I’m steadily moving things off here. The new blog can be found at http://dottyspots.typepad.com (patterns have also moved over there.
Please do come over as I’m going to be offering a giveaway to celebrate getting the new blog sorted.
After the rather tumultuous past few months, I have taken the decision to close the shop front of Ninny Noodle Noo. There are some fantastic bargains to be had, so do go and have a look.
I will be getting back to blogging in the coming months and may well make some changes to the site as a whole. Certainly I will continue to list the various patterns on site and indeed, may well look into possibly selling some of my designs (patterns and objects) in the future (I have been a very busy hatmaker in the time that I haven’t been blogging on here.)
Suffice to say, thank you to everyone who has supported the shop over the past few years 
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
Mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
Mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
Disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
Even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
From its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
Yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
After the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
By Oriah Mountain Dreamer (Written upon her return from a party she went to
alone and had asked all the usual questions of the people she had met
……..and wondered about what really mattered)
I’m lacking in inspiration with regards to blogging. It’s not like nothing has happened. Plenty has. I’ve been down to Plymouth for the Induction residential for the Steiner Early Childhood Ed. degree - and it was great and I loved every minute of it (although possibly not the last day where I only managed to get 3 hours sleep before having to sing…)
I’ve been out, met some interesting people, made some potential new friends (which is always a Good Thing.) We’ve been to friend’s houses to play, down to the community gardens near a friend’s house to do some volunteer work (in exchange for a huge bag of organic veggies,) some gardening, some baking, some painting, some knitting, some crocheting - the list goes on. Erk’s getting back into the swing of mornings with maths and projects and walking the dog. On and on.
Yet I haven’t had the wherewithal to blog.
Ho hum.
As the rain keeps on falling here I thought I’d bring a little sunshine to my blog and upload the pics from our trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park a couple of weeks ago (whilst my mum was visiting). It’s only a few miles away (cycling distance if I had a bike) but I’d not been before.
We were able to walk through the wallaby enclosure, getting right up close.
We were also able to walk through the lemur enclosure (which was one of my favourite parts - the Black & White Ruffneck lemurs were *very* friendly)
There were also some Ringtailed Lemurs
The African Hunting Dogs had a rather nice enclosure with trees and ferns for them to skulk in, but they were more interested in lazing in the sun (naturally that was one enclosure people weren’t allowed in 
)
One very snoozy Raccoon Dog and possibly my favourite of the day - Meercats!
They were so very friendly, coming right up to the walls of their enclosure (I think given half the chance they would’ve much preferred to have been sitting on the walls getting as much attention as possible!)
It’s a small place, but the perfect size for little ones as it’s quick to get around so they’re not overloaded with things to see and do. There’s also a little playground there and a cafe. I think older ones might get a little bored, but Nin and Ted thought it was fantastic. The other useful information I found was that the Park accepts volunteers from 16 years which means that R could volunteer there from next year (he really likes animals and would be able to cycle there) - so that’s some fab news for him.
And also, in the meantime we’ve had another birthday. Erk turned 13. Where does the time go?
He insisted on 13 candles placed on the cake in the shape of the number 13 (he did that himself - the candles, not the cake).
Now back to watching the rain fall outside.
We have rabbits on the field behind us. We grow vegetables. This is rarely a problem for our vegetables as we have Gilbert. Sadly this means we have a season of dead small rabbits, but for once, a few weeks ago, we managed to rescue one.
When I caught up with Gilbert, this little one was lying prone, but otherwise looked ok. S/he spent some time in a box on my kitchen table just to keep him quiet. He soon perked up and was released back on the field (hopefully) to never return again.
I managed to record “The Little Furry Rabbits” (still haven’t worked out how to convert to MP3 yet - sorry Mac users, but I will get there). You can listen to it here: Little Furry Rabbits
The little furry rabbits keep very, very still
They peep at me across the grass as I go up the hill.
But if I venture nearer to watch them in their play
A flash of white and they are gone, not one of them will stay.
