The Gentle Art of Knitting...

Today I wanted to go out in the garden and tidy up a bit but even though the sun was shining the wind was bitter so I thought better of it... Besides which it's *that* time of the month and, to be honest the thought of doing anything other than curl up in a ball and drink tea quite frankly made me feel ill. The Other Half was camped on the sofa with British Superbikes on the TV (6 hours of it no less...) and the Little Man was alternating between running about like a loon and using me as a climbing frame.

But instead of feeling sorry for myself I decided to snuggle up in bed...

With a good book, of course.

Busy...

Presents. I love presents. I love wrapping presents. I love giving presents. And I would be a liar if I said I didn't like receiving presents too!

My parents don't celebrate Christmas or Birthdays (religious reasons) so they kind of compensate by making a big fuss of their wedding anniversary and turning into a celebratory family day when we all get together, have a nice meal and exchange gifts - and why not? After all the day they got married was the day they began their own family and 41 (41!!!) years later, with five children and three grandchildren, they have something worth celebrating, don't you think?

It's Bear's Birthday at Barefoot Books

Barefoot Books are celebrating the launch of the eighth book in their iconic 'Bear' series in a very special way.
For every copy of Bear's Birthday they sell during the month of July they will be donating one book to Refuge - the UK's largest provider of emergency accommodation and support to women and children escaping domestic abuse and violence.

“Children and their mothers who access Refuge’s services often leave home with little or no notice. Many women and children arrive at the refuge in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes they are wearing and if the child is lucky their favourite toy,” explains Sandra Horley, CBE, chief executive of Refuge. “Books are a huge treat for children, and especially the children we work with who have been uprooted and who may be missing home comforts."

'Giving Back' is at the very core of the Barefoot philosophy and since the company began 20 years ago they have donated tens of thousands of books to charities such as First Book. Book Aid and Books for Africa.

'Bear's Birthday' is a lively picture book for 2-6 year olds. Help Bear count backwards from 10 - 0 and find out who is making his birthday balloons disappear! Available as a sturdy board book, perfect for little hands, or a larger sized paperback, it would make a fantastic birthday present!

So here is your chance to 'Give Back' - click on the badge below to purchase a copy of 'Bear's Birthday' before the 31st July and Barefoot Books will donate one of their fabulous books to Refuge.

Don't forget I am giving away a copy of the gorgeous 'Over in the Meadow' hardback book and enhanced cd to one lucky reader right here. Competition runs until 24th July.

Hello Poppy Cat!

Nick Jr are very excited about their latest offering for pre-schoolers, a fabulous animated adaptation of the award-winning 'Poppy Cat' series of books by Lara Jones. Voiced by the extremely talented Gavin and Stacey star, Joanna Page, Poppy Cat is a brand new TV star in the making! Joanna says she really enjoyed the challenge of playing the character of Poppy Cat

"...because she’s strong, she’s determined, she’s not scared of anything, she’s very brave, she’s lovely and kind, she’s not selfish, she looks after her friends and she doesn’t back down from anything..."

Poppy Cat and her friends, Alma, ZuZu, Owl, Mo and Egbert solve problems, over come fears and learn about the value of friendships whilst having all sorts of fantastical adventures in magical places. Poppy Cat is the natural team leader and with a wave of her patchwork bandana provides whatever transportation the friends need to get going - car, boat, submarine, plane, rocket or hot air balloon. The characters are each well rounded with their own quirks, likes and dislikes, hopes and fears. Most children will find themselves identifying with the characters instantly and relating to their experiences with ease. Each episode is 10 minutes long - perfect for a pre-schoolers attention span -

and absolutely captivated my Little Man. Within the first couple of episodes he was hooked and has watched several episodes I have saved on sky+ for him over and over again!

To celebrate Poppy Cat's TV debut, Nick Jr sent us a lovely pop-up book 'Poppy Cat's Dream' and now the Little Man has got to know the characters so well he really enjoyed the book too, as you can see here...

'Poppy Cat' is currently showing on Nick Jr at 10am on weekdays

Things to make and do...

Now that the Biker Dean financial books have all been packed off the the accountant I finally have my hour or so of me time while Riley naps back again ( I am getting better organised - hopefully it won't take nearly so long to sort out next year!). This means that - in theory - I should be able to get cracking on making things again.
I have just ordered a whole bunch of fabrics in stripes, polka dots, stars, paisley and gingham with which to make bunting and other fancy things to sell on my website - when I eventually get it up and running. Oh, I am getting all excited about doing these things again - it has been such a long time since I have a: had the time b: had the energy and c: had the inspiration. It's amazing how tiredness saps your creativity.
Riley is beginning to occupy himself for a bit now as well which leaves me a little freer to get on with stuff - although I still can't refuse when he wanders over with 'The Gruffalo' for me to read to him - he is already showing a passion for books which I want to encourage as much as possible!
So I have plenty of things to make and do and the motivation to make them and do them. And if it keeps raining like this the website could be up and running a lot sooner than you think - 'Gruffalo' breaks taken into account. Watch this space...