – sleeping for a couple of hours morning and afternoon, and then a short cat-nap at about 4.30 before we all pile into the bath and thence the usual bedtime palava.
Of course, all bets are off at night, but then she is only three months old, and I think it’s a little early to be worrying overly about how many times she wakes. I’m in the fortunate position of having Quercus to hand her over to for a half-hour or so in the morning, which really helps the sanity stakes, and of having a four-day weekend every week since Quercus moved to working three longer days as opposed to the four afternoons he’d previously worked. (On a financial note, having only one part-time wage is not ideal while I’m on maternity leave, but this is the bit where I keep reminding myself that we made these choices for a reason: we want to be able to spend time together, all of us, in one big sticky heap, and not being at work for forty hours a week may mean we’re a bit hard-up when we do so, but at least we’re all here; we also get much more flexibility in terms of getting major work done on the house, which is very necessary if we are to finish it before we are old and grey.) (Insert radical home-making-style rant here.) (No, really.)
I appear also to be knitting three hundred things. Well, at least mentally. I have mittens on the go courtesy of Claire; dark pink and purple stripes, as the small girl has just chosen these colours for the boots she is having made as a Chrimbol present from her grandma. (We appear to be moving to the end of her Red Years, where All Must Be Red, Or There Will Be Trouble; I am now so accustomed to looking for red things that I don’t quite know how to get out of the habit… Purple and pink? Surprisingly girly, though the pink is a very good shade, and she is super-picky about it not being pale and wussish, so I guess I will adapt.) (Just as well, come to think of it; have you tried finding a coat for a small girl which is red and not horribly shiny? Ye gods, they’re hens’ teeth. Which is why a purple candidate and a khaki alternative are on route, on approval, as it’s getting a little more seasonally appropriate here in the last day or two, and already there have been complaints of frostbite from a certain young lady.)
Also, we have been off adventuring about the place, enjoying not doing work on the house in every spare minute. Of course, this means that we have yet to touch the landing and stairs since the smallest joined us in August, but hey, sanity is more important, right? Quercus took this picture when we on a jaunt to Dartmoor, where, I have decided, we do not go often enough. There is something so uplifting about the space, the huge views across the landscape, that we always seem to come back feeling renewed and refreshed, as if we’d had a whole holiday, rather than just a day away from the usual views and the rhythm of our everyday existence. So, perhaps a monthly visit is in order, methinks. I leave you with some tors. Impressive, aren’t they? The small girl certainly thought so. The smallest? Well, she mostly slept in a striped sling, snuggled up inside Quercus’s fleece against the wind.
The last Tor picture looks like someone sitting back for a rest to enjoy the view… Tors ARE amazing. And if you don’t mind my saying so, that haircut looks perfect! Really suits you. (I think we are privileged to get a peek at the person.) Doesn’t often happen, obviously. Anyway, did you feel lighter? Every time I’ve had a Big Cut (my hair’s usually quite long) I can’t get over the feeling of lightness. Plus the comb keeps flying into mid air when I’m not expecting it.
Oh and I liked your leaves. I’ve massaged hand cream into them, which works, but takes ages. Going to try the wax thing now.
As for ‘to spend time together, all of us, in one big sticky heap’ – perfection. xx
PS since I’m here, I should say I didn’t realise and completely fell short of congratulations when the babe was born, so I’m saying it now!
So cosy. Lovely to read you so positive! Glad things are going better.
I’ve never tried dipping leaves in beeswax either… and we have tonnes (almost literally) of beeswax. Do they keep their colours indefinitely then, or does it jsut slow the browning process?
Can we share your balm recipes too?
I miss Dartmoor. When I lived on the Somerest/Dorset/Devon border I often went there and totally agree about the magical effect it has.
The Tors are impressive indeed! Does Dartmoor have ponies still, or is this what is put about for tourists? Not only a lovely haircut, but colour as well. As December 1st rolls around, the urge to bake an absolutely stupid amount of cookies rises. Hoping you get all of your projects done & done.
Welcome back
Hair looks fab. What size does the small girl in need of a red coat wear? I have, at last count, six small red not-shiny coats and although I fear they will mostly be in use this winter or too small already, it is worth a shot. We like red, for coats. Baby is adorable and i love the crafternoon idea. I’d adopt it if my real-life friends didn’t think I was insane.
Lovely to see you back…and congratulations on the hair, the best thing is that you did it and explored the whole dreadlock thang. Here’s wishing you all more happiness and joy and contentment in the bigs and the smalls.
You have been busy!! Lovely to have walks by the Tor, a good place to recharge your batteries.
Your hair looks great! I’m impressed! And that baby….oh! So precious!
Dartmoor looks so beautiful. Sigh. Even that wildness looks so gentle and contained compared with the devastating infinite of the landscapes here. The Tor is fascinating – the more I look at it, the more I see squatting toads and turtles, and then I see grumpy old men gazing out over the land. I agree about getting out and about – even for the odd day trip. Makes such a difference. We’re going to be doing some Leaving The House this summer on a regular basis. For a change of air.
Your crafty efforts are inspiring as ever : ) I really do love that wreath and think those leaves just look beautiful dipped in the wax. The colours look so rich. Quite something. Fab idea to turn the drippings into balm! I’m about to embark upon some mass balm making myself…do you have any fave combos? You use just beeswax and essential oils? Or do you slurp other stuff in there?
I’ve never made chrimbly pud. It always sounded a bit beyond my kitchen equipment, but I do love a pudding.
Was going to ask the same q as Blue Witch about how the leaves last but then realised that Autumn fails to coincide with any sort of house decorating event in these southern climes. However we do have cherries for christmas so I’ll have to get over my decor disappointments
Ragged Thread, it still feels strange, after nearly a month! I can’t get used to the way it feels when I swish it in the bath to rinse it, either – there is no drag! No undertow! No deadly current of tangled chaos!
BW, I’ll post the balm recipes shortly. I’ve made quite a few, and think I have one which suits us now, so happy to share. As for the leaves, it does slow the discolouration quite considerably – ours have only really started to brown now, after over a month. It also stops them getting so brittle. You are clearly the perfect candidate for doing this, given your bees! So jealous – would love to have bees one day, not least for all the side-products… Do you sell beeswax on, or do you find you use it all yourselves?
Petoskystone, that urge has struck here too!
Lisa, I’m quite sure that insanity has been postulated as an explanation for, well, me, but hey, or something equally philosophically inane.
Hels, I’m not ruling out ever doing it again (though Quercus will probably run for the hills if I do!), but I do think it’s not quite the low-maintenance experience that some people have when I do it… So, clearly not a small-child-friendly ‘do.
gz, yes – batteries so needed it too!
Five Seed, I am nothing short of astounded, frankly – there were many, many nights when I didn’t think I’d manage to get all of them out. So, at least I know it can be done!
Antoinette, balmy comments to follow in another post. Chrimbly pud is actually stupidly easy to make yourself, which is why I’m always quite surprised that more people don’t try it. Honestly, if you can make bread (and I think you do?), this is as easy as breathing compared. Just chuck lots of things in and steam it to buggery, basically. I’ll post our recipe if you like? I still owe you thanks for That Solstice Cake, you know.
Cath, cherries – ! How very civilised.
I LOVE YOUR HAIR. That is all.