Hallowe'en

This year was the first Hallowe'en where we could start having some proper fun with Rowan.  The previous years, apart from putting him in some themed baby-grows, he's been too young to really do much with.  So this year I prepped a few activities to do, and decorated the house a bit.
Most of the shop bought decorating kits are all ceramic.  These are not overly suitable for a high octane two year old (or indeed any two year old) so I prepared some papier mache balloon frames instead.  I left it a bit late and ended up having some late nights layering up the paper.  I forgot how long this stuff takes to dry!  I also stayed up to carve the pumpkin the night before Hallowe'en. It didn't take very long as I usually use a scalpel instead of a heavy, unwieldly kitchen knife.

 

Ready for Hallowe'en fun

 We had a spooky breakfast of apple monsters.  These were so simple to make.  You cut out a wedge of apple, add a layer of peanut butter then stick half a strawberry on for a tongue.  Using a little more peanut butter, you add blueberries for eyes.  I just wish I could remember which website I found the idea from. 

 

 Apple monsters. I came across this idea online but now

can't find the website to give credit.

 

Rowan ate the berries and peanut butter

from the apple monster. The apple itself

was essentially abandoned. 

Every year I've taken a photo of Rowan in this 

pose with a pumpkin.  I'm hoping to do the same

over the next few years. I think it'll make a great

collage one day! 

 

Walking the line between spooky and friendly 

for a child's Hallowe'en can be tricky. 

This was my first attempt at creating depth with 

pumpkin carving. 

The house decorations were just a few cheapy ones from Hobbycraft.  If I'd had more time I would have liked to have made them myself, but I'm terrible for trying to take on too much then getting stressed about deadlines.  

 Hanging spider.

 

This is currently Rowan's 'say cheese' face

The papier mache balloons were a hit.  We painted them outside in the garden in the morning (hurrah for an unseasonably warm October!) and sprinkled them with glitter. A lot of glitter.  Seriously, the back garden now looks like a 70's disco floor. In the afternoon, when the balloons had dried, we stuck various bits and pieces on them. There are several bits of feral craft pieces roaming the garden now.

I got quite a lot of mileage out of this activity, which was a bit of a relief since I was prepping them for about 3 days.  

 

 Our papier mache creations. Rowan's is on the left.

I think he was going for an evil blood-streaked clown effect.

Mine is on the right. I dunno, it's a pumpkin pirate, or something.

Throughout the day I also toasted the pumpkin seeds from the carved pumpkin, made pumpkin pie, and pumpkin soup and Rowan and I made some biscuits and decorated them. It was a very busy day, and I actually managed to wear Rowan out!  I doubt I can maintain that level of energy indefinitely though.

 Tired Rowan

He was a bit fed up of being photographed at this point

and grumpily told me to stop.  

 Pumpkin pie. I'm not a fan of photos of food. It

never looks appetising to me.

Wild Place Project 5k fun run

Wild Place Project is a subsidiary of the Bristol Zoological Gardens and opened its doors to the public in 2013.  With a particular stress on preserving endangered habitats, there are several species to see from wolves to okapi, and lots of playgrounds dotted along the way for younger children.  It also boasts themed walks, climbing walls and other outdoor activities.
Wild Place Project isn't as well known as the zoo, but it's worth a visit especially as it's just half the price of the latter.

Wild Place Project is currently raising funds to build a new enclosure so they can house giraffes.  To this end, this year they hosted their first 5k run.  I signed up as it's not often you get an opportunity to go for a run around a zoo!  Registering for the run included entry for 3 guests, so my parents came up and enjoyed the attraction too.

I haven't run a race since before I had Rowan, so I thought 5k would be a nice return to running (especially since I don't get time to train - I think I've been running twice in the last month).
The start of the run took us past the wolves.  They were running up and down the length of their enclosure watching the runners with interest.  Wolves are my favourite animal, so this was undoubtedly the best bit of the run for me!  The wolves were probably responding to a predatory instinct, but it was still exciting to see them up close.
The route then took us down a muddy track as the gradient dropped.  Downhill is a good thing when running, but only on the return journey!  I remember thinking that facing the uphill section would really bite when we reached it, and I wasn't wrong!  I ended up walking a few sections as the terrain was so muddy I think I would have ended up sprawled over the ground if I ran it (plus, I was tired at that point).

It was a tough run, more cross-country than I was expecting.  But there was a nice sense of comradery among the runners.

This was a nice if misleadingly hard run.  I would definitely do it again though.

 At the finishing line

Whilst I was running Rowan spent his time obsessively on the bouncy castle.  Gareth did get a couple of photos of him, but they are bit blurry:

Boing!