I can’t remember where I got the poem from, but will keep on looking to credit the author - sorry! In the meantime, if anyone knows, please let me know and I’ll amend the poem with a credit
To everyone that posted their good wishes, both on here and through Facebook (I forgot my blog fed through there). It means alot, thank you.
Time has a funny habit of slowing to a crawl and then speeding up and slipping away through your fingers.
I know I’ve been quiet, I’ve sort of wanted to blog but couldn’t quite get up the impetus to do so.
My husband is moving some 2 hours away. Without the rest of us.
I’m not really that sad. To a certain extent I’m not surprised. It’s been a very difficult few years.
So I haven’t really wanted to blog because really, what would I say? In this sort of situation it doesn’t really matter how you feel, because the fact remains that it is happening and I don’t have the time to think much about how I feel about it because I’m so busy sorting everything out.
I also want to say something about the Badman Review into HE, but right now I don’t really have the energy (although I’ve made some comments on the various lists and blogs). For a far more concise summary it’s worth visiting Dare to Know and Three Degrees of Freedom sums up some of my initial thoughts on it.
Edit: Thought I’d add the photo as it’s looking very ‘texty’! It’s from a quick play with the micro zoom in the garden - tenuous relevance to post is that it is crawling
Was up late trying to catch up, had just gone midnight so I closed the laptop down, went to wake dh up from the sofa and pick Ted up to take to bed (he’d woken up earlier in the evening).
Picked Ted up, my laptop case and my handbag, went to walk into the hall and Ted threw up all down the inside of my top, then over my handbag (my nice one) and then all over the floor, just as Nin cried down the stairs that she’d wet the bed.
Why? Why do these things all happen at once?
Had to admit I was laughing by this point (so much so I had to repeat asking dh to help Nin, whilst he looked at me very confused and bleary-eyed from the sofa) and then had to put Nin on hold as dh is like a witch and water in folklore (except in his case it’s running sick rather than water that he can’t cross). So had to clear the sick up from Ted and in the hallway before dh would venture upstairs to strip the bed and sort Nin out whilst I tried to clean my bag and rinse out sicky cloths.
Oh the joys of being a parent…
Having weighed up the possible pros and cons of waking up in bed covered in sick in the early hours of the morning (Ted sleeps with us), I’m now downstairs on the sofa with Ted on a mini mattress on the floor. I figure sick is easier to clean up from the carpet than it is to wake dh up again and convince him to move (he’s not very good at waking up unless a very loud alarm clock is involved), sort Ted out, strip the bed, clean it and then have to sleep in dampness…
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New Ostheimer animals are now in stock in Farm and Country.
I also have some lovely little wooden bird shaped whistles and water warblers in (you put water in them and then blow), however, I need to take a decent picture of them before I can get them on site *sigh*. Also in stock, but not on site yet is a Collie dog, Dalmatian dog, a Magpie, a Raven, a duck and a drake - they are coming once I get photos of them. |
Yes it’s a little belated, but we were very busy yesterday! I’ve been having some health issues for a while now and was back at the hospital having various tests done and I’m back again on the 22nd. We then went off to the woods for some play and pond dipping. There were a huge number of tadpoles, more than I’ve ever seen before, the water was black around the edges with them!
So with Erk off to a Beltaine camp with friends, Nin, Ted an I went to the annual Faery Hunt at Brodsworth Hall with a couple of other families (no photos of faeries I’m afraid).:
Ted & a friend and a tree full of beautiful blossom (there were many trees laden with blossom and some Japanese tourists were busy snapping photos).
A herd of bullocks who ambled over to say hello. The pale one to the fore came closest (much closer than he is in the photo above), but then got a little frightened and stood, knees shaking a little, unsure as to whether to come even closer. It was strange to see such a large animal really not sure of such small children. I did feel a slight pang at the thought of where they’re going to end up, they looked so peaceful lounging in the sun.
