coffee | The Little Room of Rachell

There’s nothing quite like social crafting. You sit yourself down in a new group, get your craft kit out and instantly you’re asked what you’re making, is there a pattern, or is it your own, oh and what’s the yarn? Then allsorts of topics just flow, you join in as little, or as much as you want and before you know it you’ve drunk your coffee, crocheted a small pile of circles and two hours have vanished!

This week I’ve gone to two crafty meet ups, one leading to the other, and topics have ranged from Jeremy Clarkson‘s new pub, his finding of knickers on the site, dogging (!) Rashes under boobs, muslin cloth, block deodorants, traffic issues, local festivals, roadworks, politics, ID, living in Yorkshire, the north and south of England a personal comparison, air fryers, gin, husbands reluctantly making their own lunch: “But what will I have?!” (mentioned by the older women, the younger were slightly agog. How about: “Anything you fancy making darling?”) and much, much more. Craft is probably about 3% of the range of topics covered. There is always much laughter.

When I first started visiting yarn groups, maybe 12 years ago, crocheters were in the minority. There might be me and perhaps one other, unless I felt I needed to bow to the general trend and took knitting. The morning after an evening spent in a pub or cafe I would realise my knitting was always a complete mess, because I couldn’t concentrate on any kind of pattern, chat and sip coffee or alcohol at the same time. Naïvely I once took some lace knitting to a meet up in Oxford. Never again! I find crochet much more free flowing.

At the first craft group I went to this week seven were crocheting, three knitting and one was sewing up some knitting. At the second I would say it was about the same; more were crocheting than knitting of the fifteen. Unfortunately the one who was sewing up on Tuesday came to the other group as well and was re-sewing because she had made a mistake. But it looked like a gorgeous little jumper in variegated shades of green. It will be perfect when it’s finally done.

You see we’ve had a bit more summer this week. I snapped these photos on a 3 mile loop of field paths one evening.

As we were halfway through the walk chatting away I suddenly realised there was quite a loud noise in the field behind. Peeping through a gap in the hedge I saw a combine harvester was cutting the meadow grasses to make hay. It’s been much better, drier weather lately. At last!

It’s the first time I’ve grown mangetout and I can’t believe how many I’m picking every day. I hate to say it, it sounds a little miserable, but I’m getting a bit fed up of eating them now! I didn’t realise they would produce so many. Our lovely neighbour watered our garden when we were on holiday and so I took her some. It’s time to pass them around I think!

The peas are ready and absolutely delicious. We had roast chicken and lots of summer veg on Sunday, the peas were sweet and beautiful. They only took one minute to steam, along with homegrown cavolo nero and mange-tout.

The beetroot are nearly ready to pick as well.

As for book talk this week I’m still listening to Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, it’s making me laugh out loud now. I’m also listening to

Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter. This was mentioned on another blog recently and I thought I’d give the audiobook a try. It’s on Spotify premium. It’s really interesting so far and I like the Scottish narrator a lot. I recognise Siobhan Redmond’s voice from a medical drama I used to watch on TV.

I’m reading an advance copy of Jenny Colgan’s new book Close Knit, which has knitting and quite a funny knitting circle (more social crafting!) up in the highlands of Scotland. It’s out here very soon.

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What have you been up to in the last week? Making? Reading? Growing anything? Any good recommendations for TV? Tell me a few things please!

It got me!

Sadly I missed Easter Sunday with family, but we FaceTimed which was really good. At least we could all see each other’s faces and have a chat. A few days later Someone also succumbed, for the first time. Being ill at the same time was novel.

We were starting to come out the other side and feel a bit more human on Friday, so I made a two cheese & red jalapeno sourdough to celebrate.

I had a craving for tomato soup for lunch to eat with the bread, so whizzed vegetables in the food processor to cut down on the energy needed for much chopping.

I’m sure this particular craving goes back to childhood. Cheese on toast with Heinz tomato soup was a regular lunch, and especially after being unwell.

It was such a tasty soup that I quickly wrote down the ingredients and rough quantities, before my Covid brain could forget, so I can replicate it sometime.

One bowl left chunky ish, the other blended according to preference. Homegrown basil to garnish, along with mustard which needed eating.

Every day I kept to my plan and planted a different batch of seeds. Zinnias I planted on Wednesday are now, less than a week later, strong seedlings complete with leaves. The downstairs of my home is essentially a functioning greenhouse. I love it. There are tomato and pointed red peppers seedlings, broad beans, parsley and nicotianas to come (maybe) and more. One of my uncles once told me: “Gardening is a matter of luck and cosmic force, Rachel.” So true. Let’s hope both come through for me.

A good mocha at the right moment. I’d walked too far yesterday and needed to rest. It did the trick.

Giuseppe Verdi tulips, beauties aren’t they? I thought I might have planted them a little late, as I didn’t get around to it till nearly Christmas.

I made Hot Cross buns before I started to feel unwell on Easter weekend. Have you spotted the one Not Cross bun? It might have been for the atheist, or perhaps because I ran out of paste!

All shared with family. And another batch sans crosses later, for the freezer.

I’ve been going for a one mile walk every day, to get fresh air and push it through my lungs. But then need to lie down afterwards, with an audiobook because of fatigue. How Not to be a Boy by Robert Webb is turning out to be a great listen.

Today’s walk was worth it for these Lucky dip cookies, made with some leftovers from Easter treats. You throw in what you have hence the name, this time it’s milk chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts and salted peanuts. They are becoming a bit of a post-Easter tradition.

I bought the SP, along with eggs and butter, because the sweet and salty combination is a favourite. Goodbye Easter weight loss!

I’ve just realised, only in the last few minutes, that I genuinely feel a bit better. Something has eased. I’ve maybe, just maybe, stopped coughing slightly and my tight chest has somewhat loosened.

All because of raw cookie dough?

All hail raw cookie dough!

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So, my medicine appears to be good food, good coffee, flowers, planting and nurturing seeds, gentle movement outside, entertaining books and audiobooks. What’s yours?