After the run we had a pleasant walk around some of the site.  The meerkats were particularly endearing, and seemed very curious when people were around their enclosure.  Rowan seemed quite taken with them too, as you could get right up close to them.

Contented meerkats

There were lots of points of interest throughout the site, which was marvelous for maintaining an easily distracted toddler's attention.

Rowan loved this zebra jeep. He wasn't as impressed with

the real zebras. The zoologist in me weeps a little. 

 

 Terrifying driving - he's not even

watching the road!

 

 Big game

Mum and Dad mid-stroll

Project #8

I made Rowan another pair of trousers based on the Burda 9822 pattern.  However, I made a couple of changes as I wasn't happy with the fit of the previous pair.  I replaced the cord tie with an elasticated waist, raised the pockets as I thought they looked a bit low (I guess the pattern reflects the fashion of the times - wasn't the 90's an era of pockets dragging along the floor?), and folded the base of the pocket flap to hide the raw edges before stitching- when I followed the pattern the raw edges weren't suitably hidden and it's irked me since.

I also attempted contrast topstitching.  It would have been easier with a twin needle, hence some of the quirky lines.  It isn't until you try to topstitch in a contrasting colour that you notice your stitching isn't as straight as you thought.

The completed trouser

My - ahem - super straight topstitching

I had a few disagreements with my sewing machine with this project.  I handcut a motif to embelish on of the pockets (hurrah for Bondaweb!) and wanted to zigzag stitch it in place.  My sewing machine, in a fit of thread tension related anger, decided to only place the stitch on the wrong side of the fabric; the right side was a weird mess.  I ended up threading, re-threading, swearing, phoning my Mum for advice and swearing some more before finally taking the needle plate off and giving the machine an overdue clean.  That fixed it!
I wanted the zigzig stitch to be much smaller around the motif, but after the issues I had with thread tension I wasn't going to risk changing any settings so went with it.  It looks very amateur, but it's all practice and learning!

The troublesome motif

Sleeping like a baby

Rowan's latest hobby is removing his mattress from his bed and rearranging his bedding.  Most nights he calls Gareth or me upstairs to remake the bed, but this night I guess he was too tired and fell asleep mid-demolition.  He is tucked up inside the zip insert of the mattress like a sleeping bag. Surprisingly, the wooden slats from the bed are still on the bed - he uses them as a ladder propped against the wall sometimes.

Small acts

There are some days with parenting that leave you feeling unqualified, isolated and judged.  Today was one of those.  The day consisted of trying to herd a bolting toddler in the dentist's busy waiting room; making futile attempts to intercept limitless tantrums, and unsuccessfully trying to convince a toddler that taking a nap is not a form of tortuous punishment (seriously, I wish someone would tell me to go to sleep in the middle of the day with no hidden agenda!)
I took Rowan to the park after visiting the dentist as he was a bit apprehensive during his appointment.  I'm  not sure if I was looking particularly dejected, but another mum just struck up a conversation with me whilst we pushed our respective sons on the swings.  It was only idle small talk but somehow it rallied me for the rest of the day.  When Rowan later slid right off the slide and heavily onto his bottom (it was raining and the slide was very wet), and I was feeling guilty about not having the foresight to have prevented it, the same mum casually said that she was surprised how slippery the slide was and the same thing would have happened to her.

When you have days where you feel you don't know what you're doing, and it seems everyone else is finding it breeze, it is reassuring and encouraging when someone takes the time to support you.  Sometimes all it takes is a chat about the weather with a stranger to bolster self-belief.

Project #7

This duvet cover and pillow slip set has been sitting around unfinished since I made project #1, my first duvet cover.  I only had the poppers to sew on but it's taken 8 months to finally get around to completing it.
The material was from a stash given to me, and I was unsure what to use it for.  Initially I thought about making some curtains for the office, but it is a fairly thin fabric, and to be honest it didn't really match the room.  Despite the feminine pattern, I decided to make it into another duvet cover for Rowan.  This has proved a good move as lately his night-time pull-ups have been leaking!

The duvet cover really needed a lot more poppers than the 3 I sewed on, but that's what was left in my sewing box so it'll do for now.  The combination of delicate embroidery and heavy handed toddler probably means it won't have much longevity anyway.

Extra bedding for a leaky toddler.

I don't iron. 

