The Mojo came back

But is in danger of leaving as quickly as it came!
I had some stretchy navy fabric with a superb drape so I thought it would be perfect for Butterick 6106, a Katherine Tilton jacket I  liked the look of. 

The jacket went together perfectly but I'm not sure I like it on me.  But that's not the problem.  I had washed the fabric several times & threw it in the dryer but the colour kept coming off on my hands.  Started when I pinned the pattern on & kept on all through the construction.  I tossed it in the wash again but nothing has changed the dye keeps coming off on my hands.  So nothing for it but toss it.  Along with the remaining 3 metres that will never be of further use.  I'm really hacked off about it as it washed, dried, stitched & ironed beautifully.  As well as draped nicely.  Nor was it the cheapest, although by todays standards not particularly expensive either. 
Live & learn.  Back to the drawing board.  I need some clothes but haven't got much in the way of suitable fabric.  Soon be payday!

Communication one small step at a time

Via my Twitter feed I have stuck my head above the parapet at work. But the ability to make a comment & receive a positive response shows how far my employers have progressed in communicating with their staff.  I suspect there's still a long way to go but it's a step in the right direction.  More than this it has given me the incentive to get more involved in cooperative work between senior management & the rest of us.  It can only be good for everyone.
Communication is important, a tool we cannot live & work without.  And the NHS has to move forward with this. We can't live without the NHS so I am choosing to work with it & play my small part in helping it along. I hope the small snowball will gain momentum. I am proud to work for my local trust.

Change is good

I have changed the blog title to Life is for Living - so live it! & the address dreaminginkendal.blogspot.com to better reflect my life as it is now. 
I have hopes & dreams to persue.  Family to love. Good local food to cook & eat, not to mention work out how to get someone to spin Herdwick fleece into cloth for clothes & curtains.  No I haven't got a flock of sheep or access to fleece, & yes I do know spun on it's own it wouldn't work, needs to be blended with a longer fibre.  But this is a subject I want to look into.  So many ideas not enough time.  Or cash!

How's this for a view from a car park?  Mitchells Auction Mart at Cockermouth.  The home of Woolfest.  The place responsible for my obsession with Herdwick & the possibilities that could open up.

 

Check out the inspiration from Woolclip

 

 

 

 

Kendal Festival of Food

There have been so many good reviews there's no need for me to write another!  Refer to Twitter or Facebook for links.  I volunteered for the second year as a road marshall.  Gets a bit boring but also get time to checkout all the stalls before I plan my shopping!
I only buy what I can't make or haven't time to have a go at or sometimes buy something different that I might try making myself in the future.  Duck sausages anyone?  I've bought some based on a tasting & I reckon I might make some in the future.  Nothing could be seen as cheap but everything was excellent quality & from the north of the country.  So local ish!  And I came home inspired & made a seeded fig & walnut loaf. Came out a bit heavy but had been itching to try the dough hook on the Kenwood Chef.  Needs more practice or maybe hand kneading is better.  Time will tell.
Tea tonight was butternut & other assorted veg soup with homemade soda bread.  Using up veg so feeling good about that one.  Given that I took today off work I did very little & tea was a bit last minute "don't know what to make"!
I love this town I live in.  So many amazing things go on here throughout the year it's deserving of good reviews.
I've taken to twitter lately & the blogs suffer accordingly!

Eat local

Last November I bought half a Herdwick sheep from a local farmer (friend of a friend) & we are loving the taste of proper food. Reared only a few miles away. Today's dinner was slow roasted shoulder of hoggett & there's enough left for sandwiches & to put some in what t'other half is calling a cassoulet, with locally made sausages + beans & veg. That'll be tea Tuesday probably.  Not sure about tomorrow's tea, think it was going to be homemade pizza but I doubt himself will make pizza dough & I don't think we've got anything other than cheese to go on top!
I can't wait for himself to get back to work. Hopefully the operated foot will keep improving so he can do so.  I need him out from under my feet, although coming home to a cooked meal instead of having to start making one is pretty good.  It's the rest of the evening I need me time!!
I want to make sausages again now I've got the attachment for my new Kenwood Chef. I plan to buy local pork from down the road at Sillfield Farm to make my own sausage meat. Maybe even try wild boar.
I have realised that less is more for meat.  The better ( & more local) the meat, the more it costs but the better the taste & you really don't need to eat as much.

Well here we are again

I thought I'd try to resurrect the blog.  I seem to have even less time than usual at the moment but I've Dillon managed two posts on the other blog,  Dillon - A Dobermanns tail so I have to try.
My clothes sewing has taken a serious dive but I have bought a couple of courses on Craftsy & hope to do those within the next 6 months!  I gave up the teaching as the paperwork & frankly the attitude of my last teaching observer made me despair.  I don't see how a class of mainly beginner sewists should be expected to help one another with a new task (ie putting in a zip) while I do paperwork.  Surely as the teacher it is my job to teach.  So a difference of opinion was the final straw.  My students backed me all the way.  They were a lovely group of ladies & I hope I have inspired them to continue sewing.
I do knit although that too is on the back burner until the lighter nights as the current pair of socks is a darker yarn that my eyes do not like in artificial light. 
My other half is recovering from an operation on his foot & pardon the pun but he is under my feet while I am in the house.  Not much longer hopefully before he is back at work.  I work full time & getting up earlier to walk the dog combined with taking him out last thing at night is beginning to tell.

I love the photo below of my beloved Dad who died nearly 14 years ago.  That's my daughter with him - she's now coming up 27!

Dear son has left school & started a college course, but has managed to fail his English GCSE a second time & he really needs a C not the D he managed again or next year will be a difficult one for him & therefore us by default!