Simple pleasures

As my last post was very much about life hitting the pause button, I thought this one should be about the little things that are pleasing me at the moment.

These are Charlotte seed potatoes from Sarah Raven's catalogue. Each year I think about growing a different variety, but each year I grow Charlotte. There's something very satisfying about growing potatoes, from setting out their little earthy selves to chit, burying them like treasure, digging them up (like buried treasure) and finally eating them in all their lovely deliciousness.

Yes, these are my legs, quite useful to have two of them that work and I'm especially proud of the fact that they ran a half marathon last October, but it's what they are wearing that is pleasing me at the moment. These are More Mile leggings with a lovely fluffy inner lining, neat ankle zips and nice stripy shiny bits. Just perfect for these shivery arctic days we're getting. Who'd have thought that they could make such a difference? And who'd have thought that such a huge difference could cost just £14.99 from startfitness.co.uk?

I love orange. Possibly a little too much. This is my latest orange buy - the perfect shade. I don't often wear nail polish on my fingers (hence there's just the one thumb to admire) and this is destined for summer toes. In the background are my favourite M&S leather gloves. Butter soft and always on my hands. I get a little arthritis in the first joint of my right index finger, so gloves are a necessity when there's even the slightest nip in the air. 

We acquired a box of ex-batts last year and sadly due to old age/foxes/whatever only two remain. But they're two lovely ladies and one of them lays us a big brown egg at about 6am every day. That's enough, really for our egg requirements and we're very grateful to her.

Finally signs of life in the garden. It may be minus something out there, we may have had weeks of snow, thaw, snow and thaw again, but the crocuses (croci??) are undeterred. The orange ones (of course!) pop up first and the purpleys are just beginning to show their leaves. Spring, it seems, might be just around the corner.

Knitting! I haven't knitted anything for ages, but then I saw a lovely pair of fingerless gloves on Pipany's blog and have hankered after a pair ever since. The pattern is for Sirdar's Crofter wool, but the wool shop only had the very pale greys and pinks in that, which don't suit my freckly auburn tones, so I pounced on this wool instead which has some lovely rich browns, oranges (of course!) and a splash of turquoise to keep it awake. I now have to go back for some Crofter to fulfil the orders from H8 and R6 for the pink girly fingerless gloves in the centre of the picture. (See Pipany's blog for some more accomplished knitting and the full gorgeousness of Sirdar Crofter.)