Close-up of the embroidery. Not the most

boyish of fabrics but it fairly muted

Creativity

Rowan recently figured out how to open the high cupboard in his room.  I had my suspicions this was going to happen soon, but since the cupboard is fairly high up and has a stiff handle (and I'm knackered) I didn't preemptively child-proof it.
One evening, after a particularly troublesome bedtime routine where Rowan was hyper-tired and wouldn't settle, Gareth and I went up to check on him and found this:

Looking pleased with his masterpiece

Rowan had managed to open his cupboard and completely empty its contents (including the actual shelves).  Now, this shouldn't be a problem except that we kept all the nappy changing stuff in there including Sudocrem.  It was everywhere. The carpet; the walls; the toddler; furniture; toys...  Fortunately, the bulk of his 'painting' was confined to the drawers which was easy to wipe clean.  Overall, it could have been a lot worse (and it got worse - more on that below*). Although we now have to find somewhere for all the stuff that used to be kept in his cupboard..
In the photo above you'll notice an absence of curtains and accompanying rail.  Rowan pulled it out of the wall (including wall-plugs) a few days previously and we thought it safest to remove it completely.  The blackout blind is regularly pulled down, but at least we don't have to worry about random screws getting lost.

*Not long after this Rowan decided to try painting with... well, how to put this delicately? Poop. He painted with his poop. If you've never had to clean poop out of an electric socket, cable jack or Duplo bricks then I envy you! The walls, carpet, and toddler were relatively easy to clean by comparison. I didn't take any photos of that discovery.  I doubt anyone would've appreciated the photographic evidence.

The hungriest caterpillar

I found this not-so-little guy in our garden a couple of days ago.  He was huge!  Even the dog kept his distance.

 Who ate all the peonies?

I put the dandelion here for context... Caterpillar did not

look unhappy about it.

 

 Interesting patterning

 

The closest Tangent would get after an initial sniff

Project #6

I haven't sewed in over 4 months for to various reasons (decorating (so much decorating) and life being a little poop frankly) but I finally got around to digging out my sewing machine and making Rowan a new pair of trousers.  Since he's been potty trained it's difficult finding trousers that actually stay up - it's surprising how much bulk a nappy provides! Making your own mean you can adjust where necessary to fit.

I used Burda 9822 (view D).  Rowan measured perfectly for the smallest size, so I didn't need to adapt the pattern. Always a happy bonus!  Despite sewing the correct seam allowance etc. they still ended up too big which has annoyed me, but at least he'll have something to grow into.

Burda 9822. Very quick and easy to sew

The fabric I used was from an abundance of free material given to me, and although it is nice enough and easy to work with, I'll be glad when I've used it up and can go out and buy some fabric I've chosen! It's a slightly stretchy denim so should be hard wearing.  Rowan picked out a ladybird motif to decorate the pocket.

 

Rowan's 'say cheese' face.

 Drawstring waist, and big pockets.

Perfect for a toddler!

 The motif Rowan picked out.  I re-enforced

it with zigzag stitch so hopefully it'll last

I really should have cropped some of these photos but haven't figured out all the editing tools on my software.  If I waited to work that out too, it might have taken another four months before I posted anything.

Project #5

I'm very much a beginner knitter, so when I get the urge to knit something I try to keep it straightforward.  Rowan was getting desperate for some new jumpers and since I had a (major) surplus of cream 8ply wool, I thought it was a good opportunity to knit him up something.
I found a free pattern courtesy of the knit and crochet community site Ravelry. I liked the shoulder button opening as it wouldn't matter then if I made the neckband too small for Rowan's head.  It was an easy pattern done in stocking stitch throughout so didn't require much concentration.  However, there was a mistake in the pattern - the original photo of the completed sweater clearly showed four buttonholes, but the pattern itself only had 3.  This meant that there was a bit of a flap where the neckband should join. I managed to bodge an amateur loop stitch and create a fourth button fastening to mitigate the flap, but it isn't in line with the rest of the buttons (hence why that button is an unassuming white).

Mothering Sunday

I indulged in a lie-in this morning, being woken at 8:30am for breakfast and coffee in bed.  Rowan threw a bunch of pretty flowers at me, and then climbed onto the bed.  He chose my breakfast, which was ably conveyed by Gareth.  So I 'enjoyed' a bowl of Cookie Crunch cereal (a treat Gareth let Rowan put in the shopping trolley when I wasn't looking) and conducted some impressive acrobatics to drink my coffee without scalding the toddler! It was a lovely* surprise and Rowan looked very pleased with his efforts. As he should be.  Gareth told me that he had tried to persuade Rowan that maybe I'd prefer poached eggs on toast, but Rowan was adamant that I was having Cookie Crunch!

