Apple Harvest

At the beginning of the month we finally picked the apples from our tree.

The chap from next door came in September assured us they were cooking apples, and helped himself to a bucketful. We tried one too but the pips were still white. Having been told that apples weren't ready util the pips turned brown we waited, and waited and waited.... until finally at the beginning of November, just when we'd decided to pick them regardless, they were ready.

Turns out they are very tasty eating apples too, not the cookers our neighbour claimed.

It was a gorgeous morning the fruit was, as you can see, dripping from the overnight rain.  So I took a snap of the field too.

The trees are now bereft of their leaves but how pretty it looked just a couple of weeks ago.

Granny Squares

Now we've got all this warmth, I am loath to leave it in the evenings and go to my sewing studio, so I'm getting much less sewing done. On the other hand as I cannot bear to sit and do nothing, I've been crocheting granny squares.

When my mother, who was a very good and somewhat prolific knitter, died earlier this year I inherited her wool (talk about coals to Newcastle!). What to do with it all? I decided to hand the unfinished items to daughter Charlotte, she's a much better knitter than I and will finish them beautifully. But all the odd balls... time to make some granny squares for a blanket. I've only just learnt to crochet and granny squares are about my limit at the moment.  I've begun with this not terribly pleasant green, which I am sure is left overs from school jumpers for my children. Then getting bored of that colour I picked out the next ball, a navy blue, which is great but until we get a decent light I am barely able to see in the evening. Oh how we laughed when our parents complained of not being able to see dark colours at night.... I digress, hopefully, if I make enough different coloured squares, one day it will all look ok in a blanket.... um!

Ahh... warmth

Oh the excitement..... we've just had a wood burning stove fitted and I'm warm!

Before we moved here we were told by the previous occupants that the house was quite a cold one, but we didn't worry too much as most of the houses we've lived in have been somewhat on the cold side. It is nice to have the stove, it makes it nice and cosy and no longer cold!