The Rose Gardens (above and below) - give them a couple of months and these will be absolutely beautiful. I’m planning a trip back for the smell!
Wishing at the little waterfall in the Brodsworth Hall Grotto.
Brodsworth Hall Grotto
Some very unusual trees (they almost look ‘false’). I have no idea what the flowers are above and below (they remind me of fuchsia - but I don’t think they are them) but I was really taken with them - little hearts hanging in a row.
Ted doesn’t look hugely impressed - but he had a wonderful day tearing around
So all in all I think the day was a success for all concerned. All faeries were found and the children collected a sticker and chocolate at the end. Nin loves the Faery Hunt - she remembers it and I think now waits for it to come around when we reach a certain point in the year.
Whilst I’m on here, a few photos from a recent trip to the park at the end of the village. We have a few different parks here, I have to differentiate between them somehow, so there is the “park at the bottom of the road”, “the Horsefields park” (because it’s by fields with horses in), “the park next to the Children’s Centre” and the aforementioned “park at the end of the village”. There is another one in the village, but I’ve never visited it, so haven’t had a chance to name it yet.
The photo above is taken from the same location (roughly - the house in the photo below is also above, just not as easy to see) as the one below (taken in September last year). It still amazes me how much the colours change from season to season.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
And as a result I’ve been rather busy.
We have a new seasonal table stand on the seasonal table. We have a very nice wooden stand, but I fancied a change. This painted wooden one is from Erzi and injected a bit more ’spring colour’ into the table. The candle is handmade from Brighter Blessings. I knitted some eggs, but most went to the Seven Hills Steiner Initiative Parent and Child group, I only made a couple for here, in a little knitted dish with some wooden and a marble one:
I made a purse for Ted. I don’t do very much sewing and on reflection the mouse’s tail could be a little longer, but he really likes it:
I also made a little knitted and beaded rose for Nin, but she squirrelled it away before I could take a photo and now can’t find it *sigh*. Doubtless it will turn up and some point.
We’ve done some cooking - Erk making a salad for lunch) Yes he lives in Clash t-shirts (he’s wearing a different Clash one in the photo further down - it’s becoming a bit of a standing joke here):
Some digging. We now have 2 blackcurrant and 2 redcurrant bushes in, plus broccolli, radishes, lettuce, carrots, spring onions and various flowers. I’ve been given a rhubarb plant by some friends, so I really need to get that in soon too. All I’d like now are some raspberries and gooseberries and I’ll be set (give me bowlfuls of raspberries over chocolate any day!)
We continued making papier mache shields - these aren’t happening fast, but one day they will be done. Erk has been busy making a papier mache model of a geyser (he’s been learning quite a bit about volcanoes and geysers I now know more than I was ever really that interested in knowing ):
Attended the Easter egg hunt and various crafts at Longshaw (my youngest children are now convinced that they could possibly find a chocolate egg *anywhere* if they look hard enough). Erk peeled one of the eggs before dye-ing it blue, then tried to eat it (yuck) and very quickly spat it out (but not before having dyed his teeth blue). I think I might suggest a more natural approach to dye-ing next time around! Below Ted has a peeled dyed egg (just the shell dyed on this one) with complementary bit of egg stuck to his lip. T’other Erk is doing a ‘bored teen’ pose whilst helping Nin and the other little boy isn’t one of mine (hence the back shot).
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And Ted found out what happens when you go upstairs to play with your sister: she insists you are a princess and must wear a dress (whether you want to or not…) Note the blue ink stamp on his forehead as well. He was not impressed and ran downstairs to escape the attention. I’ve also finished the lace scarf (it needs blocking) and have nearly finished the knitted and crocheted top (was going to be a dress, but will now be a tunic) for Nin - it seems to have taken forever with the various other projects I’ve done inbetween. I also felted a few bowls ready for the new kindergarten and have also worked on a shaped knitted head for the little bendy dollshouse dolls I make. I also had a birthday (yesterday), I’m not a big birthday person, so enjoyed a quiet day finishing the aforementioned scarf. When this cold has subsided I will record a few more songs that we have been using in our April story time. One about Spring and one about rabbits. |
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The other fairly big news I have is that I have now officially applied to do the Foundation Degree in Steiner Early Years Education at Plymouth University. I should hopefully hear sometime in July whether I have been accepted or not. So, in two years time I could be a qualified Steiner Kindergarten teacher, with the option of doing a third year and either doing Steiner teacher training or going for Early Years Professional Status. I am really excited about starting the degree (especially the craft and music side, plus the opportunity to learn something about Eurythmy).