We made a last minute decision to drive down to Plymouth to visit our Mums, so had a minor rush to load the car and go.  Rowan promptly fell asleep, so he was fairly refreshed by the time we got there (usually he waits until we are ten minutes away from anywhere we are going, then falls asleep).
Fortunately, Rowan's great grandmothers were visiting my Mother-in-law (Lynn) so he got to see them too.

Nanny Gwen, Grandma and Great-Grandma Barbara

 Four generations

We had a lovely lunch with everyone, and then released Rowan into the garden to let out some pent up energy.  He was particularly fond of filling the watering can up and emptying it over the grass. 

We then went to my parents' house and spent a couple of hours chatting, and trying to prevent Rowan trashing their home (two dog bowls were the total causalities this visit).  Rowan had his dinner, and was kept quiet with a bag of crisps - we generally limit them at home, so on the rare occasions he has access to a whole bag he remains silent in case someone realises and takes them away.
Rowan adores dogs, but doesn't quite understand that not all dogs adore him!  The expression on Molly's face (below) pretty much sums up their relationship at present.

 "Go home, ugly bald puppy"

The handsome, photogenic Flash

 Nanny and Grandad. This was the best photo I could get at

this point. Rowan was very tired, and not going to 

comply for a photo shoot!

I felt bad that we didn't stay very long, but it was a spur of the moment decision.  Hopefully we can catch up again soon!


* I mistyped and wrote 'lively' at first. Either word works!

Crufts 2015

For various reasons I haven't manged to visit Crufts in four years.  Between landlord evictions, pregnancy, having a busy baby etc. it hasn't really been possible.  Now we are settled in our own home and have a relative routine with Rowan, I decided 2015 would be the year to finally go to Crufts again!
As my Mother-in-law hadn't experienced Crufts, she and Rowan shared their first visit together.

We left at 9am to avoid the exhibitors driving to Birmingham (20,000 dogs are shown in Crufts over the four days, so I was expecting the roads to be busy) and had a really good drive down. The weather was dry and it was generally a pleasant journey - sometimes the driving styles of drivers clash, and can make it quite stressful.
We got to the NEC around 11am and attempted to orientate ourselves. The show is spread out over four massive halls, and it is very easy to get lost.  We had hoped to see the heelwork to music display, but unfortunately missed it as we were still lost at that point. Actually, we didn't see much of the activities apart from a pet obedience display which was interesting, but not as exciting as some of the other displays sounded!  I think Crufts is one of those events you need to be quite militant in your planning, otherwise you do miss a lot. Something I will remember for next time!

We walked around the Discover Dogs hall and enjoyed seeing and petting some of the dogs. I think both Lynn and Rowan enjoyed this part as you could get more hands-on with the dogs (with the owners' permission, of course!)
I absolutely fell in love with the Catalan Sheepdog! Such a gentle face, and that scruffy coat!  The breed is known for it's love of children, is very trainable and doesn't sound as highly strung as my first-love (Border Collies) so it might be a contender for our next dog since I don't think we can meet the demands of another collie where we are currently in life.  Catalan's are a rare breed however, so it may take a few more years of research!

I didn't get a lot of photos since I was simply enjoying being back at Crufts.

Catalan Sheepdog

Catalan Sheepdog

Hungarian Puli - the Rastafarian of the

dog world 

A close-up of the Puli's corded coat

We walked around the hundreds of stalls displaying a multitude of doggy merchandise.  Everything from squeaky toy trophies, diamante collars and genetic screening services.  I was a little disappointed to see that electric shock collars were being sold there, but that was certainly not the most controversy Crufts has generated this year.  Between alleged poisonings, a reported dog-beating in the car park and heavy handling by the best in show winner, Crufts has had a lot of negative coverage this year. Personally, I do not feel that the Kennel Club can be held responsible for the first two (even if the poisoning had occurred at the NEC). Regardless of how strict the implemented security was, it is unrealistic to assume they could have prevented it. However, I do feel that they should have stripped best in show handler, Rebecca Cross, of her win. She had reportedly been warned previously about heavy handling, and proceeded to do it again. Despite her protestations that is was a 'habit,' it sends a poor message about the care and welfare of dogs in the breed show world.

On top of a glut of treats for Tangent, I also came home with the contact details for the editor on Dogs Today.  Now I just need to find out if they accept freelance submissions and get writing!

A lone walk

I had a rare opportunity for a walk on my own with Tangent recently.  We just strolled over to our usual field, but it's amazing what you notice when you're not preoccupied entertaining a two year old!
Some the photos need cropping/editing at some point, but here they are in their raw form:

 The only purple flower in the field

 Buttercup

Trolley wheel

 Upended trolley, yes I live in quite a chavvy area

Love the red on this thorn branch

Tangent enjoying one-on-one time