Keeping the home fire burning

Image from oddknits.com

Hello! I'm so sorry for my absence these last few weeks. I've missed being here. I hope that you had a lovely Christmas and I truly wish you every good thing for this new year that is spreading out invitingly before us.

Here in the Yellow Wood, I have had a quiet time, taking it slowly and as calmly as I can, while the sand shifts beneath our feet.

The comforting and familiar has had my firm and grateful attention...I have been cooking some good and simple dishes from the wonderful CWA's (Country Women's Association) Family Meals. Kedgeree, quiche and orange cake. So very good!

Knitting has me preoccupied again...will I ever graduate beyond garter stitch? I sometimes think I have the knack of another stitch and then it skitters away again (laughing a little at me, I think)...!

I am reading and falling in love with Elsie J. Oxenham's Abbey Girls series. Wonderful! They are like book length conversations with Call the Midwife's Chummy!

So, what's been keeping you busy?

~ Feronia x

Birds

Well, I have to say we did have quite a big weekend of telly here, and this is saying something, because usually it's pretty dismal and I try to avoid switching it on!

Doctor Who wrapped up the season to spectacular effect last night (for someone entranced by the idea of time travel, my little head nearly exploded!), Call the Midwife concluded beautifully (the scene with the crocheted rug had me in tears) and I managed to watch not one night of Eurovision (Friday - Semi-Finals 1), not two nights of Eurovision (Saturday - Semi-Finals 2) but three nights of Eurovision (last night was the Finals).

I thought a lot of the songs were really quite good, which I haven't felt in the last couple of years. Of course, there was your usual quota of Eurovision dross but the winning song (Emmelie de Forest from Denmark singing "Only Teardrops") was very good and a clear winner, Italy was lovely (Marco Mengoni singing "L'Essenziale") and I enjoyed Iceland's entry (Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson singing "Ég Á Líf") too.

My absolute favourite, though, was Anouk from the Netherlands singing "Birds". Beautiful, but perhaps just a bit too melancholy to win Eurovision!

What was your favourite song? And have you been watching Dr Who or Call the Midwife? 

Folky

I am up to my eyes in period dramas on tv at the moment - thoroughly enjoying the new seasons of Inspector George Gently, Call the Midwife and Mad Men.

Last week's Inspector George Gently had a distinctly folky tinge - to my delight - with the female lead, Ebony Buckle, also proving to be a lovely singer. I had never heard this song before - "Matty Groves" - but there are lots of great versions of it on You Tube - Sandy Dennis, for one, and also Alela Diane & Alina Hardin. Ebony Buckle also performed the lovely "Silver Dagger", made famous by the great Joan Baez. Great finds for me this week, accompanying me as I've been doing a bit of stitching.

What's caught your eye on the telly lately? Discovered any good music?