April, the month nothing changed but everything changed. The world is mainly still in lockdown.
In truth Lockdown hasn’t really been much different for me, I’m at home 24/7, just venturing out one day a week to see my lovely Mum and Auntie Jan, how I miss them.😭
The only thing I can say I’m really struggling with apart from the fear and missing our family, is the constant mess and boy aren’t my little family messy. I seem to constantly be wiping sides down, loading and unloading the dishwasher and putting the washing machine on. I feel like I work in a laundrette.
God only knows why, as half the time our boys don’t get dressed or just chill out in their pj bottoms.
I’m slowly learning how to not listen to the panic raging inside of me when I walk into a room and it looks like a bomb site. Although it’s incredibly hard to ignore the overwhelming anxiety from a messy room, I have had to train myself to walk away.
After all the mess will still be there when I’m dead and buried.
I think we have all learnt the harsh truth that life is short and tomorrow doesn’t always come, so why consume your mind and time with the need to have a tidy home. 🏡
I’m sure most of you will agree that there are some wonderful things that have come out of lockdown, the main being the family time.
How I am loving that.
Of course we are not saints and at times we have drove each other insane but over all we are coping extremely well and are enjoying each others company.
This is the longest time my hubby Mark and I have ever been in each other’s company and thankful We haven’t throttled each other yet.
Mark however is beginning to struggle, he’s not use to being trapped in the same 4 walls everyday for weeks on end, unlike me. He’s missing his freedom. On top of that, he has all the worries of no money coming into the household, A broken van, the stress of still having to pay the bills, feed us and keep a roof over our heads, while hoping that the jobs he had booked in, will understand why he can’t fit their new bathroom or kitchen right now and that they will kindly wait for him to return to work and play catch-up.
I feel for him, I truly do and all the other families who are struggling financially throughout these trying times.
It’s not all doom and gloom, he’s had time to work on our camper Phillippe and it’s starting to take shape.
Renovation is slow though due to having very little materials at home to be able to complete the renovation.
That hasn’t stopped us from enjoying time in Phillippe even though he is far from finished.
With the new bed made, we’ve spend a few nights in him already. Even though he’s only parked out the front of our house, it’s given us a change of scenery and some time just for Mark and I. It’s been truly lovely.
I have to say buying our little camper has to be one of the best things we have done. I can’t wait until we can drive away and spend some time in him.

Has anyone else notice their pets have been acting rather strange?
Our puppy (not really a puppy) is wingding all the time and our Mummy cat, Kitty will not leave me alone, she follows me everywhere and has to be on my lap at every opportunity she has. 🐱

🧶

Crochet.
Many of you know how much I’ve been struggling to force on crochet, the kind hearted soul called Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir, changed that when she asked if I wanted to make her unpublished new pattern called Arabia.
Arabia is now available to buy and you can read all about it here.
Mine is coming along nicely. I’m just about to start the 5th repeat which may be the last one. I’ll see when it’s finished if I feel it needs another before I start the border. I’m loving making it, it calms the mind and soul.

I’ve also been working on a new project, a bedspread blanket for the camper.
I’m making a waffle blanket out of Scheepjes Namaste.
It’s such a simple but affective pattern, a pattern by, Amanda Crochets.
I’ve used her pattern once before, using the same yarn but it different colour. You can read all about it here and find all links and information you need to make your own.

I’ve also been working on my third wip, another of Tinna’s patterns called
Indiana Afghan.
Got to admit I haven’t worked on it for a few weeks but I’m itching toe tack to it.

Shamefully I also started another project, one I have been planning on making for my nephew Luke for a while now.
While struggling to crochet I started this in hopes it would pull me out the rut I was in.
It’s a great pattern but I’m not in love with the colour pallet (Luke loves it) so it’s hard going and has been put aside until the fire burns to restart it.
The pattern is called Instrinsic Spirit LFC by Lissa Conley. I am making the mosaic version as my mindset isn’t in the right place to learn a new technique.
I so wish I had made it in black and white, instead of using black and the rainbow yarn but Luke is rather smitten and that is all that matters.

🧐

Family research.
I haven’t done any for so long and I miss it. However my sister in-law Sarah has been researching her Paternal side, trying to solve a family mystery about a family chest that we believe was on the HMS Victory.

Rumour has it, Samuel Green (4th Great-Grandfather) served on the “HMS Victory” with Nelson and his sea/travel chest which was with him while serving has been past down the family ever since.
In time it will come to my hubby and then our eldest son Connor.
Trying to find out how true this family story is, is proving a tad hard. So I’m asking for anyone that may know anything about sea chests, if they may help us in solving the mystery.

🚍

Phillippe.
ASI mentioned above, its slowly but surely getting there.
I’m not going to give to much away as I hope to get the motivation to write a post all about it , I’ll have to fight Calum for my iPad first though.
Here’s a few photos to tickle your taste buds in the mean time.

Before I sign off, I so very much wish to thank our friends Phil and Shirley, for all they have done for us throughout lockdown, from leaving us milk and other goodies and being there throughout these challenging times.
For someone to ask the simple question “How you are doing, truly doing?” is unheard of in our normal lives, but these two kind souls have gone above and beyond to check that we are ok.
It’s humbling.
I can not thank them enough.

Stay safe everyone,
Too-da-loo for now.

🦋🦋🦋