2011 365 - week 3

the last four photos from this week. for the full set click here

1 - candles on display at better food company
2 - flowers on dresser
3 - AHmazing pudding at moreish - banana soufflé, salted caramel sauce and chocolate sorbet
4 - sunny F for Friday on my kitchen wall #shadows

noah's ear flap hat

in november i went to stay with my dear friend heather, her husband james and their sweet boy noah (2). to thank them for having me, i knitted noah this ear-flap hat in baby alpaca. at first noah wasn't too sure as it was a little big and, instead of wearing it, he pulled it around in his trolley.

he is inseparable from his little monkey (or is it a bear?) leon (a gift from me when he was tiny) and even faces him forward in the car so leon can see where he's going. although at this point, he was talking to leon

for his second birthday (in december) i knitted a hat for leon too

i asked heather the other day if noah had made any progress trying the hat on and was thrilled to hear that he now wears it (although with the front rolled up so it doesn't get in his eyes). i think it really suits him :)

new bangs

i finally got around to getting a fringe cut again. can you tell i'm pleased? :)

ahem, excuse the vain nature of this post. i do not intend to make this a habit. just pleased with my hair for the first time in a long time.

Baby D

i used to look after sweet, sweet Baby D once a week from when she was 11 weeks old to about 14 months old. i had to give up working for her mum as i needed to work full-time on my PhD and D's mum and i were both very sad this arrangement had come to an end. spending time with D was always lovely because it was a complete switch off from studying. if i arrived tired or stressed out, D would smile and laugh throughout the day and i'd feel so much better. she was really good for me!

this bracelet was a leaving present and i wear it every day.

i hadn't seen D for a few months and today i had lunch with her and her mum. i was so worried she wouldn't remember me but really wanted her to since i had been so involved in her early life. but, when i arrived, after a few seconds of looking curious, she beamed and then babbled away ending with 'coffee' and then promptly walked over to the cupboard where the cups are.

she was delightful, as always and, although she'd changed and grown up so much, especially with her speech, it was so comforting to know she hadn't changed at all. still smiling, still hilarious and still cuddly. and for me and D's mum, liz, it felt like i'd only been there last week.

what a lovely tuesday :)

self portrait

my 2011 365 project is still going well and i upload photos every day to my flickr set. but instead of listing all photos here each week i thought i might just post my favourite. plus today i'm in a reflective mood so this seems apt.

2011 365 - week 2

1 - elephant bank. helping me save pennies
2 - banana milkshake with cinnamon. #lush
3 - using my rice cooker for the first time. only used as a slow cooker until now
4 - five minute dinner
5 - morning tea in bed while i listen to the rain
6 - got home late! 7hrs of driving, scary meeting, coffees with naomi & a final research interview. oof
7 - tampopo

2011 365 - week 1

1 - christmas boat
2 - moebius cowl
3 - mac 'n' cheese at 'same same' in bath
4 - it's still christmas here :)
5 - my parents' neighbours
6 - twelfth night. last use of xmas mug
7 - these need filling. #sortingfriday

happy new year!

hope you all had a wonderful break and it doesn't feel too far in the past yet. i spent christmas in brighton and new year in bristol and a highlight was a boxing day walk on brighton beach (pictured above and below).

i gave up making new year's resolutions a few years ago when they just repeatedly got broken. and so early in the year too. but there are a few goals i want to achieve this year and i think i've kept them attainable.

first up, to continue to spend carefully. towards the end of 2010 i *finally* got better at living within my means. about time at the age of 33. i've found that i get just as much satisfaction from scoring a bargain or selling something as i do from splashing out on something lovely. and i always ask myself 'how much wool could i buy for that?' which helps stop me from parting with money sometimes. i don't want to be dull or obsessively frugal about this but just sensible given my limited income at the moment.

become a better frugal cook (see above). i enjoy cooking and i'm good at it but i never have much of a budget in mind when i buy ingredients. i think my food will taste so much sweeter if i know i've been careful about my purchases.

be more active. nothing specific about this goal otherwise i'm just setting myself up to fail. possibly. this does not involve forking out on joining a gym or the clifton lido (which i've previously considered) especially since there are so many beautiful spaces to walk so near to where i live - ashton court being just one...

image via 

finish my PhD (eek!) my scholarship runs out in october so this is when i aim to submit it. i am fairly determined and on track to finish on time so i should be Dr West before the year is out!

image via

blog more about the PhD process. i am saving any thoughts about my findings for my published work. so, my thesis or any articles i get around to submitting for publication. but i think i'd like to record these final two terms - the process of writing up, some methodological thoughts etc.

knit something for myself this year! i have been knitting for about four years and have learned lots of new skills just in the last few months (which i'll blog about soon). but every single item i've knitted so far has been a gift or a commission. my friends just keep having babies and now that there is a lull in pregnancy announcements, i plan to knit something (even just little) for myself.

learn a knew knitting skill each month. next up, cable!

learn to crochet.

take a photo everyday. this is off to a good start. i upload my daily pictures to a flickr set but may record them weekly or monthly in some other way. not sure yet.

and finally, keep from being too narcissistic on this blog. so, not to only focus on what i'm up to but also showcase others' work particularly those who create beautiful things. i do this already but i want to increase it and have so many draft posts lined up...

what are your resolutions / goals / aims for 2011?


nancy x

ps - blogger drives me mad with the layout sometimes and resets itself everytime i edit the post. it's still not right! any ideas on how to avoid this?