With Spring it seems quite a lot of change is in the air and life seems pregnant with possibilities
I also set fire to my hair *sigh*
I now have frazzled bits all across the front of my hairline 
Must remember - do not lean forward over lighters when you have long hair…
I don’t know where the time goes! I’ve been so very busy recently, knitting up Easter Eggs for one of the local Steiner Parent & Child groups, finishing my spring lace scarf (still not finished), knitting a cardigan for the doll, crocheting bowls to felt, knitting a little flower as a present for Nin and sewing a little felt purse for Ted (pictures after I’ve given the presents to them tomorrow).
I’ve also been working on a website for a group I’m involved with (when it’s finished and the group is happy with it I’ll post the link up).
I’ve had to deal with dead baby rabbits courtesy of Gilbert - who may look like butter wouldn’t melt, but is a stone-cold killer given half a chance. I really don’t like having to clear up dead rabbits, but he’s only being a cat and he very dutifully presents me with his gifts (and I have to admit, they less offensive than the half eaten dead fish he left in the dining room for me to narrowly miss stepping on with bare feet as I pottered off to bed *sigh*).
We’ve been on 2(!) Easter egg hunts (well one was for little chocolate rabbits). One in the woods at Sandall Beat - and the sun shone down and we were joined by some teen girls who just happened to be hanging out at the park. They were very helpful in supporting the little ones to find chocolate - really lovely!
The second at Longshaw, where we decorated eggs and Nin and her friend ran off to her friend’s ‘den’ and found some chocolate eggs in a nest in there that had been hidden in advance of the hunt. Nin and her friend came rushing back, so excited because something had ‘laid’ chocolate eggs in the nest ;) We had to distract them from finding any more before the hunt began!
I’ve also got some more Ostheimer animals on order for the shop. This time some woodlands animals and these should be arriving over the next couple of weeks.
If you are celebrating this weekend, I hope you have a wonderful Easter-time.
Because I don’t really have the energy to write much, so instead I’m posting some pics of a visit to Sandall Beat Woods (last week).
We went on the bus whilst Erk cycled (the daftness of this trip is that Sandall Beat Woods is only around 5 miles away, but the easiest way to get there, if you’re not driving or cycling, is on 2 buses. I wish I had one of those lovely Dutch/Danish trikes that carry children, I’d save quite a bit on bus fare *sigh*)
We walked into the woods, seeing lots of squirrels as we went, usually too fast for me to catch on camera, but I did manage to take a photo of this little chap:
We met up with Erk and played on the wind pipes (you have to stand on the wooden beams in different places to make sound):
And then we discovered a roly wheely thingy which for some reason we’d never noticed before (which is a bit bizarre as it’s only just down from the playground, etc.)
It was a bit of a challenge for Nin to get up onto.
Feeling confident now…
And off! And straight back on again.
You can make little bells inside the wheels ring when you moved your feet, Nin thought this was fabulous and spent quite some time on it.
What you can’t see on the ground beyond it is the wonderful daffodils and irises.
And on the way out, just as the weather was beginning to turn, we saw a peacock in less-than-auspicious circumstances (next to rusty old baths in a farmyard):
Quite a bit else happening atm, so will hopefully have some time to blog it tommorrow (also trying to get some knitting done as I’ve had a lace scarf *for me* on my needles for a while which keeps getting cast aside for knitted easter eggs and making clothes for dolls).
